awashlogs | OPEN + CLOSED

Entry tags:

OPEN + CLOSED

WHO: Damian, OTA + some closed prompts
WHERE: around town
WHEN: month of June
WHAT: catch all & quests
WARNINGS: n/a
NOTES: if you're looking for anything in particular with damian, or you want to do a quest with him, ping me at

moetan or send me a message on discord astralfire#9286! feel free to also wildcard me.

i. dog days (after Bad Week)

[In Bluo at the harbor, there's a boathouse floating by the docking with some of the others. From the outside, it looks like the same as any other of the boathouses, but there is a makeshift raft near the steps and also something on the balcony uptop.

A dog, a German Shepherd, tall enough on hind legs to curl the front paws over the railing and gaze out at everything. It doesn't seem as if the dog is in distress, not with its tongue lolled out and its ears up, and depending on the person, it may be familiar. It doesn't appear to be starved either. And, strangely, there doesn't seem to be anyone else with the dog. Weird. Just a dog, chilling on a boathouse, not wet.

Ace is a good, working boy. If he spots you walking along the harbor, he'll start barking. It doesn't sound aggressive, maybe more of an alert warning.]

ii. the early bird (during Bad Week)

[It's honestly way too early for anyone to be out and about much less out and by the edge of the forest. And yet, here Damian Wayne is anyway. Sunrise and at Creep-O Woods.

There's no Robin in sight. Simply a dark-haired boy in town clothing that's been altered to give more mobility, a wrapped tunic and pants, something more Eastern in style. He's going in and out of the forest, and the time between entering and leaving must mean he's not going very far. Maybe a few yards in.

Nearby, alongside a pile of mismatched wood pieces, is not the usual dog, but a cat instead. By the looks of it, the cat seems to perhaps be a tuxedo, and it's lounging indifferently, tail curling up and down. The cat may also be familiar to some. It even offers a quiet, tummy-bouncing thirrup of greeting if you come into range.

Is it friendly? Are cats every friendly?]

iii. beauty_and_the_beast_belle.mp3 (after Bad Week)

[Damian is in the library finishing his consumption of the books, almost like he thinks there will be some shining clue to this entire fiasco waiting for him. Boy, he's going to be shocked. And mad. Nothing greets him except page after page of folktales, some he's heard before, some he hasn't.

He doesn't look up if someone comes inside with him.] Close the door behind you. [He flips another page. Across from him on the table is an abandoned open book--abandoned because it's currently being occupied by the tuxedo cat, sprawled out from one edge to the other lazily.

Clearly, one cannot simply read a book in the presence of a feline.]

iv. extra (during Bad Week)

[Damian can periodically be found trying to talk to Bruce throughout the first few days of the week. As per Bruce's punishment, Bruce won't see or hear him, and so Bruce will continue on without noticing him.

He'll be pretty cold and upset about it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Josuke meets Damian in a similar fashion as his friend, Okuyasu: Damian is on the second story of the building when they run into each other. It's fairly high up, but the boy clinging to the outside of the window doesn't seem to be at all worried.

Everything about him appears familiar, but Damian has an altered piece of cloth covering the bottom half of his face. He has a hood, too, but it's down at the moment. It's not Robin. It sure as hell looks like Robin, in a way.

But regardless, Damian recognizes Josuke. Naturally. He tuts under his breath, and glances down as Josuke moves in below him.] What's it to you? [The only difference in voice is the fact Robin had a kindo of forced deeper one. Not by much. More gravel-y. (Trying to be Batman.)]

What're you going to do? Arrest me?

[Over one shoulder, a piece of rope has both ends tied to the top of two linen bags, maybe half a foot tall each. And full. Of something. They don't seem misshapen, so whatever it is can't be a bunch of oblong items.]

