Show Yourself I'm Dying to Meet You

[noblerise]

WHO: The Volunteers for this tribute, as well as a super secret special guest!
WHERE: Kaisou Beach
WHEN: April 3rd-ish
WHAT: The volunteers gather together to open up the path forward for everyone to storm Zodiac via the MetaVerse app. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan... in many, many ways.
WARNINGS: Probably cursing, will edit if things escalate!

[The moment he receives instructions on what they must do, Jusis gathers together the rest of the volunteers to meet up at Kaisou's beach. While he's waiting for everyone to show up, he rereads them over and over, making sure he understands the process in its entirety. Even if it's simple, he wants to make sure that they don't mess up this part of the process. The absolute last thing Jusis wants to do is have to wait even another day to retry this.

The blond also double-checks to make sure his saber and ARCUS II are secure on his person. With his newly acquired healing magic, it's a relief that he doesn't have to ask Elliot to borrow Canon. That might've given the game away, and Jusis has been avoiding saying anything about this part of the mission to his loved ones. If anyone could talk him out of this, it'd be them, and they can't afford that right now. Jusis has to show that he's trustworthy, and that he's willing to put his money where his mouth is when push comes to shove.]

Comments

[fionnuisce]

Alright, before we do whatever stupid shit we're about to do...

[Reaching into an inside pocket of his suit jacket, Waver started taking out small glass vials holding a pale green liquid.]

Two healing potions for each of us, just as I said. Don't rely on them too heavily--it'll relieve pain and repair flesh wounds, but that's about the limit.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun will take the potions, pocketing them....wherever he keeps that stuff on his shroud.] Thank you. I'll use them responsibly.

[Beyond that he stands there silently, waiting for the others for this mission to begin. He's not one to really make small talk, now that the mission is here]

[hoshikiri]

[Takame largely kept the details of this mission to himself as well. Only sharing that he had something important to tend to, though Yusuke, Rose and the others surely saw him volunteer. With Caster's eye on the city, Takame tried not to worry.

There was just the mission now. One that would make Waver's potions useful for sure. He took them too, stowing them away.]

Thank you. [He was just as talkative as Jun beyond that.]

[noblerise]

[Jusis takes his vials from Waver as well, and pockets then safely.]

Thank you, Waver. Should there be more grievous injuries, I can take care of that.

[The blond then frowns slightly at his phone. This particular app is giving him some bad feelings, honestly. Whatever the "Velvet Room" is, it seems to be glitching on his screen as it downloads. That's never a good sign. He looks up at the other three. Boy, they're a talkative bunch, aren't they?]

I'm waiting for the download to finish as we speak. Do any of you have any last-minute questions, concerns, or anything else you'd like to say?

[Jusis likes his quiet time like any other normal person, but even he doesn't want to fucking stand around here in awkward silence while they wait for his phone to finish downloading an occult app.]

[fionnuisce]

It's nothing. I said I would do it, and there's no reason to waste our energy healing minor wounds when we might need it for more serious ones.

[glancing briefly over Jusis' shoulder:] ....Fucking really?

[welcome to the WHAT room--okay, focus.]

I have plenty of questions, but none I know have any answer. 'What are we in for exactly', 'how bad is it', vital information like that. I recognize we're short on details, which isn't a situation I particularly like.

[whiteshroud]

[Unfortunately for Jun, he is much shorter than Jusis, so he's unable to see the screen unlike Waver. He tilts his head a bit curiously at Waver's muttering, but opts not to say anything regarding it]

Mm, I agree with the Professor. Had you had any further information, you would've told us by now.

[Jusis seemed like that kind of guy]

[noblerise]

[Jusis waits a moment, but sees Takame only give the gravest of stoic nods and decides to give them as much as he can.]

Very well. A brief overview of what to expect, though it's still admittedly sparse on the details of exactly what we're marching towards.

[He glances at his phone. 75% done. He takes a deep breath.]

