Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): In the Shadows of the City - Chapter 1: The First Gathering

[Adrian Moss]

He was weak, but from the tone of the responses the Old One was getting, he would have to get strong quickly. Kaori was blinded by stiff-necked pride and had forgotten why the Way of the Sword had been developed - to protect people.

The American girl was babbling again. He wished that someone who had elected/chosen/ended up in Japan had bothered to learn teh language. He could tell by her tone that she heard and understood him, but was questioning the whole purpose that had brought them all together. How typical.

Skye wasn't Japanese, but then hadn't the Heroquesters been of All Nations? People had to stand up, or all would fail. If not them, who? Would they be happier having their fates placed in the hands of others - other students?

Ken bowed his head.

"If not us then who? If we do not all act together toward one purpose, how much damage will be done to everyone, everywhere?"

Ken looks over to Jim,

"What is Jo saying? Does she agree, or is she of a different mind?"

[Rorx]

Jim addresses Ken's question first.

"Jo's a bit disbelieving, but probably not as much as Skye and Kaori, and you can't really blame any of us for that."

Switching to English for Jo

"Yeah, I quess that seems to be about the size of it. For some reason or another the bad guys have got free and it's our heritage to put him back down, if we can."

[Justin OOC]

The Ancient One looks at Kaori with a stern gaze. "Then I suppose the Valkyrie standing over there.." He indicates Lindh, who draws herself up. "...Is simply everyone's mutual hallucination." He sighs. "I figured one of the heads would show up, but for a challenge it is too soon. You will lose, because you fight the same way he does. Besides, you are a fool to think he is alone. Their are Eight heads of the legendary Orochi, not one, and as Such Eight Demon Lords now."

Turning to Jo he chuckles. "I am Known as The Ancient One, or if you wish, simply "Old Man" will suffice. You are here because you are the living descendants of the heroes who first sealed the Demon Gate. Only Those of such pedigree can hope to wield the items each of you possess, and hope to stand a chance at defeating and resealing the demons and the gate."

To Skye, he shakes his head. "True you have no training as a priestess. But that doesn't bar you from learning. Did you think that grace such as yours is a natural thing? I assure you it is not. Just as The Lunar priestess was, so are you. She had no training, simply talent, and she accomplished the impossible."

To Ken he nods. "At least you understand the heart of things. You have been united to wipe away the stain of the oni upon Japan before they can spread across the world."

He looks to Jim. "The young Firebrand, student of much, master of nothing. You have greatness within you, but also a certain arrogance, the same as Kaori. If you push to far to fast, you will fall and no one can catch you."

To Kenichi he lays a hand on his shoulder and nods. "The sins of the past burn hottest within you. Accept it, do not run from who you are. Defeat your foe and Absolution shall be granted for your lineage."

He looked to Shin. "All Five Pillars serve as your foundation, yet you can call upon the blessings of only a few. Learn what bars their support within you, and come into the true level of your strength."

Keiko draws his gaze next. "The Eye of Amaterasu chose you from among all others to be its partner. For good or Ill, you are the New Solar Priestess. Do not try to live up to a legend, simply be true to your own heart, and You will never need to fear the Darkness.

He looks to Kazuo and shakes his head. "Dead once and this is only the first night. "You must learn to trust in others, for surely you cannot stand alone. The blades you wield are potent this is true, but your own weakness limits them. Still You did quite well up to that point, Attracting a second Head is no mean feat. They've tipped their hand some letting you live."

[Kazuo]

Kazuo had been doing his best ever since the others started showing up at the shrine to keep cool and not cause (too much of) a scene. Not because he cared about being polite or sociable, or anything conscientious like that. It was just that he could see how on edge everyone was, and how close to cracking they were, and, as has already been established, Kazuo didn't deal with extreme emotions very well. So, knowing how poorly others usually dealt with his charming personality, and not wanting to add fuel to this particular nuclear meltdown, he'd kept his mouth shut.

Until now, that is. Kazuo might've been better at ignoring his emotions than most folks, but that didn't mean he didn't have them at all, and this was definitely the kind of night to have them on. Kazuo hadn't realized it, but a large part of the reason he'd been so successful at holding it all back and staying cool was the promise of forthcoming answers from the priests at the shrine. And now that the moment had come it was making...

... absolutely no fucking sense whatsoever!

Kazuo didn't take it well...

