(open) back to ordinary

[sparsity]

Who: mikazuki augus (sparsity) & various & you!
What: october plot - open prompts, closed starters.
When: various days in october.
Where: olympia & thesa.
Warning(s): violence, probably murder.

I. YOU'VE GROWN OUT OF US

[ All things considered, the events leading up to Olympia's current state are familiar in the way the lay of a skeleton is familiar, flesh stripped from bone, the impression of something once whole. Bare joints exposed, a working order, if not quite... right. Explosions rocking a populated area, terrified people, dubious claims opening up a chasm of blame for anyone free to explore. It leaves too much to people he doesn't trust. Too much like the colonies he saw falsely accused.

Years ago and yet fresh again, for all the subtleties he doesn't understand about it. All he knows is that people are ready to fight.

Mikazuki isn't really the vigilante sort, though he's moving through the streets of Olympia like he is, eyes trained and alert as he glances down alleyways he passes, storefronts and establishments a little too dark. He's most familiar with the marketplace, as much as he's a familiar face there too. All its corners have been thrown with smoke, illness, and shadow. Electricity is in the air, the same sort after the announcement. Mikazuki tastes it as he rounds the bars he knows, looking no where near old enough to enter one and now not marked by Ashti's stone or uniform to signify he's patrolling them, instead dressed in somber neutrals.

His pace only slows when he comes across one of the posters strewn about the city, wide things pasted sideways to the front of a building. Broad daylight, people around, hunters, accomplices. None of that matters. Only the face on it matters, a boy no older than himself, blocky angles and friendly eyes.

Reaching up, he scrapes his nails across its topmost edge and tears it off, crumpling the pieces in his palms. To anyone within earshot that may have stopped in light of his display, he passes a glance to. ]

What?

[ Polite, as always. ]

II. AND YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO GO

[ Every so often, the liveliness of Olympia drives Mikazuki to space. Not because of the noise, but because the conflict this time isn't his noise. It's not Tekkadan, not their conflict, save for those here with him now in the crossfire again. That's the only loyalty he owes, the only allegiance he has. Except this one thing.

Show us we can trust you.

Those words shadow his footsteps as he makes his way through Thesa and into the hangar, the chilly smell of alloy and fuel stinging pleasantly in his nose. He knows his way by heart now, just like he knows his way by heart through the stasis units on Alria to the one he visits day after day. It's quiet up here, compared to the surface below. There's an odd shuttle that takes off or docks in a whir of hydraulics, the natural shift and boom of metal, even at rest. But it's not any of the mass produced training machines that he's focused on as his footsteps thud across the catwalk lining the hangar perimeter, secured in front of the mobile suits. No, it's farther down that he focuses on, where the makes of suits starts to shift. Eventually, he slows next to a hulking white machine, crowned and clawed in gold. ]

Sleeping like usual. [ With no one else around him, he's actually addressing the suit. Hands in pockets, his gaze travels up and up, settling on its clean, quiet face plate. Repaired from that moment he was brought, breathing, to Thesa. ] I wonder what you'd want to do about this, too.

[ ...if there was any doubt that he's legitimately talking to a robot. ]

(ooc. closed starters below, if you'd like something specific feel free to hit me up here, rivalry, or axia#4656!)

Comments

MECHA HOUSE RULES.

[sparsity]

SHINO.

[sparsity]

[ As soon as the announcement broke over the chaos sown with familiar methods and familiar names, the motion that'd sprung and welled in him was instantaneous. Fast as fire and twice as vengeful. He knows how this ended once, twice. They had to get Shino somewhere protected. Mikazuki had filled his nights and days with work and too little sleep, but kept his money to himself rather than growing roots in this place that'd been a little too kind and free to him. So it comes down to the cramped space he shared with three other people, now stretched to three more. It was the only way to be sure.

They're all here but the space is quiet, charged with the circular kind of tension that orbits a choice. He's never been that good with those on his own, so Mikazuki slips away from the harsh voices, over into the single bedroom that doesn't face towards any open areas. Shutting the door behind him, his gaze hones. ]

Shino.

[ Mikazuki has a way of making someone's name sound like a greeting and a question all in the same breath. ]

[galaxycannon]

[ This whole incident has left Shino out of sorts. He's not as obliterated as he was after his first mission, but every time he messes up like this, all his follies come back to him and strangle him to crying.