Once the Velvet Room app has downloaded, I'm to launch the app and go through a contractual agreement of some kind. The three of you should stand close to me, as it will take anyone it can reach with no set radius. Hence why I chose the beach for our meetup. With nobody here, there should be less chance of accidents if something goes wrong.

[85%. He hopes Elliot, Rean, and Fugo can forgive him for not telling them about this.]

It's almost done. Stay close and steel yourselves.

[fionnuisce]

If this keeps up, I'm changing my damn name.

[waver, please stop being sarcastic to cope.]

I'm ready so long as the rest of you are. We have a plan set in place, we should be fine with a little caution.

[whiteshroud]

['The Velvet Room". Huh. Well that explains Waver's reaction.]

Waver Satin, perhaps.

[He says as a light hearted joke, but it's clear from his posture that he's more than ready for this operation to begin, standing at the guard]

I'm ready. May God watch over us all.

[hoshikiri]

[If Takame weren't in a certain mindset, he would have thought that Waver Satin sounded a little silly.

But he didn't. He just drew his Gunblade from his back, charging aether into it preemptively, prepared to take lead in his stance.]

Ready.

[noblerise]

[Jusis looks to each of them in turn as they speak. All are ready and prepared for whatever lies ahead. He just hopes it's enough.

He looks down at his phone. 95%.

96%.

97%.

God, he wishes he didn't have such an ominous feeling about all of this.

99%.]

WeLcOmE to the Ve-ve-velvet R-Ro-oo-om.

[Jusis definitely set his phone to silent, and his mouth forms a grim line as this distorted voice speaks from its speakers. Music begins to play from it as well, but it sounds... wrong in a subtle way. The blond doesn't know music like Elliot does. However, he can still hear that the notes aren't quite right, as if someone is intentionally playing it slightly off-key and discordant. It sets his teeth on edge, which isn't helped by what the voice says next.]

P-please, si-i-ign the cOnTrAcT, Jusis Albarea.

[A terms and conditions contract then appears on his phone screen. Jusis takes a moment to somewhat skim over it, paying more close attention to anything that looks sketchy. Though, in the end, it really doesn't matter does it? They need to do this. Still... it's the principle of the matter for him to read it. It's not great, but he does use the touch screen to sign his name and agree to the terms and conditions.

The sound abruptly screeches like someone is killing the singer and then the music stops. Silence looms over them like a predator waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. It's then physically shattered like glass as shadowy hands begin to grab at people. Jusis struggles as he's restrained by them, and then is dragged down into darkness. The only things left behind to show he'd even been there at all are his phone and Mistral Master Quartz that drop to the sandy beach.]

[whiteshroud]

[He isn't surprised no one laughs at his joke, considering the audience and the situation they were in. So he goes silent, waiting for the app to finish downloading.

When it finally finishes and that music starts to play....Jun feels off. He knew nothing about music, but this was pinging his other sense. There was a presence coming from the phone, and Jun was willing to bet everything it was malevolent. The hairs on the back of his neck was rising. Something was wrong here. Very, very wrong.

But it was too late to back out now. They had to complete the mission.

All of the sudden, shadowy hands start reaching for them. There's a voice in the back of his head telling him to run, but he forces himself to stand his ground. The hands first reach Jusis, who drag him down into a pool of darkness to Jun's horror. Then, another pair of hands shoot towards him. He tenses and squeezes his eyes shut just as they make a move to grab him. Don't run. Whatever it takes to complete the mission. Don't run--

But instead of darkness? There's light.

He opens his eyes when he doesn't feel hands grab him. The cross on his right arm glows brightly, and there's a brief aura of light around him. The shadowy hands reel back, as if they've just touched something burning. One might even say there's a quick pause of hesitation from the shadows as they try to discern what to do. At any other time, this would no doubt be seen as a miracle.

But the contract had been signed, and a payment must be fulfilled. So after that brief moment, the shadowy hands move again-- but this they they move past Jun, rapidly going for another soul they sensed nearby.

