The decision has been made. LILITH Japan orders the Outsiders to mobilize to pursue the Imugi.
Given that they are in a foreign country, they are largely dependent on LILITH Korea’s resources. In response to the decision, the Korean branch provides some assistance: the Outsiders are given just enough vehicles to help transport them, essential supplies, and only a few operatives to help guide them. This is the most the Korean branch is able to give, as they must focus on relocating people and restoring peace following the attack.
LILITH announces that the Imugi is currently resting near Gangneung on the east coast and they must move quickly. The effects of Rift poisoning will grow stronger as they approach the source; a sign that they are close to a kaiju. Upon reaching the mountains just outside the city, LILITH informs them that they are right on top of its location.
However, there is no Imugi to be found. After searching the area, Outsiders will discover the source of the trace and the poisoning: eggs. They will find about twelve eggs. When they report their findings, Seokdang will curse. In their rush, they had followed the wrong trace. They didn’t track down an injured and resting Imugi—they tracked down the Imugi’s nest. So where is the Imugi?
Not long after, Outsiders will receive an update on their implants: the Imugi reappeared in Seoul. After seeing the corpse of its mate, it went berserk and attacked the city again. While many of the citizens were evacuated to nearby Incheon and remaining shelters, just as many perished, with the death toll at 168,000 and rising. LILITH’s Korean base is destroyed.
The Imugi was last seen flying north, but the Korean government prohibits the Outsiders from pursuing it again through their territory. By choosing to pursue the kaiju, the Outsiders have abandoned humanity and thus will receive no further support. They are ordered to leave the country immediately.
LILITH Japan will order them to collect as many eggs as possible and continue to the abandoned city of Gangneung, where they will arrange pick up and return to base in Tokyo.
▶ AFTERWORD.
Thanks everyone for participating in our first major Event Decision! We hope you had fun discussing what to do both ICly and OOCly.
After failing to capture the second Imugi and also failing to save a large portion of Seoul's population, characters will be shipped back to Japan. The events of the TDM will springboard from there. Feel free to use this post to thread out any aftermath threads if you would like.
All tags on this log are worth 2 points and will count towards August AC.
[ Seeing them without some kind of cloak or poncho... that's scandalous.
(But seriously, what is his issue!!!!!!!!!!!!! You really thought you'd left the annoying, double-talking mystery figure who either knows too much about you or wants to know too much about you while being utterly secretive and yet all about themselves behind in Dormont!!!!! What did you deserve to find one here, too!!!!!!!!
Was it the reaching out, really? You inwardly lament your curiosity about Elysium.
...
You decide to be annoying.)
With all the casual air of someone who's better friends with the person spoken of than they really should be: ]
Callisto's got better manners than you. And he's a good listener. If I asked him to let me down, he would. But I don't think he'd give me a reason to want to be put down.
[ he doesn't know what he's done to earn this kind of trust and affection from the young sorcerer. the younger sorcerers respect him, sure, but he doesn't really see himself having any larger impact on any of their lives - with perhaps the exception of Ino. but even with him, Nanami doesn't think he's done anything special.
arms going around the boy, Nanami shifts until he can hold Yuji close while running a soothing hand up and down the shaking back. it's a little awkward sitting on the floor like this, but he isn't going to let go until Yuji lets go first. ]
I'm here for you. Whatever you need, I'm here. I'll keep you safe this time.
[ did he? just because he wasn't as emotional as his seniors or his peer... alright, perhaps Geto has a point. but to be fair, back in the day, Nanami was either annoyed or couldn't be arsed. those were his main emotions. all the others were probably holidaying in Hawaii...
Geto's words do have him have a closer look at the other man. it's a curious direction they're taking. he can tell Geto means to be... reassuring? ]
What purpose would blaming anyone serve? We took a chance and it didn't work out in the end. Doesn't mean the other choice is right, regardless of what some people may think.
[ there is mild disdain in the way he says 'some people'. yes, he's aware of the 'I told you so' game that's tearing through the base. it does not make him feel particularly kind towards that crowd.
but here, let him refill those empty glasses. mild but firm: ]
I stand by my choice. I didn't think you'd be the type to doubt a tough choice after the fact, Geto-san.
