(closed + and semi-open to cr visits afterward!)

[overlies]

Who: makima and her pups. (good_mourning, centile, centi)
What: save makima 2023 (after a battle with sharon da silva driven to beasthood, makima barely makes it out of riteior's city alive. she calls upon her boys in her last ditch effort to survive).
When: late april!
Where: outside riteior's city.

Content Warnings: gore, violence by fire, violence in general, children being subjected to violence and endangerment.


[ corruption has ingrained too deep within her to do something immediate about her predicament. her omen was gone. she couldn't summon her. and even then, her memory was so clouded she barely knew what should be done. makima lays waste to a surprisingly even battle from within the outer confines of the blood-poisoned city. the massive corpse of a white beast lays riddling with holes, blasts of flesh exposing a coldblood interior or even just skin hanging off its frame by a single thread. its wings are crunched and broken like a butterfly's squeezes in one's hands— it was stopped, and defeated. as a price, makima herself lays in a dried mass of sparkling darkblood. it soaks the ground, soaks her clothes in a blow of charred flesh and glitter. plenty of her skin is burnt to a black crisp, and she barely breathes. the only thing she could do in her fighting, shallow gasps is a word that travels far and wide through a dangling chainlink that leads right to shigeo.

it should really be the other way around, but makima could bend her own contract to suit her. does she even remember she has a contract? that she lives with three teenage boys she's pampering for a greater occasion? no. she's aimless, though doesn't believe herself to be purposeless. they'll be safe with her. all of them. see? sharon's safe, now. her name was sharon, wasn't it?

it smells god awful here. the dusty scent of burning, rotting fruit is unbearable and leaves a metallic, tempting taste on the tongue. her core does ask, like a weak whisper in the wind straight into the ears of her contractee:

save me.

until then, she stays there, days away unless a lamp was used, wheezing through the drowning gurgle of her own blood filling her lungs and her undead eyes fixating into an eerie, random space. she manages to bleed fresh from the nose, mouth and pores when she tries again, with the remainder of her strength:

sunny.

ritsu.

save me, shigeo. ]

Comments

[centile]

[said boys are probably having a nice time at home. maybe huddled around an omni watching something, the sort of idle thing he and ritsu would do when they finished their homework, when mob didn't have work and ritsu didn't have student council. sunny fits in seamlessly, and mob is content. he rests his head a bit against Ritsu's shoulder, starting to get sleepy. it's probably not even late, just a lazy day.

he cherishes these normal sort of days, especially after everything. surely nothing strange will happen.

something strange happens.

mob lifts his head suddenly, the prior sleepiness vanished in a blink as he looks up like a dog scenting something. he hadn't been aware makima could contact him like this, though that doesn't startle him or particularly matter. the content of the message matters.]

Miss Makima's in trouble. She needs help.

[he's standing, staring intently ahead again as he tries to feel his way around whatever connects them. something he hasn't given much thought beyond the obvious, but he needs to find makima because she needs him, them. she's in trouble. miss makima is in trouble. (41%)]

[good_mourning]

[Having people that Sunny could lazily watch an omni with, lounging around the house, was kind of special to him. In truth he hadn't had much of a family since Mari died and this was such a casual family sort of activity. Something he'd never dared dream of having again.

So he's very comfortable, Mewo curled up on his lap, when Mob abruptly appears alarmed. He's also immediately alarmed- until Mob says that Makima was in trouble. Then he was conflicted. She needed help, so she truly must have been in some serious danger.

Makima could have been hurt, and a spiteful part of Sunny thinks she deserves it for what she'd done. Another part of Sunny recognizes that this meant the woman was far from invincible, even with access to Mob's powers, which is a terrible sort of relief, considering the circumstances.

More than anything, though, he doesn't think he actually wants her hurt. Or for her to die. Even if the way she cared about him and Mob and Ritsu was an act and had always been one, he can't help but feel some affection towards her still. Some piece of him that still wants to believe in her. That she really does care about them.]

Can you tell where she is? [Step number one if they were going to help, he supposes.]

[centi]

[ Ritsu should ask Shigeo how he even knows that, because it's a weird thing to suddenly interrupt their nice hangout with when they aren't even checking their omnis. Long distance telepathy with the omens? He forgets all the stuff they can do sometimes.

But he can get an answer to that later, right now — Miss Makima in danger has him leaping to his feet, concerned, and running to find their shoes. What else will they need - a water bottle? He can grab his backpack, that has some useful stuff in it since in Trench even the walk to school is dangerous. His mind turns stupidly to weapons before remembering his brother doesn't need a sword to help, and he runs back in with their stuff. ]

Let's go, let's go!

