Lady Takanuva

IC: Yamada Raika- Battle on the Waikiru Air! It came scouring through Raika's aching throat, making them gag and gasp. Bile and blood coming up fought air coming down. But they could breathe again! Raika felt something sharp and sudden in their chest as they were dragged backward, then freezing cold flowed through their body. Raika gasped, tried to recoil from the pain... It did not arrive.Oddly, the horrible stabbing they had expected was not present. They were shivering, the cold ocean air finally seeming to take its toll. But instead of foggy, their mind felt curiously sharp. Their fear felt far away, like something they were having to force themself to remember. As the first blow was deflected, Raika was gone. Mask and powers together reducing them to less than a shade, just shifting wood and sea spray. The discarded blade that had dropped from the shapeshifting serpent vanished. Unseen and unheard, two daggers longer than a forearm had their triggers fully depressed. Seawater sizzling and spitting as it turned to vapor before it could run off the imperceptible, arc-flash-bright weapons. No hesitation this time, little Ghost. Careful now. Yuna's katana skittered across the deck. But as the thing reared its head back to screech two unseen, white-hot spars of crystal plunged into its maw. Hot enough to melt protodermis, hot as the gauntlet wrapped around Ahri's hand. There was little training behind what happened next. With the delicacy of a maul punching through mail, the force of a sledgehammer, two voices bellowed as one into the mind of the rahkshi. They slammed into whatever defenses its serpentine mind had like an avalanche. Words both attack and command layered with the force of fury: .:Get AWAY FROM HER YOU SNAKE!!!:. OOC: @The UltimoScorp, @Keeper of Kraata, @Click, @Mel

IC: Yamada Raika Sleep had been a distant acquaintance, with smoke on the air and noise all around. Still, rest was necessary. And when sleep wasn't an option… …there was meditation. In the days before the cataclysm it had been many things. At first, a way to center themself. Then, as time went on… a way to push themself further. Tasks completed for the day, Raika fell out of their mind, and sank downward. downward d o w n . . . They had been pushing deeper and deeper. They were rarely disturbed while doing this. Once they exited the level of consciousness most Menti occupied, it was like none of them even felt their mind's presence. Some days they would be woken by the sound of Yuna or someone else calling for them, searching the very room they were inside. Somehow not noticing them until they were snapped back to consciousness. d o w n Suddenly Like sinking into cold water. The barrier they had been coming up against for months now gave, like sinking beneath the waves. One light, then two. Flashes of barely-thought. Minds more networks of impulse and response than thoughts. They billowed up and around them, and Raika felt the urge to start laughing. They dived deeper, feeling as though pushing deep on one of their dives for food back at the cave. They came, now. Larger minds. Quick flashes of basic thought, the primal urges of finding food, a mate, shelter. Flitting past. Fish. And deeper still? Echoes, like whale calls. Greater minds, far away and far below. deeper… Then… The cold water turned to ice. Something… violating… slithered past. A mind that felt like cold corrosion, acid. Like brushing against poisoned brambles, the shock so great it tore Raika back to consciousness. They tasted copper, their head spinning. Then, they heard Ahri's call. They snatched up their daggers from their sheathes and charged out… Once more, their blood froze. On instinct, their Volitak triggered and they faded from perception. The serpents… … the Rahkshi… They had made it aboard, they were already wreaking havoc on the ship. Ahri was nowhere to be seen. But one of them was fighting Yuna- One of them is fighting Yuna. The fear, and the one feeling it, are pushed to the side. They make little fuss. More consciously, I fully trigger our Volitak and shift myself a hair's breadth below the surface. Our daggers heat in our- in my- hands. Rahkshi. Not for long. The casing of the thing's plating meets protocrystal. Protocrystal wins. The thing rounds on me, finishing shoving Yuna overboard- Overboard. Zuto Nui! i had been so caught up in… attack… attacking… no, no no no what is happening, what was happening? Raika stumbled backward. The wrong move. The thing was screeching, murky liquid running from its faceplate. Rivulets of metal from its damaged casing cooled as it advanced. Its staff was raised, cautious now. No! No more fighting! No more, never again. No more killing, no- Child! Coward! Look at that thing. It's no slumbering maiden. One of those nearly killed us! It tried to kill Yuna! And where's Ahri, huh? The one you were so keen to protect? Maybe they already got him. No, no no no no no- Enough! I can't fight them and you! Time to decide, little child: Either help me fight, or stay out of the way. A-ahri? Yuna? No, no. No. NO! Then fight WITH me! …with you. With you. FIGHT! Daggers met stave, but even as the Rahkshi tried to focus on its target, it would find it slipping away. It had no clue what it was facing. Heat, again! A dagger slicing. Back of the leg. Knee. Knee. Strike after strike, slowing the thing down, dancing away. Each time watching for its reaction. Some strikes were met with a strength so jarring it nearly made them drop their daggers. But training, even against stone and tree, still goes a long way. And so the two danced a fatal jig. Lasting mere seconds, but feeling far longer. Once more, a dagger slammed into the Rahkshi's elongated neck. It punched through, sizzling as it met wetness beneath. The thing screamed, its death rattle somehow more terrible than its rage. In that moment, the Rahkshi swung its stave backward. There was a crunch, and Raika fell to the deck. Gasping, wheezing, choking. Copper flooded their taste buds, pale silver ran along their chin and dribbled to the planks. The rahkshi collapsed to the deck beside them. Dead? The thing shifted. Turned to face them. Screeched. None of the dismay or terror in its voice now. Only rage. Not dead. One eye dark, the other staring in hatred. How long did it have left? Minutes? Hours? Had they really managed to wound the thing at all? However much time, it wouldn't make much difference. Raika tried to focus on triggering their kanohi, but their side shattered their concentration. Gripping their remaining dagger tight, they held the smoking blade waveringly between themself and the nightmare before them. Their vision swam, tears of fear and pain washing down their cheeks. The serpent stood back up. It looked down at Raika, one dagger still protruding from its armor, and what little confidence they'd felt drained away. They couldn't fight this monster. They'd been foolish to try. They were going to die here. OOC: wasn't sure how to power scale against a Rahkshi. I hope I did ok?