He's been keeping to himself more than he ever has, hiding in the room that he's been assigned in Mika's now cramped home. He's not eating, barely sleeping. He paces around at night, trying to decide what he should do here. He's ruined everything. He's ruined everything they'd built up in their short time here. He can't stay in his home with Yamagi. He can't go to work and support him or anyone. He's stuck in a room that's slowly closing in on him and everyone else he cares about.

He's terrified of the alternative.

But the alternative is what he should do, isn't it? So the others can live with some normalcy here, at least. He shouldn't make them sacrifice what they've earned for him. He isn't sure what will happen to him... but for the good of the others, he should just be cool and do what he needs to, shouldn't he?

When Mika comes in, he's sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, cursing softly to himself. He takes a moment to lift his head. ]

Ah... I'm in here.

YAMAGI.

[sparsity]

[ He's decided. There might not be a way to clear Shino's name or counteract the effects of Olympia's brand on him, but there was a way to make sure no one else got to him first. It's what Mikazuki does. This time, he won't waver from it, hunting the hunters until someone talks or there's nothing left. His guard uniform has been tossed aside as he digs among the laundry, upturning neatly folded piles until he finds things in colors more suitable for him than black. The stone on its lapel shines out from its spot, abandoned.

Passing Yamagi as he goes to grab a plain jacket, he doesn't look to him, instead reaching for his gun next. He only has one clip, but his movements are swift and practiced as he pulls the slide back and chambers a round. ]

I'm going out.

[ Mostly meant as an assurance. ]

[cariad]

[Two months of watching Mikazuki move with the grace of a panther after so long will never cease to arrest his thoughts for a moment, pushing them aside to ponder this improbable reset in time and fate.

Two years of witnessing how he's worn his deteriorating body like an unceremonious mark of circumstances are still indelible on Yamagi's memory. He's almost forgotten how quietly ruthless the other boy--now younger boy--can be.]

Mikazuki.

[Are you sure you wanna do this? isn't something to contemplate, nor does it reach his tongue. You never did tell Mikazuki what to do. There's never been an allowance for the time in which his mind is made up, as far as the rest are concerned.]

You're leaving with just that?

YAMAGI

[galaxycannon]

[ He'd meant well.

That's the part that sucks. Even though people outside of their circle might not believe him, he'd honestly thought that he was helping. That man had taken advantage of him and his partner. They'd both needed money but they'd also had an interest in protecting the people around them. Now, because of his bad choice, people were sick and his family was in chaos trying to keep him safe. This wasn't fair. Not to him, but even less to them.

They've insisted his safety is priority, but are they seeing clearly? Shino's not perceptive, but he can have a good view of a situation when he needs to. He doesn't love himself as much as his family does and he loves them more than they love themselves. It puts them at odds here when he feels like the best choice is to go.

Facing Yamagi has been one of the worst parts of it. A second chance and he's already blowing it at making him anything but miserable, isn't he? He's let him down again. He took away his simple peace by making another rash decision. Now they're stuck hiding out like scared rats again, all because of him.

It's too much. He's got voices in his ears that won't shut up and the tense presence of his house is pushing all the energy out of his limbs. The usually chatty Shino has been shut up more than he's ever been since they got here. He's trying to play normal as he always does, but the disingenuous nature of his attempts is running out between his teeth when he does decide to pipe up.

He keeps finding himself in this bedroom by himself, trying to make himself scarce until the time comes when he needs to make a move once and for all. He trusts himself less than ever to make a decisive action. Sitting on the floor in the dark like he right now feels even worse than doing nothing. It's all he has the energy to do, though, so he swallows his pride and submits to his own slumped position.

This is far more than he bet on. ]

[cariad]

[His latest trip to Thesa has taken longer than what Yamagi's calculated in his mad dash to salvage what little security he has. There's no lingering by the pods for goodmornings and goodnights. He thinks he ought to retain some remainder of guilt for pushing the static well being of his family to the very back of his mind for the time being. Then again, what the old man and his people are blissfully unaware of in their sleep, won't hurt them.

