[Exalted/SMT] Shard of a Broken Sun
- Thread starter Baughn
- Start date
al103
Grumpy Russian Bear (SV edition)
- Location
- Russia, Krasnoyarsk
We can afford 2 then and there even would be XP left for other things...Alectai said:
Quantumboost
Now with 50% more dots in Dimensional Science
- Location
- Ensemble Space
...uh? We don't gain Limit from suppressing Compassion. Pretty much the only things that give Limit to an un-Cursed Solar are Charms and other similar abilities that explicitly give Limit. Like facing world-scale superbeings specifically using mindcrush powers that aren't Shaping, or activating Glory to the Most High.al103 said:
It would be wholly unsurprising if Amu didn't gain Limit again for years.
And we still have the rest of her starting Charms to get, as well as the Abilities to support them. That isn't cheap, but it's vastly more XP-efficient than getting a couple extra dots of Willpower.
al103
Grumpy Russian Bear (SV edition)
- Location
- Russia, Krasnoyarsk
...Quantumboost said:
We are in post-Conception SMT.
Giygas
Cutest Sawk i could find. Lucario is a nice extra.
I may haven't played the game, but i played some games of the persona series and i can say something: Nyarlatothep, you are supposed to be banished, so stop throwing around pieces of human negativity to do the work you are supposed to do.Gamerex27 said:
Quantumboost
Now with 50% more dots in Dimensional Science
- Location
- Ensemble Space
Error in phrasing noted and corrected. And Willpower can be increased with about an hour. I don't see us having any particular use for it in the immediate future.al103 said:
In the meantime, that experience would be much better put to use with things like Training Charms, Sorcery, or improving Amu's special qualities (Charas, beam attack, internal Shaping ability).
I just realized Kagesutchi created a paradise that became corrupted through, how was it put, "debauchery and human sin" or something to that effect? *Looks at Kagesutchi* *Looks at Creation* ... Hmm... At the very least Kage could have heard about what Creation was like and decided to have a crack at it. Or its a coincidence. Coincidentally Kagesutchi's first crack at creating a World could be called a First Age.
I'm thinking this was either done on purpose by Baughn or was what inspired her to fuse the two. Or it could be another coincidence.
Its a long-shot at best, but its there... maybe.
I'm thinking this was either done on purpose by Baughn or was what inspired her to fuse the two. Or it could be another coincidence.
Its a long-shot at best, but its there... maybe.
Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
Well, Compassion does tend to get people in trouble, but any virtue spread suited for someone who would try to save the world would get them into trouble in this setting.HyperspatialParasite said:
Heavenly Guardian Defense sounds useful for that reason, while Glorious Solar Saber would be the only convenient way to get a grand killstick. GSS also has a prereq that would be helpful for concealing weapons once our essence channels are no longer shot to hell. Still, it might not be worth the opportunity cost.ticktrick said:
Quantumboost
Now with 50% more dots in Dimensional Science
- Location
- Ensemble Space
Yes, but the point wasn't that Compassion 5 isn't an issue, but that Limit derived from suppressing Compassion isn't an issue.Winged One said:
Given Amu has a natural beam attack, I'd lean more towards seeing what we can improve with that before committing to Glorious Solar Saber. Especially since at best starting training for the Charms involved is a week away (and that's with Tiger Warrior Training Technique in play). First dot of Melee and all.ticktrick said:
On the Defend Other side, Aegis of Altruistic Interposition allows Dodge DV to apply to those actions for everyone within a certain range of the user, and is usable when merged with Ran (which will probably happen most of the time in combat).
I'd suggest getting a hold of that dot of Melee anyway personally, given Martial Ready charms, we want some fighting style diversity, and there are a couple of Thrown charms which apply to Melee and vice versa(Solar Counterattack, Ready in Eight Directions Stance, Joint Wounding Attack all crossapply). There might be a suitable magical girl weapon in one of the charas though, so GSS might not be immediately relevant unless it can produce Glorious Solar Paintbrush or the like.Quantumboost said:
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
They can't, at least not yet. That's about the only thing Amu can be said to be better than them at.ticktrick said:
*Mountain Range Vanishes*veekie said:
Ran/Miki/Su: Oops.
Everyone Else:
... Nope still adorable. 
