Mission: Burying the Past in Zompania

[lucetimods]

Who: Anyone who volunteered
What: A very special mission that will bring you honor. Or maybe just traumatic memories. Whatever.
When: July 20th - July 24th
Where: Zompania, or what's left of it
Summary: Mission detailed here. There are graves to dig and buildings to raze, and plenty more for the volunteers to stay busy with.
Rating: PG-13 for probable mentions of gore and other sad things

Direct further questions here!

Comments

open

[onifukuchou]

Hijikata had known from what Souji had told him that it was going to be bad. Worse than they'd ever seen Kyoto, certainly. But he'd been prepared, at least, for the scale of destruction, for the number of dead lining the streets. It still turns his stomach, a little, but not enough for him to embarrass himself. Some of the others here - it was possible they had fought, had died in this place. He wasn't going to ask.

It seemed almost too many bodies to find space to bury - cremation would be simpler, but he had no authority to suggest such things. Just to dig, and perhaps try to organize their efforts a little more efficiently.

[goldenglasses]

[You know who could use a bit of organizing? Or at least a wake up call? This guy.

Vash ended up getting so focused on his digging and lost in his own nightmarish thoughts that he had actually lost track of how dig he has dug one of these graves. Think Hijikata could give him a shout and possibly a hand out of the hole?]

[justdid]

A

[Wan is not going to bury the bodies, it's a foreign custom to him. There simply wasn't any space to bury the dead in the city he grew up in.

Instead he will cremate the bodies as he comes across them. He lingers at times. Feeling as though he should say or do something. All of these people had nobody to mourn them. And truthfully, Wan still felt a deep sense of guilt about their deaths and how powerless he was to stop them.]

B

[Part of the mission called for destroying buildings. If there was one thing firebending was good for it was destroying stuff. Unlike his subdued treatment of the bodies Wan takes this opportunity to practice his firebending forms. He is already a powerful firebender, but the flames he produces with every punch and kick have intensified from his own anger. Anger that he buried at the time of the draft to survive and after the draft so he didn't have to deal with it once he was "safe". Anger at the situation himself, how so many innocent people- including kids like Ash were dragged into it, anger at how tenacious and bloodthirsty their enemies are, how angry he is at himself for how little he could actually do.

It served him well when it came to burning down large structures. He'll wear himself out eventually, but it's all a part of working through the emotional aftermath of the draft.]

C

[If you don't want to watch him burn things, it's possible to catch him in one of the tents. He's not going to get a lot of rest over the next few days anyways. He will act positive around others who are having a rough time despite his own feelings.]

B

[tea_lover64]

[Iroh watches his forms carefully. There was certainly power, but he had not perfected his forms yet. The technique was far more important than the power. Power could be grown over time, control was essential before that]

You need to try that last form again. You are using up more momentum than you need.

B

[lordhotman]

[Zuko is with Wan and is doing his part with the destruction. He had already burned and buried many of the bodies when they were here before. He'd rather leave it to other this time unless he's really needed.

However, his bending is a great deal more controlled but not at all lacking in power. At least here, he can use his bending at full strength unlike back in the Luceti enclosure.

However, he's noticing a disturbing trend in Wan's bending. He's using his anger to fuel it, and Zuko is all too aware of how dangerous that can be.

When Wan starts wearing himself out, Zuko will approach and place a hand on his shoulder.]

Let's take a break.

[He looks a bit worn out too so they could both benefit from it.]

A

[endgames]

[There's only, unfortunately, so much of that bodies that will burn. Shikamaru remembers witnessing it back then, when Rin attempted to cremate some of the bodies. After flesh and muscle had been stripped away, the bones had somehow always remained, bleached white and carved up with eerie symbols. It's these bones Shikamaru comes for, a scroll slung over his back.]

Yo. [He waves as he approaches, composed but easy-going about it.] 'bout done with these ones?

C

[generalflirt]

Wan-kun, right? You were at my party.

[ Masaomi's own face actually has a wide smile on it, his hand held up. It's probably hard to make out the smile with the hazmat suits they have to wear and all though. But he recognizes the guy's face when he crouched down to get more level with the guy hanging out just outside of his tent. So maybe he'll chat the guy up, while he's letting his mouse and his arms rest, so he can't fill either current objective ]

[All the days]

[respect_points47]

[First day or so.]

