crick wellsley is crick wellsley, in the end. though this is completely impossible - after all, temenos was the one who checked his pulse, temenos was the one who showed up too late, who couldn't stop him. who should have stopped him, the night before - this is him, down to his core. soothing others. indignant in the face of evil. crick, who once hid behind him in his fright facing monsters in flamechurch. crick, who was so eager to uncover the truth that he ran into the den of the wolves by himself.
but that cannot be him. his own logic has to take precedence. he cannot allow himself for a second to think that crick wellsley is alive. crick is dead, and buried, and even she tried to use it against you.
casual. stay casual. his hand stays on his staff - and he asks, just loud enough to be heard by their neighbors. ] Do we get to know their crimes?
[ temenos asks it almost bored.
like it isn't the entire world crashing down, like it isn't making his mouth dry, like his heart is not pounding in his ears. his bored, placid mask the same one he's stapled onto his face every day of his life, does not budge. it would not budge for arcanette. he will not lose it, here.
in the meantime, temenos is calling up on that magic in his own regard, somewhere in the back of his mind reciting the words to a prayer. what can he do? could he cast a divine effulgence and burn this place to the ground? not likely. there's not enough time to prepare for it, and he'd be left vulnerable. could he stop the curse from taking place? could he cure it, if he did?
(can he stand here, and watch crick be a sacrificial lamb once again?)
his gaze pulls away from the facsimile of a stage for a moment, to sweep across the group, trying to catch owner's gaze first. they're the responsible ones here. (or at least, they're the ones loaded with magic.) ]
[ ...in spite of everything todomatsu is feeling and struggling with in this moment, even as he's watching his brothers falling to their knees, hearing temenos casually make that suggestion triggers a different kind of panic in him — he knows all about the sordid crimes they've committed, much to his dismay — and against his better judgment, he speaks up, in a cold sweat. ]
M-maybe it's better if they don't announce them, actually! Just seeing them here like this is probably bringing their families enough shame already, don't you think?!
[ ah.
he winces even as the words are leaving his lips, shrinking back a bit as the heartbeat — heartbeat? — pounds heavily in his ears. can they see him from the other side of the glass, he wonders? even dressed like this, they'd all recognize him in an instant if they could — after all, who wouldn't recognize their own face?
there he is, the youngest brother who left them all behind without saying a word, like he so often does, standing in the crowd with everyone else who's come to delight in their well-earned suffering as they're finally (finally!) forced to make something of themselves.
he can practically hear the reactions.
eh?! he's still worrying about his own image at a time like this?! ah, well, what would you expect from that dry monster? that's right. he doesn't have a heart, after all. if he wasn't here seeing it for himself, he probably wouldn't even notice we were gone tomorrow. ahaha, you really hated having us for brothers, huh, totty?
[ seeing rei fight against his capture does, genuinely, bring a smile to owner's face. it really is just like him, when everything is against him, to be as much trouble as humanly possible. owner would almost want to applaud him, except rei would likely find that worse than the actual situation he's in. troublesome, troublesome child.
but then temenos speaks, and todomatsu reacts nervously to the request, and he thinks, uh oh. this just put too much attention over here. he isn't sure if people speaking up like this during this event is normal or not, but maybe they can be excused for openly being new...? on the other hand, those with power do have a tendency of getting offended easily, so this can really go either way.
he doesn't speak up, just in case. if anyone approaches the other two, he wants to keep the element of surprise to be able to step in, since people shouldn't think all four of them are together. he looks over at kazuki to see how he's reacting to this. ]
[ ...he hasn't given up. there's a faint sense of relief that comes with that realization, that it's different from before. akito was so ready to give up everything just a few months ago, that he didn't deserve their dream... even now, he looks just as guilt-ridden as whatever was getting to him back then. but he's not just taking it this time.
maybe akito still thinks he deserves whatever punishment is coming, but it's good to see him fight. kazuki watches him with clenched fists, seething as awareness starts to come back to him, and he shoots temenos a glare. ]
Does it matter? [ he bites out the words bitterly. ] They already screwed up. There's no going back from that.
[ that's how these people think, isn't it? that nothing is worth forgiving, only judging.
eyes back on akito, kazuki shakes with rage and fear as they all fall to their knees. that sound - they're too far to do anything about it from here, aren't they? what would he even do when they're surrounded by a bunch of lunatics who want to see this happen?
