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.
Not really. I'm just saying. Even I wouldn't know what it'd look like to change.
[ It's a bit of lie, but he doesn't explicitly think of it as one. He could stop caring about everything overnight, for instance. He'd been in that position before, and while impossible in every realistic scenario: it's not a thought he'd want to entertain in any capacity.
It had been nice, though. Liberating. ]
… So, you'll have to forgive me. For being a little unfair.
[ A very faint snort. Almost a scoff. So he still thinks her protective instincts were that strong? That she was that kind? ]
Because the manager got the employees out of my way. Don't get me wrong--at the time, I didn't care anymore. I didn't give a damn about my coworkers or the employees who were afraid to risk their lives, understandably. I just wanted to destroy everything. I wanted it all to end.
[ The time scale is so whack, Geb… The fact of the matter is that she came out of it with them, pulled herself from the bottom however that may have took, and that's what stands out to him. ]
Then you came around and ended up at the Library… or is the order a little different from that?
No, that's more or less it. I decided to see it through, we made it to the end, and just when I thought I could finally die, the AI who helped run the corporation rebelled, tampered with the distribution process and eventually made us a compromise when we'd fought to a standstill. If we worked for her in the Library, there was a chance we could set things right once we'd gathered up that Light again.
[ She heaves a sigh, fingers on one hand twitching lightly. ]
In the end, I just kept getting dragged back for someone else's purposes.
[ It'd really be so much simpler if he'd just asked for her to elaborate, but he takes the moment to contextualise her answer, to try and fit the middle pieces of these puzzles without having even the semblance of a border. Where that leaves her now is his guess, yet what matters now is the moment,
what they can make of the moment,
and as her hand twiches, he allows his gaze to fall on it lightly. ]
… The rug can be pulled from underneath us any day now, but that doesn't diminish the value of the time we have until then. It's technically more of the same situation. I get how you feel.
[ It's easier said than done, as the adage goes over and over again. ]
But in the time we have to ourselves, we can pretend it's ours and ours alone. Let's head back, do something fun? [ He holds out a hand, tips his head. He could just as easily pretend he'd meant to make a gesture with it if she chooses not to acknowledge it. ] And not let this take any more of that away from us.
[ Still trapped, in the end. More victorious than she'd been facing Angela, with less sacrifices this time around, but... still, she wasn't able to leave or die. It is what it is. It wasn't the same kind of situation anymore. And maybe one day Elysium will ask her more about it and maybe he won't. It doesn't matter much to her.
Gebura's eyes lower, resting on his outstretched hand. She doesn't need to take it. She's fine. And she's aware he knows that, has made it extremely easy to ignore it without souring the situation.
... But it still exists, in the back of her mind, Siffrin's little comment. "Do you know what hands are natural at doing?"
It doesn't feel natural, but neither had fighting, of course. She knows what makes a gesture feel normal, even as she inwardly sighs at it.
But with a nonchalance that is definitely her attempting to act like it's nothing, she takes Elysium's hand. ]
[ The weight of someone's hand in yours can't always be measured by mass alone. Not with what he knows of her and the experiences they've shared together, the unspoken "trust" that he grasps as he closes his fingers around hers. It's a fragile and precarious thing, easily lost within the passage of a day or the blink of an eye. But in this moment—Elysium smiles, tugging Gebura forward and away from the ocean.
… It's not natural for him, either—gestures with this level of significance. He wonders if he's doing it right, but that would make him a hypocrite, wouldn't it? To preach the importance of living in the moment without actually doing so himself. Better to not think too deeply of it. ]
You had fun with volleyball, didn't you? [ His grip tightens, mischievously. All the strength he could summon and then some would be nothing compared to hers at rest if she'd wanted to let go, and they both know that. But he does it anyway. ] Please, now you're just giving me a hard time for the sake of it.
[ To stare down at their joined hands would be the biggest damn indicator that she's paying far too much attention to this, to the warmth and closeness of another person when there's a part of her insisting that it's best to keep her hands free, just in case. That letting anyone hold her hand is a sign of weakness and vulnerability and she's just put herself at risk by allowing it and when this inevitably leads to betrayal, when he wants something from her that's more important than her trust, this will be another thorn lodged in her heart that she willingly exposed.
