Demon slayers, huh. [this is not a thing lup knew about shinobu, but it's super badass. she immediately decides that shinobu can never know that she is a lich, just in case. the emotion in shinobu's voice does make her pause, a little, though.] We're probably going to find the voices eventually. Just... saying.
[... she rests a hand on shinobu's arm, briefly. just. sibling solidarity, she guesses. and then they start walking off towards the patient building. until, you know. they see the blood.
lup comes to a sudden stop when she sees the splatter, and pulls her staff out, ready to use it, looking out where the trail leads.]
[ lup doesn't come off as evil and wanting to eat humans, so she's probably fine as a lich. joonghyuk can loot whatever supplies he wants along the way. shinobu won't stop him.
she nods at lup's words, her forehead creasing. it's just delaying the inevitable, isn't it?
at the blood, she thinks her heart stops before it speeds up. it takes all of her will to not just bolt and follow the trail because her emotions run before her instincts and logic kick in. ]
No. I've never been attacked here before, and surgeries are usually contained.
[ she's cautious, but she moves in the direction of the blood trail, all her senses on high alert, towards the forest. ]
[you now have jars, squares, bandages and probably painkillers of some kind. as the three of them follow the blood trail, they will notice that there are two sets of bloody footprints running ahead, splatters here and there as they follow further into the trees. depending on how fast they're moving, they will likely hear the sound of clanging metal before they see anything.
they will also hear a shout that sounds like someone familiar as another strike lands. there's another shout, more feminine in nature. the fight seems to be moving away from the party.
regardless of how fast they're going now, they soon hear a squeak, a click and a grunt as several flowers pop up, immediately spitting fire at them as large, round glob-like creatures roll into the forest clearing. two dripping arms extend from their sides, a pupil blinking at all of them before they curl up and immediately charge. head's up.]
[when the clanging metal becomes apparent, lup speeds up - and when she hears tsurumaru's voice, she breaks into a run. until the fire comes up, anyway! she probably can't quite stop herself entirely from stopping before the fire sprays, just because she's sprinting, but she can try to dodge it, at least.]
Oh, gross - [she says, immediately backing up. she is going to put yjh between her and the eyeballs, because twelve hitpoints.] Just - slash them, I've got backup, hold on, we can't let the others get too far ahead of us.
[and she unleashes another burst of magic, this time more water/ice attuned. she's going to try and summon ice shards to slam into the eyeball glob creatures! 2/5ish, for my reference.]
[ as with lup, the moment she hears tsuru's voice, she breaks into a sprint. it's stupid to think he's here, but she can't help it. after this weekend, she needs him to be safe. she needs him to stay alive.
also just like lup because she was in a dead run, all she can do is dodge.
can she do a dodgeroll? her 2 won't help her much, but the attempt is there. as is her wish to help defend and strengthen both lup and joonghyuk.
they didn't pass by the training dojo, so she can't have even grabbed a wooden sword to fight. i'm crying. ]
[ At the sound of a familiar voice, Joonghyuk still doesn’t dash ahead. Instead, he holds onto his sword tightly and dodges the incoming fireball—hopefully, with more ease since he isn’t at the front.
He allows Lup to stand behind him and doesn’t hesitate to leap forward once the fire isn’t a deterrent. Lunging forward, he swings his sword in a wide arc at the charging eyeball, and tries to follow it up with a pierce. ]
[lup is able to dodge enough, but she will feel a spray of fire along the back of her legs as she turns, grazing her as she moves out of the way. with yjh ahead of her though, she's able to avoid the eyeballs as she unleashes ice to pierce one of the creatures. it shrieks, a loud, keening cry as it grows bloodshot and staggers to try and curl up.
shinobu. sweet, spirited shinobu...kind of dodgerolls right into one of the other eyeballs. a slimy hand grabs her arm, a slightly acidic burn etching into her forearm. but with her defense boost it doesn't burn as deeply as it could, and she's able to boost the strength and magic of both lup and joonghyuk.
like with lup, joonghyuk is able to dodge even as the fire grazes his back, but this man has a sword? he slices directly into one of the eyes and finishes it off with a stab. there are still two or three eyeballs left, and the fire flowers swivel to focus on the three of them. the clanging of the swords ahead is growing fainter the longer they fight.]
