[X] Evacuate Saaya, then take a moment.
Shards of a Broken Sun [Megaten/Shugo Chara/Exalted]
- Thread starter Baughn
- Start date
- Crossover
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Neato. I won't respond to most of this, because mysteries are meant to be mysterious, but it's useful to know!
Also, some mysteries weren't meant to be mysterious.
Amu doesn't have enough experience with the CU to answer either of these questions. She's operating more on vague impressions than sight, here. Perhaps I need to make that clearer in the text.
It's never shown in canon (because Saaya is a background character who rarely shows up there), but at some point during fifth grade she showed up at school unusually annoyed, and with short hair.
It grew back over the next six months.
Yes, it is.
It's #1. It feels like she's got cuts there, but she doesn't. Going to adjust the description slightly.
Amu has one dot in precog... that doesn't mean Dia does, it just isn't generally accessible. Which is all I'll say.
This is just straight-up a mistake. I misremembered where the chain came from. Expect the reference to disappear.
- Location
- Laniakea
Very likely precog, especially if she was tapping into Dia for it.
Dia is an idol, but also a "navigator". Her special attack is called "Starlight Navigation" and near the end of the series reveals she's able to navigate an extra-dimensional plane called the Road of Stars, which is a place that apparently enables time travel. Amu sees a future Tadase there, who she mistakes for Tsukasa and it's also described as the place where Charas which have yet to be born reside in.
In other words, Dia enables time travel and precognition by extension.
I suspect this too.
This is also why I was not quite confident enough to dismiss the idea that Saaya might have lashed out before, but at something that wasn't a person.
I didn't think it was likely, as I assumed that having 6 months to stew in hate over Amu would have resulted in enough incidents of lashing out that she would realize on some level that she was using powers.
Guess it turned out she was stable enough to avoid it happening more than once or twice and only on furniture that she could feasibly have broken with brute strength if they were fragile enough.
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Nero200
High Priest of Eito, Part Time Nyar.
Just speaking on this point, as I work on a bit of an omake on the topic of Saaya and how she got to this current state.
Saaya was aware she had powers. That's why she called herself a monster. Her only obvious example of the powers was Amu, who she sees as an eldritch monster, and the two times people (Yuu and Lulu) twisted her mind into a weapon to be used against others.
Saaya hates that she has psionics.
That's why she has no control. She doesn't want them, fears them, and has been slowly hurting herself with them in a clumsy attempt to defend herself from Amu.
- Location
- Laniakea
There's still an open question of when exactly she realized she had them - my initial presumption back when reading 1.6 was that it had happened in the 6 months she'd been cursing Amu. When you came up with your theory which Baughn affirmed, I assumed it only happened at the moment the rift appeared. But with that little recent tidbit we got about Amu realizing how Saaya seemed deflated post-Hinamori Dream, I'm starting to believe it happened back in elementary school after their fight.
Not sure about how much Saaya actually believes Amu is all that bad, though. Got the impression she was more projecting when she called Amu a freak, given she later says "You're the only one who's not- not-" when calling herself a monster and trying to chase off Amu. While we don't know what she was going to finish with, it's evident she still thinks Amu is better than her in some way. Her thinking that was what led to Hinamori Dream in canon, anyway.
Had the vibe that her hating Amu was more a coping mechanism for her insecurities and bad household situation more than anything else.
Funny thing, but did you that Amu's callsign back in the Guardians was "Joker"?
(And yes, I am aware that Persona had an evil Joker before Akira Kurusu/Ren Amamiya took that title.)
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Nero200
High Priest of Eito, Part Time Nyar.
Would tend to agree.
More a fear than a hate.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Definitely isn't hate. Saaya admires Amu, in a way; jealousy requires the target to have something you wish you had yourself, and in Saaya's case, most of that 'something' is Amu's personality. Or, at least, the personality she's projecting.
It doesn't require her to want everything that Amu has.
