trash bin PART TWO

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ??? OPENING PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . _PROGRAM CRASHED _PROGRAM REBOOT? >N >SCAN PROGRAM . . . _PROGRAM CRASHED . . . >EMERGENCY LEVEL . . . >EMERGENCY LEVEL . . . _EMERGENCY LEVEL LOADING LOADING. . . LOADING. . . LOADING TEXTURE-NIGHT-SKY, TEXTURE-FULL-MOON, TEXTURE-DIRT-PATH, TEXTURE-CAMPFIRE LOADING SOUND-CRICKETS, SOUND-GRAVEL, SOUND-WIND, SOUND-FIRE-CRACKLING UPLOADING USER UPLOADING USER UPLOADING USER UPLOAD SUCCESSFUL TRASH BIN It feels more like an electrical zap than dying. Dying might feel a little bit more like falling asleep, but this is harder, more painful. If you've ever been electrocuted, the feeling might seem familiar; the discovery you make when you open your eyes, too, is likely very familiar. It's the night sky. Stars twinkle, a fire cracks warmly. You sit up and observe the surrounding area, and it's like you've woken up in some sort of canyon. The fire burns brightly, the moon shines beautifully, the crickets sing, and it is ... peaceful. Mostly. You know you're dead. This must be, then, the after life? Or something like it, at least. The horizon stretches on forever, the dirt and gravel seemingly endless. The moon is so big and bright, it's like you could reach out and touch her. There's a shed not too far from the fire, only but a stone's throw away, as if someone else might have made it, and then went inside it. Approaching it, you can see the light glowing inside it through the dusty windows that are littered with fingerprints. A computer screen, so large and wide that it's baffling, sits, waiting. Turning knob reveals that the shed is unlocked, and stepping inside... it doesn't feel any different from the outside. A chair sits in the center of the room, a strange contraption strapped to the head of it. It looks like it would lower itself upon the head of whoever dares to sit on it, and wires from it's bottom curl up towards the machines attached to the screen. Several smaller desktop screens sit beneath the giant monitor. They, too, are hooked up to the machines scattered around the room, to the ominous one perched on top of the medical chair, and they blink, as if fighting to stay alive without use. Pressing the giant monitor on, it lights up, and displays, strangely enough... a security camera feed. You push the button. It switches to another room. Again, another room. Again, another room. So on and forth. You peeping tom! But no one can blame you, in the end. You might as well digitally haunt the rest of the ship until the game ends, and AL-2955 can clean out the trash bin. ...Right? rule book taken characters information cards

Comments

[ The 0th Rune City ISYANA ]

[mnasthai]

[ The first thing you'll notice is that the area you've arrived in is blue, oh so blue. The walls, the ceilings, the floor, even the light in this room is blue in illumination. It seems to be a massive chamber, and from the feeling in here it appears like you're very deep underground. The architecture of this place is decidedly old and archaic-- the floor composed of worn stone, the roof engraved with sweeping runes. After that, your eyes are probably drawn to the coffins, of which there are dozens and dozens of them. They're arranged haphazardly around the room in a circular pattern, and some of them are even open. If you dare to peek...there's actually nothing in them but a lot of dust.

There are only two people here, besides the rest of you.

The first would be Kazuma, and he looks...exactly the same as you saw him moments ago. Unruly green hair, mages uniform with a long black cape and purple ribbon. And then there would be Terumi who stands just opposite him. He's hard to miss, what with the bright garish orange jacket, and black bandages wrapped around his arms. Their appearances are a mirror of each other even if their clothing and posture is decidedly different: same height, same build. If they're saying anything, you can't make it out from this distance, but they seem to be standing around a hole in the floor, which looks down into a swirling blue vortex.

Approach?]

Re: [ The 0th Rune City ISYANA ]

[tacklefordwhimsy]

[Hell no. Shelley doesn't approach. She keeps her distance, staring at Terumi and Kazuma]

Why do I have the feeling that going ahead and saying hi won't be well received.