Jun quickly pieces together what's going on. He had been deemed unusable, and now the hands were going to grab another sacrifice. One who had no idea what was about to happen to them]

-- No. No, no- Come back!

[fionnuisce]

Albarea-?!

[Was...that supposed to happen? The sudden darkness of those hands and how wrong they felt made his heart turn to a block of solid ice in his chest with a familiar and immediate dread, but surely this whole plan had to have some weird condition to it. Or so he foolishly tried to convince himself. But then it glanced off Shroud like a demon repelled by holy water, and Waver understood several things at once.]

[Most importantly: the last time that had happened, they had been going directly into the underworld. So what did that mean for whatever they were getting into now?]

Takame, run, get the hell away fr-

[Which was all he got out before following right after Jusis, ensnared as easily as someone with no physical ability to resist and vanishing into shadow.]

[In hindsight, it would have been smarter to tell Hansa literally anything. Then again...it wouldn't be the first relationship he had burned to the ground by being himself, but it was sure looking as though it would be the last.]

[schrodingersghost]

[With everything that had been going on lately, Danny had decided to head to the beach to do a little more work on his shields.

The beach was usually empty at this time, so he wasn't really expecting to see anyone there. So when Danny gets close enough in his flight to see strange shadowy hands- and were those people down there disappearing? Impulsively, Danny shouts a warning and immediately dives toward the ground, trying to reach them before the hands could .

He wasn't expecting one of the hands to suddenly change direction and grab him first. Danny panics and struggles against the hand, but it drags him down into the darkness before he can even try using any of his abilities against it.]

[hoshikiri]

[Takame let out a swear. The instant that eerie music began he sensed a dark presence, he never expected it to get this bad. Before he could say a word, to Jusis or Waver for the audacity that he run, he tried to slash the hands away.

Only for his blade to go straight through and grabbing him. It was only due to his great strength that he could stay for longer. Then he watched in horror while the young man nearby was taken instead of Shroud.]

No--! [He struggled to get the words out as the hands dragged him further in. The last thing he could manage was to turn to Jun with one last thing to say.]

I'll find them! Inform--! [Then the darkness claimed him like the others.]

[whiteshroud]

[He was focused on where the hell the shadow hands meant for him were going, thoug he hears Waver as he yells out before he gets pulled under just as Jusis did. He winces at the sound, at knowing what Waver was thinking when he told Takame to run.

Shortly after that, he spots the soon-to-be victim of the hands. That was- that was Danny wasn't it? He hasn't spoken much to him, but he remembered getting him for Secret Santa. He liked puns and science things-- and he was just in high school, younger than Jun

And trying to charge over to help]

-- Danny, no! Run!

[He tries to yell out, but it's too late. Just like Jusis and Waver, he's pulled under- except with a look of pure panic on his face. And with Danny taking his place as an offering, that leaves--

He'll look over at Takame. He's already getting dragged in. Instinctually, Jun will try to reach out his hand in hopes of pulling Takame out from the darkness- but he's not close enough to reach. All he can do is hear Takame's last attempt at reassurance and watch as he too is dragged into the depths of hell.

And with Takame gone, the darkness rescind. It retreats back into Jusis's phone that was left on the beach. The screen glows a blood red, and a message will appear:

PAYMENT RECEIVED.
THE GATE WILL OPEN ONCE THE SOULS HAVE BEEN JUDGED.

Jun falls to his hands and knees. Now alone besides the seraph within him who is also panicking, he'll pull down his hood so he can get some air. Deep breaths, just like Sorey had told him to do the last time he felt panic.

It wasn't supposed to go this way. ]

[lapislazily]

[With impeccably bad timing, Zhongli appears on the beach. But as he gets closer and sees a distinct lack of the forward team, he breaks into a brisk run. The only one left that he can see is Shroud on the ground, coming into sharp focus as Zhongli crosses the distance. He can see his face—and boy is it familiar—but he makes no remark about his identity and instead kneels beside Shroud in the sand. This close, "Shroud" might be able to tell that for some inexplicable reason he is wearing pizza heelies beneath his spotless dark brown coat and suit.]

