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.]
[ it is easier to register the two of them, as they give her that second. as she thinks about that hand that reached out to her, that face she loved, the butterfly clip that she could recognize on sight—
...
could she?
she trembles a little, as she tries to focus, on remembering. ]
We can go.
[ she sounds empty, but she isn't going to fight the next choice. she takes a couple stumbling steps towards the light, away from her past, away from her memories. ]
[ Lup is trying so hard while Joonghyuk only offers Shinobu emotional space. ]
What matters is that we get this over with.
[ So, no, he doesn’t care. If she wants to flip the coin, she can.
And oocly cause we said it, rng has chosen the red ring. ]
After a ten minute rest, we can head in.
[ And they can have their ten minutes to get themselves together and recover. Shinobu, however, I guess will continue to lose memories while these two will continue to not realize the extent of devastation.
[they take their ten minutes of rest, regrouping and regaining their bearings. they enter the galactic space and float for a bit, swimming toward the red ring.
as the three of them enter the red ring, it's a swirl of reds, oranges and yellow immediately twirling like a whirlwind around them as they dive down toward the ground. the ring closes behind them, gravity still escaping them and their movements fluid. clusters of stars and smaller red rings appear around them that they may attempt to dive through, appearing in various places as the wind rushes past them and they drop.
below them, they will see what looks like a fancy academic building, all prestigious columns and stairs and marble architecture. a sprawling courtyard connects it to other buildings, and there's a chatter of laughter and talking all around them. the voices are inaudible, but there's a sense of camaraderie, of people letting off steam and having fun.
however, as they go, they will soon find themselves swarmed by large, old tomes. the book covers are wide open, allowing the monsters to catch some air and dart and swing right at the group. they won't give papercuts or anything if they get too close, but they will leave some nasty bruises. and if that weren't enough?
around you, several billboards advertising different variety shows, parties and alcohol can be seen. if you don't dodge, you'll likely plow right through them and splinter the wood on your way out.]
[it is maybe a bit of an awkward ten minutes, but it's something.
lup is much more prepared for what's going to happen this time - she knows they have to go through the rings, so she's going to try that. however, the books are... here. and she's absolutely distracted by the buildings, by the courtyard - by a place that feels familiar. she's not sure, yet, but she has an idea of what this might be, and the apprehension makes her feel a little sick. that has to be pushed aside, though. they've got to get through this and she has to keep her head straight.
so - going through the rings, dodging the books, and the billboards. she doesn't shoot the books this time yet - she wants to see if she can get away from them first, without wasting spells.]
[ the silence is not awkward for shinobu because all she can is angst as she tries to be anything less than hollow, anything less than something horrible.
As her memory of her sister fades, her movements become less unstable, more like her usual grace, but it takes time to adjust to not having something you always knew.
She's silent as they fall, aiming for the rings now that she knows they're the goal. She makes effort to dodge the billboards she's nit familiar with but none to get away from the books, vestiges of why she's so emo still lingering.
She is sure lup or yjh will note anything important. ]
[ Yeah, Shinobu, sasuke through it. Joonghyuk would be quiet the whole time, maybe meditating like the nerd he is.
Joonghyuk also focuses on getting to the ground, but will knock out the books if they come close with a swing of his sword of a kick. Fortunately, swords don't have limited uses. They are technically infinite "ammo." With the billboards coming forward, he will do his best to avoid them. If impossible, he will try to cut through them and yeet pieces at the books.
Stay back, academia? Though he had an awful experience with the rings, getting to the floor with only some bruises is better than staying in the air with flying threats. He heads to one, too. ]
[it's a dizzying feeling for all of them, the bright pulsing lights almost like a nightclub the further they go down. the books swipe, attempting to knock them off-course into these boards. they aim for the rings, falling through them. shinobu takes a bit of damage from the books due to lack of dodging, the weight of them smashing into her and knocking her closer to the others.
they manage to dive through rings, joonghyuk cuts through billboards and books as the girls dodge. they fall, and now that they're aware of what to do they all seem to be having a better time.]
280/500
[and then the giant stone chunks of the building fly up. it's uneven, jagged, and heavy. they splinter off, and little bat-like creatures shaped like umbrellas fly out the glass windows to swarm all three of them and stop their attempts from getting to the ground. they bite, screaming in their ears and bringing in reinforcements.
but they're getting closer to the ground with each movement.]
