Vote results:
[X] Find somewhere the three of you can sit down and discuss what just happened. - 5 votes.
Part 29
Monday, Week 4
"Okay, we need to talk about this," you say, in one of the brief pauses between jumps. "Can we find somewhere quiet?"
"We can use my cafe," Miz says. "Well, not my cafe, but you know the one, right?"
"They're not going to mind?"
She shrugs. "Nah. I'm pretty sure I'm their biggest draw, right now, so they're always happy to see me."
"So long as it doesn't end up like the last cafe we went to," Angel says. "I like having two eyes, and only two eyes."
"Yeah, they haven't done anything to deserve being kicked in the head," Miz says. "But I don't feel too, you know, magically contaminated? Man, that's a mouthful."
You're pretty certain you can hear her waggling her eyebrows. You don't dignify her with a response, and instead take off towards the little cafe that Miz always seems to hang out around. You're not that far from it, in fact, and it only takes a few minutes before the three of you are seated around one of the outdoor tables.
Angel has to turn her chair around and straddle it, due to the wings, which looks hilarious given her high-quality evening gown. Miz shucks her helmet and sets it on the table next to her, and you pull off your gauntlets so that you can actually touch things properly. You're all getting some very strange looks – fear, admiration, respect – and it's making you uncomfortable.
"You sure we're okay here?" you say.
"Don't stress," Miz says. "What's going to happen if anyone does listen in? They're going to go tell everyone that a trio of girls in crazy costumes were discussing other people in crazy costumes? Please, they probably all think we're a bunch of crazy-dedicated LARPers."
"I tried that once," Angel says, looking thoughtful. "I broke this dude's nose by accident. Those foam weapons are fucking brutal if you use 'em wrong."
"I'm just gonna ignore the conversation until you start talking English," you say, leaning back in your chair and rubbing at your temples. "So, let's all get on the same page here. What do you guys think about the Sin Chosen?"
"They all but said they were killing people," Angel says. "They might not be top of the list, but I think we should stop 'em if we get the chance."
Miz shakes her head. "Why waste our time? Weren't you listening? They don't give a fuck what we do to the Sins. Do we even know that killing a Sin stops the Chosen? We've never done the first before the second. They probably just want to be left alone."
"Gluttony was talking about eating us," you point out, folding your arms across your chest. "I think we can assume he's done the same to other people."
Miz shrugs. "So? As long as he doesn't eat anyone I like, I don't care. I'm not going to say don't fight him," she adds. "But, you know, perspective? We could team up with these guys, use them to take out some Sins? Hell, I'm pretty sure they won't want Envy or Wrath or Sloth still around, regardless."
"Fuck that!" Angel snaps. "I can understand leaving them be, but fuckin' working with them? A cannibal?"
"Not sure they qualify as human any more," Miz says. "So, you know, not technically cannibal?"
"Yeah, you know exactly what she means," you say. "I can... see the argument for working with them on a temporary basis. I don't like the idea. I think it's dumb and short-sighted. But I can see why you might want to do it."
"Oh, sure, side with the big shiny girl," Miz says, smirking. "Not like I didn't see that coming."
"You trying to say something?" Angel says, leaning forwards.
"Hey, you two are friends. It's obvious you'd take each other's side, you know?" she says, folding her arms behind her head. "Just feeling a little outnumbered, here."
"I didn't shoot you down, Miz," you say, trying to keep your voice level. "What, I'm not allowed to have my own opinions now?"
"I never said that," she says. "Can we drop this already? It's not getting us anywhere."
You sigh, and rub your temples again. Miz always gives you a headache. Treating conversations like they're some sort of weird laid-backness competition, where the first one to deflect away wins. That, or she literally doesn't care about anything enough to actually fight for it. You aren't sure which one irritates you more.
"Fine," you say. "Right. So, you think there's value in allying with them-"
"Potentially."
"-Potentially value in allying with them. I think that there might be a point to it, if only to set them up so that we can take them out easier later. Angel thinks that we shouldn't focus on them, but we should take a shot if we get it?"
"Yeah," Angel says.