[okay, well, she's a baby so the fire hurts. even if it just grazes her she lets out a little yelp of pain and staggers off to the side. ugh.
she doesn't stay down long, though. she straightens the second she sees shinobu get grabbed, and shouts:] Shinobu, move - go after Tsurumaru, we've got it!
[probably. look, yjh stabbed a monster so hard it died immediately, she trusts that the two of them can do it. lup unleashes another burst of ice, this time a thicker and heavier shard that she aims at the eyeball that is holding onto shinobu (3/5ish). she's doing her best to not hit shinobu, but instead pierce the monster through. for now, she ignores the fire flowers, concentrating on making sure her companions don't get too fucked up.]
[ she gasps when the acid burns her arm, but she rips her arm away as soon as she can, as soon as the ice hits the eyeball. even if the ice does hit her, she will rip away as much and as fast as she can to do what lup says. ]
Thank you! I'm going!
[ she is running like her life depends on it to go towards where she last heard tsurumaru, throwing her coin at any eyeball that tries to get in her way. ]
[working together seems to be helping them out, seeing how there's more of them than there are of the party. lup turns her ice onto the eyeball holding shinobu back, letting shinobu break free as the eyeball is encased in frost and shudders to the ground. the fire flowers are still attempting to hit her, but their aim is thrown off when joonghyuk kicks an eyeball corpse straight at them.
there are eyeballs left, but they curl into their defensive stance to roll. they're not quick enough though as shinobu runs, throwing her coin with all her might and
triggering its true power as it spins and forms a full-sized shield. congratulations, shinobu. the shield spins back into her hand, giving her the power to plow through the forest and clear a path for the other two to follow after her. the eyeballs and flowers will continue to fight, but they're disoriented enough now that the three of them can move forward and chase after tsurumaru. they run, the bloody footprints and splatters leading them further and further until they stumble upon a clearing and see the source of the shouting.
tsurumaru is here, white clothing spotted red as he lunges again with his sword to try and strike his opponent. tsurumaru's blade is deflected as kanae twirls, sword slashing and creating something of a barrier to protect her before she leaps forward to strike back.]
shinobu plows through, and lup whoops, totally thrilled by this development. forget the eyeballs and the flowers, she's chasing after, clutching her staff tightly. she doesn't recognize kanae, but the blood spotting tsurumaru's clothes makes her a little panicky. the last one lup was in had four people - what if he got split off? what if he's actually here?
... but she hesitates, looking at shinobu first. because if this is her memories, or her influence, this girl has to be important to her. shinobu said her and her sister, and this woman looks like her - lup can't be the one to hurt someone's sibling, she just. will not.
her staff is at the ready, just in case, fire ready to shoot.]
[ the shield surprises her, but it doesn't stop her. she goes with it, taking it and running. she has no time to think about how this works because she needs to go to tsurumaru, and
she stops dead in her tracks.
this is what despair is, she thinks.
it has been so long since she's last seen her sister in the flesh. she knows kanae is dead. she knows kanae is dead. she knows kanae is dead, but shinobu reconstructed her entire personality in memory of kanae.
she doesn't want to hurt either of them. she can't. she shouldn't. she should. she's being tested, isn't she? ten times out of ten, she would choose kanae over anyone. over everyone, but she shouldn't be here. she shouldn't be here, and the promise she made to tsuru just a few days ago is bright in her mind. ]
Stop! Please stop!
[ it's a desperate cry she doesn't expect to be heard by either tsurumaru or kanae, but she so desperately wishes will be.
[ Joonghyuk stabs another eyeball and maybe tries to slice a flower and see if he can use it like a flamethrower like this is Mario on the way out.
But otherwise, he follows after them… And he recognizes Kanae. His lips press into a thin line. Tsurumaru is still alive, allegedly, in the hotel that waits for them at the end.