[Rhetorical question, because damn it's obvious why. She'll approach, she'll just wait for a moment to be sure she won't do it alone]

[thanatosincarnate]

{ Wherein Shelley does not dare approach, Arumat makes sure that he is the first of the group to make the movement forward. It is times like these that the Eldarian trusts little of the interaction going peaceful as well. Perhaps it may be because of his own conclusions he has drawn concerning the "heart" of the man with green wild hair that is usually tucked underneath the orange hood from the jacket he adorns. }

Be on your guard. Yet, if the lad is too idiotic to resist the apparition of this "world" on his own, you know what we'll have to do.

[deformity]

[ Allen is just a step behind, not because he's hesitating. He believes in Kazuma enough that he thinks this will probably go well. It's just -- he can't help but marvel at their similarity... and wonder how exactly Kazuma had missed his very obvious connection to Terumi. Seriously. ]

We won't have to do anything. Kazuma will pull through. [ He waits a beat, glancing at Shelley to make sure she's all right with approaching before stepping past Arumat to the green-haired mages. ] Kazuma?

[mnasthai]

[ They both turn at the same time, which is eerie enough. Unfortunately, Kazuma doesn't speak first. Because as much as Kazuma told everyone that this relationship is mutual, it really isn't.

Not by a long shot.]



Oi, Kazuma-chan you took so long in getting to me that they were even able to summon some guards! [ Terumi leans forward with a sneer, sizing them all up, though his gaze locks on Shelley in particular.]

Even for you this might not be a problem though, that one doesn't even have any magic. What kind of shit are they letting into the academy nowadays?

[ Kazuma's reply is a little miffed but nervous, they certainly were outnumbered.]

Terumi please I'll..I'll deal with them. [ And then to Allen:] I don't know you are, but I'm kind of busy so if you could remove yourself that would be great. [ And hope you came prepared for some kind of fight because he is certainly channeling a wind spell, what looks to be cyclones by the looks of it.

Luckily Terumi is not making any moves, at least for the time being.]

[deformity]

[ Allen -- grins. ]

Oh, hey! He has his powers again. Does this mean -- [ Yep, here's Crown Clown activating. For someone who's about to get into a fight, he looks happier than ever. ] Yes. I've been wanting to do this for a while. Those spars were fun, but this should be even more interesting.

If the two of them are both interested in a fight, I'll even let you join in, old man. Miss Winters, will you be all right with that? Machias?

[ 'Cause if Shelley or Machias want to take Arumat's place and beat the crap out of Kazuma and/or Terumi, Allen certainly won't complain. ]

[tacklefordwhimsy]

That is the guy Kazuma has a crush on?!

[Yeah, she's still unaware of the true nature of the whole thing between Kazuma and Terumi. Shelley looks pretty offended. Terumi seems kind of rude.

But yeah, as soon as Kazuma starts getting his wind powers ready Shelley gets on guard and...well, looks around for anything to hold onto, or grab as a weapon, or something]

Now I'm thinking it may have been a mistake for me to come. Good luck! I'll be okay!

[Because she isn't going to jump into Kazuma or Terumi's faces directly, that'd be silly. She steps back. What can a mere squishy normal human do? But she also can't let Allen, Arumat and Machias deal with this by themselves.

Damn, she's at a loss of what to do. For now she'll stay near the walls and look for any way she can help. What's up with the coffins, anyway? Kazuma, your cradle is weird]

[thanatosincarnate]

That's him.

{ Arumat knew this would happen. In fact, he'll step right in a little further, bringing out his laser scythe with a smirk that vanishes as soon as it appears. He looks back to being his usual ornery self so it's like it never even happened in the first place. }

Don't be a smartass, teensy lad.

{ He'll glare across at the both of them now-- and here is why Arumat was never one for diplomacy. }

Kazuma! If you know what's good for you, you'll back down. This place isn't what you think it is. That is all.

[deformity]

[ what REALLY arumat ]

Right, because that's going to work.