[ This guy looks like Robin, sounds a little like Robin and even seems to share his attitude. The most telling thing, however, is the boy's skill -- how effortlessly he seems to have climbed out of that window on his own, his apparent fearlessness in an act that most people would be cowering over. Not a lot of people possess that kind of skill to begin with, and even less so in Robin's apparent age range. ]

No. I'm no policeman. And I wouldn't even know where to toss you ... [ They don't have anything like jail, do they? Not that they seem to really need one so far, in this town where most people are good eggs. Okay, he does want to get to the bottom of whether this new kid is his friend or not, but first: ] I will, however, ask you to put that back where you found it. If there's something you need so badly, I'm sure there are other places to get it from.

[ Josuke kind of assumes this kid is Robin at this point so he's taking on a bit of a stern-babysitter tone. ]

Oh. So the "defense force" hasn't even put in place a method of containment should someone get out of hand. I see. [He knew this already. He's just being an asshole.

He wants to shit on Guren's work because Guren gave him a hard time. It's fine.] What I'm taking is technically mine. [Don't give him the babysitter bullshit. He hates it.

With practice ease and elegance, he releases the window and, much to Josuke's probably mounting horror, falls two stories to the ground. The pet food comes off his shoulder right before he hits, allowing him to duck into a roll and soften the landing, ending up once more on his feet. Balanced. He grabs the rope and hefts it back onto his shoulder.

He pulls the mask down off the bottom of his face. HM. FAMILIAR.]

Are we finished? I'm busy.

[ So rude. This is definitely Robin. There aren't many others with such a bad attitude. He won't bother arguing with him, since he knows Damian's just being mean for the sake of it as always. ]

Shit, you --! [ Just jumped off the second floor window? By the time Damian touches down on the ground, he'll see that Josuke's brought out his Stand, prepped and ready to catch the boy. He's not actually surprised that he managed the two-story fall just fine, but he is a little annoyed that Damian had scared him like that. ]

It doesn't become yours just because you found it first, if that's what you're trying to imply. [ Or so Josuke says, but if he found $20 on the ground he's very likely to keep it. He crosses his arms now, keeping up that likely-infuriating babysitter act. ]

Really. I thought you'd know better than this. [ He is disappointed in you, homie. ]

[The wonderful thing about seeing Damian bare-faced is: if Josuke has run into Bruce, they look nearly identical. If not, Josuke will just be surprised when Bruce happens.

Unfortunately, Damian does not act like Bruce.] Finding it first is irrelevant. It's mine because the town told me it was mine.

[Also, strangely (fortunately!!), Damian doesn't appear to be aware of Crazy Diamond this time around. No mask. He's at a disadvantage, but at least he's aware of the possibility of it.] The town, however, has idiotic conditions attached to "rewards," or whatever you want to call them.

The food was dispersed between all the houses in Bluo. I'm just collecting what is rightfully mine.

Unless you're the type of man who would keep someone from retrieving what is theirs. Are you that kind of man, Higashikata?

[ That confirms it. This is that fuckin' kid. Being called by his last name is still really strange because pretty much nobody does that, and somehow, it makes Damian's words sound more biting (probably with intention). ]

You must be talking about that quest from a few weeks ago ... [ Untold: The quest that Josuke himself failed, and spent a weak freaking out over perceived hair loss as punishment. As silly as it is, Chroma has been tough on this teenage drama queen. Finally, Josuke is putting it all together. ]

Okay, I finally get it. You were trying to get your shit back. [ Not stealing! Fine!! ] But you could still talk to people instead of breaking into their homes? Unless -- [ Lol, he just thought of something stupid. ]

You that shy, dude? [ Who even understands the mysterious introvert? ]

[Not even Barry Allen can beat just how fast Damian's face falls.]

Modesty has nothing to do with it. [The quest legitimately said for him to ask around Bluo for the goods, but ain't nobody got time for that. Especially not Damian Wayne.

That's fine. He's going to have to deliver it, in the end. Eat shit and die, Damian.] This way conveniently saves me a lot of time. I don't have to waste two days making small talk when all I need is the food.

Someone's going to get the wrong idea and hit you with a bat or something, man. [ Pause, then he remembers who he's talking to. ]

Though, I guess you're going to tell me you'd beat them up first. [ FIRST. ] With your ninja skills.