IC- Raika Raika's figure faded into perception alongside Mitsuri as they walked into camp. In response to Ahri's summons, they turned to look at him… …and saw the smoke. Their whole body started shaking. The smell of burnt wood and… other things burning… flared in their memory. Calm down. It's not here. Those ******s on Hanaloi are probably feeling toasty, though. Raika felt even sicker. How can you say that? There's people there, everyday people. Not just royals and high-ups. There's always collateral. … fine. You have a point. There was silence for a moment, then Ahri's probably got people there, huh? Yes. Almost definitely.. …******. You think he's going to drag us all along there? I don't know, ghost. Probably not, from what we've seen. But we've been wrong before. Don't remind me. Raika took a deep breath. They focused on the sound of waves and smell of seaspray. They centered themself as best they could. In public ideatalk, they spoke: :Understood.: They turned to the milling refugees. They looked for those who needed the most help, and helped them climb aboard the most completed rafts. ooc: @Keeper of Kraata, @The UltimoScorp, @ARROW404, @Click

IC: Raika They nodded. :Take all the time you need. I'll watch your back.: There was a pause as they turned to step away. To give her some space. :I… don't know what you were to each other. But… if you want to trust me… then you don't have to suffer this alone.: With that, Raika faded from perception. Mitsuri would know she was not alone, but the exact reason would escape her grasp unless she thought hard about it. It was the best Raika could do. Abandoning her in the midst of danger was unthinkable. They… wouldn't lose another. OOC: @Click

IC: Raika At Mitsuri's words, Raika visibly stiffened. Their hands, half-unconsciously, crept back toward their blades. They had no idea how things would proceed, and did not wish to be caught off guard. :I see.: they said, shakiness in their words despite their best efforts. :And… how would you react if that was the case?: OOC: @Click

IC- Raika The tiny menti looked at Mitsuri, slightly surprised. :Yes. I thought you saw that.: They looked down at the piece of protodermis in their hand. :Like you said then: just everyday stuff, right? We've got to… move on…: Liar. They had to be strong. Or as strong as they could manage. Mitsuri was hurting, the most they could do was not add to it. You could give her a hug. Even a hand on the shoulder! Raika almost started shaking. Touching… contact… they still were not used to it. Yuna was… big on it. But were they? And would Mitsuri respond any other way than batting them back with her stave? They stood,wondering what they should do. Hiding their emotions, as always, behind mirrored crystal. OOC: @Click

IC: Raika The comment hit like a blade to the heartlight. why are you here Raika fought back a shiver as shame welled within them. Just everyday problems, they told themself. They couldn't bring themself to look at Mitsuri. Instead, they reached into their scarf. They found the pocket sewn inside of it and carefully, delicately, removed something. It was a shard of gray metal, barely a palm's width in length. Its edges had been blunted by years of sitting in fabric, but nonetheless it seemed something odd to carry so close to one's neck. Collapsing over the kakama's bloodied shards, sobbing into the dirt that there wasn't even a body to bury. Had they carried her away? She was just an adolescent, what did they do to her… It was a solid minute before they spoke. .:...bring something with you. That way they're never far. You can let the place go… after a while.:. Liar. .:...and…:. They paused longer this time, cheeks flushed magenta with shame. .:...and I'm here because you went off alone and we're… I'm… I'm not…:. They were shaking. Trying not to cry. Everyday problems. Just everyday. Look how strong Mitsuri is being. Why can't that be me? .:...I won't let them get you.:.. Raika's hands tightened on the grips of their daggers. It was the only way to stop the shaking. They still couldn't meet her eyes. OOC: @Click