[centile]

[bless ritsu, who is already getting prepared in the ways they'll need. it gives mob a chance to look at sunny with a little nod.]

I think so. [he hesitates to say anything about the contract, at least understanding enough that sunny doesn't like hearing about it. maybe more so mob doesn't like having to think about the bad implications, certainly not now.] I can sort of feel her.

[he looks off again.] ... She's really far. I think she might be close to that city Robby and I went to. [hey, worried enough he can mention robby without too much of a downcast expression so. that's a plus.]

[good_mourning]

[It isn't so much that Sunny doesn't like hearing about it, rather that he absolutely hates the contract itself. Not that it matters that Mob isn't mentioning it, it's obvious to him why he'd be able to communicate with Makima like this.]

I see. That's days out without lanterns, right? [Hopefully the lanterns were up by now but if they weren't... that was going to be a problem.]

[centi]

Wait, days?

[Poking his head in, because he's listening while he busies himself.]

Maybe we should ask an adult. We can't just leave the city for days. Miss Makima can't wait days!

[ He's going to take some extra food and water just in case. ]

THERE ONCE WAS A DEVIL STUCK IN A BED (OPEN TO VISITING/HOUSE CR)

[overlies]

CW: DESCRIPTIONS OF BURNS, INSECT IN THE LINK
[ during makima's first days in her bed, there was probably little to interact with. she was knocked out cold, comatose even, recovering from sickening burns that have formed charred black crusts along her arms, her neck, her face . . . it leaks, and it's gross. what visitors there to check up on her will mostly see are perhaps two to three big huskies curled up beside her at any given moment, some laid out on the floor by the bed's feet, and . . . a quite lovely, dangerous looking emerald jade wasp buzzing her wings whilst stuck to a wall and just hanging around. it was rare to see makima's omen out, if not only in tiny corners to watch and listen to people, but at last, she's here! on her own! she even stops preening her antennae if someone walks in toward any of the given chairs, curious to give all sleepers a quick, hovered scenting.

into the second week of healing (more or less the beginning of may), makima is awake: sitting in bed, her bandaged wounds dry and closing up nicely— quickly even. props to sleeper healing, but damn is she unused to this! healing through governmental contracts makes injuries and death a breeze. they barely existed to makima anymore, but now . . . well! she can't just spring up from the ashes like she used to. it's a vulnerable time for her, a quiet stretch of time lost in thought. she either stares out her window or attempts to walk around the house on her own. slowly is the key. when has she ever felt so sore? she could always ask for some blood in a cup, but— don't be silly. she isn't a barbarian.

if she's not in bed petting her dogs or reading a book, she's sitting in the kitchen, or the couch— and if it's the couch, you'd bet she's watching a movie from her omni with a projection to the wall.

she isn't smiling. ]

first days!

[centile]

[mob hovers.

that's really what it is. he's in and out of the room a lot, trying to help. quiet, of course, he's always been pretty good at not sticking out, trying to make sure she has what needs. making sure the huskies do too. maybe, in some way, making sure she's safe.

(after all nothing is going to get near her with bad intent right now, not with him around. the thing a lot of people might not realize about mob is how protective he can be. of ritsu, of course, of his friends, now of sunny and miyagi-do. very, very much of makima, who helped him find something like a home in this place, who seems to need the contact of care and an embrace as much as he does.

nothing will get to her, it's something he thinks very quietly to himself.)

he comes in to give the dogs some pets and treats, check in on makima, make sure the flowers he brought have another little burst of his power to keep them from wilting. the omen, well... sometimes it makes him feel just a little weird. (mogami did love crawling on the walls as bugs, watching, speaking into his head.) he shakes that feeling.

she's very pretty, really. she's watching over everything too.]

She'll be okay.

[overlies]

[ makima sleeps, her breaths deep and slow— sometimes, her eyes (or an eye) cracks open and just kind of . . . unfocuses, moves side-to-side before rolling back and stilling into slumber. she'll be a better conversational partner when she wakes, surely . . . ! but for now, it's her other half wide awake and alone. a tiny, zipping little thing of shiny greens and ruby reflecting off her many legs. she hovers with grand curiosity and an unnerving buzz around mob, but she lands on his jacket's sleeve at some point to pad her antennae over the clothes. oh, he is someone very close to her. she feels it deep within her soul's whispy particles. ]

Yes. [ and that all she considers. just an answer. but she could do more now . . . couldn't she? the wasp's voice is hard to pin. it's a voice, but it's not. tiny. shy. new. even a child's in the wind. ] Flowers . . . Pretty.

[centile]

[mob doesn't move, more so the pretty little omen can climb his arm without being bothered, a bit fascinated by it. even more so when it speaks- his own omen never speaks, he's never heard its voice. he knows they do, though most of the ones he met play at being animals more than anything.

the fact that some part of makima is like this doesn't surprise him as it maybe should. he feels like he learned something about makima in that first time they hugged, in the pressure and shape of it.]