Saaya is also afraid of Amu, yes. Though at this point, she's mostly just tired.
- Location
- Laniakea
Lemme guess: Most of the remainder of what she'd like, that isn't her personality, is a cute little sister waiting for her at home.
I'd vote for Amu to offer to share, were it not for the fact that the little sister happens to be a bigger monster psionically than Amu and I am not sure how much Saaya REALLY wants that.
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DarkN0va
The Multiversal Gamer
- Location
- Duel-Topia
[X] Evacuate Saaya, then take a moment.
- [X] Dash out the wall and get Saaya to a safe distance.
-- [X] Do not fly. Keep that in reserve in case the adults outside are hostile. They aren't helping evacuate, so they likely aren't teachers. This place hirers for quality and/or psionic involvement, and standing around indicates neither.
-- [X] Don't leave Saaya and the Humpty Lock with the adults unless they are safe to do so with.
--- [X] Text Rima to head your way for hand off if need be.
--- [X] Ping Ami to send Miki to you with telepathy if possible, for the same purposes.
- [X] Once out, call Lulu and update her on the developments. Yes she's going to yell at you, but if she's calling people in to help, they need to know what they are rushing into.
-- [X] Take Lulu's advice on what to do, while circling around to reinforce Tadase and Nagihiko once Saaya is secure.
-- [X] Specifically ask how long reinforcements are going to take. If they will be there shortly, check if Tadase can hold it back for long enough to let the professionals get there.
- [X] Do these actions in the most efficient order once a safe distance from the rift. As in, call Lulu and text Rima while on the phone with her, if possible, and move with Saaya while on the phone.
- [X] Dash out the wall and get Saaya to a safe distance.
-- [X] Do not fly. Keep that in reserve in case the adults outside are hostile. They aren't helping evacuate, so they likely aren't teachers. This place hirers for quality and/or psionic involvement, and standing around indicates neither.
-- [X] Don't leave Saaya and the Humpty Lock with the adults unless they are safe to do so with.
--- [X] Text Rima to head your way for hand off if need be.
--- [X] Ping Ami to send Miki to you with telepathy if possible, for the same purposes.
- [X] Once out, call Lulu and update her on the developments. Yes she's going to yell at you, but if she's calling people in to help, they need to know what they are rushing into.
-- [X] Take Lulu's advice on what to do, while circling around to reinforce Tadase and Nagihiko once Saaya is secure.
-- [X] Specifically ask how long reinforcements are going to take. If they will be there shortly, check if Tadase can hold it back for long enough to let the professionals get there.
- [X] Do these actions in the most efficient order once a safe distance from the rift. As in, call Lulu and text Rima while on the phone with her, if possible, and move with Saaya while on the phone.
- Location
- Laniakea
You know, this multilevel cascading vote looks like it does everything at once, but I get the feeling that just means there's going to be a heightened chance of popping an interrupt when it turns out there's a problem with fulfilling one or more clauses (i.e. Lulu telling us to run more and abandon Tadase and Nagihiko, instead of going back to help, forcing us to make a choice again).
But eh, why not. Let's do everything. Not like getting interrupted is a bad thing, we'll have more info to work with at that point.
[X] Evacuate Saaya, then take a moment.
But eh, why not. Let's do everything. Not like getting interrupted is a bad thing, we'll have more info to work with at that point.
[X] Evacuate Saaya, then take a moment.
Vote closed
Ah, go figure. Pistachio switched to voting for another plan which is just my luck . I was quoting the name of the previous strategy. Thanks for the heads up.
Baughn, the previous vote wasn't nearly as close as the others. Now the most recent one is all variations of Evac. What happened?
Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
Drat, the vote closed while I was asleep.
The last vote sort of ended up as a coalition victory of people voting to do the incredibly risky thing for their own reasons. This vote just has a very straightforward core objective and a very straightforward means of achieving that objective, so there's total agreement on the straightforward part.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Fewer people voted, it seems?