[ Allen b judgin' hard. ]

[mnasthai]

[ Coffin hunting you shall go, Shelley! As long as you don't make a move to interfere, Terumi and Kazuma won't target you-- they are a bit busy. The first few coffins Shelley will check are just full of dust, but the third one seems to have two objects in it. Looks like you're going to have to pull them out to get a better look. The first one feels long, cold to the touch, and diverges at the end into what seem like knobs of some sort. The second feels soft and silky, like a piece of fabric of some kind.]



[ Well Terumi hadn't intended on helping, but he guesses even he can't leave Kazuma one versus three, especially now that he's seen what weapons they had. He did that once before and it just dragged the whole thing out, what a pain.]

You take the princess, you can handle that at least, right? [ He looks at Arumat as he says this, because what the hell is up with that exposed midriff and braid?]

But I guess I can play with you~. Just what kind of weapon is that anyway? [ Terumi moves closer to Allen, but his movements are extremely causal, hands still in his pockets. He is circling him though, and his demeanor seems both curious and predatory.]

[ Kazuma laughs a little at Arumat's firm declaration.]

I don't know who you are either, but you're in our way.

And you know what this place is then? Don't lie to me, I'm not stupid. [ With those words the spell completes, sending a maelstrom of tornadoes in Arumat's direction. The spell is more about control and disruption than pure power, as he's trying to throw Arumat off and maintain distance from the scythe than anything else.]

[tacklefordwhimsy]

[There's stuff in these coffins? Huh. Well what is it? She can't tell exactly what's in here, may as well pull it out and hope it's something very useful]

[thanatosincarnate]

Don't be idiotic! I don't know what this place is, unless it's some sort of graveyard.

{ Arumat, of course, wouldn't just stand there and allow himself to necessarily be hit by a wave of tornadoes (or at least not all of them, hah). Kazuma's plan works, in the sense it forces the light-haired man to keep his distance-- opting to make a dash so he can evade away from the tornadoes. But when he's able to stop, he's giving a chant of his own.

He doesn't take long to fire a spell of his own either, the result being a summon of raining rocks going towards Kazuma's person to...

Well. Maybe Arumat should've thought this out more, but he didn't fire off a spell that was an explosive bout of fire and it should keep Kazuma moving instead of conjuring up another spell so that's progress, right? }

[breakshot]

[ What's unexpected is that they might find another spell being fired off, - a glowing glyph suddenly showing up right underneath the hooded man. "Terumi", apparently. It's the form of a clock going counterclockwise, a clear ticking sound echoing across. With luck, it should make the man a little less agile on his feet.

Didn't know Machias could cast magic? That's all right - he didn't either, and he seemed honestly surprised to find his orbment back on him the moment they showed up. Benefit of virtual reality, one would guess? Either way, it's out and his finger is resting over a gem embedded in it as a forceful, frustrated sigh escapes. ]

Ugh, are you kidding me - no one said anything about a fight happening...!

[mnasthai]

[ The first thing Shelley pulls out is...an arm. A metallic one, to be precise. There's some writing on it if she's morbid enough to check which reads: "λ -No.11". The second item thankfully proves to be a bit more normal, as it's an orange cloak with a blue trim. Maybe there's something interesting in the pockets?]



Are you really trying to use magic against me, four eyes? [ The spell was unexpected but Terumi has insane reflexes...but they're not merged yet, so he's not as fast as he could be. He manages to step out of the spell partially, so it's only about half as effective as it could be.]

What a pain in the ass dealing with two people at once, you should be grateful Kazuma-chan! [ Allen is most likely closer at this point, so Terumi will have to deal with him up close, but Machias gets a solid green chain thrown his way that extends out from Terumi's palm. If it lands, he's just going to throw Machias into the wall because what is subtly, Terumi does not know it.]

[ As for Kazuma, he was not expecting magic that's for sure. His reflexes save him if only just, though one of the rocks does manage to nick his arm and cut his clothing where a line of blood begins to grow.]

