Chapter 2

[thenine]

Who: OTA
Where: Quad
When: Week 2, Day 5 - Week 4, Day 6
Summary: Chapter 2 prompts!
Restrictions/Warnings: Violence, blood, et cetera. For anything surpassing 'R' on a rating scale, please create your own log.
Notes: Please title your subject line in the following format -- Open / Closed | Date. OOC event information can be found here.

Quick Navigation
The Nine
The Company
Westies
True Leithians
Leith
Resistance
The RAC

The Nine: Poisoned Well

With the heir delivered and Lady Derrish returning to health, balance has been maintained amongst the Nine. Swift and efficient - and, some would say, unbelievable - medical attention administered may have steadied the Lady's life, but for those in the ruling houses, the atmosphere of tenuous peace only grows thicker. Land Kendry has launched an investigation - with particular focus on Land Hyponia - into the source of the 'attack' on Lady Derrish's health. Of course, that is only the surface, and some suggest, with hushed voices, that there may be more to Land Kendry's goals than to weed out an assailant. Land Hyponia has long since been in support of maintaining the Seventh Generation Accords, which it defends staunchly against any opposition. One of the most agitated among those in disagreement with the Accords is Land Kendry. Now is the perfect opportunity for them to rearrange the pieces in their favor, and with the information they've fabricated, they'll be able to replace the head of Land Hyponia with someone who is - at least hopefully - more pliable to their agenda. The Derrish have their own suspicions, the cure surfacing all too conveniently timed to have been a coincidence. When Land Kendry's investigation procures evidence pointing to Land Hyponia as the culprits, inflaming the crime with implied - yet vague - ties to the resistance, the Derrish publically accept the accusation. Behind closed doors, the solution seemed to have come as uncannily easily as the cure, and suspicions only rise. But for now, the two houses remain allied - ready to use one another for their own interests. For those among the nobility, it's the time to reevaluate alliances, assuring the old and gathering the new. The more support you have, the safer you are - unless, of course, you chose the wrong friend. Some turn to other members of the nobility, some to the RAC for hired guards, some to the Company to mandate investigations unsuitable for Killjoys, and some may even turn to the underbelly of society to accomplish anything necessary to stay on top. Or to simply stay alive.

The Company: Cleaning House

There will be no accolades, and no rest, for the hard working Company officials following the response to the True Leithan attacks. Assignments shift from one thing to the next, moving from bureaucratic nightmare to bureaucratic nightmare. While there’s always busy work to distract from the intrigue behind the scenes, it’s not liable to be any safer. Some officials will be charged with maintaining peace and order on Leith, as the outbreak of a pandemic slowly spreads over the moon. From helping the afflicted find their way to a place of treatment, to safe and efficient body disposal—burning corpses by the hundreds—to attempting to track down the source of the virus, it's best anyone assigned here take heed ‘lest they find themselves falling ill as well. Westerley, on the other hand, is a different kind of headache. With Harvest Week in swing, most company officials will be reaching for a drink of their own at the end of their shifts. Rowdy workers celebrating their time off, spending their hard earned Joy frivolously, and citizens whisked away by the atmosphere of celebration all mingle throughout Old Town. Property damage, fighting, less than subtle illegal activity, and crowding all become more of an issue than they usually are during this time. It's the perfect setting to lay down the law, or to not be noticed by it. On top of it all, each and every member of the Company's workforce can expect to have their documents double and triple-checked. Those with any suspected ties to Leith are likely to undergo a more serious investigation. One-on-one interrogations become common practice, and whether you're trusted or suspect, you may come face to face with a companion in your duties. True Leithan sympathizers are what the Company review is after, but anything else unturned will surely not be ignored. Cover your bases.

