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

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, at least he's not under the illusion that he isn't an asshole. Kotori isn't sure whether that's better or worse.

She does look a little more concerned when he mentioned who his god is, though.] Ah, I've met him once before...so he'd be another one who's quite powerful who's disappeared anyway.

[Archer had remarked on that earlier.]

[kokuyoyo]

Mm... But if he's gone missing in the same way.... I wouldn't count him as part of a pattern.

Rather... [His mouth twitch a little at one corner.] He's an idiot who keeps doing this kind of thing.

[revolutionfalcon]

Even if it's a habit of his, he's still part of this particular pattern. Especially considering you say his soulless shinki was taken with him.

[Kotori could maybe buy it if not for the timing and also the disappearance of someone else alongside Hakkai. Maybe.]

[kokuyoyo]

He would take him.

[That's not bitterness or anything. Just a completely blank tone. Yep.]

Anyway.... Have you really gotten no ideas on how to deal with this?

[revolutionfalcon]

Sometimes it's easier that way. [Kotori ends up with Shun on patrols a lot if the others in the temple are doing something else.]

My idea was rallying enough people to make a rescue team that wasn't just going to disappear with the rest of them. Which seems be working. I just didn't know enough people to do it without announcing Kurosaki-sama's disappearance, though he probably won't be very happy about that when he finds out.

[Shun is well-known enough to get people talking, and she considers it reasonably likely her association with him is why some of the responders were so receptive to sharing their own losses.]

[kokuyoyo]

....How good are you with technology....

[revolutionfalcon]

I'm not completely terrible with it like some of the gods and shinki from this world, but I don't have a phone of my own to connect to the Heavens' network either, and I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep borrowing Chinatsu-kun's.

[So that's a bit more of a logistical problem than a knowledge problem.]

[kokuyoyo]

...So I take it you've never heard of a drone.

[revolutionfalcon]

Those flying camera things? They seem a bit fragile to work here. [Delicate technology and the Heavens don't always get on all that well.]

[kokuyoyo]

Even so, you'll be able to get a better idea of what you're looking into. It's better than sending in a person...

[Because a person could die or get kidnapped and not be able to tell them jackshit, not for any safety reasons.]

[revolutionfalcon]

Nobody would send in just one person at this point anyway. And it's only better than sending people if it works.

[She points that out somewhat lightly.]

[kokuyoyo]

And if it doesn't work, that also tells you something about it.

[His head tilts lightly to the side.]

....Like calling for help on the BBS doesn't work.

[revolutionfalcon]

I'm afraid I wouldn't consider netting one unhelpful person and several helpful ones interested in setting up a rescue this "not working".

[Kotori gives a faint half-smile, though it's not exactly a very pleasant sort of look.]

Though this was just as much an alert as it was a call for help anyway.

[kokuyoyo]

That's... not what I meant.

[But this is what he gets for not expending the effort to explain things more.]

What I mean is... depending on what would happen to an electronic device like that... It could reveal that we'll have limited communication available to us... which would impact how you would send out search parties.

[revolutionfalcon]

I see... [At least Kotori's not using his less than helpful attitude as an excuse not to take the suggestion seriously.] Do we have time for something like that, though? Some of these people have already been missing for several days.

[kokuyoyo]

If you rush, won't more people just get caught anyway....?

[revolutionfalcon]

That's why I suggested the morning and not right now. Half a day is at least a decent amount of time for people to plan out how they want to approach it.

[And also means people aren't going into dangerous, unknown territory in the middle of the night.]

[kokuyoyo]

....How well do you know the people around here besides Shun...?

[revolutionfalcon]

A few of the ones I know have been taken, it seems, but the remaining ones I know seem resourceful and like they're preparing well.

[She's not assuming people like Ginia and Archer are outliers, at least.]

[kokuyoyo]

....You're going to be really disappointed soon.

[They are definitely outliers. At least, Chikusa thinks so.]

[revolutionfalcon]

I suppose we'll see, won't we? [Kotori can't exactly supervise every step of this process, so she most she's likely to see of it is the results at the end.]