dec and jan catch all [closed]

[shikomizue]

Who: Takasugi Shinsuke (shikomizue) & various
What: Catch-all for December / January
When: Throughout December / January
Where: Thesa, will edit as necessary
Warning(s): Alcohol use, Drug use, probably some PTSD/vivid war flashbacks, graphic violence

[Individual starters in the comments!]

Comments

. gintoki

[shikomizue]

[Tacked on, like the sort of afterthought that comes out through clenched teeth because its the biggest inconvenience, to Takasugi's briefing was the detail that he'd be meeting his partner at the site of plunder.

When he arrives, sky deep with stars, crisp air mingling with the musty scent of the cavern's entrance, there's no one waiting for him.

That's fine.

Working alone has its own benefits.

Takasugi doesn't stick around, waiting for his (not even late yet) companion to arrive. The entrance has crumbled, stones cracked and littered with fractures. But there's no dust - someone's been here recently. He's not the first to loot.

Slipping in, Takasugi's breath slows, the scent of mold and dust stifling. His steps are careful, but not hesitant, as he surveys the initial hall.

There are rumors that this place is haunted, but all Takasugi sees are the rusted metal workings of old traps, cracked foundation, and a chunk of wall taken out to reveal a black path deeper than the eye can see, a hollow howl lilting within.

He sees where those rumors come from, even if they're nothing but-

A crash, Takasugi twists around to find the source of the sound. A rig tripped? A cave in?

No.

Looks like his partner has arrived.]

Ah-?

[There really are ghosts here.]

[yorozuya]

[Somehow, as the albino attempted to slip into the ruins - he had tripped. A bent and gnarled working of metal had caught his boot. The momentum sent him churning until he fell backward onto his shoulders and neck. His legs flopped down uselessly, framing his head as his butt stood like a beacon.

He blinks slowly as his brain catches up with him, only to see a sight that had him rethinking just how badly he needed the money for this job.

Gintoki doesn't move from his rather slapstick pose, even as a sneer crosses his face. Their eye contact is fleeting, as red eyes glance to disconnect and shed their burden.]

Oi, oi. Don't tell me ya scared off my partner-

[It was simply a wish that perhaps they hadn't been picked to plunder the same place. That maybe his own partner was late and... well this shady guy over here had simply stumbled into picking at the same treasure-]

[shikomizue]

[Willfully, tempered by years of practice in the balance of frustration and restraint, Takasugi looks past Gintoki's ass-up pose to meet his eye. Whatever confidence gleams there - for whatever reason - he's sure it's misplaced.

Gintoki has gotten better at many things in his time, he's sure; one of the championing skills being delusion.]

Wouldn't know. Didn't hear anything about partners.

So stay out of my way. [Speaking of delusion Takasugi goes a step further than Gintoki, brushing off the entire system in place for this job. Two people can plunder independently, and really

Takasugi's inclined to let Gintoki go first - go ahead and trip all of the traps for him, idiot.]

[yorozuya]

[After a few moments, Gintoki shifts his hips in order to take steps into standing up on his own two feet again. His ass sways as the other talks to him and his body falls to the side with a 'thump' before he slowly pulls himself back up to his feet. One arm idly tucks itself into his open yukata while the other reaches up to scratch at his jaw bone.]

Didn't hear? But someone told ya, right? I'm sure they got wind of who they were partnered with and decided to just leave 'em there to die. Do the world a favor, yeah?

[You can brush off the system, but you essentially admitted to being here for the same reason Gintoki was! Idiot! You were supposed to be smarter than that-]

Oi, you got a light or somethin?

[... It's dark. And he's not about to admit that the groaning of the wind is making his skin crawl... or the nape of his neck sweat. So for now he's stuck talking.]

[shikomizue]

[Gintoki's antithesis of an acrobatics display isn't worth watching. Takasugi turns away, abandoning the dim light of the passage outside to look inward. His eye will adjust soon enough.

And then he'll move forward, whether or not he has the benefit of following a lumbering idiot along the way.]

Don't need it. [So go ahead. Leave him here 'to die'. It'd be as much of a favor to him as the world.

But he does have a light, and he tosses a small lighter to Gintoki over his shoulder. Just a bit of encouragement for the idiot to go stomping on ahead.]

[yorozuya]

[The dim light catches a glint on the lighter. Gintoki's eyes immediately focus on the shine - long trained to recognize the same glitter of tossed coins. The lighter clatters to the ground, and Gintoki picks it up with a fluid motion as he walks forward.

He lets out a scoff, flicking the wheel to light the first of many guiding lights.

Unintentionally, he ends up lingering at Takasugi's side. It was simply because his long strides had easily caught up with the other's stubby legs, honest.]

Yeah? Then go runnin' in. Warn me of the obstacles.

[... He isn't moving to overtake Takasugi yet. It's just a little too creepy for him to go gallivanting off on his own just yet...]

[shikomizue]

[Can't even catch it, huh?

Takasugi hopes it's broken. He hopes Gintoki just let his one chance at an advantage shatter on the crypt's stone ground.

No such karma. He refuses to let himself settle on 'as usual', a thought that occurs to him only to be banished with an abrupt kick to a gear and switch disguised in the entryway of the crypt's main hallway.

Rusted, it breaks, though something goes crashing nearby, but out of sight.] The one with the light goes first.

[More encouragement for the idiot to lumber forward, delivered with a heavier hand and a more sour tone this time.]

[yorozuya]

[It wasn't that he couldn't catch it. He didn't spare even the slightest effort to catch that keepsake. The lazy man figured it would just be easier to pick it up as he walked forward. Duh.

While Takasugi refuses to settle on 'as usual' - Gintoki is stuck on that front. Averting his eyes from the clear divide between them and simply walking along its ledge. If he didn't cling to a sense of normalcy - this entire scenario would crumble faster than anything in this god forsaken--- AGH.

The crash nearly causes Gintoki to jump out of his boot. His eyes are wide as he stares in the direction of the crash before sniffing the air. He attempts to fix his posture, though hsi nerves are positively vibrating under his skin.

Which makes the other's heavy hand all the more sickening. Gintoki grimaces, glancing over at the other before looking forward and taking the first step.]

Like hell. Remember, you got great night vision or somethin. Ain't that what you were just sayin'? So c'mon-

[Stay in step, damn it!]

[shikomizue]

[Gintoki's glance goes unanswered; Takasugi's view is fixed on the darkened path ahead. Each step treacherous, if the initial crash had been any indication. The only predictability in its design that it's been made to be unpredictable.

When surprise is inevitable, better just to draw it out rather than slinking in hopes of bypassing trouble.

First heavy footfall treading forward, Takasugi does follow in tow.

Not because Gintoki told him to. But he keeps silent, not interested in pulling any more taut the atmosphere between them.

The only disruption is the slowing of his pace, several strides inside, to pick up a rock and throw it forward, brushing past Gintoki's head to clatter in front of them both.

Cracks spider from underneath it, small chunks of floor crumbling and falling through with only deep black remaining.

Wonder how far that stretches on. It's Gintoki's problem, since he went first.]