He carries back food pouches this time, liquid protein and energy drinks and cold, distilled coffee to be consumed with little fuss and energy. Whether they're meant to console the listless, he can't really say. He knows from experience how forcing one to push nourishment between dry, bitter lips is akin to placating a miserable child.

He's been that miserable child himself time and again.


As long as he keeps moving, he reminds himself, letting his legs follow the memory of his body to its destination, he can keep on living.

As long as he has something to live for, they'll survive this.

The darkness of the room doesn't surprise him when he asks after Shino; he's found Ride in that position in the early years of their "exile". Back then, none of them have had the sensitivity to reach out to the bruised kid. None of them were Orga. He feels overwhelmed once more as his feet get heavier with every step into the room, two raps on the wooden frame to get Shino's attention.]

I brought something back to keep your strength up. [Heavens knows how well Shino's been eating ever since the news started eating at them]

It's much nicer than the stuff we had back on Mars. You'll be begging me for more in no time.

[Every teasing word is a celebration and a thanks that Shino's still here, despite everything.]

TAKASUGI.

[sparsity]

[ Gun in hand, trigger discipline not so much forgotten as unneeded in his current state of mind, Mikazuki stalks the streets of Olympia like a creature on par with any of the ones he seeks. Or at least that's the impression he moves with despite being human when his opponents are rumored to not be. It doesn't matter if they have magic at their disposal, he'll work with what he can, or what he has to. If he can't do this his way, there was no point in doing it at all. That'd been his decision, when things for his own had threatened to go sideways. Find them and chase them out. He has no interest in seeing them to Ashti, anymore.

It's with his back against an alley corner that he's still and quiet. With the way unapologetic violence wreathes his bones and licks his gut like fire, his early days had given him an invaluable skill. It did well for rats to learn to sneak before their teeth grew in, after all. The fact that no one would peg him for it works in his favor. All he needs is the right moment to move.

Mouth pressed into a thin line, breathing careful and controlled, he doesn't make a sound though footsteps are clattering through the alleyway long cleared by threat of illness and injury. The air fluctuates. He tastes embers in his teeth.

Magic? ]

[shikomizue]

[Cracked wood hisses as fire warps the door of a pub's backroom storage. The conflagration is a result of a close call with the owners, Takasugi assumes, as he passes by the heat with no more than a stalled breath taken of its smoke.

The fugitives wouldn't be far.

Though, it seems they're more experienced than simply staggering down an alleyway screaming in panic. The narrow, dirt street is quiet, the fading flames an effective distraction for their original pursuers.

And then the scuff of shoes on rock - Takasugi follows the sound without bated breath, an almost casual sway to his approach.

Turning the corner, he's expecting to find his prey.

But instead he finds another predator, smaller but just as poised to sink its teeth in.

He offers a nod and then a glance to the other end of the alley - that's where they'll be coming from, and with him standing as an obstruction to their only escape route, they won't notice Mikazuki in the shadows.]

[sparsity]

[ Mikazuki is about to turn on the new presence showing itself, but familiarity takes root as the outline sharpens against the alleyway, instantly soothing that metallic pang. His instincts are good and square, far from a mindless animal just out to sink its teeth into whatever appears first. No, this is a man he knows, quiet in the way a dusk is quiet when night closes in on it. Looking at him, Mikazuki would normally prefer to be the one out there, the one putting himself in the line of fire. But he'd made a promise before he left, and follows the lead of dangerous men better than he leads himself. Noticeably, Ashti's stone is gone from his chest.

He doesn't return the nod, but remains where hidden where he is after meeting Takasugi's gaze as an unspoken show of alliance. Just for now, until they're within reach, something more substantial than smoke and glowing flecks of ash on his peripherals.

An inevitability signaled by footsteps. Mikazuki hears them. He smells them, body sharpening with the wildness of his senses. ]

Three...

[ A murmur from the shadows. ]

EUPHIE + SLAINE.

[sparsity]

[ A gunshot clamors through the city's late-evening air. It's not the most disturbing noise to have sounded recently with half of Olympia turning on itself in a snap of teeth and distrust. Refugees hunting other refugees, sickness soaking the liveliness of the marketplace and its surrounding districts. Life continues as it has to, but it's stunted, injured by the betrayal that has poisoned it. That calm monotony gave way to something that weighs heavier in his bones, allowing him to settle into himself more than this freedom ever had.

