DEPLOYMENT 15: Be the Other Walking Nuke

[walking_nuke]

[(Note: All tagbacks will be from walking_nukebird!)]
[ACTION - A (847 Goldberg Street, Early Morning, HOUSEMATES)]

[The first thing Balin notices as he starts to wake up is that he's in some kind of cubicle, swaddled in big, fuzzy blankets. He grumbles, thinking that yet again Mayfield has kidnapped him in his sleep in preparation for its latest twisted game.]

[... Until he realizes that his grumble sounds rather bird-like.]

[And his field of vision is ... considerably wider than normal.]

[He raises up, and cranes his head around to discover that ... he's covered in feathers. Black, iridescent feathers—]

AWK!

[Were he still in his human body, Balin might have lept out of bed and reached for his sidearm ... but he's no longer Balin Wilbur. He's now Utsuho Reiuji—and considering this is the man-eating town-burning youkai he'd fought with not long ago, he's taking this predicament far worse than he might have if he were swapped with someone else.]

[So instead, the hell raven that has been spending most of the past few weeks sleeping peacefully in that box, courtesy of Virginia, is now having a night fright. It squawks in distress, its wings flap haphazardly as it tries to escape the box, crashing into one thing or another. The real Utsuho has had a lot of practice shifting between her raven and humanoid youkai forms, so much so that it doesn't require much thought to trigger the switch. Balin's panicky thoughts of wondering what happened to his human body are enough to trigger the transformation—which, for someone who never wanted to be a Polymorphing Spy, is a highly uncomfortable and horrifying sensation.]

[By the end of it, "Utsuho" flops onto the bedroom floor chest-first. Coming to "her" senses after a few seconds, "Utsuho" pushes "herself" up, but "her" now much larger wings are all ruffled and splayed everywhere, and there's a lot of "her" shorter feathers floating about in the air.]

What—WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

[That yell is loud enough to be heard throughout the house, easily.]

[ACTION - B (Anywhere in Mayfield, Morning/Afternoon, OPEN TO ALL)]

[Utsuho spends a lot of her time flying around in the air, but today she apparently is preferring to walk around town. She seems a bit clumsy and cautious, though—Balin is having difficulty adjusting to a woman's bone structure and center of gravity. Especially since this particular woman isn't even human. Aaand also much taller than he is.]

[Sometimes you might see "Utsuho" looking down at "her" chest and muttering or even angrily talking out loud. Like "she's" arguing with someone.]

[ACTION - C (Downtown Mayfield, Afternoon, OPEN TO ALL)]

"Go on, you mangy mutt! Get out of here! Shoo! Shoo!"

Hey! I'm not a mutt! What's the big idea—

["Utsuho" just tried to enter a store and got pushed out by a drone armed with a broom. With one last shove, "she" stumbles out the door. As the drone slams the door shut, "Utsuho" turns around to look back at the store with "her" hands on "her" hips.]

—Dammit, every store is doing this to me!

[Ah, the joys of finding out Mayfield considers you a "pet."]

[ACTION - D (John Doe Park, Afternoon/Evening, OPEN TO ALL)]

["Utsuho" is currently trying to figure out how to fly. Flight is an ubiquitous ability among Gensokyo's denizens, even if they have no biological ability to do so—but Balin doesn't know that, and so he assumes the only way he can fly as Utsuho is through wing power alone. In fairness, wingspan is one of several things in which Utsuho's body is well-endowed.]

[Flying with wings is a learned skill, though, even for birds—and having never been a bird before, Balin is clumsily trying to imitate what he's seen the real Utsuho and other, normal birds do with their wings. Instead, "Utsuho" ends up flailing "her" wings much like a Killdeer faking a broken wing. Sometimes "she's" lucky with a jump and gets airborne for a few seconds, "her" wings fluttering spastically before "she" falls back down. And "she's" not too graceful about that, either.]

[ACTION - E (Makeout Point, Evening, OPEN TO ALL)]

[Well, if he's going to be stuck inside the hell raven's body for a while, there's one thing Balin can take advantage of for the time being.]

[Up at Makeout Point, "Utsuho" is armed with "her" control rod, and judging from the light show and miniature suns over there, "she's" practicing with "her" powers. Yet unlike her murderous rampage back in March, "she" seems to be taking to aim up at the sky, away from Mayfield. "She's" even trying to avoid setting any trees on fire.]

[But it doesn't look like "she" has a good handle on it, because there are stray fireballs every once in a while.]

Comments

[idkmybfforin]

I WAS.

[...what, bitter? Oh no of course not. That pitch shift is entirely in your head--oh wait.]

[walking_nukebird]

[Yeah, "she" can sense that bitterness.]

... How did you die? Did she kill you and then eat you? Or did she like ... swallow you alive?

[Never mind the latter's not what "she's" been told, but "she's" seen the real Utsuho at work. It's scary.]

[idkmybfforin]

ALL THINGS MUST DIE. EVEN GODS. I WAS PREPARED TO DO SO. I HAD FLOWN INTO THE DEEPEST FIRES OF THE OLD HELL, YET SOME PART OF MY HEART BETRAYED ME AT THE END. IT CRAVED LIFE TOO MUCH.

NOW...NOW I REMAIN. I CANNOT COMMEND MYSELF TO OBLIVION, NOR CAN I ESCAPE.

YOU, MY HOST, ARE MY PRISON.

[The last was almost spat out, with the words hissing like molten earth.]

[walking_nukebird]

[A god who wanted to die? ... Balin's just ... going to chalk that up to divine depression. More to the point, though—]

Yeah, well, that makes two of us. I don't exactly wanna be in the broad's body, either!