He knows Kanae is dead and he will act if the other two will not. A choice has to be made. Quickly, he darts to parry her blade, putting himself between Tsurumaru and Kanae. The metal rattles…
Even if this Tsurumaru is not the one he remembers, he has fond memories about a crane in the universe of dust and angels. ]
Don’t let this distract you. [ he attempts to push Kanae and her blade away. ] If you have resolved to win, then win. Don’t be useless.
[huh. what if tsurumaru got split off? that sure would be weird.
lup lingers back, spell at the ready and at shinobu's side as she cries out and begs them to stop. neither tsurumaru or kanae pay her any mind. perhaps kanae is dead, but for someone long gone, there's still a price to pay, isn't there? there's still a game to be played for someone deceased.
a ringing can be heard, but only shinobu will hear that same voice as before.]
"You have been given a responsibility to fulfill. But you must choose your path to pave the way back.
[joonghyuk jumps right into the middle, attempting to deflect the blade. tsurumaru snarls, sword striking in an attempt to push joonghyuk out of the way. kanae's own sword moves, a series of slashes that deflect joonghyuk's sword again and again and swipe his front before she jumps back and raises her sword. she raises the weapon, focus intense as her eyes slowly widen, and then redden.
tsurumaru moves again, sword striking joonghyuk and cutting open his shoulder as he prepares to continue the fight. shinobu will hear the voice once more.]
"You must choose what is most important to you, and what you will cast aside. Make your choice."
[kanae's sword moves in as she prepares to unleash an onslaught of strikes.]
lup watches - she watches, for what feels like forever, as kanae swings, and her eyes go red - and lup can't just stand here.]
-- I'm sorry, fuck! [she says, hurriedly, and she casts a spell - if she can, she calls the earth forward this time, a rock, or vines, or whatever she can, to rip the them apart from each other. she can't stand here and watch yjh be torn into, so she acts. if she can, she'll pull tsurumaru away from yjh with vines, towards lup and shinobu, and pulls a rock up and out of the ground to fling at kanae, something sizeable enough to knock her down. does this count as two uses? it's fine if so, that's just all fiveish before she gets worn out. either way.
it's up to shinobu. lup can't make this decision for her - she can only help buy her a little time.]
[ it's cruel, to hear those words again, the words a dying mind gives a dying body to go on. yoo joonghyuk would throw her memory back at her with no remorse. the words the kanae in her mind would tell her.
she knows kanae would be fine staying dead. she knows kanae would want shinobu to find future happiness, to live her life as well as she could, to find what happiness she could in the present, but shinobu holds the dead so close to her. loss is entrenched in her every action. it is the memory of her family that drives her to be good. her dead family has always been kinder and more compassionate than she is, less angry and bitter and more willing to save anyone, even the demons shinobu hates with every fiber of her being.
I will be here.
she can't break any more promises. she can't. she can't watch more people get harmed because of her. didn't she resolve after the camp? she knows what those eyes mean, and she takes a deep breath, choking before she can exhale. ]
I'm sorry. I know you're why I'm here, but I know what you'd want me to do. Your wishes mean so much to me, Kanae. I'm sorry. I love you, Kanae. I don't want to let you go. I don't want to let you go again.
[ but she has to here, doesn't she? she's terrible at this game. she picks up her shield and rushes at kanae.
[ While people are being emotional, Joonghyuk has decided that he will never do this again—and that maybe attacking both targets is the answer if they’re both going to be hostile. Kindness is weakness, etc.
He does what he can to keep parrying Kanae’s blade, getting a sizable nick across his chest, but it’s difficult when he has to 2v1 for one round. The cut against his shoulder has him wince and blood spills. Some of it forms into words, like red ink on fabric, but it’s unreadable.
