thisavrou_log | The Hannya Mask

Entry tags:

The Hannya Mask

Who: Event Post | Open
When: Dec. 5th - 15th
Where: Around Avagi
What: A demon is haunting the station, spurred on by emotional responses. More information can be found here.
Warnings: Violence, possible death, body horror, etc.

THE HAUNTING

The onryō starts making her first patrols in the early morning when most people are comfortably asleep and not wanting to wake up. The sense of unease she creates is palpable, and initially she just looks at who is around. She chooses in the dark who she should be angry with, who is a foolish idiot for making her mistakes and who is an ignorant soul who ignored the anguish of someone else's attention. Everyone else is unimportant.

Occasionally, rarely though, she'll stop and look at something. Usually carved or drawn or molded, something someone used their hands to create. The very faintest of scraps of who she used to be, though that's barely significant. There's not enough left of that self to deter her from stopping more of the foolishness that damned her.

The Noh mask appears the same day, the same time as her first investigations get underway, and there it remains, conveniently close to where the Ingress once was.

The mask will always return to this original state the moment it's not being observed. It'll be returned to its resting place. If it's been destroyed or altered or damaged in any way, it'll be back to the state that it was when previously examined (even permanent marker would disappear).

It's made of cypress wood and is covered in layers of chalk paint and a glue-like sealant. On the back is a raised signature, indicating that it was handmade by an artisan. On closer examination (like swabbing or enhanced senses or super scanner) there's a bit of smoke damage, but otherwise it's not been worn many times. The straps attached are hardly frayed at all. However it's aged, it's not from scuffing or rough handling.

There might not be much time to notice or to bother with it, though. Not when people are being hunted in the shadows, when quick hands reach out from cabinets or a hunched form hangs upside down from underneath a table, waiting for someone to sit down too close to her.

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Attacked? Around here?

[Boy he hates when he's right. Then again, something always seems bound to happen. Cayde pauses from trying to sit up when Elizabeth mentions her arm. Then he tries again, more carefully so he won't jar her the wrong way.]

Where was it? Here, I gotcha.

We should get her to a medic.

U-up one level... [She grits out, pointing up at the ceiling with her good arm. As Cayde moves, she tries to isolate her arm too and help him while they both stand up.] I hope it's still there and not... coming here.

[She does need to get to a medic-- and she needs to warn people that something is lurking around the darker corners of the station.] No one should be walking anywhere alone, we have no idea what this thing can do.

[Both Ghost and Exo glance up as she points, not as though they could see through the ceiling.

As they move to stand, Cayde reaches out to scoop up Elizabeth's gun.]

Well, if it does, I've got my handcannon loaded and a knife if things get personal.

[And a couple of rifles, but he's been trying very had to save his ammo. Hopefully whatever this new threat is, it's something they can deal with. Not like that Mother business.]

Good call. This sounds like something that definitely needs to be reported in. Want me to hang onto this?

[He means the gun, but with one arm out of commission and the other probably better off used to hold on unless she wants to be princess carried, he'll let Elizabeth make the call. Meanwhile, Cayde looks around to make sure nothing's lurking or coming after them, glancing at his Ghost who twitches as it also seems to be scanning the corridors.]

If you're ready, let's get moving...

[Her face is glossy with sweat and her lips are pale from the pain, but she manages to nod at Cayde's suggestion that he hang onto her gun.] Please. Just don't shoot it if you can help it, I don't know how many bullets I emptied into that thing's face.

Better now than later-- [Elizabeth does opt to take his arm and use it to keep herself upright as they walk.]

[Nodding back, he tucks it into his belt.]

Don't worry, if I had to, it'd be a last resort. Hopefully this thing isn't so bad that it'd come to that.

[Cayde walks along side her, keeping an even but slightly slower pace so that she won't agitate her injuries. The Ghost hovers along around them, its blue light beaming out to scan things around them every so often to ensure the coast is clear.]

You holding up okay?

[Elizabeth keeps looking nervously every time she hears the Ghost move, but after the third or fourth time she's able to roll her eyes at herself and force herself to stop jumping at everything.]

...I honestly don't know. I've never shot something in the head, and had it not let go. I've never seen anything like that. It had... fou-four arms? And holes for eyes? [She's taking stock of the whole encounter now that the adrenaline has passed, and it's disturbing her more.]

[That has the Exo pause.]

Whoa, wait, four arms? If any Fallen have made it aboard this station...

[His optics narrow, but he considers as Elizabeth continues.]

Holes for eyes though... These guys have four glowing eyes, not holes. Not unless someone's gouged 'em out. They usually stop moving after you shoot 'em in the head, too.

How big was it? It say anything?

It was ah... medium-sized person? Maybe a human female. [She doesn't want to imagine whether the eyes could have been gouged or not, but remembering the details could be important.]

It didn't say anything. But it was strong. It was trying to pull me back.

...what's a Fallen? [They sound hideous.]

Hmm... Only ones that size are Dregs. But again, if you'd have shot one of those, they would have dropped dead. Also, they don't so much grab people as they do try to shank them in the back.

The Fallen are this weird alien species that worships machines. They'll gut any tech and scavenge whatever they can find. Droves of 'em running around places like Old Russia and the EDZ, back on Earth. They're clan oriented, but I guess of all the things that have come knocking on our territories after the Collapse, I'd have to say I tolerate them more than the other guys.

[He shakes his head.]

So that thing, where'd it try to pull you? Were you in an open hall or a room?

