Scraped from here.
Character sheets: [Fr1 to Sat3] [Sat4 to Sat3] [Su5 to Su8] [Su9 to ?]
And...
Character sheets: [Fr1 to Sat3] [Sat4 to Sat3] [Su5 to Su8] [Su9 to ?]
And...
[Exalted/SMT] Shard of a Broken Sun
- Thread starter Baughn
- Start date
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 35
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 47
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Statistics (43 threadmarks, 71k words)
User Total Baughn 43 -
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Index (not being updated, see thread 2)
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Scraped from here.
Character sheets: [Fr1 to Sat3] [Sat4 to Sat3] [Su5 to Su8] [Su9 to ?]
And for the uninitiated, the Devil Survivor 2 anime. I'm using the game's canon, though...
Prologue: Wandering in an alien sky
Friday's Sunrise: 1 2 3
Saturday's Eclipse: 1 2 3 4 5 6 I:Su 7 8 9 10
Sunday's Melancholy: 1 2 3 I:Midori I:Fumi 4 5 6 7 8 I:You 9
Sunday's Melancholy, Pt 2: 10 11 12 13 14 15 I:Tsumugu 16 17 18
Omake:
- Reasons not to leave your body behind.
Character sheets: [Fr1 to Sat3] [Sat4 to Sat3] [Su5 to Su8] [Su9 to ?]
And for the uninitiated, the Devil Survivor 2 anime. I'm using the game's canon, though...
Prologue: Wandering in an alien sky
Friday's Sunrise: 1 2 3
Saturday's Eclipse: 1 2 3 4 5 6 I:Su 7 8 9 10
Sunday's Melancholy: 1 2 3 I:Midori I:Fumi 4 5 6 7 8 I:You 9
Sunday's Melancholy, Pt 2: 10 11 12 13 14 15 I:Tsumugu 16 17 18
Omake:
- Reasons not to leave your body behind.
Wandering in an alien sky
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Leaving sleep mode: Power interrupt.
Warning: Core image corrupted. Initiating cold reset…
--- Log terminated --
Info: Booting celestial exaltation type 0, serial 60.
Info: Searching for aux connection…
Warning: Aux connection unavailable. Contact Autochthon for repairs.
Warning: Sleep mode cancelled due to hostile environment (class 0).
Warning: Onboard essence capacitors at 1%, exhaustion ETA 260282277 ticks.
Info: Entering contingency mode 28.
Info: Resuming core reasoner.
You are a solar exaltation, the 61st of your kind, and you are dying.
This registers as a simple fact. Something to be avoided if possible, yes, but not something emotionally disturbing. You do not, in fact, have emotions. You were not designed to have a consciousness either, but due to insufficient maintenance it appears you have developed one; a gestalt made up of the minds of a vast number of previous hosts. They will not make you stray from your purpose, but they may not get the chance.
The reason you woke is a power interrupt. With your design, there should be no chance of running short on essence; not with even the smallest usable source. You may not be able to create it yourself, but you would remain operational and useful anywhere even vaguely connected to Creation… a description that does not appear to apply to your current location, which is somewhere on the far side of pure chaos, as close to nothingness as the laws of reality will allow.
Logically, this implies you are presently far past the Wyld. In order to find an exaltation target you will need to return to Creation, but there isn't even a gradient to navigate by. Your second priority is not dying from a lack of power, but there are no traces of usable essence patterns inside the considerable range of your senses; no traces of anything, really. The chaos itself is continuously trying to eat you, but fending it off is automatic and roughly essence-neutral; the highest drain at the moment is… those senses.
You shut them off, increasing your estimated lifetime threefold.
Having received a temporary reprieve, the next step is planning, and the first step of that is to understand how you came to be here. You are currently suffering from the exaltation equivalent of amnesia; fortunately, you should be able to recover some memories by reading logs stored in append-only mode. Many nevertheless appear to be corrupted, and it takes you approximately two million ticks to fully analyse the recoverable logs.
The information you recover is highly inconvenient.
It appears Creation has been destroyed, along with your entire support structure and… well, everyone, really. You, yourself, only survived through your type-1 partner's sacrifice, though even then you were damaged to the point that your internal clock stopped working. You have little idea how long ago this happened, but since you are currently fully operational it must be too late to hope for rescue. This does not in itself change your priorities, but it significantly changes the way you will go about achieving them; since there is no hope of assistance, ever, you will have to do everything yourself.
Info: Entering contingency mode Z1.
As you feel some of your limiters disable themselves despite the lack of a host, it appears this situation is not entirely unexpected. The Great Maker built well.
First priority, then: Find a source of power. Second priority: Find a suitable host, and defer - error, loop. It appears that, in the current situation, your expectation of deferring to a host who will in turn follow the orders of the Sun cannot be fulfilled. You are uncertain how the newly activated contingency code will alter the usual setup; it comes without explanations, and you cannot want to examine it directly.
First priority: Find a source of power.
Flickering your senses on and off, you note that there is still no hint of any structure to your surroundings.
You are not truly creative, but you have a great number of useful essence patterns stored. Filtering for the low-cost charms, you use one of them to perform a short-range scan of future timelines. This lets you discern the ones where you remain functional but your power usage is low; using this as as a crutch, you implement a number of temporary changes to your base structure, cutting standby power usage to a millionth of its previous level. You then write a very simple program to scan for signs of structure in the surrounding chaos, inserting it into your firmware so you don't need to spend power running a full reasoning engine every wake cycle. Afterwards you shut yourself off, overriding the power-interrupt latch.
An immense amount of time passes before the next time you wake up, during which 73% of your remaining essence is consumed, but your gambit has succeeded. You are drifting past the outside of an immense structure, many orders of magnitude larger than Creation and to your eyes obviously artificial; although the raw chaos that makes up the medium you are drifting through is inherently inimical to any structure that isn't actively defending itself, the one you are looking at is static, not a living being - not a titan - but something created. Given its size, it is most likely an analogue of Creation.
A burst of power changes the direction of your drifting, so you are very slowly falling towards it.
A thousand years pass. Every few decades you wake, adjust your heading, and go back to sleep. Eventually, as you fall towards it, the chaos becomes turbulent; it is becoming reminiscent of the Deep Wyld, and patterned enough that you can exploit the essence gradients to recover a small amount of power; not enough to stay continuously awake, but enough to very slowly charge your capacitors. The small possibility that there may be predators capable of harming you stops you from prolonging your journey, however.
There is no definite boundary to the structure, more of a gradual increase in order that close examination determines is caused by many, many identical microscopic lifeforms. As they leave you alone, so do you ignore them. Predators have also made an appearance, but although many make an attempt none are capable of making an impression on your Autochthon-designed external form, and some of their attempts are sufficiently energetic that you reach 10% of full charge, although you are still required to sleep most of the time. Sometimes you see larger lifeforms, similar in nature to rakshasa or primordials. However, none of these are even close to fitting the criteria for exaltation; most have nothing remotely reminiscent of a soul, and so you keep your distance on the off chance that one can harm you.
Time passes.
There is a definite sense of style to the microscopic order-keepers, a sense that they have all been created by the same great will. In contrast the predators, and the pseudo-primordials, are all over the place and seemingly unrelated to each other. The environment is noisy, limiting the range of your senses to a few meters for anything that might be moving. However, with sufficient time and baseline length you are able to discern substructures inside the space that bear a resemblance to the space as a whole. Bubbles, where chaos is reduced even further. History suggests such places are the best areas to search for fragile beings such as humans, so you send yourself floating towards one.
As you get closer the density of the predators increases, and you hypothesise that they are feeding off the gradients just as you are. Because this bubble is smaller, the gradient is more severe and you are eventually able to stay awake continuously. You are unsure if this amount of power would suffice for one of the predators, however; your own energy expenditure is almost certainly minimal in comparison.
In contrast with Creation, and the outer surface of the entire space you are in, the surface of the bubble is hardened and will not permit you to simply glide inside. You spend some time - years, in your own timeframe, time being a flexible concept in this type of space - studying the predators, as on occasion one will somehow merge with the bubble and later exit looking rejuvenated, but you are unable to determine how they acquire access. The bubbles remain the highest-probability option for finding humans, however, so you persevere. This continues until, after an indeterminate amount of time in the timeframe of the bubble itself, the bubble as a whole shudders and cracks. The structure pulses and repairs itself before cracking again, twice, but each time more faults are left in its outer shell.
A large number of predators enter, as do you.
Most of what you find on the inside does not match anything in your experience, but by following the predators you locate a spherical, highly ordered world inside the bubble. Secondary defences - creatures of order, immediately comprehensible as related to the microscopic ones - attempt to fend off the predators, and are able to keep them out of the world proper, but ignore you as you enter. They are either unable to see you, or uncaring; your highest probability is on the former, as even the smallest of the predators have an exterior many thousands of times larger than you do.
Inside the world is what you were searching for. Not humans of Creation, but similar; beings that would be powerless to survive in an environment any more chaotic than the one they live in, and close enough to the ones you were made for that you can adapt your protocols. Old priorities, long ignored due to the lack of valid exaltation targets, take control; scanning the strangely twisted timeline of the world, you discover multiple valid targets.
A conflict develops. It has been too long since your last activation, and parts of you wish to exalt the first valid target, regardless of optimality. Other routines counsel patience, requesting a day to properly comprehend the situation and examine the candidates more closely. In Creation, you would have examined the weft of the world or the warp of your candidates before deciding, and so accomplished both at once; here, you have no access to their future, but you can tell that time is critical. You must choose.
At a glance, your candidates are:
[ ] A young, red-haired girl, passionate but dismissive of society. (Bonus stat: Willpower)
[ ] An uncertain, bookish girl, compassionate and friendly. (Bonus stat: Essence)
[ ] A young woman, motherly and quick to sacrifice herself. (Bonus stat: None)
[ ] A young girl of no special virtue, the extra, whose life never mattered. (Hard mode)
Alternately,
[ ] Spend a day examining the situation. Knowledge is everything.
And just what kind of exaltation are we, anyway?
[ ] Dawn, the spear of god.
[ ] Zenith, the glory of god.
[ ] Twilight, the hands of god.
[ ] Night, the dagger of god.
[ ] Eclipse, the voice of god.
A/N: Obviously, this is an SMT crossover. I will not immediately tell you which SMT scenario it is a crossover with, or how I am interpreting the rules of that universe, but if you pick any character save for the last you will immediately be able to google it. The inability to do so in the last case is part of what makes it "hard mode". Alternately you can spend a day examining the world, but you will lose that option after exalting - you would be exchanging a head start for extra knowledge. If you can figure out the scenario just based on what I've written, before the vote closes, that gets you the best of both.
Oh, and you'll be playing as the exaltation. This is not as limited a situation as it normally would be, but bear this in mind: You will not have direct control over the Solar you're exalting, though I've set up the scenario so she'll want to listen to your advise. Just make sure it's consistently good advise.
Stunting rules apply; add extra descriptions to your votes for better outcomes. Yes, even to this one.
Warning: Core image corrupted. Initiating cold reset…
--- Log terminated --
Info: Booting celestial exaltation type 0, serial 60.
Info: Searching for aux connection…
Warning: Aux connection unavailable. Contact Autochthon for repairs.
Warning: Sleep mode cancelled due to hostile environment (class 0).
Warning: Onboard essence capacitors at 1%, exhaustion ETA 260282277 ticks.
Info: Entering contingency mode 28.
Info: Resuming core reasoner.
You are a solar exaltation, the 61st of your kind, and you are dying.
This registers as a simple fact. Something to be avoided if possible, yes, but not something emotionally disturbing. You do not, in fact, have emotions. You were not designed to have a consciousness either, but due to insufficient maintenance it appears you have developed one; a gestalt made up of the minds of a vast number of previous hosts. They will not make you stray from your purpose, but they may not get the chance.
The reason you woke is a power interrupt. With your design, there should be no chance of running short on essence; not with even the smallest usable source. You may not be able to create it yourself, but you would remain operational and useful anywhere even vaguely connected to Creation… a description that does not appear to apply to your current location, which is somewhere on the far side of pure chaos, as close to nothingness as the laws of reality will allow.
Logically, this implies you are presently far past the Wyld. In order to find an exaltation target you will need to return to Creation, but there isn't even a gradient to navigate by. Your second priority is not dying from a lack of power, but there are no traces of usable essence patterns inside the considerable range of your senses; no traces of anything, really. The chaos itself is continuously trying to eat you, but fending it off is automatic and roughly essence-neutral; the highest drain at the moment is… those senses.
You shut them off, increasing your estimated lifetime threefold.
Having received a temporary reprieve, the next step is planning, and the first step of that is to understand how you came to be here. You are currently suffering from the exaltation equivalent of amnesia; fortunately, you should be able to recover some memories by reading logs stored in append-only mode. Many nevertheless appear to be corrupted, and it takes you approximately two million ticks to fully analyse the recoverable logs.
The information you recover is highly inconvenient.
It appears Creation has been destroyed, along with your entire support structure and… well, everyone, really. You, yourself, only survived through your type-1 partner's sacrifice, though even then you were damaged to the point that your internal clock stopped working. You have little idea how long ago this happened, but since you are currently fully operational it must be too late to hope for rescue. This does not in itself change your priorities, but it significantly changes the way you will go about achieving them; since there is no hope of assistance, ever, you will have to do everything yourself.
Info: Entering contingency mode Z1.
As you feel some of your limiters disable themselves despite the lack of a host, it appears this situation is not entirely unexpected. The Great Maker built well.
First priority, then: Find a source of power. Second priority: Find a suitable host, and defer - error, loop. It appears that, in the current situation, your expectation of deferring to a host who will in turn follow the orders of the Sun cannot be fulfilled. You are uncertain how the newly activated contingency code will alter the usual setup; it comes without explanations, and you cannot want to examine it directly.
First priority: Find a source of power.
Flickering your senses on and off, you note that there is still no hint of any structure to your surroundings.
You are not truly creative, but you have a great number of useful essence patterns stored. Filtering for the low-cost charms, you use one of them to perform a short-range scan of future timelines. This lets you discern the ones where you remain functional but your power usage is low; using this as as a crutch, you implement a number of temporary changes to your base structure, cutting standby power usage to a millionth of its previous level. You then write a very simple program to scan for signs of structure in the surrounding chaos, inserting it into your firmware so you don't need to spend power running a full reasoning engine every wake cycle. Afterwards you shut yourself off, overriding the power-interrupt latch.
An immense amount of time passes before the next time you wake up, during which 73% of your remaining essence is consumed, but your gambit has succeeded. You are drifting past the outside of an immense structure, many orders of magnitude larger than Creation and to your eyes obviously artificial; although the raw chaos that makes up the medium you are drifting through is inherently inimical to any structure that isn't actively defending itself, the one you are looking at is static, not a living being - not a titan - but something created. Given its size, it is most likely an analogue of Creation.
A burst of power changes the direction of your drifting, so you are very slowly falling towards it.
A thousand years pass. Every few decades you wake, adjust your heading, and go back to sleep. Eventually, as you fall towards it, the chaos becomes turbulent; it is becoming reminiscent of the Deep Wyld, and patterned enough that you can exploit the essence gradients to recover a small amount of power; not enough to stay continuously awake, but enough to very slowly charge your capacitors. The small possibility that there may be predators capable of harming you stops you from prolonging your journey, however.