There’s an attempt to kick the crane away, into Lup’s vines, so he can focus on Kanae who is possibly channeling her power—this is his guess. What is important is that he keeps Kanae’s attention away from Shinobu as she finally takes a step forward and Lup as she casts her magic. ]
[lup's magic is cast and the vines whip forward, immediately wrapping around tsurumaru's chest and his arm to get him to stop fighting. a rock is pulled up from the ground, and it spirals in the air but it doesn't quite reach kanae. it falls, and it gives joonghyuk enough of a distraction to keep kanae's attention on him. tsurumaru, angry with the change of direction, soon turns on lup and attempts to slash as he's drawn closer.
shinobu rushes ahead. the words echo in her mind, telling her to make a choice, that she has to make a decision, that the path is hers to walk. she cannot keep both. she isn't allowed to keep both. she must choose what she'll take and what she'll leave behind.
she rushes, and her words seem to amplify around the forest loud enough for everyone to hear.
I'm sorry. I love you. I don't want to let you go.
I can't choose you here.
shinobu bolts, shield at the ready and as she approaches kanae unleashes one final attack. shinobu slides in and the sword's knocked astray, cutting her hand across the knuckles first before slicing down kanae's front. the final form falters, and her sword slips from her fingers, knocking into shinobu's shield with a soft, quiet metallic ring. blood seeps from her wound and she drops to her knees, giving up the fight as shinobu stands in front of her. it's quiet. kanae doesn't look up, but a soft, serene smile appears on her face and a hand reaches for shinobu's as she speaks.]
"Shinobu, you can do this."
[the black stardust begins to flake from her form, little purple crystalized lights rising up from her body as she begins to disappear. behind them, tsurumaru also begins to fade in a small flare of white dust being swept away.
as they blink, both forms are gone. everything is quiet again. no more eyeball monsters or fire flowers. no more steel against steel. and as shinobu stares at the place her sister once stood, she finds herself slowly losing memory of the girl who was before her.
a purple light glows in the distance beyond the trees. they may wish to venture there, but they may have a moment.]
[lup stumbles backwards a little, muffling the shriek she lets out in surprise at tsurumaru advancing on her. she like - literally just swallows it down, not wanting to bring attention to herself so much, bringing her staff up just in time to mostly block the blow. it catches her arm too, but it's fine, she's not super concerned about it. she's more focused on shinobu. on the words she hears. it feels horrifyingly familiar.
the black stardust starts to rush into the air, and lup just drops her staff after a moment, looking weary, biting her bottom lip as the lights glitter and vanish into the air. tsurumaru goes, too, and lup drags in a breath and closes her eyes. just for a second.
for right now, the light glows in the distance, and lup ignores it. she knows things are strained, and she knows she's probably not who shinobu wants right now, but she can't help herself. after a moment, she staggers over, and rests a hand delicately on shinobu's back, expression heartbroken. there aren't really any words to say about it, just. she's sorry.]
[ shinobu doesn't hold back her sobs as she runs at kanae. she doesn't cry when the sword slices her knuckles. it hurts so much more to let go of what's keeping her together. the sword slashes down her sister's front, and she can't look away, no matter how much she wants to. how many times can her heart break in a week?
how many times does she have to watch those most precious to her die in front of her and being able to do nothing to stop it? to be the cause of it?
how many times has she chosen to give up on them being saved?
even if this time, she's the one who gives killing blow, it doesn't make it hurt any less. the only thing that saves her is a choice. she hates this game. her hand automatically reaches for kanae's, and she cries out when her form starts to flake, as if she weren't the cause of it. ]
No, I ca—
[ she takes a step forward as if to try and catch whatever specks of stardust she can, her hands grasping onto nothing as she blinks. she chokes out more sobs. she doesn't notice the light in the distance. her eyes are glued onto the spot that kanae once was.
she feels as if her whole world has gone.
she feels as if she's killed her sense of self.
all she can is stare blankly, and she can barely register lup coming over. she'd appreciate it, if she could recognize anything other than the results of her choice. ]
[ He can’t let himself get swept up in the moment no nagged how familiar it is, but the silence is one to give Shinobu time and peace after what happened. His shoulders slump as he sheathes his blade and fishes out the bandages. If the potions are healing potions, he doesn’t want to use them on a cut to his shoulder and another on his chest.