Nero200
High Priest of Eito, Part Time Nyar.
Also less discussion I guess because the alternative was only proposed shortly before final call?
(That's partly my fault, I was working on omake instead of taking part in thread and forgot I hadn't put my plan in >.>)
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
It's not as critical a vote as the previous one, at any rate, so it's fine.
As a bonus, here's Utau being happy. (Aka, LoRA version 3 is working better yet, but still needs some work.)
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- Location
- Laniakea
Eh, Nero's plan is kind of trying to eat the whole cake at once.
Despite being called "Evacuate Saaya and Take a Moment", it's actually proposing to evacuate Saaya - with implication to get outside the vicinity entirely if that's required for safety - plus evaluate the situation, plus call Lulu, plus call Ami to call Miki, plus call Rima, plus come back to help Tadase and Nagihiko. Which is basically every default option at once.
Which I doubt will all successfully happen without an interrupt, but at the very least the "evacuate Saaya" part should go off without a hitch. Whatever parts turn out to be mutually exclusive, we can cross that bridge when it comes to it.
I will also add shamelessly that my inclination to provide maximum security for Saaya stems from the extremely simple (and admittedly self-serving) reason that, if the Humpty Lock is going to be chained to Saaya for the foreseeable future, I want Saaya chained to us the whole time too.
So that we still have the Humpty Lock. Just with a bit extra attached.
(No, I would not like Amu to think like this in-story, this is just the cold quester rationale at work.)
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Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
For a less cold hearted rationale, Amu finally—after four years of seeing her as a bully—got the inside scoop on Saaya. And would, if she weren't currently in combat, feel a bit guilty.
Not hugely guilty. Not about that. But certainly enough to consider her current state "Amu's fault".
Nero200
High Priest of Eito, Part Time Nyar.
I saw the options given as somewhat wasteful, since there was a lot of moving around without doing something else.
Walk, talk and
It's also in a list of priorities to try and ensure we get the important stuff done first, and then give us a chance to react to new info that might change our desires.
Sort of a... "If no new info turns up, here's an outline to get that info, and a backup in case we can't."
That's interesting you feel that way, Nero. Your activity in this thread has been profound.
LMAO.
Chapter 1.9
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
[X] Evacuate Saaya, then take a moment.
- [X] Dash out the wall and get Saaya to a safe distance.
-- [X] Do not fly. Keep that in reserve in case the adults outside are hostile. They aren't helping evacuate, so they likely aren't teachers. This place hirers for quality and/or psionic involvement, and standing around indicates neither.
-- [X] Don't leave Saaya and the Humpty Lock with the adults unless they are safe to do so with.
--- [X] Text Rima to head your way for hand off if need be.
--- [X] Ping Ami to send Miki to you with telepathy if possible, for the same purposes.
- [X] Once out, call Lulu and update her on the developments. Yes she's going to yell at you, but if she's calling people in to help, they need to know what they are rushing into.
-- [X] Take Lulu's advice on what to do, while circling around to reinforce Tadase and Nagihiko once Saaya is secure.
-- [X] Specifically ask how long reinforcements are going to take. If they will be there shortly, check if Tadase can hold it back for long enough to let the professionals get there.
- [X] Do these actions in the most efficient order once a safe distance from the rift. As in, call Lulu and text Rima while on the phone with her, if possible, and move with Saaya while on the phone.
- [X] Dash out the wall and get Saaya to a safe distance.
-- [X] Do not fly. Keep that in reserve in case the adults outside are hostile. They aren't helping evacuate, so they likely aren't teachers. This place hirers for quality and/or psionic involvement, and standing around indicates neither.
-- [X] Don't leave Saaya and the Humpty Lock with the adults unless they are safe to do so with.
--- [X] Text Rima to head your way for hand off if need be.