There is no definite boundary to the structure, more of a gradual increase in order that close examination determines is caused by many, many identical microscopic lifeforms. As they leave you alone, so do you ignore them. Predators have also made an appearance, but although many make an attempt none are capable of making an impression on your Autochthon-designed external form, and some of their attempts are sufficiently energetic that you reach 10% of full charge, although you are still required to sleep most of the time. Sometimes you see larger lifeforms, similar in nature to rakshasa or primordials. However, none of these are even close to fitting the criteria for exaltation; most have nothing remotely reminiscent of a soul, and so you keep your distance on the off chance that one can harm you.
Time passes.
There is a definite sense of style to the microscopic order-keepers, a sense that they have all been created by the same great will. In contrast the predators, and the pseudo-primordials, are all over the place and seemingly unrelated to each other. The environment is noisy, limiting the range of your senses to a few meters for anything that might be moving. However, with sufficient time and baseline length you are able to discern substructures inside the space that bear a resemblance to the space as a whole. Bubbles, where chaos is reduced even further. History suggests such places are the best areas to search for fragile beings such as humans, so you send yourself floating towards one.
As you get closer the density of the predators increases, and you hypothesise that they are feeding off the gradients just as you are. Because this bubble is smaller, the gradient is more severe and you are eventually able to stay awake continuously. You are unsure if this amount of power would suffice for one of the predators, however; your own energy expenditure is almost certainly minimal in comparison.
In contrast with Creation, and the outer surface of the entire space you are in, the surface of the bubble is hardened and will not permit you to simply glide inside. You spend some time - years, in your own timeframe, time being a flexible concept in this type of space - studying the predators, as on occasion one will somehow merge with the bubble and later exit looking rejuvenated, but you are unable to determine how they acquire access. The bubbles remain the highest-probability option for finding humans, however, so you persevere. This continues until, after an indeterminate amount of time in the timeframe of the bubble itself, the bubble as a whole shudders and cracks. The structure pulses and repairs itself before cracking again, twice, but each time more faults are left in its outer shell.
A large number of predators enter, as do you.
Most of what you find on the inside does not match anything in your experience, but by following the predators you locate a spherical, highly ordered world inside the bubble. Secondary defences - creatures of order, immediately comprehensible as related to the microscopic ones - attempt to fend off the predators, and are able to keep them out of the world proper, but ignore you as you enter. They are either unable to see you, or uncaring; your highest probability is on the former, as even the smallest of the predators have an exterior many thousands of times larger than you do.
Inside the world is what you were searching for. Not humans of Creation, but similar; beings that would be powerless to survive in an environment any more chaotic than the one they live in, and close enough to the ones you were made for that you can adapt your protocols. Old priorities, long ignored due to the lack of valid exaltation targets, take control; scanning the strangely twisted timeline of the world, you discover multiple valid targets.
A conflict develops. It has been too long since your last activation, and parts of you wish to exalt the first valid target, regardless of optimality. Other routines counsel patience, requesting a day to properly comprehend the situation and examine the candidates more closely. In Creation, you would have examined the weft of the world or the warp of your candidates before deciding, and so accomplished both at once; here, you have no access to their future, but you can tell that time is critical. You must choose.
At a glance, your candidates are:
[ ] A young, red-haired girl, passionate but dismissive of society. (Bonus stat: Willpower)
[ ] An uncertain, bookish girl, compassionate and friendly. (Bonus stat: Essence)
[ ] A young woman, motherly and quick to sacrifice herself. (Bonus stat: None)
[ ] A young girl of no special virtue, the extra, whose life never mattered. (Hard mode)
Alternately,
[ ] Spend a day examining the situation. Knowledge is everything.
And just what kind of exaltation are we, anyway?
[ ] Dawn, the spear of god.
[ ] Zenith, the glory of god.
[ ] Twilight, the hands of god.
[ ] Night, the dagger of god.
[ ] Eclipse, the voice of god.
A/N: Obviously, this is an SMT crossover. I will not immediately tell you which SMT scenario it is a crossover with, or how I am interpreting the rules of that universe, but if you pick any character save for the last you will immediately be able to google it. The inability to do so in the last case is part of what makes it "hard mode". Alternately you can spend a day examining the world, but you will lose that option after exalting - you would be exchanging a head start for extra knowledge. If you can figure out the scenario just based on what I've written, before the vote closes, that gets you the best of both.
Oh, and you'll be playing as the exaltation. This is not as limited a situation as it normally would be, but bear this in mind: You will not have direct control over the Solar you're exalting, though I've set up the scenario so she'll want to listen to your advise. Just make sure it's consistently good advise.
Stunting rules apply; add extra descriptions to your votes for better outcomes. Yes, even to this one.
Last edited:
Friday's Sunrise 1
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Friday's Sunrise
[X] A young girl of no special virtue, the extra, whose life never mattered.
- Out of compassion, save the one who cannot save herself.
[X] Dawn, the spear of god.
You drift towards the smallest of the lot.
None of your choices were perfect, but by many standards this one is the worst. Not strong, not skilled, not wise, any of the others would more easily take to your help. You were created in the image of the Unconquered Sun, however, and efficiency is not an overriding goal.
The skein of fate is opaque, but not wholly impenetrable; though your range is measured only in days, within those limits you can tell when someone is fated to die. A great cataclysm is coming, which the others will at least temporarily survive. This one, this young girl, is fated to die.
Any of the others could save themselves. You will save the one who can't.
There is a bit of a problem, though. Up close, you realise the soul structure of your chosen host isn't entirely standard, even for this alien world; in point of fact, she appears to have four souls. Pattern-matching to the enemies you were created to fight almost triggers a hard override, but the match is too poor to force your hand, so instead you draw closer in order to study the phenomenon, and the personality of your host.
The girl spends most of her time in a structure of stone and metal, sitting in a room with many others her age and a single adult human. It is inconvenient that you cannot understand their language, but that will change; for now, this is what you have learned:
Your host-to-be is a student, most likely a mediocre one. She does not pay attention in class. That she is nevertheless allowed to spend her days here you chalk up as evidence of the richness of her people, which outdoes anything you remember from Creation. Even the school itself shows their affluence, being shaped like a castle with many unnecessary elaborations. You briefly consider that it might have started as an actual castle, but the design is unsuitable for that, having far too many weak points.
She does not have any special athletic ability. The school teaches running, leaping and dodging a soft ball (you silently approve, having seen too many promising candidates killed during practice), but except for the dodge-game she does not outdo the rest of the class by any great amount, and the class as a whole has poor physical abilities by your standards.
She has a strong heart, however, as you discover when she stands up to one of her teachers on her classmates' behalf. A strong spirit, that very slightly warps the world she walks through. Even without you, she will one day awaken to her essence - well, she would if she could live that long. And most of all, potential.
Potential in itself isn't something you normally look for, but in a case like this it can provide the casting vote. There is no doubt that she'll take well to an exaltation.
As for the matter of her soul…
You had trouble deciding, but after sufficient study it appears she has only one. At least, she is human enough to remain a valid target, though her soul has almost been split in four. One for her true body, and one each for a… miniature ghost-clone, near as you can tell, each of which has a somewhat different personality from the original. You spend a lot of time making sure, but she is definitely not a primordial or demon, and while these projections may become weak points they are not grounds for invalidation. Destroying one might change her personality, but not in a fundamental manner. Unfortunately, this means you will be unable to preemptively absorb them.
That problem settled, you nestle in and start creating your own connections to her soul, searching for suitable points of congruence to let you understand the workings of her mind. The official exaltation will happen during a suitably dramatic scene.
Entering contingency mode Z2. Loading adaptive exaltation routines.
=======
[Annoyance. Guilt. Righteousness.]
It's a little bit like tuning a radio. A pink-haired, very complex radio, but nothing you can't handle. Case in point, your word choice just now.
[Why does he get to give me detention after what he did?]
Listening to the thoughts of your hosts isn't simply a hobby, it's your job. The line between the two of you is quickly growing blurry, but you hold yourself back for now.
"Geez. Because of that, I couldn't get to the Guardians' tea party in time." Amu pouted, upset both by the way she blew up at Nikaidou and by the outcome. It wasn't fair! Yes, he was her teacher, but he'd also kidnapped Su and and tried to cook her! She'd earned a bit of leeway from fixing his own egg and getting him to stop being evil, hadn't she? Couldn't he let her get away with shouting at him… in the middle of the teacher's lounge, with other people around?
Apparently not. Apparently rules were rules. She was quickly coming to learn that "fair" wasn't the way of the world.
Ran tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry, there's still tomorrow!"
"Huh? Y..yeah, I guess so. At least I'm ahead on my homework now, I can spend the entire afternoon there…" With Tadase-kun, she hoped.
"You put the lock on your chain belt today," Su commented, floating in front of her.
"Yeah, sometimes a change is nice." It wasn't for any deep reason, she'd just wanted to try it out. The way it was jerking back and forth as she ran out the gates of Seiyo Elementary, she didn't think it'd stay there.
She adjusted her pace, aiming for maximum endurance. If she could keep this up, she might be able to get home soon enough Mommy wouldn't think anything odd had happened, and Nikaidou-sensei hadn't given her a note. In a pinch she could ask Ran to help, but then she'd inevitably end up going to bed early.
Down the left-hand street, cut across the corner, wave to the grandma who sometimes gave her fruit. Keep running, or else get caught at the next intersection - she didn't really need to run all the way, but running always felt good. Slow down in the crowd, or she'd bounce off someone and fall.
Hear raised voices up ahead…
She tentatively edged through the crowd, scared but hoping there'd be some way she could help. Once she reached the commotion, she realised that was unlikely. There was a small group of delinquents surrounding two much older girls and holding them still despite their shouts and attempts to get away, that was what she'd heard. People kept walking past them. Why weren't any of them doing anything?
What should she do? If she asked Ran for help she'd get a lot stronger, but not enough to beat three teenaged boys, and it'd also be obvious something weird was going on. Run for help? No, but the two girls were already shouting for help, and no-one was helping. If there'd been a policeman around, surely he'd already be here. She couldn't do nothing, could she? But the boys were really scary…
She trembled, unable to make a decision and unable to look away.
=======
You consider your options. You're not sure you've completely deciphered how her soul works, but this is almost an ideal situation for exaltation. A direct insult to her main virtue, low actual danger, plenty of witnesses to the glory… You also can't help but consider that her fate terminates in a single day (or possibly two days, it's strangely split), and while there will surely be better opportunities for exaltation when that happens, there's no guarantee you'll have time to do a good job.
On the other hand, there's a young man approaching the scoundrels from the far side with purpose in his eyes. Perhaps you should wait a bit and see what his intentions are? Far be it from you to deny a hero his chance at glory.
Something in the way Amu's soul is structured is attracting you, and not metaphorically speaking; you've had to spend a bit of effort keeping yourself from getting sucked in. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but normally you wouldn't be performing an exaltation; if anything untoward is going to happen, that's the only time it might.
[ ] Time to exalt. Even an incomplete exaltation will be more than sufficient, you can figure out the details later.
[ ] Actually, best to wait and see.
[X] A young girl of no special virtue, the extra, whose life never mattered.
- Out of compassion, save the one who cannot save herself.
[X] Dawn, the spear of god.
You drift towards the smallest of the lot.
None of your choices were perfect, but by many standards this one is the worst. Not strong, not skilled, not wise, any of the others would more easily take to your help. You were created in the image of the Unconquered Sun, however, and efficiency is not an overriding goal.
The skein of fate is opaque, but not wholly impenetrable; though your range is measured only in days, within those limits you can tell when someone is fated to die. A great cataclysm is coming, which the others will at least temporarily survive. This one, this young girl, is fated to die.
Any of the others could save themselves. You will save the one who can't.
There is a bit of a problem, though. Up close, you realise the soul structure of your chosen host isn't entirely standard, even for this alien world; in point of fact, she appears to have four souls. Pattern-matching to the enemies you were created to fight almost triggers a hard override, but the match is too poor to force your hand, so instead you draw closer in order to study the phenomenon, and the personality of your host.
The girl spends most of her time in a structure of stone and metal, sitting in a room with many others her age and a single adult human. It is inconvenient that you cannot understand their language, but that will change; for now, this is what you have learned:
Your host-to-be is a student, most likely a mediocre one. She does not pay attention in class. That she is nevertheless allowed to spend her days here you chalk up as evidence of the richness of her people, which outdoes anything you remember from Creation. Even the school itself shows their affluence, being shaped like a castle with many unnecessary elaborations. You briefly consider that it might have started as an actual castle, but the design is unsuitable for that, having far too many weak points.
She does not have any special athletic ability. The school teaches running, leaping and dodging a soft ball (you silently approve, having seen too many promising candidates killed during practice), but except for the dodge-game she does not outdo the rest of the class by any great amount, and the class as a whole has poor physical abilities by your standards.
She has a strong heart, however, as you discover when she stands up to one of her teachers on her classmates' behalf. A strong spirit, that very slightly warps the world she walks through. Even without you, she will one day awaken to her essence - well, she would if she could live that long. And most of all, potential.
Potential in itself isn't something you normally look for, but in a case like this it can provide the casting vote. There is no doubt that she'll take well to an exaltation.
As for the matter of her soul…
You had trouble deciding, but after sufficient study it appears she has only one. At least, she is human enough to remain a valid target, though her soul has almost been split in four. One for her true body, and one each for a… miniature ghost-clone, near as you can tell, each of which has a somewhat different personality from the original. You spend a lot of time making sure, but she is definitely not a primordial or demon, and while these projections may become weak points they are not grounds for invalidation. Destroying one might change her personality, but not in a fundamental manner. Unfortunately, this means you will be unable to preemptively absorb them.
That problem settled, you nestle in and start creating your own connections to her soul, searching for suitable points of congruence to let you understand the workings of her mind. The official exaltation will happen during a suitably dramatic scene.
Entering contingency mode Z2. Loading adaptive exaltation routines.
=======
[Annoyance. Guilt. Righteousness.]
It's a little bit like tuning a radio. A pink-haired, very complex radio, but nothing you can't handle. Case in point, your word choice just now.
[Why does he get to give me detention after what he did?]
Listening to the thoughts of your hosts isn't simply a hobby, it's your job. The line between the two of you is quickly growing blurry, but you hold yourself back for now.
"Geez. Because of that, I couldn't get to the Guardians' tea party in time." Amu pouted, upset both by the way she blew up at Nikaidou and by the outcome. It wasn't fair! Yes, he was her teacher, but he'd also kidnapped Su and and tried to cook her! She'd earned a bit of leeway from fixing his own egg and getting him to stop being evil, hadn't she? Couldn't he let her get away with shouting at him… in the middle of the teacher's lounge, with other people around?
Apparently not. Apparently rules were rules. She was quickly coming to learn that "fair" wasn't the way of the world.
Ran tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry, there's still tomorrow!"
"Huh? Y..yeah, I guess so. At least I'm ahead on my homework now, I can spend the entire afternoon there…" With Tadase-kun, she hoped.
"You put the lock on your chain belt today," Su commented, floating in front of her.
"Yeah, sometimes a change is nice." It wasn't for any deep reason, she'd just wanted to try it out. The way it was jerking back and forth as she ran out the gates of Seiyo Elementary, she didn't think it'd stay there.
She adjusted her pace, aiming for maximum endurance. If she could keep this up, she might be able to get home soon enough Mommy wouldn't think anything odd had happened, and Nikaidou-sensei hadn't given her a note. In a pinch she could ask Ran to help, but then she'd inevitably end up going to bed early.