[ a mixture of relief and disdain pulses through the crowd at temenos' inquiry, a torn mix from many groups. but all heads around them turn towards him - and todomatsu by proxy - with this question. it's not loud enough for the announcer to hear on the stage, especially not as the harpist begins playing. but it's enough for some answers to come. ]
Oh, no. That wouldn't do. [ someone nearby says. ] They lost their right once the verdict was given! The crime hardly matters.
[ they're guilty. why would they care about their crimes beyond that?
they're guilty, aren't they? why would they be here if they were innocent? (would they even care, truthfully, if they were?)
jyushimatsu and akito are the ones that are unbound, but none of the others are. some sort of instructions must be given, because jyushimatsu starts trying to free his brothers, hands shaking as he goes one by one, and akito shakes his head, disbelieving, questioning. he's not fighting back physically, but - this isn't what it was meant to be.
there's no answer for him as the eight handlers leave them behind, leaving him on hands and knees. crick twists at his waist to speak to him, already having gotten at least one knee up, trying to reassure and get his attention. if they can get free, maybe there's a chance they can do something. rei, on the other hand, finds a way up to his feet again, again, and is making his way towards the glass of the atrium. at the very least, the guilty know they're being watched - because he's staring down the announcer as he approaches, all violent intent. ]
My, what a beast this one is! [ laughter bubbles up from the announcer, unconcerned. the pulsing heartbeat speeds up.
adrastea's voice comes through, clearer than before even as it crackles now: ] I'm com...ng... there's something happening... run.
frustrating, but not surprising. this is kaldena all over again. how appropriate, to be watching crick have to deal with this - watching him face down judge, jury and executioner. bitterly, somehow (i'm here this time.)
his only outward reaction is a click of the tongue. ] Quite. Let the show begin, then. [ as if he agrees with any of this - cool, relaxed, unbothered.
in reality, he is not any of those three things! but at least he's super good at hiding it. he's distracted, thinking instead about what to do in the aftermath. if he can remove the source of the curse, he can likely revive - well, he can certainly try to get all of them. eight people is a lot at once, and it would undo his already tenuous reconnection to his magic, but if he conserves his mana, then maybe it'll be fine. his eyes stay on crick, and he finds himself - hoping. for once, hoping, maybe, that he can find his way out, that he'll be a stupid, gallant knight, that he'll save them from their situation.
of course, all planning for the future is interrupted when he hears run from adrastea. the idea of just abandoning them is making him feel a little ill, a little trapped, but this simply cannot be real, and the four of them are. he has to cling to the logical no matter how badly he wants to smash open the glass. he can't. he has to keep a cool head.
instead, temenos starts a prayer in the back of his mind. a familiar one, mentally calculating the amount of magic he'll need to prepare it and never taking his eyes off the display. Aelfric, grant us your sacred shield.
[ small fucking blessings, he supposes, though even with the assurance that his family's extensive list of sins will be kept on the down low, it's not like he can feel much relief when this is continuing to play out in front of him. ]
Jyushimatsu-niisan...
[ he's not sure what's happening right now, why jyushimatsu is the only one of the five who's left unbound — a funny risk to take, he thinks, when he's by far the strongest and most unpredictable of them all, though he's also never been able to carry malice nearly as well as most of the rest of them — or what instructions he's being given.
his questioning is interrupted by adrastea's voice in his ear, though (which at least puts a stop to the other voices he was imagining), giving him a command that he would love to follow, but isn't sure he actually can. ]
What...?
[ he lowers his head, suddenly very alert to the faces that have turned toward him, keeping his voice hushed. ]
W-wait, what are we doing? I mean— isn't that going to cause a scene?
[ more importantly, are they really just going to leave? ]
well, the metatext said it was a half hour walk to reach this area, so if that was a legit time frame, they could make it back faster than that while running... however, there are other guards over on the other side of the tunnel, and if them suddenly leaving is seen as weird, then they would essentially be running to a dead end if the other guards are alerted because of how much time it'll take to reach there. there are other paths, but they have no way of knowing where they lead.
these are all things he is thinking about, but his main focus remains on rei. owner watches how defiant he is, and that does seem real. his hands are still in their spot behind his back, and he feels the sheath of the katana again, and there's a moment where he wonders how thick the glass is.
he manages to mumble into the headset, ]
Adrastea-sama, where are you? Are you going back to the main entrance?
No. [ the answer is immediate, with kazuki refusing to take his eyes off of his friend. ] We can't just leave them here to... whatever this is.