Something tells me this thing wasn't interested in technology-- otherwise why would she pick me? The woman carrying around a gun you have to load by hand? [She tries to replay the encounter in her head again, closing her eyes, but it's hard to focus. Every step sends a spike of pain through her arm.]

I was in a hall. I was going into some deeper parts of the station, to scavenge. But... I don't know how to describe it, I started panicking and decided to leave. And that's when it caught me. And tried to pull me... straight backwards.

Never anything good that comes from creepy women who like hiding in shadows.

[Except Eris Morn usually kept to herself and never seemed a particularly grabby sort.]

Quick thinking there, at least. Anything trying to drag you backwards can't be up to something good. ...but I think we've successfully established that.

...It sounds like you're speaking from experience there, Cayde, and I'm not certain I want to know what that experience is.

[Mostly because she doesn't want to start to add potentially worse characteristics to this creature right after nearly being killed by it.]

Maybe it has some kind of lair in that part of the station? Maybe it was trying to bring me back somewhere that I'd just come from? God-- what if I disturbed something and now it's loose in the station?

[He forces a laugh.]

Ah, don't worry too much there. Eris is more creepy than grabby. She just has a tendency to go spouting about vengeance and the end of things. Real pocket full'a sunshine there.

[Cayde glances over his shoulder, but so long as his Ghost hasn't picked up anything weird, he'll be content to just worry about making sure Elizabeth can keep one foot in front of the other.]

'cuz that's just what we need, something nesting somewhere around here. -hey, heyhey- don't you go beating your pretty little self up about it. There's a lot of space we still haven't covered in this place, and that doesn't even count the parts of the station we can't get to. Better we know now that there's something sneaking around here than not. Hopefully no one else has come across it before word gets out to be on their guard.

[Usually Elizabeth wouldn't be thrilled to have anybody use the words 'pretty little self' to describe her, but even with the additional stress of a broken limb she's not irate about it. He's just trying to calm her down while her brain and heart are going ten thousand miles a minute. She flashes a tired half-smile at Cayde.]

Easy for you to say, you're not the one who woke up the beast. Potentially. If it wasn't already awake.

[She walks on for a few more steps before the tension gets to her.] ...are you. Would you just. Keep it to yourself that I came through the ceiling?

[He meant it as a compliment anyway. But he knows her fixating on the problem won't help fix it, nor help her at the moment.]

Yeah, that. Potentially. Either way, worrying about what's happened won't change matters. Whether you woke it or someone else did, or it happened to do so itself, we still have a problem.

[There's a pause at the response before he glances at her again.]

Huh? Oh, that. Yeah, sure. I mean, I just did that a few weeks ago but thankfully I didn't land on anyone.

Right, you're right. Dwelling on the how isn't going to solve the problem. We have to warn the station, and figure out a way to get rid of this thing. [She flashes a grim smile at Cayde.] See an airlock anywhere around here?

[This latest revelation though clearly takes her by surprise. Elizabeth's eyes go wide, like she can't believe what she's hearing.]

You-- You just did it a few weeks ago?

[He somehow manages a smirk in return.]

Think there's a few that show up on the mapped sectors of the station.

[Elizabeth's surprise isn't really all that unexpected.]

Oh yeah. To be fair, I was kind of in a tough spot, checking out the ventilation shafts- [Because that's totally a normal thing] -and there was someone else up there who decided they didn't like our conversation and started throwing razor frisbees at me.

Uuuuh...long story short, I ghost-stepped through the ceiling and down to the hall below. It's a...Hunter thing. We can briefly phase through solid objects.

...oh. [That's a lot of information. The ventilation shafts, the razor frisbees because of poor conversation, but mostly she's a little relieved that he doesn't seem too interested in how Elizabeth got through the floor. To him, it's something normal. Oddly enough, even if the technology is no doubt different, that's a comfort to her.]

...Who was throwing razor frisbees at you?

[There's a lot of weird stuff that Guardians can do that are just...normal, once they've become Guardians. Abilities as might be possessed by other people in this place are just something he figures acceptable and entirely their business, and if it's useful, then why question?]

What was his name again?

I believe he identified himself as "Rinzler."

[The Ghost supplies, not surprised that Cayde's memory on the matter is questionable. There'd been a lot of other things to process, like why Rinzler was being so difficult about everything.]

Ah. Yes. [Elizabeth has at least partial memory of Rinzler and her tanglings with him.] I don't blame you for phasing through a wall when it's him you're dealing with. Sometimes it's more fun talking to a wall.

I think I know what you mean. Heck, I think I would've had more headway in a conversation with a wall! That guy has problems. I was answering all his questions, what more's he want from me?

-still holding up okay? Should be just around this corner.

You might have been better off answering his questions with more questions.

[She chuckles, but ow, everything hurts.] No, I think I broke my arm. [Alright, lame joke, but she's trying to not focus so hard on the pain and the panic.] Thank you, for taking me, by the way.

Probably would've gotten the same results.

[As in, getting disks thrown at you. Talk about a short temper!]

Better than broken legs. ...okay, no. I'd be upset with broken anything. Ah, 's no big deal. Sure wasn't just going to leave you there.

But, no satisfaction of answers. [Elizabeth nods as though this is the obvious answer to everything. She's probably in a bit of shock. Everything is slightly funny.]

Yeah, sure, but it was an option. I came through the ceiling raving about a monster, with a broken arm. That's a lot for anyone to deal with. And I don't... usually expect anyone to take care of me.

Heh. Believe me, I've seen worse. ...not that I can think of any right off the top of my head? Well, anyway. Like I said, not a problem. It's what Guardians do, or something.

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The Hannya Mask

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