--- [X] Ping Ami to send Miki to you with telepathy if possible, for the same purposes.
- [X] Once out, call Lulu and update her on the developments. Yes she's going to yell at you, but if she's calling people in to help, they need to know what they are rushing into.
-- [X] Take Lulu's advice on what to do, while circling around to reinforce Tadase and Nagihiko once Saaya is secure.
-- [X] Specifically ask how long reinforcements are going to take. If they will be there shortly, check if Tadase can hold it back for long enough to let the professionals get there.
- [X] Do these actions in the most efficient order once a safe distance from the rift. As in, call Lulu and text Rima while on the phone with her, if possible, and move with Saaya while on the phone.
Saaya looked shocked for a moment, then nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "Okay," she said, "Let's go."
A chunk of concrete tumbled from the ceiling, crashing to the floor in the middle of the classroom.
"On second thought, run," Amu said.
"What?"
"Run! Just run!"
The two girls ran. Saaya stumbled slightly, feet catching on some rubble, but Amu steadied her and a moment later they were through the shattered wall and into the flowerbeds. The building shuddered behind them, the walls rippling as if the concrete was melting. The light from the rift was so bright that it cast shadows right through the walls.
"Where are we going?" Saaya asked, panting slightly.
"Away!"
"Away where?"
"Somewhere not here," Amu said. She reached out, touching the mental space around her, and found-
She clamped a hand over her mouth. Someone had been hit by collapsing concrete, killed on the spot. The viewpoint she'd got was from a girl in her class, who was hysterically hauling off the concrete with strength that wasn't remotely human. Then, from the corner of the same girl's eye, Nagihiko—no, that was Nadeshiko right now—was rushing towards her, shouting something Amu couldn't quite make out.
Amu's blood went cold. Tadase wouldn't be able to hold back the rift forever. Or even maybe another five minutes.
She looked back towards the school, then made her decision.
"-come on," she muttered, grabbing Saaya's hand. She couldn't risk flying, with no idea who could see her and Saaya scared of her. Instead she pulled her towards the garden at the centre of the academy, her legs pumping as fast as they could without scooping the other girl up. Saaya kept up, her gaze darting towards the school and back again.
They stopped beneath a tree, a safe distance from the classroom. Here the unlight from the rift was faint, just a shimmer in the air.
Amu stopped, panting.
"I think I'm going to throw up," Saaya muttered.
"Just- here," said Amu.
Saaya doubled over, and promptly emptied the contents of her stomach onto the ground. Her arms were shaking. Amu couldn't tell if that was a lingering effect of the rift or simple panic. Probably a mixture of both, she decided.
She put an arm around her then glanced around, scanning for her classmates. Some of them had gotten out; more were streaming from the front entrance, running and stumbling as the ground buckled and twisted beneath them. She could sense Tadase still in the hallway, flaring like a bonfire, but that was all. Amu felt like she might throw up herself, but pushed it down. There would be time for emotions later.
"Are you okay?" she said, giving Saaya a careful squeeze.
"No," Saaya muttered, then spat on the ground. She looked exhausted, her skin pale and her clothes stained with dirt and sweat. She didn't even have the strength to brush the hair out of her face, so Amu did it for her, gently tucking the locks behind her ears. "Why are you doing this?" Saaya whispered. "I don't- I don't-"
"And I already told you I don't care," Amu replied. She glanced around, looking for help. Surely some of the teachers had gotten out?
"Why not?"
Amu hesitated. "Because we're not enemies. Because if you're scared of me, then I don't want that. If I'm hurting you, then I want to know. Because… Because I'd hope someone would do the same for me."
"I wouldn't."
Amu gave Saaya an incredulous stare. Had she, or had she not, just attempted to sacrifice herself just so Amu would have an easier time? "You just did."
"Yeah, well." Saaya paused, a slight blush colouring her cheeks. "That doesn't mean I'd do it again."
