Murderfam Mingle - shiptrap reunion because we said so

[meatery]

[One moment, you were in one place. The next moment, a black hole opened up under your feet and you fell through.

Huh. Weird.

Now you're in a dense forest, a top a huge mountain. It might take a moment to notice, but it's actually part of a chain of mountains. There's a small town at the base, but that's a long, long walk. Better to appreciate the vibrant forest, the rushing rivers and the plentiful wildlife, yes? There's monkeys in the trees, fish in the river and the occasional pterodactyl in the sky. You might even come across an old man, friendly enough and seemingly unafraid of strangers. He's the only human you'll find on this mountain, as he'll happily tell you, but it's probably worth exploring anyway.

After all, it's not just humans you're looking for.]

Comments

[meatery]

[Someone not human is, indeed, a little further up the mountain! It's been a year since Gi-ne arrived on Earth to start looking for Kakarrot and she's adapted to the local fashion. She looks like she's doing pretty well, healthy and bright. She's currently dragging what looks like a dead, medium sized T-Rex through the front door, huffing with irritation when the thing's claw gets stuck on the front step.

To her left, a small boy with black spiky hair, a tail and a blue gi is laughing, screaming and running around the tree in circles, as small children are prone to do. There's a bandage wrapped around his forehead, but it doesn't seem to be slowing him down and Gi-ne is apparently unconcerned.]

Come on! [Gives the T-rex a tug. It probably isn't going to fit through the front door.] Aw, I'm going to have to cut you up outside, aren't I?

I just got here and I'm already stressed

[hijiwanwan]

[ Okay, it's all good, right? Once before Hijikata was ship trapped on a murder island, and now he's sucked into a black hole and in a weird place? Yeah... Totally normal! It's fine! Of course, first thing's first, he does take the time to survey the area he's in... It's definitely not anywhere he recognizes. ]

And I thought after that all the weird shit would be over... [ Oh, sigh!

Well, either way he decides to start moving almost immediately. It might be better to just go up and look at where he is from a higher spot- that was his plan until he sees...

What the fuck.. ]

... ... What the hell are you doing here?! And... With that-?! [ Ah yes! Best first reunion greeting, hello Gi-ne! Honestly, he didn't mean to sound so rude, but that's just because he's staring at the T-rex; a very surprised look on his features, maybe even a hint of fear? It's not every day you see a prehistoric creature. Even if it's dead he's kind of keeping his distance from it because holy shit. It won't come back alive, right? It's dead, for good, right? Please say yes. ]

It's a relaxing non-murder filled vacation, damn it!

[meatery]

[Gi-ne looks up with a start at the sound of another voice, dropping the dinosaurs tail in surprise.]

... Hijikata? What are you doing here?

[A little ways away, Kakarrot runs into the tree and falls over backwards. The T-Rex does indeed look pretty dead! At least until it takes a deep breath and it's chest rises. Don't worry, Hijikata, it's unconscious.]

[hopefragment]

[Ugh where is this this isn't the island?? The other island. Jabberwock Island, that other island that had been full of murder and intrigue, where Hinata had once again had to use his protag skills.

He can't help but let out a frightened yell when he lands in a totally unfamiliar setting, wondering if he's somehow wound up in the Neo World Program again... or dead. Again. Really, there's a lot of things that could have happened here, and none of them are good. As far as he can tell, he's arrived here completely alone, too...

Well, nothing for it but to brush dirt off himself and get moving to explore the area. He's still wearing the same, somewhat-more-battered jeans, t-shirt, and tie combo he was wearing on the island, but he definitely looks different. Quite a few years older, closer to nineteen or twenty. A little less lanky and awkward, and a lot more confident... at least at first glance. He ends up following the sounds of some kid running around, stumbling upon--]

Gi-ne?!

[meatery]

[DROPS THE DINOSAUR wow when was the last time she heard a voice other than Kakarrot or Gohan's... She looks over at Hinata in shock. Kakarrot is still screaming and laughing, having moved on to chasing a spider monkey up the tree.]

Hinata?!

[She wasn't expecting to see him again, not after all this time but... She grins and leaps up into the air, landing briefly on the T-Rex's throat (does it make a grunting sound as she does?) before making a second jump and landing directly in front of Hinata.]

It's you! Look at you! Hinata!

[unrulyprincess]

[Look, Clarine didn't want to end up in another world yet again, and she has a moment of fearful concern (DID SHE DIE AGAIN) before she calms down. No...no, it's fine. They fixed things. She's not dead.

Spell tome under her arm, Clarine wanders around, before she finally spies the little boy, and then a moment, later, a more familiar face.

