divinetree | big dumb nerds I MEAN VALENTINES DAY SHIPPY POST

[Shigeo relaxes a little. That didn't sound like Mogami, at least.]

Has anyone gotten hurt?

I think there has been an abnormal tick in the number of deaths that normally occur, but...

[...]

As strange as this may sound, I'm actually concerned about the other spirits in this city and how they're reacting to these unfamiliar ones more so than the living are.

So you are an esper.

[Maybe, at least. Joshua doesn't read like an evil spirit like this, but he doesn't read normally, either.]

Are you friends with a spirit, too?

["Maybe you've seen a floating green booger somewhere over there."]

[At that, Joshua smiles.]

Bravo, Kageyama-kun: while I would not say that I'm like most others, I've been able to see the dead from a very early age. I've even befriended a few of them over the years, hence my interest in seeing that this matter can be resolved on their behalf.

It's rare to find friendly spirits... I'm glad that they're safer where you are.

But the scariest spirit seems to have disappeared from here, so the rest that spilled out probably won't be a big deal.

I certainly hope so. It would make things difficult otherwise in calming them down, even with the rumors and such spreading around about the ones coming in from your city.

That said... [There's a pause, before he frowns a little.] They are friendly, but that doesn't always mean that it's "safer" for them or even the living sometimes, I think.

Mm.

["We'll melt them all in one fell swoop. Just follow my lead, Mob."]

Yeah. I'll find them all. An exorcism is the easy part..

Edited 2018-02-16 09:18 (UTC)

Thank you. I really appreciate having your assistance here.

[The train soon arrives in Shibuya, and upon stepping off the train, Joshua allows the distraction he had set up to keep the Reapers from noticing his lack of presence in the city to fall away now that he's back. Not that they'll even notice that he had left to begin with.

Except, the moment he does, his cellphone suddenly rings. Joshua reaches into his pocket to remove an orange flip phone, and for a moment, he glances at Shigeo and Reigen.]

My apologies, this will only be a moment. [And then bringing the phone up to his ear, and his tone of voice suddenly seems to do a 180, far too chipper to be entirely genuine.] Why, Mr. H, what a lovely surprise it is to hear from--

["J, what were you thinking, leaving like that so suddenly? What if something had happened to the city while you were gone?"]

... My, nothing gets past you, does it? Relax, I was only gone for an hour at most. I very highly doubt Shibuya's underground is going to fall apart that quickly in my absence, "irregular spiritual activity" or not. Besides, I've brought along a pair of well-trained experts--

["So I noticed." This "Mr H"'s tone is a bit sarcastic though at this, before becoming serious again. "What were you thinking, leaving the city and bringing them here without telling anyone, let alone me?"

And now Joshua frowns, but he beckons both Mob and Reigen to start walking with him now toward the location he wants to take them to.]

Why? Because you're my Producer? That may be, but you're certainly not my mentor anymore, last I checked.

["..."]

Anyway, I need to get back to work now. These rumors about the new spirits that's got everyone upset won't resolve itself by doing nothing, you know.

["... Just... never mind. As long as whatever it is you're doing right now doesn't endanger anyone or interfere with the game."]

It won't. [A pause, before Joshua sighs.] Do you really have so little faith in me, Sanae?

["... I'll check in on you later, J."]

... Sure. It's a date--ah, but try not to stand me up again like last time, it's quite rude to leave a friend hanging like that you know.

["Joshua--"]

I'm joking, sir. Besides, this cute boy I'm with right now is much more enjoyable to spend time with than you anyway.

[And just like that, Joshua hangs up the phone on the guy...]

[... And he turns his attention back to Reigen and Mob.]

Sorry about that. Where was I? ... Ah, yes: the most common place to find some of the spirits of this city tend to be in the Scramble Crossing by 104. We should be able to see them once we pass these stores here.

[Mob nods, having not parsed any of the conversation, really. But the moment he steps forward, Reigen's hand grabs his shoulder, stopping him. The suspicious look is back in full force on Reigen's face, as he instead stares Joshua down.]

I think we're owed an explanation before then. You've got some kind of stake here - you're not normal, either.

[Mob opens his mouth, but shuts it - Reigen's never really reacted to Espers like this. On Reigen's end, well...

He wasn't about to drag Mob into another situation just like the Asagiri case.]

If we're here to clean up your mess, you're going to tell us what's actually going on, you spirit. You're outsourcing and endangering my student because you don't want to risk your own hide, don't you?

[At that, Joshua actually opens his own mouth in surprise, before he closes it, tilts his head a little here.]