"For what it's worth, Light is going to agree with my position," Miz says. "She'll probably want to get in contact and try to trade information on the Sins and on sorcery, to try and get more options. I think it's a smart idea to get information on our enemies, personally. Seems like they know way too much about us in comparison."
"I don't think Shadows is gonna be up for it," you say, and Angel nods her agreement. "But she might be. I don't talk for her."
"You kind of should? It'll take fucking years to let her get to the point," Miz says.
"You want to stop talking shit about my friend?" Angel says, one fist clenching around the back of the chair hard enough to elicit a squeal of warping metal. "I ain't throwing shade at Light, here."
"Jeeze, you guys need to lighten up," Miz says. "Not everything I say is an attack on people. I even kind of like Shadows! She's a bit of a, you know, stuttery mess, but she's useful. If you aren't fucking her, maybe back off the defensiveness?"
You roll your eyes. "Do you just take joy in riling people up? That was a bit of a weak shot."
"Pretty much," she says. "It's always fun to see Angel's face go red like that."
"I protect my friends," Angel says, glowering. "I don't need to be fucking someone to see them as a person."
"Sure," Miz says. "Anyway, we were talking about the Sin Chosen, remember? Even if you guys think they're shitbags, we shouldn't be attacking them off the bat. We've got three Sins we can take care of, before we even need to go into their territory."
"Two," you say, staring off into the distance. "Light and Shadows aren't gonna go near Wrath until we take out all the others, most likely."
"Oh, right," Miz says. "Yeah, you have a point there. What I'm saying is, we should take out Sloth and Envy. Like, probably they're the least dangerous ones left, and they get stronger over time, right? Didn't you all get... something out of Lust?"
You shift your shoulders uncomfortably, remembering the sensation of that greasy power settling over them like a cloak. Angel looks down at the table for a moment.
"Yeah," she says. "I got.. something. It made me tougher. Harder to hurt."
"I got something, but I don't know what it did," you say. "Like I'd stolen some of its power for myself? You reckon we'll get the same from the other Sins?"
"Hey, it's a good enough extra reason to go after them, right? If you're ignoring the whole 'want to end the world' thing, I mean."
"If you ignore the main reason we're all doin' this, sure," Angel says, still glaring at the table. "I guess having more power might make my wish possible without the wish being granted."
"Lucky you," Miz says. "Look, that's the best way to sell it to Light, right? Power. She likes power, likes being powerful. I like power, too. I know you three goody-two-shoes are in it for the righteousness or some shit."
You can't say that you don't like the power. You love the power.
"I know Light isn't gonna join us for the next Sin fight, regardless," you say. "She's still too scared. She doesn't believe we can do this."
"I wish she wasn't so fuckin' against this," Angel says. "We'd all have been fuckin' dead without her when we took on Sloth's Sin Chosen. Be nice to have that on our side against the Sins."
"Then pick the easiest Sin to kill, and we go do it," Miz says. "Envy or Sloth. Two of them under our belts will make Light at least consider it. Can we do Sloth, though? Like, I don't want to miss out on the Envy Sin Eikon, and we still haven't seen any Sin-Eaten from it. If we give it time, we might get some."
You shift uncomfortably again. You hate the idea of leaving a Sin alive just for personal gain, but...
Killing Envy might be the point that makes or breaks the Chosen. If there's only the one Eikon? You might have outright murder happen for it. Hatred on all sides, total and eternal division as people take sides. You... even if it isn't the morally best decision, you don't want to have to deal with that right now. You don't want to have to deal with that ever. At least if you leave Envy for last, your mission will be complete before your group self-destructs. You swallow hard. The idea of Shadows or Angel attacking you to stop you from taking the Eikon flashes through your head, and then the red dreams well to the surface.
You know exactly what it'd look like when you cut off Shadows' head.
You scrunch your eyes shut and take a deep breath, then look up at the others. "Anyone need to say anything else?"
What's the plan?
[] More discussion
- [] About what?
[] Seek out someone to help with your insomnia via sorcery.
- [] Who?
[] Write in.
