Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0]

Thu Sep 02, 2021 3:50 pm

PHASE 3: ABANDONED SENMACHI MALL

LISTEN & READ
Information: This location is reserved for Team 2. Please role-play where Sakurai left off, getting on the bus, and exiting it at your designated location. Everyone on team 2 has been issued a picture through text message on the description of the cursed. We will also try to wrap this up before 15 posts.

Profile:

Standing outside was one of the examiners. He waited for the entirety of team 2 to exit the bus and once they did he would give them a brief. "Greetings team two, my name is Hiro Minamoto. Just before your arrival, I texted you all the curse's profile, however, that isn't much to go on." Hiro slid his hands into his pants pockets while turning away from the four students. "I'm not sure what exactly is inside the mall myself, but you should tread with extreme caution. The shaman we recently sent in a week ago set cameras up all through the interior for this day, but sadly he didn't make it back outside." Hiro turned around to face them once more. "The attack patterns of this curse are unknown, its abilities are unknown, but what is known is that it likes to start with long-ranged attacks and then to close in on targets. Other than that, you all should be fine...I think. Anyways, good luck!" Hiro walked away and hopped in his blue 2005 Honda Accord and sat inside with the engine turned while looking in his phone to observe their progress.

Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:57 pm Message reputation : 100% (1 vote)

..HUH? (Exposition)
Senju Park—Okiku Ito

Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0] Imageedit_9_2554390807

This was the word spoken by a confused Okiku as the chipper Taiku popped up. The brittle words from Rengoku, on the other hand, fell to the defense of Okiku's music. While he couldn't register in Rengoku, Taiku's broad sense of conversation brought itself to absolute victory as it broke through the noise and brought Okiku back to his environment. A particular word stuck out to him—Taikutsuna. The name of the speaker. He turned, realizing the name from one of the members of his team. He promptly shut down his music and pulled his headphones away. Yet, before he could respond, the noise of another sounded off.

"Hello, Prospective Students." | Listen Up, Ya' got me?!

Now—This voice wasn't one of any particular intensity. There was little power in the tone aside from its volume. To reach all of the applicants scattered about the park was itself a feat. Instead, the power that came from the fact that the speaker was one of simple, pure authority. He was a senior, one who knew what he was doing. Expertly hiding himself amongst the park residence to make himself known only when he wanted. His presence easily invaded Okiku's senses—and as what was needed was explained to him, he became more than glad. After being explained that his ideals were destined to be broken, he was storming with negative emotions. Yet one outshined them all, the feeling to prove the speaker incorrect. He boarded the bus, stuffing his phone in his pocket and slipping off his headphones down onto his neck. No matter how he felt, music wasn't his priority. He wanted to examine who he'd be spending the years of his life with, guessing on who'd be apart of his team. But, as his stop was announced, he stood up along with 3 other members of varying shapes. The tall and slender Rengoku, a stoic-faced Kingu and the athletic Taiku.

STRAW HATS!
Old Senmachi Mall—Okiku Ito

Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0] Imageedit_9_2554390807

He stepped out of the bus, connecting with the broken concrete floors of the once lively mall. Now run-down with curses finding shelter in it. He listened to the given information before turning to his group; some interesting folk, to say the least. Just then, he'd remember information that he was surprised to find yet didn't seem to be bothered by at the time. Next to his name on the list of teams was the title of group leader. More specifically, the leader of the Straw Hats! He pulled himself back together and readied himself to truly claim the title of leader. He worked his brain amongst the group's antics, could it have been introductions, banter, or unbearable awkwardness. To form a way of going about this. That way was one of simple value at first look, but smartly crafted below the scenes. He gathered up who he could and explained his ideas, if they were all within agreeance, then they'd be off! Okiku, with his partner, would be off to explore the mall by themselves whilst the other two'd do the same. He tightened his bandages by pulling in an end from each and tucking it back into their respective mazes of cloth.

"Let's do this, Ya' got me?!"

Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0] Hamatora-nice

Sun Sep 05, 2021 5:31 pm Message reputation : 100% (1 vote)

CHAPTER ONE - SENJU PARK

Taiku failed to register the confusion that presented itself in Okiku’s expression—not that she would have noticed, anyways. Her gaze darted about the clearing, eventually settling on a singular leaf on the ground as she entailed the most insignificant details about herself. The girl’s words floated around the trio, pops of vibrant noise that permeated the atmosphere itself. At least, this was until she heard another, more prominent voice cut through her own.

As the man explained himself, Taikutsuna was silent. It was a rare sight to see, but she almost looked angry. Or, was it disappointment, excitement? You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, and neither could the girl; she was rather confused by what she felt. The proctor’s words were filed away in a tiny folder in her brain, repeated in her brain over and over again. Some of the words evaded her, but she succeeded in retaining a large majority of them. Something stood out to her, though, a statement that almost felt piteous, perhaps contemptuous.