[ He feels like he has such a solid grasp on Damian's personality already. Anyway, yeah, that's what he's going with. Ninja skills. ]

[He's too Bat to be hit by a bat, Josuke, not... that Josuke would know that kind of meta text. Yet. Ever.]

They can try. I don't have to assault them if they're foolish enough to try to hit me with a bat. I can disarm and subdue them. ["Ninja skills" gets his eyes to roll softly.

But he doesn't confirm or deny whether he acknowledges having ninja skills.] Besides, no one is going to know I was here at all.

[Josuke gets a pointed look. Will Josuke tattle? It might be bad.]

[ Why is Damian looking at him -- Oh. Josuke catches on quickly. ]

I'm no snitch. [ Snitches are not cool. It's not like Damian was really stealing from those people anyway. ]

So ... what's in the bag? What did that Mr. F give you? [ 'Mr. F' being what Okuyasu calls their mysterious captor who's responsible for all this. Josuke doesn't really know why, but he rolls with it. ]

[Ah yes. Good boy, Josuke. Snitches get stitches.]

Food. For the animals in town. This is chicken feed, and it's likely for Dextera and the chickens. I plan to make an inventory once I have checked every house. [Mr. F isn't a bad name, but:] "Mr. F"?

What if "Mr. F" turns out to be "Miss F"?

No way. You're gonna be going around, feeding all the animals? That's adorab -- I mean, that's really cool of you.

[ If he says it's a cute mental image, he might get kicked in the shin. Maybe he'll get kicked anyway for the fond look on his face. ]

If it's a 'Miss' after all, I guess we'll start calling her that. Won't change how I feel about her. [ He's not any softer on women. If 'Miss F' ever shows up, Josuke will be ready to drill her for answers and maybe dish out a punch or two for all the crap everyone's been forced to go through. ]

[Again, there's some kind of crazy speed in how fast his eyes narrow when Josuke almost says adorable. HE'S NOT STUPID, JOSUKE. Anyway.]

I'm going to give the food to the animals' owners. [Even as Damian is talking about Good Boy deeds, there's a strange, suffocating sort of energy that washes over the edge of the building on them. Damian isn't immune, but it's a back-burner curiosity. Whatever it is pulls the hair up on his arms and the back of his neck.]

What if they aren't a mister or miss at all? [His eyes are as narrow as before, but not for the same reason this time.] What if they're a program, a machine?

[Hm. That's weird. Over the top of Damian's head, back near the other end of the building, something moves back and disappears.]

[ Picturing Damian hand-feed some colourless sheep is funny and definitely brings a smile to his face, but Josuke felt that too - that kind of oppressing aura from somewhere around them. It's definitely not normal. Not to say he's got decades of experience in fighting, but he's definitely been in enough Stand battles to catch on that something isn't quite right. ]

Then we'll just have to break that machine ... [ Even better for Josuke, probably. He's adverse to killing human beings but he's completely fine with fucking some stupid machine up if it means everyone gets to go home. His gaze travels to what's behind him, and it's just his instinct to shuffle in front of his friend, keeping Damian behind him. It's not that he doubts the boy's ability, but protecting the ones around him is always Josuke's first priority. ]

Something ain't right here.

[The change is Josuke is all Damian needs to understand that it isn't only him, that it isn't something playing with his perception alone. He's too focused on clinically watching Josuke react to get mad about being "shielded" when Josuke steps in front of him.

His eyes fall around Josuke's side to the back end of the building. Nothing is there, but things still feel very odd.] This entire town isn't right, Higashikata.

You're going to have to be more specific.

I know you know what I'm talking about ... [ Damian's still a kid but he's proven himself to be very capable. Josuke's quite confident that he sensed it too. ]

I saw a shadow at the corner of my eye. I'm not fucking around here. [ He knows he sometimes goofs off and jokes around but he would never get his friend on the alert just for a silly prank. At the first sign of movement, Crazy Diamond grabs the first thing he can get his hands on - a coin that happened to be on the ground, in this case - and shoots it directly at where he thinks the shadow is. With the Stand's strength, the coin rips through the air much like a bullet would, but it lodges right into the side of someone's house instead. That's a miss. The monster's just too quick.