Wrong. What's the point in trying to tell me what to do if you don't know anything? You're being so mean too, trying to hurt me like that. [ Oddly, the wound on his arm heals over in seconds. Despite his chiding, Kazuma does seem more wary now, and the recovery from his evasion doesn't really give him a chance to cast another spell. Probably a good opportunity to close the distance if Arumat wants to.]

[tacklefordwhimsy]

[A metallic arm and a cloak, huh. Belongings to someone dead, most likely, why else would it be in a coffin. She has to leave the arm aside to check the pockets]

They're not trying to hurt you, Kazuma!

[That wasn't of help, Shelley]

[deformity]

[ In a flash, Allen's in front of Machias, claw out. He slashes sideways then up-down, drawing a cross in the air and activating his shield, neatly deflecting the green chain. ]

Let's just say it's a living weapon against evil. Cliché, I know, but it's not too shabby. [ He'll demonstrate by drawing out his sword from the very same claw. Plus one giant sword, and now minus one arm. ]

I'd rather fight Kazuma, honestly. I mean, you're not exactly real, so... [ There's kind of no point, sry. Allen flashes him a smile that's just on the edge of mean. ] I'll pass. If you ask nicely, I'm sure Machias will show you some of his skills.

[ One of which is magic apparently. Who knew he had skills other than shooting and shouting! ]

[thanatosincarnate]

{ If anything, Kazuma's words cause him to scoff. He's become dimly aware Shelley's doing something other than hanging around in the back, though.

Arumat then begins to speed ahead towards Kazuma in a mad dash. He notices the kid can heal too, so at least it's fine that he doesn't have to worry about hurting him too badly? But all the same he's going to try not to be too reckless here.

He just needs to keep the kid occupied, and at that, Arumat swings his scythe because now he's closer to Kazuma he can enlarge the thing if anything without hurting anyone nearby. His goal here is just to probably make the kid move out of the way, because for once he does prefer the banter and serving as a good distraction. }

You're such a little brat as always, lad. Just because I don't know where this is, doesn't mean I don't know anything. The only reason I'm bothering to speak to you is just so you don't wind up stuck forever here... and don't be ridiculous; you're the one who cast the first spell.

[breakshot]

WHO CARES ABOUT WHO DID WHAT FIRST?! HE'S TRYING TO KILL US!

[ It's a good thing Allen had stepped in right then, because that absolutely would have knocked him back and knocked him right the fuck out. With a thanks directed to Allen, he'll turn his attention back to his orbment, his finger tracing a series of embedded gems before he raises his gun up. ]

While we're screwing around here, the clock's ticking down for everyone else we care about - both on the Pygmalion and the Nuwa! [ He certainly hasn't forgotten Dr. Lin's words, anyway. But maybe we could use that, too. ] If we waste too much time, we won't be able to do anything for them!

[mnasthai]

[ This is Blazblue, who the hell knows. In the pockets, Shelley finds several scraps of paper. The majority of it looks to be notes of some kind, and it probably doesn't make much sense to Shelley unless she knows alchemy. There is a neat curly signature on each page, denoting that they belong to one: Trinity Glassfile. There is one piece of paper that is folded and distinct from the rest: it's on a piece of light pink stationary. It simply reads:

"I'll always be here for you, you're very important to me, so please call on me whenever you're confused or just want to talk. Let's go out for tea again, without everyone else this time, I'd like that. Please take care of yours-"

The rest of it is ripped off, but the handwriting is the same as the other notes.]



I'm not freakin real huh? [ Well, Allen would be right...normally. Thing is, is that this room connects to the Boundary, where spirits and a whole lot of things reside. Essentially it means that even though Terumi in his spirit form, he's basically as real as anyone else in this room.

And Terumi like Kazuma, does not take very well to being ignored. There's no more verbal taunts but rather something akin to a spell casting, and black energy shoots out from Terumi's hands: shaped like gigantic snakes. If Allen is going to block for Machias that's fine, except there's more than enough snakes for the both of them. Hopefully whatever spell you're casting works against shadow snakes, Machias.]