“...I can say with full confidence that many of your preconceived notions and ideals will be broken in the days to come.”

..Huh?

     Taikutsuna’s expression became even more convoluted. The girl paid no attention to the people around her, giving her full attention and more to the main speaker. There was growing indignation in her bowels, a coiled snake. Even more baffling, a smile grew on her lips, eyebrows furrowed. What could this bemusing display of emotion mean?

     She hardly retained the rest of his words, aside from the instruction related to the bus and, briefly, their next assignment. Making her way to the vehicle, she cast a sideways glance at the other potential students.

     This is exciting!

CHAPTER ONE - OLD SENMACHI MALL

     Taikutsuna was the last to leave once her stop was called, peering intently at her phone. More specifically, the text message, and the list of people on her team: Okiku Ito, Rengoku Takahiro, Kingu Ryu, and herself. Glancing at her teammates, as she exited the bus, she recognized the first two, but Kingu was a different case. Curious, the girl stared at him, before she was interrupted by one of the examiners: Hiro Minamoto.

     Taiku listened halfheartedly, occasionally stealing a glimpse of the curse’s profile. Could the team, coupled with the boy’s leadership, prevail? Eventually, the man stepped away, and she brought her attention to Okiku. As he explained their game plan, she thought it over. Taiku imagined that it wasn’t as complicated as it sounded, and nodded enthusiastically.

     She turned to face the mall, assuming a confident posture, then hesitated.

     Wait, what was his name again?

Mon Sep 06, 2021 5:49 pm

Getting on the bus was a calm experience, he followed Okiku who followed the examiner in a close fashion. Despite a decent intellectual background, Rengoku's sense of direction was mediocre at best, hence him using maps to get around. He began to search for stray cursed energy as soon as he got onto the transport vehicle, just to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. His sensory remained keen for the time being, keeping a close eye on everyone while looking straight ahead the entire time. Excitement stirred within the fifteen-year-old boy.

Though he was a part of one of the most famous jujutsu families, the Kamo clan, he did not see himself as a part of their group. He was not of such prestige, trained to be a warrior, nothing more, nothing less. Despite this internal stir of mixed feelings, it was crucial to get to know who he would be working with on his first mission. Slight selfishness came off of Takitsuna immediately, her determination was practically steaming off of her skin.

Turning to the examiner and processing his words, Rengoku reached for his smartphone and began to read the briefing of the mission. It was short, lacking information, and mysterious, though he assumed most missions would be. Hearing that a sorcerer came in and never came out made Rengoku even more skeptical of why untrained sorcerers, excluding himself, would be put into scenarios like this without much prior preparation. As much as he wanted to contest, he didn't care enough to do so, eyes rolling over to Okiku and his initial disregard for Rengoku's attempt at socialization.

"Hmph." A short sigh could be noticed coming across the boy's face as he realized he had been ignored, perhaps unintentionally. His eyes brimmed with kindness, yet his inner self was nothing of the sort, being narcissistic and closed off at best. He spoke of nothing, not willing to speak and feeling it unnecessary at the moment. They all knew each other's names, no other information had to be exchanged just yet since he didn't know if he could trust any of them. Getting off the bus yet again felt ordinary. Rengoku stood by the vehicle until Okiku was done explaining his plans.

With a simple nod of confirmation, the group was ready to embark on a new journey! Prepared as best as they would be to take on a curse of unknown grade and ability, all they knew was its attack pattern, but how would that help in ominous areas such as an abandoned mall. Regardless, hearing out Okiku's plans planted a sense of relief, knowing that he could rely on someone for leadership and slowly putting his hand into his right pocket so he could reach his cards just in case of any surprise attacks. His blood steel cards were custom forged for throwing purposes, being extremely sharp and lethal when thrown by Rengoku, capable of slicing off large body parts of weaker curses and fiercely damaging larger ones. And so, both Rengoku and Kingu went off to explore along with Okiku and Takitsuna.

Tue Sep 07, 2021 6:46 pm

Atsui Ryu distilled his emotions promptly to his arrival, his attachment to the feeling of unknown made things more comprehensible, more vivid to digest these situations and maintain mindfulness. This detachment of reality defined one of Atsui's traits of an Ryu, getting used to the steady roars of war, however the supposed mindfulness alleviated any acknowledgment of the teacher's advice, from quick glances of his team's devices over the bus seats he could assume this would be the curse's identification?

Thankfully a secondary voice approached while getting off the buss, his face wasn't known but there's quite the confusion beyond the depths of that gentle giant, 'It's alright though, he actually chose to speak up, I know I wouldn't.' Atsui held himself accountable for judging the brave too hard and started imposing upon himself that'd he listen or something horrible would happen, his way of discipline.