At least that seems to anger it enough to finally show its face - that of a large black, demonic figure, lurking in the shadows with its eyes set on them. ]

[Damian does. More so than Josuke probably. He's already been into the forest with Kirishima, and they have both already run into this very entity.]

"The Bogeyman."

[The rope and two sacks of food come off his shoulder to thump on the ground by his feet. He's not in the suit like he had been in the forest, and he doesn't have the stave he made out of the stick, but... he's still capable.] Don't let it touch you.

It's going to try to show you things that aren't real. Illusions. Don't fall for them.

It can do that sort of thing? The bad guys here never seem to fight fair.

[ But it's good advice, at least. He doesn't want to stick around to find out what's going to happen if any of them get touched. ]

If I can't touch that bastard, then punching it's not going to work. [ Crazy Diamond will proceed to pull out one of the town signs to use as a makeshift weapon. Responding to the threat, the boogeyman seems to morph, changing itself into a shadow-like wolf with sharp teeth and claws that Josuke knows aren't going to feel as intangible as a shadow. ]

What are you going to do? Do you have those gadgets of yours? [ Otherwise, run away, Damian?? ]

It was unbeatable in the forest. When Red Riot and I tried to apprehend it, it ran further in and disappeared. [Fuck.

It was showing them both some pretty horrible shit. It's in town now? It followed people back--just like the shadows Minato told him about. No. It followed him.] Don't worry about me.

I can handle myself. [And tactically use Josuke as a meat shield because the Stand is more equipped than he is with three batarangs and a batgrapple. Slowly, he slides into a defensive stance, bringing both arms up.

Then they falter, lower a little. The wolf starts prowling toward them, but it's not a wolf anymore, not to Damian. It stretches and elongates, rising up on two legs, the shadow of it wiggling and uncontrollable until it's all sucked suddenly together into a familiar form. He doesn't know if Josuke can see it (probably), though he's too focused to care.] No... [His hands go back up, balling into hard fists.]

Heretic.

[ If this creature is a beast that morphs itself, it's likely to pick a form most intimidating to its prey. Josuke doesn't know how, but it's likely that the Boogeyman has somehow read Damian's mind, picking the form most suitable to shake him up confidence. Josuke can see it too, this strange man in full-armor that's standing before them now. ]

Don't lose focus ... [ When he says that, he's trying to be serious, but his soft nature also takes the reins for a bit and Josuke instinctively rests his hand on Robin's shoulder. It's a form of reassurance, nothing too showy that Damian will probably reject. This man that the creature has taken on, though. He's really curious to know who he may be.

Finally, the Boogeyman throws itself at them, and Josuke shields Damian behind him and the Stand, using Crazy Diamond to smack it away with that sign. It's got some incredible strength; Josuke's Stand rarely loses when it comes to brute force, but even he's having trouble pushing the creature back as it reaches for either of them with its grubby, clawed fingers. ]

Edited (it's too late ... dies ) 2018-06-15 19:18 (UTC)

[The shoulder tenses under Josuke's hand, but it's true, he doesn't jerk away. Maybe he isn't simply all talk; the way it feels beneath Josuke's palm is something studied, something practiced. Squaring up.]

Keep your eyes on it.

[After the fiasco in the woods, Damian doesn't believe this is the actual Heretic. Regardless, seeing even an image of Heretic is unsettling. The illusion comes forward, prepared, determined, and Damian, feeling worse for it, lets Josuke step into the lead.

It's strong. Maybe not as strong as it felt in the forest. His eyes scan it over, then quickly scan their surroundings. It has the house to its advantage. The cracks of it.] We need to lead it into the open!

It wants me. Don't interfere! Let it pass!

[Turning around, Damian does something he rarely does: retreats. He takes off at a surprisingly fast pace, heading toward more of an open clearing in town. He hadn't been wrong: the Bogeyman delights in tormenting everyone, but it had followed Damian back into town specifically. The "Heretic's" attention lifts, focusing on the running boy.

It starts to go lax in the stalemate, trying instead to rush around and chase.]