[the pulsing lights throw her off a bit - she is still going for the rings, but the second the bat-creatures come out, she loses focus entirely. nope! absolutely not! she will not let those things get close to her, and she maybe panics a little as she kicks away from the stone chunks. maybe she hits a billboard or a book, because she's not thinking clearly.
the books didn't get this treatment but the bats absolutely do - she immediately calls for fire, as much as she can manage, spraying it in the direction of the creatures with a little yelp. stay back, demons.
it's probably going to wear her out, but she's not remembering this. girl has an aversion to umbrellas.]
[ shinobu brings a hand up....? A hand down, if they're diving, to shield her eyes from the pulsing lights. She grunts like Sasuke i guess when the books ram into her.
She notices that these umbrella bats are eliciting a different kind of reaction from lup. In concern, she buffs (defense and attack) both lup and yjh. The sooner they can get away and land, the better she thinks. ]
[ Shinobu... Joonghyuk tries to cover for the girls from the books, but he can't do much about the debris ascending. He only has so much control in the air, so he will get dented with book spines and corners here and there, maybe a billboard piece, but when the stone pieces come he tries to land on one that hasn't splintered yet. He just wants foundation under his feet, for a single moment.
There are umbrella bats and he has no idea what is going on? Is this a wizard thing? But he sees that Lup is having a moment. ]
Focus and don't overextend yourselves.
[ He tries to stay away from the fire spray and cuts down some of the wayward umbrellas that may have escaped Lup's fury. A part of him wants to go ahead down another ring, but doesn't. Not until he's sure Lup doesn't exhaust herself completely just from the drop. ]
[billboard pieces splinter around lup, but as she calls for fire (and the last use of her magic for the time being) she's able to fry the umbrellats to a crisp as they dissipate into black stardust and float on. little stars appear and she absorbs them as she falls. shinobu's buff helps both her and joonghyuk and it gives him enough strength to land on one of the pieces of the building without shattering his legs from a hard landing or anything.
all three of them are getting knicked with wooden splinters as the bats swirl, but joonghyuk's able to avoid the flames and swipe at the bats with his sword.
the three of them fall through a ring and they speed up, plunging straight down into a heart-stopping drop before they all tumble out onto a grassy lawn.]
459/500
[as they work to regain their bearings, they will find there are buildings all around them. large, sprawling lawns are sprinkled with sidewalks and pathways leading from building to building, all made of marble and shining glass and standing several stories high. all around them is the chatter of people walking to and fro, a busy common area in the center.
judging by the advertisements for organizations, information and landmarks, along with the number of buildings, they may recognize it as...a school campus?
[i'm sorry to say, yjh, that she ignores you completely. the umbrellats are given no mercy. and then all three of them eat it on the grass and she doesn't really have time to acknowledge that she absorbed stars. hope that's not bad later.
she just lays on the floor for a second.] Hhgh. Oh, hey. Our score was better this time.
[she says this idly as she stares at the campus around them. slowly, she pulls herself to sit, holding her staff, and then:]
... This is my school. By the way. I went here. [she hasn't seen it in... a century? maybe more. she hoists herself to her feet.]
I don't know where we're supposed to be going, though. [are people saying anything that she can make out as they pass by?]
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guestservices) wrote2022-07-17 07:06 pm
no subject
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.]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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!! ]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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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...
could she?
she trembles a little, as she tries to focus, on remembering. ]
We can go.
[ she sounds empty, but she isn't going to fight the next choice. she takes a couple stumbling steps towards the light, away from her past, away from her memories. ]
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What matters is that we get this over with.
[ So, no, he doesn’t care. If she wants to flip the coin, she can.
And oocly cause we said it, rng has chosen the red ring. ]
After a ten minute rest, we can head in.
[ And they can have their ten minutes to get themselves together and recover. Shinobu, however, I guess will continue to lose memories while these two will continue to not realize the extent of devastation.