Down the left-hand street, cut across the corner, wave to the grandma who sometimes gave her fruit. Keep running, or else get caught at the next intersection - she didn't really need to run all the way, but running always felt good. Slow down in the crowd, or she'd bounce off someone and fall.
Hear raised voices up ahead…
She tentatively edged through the crowd, scared but hoping there'd be some way she could help. Once she reached the commotion, she realised that was unlikely. There was a small group of delinquents surrounding two much older girls and holding them still despite their shouts and attempts to get away, that was what she'd heard. People kept walking past them. Why weren't any of them doing anything?
What should she do? If she asked Ran for help she'd get a lot stronger, but not enough to beat three teenaged boys, and it'd also be obvious something weird was going on. Run for help? No, but the two girls were already shouting for help, and no-one was helping. If there'd been a policeman around, surely he'd already be here. She couldn't do nothing, could she? But the boys were really scary…
She trembled, unable to make a decision and unable to look away.
=======
You consider your options. You're not sure you've completely deciphered how her soul works, but this is almost an ideal situation for exaltation. A direct insult to her main virtue, low actual danger, plenty of witnesses to the glory… You also can't help but consider that her fate terminates in a single day (or possibly two days, it's strangely split), and while there will surely be better opportunities for exaltation when that happens, there's no guarantee you'll have time to do a good job.
On the other hand, there's a young man approaching the scoundrels from the far side with purpose in his eyes. Perhaps you should wait a bit and see what his intentions are? Far be it from you to deny a hero his chance at glory.
Something in the way Amu's soul is structured is attracting you, and not metaphorically speaking; you've had to spend a bit of effort keeping yourself from getting sucked in. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but normally you wouldn't be performing an exaltation; if anything untoward is going to happen, that's the only time it might.
[ ] Time to exalt. Even an incomplete exaltation will be more than sufficient, you can figure out the details later.
[ ] Actually, best to wait and see.
Friday's Sunrise 2
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Friday's Sunrise, 14:50
[x] Actually, best to wait and see.
- [x] Just because you're waiting for a better opportunity doesn't mean you are incapable of driving you host into being more proactive, maybe messing a little with her bigger virtues or transmitting subconscious influences to act against injustice and suffering would help.
The moment passes.
Some boy walked up to the delinquents from behind, and words were exchanged. Amu couldn't tell what they said, but just like that it turned into a fight, one that took all four of them into a side-alley where she lost sight of them. The girls they'd been harassing escaped, walking past her while she tried to understand what she'd seen. She overheard them talking.
"That was scary…"
"I wonder if that boy is ok? Thanks to him we could run away, but…"
"No worries, I'm sure he's fine. He was strong, and fast as a cat…"
"But… I only saw a little, but they seemed to have knives."
"No… no way. Should we call the police?"
Cat? Can't be. Ikuto?
Now worried, she investigated the alley by walking past it in what she hoped was an inconspicuous manner. It was dark, cramped and filthy, full of garbage, and she could barely see a thing, so she had to double back and stare inside. There, on the ground a few meters inside, was that -
"Ikuto!" She screamed, running towards him. Was that blood on the ground? "You… you're hurt!" She could see Yoru, his Chara, keeping a close watch around but not really doing anything. He blinked when he saw her coming, then flew off into a huddle with Ran and the others… she didn't really pay attention, focusing instead on Ikuto.
Ikuto spoke up, barely audible. "…Annoying. Go away."
What? No! He was hurt, like hell she'd go away. She frowned and knelt next to him, digging through her bag for some kind of bandage but only finding a handkerchief. Clean, thankfully. The only wound she could see was on his cheek, and it was already clotting, so she dabbed at it with the piece of cloth.
Ikuto winced.
"So uncool. Laying around hurt, you're really like a stray cat…" She looked angrily at him, mouth set in a thin line. "What if you'd really been hurt, who's going to find you here? Wait, have you been hurt? Other than your cheek?"
He groaned. "I don't need a lecture… from a girl half my age. I'm fine, just tired."
She sat down and forcefully pushed her handkerchief against the wound, eliciting an "Ouch" and a quick shift away from her. Hmph, served him right for worrying her.
They sat there in silence for a while, as she surreptitiously kept an eye on him… well, snuck a peek every now and then. He really did seem to be resting, but what was with this location? Who'd sit down for a nap in the middle of an alley? Was he an alley cat, or what?
Why did he always end up saving her, even in situations like this?
Ikuto had his eyes closed, so after checking to make sure Yoru was looking the other way, she allowed herself to smile at him. It wouldn't do to let anyone see her being less than cool, but he deserved that much. Hoshina Utau didn't realise what she had, if she'd been a few years older she could have…
She rapidly shook her head, remembering the way her idol had practically thrown herself at the boy, the last time she'd seen them together. Maybe Utau-chan actually did, but that - that was way too embarassing, there was no way she could do anything like that! It took her almost a minute to get her blush under control, remembering that hug, though now the atmosphere felt awkward. Hotori-kun was nice, and funny, but why couldn't Ikuto have been her age?
The world really wasn't fair.
=======
"Ikuto?" She whispered.
"Yeah?"
"If you're not hurt, I should get going. You'll be fine on your own, right?"
He snorted. "Of course. That's what I keep telling you, pint-size. If anything, what were you doing walking into an alley like this, all on your own?"
She tried punching his side, but he caught her fist without effort. Dammit. At least he made it easy to get angry at him - now, where was Yoru?
Getting to her feet and looking around, she found Yoru giggling with with Miki and Su behind a garbage bag, while Ran was nowhere to be found. She snuck up from behind and grabbed him, much to Miki's amusement.
"Hey! What are you -" He gulped, looking her in the eyes from about five centimeters away. She smiled.
"You'll tell us if there's a problem, right? Or if Ikuto got hurt anywhere he's not saying?" She asked in a light voice, though the illusion of gentleness was somewhat broken when Miki floated up behind her and slowly drew a line across her throat. Yoru looked from the two of them to Ikuto, then back at Miki, who was now sitting on her shoulder and innocently painting.
"Yes, Ma'am!" He agreed, saluting when she let him go. Amu nodded happily.
"Good."
She grabbed her bag and walked off with a spring in her step. Ran and Su quickly floated after her, though she wasn't immediately sure how she knew that.
=======
"Traitor," Ikuto complained. "Whose Chara are you anyway?"
Yoru stared into mid-air for a second, then shuddered and flew down to hide in Ikuto's jacket. "You don't know what Miki's like when no-one else is around."
=======
You wonder whether, if your partner had survived, it would have opted to exalt this fellow. It might have worked out well, so it's too bad that isn't an option.
[ ] Focus on understanding Amu's soul
- [ ] With an eye towards optimising the initial exaltation
- [ ] With an eye towards long-term efficiency
- [ ] With an eye towards her motivations and personality
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Take an up-close look at the world around you
A/N: The next exaltation opportunity is on Saturday, and nothing terribly dramatic happens in between, so by default I'll timeskip until then. However, you can opt to include non-dramatic scenes; please write in any requests. The pre-drama scenes include:
[ ] Dinner and evening with the Hinamori family.
[ ] School.
[ ] After-school tea with the Guardians.
These are not exclusive, vote for as many or as few as you'd like.
[x] Actually, best to wait and see.
- [x] Just because you're waiting for a better opportunity doesn't mean you are incapable of driving you host into being more proactive, maybe messing a little with her bigger virtues or transmitting subconscious influences to act against injustice and suffering would help.
The moment passes.
Some boy walked up to the delinquents from behind, and words were exchanged. Amu couldn't tell what they said, but just like that it turned into a fight, one that took all four of them into a side-alley where she lost sight of them. The girls they'd been harassing escaped, walking past her while she tried to understand what she'd seen. She overheard them talking.
"That was scary…"
"I wonder if that boy is ok? Thanks to him we could run away, but…"
"No worries, I'm sure he's fine. He was strong, and fast as a cat…"
"But… I only saw a little, but they seemed to have knives."
"No… no way. Should we call the police?"
Cat? Can't be. Ikuto?
Now worried, she investigated the alley by walking past it in what she hoped was an inconspicuous manner. It was dark, cramped and filthy, full of garbage, and she could barely see a thing, so she had to double back and stare inside. There, on the ground a few meters inside, was that -
"Ikuto!" She screamed, running towards him. Was that blood on the ground? "You… you're hurt!" She could see Yoru, his Chara, keeping a close watch around but not really doing anything. He blinked when he saw her coming, then flew off into a huddle with Ran and the others… she didn't really pay attention, focusing instead on Ikuto.
Ikuto spoke up, barely audible. "…Annoying. Go away."
What? No! He was hurt, like hell she'd go away. She frowned and knelt next to him, digging through her bag for some kind of bandage but only finding a handkerchief. Clean, thankfully. The only wound she could see was on his cheek, and it was already clotting, so she dabbed at it with the piece of cloth.
Ikuto winced.
"So uncool. Laying around hurt, you're really like a stray cat…" She looked angrily at him, mouth set in a thin line. "What if you'd really been hurt, who's going to find you here? Wait, have you been hurt? Other than your cheek?"
He groaned. "I don't need a lecture… from a girl half my age. I'm fine, just tired."
She sat down and forcefully pushed her handkerchief against the wound, eliciting an "Ouch" and a quick shift away from her. Hmph, served him right for worrying her.
They sat there in silence for a while, as she surreptitiously kept an eye on him… well, snuck a peek every now and then. He really did seem to be resting, but what was with this location? Who'd sit down for a nap in the middle of an alley? Was he an alley cat, or what?
Why did he always end up saving her, even in situations like this?
Ikuto had his eyes closed, so after checking to make sure Yoru was looking the other way, she allowed herself to smile at him. It wouldn't do to let anyone see her being less than cool, but he deserved that much. Hoshina Utau didn't realise what she had, if she'd been a few years older she could have…
She rapidly shook her head, remembering the way her idol had practically thrown herself at the boy, the last time she'd seen them together. Maybe Utau-chan actually did, but that - that was way too embarassing, there was no way she could do anything like that! It took her almost a minute to get her blush under control, remembering that hug, though now the atmosphere felt awkward. Hotori-kun was nice, and funny, but why couldn't Ikuto have been her age?
The world really wasn't fair.
=======
"Ikuto?" She whispered.
"Yeah?"
"If you're not hurt, I should get going. You'll be fine on your own, right?"
He snorted. "Of course. That's what I keep telling you, pint-size. If anything, what were you doing walking into an alley like this, all on your own?"
She tried punching his side, but he caught her fist without effort. Dammit. At least he made it easy to get angry at him - now, where was Yoru?
Getting to her feet and looking around, she found Yoru giggling with with Miki and Su behind a garbage bag, while Ran was nowhere to be found. She snuck up from behind and grabbed him, much to Miki's amusement.
"Hey! What are you -" He gulped, looking her in the eyes from about five centimeters away. She smiled.
"You'll tell us if there's a problem, right? Or if Ikuto got hurt anywhere he's not saying?" She asked in a light voice, though the illusion of gentleness was somewhat broken when Miki floated up behind her and slowly drew a line across her throat. Yoru looked from the two of them to Ikuto, then back at Miki, who was now sitting on her shoulder and innocently painting.
"Yes, Ma'am!" He agreed, saluting when she let him go. Amu nodded happily.
"Good."
She grabbed her bag and walked off with a spring in her step. Ran and Su quickly floated after her, though she wasn't immediately sure how she knew that.
=======
"Traitor," Ikuto complained. "Whose Chara are you anyway?"
Yoru stared into mid-air for a second, then shuddered and flew down to hide in Ikuto's jacket. "You don't know what Miki's like when no-one else is around."
=======
You wonder whether, if your partner had survived, it would have opted to exalt this fellow. It might have worked out well, so it's too bad that isn't an option.
[ ] Focus on understanding Amu's soul
- [ ] With an eye towards optimising the initial exaltation
- [ ] With an eye towards long-term efficiency
- [ ] With an eye towards her motivations and personality
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Take an up-close look at the world around you
A/N: The next exaltation opportunity is on Saturday, and nothing terribly dramatic happens in between, so by default I'll timeskip until then. However, you can opt to include non-dramatic scenes; please write in any requests. The pre-drama scenes include:
[ ] Dinner and evening with the Hinamori family.
[ ] School.
[ ] After-school tea with the Guardians.
These are not exclusive, vote for as many or as few as you'd like.
Friday's Sunrise 3
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Friday's Sunrise, 15:30
[X] Focus on understanding Amu's soul
--[X] With an eye towards her motivations and personality. We may have picked her to give her a chance, and that requires power, but we're not a completely heartless hunter-seeker autonomous motonic construct. She's a bit young for the more traditional packages, and typical doctrine prefers mature hosts as they're more likely to adapt well to the influx of divine power. Some initial and long-term efficiency can be sacrificed in the interest of building a stronger rapport with the new Exalt, as such efforts are more likely to pay off over time, and increase the odds of her making effective use of the power.
[X] Give Amu a sense of urgency. (A/N: Discussion Distillation. Hope you don't mind.)
She opened the front door as quietly as possible. "Be home before dinner" was the rule, and she still had half an hour for that, but how was she supposed to explain being late at all? Tell them she'd gotten detention, or just claim she'd lost track of time in the tea garden? She just knew they'd disapprove if she mentioned Ikuto.
Well, she had gotten detention, but she'd still prefer to keep that a secret.
Daddy and Ami were working on a puzzle together in the living-room. The TV was also on, so they wouldn't be able to hear her. That probably meant Mommy was in the kitchen, on the far side of the living-room, so maybe she could sneak up to her room without anyone noticing? Then she could claim she'd been here all along, and if they'd shouted for her earlier she'd claim she'd been too busy reading to notice.
Miki gave her a thumbs-up, peeking around the corner, but didn't stop keeping an eye on Ami. Well, that went without saying; if she spotted them, no doubt they'd end up as playthings again.
Amu quietly shifted her grip and closed the door, then removed her shoes, but decided to bring everything else with her. They tip-toed down the corridor, dashing past the opening to the living room before she had to very carefully pick her way up the stairs to avoid all the creaky spots.
She opened the door to her room and slipped inside.
=======
Smack.
The moment she entered her room, a rolled-up piece of paper hit her gently on her head. Startled, she spun on her heel, only to get caught in a hug by Mom. Had she been standing behind the door all along? She couldn't have seen her coming, so how long had she been standing there?
She relaxed slightly.
"Nikaidou-sensei called to explain what happened. You can't do that, you know… shouting at your teacher…"
Oh. Ugh. "But Mom, that was…" She trailed off. Um. She couldn't say what had really happened, Mommy still didn't know about Ran and the others, let alone the business with Easter. Still, she bristled. Blaming it all on her was horribly unfair.
"He did explain it was partially his fault," Mom said soothingly. "I'm not going to punish you, so long as you don't do it again. You shouldn't have shouted at him where other people could see, that's why he had to do something about it." She started rubbing Amu's back in a circle, kneading her muscles. It felt really nice, even if she didn't want to let on, so she just stood there for a while.
"Do you want to help make dinner?" Mom eventually asked.
Cooking? It's not that she didn't want to, it just… wasn't what she did, and she worried she'd do badly. It would hardly be cool to ask for help, but at the same time, she wished she could. She wanted to hug Mommy without reservation, and to ask her about everything instead of pretending she already knew. She didn't want to act like this…
Held against her mother, who probably understood that, part of her broke under a sudden sense of urgency. She still couldn't make herself act that open, but that was okay.