Ahhh should I have just asked you to leave first? Sorry, but you should listen to the loud guy over there, [ A very quick point at Machias:] as it would be better for us if you would all just die~. [ But with Arumat pressing his advantage, Kazuma doesn't really have the chance to retaliate at all, though he is jumping all over the place.]

[tacklefordwhimsy]

[Oh dear. That's a sweet note, and Kazuma really won't like anything sweet. As if he could be convinced by -*THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP*-. Hadn't he mentioned one Trinity once, when Shelley had shouted at him before he was executed?

...this may be a stupid move if it ends enraging Kazuma instead of calming him down, but it should at least provide one heck of a distraction. Shelley memorizes the note, puts on the coat, tries to hold the metallic arm from the inside of the sleeve, and gets ready]

Kazuma! Stop!

[Come on, Arumat, Machias, Allen, keep fighting! Shelley is actually very worried, she fully expects Kazuma to get pissed off, maybe he would even attack her. Looks like she'll have to rely on the rest to keep her safe. Better start reciting before she forgets how the note goes, it's already kinda hazy]

"Kazuma, you...you're very important to me. Call me whenever you want to talk or you just want to hang out. Let's go out for tea! And uh, boiled eggs...because I'd like that"

[At least she managed to say it without much hesitation]

[mnasthai]

[ Well, turns out Kazuma's quite the liar-- what a surprise.

Shelley catches his attention immediately, even though Arumat is probably still swinging his scythe. He stops quite abruptly, though he will try to throw out a barrier if Arumat keeps attacking, but he's apparently done evading for now.]

W-What are you... why are you talking like her? Why do you have her clothes? She's not here, she tried to stop me and I-- [ Kazuma stops talking abruptly, burying his face in his hands. He's not pissed at least, but it looks like this actually quite painful for him.]



[ And then somewhere from within all the fighting because he can't keep his mouth shut:]

The hell do you have that dolls arm for? [ ...maybe that arm isn't important after all.]

[breakshot]

You're "real", huh? Nice try, but I saw the real deal's face plain as day onboard the Nuwa - and believe me, he was alive and well.

[ Oh, it's not a spell. He's aiming his shotgun at Terumi and pulls the trigger. With a loud crack, the shell discharges and the spread of pellets rapidly rush towards the intended target.

Only they're not a direct hit. It's not aimed at Terumi himself, but his legs. If the hit connects and the effect activates, Terumi might find himself unable to move at all with his body gradually petrifying from the legs upwards. It's a temporary effect, but it might still be alarming to any onlookers. There's an intense smell of smoke coming from the remaining spread that will leave anyone close enough feeling rather drowsy if they keep breathing it in, but it can be mitigated by covering the nose with something. Machias made sure to aim carefully so the others wouldn't get caught up, but he'll still shout out a warning to them just in case. ]

Don't get too close or you'll be caught up in it too!

[tacklefordwhimsy]

[oh shut up terumi go get yelled at. Shelley doesn't drop the arm, though, and usually she'd approach to at least try to comfort, but better not get in middle of a fight]

I'm here, Kazuma. I want to help you, I want... [I want your help? Uh, would that even work? How does one deal with Kazuma, really? Shelley is screaming internally] ...I want to spend time with you again.

[She really feels like she's getting in a world of trouble]

[deformity]

It's in your best interest to let us help. We're not here to stop you from getting whatever that is.

[ He waves his sword at the swirling blue vortex.

Machias seems fine dealing with Terumi, so Allen leaves him at it. If it looks like he needs help, Allen will jump in -- but at the moment, he's more interested in Kazuma's reactions. ]

[thanatosincarnate]

{ Arumat forgets that Kazuma has shields, so he'll try to stop himself when he notices the male stops dodging, although there's a brief look of surprise on his own part. }

...Exactly.

{ ... That looks similar to the blue orb thing. The "Azure"... was it the same? He doesn't know, and kinda doesn't care. He'll just be trying his best. }

We wouldn't want to leave you behind.