Imagine Charas using Majestic Radiant Presence.ShadowAngelBeta said:*Mountain Range Vanishes*
Ran/Miki/Su: Oops.
Everyone Else:
Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
... that sounds like a completely legit Abyssal charm, actually.ticktrick said:
Death By Moe.Winged One said:
Quantumboost
Now with 50% more dots in Dimensional Science
- Location
- Ensemble Space
We could totally learn a Charm to 'delegate' our Charms to the Charas; at least, those that map to their originating dream/Favored Skills.
Quantumboost
Now with 50% more dots in Dimensional Science
- Location
- Ensemble Space
I don't see this Charm in my books, where's it located? Would be awesome if there is one like that.tq343 said:
There's one in Glories of the Most High: Unconquered Sun that reduces the committed mote cost to 5, and lets you use it on Enlightened Mortals, but it's still sustained.
Though if we just want to give friends and family Enlightenment Superpowers, Soul-Enlightening Beneficence does pretty much exactly that. With the benefit of raising their Permanent Essence as well. And Shadow Etched in Air Shintai is theoretically learnable by Enlightened Mortals... though hopefully we can make an improved version, perhaps leveraging improved Occult knowledge?
. . . Now that I think about it, I think it might have been a player-made expansion charm I found on the wiki. Only now the wiki is gone, and I don't know how to find it anymore.Quantumboost said:
Sunday's Melancholy 13
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Sunday's Melancholy, 13:04
"I didn't exactly make it up," she said, forcing an upbeat lilt into her words. "It's just that Su remembers Japanese, so even if I don't…"
Utau's face crumpled, and Ikuto grimaced.
Amu looked between the two of them, trying to read their feelings through their faces. When she'd tried to cheer them up, this hadn't been what she'd hoped for, but if even a positive spin on the truth had this effect… she felt helpless. Judging by the way even Iru looked downcast, Utau's real feelings were even stronger than they looked. Utau's devilish guardian chara was for once making peace with Eru, trying ineffectively to cheer her up. Ikuto was unreadable as always, but even he seemed disturbed.
It wasn't like being unable to understand them hadn't upset her. Rather, if she wasn't keeping a tight lid on her emotions she'd have curled up in a corner, and she'd almost ended up doing that anyway until her outer character had taken over. To the face she showed the rest of the world, the most important thing was to seem cool and unaffected, but beneath that she felt numb. She'd mentally curled up, waiting for the next gut-punch to hit her. What would happen next? It'd turn out she'd actually died, and turned into a ghost?
With her own duplicate body leaned against the wall, that didn't seem quite as unlikely as she'd have liked.
She didn't understand why they seemed to care so much. Yoru was nowhere to be seen, but Ikuto looked like he was also retreating into himself, while Utau… Utau was biting her lip and watching her charas, who were in the middle of an intense looking discussion. She had to do something, otherwise the atmosphere would only turn darker.
Amu took a deep breath, steeling herself as well as possible.
"Um, so…" She started, trailing off weakly as she realised she had little idea what to say to cheer them up, and they didn't seem inclined to help. Worse still, she realised as she felt her lips quivering, she was on the verge of tears. Da-drat it. Demons, transformations going haywire, almost killing herself holding Kagutsuchi at bay, even the horrible awkwardness of this conversation… she…
"I've had it," she found herself saying, her voice brittle and un-Amu-like. "I… no, what am I saying. I didn't mean…" Utau and her were practically strangers, probably enemies or at least rivals, and no matter what Mom thought she couldn't let Ikuto see her like this. She hadn't even decided what he was to her yet. Definitely not a brother.
At that thought, her mind involuntarily filled with the image of Ikuto's face nearly touching hers. That was something that in better circumstances would have elicited a fierce blush, but she just shook her head to clear it. She didn't have the motivation for anything like that. She was increasingly unsure what, if anything, she did have motivation for.
She wanted to see Mom, or Dad. Someone she could let down her guard around. Ran would have told her to be honest with them… but Ran was sleeping, and she couldn't make herself do so on her own. Not with Ikuto.
"- Dumbass. Eru, go ahead and do it. This is your thing."