Westies: Harvest Week

Harvest week is in full swing throughout Westerley - visa workers have been shuttled back in droves from their time on Leithian farms, many of whom were willing to take some of their observations to information brokers for a price. Most had superficial information to sell (the state of unease on the average farm due to the impending Accords, the increased suspicion that the migrant workers were forced to endure, the fear of retaliation by the rebellion for the True Leithian attacks), others with reports of increased security and weapons caches on the farms of those whose sympathies lie with the “heroes” of the attack in Old Town. Old Town, however, is even more of a chaotic mesh of humanity with the mass influx of returning bodies. Bars stay busy day and night, the hokk and ale flow almost faster than most can keep up, and many Enforcers and Killjoys alike can make a good bit of extra joy (or free drinks) by moonlighting as security at the more popular locations. Despite all of the fun to be had, there is still the undercurrent of unrest, because Company checks have increased even more and Intake has become a revolving door of petty criminals being held for the smallest infractions. Everyone is on edge as the Resistance grumbles and the Nine search the shadows for something or perhaps someone. The unrest only worsens once Leith is placed under quarantine. And through it all, criminal activity is on the rise. Somehow, despite the strict regulation and transport of migrant workers, there is an increased access to Jakk and Bliss. Norn has an ever growing market, and weapons dealers are in high demand both in Eulogy and by private buyers alike. Something is brewing beneath the revelry, and no one wants to be caught unable to defend themselves, it seems. Not that any amount of firepower can defend against disease when P43X shows up on W3D7--but it can certainly make the symptoms worse.

True Leithians: Second Stage

Wounded and pressed to a corner, the beast rears its head and bares a maw of teeth and ruthless pursuit. The True Leithian organization does not take pause to mend wounds left in the wake of last week’s retaliation, no. They do not seek the comfort of safe haven and recovery. Instead they turn their anger and fear inward, sacrificing their own for what they believe to be the greater good. On Week 2, Day 6, three individuals slip into the crowds of Leith, mingling with the revelers and the families celebrating Harvest Week. They share smiles and laughter, they share conversation and drinks, but most importantly, they share infection. Each of the three is responsible for disseminating P43X, a viral bioweapon designed by Zan Nikora on behalf of the military in years past. During its conception, the aim of P43X was simple: to create a weapon which could demoralize and destabilize an entire population within a matter of days. To create madness that builds in the blood and eats into the brain, spreading through every tier of society. And though its use has long been out of commission, its engineer has lingered. Zan Nikora, kidnapped and held under threat of death not to himself but to those he holds dearest, is made to choose between the lives of his family on Westerley or the strangers on Leith. His choice is obvious, though far from easy. Reassembling the buried curse takes time, supplies, and testing. He is provided amply with the last two but scarcely with the first. But still he complies. When his madness maker is complete and his existence becomes a potential loose end, it’s not freedom that Zan Nikora tastes, but the poison of his own medicine. Only once the voices in his head have risen above whispers and turned to screams, when his mind can no longer hold secrets worth sharing, does he see his family again. It takes six days*. Six days and Zan Nikora stumbles through Old Town, eyes unseeing, mind riddled with disease—infection spreading. Mod Note: *W3D6. Cure and vaccines will be developed and disseminated beginning on W4D3, but will not be fully administered to all locations until W4D5.

Leith: Pocket Posies

Harvest Week in Leith marks a period of joy and relief. Bazaars are open longer, the ordinary bustle of the business day replaced with celebration and festivities throughout the evening hours. Vendors offer games for adults and children alike, the sky is a constant wash of soft pinks, purples, and greens from holographic firework shows, and music fills the air from different stages. All walks of life are welcome to join in the merriment, just so long as they have the right to be there. Anyone suspected of an invalid visa or citizenship papers are dealt with harshly, but quietly. Tucked away into the darkness of a holding cell like all of Leith’s more problematic elements. It is a time of peace and relief, this week, and they will not abide disruption. But within the hallowed days of celebration, a sickness grows, incubating. Spreading. First, it begins with an ache deep within the muscles. The body tires too quickly, the flesh burns with a blanket of rising fever. Whispers skirt at the edge of hearing, unintelligible but audible, filling the audio cortex with illusions and lies. Food loses its appeal, though the body yearns dearly for energy it cannot hold, and breathing becomes tighter, harder. Next the tide of high fevers, of lethargy. The brain devolves into paranoia and mania, the mind races with delusions and hallucinations. Pain follows, a pain that seems to emanate from every nerve without relief or pause, seeping through the muscles and aching within the very bones of a person. Some may wish for death, and for many, that wish will be granted in an unending sleep when the fatigue pulls darkness across the mind, plunges the last thoughts of a person into static slumber. But not all will succumb so readily, and therein is the weakness that ultimately shelved P43X during its initial creation. Its impacts are not uniform—while much of the population suffers dearly, most are sustained with timely medical interventions, and many others recover with the prowess of their own immune system. For Leith, bountiful in money and supplies, most of P43X’s more fatal properties are circumvented or delayed. But even in this lush world of affluence and peace, there are the poor, the underprivileged, and the weak. They are not afforded the same haste of care, the same salvation. Instead, they’re given graves of sanitizing fires, and their bodies turn to ash.

