Third: Undercover (Text; anon) - spoilers everywhere

[corpsewarblade]

[After everything that had happened over the Forest of the Fisherking mission, Mukuro was feeling restless. Really, really restless.

She'd been here almost two months. The entire time trying to consistently pull off an act that she really wasn't at all equipped to handle, not outside of the very limited and controlled environment of the killing game, anyway. And...it was exhausting. Even if it was absolutely essential she double-down on the 'Junko' act under the current circumstances, she knew she'd just keep letting things slip if she didn't let anything out right now.

There was no way that any sleep was coming tonight. So, maybe if she wrote an anonymous post on the network in the middle of the night, it would be fine, right? If she was lucky, no one would spot it, and tomorrow she could put her best Fashionista act back on like nothing had happened.]

27 FEB XX, 0233

Seeking advice for not going crazy during an extended undercover mission. Any potential breaches of cover have been effectively managed, however the indefinite timescale involved is making this difficult.

Failure is not an acceptable outcome under any circumstances, for reasons I cannot disclose here.

Mission commander uncontactable at present and usual tactics are proving less effective given... sudden magical transportation to another world being completely beyond the scope of either my training or the original brief.

Any strategic input would be appreciated.

Over and out.

[A pause, before she decided to sign off with an emoji. Just to leave the option open in case she needed to reach out again whilst she was stuck in this situation.]

🔪

Comments

Text | Anonymous

[angel_of_death]

[Walter does not know who this is, or the circumstances they come from. But the answer seems rather simple to him.

His reply is also anonymous. His replies on the network are always anonymous. Until someone gives him good reason to make a proper account, they'll probably continue to be anonymous.]

Treat it as an extraction, reassignment or resumption of duties pending.

Enjoy your reprieve.

[corpsewarblade]

[Ah- it sounded like whoever this was, they understood. That was something of a relief.]

Appreciated.

I am considering that as a viable option, but disengaging from my duties entirely feels like a failure to adequately carry out my orders, despite the change in circumstances.

[A reprieve would certainly be a welcome relief, if she could afford it. That was definitely not lost on her.]

The initial mission objective is impossible to achieve without returning to base, but am able to act in accordance with the original mission, provided I do not break cover.

[angel_of_death]

[He understands being interrupted in the middle of a mission, and the restlessness that comes with that. He's in much the same situation, sans the undercover bit.]

Does maintaining the cover in the present environment provide measurable value in your situation?

Text | UN: mayorinfan35

[mayoninofukucho]

[This is a rather militaristic post... Hijikata knows that there's most likely a decent number of "proper" soldiers (as opposed to "kids who somehow got dragged into a battle of epic proportions") among the off-worlders, but the only one he personally knows is Riou. This probably isn't him - he always seems to know what to do -, but it draws his attention to the post and makes him decide to offer what little input he has (under his own ~undercover~ handle).]

Seconding what anon above said. I'd consider your mission paused for the time being. With our worlds frozen we all have to focus on restoring the flow of time and regard that as our current primary objective.

Failure is not an option for your mission, but success isn't either as long as we're stuck here, is it? Whatever constitutes your cover, I'd say you can drop it as long as you're here - unless there are other people from your world who mustn't know what you're up to.

By the way, I hope it isn't anything bad.

[He is a policeman!]

[corpsewarblade]

[Thankfully for Hijikata, Mukuro has somehow avoided finding out about his Mayorin obsession, so the username doesn't strike up any alarm bells. She did appreciate being able to bounce thoughts off him, either way.]

Appreciated.

Yes, acknowledged that with the time-flow status currently, our previous mission objectives cannot be fully carried out. In that respect, you are correct in that restoring our worlds is the primary objective.

My initial goal is unattainable here, but so long as I do not break cover I can act in accordance with my last received orders. Disengaging from those duties entirely still feels like a failure where success is salvageable.

[Just...ignoring the 'nothing bad' comment. She only maybe possibly was involved in a killing game and helping her sister end the world.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[That'll be fun in retrospect if she finds out later... one would think he'd understand that he's the only person in any world who loves that creepy little mascot, but no (and to trash his anonymity even further, 1835 is his birthyear).]

I think you're unnecessarily hard on yourself.

[Not a very professional statement, but this is what he considers the simple truth here. Honestly, being told this by the Demon Vice Commander who is notorious for threatening his own subordinates with seppuku should be quite the alarm bell for Mukuro... but alas, she has no idea who she's talking to.]

If your commander would throw a fit over you dropping the undercover act in this situation they need to evaluate their priorities. But ultimately it's up to you. If you can keep your cover and it makes you feel better, go for it. If it's a pain in the ass, drop it. After all it serves no purpose here.

[Luckily he doesn't press the matter of what she's up to. Even he realises that this person could easily just lie to him on the internet.]

text

[gundhamster]

[Gundham, being the night owl that he was - and caring for an owl that had gotten a foot caught in some nasty underbrush - was wide awake when he spotted the post. It took him exactly one second to figure out who it was and just... sighed. He wasn't going to bother being anonymous. They both would know who was responding, may as well make his thoughts on the matter known.]