What happened? Are you hurt?

[He searches over the Shroud's uniform for any open wounds, but doesn't see any. Then his eyes fall upon the fallen phone.

PAYMENT RECEIVED.

He feels something in him go cold and quiet, and then a little bit angry. He had expected, perhaps, that this team would be entering the Zodiac headquarters with an intent to infiltrate. And that in itself was dangerous-- that could constitute a sacrifice.

But this...

There are several sets of footprints captured in the sand, a fleeting memory that the man can read without trouble. All of the prints terminate within a few dozen meters of this spot on the beach, ground zero of the mission. One of them goes way, way farther than the others, and some are interrupted by another set of footprints, likely Shroud's.

It isn't hard for Zhongli to deduce what's happened, but he'll wait for the witness to speak.]

[whiteshroud]

[Jun had been trying to collect himself, trying to think how to respond to Mikleo's fretting that was going on in his mind-- when he hears someone approach. Zhongli, the senior member of the Black Order.

Of course he'd come to check on what happened. It's the whole reason he was in this city. The dread of seeing the man is strong enough where he completely overlooks the questionable choice of footwear.

Jun regrets pulling down his hood now, but there's nothing he can do about that now- so he'll just opt to obediently answer]

I'm unharmed. [Physically anyway] When Jusis triggered the app, several hands made of shadow appeared and dragged the others down into a pool of darkness.

[He hesistates, knowing the obvious question hanging here: why was he still here then]

...I proved to be unsuitable, so the hands grabbed someone else who was passing by...a boy named Danny.

[lapislazily]

[Jun's testimony confirms his suspicions. The fact that this has gone so awry in the first five minutes is incredibly disappointing. If they had more information, they could have prepared... but he'd been kept in the dark, too, and most likely his superiors didn't know the details either.

He closes his eyes for a moment and grounds himself. This will need to be reported, and new battle plan drawn up. And with Jusis gone for longer than anticipated...

No, he can't afford to keep anyone in the dark about this any longer. They're going to need the help of everyone in the city to figure out what rings of hell just swallowed the people who were supposed to save them.]

... We'll find another way. [Remember what they'd all agreed upon in that abandoned meeting room?] No one is being left behind, particularly with a young boy dragged into this against his will. That was a blatant violation of the agreement—an injustice that will not go unanswered.

[For now, he has this despairing student to take care of. Velvet and the others are probably going to tear him apart when he's through with this, but he can stand it.]

I realize that this is difficult advice to follow in the moment, but you mustn't blame yourself. The future is something that not even gods know for certain.

[He reaches for Jusis' phone, but his gloved hand pauses over Mistral. He's not sure what this is. He'll take the phone, though; he ought to return it to the others once he's notified his superior.]

[whiteshroud]

[He's holding his breath as he awaits for Zhongli's response. He doesn't know the man well, so he can't tell if his discontent is purely for what happened-- or for Jun's failure to uphold his end of the agreement.

But the man chooses mercy towards Jun's failings-- even reassures him. They'd find another way, and wouldn't leave those four behind. He lets himself breath. ]

...Right. This isn't the end of it.

[He says that to reassure himself, more than anything. Things didn't go to plan, but there's a good chance they could still save the others. Zhongli had said others had survived using this method before. So surely...

The future is something that not even gods know for certain. The statement makes Jun pause. He pulls himself up enough so he's sitting in the sand, and gently rubs the spot on his arm where the Seal Mark was located underneath hisclothes.

Maybe the gods don't know the future for certain as Zhongli said, but seemed there was one that had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Just for what reason compelled Him to intervene, now of all times? It wasn't like the Holy Spirit did this whenever Jun was in a dangerous situation, so what was the difference here?

...As usual, there's no answer to Jun's query. Mikleo and his own were the only voices he heard inside himself. Shouldn't have expected anything different, really. ]

So what are our next steps?