IC: Raika Mitsuri slipped away, almost unnoticed. Raika's strength, both physical and mental, had been returning over the course of that day. They were nowhere near as strong as Ahri. Or even Yuna, for all her years of hauling massive nets and sawing at ship's timbers. But the lithe, muaka-like certainty had re-entered their movements. So when they saw Mitsuri disappear into the treeline, they imperceptibly followed. Not out of nosiness, but rather a sense of duty. Unless you want to lose them, you'll need to be able to fight for them when the time comes. If something happened to Mitsuri, Raika would be there to make sure she did not face it alone. Raika found the area familiar. When they saw the hut that Mitsuri had stopped before, they thought they understood. Perhaps she had left something there. Something important- Then they saw her freeze, and something in the motion cut through to their heart. They unconsciously grasped at the pocket hidden in their scarf. At the shard of kanohi within. Suddenly, a part of them was back in the mountain village, searching in vain for the closest friend they had ever known. The strongest light in their life. Shifting back into perception, out of respect, they stepped forward until they were side-by-side with Mitsuri. .:What can I do…:. they asked softly, looking at what they were increasingly convinced was a tomb before them. ooc: @Click, @Keeper of Kraata, @ARROW404, @The UltimoScorp

IC: Raika Raika barely remembered making it back to camp. Their world was one of red haze and muffled voices. Bones aching, they dragged themself beneath some chaparral scrub and were immediately, finally, unconscious. They had anticipated horrid, lucid nightmares like the last couple days. But instead, they found their nostrils filling with the salt tang of sea air. Looking around, they realized they were in a room with walls of polished glass. Turning around, they saw a large ridged lens rotating in a pool of silver around what appeared to be a truly massive lightstone. They blinked, and looked out the curved window again. The scene was off, like a bad memory, but the coast was familiar enough. It was the Lighthouse. The trapdoor down was exactly where they had remembered it, the staircase glowed with a light slightly more purple than the lightstones had cast in reality. As they descended, the smell of cooked fish and boiling spiced seaweed broth met their nose. Their stomach growled loudly as they slipped out the bottom of the stairwell. They triggered their Volitak and slipped beneath perception so that the old lighthouse keeper wouldn't see them- A woman, one who had never been at the lighthouse in real life, stood at the stove. Her willowy figure was covered by a traveling jacket dripping with dew. As Raika stared, they heard a voice enter their mind. .:Come on out, little ghost. You're not fooling anyone.:. Raika started at the voice. As the figure turned, their suspicions were suddenly confirmed. The figure wore indigo and gold armor over a curvy frame. Their chest was large enough, Raika noted with mixed emotions, to well fill out the breastplate she wore. The Volitak, separated from the armor by a thick, tattered red scarf, was just as polished as the one Raika themself wore. The eyes beneath glowed intensely as she set down two bowls of hot pot on the table. Raika dropped the cloak. It was silly to try and hide from the Wraith, after all. They ate their soup in silence. Raika lamented that they could smell the soup far more acutely than taste it here. They looked across the table at the woman opposite. Voices in your head. The writings Raika had learned their talents from had warned about the potential side effects of dissociation. It was a crucial part of making oneself unknowable. You had to shift the very concept of yourself into a different plane of comprehension. But to make it work, a …bit of yourself… had to stay behind. An anchor. Sometimes that part might start to feel like a whole separate person. You just had to ignore the voices. But… Take any sentient being. Place them alone, perhaps more alone than anybody had ever been. Able to see, but never interact. A ghost. You take any companionship you get in a time like that. Raika broke the silence. .:This is new.:. The Wraith looked up. .:Perhaps. We did have quite the shock the other day.:. Raika stared at the mushroom and hotroot floating amongst the green seaweed in their broth. .:The barrier that Mitsuri mentioned…:. .:...was me, yes.:. The Wraith shifted in their seat to look more directly at Raika. It was like being pinned to their chair. .:I think we'll need to discuss… boundaries… if you're letting others in now.:. There was a longer pause. .:So what happens now?:. Raika asked. .:A good question.:. The Wraith stood, and walked over. .:You've lost the will to defend yourself. I… haven't. And the thing with these new friends? Unless you want to lose them, you'll need to be able to fight for them when the time comes.:. Raika felt their heart racing. .:I… I can't. Not after-:. .:You slew a monster breaking women's minds to make them her toys. Yes, one of them was blamed, but by all accounts she got the equivalent of a slap on the wrist and was told to not let the sun set on her there. She's probably better off now, even.:. Raika felt tears flowing in tiny rivers down their cheeks. The Wraith paused. She looked uncertain, but hesitantly reached a hand out and caressed the side of Raika's kanohi. .:If it's too much… you don't have to do it alone. I can take over for a while.:. Raika shook their head violently. The Wraith almost snatchhed her hand back, looking… hurt? Guilt flooded Raika. .:N-n-no. I… I just… they're my friends. I can't…:. The Wraith relaxed. .:You can't abandon them.:. Raika looked up, tears beaded on the inside of their kanohi. They reached out a cloth-wrapped hand. .:Together?:. The tall warrior's eyes softened. They reached out their own bare arm. .:Together.:. Sunlight cut through the leaves of the shrub Raika was beneath. Shaking their head, they slowly rose to their feet. Every part of their body was stiff, but the horrible deathlike ache had gone from them. It had to have been more than twelve hours. The ship was a hive of activity. Dashi and Datsue alike worked tirelessly helping to construct a fleet of seaworthy vessels. Raika's eyes gleamed behind their mask. The memories of the lighthouse had warmed old memories long buried. Boat repair. A night when Ryuji had been so achingly exhausted he had left his little skiff half-finished while he slept. Come morning, it had been fully repaired, tarred and caulked. He had smiled and thanked the ghost he believed haunted his home. From behind the corner of the keeper's hut, a fifteen-year old Raika had beamed with hidden pride at their work. At the Oki coastline, many attributed the things they felt or saw to heat and exhaustion. A ringti who needed to pause for breath looked up to see the pitch filling she had been laboring over had been melted in and screed smooth as glass. Boards were cut, rope caulk shoved deep, barnacles scraped off and holes filled with wooden plugs. Those collapsing from exhaustion felt as if there was somebody holding them up, but could not place the face. One figure, his green eyes matching a faint glow beneath the shoulders of his robe, thought for a moment he had seen a pair of magenta eyes looking straight at him. He remembered an old legend his grandmother had once told him. Spirits who wandered unseen across the mountains her ancestors had called home. "Raika," he breathed, and the eyes had suddenly never been. He shook his head, unsure where the thought had come from. OOC: Timeskip time! Take us as far as you need @Keeper of Kraata, @The UltimoScorp, @ARROW404, @Click

