(no subject)

[moredakka]

[In theory, Sio was trying to just think this at Hijikata, but she's kind of bad at the focus thing when she's actually freaking out a bit. So. Hi everyone.]


H-Hijikata-sama... I'm in Greengard with Souji-san. Your Souji-san. A-and think we've got a problem...

Something's really really wrong with him. He's acting super weird, um, I mean, more weird than before, and scary, I mean, different-scary... we're here with Fang-san and we're in this spooky forest and I don't know why he wanted us to come here but I think there's zombie unicorns and that's kind of freaking me out.

I know he's an Infiltrator now b-but... do we... do anything?

Comments

[blackhand]

...your filtering needs work.

[Hello, Sio. Were you hoping this was private? GUESS WHAT, IT'S NOT.]

[moredakka]

Um!!!

[ohshitohshitohshit did she just give away sensitive information or wait doesn't everyone already know that Souji's crazy?]

I-I'm stressed out okay! It's really spooky in here!

[blackhand]

[If he could send along any other notion that he's rolling his eyes so hard right now, it might knock people out. His tone, at least, is a bit more welcoming.]

Tell me what he's doing.

[Garrett knows Hijikata's going to want to go, but he also knows that if Souji goes off the deep end and into a sudden killing spree, the demon commander isn't going to have the heart to kill him. That's why Souji chose Garrett and Neria long ago- because he knew they would.]

[hakodate]

[What the hell, when did he become a "sama" - okay, no, the rest of this is obviously more important.]

...define weird.

[moredakka]

[Shut up and be glad it isn't "heichou".]

He just... he made us come here and says we can't leave and I don't know what he wants and he's being really quiet and, you know, just... not okay.

[hakodate]

[Goddammit.

Souji may not remember who the hell he is right now, but that's no excuse for leaving him there in that state, as far as Hijikata's concerned.]

I'm coming down there, but unless someone can get me a portal closer I'm going to have to travel the old-fashioned way. Just...keep an eye on him and try not to provoke him until I get there, got it?

[devaluates]

[Ignoring the fact that she asked for Hijikata specifically - Heisuke just blurts out the first thing on his mind.]

What happened to him? [While Souji is generally weird... it's Souji so if he's hurt or something of course it riles him up a bit.]

And-and how weird exactly? [He could be mumbling to himself or just lost in thought or homicidal weird... the guy did like threatening to kill people. Of course Heisuke's mind is spinning so fast because Souji that he doesn't think to introduce himself first and explain how he knows him and that this is his Souji too.]

[moredakka]

W-well! He was in the dinner party thing that went really badly? And now I think he kind of broke...

[She trails off, not sure how to put it. Sio isn't good with people and their crazy. What is she even doing here why is she trying to be the responsible adult. Who is even asking, why are they not Hijikata why isn't Hijikata fixing this.]

Do you, um, do you know him?

[devaluates]

Broke... how broke are we talking?

[Please don't say homicidal maniac broken that would just be a whole bigger bag of problems!!]

Oh- I'm Heisuke Toudou, Captain of the 8th Division of the Shinsengumi.

[He jabs his thumb towards his chest proudly, grinning a little.]

Hijikata-san and Souji and I are all from the same place.

[fuckingibuki]

[Yeah okay so he got pinged hard by Okita.

What is he doing.

What is anyone doing.

Oh gods, don't let Okita kill anyone.]

What's he doing?

[Ibuki is an Okita expert, you know. Okay, kind of.]

[moredakka]

[NO ONE KNOWS OKAY. Least of all Sio. She just knows she's in a spooky forest with a spooky samurai. Why her even.]

I really wanna get out of this place but he won't go back...

[fuckingibuki]

[That's not helpful at all, lady.]

Okay...

Well, Okita's stubborn, so telling him to do something will probably get the opposite of what you want, so you'd probably want to give him a better reason for getting out of...wherever you are. Oh, and if he has a sword on him, stay out of his way, because he kinda likes -

[...And then it hits him. Okita isn't investigating like they are. Maybe he's not exactly the same. But what he's like right now, Ibuki has no idea because he hasn't seen him this entire jaunt.

Son of a bitch, this just got more complicated.]

Well, just...don't provoke him.

[This is going so well, isn't it.]

[protect_and_serve]

Stay calm.

I'd join you myself, but I've used a portal too recently. Tell us what's happening, as precisely as you can. Imagine that it's happening to someone else, if you need to.

[moredakka]

[Imagine that it's happening to someone else. Sio takes a deep breath. Okay, someone else is in a zombie unicorn forest with the probably-PTSDed stabbiest guy in Japan. Presumably someone who knows how to deal with this kind of shit.]

W-we, um - we're in a forest outside Greengard. I think we're lost. I tried to tell Souji-san that we should go to the town b-but, he's not listening to anyone and he's really quiet and, sort of... off? I, I don't think he's going to kill us but... maybe other people...

[protect_and_serve]

What makes you think he's going to kill someone?

[gekisha]

[it doesn't matter that he knows it wasn't directed at him, souji still has a horse in this race.]

So that's where he's gone off to, hm? And being troublesome, too... what a pain.

[moredakka]

[Oh shit it's you. Yeah she totally needs more complications here other!Souji. By all means.]

D-do you know what to do with him? Since... you are him, kind of?

[gekisha]

[sorry, sio. it's really hard for him to stay uninvolved when the guy with his face could go on a killing spree or something.]

Do I? I guess it depends on what he's doing. I can't really tell by "weird" and "scary."

[unabatedly]

[Was this supposed to be private? Because it's not. And now you've got a very worried mage, Sio.]

Souji? What do you mean 'different-scary'?

[moredakka]

[Well SERVES YOU RIGHT ACTUALLY she worried about you too. Not that that comes through. She's mostly just delighted to have Responsible Adult Neria back.]

He's all... quiet? Like something's... I think he got traumatized when everyone died...

[unabatedly]

[Oh. He was there too, wasn't he? Maker...]

Stay calm. Try to keep him calm too, if you can. This must be very difficult for him--

[Being rational isn't going to keep something horrible from happening, though.]

Why not suggest stopping for a bit, taking a break from your expedition, until one of us comes to find you?

[blackhand]

I take it that's our cue.

[Jokingly, but he's pretty sure he knows what this whole thing means. Souji approached them so long ago for a reason.]

HIVEMINDING BECAUSE I JUST TAGGED YOU TOO

[unabatedly]

I imagine it is.

[This was not how she wanted things. Not by a long shot. Neria runs a hand through her braid and closes her eyes tightly.]

Hijikata's on his way as well.

[Which means, inevitably, that the two of them might cross blades with him too.]

[tealeafs]

Sio-san.. do you think you're in immediate danger?

[ Of course she's worried as all hell about Souji when she hears this kind of message, but Chizuru is aware enough to figure that flipping out about how much she's worrying is just going to make Sio flip and worry more as well, so she tries to be as reassuring as she can be right now, even with her heart pounding in her ears. ]

[moredakka]

[Immediate danger? Well let her think about that. Fleeing from a massacre, spooky forest, zombie unicorn she swears, color-changing wolf and an innocent message about Souji being a bit weird making half the responsible adults she knows freak out. What's the verdict here, Sio?]

M-maybe? I guess, that depends on what lives in the forest? I can take on a lot of things b-but, not if they catch us by surprise.