week 2

[biteys]

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.

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.

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.

!

week two objectives

➤ scavenge for your assigned items!
➤ protect and fight for each other
➤ treat each others wounds
➤ eat tasty canned food

code

Comments

[kototama]

Hey, I know that one.

[With a voice little more than a rusty croak, though, Kotoha doesn't bother trying to sing it as she flops down next to Shoko.]

I'd probably scare away the fireflies if I tried to sing it now, though.

[irreversal]

Yay, Koto-chan's voice is coming back~

[ A weak thumbs up. ]

As a healer, I have to advise you not to strain it again, but it's nice to talk to you properly again.

[kototama]

[Heheheh. She shoots the thumbs up back.]

I'm good, I'm good! I just won't use my powers for a little bit still while I heal up.

Glad you missed listening, because I missed talking to you, Shoko-sen~pai!

[irreversal]

Ahaha. You're really enjoying yourself with that, aren't you?

[ Calling her senpai, she means. Kotoha really is so sweet. Shoko would really hate to see anything bad happen to her, but that kind of thinking is dangerous given their circumstances. (Photo taken moments before disaster.) ]

How did you end up in that state, anyway?

[kototama]

I've never had a senpai before. Especially not one who's so cool and pretty.

[Kotoha is not above buttering Shoko up after the fool she made of herself by overdoing it... though she also clearly means every word.

She grows a bit more solemn at that, though, frowning off into the distance.]

... You know Suzuha was bitten. [...] We needed a sharp object for Haru to--to remove the arm. And Sigewinne was able to give me the ingredients to make an anesthetic.

It was a lot for my powers in this place, but... it was worth it. I'd do it again, no hesitation.

[irreversal]

[ ...Ah. So the pieces fall into place, about how exactly Suzuha's amputation went down. She'd learned different pieces of the story from the others, but now she knows it in its entirety. They all really tried and did their best... She's glad that they decided to split her and Sigewinne up between the two groups.

Shoko glances at Kotoha with a studying gaze for a moment before reaching over and patting her head. ]

I see. So that's how it played out. You did a lot, Koto-chan. Your cool and pretty senpai is proud~

[ Another moment, as she glances ahead at the fireflies glimmering in the clearing and draws on her cigarette. ]

We should be stocked up on some of those things from the hospital now, so make sure you take some with you, so you don't have to rely on your power for it. Got it?

[kototama]

[And, like a cat, Kotoha tilts her head into those head pats, grinning.]

Yeah, you got it! I'm glad to hear you guys were able to find some.

[That means she can save her throat for the important stuff. Whatever that may end up being....... that's for future her to worry about.]

Heheheh... thanks, though. This sort of thing is just natural and normal for a fighting high school girl!

[She lifts a fist to flex her non-existent arm muscles.]

[irreversal]

[ They had to find some. If nothing else, Mark and Gojo's respective injuries weren't in vain. They're a lot better off now as a whole for having those supplies, though Shoko's still annoyed at the world for how steep of a cost it took.

Not right now, though. Right now, she's thinking that Kotoha really is like a cat, the way she leans into that touch. She'll earn a few seconds more of head patting for that... ]

A fighting high school girl, huh? You mean at home? Who's idiotic enough to fight my cute kouhai?

[kototama]

Oh, all sorts of people.

[Perhaps this, too, is how they can decompress after how badly everything went. Shooting the breeze like this, watching the fireflies blink in and out...

This, too, is recovery.

Kotoha counts on her hand as she recollects:]

Youkai hunters, Fallen, that scumbag Enjin, sometimes just your everyday robbers... We stay pretty active back home.

It's similar for you guys, right?

[irreversal]

[ It is, especially for how rarely Shoko can simply... sit around and converse with girls her age. Kotoha doesn't even realize how much she's like a breath of fresh air, does she? ]

Ehhh? Amazing, Koto-chan~ But yeah, we're kind of like that, I guess. Who's "that scumbag Enjin," though? Your archnemesis? Haha.

[kototama]

[Kotoha is always surrounded by girls her age, it's an absolute tragedy that Shoko doesn't get to enjoy that every single day.

She just pulls a face at that.]

Kind of, I guess. He's sort of the archnemesis for all of our group. He's this huge asshole who runs around causing trouble in whatever way he feels like.

We don't really have time for his shit, but our hands are kind of tied, because he's possessing Ao's brother's body.

[irreversal]

Possession, huh? Yikes, that sounds like way too much trouble.

[ Oh, teen Shoko, you don't even know yet.. ]

I hope you get your friend's brother back, though.

[kototama]

We will.