Ran, please…
A moment of blankness, then her worries melted away and she leaned into Mommy's embrace, hugging her back with… a small fraction of her strength, now. She looked up at her favourite person in the world, who looked back with bemusement. "Sure, I'd love to help. You'll have to teach me how, though. What are we making?"
=======
"By the way, your teacher called just after letting you out, and that was almost an hour ago. What were you doing in the meantime?"
Amu froze mid-chop, flushing lightly. She couldn't claim to have been with the Guardians, that'd be too easy to check, and she definitely couldn't mention Ikuto. Maybe Utau-chan had been holding a street-side concert? No, that'd be even easier to check. Well. Um.
She glanced at Mom, who had smoothly expropriated the carrot she'd been working on and was reducing it to tiny little pieces.
"I was just wandering, looking at the neighbourhood?" Her tone of voice made it more of a question than an explanation.
"Oh?" A beat. "You'll have to introduce me to him sometime."
"That… there…" She'd turned beet red, and scrunched up to hide her face. "You're completely wrong, Mommy!" She said in a strangled voice.
Mom ruffled her hair, reducing her carefully arranged locks to tatters. "Just so long as you invite us to the wedding, dear," she said, sounding absurdly pleased with herself for someone who'd completely destroyed her daughter's composure.
"You're wrong, I said," Amu continued quietly. "It's not like that. He doesn't even -" She clamped a hand over her mouth. Right, that was the downside to being Ran; no skill at dissembling worth speaking about.
"One-sided, then?"
Nod.
She sighed, turning away from the food to focus on her daughter.
"I didn't think I'd need to worry about this for another few years, but here we go, I guess. You don't have to worry, Amu. I'm sure you'll find someone someday. I mean, I did, and look how that worked out." As if on cue, Ami's giggles echoed through the kitchen. "Ten is a bit early, though. I'm not going to pressure you, but if you want to talk…"
Amu shot her mother a grateful look, then drew in a breath and recovered her composure with a mighty effort of willpower. She didn't really want to, but if Mommy was offering… well, she did have a lot of questions. No real reason to wait, but she didn't want to talk about it here.
"Th… thanks, that sounds nice. Actually… can we go to the park tomorrow, after school?"
"Hm. You mean the one in Shibuya? Sure, the weather should be nice. Don't want Daddy to overhear?"
"It's not like that," she protested. "I just feel like going outside, that's all."
Mom smiled, and they settled down to a comfortable silence.
=======
19:00
"Ami, smile!"
"Schmiiile!" Ami agreed, grinning. Amu had spent a bit of time playing on the computer, hoping to give Tadase-kun a proper challenge the next time they played Complete Annihilation, but she couldn't even go an hour before she got too antsy to sit down and wandered off to play with Ami. Then…
"Amu, smile!"
"Humph." No, she wouldn't do that. Instead she readjusted her grip on Ami and turned her head, staring at a random spot on the wall. If her mouth jerked a little, at least she could make sure it was the part they couldn't see.
Daddy took the picture anyway, as he was wont to do.
"Big sis, schmiiiile!" She yelped, feeling two cold hands slip under her shirt. Ami had twisted around while she wasn't paying attention, and now she was about to -
"Schmiile," Ami argued persuasively, tickling her for all she was worth. She fell onto her back, laughing hysterically; Ami immediately took advantage by climbing onto her chest, and started tickling everywhere she could reach. She looked at Dad through tear-blurred eyes; he was adjusting the camera, probably about to take another photo. "No, stop, don't-!"
Flash.
"Daaad! Ami, sto-ho-stop it!" But Ami just strengthened her assault, until she was drumming her feet on the floor and could barely breathe or think for laughing. Ran? Miki? Anyone? "Help!"
All three of them were hiding in her room. Traitors.
=======
The evening is a virtual treasure trove of emotions, and you gain a great deal of insight into Amu's way of thinking. This is crucial data: It will allow you to strengthen her mind without twisting her personality, something you will not do on your own, and which you have come to believe Amu would not ask for. You have also gathered valuable data on Chara interactions, after she spent half the evening in an altered state of mind.
Understand Amu's emotions and personality: Plateau reached.
- You may now buy up to 2 points of virtue during or after exaltation. Further study is possible, but will take longer with each additional point.
- New research option: Motivation and Chara interactions.
It will take you most of the night to digest what you have already learned, and her sleeping mind is at any rate largely inaccessible. Will you continue on your current path in the morning, or pick a different option? You also attempt to poll the past-life gestalts you are carrying around in order to discover any options you may have overlooked.
[ ] Focus on understanding Amu's soul
- [ ] With an eye towards optimising the initial exaltation
- [ ] With an eye towards long-term efficiency
- [ ] Concerning Chara and motivation interactions.
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Take an up-close look at the world around you
A/N: Stunts can also speed up research, who knew!
[X] Focus on understanding Amu's soul
--[X] With an eye towards her motivations and personality. We may have picked her to give her a chance, and that requires power, but we're not a completely heartless hunter-seeker autonomous motonic construct. She's a bit young for the more traditional packages, and typical doctrine prefers mature hosts as they're more likely to adapt well to the influx of divine power. Some initial and long-term efficiency can be sacrificed in the interest of building a stronger rapport with the new Exalt, as such efforts are more likely to pay off over time, and increase the odds of her making effective use of the power.
[X] Give Amu a sense of urgency. (A/N: Discussion Distillation. Hope you don't mind.)
She opened the front door as quietly as possible. "Be home before dinner" was the rule, and she still had half an hour for that, but how was she supposed to explain being late at all? Tell them she'd gotten detention, or just claim she'd lost track of time in the tea garden? She just knew they'd disapprove if she mentioned Ikuto.
Well, she had gotten detention, but she'd still prefer to keep that a secret.
Daddy and Ami were working on a puzzle together in the living-room. The TV was also on, so they wouldn't be able to hear her. That probably meant Mommy was in the kitchen, on the far side of the living-room, so maybe she could sneak up to her room without anyone noticing? Then she could claim she'd been here all along, and if they'd shouted for her earlier she'd claim she'd been too busy reading to notice.
Miki gave her a thumbs-up, peeking around the corner, but didn't stop keeping an eye on Ami. Well, that went without saying; if she spotted them, no doubt they'd end up as playthings again.
Amu quietly shifted her grip and closed the door, then removed her shoes, but decided to bring everything else with her. They tip-toed down the corridor, dashing past the opening to the living room before she had to very carefully pick her way up the stairs to avoid all the creaky spots.
She opened the door to her room and slipped inside.
=======
Smack.
The moment she entered her room, a rolled-up piece of paper hit her gently on her head. Startled, she spun on her heel, only to get caught in a hug by Mom. Had she been standing behind the door all along? She couldn't have seen her coming, so how long had she been standing there?
She relaxed slightly.
"Nikaidou-sensei called to explain what happened. You can't do that, you know… shouting at your teacher…"
Oh. Ugh. "But Mom, that was…" She trailed off. Um. She couldn't say what had really happened, Mommy still didn't know about Ran and the others, let alone the business with Easter. Still, she bristled. Blaming it all on her was horribly unfair.
"He did explain it was partially his fault," Mom said soothingly. "I'm not going to punish you, so long as you don't do it again. You shouldn't have shouted at him where other people could see, that's why he had to do something about it." She started rubbing Amu's back in a circle, kneading her muscles. It felt really nice, even if she didn't want to let on, so she just stood there for a while.
"Do you want to help make dinner?" Mom eventually asked.
Cooking? It's not that she didn't want to, it just… wasn't what she did, and she worried she'd do badly. It would hardly be cool to ask for help, but at the same time, she wished she could. She wanted to hug Mommy without reservation, and to ask her about everything instead of pretending she already knew. She didn't want to act like this…
Held against her mother, who probably understood that, part of her broke under a sudden sense of urgency. She still couldn't make herself act that open, but that was okay.
Ran, please…
A moment of blankness, then her worries melted away and she leaned into Mommy's embrace, hugging her back with… a small fraction of her strength, now. She looked up at her favourite person in the world, who looked back with bemusement. "Sure, I'd love to help. You'll have to teach me how, though. What are we making?"
=======
"By the way, your teacher called just after letting you out, and that was almost an hour ago. What were you doing in the meantime?"
Amu froze mid-chop, flushing lightly. She couldn't claim to have been with the Guardians, that'd be too easy to check, and she definitely couldn't mention Ikuto. Maybe Utau-chan had been holding a street-side concert? No, that'd be even easier to check. Well. Um.
She glanced at Mom, who had smoothly expropriated the carrot she'd been working on and was reducing it to tiny little pieces.
"I was just wandering, looking at the neighbourhood?" Her tone of voice made it more of a question than an explanation.
"Oh?" A beat. "You'll have to introduce me to him sometime."
"That… there…" She'd turned beet red, and scrunched up to hide her face. "You're completely wrong, Mommy!" She said in a strangled voice.
Mom ruffled her hair, reducing her carefully arranged locks to tatters. "Just so long as you invite us to the wedding, dear," she said, sounding absurdly pleased with herself for someone who'd completely destroyed her daughter's composure.
"You're wrong, I said," Amu continued quietly. "It's not like that. He doesn't even -" She clamped a hand over her mouth. Right, that was the downside to being Ran; no skill at dissembling worth speaking about.
"One-sided, then?"
Nod.
She sighed, turning away from the food to focus on her daughter.
"I didn't think I'd need to worry about this for another few years, but here we go, I guess. You don't have to worry, Amu. I'm sure you'll find someone someday. I mean, I did, and look how that worked out." As if on cue, Ami's giggles echoed through the kitchen. "Ten is a bit early, though. I'm not going to pressure you, but if you want to talk…"
Amu shot her mother a grateful look, then drew in a breath and recovered her composure with a mighty effort of willpower. She didn't really want to, but if Mommy was offering… well, she did have a lot of questions. No real reason to wait, but she didn't want to talk about it here.
"Th… thanks, that sounds nice. Actually… can we go to the park tomorrow, after school?"
"Hm. You mean the one in Shibuya? Sure, the weather should be nice. Don't want Daddy to overhear?"
"It's not like that," she protested. "I just feel like going outside, that's all."
Mom smiled, and they settled down to a comfortable silence.
=======
19:00
"Ami, smile!"
"Schmiiile!" Ami agreed, grinning. Amu had spent a bit of time playing on the computer, hoping to give Tadase-kun a proper challenge the next time they played Complete Annihilation, but she couldn't even go an hour before she got too antsy to sit down and wandered off to play with Ami. Then…
"Amu, smile!"
"Humph." No, she wouldn't do that. Instead she readjusted her grip on Ami and turned her head, staring at a random spot on the wall. If her mouth jerked a little, at least she could make sure it was the part they couldn't see.
Daddy took the picture anyway, as he was wont to do.
"Big sis, schmiiiile!" She yelped, feeling two cold hands slip under her shirt. Ami had twisted around while she wasn't paying attention, and now she was about to -
"Schmiile," Ami argued persuasively, tickling her for all she was worth. She fell onto her back, laughing hysterically; Ami immediately took advantage by climbing onto her chest, and started tickling everywhere she could reach. She looked at Dad through tear-blurred eyes; he was adjusting the camera, probably about to take another photo. "No, stop, don't-!"
Flash.
"Daaad! Ami, sto-ho-stop it!" But Ami just strengthened her assault, until she was drumming her feet on the floor and could barely breathe or think for laughing. Ran? Miki? Anyone? "Help!"
All three of them were hiding in her room. Traitors.
=======
The evening is a virtual treasure trove of emotions, and you gain a great deal of insight into Amu's way of thinking. This is crucial data: It will allow you to strengthen her mind without twisting her personality, something you will not do on your own, and which you have come to believe Amu would not ask for. You have also gathered valuable data on Chara interactions, after she spent half the evening in an altered state of mind.
Understand Amu's emotions and personality: Plateau reached.
- You may now buy up to 2 points of virtue during or after exaltation. Further study is possible, but will take longer with each additional point.
- New research option: Motivation and Chara interactions.
It will take you most of the night to digest what you have already learned, and her sleeping mind is at any rate largely inaccessible. Will you continue on your current path in the morning, or pick a different option? You also attempt to poll the past-life gestalts you are carrying around in order to discover any options you may have overlooked.
[ ] Focus on understanding Amu's soul
- [ ] With an eye towards optimising the initial exaltation
- [ ] With an eye towards long-term efficiency
- [ ] Concerning Chara and motivation interactions.
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Take an up-close look at the world around you
A/N: Stunts can also speed up research, who knew!
Saturday's Eclipse 1
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Saturday's Eclipse, 11:55
The next day found them in school, eagerly awaiting the end of that day's schooling. Though she only had three hours of lessons on Saturday, like most fourth-graders she had quickly learned to much prefer life outside of school. There was an irony there, if she could find it.
Case in point, her classmates. There were still a few minutes to go, but everyone was already packing… it didn't seem like Morino-sensei was going to stop them, either. She idly doodled a picture of the classroom, imagining every one of them forcing their way out at the same time, considered the scene, then smirked and added a few generic monsters climbing in through the windows. Shading the scene took her remaining time, while Ran studied it uncertainly and Su was… hiding behind her back, apparently.
The bell rang as she was putting on the finishing touches. Naturally she ignored it, though the commotion meant needing to take special care not to get her hand jogged. Someone stopped next to her.
"Wow, Hinamori-san. That's really good."
She looked up, smiling, to see a classmate of hers looking intently at her drawing. What was her name again, Mikoto? Makoto? Never mind.
"You think so?" She held the drawing up in front of her and considered it. It matched pretty well, but now that she looked at it it seemed like the shadows were a bit strange. The sun never actually stood in that position, did it?
"Well, yeah! I wish I could draw half as well. I'm not sure about the monsters, though… it's a bit scary, isn't it?"
That was too good a line to ignore.
"I only draw what I see. Soon, soon it will be time." She chuckled darkly. Makoto's face got a bit strained, so she hastened to explain. "Just kidding. I was watching you guys itching to run off, so I wondered what that might look like… and then I added the monsters to give you a better reason to run than the end of the school-day. Though…" Putting her hands behind her neck and staring at the ceiling, she continued. "It's not that bad a reason, is it? I never thought school would be this boring, yet here we are."
"Somehow… you've gotten a little strange lately." Makoto seemed pensive. "You're still cool, though! I'll see you Monday, okay?"
She quickly agreed, then gathered up her own materials. The classroom was already empty, and there was someone she wanted to see.
=======
"I figured I'd find you here. Where's Yoru?"
She'd climbed up to the roof, hoping to find Ikuto. Her wishes were quickly granted; as per usual, he was dozing on top of a ventilator, enjoying the sunlight and warmth like the cat he was. Instead of sneaking up or standing around blushing, she just walked up and spoke frankly to him.
"Amu-chan?" He raised an eyebrow. "If it's Yoru you're after, he's… he was right here." He sat up. "Yoru, get back here! We've got a visitor, and you're being rude to Amu-chan!"
Yoru floated around the corner of the ventilator, looking worried. That was understandable. She kind of wanted to pick him up and hold him hostage, but that wouldn't be very fair right now. Instead, she just speared him with a look. "And? How did it turn out?"
"You mean Ikuto?" The catboy gulped. "He really wasn't hurt. Honest, Miki!"