[Maybe if he can focus on what to do next, it'll help]

[lapislazily]

[Zhongli isn't aware of the extremely important inner-Jun dialogue going on. It's been over a thousand years but he's right back there in the thick of it, wind and rain battering his tent as he looks over the map with the generals, lieutenants all clambering for a glimpse of the strategy. He pulls himself out of the mists of the past with some difficulty and grounds himself in the present.]

I'll report this to my superiors. However... [Without a trace of cynicism, more like... apology? He continues:] I believe if we open this operation up to the app users at large, we stand a better chance of completing the mission. I will say as much to them. If the Black Order mobilizes the garrison, it will make the recovery of our allies... difficult. [They said that the sacrifices shouldn't expect to make it out, after all...]

Working together is the best way to ensure that the city is protected and our allies are returned safely.

I am not sure if my superiors will see sense in my point of view, but if I can convince them to give us more time... the way will be open for you and yours to infiltrate the altered realities as needed. [Zodiac comes first, of course, but there's no advantage-- and no subtlety-- to siccing 100 people on the Headquarters at once. No, it's far more reasonable to form teams.]

[whiteshroud]

[Jun listens to Zhongli's suggestion and intention quietly. The words to help him shake off his earlier childish nerves and get back into mission mode. Opening up to the app users is a good idea. They tried with a small team, and that clearly hasn't gone to plan. But the other app users...well, they have beating the odds and resolving situations.

Sure, Jun has no doubt several of them will be pissed when they learn of all of this, but well...considering he just got a kid dragged into hell in his place, he more than deserves the ire.

However, the idea of contacting the superiors of the Black Order? That part leaves him unsettled. Given how the Black Order has shown themselves to be leading up to this point, and what just transpired- Jun can't shake the feeling they're better off without their aid. And the fact Zhongli seems so fixated on dutifully fulfilling that role...]

Don't report to them yet.

[There was no point in hiding his powers right now, so he'll use his telekinesis to pull the Mistral orb to his hand. Curious...it reminded him a little of the core to his own weapon, albeit of a different element. Which meant it was something of value..something to take care of until it can be returned to its proper owner.]

The Order made it clear they priortize the mission over lives. This device has been used before, so someone was aware what would happen when it was activated. And based on how the La Llorona mission went, bystanders as collateral damage is an acceptable price to your superiors.

[One might try to argue against the obvious depraved morality, but as someone with memories of a Seal Knight...he knows to go at it at a different angle]

Ergo, in your superior's eyes, the mission is still proceeding within acceptable perimeters. There is no need to report to them yet and risk their interference.

[He hesitates. What he said is already a bit of a gamble, but the next part certainly is and could easily backfire. But he might not get another opporunity to drive this point home. ]

...I don't know your situation, but I know the energy of a Divine when I see it. You are no mere mortal or spirit.

[He'll move to stand back up. ]

The reason the plan went awry was because the Lor- no, Yahweh intervened. I don't know His reasons, but if your esteemed counterpart decided it's better to act on His own judgement than the Order's, isn't that a sign you should consider doing the same?

[lapislazily]

[He can see the reason for Jun's hesitation, because in truth he's also not... sure... that reporting it to the Black Order is the right thing to do. Technically, it's not in his contract to do so, now that the mission has begun. But he's done this enough that doing otherwise just doesn't occur to him. Not until Jun says that, at least.

It's difficult to tell what he's thinking, but the little hamster wheel in his head is going so fast that the critter running in it is hanging on for dear life. He closes his eyes and weighs the options one more time. On one hand: risk even a remote possibility of sending the fixers for a situation that sure as hell doesn't warrant it. On the other... Jun is right. They haven't been given a chance to prove themselves yet, and it's possible his superiors won't care regardless.

Can he leave the defense of another city in the hands of its people?]

... I'm not obligated to report this to them. That's correct.