[Within...at least a half hour of getting there, it's obvious that Rikku picked the wrong place to be. This is one sight that makes her think of over two years ago...all the people who were killed, and all of the destruction.

And burying people? That thought alone made her wanna throw up. She almost wished that Yuna was here, to do what she could. Of course, she knew this wasn't like home, souls probably did something completely different here.

So she can dig. But if she's out of sight for a little bit, she's hitting her head against a tree. trying to get some of her sanity back.]

[The rest of the time.]

[Well she's not getting much sleep. Instead she's having more 'fun' with the tear down with a new sword and all, and probably looking a whole lot stronger than she should.

She's not her normal self. Her normal childishness self is absent. 96% of the time, there's not even a smile from her...and someone might want to remind her that food is something that exists.]

Some later day

[generalflirt]

Rikku-chan, isn't it?

[ It's hard to tell with these somewhat cumbersome suits, honestly. But Masaomi chimes in all the same. Linda's rested, so him and his mouse were going to get in on the demolition with the mouse's Iron Tails, but he didn't want to come in unannounced to a young woman with a sword who can hack into the bases of buildings. Usually good to announce yourself ]

All Days

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Jade saw fit to come on this mission largely because he thought that few others would. Perhaps there's a few other reasons. To try to examine the area for anything he might have overlooked. To bring peace to a former battlefield where he had helped to spread so much destruction. Maybe, even after all this time, burying the past was still the part that came the most naturally to him.

He can be found in a number of areas in full military regalia, and he makes efforts to coordinate others. He will interview those whom he's unfamiliar with regarding their abilities and if they are destructive, he will assign them specific areas to demolish. Otherwise, people may be assigned to assist in burying the dead. This work will be done much more efficiently this way.

Jade can be seen acting as a one-man wrecking crew himself. He can unleash any of a series of devastating fonic artes to take individual buildings down. If If you're lucky, you may even catch him performing a Mystic Arte. But he won't hog all of the fun: at several points over the days, he will also assist and/or oversee the burying of the dead.]

[Memorial]

[On one of the last days, there comes one last quandary to deal with: the war memorial. He will assemble any number of volunteers near one of the tents for the purpose of planning this. After all, this is one aspect of war he's not exactly used to having a part in.]

Well... Does anyone have any suggestions about how to go about this? [ooc: This thread can be threadjack central if anyone wants!]

Memorial

[lordhotman]

[Zuko is one of said volunteers, and he stands there with arms folded, pondering this questiom.]

This would be easy if we had an earthbender here.

[onifukuchou]

[Hijikata has mostly been dealing with bodies - he doesn't have the special abilities necessary to collapse buildings - but it's fairly impressive to watch someone who can]

Wish I could do that.

[wipesfaith]

[Anybody would be reluctant to return to the scene of so much bloodshed. Jean is here because he feels like he has to be, armed with a sense of duty that is forged from the guilt of killing in order to prolong his own survival, and from the loathing for the fear curled inside him.

He spends most of his time digging holes. Six feet deep, packed into an attempt at neat rows. Maybe it would save time to dig a series of mass graves, but all the dead have left is a chance for some dignity. With no one left to remember quite who they were, many of them have already lost their names - he's not going to take that from them too.

When he needs a break, arms and back aching, he'll rotate duties to recover the bodies from the ruins of the city. Even though the issued protective suit seals him from the cloying odor of death, he still thinks he can smell the decayed flesh. There are some things that won't be forgotten.]

[endgames]

[A scroll slung over his back, Shikamaru follows the digging sounds until he finds a body - a living one, at that - to attach them to. Crouching near the hole, he calls down to the digger inside it.]

Almost done with this one?

all days

[capturespecialist]

[A - First Day]

[Crystal spends the majority of their first few hours by herself. Zompania isn't someplace she wanted to return to by far, but there are some things one just has to do. Facing the wound and suturing it closed, figuratively, is what she feels the best course of action to do is.

Of course, that's easier said than done.

So Crystal, suited as anyone else, makes her way into the city. She's not quite going to start on their mission yet; she needs some time to collect her thoughts and stop imagining every crack in the walls around her is the same one Archy's pokéball caused. She can be found wandering, more than a little distracted -- nearly the way she'd been on their return trip from Zompania in the first place.]