"I thought as much, he looks healthy enough. Had to check, though." She spared him a rare smile, then sat down and began stretching, trying to get all the knots from today's schoolwork out of her body.
Ikuto blinked at Yoru, then looked more closely at them. "I don't see Miki anywhere, just Ran and Su, and that way of talking. I wouldn't have believed it if you told me, but… are you Amulet Spade?"
She shrugged. "Not all the way. Call me Miki when I'm like this? Or Amu, if anyone else is around. We're pretty much the same person anyway."
"And Amu's fine with this?"
Her genuine confusion must have shown on her face, because he quickly rephrased himself. "I mean, taking over her body like that. She used to complain about the intensity of your character transformations."
That wasn't a… never mind. She sighed, resigning herself to explaining. "That is not how it works. When you combine with Yoru, do you lose control over yourself? No? There's no difference between this and a character transformation except I can keep it up longer. I said you can call me Miki, and that's true, but I'm also Amu. We're not different people, at least not right now, and even when we are it's more like wearing two different masks."
Probably. Though she certainly felt a lot more mature; Amu tended to be too flighty to think things through, and as Miki she just… well, something about being a pint-sized ghost-like fairy tended to get her down. Suggesting they go to school like this was the best idea she'd had in weeks, maybe after accepting the suggestion.
"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You seem to be fine, so I'm leaving. Goodbye, Yoru." She hopped down and started walking back to the stairwell. Really she'd wanted to talk more, but she wasn't sure if she should feel angry about being accused or happy that he was looking out for her. She settled for being upset that he thought she needed protection from herself.
"Don't I rate a goodbye, Miki?" And now he was back to an amused note. Honestly, that boy… but that was also why she liked him, so she stopped for a moment and nonchalantly waved at him. Su tugged at her sleeve… right she was, all of this was starting to give her a headache. She couldn't keep the combination up for much longer.
They left, in a bit of a hurry.
=======
"Miki! I can't believe you… I mean, I… I mean…"
She sat awkwardly in the stairwell, leaning against the wall and feeling completely exhausted. Only mentally, but right now she wasn't sure she'd be able to put one foot in front of the other if her life depended on it.
Miki was in a similar state, lying on Su's lap with a tired smile on her face. "I know what you mean, but it worked, didn't it? That was… three and a half hours, not bad. I think we could have gone even longer if Ikuto hadn't been there."
Amu blushed. "Uu… Ran, could you yell at her for me? I'm not sure I'm up to it."
Ran, floating over the stairwell itself, shook her head. "Oh, no. Don't bring me into this, this was all you two. That aside, shouldn't you be going to the Guardians' meeting? Or do you want me to fly ahead and tell them why you can't make it?"
"Urgh." She slowly forced herself to her feet. "You know, Miki, I'm not so sure this was such a good idea after all."
Miki could only agree. Next time, they'd need to keep their limits in mind.
[ ] …
A/N: Well, no choices here. I'm just posting this because.. it's a natural place for a break. Now, sleep.
The next day found them in school, eagerly awaiting the end of that day's schooling. Though she only had three hours of lessons on Saturday, like most fourth-graders she had quickly learned to much prefer life outside of school. There was an irony there, if she could find it.
Case in point, her classmates. There were still a few minutes to go, but everyone was already packing… it didn't seem like Morino-sensei was going to stop them, either. She idly doodled a picture of the classroom, imagining every one of them forcing their way out at the same time, considered the scene, then smirked and added a few generic monsters climbing in through the windows. Shading the scene took her remaining time, while Ran studied it uncertainly and Su was… hiding behind her back, apparently.
The bell rang as she was putting on the finishing touches. Naturally she ignored it, though the commotion meant needing to take special care not to get her hand jogged. Someone stopped next to her.
"Wow, Hinamori-san. That's really good."
She looked up, smiling, to see a classmate of hers looking intently at her drawing. What was her name again, Mikoto? Makoto? Never mind.
"You think so?" She held the drawing up in front of her and considered it. It matched pretty well, but now that she looked at it it seemed like the shadows were a bit strange. The sun never actually stood in that position, did it?
"Well, yeah! I wish I could draw half as well. I'm not sure about the monsters, though… it's a bit scary, isn't it?"
That was too good a line to ignore.
"I only draw what I see. Soon, soon it will be time." She chuckled darkly. Makoto's face got a bit strained, so she hastened to explain. "Just kidding. I was watching you guys itching to run off, so I wondered what that might look like… and then I added the monsters to give you a better reason to run than the end of the school-day. Though…" Putting her hands behind her neck and staring at the ceiling, she continued. "It's not that bad a reason, is it? I never thought school would be this boring, yet here we are."
"Somehow… you've gotten a little strange lately." Makoto seemed pensive. "You're still cool, though! I'll see you Monday, okay?"
She quickly agreed, then gathered up her own materials. The classroom was already empty, and there was someone she wanted to see.
=======
"I figured I'd find you here. Where's Yoru?"
She'd climbed up to the roof, hoping to find Ikuto. Her wishes were quickly granted; as per usual, he was dozing on top of a ventilator, enjoying the sunlight and warmth like the cat he was. Instead of sneaking up or standing around blushing, she just walked up and spoke frankly to him.
"Amu-chan?" He raised an eyebrow. "If it's Yoru you're after, he's… he was right here." He sat up. "Yoru, get back here! We've got a visitor, and you're being rude to Amu-chan!"
Yoru floated around the corner of the ventilator, looking worried. That was understandable. She kind of wanted to pick him up and hold him hostage, but that wouldn't be very fair right now. Instead, she just speared him with a look. "And? How did it turn out?"
"You mean Ikuto?" The catboy gulped. "He really wasn't hurt. Honest, Miki!"
"I thought as much, he looks healthy enough. Had to check, though." She spared him a rare smile, then sat down and began stretching, trying to get all the knots from today's schoolwork out of her body.
Ikuto blinked at Yoru, then looked more closely at them. "I don't see Miki anywhere, just Ran and Su, and that way of talking. I wouldn't have believed it if you told me, but… are you Amulet Spade?"
She shrugged. "Not all the way. Call me Miki when I'm like this? Or Amu, if anyone else is around. We're pretty much the same person anyway."
"And Amu's fine with this?"
Her genuine confusion must have shown on her face, because he quickly rephrased himself. "I mean, taking over her body like that. She used to complain about the intensity of your character transformations."
That wasn't a… never mind. She sighed, resigning herself to explaining. "That is not how it works. When you combine with Yoru, do you lose control over yourself? No? There's no difference between this and a character transformation except I can keep it up longer. I said you can call me Miki, and that's true, but I'm also Amu. We're not different people, at least not right now, and even when we are it's more like wearing two different masks."
Probably. Though she certainly felt a lot more mature; Amu tended to be too flighty to think things through, and as Miki she just… well, something about being a pint-sized ghost-like fairy tended to get her down. Suggesting they go to school like this was the best idea she'd had in weeks, maybe after accepting the suggestion.
"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You seem to be fine, so I'm leaving. Goodbye, Yoru." She hopped down and started walking back to the stairwell. Really she'd wanted to talk more, but she wasn't sure if she should feel angry about being accused or happy that he was looking out for her. She settled for being upset that he thought she needed protection from herself.
"Don't I rate a goodbye, Miki?" And now he was back to an amused note. Honestly, that boy… but that was also why she liked him, so she stopped for a moment and nonchalantly waved at him. Su tugged at her sleeve… right she was, all of this was starting to give her a headache. She couldn't keep the combination up for much longer.
They left, in a bit of a hurry.
=======
"Miki! I can't believe you… I mean, I… I mean…"
She sat awkwardly in the stairwell, leaning against the wall and feeling completely exhausted. Only mentally, but right now she wasn't sure she'd be able to put one foot in front of the other if her life depended on it.
Miki was in a similar state, lying on Su's lap with a tired smile on her face. "I know what you mean, but it worked, didn't it? That was… three and a half hours, not bad. I think we could have gone even longer if Ikuto hadn't been there."
Amu blushed. "Uu… Ran, could you yell at her for me? I'm not sure I'm up to it."
Ran, floating over the stairwell itself, shook her head. "Oh, no. Don't bring me into this, this was all you two. That aside, shouldn't you be going to the Guardians' meeting? Or do you want me to fly ahead and tell them why you can't make it?"
"Urgh." She slowly forced herself to her feet. "You know, Miki, I'm not so sure this was such a good idea after all."
Miki could only agree. Next time, they'd need to keep their limits in mind.
[ ] …
A/N: Well, no choices here. I'm just posting this because.. it's a natural place for a break. Now, sleep.
Saturday's Eclipse 2
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Saturday's Eclipse, 12:10
Recovering from their overuse of Miki's character transformation was quick, at least to the point that by the time she was leaving her school's main building for the garden she could walk normally. In part, that was probably because they hadn't really done anything with it; they'd just stayed in class, paying as much attention as they normally did. Which was to say, they'd spent their time doodling.
Walking was as far as it went, however. Her mind was still pretty foggy, so once she reached the Guardians' tea house and found herself alone, she sank into her chair with a sigh of relief. She didn't get headaches, and this wasn't one, but it was still unpleasant in a way she couldn't name. Her head felt too full, like she'd been cramming for a test… for three days straight…
Her eyes drifted shut. She forced them back open, taking in the familiar but ever welcoming view. Flowering roses, shimmering light from the plastic dome she was sitting in… the tea house was really a repurposed greenhouse, and every bit as hot as you'd expect. Without someone to talk to, she was getting really sleepy.
She leaned backwards, staring up at the shimmer and letting her arms drop.
The way the light played over the dome was quite pretty, but too bright…
"Miki?" She wondered.
Oh. All three were sleeping on her lap. She smiled; that sounded nice.
The light played over her closed eyelids.
=======
"-even make sense? Hair doesn't-"
"So maybe she dyed it? Miki's-"
"Look, let's just ask Nikaidou-sensei." Tadase-kun? "It's pretty obvious that something's going on, and this isn't in the guide. There's one other person I want to ask, as well. She'll be fine until Monday."
"Don't know-"
"Why don't we just ask her?"
"Be quiet, guys!" Someone hissed. "Geez."
She shifted slightly, searching for a more comfortable position.
=======
"Amu-chan?" Someone was shaking her shoulder, and there was a bright light in her eyes. The feminine voice continued. "Amu-chan, time to wake up. You can't sleep all day."
"Five more minutes, Mom…" She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away from the brightness. Using a flashlight was cheating! "Just five more… minutes…"
There was a sound like shuffling clothes, but it was already fading away under the song like crystal chimes that was playing in her head. Thoughts flew back and forth under the surface of her consciousness, every part of her striving to straighten itself out and grow. Still, the annoying voices didn't stop.
"See? She won't wake up. I'm going back to sleep."
"Yaya… this isn't a slumber party…"
Yaya? What was she doing in her room?
Wait, was she in her room?
"You give up too easily. Here, let me show you how to wake people like her up."
Kukai?
She carefully tested her limbs, rediscovering their positions, and found that she was in fact sitting in a chair, face upwards. That probably meant the bright light in her eyes was the sun, and those voices were her friends, not her parents, which meant she was in the tea house. That's right, she'd fallen asleep -
Her eyes shot open just in time to spot Kukai's grinning face from about no distance at all, and then he grabbed her arms under her shoulders. No. Nonononono… She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him to stop, but…
"Wake - UP!"
She shrieked, and her Charas went tumbling off into the air as Kukai pulled her right out of her seat, lifting her all the way off the ground while laughing. The other guardians were sitting at the table, looking amused at the proceedings… well, except for Yaya, who had her arms on the table and was using them for a pillow. And he wasn't letting her down! Whether with Daichi's help or just on his own strength, he'd thrown her upwards fast enough that for a second or two she was in free-fall, the world tumbling around her.
She landed in his arms, on her back, and more than a little panicked.The last thing she could remember, she was sitting down to wait - but now suddenly she was being juggled?
Nadeshiko politely clapped, helping her to re-engage her brain. This was Kukai, he'd never hurt her, though his method of waking her up left something to be desired. Even so, he was currently holding her in bridal position…
"Ku… Kukai. Could you let me down now?" She asked, forcing that thought out of her head. It was harder than expected, but his face was also far closer than she was used to, and she had to remind herself that she absolutely didn't have a crush on him. He was far too old, for starters, already in sixth grade.
"So long as you'll agree to stay awake," he grinned.
"Of course I will! Nobody could sleep through that," she said, a little heat entering her voice. "A-anyway, just let me down - please?" She asked, feeling a little helpless.
"When you ask like that, how could I say no?"
He let her down, theatrically bowing once she was on her feet again. This time Tadase-kun joined in on the clapping. She blushed fiercely, turning away so they wouldn't be able to see.
They stopped after a few seconds, and Tadase started speaking. "All right. Now, if someone would please wake Yaya as well, we can get the meeting started. The order of the day is… Amu, your hair. Kukai, could you please wake Yaya?" Wait, what was that about her hair?
When she turned back to the others Kukai was approaching Yaya, an evil glint in his eye. She'd warn her, but… honestly, Yaya probably deserved it.
=======
12:50
Finally, all five of them were awake and sitting at the table. Nadeshiko's tea had long since cooled down, sad to say - but that was relatively okay, Su was happy to provide a replacement. It was a little too good, that was all; if they didn't save it for special occasions, eating Su's food would put anyone off the stuff they got at lunch.
She probably shouldn't tell Nadeshiko that. Being on her bad side could be dangerous.
"So," Tadase said, a few minutes later. "Amu, your hair… just to confirm, it's dyed, right?"
Huh? "Of course. Why, did you think pink was my natural colour?"
"Dyed pink." He closed his eyes. "Right, of course."
"Why, what are you getting at?" She was getting really confused, now. Takase was acting unusually serious, the other three were also looking shifty, and Ran and the others were in a huddle on the table with Daichi, Kiseki and Temari. She was starting to get the feeling something was wrong. "Tadase-kun?"
Kukai stood and walked over to her, forcing her to look upwards. "Kukai?"
"Hold still, it'll be easier to show you. I'm going to pull out a hair now, sorry, this'll probably hurt a bit."
"Eeh?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling Kukai's hands on her head. There was a sharp nip, and she slowly opened them again.
"You have… brown roots," Kukai stated, holding the separated hair up for her to see. That was right, her hair was brown just like Mommy's, so then, why… why did the one he was holding fade into blue instead of brown?
She sat stock still, a flurry of panicked thoughts passing through her mind. What could she do? There was no way she could keep this hidden. It was obviously happening because of the transformation, but her hair hadn't been blue before, so why… no, but she hadn't checked the roots, had she? Maybe it was blue under the dye. It did seem a slightly different tint of pink than she was used to.
Tadase took pity on her. "It's just the one lock of hair on the side of your head, now, but your roots were all blue when we got here. It seems to be fading pretty quickly. It's strange, though; were you doing something unusual with Miki, maybe?"
She jerked, and Yaya smiled. "Bulls-eye?"
Amu poked two fingers together, trying to think of a good way to spin this. "We… I may have kept Miki's character transformation up until I fell asleep from the exertion? Just to see how long we could?"
Tadase face-palmed. "Amu-chan…"
She tried defending herself. "It's not that bad an idea, is it? I mean, it might be important to know, one day, and it's really no different than practicing running, right?"
"Running doesn't usually cause blue hair. How long?"