The shoulder gets attention, despite how awkward it is to wrap bandages around it, then he comes over and kneels to quickly dress Lup’s arm. Do they even get a salve when he looted the manor? If so, he will slap that onto their burns. ]
We can’t stay.
[ His voice is soft, almost apologetic. He doesn’t think there’s anything they can say, at least not right now when emotions are running white hot, raw as their fresh wounds. This… It isn’t something they should have seen—an event so private, a choice made in one’s heart, suffering seemingly unending.
Standing back up, he gestures over to the purple light beyond the forest. If they need assistance getting there, he will provide. ]
[everything around them is silent. almost as if the area itself is mourning kanae's loss, reflective of shinobu's grief as it begins to settle into her heart. the purple light glows brighter, forming a shape that looks similar to a flower as it opens what appears to be another portal. that same swirling sort of galaxy can be seen from the inside, along with the red and the white ring.
they can go when they're ready, and decide what ring to pick.]
[ah, lup doesn't know what to do. she knows what she wants to do, but she doesn't want to make it worse, either. a hug or reassuring words from someone who took a friend from you is probably the last thing that'd work.
it's why she startles slightly, when yjh moves to dress her arm. sort of dumbly:]
Uh - thanks. [she's too sad to really argue or be mean about it. she just lets him do it, gaze flicking between him and shinobu. she lets the silence hang for a couple more moments, because - it feels unfair to not give it that weight. it feels wrong to just immediately brush past it. something that heavy, that devastating, with an audience, feels nasty in a way that sticks to her lungs.
but yjh is right. they can't stay.]
We can't. [she agrees, soft, finally letting her hand fall away from shinobu.] I...
[she starts, but she doesn't know how to end the sentence. so instead, she stumbles over to the staff, and picks it up to lean against it. she's tired, worn from the spellcasting, but she can keep going.]
... You want to flip a coin for the next one, bud, or do you care? [to yjh, just to. give shinobu a second.]
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guestservices) wrote2022-07-17 07:06 pm
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[... she rests a hand on shinobu's arm, briefly. just. sibling solidarity, she guesses. and then they start walking off towards the patient building. until, you know. they see the blood.
lup comes to a sudden stop when she sees the splatter, and pulls her staff out, ready to use it, looking out where the trail leads.]
Fuck, uh. Is this normal?
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she nods at lup's words, her forehead creasing. it's just delaying the inevitable, isn't it?
at the blood, she thinks her heart stops before it speeds up. it takes all of her will to not just bolt and follow the trail because her emotions run before her instincts and logic kick in. ]
No. I've never been attacked here before, and surgeries are usually contained.
[ she's cautious, but she moves in the direction of the blood trail, all her senses on high alert, towards the forest. ]
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They follow the blood trail! Good job on Shinobu for not darting off. ]
… We know these trips will twist however they see fit. Stay vigilant.
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they will also hear a shout that sounds like someone familiar as another strike lands. there's another shout, more feminine in nature. the fight seems to be moving away from the party.
regardless of how fast they're going now, they soon hear a squeak, a click and a grunt as several flowers pop up, immediately spitting fire at them as large, round glob-like creatures roll into the forest clearing. two dripping arms extend from their sides, a pupil blinking at all of them before they curl up and immediately charge. head's up.]
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Oh, gross - [she says, immediately backing up. she is going to put yjh between her and the eyeballs, because twelve hitpoints.] Just - slash them, I've got backup, hold on, we can't let the others get too far ahead of us.
[and she unleashes another burst of magic, this time more water/ice attuned. she's going to try and summon ice shards to slam into the eyeball glob creatures! 2/5ish, for my reference.]
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also just like lup because she was in a dead run, all she can do is dodge.
can she do a dodgeroll? her 2 won't help her much, but the attempt is there. as is her wish to help defend and strengthen both lup and joonghyuk.
they didn't pass by the training dojo, so she can't have even grabbed a wooden sword to fight. i'm crying. ]
Get out of our way!