[X]Call up your Exousia
-[X]Check if it would be a valid wish to have all seven of the Chosen, alive, in a group hug, having just absorbed one of Envy's Eikons.
--[X]If it is, this gets around the problem of there only being one, returns the group to full strength, and you all can discuss coordinating your wishes to get ones that actually accomplish multiple Chosen goals with one use, so whoever does that doesn't lose out. It changes the problem of Envy to "trust each other enough to let them get you your wish", but that's much better than "only one of us gets a wish at all".
Well if the Exousia is choosing for magical potential the sins might have their own criteria, like synergy with their own emotion, different beliefs to magic potential, people they can easily control, etc, etc...
Well if the Exousia is choosing for magical potential the sins might have their own criteria, like synergy with their own emotion, different beliefs to magic potential, people they can easily control, etc, etc...
[X]Call up your Exousia
-[X]Check if it would be a valid wish to have all seven of the Chosen, alive, in a group hug, having just absorbed one of Envy's Eikons.
--[X]If it is, this gets around the problem of there only being one, returns the group to full strength, and you all can discuss coordinating your wishes to get ones that actually accomplish multiple Chosen goals with one use, so whoever does that doesn't lose out. It changes the problem of Envy to "trust each other enough to let them get you your wish", but that's much better than "only one of us gets a wish at all".
Work with the Sin Chosen, huh? Now that's an idea that didn't occur to me. How are we going to do that? While it is easy to see how it could profit us, what do we have to offer them that we would be willing to part with?
Miz is pretty infuriating. Having not enough force of personality/stubborness to confront us on our beliefs directly, she is just sidestepping difficult conversations, leaving us to feel very righteous and very stupid. At this point I am beginning to feel that Light would be easier to work with, if only because she does not shy from confrontations and appreciates logic, giving us plenty of opportunities to convince her.
The Envy conundrum is pretty harsh. I think we can ultimately give our wish up in favor of another, because we specifically chose a wish that can be achieved without magic. It's a shortcut, but the path exists to reach it through other means. And perhaps if Light gains a couple levels, she might be able to cure Angel's friend all on her own. Miz, however, is screwed with her wish to bring her brother back to life, and her unwillingness to talk things out with anyone. It's not easy to get over something like that if for some reason we can't give it to her. And we still have no idea what Light and Shadows want.
Maybe we should hang out with Miz more often.
[x] Seek out someone to help with your insomnia via sorcery.
- [x] Light and Shadows
I think that bringing Light to the Sloth fight might not be an insurmountable obstacle. First, call her to be present at the location - you can convince her that she doesn't have to fight, just be there, because we'll need all the healing once we emerge. That's a request that is hard to turn down. Then plant an idea inside her head that vanquishing a Sin grants power, so she has something to gain from being present when the thing gets killed - even if she doesn't strike a single blow herself. That, too, should be true.
From then on, leave it up to her and nudge her no more. It is a pretty powerful incentive to step inside the Circle with no obligations attached, since she isn't expected to fight and can just jump out if she doesn't like what she sees. At about 4th round she might convince herself to at least sneak a peek... and how it goes from there is anyone's guess. Worth a try, is it not?
Hrrrm...
So as far as Sin Chosen go-Sidestepping them...It works in theory, but in practice, we found out about Lust's chosen snooping around looking for Lust herself, is the thing. And for that matter Jake was defending Sloth, at least somewhat, last I checked.
Essentially, the trouble is we basically have to arm up and march through their territory to get to the Sins, and if they take umbrage we'll have to go through them, on top of the threat of them just outright deciding they don't like our face and trying to rampage through us like Wrath's Sin chosen did.
recruiting them?...Sadly, I think we've missed that chance-frankly we needed to approach the right one right off the bat and unfortunately we ended picking the Sin-Chosen who was actually loyal to her sin-enough so that she wasn't going to stand aside and let us just fight the sin.
I don't think it's an option. Buuut if I'm wrong...
Gluttony struck me as being too dangerous to work with-he wants to eat us because Gluttony and I can't help but think it'd be too easy for him to try and stick a cleaver in one of us after we finish up killing a target with him.