... She doesn't say any of this or let any of it show on her face because she's aware of how dramatic that is and how, by extension, how stupid it is to both dread and vaguely expect it. His hand feels both callused and a lot smoother than her own, with the scars scrawled all over her hand with no rhyme or reason.
She's not ashamed of it, but she has to wonder how that feels for someone else, even as his grip tightens and she lifts an eyebrow as though warning him she could pull back if he teases too much. ]
You wouldn't know what to do if I didn't give you a hard time, would you?
[ She could do more than just pull back—she could snap his arm, break far more than just his bones. He doesn't need to feel her scars to know what she's capable of; he'd seen it in the way she'd carried herself from the first day they'd met. But that doesn't bear relevance to his current thoughts, her hand warm in his. His focus remains fixed elsewhere, anchored by what's unspoken. Trust. ]
Only because it'd be new territory. [ simply, without his usual lilt. ] Volleyball was because it's a part of the quintessential beach experience, but let's do something that could be played in twos or fours this time. Ever try tennis?
[ A look over his shoulder, a grin. It doesn't linger long; for most of the time their hands are clasped, he keeps his gaze fixed ahead. ]
If you manage to break a racket, that's what would be truly impressive.
I know what it is and no, I haven't tried it. I think I killed someone with a tennis racket once, though.
[ Or some kind of paddle/racket-shaped thing. You used what you had, and she hadn't been able to afford weapons until she'd gotten work as a Fixer. ]
I can't remember if it broke. [ Well! A ball is less likely to break a racket than someone's head, at least!
She's also aware his gaze is largely focused in front of him, though she's not sure if that's for her sake, if he thinks she's uncomfortable, or if he just wants to make sure he's not about to run into something. He's never been that concerned about putting her out of her comfort zone before, so she's content to believe it's not that. ]
[ Gebura please. Only she'd talk about bludgeoning someone with a tennis racket so plainly. ]
… Wow! Good to know. Anything really can be a weapon in the right hands.
[ So he says, despite already being well aware of the fact. Elysium would add that Gebura wouldn't even need anything in her hands, but it's fine. They don't need to talk about that. But really, his reasons for looking ahead aren't anything special aside from wanting to give her her breadth of space; he hasn't forgotten the first time he'd offered her his hand, after all.
So, yeah. Tennis. He doesn't intend to pull the rug under her while the mood is still tangibly somber, and will release her hand whenever they enter the gym while making no show of it. Saves us (me) from writing out the tutorial, their real sports anime arc coming to a log near you one day. ]
[ Deeply appreciated. With her hand free, Gebura just takes a few seconds to quietly process the feeling. Warm.
Okay.
This was doable, even if it still has her uncomfortable upon contact. That's just a matter of getting used to it, or a reassurance to herself that she can still protect herself if she had to.
(But that was never the problem, was it?)
A breath, quiet. ]
... Satisfied that I'm fine now?
Edited (dates threw me off) 2024-09-07 13:48 (UTC)
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synflux2024-08-22 04:03 am
no subject
[ It's a bit of lie, but he doesn't explicitly think of it as one. He could stop caring about everything overnight, for instance. He'd been in that position before, and while impossible in every realistic scenario: it's not a thought he'd want to entertain in any capacity.
It had been nice, though. Liberating. ]
… So, you'll have to forgive me. For being a little unfair.
no subject
A little, huh. [ Dryly. ]
I'll think about it.
no subject
Great. That's the more than I would've ever anticipated.
[ low-key, kind of rude?? ]
no subject
[ Yeah. Wow. ]
no subject
Just like you, it's not that I want you to be anything in particular. But if that's what you want, can anyone truly stop you?
no subject
[ Well, she is nothing if not succinct. ]
So it's probably a good thing I don't want all that much, in general.
no subject
[ not quite self-deprecating. something close to. ]
Considering your nature, I don't believe anything born out of any desire of yours would be all that bad.
no subject
[ It's said so mildly. ]
I'm not as altruistic as you think I am.
no subject
[ From what he knows of Lobotomy Corporation from Netzach and Yesod…… he thinks he kind of gets it, though he won't say it aloud. ]
… But you didn't. Because you had people you wanted to protect more than you wanted to bring everything down, yeah?
no subject
Because the manager got the employees out of my way. Don't get me wrong--at the time, I didn't care anymore. I didn't give a damn about my coworkers or the employees who were afraid to risk their lives, understandably. I just wanted to destroy everything. I wanted it all to end.