[ she doesn't have the time for these eyeballs. ]
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He allows Lup to stand behind him and doesn’t hesitate to leap forward once the fire isn’t a deterrent. Lunging forward, he swings his sword in a wide arc at the charging eyeball, and tries to follow it up with a pierce. ]
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shinobu. sweet, spirited shinobu...kind of dodgerolls right into one of the other eyeballs. a slimy hand grabs her arm, a slightly acidic burn etching into her forearm. but with her defense boost it doesn't burn as deeply as it could, and she's able to boost the strength and magic of both lup and joonghyuk.
like with lup, joonghyuk is able to dodge even as the fire grazes his back, but this man has a sword? he slices directly into one of the eyes and finishes it off with a stab. there are still two or three eyeballs left, and the fire flowers swivel to focus on the three of them. the clanging of the swords ahead is growing fainter the longer they fight.]
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she doesn't stay down long, though. she straightens the second she sees shinobu get grabbed, and shouts:] Shinobu, move - go after Tsurumaru, we've got it!
[probably. look, yjh stabbed a monster so hard it died immediately, she trusts that the two of them can do it. lup unleashes another burst of ice, this time a thicker and heavier shard that she aims at the eyeball that is holding onto shinobu (3/5ish). she's doing her best to not hit shinobu, but instead pierce the monster through. for now, she ignores the fire flowers, concentrating on making sure her companions don't get too fucked up.]
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Thank you! I'm going!
[ she is running like her life depends on it to go towards where she last heard tsurumaru, throwing her coin at any eyeball that tries to get in her way. ]
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He’s going to kick this ball-shaped corpse with all of his strength at the flower.
Ty thinking I’m here to loot corpses actually maybe I will but not now ]
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there are eyeballs left, but they curl into their defensive stance to roll. they're not quick enough though as shinobu runs, throwing her coin with all her might and
triggering its true power as it spins and forms a full-sized shield. congratulations, shinobu. the shield spins back into her hand, giving her the power to plow through the forest and clear a path for the other two to follow after her. the eyeballs and flowers will continue to fight, but they're disoriented enough now that the three of them can move forward and chase after tsurumaru. they run, the bloody footprints and splatters leading them further and further until they stumble upon a clearing and see the source of the shouting.
tsurumaru is here, white clothing spotted red as he lunges again with his sword to try and strike his opponent. tsurumaru's blade is deflected as kanae twirls, sword slashing and creating something of a barrier to protect her before she leaps forward to strike back.]
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shinobu plows through, and lup whoops, totally thrilled by this development. forget the eyeballs and the flowers, she's chasing after, clutching her staff tightly. she doesn't recognize kanae, but the blood spotting tsurumaru's clothes makes her a little panicky. the last one lup was in had four people - what if he got split off? what if he's actually here?
... but she hesitates, looking at shinobu first. because if this is her memories, or her influence, this girl has to be important to her. shinobu said her and her sister, and this woman looks like her - lup can't be the one to hurt someone's sibling, she just. will not.
her staff is at the ready, just in case, fire ready to shoot.]
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she stops dead in her tracks.
this is what despair is, she thinks.
it has been so long since she's last seen her sister in the flesh. she knows kanae is dead. she knows kanae is dead. she knows kanae is dead, but shinobu reconstructed her entire personality in memory of kanae.
she doesn't want to hurt either of them. she can't. she shouldn't. she should. she's being tested, isn't she? ten times out of ten, she would choose kanae over anyone. over everyone, but she shouldn't be here. she shouldn't be here, and the promise she made to tsuru just a few days ago is bright in her mind. ]
Stop! Please stop!
[ it's a desperate cry she doesn't expect to be heard by either tsurumaru or kanae, but she so desperately wishes will be.
shinobu is fucking useless this round. sorry. ]
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But otherwise, he follows after them… And he recognizes Kanae. His lips press into a thin line. Tsurumaru is still alive, allegedly, in the hotel that waits for them at the end.
