sheep_game | it's a miasma; the taller you are, the more likely you are to be affected

( perci's too focused on aiding lyra to really focus on mirror - his task is to get himself and lyra out of here and to rose - so when she stabs, the pain is not only immediate but it breaks his calm mask.

there's a flicker of shock and terror and a panicked yell of pain before it's cut off. the pain isn't even what effects him the most: he feels a memory, something important and cherished, fading. he collapses from the pressure of his heart and his mind battling to keep what she's trying to pull out, staff clattering out of his grip and all of his magic halting.

what manifests for mirror, however, is a brass lamp. )

[Everything is happening so fast and she's somewhere between panicking and trying to be calm because the last thing anyone here needs is her freaking out. Her steps are easily in line with Perci's as he goes to haul her out of here, but—

Then Pandora does what she does, and the panic takes hold for real, and if she can, she's going to use her remaining chakram and slash it down to try to cut through Pandora's wrist or arm or something. She's going to be hacking at it, actually, to try to do something if she can get away with it.]

Perci—What the fuck Pandora!?

[ he stumbles with Pandora's shove, using the momentum to put himself solidly between Zenith and Perci-Lyra, taking the wind head on. his already tattered rags shred, leaving his torso bare, arms and chest dripping blood.

but being between Zenith and Perci means he isn't between Pandora and Perci, and as Perci yells and collapses and Lyra lunges and he spins round, too late, he briefly, seriously considers grabbing Pandora in a protector hug, activating his aura and disintegrating her --

he doesn't do it. going back into melee range, now? undoubtedly the worst of the worst ideas. swallowing the yell threatening to tear itself from his throat, levitates the forgotten disembodied tail up behind Pandora, and aims to whack her with it. hard. with any luck - doesn't he still have Lyra's blessing? - it'll knock the lamp from her grasp ]

... You know, last time I checked, unconscious people weren't exactly the best worshippers. What was the point of that?

[ his voice is even, almost soft, but the feral edge to it can't be missed ]

This is boring, Pandora.

Edited 2023-11-08 23:53 (UTC)

[ It's a struggle to keep himself from a full mental shutdown as his body refuses to do what he tells it to do, and even if he'd intentionally tried to aim towards Akrinak it doesn't make it feel any better as his winds shred through him. ]

Stop- [ He isn't even sure who he's talking to at this point, everyone else's screams and plans and maneuvers have kind of faded away in between his own mental breakdown. ] I will not be controlled by the likes of you!

[ And-

Conveniently, as Pandora turns her attention to Perci, Zenith breaks the connection between them. And like a puppet cut from its strings, he collapses to the ground. ]

[ Pandora gives Zenith a disdainful sniff. At first her hold remains tight, but -

[ Then she takes a chakram to the wrist and something breaks with a sharp, bright noise. She lets out a noise of pain, which also helps give Zenith the gap he needs to get free. And also collapse. Good job. ]

Boring? Do you want this to be more interesting?

[ She's half-tossing the lamp already as the tail hits, sending it spinning further up into the air. The brass looks delicate in the sunlight; it glimmers like glass as it arcs towards the ground. ]

[ catches the lamp with his flow control, and - sparing half a glance at Zenith - floats it over to him. it's a gamble that Zenith can retain control of himself, but what isn't, at this point? he shrugs, though it comes out as more of a wince. turns out tanking hits raw like that hurts like a bitch. ]

Not particularly. I'm a boring person, unfortunately, unlike that hotheaded moron over there. As for the bird... I can't say I see the appeal. Tears, really? Not to mention going down in one hit... how pathetic.

[ nudges Perci's limp body with the fur tail, roughly enough to bruise, but not enough to cause further serious damage. who knows if Perci can hear him, but he can at least try to shift his body away from Pandora ]

I just don't see the point of all... this. Picking on people you already knew weren't a match for you? What are you, a --

[ wait, don't insult her. sighs instead ]

Nevermind. Are we done?