[B - Nights/Early Mornings in general]

[The nights aren't so bad; it's not as if she planned on sleeping anyway, so she sits outside of her tent and watches the black sky. She hadn't been sleeping well in Luceti - she wouldn't be sleeping here - it's just better to stare at the sky and pretend there's constellations as consolation.

After some hours - probably peaking into when anyone with some sense would be going to bed - she'll try to be quiet about making her way back to the city for a little demolition work. As it turns out, Faeren's magic is as useful for shaking the fountains of buildings as it is for protecting, and there are small, controlled rumbles sounding throughout the wee hours of the morning. One or two isn't quite enough to shake down a building, especially with how small her area of control is at the moment - it's not something she's practiced over and over yet - so expect them to come in groups.]

[C - Third Day]

[Work.

She should work.

But the nights of not sleeping and eating just enough to keep her energy up - because her appetite's more or less flown the coop, and she definitely hadn't slept the night before the mission took off - are wearing on her, as is the strain of using Faeren's magic repeatedly to topple buildings. She takes more breaks, waving off anyone who might give her a cursory glance, and ends up collapsing on her way back to the tents proper. She's okay - she can still push herself up to sitting - but her legs feel like they've turned to jelly; she can't stand, she can't walk, she's just so tired.

And that's probably more frightening than it should be.]

[D - Fourth Day]

[If demolition isn't your cup of tea, and neither is digging shallow graves, Crystal can be found on the last day keeping out of the way of memorial business and talking quietly to her pokémon. She's been hesitant about letting them out prior - Zompania's not as safe as Luceti is after all - but it's their last day; they'll be fine, for a few hours.

A sweet, calming scent'll start floating around the area not long after her Meganium comes out, as he's pretty distressed at her state. Her Hitmonchan gives careful looks to anyone wanting to come near, but that's all; he's protective but not rash, and he won't go hitting anyone who wants to investigate the fairly strong scent or wants talk to his trainer.]

Day 3

[comicallyheroic]

[Crystal is not the only person who'd been working themselves hard demolishing buildings. Krillin had been doing just that, using his fists to simply shatter support beams and crumbling the wartorn structures into dust. He's careful to keep away from the vast majority of people, but eventually he'll just run out of stuff to break and have to wander nearer to people. It's relieving in a way, and a lot of his own anxiety leaves him as the days wear on.

And he just happens across Crystal as he moves inward, seeing her slumped down in weary exhaustion.]

Hey, you okay there kiddo?

[comicallyheroic]

Krillin does his part the same as the rest, immediately flying off towards the outskirts of town and starting to smash buildings. He's not using ki blasts, though, preferring instead to perform more controlled demolitions with his fists. The supports of most buildings are a great speedbag, after all.

Day in and day out, he'll work his way around, breaking down walls and kicking up huge clouds of dust. He tries to stay clear of other people, but contact is eventually inevitable. The bodies he tries to avoid, and he spends his nights resting silently. Not unapproachable, but not really going out of his way to talk. This place gave him the creeps, after all.

[generalflirt]

[ A: "Well these poor bastards have seen better days." ]

[ He's glad for this suit. Well, okay, so the obvious reason he's glad for the suit is because it means he isn't exploding from the inside out or whatever a wild shift without a barrier will actually do, but also because it means that his sense of smell is cut off and his sense of hearing and touch are limited as well. Masaomi, especially on the first day, makes to have a long stroll of the city, to identify landmarks which he'd seen when he was fighting, and to see the corpses - especially those of the Third Party. Shouldn't they have vanished by now? Not sure what to do with that, he ends up kicking some of them, nudging them a little so as to see all the wounds on them.

Eaten. Some of them have some signs of being eaten by animals. What an ironic conclusion for some unknowable evil. And so, when he runs into some of those animals he throws rocks at them. If he can get a gun from one of the MSF, he might even shoot them. By the second day, though, he just resolves to get to work on digging graves. Why not? Let's return the innocent (the skeletons) to the Earth, and maybe the eerily bleached ones will decompose eventually, maybe. Hopefully the Third Party guys will, and not just vanish on them to come back swinging

He wonders if Davis was recovered. ]

[ B: "My kingdom for a flamethrower" ]

[ But when it comes to actually demolishing the city, he can't do much - at least not without equipment. If he can get bombs, a flamethrower, or any collected items like that from the MSF he'll be more directly involved. Otherwise, he'll be that guy who is mostly watching the actually powerful people get the city to the ground while he personally is just going in to see if there's any supplies worth taking to supplement their rations. It's a break up from digging all the damn time, or collecting corpses.