Resistance: Sleeping Dogs

The chaos of the festivities that go along with Harvest Week provides the perfect cover for the Resistance to begin moving once again. New cells need to be formed in the wake of so many executions and new members need to be recruited. Info brokers with Resistance-leaning sympathies have an opportunity to make a little extra joy by putting the disconnected sympathizers in contact with one another, aiding the vetting of Company insiders that need new handlers within the organization. For Resistance members already embedded within, they need to work now to find new locations to store what supplies remain and to begin rebuilding the stockpiles of weapons and supplies re-confiscated by the Company. Some may have heard of abandoned mines or facilities that can be retrofitted out in the Badlands while others are needed to track down rumors of Company made fallout shelters located within the under-city tunnels. For this, Company moles are essential - the only hope of accessing these shelters is with long forgotten Company passcodes. And the Scarbacks, well. Everyone’s heard rumors that there are many within their ranks willing to help with recruitment and contraband transportation, though there’s little the Company can do to restrict their movements at this time. Because of this, Scarbacks may also be the only ones that have a chance of getting into Leith once the quarantines go into effect. Those already aligned with the rebellion will be tasked with coordinating supply movements, making a deal or three with the devil on behalf of those unwilling to back down from the promises of the Accords. Caution and purpose should drive their movements because if the True Leithian attack is any indication… those nationalists are not going to let go of their precious land and status without a long, bloody fight.

The RAC: Holding Pattern

Warrants still flow in with a regular consistency - enough to keep the average team or agent quite busy. Every harvest season there are visa jumpers that need to be caught and low-level warrants claiming petty theft from farms by Westie migrants. The increasing number of disturbances and crimes in Old Town guarantee a plethora of local warrants to capture criminals across the moon or those that managed to escape an Enforcer’s arrest. Some, however, have either been requested by Seyah Kendry herself or volentold by their seniors within the RAC to conduct investigations into the attack on the Nine. And not all of these investigations are on the Lady’s behest. Some of the Nine aren’t quite willing to take Land Kendry’s word as law and have quietly requested their own investigations into the attack in Old Town and the Land Derrish misfortunes. (MOD NOTE: There will be a comment thread for teams to sign up for the specialized plot related warrants on the monthly warrant post, located HERE. Once teams have posted for a plot warrant, the mods will give them a location and focused assignment.)

Comments

❃ Kara | W3D6

[lotusmesenpai]

[With Lavi sleeping more than usual and switchboard starting to fry, he decides to take the time needed for Noah to be refueled to meet with Kara in the tunnels not too far from Intake - not the ones the Company monitors due to proximity, but the ones further down, where few besides the Company dogs don't bother to tread.

It's closer for him than her, if she's coming from Eulogy, and so he arrives a good bit before her, so he slips into a vaulted chamber, empty and dank, and moves to sit on a fallen colonnade to wait.

Places like this under the city... it makes him wonder what Westerley had been like, before Company mining had stripped most of the land, turned it into a toxic waste, because while the architecture is simple, there's an elegance to the former water reservoir that belies it's underground function. If anything, it reminds him of--

(of a chamber that leads down, further and further, dark and foreboding, to guard something precious. He can see the rails surrounding the octagonal room, can see a shadowed form, a serpentine shape that whispers of the familiar, warning.

Warning.)

Pushing to his feet again, Kanda half turns, blue eyes wide as he stares.

(Behind him, he can see an older man, his glasses askew, indigo hair a mess. He can see two others, watches as their flesh darkens, watches as their bodies crack and turn to ash. He can smell the death, the cloying fear in the older man.)

"Komui? And Yu! Thank god you're alive!"

Lavi's voice, calling him, the concern and relieve a bright echo. There's a sword in his hand, now, and a flag pole in Lavi's. Back to back, Kanda reminds Lavi that he doesn't have to do this and Lavi's words, his 'once again' is echoed by that winged thing.