Pride...I dunno. I think he'd probably be smart enough to not buy it, frankly. Not so smart as to be a problematic opponent but smart enough that talking to him won't take.
Greed I think was the leadery one that we probably can't actually work with.
Envy? Probably not happening, it's whole strategy is predicated on tearing us apart once we figure out there's only one Envy Eikon.
The other three are dead.
Well... If Raff isn't boasting, Envy is perhaps the only Sin we might want to have resurrected just to be able to kill it again. I don't know the costs that could be attached to such an offer, though.
And Champion should ask the Exousia what happens after all 7 Sins are defeated. As in, do they keep the powers?
I'm personally very suspicious that the Exousia are running a gambit on us. I mean, they and the Sins having branched off the same evolutionary path... so the difference between them you'd expect would be like humans and apes, or humans and monkeys (maybe further back in the mammal branches, but still). Instead, the Sins appear to be mindless while the Exousia are very coherent, if alien, and they work along different principles (teen girls vs the eikon).
We only know that two of the Exousia are dead because the Exousia said so, and because we didn't get the same intro the first five got.
Okay, if those two handled the introductions, what duties are the other Exousia handling that the characters may lose if one dies?
Why was there a week in between choosing each new Magical Girl instead of all at once? Why offer the wish instead of just saying "your world is in danger and everyone you love may die, are you willing to fight to stop this?"
What happens after a wish is granted? Does a new magical girl get the powers? Does the wish receiver keep the powers too and do whatever she wants?
If it's possible for Sins to be revived or to reproduce, can Exousia do the same thing?
AN: Apologies for the delay; work's been hectic and I haven't had the energy to write.
Vote results:
[X] Call up your Exousia
- [X] Check if it would be a valid wish to have all seven of the Chosen, alive, in a group hug, having just absorbed one of Envy's Eikons.
- 3 votes.
Part 30
Monday, Week 4
Angel shakes her head at your question.
"No. I gotta get home and start dinner, too," she says. "Curfew's soon."
Miz grumbles something under her breath, but also shakes her head. "No. Nothing that can't keep. You two should head back to wherever. No point you getting arrested and having trouble on your civilian IDs."
You check your phone; it's getting late. "Good point. I'll get in touch if I think of anything, alright?"
"Yeah," Angel says. She stands, and stretches her wings out. "I'll see you soon."
She extends a fist, and you tap your knuckles against hers, then she takes off. Miz leans back in her chair and kicks her feet up on the table.
"You got somewhere to sleep?" you ask, despite not really wanting to have to have her in your house again.
She jerks a thumb over her shoulder at the cafe. "I crash upstairs," she says. "Get going, Champion."
You shrug. "Alright. I'll see you around."
"See you," she says, and gives you a sloppy salute.
You flip her off, she smirks, and then you jump away to the rooftops. It's a familiar trip by now, going from the cafe to your home, and the slowly sinking sun does the city a favour as you travel, dulling the hard edges with shadows and making every reflective surface shine all the brighter. Concordia's always beautiful, from a distance, but it looks its best at sunset or dawn.
You set down in your new usual alley and transform back into your normal form, before trekking back to your home. The National Guard checkpoint is almost bristling with nervous energy when you pass through it, though they don't search your bags this evening. You get a terse warning that you'd better get inside before curfew, and the Guard who says this pats their rifle as they speak. It seems to be half to intimidate, and half to comfort them.
Your grandmother is home when you get back, and, in a rare fit of energy, is busy in the kitchen. You peek around the door to check if she needs any help, but she just hands you a mug of tea and shoos you away. Something must have cheered her up, or at least invigorated her, to have her bustling like that; normally, she's too tired from a long day at work to bother doing more than slumping on the sofa.
You retreat to your bedroom with your tea, and settle yourself cross-legged on your bed. You've got a couple of questions in mind for your Exousia, and this is as good a chance as any to ask them.
"Leliel," you say, still feeling a little silly that you're talking to thin air. "Are you there?"
The soft chime and wash of white light as your Exousia manifests answers that question.
"I am always present, Chosen," Leliel says. "We are metaphysically intertwined. Wherever you are, so too am I."