She arches an eyebrow slowly.]

... Gi-ne? Is that truly you? [...] We are not dead again, are we?

[meatery]

[By this point, Gi-ne has met Hinata and Hijikata and figured out something is going on! So she's trying to tug Kakarrot away from the tree so that he can a) meet everyone and b) not fall and hit his head again. She lets go when she hears Clarine's voice though.]

Clarine! No, I don't think so! I've been here for ages, it's fine!

[gravesite]

[ honestly, why does this keep happening to them!! ending up in different places all of a sudden... but at least this place looks a bit... tamer than the last place, if only by a little?? but tsurumaru sees someone familiar hauling the biggest creature that he's ever seen. he's 99% certain that it's dead, though. ]

Mom!

[ and who is this kid? he gives the kid a long, slow, look, and if gazes could speak, it would say what are you doing here?, before turning back towards gi-ne.

but it's just like tsurumaru to slide in, to act as if he's a part of the ongoing situation already. ] Wooow, what's that? Are we going to eat that for dinner?

[ and then, he holds up a peace sign: ] Surprise, Gi-ne! It's good to see you again.

[meatery]

[Kakarrot gives Tsurumaru a good, long look back. If it could speak it would say why are you looking at me like that?

At this point, Gi-ne can't even be surprised anymore. She smiles at Tsurumaru and pulls a large knife out of somewhere.]

Yup! I was worried it'd be too much for just us but it's looking like a good idea! Everyone's showing up all of a sudden! Hi!

[out_of_the_kitchen]

[ Getting dropped down a mysterious black hole is serious cause for concern to Bols. He doesn't know of any sort of teleportation teigu, but that hardly means it's impossible for Night Raid to have one. So he's on guard as he approaches, flamethrower at the ready, until he recognizes who it is. He doesn't understand how it's possible, but he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and he's not going to point a flamethrower at Gi-ne or what is assumedly Gi-ne's son. ]

Ah, hello! That's a big dinner, isn't it?

[meatery]

[Jesus she's popular today! Even Kakarrot is distracted from his games by this new arrival. He looks strong and his face is so weird! So he's creeping through the grass towards Bols, watching him warily.

Gi-ne, on the other hand, just grins.] It's looking like I'll need it! [Hiiii!]

[hopefragment]

[...Well, for the moment, his classmates back on Jabberwock Island are just going to have to do without their protag, since Hinata's currently wandering around that same little area the child had been playing in before. His normal jeans-t-shirt-tie combo somehow still fits him, even though an observant person would be able to tell Hinata looks quite a bit older than the sixteen he had been on the island; he actually seems to be closer to nineteen or twenty, and just a little more confident-looking... especially in the way he approaches people he knew well on the island before.]

Hey. It's been a long time, right? I mean, if you don't remember me, that's fine... I'm glad to see you, though. Even in this kind of weird circumstance.

...Which I didn't have anything to do with, by the way!

[JUST TO MAKE THAT CLEAR. Not a general this time!!

Alternatively, he can be found... whittling? Since when does he have that kind of skill?? It looks like he's trying to make a toy for Gi-ne's son, but really, that's weird. Hinata doesn't have any actual skills at all... right?]

[feel free to opt out of sdr2 spoilers here!]

[unrulyprincess]

Hinata!

[The exclamation comes rather cheerfully from Clarine, even as she hurries over to him and his whittling (what are you, Hinata, an old man?). She has a spell tome under her arm and overall looks a bit more settled, but otherwise she's much the same as she was back in murderland...

Except this is a much happier meet-up.]

Here you are as well!

[hopefragment]

[Ugh leave him alone he needs his nap??

He drops the half-finished toy and all but jumps to his feet at the sound of Clarine's voice, breaking into a wide smile.]

Clarine! I didn't think I'd get to see you again! How have you been?

[hijiwanwan]

[ Ah, well... This whole predicament kind of worries Hijikata, actually! Since he's a busy man... Who's practically married to his work, please understand? He's a busy man? But anyway, after meeting up with Gi-ne he decided to just sit outside of the quaint house on the mountain.

Might as well relax rather than stressing out over things. If Hijikata can survive a murder island he can survive this weird place with dinosaurs and whatnot! Yes. Positive outlooks.

Well, he'll look up at whoever approaches him next and blinks. He definitely didn't expect this either... ]

So I'm not the only one that didn't get thrown in here, huh? [ Sup. ]

[unrulyprincess]

[IT'S HIJIPAPA....

Clarine was actually perched on a rock, admiring her surroundings and taking the chance to just breathe after having met up with Hinata and Gi-ne, but seeing Hijikata surprises her. She blinks.