So I rampaged.
no subject
[ The time scale is so whack, Geb… The fact of the matter is that she came out of it with them, pulled herself from the bottom however that may have took, and that's what stands out to him. ]
Then you came around and ended up at the Library… or is the order a little different from that?
no subject
[ She heaves a sigh, fingers on one hand twitching lightly. ]
In the end, I just kept getting dragged back for someone else's purposes.
no subject
what they can make of the moment,
and as her hand twiches, he allows his gaze to fall on it lightly. ]
… The rug can be pulled from underneath us any day now, but that doesn't diminish the value of the time we have until then. It's technically more of the same situation. I get how you feel.
[ It's easier said than done, as the adage goes over and over again. ]
But in the time we have to ourselves, we can pretend it's ours and ours alone. Let's head back, do something fun? [ He holds out a hand, tips his head. He could just as easily pretend he'd meant to make a gesture with it if she chooses not to acknowledge it. ] And not let this take any more of that away from us.
no subject
Gebura's eyes lower, resting on his outstretched hand. She doesn't need to take it. She's fine. And she's aware he knows that, has made it extremely easy to ignore it without souring the situation.
... But it still exists, in the back of her mind, Siffrin's little comment. "Do you know what hands are natural at doing?"
It doesn't feel natural, but neither had fighting, of course. She knows what makes a gesture feel normal, even as she inwardly sighs at it.
But with a nonchalance that is definitely her attempting to act like it's nothing, she takes Elysium's hand. ]
I don't think I trust your idea of "fun".
no subject
… It's not natural for him, either—gestures with this level of significance. He wonders if he's doing it right, but that would make him a hypocrite, wouldn't it? To preach the importance of living in the moment without actually doing so himself. Better to not think too deeply of it. ]
You had fun with volleyball, didn't you? [ His grip tightens, mischievously. All the strength he could summon and then some would be nothing compared to hers at rest if she'd wanted to let go, and they both know that. But he does it anyway. ] Please, now you're just giving me a hard time for the sake of it.
no subject
... She doesn't say any of this or let any of it show on her face because she's aware of how dramatic that is and how, by extension, how stupid it is to both dread and vaguely expect it. His hand feels both callused and a lot smoother than her own, with the scars scrawled all over her hand with no rhyme or reason.
She's not ashamed of it, but she has to wonder how that feels for someone else, even as his grip tightens and she lifts an eyebrow as though warning him she could pull back if he teases too much. ]
You wouldn't know what to do if I didn't give you a hard time, would you?
no subject
Only because it'd be new territory. [ simply, without his usual lilt. ] Volleyball was because it's a part of the quintessential beach experience, but let's do something that could be played in twos or fours this time. Ever try tennis?
[ A look over his shoulder, a grin. It doesn't linger long; for most of the time their hands are clasped, he keeps his gaze fixed ahead. ]
If you manage to break a racket, that's what would be truly impressive.
no subject
[ Or some kind of paddle/racket-shaped thing. You used what you had, and she hadn't been able to afford weapons until she'd gotten work as a Fixer. ]
I can't remember if it broke. [ Well! A ball is less likely to break a racket than someone's head, at least!
She's also aware his gaze is largely focused in front of him, though she's not sure if that's for her sake, if he thinks she's uncomfortable, or if he just wants to make sure he's not about to run into something. He's never been that concerned about putting her out of her comfort zone before, so she's content to believe it's not that. ]
no subject
… Wow! Good to know. Anything really can be a weapon in the right hands.
[ So he says, despite already being well aware of the fact. Elysium would add that Gebura wouldn't even need anything in her hands, but it's fine. They don't need to talk about that. But really, his reasons for looking ahead aren't anything special aside from wanting to give her her breadth of space; he hasn't forgotten the first time he'd offered her his hand, after all.
So, yeah. Tennis. He doesn't intend to pull the rug under her while the mood is still tangibly somber, and will release her hand whenever they enter the gym while making no show of it. Saves us (me) from writing out the tutorial, their real sports anime arc coming to a log near you one day. ]
no subject
Okay.
This was doable, even if it still has her uncomfortable upon contact. That's just a matter of getting used to it, or a reassurance to herself that she can still protect herself if she had to.
(But that was never the problem, was it?)
A breath, quiet. ]
... Satisfied that I'm fine now?