Once he confirms Linda is okay and/or has a suit for her, she can assist with some well placed Iron Tails or Aqua Tails though. A bit.

"Break" - Speaking of, on the second day in particular he'll be turning in early to the tents on the outer part of town. He considers letting himself wander off to meet with Davis, but... nah. Him and Linda will just be discussing things in here, or he'll be hanging with his friends. ]

[ C: "I'll see them into the dark. ]

[ Memorial. You know it's a little neat that the Malnosso have this level of sentimentality. In light of that, he gets involved with clearing out the debris and flattening out the actual land related to the sight where they're going to erect it. It's (comparatively) relaxing work, and he's glad to have it. Despite what it's actually for. ]

[endgames]

[The moment the dual missions were announced, Shikamaru knew one would be getting more volunteers than the other. They'd need every one of those extra hands too, and more still after the mission is over for them. But for all its difficulty, Pagoda would be the cleaner of the two options. For everything grim that enclosure was put through, there's always something positive to be found in recovery.

(that's the feeling he remembers most about rebuilding Konoha, at least - everyone moving forward)

There's no drudging up that kind of optimism for Zompania, and it's the more uncomfortable mission to start. So it's where Shikamaru knows he needs to be. After this, though... Maybe I should spend more time in Luceti again.]

[Days 1-3]

These suits are too damn itchy. Anyone got a backscratcher I can fit under here, or something?

[Being back here out of the thick of it somehow makes it weirder, Shikamaru thinks. Also the hazmat suits are itchy, if you hadn't heard yet. It's something he makes sure to loudly and repeatedly complain about to anyone within earshot in between the work they do, so don't worry if you haven't yet. He won't let you miss it.

As for said work, he doesn't slack on the job. With a wide array of explosives, plus Asuma's jutsu, he has a lot to lend the demolitions part of the project, and he can be found among loud blasts and thick clouds of ash. When he gets weary of that, in a need of a break to recover chakra, he pitches in collecting the bodies, or the bleached white skeletons that refuse to burn. A storage scroll makes it easy carrying many of them at once and transporting them to the graves. That's less gruesome work for everyone.]

[Night 3/Morning 4]

[They'll be putting together the memorial sometime tomorrow. Between that, and just the memories of what happened here, there's this whole atmosphere of paying one's respects. Since it's rough sleeping anyways (maybe if these hazmat suits weren't so itchy guys), Shikamaru excuses himself from his tent for a late night stroll away from camp. He doesn't leave without informing an MSF soldier and leaving some collateral to guarantee his return; he has a good enough reputation with them by now that they trust him and permit it.

Catch him on the way out, or go with? It's nearly dawn by the time he returns, so he'll again be available then if anyone sees him coming back in.]

day 1

[musubi]

[Complaining is supposed to be Isamu's job, Shikamaru, just in case you didn't get the memo. As it is, he's feeling royally deposed.

Well not really, but he doesn't want to be the redundant one.

Instead, he'll just have to fall back on his snarky charm, or at least he considers it charming. The girls might go for it in the movies, but he hasn't had any luck with it here. Or back home, for that matter. At least he's trying to keep from adding to the dreary atmosphere.

He doesn't have much reason to be here at all. He has a place to volunteer at already - 7th Heaven. But a lot of the usual patrons there (as well as the employees) are spread out to the to mission locations anyway. So rather than be a complete bum in their absence, he finds himself back in Zompania. When had he developed a need to be useful?]

Why don't you just dump some baby powder in the damn thing if it bothers you so much?

all days

[musubi]

[Isamu has picked up a few good skills since he arrived in Luceti. Unfortunately very few of them are useful here. Still, with most of the usual 7th Heaven staff already out on missions, he figured he might as well join in. Even if it means heading out to a city of the dead.

He's seen dead cities before, he came from one full of demons, but it hadn't been quite like this. But in a way, he'd rather see remains then have to see survivors. He doesn't know how to deal with the vacant, traumatized stares of strangers. He knows it would be better for him to be there, as he has some healing ability thanks to Nala, but he's still a coward about a lot of things when it comes down to it.

