#udsopen

[enginehaze]

"Tch--- it's too hot..."

Raising a hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow, the mechanic frowns, giving a glance around as he explores his surroundings again. Isn't it a good thing to get acquainted with where you're, say, staying, after all?

"How the hell'm I supposed ta get anythin' done in this heat...? Is there even anythin' to work on?" The mechanic was rather antsy with the lack of projects to tinker around on, lately. Well.

[azurepurenotes]

"...Ah?"

The bluenette's eyes shot open, staring at the sky above him with a confused expression. This-- this made no sense, right? After all, the sky above him was bright red. Not blue, as he was used to seeing every single day of his life. And turning his head to the side, he noticed that nothing about this place seemed familiar. Brow furrowing, he stood to his feet, brushing himself off and beginning to walk.

Though, the further he went, the stranger it seemed to get. Everything was too quiet; he hadn't seen a single person yet. Why was he even here in the first place--?

"H...Hello?" Kaito called out, cupping his hands around his mouth as if using them as a megaphone. "Is anyone around?! Hello!!"

[brazenclocks]

{ →fatalist || kouri ;; ??? open.

Humans.

Petty, pitiful humans.

They were everywhere Kouri looked, here, there, wandering so aimlessly around the Kagerou Daze she had made her own. The startling blue of her gently glowing haze stood prominent among the red of day. Her body shimmered like a mirage, a ghost in the glow of summer. Though her expression was solemn, or perhaps bored would be--however blunt--an accurate word of description.

Never had she experienced the abundance of flesh and blood that so frantically roamed the heat. As was such, her glassy eyes skimmed the crowds without a hint of interest, swaying with the glimmer of heat. It was strange, it was different, and such a change in her home was indeed putting strain on the heat haze. The unfamiliarity was unbearable, though in all reality Kouri accepted the loss, or rather the gain.

The girl of the haze pursed her lips, her footsteps inaudible and her stride like a specter. This wasn't how things were supposed to work; these people were dead, and at least half should have already vanished from her life. Overseeing such desperation was a job in itself, and with eyes trained to the prisoners of sorts, a depressing job did it make. Ah, as the heroes so boldly murmured, madder red. No more.

But Kouri had no room to say such a thing, and the body of blue took elegant strides through the heat, eyes ever searching. Ever watching. Working harder and harder for Master. She giggled. Well, if this was her fate, there was no turning back now, huh? 

A twirl in her step and a seemingly lighthearted giggle from her lips as she neared the heart of the city. Ah, a loss of her time, and perhaps with enough attentiveness, a new play thing cou<ld await her at her wandering destination.

[harukasstateoftheworld-blog]

( the city belongs to them }} || open starter to all

❝ ᵇᵘᵗ ˢᵘʳᵉˡʸˑˑˑ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˢᵗ ʷᵃʸ ᵗᵒ ᶠᵃˡˡ ᵒᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ˡᵒᵛᵉˑˑ ᶤˢ ᵗᵒ ᵍʳᵒʷ ᵗᵒ ʰᵃᵗᵉ ʷʰᵃᵗ ᵒᶰᶜᵉ ʷᵃˢ ʸᵒᵘʳˢˑ❞

Again, Haruka looked up to the sky. As cliche as the action was in itself, it was slightly more warming than anything else. Looking at a building dowsed in red? That sounded more like a way to scare a man into confessing his sins, even if they weren't really his.

A long time ago, or what seemed like a long time ago, Haruka recalls reading books of crime and punishment, those fictional ones that take said prisoner to stranger lands where their morals are repaired. When returning to their homeland they turn over a new leaf; avoiding the police and becoming something upon the lines of a volunteer worker with a cute wife and.. so on. Unless they chose to remain in the world,where they'd find love somewhere, and learn to do all kinds of crazy things like riding dragons and making potions.

... But could this world be described at that? For as far as he could see, the only abnormality of it were that the once busy streets where as bare as ever (A permanent midnight? No, there were streetlamps lighting u the street than-- and a mixture of the drunk and sad wandering around) and thus... he was lost.

