News From the Front

[journal clicks on]


[there is a long silence.]




[finally, he sounds hoarse, like he's been shocked but forcing himself to keep it together]

Who did they take?

What the hell is going on here?! Someone's kidnapping kids from the Winding Way?!


Looks like she's got a floating castle outside. Dammit, I'm going after them. I can take a person or two up with me in Zangetsu -- anyone who wants in, get your ass to the hangar right now!

[backdated to a few minutes after his last post -- around the Tulgim cave-ins]

[Ichigo]
--but first, I'm going to take care of that. [pause] 'Fraid I don't have anything to make this easier. Get comfortable, because this is going to hurt.

[sounds of someone backing up, then hitting a solid object, possibly Zangetsu]

[Watanuki]
It's not that bad! It can wait until we get back to the Way! I just...won't move it until then!

[Ichigo]
Sorry, but I ain't taking no for an answer. Trust me, you don't want to leave it like that -- you don't even want to know what could happen if you leave it that long.

[Watanuki]
Fine. [sound of someone sitting on....snow?] Just hurry up. And be careful! It hurts!

[Ichigo]
I know. [tone is dark, unusually serious; there is a pause, then comes the sound of ripping fabric] Hold still.

[Watanuki]
[muttered] You don't have to tell me. [sharp gasp, followed by forcibly steady breathing] Is it-- are you taking it out?

[Ichigo]
[muttered, sounds like he’s concentrating intensely on something] Give me a minute. If I rush this, you’re just going to wind up hurting even worse.

[Watanuki]
[ snaps through a clenched jaw] How big is that damn thing?! It didn't-- look that big!

[Ichigo]
[voice is strained] That’s just because it’s so damn tight. [grits his teeth, grunts, exhales sharply] Ha—aaaah. [pause] This is gonna take a while. Are you okay?

[Watanuki]
[deep breath, struggles to talk] I’m fine. Just...keep going.

( more under cut )

[Watanuki]
Thanks. So... you did that a lot on your other ship, huh? You seemed pretty experienced.

[Ichigo]
Yeah, I used to watch my dad do it, ever since I was a kid. Then on the Amadeus....well, we fought monsters, so things like this happened a lot, and there were only so many doctors. It was good to have someone out there who could both fight and patch people up afterwards.

[Watanuki]

Oh. Well... good thing you knew how. How are we going to sleep?

[Ichigo]
No kidding. I—[and he jostles the journal; recording cuts off with a click]



[ooc: The actual log for this will be up....as soon as we finish it. Optimistically, within a month. orz]

[This is broadcast from the radio in Zangetsu. The Winding Way and Fiertia radio rooms will pick it up, as will anyone else who happens to be tuned in to the frequency.

An actual journal post repeating the same thing is made a few moments later.

This is also backdated to the cave-ins.]

[moment of static, and there's a bit of wind in the background]

This is Ichigo Kurosaki, calling the Winding Way -- or any ships in the area who can help. There was a monster attack, and my plane's down. I'm stranded in the mountains northwest of Tulgim, and I've got a passenger who's wounded. He's not critical, but I'd like to get him out of here as soon as possible. I repeat: my plane's down northwest of Tulgim, and I have an injured passenger.

[private, medium hackability]

That bastard.

[/private]

[Winding Way, medium hackability]

So I've got three boxes full of strawberry milk. I'm gonna haul them down to the kitchens if anyone wants some.

Oh, and happy Lunasa. Thanks to everyone who gave me stuff -- especially that jacket, Ness. I can really use that. Same to you, Rikku. [he's thanked the two of them in person, btw, along with Harlequin and Luffy and probably anyone else he runs across and remembers to thank, except for Milk. The return-gift bandanna for Beat will serve as a thank-you.]

[/Winding Way]

[gift list here]

[filtered to Watanuki]

Hey, Watanuki. There's a ghost-monster up north of Bydan, and I'm going to try to track it down tomorrow. I need an extra pair of eyes. Think you could help me out?

[/filter]

[filtered to Souji Seta]

You're the guy who wanted to know about ghosts and monsters and stuff, right? Do you know anything about summer banshees?

[/filter]

[note: this is set post-Lunasa]

Third place, huh? That's not so bad. Besides, that guy who won had the most trouble with sabotage, so it's fine by me that he took the prize.

....uh, speaking of. Anybody want this....skymaid thing? Because if not, it's going over the side of the ship. [muttered] I don't want to sleep with that thing staring at me.

Now to figure out what I'm going to do with the other thing...

[Filtered to Ness, Hana, Rhyme]

How's Watanuki doing?