These suits are terribly out of fashion. He'd complain, but a certain ninja is already doing a good job of that. At least the stale smell of his own sweat and whatever material this suit is made of smells better than what he'd be breathing in otherwise.

Digging holes is easy. He can do that. So that's what he'll spend a lot of his time doing. Messing with bodies... not so much. It's hard not to imagine that this could have been their own enclosure. That he doesn't know any of these people makes it easier to distance himself. He really hopes Richard doesn't end up messing with any of this. He's done enough. Isamu will avoid dealing directly with the bodies if he can help it.

Razing buildings is another task he can handle. It would be more fun if not for the general atmosphere. He's still not any good with fire, but now that light spells are working for him in a whole new way thanks to symbology, he can call down a few beams that do actual damage. He just hopes no passer-bys think there's some holy ritual going on whenever he helps being a place down.]

oh my favorite SMTN kid :3

[onifukuchou]

[Digging holes is something Hijikata can do, and as the days go by, he gets pretty good at it. The bodies are a more familiar kind of horror, and he's numb enough to that that he's got no problem being the one to haul bodies to the holes others are digging]

[pokeboy]

( Option A - around the buildings of Zompania )

[ Red distances himself from the other people soon after their arrival, but goes the same way as many of them towards the derelict buildings. It's not with any ease that he does, but with steps almost automatic in their motions with how little thought he tries to put into them. No matter what he thinks now, there's no turning back. He and his pokémon already knew - because he wouldn't make the decision to go back without them - that it would be a difficult time, and they would have to live with that choice.

But they hope it'll be a good one, in time. They hope that it'll help.

They want to be a good distance too, once Venusaur and Snorlax are outside. Red tries to warn them of the state of the area through words muttered close to their pokéballs, but warnings can't stop them from being any less repulsed by the smell that's through Zompania. Pikachu already knows it; without a ball of his own or no suit to keep it out, he hangs onto Red's shoulder and breathes through his mouth.

There's a long while before they begin to do anything, standing before a building even as the ringing of fall of others begin. They might even be found, the boy saying something to the creatures with him or just in a moment of silence. But then, when Red decides that they're good and ready --

They get to work.

Please don't mind the venusaur and snorlax rumbling and bashing and smacking everything before them. ]

( Option B - First Night & others maybe probably )

[ Likely, there's some out here who don't find themselves lulling into a sleep. Red is amongst them, though not for a lack of trying. Somewhat.

He tries meditation, a forever work in progress introduced to him by Karis, but it's a useless endeavour when his mind won't stop feeling like anything but a bricked wall. It's pointless, and so he only does it once throughout his stay.

So sometimes he's in his tent, a small soft glow not too bright coming from within -- or even outside, away from those who are trying and succeeding better at that thing called sleep. They don't stay out too late, a ball of light in his hand acting like a light bulb, but it's nice to pretend - with everything silent and dark and still - that they're somewhere far, far else.

Hey, at least he can practice how to bounce the light its place hovering in his hand, to hitting between the buildings in front of him before the sight of it is lost completely. ]

( Option C - Digging )

[ Finally, he digs.

It's into the last two days that Red does, when there's mostly nothing left to be brought down to ground level but still plenty of bodies needing to be homed into the earth. Not that everybody agrees with that (yes we're looking at you body burners), but Red goes for the classic way of putting a shovel into the ground and extracting the dirt.

And rinse and repeat. And rinse and repeat.

He stands as one of the youngest there, his suit loose on him but doing its job. Arceus bless you other shorties making him not look so out of place (yes, we're now looking at you Krillin). And despite the ache that finds itself in Red's arms and back and legs, the boy keeps up the digging for as long as he can the first time, to the point where his arms begin to shake and he has to pause to try and calm it. His pokémon could be useful here, but they're not present.

There are at the times when the nearby holes become filled with the bodies, he has to leave, move, be somewhere else not near them. It's logical that the holes are there to be filled, but it's hard to be faced with too closely. There's a reason he tries to keep his head down. ]

( Option Whatever - Extreme Whatevers )

[ Sometimes around the Zompania ruins, and even near to the tents, there's a lingering smell left through the streets. Sometimes it's just a tickling of the nose, but at other times, it might be sweeter. It's calming to the senses, which becomes more apparent about it than even the smell, and Venusaur spreads it out as much as she can without it hazing the minds of others to clean up the air.

It's not so noticeable with others in their suits, though to any without protective gear due to a lack of wings and a working nose (or just any that can take in air), it's there.