Getting off the bus Ryu felt a great relief from the physicality shown, not that someone would be fat but more bulky people would most likely to be left behind, the speed difference to great, observation after his teammates would be immediately to his surroundings, retaining some of the makeshift insanity by understanding the conditions and map out of this area.

Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:20 am

Humanity did not know it, but these abandoned abodes did not bode well for the creation of curses. Delinquents, rapists murderers. They often used such locations as places of refuge. Either after a crime. Or amidst one. Shady deals and gang fights would ultimately lead way to a higher presence of negative energy and emotion. That perilous anxiety. Crippling anger. This constant flow of cursed energy is what every jujutsu sorcerer fought against in say way or fashion. For these new recruits, this was just the beginning of that dreaded experience.

Standing right out in the open of the second-floor walkway was the curse. A 5 and a half foot tall humanoid armed with 2 blades. It stood with strange confidence, its body occasionally jerking awkwardly with an almost puppet-like tick. Though its body was solid, it has the movements of a liquid. At times, its arms and feet would ripple like a wave in the ocean. If one were to stand and watch it, these ticks would likely make them uncomfortable but the true purpose of these marionette-like movements would only be discovered in the heat of battle. It seemed that the curse was able to pick up on their presence first, the arrival of the bus sparking this entity to do…well nothing. Unlike most curses, which were dirty and conniving, this one, despite its grade, had stark confidence in its abilities. From this elevated position, it could see the humans enter and make their move at any moment. It would, however, lower itself a bit allowing itself to stay hidden from view until the perfect moment.

The shops and stalls around this mall had fallen silent some time ago. The only noise was the cruel rush of wind that passed through small openings in the roof. In cracks in the walls. These sounds echoed as dull hums that gave the setting an ominous atmosphere. Corners and spaces within were dark and muffling. Light from above came only from what sunlight could pass through broken windows. There were no flickering lights as this place had long since been taken off the grid. One could only guess how these students would undertake such a sketchy task. Dealing with curses was never an easy feat. Especially for fresh meat like these.

Thu Sep 09, 2021 8:50 pm

I WONDER..?
Old Senmachi Mall—Okiku Ito

Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0] Imageedit_9_2554390807

"It's Okiku Ito, ya' got me? O-ki-ku Ito. Like that one ghost lady!"

Okiku and Taiku were officially off! Albeit, slower than need be as Okiku continued to remind Taiku of his name and, in some cases, the plan. He repeated one specific phrase, hoping it'd stick in her mind. Even through the monotony of repetition, he hadn't seemed any bit tired or unamused. Instead, he kept a cheery smile on his face to match Taiku's upbeat attitude.

"If we find the curse, the first thing we do is make an attempt to notify the rest of the team. Yeah?"

IMG_08092021_141700_450_x_600_pixel.jpg?width=300&height=390

His look wasn't close to nervous. Hell, he even shared similar confidence to Taiku's in how he carried himself. Yet, there was still a small little thought: crammed into the very back of his mind, hidden in a deep crevice. The ominous feeling looming over him that the curse could be stalking the both of them without them knowing. His senses were sharpened, his ears were open for either the whistle of a projectile cleaving the air or an alert from the other duo. Bloodlust came and went, the feeling of it, at least, from the curse. Yet, there was no exact location to pin-point it unto. They were on the turf of the curse, it was easy to assume they hadn't a clue what they were doing in attempting to locate it, being new years and such. Okiku's plan had the simple basis of drawing it out. Hearing about its means of attack, it was possible. To pin-point it's location meant just nearly a certified win, right? Reaching the second floor, this thought irked him relentlessly.

He thought about the other two, Rengoku and Kingu. He couldn't help but wonder if they were getting along. He felt Kingu was the more analytical one of the duo but Rengoku would pull through when it comes to empathy. He'd then focus unto Taiku and, weighing his options, saw her personality refreshing. He thought to himself: 'I bet she and Uncle Aoki would get along.' Their personalities weren't too similar but definitely lined up at some points. Reminded of his uncle had then brought his thoughts into music.

"You listen to Pop, yeah? The music genre?

Her personality definitely matched the energy of pop. But the thought of Jazz also crossed his mind. More specifically the far more energetic genre "Latin Jazz." Though, he couldn't be bothered to ask any further: 'Who doesn't like Latin Jazz?' He mumbled to himself.

Sun Sep 12, 2021 6:18 pm

CHAPTER ONE

✾

AN OMINOUS FEELING LURKS...

     “O-ki-ku I-to, O-ki-ku I-to,” the girl murmured his name under her breath, before scribbling his name down on her palm three times. “Okiku Ito! I’m Taikutsuna. I think I told you my name already—did I? This is exciting, don’t you think? I wonder if we’ll be sorcerer buddies. That’d be so cool! And, everyone else too!”