"What the hell are you talking about, you old geezer!? If yer talkin' about what happened outside the shrine, who the fuck was out there for me to trust, huh? Cuz all I saw was a whole bunch of goddammed bitches from hell tryin' to rip my guts out! An' what do you know about these sword things anyway?", Kazuo jerked the blades out of his belt as he said this, holding them up in the light, "cuz I just found these ugly things layin' next to me the other night. The only reason I kept 'em was cuz I thought they might be worth some Yen!"

Kazuo stuffed his weapons back in his belt in frustration and muttered under his breath, "old bastard... I'll show you weakness..."

[Adrian Moss]

As Kazou shows his weakness to the world, Ken can only show him a look of pity. Normally he would be afraid of the bully, but now, with so much real danger and horror in existance, the boy looks like a crying child who is acting out because he's lost his favorite toy. He acts shamefully and disrespectfully, but what should be expected from such a hollow being.

Ken, meanwhile, takes comfort in the closest of community, despite the flaws in so many of them. He is the weak one whose strenght lies totally in another. He still wishes deeply that all can put aside their fears, doubts, and insecurities and do what is needed to save the World. Now if everyone would just acted civilized and speak Japanese.

[Justin OOC]

The Ancient One Shimmers for a second and Kazuo finds himself laying on his stomach with one of his knives at his throat, and the other edging into his side. "Still think it's all a joke, Boy? Thank you for proving my point."

In an Instant the old Man was back where he started, and a cursory pat of his jacket revealed both blades where they had previously been.

"If you could tame that temper of yours Kazuo Kanai, you could be a warrior of profound ability, much more than the thug with shiny toys you are now. Or Is this all you want from life?"

"It is true I cannot force any of you to choose to fight this battle. I can how ever take back the special gifts you possess, as they are all parts of myself. If you do not choose to fight I will have to find others. They will need what you have been given. I brought you all together to fight this battle as I did your predeccessors, You will stand together, or die alone."

There was no malice in his voice but it was clear what he meant. The Special abilities they each possessed were parts of him he gifted each of them with. The rewards for fighting and winning this conflict were legion, greater than human power, safety for family, honor, destiny, the knowledge that you would never truly be alone. The consequences of not electing to do so was to have to face the Deomonic hordes alone and watch the world burn before falling into shadows.

[Kaori Aoyama]

Kaori remained silent. With her arms crossed over her chest she thought quietly to herself as Kazuo was beat up by an old man. The choice to her seemed like a simple one: Agree, or die.

While the old man hadn't threatened their lives directly, it was certainly implied that without his gifts they'd eventually be slaughtered.

"I suppose then, our path is a clear one." She swept her dark hair over her shoulder with a graceful wave of her hand that about drove the gentleman present into the drooling frenzy. "Where do we start?"

[z-Skye]

With a sinking heart, Skye realized that some of her classmates were buying this. And why not? She knew that some of them had done impossible things. She herself had done some strange things with only her fans. Between the demons, the Valkyrie and everything that had happened, it was hard to argue with the old man.

Skye watched Kazuo go head to head with the old man in a stupid and disrespectful display of arrogance. She knew that he wasn't helping things at all. And she didn't mean helping things for Kazuo - he deserved what he got. No, it was delaying everything and just creating anger and irritation. The only way to stop this before it cycled into something truly tragic was to derail the confrontation and give Kazuo a chance to walk away with some of his 'face' intact.

"Ancient One-san, I know that we seem very argumentative. But we have all had terrible shocks tonight, and some of us need time to digest this news," Skye said. She glanced at Jim, her eyes flicking to Jo, silently asking him to translate. "Can we have a few minutes to eat and talk amongst ourselves?" She glanced at Kaori. "If you are ready, Kaori, perhaps you should go speak with him. But I am not. I saw the lives of myself and my classmates threatened tonight by impossible monsters, and I am not ready."

But she would have to be. She recognized the necessity of fighting, with her mother lying in the house, barely able to function. For her mother, she'd have to fight. Her hands tightened around her fans unconsciously as she realized her mind was made up. For her mother, she'd risk her life and maybe even her soul.

[Kazuo]

Kazuo's weapons being "where they had previously been" meant two things. One, that he suddenly had a jacket again after his old one had been torn to shreds - which was fuckin' weird, and why couldn't the old man have magicked up something other than his school uniform jacket, cuz that shit was lame - and two, no one else could tell where his swords had gone. It was a weird trick Kazuo'd picked up in the past week or so, but he had a knack for tucking things away on his person - up to and including swords - so that they were all but undetectable.

But that was beside the point because now Kazuo Kanai really was upset, and he had a mind to share that fact with someone else. "No one thinks all this shit is a joke - or at least I don't - ya senile old man! I just don't take well to some strange old geezer insulting me cuz no one else volunteered to help me fight my way through that army of freakin' Kujos out there! I'd a been happy to share, cuz trust me, there was plenty to go around!"