He knows Kanae is dead and he will act if the other two will not. A choice has to be made. Quickly, he darts to parry her blade, putting himself between Tsurumaru and Kanae. The metal rattles…
Even if this Tsurumaru is not the one he remembers, he has fond memories about a crane in the universe of dust and angels. ]
Don’t let this distract you. [ he attempts to push Kanae and her blade away. ] If you have resolved to win, then win. Don’t be useless.
[ SNAP OUT OF IT!! ]
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lup lingers back, spell at the ready and at shinobu's side as she cries out and begs them to stop. neither tsurumaru or kanae pay her any mind. perhaps kanae is dead, but for someone long gone, there's still a price to pay, isn't there? there's still a game to be played for someone deceased.
a ringing can be heard, but only shinobu will hear that same voice as before.]
"You have been given a responsibility to fulfill. But you must choose your path to pave the way back.
[joonghyuk jumps right into the middle, attempting to deflect the blade. tsurumaru snarls, sword striking in an attempt to push joonghyuk out of the way. kanae's own sword moves, a series of slashes that deflect joonghyuk's sword again and again and swipe his front before she jumps back and raises her sword. she raises the weapon, focus intense as her eyes slowly widen, and then redden.
tsurumaru moves again, sword striking joonghyuk and cutting open his shoulder as he prepares to continue the fight. shinobu will hear the voice once more.]
"You must choose what is most important to you, and what you will cast aside. Make your choice."
[kanae's sword moves in as she prepares to unleash an onslaught of strikes.]
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lup watches - she watches, for what feels like forever, as kanae swings, and her eyes go red - and lup can't just stand here.]
-- I'm sorry, fuck! [she says, hurriedly, and she casts a spell - if she can, she calls the earth forward this time, a rock, or vines, or whatever she can, to rip the them apart from each other. she can't stand here and watch yjh be torn into, so she acts. if she can, she'll pull tsurumaru away from yjh with vines, towards lup and shinobu, and pulls a rock up and out of the ground to fling at kanae, something sizeable enough to knock her down. does this count as two uses? it's fine if so, that's just all fiveish before she gets worn out. either way.
it's up to shinobu. lup can't make this decision for her - she can only help buy her a little time.]
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she knows kanae would be fine staying dead. she knows kanae would want shinobu to find future happiness, to live her life as well as she could, to find what happiness she could in the present, but shinobu holds the dead so close to her. loss is entrenched in her every action. it is the memory of her family that drives her to be good. her dead family has always been kinder and more compassionate than she is, less angry and bitter and more willing to save anyone, even the demons shinobu hates with every fiber of her being.
I will be here.
she can't break any more promises. she can't. she can't watch more people get harmed because of her. didn't she resolve after the camp? she knows what those eyes mean, and she takes a deep breath, choking before she can exhale. ]
I'm sorry. I know you're why I'm here, but I know what you'd want me to do. Your wishes mean so much to me, Kanae. I'm sorry. I love you, Kanae. I don't want to let you go. I don't want to let you go again.
[ but she has to here, doesn't she? she's terrible at this game. she picks up her shield and rushes at kanae.
ready to break her heart again. ]
I can't choose you here.
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He does what he can to keep parrying Kanae’s blade, getting a sizable nick across his chest, but it’s difficult when he has to 2v1 for one round. The cut against his shoulder has him wince and blood spills. Some of it forms into words, like red ink on fabric, but it’s unreadable.
There’s an attempt to kick the crane away, into Lup’s vines, so he can focus on Kanae who is possibly channeling her power—this is his guess. What is important is that he keeps Kanae’s attention away from Shinobu as she finally takes a step forward and Lup as she casts her magic. ]
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shinobu rushes ahead. the words echo in her mind, telling her to make a choice, that she has to make a decision, that the path is hers to walk. she cannot keep both. she isn't allowed to keep both. she must choose what she'll take and what she'll leave behind.
she rushes, and her words seem to amplify around the forest loud enough for everyone to hear.