You blink. "Wait, what?"
"When you were Chosen, we were linked," it continues. "Metaphysical structure to metaphysical structure. It is how you gained your abilities."
"Is this permanent?" you ask. You don't want to have to spend your entire life with a creepy glowing orb following you everywhere.
"No. The link can be broken without damage to either party, but it takes a significant length of time to do so," Leliel says. "It is currently beneficial to maintain the link. Once it is no longer so, I will remove it."
"And I'd lose my powers?"
"No. You have been irrevocably altered," it says. "What did you want from me, Chosen?"
You shake your head to focus yourself. "Right. Uh, I was wondering if we can change our wishes? I know I said that I wanted the city to be a better place, but what if I wanted to, I dunno, have all the Chosen alive and together?"
The Exousia bobs slowly, as though it is thinking. Finally, after the silence has become uncomfortable, it speaks.
"A wish may be changed," it says. "But it must be made the moment you have the seven Sin Eikons you require. A wish would be able to return all fallen Chosen to life, should you desire it."
"And the Exousia?" you ask, more out of curiosity than actual want to resurrect them.
"The Exousia exist on a more complicated metaphysical level than mere humans," it said. "It is not possible for a wish to restore one. Do not fret; all Exousia entered into this knowing and accepting the risks. Death is not great tragedy."
"Oh." You look down at your tea, and swirl the mug thoughtfully, watching the liquid ripple and steam.
"I will take the opportunity to warn you, Chosen," Leliel says. "Your wish will not align with the desires of all other Chosen. Some of them wish for things which would not be possible without a wish, which will not be resolved with the wish you seek."
You scowl, and take a sip of your tea. Strong and fragrant, it soothes you in the face of your constant setbacks.
"Why couldn't you have picked seven girls who could fucking co-operate for more than five minutes?" you grumble, not looking up at the Exousia.
"We attempted to do so. The first three were selected due to their close interpersonal relationships," Leliel says, still in that empty monotone that makes your skin crawl. "Then the First Chosen died in combat against the Egregore Orge. The Second and Third turned on one another, and we decided to choose the remaining Chosen on metaphysical stability, instead."
"So when... Hannah? … died, it broke the relationship between Shadows and Light," you say, working through it in your head. "And then you went for power over compatibility? I guess I can see some of the logic, but it still seems short-sighted. If you'd chosen someone other than Angel for the next Chosen, you'd have been able to head all this trouble off."
"We are not intimately familiar with humanity, Chosen," it says. "Looking back, we can see that our choices were suboptimal, but we cannot change the past."
"You just said that we could bring people back from the dead," you say.
"Yes. That does not render them retroactively not dead in the period between their life ending and their resurrection, Chosen, it simply means that they are returned from death. Time is one of the things even wishes cannot alter," it says. "Although you could approximate it on a planetary scale through memory rewriting and large-scale alterations."
You sigh.
"Do you have further questions?"
"What do you do all day?" you blurt, not really thinking about it. "Just sit in my shadow?"
"We spend most of our time monitoring and reporting on the situation on this planet," Leliel says. "We also manage and streamline your use of sorcery and magic. Without an Exousia, you would have significant difficulty managing the feats you have achieved in the time frame required."
"We're all too stupid to use magic properly?" you say, a bitter edge to your voice. "Thanks."
"In part. You cannot now do anything that you would not be capable of, given sufficient training and time to lean," it says. "But we do not have time to train you."
You drink some tea and think. Without the Exousia, you'd... still be able to do magic? It certainly sounds like that's the case. You resolve to make sure to pay more attention when you use your powers from now on, so that if you somehow lose your Exousia – and given your luck, it seems almost inevitable – you might be able to brute-force at least some of your magic.
"I don't have any more questions," you say softly. "I'm going to go get some food and then try to sleep."
Leliel chimes once, and vanishes.
What's the plan for tomorrow?
[] Spend time with a friend.
- [] Who?
[] Hang out with one of the other Chosen.
- [] Angel.
- [] Shadows.
- [] Miz.
[] Investigate a Sin Chosen.
