Middle of Week 2 | The Fallen Angel Knows The Game

[closetdweller]

Is this all y'all's first time?

[The city was on fire. Somehow.

But it was clear that Hanzo Urushihara, sometimes called General Lucifer, sometimes called Luci by people who liked him, was slurping down a violently blue slushie as if he were on the beach watching someone's else's tantrum turn into everyone else's bad day.

He was worried about his own things as well- but there wasn't much that he could do to help outside of the Crosby Hotel. If he had full access to his full magic..


It didn't matter, no matter what the odds were.]

Being stuck in the middle of Demi-Gods having a nasty divorce, I mean. It's bad no matter which way you look, but let's focus on the good thing here?

No one is building an army. I don't think they are, anyway. It'll end bad if someone does. Then... I don't know, we'd have to wait five hundred years for someone to show up, rebuild, and finish the job?

[He made a thoughtful noise- and then shook his head.]

That'll take too long. They both need therapy, and they both need to pick better people to obsess over. Someone who won't give them up or let them down...

Anyway. The ash is gonna be annoying. It sticks to everything like snow, and it's a pain to clean.

Just... Don't do anything. At all. Seriously- if you wanna do it, don't.

Comments

[markingnight]

[ Well, if they were dispensing warnings: ]

I understand that they may instill an urge to wander closer and worship. But I recommend giving all volcanic eruptions a respectful distance. Lava is faster than you think. As are flying rocks.

[ A pause. ]

Don't walk through any fog doors, either.

[closetdweller]

Damn, there's fog doors, too?

[He sounded almost impressed. ]

Sounds like a Final Boss sorta trap. You're good at finding those things.

[markingnight]

I think it's more that they find me. But thank you.

What is that you're drinking?

[closetdweller]

Sometimes that's how it shakes. You live long enough and things get weird

[But he smiled, proud of himself]

I made a slushie!

There was a blender behind the bar, and our normal barman disappeared during the Dream. I'm trying to learn some things- but I can't read what's on the bottles.

Blue was a popular color for slushies at the beach. We kept running out when I was helping at the counter.

[regulate]

I believe we are meant to be the army if Sleep could find a better way to bring us into their fold beyond flooding us with danger and despair. How long before we end up turning blades against one another?

[closetdweller]

... You're probably right.

That's why I try to avoid worship as much as I can. It ain't easy, and the tethers help- but she's too much like the lady in the divorce situation I was talking about.

[also known as: Ignora. His mother.]

Fighting people for no reason is too hard. I'm all for throwing things, but this is all a bit much.

... You oughta get a slushie. It might help.

[markingnight]

What's a slushie? Is there any whiskey involved?

[ The important part, clearly. ]

[closetdweller]

Help me figure out which one is the whiskey and I'll make you one with whiskey in it.

[athinkingreed]

Therapy would be a wise step. One I do not believe anyone here adequately equipped to provide.

[Ratio does not believe Ko’s credentials cover relationships. Healing those things are entirely different operations than a single mind.]

[trashblaze]

Had a very similar experience like this before, but without the… extremely dramatic lovers part.

[ More dramatic than most soap operas on TV, man… At least most estranged couples on TV don't start apocalypses and zombie infections. Why can't Sleep and One contain their problems within their own house? Nah, they had to make it the entire planet's problem. Actually, even beyond a single planet.

Anyway, Week 2. Shit is happening again. Another day in this miserable place. Another day… of being an injured raccoon, but Hanzo knows that part. ]

Considering how often Sleep and maybe One end up making us fight each other, who needs an army? There's nothing left to take over but ourselves, anyway.

This is basically an endurance contest at this point. We have to do what we can to keep hanging in there until we find a way to break out of this cycle.

[regulate]

Not all types of worship are weighed equally. Some can actually ben– ...no, we already discussed this before. I do not want to retread that discussion.



...A slushie might indeed help. Do you have a favorite flavor?

[closetdweller]

Yeah. There's enough going on that we don't need to do that.

[It was a rare moment of sensibility from the little troll.]

What are you looking for? Most of the stuff behind the bar is some kinda alcohol, but we can do it with soda or juice too.

It's just a blender.

Uh. Fruity or cola soda is great to make a slushie with. Ramune would be, too, but I couldn't find any unbroken glass bottles.

[closetdweller]

Not even the Animal Doctor or the Doctor That is An Animal?

[See? He pays attention to all of the goss.]

...

Then again, this is bigger than a doctor. We need a Priest for this one.

[closetdweller]

That's why the best idea is looking like 'don't do it', and why you have someone with you 24/7.

I'll bring you snacks, though. It doesn't help that we don't have any konbini like in Tokyo. People get sick and grumpy when they're hungry.

