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Who: Joker + Open
When: Night of the 20th
Where: City-wide
Summary: The Joker is dead but not gone. He returns in the Darkness to destroy the island he feels has taken so much from him.
Warnings: Violence, possible character death, language

The war path started in sector five where a man had died, feeling alone and bitter. The massive creature bore the man's madness, anger, pain and despair and knew only one thing: Destruction. It thundered down the streets, its long tail lashing about behind it, its hideous, cackling cries echoing to the rooftops. Where it went it disturbed the other beasts and all over the island the Darkness was starting to act up and grow more violent.

The creature took no notice of the madness it produced. It had only one aim: The Core. It was making its way towards Sector Four to destroy the machine once and for all. For Batman's sake. Even in the Darkness, it was all still about Batman.

((OOC: OOC info on the event!. Threading format is "Tagger's Choice": Tag however you feel most comfortable. And feel free to NPC the monsters and civilians as you wish! People fighting Joker will be fighting him at the same time, so go ahead and tag each other. Also, if you'd like to play with one of the optional Core status ailments: Getting closer to the baseball diamond may make you feel queasy or uneasy as if the Pull has become a Push.))

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The clouds gathering above their heads were a bit of a surprise, if only because he hadn't summoned them himself. But that was ultimately unimportant.

This particular Mutation was a bit more resourceful than the others; when he leveled his sword to block its swiping claws, an extra limb burst forth from its stomach, and there was no time to bring the weapon to bear to stop that one. He took one hand off the hilt and grasped onto the new limb's wrist before it could reach his face. This was one of those moments where kidou was called for.

"Hadou no gojuuyon: Haien."

At touch range, there was no room for the Mutation to dodge the flare of purple light. It didn't even have time to shriek before the spell reduced it to less than ash. He rather trusted that Teito could handle himself against the other one.

And that trust proved justified, if rather strange. The white spikes were odd enough, but it was the change in eye colour that struck him more. A transformation or an alter? He wasn't sure.

Despite the myriad places where the creature was impaled, it still struggled closer, causing Teito to frown. "Thou shall not sully my Master with your filthy being!"

His eyes narrowed and his hand shifted, the spikes simultaniously splitting and slicing into opposite directions, shredding the creature all at once into dust and ash. There was a jerk back before he covered the eye with his other hand, the spikes retracting with his effort as his eyes flickered back to green. "I told you I can handle it fine! You don't need to keep protecting me like that!"

There was a sigh that carried the weight of a long suffering sulk and a sullen, "As you wish," before he shook his head then turned back to Hitsugaya.

"...oh. Um... Sorry you had to see that." A beat, before he glanced to the two still in his barrier. "Guess we should get them to safety now, hm? How'd you do that purple light thing? It wasn't zaiphon."

Well, that was efficient. He didn't even bat an eye. When you'd spent over thirty years fighting Hollows in all their various permutations, you tended to get numb to even the most violent of displays. Or . . . he had, at least. Hinamori wasn't like that, and frankly he'd worry if she ever got that way. It wouldn't suit her.

"It's fine."

Though the two teenagers might not think so. Civilians tended to be frightened by this sort of thing. He was no stranger to being thought of as just short of a monster even here, sometimes. He was rather sick of it.

"And yes, we should." He'd let Teito handle talking to the kids. He was terrible at that part of the job and he knew it. Hardly the most reassuring presence. Teito would likely come across as a bit more sympathetic.

"Kidou. Spiritual magic." The literal translation was 'demon arts', but that was a misnomer and tended to give the wrong impression.

Edited 2012-06-26 20:48 (UTC)

"So it's similar to Zaiphon then," murmured Teito as he released the barrier. He was so used to zaiphon being an everyday, acceptable part of life, that the way the two now free civilians screamed cursed at them even as they ran from the ones that had saved them left Teito a little stunned.

He blinked after their retreating forms, then glanced to the side, his expression making it plain that he felt like he'd missed something important.

"...Was it something I said?"

His only experience with Zaiphon before today had been on the receiving end of it, when Frau was lost inside the scythe's hunger. It hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience. Not that he'd wound up hurt from it, but still.

And the cursing and running away was yet another thing he didn't react to. He was far too used to it, and just beyond caring at this point. People were idiots, even when you helped them. It was simply the way of the world.

"I doubt it. We probably frightened them."

Teito didn't think he could ever really get used to people reacting to him in such a manner. Even as a slave, lead to and from his training on a chain or at the Academy where his slave status was known by all, he'd never had people run screaming from him and so he simply watched as they ran, determined to at least keep a line of sight on them as they made their escape. However, as he watched he couldn't help the way his brows furrowed with the other's words.