( being... hauled up onto someone's shoulders is a completely new experience for izou, and where he would normally holler and struggle against it, he finds he's too slow in the moment to react aside from a grunt or two.
too slow in general, really, as the beautifully cool edge of elysium's dialogue pierces through the haze and into the shame that's burned black on the inside of him. a shame that's only surfaced with copious amounts of drink and with the disgraceful dismissal of their further help from across the ocean, where izou felt the burning rubble all around them was surely... some kind of mistake.
a mistake he had a hand in, like all the ones before, and all the ones he would keep making, and he grits his teeth as his chin bumps against the older (?) man's shoulder. it's all sound advice. more sound than most anything he'd been given in life, really, to the point it's overwhelming and almost beyond his understanding. a door cracking open that he instinctually wants to shut and keep closed with desperate hands shoved against it. his hands move erratically in an effort to grasp the fabric of elysium's clothing, but eventually, they too relent. )
What I can do, in the long-term...
( he should argue. say he really can handle this disappointment on his own, a sparkle of sunlight dancing on his childhood friend's smile and in his memory as he told izou he was great, but it all falls short in the face of elysium's blunt opinion.
all izou can manage to choke out is a dry sob, rubbing his cheek onto elysium's shoulder to wipe away the formings of a tear. )
Crushed by my own standards. Hahah. That'd... That's not gonna... long as no one treats me like a laughingstock like they used to, then... I'll try to last, ...long. Longer than back then.
[ rover tilts her head, trying to come up with a way to describe it, until she finally says, ] I guess ... I did a little bit of everything? Errands, assignments, all kinds of things. I killed monsters in between to keep the peace.
You can call me a mercenary, I suppose. One who works to preserve order around.
[ ‘a friend’. such a strange little word, so alien until recently, but used in correlation to himself despite everything. not a tool or a soldier, not a curse or a fellow conscript, but a friend.
his hand on Raidou’s squeezes back, infinitesimally. ]
I should be thanking you as well. For accepting our pact. For continuing to regard me so highly. For trusting in me to fight with your power.
Thank you, Summoner Raidou. I will not let you stumble on alone.
[ it certainly is the case for her, but she doesn't elaborate on it. ]
... I agree.
As much as a lot of people are very frustrated about how the choices turned out, we had made our own decisions based on what we know at the time, and the reality is we can't cover an entire country.
[ and that's that. she looks at him in curiousity - ] How do you feel about everything?
... there was an incident I was called to address, in which a tacet discord - what we call kaiju - had its partner die, and was doing its best to restore its life essence despite anything else. The level of its grief had physical ramifications to the environment around it.
Kaiju have different levels of empathy and intelligence. I'm not surprised that it can react the way that it did; I wonder to what extent would it allow itself to feel grief.
[ rather softly - ] After all, if you had come back to your family taken and your partner destroyed, who wouldn't be moved to act? It is the only rational choice, I feel.
[ he's another difficult man to find. normally, she would chalk this up to the after-effects of the decisions made in time, but geto doesn't strike her as overly sentimental when it comes to the mission. so she had to utilize other methods. asking agents if they'd seen him, tall dark and broody. easy enough to identify among outsiders, difficult once she gets into crowds: he seems to blend in with the morose and shell-shocked crowd.
rover moves up amongst the debris like a bird, used to moving in between jagged edges of crumbling ruins from jinzhou to here to get a higher view. she follows hints here and there from those who've said they've seen an outsider like how she describes. she trades things for thanks, currency all having broken down in the aftermath of the destruction: a knife for medical supplies for a pack of familiar cigarettes. and then she moves on.
when she finally finds him, she drops the packet of cigarettes over him. it probably hits his head. ]
[ So earmuffs are needed when firing one of those devices. From what he's seen of them, the sound they make is quite loud. The people in the movies don't always wear protective gear however.
He stares at what she hands to him. ] This ... It looks like a pipe.
[Who treats the doctor when he's the one down in the dumps?]
[A worthwhile question. Well, maybe not really, given that he knows Ratio isn't THAT kind of doctor, but whatever. He hasn't seen hide or hair or the man, and he thinks its worth to check it out. There he is. He tracks him as easy as anything, marks the spot...]
[And a little later, pops up in front of him wherever he is, waggling a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.]