I like them too. Sunflowers are my favorite. [he admits, and there's at least one in the bundle. perks of psychic powers, no flower is not in season if have a single seed.] I wasn't sure which Miss Makima's favorites were.

[there's a lot he feels like he doesn't know about her and wants to. things he should have asked and now-

she'll be okay so he can ask them.]

[overlies]

[ she'd like to see a sunflower. did they look like the sun? what was her favorite? ]

Makima . . . Doesn't have a favorite flower.

[ and it's for this reason that the wasp may sound a bit sad. sure, flowers were pretty. she acknowledges that. but her sleeper never really stopped to admire them individually. she just spends all her time fixated . . . on one thing. obsessing over one thing.

she misses so much. it makes jam sad. because there is a part within makima that is upset over who and what she is. ]

But— I know they're pretty . . . I promise I know.

[centile]

[that makes mob go quiet for a long few moments. in a way he understands, there's a lot of things he doesn't have an opinion on. he stopped having favorites for a while, stopped thinking of small, pretty things. pointless things that brought people joy, what flower is nicest.

that's... sad. it's sad miss makima doesn't have one. is it because she never looked? never thought about it? thought she didn't have time for such things.]

Maybe I can bring her flowers, lots of different types. Then when she wakes up she can decide if she has a favorite.

[said a little quietly. miss makima deserves to have a favorite flower. mob wants to know what it is.]

first days (text, un: kickflips)

[strongroots]

[ He doesn't know all the details, but what Robby knows is: Sharon turned beast, died, and Makima took her out.

And anything about what happened to Miss Makima, others, the aftermath--Robby doesn't know, and it's a wild ride trying to figure out what's going on in the city or to anyone. Is Miss Makima even back in Trench?

It's just easier to send a text, wait for whenever a message comes back. Better than a voice message--Miss Makima can get to it whenever she wants. ]

ms makima are you okay? i heard from sharon. if you need anything let me know

un: countrymouse!

[overlies]

[ makima is still fast asleep in her recovery coma! plenty of time passes. perhaps the entire day passes with still no response. but a curious little thing puts out her feelers and decides, from nowhere, to have some agency. ]

Hello.

[strongroots]

[ The time is worrisome, but not completely unexpected. Robby's had the opportunity to speak to Sharon more, and so, by the time the first day goes by and this text arrives...

well. um. ]

hey

[overlies]

Do you like toast?

[ yeah, we're going places ]

[strongroots]

[ uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ]

sure

[ ??????????? is he going to be invited over for toast???????????????? ]

second week

[fogsong]

[ sharon visits once in the early days smelling distinctly of weed. she brings a box of homemade pastries for the household and treats for each of makima's dogs. she sits in the same room as the recovering woman for only a few minutes, though, unable to cope with the sight of her. it was too familiar, reminds her too much of her own burning and the first few days in the hospital. worse than that, though, was the reminder that this was her fault. she did this to makima.

it's when she hears that makima is finally awake that she dares to try for another visit. she brings with her more treats for the dogs and pastries for the household, though this time it's all brought from her favorite bakery.

she knocks on makima's door, boxes of goodies held tight against her chest with one arm, and opens the door when given the go ahead. she stands at the threshold, suddenly not certain if she really wants to enter. if this is even okay. ]

Hey. [ she offers weakly. ] I brought you some things. [ not that this makes up for anything. ]

[overlies]

[ makima's omen was all over those sweets once before. she loved the smell and just!! everything about it!! it's the weed that smells kind of nasty and in turn, the wasp never set foot on sharon.

when sharon returns, there's no omen to be seen, only makima and plenty of dogs who will be sniffing her feet, standing on their hind legs to give her hugs and kisses— makima has her eyes pinned to the door before it knocks. she smells her. when the door opens, it had been as if makima had been looking directly at her before she thought of turning the knob.

for the first time in too long (if there was ever a time without it), makima's thoughts feel scattered when she thinks about what she feels. she remembers. she knows what happened. she's not angry, or upset, or happy. it is a void, but only because it was not pity or condescension.

she doesn't blink. she doesn't smile. ]

Thank you.

[ she won. she was still above sharon. up to her neck in corruption. did that count? her pride would say so. but sharon wrecked her in a way she's always wished to be by something, something uncontrollable and chaotic. something that had once failed to reach her expectations. something she will never dare to acknowledge she wants, and wishes, because that'd mean she would be no more, and her purpose toward humans would shatter.

(she would have an equal. she would have a family.)