Edited 2023-11-09 02:58 (UTC)

[The moment of surprise is obvious, because wow, she actually did something? It seems useful? Damn.

But also she's hauling Perci to her, as much as she can, and the fur tail is getting a chakram slashed down on it too because this is her bird right now.]

You'd better be—

[ He manages to push himself up to his knees at least, clawing at the grass in a mix of desperation and rage. ]

Lyra, take Perci and go- but I won't run away.

[ He still hates the idea of that. He's no coward. He just needs a minute to recover. And he does manage to lift his head as the lamp falls his way, holding out his hands to catch it. ]

[ Meanwhile, Pandora turns all of her attention on Fifi. A single claw slides forward, seeking to make contact. There's a secret here, surely. Everyone has a little trauma she can draw out. ]

You want something more direct? I'll grant that wish for you.

[ Zenith stop spelling your attachments out in front of the Weed that just hijacked you challenge --

his gaze lingers on Zenith for just a second too long, wanting to make sure the lamp is safe; and that's all it takes for Pandora's claw to catch him in the already half-shredded arm. he staggers, letting out an involuntary gasp of pain as he shoves his body between Lyra-Perci and Pandora. grits his teeth, then immediately attempts to rip whatever debris she left out of his arm ]

That's... not what I meant. You're just going to be disappointed.

[ disappointed because there's nothing to hide. nothing, like the fact that he could turn his arm into energy if he wanted to. a transformation wouldn't heal the wounds, but it would certainly dull the pain.

like the fact that he'd been keeping his capabilities suppressed since even before Zenith's first wind attack got redirected, convinced that the best move in this case was to appear non-threatening. maybe they could stall the encounter out this way. if brute force had a chance of working, why had Minuet been so terrified? besides... even Pandora couldn't possibly have infinite stamina, right?

like the fact that he'd panicked, because he thought Perci might have been hit with the ritual punishment for Lily. he'd never wanted to get attached to anyone. he wants to live. but he'd die for Perci.

the fact that if Zenith, someone with apparent resistance to mental manipulation, couldn't bypass the nightmare of having his body stolen... what chance does he - a silly beastkin, bred specifically to be controlled by posturing gods, granted life for no other purpose - have? his master had saved him for last, too. let him almost walk away, before crushing that hope.

he doesn't want to walk away. he wants them to run, escape far enough that he can rip her apart without hurting anyone else being caught in the crossfire -- ]

[ She's not looking at him right now, and they all need a better plan than whatever this mess is. Hit first, ask questions later was clearly not the right approach. He's not going to get up yet, he's not about to draw attention to himself- he has the lamp, still, clutched in his arms as he watches Fifi take the hit. ]

...you idiot.

[Well, you don't have to tell her twice to try to get out of the situation. Lyra's pulling back, scrambling as much as she can, but she's not all that strong so she's trying to drag Perci back.]

Just be careful, Zenith! I'll try to get Perci out of here!

[But again: slow going.]

( perci wakes finally, but he's clutching his head as he groans.

seeing fifi stabbed is not the first thing he'd like to be seeing. but after a few moments of thinking, he knows he can't take her. so instead, he grips lyra's hand on his and whispers. )

Lyra. You trust me, right?

I—... Yes? Why wouldn't I?

[But okay no she's going to be clutching his hand with both of hers, just trying to take in that he's okay. Or he looks like he might be, at least.]

( his staff is in the blast zone, too near pandora for comfort. not when she can tear through him that easily, and if he tries to run to help with his level-capped heal radius, she could actually pierce through his heart for real. not ideal.

yet he feels a glimmer of magic all the same. weird.

he'll take it. )

Then follow my lead, even if it's absurd. It's just like your lessons, but...

( he sends a little memory along their joint hands: watching soldiers file out for war, and the field musicians who empower them. )

With magic. Just as long as you keep holding onto me.