[He never wanted this leadership, if one could call it that. Everything fell into his lap by circumstance. As long as they get the mission done, he won't be accused of going rogue in any capacity—only being thorough. A million things could go wrong, but it comes down to this: how much does he trust the people on the app?

When Jun gets up, Zhongli follows suit. He's still unreadable as a damn brick wall as he tucks Jusis' phone into his coat and folds his hands behind his back. He's still paying attention, yet his gaze is on the water, looking east. Always toward where the sun rises. Jun may note that he doesn't deny anything, though. The silence is damn near tacit agreement.

He closes his eyes for a long, long moment, of which there have been many in the past twenty seconds, and he breathes out a sigh. He would say that comparing himself to YHWH is a bit of a generous comparison but the point is... moot. He's very old and very tired, and he really wants a cup of tea and a bowl of soup and not all this responsibility. Unfortunately, someone needs to bring back Jusis' phone to his colleagues and tell them to get their battle gear on.]

The time for secrecy among ourselves has long passed. I'll inform Jusis' team that we're trying a new plan without the Order's further help... as we agreed upon. [If Jun hadn't said that back then, this might be a different conversation.]

Can I leave the rest to you?

[whiteshroud]

[Jun meanwhile is waiting as Zhongli processes all his thoughts and emotions like he's running on Windows XP, feeling tense the whole time. Jun wasn't exactly the most adept at reading people, so he has no chance in working out what's going on in stone-face Zhongli's mind over here.

Is there slight concern that he stepped too far and is about to get his ass smited? Maybe a little. He wonders what the chances are of the Lord doing divine intervention twice in one day. Probably not great, if he's being honest.

It takes what feels like an eternity for Zhongli to finally respond. Even then, he dare not lets himself visibly breath out in relief, out of fear it'd give away his own nerves. And that...seems like a positive response. Or at least, he's willing to go along with things.

Sure, he's being thrown to the lions to face the app users at large. He's going to be a dead man, he just knows it. Though at least he can take comfort that Zhongli is going to be handling the Order members, so he won't have to worry about anyone eating his bones after he's murdered]

Mm. Leave it to me. I'll talk to everyone.

[Public speaking. His least favorite thing to do. A truly apt punishment for his failure]

Thank you.

[For being able to bend. Not an easy feat for stone. ]

[lapislazily]

It was you and the others who offered everything of worth. I was merely an observer, and just as helpless to stop it all.

[Something about Jun is so familiar-- not in the way that they knew each other, but because his manner brings someone else to mind. Someone who looks about the same age, though he had been much older. Though he hasn't thought about it for a long time, these events have stirred up memories he would rather keep boxed and taped up. Even so, Zhongli remembers a yaksha of great power and heavy responsibility, and the weight of his gaze when his path forward felt uncertain.

Is Jun upset because of losing his anonymity? Maybe he should... say something...]

... I have no interest in outing your identity to anyone else, if you're worried. It isn't my business.

After all, I myself gave up my name and my post long ago. I'd like to continue living as the man called Zhongli, just as you would rather live as yourself.

[He turns.]

I hope that in time, this becomes a world where your sword and cloak are no longer needed... But until then, keep your eyes open and your heart listening always. The future is carved by the hands of those who do not hesitate to correct the injustices they see.

[Having dispensed some wisdom unprompted, he begins to leave.]

[whiteshroud]

[....

Jun mulls over the words, though mostly it makes him wonder just what exactly Zhongli's life has been like. And gave up his post and name long ago? So just who was he originally? And why did he end up with the Order?

...Egh. he can worry about those questions later]

I wasn't worried...but I appreciate it. [makes his life easier if his identity is kept quiet] In turn, I don't plan to reveal what I've seen about you.

[It's easier that way, for both of them. He doesn't intend to make this man's life more difficult. And as for that advice...

...It's something to think over.]

Thank you, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Be well, Zhongli.

[Zhongli is heading away, and Jun has a mission to complete. So he won't waste anymore time with that, instead pulling his hood back on and teleporting away]