[/filter]

[This is not a journal post; it is broadcast from the radio in Zangetsu. The Winding Way’s radio room will pick it up, as will anyone else who happens to be tuned in to the frequency. It is transmitted right after this log.]

[his voice is obviously agitated; far from panicked, but there is an urgent, almost frenzied overtone -- he’s loud, talking over the roar of Zangetsu’s engine] Nick! Ilya! This is Ichigo! Come in!

Dammit, come in! Watanuki’s in critical condition, and I don’t know how long he’s going to last, so pick up the goddamn headset already! I need medics waiting in the Way’s hangar with a stretcher!

[shortly after this exchange]

Hey, Rikku. You okay over there?

[the reception's not great, but from the sounds of it, he's out by the planes]

.....enough is enough! I've had it with these [snrrrk as the reception fizzes] snakes on this [snrrrrrk, wind blows by the microphone] plane!

I dunno who thinks this is [wind obscures a word or two] funny, but cut it out already!


[long pause]


Hey, Rhyme. Wanna check out the festival later?

[ : Winding Way]

If anyone's got any business with me, take care of it before the 17th, or it'll have to wait. I'm taking the day off.

[/filter]

[ : Watanuki]

Don't bother with a boxed lunch that day. Your hitsuzen can wait a day or two.

[/filter]

[ : Isshin]

You aren't anywhere near Melior, are you, old man?

[/filter]


((OOC: Anyone interacting with Ichigo from now until June 17 will find him....unusually cheerful. He's open and friendly, all smiles, and won't get into any kind of fights. If your character is particularly intuitive, they will realize that he's actually horribly tense about something. In fact, the only time he's anywhere close to his normal self is when he's working on his plane with Rikku. If anyone feels like being WTF'ed out by his sudden shift in disposition, I'd be happy to log, now that things've calmed down a bit~ Forget that. Open log will go up soon.))

Smooth move, moron. Way to piss off every woman on the ship in one go.

"Traditional" is just another word for stubbornly not letting go of outdated views. Don't you think there's a reason people don't think that way anymore?

Hell if I know. Maybe you're too dumb to realize that, too.

I'd kick your ass, but I think there are other people who are more than capable of doing it themselves.



WAY TO FAIL AT INSULTS.

ALL RIGHT, YOU GOT IT.

I'M IN.

THE NAME'S ICHIGO KUROSAKI, AND I'M THE MAN WHO'S GOING TO BLOW THE REST OF YOU OUT OF THE AIR, GOT IT?

[Filtered to the Winding Way]

Zangetsu took some damage in the cactuar attack. I've taken a look at it, and I think some needles might have gotten ground up in the engine. It's gonna need to be cleaned out, at least, and I know there are more parts I'm gonna need.



.....hey, Rikku. About what you were saying before -- I think I might take you up on it.

[/filter]

WHOA.

YOU'RE ALL GETTING WAY AHEAD OF YOURSELVES.

WHO SAYS I'M EVEN ENTERING THE RACE?

[there is a thud as Ichigo accidentally bumps the journal with his elbow]

Whoa, where the heck did that thing come from?

[sound of rustling paper, he's unfolding the crane]

"You and your wife will be very happy." What the hell?

[muttered] This is why fortune-telling is a load of bull. And who the hell is throwing cranes?

[sound of him walking away; recording times out]

If anybody's got family in Bellcius you wanna check on, drop by the radio room and I'll hook you up, okay?





.....sorry.

[through gritted teeth] I've had enough of bombs to last me ten lifetimes. Dammit, where will it end? [sound of his fist slamming down]

[muttered] What am I still doing on this ship?

What the hell is that blue thing on the deck?!

It had better be on our side, or else I'm gunning it down....!

[this is a voice transmission over the radio in his plane -- anyone at the Winding Way's helm, on the bridge, or in the radio room will be able to hear it and respond. He's talking loudly over the background noise of the engine.]

Pirates?! I leave the ship for two minutes and we get attacked by pirates?! Dammit! [muttered] And what kind of name is "Magentabeard" anyway? Just our luck to get attacked by the dumbest-named pirate captain in Reial...

[clears throat, voice loud again]

This is Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm on my way back to the ship, and have Ryuzaki and Vash with me. What's going on down there?




[ooc: Once he gets back to the ship, he's going to be fighting from the air, taking down the smaller fighters that are shooting at the ship -- and yes, Vash and L will be stuck in his plane the whole time.]

.....


....what the hell?


Who dumped blue roses all over Kropmork?!


[muttered] Can't say it's much of an improvement.