[idkmybfforin]

[THE CIRCLE OF LIFE it really sucks sometimes.]

RARE IS THE MORTAL WHO DOES NOT DESIRE MY POWER. DO NOT THINK YOU ARE SO DISSIMILAR.

[walking_nukebird]

I don't want your power because I already have powers like yours. And I don't go melting the Earth with them.

[The irony of saying this while being inside Utsuho's body is not lost on Balin.]

[idkmybfforin]

[The voice seems to laugh--as much as an infernal rumble could sound like one.]

THEN YOU ALREADY KNOW ME. YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW IT, MORTAL.

WHAT YOU DO WITH SUCH POWER IS NOT MY CONCERN. THE DEAD DO NOT HAVE SUCH DESIRES.

[walking_nukebird]

Unless you're saying you're an Eloh, I'm pretty sure my powers don't come from you.

[A beat.]

Are you telling me it was all Utsuho's idea to try and melt the planet back where you two're from? And when she tried razing this town last month?

[idkmybfforin]

AN AVATAR, AN ASPECT--IT NO LONGER MAKES A DIFFERENCE TO ONE SUCH AS I.

I CANNOT DICTATE WHAT MY HOST'S ACTIONS WILL BE. ONE EITHER CHOOSES TO ACCEPT MY WISDOM, OR THEY DO NOT.

[...questionable though that wisdom may be.]

[walking_nukebird]

Yeah? And what's your pearls of wisdom?

[idkmybfforin]

YOU ARE TOO HUMAN TO UNDERSTAND IT, MORTAL.

[walking_nukebird]

Yeah, sorry, but I'd much rather be a human than a man-eating bitch like this bird is.

["Utsuho" flaps her wings indignantly.]

Okay, answer me this. Did Utsuho buy into your wisdom when she went on her rampage?

[idkmybfforin]

YES. AND NO.

[Sorry were you expecting a straight answer?]

[walking_nukebird]

[Yes. Yes "she" was.]

Oh for—[Facepalm!]—ugh. Okay, then, what pieces of advice did she follow?

[idkmybfforin]

[The voice expands, suddenly, until it echoes from every crevice of the host's mind in a deafening cacophony.]

FIRE BURN DESTROY ALL IS ASH BEFORE YOU ALL IS ASH BEHIND YOU WEAKLINGS WEAKLINGS

[And on and on and on it continues.]

[walking_nukebird]

[OH SWEET MERCIFUL LORD. "Utsuho" can only take a few seconds of that before "she" squeezes "her" eyes shut and covers "her" ears.]

ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT ALREADY! I GET THE POINT! SHUT THE FUCK UP!

["Utsuho" would be busy being horrified at the thought of having to deal with this every waking moment, but "she" can't even hear "herself" think!]

[idkmybfforin]

[Even when Balin covers his new host body's ears, the voice persists.

It loses cohesion after a few moments--a few very, very, very long moments--but it remains just as loud. Instead of words, there is only a growling static.]

[walking_nukebird]

["Utsuho" almost trembles as it continues, even when the Yatagarasu's "advice" turns to growling static. Although it's hard to concentrate on his own thoughts, Balin remembers what Virginia said she did to Utsuho on his birthday—and one of "Utsuho's" eyes pops open.]

Fuck this!

["Utsuho" folds her wings behind her back as "she" stands up and, as hasty as "she" can manage, heads out of the master bedroom and down to the basement. "She's" having a bit of a hard time walking right, though, because what are hips. And wings. Even furled as they are, they're like carrying a backpack, only adding to the balance problems Balin's having in Okuu's body.]

[idkmybfforin]

[The static chases Balin wherever he goes, though eventually--very eventually--ir becomes something recognizable again.]

YOU DID ASK.

[walking_nukebird]

["Utsuho" stops before she can reach the basement. "She" wobbles, holding onto the dining room table to balance "herself."]

I did! And I got the point very quickly!

[At least now "Utsuho" knows where the real nukebird got her genocidal tendencies.]

What is it she didn't listen to?!

[idkmybfforin]

DO YOU TRULY WISH TO KNOW?

[The background noise behind the voice is already growing and swelling as if in anticipation.]

[walking_nukebird]

[There's a pause while "Utsuho" deliberates this. On one hand, that "advice" was maddening to endure for even the short time the Yatagarasu subjected "her" to this. On the other, Mayfield won't keep Balin trapped inside the hell raven forever ... will it? It's ... probably for the best that he tries to understand what makes Utsuho tick.]

... Yeah. I do.

[idkmybfforin]

[The sound explodes into that chaotic roar again--but this time, the words are garbled. Harder to understand.

And interspersed with pictures.

Of the cavernous roof of hell collapsing in--to reveal the sky above, and the sun rising forth from the flames into it. Of what looked like ravens, hundreds, thousands of them, chasing the sun, blackness like soot falling away from their plumage to reveal brilliant, colorful, iridescent feathers. Of broken structures, the human inhabitants long since gone and cats wandering the streets.

All like a nuclear blast had swept much of the world clean again. To begin again.

If only there wasn't so much interfering static in the way--interrupting the images, garbling whatever narration may have gone with it, until the entire thing dissolves into nothing.]

[walking_nukebird]

["Utsuho" continues hanging onto the table as "she" watches. This time "she's" not squeezing "her" eyes shut or covering "her" ears. "She's" not protesting at all, loud in "her" mind though the Yatagarasu is.]

[But "she's" still mortified by what "she's" seeing.]

[idkmybfforin]

[Only the grumble of static and snatches of words remain, now.]