So with Ikuto seemingly at loss for words, and Utau frozen over by the elevator, she found herself wandering zombie-like over to her other body, standing over it without knowing what to do next. It was a lot like looking in a mirror, but mirrors never gave her this kind of perspective. Huh, she was a total beanstalk. Was she really that thin?
"Is that really okay? Won't she be mad?"
"It's fine, just do it! Ikuto-niichan's completely useless in situations like this!"
"Well, okay…"
She could just barely make out Eru and Iru's whispers, though not their meaning. Mind glazing over, she reached out to touch herself, feeling the warm skin of her cheek. Should she try to wake her? What would happen?
"Chara Change!"
…Eh?
She straightened up, looking at Utau. At Utau and Eru; the latter had settled down on Utau's shoulder, looking determined. Utau, for her part, looked mostly resigned. She was standing at an angle to her, letting her see the illusory pair of angel wings she was sporting on her back. Which was to say, she'd Chara Changed with Eru?
Amu slowly came back to life. Meanwhile Utau took one step towards her, then another, until she was nearly running. There was just enough time to raise her arms in a half-hearted attempt to block her before -
They collided, Utau sneaking in between Amu's arms and wrapping hers around her in a hug. Amu stumbled backwards, taken completely off balance, but found that Utau wouldn't let her fall. She was hugging her rather tightly, almost uncomfortably so. Eh? Eh?
"Utau-chan?" She asked, feeling bewildered.
"Don't say anything, idiot. You'll make me regret this more than I'm already doing," Utau muttered. "Did you think I enjoyed seeing you like that? You… you big idiot, you don't need to take everything on yourself." Her arms tightened further, until Amu could feel herself creaking, and they sank slowly to the floor. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? You're as transparent as glass, idiot. Did you think…" Utau was trembling. "Do you know what's going on up there? I thought you'd failed. Su was frantic. Did… you didn't fail, did you? I tried to call Yukari, but I couldn't get through…" Yukari was her manager, right?
She didn't know what was happening. Su hadn't known, she'd just known something was wrong; that was enough that she'd hurry back to help. She didn't know if she'd failed, and she didn't know how to reassure Utau, who seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She didn't even know how to reassure herself. She saw Iru comforting a crying Eru behind Utau's back, the devil-girl hardly any better off herself.
Amu finally gave in and hugged the older girl back, feeling her eyes glistening. That just opened the floodgates, as Utau's trembling gave way to full-body shudders and loud sobs, quickly eroding Amu's own resistance. She suppressed a whimper.
"We'd both already be dead if she'd failed, so I'm pretty sure she didn't," Ikuto said from just above her. When did he get there?
Utau muttered to herself. "Oh, I'm definitely going to regret this later. Eru, don't you dare release the chara change yet." She released Amu for just long enough to reach up and grab Ikuto, forcefully pulling him down on top of them. Amu froze.
"Well, Ikuto? Aren't you going to hug your cute little sister in her hour of need?" She asked loudly. Her voice trembled enough to make it clear that she wasn't joking.
"If it'll make you accept you're my sister, then sure," he agreed. "Amu, you don't mind?"
"I meant Amu," Utau grumbled, not very convincingly.
Did she mind? Well, normally it'd be way too embarrassing to ask for, but right now… and if Utau also wanted… He wasn't Dad, but he'd do. She looked pleadingly at Ikuto, her face the perfect picture of misery, and he quickly gave in. As she felt his arms wrapping around them, she wondered if this "big brother" thing was really such a bad idea. It felt… nice, and Utau seemed to be calming down a little.
The room shook again, harder than before. Utau - no, Eru screamed, Utau just turned into a statue until it passed. She felt scared. What was happening? She wished she could ask her passenger.
"Utau, what's happening upstairs?" She asked.
"I don't know," she whispered. "I thought it was the end of the world. The sky turned red, twisted in on itself… I can't explain it." Utau shook her head in frustration. "Everything bent."
Had she failed after all, then? Or was this just part of… Fumi had said they could save Japan, and she hadn't thought too much about what that meant for everyone else. Hadn't wanted to think about it, to be honest, but maybe this was something she'd expected?
The floor jerked, and her perception of colours twisted for a long second. Amu involuntarily whimpered, clinging tightly to Utau. The elevator buzzed, then settled into a drawn-out complaining alarm.