[FIRMLY. As if there's no room for any doubt. She absolutely can't allow there to be doubt.

For Ao, for Gin... for their whole town, they'll find a way.]

Thanks, though! He's kind of taken a backburner because first we have to make sure the world's not gonna end by October.

[irreversal]

[ Just, casually, her world is ending possibly in October. Okay. ]

...Ehh? You can't just say that without explaining, Koto-chan. Why is your world ending in October?

[kototama]

[She figures Shoko will get it.]

So I'm not sure how the cursed energy thing works in your world, but--in mine, youkai and humans live in two separate dimensions, right?

[She holds up her index finger of each hand, separated, to show the dimensions.

Then she slowly brings them together, until they overlap.]

But they're being dragged closer and closer, and there's a chance the youkai dimension's gonna overtake ours. It'll happen in October. So we've been working on stopping that.

[irreversal]

[ She will, and she does. It's not quite a one-to-one comparison with how cursed spirits exist where she's from. She wouldn't call them separate dimensions, though they sure as hell feel that way sometimes. Still, she has enough to go on, to imagine why those two dimensions colliding and overtaking one another would be a cataclysmic event. It would be like curses being revealed to the general populace and causing all sorts of catastrophe. It would be awful, to say the absolute least. Good thing it would never happen! ]

You have, huh? So Koto-chan is a big hero, amazing. [ genuinely. ] How do you even stop something like that from happening?

[kototama]

That's right, I toootally am!

[Kotoha is the worst. She cannot be stopped. She's basking in all of this attention, even though she knows she's not that much of a hero.]

... And we have no idea! But we're working on it, you know? We'll get there.

[irreversal]

[ ...well then! ]

Eh? Ahaha. Well, that's exciting. The balance of the world resting in the hands of... wait, who's "we," anyway? A bunch of high schoolers?

[ Because if so... then same, kinda. ]

[kototama]

Preeeetty much.

[She shrugs a bit.]

It's Hime and Akina who are the big deals though. I'm just along for the ride. [And Ao, and Touka, and pretty much the whole supporting cast.]

Besides, it's not so different for you and Gojo, right? You're teens, but you're already protecting the world too.

[irreversal]

[ Kotoha 🤝 Shoko
being just along for the ride (allegedly) ]

Hah. You say that, but I bet you shine big when you get your moments, don't you?

[ She can't picture Kotoha being any other way, honestly. Maybe she's not the protagonist of their overall mission as a group, so to speak, but she's certainly memorable. Any team would be lucky to have someone like her. ]

Ehh... [ she waves a hand dismissively. ] That saving the world stuff is more Gojo's speed. He's the strongest, after all. If they really wanted to, he could do it all by himself~.

[ Though for his sake, she hopes he won't. Despite what Nanami might think— ]

I'm the one who takes care of the ones protecting the world, though.

[kototama]

[Kotoha beams at Shoko at that, nodding eagerly. She knows her far too well already, of course, because she's so right.]

You bet! If I'm gonna be fighting, I want to make an impact when I do, you know?

Besides, what's the point of having these powers if I can't show off?

[Awful. Terrible. And yet very honest.

As for Shoko... Kotoha knows one thing for certain, and she tilts her head to one side, expression softening as she meets Shoko's eyes.]

... You've got the toughest job though. Picking up the pieces and keeping everyone safe... and it's usually pretty thankless, too. We've got someone like you back home, and without Juri-san... well, we probably wouldn't still be here.

[That's true heroism, isn't it?]

I think you're a hero.

[irreversal]

[ Awful, terrible, yet very honest, and Shoko has no choice, really, but to be amused by it. Her classmateship with Gojo, for one, would be utterly intolerable if she couldn't at least be amused by an attitude like that. But Kotoha follows that with a more earnest assessment of the part Shoko plays in all of this, both here and at home, and she's left a little... surprised, when not for the first time, she's reminded of her bubbly kouhai. When it comes to expressing gratitude and admiration towards her and all she does, well... it's Haibara who does it the most, of course.

Did it the most. ]

Hmm? Ahaha. [ She shakes her head, as if to shake off a bittersweet reminder. ] You don't need to flatter me so much, Koto-chan. I'm going to take care of you even if you don't lay it on thick like this.

[ Assuming her RCT works on Kotoha. :') ]

[kototama]

[Kotoha just laughs at that, hands planted on her hips as she does.]

Yeah, I'm counting on it! This isn't even me trying to butter you up. I just know that it's good to be nice to the medics, you know?

Also, I like you best, so of course I'm gonna point stuff like this out.

[A shrug, casual as can be.]