OOC: i am delighted to have had the chance to work on this with @The UltimoScorp! IC: Yuna Koizumi and Raika - Oki forest: Rain pelted my mask, clung to my body and clothes as I ran, as I hoped against hope that no one would follow me. I should have known better, and hearing footsteps behind me sent my mind and body racing even harder, but it was glancing back and seeing that it was Raika following that made my heart drop into my stomach. They'd want to know why I was running and I'd have to tell them and they'd all crawl in my head and find out just how wrong I was. Tears, hot and angry sprang unbidden to my eyes and I turned my attention back to where I was going- I tripped over a raised root, falling hard into the forest floor. My body, exhausted and running on nothing but adrenaline, refused to get up, to do anything but shake and cry and lay there uselessly. "Please don't…" I whimpered into the soil as the rain continued to pour down around me. Raika came to a stop, losing their own footing and needing to stabilize themself on a tree branch. Their tiny chest was rising and falling rapidly, their scarf and arm wrappings soaked through with mud and water. Don't? Don't what? Raika wondered, looking at their friend. They gritted their teeth under their rain-speckled mask. They had no idea if this was going to work, but they felt this wasn't the time to shove their way into Yuna's mind. The experience clearly already distressed her before, and here she was on the verge of panic. Raika slowly walked over, as one might approach a spooked animal. They squatted onto their haunches, in Yuna's line of sight. With their right hand, they made a pointing gesture followed by facing their hand palm-inward, middle and index fingers extended. Are you okay? Through the haze of mud and tears on the visor of my mask, I saw Raika come into view, saw them kneel down and gesture at me, but I couldn't make out what it was clearly. I tried to sit up, but my body stubbornly refused. "I-I can't…. I can't, I'm sorry…." Heat flared across Raika's face beneath the mask. Their cheeks and chest burned with shame and frustration. Old memories, old taunts. They came flooding in, clouding things, making tears prick the corners of their eyes. She'd have to know sometime. Right? Raika pounded their fist against their thigh in frustration, until the spot was so tender they couldn't bring themself to again. It didn't do much, but it cleared out enough space in their head. Raising their right hand once again, they pointed to the mouth area of their kanohi's visor. They then lifted their chin slightly, pointing to their throat. They then used their hand to pantomime a mouth moving. Then they made a slashing motion across their throat. It wasn't really signal sign, but they hoped it conveyed the message well. Can't speak. They paused for a moment, then put both their fists side-by-side, as though grasping a handful of straws. They then angled their hands apart, as though snapping the imaginary bundle. Broken. They then pointed at themself. They were shaking now, wishing they could just slip away and avoid the comments to come. Blinking away tears, I couldn't help but to give a little laugh. They couldn't speak aloud and I couldn't hear Ideatalk. What a pair we made. "I-I'm…..broken, too." I tried again to get up, and to my surprise I was able to at least get my face out of the mud. It wasn't upright, but it was a start, at least. "I…. I never…." Those tears came back, threatening to overwhelm me if I didn't- "I'm wrong, I don't know what's wrong with me but I'm broken and wrong and I'm scared and I don't know what to do and I'm sorry!" If the truth had to come out….. maybe it was better it come from me, at least…? Raika felt like they had been slapped when they heard laughter. Like something was being pulled out from inside of them. They fell backwards into the mud. The next words out of Yuna's mouth did nothing to hhelp their panic. No, no, they'd called themself broken and now Yuna was saying it too what had they done they had messed up they knew they shouldn't have… Raika began slowly fading into the background, the response all but unconcious. I'm sorry. That snapped them out of the spiral. What? Why was Yuna apologizing? Had Raika not been the one who had to physically hurt her to communicate at all? Yuna at least wasn't a monster. She was kind, and compassionate, and Raika was… Raika was nothing. They were a burden at best and Yuna shouldn't need to… she… shouldn't feel… Raika scrabbled forward towards Yuna, reached to help pull her up… but paused, their hands shaking violently an inch from her arm. They couldn't bring themself to touch her, were scared that if they did they'd hurt her somehow too. Their hands…. They were so close I could feel the faint heat from them on my skin and something in my ached for them to just…. To just touch me. I screwed my eyes shut and it all came out of me. "I'm a broken Menti who can't do anything, all I can do is this weird water stuff I can't ideatalk or make a soulsword or Willhammer anything or Mindarm anything or make Sighteye illusions all I can do is control water and I don't know why or how and whenever I tell anyone they just…. leave or…or make me leave and I'm scared because I don't want you to leave I don't want to be alone anymore I'm sorry I'm so sorry I lied please just don't leave me alone again….!" Please just hold me! Alone. Raika wanted to wrap their arms around Yuna. But they were terrified. All of this… what they were feeling… it was so much. They seized Yuna's hand and clutched it to their chest. They held her hand there, close. They felt almost giddy. Short of dragging Ahri from the waves, this… this was the first time they'd touched another person in nearly a decade. And… it was Yuna. Yuna, so kind, so gentle, so surprisingly like them yet so much a better person. Reaching out to Raika. Not knowing they were not worth her time. Before Yuna could change her mind, Raika had their arms wrapped around Yuna's own trapped limb. They held her arm like a child clinging to a pillow, tears streaming down their face and chest spasming with hoarse sobs. So surprised by the move I was, that I nearly flinched right out of Raika's grasp. A grasp that was soft and warm and- And they were crying? Why? Why were they clinging to me like they had just poured out their darkest secrets? Why…? Slowly, and with much effort, I pulled myself upright, confusion clear on my mask. "R-Raika…? Why are…. Why are you crying?" Almost instantly I felt guilty for even asking since they couldn't respond. My free hand shakily stretched forward, wanting to cup their face, but settling on their slight shoulder instead. "L-look I know it's not… ideal b-but you can do that…. That Willhammer thing to talk to me. It's okay." My heart skipped a beat at the thought that they might