Amu didn't know how to respond to that, and a moment later, the opportunity passed. She was feeling it too. Not exhausted, precisely—wired, if anything, her thoughts buzzing with energy. But the rest of her wasn't quite keeping up, and she could tell she wasn't the only one. Saaya was leaning against her, her weight getting heavier by the second.
"It's okay," Amu murmured. "You did good. You can relax now."
"No, no," Saaya muttered. She tried to stand up, but her legs buckled, and Amu caught her, carefully lowering her to the ground. Saaya started trembling. It was like her muscles had simply given up, and a moment later, she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
This was not in the plan.
Saaya was staring at her hand, her eyes wide. She coughed again, spattering the grass with blood.
"Oh," she whispered.
Amu felt like someone had punched her in the gut. "Saaya?"
"I'm-" Saaya started, her words turning into a hacking cough. A second later, her body arched, and she slumped down, her eyes glazing over.
"Saaya?" Amu repeated, her voice shaking.
She didn't respond, blood dripping from her nose. Then her eyes refocused on Amu, full of fear. She tried to say something, but it came out as a wet cough.
"Saaya!"
Amu knelt down, cradling the other girl. She looked around frantically. There was nobody here, no-one who could help. She had to...
She could fix her! She knew she could.
She was reaching out, focusing her attention, when she heard a distant roar.
Something was coming out of the rift.
⁂
It was a bird. If birds could be two metres tall, and had a face like a human with the teeth of a shark, and wings the size of a small plane, and the claws of a velociraptor, then yes, it was a bird. And now she felt Nadeshiko's presence. A moment later she saw her. The 'bird' rocketed out through a fresh hole in the school's side, a stream of feathers and smoke trailing in its wake. It crashed into the tree line, a small figure leaping from its back as it hit the ground on its back.
Nadeshiko hit the ground rolling and was on her feet a moment later, naginata held at the ready. She was wearing the girl's school uniform, her long hair tied back in a braid, but even so Amu recognised her. She decided not to worry about the how or why.
A moment later Kukai ran into view, carrying the girl from her vision under his arm. Amu's heart leapt.
"Kukai!" she shouted.
"Hey, Amu," he called back, giving her a thumbs-up. "Give us a moment."
The two of them looked like they'd seen better days. Both of them were covered in scratches and bruises, and Kukai was limping slightly. The girl looked shell-shocked, her expression was blank, and her arm was hanging at an angle that indicated it was badly broken.
Amu watched as the 'bird'—a roc, or a gryphon?—scrambled back to its feet, its claws reaching for Nadeshiko but snapping at air.
Kukai took a deep breath, then took off running. Away from Nadeshiko, towards—right—the rest of her classmates, who had gathered near the football field. That looked like a plan, so Amu looked away, back to Nadeshiko, who was now in mid-air. Her naginata spun in her hands, its tip aimed directly at the 'roc's' chest.
There was a flash, and then a boom. The roc went down, the ground shuddering under the impact. It let out a startled shriek, but it didn't look like the blade had pierced its skin. Still, Nadeshiko had it on the back foot.
Her eyes moved on and caught on a group of adults standing by the front entrance. They were arguing loudly, one of them attempting to push past the others, and although they were too far away for her to see clearly-
Oh. That was Dad.
Dad was there, and he was... fighting to get into the school. Trying to push his way through the other adults there. With his fists, not his brain, which meant he was being an idiot, and also she had no time. Amu closed her eyes, her hands balling into fists, but she couldn't go over there now. Saaya needed her.
So she turned away, her mind focusing on Saaya. Saaya was still, too still, but she could feel her heartbeat, her breathing, the soft hum of her mind. The sharp edges where the shards had been pulled back into alignment, and the gaps left between them.
Amu reached out with her senses, feeling the wounds that had appeared in her body. One of her lungs had a hole in it, and the blood vessels connected to her heart were... Her skin was starting to look like a single enormous bruise. It was like someone had taken a shotgun and blasted her insides. It didn't look fatal, not right away, but Amu wasn't a doctor and she was going to assume the worst.