Mikazuki's footsteps convey that heaviness when he moves through the space he's created, like jaws open on their hinges. A man with an M tattoo on his wrist scuttles backwards on injured legs, where magic had once poured from, giving him swiftness and agility. Mikazuki had quickly robbed him of that ability with a hit to the broad front of the associate's knee, splintering bone and destroying muscle. Blood shines in dark smears as he backs away from Mikazuki's advance with simpering noises, torn with anger. Brief clips of warnings break his keening come too early. You have no idea what's coming, who we are — ]

I don't care who any of you are.

[ Only that he'll destroy anything that threatens them. That gun arm of his rises again, all necessary confidence, too calm to be a display of aggression. ]

I

[braidedwonder]

[ Wanted posters going up all over the city hadn't been really Duo's flavor. No - it reminded him too much of when there'd been his face there, hanging by the arms with two soldiers holding him up, nose splinted, barely conscious in the moment the photo had been taken. He doesn't buy that the large, friendly guy he'd met not too long ago could conspire knowingly with people bent on doing something like this - sure he isn't a perfect judge of character but knowing a few terrorists himself... being one himself.. he knows how many people he himself has conned out of time and money and resources to get himself moving and keep on going. With that in mind he can't fault anyone for unknowingly being caught up in this mess.. hence why he hasn't gone along with the 'witch hunt' so to speak.

He'd be a fool, sort of lingering on the street as he was, to not catch a man moving with such intensity. Duo zeros in from his dark little corner of the world with a sort of lingering interest, not too sure how much he wants to play around with this one -

But then he moves specifically to tear down that poster, and the motion is so damn familiar he can't help but give a little bit of a chuckle. Probably not the kind of attention he wants, but Duo's not exactly deterred be a prickly exterior or personality. He'd put up with Heero for all of this time, after all... ]

Just.. I can't tell you how many times I've done that just with.. [ He moves to circle his face with his pointer finger, as if he couldn't have just said it. ] .. this face instead of his.

Seems a bit like a witch hunt if ya ask me, but I've just shown up so.. What the hell do I know.

[sparsity]

[ With the shreds of paper now compacted in hands that look too worked in comparison to the rest of him, Mikazuki's gaze cuts aside, the blue of it quiet and steely. He looks all out of patience, but he spends a moment searching the intent of the other boy who'd approached him in his act of defiance. His instant familiarity ought to set him off more than it does, but he doesn't feel any ill intent accompanying him. With a slight release of the tension in his face, he shoves the crumpled poster into his coat pocket.

Being wanted before didn't necessarily mean someone was worthy of being trusted. Identifying with his act of rebellion didn't guarantee an ally anymore than Olympia. Addressing Shino's likeness with a degree of knowledge — that keeps him from just pressing on. ]

Just shown up... from another city, or from the moon?

[ Thesa. A refugee, like him. ]

[braidedwonder]

[ Strangely, Duo feels a bit as though he's standing next to Heero at the moment. Not really sure why, other than the look in those blue eyes, but either way he's completely undeterred. Maybe he ought to have a little more fear, when it comes to dangerous people, but then he might as well spook in the mirror, right? Despite all his smiling he still knows the right amount of pressure and how far to turn a neck to snap things in just the right way, and really - no sane person should know what the hell either of those figures were, but here he was anyways.

Instead Duo turns to the other wanted posters, committing the faces to memory, though not for the reasons most others would. ]

From Thesa... [ It's a cool, quiet response, arms crossing over his chest for a moment over the leather of his jacket, strange indigo-blue eyes flickering to Mikazuki and then back to the posters, eventually pointing a finger toward them. ]

I feel like these guys are distractions, to be honest. You know, the good old 'look at this shiny thing over here!' while the really important shit is streaking in the other direction.

I've been the carrot before, which is.. probably why this is suspicious to me instead of a way to earn some quick cash and 'reputation.'

1

[gekkajuu]

[Atsushi has been walking around the city far too much, ever since the incident. Trying to find terrorists is like finding a hay-shaped needle in a haystack, but he has to do something, so looking is what he does, keeping his eyes and ears open, determined to catch any terrorists - except the refugees. At least one of the refugee suspects, he's convinced is innocent. He's not so sure he can condemn the rest, either.

