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week 2
WEEK TWO
After allowing the party some time to rest at the stadium, it’s time to get a move on again. As per your mysterious benefactor’s (?) recommendation, the party will be splitting up into two groups, with one group traveling west to a hospital, and the other traveling east to a mall.
if you chose hospital...
To get to the hospital, characters will need to venture into more densely populated areas of Los Angeles – and that means they’ll be coming into contact with a higher amount of zombies. The hordes that roam here descend upon any living creature that makes too much noise, so you might witness an unlucky squirrel or cat get hunted down by these roaming threats. The bad news is that they’ll sprint full speed at you if they happen to catch sight – the good news is that they’re not very coordinated at pack hunting, and you may be able to outsmart them by weaving through the streets.
In a stroke of bad luck, Shoko Ieiri attracts the attention of a horde, forcing the party off considerably off course. Temporarily, hopefully. Detour!
Thankfully, there are several methods of getting to the front door of the location – parkouring atop or traversing inside connected buildings, for example. The zombies aren't the only thing that can kill you, though, if you're not careful; while traveling to the hospital, Auch Aubrey slips and falls to his death off a building. Remember Dr. Bei's warning, about not getting too far away from each other? The party will realize if they get too far away from his body (specifically the bracelet), it'll start feeling like their own bracelet is burning them at the wrist. Better go back — and either lug his body around, or lop off the bracelet somehow....
The area this group will travel through has many tourist attractions – antique stores, the Natural History Museum, old-school theaters, for example. For our sword wielders, there are some dated ones among the antique stores and museums; they're dusty, but they'll get the job done. There are other cool artifacts to "borrow" at these places, too, not to mention some history of what the world was like before all this happened.
And at the theaters? There's candy, DVDs, and cardboard cutouts from a variety of movies that were out when the fall of society came. Maybe there are minions there.
Once at the hospital, the party will find that there are a massive amount of zombies that have been trapped inside. Many are former patients or hospital staff, so several are wielding things like scalpels or crutches, and they are just smart enough to attack with them. To get around the facility to find the medical supplies you need, you’ll need to find a way to either distract the zombies, stealthily make your way around, or, you know, eliminate all of them.
As for scavenging, the hospital is surprisingly well stocked, as the high zombie count has made it hard to raid. Characters will be able to find bandages, medicine, surgical tools, and more, if they look close enough.
Of this group, Satoru Gojo and Mark Grayson are infected.
In a stroke of bad luck, Shoko Ieiri attracts the attention of a horde, forcing the party off considerably off course. Temporarily, hopefully. Detour!
Thankfully, there are several methods of getting to the front door of the location – parkouring atop or traversing inside connected buildings, for example. The zombies aren't the only thing that can kill you, though, if you're not careful; while traveling to the hospital, Auch Aubrey slips and falls to his death off a building. Remember Dr. Bei's warning, about not getting too far away from each other? The party will realize if they get too far away from his body (specifically the bracelet), it'll start feeling like their own bracelet is burning them at the wrist. Better go back — and either lug his body around, or lop off the bracelet somehow....
The area this group will travel through has many tourist attractions – antique stores, the Natural History Museum, old-school theaters, for example. For our sword wielders, there are some dated ones among the antique stores and museums; they're dusty, but they'll get the job done. There are other cool artifacts to "borrow" at these places, too, not to mention some history of what the world was like before all this happened.
And at the theaters? There's candy, DVDs, and cardboard cutouts from a variety of movies that were out when the fall of society came. Maybe there are minions there.
Once at the hospital, the party will find that there are a massive amount of zombies that have been trapped inside. Many are former patients or hospital staff, so several are wielding things like scalpels or crutches, and they are just smart enough to attack with them. To get around the facility to find the medical supplies you need, you’ll need to find a way to either distract the zombies, stealthily make your way around, or, you know, eliminate all of them.
As for scavenging, the hospital is surprisingly well stocked, as the high zombie count has made it hard to raid. Characters will be able to find bandages, medicine, surgical tools, and more, if they look close enough.
Of this group, Satoru Gojo and Mark Grayson are infected.
if you chose mall...
To get to the mall, characters will need to travel underground through the subway tunnels. None of the trains are in operation anymore, so they won’t be at risk of getting flattened – but the aged husks of the vehicles are still down here, rotting away. In some tunnels, it will be impossible to go around them, and you know the saying: sometimes the only way forward is through. Inside the trains, some doors that connect the cars are operational, while others are too rusted to move, forcing characters to climb atop the train to progress to the next car. It'll be a taxing trial, made worse by the fact that in these train cars, there are both regular corpses as well as zombified ones. The unpredictable nature of the functioning or non-functioning doors will making escaping the zombies difficult — characters will need to either stand their ground, or climb up to safety if they find themselves at a dead end.