Where… where were her…
"Ran? Miki?" She plaintively called out, twisting around to search as best she could without letting go.
"Here," Yoru called from almost directly behind her. "Don't worry, I've got them. They're still unconscious, though."
Amu sighed, relaxing a little. That was fine, then.
The floor jerked again. She heard a loud curse from Fumi.
She felt horrible. Both in the sense that she hurt all over, though she'd mostly been ignoring that, and because she still didn't know if she'd succeeded or not. Ikuto's arms helped a lot, though, and somehow crying made her feel much better than when she'd held it in.
"I didn't exactly make it up," she said, forcing an upbeat lilt into her words. "It's just that Su remembers Japanese, so even if I don't…"
Utau's face crumpled, and Ikuto grimaced.
Amu looked between the two of them, trying to read their feelings through their faces. When she'd tried to cheer them up, this hadn't been what she'd hoped for, but if even a positive spin on the truth had this effect… she felt helpless. Judging by the way even Iru looked downcast, Utau's real feelings were even stronger than they looked. Utau's devilish guardian chara was for once making peace with Eru, trying ineffectively to cheer her up. Ikuto was unreadable as always, but even he seemed disturbed.
It wasn't like being unable to understand them hadn't upset her. Rather, if she wasn't keeping a tight lid on her emotions she'd have curled up in a corner, and she'd almost ended up doing that anyway until her outer character had taken over. To the face she showed the rest of the world, the most important thing was to seem cool and unaffected, but beneath that she felt numb. She'd mentally curled up, waiting for the next gut-punch to hit her. What would happen next? It'd turn out she'd actually died, and turned into a ghost?
With her own duplicate body leaned against the wall, that didn't seem quite as unlikely as she'd have liked.
She didn't understand why they seemed to care so much. Yoru was nowhere to be seen, but Ikuto looked like he was also retreating into himself, while Utau… Utau was biting her lip and watching her charas, who were in the middle of an intense looking discussion. She had to do something, otherwise the atmosphere would only turn darker.
Amu took a deep breath, steeling herself as well as possible.
"Um, so…" She started, trailing off weakly as she realised she had little idea what to say to cheer them up, and they didn't seem inclined to help. Worse still, she realised as she felt her lips quivering, she was on the verge of tears. Da-drat it. Demons, transformations going haywire, almost killing herself holding Kagutsuchi at bay, even the horrible awkwardness of this conversation… she…
"I've had it," she found herself saying, her voice brittle and un-Amu-like. "I… no, what am I saying. I didn't mean…" Utau and her were practically strangers, probably enemies or at least rivals, and no matter what Mom thought she couldn't let Ikuto see her like this. She hadn't even decided what he was to her yet. Definitely not a brother.
At that thought, her mind involuntarily filled with the image of Ikuto's face nearly touching hers. That was something that in better circumstances would have elicited a fierce blush, but she just shook her head to clear it. She didn't have the motivation for anything like that. She was increasingly unsure what, if anything, she did have motivation for.
She wanted to see Mom, or Dad. Someone she could let down her guard around. Ran would have told her to be honest with them… but Ran was sleeping, and she couldn't make herself do so on her own. Not with Ikuto.
"- Dumbass. Eru, go ahead and do it. This is your thing."
So with Ikuto seemingly at loss for words, and Utau frozen over by the elevator, she found herself wandering zombie-like over to her other body, standing over it without knowing what to do next. It was a lot like looking in a mirror, but mirrors never gave her this kind of perspective. Huh, she was a total beanstalk. Was she really that thin?
"Is that really okay? Won't she be mad?"
"It's fine, just do it! Ikuto-niichan's completely useless in situations like this!"
"Well, okay…"
She could just barely make out Eru and Iru's whispers, though not their meaning. Mind glazing over, she reached out to touch herself, feeling the warm skin of her cheek. Should she try to wake her? What would happen?
"Chara Change!"
…Eh?
She straightened up, looking at Utau. At Utau and Eru; the latter had settled down on Utau's shoulder, looking determined. Utau, for her part, looked mostly resigned. She was standing at an angle to her, letting her see the illusory pair of angel wings she was sporting on her back. Which was to say, she'd Chara Changed with Eru?