"...is that really alright, though? Nothing will ever change if we just sit back and accept their fear. The world is made of better things, even here. People are better than the sum of their fears, so it's foolish to simple watch as they hide behind them...isn't it?" Turning to Hitsugaya, he shot the captain a serious expression. "I don't want people to fear me."

He lifted an eyebrow in Teito's direction. "And what do you want to do? Chase them down and try to explain? It's not going to help."

Welcome to Hitsugaya's bitter, cynical side. He'd spent too long being on the receiving end of unwanted, unjustified fear and hatred. To him, people that could get past that kind of stupidity were the exception, not the rule.

And the city was recently down one of those exceptions.

"You can do what you like, but some people are just going to be afraid for no good reason."

Edited 2012-07-02 03:05 (UTC)

"No, but in less dangerous situations I don't think it'd be wrong to explain abilities." He shrugged at that and started to step closer, figuring it better to keep an ally close in this kind of situation. He gave Hitsugaya a considering look, then glanced away, his gaze returning to the people rushing to enter a building a few blocks down, watched as they disappeared safely inside.

As he watched, however, he furrowed his brows and puzzled out thoughtfully, "People fear what they don't understand, but they'll never understand that there's nothing to fear if we don't take the time to show them. After all, the only real way to fight ignorance is with compassion, understanding, and patience. Eventually, they'll see the truth."

Turning back to Hitsugaya, he grinned. "Even if they don't like it, or deny it, they'll still see it. And if the seed is there...there's still a chance for change."

Some of that actually made sense, and he hated it. But only some of it.

"And when they're afraid of you when you haven't even done anything?" There was an extremely bitter edge to that question. That had been his life before his powers had developed. He'd never thought it made any sense.

His eyes were an uncommon colour, his gaze too intense. His hair shouldn't have been white at his age, they'd all said. And he never smiled. Surely that made him something inhuman and thus something to be feared. It was all so stupid. None of those things were even his fault. His colouration was what it was, and he was just someone not given to smiles.

It didn't make him a monster, or a freak. He was just himself. Most of Rukongai hadn't wanted to understand that.

His voice lost some of that bitterness, softened into something more reflective. "... The world needs more people who aren't that stupid."

More-so, now that she wasn't here anymore.

"Give them time, I guess." He shrugs at that, but he doesn't even consider making excuses or give defense to baseless fear. He falls silent at that, still alert to their surroundings but also... just considering the person before him.

A seventy-something year old man in a kid's body, a death god similar to the 07 Ghosts and yet... something about Hitsugaya reminds him of both Frau and Labrador. He was like a monolith that held a thin vein of vulnerability at the core.

He had a feeling they weren't just talking about the strangers they'd just helped anymore.

"...it's not easy to change. Believe me, I know. And sometimes people slip and fall back into old habits or thoughts and they have to dig their way back out but... if they see something enough, people will realize that you're not something to fear. Given enough time, I believe people will see you're someone that uses strength wisely."

Shrugging, he turned away and added with a simple, sincere honesty, "You kinda remind me of Frau because of that."

"Gave them over thirty years."

And what was really sick was that some of the things they'd whispered about came true, in a way. There was talk about how he'd just hurt the people he was living with, and it turned out that he had. Accidentally, unknowingly, but he had.

But he pulled himself out of this and squared his shoulders a little. "Left people like that behind when I became shinigami, anyway."

And they'd been just fine with him leaving, no doubt.

He needed a break from this. He let his eyes slide closed so that he could focus on other senses, feel for ripples of negative reiatsu in the air. Fighting was so much easier than having to deal with the real world.

"They sound very... stubborn," deadpanned Teito. He watched Hitsugaya for one, unblinking moment, then asked curiously, "...can you sense them? These monsters? Is that why you became a...a shinigami?"

It would make a certain sense, if that were the case. And would probably be faster than even Mikhail's ability to show him the surrounding areas.

Thirty years of just co-existing, only getting into fights if someone hit him, or slandered Hinamori or Granny first. Thirty years of adults refusing to so much as look at him, and other children running away if he looked in their direction. Nearly half of his damned life being treated -- by all but three people -- like he shouldn't even have existed.

It was better now, with the shinigami. He'd found a place with them. He was far more accepted there. He fit there.

"Sensing them came later." He wasn't about to go into the real reason. Even . . . Hinamori had only recently found that one out, when he'd been ill and delirious. "Three blocks west."

Have fun catching up, Teito. He was off into shunpo again.

Teito gave a slight hum of acknowledgement, opened his mouth - and then snapped it shut again when Hitsugaya disappeared. With the general direction given, he could follow, but then, if Hitsugaya wanted the company, he probably would have waited for him.

Thus, he gave a shrug, turned, and headed back towards the subway entrance.

It was better that he got back sooner, rather than later - He'd forgotten to tell Frau he was going to be late, which meant he was probably going to get the closest that Frau came to actually lecturing once he did get back.

Again.

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