Exiting the subways leaves one last test for this group: the stairs are collapsed! The light of outside shines through what is essentially a giant hole in the ceiling leading to street level. There's about a one story gap between the end point of the subways and the upper ground of the street, so characters will have to get creative with getting everyone up — using train cables? Throwing each other? Human pyramid?
Once at the mall just outside, the party will find that while there doesn’t seem to be a massive horde, there’s another problem: the first floor of the mall, which is below street level, is completely flooded. They’ll have to swim across the distance to the escalators, find a way to get across using debris, or some secret third thing. There are waterlogged zombies floating about in the water as well, who will swim violently towards you once they hear ripples in the water — they’re not subtle about going after you, and will thrash and splash and immediately let you know where they are. They're like people sized piranhas. Scary!
At one point, Sigewinne is pulled underwater by a zombie, and comes close to drowning.
As for scavenging, once they’ve scaled the escalator, they’ll find the second floor of the mall has definitely had its fair share of visitors, but there are still many useful things to find. There are electronic stores that have batteries and walkie talkies, clothing stores (like Hot Topic) that have some extra clothes lying about, and of course, the food court, where you’ll find canned and preserved foods from a variety of different cuisines.
Of this group, Suzuha Amane is infected.
Exiting the subways leaves one last test for this group: the stairs are collapsed! The light of outside shines through what is essentially a giant hole in the ceiling leading to street level. There's about a one story gap between the end point of the subways and the upper ground of the street, so characters will have to get creative with getting everyone up — using train cables? Throwing each other? Human pyramid?
Once at the mall just outside, the party will find that while there doesn’t seem to be a massive horde, there’s another problem: the first floor of the mall, which is below street level, is completely flooded. They’ll have to swim across the distance to the escalators, find a way to get across using debris, or some secret third thing. There are waterlogged zombies floating about in the water as well, who will swim violently towards you once they hear ripples in the water — they’re not subtle about going after you, and will thrash and splash and immediately let you know where they are. They're like people sized piranhas. Scary!
At one point, Sigewinne is pulled underwater by a zombie, and comes close to drowning.
As for scavenging, once they’ve scaled the escalator, they’ll find the second floor of the mall has definitely had its fair share of visitors, but there are still many useful things to find. There are electronic stores that have batteries and walkie talkies, clothing stores (like Hot Topic) that have some extra clothes lying about, and of course, the food court, where you’ll find canned and preserved foods from a variety of different cuisines.
Of this group, Suzuha Amane is infected.
rendezvous
After several days apart, characters will be able to meet back up at a spacious park in the northern part of the city. There are park ranger staff cabins that can be converted into temporary shelters with effort — and the area has a lightly wooded trail, which will make camping outside slightly more safe than if you were plain out in the open.
It’d be a good time to treat the wounded with the new medical supplies, and chow down on the food that’s been collected. Is there someone among the group who’s medical advice can be trusted? Is there someone who might be good at rationing or cooking the food? Everyone’s role in the party should start to become clearer.
There are probably a lot of things to discuss: what will you do with the infected? What's the deal with the bracelets? Reality of how dangerous this mission is will be setting in far too quickly.
Most annoyingly… after all that, some characters will find that moving north has caused their bracelets to inexplicably magnetize together at times, perhaps in response to everything that's happened. Due to this, you might need to help feed each other, or sleep next to a stranger. Hopefully you don't get stuck to someone you totally hate.
It’d be a good time to treat the wounded with the new medical supplies, and chow down on the food that’s been collected. Is there someone among the group who’s medical advice can be trusted? Is there someone who might be good at rationing or cooking the food? Everyone’s role in the party should start to become clearer.
There are probably a lot of things to discuss: what will you do with the infected? What's the deal with the bracelets? Reality of how dangerous this mission is will be setting in far too quickly.
Most annoyingly… after all that, some characters will find that moving north has caused their bracelets to inexplicably magnetize together at times, perhaps in response to everything that's happened. Due to this, you might need to help feed each other, or sleep next to a stranger. Hopefully you don't get stuck to someone you totally hate.
!week two objectives
➤ scavenge for your assigned items!
➤ protect and fight for each other
➤ treat each others wounds
➤ eat tasty canned food
➤ protect and fight for each other
➤ treat each others wounds
➤ eat tasty canned food
2b
...Maybe so, considering Gojo can't remember the last time he felt this tired.
Regardless, they need to rest sometime, and it's already getting late. Leave it to him to look after the person looking after the rest of them. It's not a role he typically fills, but...desperate times, and all. Into her shelter he tromps, a blanket over one shoulder, which he crosses over to unceremoniously drop on her head.