Amu slowly came back to life. Meanwhile Utau took one step towards her, then another, until she was nearly running. There was just enough time to raise her arms in a half-hearted attempt to block her before -
They collided, Utau sneaking in between Amu's arms and wrapping hers around her in a hug. Amu stumbled backwards, taken completely off balance, but found that Utau wouldn't let her fall. She was hugging her rather tightly, almost uncomfortably so. Eh? Eh?
"Utau-chan?" She asked, feeling bewildered.
"Don't say anything, idiot. You'll make me regret this more than I'm already doing," Utau muttered. "Did you think I enjoyed seeing you like that? You… you big idiot, you don't need to take everything on yourself." Her arms tightened further, until Amu could feel herself creaking, and they sank slowly to the floor. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? You're as transparent as glass, idiot. Did you think…" Utau was trembling. "Do you know what's going on up there? I thought you'd failed. Su was frantic. Did… you didn't fail, did you? I tried to call Yukari, but I couldn't get through…" Yukari was her manager, right?
She didn't know what was happening. Su hadn't known, she'd just known something was wrong; that was enough that she'd hurry back to help. She didn't know if she'd failed, and she didn't know how to reassure Utau, who seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She didn't even know how to reassure herself. She saw Iru comforting a crying Eru behind Utau's back, the devil-girl hardly any better off herself.
Amu finally gave in and hugged the older girl back, feeling her eyes glistening. That just opened the floodgates, as Utau's trembling gave way to full-body shudders and loud sobs, quickly eroding Amu's own resistance. She suppressed a whimper.
"We'd both already be dead if she'd failed, so I'm pretty sure she didn't," Ikuto said from just above her. When did he get there?
Utau muttered to herself. "Oh, I'm definitely going to regret this later. Eru, don't you dare release the chara change yet." She released Amu for just long enough to reach up and grab Ikuto, forcefully pulling him down on top of them. Amu froze.
"Well, Ikuto? Aren't you going to hug your cute little sister in her hour of need?" She asked loudly. Her voice trembled enough to make it clear that she wasn't joking.
"If it'll make you accept you're my sister, then sure," he agreed. "Amu, you don't mind?"
"I meant Amu," Utau grumbled, not very convincingly.
Did she mind? Well, normally it'd be way too embarrassing to ask for, but right now… and if Utau also wanted… He wasn't Dad, but he'd do. She looked pleadingly at Ikuto, her face the perfect picture of misery, and he quickly gave in. As she felt his arms wrapping around them, she wondered if this "big brother" thing was really such a bad idea. It felt… nice, and Utau seemed to be calming down a little.
The room shook again, harder than before. Utau - no, Eru screamed, Utau just turned into a statue until it passed. She felt scared. What was happening? She wished she could ask her passenger.
"Utau, what's happening upstairs?" She asked.
"I don't know," she whispered. "I thought it was the end of the world. The sky turned red, twisted in on itself… I can't explain it." Utau shook her head in frustration. "Everything bent."
Had she failed after all, then? Or was this just part of… Fumi had said they could save Japan, and she hadn't thought too much about what that meant for everyone else. Hadn't wanted to think about it, to be honest, but maybe this was something she'd expected?
The floor jerked, and her perception of colours twisted for a long second. Amu involuntarily whimpered, clinging tightly to Utau. The elevator buzzed, then settled into a drawn-out complaining alarm.
Where… where were her…
"Ran? Miki?" She plaintively called out, twisting around to search as best she could without letting go.
"Here," Yoru called from almost directly behind her. "Don't worry, I've got them. They're still unconscious, though."
Amu sighed, relaxing a little. That was fine, then.
The floor jerked again. She heard a loud curse from Fumi.
———————
Every minute or two the world shook, her perception twisting until it passed. Fumi had it under control, she had to assume that, but it wasn't letting up. Each time they clung to each other until it passed, Utau's hands tightening on her back, and eventually Utau's soft sobs met their match in Amu's slightly louder crying.She felt horrible. Both in the sense that she hurt all over, though she'd mostly been ignoring that, and because she still didn't know if she'd succeeded or not. Ikuto's arms helped a lot, though, and somehow crying made her feel much better than when she'd held it in.