"Being good at drawing is nice, too!" She was babbling, now. "And Miki's better than me at schoolwork in general… I mean, when we're paying attention… so I thought it'd be a good idea. And it was a good idea! I mean, I had more fun in school today than I usually have in a week!"
Tadase silenced her with an uplifted hand.
"Amu-chan. How long?"
Miki approached her, flanked by Ran and Su. They all looked downcast. "Amu-chan…"
She quieted down. Considering that she'd previously only used transformations for a minute or two, it was true that she hadn't really thought this through. Miki would never want to hurt her, but neither of them actually understood how it worked, so that wasn't as good a guarantee as she might hope for. In that case, it'd be best if she owned up… well, she probably shouldn't mention that she'd usually use a chara change to get through school…
"Three and a half… hours?" She admitted.
The other Guardians looked uneasily at each other.
"So since before we got to school, then," Kukai burst out. "How can you even… Daichi and I can't even transform at all, how can you hold it for that long?"
"That's not really the issue here," Tadase said. "Amu, I don't think you should transform again. Not until we've figured out what's going on, or at least not until you're completely back to normal. There are some people I can ask about this, but I won't be able to talk to them until Monday. Until then, I suggest you rest, and maybe it'll fix itself on its own."
Kukai and Nadeshiko nodded along, but Yaya…
"It's just a blue stripe, what's the problem! It's very eye-catching, too. I think you'd look prettier if it wasn't dyed over, Amu-chan!"
Tadase turned to Yaya and started explaining. "The problem really isn't what she looks like, it's the implications. For all we know, it might be dangerous. Her appearance isn't -"
She tuned them out, thinking about what Yaya had said. It's very eye-catching? But then, that would mean… And she was going to the park with Mom later, too, she'd definitely notice! What was she supposed to say, she'd randomly decided to dye one stripe blue, but just the roots? When she wasn't even allowed to go to the hairdresser on her own, because Mommy wanted veto rights and/or wanted to help her decide on a cute hairstyle? She'd figure it out for sure! Oh no…
"Hey. Hey, guys?" She said, voice tightly controlled. "Do any of you have pink hair dye?"
They looked at her, and she could practically see the moment it clicked. Tadase paled. "You mean, you don't?"
She shook her head. "Too much work to do it that way, and apparently it'd hurt my hair. I always get permanent dye applied at the hair salon, when I go there with Mom. Otherwise there wouldn't have been roots showing."
"And then we wouldn't even have noticed." He sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't have any. Anyone?"
For a long second no-one responded, then Nadeshiko tentatively raised her hand. "I don't have pink dye, but… I do have blue. We could use that?"
Amu thought that over for a second. Obviously she couldn't cover it up with blue dye, but she could paint over the pink, that was covering blue strands, with a second layer of blue. That would, at least, look more natural. Mom would probably object to her having her hair coloured by anyone but a professional, but she wouldn't realise that some of it wasn't paint.
She slowly nodded. "That would be great, Nadeshiko-chan. Thank you."
That seemed to be it for the meeting. They spent another five minutes making small-talk, but she couldn't stay there for very long if she was going to make it to Nadeshiko's place and back in time to go to the park. Tadase nabbed her for a moment when she was heading out, though.
"So, are we still on for Complete Annihilation tomorrow?" He asked.
She smiled. "Of course. I've been practicing, you know. This time I'm sure I'll be able to drop another handicap level."
Tadase chuckled. "Glad to hear it. I'll see you then."
=======
Nadeshiko's house was hidden behind a local shrine, where you couldn't see it from the street. It was also huge, much larger than hers, and very traditional-looking. Was Nadeshiko's family rich?
They were welcomed at the door by an older lady, who addressed Nadeshiko as "Nadeshiko-sama" and "Young mistress". Nadeshiko quickly pulled her inside and to her room, which turned out to be the rough size of Amu's living room.
While Nadeshiko was looking for dying tools, Amu looked around her room. It was extremely clean and tidy, but some of the decorations were more than a little strange.
"Are those kabuki masks?" She wondered.
"Yes, a gift from my uncle," Nadeshiko answered distractedly. "I've never had a chance to use them, but… just a moment." She stuck her head outside the door, raising her voice a little. "Kawashima-san, could you get the styling equipment? No, don't worry about refreshments, we already had some at school and Amu-chan won't be long."
Kawashima-san, the old lady who'd welcomed them - probably no more than fifty or so, but that was old enough - soon returned, carrying a full set of hairstyling tools. Huh.
"Right. Amu-chan, please sit down, and I'll take care of it. Kawashima-san… I'm afraid Amu-chan was victim of a terrible dying accident, so we're going to try fixing it up a little. Right here on the floor is fine…"
Right, because she didn't have any chairs. Right.
She sat down, cross-legged. Nadeshiko rummaged behind her for a bit.
"Now, close your eyes, just in case…"
Nadeshiko started combing her hair, and she shivered, enjoying the sensation. There were a few moments of coldness, water being sprayed over her hair, then she was pulling a strand of her hair outwards and - dragging a brush over it? Amu couldn't really follow what was happening, but there was no reason to worry. Minutes passed.
Nadeshiko paused. "Hm…"
"It's not really the same colour," Ran critiqued. "Look at the roots, they're a much brighter shade of blue. Shouldn't you be using bleach, and stuff?"
"I think it looks nice," Su said.
"Well, we don't really have time to do it properly, but this will come off in the wash. You can use the day to figure out if you'd really like blue stripes or not," Nadeshiko explained. She was thrown for a moment, but then she realised that Kawashima-san was still there, and Nadeshiko couldn't really speak freely. "Do you want me to add a few more stripes?"
More of them? Why would she want that?
"…it'd make it harder to notice that one of the stripes is different," Miki pointed out in a low voice.
Oh. Then… "Then, if you don't mind. Maybe a few more?"
"As you desire." She could almost hear Nadeshiko smiling.
=======
They were back at the entrance, Amu somewhat awkwardly wondering how to say goodbye. Nadeshiko had really helped her out, and she felt she needed to do something extra, but…
"I guess I probably shouldn't hug you, huh?"
Nadeshiko smiled. "Not for another twenty minutes, no. It's fast-drying dye - water-soluble paint, really - but if you did that right now I'd still get blue paint all over me. I appreciate the thought, though."
"Then, how about I come by another time? Monday, maybe? I didn't really have time to look around, either."
"That would be great, but I'm busy on Monday. How about Tuesday?"
"He he he he," Kawashima-san suddenly cackled. "It's so nice to see the young ma-to see that the young mistress has good friends."
Amu paled, slightly freaked out. "R… right. Sounds good to me. I'll see you then!" She waved, then turned away and… walked very quickly. She definitely wasn't running away!
"Kawashima-san!" Nadeshiko protested. "You did that on purpose!"
"He he he he he…"
"Amu… I'm scared…" Su said, nestling into her jacket. She shook her head, wondering what kind of home life Nadeshiko had. "Let's just get home…"
- Amu has regained two points of willpower. So she now has two.
A/N: Dear Jade this thing got huge, and it's not over yet. You can expect the next segment shortly, possibly even before you see this; then, there will finally be choices.
[ ] ...
Recovering from their overuse of Miki's character transformation was quick, at least to the point that by the time she was leaving her school's main building for the garden she could walk normally. In part, that was probably because they hadn't really done anything with it; they'd just stayed in class, paying as much attention as they normally did. Which was to say, they'd spent their time doodling.
Walking was as far as it went, however. Her mind was still pretty foggy, so once she reached the Guardians' tea house and found herself alone, she sank into her chair with a sigh of relief. She didn't get headaches, and this wasn't one, but it was still unpleasant in a way she couldn't name. Her head felt too full, like she'd been cramming for a test… for three days straight…
Her eyes drifted shut. She forced them back open, taking in the familiar but ever welcoming view. Flowering roses, shimmering light from the plastic dome she was sitting in… the tea house was really a repurposed greenhouse, and every bit as hot as you'd expect. Without someone to talk to, she was getting really sleepy.
She leaned backwards, staring up at the shimmer and letting her arms drop.
The way the light played over the dome was quite pretty, but too bright…
"Miki?" She wondered.
Oh. All three were sleeping on her lap. She smiled; that sounded nice.
The light played over her closed eyelids.
=======
"-even make sense? Hair doesn't-"
"So maybe she dyed it? Miki's-"
"Look, let's just ask Nikaidou-sensei." Tadase-kun? "It's pretty obvious that something's going on, and this isn't in the guide. There's one other person I want to ask, as well. She'll be fine until Monday."
"Don't know-"
"Why don't we just ask her?"
"Be quiet, guys!" Someone hissed. "Geez."
She shifted slightly, searching for a more comfortable position.
=======
"Amu-chan?" Someone was shaking her shoulder, and there was a bright light in her eyes. The feminine voice continued. "Amu-chan, time to wake up. You can't sleep all day."
"Five more minutes, Mom…" She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away from the brightness. Using a flashlight was cheating! "Just five more… minutes…"
There was a sound like shuffling clothes, but it was already fading away under the song like crystal chimes that was playing in her head. Thoughts flew back and forth under the surface of her consciousness, every part of her striving to straighten itself out and grow. Still, the annoying voices didn't stop.
"See? She won't wake up. I'm going back to sleep."
"Yaya… this isn't a slumber party…"
Yaya? What was she doing in her room?
Wait, was she in her room?
"You give up too easily. Here, let me show you how to wake people like her up."
Kukai?
She carefully tested her limbs, rediscovering their positions, and found that she was in fact sitting in a chair, face upwards. That probably meant the bright light in her eyes was the sun, and those voices were her friends, not her parents, which meant she was in the tea house. That's right, she'd fallen asleep -
Her eyes shot open just in time to spot Kukai's grinning face from about no distance at all, and then he grabbed her arms under her shoulders. No. Nonononono… She opened her mouth, wanting to tell him to stop, but…
"Wake - UP!"
She shrieked, and her Charas went tumbling off into the air as Kukai pulled her right out of her seat, lifting her all the way off the ground while laughing. The other guardians were sitting at the table, looking amused at the proceedings… well, except for Yaya, who had her arms on the table and was using them for a pillow. And he wasn't letting her down! Whether with Daichi's help or just on his own strength, he'd thrown her upwards fast enough that for a second or two she was in free-fall, the world tumbling around her.
She landed in his arms, on her back, and more than a little panicked.The last thing she could remember, she was sitting down to wait - but now suddenly she was being juggled?
Nadeshiko politely clapped, helping her to re-engage her brain. This was Kukai, he'd never hurt her, though his method of waking her up left something to be desired. Even so, he was currently holding her in bridal position…
"Ku… Kukai. Could you let me down now?" She asked, forcing that thought out of her head. It was harder than expected, but his face was also far closer than she was used to, and she had to remind herself that she absolutely didn't have a crush on him. He was far too old, for starters, already in sixth grade.
"So long as you'll agree to stay awake," he grinned.
"Of course I will! Nobody could sleep through that," she said, a little heat entering her voice. "A-anyway, just let me down - please?" She asked, feeling a little helpless.
"When you ask like that, how could I say no?"
He let her down, theatrically bowing once she was on her feet again. This time Tadase-kun joined in on the clapping. She blushed fiercely, turning away so they wouldn't be able to see.
They stopped after a few seconds, and Tadase started speaking. "All right. Now, if someone would please wake Yaya as well, we can get the meeting started. The order of the day is… Amu, your hair. Kukai, could you please wake Yaya?" Wait, what was that about her hair?
When she turned back to the others Kukai was approaching Yaya, an evil glint in his eye. She'd warn her, but… honestly, Yaya probably deserved it.
=======
12:50
Finally, all five of them were awake and sitting at the table. Nadeshiko's tea had long since cooled down, sad to say - but that was relatively okay, Su was happy to provide a replacement. It was a little too good, that was all; if they didn't save it for special occasions, eating Su's food would put anyone off the stuff they got at lunch.
She probably shouldn't tell Nadeshiko that. Being on her bad side could be dangerous.
"So," Tadase said, a few minutes later. "Amu, your hair… just to confirm, it's dyed, right?"
Huh? "Of course. Why, did you think pink was my natural colour?"
"Dyed pink." He closed his eyes. "Right, of course."
"Why, what are you getting at?" She was getting really confused, now. Takase was acting unusually serious, the other three were also looking shifty, and Ran and the others were in a huddle on the table with Daichi, Kiseki and Temari. She was starting to get the feeling something was wrong. "Tadase-kun?"
Kukai stood and walked over to her, forcing her to look upwards. "Kukai?"
"Hold still, it'll be easier to show you. I'm going to pull out a hair now, sorry, this'll probably hurt a bit."
"Eeh?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling Kukai's hands on her head. There was a sharp nip, and she slowly opened them again.
"You have… brown roots," Kukai stated, holding the separated hair up for her to see. That was right, her hair was brown just like Mommy's, so then, why… why did the one he was holding fade into blue instead of brown?
She sat stock still, a flurry of panicked thoughts passing through her mind. What could she do? There was no way she could keep this hidden. It was obviously happening because of the transformation, but her hair hadn't been blue before, so why… no, but she hadn't checked the roots, had she? Maybe it was blue under the dye. It did seem a slightly different tint of pink than she was used to.
Tadase took pity on her. "It's just the one lock of hair on the side of your head, now, but your roots were all blue when we got here. It seems to be fading pretty quickly. It's strange, though; were you doing something unusual with Miki, maybe?"
She jerked, and Yaya smiled. "Bulls-eye?"
Amu poked two fingers together, trying to think of a good way to spin this. "We… I may have kept Miki's character transformation up until I fell asleep from the exertion? Just to see how long we could?"
Tadase face-palmed. "Amu-chan…"
She tried defending herself. "It's not that bad an idea, is it? I mean, it might be important to know, one day, and it's really no different than practicing running, right?"
"Running doesn't usually cause blue hair. How long?"
"Being good at drawing is nice, too!" She was babbling, now. "And Miki's better than me at schoolwork in general… I mean, when we're paying attention… so I thought it'd be a good idea. And it was a good idea! I mean, I had more fun in school today than I usually have in a week!"
Tadase silenced her with an uplifted hand.
"Amu-chan. How long?"
Miki approached her, flanked by Ran and Su. They all looked downcast. "Amu-chan…"
She quieted down. Considering that she'd previously only used transformations for a minute or two, it was true that she hadn't really thought this through. Miki would never want to hurt her, but neither of them actually understood how it worked, so that wasn't as good a guarantee as she might hope for. In that case, it'd be best if she owned up… well, she probably shouldn't mention that she'd usually use a chara change to get through school…
"Three and a half… hours?" She admitted.
The other Guardians looked uneasily at each other.
"So since before we got to school, then," Kukai burst out. "How can you even… Daichi and I can't even transform at all, how can you hold it for that long?"
"That's not really the issue here," Tadase said. "Amu, I don't think you should transform again. Not until we've figured out what's going on, or at least not until you're completely back to normal. There are some people I can ask about this, but I won't be able to talk to them until Monday. Until then, I suggest you rest, and maybe it'll fix itself on its own."
Kukai and Nadeshiko nodded along, but Yaya…
"It's just a blue stripe, what's the problem! It's very eye-catching, too. I think you'd look prettier if it wasn't dyed over, Amu-chan!"