Weapons raised, they stand their ground.

And here, alone, Kanda lifts his hands, a long knife held in a sure grip, a substitute for a sword seen only by his feavered mind as he prepares to fight.]

It's here, Lavi.

[This is what greets Kara, upon her arrival. The killjoy fading into the Exorcist, so lost in delusion that he cannot see her. Only the nightmare finally breaking through. ]

[valr]

[It's been a long month, and Kara is feeling on edge enough between the shit with the Leithians and now this spreading sickness that she's been keeping her sword around her waist, just in case. She doubts she'll need it for a simple meeting with Kanda to swap some information, but the tunnels are never completely safe.

She makes the trip as quick as possible, thugh she isn't surprised to see Kanda already waiting when she arrives, knowing the distance she had to cover was greater.

What she is surprised to see is a knife in Kanda's hand and his body tensed to fight.]

The fuck is this?

[He's not the type to lure her into a trap, or at least she hopes not.]

[lotusmesenpai]

[Face flushed and sweat trickling down his back, the seal on his chest burning tendrils of fire through his body as it continues to repair the damage from the last attack, he can hear Lenalee and that man up in the parapet, hear him pressuring her to reclaim her Innocence, even as the level four steps further into the room. He takes a step back as it (Kara) advances and Lavi, always good at reading his moves, goes with him.

Careful to keep his gaze on the akuma as it laughs and taunts them, he half turns to shout back at Komui in annoyance.]

Do you hear that, you damned sister complex?! Why did you come here? The Pope's dog is up there, alone with your sister. Are you gonna stand there and let her face him alone, or you gonna get the fuck up there?

["He's going to force her to resonate with her Innocence again, Komui. And she'll do it, to protect you." Lavi's voice is terse, holds nothing back as they stand their ground.

"I don't think I have the right--" Komui tries to protest, his hesitation quickly cut off by Kanda's annoyance.]

I'm sick of all of you talking. Get off your ass and do something. That's why you're fucking here, isn't it?!

[At least, that's the world Kanda's immersed in.

Beyond his fevered mind, however... he's carrying on quite the shouted argument, with himself.]

[valr]

[The rambling is what clues her in to the situation; she's been paying attention to the news and whispers about the illness that's spreading through Old Town, along with the madness that comes with it.

Kara takes a half step back, shifting her weight so she's ready to move depending on how Kanda reacts.]

Kanda, it's Kara, you're hallucinating. Pull it together.

[lotusmesenpai]

[Calm words and a calming visage - and yet, all Kanda sees is a manic laugh and the flutter of wings, the flash of an impending attack. He spares Komui one last glare, snarls out:] Just go!

[Before he and Lavi both leap forward to meet the attack head one.

It's automatic, the way he sidesteps in front of the other Exorcist, to take the brunt of that blast and protect a friend from the fatal infection of the akuma's virus, before leaping up to lash out with a hard kick towards the monster's knee, follows it with a sweeping sword strike.

He just has to hold out long enough for reinforcements to make their way down here, for other exorcists - ones with access to their innocence, unlike he and Lavi. For now, all he can do is all he's ever done.

Fight.]

[valr]

[Getting into a fight with a hallucinating Kanda isn't exactly on top of the list of Kara's plans, but she can't just leave him, not if the infection is going to get worse.

So she doesn't have a whole lot of options but to hop back when Kanda leaps forward, drawing her sword to meet the knife he's wielding. She shoves her weight forward, hoping to knock him off balance.]

Damnit, Kanda, don't you have nanites for this shit?

[lotusmesenpai]

[The nanites are the main reason the worst of the physical symptoms - the fever, the chills, the lethargy, etc - aren't hitting him as bad as most people infected.

The psychological effects, though?

He's already sporting a cracked mind, one already all too used to hallucination. It's only now that hallucination slips into delusion, because until now he's always known that the things he's started to see aren't real.

There are no pale pink flowers falling from the sky or blanketing the ground around him.

There is no woman's laughter, light and melodic, or a boy's indignant squacking there to twist his heart.

But here and now?

Now there is a level four akuma before him, threatening to tear them all apart and Kanda... this is what he does.

He fights and he fights, and he never stops.