reach further and find how I felt- No, no I can't…. They would never…. They couldn't possibly…. But…. What if….? Raika began to open a connection, but paused. Yuna was hurting now, and they knew how uncomfortable the experience was to her. Raika sat up, still clutching Yuna's hand in both of theirs. They pointed to Yuna, then to themself. They then grasped Yuna's hand tighter and held it to where their scarf lay across their breastplate. Beneath which their heartlight flashed unsteadily. They paused for a moment. Then, this time with all the delicate care their frayed mind could muster, they slipped their thoughts into Yuna's own. .:I am crying because I am not good like you, but I think I understand. Never felt like I belonged. Not… not with the males. Not with… I… A-and my voice… n-no way for a Firstborn to act.:. Yuna heard a slightly bitter laugh in her head. What were they saying? Like Mitsuri had said: their problems were normal. Small. How dare they compare them to what Yuna had been through. I felt their words, although this time it was softer somehow. Less of a pressing and more of an easing into my own thoughts. The words themselves were far more impactful. Good like me? The males? First… wait wait wait what did that mean, was Raika…. Were they…? "You're….?" The question died on my lips, a wave of shame washing over me. Whatever Raika had been before I met them was none of my business, and all that really mattered was who they were now. And who they were now was… well I didn't know, really, but I felt safe around them. I scooted closer and pulled them into a hug, unsure of what to say but knowing I wanted to comfort Raika in some fashion. Raika held her close, shaking. .:I… I can't even decide which. I'm… I… y-you…:. They paused, then with a shudder they mustered up their focus to continue the exceeding care this process was taking. .:I'm… not normal. I'm not skilled like Ahri. Or disciplined like Mitsuri. Or… I… I've just… it's just been me. Alone. For maybe ten years… maybe more…:. A lie, technically. There had been the Lighthouse, but that was different. That was theirs. .:I… you… you're so kind. You always push and try so hard and… you aren't a freak any more than I am. You don't freeze up, you don't panic, you don't distrust everyone around you… or maybe you do. I don't know. I… I don't… I…:. Their concentration unraveled, and Raika lapsed back into mental silence as they huddled close against Yuna. Their cheeks were burning. Because of the emotion of the moment, but also because this was Yuna and Yuna was holding her close and… The infatuation Raika had been feeling for the last days of travel wove in with the feeling of connection they were feeling now. They didn't know why or how yet. But they knew that they were going to savor every moment of this closeness in case it never came again. "I don't know about not panicking, I did just run off because Yoka saw me do water things, after all…" I shook my head, "Look, I don't know what I am, but I do know that you and Ahri and the others are…. All I have. I don't want to let you go." My words were punctuated by a squeeze. "And um…. D-don't take this the wrong way but I think I might….like you?" Wow hey look at me go I'm getting everything out in the open here hahahahaha Zataka take me now. Raika's head was swimming. Their cheeks were burning magenta so brightly now they were positive it could be seen through their visor. It's not just me? It's… I'm… she's… If they'd tried to ideatalk to Yuna at that time, it would have been like a hammer against her mind. So instead, Raika just hugged Yuna as tight as her arms could manage, nodding furiously while their heartlight strobed in their chest. They held me tighter, and I swore I felt their mask warm. My heartlight was nearly beating out of my chest, but in a much different way than before. It felt like someone had stuck a swim bladder in my chest and filled it with hot air. Hey I'm a fisherwoman don't get on me about my weird analogies. Point being… They agreed. They…. Felt the same way? About someone like me? Absolutely insane. But in a time like now, what wasn't insane to believe? Just a few days ago Zataka herself had unleashed horrible monsters across our home and people got in ships to flee across the ocean. Everything was different now, and who was to say that my silly Saihoko feelings couldn't be returned by the Menti I had them for? So I didn't say anything either, just…. Held them. Held this moment. Raika wanted to stay in this moment forever. They hadn't… they'd never been held like this. Hadn't been this close to another Dasaka in so long, emotionally or physically. But at the same time, something in the back of their mind kept screaming that those serpents are here. We need to go. Get to safety. There will be time enough later. No good waiting here if you and Yuna die. Not wanting to let go, Raika gave an extra-strong squeeze before shifting to face Yuna. Reluctantly removing their hands, they started to sign a message. They quickly thought better of it. Bringing their hands to their mask, they steepled them together and pressed the heels to their mask. They then opened their fingers into four petals, mimicking the faceplates on the serpents that now wandered the island. They then pointed at Yuna and themself, then back the way they had come. We need to get back. Those serpents might be out here. Right. Speaking of those monsters. I nodded, slowly and shakily standing. I was still exhausted from…. Well from everything. Even so, I held out a hand to Raika. After wiping the mud off of my face… and then my hands. What, no it's not just an excuse to hold their hand how dare you accuse me of such things! "I should…. Probably explain to the others why I ran off, huh?" Raika shyly took her hand and stood. As they did, they felt suddenly dizzy and nearly blacked out. Staggering a little, they collapsed against Yuna for a moment. I guess three hours wasn't enough sleep after three days. Straightening themself as best they could, Raika shakily grabbed their remaining dagger and held it at their side. They looked up to Yuna (they always looked up to her, she could do so many things. Not just combat, but practical too. She was so amazing and she was here holding Raika's hand. She was holding their hand. Would she keep holding it? Would… would this be the norm now?)... Tears of mixed emotion and exhaustion stung the corners of their eyes as they shakily pointed forward with the amber crystal blade. The message was clear enough: Onward! They pressed against me again for a moment as they stood, and that warm tightness in my chest came back. The rain had stopped, too. A genuine grin slipped into my face, and the two of us, this strange, exhausted pair, began making our way back out of the forest. Together. And I didn't let go of their hand the whole way.