"Su," Amu muttered, her lips barely moving. She could almost hear Su's reply. 'Yes, I know,' the Chara would say. 'Fixing things is my specialty! Just give me a moment!'
She opened her eyes, and was just in time to see Nadeshiko—now on the ground—dodge a slash from the pseudo-roc's claws, its teeth snapping at the space where she'd been a moment ago. That was great, really. Nadeshiko cast a glance her way, but she didn't look too concerned by the demon she was fighting. She looked calm. Like this was just another day.
She closed her eyes again, relying on her sense for Nadeshiko to tell her if the fight moved in her direction.
"I'm sorry, Saaya," she said. "I'm not great at this, but I promise I'll try my best."
The most useful skill she'd inherited from Su was 'fixing things'. All sorts of things. One damn thing after another, as Miki was fond of saying. She could fix holes in the walls, and holes in her clothes, and the cracks in her pencils. She could fix broken glass, and contusions from when she fell, and Nikaidou's broken dream. She could, given time, even fix the scars in Utau's mind. Though that had been as much friendship and intuition as deliberate and she hadn't even noticed them until after meeting Kana.
But none of that was enough. It wouldn't fix Saaya, not unless she spent hours on it.
That wasn't an excuse not to try.
= = =
To everyone who was predicting an interrupt: Um, yeah, there may be one or two of those. The rest of the plan is still running, but you can redo as much or as little of it as you want, after dealing with this situation.
Your dice luck could have been better, but maybe this will be for the best. Incidentally, let me know if you prefer me to do rolls publicly; the ones in this chapter were ad-hoc calls to random.choice in a python interpreter…
So. XP rules. I'm going to do a proper write-up later, but some things you need to know right now:
- Standard Exalted level-up costs are in effect for attribute and ability increases. They're priced as though Amu is a Solar, for Reasons™.
- Increments to psionic skills cost max(1, [pre-increment # of dots] / 2) XP. This is up for adjustment later. If I reduce the cost, I'll refund any previously spent XP in excess of the new cost.
- Training time follows the standard for a solar exalted, except-
- You can pay 2x the required XP to skip the training time for a psionic skill. This has in-story consequences, but nothing terrible. It must be done at a stressful moment in which the relevant skill would be useful.
- While I haven't done the full computation, Amu at present has a pool of at least 2 XP from events so far.
- Which means that, given the rules as planned, you could take her biokinesis skill from 1 to 2 dots. XD
I'm going to need to find some other character to torture, aren't I?
[ ][Saaya] Stabilise her, then move on.
- "Moving on" means continuing with the plan as defined, unless voted otherwise. Yes, that does imply you'd be ignoring Nadeshiko's combat situation for the moment. Is there any difference just because you can see her?
- Maybe.
- Cost: 2 XP for biokinesis upgrade…
- Also it'll take a little longer.
- I'm not sure what other options there are here, but that's why write-ins exist.
[ ][Plan] Continue as planned
[ ][Plan] Write-in
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Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
New info has turned up~
Credit for beta-ing this time goes for, oh my, @Quickshot0, @Kim Bruning, @Nero200 and @ShadowAngelBeta. Furthermore, Nero has begun a holy war against the comma horde.
K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple, stupid.
Or Keep it stupid simple.
Whichever you want to believe. Keep the plans under a page in length guys, it makes it more likely for something to go wrong, not less.
And I'll bap Baughn hard if he tries to use keeping it simpler against you.
Keep it simple, stupid.
Or Keep it stupid simple.
Whichever you want to believe. Keep the plans under a page in length guys, it makes it more likely for something to go wrong, not less.
And I'll bap Baughn hard if he tries to use keeping it simpler against you.
Wait, why did the stupidly complex plan win when it had less votes?