Well, that's a rather curious thing to say. Not entirely untrue, granted, but only for the first part of what you said.

[Reigen was right. He's not normal. But didn't he say as much a moment ago, when he had told Mob about being able to see the dead?

Of course, there is more to that, and Reigen has certainly gotten slightly closer to the truth than the actual esper has. Impressive, really.]

What makes you think that this is my mess? Or that I called you here to help purely for the sake of my own self-preservation? If I cared about something like that, you wouldn't even be here. Neither would I, frankly, as I would have let the dead contend with this matter on their own instead.

"I doubt the underground is going to fall apart in my absence". A gang lord doesn't have a handle on spirits and the dead, so that must mean you're something else.

You're a kingpin spirit in this area, or something, possessing a human body. Maybe you're like what Dimple wanted and you've got everyone and everything in this area under your thumb--

I'm alright, Reigen-sho.

[Mob finally interrupts, though his expression is more dour than it was before - even to the point of being noticeable on Shigeo's expression more properly. Reigen turns to frown at his student, and the two understand at a glance - they're both wary about this turning into another Mogami situation. Even so, Shigeo continues.]

We'll still exorcise the spirits from our city. That is fair... they shouldn't be around here. Joshua-san... is a spirit named Mogami around here?

[There is a long, long pause before Joshua turns his attention to Mob, and for the first time, his expression is a little more serious rather than continuing to play coy.]

... I don't know, and that's what I want to check: one of the spirits mentioned that name, unsure if they had been truly exorcised from your city, or that they may have snuck in under the cover of the other spirits that migrated here. And if there's anyone that I don't want in my city, it's that one.

[Because even Joshua doesn't like rumors he's heard about that particular one. To think that people thought we were bad sometimes...

He then turns his attention back to Reigen as the teenager then gestures to the Scramble Crossing.]

The Underground is our name for the plane of existence that separates the dead from the Real Ground, or the living if you prefer. The only real difference between the two is that the dead can't be seen by the living, but otherwise, it's appearance is exactly the same. That traffic crossing isn't any different than it is to you, and only a very powerful spirit or Noise could change the appearance of the Real Ground from their place in the Underground.

... As for the second part of what you said, you are only half right. I'm not "possessing" the human body of another.

[And here, he smiles again, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.]

This is very much what I looked like the day I left the living for the Underground, Reigen-san.

Edited 2018-02-16 10:43 (UTC)

[The two of them are tense, and quiet, for a moment - though Reigen's looking to Mob, more worried about his friend than himself. "Mob, it's alright to run away," he gently reminds, but Shigeo nods to acknowledge it. He's quietly warring with himself, his aura belying his turmoil more than his face.

After nearly a full minute, Shigeo speaks, softly and shakily.]

I don't want to see Mogami again. But if he's here, I will try to deal with him. Anything less than Mogami... I'm not afraid of it.

Edited 2018-02-16 17:45 (UTC)

[So there is definitely a story to whatever had happened with Mogami when this boy had gone against them. For now, though, Joshua won't pry too deeply yet.]

Very well. If it brings you any solace, I don't plan on leaving such a burden entirely on your shoulders, as I will also be doing what I can to assist should they be here. [A pause.] And even if I don't agree with Reigen-san about the idea of running away, he's not wrong necessarily... but then, I'm not exactly the right person to get an opinion from on that, am I?

[He even laughs a little to himself at that, as if what he said just now wasn't a tad disturbing in hindsight, given what he had said about himself just a moment ago...]

Anyway, let's be on our way then, shall we?

[When they reach the Scramble Crossing, it's just as Joshua had said: by all appearances, it's a normal intersection for people to meet in that's surrounded by various mall stores and restaurants, with 104 looming overhead. There are people coming and going that seem to be entirely minding their own business or just chilling a ways by the statue of Hachiko several feet from them.

Except, there is a pair of seemingly normal-looking teenagers. However, while everyone else around them seems to pay them no mind, Mob may be able to immediately pick up on them having the aura of a spirit rather than a living person, as they talk to themselves in hushed whispers and appear to be looking at something on their hands with a worried look...

... Too distracted by whatever's on their hands, in fact, to notice something peculiar beginning to spawn behind them...]

[A frog-shaped spirit would be far from the most surreal thing he's seen. Even so, grabbing the thing with his psychic powers and floating it up, and towards him... it reminds him a little of floating frogs for Tsubomi's attention. The creature seems to not have expected to be so easily lifted up.

"Go ahead and melt it, Mob," Reigen encourages, and Mob nods.]

It's not that strong.