Tadase turned to Yaya and started explaining. "The problem really isn't what she looks like, it's the implications. For all we know, it might be dangerous. Her appearance isn't -"
She tuned them out, thinking about what Yaya had said. It's very eye-catching? But then, that would mean… And she was going to the park with Mom later, too, she'd definitely notice! What was she supposed to say, she'd randomly decided to dye one stripe blue, but just the roots? When she wasn't even allowed to go to the hairdresser on her own, because Mommy wanted veto rights and/or wanted to help her decide on a cute hairstyle? She'd figure it out for sure! Oh no…
"Hey. Hey, guys?" She said, voice tightly controlled. "Do any of you have pink hair dye?"
They looked at her, and she could practically see the moment it clicked. Tadase paled. "You mean, you don't?"
She shook her head. "Too much work to do it that way, and apparently it'd hurt my hair. I always get permanent dye applied at the hair salon, when I go there with Mom. Otherwise there wouldn't have been roots showing."
"And then we wouldn't even have noticed." He sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't have any. Anyone?"
For a long second no-one responded, then Nadeshiko tentatively raised her hand. "I don't have pink dye, but… I do have blue. We could use that?"
Amu thought that over for a second. Obviously she couldn't cover it up with blue dye, but she could paint over the pink, that was covering blue strands, with a second layer of blue. That would, at least, look more natural. Mom would probably object to her having her hair coloured by anyone but a professional, but she wouldn't realise that some of it wasn't paint.
She slowly nodded. "That would be great, Nadeshiko-chan. Thank you."
That seemed to be it for the meeting. They spent another five minutes making small-talk, but she couldn't stay there for very long if she was going to make it to Nadeshiko's place and back in time to go to the park. Tadase nabbed her for a moment when she was heading out, though.
"So, are we still on for Complete Annihilation tomorrow?" He asked.
She smiled. "Of course. I've been practicing, you know. This time I'm sure I'll be able to drop another handicap level."
Tadase chuckled. "Glad to hear it. I'll see you then."
=======
Nadeshiko's house was hidden behind a local shrine, where you couldn't see it from the street. It was also huge, much larger than hers, and very traditional-looking. Was Nadeshiko's family rich?
They were welcomed at the door by an older lady, who addressed Nadeshiko as "Nadeshiko-sama" and "Young mistress". Nadeshiko quickly pulled her inside and to her room, which turned out to be the rough size of Amu's living room.
While Nadeshiko was looking for dying tools, Amu looked around her room. It was extremely clean and tidy, but some of the decorations were more than a little strange.
"Are those kabuki masks?" She wondered.
"Yes, a gift from my uncle," Nadeshiko answered distractedly. "I've never had a chance to use them, but… just a moment." She stuck her head outside the door, raising her voice a little. "Kawashima-san, could you get the styling equipment? No, don't worry about refreshments, we already had some at school and Amu-chan won't be long."
Kawashima-san, the old lady who'd welcomed them - probably no more than fifty or so, but that was old enough - soon returned, carrying a full set of hairstyling tools. Huh.
"Right. Amu-chan, please sit down, and I'll take care of it. Kawashima-san… I'm afraid Amu-chan was victim of a terrible dying accident, so we're going to try fixing it up a little. Right here on the floor is fine…"
Right, because she didn't have any chairs. Right.
She sat down, cross-legged. Nadeshiko rummaged behind her for a bit.
"Now, close your eyes, just in case…"
Nadeshiko started combing her hair, and she shivered, enjoying the sensation. There were a few moments of coldness, water being sprayed over her hair, then she was pulling a strand of her hair outwards and - dragging a brush over it? Amu couldn't really follow what was happening, but there was no reason to worry. Minutes passed.
Nadeshiko paused. "Hm…"
"It's not really the same colour," Ran critiqued. "Look at the roots, they're a much brighter shade of blue. Shouldn't you be using bleach, and stuff?"
"I think it looks nice," Su said.
"Well, we don't really have time to do it properly, but this will come off in the wash. You can use the day to figure out if you'd really like blue stripes or not," Nadeshiko explained. She was thrown for a moment, but then she realised that Kawashima-san was still there, and Nadeshiko couldn't really speak freely. "Do you want me to add a few more stripes?"
More of them? Why would she want that?
"…it'd make it harder to notice that one of the stripes is different," Miki pointed out in a low voice.
Oh. Then… "Then, if you don't mind. Maybe a few more?"
"As you desire." She could almost hear Nadeshiko smiling.
=======
They were back at the entrance, Amu somewhat awkwardly wondering how to say goodbye. Nadeshiko had really helped her out, and she felt she needed to do something extra, but…
"I guess I probably shouldn't hug you, huh?"
Nadeshiko smiled. "Not for another twenty minutes, no. It's fast-drying dye - water-soluble paint, really - but if you did that right now I'd still get blue paint all over me. I appreciate the thought, though."
"Then, how about I come by another time? Monday, maybe? I didn't really have time to look around, either."
"That would be great, but I'm busy on Monday. How about Tuesday?"
"He he he he," Kawashima-san suddenly cackled. "It's so nice to see the young ma-to see that the young mistress has good friends."
Amu paled, slightly freaked out. "R… right. Sounds good to me. I'll see you then!" She waved, then turned away and… walked very quickly. She definitely wasn't running away!
"Kawashima-san!" Nadeshiko protested. "You did that on purpose!"
"He he he he he…"
"Amu… I'm scared…" Su said, nestling into her jacket. She shook her head, wondering what kind of home life Nadeshiko had. "Let's just get home…"
- Amu has regained two points of willpower. So she now has two.
A/N: Dear Jade this thing got huge, and it's not over yet. You can expect the next segment shortly, possibly even before you see this; then, there will finally be choices.
[ ] ...
Saturday's Eclipse 3
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Saturday's Eclipse, 15:00
"Next stop, Yoyogi park station. Yoyogi park station."
Gadunk. Gadunk.
The train continued to run, taking them ever closer to the park.
Amu shivered and grabbed Mommy's hand tightly, moulding herself against her side. Mom looked questioningly at her for a moment, but only reacted by ruffling her hair and putting an arm around her. Normally she would have protested, but normally she didn't feel this hungry for attention; she'd been feeling unsettled ever since they left home, like there wasn't enough time.
Instead she leaned in further, resting her head on Mom's shoulder and drinking in her warmth. Ran, Miki and Su even joined in, sitting on her shoulders and the back of the seat, trying to get as close to Mom as they could without touching her. She felt sorry for them, not being able to do that; Miki especially, since she was still feeling down from what happened earlier.
"Hey, you," Mommy chuckled. "Not that I mind, but you're being unusually touchy-feely. Did something happen?"
"No," she denied. "Nothing bad." That was true, wasn't it? Today had been a good day, one of many to come. There was absolutely no reason she should feel this way, that any of them should feel this way. And yet…
"Yoyogi park station. Yoyogi park station. Please do not push, and leave the train in an orderly fashion."
She shivered again, a wave of - something - passing through her, but then the train was slowing to a halt, and Mommy pulled her to her feet. It was fine, wasn't it? Nothing bad could happen while they were together.
Mom smiled down at her. "Come on, sweetheart, let's see if we can beat the crowd. It's a little bit of a walk, so the sooner we get out of the station -"
"The sooner we get to the park, yes." She grinned, putting the odd feeling out of her mind.
=======
"So do you want to talk about it? Your not-boyfriend, I mean."
Amu blushed, and tried to buy herself time by chomping down on a large chunk of her ice-cream. Ugh, right… the original purpose they'd gone here was to discuss Ikuto, or rather a carefully edited version of Ikuto, but now she didn't want to do that. She swung her legs back and forth under the park bench, trying to think of how best to explain it.
"Can we do that in ten minutes?" She asked.
"Sure. It's a nice day, after all." Mom leaned back, turning her face to the sun and closing her eyes.
It really was. They were in the middle of Yoyogi park, one of the larger parks in their section of Tokyo, and in her opinion also the prettiest. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and she'd even spotted a deer eating grass while they were walking in, though when she'd asked Mommy to take a photo… she had admittedly been too excited, jumping around enough that the poor animal ran away well before Mom could get out her camera.
There were strangely few other people in the park, given those conditions, but she thought that might have been due to the commotion outside; some kind of religious procession, which a lot of people had been watching. She hoped they'd march through the park, though that seemed unlikely; the face-masks had looked interesting, even if it was a little scary to see that many people dressed up like that.
What should she say about Ikuto, though?
She hopped off the bench and started pacing, deep in thought. Obviously she couldn't give his age; she probably shouldn't say his name, either, just in case Mom looks him up. If she did ask about his age… um, let's say he's fourteen? Right, and he was someone from the middle school attached to her grade-school, who kept helping her out if she got in trouble… well, she could just tell the truth about that, if not about the type of trouble. Unfortunately he already had a girlfriend… well, no, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to be Ikuto's girlfriend, that sounded like she'd be going a bit too far. She definitely wanted him to pay more attention to her, though…
She sighed, scuffing her shoes on the ground. Even figuring out what she wanted was hard, never mind safely explaining it. Maybe she should have asked Utau? She rapidly shook her head. No, that wouldn't work, asking your rival about love sounded like the worst idea ever, and Utau was always so busy, not to mention she was an enemy.
That was something she needed to keep in mind. Utau worked for Easter, and kept trying to destroy people's dreams, so that made her an enemy, and mean besides. Never mind how sad and listless she sometimes looked… she definitely wasn't enjoying it…
"Amu… Amu!" Su spoke up, alarmed. "Can you hear that?"
"Hear what?" She stopped walking, listening closely.
"That! Off in the distance, someone…"
Now that Su had pointed it out, she could. Only barely, but the volume kept increasing, shouts and… were those screams?
You consider the situation, and strengthen her compassion slightly. Only slightly; that's all that's needed.
She wanted to wake Mom and get out of here, she really didn't want to go towards that noise, but if something bad was happening… if she had a chance at helping, she had to take the risk. With Ran and the others, she shouldn't be in any real danger anyway, and they'd already discovered that Su could fix small wounds.
Squeezing tears out of her eyes, she started sprinting towards the screams, her feet hammering against the asphalt. Behind her, she could hear Mommy's startled shout of "Amu?", but then she was around a corner and accelerating. Sorry, mom…
"Ran, please," she said, the urgency in her voice overriding any concerns Ran might have had about doing another transformation so soon. Her vision swam for a moment, then cleared; as Amulet Heart, she could run faster than anyone, and it'd get her there in time. In time for what, she wasn't sure yet.
=======
The scene, when she found it, was like someone had made a nightmare out what should have been an idyllic clearing.
There was a large group of people in yellow uniforms, surrounding a smaller number of what appeared to be… nuns, or something like that. Mixed in with the nuns were the ones from the religious procession that had been passing by outside, and she could see frequent scuffles and even some fights, but for the most part they seemed to have formed an alliance against the surrounding group.
She could see bodies on the ground, bleeding…
Amu made her way closer, keeping to the trees; she'd found that people generally didn't look up, and these people were definitely preoccupied. She wasn't sure what to do - the uniforms gave a sense of authority, which meant there might be no need for her to help, but everything was obviously not all right yet. Instead of charging in, she climbed closer and tried to eavesdrop, to see if she could figure out what was going on. One of the yellow-suited men was almost directly beneath her, now, and talking on a cellphone…
"…Yes, Chief Hotsuin. No, we haven't found him yet. He should be hiding in the crowd."
There was a long pause.
"…Are you certain? No, I didn't mean to question you, but… yes, I see. We won't let him get away."
He fiddled with his phone for a second, then raised his voice. "Listen up! We're go for plan D. Repeat, go for plan D!"
Amu stared at the phone. It might be her imagination, but…
A blob of shadow formed around his arm, spreading from the phone, then fell on the ground and formed into a cat…monster. It took twenty seconds, during which her eyes got wider and wider, and she could see similar flares of darkness from most of the other uniformed people… Miki and Su hid behind her back, and she couldn't help it, she screamed in fear.
The man beneath her turned and looked up, a startled curse on his lips -
The cat-demon leaped, right towards her, and she instinctively hit it with a heart-beam. It only grazed it, but that was enough to throw it off course, sending it flying helplessly into mid-air.
The beam continued, arcing over the combined groups -
Many of the people on her side of it turned around to see what was happening, and in that very moment a deeper, fundamentally worse shadow bloomed in the middle of the group -
Screams ensued, as the shadow formed into a monster beyond her understanding and started tearing its way out. The surrounding group turned back, preparing to fight, but they had lost the initiative and were out of position. She didn't know… she didn't understand half of what was going on, only that it was somehow her fault. What… what should she…
"Amu! Watch out!" Miki shouted from behind her, and she spun, only to see the cat-demon back on the ground and about to jump at her again. There was a shout from beneath her, but she didn't pay attention to what he was saying. No, no, no… she didn't want to die… she was scared out of her wits, but she didn't want to run away either. She had to help, somehow…
=======
That did not go quite as you had intended. You aren't sure what just happened, only that it would not have happened in Creation. Still, this is probably a good time to exalt her. You could wait, but you'd run the risk of Amu taking damage that would make the exaltation insufficient for her survival.
You don't have to. The events you have witnessed today are sufficiently abnormal, for a human, that she only barely counts as human enough to exalt. In fact, the scales are weighed evenly enough that it's your conscious decision that will decide. Undoing the exaltation is impossible, short of death, and even if the scales should shift further that will not weigh on your behaviour afterwards.
[ ] Wait and see. Perhaps give her a few nudges to let her survive.
[ ] Exaltation time.
- [ ] Focus on survival and personal power.
- [ ] Focus on ways to fix this. A lot of people are dying.
- [ ] Write-in
A/N: You will not be designing her exaltation point-by-point. That does not mean you will not be designing it; this is possibly the most important stunt you will write in the story. Your shard knows all the charms in the core books, but naming them is not valid elements of a stunted vote - though you may supply names as extra info, for unusual builds. I reserve the right to switch them out as suitable.
The exception to this is charms you've researched, which you absolutely can vote on.
Abilities and attributes will be increased based on a mix of your suggestions and Amu's preferences. Again, do not provide point-by-point votes. However, you have 6 bonus points, which can be assigned to any combination of virtues, willpower, physical attributes, abilities or researched charms without that restriction. At this time at most 2 can be assigned to virtues.
Additionally, as a one-time option:
[ ] Let her compassion fall back to what it was.
[ ] Maximise it, now that you have a unique opportunity to do so.
This will not cost virtue points.
Backgrounds cannot be bought.
Reminder: Here is her current character sheet.
=======
Your earlier research has borne fruit. By studying the connection between Amu and her Charas, you have designed two immediately useful charms. Further research seems plausible once you're out of the current situation, but you'll have to consider that later. You have also noticed that, although not severely, her motivations do change while under a character transformation.
Inexperience-Denying Connection
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: N/A
Prerequisites: None
The dreamer is never alone. With this charm, Amu becomes able to speak with her exaltation shard and is able to gain its advise as well as training.
Dream-Affirming Projection
Cost: 1m/Chara; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: None
Dreams never die. With this charm, the Chara(s) of your choice become visible and tangible to mortals, while shifts in motivation that might render the Chara obsolete become impossible. Motivation shifts cannot "build up" while the exalt is under the influence of this charm; relevant shifts simply do not happen.
"Next stop, Yoyogi park station. Yoyogi park station."
Gadunk. Gadunk.
The train continued to run, taking them ever closer to the park.
Amu shivered and grabbed Mommy's hand tightly, moulding herself against her side. Mom looked questioningly at her for a moment, but only reacted by ruffling her hair and putting an arm around her. Normally she would have protested, but normally she didn't feel this hungry for attention; she'd been feeling unsettled ever since they left home, like there wasn't enough time.