--

Also, around the tents, there may be a pikachu to be spotted, though he might be inside one of the tents. There's not much he can do, but leaving him back in the village hadn't been an option allowed. But when Red digs, his trainer doesn't like him accompanying him -- though once or twice, he does end up out there with him, Red too tired to argue about it.

But there are times when the pokémon's trainer is there with him in a tent. No matter how he might try, the boy isn't anything more than human. He needs rest -- they all need rest.

He wonders if this will really help at all. ]


( ooc: hopefully i made this open enough, but Red can be bumped into at any stage of any of these or whatever else you might think would be likely and/or interesting. \o have at it! )

B (first night)

[capturespecialist]

[Like a lot of people, Crystal can't sleep. Unlike a lot of people, she's decided that late night deconstruction is just the thing to wear herself out until she can. (How well that's going to work is anyone's guess.)

So she's not exactly surprised to find anyone awake, though she is surprised to find them outside. She's halfway to moving closer to see who it is when she pauses - she'd been planning on practically sneaking off into the city, after all, should she really engage someone? - and shakes her head. Her better half's winning out this time, and she considers it a good idea when she gets close enough to see it's Red.]

Hi. [She doesn't want to startle him too badly, so she ends up just standing a few feet away.] How're you holding up?

[It's only the first night, but -- it's still a legitimate question.]

[spellfeather]

A

[Whatever possessed Karis to come back here to Zompania is a mystery. Oh well, no need to dwell on the why, she's got a job to do and she's going to do it well.

Buildings will get a few, yet hefty, channeled fireball spells, but not before she takes the time to search for anything that could be used for her channels. She'll find the bodies of those fallen from time to time, and drags them out for proper burial before going to town on the buildings with spells.]

B

[The longer she stays here, the more inclined Karis is to take breaks from all this work. Without the focus on a fight, she could take in how bad Zompania's condition truly was, and it made her heart sank. Sometimes sacrifices must be made, yes, but this? It was too much, and Karis kept asking herself: "How many lives could of been saved?" It was almost like Athlum all over again, that god forsaken battle back in her own world, but she didn't return to that battlefield, there was no way that she could. Either way, there was a bitter taste left in her mouth, and the scent of death and destruction of both Zompania, and Athlum came back to her.

She'll simply sit upon one of the ruins of the buildings toppled over, staring out at the sight before her with a hardened look, which was just a facad. She just hoped that she wouldn't break down there and then. There's no way Karis will stick herself in the tents in this state of mind, she wanted to stay away from others at this point.]

B is for "birds of a feather flock together"

[justdid]

[Wan was looking for more things to burn, but there was just so much. It was everywhere. But instead of telling Karis to move out of the way so he can bun whatever is left of that rubble, he'll sit down next to her.]

You wouldn't mind if I joined you, right?

[If she didn't well, too bad. At this point he is physically and emotionally burning himself out.]

[hotboss]

[Did somebody say raze everything?

It's exactly the kind of environment Giovanni thrives in. Barren lands, lots of destruction, and little interference inbetween. He's got a large, gray creature out - a Rhydon for those who are Pokemon-literate - and is happily standing back while the beast smashes his horn and fists into the sides of buildings until they collapse. The demolition makes the area pretty dusty, so he's holding his hat over his eyes, but his smirk is still visible under the brim.

This land's problems are not his own problems, so a dead city is nothing to cry over. He's here to train, not to sympathize.]

Again! [Rhydon roars and slams his arm into a concrete wall, making the entire thing topple over and crack into chunks. You may not want to get too close.]

[pokeboy]

[ The ground is unsteady and the air loud with the demolition work all around the city, and there's no knowing who'll be in the street on the opposite side of yours, unless you saw the person before picking your spot. Red didn't, and for the people he did see on his way in he didn't give more than a glance to at most. No one was here to talk, and unless they were his pokémon, Red wasn't either.

In any case, they were here to bury.

At the same time that Rhydon's building comes toppling down, the one behind it comes down as well, but bashing into the pile left by the pokémon than just straight down onto itself. It sends more shards of stone and dust over to the other side that's -- okay, not safe, but not about to kill anyone either.