Considering the circumstances, it would seem the wise part to drop the act for the moment, especially given the disconnect to anything in your world.

[Reading between the lines was easy. Nobody knows who Junko is, or Mukuro. Nobody cares. The act accomplishes nothing here.]

[corpsewarblade]

[Oh, hi, Gundham.

Honestly, she was amazed he wasn't just calling her out over the entire network and instead keeping her secrets in mind when he responded.

It took her a while to reply. That undercurrent was painfully obvious, but more than that, she was still processing their last talk.]

...I can't do that.

[And because they were both aware who each other were, she didn't spell out what she was sure he already knew- She couldn't shake Junko's influence so easily.]

[gundhamster]

You can.

You just refuse to.

[Gundham is trying to help in his own way, while still being 100% done with Junko's nonsense.]

text, un: pyrrha

[incinerators]

Is it really that important to keep up your mission while you're here, given...well, everything going on right now?

[corpsewarblade]

[Pyrrha...it made her heart hurt, a little, that she hadn't been able to open up to her properly.]

The circumstances are unexpected, but I would feel I had failed in my orders if I disengaged from my mission entirely.

My thoughts on the matter seem in the minority, though.

[incinerators]

Honestly? I know how you feel.

I told this to a friend of mine not too long ago, but it feels...strange, not really being able to do what you've worked towards for so long. I don't know what your mission is, but I know where you're coming from.

That being said, I think it's also important to adapt to our situation now. There are probably more...immediate things to be concerned about, but that's just what I think. Again, I don't know what your mission is, but I hope this helped a little regardless.

text; un: coolguykeigo

[asano_san]

Is this the start of some interactive game?

I've always wanted to be there when the next big thing everyone talks about starts!

[corpsewarblade]

[Some people who'd responded seemed to know what they were talking about, and could think in military terms like she did.

...Then there was this guy.]

Um. Sure. This is an ARG.

Have fun?

[asano_san]

I will!

[asano_san]

[OK, Keigo thinks, he could probably channel a video game character and write an answer that sounds military-ish, but that won't make his reply stand out and earn him online fans. If everyone else will probably act like a general or a superspy, he needs a unique angle.]

27 FEB XX, 0415

Failure is never an acceptable outcome. But you know what you sound like you're failing at right now? Relaxing.

Forget about your mission for a few hours and go hang out with friends.

That's an order.

🥳

< thearchitect > | text

[emet_sulk]

[ What a funny post to read so early in the morning (thinks the man, not yet asleep). ]

Why not simply let your cover lapse? No-one knows who you are, and unless you plan to also disclose the particulars of your mission, I doubt any will care.

[ He certainly hasn't bothered keeping up his own pretense whilst he's here. ]

Guessing he's given his name over quests so she knows who the username is, but lmk if not

[corpsewarblade]

[Either way, that was a username she remembered.]

I care...

[That was an answer, sure.]

But remaining undercover should be an easy enough task and it means I remain on standby should activity need to be be resumed on short notice.

that's fine with me!

[emet_sulk]

Your mission is relevant, even here?

Why is it so important that you conceal your identity? Is it fear? Or simply principle?

text; un: fireprince

[rediscovering]

i disagree with everyone above. stay undercover. you'll go crazier feeling you've failed.

i was lucky enough to have a confidant while undercover. having a tie to reality kept me sane, even if we couldn't candidly speak of anything aloud. having one trustworthy person who knew the truth helped. thats my only advice. but that's a tall order left up to either luck or destiny. i hope you should be so fortunate to find someone you trust.

but if you don't... dropping the cover and risking all you've worked for may feel like you're breaking your own trust, and that won't help ease your loneliness, either.

[corpsewarblade]

You get it. You actually understand.

[This was the first person who genuinely seemed to understand what her mission was- why she couldn't afford to let herself fail. It was such a welcome relief in the face of everyone who was insisting she just drop a 'pointless' act for as long as she was here.]

It's exactly that. I'll feel I've failed, that I've disappointed my mission commander, all of that for a momentary lapse in my mental fortitude.

A confidant...I can think of a couple of people here who found out the truth by accident. I'll see if they are able to hear me out. I'm glad you had someone similar to call upon.

Thank you.

[rediscovering]

as far as you know anyway the mission is still on
we dont know how these worlds work. even what we do know isn't reliable. nothing is predictable. if your mission is really so much to you, then dont risk it.

good luck finding your truthkeepers

TEXT: UN: HAMMERTIME

[forgeabettertomorrow]

If you've been transported to another world, why do you still have to maintain cover?

Are other people from your world here as well?

[corpsewarblade]

[Why were all her friends awake at this hour of the night...? Again, she felt a little squeeze of pain in her chest as she replied.]

So I can remain on standby should my mission commander appear and wish to resume our previous plans.

But yes, one other person from my world is here, also.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

makes sense but doesnt that kinda suck?

Do you ever wish you could blow your cover? I dunno if I could keep that up