[sorte]

[ Aventurine is sitting next to Hanzo on a lounge chair drinking his own bright green slushie, decked out in swimsuit attire as he stares at... whatever in the distance. Maybe the smoke and flames, maybe not. Might as well take advantage of the heat and act like none of this is ruining his day even though it totally is. He just thinks maybe hanging out like they're on a tropical island watching the ocean while on vacation versus the reality of being stuck in this damn mess is somehow a sophisticated variant of "killing them with kindness."

Hopefully both Sleep and One totally feel ignored 100% by this single tiny individual that is he. That will totally make their self-esteem suffer!!

yEP. ]

I'm starting to feel bad for Sleep because her love interest is One rather than the other way around, though. What a little bitch.

[ not that he supports her, but... yeah, One is just really bad at just about everything other than making an absolute mess. he's gonna need a damn good redemption arc at the rate he's going if they're all supposed to be cheering him on in the end. ]

If anyone needs to get away from the ash or heat or smoke or whatever, by the way, they're free to come here.

[ they should probably bring a swimsuit to the pool to cool themselves off, if needed, but if they don't have one, they're in luck! Aventurine has several in different sizes and variants because he just grabbed everything he could get his hands on in the early days of them all being here, even though there was snow on the ground.

snorts, taking a sip of his drink before adding— ]

Oh—'tch—please. They don't need therapy, they need to push each other down the stairs.

[ muttering under his breath: ] If only we could change this channel.

[trashblaze]

You can't contain me forever.

[ Joking… Maybe not joking… Okay, he'll stay put while he recovers (and while the world outside is exploding, of course), but he's back to business immediately when he does! And when it's safe! ]

Ahaha, but thank you. I appreciate it… Can you bring some for Collie, too? As you said, he refuses to leave my side, and I feel terrible about this.

[closetdweller]

The Italian puppy?

[See, Cae? He pays attention to what's going on around him. The trashpanda Trailblazer had plenty of people around him- to the point that Luci felt like he was in the way. There wasn't much that a Seraph who hadn't figured out his full power set could do in a traumatic situation.]

Yeah I'll bring plenty of popcorn and other snacks for the two of you.

I'm not that good with the heavy cooking but I can make snacks.

...

You doing good?

[closetdweller]

Yeah- a push down the stairs would solve the whole thing.

[Luci flopped down next to Aventurine and took a big sip of his slushie, bemused by how warm the liquid felt going down, and how it didn't taste fruity in the way he expected.]

Don't think there's any station we can turn to...

Which sucks.

[He shook his head. There wasn't much they could actually do about the problem.]

By the way, you holding up okay?

[It was no secret that Aventurine was rattled. Between Dazai vanishing and now Caelus getting hurt in the middle of a disaster, they were all thrown off of their usual patterns and their game.]

[markingnight]

You're in luck. I'm an expert at detecting a good drink.

But why blue? Is it considered a lucky color?

[closetdweller]

It's kinda fruity- like berries, but not.

But, this...

[He let Ironeye see his blue slushie.]

I can't read the glass bottles in the bar. I thought this was some kinda punch, but it's not punch and not the taste I expected.

[Luci laughed, like a kid.]

I never actually tried alcohol before. It's different, but not bad

[merged]

There's got to be like 7 billion Hosts under her influence. That feels like a massive army to me.

[closetdweller]

Oh, that's a good point.

I didn't think of them.

[He loudly slurped on his slushie, plainly giving the sense that he was thinking of something else.

Sataniel and the demons he had gathered. Ignora and her own Host.]

...

Yeah, we're probably screwed.

[merged]

It's wild that you're only just realizing that. I've been on the "we're screwed" bus since... [ She sucks in a sharp breath, one that's accompanied by an exhausted hopelessness. ] Shit, maybe since One offered himself up to her.

[sorte]

[ Aventurine nods, although he's quiet a moment before replying, still staring out before using his index and thumb in the shape of an L to reach out towards the sky. He flexes his wrist to rotate his hand and shift the angle, which in turn causes a sudden ripple of translucent white color to move like a wave revealing the shape of an incredibly large barrier that's around the entire hotel. ]

Yeah. This is a little energy intensive, but nothing I can't handle, especially with your help. You're making it easier for me to concentrate.

[ And he is stressed, but the seraphs are usually pretty comforting to be around, so he does feel less frazzled right now despite everything. The only hints left of the barrier visually are the way some of the ash in the air clings strangely in midair like it's hit a wall and is being blown along a surface that doesn't seem to be there. Truthfully he'd rather have a full solid barrier, but he can't hold that continuously. So this one that only reacts to specific things will have to do— and right now he has it automatically keeping out the ash and reflecting a little heat, but he has to keep watch in case another Earthquake or something happens again to be able to strengthen and alter the barrier in time without the hotel taking damage. ]

...I admit I'm very irritated over everything, though. [ he's not sure if it's because he's actually annoyed with the involved parties or if it's tethers being messed with again and general Sleep-One residual crap, but he's expecting that it's at the very least a combination of things. ]

[closetdweller]

I've been working hard on not getting sucked up in the drama.

It's too much to deal with, and I've got anxiety okay?