He's seen it all before, but he couldn't do anything about it then. He didn't have time, between his training, between his missions. But now...he can try. ]
Hey. You got any idea what time it is? It's almost five in the morning! The sun's about to catch up to you, Shokoooo~
[ It's not even remote five, but he's trying to see if he can trip her up. ]
no subject
It's why when Gojo makes his appearance, she's not quite sure what he's going to want from her. Naturally, her first thought is that he needs help with his amputation wound, or maybe he's bored or pissed and needs to vent, or maybe it's all of those things - but nagging her about resting isn't one of those things. Since when was he a nagger?
Groaning, Shoko wiggles out of the blanket he's dropped onto her, though notably, she does keep it draped over her shoulders. ]
So what? I'm not a vampire. Sunlight's not going to hurt me, idiot. You should be resting, though, Gojoooo~
[ He's the one with a grievous injury. ]
no subject
He is the one with a grievous injury. ]
What's this look like to you? Bugging you isn't work.
[ And in so saying, his fingers snag in the collar of her jacket, more insistent now. ]
C'mon, sleepyhead! You had your daily helping of mystery meat yet? Maybe I'm the one who should skip ahead in time to beating my medical exams, hehe.
no subject
Gentler than she normally is when it comes to responding to his antics, with a caregiver's touch. ]
Hah. Wanna trade places, then? You be the doctor, then I can run around pestering everyone.
[ To his credit, his efforts have made her put down the supplies she had been fussing with, and she turns to face him properly, wrist still grasped in her hand if she's allowed. ]
I mean it, Gojo. You need to be resting so your body can focus on healing. [ A beat. ] Please. Just listen to me for once.
no subject
I'll rest if you do. That's my final offer.
[ It's —
It's the one thing he feels capable of doing right now. He can't protect her, it seems, not the way he should be able to, he can't do anything the way he should be able to, and down an arm and energy he can't help cook or organize or do fucking anything —
But he can do this. He can keep their best medic from burning herself out when they'll need her more than ever later down the road.
His wrist turns in her grasp, to take her hand gently in his own. Has he ever been...quite so tender with her? He should have been, but before, he never really...needed to be the tender one. A gaping hole for a gentle soul has been left between them, one that needs filling, as best they can. ]
C'mon. The Six Eyes are still online, so I'll know if you're needed for something.
no subject
She should keep going. She should figure out what they might run short of. She should figure out a better way to treat bites. She should do more. Maybe even take a closer look at Mark, and maybe she can figure out a way to better keep the infection at bay, she should— she should— ]
Hah. What's with that...?
[ He's holding her hand in a way she never could have expected from him, and that's more surprising than his insistence that she should rest, because it does feel like the soft, gentle sort of reassurance that their gentler, kinder classmate would have offered either of them.
He really has changed, hasn't he? Geto, naturally— but Gojo, too. ]
...Look at us. We're a mess, aren't we? [ ... ] Fine. Just a quick nap.
no subject
He wants to take care of the only person he has left, the only one in the world who cares about him. He can do that by taking care of himself, too, but why not kill two birds with one stone? ]
That's the spirit! A lil' nap that lasts all the way until morning. [ Insistently, he keeps a hold of her hand, tugging her along towards the cot in the corner of the cabin. It's not exactly spacious, especially considering how damn tall he is, but...they'll figure it out.
Given how Limitless has given up on him, it'd be...reassuring, to rest with someone warm at his side, to be able to feel it so close to himself.
As he lowers himself to perch at the corner of the cot, he winces slightly, adjusting what remains of his right arm, hissing out a sigh between clenches teeth. Hoping she won't pay any mind (she will): ]
Ugh...I'm starting to miss even my creaky dorm bed!
no subject
And when takes his seat, hissing through his teeth at the discomfort of his injury, she really has to wonder. All to say yes, of course she'll be paying mind. ]
Be grateful we even have these to sleep on.
[ Well, more him than her, she thinks, because while he's seated on the cot, Shoko turns and tries to go sit and curl up in a nearby folding chair instead. He needs to rest as properly as he can, and that means taking this cot. She really only means to nap for an hour, or so, anyway...
...Unless their bracelets have something to say about this. ]
no subject
That's not the only reason, either. He just...
The company of another, a warm, familiar soul, might be nice. ]
Shokooooooo. [ Ugh. How does he say it without, you know, saying it? ] No way in hell you're gonna be able to sleep like that! Get back —
[ But before he can finish, zip! Their bracelets are magnetizing, pulling Gojo over to the side of the bed close to the chair, and Shoko back off her folding chair towards him. Nice try, Shoko!!! ]
1/2
[ Zip, indeed, and Shoko nearly falls flat on her face as she's yanked out of her chair, but luckily manages to prop herself up with a hand on the bed while she leans over Gojo. Silly, like something straight out of some anime, when the background turns pink and sparkly, but it's Gojo, so more than anything, Shoko's annoyed at the turn of events. ]
no subject
[ They're all aware of this quirky little magnetization feature of their bracelets, but still— ]
You're getting to be sooo needy, you know.
no subject
It's my greatest secret. [ Lowering his voice into a stage-whisper: ] I'm always needy.