This was a jam between Click and myself! This was a blast to work on, as always~♡ IC: Oki shoreline Raika paused at this. They looked into Mitsuri's eyes. .:I understand,:. They said. Then… They opened their mind to Mitsuri. Not breaking that almost painful eye contact. An act of trust. The hardest thing they had ever done. It took all their strength to not collapse into a shaking mess Mitsuri’s own one-eyed gaze wavered, struggling to remain present as Raika stared at her face. She took a breath and squeezed Raika’s hand tighter as she pushed into the Menti’s mind. As promised, the frigid wall that had repelled every attempt to see their thoughts had melted away, and as such Mitsuri was instantly caught up in an even stronger hurricane of anxiety and fear. But she was ready for it this time, quickly finding a way to ride that anxiety as she read the feelings and memories that fueled it. The emotions were like chords of music, or waves of water, or grains of crystal that sang as they passed. The feeling of a constant war with feelings of comfort shattered against her as the sound of the desire to remain hidden, unobserved, safe. A shifting sense of self, a desire for a fluidity of presentation. Fear. That was the loudest note in the chorus. It rang out, its sour taste in every note and shard. Fear of trusting these new people after almost a decade of isolation. Fear of the feelings of closeness. Fear of loss. Fear of a draw to Yuna, to trust the freely given comfort that Mitsuri would immediately recognize as her own. Distrust, this one tied to Ahri. There was a crimson link to that one. It led to something… Suddenly something else. A barrier. Not the cold wall of a mental ward. Something foreign. Mutsuri was inside of Raika's mind. But she was not alone there… A single droplet struck Raika's shoulder. Then another. And another. Their concentration was lost as they shook rain from their visor. And with that, the links, the grains, the waves, the chords, they all slipped away from Mitsuri’s grasp before she could reach their ends. She fought to push her way back in, but she only met the familiar cold wall of Raika’s mind once more. Mitsuri opened her eye, glaring at Raika with an exasperated but understanding disproval. .:You didn’t let me in.:. she sighed over their link. .:We’ll just have to work on it.:. For a moment, something was readable on what little was visible of Raika's face through their visor. In a tightening of the eyes, a shift of the head. The comment had stung. .:What are you talking about,:. Raika said, looking briefly back into Mitsuri's gaze before shifting away. .:I let you in. I'm not a trained Menti like you, it's all or nothing. Why would you say something like that. What do you want from me? Really? Was free reign of my mind not enough? What more did you want to see?:. The hurt had calcified into anger. Raika had bared their soul and was being accused of deception. Had she not liked what she'd seen? Had Mitsuri expected some stronger will than what Raika had to offer? Mitsuri was taken back by Raika’s sudden fire and genuine hurt. Perhaps it was time for a gentler approach. She tried to smile and shrug it off. .:Raika… you said what was in your head… well, that it would make us want to hurt you. What I saw in there, it was normal, surface level stuff!:. Raika forced themself to take a deep breath. Their whole body was shaking with emotion. Vulnerability. They felt like they were struggling to stay in control. Like they were grasping onto consciousness, somehow. But as the panic began to break they were able to reply. .:N-normal?:. they asked, looking into Mitsuri's eyes briefly once again. .: What you saw in there… that was normal?:. .:Hey, everyone is afraid of getting too close. That’s just trust, you have to accept that you might get hurt. And I promise, I won’t tell Yuna.:. Mitsuri tried to wink and grin, but with half her face covered it didn’t look like much. .:I wasn't controlling what you saw:. they stated. .:I just let you in. I… I never got training in shielding my mind. What I learned I figured out myself.:. A pause, then: .:...I wouldn't have let you see the part about Yuna if I'd…:. As they were speaking, their eyes trailed back to the shore. Yuna was sprinting off towards the treeline. The rain was denser there, as if she was running into the heart of the storm. Mitsuri’s next question died on her lips as something forced its way through their connection. As if manifesting into reality from darkness itself, she could see the silhouette of something rearing above her, pinning her down. A hideous serpent, clad in scarlet metal armor. Scarlet that shone with the sickly sheen of an oil slick. Its faceplate opening, acidic venom dripping from its maw as raw terror flowed like ice through her veins. Of a blade stabbing upwards. Again and again. And again. Again and again until the thing collapsed, until it could never hurt me again. Until we were safe. Until… As the connection stretched and finally broke, Mitsuri found herself on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to catch her breath. Her eye darted across the shoreline, looking for the one who had endured that memory. “Raika!” Raika was already sprinting down towards the shoreline. Their lithe body and long steps cut a gold and indigo streak as they launched themself after Yuna. She couldn't be there alone. Those things would get her. They'd… they'd… Raika's pulse was pounding harder than they'd ever felt before as fear of loss gripped them unexpectedly. They cursed that they couldn't call out to her. They couldn't signal. All they could do, as rain soaked their scarf and beaded across their kanohi, was run. OOC: @Keeper of Kraata, @The UltimoScorp, @ARROW404