[What is this, Macross? She idly remembers seeing some kind of anime about it, it's where she took some of their songs from for their lessons, but—she still seems really uncertain even if she trusts Perci.]

So just—sing? That's it?

( we macross now, sweetie. )

You were cheering Zenith on during his fight with Lupin, weren't you? Think about how that felt. Think about cheering him on now while you sing.

I can't make Fifi and Zenith stronger on my own. I need you for this, Lyra.

We'll sing. I'll make sure my magic does the rest.

[She draws in a deep breath before letting it out—and nods. But, okay. Okay! Her voice is a little shaky and thin at first, but you know. It's weird, the concept only exists in the animes for her, but she desperately also wants to help Fifi and Zenith.]

Turn the stars at the center of the world.
If you sneeze, a butterfly in a forest somewhere will dance.
The door you guard has a useless key.
It's an embarrassing story.
Though they often lick one another, lions are strong.

( perci sings with her, supporting her voice like a trellis - calm and confident. slowly, ever so slowly, perci begins to be enveloped with a warm golden glow.

and as that glow spreads from perci to lyra, it fades from gold to bright, vibrant red. she'll feel a tingle starting from her toes up to the top of her head. both fifi and zenith will have a fainter version of those colors outlining their bodies as well, strengthening their power and healing their wounds, lessening their pains. )

[ the healing warmth flows into him, his wounds begin to close (surely he managed to remove all the glass and whatever other Pandora-bits inside him, right?) and his body half-relaxes despite himself, even as the cold dread twists and spreads in the pit of his stomach. what are they doing, drawing attention to themselves? why aren't they just running? again, he fights his gut feeling to scream at the others to focus on themselves -- and keeps his back turned away from them, gaze trained on Pandora instead.

but, fine. jig's up, he guesses. this isn't what he wanted, but it's not like he can let their efforts go to waste. finally, he flares his aura, fusing the gifted red outline with his own bright pink. no transformation yet; he doesn't need beastification to play defensively.

quietly, almost tiredly: ]

You should run, Zenith.

[ don't you have a lamp to protect? ]

[ SURELY. Maybe. Definitely no pieces in there.

Pandora waggles her fingers after, eying him greedily. Oh yes. she has an idea now. ]

I rather like the look of your WangWang.

[ He has no idea what the point of this lamp is, admittedly, but he wouldn't have been given it if it wasn't important.

But- no. He's not running. He slowly pushes himself back up to his feet, especially as the music rings out and starts to flood him with energy once more. Red and blue mix with his aura to form purple, as he keeps the lamp tucked protectively under one arm.

He takes a step back to test what he can do- it seems like whatever Perci and Lyra are doing, it's doing more than just restoring him back to normal. And he won't say it this time, because he's learned that much, but there was no way he was leaving Fifi to fight Pandora on his own. ]

I want to survive.
I want to survive.
I still can't stop wanting to live.
Guided by the constellations, our eyes met.

[Anyway she's still singing but her voice is getting stronger and more confident thanks to Perci, so. Enjoy your continued powerup, fam.]

[ his expression shutters immediately. he'd been expecting something like this, but he can't stop his breath from catching, his hands from clamming up. his vision turning hazy.

no. it's fine. whatever Pandora's seeing -- all happened a long, long time ago. he's over it; he has to be. just keep talking. ]

You do, huh? Unfortunately for you, that guy's long gone. If you were looking for another target to persuade into worshipping you, you're out of luck, I'm afraid. He only had eyes for one master, anyway~

[ Lyra, Perci, what are you DOING run NOW ]

I want to survive,
I am at a loss, gently withering away.
But until I show you my true self,
I will not sleep!

( there's a surge of power and healing through fifi and zenith once he and lyra are in sync.

in fact... while pandora can't use it herself, she may be able to feel that ramp of strength. )

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget

Re: pandora > perci > fifi > zenith > lyra so i don't forget