- [] Which?
- [] With who?
[] Hunt Sin-Eaten.
- [] What kind (Any but Lust and Envy)
[] Hunt a Sin.
- [] Sloth
- [] Tactics? You have Angel, Shadows, Champion and Miz.
[] Investigate a Sin.
- [] Which?
- [] With who?
[] Write in.
"No. The link can be broken without damage to either party, but it takes a significant length of time to do so," Leliel says. "It is currently beneficial to maintain the link. Once it is no longer so, I will remove it."
So wait a second. It's 'beneficial to maintain the link' - but what are you even for? To facilitate the use of our magic - and that's it? If Exousia could be 'uncoupled' from the Chosen, with the Chosen retaining their magic, then why can't there be several Chosen?
" Leliel says, still in that empty monotone that makes your skin crawl. "Then the First Chosen died in combat against the Egregore Orge. The Second and Third turned on one another, and we decided to choose the remaining Chosen on metaphysical stability, instead."
Who was the other girl killed after Hanna? The order seems to be Hannah, Light, Shadows, Angel, Unknown Girl, Miz, Champion.
I also forgot who killed her. Was it Cynthia?
"A wish may be changed," it says. "But it must be made the moment you have the seven Sin Eikons you require. A wish would be able to return all fallen Chosen to life, should you desire it."
By the sounds of it- we'd retain the transforms but anything more complicated then the basic perks is off-limits if we give the Exousia up. This actually is REALLY helpful to know though-it suggests that sorcery use is our edge, unique to the Chosen. However...
The wish stand-off on the other hand, is NOT good. Because by the sounds of it we're gonna need to figure something clever out or lose a girl right at the finish line courtesy of Envy's trap.
...Well, there was also the point that I wanted to check if the wish could cover gaining more Envy Eikons if our suspicion that Envy's shtick is damaging our ability to cooperate by only having one. That's honestly more important than the "can we bring the Champions back", to the point I actually assumed we could. I was more concerned with seeing if we could get around Envy, and worried we may not be able to give the resurrected ones a wish if we had to wish for the extra Eikons before we brought them back.
Well...I figure one solid way to answer Envy is simply to work it out beforehand. The trouble...Is doing so in a manner that doesn't cause havoc.
I'm thinking first things first, have all the girls meet UNTRANSFORMED. Then, we each state our wishes so everyone knows what they're fighting for, starting with our own wish that is one that can be granted simply by defeating the Sins. Then...We mention the possible Envy bomb. The HOPE, is that with our wish being one that we can get via clearing out the Sins, it can at least keep Champion out of the fighting. The other, is that by discussing the wishes of the Chosen beforehand, we can thus hopefully help begin forming the thoughts of who's wishes are most important, who can go without, whatnot. And lastly, getting this over with BEFORE we deal with Envy means we don't end up having to deal with it with Envy's Eikon RIGHT THERE and able to corrupt any MG that goes too far.
On this note:
Angel: We can pacify her somewhat via the forsaking of our own wish/explanation of why. Beyond that, I dunno.
Light: Dunno, probably wishing for ressurection of her friend?
Shadow:I can't say I recall this one. I feel like It's come up, I just can't think of it. Or she didn't say. Bonus hilarity if she shares Light's wish that Hannah come back to life.
Miz:...She worries me the most. I feel like she's going to be the most ruthless about getting her way, and possibly might have a wish she outright refuses to share.
Miz' wish is listed on her character sheet. No surprises there. It's Shadows and Light we do not know about.
There are two ways of doing this. One is to warn them beforehand and try to talk it out - and if you don't reach an understanding, you are screwed and everyone is on alert for wish-stealing. Two is to grab the Eikon, make a wish, and present this as a fait accompli, then hope you can weather the fallout. It's not like Light and Shadows can tell Hannah to go back to being dead, so we are looking at Miz and, to a lesser extent, Angel here to appease.
In any case we'd have to forfeit our personal wish if we want to be a mediator. A party that isn't impartial will not be trusted by anyone.
What worries me is that Miz seems to be opportunistic enough that I am afraid she may go the 2nd way herself.