[ He's so distracted by Damian just zipping off somewhere that Josuke's focus breaks from the stalemate he's in, Crazy Diamond's own grip relenting, and the Bogeyman takes his opportunity to bypass him completely, knocking that signboard out of Crazy Diamond's hands and running pass both Josuke and his Stand. ]

You can't take that thing on your own! [ Not when he only seems equipped with a few of his gadgets, that grappling gun and those strange-looking ninja stars. Damian does have a point, however. The last thing they want is for the Bogeyman to escape into the cracks of the house. Then, they'll have no way of knowing when it'll show up again. ]

I'll let that piece of shit go as far as the open road. [ He doesn't feel comfortable letting it chase Damian around like this, but leading it into an open space is the smarter option right now. Josuke takes after them both, keeping a close distance behind so he can attack it when it gets way too close to his friend. ] Why does it want you?

[It's fine that Josuke and Crazy Diamond chase--better even, so that Damian won't be stubbornly trying to battle the thing on his own. One of the biggest flaws, over-confidence.

In the clearing, he turns back and throws two batarangs, but the whole of the fake Heretic opens in the center, shadowy, allowing them to pass through.] Damn. [Damian's eyes shift to Josuke taking up the other end.

Heretic stretches out an arm, and the shadows bubble up vertically from the fisted hand, three feet give or take--a sword. Damian brings his hands up defensively, trying not to let the gooseflesh rise on his arms and the back of his neck.]

It's the Bogeyman, and it thinks I'm a child. [Damian, for now, doesn't move, waiting.] Red Riot and I went into the woods for the quest. We ran into it, but it ran away like a coward.

It followed us back from the forest.

[ DAMIAN YOU ARE A CHILD. ]

It needs to learn to quit when someone's just not interested. [ With the Bogeyman evading those batarangs effortlessly, Josuke is left having to deal with them, his Stand catching one and knocking the other off course. Shapeshifting is cheating, but he wouldn't expect a monster to fight fair. The sword that seems to materialize in its hand raises alarm bells in Josuke's mind, and though the closer he gets to the monster the more his heart seems to dip with anxiety, he pushes through those feelings and trudges on.

Almost like the town has decided to aid them, there are items he can use as a weapon just lying around in the debris - some pins and ball bearings that make for excellent makeshift bullets. ]

Let's see how precise this bastard really is. [ Morphing to dodge two objects as large as batarangs isn't that much of an impressive feat, in Josuke's opinion. Will this Bogeyman be able to morph precisely enough to evade a barrage of makeshift bullets, all aimed at different parts of it? Only one way to find out. Crazy Diamond focuses the entirety of its strength in only its fingers, shooting those objects at the creature. ] Jump outta the way, Robin!

[ Just in case the monster does its shapeshifting trick again and the objects go right through it. ]

[HE IS A GROWN ASS MAN]

You IDIOT! Don't just shoot--! [God dammit! His eyes widen when he spots Josuke and Crazy Diamond behind, picking up little shit from the ground. Josuke's going to throw it like before...

Damian is already mostly leapt out of the way by the time Josuke begins the exclamation to dodge. Damian doesn't trust anyone (or anything) with superhuman speed and a lack of foresight. He narrowly misses being pulverized by thrown shrapnel.

But there's too many for the Bogeyman to continually dodge; one or two pass through the figure, but the rest are taken in more solidified flesh. It's not like the shadowy wisp from the forest. Here, it's whole.

Damian rolls a few feet, then twists back up into a crouch, ready. The Bogeyman seems only slightly pained, more irritated, and its attention turns to Josuke.] It's vulnerable!

Destroy it before--! [Without turning to look, the Heretic Bogeyman raises the sword, and Damian miscalculates. He thinks it'll be used against Josuke. Istead, the fake Heretic suddenly twists and flings it at him. He jumps as quickly as he can to one side.

Without any sort of cry, the sword skewers Damian through the top of the ribs at an angle with enough force to push him back and pin him to the ground like a butterfly in a shadow box.]

OPEN + CLOSED

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i cant sleep

you better be sleeping

i finally slept ...

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i hope you know damian is getting impaled

why are you the way that you are

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this took way too long

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