So when the blow throws Lavi back, hard enough to slam nearly through a wall, leaves the other Exorcist in a crumpled heap, Kanda's expression sets even as he presses forward again, sword flicking in sure, firm strokes.

It might not be his Innocence, but it's still a weapon. He can still use it until he, or it, breaks.

Even if, beyond his fevered mind, he's the one that brought a knife to a sword fight, doesn't see the almost-friend he's attacking with relentless determination.]

[valr]

[Killing him is off the cards; he's not quite a friend, but he certainly isn't an enemy and he's not seeing reality right now, which means she's left with "disarm" as her main option. She's not entirely above hurting him, though she'd rather avoid it if she can.

So she blocks his strikes without delivering her own, wondering whether or not she'd be able to wait him out, because she knows her own stamina but not Kanda's. There's also the minor problem of whether or not the infection might get worse. She might need to get him to a doctor.

After a few minutes of nothing but blocking, Kara realizes the quickest solution to this problem.

Kanda lunges forward and rather than knocking his knife aside, Kara lets him land the blow, wincing as the knife pierces her shoulder. With her free hand, she grabs his wrist, then slams the pommel of her sword against his head, hoping to knock him out cold.]

[lotusmesenpai]

[There's a moment of triumph when he sees the blade sink in deep - even if it's not Innocence, it's still enough to (hopefully) buy Lenalee the moments she needs.

Because they're running out of time, and none of them are actually equipped to match something like a level 4, not so soon after barely surviving the Noah...

Triumph, followed swiftly by a sharp stabbing pain in his temple... and then darkness.

He slumps over, fingers sliding listlessly off the blade, releasing their grip as he begins to crumple to the ground.]

[valr]

[Kara breathes out a sigh of relief, using her grip on Kanda's wrist to stop him from hitting the ground, lowering him gently instead. He still lands in a bit of a heap, but at least he won't have any new bruises.

She's got a few moments before he wakes, which she uses to sheath her sword, pull the knife from her shoulder, clean it, then nudge Kanda into a slightly more comfortable position.

Then she sits down beside him, knife in her lap, and waits.]

[lotusmesenpai]

[Fortunately, she doesn't have to wait too long.

Yu! Yu-uu~ Aren't 'cha gonna wake up! C'mon! Everyone's asleep, so we can go play. You just gotta wake the hell up!

Laughter in his ear, echoing in his mind as that boy turns to run from the lab where they slept.

Not that way. Don't go that way-- ] Alma!

[Jerking up to a sitting position, one hand reaching out as if to catch an arm long since out of his reach, Kanda winces and brings that hand to the side of his head instead. He blinks, breath soft and ragged, and only just now notices the scent of blood in the air.

It's quite nearly enough to make him gag.

Swallowing the urge, he blinks again and looks around, gaze landing on Kara, the red bloom opening on her shoulder and frowns.]

...The hell happened to you?

[valr]

[She wonders who Alma is, but isn't the type to pry with questions about likely personal subjects, so instead she waits until he's fully back to himself, relieved that the delusion seems to be gone.

Kara holds out his knife to him, handle first.]

You were hallucinating. Not sure what you saw, but you were real eager to kill it.

[At least she doesn't seem bothered, by the wound itself or the fact he's the one responsible.]

[lotusmesenpai]

I... don't remember.

[Frowning at that, he continues to rub at the side of his head as he watches her for a long moment before his gaze drops back to her shoulder.

What the hell had he seen, to attack her with the intent to kill? Had it been anyone else, anyone without the advantages she'd alluded to having... he would have blindly killed, lost in some damned delusion.

It's not safe for him to wander freely right now.]

So I did that, then. How bad was it?

[valr]

No biggie.

[She tugs the shoulder of her shirt aside, brushing away the blood to show the wound; it hasn't quite closed yet, but the bleeding has slowed to a trickle. It'll be completely healed by tomorrow.]

Sorry about your head. Had to knock some sense back into you.

[That's not funny.]

[lotusmesenpai]

[...He just attacked her, and put a knife through her shoulder, and the woman says 'no biggie'.

For a moment, he stares at the closing wound, looks up at her face, and then leans back on his hands and laughs.

It's a tired sound and hints at real, before he shakes his head.]

If you can forgive me for stabbing you, I think I can for a head shot.

[He pauses then and frowns at her a bit.]