Anyway, I wonder what restrictions are there on wishes. I mean, it doesn't seem to be limited to 1 person or target if it allows qualifiers like 'the city' and 'all Chosen'. So what is in place to stop us from gaming the system and wish for all wishes to come true? Or in less gamey terms, wish for 'all people precious to the Chosen' to be alive and healthy. There might be something we are missing here.
Anyway, we should probably vote on what we should be doing now? We have a mid-sized backlog of various issues to solve.
AN: Going to try to move up to a Mon-Wed-Fri update schedule now that I have more time on my hands.
Vote results:
[X] Seek out someone to help with your insomnia via sorcery.
- [X] Light and Shadows.
Part 31
Tuesday, Week 4
You try to sleep, but it never comes to you. The moonlight peeks silver through your curtains, leaving your room faintly illuminated in a ghostly half-light; outside, you hear occasional gunshots and screams. Barely enough to bother getting up to do anything about, though, and certainly nothing that would require your intervention. You're certain it would all be over when you got there, from the sounds of it.
You stare at your ceiling, and realise with dull amusement that you've long memorised every detail of how it looks in the dark. Your breath fogs slightly in the chill of the night, and that detail makes you sit up and stare at the window. It shouldn't be that cold. Not at this time of year. Did you leave the window open?
You push the covers to one side and walk over to your curtains, but you can't see the usual signs of air fluttering at them from an open window. Your breath fogs more the closer you get, and you yank the curtains open to reveal an endless black void. You can feel the darkness outside your window tugging at you, hungry, and your head spins.
You tear your eyes away, down, and catch a glimpse of silver-white plains which stretch endlessly before you manage to turn fully away. The chill spreads, cold seeping into your fingers and toes, now. Your room is gone, and you are standing next to your school locker. Emily's face is frozen in a fond smile despite the frost covering her, and the blue-white tinge her marble-solid skin has taken on. You take a step back, shocked and confused, and she topples forwards to shatter into a thousand shards.
You wake up and throw the covers to the side, and rush to the window. It's normal, and you place your palm flat against the cool glass as you stare out at the back wall of the house across from you. It's normal. You're awake, and the world makes sense again. You hope.
You sit down next to the window, and you wrap your arms around your knees and begin to shake violently, fear and nausea and tiredness and anger and sorrow all balled up into a tight knot in your chest. Your eyes are dry, and you stare at the worn carpet with them wide open, breathing hard. You know that the walls aren't closing in, that there's no bleak empty void waiting to swallow you up outside the window, that the city is still there, and not an endless plain of dead white dust, but it doesn't matter. All you can remember is the sound Emily made when she shattered into pieces.
Like breaking glass.
You ride the wave of your panic for however long it lasts, focussed entirely on not losing yourself to the swell, because you can walk through a wall of bullets and set things on fire with a thought and a panic attack is not something you should let happen if you want your house to still be standing when it is over. That thought does not, of course, make anything easier, but you manage to keep your head just above water.
There are a pair of smouldering handprints on your pyjama pants when you finally manage to get yourself back under your own control. You have to talk to someone about getting sleep. Dreamless sleep, something that can keep you from losing your head. You've never been so taken in by a dream and yet aware of so much of it at the same time before, and it has to be a bad sign.
You're certainly not going to try and sleep again after that. You lurch to your feet, stagger over to your bedside table, and pluck your phone off from where it's charging. You tap out a pair of texts, one to Shadows, one to Light, requesting some assistance tomorrow, after school. It's three in the morning, so you don't expect any replies, but Shadows is either awake or was woken by your text, because she shoots a message back.
Hey, r u ok? Let me kno if u needs anything else! Attached is a picture of a pile of puppies. It's cute, but not really relevant?
Bad dreams. Hoping you and Light can sorcery up something to give me a dreamless sleep, you reply. You scrub a hand through your hair, loose and tangled, and decide you may as well go make some tea if you're up anyway.
Ill do my best!!!1 I kno nitemares are tough. This time, it's a picture of a capybara and a bunch of baby capybaras.