Was that a good thing? Licking his lips in anticipation of the answer, he thought harder about every face he'd seen brushing past him. Everyone here was lost, where they all in the right and wrong? Had such a place destroyed the black-and-white boundaries of where they came from? Could a murderer come here and question himself? Could a chef who cooks food for the homeless do the same? Because... here, anyone was anyone, they could be the worst person they wanted to be or the best person in suit

And... no, Haruka shook his head clear of anything that seemed to be lingering at the back, and tore his gaze away from the looming sky. Every time he looked.. it seemed to grow a little less appealing, and more like another burden one must face at the dawn of every day. This land was unrecognizable, but everything was exactly where he left it. The school desk he used to sit at would probably have that half-broke pencil sitting at the edge of his desk, just like where he left it.

Bitter, that's what this was. It was a bitter place with heavy air that wraps around his arms like those countless medical tubes had done so. How unpleasant. Although, getting stuck in his own thoughts... was probably a bad turn of what good fortune is waiting for him-- that was probably the kind of thing he should be thinking. The belief that all dark spots could be translated into gold was a fleeting one, and Haruka really never was one for something as... paper thin.

Stories were nice, yes, and so were pictures. Spoken word tales from old men were nice. Songs following someones life were nice.

-- But never would you be able to push your hand through the paper that has the notes written on to actually become a part of the music. Never would you be able to insert yourself into a story already written out. Never would you ever be able to... live in a city.. that's eating itself from the inside out.

[mockinghaze]

The perfect word to describe the city was hot. It was extremely hot outside, according to numerous people on the streets. As previously said, many inhabitants seemed quite upset about it. Kagerou, of course, was perfectly fine with the hot temperatures. The heat spells of summer were perfect for traveling about, if you happened to be a heat haze. Recently, the haze hadn't seen any other hazes, not even Shiro. This just made him bored, and he didn't feel like being bored all day, every day. So, the second best thing for him to do was locate Hibiya. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.

No luck. The brunette boy wasn't anywhere to be seen, not even at the park. How boring. Kagerou was supposed to be bothering the kid, but he couldn't even pinpoint his location. The haze sighed, deciding to sit on one of the swings. There was no Hibiya, no Hiyori. The park was completely void of life, besides for himself. No one was around for him to annoy, torture, mock, et cetera. He absentmindedly began to swing back and forth slightly, thinking. If he couldn't find those two kids, perhaps someone else would come along. After all, Kagerou had noticed the many new arrivals to the city. These new people... he wondered if they were aware of their deaths. If they knew, then good for them, they weren't that stupid. If they didn't... Why would he care?

Everyone was dead anyway, so knowing it simply wouldn't matter.

The sound of footsteps from behind made Kagerou pay attention. The heat haze frowned, wondering what kind of person had arrived. Was it a kid, or an adult? Did he know them? Did he want to? Only one way to find out. Quickly turning his head, Kagerou glared at whoever was there. The only thing he said was in a sharp, somewhat bitter tone.

"What the hell do you want?"

[helplessfate]

Same scenary, same girl, same. Things have been quite different from before, but, should she be worried about it? The warm wind stroking her face, a desired but unpleasant silence. Always the same. She began to put her strength in her legs, her small body flying, swings on air, her pigtails over her face, gaze stuck in the red sky.

In the moment she listened a noise behind her, she abruptly landed her legs on the ground. to stop the game. 

"Whoever you're, leave." Cold words, an easy order.

[enginehaze]

"Damn----"

The mechanic is getting antsy. He needs something to tinker around on, at least. Or a wrench. A wrench would be nice. Something that acts like a security blanket is alway nice, after all.

[a-hazystar]

'Too hot..'

        -It was all that ran through Suzume's mind as she wondered the empty streets. It was familiar but not at the same time, the city for sure but the lack of noise and people was disconcerting. The red sky freaked her out to no end, she would have to get use to it. After some time investigating Suzume came to the conclusion that the city had everything; food, stores, and basic supplies. Besides people and proper cooling devices. She let out a sigh.

'..too hot'