I'm sorry. I love you. I don't want to let you go.
I can't choose you here.
shinobu bolts, shield at the ready and as she approaches kanae unleashes one final attack. shinobu slides in and the sword's knocked astray, cutting her hand across the knuckles first before slicing down kanae's front. the final form falters, and her sword slips from her fingers, knocking into shinobu's shield with a soft, quiet metallic ring. blood seeps from her wound and she drops to her knees, giving up the fight as shinobu stands in front of her. it's quiet. kanae doesn't look up, but a soft, serene smile appears on her face and a hand reaches for shinobu's as she speaks.]
"Shinobu, you can do this."
[the black stardust begins to flake from her form, little purple crystalized lights rising up from her body as she begins to disappear. behind them, tsurumaru also begins to fade in a small flare of white dust being swept away.
as they blink, both forms are gone. everything is quiet again. no more eyeball monsters or fire flowers. no more steel against steel. and as shinobu stares at the place her sister once stood, she finds herself slowly losing memory of the girl who was before her.
a purple light glows in the distance beyond the trees. they may wish to venture there, but they may have a moment.]
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the black stardust starts to rush into the air, and lup just drops her staff after a moment, looking weary, biting her bottom lip as the lights glitter and vanish into the air. tsurumaru goes, too, and lup drags in a breath and closes her eyes. just for a second.
for right now, the light glows in the distance, and lup ignores it. she knows things are strained, and she knows she's probably not who shinobu wants right now, but she can't help herself. after a moment, she staggers over, and rests a hand delicately on shinobu's back, expression heartbroken. there aren't really any words to say about it, just. she's sorry.]
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how many times does she have to watch those most precious to her die in front of her and being able to do nothing to stop it? to be the cause of it?
how many times has she chosen to give up on them being saved?
even if this time, she's the one who gives killing blow, it doesn't make it hurt any less. the only thing that saves her is a choice. she hates this game. her hand automatically reaches for kanae's, and she cries out when her form starts to flake, as if she weren't the cause of it. ]
No, I ca—
[ she takes a step forward as if to try and catch whatever specks of stardust she can, her hands grasping onto nothing as she blinks. she chokes out more sobs. she doesn't notice the light in the distance. her eyes are glued onto the spot that kanae once was.
she feels as if her whole world has gone.
she feels as if she's killed her sense of self.
all she can is stare blankly, and she can barely register lup coming over. she'd appreciate it, if she could recognize anything other than the results of her choice. ]
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The shoulder gets attention, despite how awkward it is to wrap bandages around it, then he comes over and kneels to quickly dress Lup’s arm. Do they even get a salve when he looted the manor? If so, he will slap that onto their burns. ]
We can’t stay.
[ His voice is soft, almost apologetic. He doesn’t think there’s anything they can say, at least not right now when emotions are running white hot, raw as their fresh wounds. This… It isn’t something they should have seen—an event so private, a choice made in one’s heart, suffering seemingly unending.
Standing back up, he gestures over to the purple light beyond the forest. If they need assistance getting there, he will provide. ]
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they can go when they're ready, and decide what ring to pick.]
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it's why she startles slightly, when yjh moves to dress her arm. sort of dumbly:]
Uh - thanks. [she's too sad to really argue or be mean about it. she just lets him do it, gaze flicking between him and shinobu. she lets the silence hang for a couple more moments, because - it feels unfair to not give it that weight. it feels wrong to just immediately brush past it. something that heavy, that devastating, with an audience, feels nasty in a way that sticks to her lungs.
but yjh is right. they can't stay.]
We can't. [she agrees, soft, finally letting her hand fall away from shinobu.] I...
[she starts, but she doesn't know how to end the sentence. so instead, she stumbles over to the staff, and picks it up to lean against it. she's tired, worn from the spellcasting, but she can keep going.]
... You want to flip a coin for the next one, bud, or do you care? [to yjh, just to. give shinobu a second.]
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BELATEDLY...PART TWO
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cw: suicide attempt
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