(what if she tried again? one more time— what if she brought the worst of sharon out to have one more duel?)

her heart skips at the possibility of having such a beast at her command (no, her heart skips for another reason). she could get rid of so many other beasts. she could come one step closer to mariana and make trench better. she can make it perfect. she wished she could've seen sharon in that tank with more clarity, squid tendrils hovering and swimming about when she was still soft and vulnerable.

the thought calms her. she would take such good care of squid sharon.

(she's trying to decipher this feeling: she wants sharon, just as she had wanted mob and feels success in her conquest.) ]

How are you feeling?

[fogsong]

[ sharon can see it: an emptiness. makima was empty. like everything she was, everything that had made her, had been poured out of her. did sharon do this to her? was this her fault? she feels her mind spiral. her heart rises up in her throat, an apology crawling on her tongue, but she bites it back. she swallows it down as she approaches, stepping between the dogs, offering a free hand to be licked and sniffed as she comes to take a seat.

she has to swallow before she speaks, throat so tight. how can makima ask her how she is? why? why bother? she wasn't the one who has spent the last week recovering. ]

I'm okay. [ she lies as she shifts the boxes and then reaches to set them down. ] I, um... I'm not the one currently bedridden. [ her voice is tight like she's holding herself together with a clamp. she avoids makima's gaze as best she can. ]

How are you feeling?

[overlies]

[ little does sharon know: makima has always been empty. the ruse had always been the smiles, the charm, the charisma, everything she had been taught from within japan's government. how important it was to act and make sure every act was perfect because only perfection could be convincing. if anything, what sharon has done was split a mask she thought was on backward. there is no ruse. only makima. what makima was. what she was raised to be, whether that be a necessary evil or a tragedy.

it slips through, after a moment. her trickery, her smile that was in fact always empty, and whoever didn't want to see through it never would. the welcoming, extending warmth in her voice was in fact genuine, which might make the lie so terribly flawless. she fabricates what she needs for this because she no longer is able to see "sharon", and that's if she ever did to begin with. she sees the beast within her.

and she wants to welcome that beast. ]

It seems I've had far better days, haven't I?

[ lightweight and endearing. she's crafted to be endearing. she sighs and motions her eyes toward the window, but it's only to see sharon's reflection. the whole time, her eyes are on her. ]

This could be a good time to say we both deserve a drink.

first days

[good_mourning]

[Of course Sunny does go visit Makima within the first few days of them bringing her back home. He still doesn't know how to feel about the woman, but he knows he doesn't like seeing her in this state.

Really it should be something of a relief to know that she wasn't invulnerable, even with access to Mob's powers. Mob hadn't been around and this had happened to her. But it still all feels pretty bad. Burns were horrifyingly painful, none of this could have been easy on her.

It's a wonder she was even able to contact Mob at all.

He comes in to pet the dogs and make sure they were all doing alright. The boys had all been taking care of them. They were basically their pets, too, at this point.

Sunny glances over to the wasp on the wall. He thinks it must have been Makima's omen but he'd never seen it before. A wasp...] Hello. [He tended to think of omens as their own separate beings, connected to their sleeper yes, but still worth being regarded as their own thing. So they deserved to be greeted, too.]

[overlies]

[ oh! oh, my. she's been perceived. the wasp, in turn, gives a little bzz bzz of her wings, but feels equally uncertain about coming down from her safe perch. she's never done much by herself, makima had always led her around, controlled her actions and where she ought to be, who she should be watching or listening to, but now when makima was so out of it . . . she was alone, and a little insecure about what she should do with her own agency.

"jam" wasn't completely ignorant, either. she knows the fear that makes makima stronger, but also lonelier. she knows there is fear in sunny. if there is fear in sunny, then he is much farther away than shigeo is . . . it means that they could never be on par with each other. could they?

after some consideration (deep longing, perhaps) she zips down and lands closeby the boy, but not on him. ]

. . . Hello.

[ her voice is small, shy, and akin to a child being left at school for the first time. ]

[good_mourning]

[Even though Sunny recognizes that Jam wasn't the same as Makima, he's still a bit surprised to hear the omen's voice. It was so... not what he had been expecting, like that of a child.

He regards her, as something in his heart softens a bit.]

How are you doing, after everything? [He'd never talked to this omen before, but he assumed she must be upset after everything that happened with her sleeper.]

[overlies]

[ how was she? she didn't stop to think about how she felt, never. and now that she has . . . the wasp is quiet and contemplative, almost for too long, before she decides on the closest thing to feeling. ]

Scary. [ her wings go quiet, tucking against her as she tries to crawl under decor. ] Makima being quiet . . . Is scary.

[ she doesn't know what she should do without her, and already without makima, jam does something she wasn't allowed to do: be honest. ]