nysalogs | ( semi-open) catch-all for event happenings;

[ to put it lightly, this situation was bad. though he knew he wasn't guilty of what he had been accused of, he also knew that didn't mean a thing in this situation. a disaster had occurred, and people were panicking.

right now, moreso than the truth, people simply needed someone to blame. and unfortunately, one of those people happened to be him. ]

This is ridiculous.

[ when the explosion had occurred, archer had decided to go to the market district in order to try to help. he hadn't predicted the transmission that would follow, or what it would mean for him. immediately upon hearing it, he decided to make himself scarce, trying to make his way from the site of the explosion as quickly as possible.

being caught out here definitely couldn't go well for him, regardless of who he encountered. ]

[ things have only gotten worse for archer throughout the day; whether it be random olympian guards or other refugees after him, he's had no shortage of confrontations. he's tried to make his way to the officials so he can try to clear his name, but he's realized that isn't going to work. no one really cares what he has to say... even if in, this case, he's correct.

he's been set up. whether he likes it or not, he's up against an opponent who has more cards to play than he does.

after facing a particularly worthy opponent, archer is more than a bit injured. one of his hands stays on his neck, clutching bite marks there to keep himself from bleeding. its odd... to think he could take this kind of injury here, despite being a heroic spirit. he hates to admit it, but he's been a bit overconfident.

and that overconfidence has led to him needing help. he's not sure from who - but when he spots a familiar figure in the distance, he realizes it's someone who he can count on. he cannot say he truly knows mikazuki well, but something tells him that the boy is trustworthy. which is why he's willing to venture out of the shadows in order to approach him. ]

It's a strange fate that's brought us together against, isn't it?

[ there aren't too many people that archer knows well enough to rely on in olympia, which he realizes is a problem. he's reached out to some... but can't risk exposing himself to too many people.

in truth, if he could help it, he wouldn't let anyone find him. but in this case, that simply isn't realistic. he isn't able to return to his spirit form, and while his own skills are formidable, there are others in this city just as skilled: particularly at tracking.

which is why juvia might be surprised when he suddenly lands in front of her, jumping down from a rooftop to evade pursuit from some other enemies. he grimaces as he recognizes the girl in front of him, but without a word just grabs her and pulls her towards an alley. he can't afford to explain anything quite yet - for now he needs to just find some shelter, even if that means dragging her with him. ]

[ while there is a lot on archer's mind, and escape from the city should truly be his top priority... he can't ignore that there were others named in that suspicious transmission as well. a few he recognizes, a few he doesn't, but one that stands out in particular.

a voice in the back of his mind tells him it would be best to simply ignore it - that the girl can take care of herself just fine, and doesn't need his help. while he's largely kept watch over her from a distance, he's at least tried to make sure she's been doing alright. which, up until this point, she has. ]

Don't be an idiot. You can barely take care of yourself right now.

[ he mutters it under his breath, though even as he says the words he knows he'll simply ignore them. it isn't his nature: he can't ignore someone in need of help, regardless of the danger it might put him in.

so, while he can't say he really knows what leanne would do in this situation very well, he'll still look for her all the same. he may be injured after a handful of battles against particularly worthy adversaries, but the thought of seeking treatment for his injuries doesn't even occur to him; that's secondary to making sure others are alright.

be it blind luck or something else, he finally does manage to spot her while scanning olympia from the rooftops. and, though it may not be the most smooth of approaches, he'll take that opportunity to hurry to her side, dropping down from a roof behind her... or something weird and creepy... ]

It's good to see you're still in one piece. [ yeah this is like... the first thing he says to her after their last interaction. ]

[ it had been a few days since the bombing; days archer had spent on the run, doing his best to avoid anyone with designs on the price on his head. he hasn't always been successful, but he'd at least managed to evade capture so far.

but the longer he remains here, the more dangerous it becomes. the sickness that had begun spreading in the city only seemed to be getting worse: at the very least, it was spreading quickly. the panic it caused would only lead to people becoming more irrational over time. needing someone to blame. someone to martyr.

he knew the pattern well. after all, he'd been victim to it once before. which is why he wouldn't allow himself to get caught unawares again; he knew he needed to get out of the city. and while he hadn't insisted his master accompany him in this flight, she had agreed to do so all the same. she had no particular attachment to this place either. ]

Is this really the best you could come up with?

[ while he'd gauged the defenses of the city walls, at the moment fighting their way out seemed inadvisable. not because it was impossible, but because there was no way to do so without causing unnecessary casualties. for now, he was an unjustly named fugitive... but if he actually took lives to get out of olympia, the price on his head would become more than warranted.

which meant the only way out was... ]

A child could see through this disguise.

[ simply combing his hair down and slapping glasses on him wasn't exactly professional espionage material, but at least he looked different than he did on the wanted posters. ]

And I don't see how pretending to be... a couple... makes this any more effective.

[ though despite his protests, the reasoning was actually quite straightforward: throughout all his time in olympia, archer had always remained something of a loner, a fact that had been circulated to those out looking for him. so while the guards would be looking for him, they'd hardly be looking for two people together... especially since zero wasn't on the listed of wanted criminals. ]

[ they'd been living in the wilderness for some time now, a fact which archer still partly blames himself for. his own situation was unavoidable... but getting a2 involved was not. that she'd followed had surprised him at first, though in some ways it seemed natural enough. there was a definite bond there that had been formed, even if it had been in a virtual reality simulation.

still, life without the comforts of the city was hardly easy. foraging for food and supplies wasn't difficult, but the wilds of olympia had other threats... the likes of which he'd seen before when moving from the outlook to the city, but had never truly had to contend with on an every day basis.

once they'd learned that people were moving to wyver, the decision to follow was easy enough. at the moment, they were directionless; at least wyver offered new possibilities. a chance at learning the truth behind the bombing, and at getting a cure for those affected in their company (for now, that simply meant rocket).

but big picture aside, for the moment there were more immediate concerns. ]

A2... Don't read too much into this question, but have you been regularly bathing?

[ there's definitely dried mud and leaves still tangled in her hair, so the answer should be obvious. it wasn't as if he went out of his way to pay attention to such things... but over time, it's become too glaringly obvious to just ignore. ]

ermes;

mikazuki;

juvia;

leanne;

zero;

a2;