Red ring! ]
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as the three of them enter the red ring, it's a swirl of reds, oranges and yellow immediately twirling like a whirlwind around them as they dive down toward the ground. the ring closes behind them, gravity still escaping them and their movements fluid. clusters of stars and smaller red rings appear around them that they may attempt to dive through, appearing in various places as the wind rushes past them and they drop.
below them, they will see what looks like a fancy academic building, all prestigious columns and stairs and marble architecture. a sprawling courtyard connects it to other buildings, and there's a chatter of laughter and talking all around them. the voices are inaudible, but there's a sense of camaraderie, of people letting off steam and having fun.
however, as they go, they will soon find themselves swarmed by large, old tomes. the book covers are wide open, allowing the monsters to catch some air and dart and swing right at the group. they won't give papercuts or anything if they get too close, but they will leave some nasty bruises. and if that weren't enough?
around you, several billboards advertising different variety shows, parties and alcohol can be seen. if you don't dodge, you'll likely plow right through them and splinter the wood on your way out.]
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lup is much more prepared for what's going to happen this time - she knows they have to go through the rings, so she's going to try that. however, the books are... here. and she's absolutely distracted by the buildings, by the courtyard - by a place that feels familiar. she's not sure, yet, but she has an idea of what this might be, and the apprehension makes her feel a little sick. that has to be pushed aside, though. they've got to get through this and she has to keep her head straight.
so - going through the rings, dodging the books, and the billboards. she doesn't shoot the books this time yet - she wants to see if she can get away from them first, without wasting spells.]
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As her memory of her sister fades, her movements become less unstable, more like her usual grace, but it takes time to adjust to not having something you always knew.
She's silent as they fall, aiming for the rings now that she knows they're the goal. She makes effort to dodge the billboards she's nit familiar with but none to get away from the books, vestiges of why she's so emo still lingering.
She is sure lup or yjh will note anything important. ]
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Joonghyuk also focuses on getting to the ground, but will knock out the books if they come close with a swing of his sword of a kick. Fortunately, swords don't have limited uses. They are technically infinite "ammo." With the billboards coming forward, he will do his best to avoid them. If impossible, he will try to cut through them and yeet pieces at the books.
Stay back, academia? Though he had an awful experience with the rings, getting to the floor with only some bruises is better than staying in the air with flying threats. He heads to one, too. ]
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they manage to dive through rings, joonghyuk cuts through billboards and books as the girls dodge. they fall, and now that they're aware of what to do they all seem to be having a better time.]
[and then the giant stone chunks of the building fly up. it's uneven, jagged, and heavy. they splinter off, and little bat-like creatures shaped like umbrellas fly out the glass windows to swarm all three of them and stop their attempts from getting to the ground. they bite, screaming in their ears and bringing in reinforcements.
but they're getting closer to the ground with each movement.]
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the books didn't get this treatment but the bats absolutely do - she immediately calls for fire, as much as she can manage, spraying it in the direction of the creatures with a little yelp. stay back, demons.
it's probably going to wear her out, but she's not remembering this. girl has an aversion to umbrellas.]
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She notices that these umbrella bats are eliciting a different kind of reaction from lup. In concern, she buffs (defense and attack) both lup and yjh. The sooner they can get away and land, the better she thinks. ]
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There are umbrella bats and he has no idea what is going on? Is this a wizard thing? But he sees that Lup is having a moment. ]
Focus and don't overextend yourselves.
[ He tries to stay away from the fire spray and cuts down some of the wayward umbrellas that may have escaped Lup's fury. A part of him wants to go ahead down another ring, but doesn't. Not until he's sure Lup doesn't exhaust herself completely just from the drop. ]
BELATEDLY...PART TWO
all three of them are getting knicked with wooden splinters as the bats swirl, but joonghyuk's able to avoid the flames and swipe at the bats with his sword.
the three of them fall through a ring and they speed up, plunging straight down into a heart-stopping drop before they all tumble out onto a grassy lawn.]
[as they work to regain their bearings, they will find there are buildings all around them. large, sprawling lawns are sprinkled with sidewalks and pathways leading from building to building, all made of marble and shining glass and standing several stories high. all around them is the chatter of people walking to and fro, a busy common area in the center.
judging by the advertisements for organizations, information and landmarks, along with the number of buildings, they may recognize it as...a school campus?
perhaps they would like to look around.]
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she just lays on the floor for a second.] Hhgh. Oh, hey. Our score was better this time.
[she says this idly as she stares at the campus around them. slowly, she pulls herself to sit, holding her staff, and then:]
... This is my school. By the way. I went here. [she hasn't seen it in... a century? maybe more. she hoists herself to her feet.]
I don't know where we're supposed to be going, though. [are people saying anything that she can make out as they pass by?]
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cw: suicide attempt
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