Heaven's BBS | Video

[revolutionfalcon]

Posted by: Chinatsu Hiyama
Date: November 13th, 6:57PM

[The video opens on...someone who is definitely not Chinatsu, sitting on a stark white couch in front of smooth earthen walls. It's a woman in her early to mid 20s, wearing a yukata in a careless enough manner that it's listing badly to one shoulder, with her hair done in a circular curl on one side of her head, finished with a shining, formal pin despite the abundance of hairs that have come loose of the hairdo. The arm holding the phone has a network of very faint knife scars down it, only visible because of her sleeves being tied up right now so as not to get in the way.

Though she's clearly not feeling it, she manages to force a smile and wave to open the conversation.]

Hello everyone. I'm not Chinatsu-kun, which you must already know if you know her, but I'd like to thank her for lending me her phone. This is...something I think I should say myself.

[Her attempt at a smile collapses quickly into something more strained and worried, though she manages to salvage it to collect herself into a more serious, but still grave manner.]

I haven't met most of you, but my name is Kotori, and I'm one of the shinki to Kurosaki Shun, otherwise known as Nekhbet. [She bites her lip a bit, keeps going.] I know there's some of you I should've told this to personally, and I'm sorry to them, but...he's missing. Not gone like what happens to you newcomers sometimes, just--

[Letting out a breath, she tracks back to an explanation.] He took me on an early morning patrol on the 11th. Maybe two or three AM, it's not uncommon for him to run out at that hour...but one of the places he wanted to check was that forest that moves around the Heavens. I think some of you might know what I'm talking about already. It's been...worse, in the last few days. Like it's reaching out to us. It had already been getting worse, but this...

[She grits her teeth, running a hand through her hair.] Don't let anyone else near it alone. I don't know what happened that day, I couldn't see it when I was a vessel, and all I could hear was the trees. And then I was changed back and he ordered me to run, and he never gives orders unless it's-- [Another break off, like she's angry with herself for having to pause so much, before she takes a deep breath.] I was lucky to find the edge of the forest, but he wasn't with me. That forest took him, and I don't think Kurosaki-sama is the only one. I don't think it's going to end by itself. I could feel it on my heels when I ran, and I can still feel it now...like it's trying to lure us and keep us there. Have any of you felt it too? Or seen others taken by it?

It needs to be stopped. And I don't know how to do it...but I can try and help you all a little if you're going to try. I owe that much.

[[This is the pre-event announcement/lead-in for the Hungry Forest event that begins on IC November 14th. Characters may ask questions of Kotori or discuss disappearances between themselves (or just make certain disappearances public knowledge), or try to plan things out for the next day - whatever helps!]]

Comments

[mithrarin]

I get the feeling that after this message, you're about to know a whole lot more people.

[Seriously, who was going to just let this pass?]

We need to coordinate something. All of us running off individually to check this out is just asking for more trouble...

[revolutionfalcon]

I know. I'm hoping this will get someone who has more outreach than I do to set something up - even if I just meet these people now, there will be others who are better at uniting them than I am.

[This isn't really her area of experience, however grating it may be for her right now.]

If someone could consolidate a list of the disappearances, that would be a good start.

[mithrarin]

The fact that people are disappearing even after these warnings is... a very bad sign.

[And that's the sort of sign that makes him feel something is going to need to be dealt with.]

[revolutionfalcon]

It is. I'm hoping something this direct might make people more wary, but there's only so much even warning people can do.

[Some people are stubborn enough to try or think they'll be unaffected by it.]

[mithrarin]

They can't all just be foolishly wandering in without regard for their own safety, either. [Though he has no doubt some of them are.]

[revolutionfalcon]

That's also true - Kurosaki-sama and I were patrolling, so he was on full alert and still got taken. And the shinki of another of the gods taken said he went in to investigate, so he should've had his wits about him when he disappeared as well.

[While some are most likely wandering in, there's no question some are being caught despite all apparent readiness.]

[mithrarin]

If I had to guess, then? I'd say it's not something obvious. One of those things where you step in, then can't find your way out any more. If it was something violent, I think it would have happened differently.

[revolutionfalcon]

I did manage to find my way out in the end, so I think that's part of it, but not all of it. It could be a little of both.

[There was definitely a disorienting element to it that she remembers, and she doubts she would've gotten out at all if she hadn't been so completely focused on it.]

[mithrarin]

It might not have wanted you... or it might have needed all its efforts to contain a god, at least there at the edges. That means if several people went in together, it might be much harder for them to get lost for good like that.

[revolutionfalcon]

It wouldn't surprise me if it needed to focus on Kurosaki-sama. If he's got as many followers as I've been hearing about, that would help his power, and the power granted to him as a god should have been very useful for a forest setting. But yes, I've been thinking that the larger a group we can put together, the more chance they have of making it through.

[It's just logic, really - it's harder to make a dozen people disappear without a trace than just one or two.]

[mithrarin]

Which means if it has him, it will be much more powerful in turn.

[Bad news, but almost par for the course.]

This is going to be rough. As usual.

[revolutionfalcon]

Unfortunately true. And it sounds like he's not the only powerful person who's involved.

[If the responses on this post are any sign, there's a good number of formidable fighters who've ended up disappearing just like the rest of them.]

I suppose it's not much of an afterlife without a little excitement. [She's trying to sound a bit joking about that, but it's not working that well.]

[mithrarin]

[Poor as the joke might be, it makes Dust smile a little.]

Yeah, I feel a little bad now about complaining I wasn't sure what to do with myself next.

[revolutionfalcon]

Well, as long as everyone decides this is something important to do with themselves, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of it.

[She hopes. There's too many people missing for it to be anything but a colossal loss otherwise.]

[mithrarin]

I don't know about everyone. But I'm sure you'll have enough.

[Some people, if they lose no one to the forest, won't care. That's just how it is. But overall, the people of the Far Shore seem decent and willing to pitch in where they see a need.]

[revolutionfalcon]

It's looking like it. Quite a few others have reported this as well, so it won't be for lack of word.

[And hopefully with her addition of actually having some idea of where the people have gone, it'll give them something to act on rather than having to worry and theorise.]

[mithrarin]

...Sorry this happened to you, and your god. [Sure, they have a path forward, but things like this shouldn't happen in the first place.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Despite herself, Kotori manages a smile at that.]

I appreciate the sentiment. Though my god certainly wouldn't.

[mithrarin]

[Dust matches that smile.]

He can complain when we get him back so he's free to do so.

[revolutionfalcon]

Don't worry, he's more prone to just hiss about it and be done with it.

[So thankfully any belated reactions to sentiments don't need to be worried about it all seriousness.]

In any case, I should keep up with the other responses here. Thank you for your help.