IC: Behind her visor, Carol shifted her eyes in what might seem an odd pattern to an outside observer. It was a technique she had been trained with to deprogram the negative thought patterns and to regain some control. She went from feeling like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff face to standing there, looking down. Her heartbeat slowed a little, and she was able to compose a response. "Nothing beyond the basic: this is my first real mission after ten years on ice. I could run a thousand sims and still be caught off guard by the real thing. Just worried some of my old reflexes might be dull, ma'am." That was accurate enough, even if it was not the entire truth. But saying that she was scared of her old nickname proving true on this mission, that she'd lose her teammates the same way she had on Longinus… that would get her pulled off of the team for sure. Spartans didn't get hangups, just results. Especially Spartan-IIIs. She still was one, despite what the records now reflected. Rather than admitting they'd shoved a broken Spartan in cryo for a solid decade, they'd altered her records to pass her off as a Spartan-IV recruit. The ages matched, and Carol had always been more… human… than a good few of the other recruits. Close enough at least to pass as a soldier who'd chosen the upgrades. But Cassie was Alpha. Cassie knew the truth. And, more than anybody else, it was Cassie Carol was scared of disappointing. It was possible only she would know this wasn't her first mission as a Spartan. And she would weigh her mistakes more heavily as a result. Carol stood up. The Mjolnir felt so much different than her old SPI armor. It moved like an extension of her body. It had taken weeks to unlearn the overcompensation for the SPI's laggy assistance and to adjust to how fluid the generation two assistance algorithms were. Her mind cast back to the figure attending to them with a trauma kit. Their mirrored black Mjolnir so different from her ashen SPI armor. Undamaged after a full assault, while theirs were tattered from plasma droplets and shrapnel flechettes. Her teammates here would be better armed. They'd probably all come out looking as shiny as those Spartans had, all those years ago. But fear doesn't like to be set aside. It still writhes and coils just below the surface, waiting for a chink in the armor. But Carol was a Spartan, after all. She'd make sure that chink was as hard to find as possible. The fear might coil around her after the mission, squeeze shivers and tears from her already exhausted body. But now she had to be strong. Had to keep them all safe. That was her job. She would be as much of a ghost as she felt among the group, sliding along unseen beside them. But she'd keep them safe. She walked over to Cassie, and stood to attention. "Ma'am," she said, presenting herself for inspection like she had so many times as of late. @The UltimoScorp

