Update

[synfluxmods]

▷ DECISION UPDATE

▶ OUTCOME: BURNING BRIDGES

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.

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Lucy | Elfen Lied

[saudadist]

[ Collect the eggs, they said. Leave immediately, they said. "The Outsiders have abandoned humanity," they said.

It's not right. It makes the burn remnants on her face itch something fierce. Humans are always doing this, aren't they? Always blaming someone else! ]

Fuck humanity. We obey your orders, put our lives on the line, but one mistake and we're the ones in the wrong...

[ She looks over at the eggs. She was hoping to nail their mother in the face again. Take her down a peg and eat these little bastards to make a point. Instead, she rears up her empty rifle like a bat and swings down as hard as she can. ]

AND FUCK YOU!

[ The egg shatters, yolk flies and spills everywhere. She gears up to swing again, eyes blazing

Someone should stop her before she cracks the rest. ]

[30storieshigh]

[ He was all prepared to hunt the enemy to the last but now? Godzilla's not really wanting to see any eggs smashed or someone he likes get reprimanded for going against orders. Too much is lost already.

So Lucy ends up with a clawed hand on her shoulder at the same time Godzilla's tail moves in front of her to block her from taking her anger out on the rest of the eggs. ]

Cease, Friend Kaede. There is no point to the egg breaking now.

[saudadist]

[ She's prepared to whirl and crack whoever's got her with the rifle instead. Pure pissed. She falters at the realization that it's Godzilla holding her back. Yeah, that's not a fight she'd win even if she felt like it. ]

Why not?! Might as well make sure no more of the damned things make it since everyone's so convinced we're shit!

[ Her fury's already cooling, and despite her growling she's tossing her gun down anyway. ]

Fine! Let that bitch eat them instead. It'll serve 'em right.

[30storieshigh]

Perhaps so. She is out of our claws for the time being, so it matters little.

[ Godzilla lets out a deep heaving sigh, complete with smoke trailing from his nostrils. ]

A confession, Friend Kaede. I do not like these orders. Nest breaking, egg smashing, it is never pleasant. Yet keeping the eggs, that serves a purpose that my core has an ill feeling of.

[saudadist]

Should just smash the whole lot, then.

[ She doesn't want to take the eggs back. Looking at them now makes her sick despite how eager she was to eat them before this. She can't stand to even be near them anymore. ]

This is why I hate humans...you could do your best to fight for them and help them, but the second...the second you make a mistake...they decide you're the evil one.

[gundemn]

Kaede, stop!

[ Elan steps in her path to intercept her, which is kind of a bad idea, but he's counting on her not taking the swing or, well, he'll just be smacked. He gets that emotions are running high and it's not like he cares about a few eggs, but she's been like this ever since the battle and it's kind of worrying! ]

[saudadist]

[ She only barely reacts in time. Again. Her rifle drops out of her hands at an awkward angle and clatters to the side. She wastes no time in reaching out to grab at his shoulder, snarling, but with concern muddying the rage she's trying to rapidly cool. ]

You moron! I could've hit you!!

[gundemn]

[ He doesn't fight her and lets himself be grabbed. He wouldn't stand still if he felt there was any real threat, but right now, he just sees someone hurt and venting. It's been a hell of a long struggle. He's not happy with the outcome, but at least they're alive, and he'd like to keep it that way. ]

Yeah, well, you didn't. Don't lose your head or they'll ship you off for defying orders.

[saudadist]

[ At that, she laughs. A bitter, sardonic note. ]

Ship me off to where? The grave? That's the only place I can think of.

[ Her attempt at a laugh to brush the matter off fails. All it does is lead to her cursing under her breath again, and she slowly loosens her hold on him as her head hangs. Her voice is too weak, too pathetic, for her to believe it's coming out of her mouth. ]

Don't do that again...I could've actually hurt you.

[fursuit]

[ lmfao fuckin unfortunately it’s not going to be tezca, ]

[ Which is to say. He stands nearby and listens. Watches as the egg is shattered. And he does nothing. He doesn’t intervene, and he doesn’t say anything. So far as things go… This is where he’s meant to stay more neutral. Matters of the world are things where he can take a gamble and put his stake in one side or another, but when push came to shove? It wasn’t this role to take up those decisive reigns.

Even so… ]

Wasn’t a mistake.

[ He does speak up with that, even after she’s shattered an egg. He takes a step closer to look at its contents, but it’s with what amounts to professional curiosity. ]

Was the decision made with the information given. The fact that people in charge don’t like it is their problem.

[saudadist]

[ Tezca might not be a good enough deterrent for more egg-smashing, but the mods only gave me approval for one so his interruption is enough to stop her for the time being. ]

Yeah...that's right. They asked us for help, we helped, but then they decided we didn't help good enough.

[ She throws her gun down against the ground where it clatters and slides away. She'll apologize to her rifle later. It's her favorite. ]

It's horseshit that we're blamed for this. We were doing what they asked!

[fursuit]

[ Not the rifle… He’s unflinching to her anger, since he feels it’s warranted, even if his own reaction is muted. It doesn’t seem like he’s celebrating how things have gone, but he’s not lamenting it either. It’s oddly neutral. ]

Well, that’s people for ya.

[ After a moment’s consideration, he does step away to retrieve the rifle. It’s not exactly out of politeness so much as more professional curiosity, but it can be interpreted as a nice gesture. ]

I’m sure that if we’d chosen the opposite and all of these bad boys hatched [ He jerks a thumb to the eggs before he actually picks up the gun ] then they’d be pissed about that instead.