Seeing Mikazuki, he walks on over. He probably shouldn't distract himself from his self-imposed task any more than he should distract Mikazuki from whatever the guy is up to, but ignoring him doesn't feel right, either.

Or maybe he should have ignored him, after all...]

Nothing... [He has mixed feelings about what Mikazuki did, but mostly because he didn't have the guts to even consider doing something like that, himself. It's probably a bad idea, he knows: it could attract attention from the authorities, and put the refugees as a group in an even worse position than they've ended up in already. But that's not why Atsushi has kept from ripping all those posters down; not really. His reason was - and is - only cowardice. He really envies Mikazuki for being able to do something like that without any hesitation.

But that's kind of awkward to say, all things considered.] ... Someone you know?

[sparsity]

[ Anything he does is with an air of confidence over arrogance. It's not like he has something to prove with the motion, a simple thing that lacks the pretense of a display. Tearing it down is for him, and for Shino. Unapologetic, gaze set very differently from the calm curiosity he's shown Atsushi most often, he looks at the other boy, studying his eyes, and then turns back to the wall. An empty space now, bits of paper stuck in the remaining nails. His fist closes down on the paper ball. ]

Someone from home.

[ He confirms, trusting him with that much when he doesn't trust much for anything, in all this. ]

[gekkajuu]

I see...

[That makes sense, then. Anyone would defend someone from their home world, probably - with a few notable exceptions, no doubt, but even so.]

Another one of the accused refugees who's innocent, huh..?

[He doesn't know if Shino is innocent anymore than he knows for sure Ana is innocent, but choosing to believe their innocence is a start. Someone has to believe in them - and Atsushi is still trying to consider the refugees as a group something like a family. He knows that's not true; he knows that they're all very different, and not always in a good way. But he wants to believe in that, too.]

gilded cage

[shikomizue]

[His message wasn't for a meeting; just a simple question sent in the early morning. Yo. Found the vanishing hideaway yet? They have the same information, but Mikazuki is better at smashing doors than finding them hidden among shadows.

Takasugi has been there himself, assuredly to return time and time again for its favor of a 'freer' market.

Along in the exchange Takasugi extended an invitation as well, to see - wander - the fruit of their interrogation. Meet at an innocuous street corner, pass several more, and then turn down a street with no name to find the entrance.

And they're stepping inside, heavy fabric cloaking every corner in shadow, lit only by dim, but warm, light.] So, what do you think?

[sparsity]

[ An appraising hum, without the sharp wit necessary to really indicate that there's some deep thinking going on. Mikazuki reaches into his pocket for a piece of dried fruit and pops it into his mouth. ]

— familiar, somehow.

[ Like Teiwaz's trade hubs, though the businesses had seemed more legitimate than this place of secrets and smoke. Then again, maybe that's all he had been allowed or cared to see, from his spot back home.

Either way, despite the atmosphere, he doesn't seem ill at ease. ]

[shikomizue]

[Even Mars wouldn't be without its smugglers dens, and the vastness of space is home to all sorts. Some who would fit into a locale like this, and some for whom it'd be far too luxurious, exposed wiring and crude armor suiting them far better.

Takasugi leads them down the initial path, vendors stacked nearly on top of each other to sell their ill-begotten wares before the new arrivals run out of money. Not ten booths in he raises an arm to brush a flap of cloth away, revealing jewels with brown husks that hardly gleam in the light.

It's just a glimpse, offered wordlessly, before he continues.] You seem like a hard sell, in a place like this.

What were you doing? Physical labor? [His probing isn't pointed, though he likens the labor of lifting stock to spilling blood.]

HUSH.

[sparsity]

[ Outside of Olympia's reach, things have calmed. Both patience and upheaval are written into the mixed blood that comprises Tekkadan — or what's left of it. Mikazuki hasn't been without it long enough to differentiate. So they'd made the trip to Wyver, abandoning what meager beginnings they had to start over again. Staying out the way of the main evacuation effort and keeping communication minimal, it doesn't take long to splinter themselves off into the gruff, hardworking streets of the Old City. Not many of the Olympians or refugees aligned with them seemed to have come this far up the cliffs.