Sunday's Melancholy 13.1
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Sunday's Melancholy, 13:25
Minutes passed without further shocks, and their crying slowly tapered off.
"Is it over?" Utau sounded uncertain, as if she couldn't believe they'd survived.
"I hope so. I really -" Amu snivelled, reaching up to dry her face. "- Really hope so." Fumi had mostly stopped her shouting, too. Maybe it really was over?
She didn't quite dare to believe that.
"I'm going to take a look," Ikuto abruptly told them, getting to his feet. She tried to see where he was going, but with Utau clinging to her - even tighter after Ikuto left - she could hardly move, assuming she didn't want to break the grip by force. That would be easy, Utau was much weaker than her, but it wouldn't be nice at all. Besides, a part of her pointed out, she was enjoying the contact almost as much as her -
Sister?
That would be implied, wouldn't it. Utau had even called her that, before, though she wasn't sure how seriously she'd meant it. Probably not very. Right? Nevertheless…
"Hard to believe you're so much older than me," she told her.
Utau pulled back slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Amu smiled. "Well, just - sitting like this, it feels like we're the same. I'm kind of happy."
She'd only meant that in the sense that Utau didn't feel so unreachable anymore, between her two years of age and her idol job, but she seemed to take it the wrong way.
Utau sighed. "Eru. Enough, already." Her angel wings disappeared and she got to her feet, suddenly all business.
Amu quickly followed her up and looked around for Ikuto, who was nowhere in sight. Where could he have gone?
Ikuto tapped a foot on the ground, looking impatiently at Fumi. He normally tried to be more mellow, but this entire situation was rubbing him the wrong way, as was Fumi's apparent disregard for Amu's wellbeing.
"Just a moment. I think… there." Fumi dropped her head into her hands, slouching horribly. She let out a relieved sigh. "We should be good for a little while. You do understand why I can't prioritise Amu, don't you?"
He shook his head. "No, I honestly can't say I do. She saved all of us, you agree she saved all of us, so why can't you help her?"
"Other than not being a doctor?" She grumbled. "Not that there are any doctors who could help her, if you're telling the truth. Hopefully she'll recover on her own. No, look; I'm dealing with the fate of Japan here, and I'm sure there are thousands dead already. I'm not going to claim she's outlived her purpose or anything ridiculous like that, but if I stop working that number might easily grow into the millions. Stop being foolish and think, boy. If you want her to get help, you should take her upstairs - we do have an infirmary. Oh - don't leave the building, though. We'll call doctors here if there's any need."
He glared at her back for a few more seconds, but she utterly ignored him until he turned around to leave, then she asked him a favour in a matter-of-fact tone as if she hadn't just shot down his own request.
"By the way, remind the folks upstairs that I'm down here, and we'll need to refuel the generator soon if they can't get the power back on. Wouldn't want a blackout, it'd be our last."
Amu leaned against the wall next to them, across the corridor from her other body. Utau stood to her left, a little closer than was appropriate for strangers, and a lot closer than she would have countenanced last time the'd met. That had been during one of Utau's concerts, where she'd been trying to make X-eggs and Amu had been fighting her.
Come to think of it, she'd mostly ruined that concert; between her and Ran, they'd even destroyed the stage. Should she apologise, or would that be inappropriate? What was the proper way to befriend someone when you might have to fight them again later? Or were those fights called on account of the apocalypse?
"Ikuto!"
Amu looked, then smiled. Yep, that was Ikuto getting an extra hug. She wished she had someone she could be that close to - other than her sisters, who didn't quite count. They'd started as part of her, after all.
"Utau, we're leaving."
"Eh? Fine, but - how?" Utau nodded back towards the buzzing elevator. "The elevator's broken."
There was a stairway, though. One that seemed to go up, and up, and up… they were in the tenth subbasement, after all. Would climbing it while carrying her extra body even be safe?
[ ] Climb the stairs
[ ] Try to fix the elevator
[ ] Write-in?
A/N: You wanted hugs. Also, spot the style shift… there will probably be more of that.
Minutes passed without further shocks, and their crying slowly tapered off.
"Is it over?" Utau sounded uncertain, as if she couldn't believe they'd survived.
"I hope so. I really -" Amu snivelled, reaching up to dry her face. "- Really hope so." Fumi had mostly stopped her shouting, too. Maybe it really was over?