As angry as Kazuo was at having some crazy old bastard insult him and get the drop on him, Kazuo wasn't actually stupid (okay, maybe he was, but not that stupid), so he managed to reign himself in before got his throat cut this time. Instead, he forced himself to stuff his hands in his pockets and said, "look, you want me to go kill a shitload of demons? Fine! I don't care what they are or where they all came from, an' I don't care where they go when I'm done with 'em. I got my own reasons for wantin' them all dead, and that's all I really care about. So I'll make you a deal old-timer; you quit tellin' me how to live my life, and I'll help you and all the rest of these 'brave warriors' save the world, alright?" Kazuo tried not to, but couldn't quite help letting a grim smile form on his lips as he finished.

It was all so freaking nuts! How could he not smile?

[Justin OOC]

The Ancient One smiled. "Of course Skye, by all means discuss this and come to a consensus. I will return tommorrow Afternoon. Stay here tonight and rest. Make your decisions, and we shall go from there."

He nods to Kaori and Kazuo. "Think carefully about what youagree to. Kazuo if that is what you wish then I will see it done."

He vanished and the teens were free of adult oversight.

(OOC you may interact and decide your paths now))))

[Rorx]

Jim translates Skye's comments for Jo, but lets kazou's tone and attitude speak for itself. He assumes that since he hears the Ancient One in english that Jo does as well.

Without Holy Trust or the weapons I can create I doubt I'd have made it through my encounter with the Oni the other night, nor this evening so far, so I guess I'll be helping the old man out. Anyway lets face it, would I really trust someone else that he might pass these 'gifts' on to to be as trained for combat as I am? No, not likely.

Following the Ancient One leaving Jim looks around the collected 'warriors'.

"I know we all probably feel that we aren't the right people to be doing this, but if we believe any of this then I have to assume that we are the best of the essential bloodlines for the job. Personally I'd rather try to do it myself than trust to whoever this 'Ancient One' thinks is second best, and I'd prefer it to have all of you alongside me, regardless of any previous difficulties we may have between us. So what do the rest of you think?"

[ThatGuy]

Kage, long quiet, looks at the chain wrapped around his arm. "You know..." He looks at the group. "I'm for it. Certainly we're better-equipped than most people out there, and from what I've seen of our fighting, we're using that equipment fairly well. Someone's gotta take a stand against those things, and it might as well be me. I don't know if I believe everything he said about my family, but it wasn't exactly slander, so I'm not going to let it bug me." He crosses his arms and gives a small nod as if to confirm everything he's said. "I'm in."

[Adrian Moss]

Ken took a few moments after the Ancient One vanished. He reached out and touched Lindh,

"I think you should go for a while. Things will go better amongst us students if you were not so close. I'll call you when danger calls, and thank you for all you have done."

He looks back over the group of students and tries to judge who has succumbed to the direness of their situation and who is still in denial, or remorse.

When Jim speaks, Ken nods.

"We should all do what we can to make sure this nightmare ends and we get everyone back to a sense of normality."

Those of us who live, that is.

[Justin OOC]

Lindh nods. "Take care then Master." She vanishes, fading from view and leaving Ken there with the others.

[Rorx]

Jim comments to Ken as Lindh fades away,

"Do you know if she will finish healing while she is away?"

[SalmonMax]

Keiko looked away from the spot the Ancient had vanished from and at the other students. She was cradling her little amulet in her hands, but let it fall back down when she turned to face them.

"He can be...testy sometimes," she says, somehow both amused and apologetic at the same time. She quickly sobers though. "Hey, uh, I know some of us know each other, but not all of us. Lets sit down and introduce ourselves, okay?"

She then gave everyone a bow and sat down on her knees.

"For those of you I just met, I'm Imahara Keiko, a miko here at the shrine. I was honored to be chosen to carry this..."

Keiko lifted her amulet up a bit. It was a golden orb within a flattened gold ring embossed with stylized 'sunray' patterns and kanji.

"It is called the Eye of Amateratsu. It was last used centuries ago when the seals last weakened. Now the time has come to use it again."

[Josefina Reyes]

With a sigh, Jo sank down to the floor, her long legs folding in the informal agura style that, while popular in the West, was considered immodest in Japan. Her elbows rested on her knees and, chin in hand, she watched the young priestess show off her golden bauble after the winged woman and the Old Man disappeared.