[ Not untrue...though maybe true in more than one way. He's always needy for attention, to be the at center of anyone who orbits him...but it doesn't stop there.
Carefully, as to not jostle his amputated arm too much, he begins to lower himself onto his side on the cot, propping up on his elbow. ]
Okay, your turn now! Spill a secret. Confess.
no subject
That's not a secret, idiot.
[ Everyone knows this, and up until recently, she and Geto had somehow always managed to navigate his insatiable need for attention together. Sometimes their underclassmen, too. But for so many reasons, things aren't like that anymore. Especially here, where they really only have each other, don't they?
Even for how well Shoko has gotten along with the others, and has genuinely enjoyed getting to know people who don't belong to their little bubble of jujutsu society, only Gojo understands... why Shoko can't do much more than she already has.
Why she buries herself in her work, because work will always be there, even after everyone around her has gone.
...And to that end: ]
You wanna know a secret? I'm annoyed the higher-ups didn't send me to Okinawa with Haibara and Nanami. I wanted to go to the beach, too~
no subject
Shoko may not be a sorcerer that takes to the field, yet for reasons that continue to multiply...Gojo has more respect for her not than ever before. ]
Tch, you would've loved it! I could've put a sea cucumber in your swim suit~
[ It would have been nice to have her there, too. His gaze grows distant, looking someplace far from where they are now. ]
You would've liked Riko-chan. She didn't appreciate my sense of humor, either.
no subject
Yeah? Poor thing, she had to spend her last couple of days putting up with trash~
[ With a sigh, Shoko rolls over onto her back, cozying up in the blanket he'd dropped on her earlier just a little bit more. ]
It really is just the two of us now, huh?
no subject
The silence stretches out, heavy and deep, before Gojo answers, his gaze flickering down to their magnetized wrists. It's only been a few weeks since Suguru left, and even with everything that's happened since they arrived here, since they embarked on this mission...the wound still aches like it's fresh and new, like it was only yesterday that Suguru plunged his heart into his chest and tore his heart from its cavity, leaving it strewn on a busy Shinjuku sidewalk.
Rather than speak to the earnest ache in his soul, though, he groans, rolling his eyes. ]
Don't remind me. Anyway, it's only just the two of us until I go back in time and fix things, so don't get too cozy with only one of us getting on your nerves.
no subject
[ Masking their respective aches aside, Shoko turns her head to glance at him. Now that she's lied down, well... There's no escaping how tired she truly feels, both from their last week or so in this strange world and the last few weeks at home. She can't seem to help but look back on a time when she'd face this same tiredness and find herself taking a break with Geto. He'd always have a light ready for her. ]
...I'd better see that idiot with us when I get to the future, got it? [ A beat, then... ] Haibara, too.
no subject
[ Haibara was weak. Nanami was weak. Suguru, too, was weak. Everyone, weak, next to him, so why didn't they just...give him the missions that would be too much for the others? He could do it. He would have found a way. No one had to...
He lets his eyelids fall shut, lashes pressed into a gentle, snowy line. ]
I'll fix it all up, Shoko...just promise me you'll figure out a way to use your technique to grow me a new arm, okay?
[ Seems like a pretty square deal to him. The convenience of an arm will go a long way in walking the path he was born to take. One he undoubtedly still will, even if this detour is getting kind of annoying. ]
no subject
...Back when they were second-years, it had been so easy to tell what he was thinking. He'd volunteer it all without prompt, besides, but Geto brought it out of him as easily as a breeze, Shoko realizes. These days... there's much more beneath that unsettling twinkling of light in his awakened eyes, inscrutable and distant. Or is it she who's grown a little more distant? Or perhaps they both have.
At his ask, she huffs. ]
'Course I will. Who do you think I am?
[ Then, her own eyes slip shut, too, heavy as the sigh that she heaves from deep within her lungs. ]
Now, shut up. I'm trying to sleep~
[ Though... she'll curl just a little bit in, towards him. ]
no subject
That's really why he has to get home, isn't it? Why he has to survive and go back. Because...he's the strongest.
...
His hand winds around Shoko's, grasping tight. Hell, he can't consistently keep up Limitless anyway, he might as well just...let them have the contact while they can. To remind them that they're still alive, that they've made it this far. That now...they're all each other has. ]
Then go to sleep, dummy.
[ He'll at least stay awake long enough to make sure that she does, rather than trying to slink away to work some more, if their bracelets would even allow for it. ]