And slowly tilts her head.]

Hijikata...? [...] Do you...remember? [Or is that wishful thinking]

surprise :-)

[hijiwanwan]

[ Oh... Oh right... He told Clarine that he would forget so... Oops.

So, deciding to play along first he looks up at Clarine and raises an eyebrow. ] Excuse me? What are you even talking about?

[ Small huff. Gosh! The nerve of this girl just coming up to Hijikata Hijikatason and nonchalantly asking if he remembers! Remembers what?! Wow! Of course... He's kidding. With a small smile he waves his hand a bit. ]

Joking. You caught me... I ended up changing my mind.

So, uh... Surprise. I guess.

[hopefragment]

Hijikata.

[How long has it been...? Now possessed of quite a bit more historical knowledge on the man he spent a week with, he has to resist the urge to ask what year it was before Hijikata wound up here. But for the moment, he doesn't know whether or not the other even remembers him, let alone is aware of the fact that he's likely going to die within a few years.]

Um... do you know who I am?

[While he's definitely four or five years older-looking, he's still wearing that same jeans, t-shirt, and tie outfit that he'd had on the island. Not to mention that ahoge is unmistakable.]

[dolosa]

[ Guess who has the worst luck today? It's Rei. Anyone in the immediate area might have to watch out because guess who is totally falling from the sky, which means she might fall down on someone. At the very least, nobody will be getting any panty shots, considering that she's actually wearing this ensemble.

She's sorry if she actually lands on you (unless you're Hajime, then she's not as sorry?) but this. This isn't what she wanted, she just wanted today to be normal, this sucks already.... Of course, if she doesn't land on a person, she might just fall on a dinosaur - a pterodactyl - and just yell because NOT AS PLANNED, ABORT MISSION!!!

Once that predicament is said and done, however, she'll sigh, already looking rather exhausted, wiping her brow as she speaks in a somewhat rattled, annoyed voice. ]

Who am I going to kill here to get payback..? [ Ah, yes, it's good to see Rei's as Sane as usual. ]

[meatery]

[Wow, sure was nice of that pterodactyl to catch you, Rei! And awfully nice of someone else to fly up behind you and hook their arms under yours to pluck you off it's back before you fall off!]

Okay, no more screaming, calm down.

[They're still pretty high up.]

[kametaro]

( One moment he was minding his own business and the next thing he knows, he's... falling? Some where along the fall, he'd ended up de-manifesting, his corporeal form returning to its vessel-- the wakizashi he'd been holding on to. The shock from the fall has left him a bit dazed so he remains in his sword form for a little while.

If you're exploring the forest, you'll stumble upon wakizashi right in the middle of the path. Huh... and it looks like no one is around to claim it! Finders keepers, right? Hmm... does it maybe look a little familiar? )

[unrulyprincess]

[You know what, that's a pretty familiar sword.

If only because there was a lot of sword comparing (of the non-lewd sort) and then it was Urashima and after everything clicks, she drops to her knees and looks frantic.

It probably looks ridiculous.

How do you shake a sword awake???]

...Urashima? Is that you?! Oooh...! What are you doing?!

[bitter_sweet_anarchy]

Holy Mary, mother of shit, haven't I had enough of this by now?!

[ It had been a while since the, well, everything, but let it be known that Stocking and wilderness never exactly clicked; after roughing it in the jungle, she began to dislike it even moreso. But if there's one thing she hates more than being away from the big city, out in the goddamn sticks, it's being yanked there without even the slightest hint of a warning. Thankfully, being able to fly has its perks, her translucent blue angel wings and a bright halo shining on her back and above her head as she hovers above the ground. She's not actually flapping them or anything, but they still glimmer and glow as she explores her new surroundings from above.

At least these still work, she rationalizes to herself as she checks things out, hiking up her dress just a bit and pulling out a lollipop from a cluster sticking out from the cuff of her stocking. Some things never change, it'd seem.

That said, it's fairly easy to catch her floating around, since she's not too high above ground level; flying's just convenient, after all! ]

[hopefragment]

[Don't mind Hinata kind of just staring at her feet and where they should logically be on the ground. He's gone through a lot of things, but people just floating in the real world really shouldn't be possible.]

Uh... hey. [Cautious as always as he glances up at her.] Remember me?

[He definitely looks older, closer to nineteen or twenty than sixteen, but he's still wearing the same outfit that he'd had on while on the island. Does he own any other clothing... of course not he's an anime protag.]

a million years late with starbucks

[dolosa]

Seems like there's plenty of people here who can fly. [ Amused? Not really; in fact, she sounds a little more annoyed than so, but at least it's not directed at Stocking herself. ]