There was obviously some sort of discussion going on, but most of it was lost on her. Whatever skill the old guy had with languages, it was clear that the rest of the group was much more limited.

The Old Man was right. She really didn't feel as if this had anything to do with her. She wasn't from Japan, didn't live here... didn't know any of these people, and while there seemed to be a fair amount of debate among the gathered students, she had a hard time grasping how some of them seemed to be perfectly okay with what was happening. Maybe it was a cultural thing. It was too surreal: demons, angels, people appearing and disappearing, and now they were supposed to do battle against some ancient evil that threatened the world. Maybe this Old Man could keep his promises, and maybe he couldn't, but instead of soldiers or people who actually knew what the hell they were doing, or had the resources to wage war... He picked them.

Them. A bunch of kids in high school, with no training and no idea what they were up against. It was like an after-school special gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Her exasperated sigh sent the sandy-blonde hair in her eyes drifting momentarily upward. She didn't know what was being said, but it was pretty obvious that some had already made up their minds.

"Great," she muttered disconsolately. "The world's going to Hell, and here's me without my handbasket."

With a resigned shrug of her narrow shoulders, she lifted a hand and grumbled, "I guess I'm in."

She could almost hear her father laughing.

[Adrian Moss]

Ken stands slowly, feeling much older than his sixteen years.

Originally Posted By: Rorx

Jim comments to Ken as Lindh fades away,

"Do you know if she will finish healing while she is away?"

,,

"Yes Jim-san, she will. Thank you for asking."

Bowing to the assembled students,

"I am Ken Ani, a student at the Academy like ... well all of you. I am oath-bound to the Valkyrie Lindh and can summon her to our defense. I admit to feelig out of my depths (oh boy), but I will do my best to keep up and fullfill the task at hand."

What am I doing, he thinks. I haven't trained my whole life for this. I have no useful skill in demon-fighting. I'm going to get myself killed. I'm probably going to get someone else killed too. Man, I'm not even ever going to get laid. I'm going to die a virgin!

With that happy thought, Ken slouched down in his old place.

[Justin OOC]

Just to Jo's side a small handbasket appears, with a note attached.

(OOC The note reads "I hope you have strong enough arms." Inside the basket is a pair of hotdogs and the appropriate fixings. In addition to a picture of her Father, Safely conducting buisness at an unidentifiable location.)

[Josefina Reyes]

Scarcely had the words left her mouth than a small wicker basket appeared, and a burst of startled laughter interrupted the tenseness of the introductions. It continued as she scanned the note, though, upon opening the container and studying the photo, the sound became slightly harsher, tinged with the sound of tears. Her head fell forward and bright blue eyes squeezed shut as she clutched the image to her chest, leaving the gastronomical delights inside untouched... for the moment.

Okay, Old Man. You win. Keep up your end of the bargain, and I'll hold up mine, she thought as she willed herself not to cry, wondering if he could hear her.

[Rorx]

Following Ken's example Jim bows to the others before starting.

"Since there aren't that many gaijin at school you probably know that I'm James McAllister. What you may not have know is that my Grandfather is a swordsmith, and it was he that gave me my sword 'Holy Trust' as a birthday present some months ago. With what has been happening recently I have found out that it is a special blade. During the fighting this evening I also discovered that I can create weapons from thin air as well, although they don't last very long."

Having finished he sits zazen and awaits the next person.

[z-Skye]

Skye frowns at his self-referencing use of gaijin. It wasn't a complimentary word, and she'd never use it herself. She wanted to correct James, but she was tired, she wasn't sure it'd do any good and Kazuo would only turn it around on her. So she kept her mouth shut - on that matter.

"Have you all agreed to this madness, then?" she asked quietly. "Does anyone doubt what is happening, or what should be done?"

[Kenichi]

"Skye, nobody in their right mind will accept this at first glance, but at least I saw a three headed dog spit flames and then explode when Keiko-chan here arrived to the rescue. It might be madness, but we are already part of it."

Sitting close to the others he crossed his legs on a decidedly western manner and leaned back, keeping his weight on his arms. "My name is Tamahagane Kenichi, some of you like Skye or Kage might know me, but most of you probably never saw me at school. As long as you people are in on this, I'm in. Don't take it like I want to be your personal superhero, just like Kazuo, I'm here on personal business." Kenichi then surveyed the rest of the group, wanting to really get in the mood of who he is surrounded with.

[Kaori Aoyama]

Kaori said nothing. Those gathered here knew who she was and even knew her name so introducing herself was a bit moot. Yes, it was rude not to, and her impeccable manners were surely at fault here, but she had a lot on her mind and even more apparently was to follow. She needed time to think and center herself.