But that suits him. Them. A day or so's work nets them a few basics for the residence they've managed to secure. Water and food, dishes, linens. No one seems to know about Shino's status or care, which finally gives Mikazuki a chance to relax. He likes to perch and be up high, so he's made use of his working arms and legs to climb up to the roof. Beyond the broken patchwork silhouette of the Old City's skyline lies the arc of the sky.

Not his sky, but at this point, he figures it doesn't matter whose sky it is. If he waits long enough, he's sure the moons will pass overhead. ]

[middy]

[ It's hard work to settle in but ultimately worth it, hoping to put away the tensions of difficult associations and wrongful accusation. It's harshly ironic how it was Shino dragged through the mud from an honest (honest for them) mistake, who didn't know of the extent of Tekkadan's name being ruined. It doesn't matter now at least, Olympia is behind them, as a group who who will protect what they have, preciously, viciously.

It's a new beginning again, that's good on all fronts because it's a mercy they won't take for granted. But with that relative peace, someone becomes restless. He has time to think, and the basic tasks of starting over in Wyver can't distract him. He has questions with no one to answer them. They don't weigh him down necessarily, but they're a presence in his mind he wants to calm down. So that... he can feel like he can have this slightest happiness in being alive.

So, he'll start here. They have similar preferences in where to gather thoughts or relax under a night sky, even then, Hush is good at tracking Mikazuki down like he would back at headquarters. Perhaps now it's good intuition, not even being surprised he'd be up there with functionality back in his limbs... and maybe, their minds strangely lining up in what to do to calm down. ]

Mikazuki-san, I'm climbing up.

[ He's not even asking if he can or should. Hush is still Hush. After all, why ask something like that, he has more pressing questions. He wants to feel peace. The kind that the chill and the beautiful array of stars can help with, even if it's mostly on him and whatever Mikazuki may respond to him. It's much easier to see them in Wyver, there's less light below. ]

[sparsity]

[ By now, Mikazuki is used to the sound of Hush's gait. Back then, he'd become attuned to it, knowing its nuance enough to differentiate between when Hush was approaching versus someone else. It helped, when Hush's footsteps had to substitute his own. (It helped, knowing how much he could get away with. Loyalty always knit tightly by the virtue of its make rather than ripping at the seams.) Still, when he hears the noise of someone walking out, he waits, quiet, knowing who it is before he hears the voice drift up from below. Gazing at the edge of the roof for a long moment, sensing the presence down there rather than seeing it, he shifts his head to look aside again.

Go ahead.

[ Mikazuki gives permission even when Hush hadn't asked for it. Maybe he still doesn't know how to give acknowledgement in any other way than like this. But it eases from his mouth like it eases from his shoulders, dispersing in the night air. The wind here smells like water. Like salt and cool vegetation. It's nothing like Mars. Nothing like his last memories which haven't faded, especially given the circumstances that landed them here. Smoke, steel, blood.

A breathe depresses from his chest, the depth of it somewhat rattling, even to him. But the wind takes that too, and maybe he's glad about it. ]

MAI.

[sparsity]

[ If there's one thing Wyver has no shortage of, it's stories. Mikazuki hasn't stopped hearing them since he arrived — in the marketplaces, on the lifts scaling the canyon's face, roaming about the streets, as sure as footsteps. Most seem to lead towards the jungle, Wyver's people grounded where its ancestors had been taken from the sky. But others...

Mikazuki is trading off a few coins for a parcel of fruit and spices when he catches the tail end of a man's sweeping voice, hands moving from beneath his baggy cloak. ]

— cursed. Anyone will tell you. That's what spilling a dragon's blood does. Turnin' everything red, red... like the cove...

[ Curiosity tugging at him, Mikazuki draws a little nearer, accidentally bumping elbows with someone as he goes. ]

...a dragon?

[ Sounds like he doesn't know what that is. ]

[maipokerface]

[It had been that word that drew her attention to the man in the first place. She's jostled a bit by Mikazuki and momentarily gives him a sharp, narrow-eyed glance. There are far too many pickpockets in Olympia and she doubts the trend ends there, particularly in a marketplace brimming with people.]

A big lizard. You've not seen them around here yet?

[Lizard is an understatement and already she feels at least one harsh glance from the others gathered around for her summary. She treats that person to her sharp gaze too. How else do you want her to describe them?!]