Did I say anything while I was... checked out?

[valr]

[That laugh earns a sharp grin, amusement showing through.]

Deal.

[Another ruined shirt on his conscience, but hopefully Kanda can live with it.

As for what he said, she shrugs.]

Something about someone's sister, and the Pope's dog. [Which means nothing to hear, judging by the look on her face.] And a name, Alma.

[lotusmesenpai]

[At this rate, he's going to owe her a closet full of shirts.

Still, it's good - uncomplicated - in the way they understand each other, but it's clear by the confusion in his expression that he's not following.]

I don't... huh.

[A sister and a Pope's dog? Neither sound familiar, though there is an echo of his own voice, yelling about a sister complex, about someone being left alone-- until that name.

It's sharp, painful, the way blue eyes and a scarred beneath messy indigo locks swim to the surface of his mind.

Tears in battle, desperation, an endlessly aching loss and a hate so profound that it takes his breath away, now.

It feels real and yet not, like a nightmare there to caress a waking mind, pull it back to torment and he can't help but shy away from it.]

...It's nothing.

[It's anything but, but just what it is or was is not something he can parse from the fragments just now, and he's not willing to try.]

[valr]

[No one hesitates like that over nothing but Kara has no need to push into his business; they're colleagues, maybe friends, but hardly close enough that she needs to know about whatever his hallucination contained.

So instead of saying anything more on the subject, she pushes herself back up to standing and offers a hand to Kanda.]

You wanted some info?

[Before he went crazy and attacked her.]

[lotusmesenpai]

...Huh?

[He blinks, thoughts still scattered in flashes of ghosts banished from his mind by hands other than he own, until her reminder. And then he frowns all the more.

Because he had wanted to talk to her, but about... what?

Reaching up, he runs a hand over his face to give him a moment to gather scattered thoughts, before his mind catches up to the present a little bit more.]

Ah.

[Dropping his hand, he glances over towards her with a frown.]

Have you heard anything - anything at all - about this bullshit investigation Land Kendry is parading around?

[valr]

[It won't hurt her to wait for him to gather his thoughts, so she can stand around for a moment until Kanda remembers what he was here for.]

I heard a lot of shit, but politics ain't my usual business.

[Criminals and the warrants for them is more her forte, which isn't to say she has nothing, just that she has doesn't her usual digging.]

People are saying it's about the Accords. Hyponia supports 'em, or did.

[lotusmesenpai]

...Which might be enough for Kendry to want them out of the way. Fuck.

[It's times like this that he needs Lavi here. His is the mind that can hash out political nuance - something neither he nor Kara seem to really invest much effort into.

Only.

Lavi's currently fighting off a virus in a fevered sleep.

Glancing back up at her, he frowns a little more.]

So are they trying to find some kind of connection between the resistance and one of the Nine? Because those bastards are far too selfish, even if one of them supported them.

[valr]

Wouldn't have to be Resistance. An assassination attempt is an assassination attempt, it'd be enough to reshuffle the deck.

[It's crude terminology when people's lives are at stake, but Kara likes the occasional metaphor, and it gets her thoughts across clearer. Kendry can weed out whoever was "responsible" for the attempt on Lady Derrish's life, and try to replace them with people on their side.

For all she knows, this could've been a long game, maybe they've had this in the works for a couple decades.]

[lotusmesenpai]

[She's probably not far off, with the thought that they've been plotting these actions for years - with that nest of vipers, he certainly wouldn't put it past them.

After all, why else would they have funded experiments to make their own personal soldiers stronger, faster, deadlier than the average grunt?

It's enough to have him shaking his head slightly - any harder and the dull lingering ache would turn into something much more acute.]

Still leaves us with more guesses than fucking answers though. Damn, but those bastards are annoying as hells. I don't like that the Kendry bitch is using us. It's making us involved in their bullshit.

[valr]

Part of the job, ain't it?

[Kara has never held to the belief that Killjoys are impartial, because there's money involved, and money is never impartial.]

[lotusmesenpai]

If they're paying.

[He shrugs at that, unintentionally echoing her belief, and draws a knee up to rest his forearm on, gaze traveling around the abandoned cavern, automatic and assessing.]

But the Nine never make it a simple warrant and done. Useless bastards. I doubt this is going to end well, for anyone except that woman.