[Meant ti be a correction. Disregard.]

IC: Carol-A215 Carol paused her singing when she saw the status light. The message came through loud and clear, and she adjusted her own transmitter before responding. She flicked over a green status before replying with a confident "Yes ma'am." Cassie a team leader. She supposed time did things like that. The gung-ho explosives aficionado had never been a good fit to the sneak and stalk lifestyle of Alpha company. But it seemed she'd landed soundly on her feet with this position. And, even if that face was now, shockingly, older than her own it was good to know she'd have somwthing close to a friend at her back. Cassie lying, armor shredded by shrapnel from a plasma burst igniting one of her rockets. She shook her head for a microsecond before catching herself. Nobody not gifted with spartan-time would have noticed. Cassie falling to a Kig-Yar's well-aimed laser carbine shot, her yellow armor blistering and running like quicksilver. Would she be ok? This was her first mission since… Since. She looked at her right arm. Flexed the fingers of her mechanical limb. Weeks of practice at the firing range had gotten her response time and aim back to where they had been before. Even so, it was thus far untested. Like her. "Ma'am…" she amended, after a short eternity of contemplation. "I must admit to some anxiety regarding the coming mission. I worry my current skillset and state may prove insufficient to ensure no casualties on this deployment. Nonetheless, I promise to ensure such doubts do not impact my performance. Ma'am." Her ODST-esque helmet faced towards Cassie. The armor techs called it Firefall. It had a mean look to it, big and angry. It felt almost at odds with the almost curvy silhouette the rest of Carol's armor had. And while it was impossible to read expression through the mirrored sapphire lens, Carol put on her war face. "Am I still cleared to go on the mission, ma'am?"

IC: Check. A small figure sat in the corner of the hangar. It had been there for hours. Its deep violet blended surprisingly well with the shadows surrounding it. Magazine: Check. Its blue visor was mirrored, its expression indiscernible as it focused on the object lain out on a sheet of spare plating rested on its legs. Magazine slide: Check. Spartan Carol-A215 set the magnum to her side, beside her Gadulo-pattern needle rifle. It had already been checked over. its Subanese crystal canister lay beside it, not to be loaded until she arrived at the mission objective. The volatile crystal was safer stored until needed. It was a ritual before every mission. Check. Re-check. Nothing could go wrong if all of her equipment was fully functional. And if something beyond her control happened… well, she'd have the best chance possible of making sure her teammates were safe. "Check," she spoke aloud. The sound would not pass the face of her helmet. "All systems nominal" came a voice in her ear. "Thrusters operational, plating repairs completed as of 0200 hours. Shield capacitors primed and ready for engagement. Active camouflage module diagnostic shows one hundred percent predicted functionality with modified plating." "Thank you, Apogee," Carol responded. They called her Jinx. Or… they used to, at least. Things would sometimes just… go wrong on missions she was sent on. Sometimes horribly. If she was fated to be a bad luck charm, though… well, she'd best make sure her teammates weren't the ones who were feeling the pinch when things broke bad. Emotional state:... Carol wasn't shaking. Spartans didn't shake. They especially didn't shake with anxiety. With fear of seeing the new faces walk in. Fear of seeing those faces buried in the mud or staring, blankly, up into nothing. Spartans also never cried. But Carol did. The tears were small and few, more nerves than anything. And rather than eroding, they strengthened her resolve. She slotted her spare ammo onto her armor, clipped her magnum and rifle to her hip and back respectively. Looked out across the room. Spartans didn't sing, that people ever spoke of. Carol's voice echoed in her helmet as she trailed out a soft melody half-remembered from her early childhood. It always calmed her down.