Some forms - such as a particularly large and wide one - might be seen before the hazy air clears... ]

[disastergirl]

A: Razing the city

[In the end, burning the dead had been too much for her to handle. Every time without fail she would look into the face of the dead and freeze. She had been responsible for killing a person just like this now-corpse. She hadn't been able to save anyone...just like last time.

And so, there she was, standing there alone as the city burned by her hand. All she could do was stare with her features locked in place, as if she was afraid of what would happen if she loosened them for even a second.]

B: Attempting to rest

[Needless to say, sleep wasn't happening either. She spent much more time staring at the ceiling of the tent and wandering outside with a blank look in her eyes.]

C: Memorial

[Once the memorial was built, she would be spending as much time as she could spare with her hands clasped and her head bowed. Jane wasn't a particularly spiritual person. She never had been, but how else was she supposed to apologize for the lives she had taken in Zompania?]

B

[pokeboy]

[ Other people had much of the same idea, and Red was one of those - try and stay inside the tent, get agitated from staying in the tent, and so get outside the tent. It's just at the moment that Jane comes close to his own, that a (possibly) familiar sight to her of a yellow rodent hops out before she does, body glowing softly with electrical energy.

And then a small-suited figure pops out next, hands on the ground as he tries and look this way and that to see if the path is clear. ] Pikachu...?

[ledbythewind]

[After his experiences on the draft, it no doubt came as something of a surprise that Richard volunteered so willingly to go back to where everything had happened-- or, more precisely, to where everything had gone wrong.

But he isn't here as much out of a genuine desire to help as he is out of the hope that perhaps, if he's able to spend more time in Zompania and come to terms with what happened there, those horrible nightmares will stop haunting him the way they had ever since he'd returned. It's a long shot and he knows it, but right now it's also the only thing he can think of to do that doesn't involve drinking himself into oblivion.

He's noticeably avoiding the bodies wherever possible, though. Far too many bad memories there, ones that he'd like to avoid dredging up. Instead, he focuses on using his magic to raze buildings, as that doesn't require him to be able to see exactly what he's doing as long as someone tells him where to cast.

Perhaps it's for the best that he's blind at the moment. This way it's easier to close off his mind to everything around him and just cast... easier to pretend that he's doing something other than what he really is. Concentrate, then cast. Concentrate, then cast.

He works with grim efficiency, speaking only when he's spoken to but remaining otherwise silent. Most of his meager free time is spent in Isamu's company, but even then there isn't much conversation either. He just doesn't have the heart for it, not here, not now.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Despite the likelihood of the battlefield having already been sterilized to some degree by the Commandant's forces, Albert felt the need to revisit Zompania with the fighting already done. Perhaps there would be something worth taking a look at before everything was razed to the ground.

There wouldn't be a chance to find anything afterwards, after all.

When he is not assisting with the digging of graves and the burying of the dead, he looks around the ruined enclosure carefully. Though he doesn't assist with the actual burning of the buildings, he does safety checks before the burning crew move through each section.]

[justdid]

[A member of the "burn everything" crew is impatient and irritable with his safety checks.]

Why do you have to check the buildings if there is nothing left?

[As far as he's concerned, everything native to the city is long dead so it's not like there's anything worth saving,]

Vash | All Days

[goldenglasses]

[Vash will be focusing on work as much as he can. He digs the graves with no complaints, but with tears in his eyes. He's not ashamed at all by the tears he sheds for the dead.

He has no problem handling the mangled corpses. At least in terms of touching them or being at risk of losing his stomach over it. He's done this too often back on his home world that he's sadly use to it.

In evenings he tries to sleep in a tent as far as possible from most people. He had come out here in the hopes that keeping busy would distract him from the memories haunting his dreams. Unfortunately burying the dead of a ruined city is only making it worse. Sorry to any near him/forced to share a tent with him he might wake in the night with a scream or two.

Towards the end of the trip Vash is going to find a harder and harder time keeping the haunted look from his eyes. Yet, despite how terrible he feels he doesn't completely regret coming.

For the memorial Vash will suggest something to do with nature and peaceful. Perhaps even planting a couple trees to grow from the city's ashes.]

[tea_lover64]

[Iroh could see the pain in Vash's eyes. It was a look of a man who had seen things like this all too much. It was a difficult thing to see certainly. He himself had felt that after going through the battle, he needed to see the aftermath, and take it in for himself. To see what they were fighting against.

He approaches Vash after a moment and puts a hand on his shoulder]

You alright?