[It's not Mogami. Mob draws his fingers into a fist, and his powers tear the frog to pieces, dissipating it.]

That was one, right?

[He probably should have checked first.]

In a sense. That particular noise is rather common in Shibuya, however...

[Joshua pauses though, as those kids from before notice them now, and one elbows the other.

"Geez, pay attention--if it wasn't for that guy, we could have gotten erased by Noise just now!"

"Oh, relax, like we'd really fall that easily to those ones. Besides, who cares about that, you should be more worried about the timer--those creatures are not what we need to worry about--"

And then their partner gasps and points to something, and a look between the two causes them to suddenly take several steps back in fear, to which Joshua sort of casually looks over his shoulder here to see what it was they were looking at... ah.]

... That one coming toward us, on the other hand, is not.

[To which Mob will see what looks like a much larger frog Noise... except, it's colors are wildly distorted, shape exaggerating and pulling in random directions every few seconds, surrounded by what seems like two conflicting auras at once. One of them though should have a familiar feel to what a spirit in Mob's city may have, and it's fluctuating wildly as if fighting against being assimilated with this thing it's attached to...]

Edited 2018-02-17 02:35 (UTC)

[Shigeo doesn't respond fearfully, just quickly - he can grab them, too. He vaguely recognizes that the spirit is being mixed with the other one... consumed, right? It's not too much to just tear the two apart and hold them in the air. Neither of them are strong enough to struggle against Shigeo.]

Is it alright to exorcise that one? I don't know which local spirits should be allowed to stay...

["H-hey, kid, you saved me, so let me go!! C'mon kid, we can get along, can't we?" says the squirming purple blob. It's not much more human, but it's trying to win sympathy despite its creepy, toothy grin and three red eyes. "Whaddya say, let me have a little of your power so I can survive getting to the next city over? I'm not about to get eaten by these things!"]

Why'd you leave Salt City...?

["Oh, kid, you don't know? Mogami's back in town, he'll eat spirits and human souls alike!"]

By all means: most of the ones that don't appear in a human shape are typically threats to both the living and the rest of the dead, as they take that form when consumed by too much negative energy from both the UG and the RG.

[As for the spirit in question, however, Joshua frowns now upon hearing what they have to say.]

Really now, because I've been hearing all kinds of different things than that... then again, you must truly be desperate, if you would risk passing through Shibuya's city of Reapers to try to avoid him...

[Shigeo will effortlessly destroy it, then, which has the spirit from his city shrieking and begging for mercy.]

Even if Mogami is still alive, he probably isn't strong enough after our exorcism... you should go back.

["Not a chance, kid, no spirit's gonna risk getting eaten by that guy. You should've finished him the first time!!"]

I should have.

My, is that what you say to someone when trying to appeal for mercy? That's rather rude, all things considered.

[Except, Joshua isn't quite smiling anymore, and his hands are now starting to glow. The light is warm and bright, but also a warning sign because, depending on how long this spirit has been in existence, they may or may not recognize it as honest to goodness heaven's light that's threatening to strike down.]

Kageyama-kun doesn't have to do anything, yet he does because he's a good person. If I were you, I'd be considerate that he even tried to oppose a spirit like Keiji Mogami, let alone risk his life doing so.

["Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, let's not be too hasty, I didn't realize there was an agent of the gods around here!" the spirit says quickly. "Come on, kid, let me go, I won't eat anybody, promise..."

Shigeo's still for a bit, but he'll let the spirit go, and before it can get snagged again it hastily disappears into the city as fast as it can go.]

He reminds me of Dimple.

["You shouldn't go easy on spirits just because you think they might be telling the truth, Mob," Reigen scolded, but it was halfhearted, and he pat his student's shoulder. "Come on. We've got a lot more to handle, and we're burning daylight."]

A friend of yours, I presume?

[Joshua puts his hands back in his pockets now once the spirit leaves, and before they go, those teenagers from before actually approach them, enthusiastic in thanking Mob for his help. They didn't hear what was being said to it, but they're very grateful that you were able to drive that spirit away.

Then one of them says something about how they've got things to do, and when they wave goodbye, Mob might see what it was that they were so concerned about when looking at their hands earlier--clear as day, a timer like you'd see on a digital alarm clock that's been etched into their hand, counting down to... what, exactly? They don't say as they instead take off to wherever it is they need to go now.]

[Shigeo looks at that, glancing at his hand just in case, then at Joshua's. He's lost in thought for a moment, trying to parse what he was just looking at.]

...Yeah.

["He's green, shaped pretty similarly to that last one. Normally you can't get rid of the guy."]

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tw: suicide implication

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