[ Listening, Yesod waits for Malkuth to finish her answer before he nods. Yes, while pursuing the Imugi may have seemed the more efficient choice to many at the time, even succeeding wouldn't have changed the implications of the decision as far as LILITH's Korean branch and the people of Seoul were concerned. ]
You and a handful of others contributed reasonable arguments, despite the vocal majority opposing your stance. It's unfortunate that the counterargument was largely formed on the basis of what we now know was unreliable information... and a number of votes were evidently motivated by the need to rectify our failure to defeat the female Imugi in Busan. Ideally, we would have confirmed that the trace to follow was indeed the Imugi's trail prior to committing our forces in their entirety to the pursuit of a creature that was already elusive and exhibiting peculiar behavior.
[ In a "Please, we are the 'Information' Team. Make use of it." tone, meant for LILITH's tracking methods, before Yesod has to admit that it's pointless in hindsight, easier said than done, just like seeking a third option. Perhaps it's hypocritical, besides — in the past, he and Malkuth might have made the choice to prioritize efficiency themselves, if a decisive strike truly meant eliminating the risk of further destruction and casualties. The arguments making a case for just that considered logical conclusions. ]
...And of course Seoul would resent being treated as expendable. That much is certain.
[ Malkuth was right to present relations to foster as one of her original points. ]
[ where most people brushed off as less important, and she would have herself once upon a time. that doesn't solve a problem in an efficient manner; relations with others was nothing but an unnecessary timesink, put to better use elsewhere. like creating power.
but that was then, and this is now. malkuth waves her good hand dismissively. ]
Oh, well. We'll figure something out. Let LILITH and the rest lick their wounds and suck on that sour feeling for a while, they'll think twice about rushing in without confirming their info. For now... maybe a memorial or vigil, or... something sentimental, to give our consolation at their loss. What do you think? I'm no Hod, but I've got some ideas.
[ ... the other thing is how everyone claims to feel a scapegoat, but that's just how it is. there's no point in being angry over that. ]
[with all the snacks choso likes, it's amazing he hasn't lost a shred of definition. then again, with his training, half-curse nature, and blood manipulation, maybe fat cells don't build up so easily. what a lucky guy.
bakugo pops the top of the plastic container and sets it aside, then slips the chopsticks out to quietly "snip" the pieces of tofu in half with quick squeezes at the tip of the sticks. choso'st not litter of an unknown origin.]
That's not the same thing, dammit! [does he want to explain this to him? not really. ugh. taking a bite.] I'm fine.
[bakugo's not a social butterfly by any imagination stretch.]
[ Like Malkuth, Yesod is no Hod, far from it, although his secret gestures were as meaningless as her overt ones in the facility. Ever since he spoke with Gebura, saw Kali's final moments in her relived memory, he has thought of Michelle from time to time, however, absent from that scene of carnage. He has thought of Hod, and of their disagreements.
He tilts his head slightly, prompting Malkuth to continue. ]
[And after that shitshow of people being stuck in maid outfits, he's never going to get the shitty upgrade. Leaving his clothes in the ultimate hands of that emotional dumbass is not happening. He'll stick to dressing himself, thanks. Yuji's preference for sweats works in tandem with Katsuki's own liking. Honestly, crashing in what he's wearing right now is fine. Lightweight lounge pants and tank top. Yuji's already done so much to make things better.
Though really, Katsuki should invest in a personal burner and mini fridge for his best friend. It's nice to be able to cook in your own room without having to mess with other people bumbling around or going out to eat. Or in this case, living off snacks... They have lives to continue to live, people who still need help regardless of how many times they trip and stumble. Wasting away and dying to repay those people isn't the answer. That's the easy way out. It's much harder, yet stronger to live for them instead.
Sadness rests over them now, but both Yuji and Katsuki know full well how tragedy eventually gives way to life again. They'll bear the scars and weight of this forever, but can't let it choke their future with regret.
He leans fully against Yuji's body, head resting on his shoulder and arms settled around his lower back. Fingers comb through his hair, drawing a slow exhale against the sorcerer's neck. Comforting. Katsuki settles, sorrow and frustration and rage calming to a gentle somber they can combat by being together. No promises he'll even be awake when Choso returns. Probably sleeping on Yuji's bed, one arm thrown protectively over his best friend if he's able.]
Thanks, Yuji. [Quiet, but sincere.] For helping me.
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