[saudadist]

[ Part of her wants to snap that humans aren't people, actually, out of old, bad habits. Instead, she watches him pick up her M82A1 and winces.

She shouldn't have thrown it. What's wrong with her? ]

Is it broken anywhere? My rifle...

[zauneyete]

[ The sound of an egg shattering is a particularly wet, squishy sound. A crack and then a squelch loud enough that it catches the attention of quite a few people. He doesn't approach at first, but some time after, once she's been backed down from cracking them, someone speaks up from leaning against a surface. She's probably familiar enough given the outburst on the plane, but he isn't. ]

Didn't it feel good? I wonder how much angrier she will be, knowing that at least one will not survive. It's a shame we can't destroy more.

[ are you tired of being nice? don't you want to go apeshit? ]

[saudadist]

[ The interruption has her whipping her head around, but rather than turn on Silco and attack him like her visage suggests, she actually has a moment of pause. Careful thoughts. Consideration. Has she been going nutso-bonkers? Maybe a little.

Regardless, she lowers her rifles and grinds the heel of her palm into her forehead as if to stave off a headache. ]

If I ever see her again...I'll use everything. Every last bullet, all my vectors, everything. [ She'll make that dragoness into so many steaks. ] She'll regret the day she destroyed that fucking city.

[zauneyete]

[ and here he wanted to encourage it 😞 ]

Far be it from me to discourage revenge... but why are you so upset? Do you think we will miss out on the chance to slay it? Is it important to do so?

[ His tone isn't as acerbic as it had been when he'd heard the reports come in, less mocking, less nastiness, more... general curiosity. There was a brief flash of Something in that violence from her. Sure, it was impotent, against an egg of all things, but that had been violence. He knew a great deal about violence, and how it was necessary. ]

Not that I don't think a little egg slaying is bad... mind you. Just call me curious.

[saudadist]

[ Her eye twitches as she runs her hand briefly over the healing acid burn scar on her cheek. It's too similar to that time. A time that all at once wasn't very long ago yet was a whole lifetime away. ]

I'd rather not die the same way twice. Or...a similar way.

[gorb]

Is that helping?

( Geto's voice comes mildly enough, free of judgement. He's looking no worse for wear, boldly unaffected by the grief that is taking out their numbers quickly. Maybe he truly doesn't care, or maybe he's just used to snap decisions being made. They tried, he thinks, and surely that is all that matters.

But Lucy is clearly upset, and while he's staying well enough out of the splash zone he does still take a step forward. )

Even if it is, is it worth pissing off LILITH to abate your rage, mm?

[saudadist]

[ The laugh she makes is more of a snort. ]

What are they going to do? Make me weaker? Kill me? [ She slowly shakes her head but steps away from the clutch. Only to plop down on the ground with a snarl. ] Been there, done that.

[gorb]

They're not going to kill someone useful.

( Because she is, he doesn't have to have seen much to know that. He watches her for a moment, expression mild and thoughtful, before he comes closer, crouching down to her level. )

Why are you upset?

[saudadist]

[ She doesn't look at him but instead reaches up to touch her cheek. It's healed by now, sure, but it still stings to think about it. Worse when she imagines that sting everywhere on her body. Just like that time... ]

She barely missed...Probably wouldn't have a face if she hadn't.

[blastedass]

[He bristles at the "abandoned" part, rage sizzling up his spine so hard he swears his skin shrinks on his muscles. A scowl darkens his face, instantly refusing the report in anger. They didn't "abandon" anyone! They didn't abandon anyone anymore than a fucking police officer would abandon someone by going after a criminal! They stayed in the city until they got their new orders, helping where they could, and then left with full intention to end the threat!

Memories fly into his mind, memories of people yelling and cursing the heroes they had lauded and praised just a month ago. Mistakes, loss, failure, enough of that and everyone who said you were amazing rounds on you and spurns you. It's not fair, it fucking sucks, the pain of such a quick turnaround is enraging. Feels like a betrayal, ungrateful, too demanding, an expectation that can't be fulfilled.

But what can they do?

As much as he wants so furiously to defy LILITH's orders and let Kaede beat the ever-living shit out of the eggs, Bakugo catches the rifle on the next upswing. She got one. If she hadn't intended to do more, he wouldn't have intervened.]

Stop it. Before they shut your fucking brain down.

[But the way his hand is squeezing the rifle as hard as it is suggests the young hero isn't all agreeing with his own words.]

[saudadist]

[ Bakugou's met with a snarl as she eyes him. If he clearly doesn't want to stop her, then why is he doing just that?! She scoffs at the following warning too, but she doesn't try to attack again. The most she does is yank her gun away and sling it behind her back by the strap. ]

I'd like to see them try.

[ Maybe she's tempting fate in saying that. ]

[blastedass]

[Because there are things he has to do as a hero that go against the impulse urges he gets. It's why he doesn't actually murder anyone, despite yelling death threats and telling people to die all the time. Why he doesn't beat the ever-living shit out of people who piss him off. Why he hasn't tried to blow down the doors of LILITH's base and storm his way into the dimension chamber or whatever fucking thing they use to bring them here.]

Shut up. If they shut your brain down, who's gonna stop the Bitch from waking up?

[It's a dirty card to play, but he'll do it in order to dissuade (protect) her.]

[saudadist]

[ It's a dirty card alright. One that has her shooting him a glare before she smiles wryly. ]

The other one. [ She laughs. Bitterly. ] The one called Nyuu.