Instead she leaned in further, resting her head on Mom's shoulder and drinking in her warmth. Ran, Miki and Su even joined in, sitting on her shoulders and the back of the seat, trying to get as close to Mom as they could without touching her. She felt sorry for them, not being able to do that; Miki especially, since she was still feeling down from what happened earlier.
"Hey, you," Mommy chuckled. "Not that I mind, but you're being unusually touchy-feely. Did something happen?"
"No," she denied. "Nothing bad." That was true, wasn't it? Today had been a good day, one of many to come. There was absolutely no reason she should feel this way, that any of them should feel this way. And yet…
"Yoyogi park station. Yoyogi park station. Please do not push, and leave the train in an orderly fashion."
She shivered again, a wave of - something - passing through her, but then the train was slowing to a halt, and Mommy pulled her to her feet. It was fine, wasn't it? Nothing bad could happen while they were together.
Mom smiled down at her. "Come on, sweetheart, let's see if we can beat the crowd. It's a little bit of a walk, so the sooner we get out of the station -"
"The sooner we get to the park, yes." She grinned, putting the odd feeling out of her mind.
=======
"So do you want to talk about it? Your not-boyfriend, I mean."
Amu blushed, and tried to buy herself time by chomping down on a large chunk of her ice-cream. Ugh, right… the original purpose they'd gone here was to discuss Ikuto, or rather a carefully edited version of Ikuto, but now she didn't want to do that. She swung her legs back and forth under the park bench, trying to think of how best to explain it.
"Can we do that in ten minutes?" She asked.
"Sure. It's a nice day, after all." Mom leaned back, turning her face to the sun and closing her eyes.
It really was. They were in the middle of Yoyogi park, one of the larger parks in their section of Tokyo, and in her opinion also the prettiest. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and she'd even spotted a deer eating grass while they were walking in, though when she'd asked Mommy to take a photo… she had admittedly been too excited, jumping around enough that the poor animal ran away well before Mom could get out her camera.
There were strangely few other people in the park, given those conditions, but she thought that might have been due to the commotion outside; some kind of religious procession, which a lot of people had been watching. She hoped they'd march through the park, though that seemed unlikely; the face-masks had looked interesting, even if it was a little scary to see that many people dressed up like that.
What should she say about Ikuto, though?
She hopped off the bench and started pacing, deep in thought. Obviously she couldn't give his age; she probably shouldn't say his name, either, just in case Mom looks him up. If she did ask about his age… um, let's say he's fourteen? Right, and he was someone from the middle school attached to her grade-school, who kept helping her out if she got in trouble… well, she could just tell the truth about that, if not about the type of trouble. Unfortunately he already had a girlfriend… well, no, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to be Ikuto's girlfriend, that sounded like she'd be going a bit too far. She definitely wanted him to pay more attention to her, though…
She sighed, scuffing her shoes on the ground. Even figuring out what she wanted was hard, never mind safely explaining it. Maybe she should have asked Utau? She rapidly shook her head. No, that wouldn't work, asking your rival about love sounded like the worst idea ever, and Utau was always so busy, not to mention she was an enemy.
That was something she needed to keep in mind. Utau worked for Easter, and kept trying to destroy people's dreams, so that made her an enemy, and mean besides. Never mind how sad and listless she sometimes looked… she definitely wasn't enjoying it…
"Amu… Amu!" Su spoke up, alarmed. "Can you hear that?"
"Hear what?" She stopped walking, listening closely.
"That! Off in the distance, someone…"
Now that Su had pointed it out, she could. Only barely, but the volume kept increasing, shouts and… were those screams?
You consider the situation, and strengthen her compassion slightly. Only slightly; that's all that's needed.
She wanted to wake Mom and get out of here, she really didn't want to go towards that noise, but if something bad was happening… if she had a chance at helping, she had to take the risk. With Ran and the others, she shouldn't be in any real danger anyway, and they'd already discovered that Su could fix small wounds.
Squeezing tears out of her eyes, she started sprinting towards the screams, her feet hammering against the asphalt. Behind her, she could hear Mommy's startled shout of "Amu?", but then she was around a corner and accelerating. Sorry, mom…
"Ran, please," she said, the urgency in her voice overriding any concerns Ran might have had about doing another transformation so soon. Her vision swam for a moment, then cleared; as Amulet Heart, she could run faster than anyone, and it'd get her there in time. In time for what, she wasn't sure yet.
=======
The scene, when she found it, was like someone had made a nightmare out what should have been an idyllic clearing.
There was a large group of people in yellow uniforms, surrounding a smaller number of what appeared to be… nuns, or something like that. Mixed in with the nuns were the ones from the religious procession that had been passing by outside, and she could see frequent scuffles and even some fights, but for the most part they seemed to have formed an alliance against the surrounding group.
She could see bodies on the ground, bleeding…
Amu made her way closer, keeping to the trees; she'd found that people generally didn't look up, and these people were definitely preoccupied. She wasn't sure what to do - the uniforms gave a sense of authority, which meant there might be no need for her to help, but everything was obviously not all right yet. Instead of charging in, she climbed closer and tried to eavesdrop, to see if she could figure out what was going on. One of the yellow-suited men was almost directly beneath her, now, and talking on a cellphone…
"…Yes, Chief Hotsuin. No, we haven't found him yet. He should be hiding in the crowd."
There was a long pause.
"…Are you certain? No, I didn't mean to question you, but… yes, I see. We won't let him get away."
He fiddled with his phone for a second, then raised his voice. "Listen up! We're go for plan D. Repeat, go for plan D!"
Amu stared at the phone. It might be her imagination, but…
A blob of shadow formed around his arm, spreading from the phone, then fell on the ground and formed into a cat…monster. It took twenty seconds, during which her eyes got wider and wider, and she could see similar flares of darkness from most of the other uniformed people… Miki and Su hid behind her back, and she couldn't help it, she screamed in fear.
The man beneath her turned and looked up, a startled curse on his lips -
The cat-demon leaped, right towards her, and she instinctively hit it with a heart-beam. It only grazed it, but that was enough to throw it off course, sending it flying helplessly into mid-air.
The beam continued, arcing over the combined groups -
Many of the people on her side of it turned around to see what was happening, and in that very moment a deeper, fundamentally worse shadow bloomed in the middle of the group -
Screams ensued, as the shadow formed into a monster beyond her understanding and started tearing its way out. The surrounding group turned back, preparing to fight, but they had lost the initiative and were out of position. She didn't know… she didn't understand half of what was going on, only that it was somehow her fault. What… what should she…
"Amu! Watch out!" Miki shouted from behind her, and she spun, only to see the cat-demon back on the ground and about to jump at her again. There was a shout from beneath her, but she didn't pay attention to what he was saying. No, no, no… she didn't want to die… she was scared out of her wits, but she didn't want to run away either. She had to help, somehow…
=======
That did not go quite as you had intended. You aren't sure what just happened, only that it would not have happened in Creation. Still, this is probably a good time to exalt her. You could wait, but you'd run the risk of Amu taking damage that would make the exaltation insufficient for her survival.
You don't have to. The events you have witnessed today are sufficiently abnormal, for a human, that she only barely counts as human enough to exalt. In fact, the scales are weighed evenly enough that it's your conscious decision that will decide. Undoing the exaltation is impossible, short of death, and even if the scales should shift further that will not weigh on your behaviour afterwards.
[ ] Wait and see. Perhaps give her a few nudges to let her survive.
[ ] Exaltation time.
- [ ] Focus on survival and personal power.
- [ ] Focus on ways to fix this. A lot of people are dying.
- [ ] Write-in
A/N: You will not be designing her exaltation point-by-point. That does not mean you will not be designing it; this is possibly the most important stunt you will write in the story. Your shard knows all the charms in the core books, but naming them is not valid elements of a stunted vote - though you may supply names as extra info, for unusual builds. I reserve the right to switch them out as suitable.
The exception to this is charms you've researched, which you absolutely can vote on.
Abilities and attributes will be increased based on a mix of your suggestions and Amu's preferences. Again, do not provide point-by-point votes. However, you have 6 bonus points, which can be assigned to any combination of virtues, willpower, physical attributes, abilities or researched charms without that restriction. At this time at most 2 can be assigned to virtues.
Additionally, as a one-time option:
[ ] Let her compassion fall back to what it was.
[ ] Maximise it, now that you have a unique opportunity to do so.
This will not cost virtue points.
Backgrounds cannot be bought.
Reminder: Here is her current character sheet.
=======
Your earlier research has borne fruit. By studying the connection between Amu and her Charas, you have designed two immediately useful charms. Further research seems plausible once you're out of the current situation, but you'll have to consider that later. You have also noticed that, although not severely, her motivations do change while under a character transformation.
Inexperience-Denying Connection
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: N/A
Prerequisites: None
The dreamer is never alone. With this charm, Amu becomes able to speak with her exaltation shard and is able to gain its advise as well as training.
Dream-Affirming Projection
Cost: 1m/Chara; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: None
Dreams never die. With this charm, the Chara(s) of your choice become visible and tangible to mortals, while shifts in motivation that might render the Chara obsolete become impossible. Motivation shifts cannot "build up" while the exalt is under the influence of this charm; relevant shifts simply do not happen.
Saturday's Eclipse 4
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
[X] Exaltation time (Plan Alectai)
The cat-demon hissed, but didn't jump. She stared, every detail of the thing burning its way into her memory as it ran towards the main fight.
Violence, in the real world, was…
Nothing like it was on TV…
[ ] …
The cat-demon hissed, but didn't jump. She stared, every detail of the thing burning its way into her memory as it ran towards the main fight.
Exaltation: Enable
Screams echoed from behind her. Half frozen and half panicked, Miki and Su spinning like tops and scanning for danger in every direction, it took an effort of will to make herself turn back to the fight instead of running away, one that only succeeded by thinking of the ones caught up in it. Vaguely, she saw the cat-demon running off towards the fight, even as the person who summoned it threw frequent glances in her direction.Primary essence link: Stabilised, inactive
But what could she do? Her attack hit the demon like a physical force, the first time that had happened, but it didn't seem like more than an inconvenience.Secondary essence link: Stabilised, inactive
Run for help? People were being hurt, right now. People were dying. There's no time, they'd never get here in time, and what would she say?Priority incarna link failed, no route to destination
Initiating full system check
Fight them? Which group? She didn't understand, but the way that fight was going… if she pretended it was all a computer game… the uniformed group (Police? Military?) were containing the others, but there was a third person in the middle, one with a far stronger demon. Or just a demon, and no person.System check complete, shard #60 operational
Entering contingency mode Z3
She didn't know which group was in the right, but she knew which one was hurting people. The smaller demons, which the uniformed group had summoned - that's what it looked like, at least - were focusing on the single larger demon. That one, like some kind of evil dragon, or snake, was slaughtering the people around it.Primary essence link: Stabilised, active
She couldn't look, but she couldn't look away. It was fighting its way towards her, towards where the defenders were distracted - where she had distracted them - and the people it was killing were also trying to fight their way out. Some did push their way out, which just opened the gap larger.Violence, in the real world, was…
Nothing like it was on TV…
Primary essence link: Flooding
Exaltation: Initiate
The world abruptly turned golden, and Miki shouted something. "Amu, ju-"[ ] …
Saturday's Eclipse 4.1
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
L̨̩̞͉͉̳̫̟̘̱͢í̼̗̻̯̜̭͞n̕͏͇̦͉̫̯͙͚͢ͅk͎̟̱̠͈̦̰͜a͉̘̟͚͠c̡̡̛̳̹̤͚͚͉̺̬̤-̴̜͇͔̙̗̠̯͢
͏̶͙͈͠
̷̶̢͙̦̲͇̖̤̲.̸̖͇͞.̯̞̻́ͅ.̸̴̹̭̪͈͇̮̯̫ͅ.̗͓͕̬̲̙́.̧͙̣̞̤̫.̵̫̩̹̻̝̜̰͖̀͢.̵̥͈̯̝̖.̘̠͈̟̮̫͓̰̕.҉̗̯̀.͖͈͢.̰͟ͅ
The world turned gold, then faded into utter darkness.
Su? Miki?
She tried to speak, but no sound emerged. She couldn't feel her body. She couldn't feel anything. Nevertheless…
We're here. What's going on? I can't see anything.
I'm not sure. What were you shouting about, Miki?
A kind of golden glow appeared around Amu, and I was trying to warn her. Do you know what happened to her?
What? But she - What do you mean? I am Amu.
There was a pause, before Miki's thoughts returned with a tinge of uncertainty.
You sound like Ran. Maybe it's because of the transformation? But if we're all here… what's happening out there?
Wherever "here" is.
She wasn't sure who 'said' the last bit, if it was her, Miki or Su, but she had to agree with the sentiment. Absolute darkness, no sense of her body. Was she…
Su's voice broke the silence, preventing her from finishing that thought.
Wait, something's happening.
A star had ignited in the darkness. It flared, growing larger by the moment, until it filled half the sky with a brilliant golden sheen. She knew she should have been blinded, and it was just a pure, perfect disk, but somehow it was the most wondrous thing she had seen in her life.
Then it flickered, faded. Dark spots formed on its surface, spreading and linking together until at last, with a final blast of brilliance, it shattered into a hundred shards that spread across the darkening sky, leaving her with a deep sense of loss. The light went out, but the shards continued into the deepening darkness.
One of them, in particular…
That's coming right for us, isn't it.
Miki, you…
Eep, Su finished concisely.
Reality turned white.
[ ] …
͏̶͙͈͠
̷̶̢͙̦̲͇̖̤̲.̸̖͇͞.̯̞̻́ͅ.̸̴̹̭̪͈͇̮̯̫ͅ.̗͓͕̬̲̙́.̧͙̣̞̤̫.̵̫̩̹̻̝̜̰͖̀͢.̵̥͈̯̝̖.̘̠͈̟̮̫͓̰̕.҉̗̯̀.͖͈͢.̰͟ͅ
The world turned gold, then faded into utter darkness.
Su? Miki?
She tried to speak, but no sound emerged. She couldn't feel her body. She couldn't feel anything. Nevertheless…
We're here. What's going on? I can't see anything.
I'm not sure. What were you shouting about, Miki?
A kind of golden glow appeared around Amu, and I was trying to warn her. Do you know what happened to her?
What? But she - What do you mean? I am Amu.
There was a pause, before Miki's thoughts returned with a tinge of uncertainty.
You sound like Ran. Maybe it's because of the transformation? But if we're all here… what's happening out there?
Wherever "here" is.
She wasn't sure who 'said' the last bit, if it was her, Miki or Su, but she had to agree with the sentiment. Absolute darkness, no sense of her body. Was she…
Su's voice broke the silence, preventing her from finishing that thought.
Wait, something's happening.
A star had ignited in the darkness. It flared, growing larger by the moment, until it filled half the sky with a brilliant golden sheen. She knew she should have been blinded, and it was just a pure, perfect disk, but somehow it was the most wondrous thing she had seen in her life.
Then it flickered, faded. Dark spots formed on its surface, spreading and linking together until at last, with a final blast of brilliance, it shattered into a hundred shards that spread across the darkening sky, leaving her with a deep sense of loss. The light went out, but the shards continued into the deepening darkness.
One of them, in particular…
That's coming right for us, isn't it.
Miki, you…
Eep, Su finished concisely.
Reality turned white.
[ ] …