You head down to the kitchen as quietly as you can in your creaky old house, and set the kettle to boiling before you answer.
How about you? Anything I can help with?
There's a long pause before you get an answer. You've brewed the tea and disposed of the bag before your phone buzzes again.
no its fine.
There's another pause as you try and figure out the best way to pry without actually prying, but your phone buzzes again before you get your thoughts together.
maybe if the thing works we can do it 4 me 2. ive been thinking about what happnd w/ the wrath sc. keep remembering it.
That, you can respond to. Sure. And if you need to talk or anything, I'm happy to listen.
thanks : ) <3
You spend a few minutes finding an appropriate picture to send back, one that you think she'll appreciate. It's not your usual method of communication, but you think Shadows will like the gesture. It's a picture of several baby rabbits, looking more like a collection of tiny stuffed animals than actual living things. You don't get a reply after that, but you hope it's just that Shadows fell back asleep.
You spend the rest of the night curled up under your window, reading a book and drinking your tea. You feel bleary and fuzzy, like your head's been stuffed full of cotton, and you stumble through breakfast without really noticing anything. Your grandmother studies you over her coffee, looking worried, but she doesn't say anything. She doesn't have to; you just give her a slightly nervous shrug, and she frowns minutely. You look down, and she sighs.
She knows you're as stubborn as she is, and that it's pointless to try and stop you from heading to school today, despite the dark bags under your eyes or the red veins clearly visible on your eyeballs. You've covered up with as much make up as you can bother to use, but it doesn't really conceal what the lack of sleep is doing to you. You head out to catch your bus anyway, and the checkpoint is again keyed up and twitchy. Worse than yesterday, and obviously so.
Every person passing through gets their bags checked. They also seem to be randomly patting people down; you manage to avoid that, but it looks like one in ten or so are not so lucky. There's a noticeable congestion as people wait for the checkpoint to process them, and you can almost feel the tension in the air as people consider whether it's worth just trying to push through or not. There isn't a checkpoint on every street or anything – you could probably just about get through the entire city without actually having to pass through one, if you tried extremely hard, but they're all set up near major transport hubs, and good luck getting to a bus stop or train station or trying to drive anywhere without having to pass under those massive guns on the armoured cars they've parked up on the corners.
You finally get through the checkpoint and to your bus, and the rest of the day passes in a barely-conscious blur. You respond on autopilot to Ostin and Emily's comments, and if you spend a little longer hugging your friends than you normally do, they don't make a fuss over it. Emily's obviously worried about you, and though Ostin hides it behind a veneer of sarcasm and arrogance, he's just as concerned. They can't help you, though. You'd only be hurting them, simply letting them know what was wrong and then just as simply letting them know they were useless, and it hurts you to think that.
Finally, finally, you get out of school and can flee – and it is flight, it's nothing so dignified as a simple sprint – to the meeting place you arranged. The empty lot where you met up to fight Lust, weeks ago. It's still as abandoned as ever, though it's suffered from the abuse you've put it through in the intervening time.
You get there before the others, but you know that both of them are coming. Shadows arrives a few minutes later, and shuffles over to hug you; you let her, and she lets go after a few moments to give you a weak smile.
"Hey," you say.
"Hi," she says. "I, um, I liked the bunnies."
"I, uh, I hoped you would?" you say. "I didn't know you'd been having trouble sleeping."
"It's, um, it's been on and off since, like, um... Hannah," she said. "It got, um, got worse after... the Lust thing. And then the Wrath thing."
You huff out a heavy sigh. "Yeah. Makes sense. We can do you first, if you want? You've been dealing for longer than I have."
"No, um, no, it's fine. We just, um, have to convince Light."
You shrug. "Hey, I'm pretty convincing when I need to be."
Shadows grins. Light takes the opportunity to appear in a flash of light, the golden radiance filling your bones with comforting warmth. She looks as upright and prim as always, and her eyes cut from you to Shadows and then back again.
"So. You desired a meeting, and I have acquiesced. What is the occasion?" she asks, standing a fair distance from the two of you.
Please give me two rolls of 2d6, one roll per poster, please.