She didn't quite dare to believe that.
"I'm going to take a look," Ikuto abruptly told them, getting to his feet. She tried to see where he was going, but with Utau clinging to her - even tighter after Ikuto left - she could hardly move, assuming she didn't want to break the grip by force. That would be easy, Utau was much weaker than her, but it wouldn't be nice at all. Besides, a part of her pointed out, she was enjoying the contact almost as much as her -
Sister?
That would be implied, wouldn't it. Utau had even called her that, before, though she wasn't sure how seriously she'd meant it. Probably not very. Right? Nevertheless…
"Hard to believe you're so much older than me," she told her.
Utau pulled back slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Amu smiled. "Well, just - sitting like this, it feels like we're the same. I'm kind of happy."
She'd only meant that in the sense that Utau didn't feel so unreachable anymore, between her two years of age and her idol job, but she seemed to take it the wrong way.
Utau sighed. "Eru. Enough, already." Her angel wings disappeared and she got to her feet, suddenly all business.
Amu quickly followed her up and looked around for Ikuto, who was nowhere in sight. Where could he have gone?
———————
"Well?"Ikuto tapped a foot on the ground, looking impatiently at Fumi. He normally tried to be more mellow, but this entire situation was rubbing him the wrong way, as was Fumi's apparent disregard for Amu's wellbeing.
"Just a moment. I think… there." Fumi dropped her head into her hands, slouching horribly. She let out a relieved sigh. "We should be good for a little while. You do understand why I can't prioritise Amu, don't you?"
He shook his head. "No, I honestly can't say I do. She saved all of us, you agree she saved all of us, so why can't you help her?"
"Other than not being a doctor?" She grumbled. "Not that there are any doctors who could help her, if you're telling the truth. Hopefully she'll recover on her own. No, look; I'm dealing with the fate of Japan here, and I'm sure there are thousands dead already. I'm not going to claim she's outlived her purpose or anything ridiculous like that, but if I stop working that number might easily grow into the millions. Stop being foolish and think, boy. If you want her to get help, you should take her upstairs - we do have an infirmary. Oh - don't leave the building, though. We'll call doctors here if there's any need."
He glared at her back for a few more seconds, but she utterly ignored him until he turned around to leave, then she asked him a favour in a matter-of-fact tone as if she hadn't just shot down his own request.
"By the way, remind the folks upstairs that I'm down here, and we'll need to refuel the generator soon if they can't get the power back on. Wouldn't want a blackout, it'd be our last."
———————
Yoru sat on Ikuto's jacket, a barely conscious Miki's head on his lap. Ran slept next to them. Amu had blushed when she'd first seen their situation, but she wasn't about to stop them; that was between Miki and him, really. She looked so peaceful like that, Amu didn't have had the heart to say anything.Amu leaned against the wall next to them, across the corridor from her other body. Utau stood to her left, a little closer than was appropriate for strangers, and a lot closer than she would have countenanced last time the'd met. That had been during one of Utau's concerts, where she'd been trying to make X-eggs and Amu had been fighting her.
Come to think of it, she'd mostly ruined that concert; between her and Ran, they'd even destroyed the stage. Should she apologise, or would that be inappropriate? What was the proper way to befriend someone when you might have to fight them again later? Or were those fights called on account of the apocalypse?
"Ikuto!"
Amu looked, then smiled. Yep, that was Ikuto getting an extra hug. She wished she had someone she could be that close to - other than her sisters, who didn't quite count. They'd started as part of her, after all.
"Utau, we're leaving."
"Eh? Fine, but - how?" Utau nodded back towards the buzzing elevator. "The elevator's broken."
There was a stairway, though. One that seemed to go up, and up, and up… they were in the tenth subbasement, after all. Would climbing it while carrying her extra body even be safe?
[ ] Climb the stairs
[ ] Try to fix the elevator
[ ] Write-in?
A/N: You wanted hugs. Also, spot the style shift… there will probably be more of that.
I concur. Given that the electrical grid is probably shot to hell and not feeding the Reality-Maintaining Computers, putting any additional strain on local power sources would be exceedingly stupid.Chronic said:
[X] Climb the stairs
Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It