"I admit," she said calmly to Skye. "What is going on makes no sense, and while me skill with a sword is formidable, I am no warrior."

She clenched Onimaru tightly, it creaked as it was tucked safely in her sash. Her other fist was clenched tightly and her complexion grew deep red with rage. "But will have my revenge. For my grandfather, my mother, father, our home and all the students who lost their lives this evening. If I have to cut a path through a horde of demons, despite my lack of belief in such things, then so be it. But the entity responsible for my misery will pay, or I'll die in the attempt."

[Kazuo]

Kazuo didn't sit at all, choosing to squat on his haunches next to the bag of food that Kaori had brought instead. He began to rummage through it while the others made their introductions, digging deeper into the bag and making increasingly more noise as he did so. It began to look like he had plans of literally burrowing into the bag, perhaps making a little nest for himself there or something, but finally he emerged with a grin and a pack of Hello Panda snacks in one hand (the chocolate kind, if you must know). "Dore dore!", he exclaimed, rather too loudly.

Kazuo ripped open the plastic wrapping with a look of near-total absorption and almost childlike happiness - and then noticed the serious gathering taking place around him. He stopped, with one Panda-cake poised very close to his mouth, and eyed everyone warily for a moment. Then he smiled and said, "watashi no namae wa Kanai Kazuo desu." And with that, he stuffed the entire snack cake into his mouth and started chewing it with unmistable satisfaction.

[Adrian Moss]

"Those are not yours," Ken says unhappily. "Perhaps you should ask permission before stealing from people you going to battle with?"

Normally he would not have been so bold to talk to such a thug, but right now he was pretty depressed and he didn't care what came next - world being in chaos and all that.

[Rorx]

Addressing Skye and Kaori mainly Jim comments, "I agree that the details may be open to debate, but I can't see how you can deny or disbelieve the exists of the creatures we have fought and killed this evening, nor the deaths of others that we have seen or indeed the damage that they have done to some of us here. As for what we should do, well we seem to be able to damage them better than others can and we seem to do quite well at it. So from the little evidence we have so far we need to oppose them as much as we can as we seem to be the most effective at doing so."

[Kaori Aoyama]

The young woman ignored Kazuo, and Ken as well. She had brought the food for everyone so she certainly didn't mind. Only if the mongrel took more than his share did she have cause to intervene.

"None here have denied the existence, nor the damage the beasts have caused; simply their nature." She retorted. "We are but ten, a few of whom are not even capable fighters. Forgive me if I'm a bit reluctant to rush out into that horde out there with less than capable high school students as my only protection."

She pointed to Skye. "Look at her. She's scared and confused. Not all of us have taken to these 'abilities' as nonchalantly as you have James McAllister, what with your conjuring and randomly stabbing people without warning. The majority here possess some sense, this is not one of those silly anime cartoons that poison the lines of credibility."

Motioning to the group as a whole her voice grew stern, yet somehow remained calm. "I propose we not discuss this matter at the moment. I suggest we eat, get ourselves cleaned up, and get some rest."

[ThatGuy]

Kage gives another shrug. There's nothing left for him to discuss, any way. "That sounds like a good plan. I don't know about you guys, but I haven't had dinner yet." He looks towards the exit. "And I get the feeling that Family Mart won't be open."

[SalmonMax]

Keiko watched the others, not sure what to say. She at least had had some warning, some idea of what was to come. The very beliefs that had marked her as strange before now made her better able to comprehend what was happening. None of these other kids had that, but it also made it hard for her to talk to them.

"Yes...please. There's food here, and beds. You have to eat and rest. I know none of this must seem real to you. The world of spirits is touching the mortal world, and so the things that are happening will seem crazy, like a dream. A nightmare."

She got to her feet.

"I can't help with that. I wish I could. All I can say is that you will come to accept what is happening. You will learn to fight them. Each of you has a great purpose, and a great burden in this. If you choose, you can leave and bear it alone. If you stay, we will help each other, and it won't be so hard."

"I hope you will all stay."

[Justin OOC]

The remainder of the Evening is spent with eryone eating and eventually going to sleep. The next Morning, The Ancient One greets them all at sunrise. With all of them Assenting to join the battle, He smiles and Divides them into preliminary response teams. Jo is teamed with Kenichi, Shin, and Kazuo. Kaori is paired with Ken and Skye. Keiko, Jim and Kage form up the final team. Each of them is given an area around the school and told to cleanse it. With any luck they would all survive the next night.

(End session one. 3 Cp to everyone.)