     Her voice reverberated off of the crumbling walls, a projection of her robust spirit. It invaded the mournful atmosphere, dispelling the ever-present despair. Taiku’s presence was one of immediate consolation. As the boy beside her spoke, she filed away bits and pieces of the phrases, storing the most important parts.

      “I do hope this is as fun as I’m imagining it’ll be,” she said, eyes flitting from the green bits of moss escaping the deteriorated floors to the faint beams of light that illuminated the mall.

     You'd think she'd be rambling more. Taikutsuna’s eyes scanned the areas in the distance, cataloging their occupants. Unsurprisingly, she found nothing to list. Despite her positively overwhelming optimism, she could sense the absence of all joyful camaraderie; it almost bewildered her. The girl curled her lip, thinking, Such degenerative creatures people can be! As they reached the second floor, the uneasiness in the air grew heavier—suffocating, even. It whispered a hanging threat; would the pair, or the rest of their team, escape unscathed? Taiku almost shuddered; certainly not. However, his voice cut through this uncertainty, allowing her to regain herself. She beamed, hesitation forgotten.

      “I listen to pop, yeah. It pumps me up! How’d you know?” she pressed. “Oh, I like ballads, too. I think that’s what they’re called, but I like them!”

     Taikutsuna took a deep breath, then enunciated her favorite ballad.

      “‘My head turns round, I’m in a flame, / I love like any dragon. / Say, would you know my mistress’s name?’”

     She waggled her rather outstanding eyebrows comically, grinning.

Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:09 am

The calming rush of cold air flashed past the boy, but he wasted absolutely no time in the mall. Despite seeming like a quiet and unbothered person, Rengoku's eyes rushed all over the area as the group walked into the mall. Whether it was out of sight or not, every curse had a signature of cursed energy. And so, he lay in wait for the signature, ready to yell it out the second he felt its presence enter. Though this didn't feel like that kind of scenario..this felt.. more so like a trap to Rengoku. Then, his voice shifted off to Atsui, eyes still scanning the mall for anything out of the ordinary. The coldness of Rengoku's shallow voice would hit Atsui like a rock.

Since Takitsuna and Okiku had split off to cover more ground, the two were partially on their own, or they were, but only until the curse was located or something dangerous was to occur. He kept an eye out for any traps that may have been set throughout the mall as well, thinking that if it liked to fight long range then come in close for the finish, it could use some sort of immobilization fluid or paralytic.

"So, how do you like to fight. It seems as though the other two have teamed up already, so I guess that means we are on our own as well, for the time being at least."

It was best to find this information out from Atsui Ryu as soon as possible, and though he may not have looked it, Rengoku knew quite a bit of the legendary Ryu clan and their yakuza style background. The leader of that clan and the three great family's all had a sort of status, known as high class and potential individuals. After scanning the area for a while, he noticed something else.

The mall was bare, nothing of importance or true value could be seen from this distance, the lights were dim past that point and perhaps that was why he could not see the curse yet because it was waiting for them to come to it. What were its abilities, what grade what it be, how would everyone do against it. The myriad of questions rushed through his mind before Rengoku took a deep breath, calming his anxiety before allowing it to arise.

"Whatever the hell it is, we need to kill it."

Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0] Yato.(Noragami).600.3072596

Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0] Yato.(Noragami).600.3072596

Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:54 am

Encompassing winds whom grazed Rengoku chilled Atsui, the breeze introduced a widening space of decay, it'll become of a battleground sooner or later for the pair and appeared to be a food court before the wreckage. Molds hindered both smell and taste, Atsui's inhales feeling starchy making him cough after talking. "So, how do you like to fight. It seems as though the other two have teamed up already, so I guess that means we are on our own as well, for the time being at least." Rengoku asked. Strolling around with Rengoku, Atsui couldn't help but notice Rengoku's darting eyes moving so fast the only comprehensible clues he'd grasp was the one's he'd entertain from thought so Rengoku's hardened voice to Atsui exalted a giggle. "Hahahaha, it's alright my friend loosen up." *Cough-Cough* Atsui's voice sounded more raspy than usual, accommodated with the coughs, it was almost alien like.

Ryu followed up to Rengoku's question, "Well usually I have my bat but I didn't think I'd need it, more so, I just use my fist and blunt objects perfectly placed in this universal state of being." Ryu sped up while noticing left over blunt instruments, probably left by color gangs based on the dried spray paint upon the handle's wrap. A cheap metal bat, 'A sloppier craftsmanship but a job well done on it's own, I suppose three good hits before this bitch breaks' Atsui murmured in his head, appreciative but eh- "Whatever the hell it is, we need to kill it." Rengoku beheld bravery in his tone, a heroic figure in his own right. Atsui's concurring thoughts broke and reestablished themselves with a Goal, alike Rengoku's he too wanted to kill this creature as quickly as possible. "Ok..."

Old Senmachi Mall [S1-E0]