[ they're as good as trapped, anyway - it took way too long just to get here in the first place. what good is it to run, when akito is right there in front of him? how is he supposed to stand by and just watch akito be punished as if it doesn't affect him at all?
he can't. he won't.
there's a voice in the back of his head screaming at him that this is stupid, that he has no idea what he's doing. it's right, of course, but kazuki ignores it to step forward, walking toward the stage. ]
[ adrastea responds to kazuki, first, because what kind of fuckin statement is that. ] Leave who - what's going on -
[ but after a bit of silence, there's something for all of you: ] ... entrance... can meet you, where...
[ most of you are distracted by what's happening in front of you, the people that you see on the other side of the glass. akito has managed to get his wits about him, with careful coaxing from crick, who keeps looking at him, then up, deeper into the garden around them. temenos knows him well enough he should be able to tell that he's on edge, but he's trying to treat akito gently, and the teenager moves around behind the knight to start undoing the bindings that are holding his arms there. these two haven't noticed familiar faces inside, yet.
rei does, though. he stares down the announcer, first, arms shifting behind him, trying to work off his restraints himself. the announcer is hardly affected by this, and instead smiles indulgently as the heartbeat thrum of magic, of energy, reverberates in the glass around them all.
but then, he scans the crowd behind the announcer, as if taking stock of everyone that's come to perversely watch the proceedings. and he sees owner. there's a minute widening of his eyes, before they narrow, all the more furious for having spotted him. he tilts his body and rears back, slamming his shoulder into the glass. it does nothing.
but todomatsu will see, beyond his brothers, the shifting of plants again. the wind has picked up, so that's not too surprising, at first - a reaction, maybe. something to do with the mounting dread that's hardly aided by the harpist's playing. jyushimatsu doesn't pay the wind any mind, though, and is instead focused on actually ripping the bindings off his brothers, one by one, as the five of them talk to one another. they're looking around as if to try and figure out what the next step is.
they've gotten into harrowing trouble before. they can get out of it, surely.
except he'll notice the movement isn't just beyond the "prospects." it's also along the edges of the atrium, as vines creep up the cage that you've all found yourselves in. bit by bit, by bit, by bit. ]
temenos doesn't have those. he's currently busy - in fact, his eyes close, briefly. he tears himself away from looking at crick helping out akito (of course he is) and starts reciting the prayer for the sacred shield if they're going to need it. his first priority is to protect kazuki and todomatsu, and though his sacred shield is not strong enough to completely block any kind of hit, it can at least absorb something. i would never steal your injuries from you.
that's all his focus at the moment, is silently mouthing the words to cast sacred shield. he doesn't do it yet, though todomatsu as our eagle eye might feel that temenos arm is a little warmer than it was before where he was holding onto him.
temenos has not noticed the extra movement. spellcaster life. he is still holding his action for when all hell breaks loose, because inevitably, it is going to break loose. come on, aelfric. come onnnnnn magic powers. ]
[ the entrance? how the hell are they supposed to get all the way back there without getting caught when there are guards both inside and out to intercept them from both directions? sure, he's got his gun, but he can only shoot one bullet at a time, and he's pretty sure they're going to get hit with a lot more resistance than what can be feasibly taken care of with that.
it's when he's looking toward their potential exit route that he sees it — the movement of the vines around them, not just that of the trees behind his brothers. shit... the longer they hesitate here the more of that they're going to have to deal with, right? ]
Hey. The vines are moving — look. I think we really do need to get out of here.
[ a slight tug on temenos's arm (when did it get so warm?), and then he ducks down and starts to move through the crowd, trying to be subtle as possible and kind of wishing now that he wasn't such a showstopping beauty in this getup.
he glances back up to jyushimatsu and the others — they have indeed gotten out of much wilder scrapes than this before, so he wants to believe that they'll pull through this time too. sorry, he mouths silently in their direction. do your best. ]
owner is still staring at rei, and then they make eye contact with each other. immediately, owner realizes the misunderstanding that forms in rei's head as he slams against the glass. oh, owner is here. this must be owner's fault. it would be amusing, except even he's aware that the odds are stacked very much against his favor at the moment.
he catches todomatsu moving to leave, although he doesn't quite catch what he says. either way, it makes sense that he's going, because there is a lot happening at the moment and their getaway driver is really insistent that they have to go now.
he looks at rei again.
todomatsu heads toward the exit, and owner heads for the stage. he moves slowly and carefully, acting like someone who simply wants a better view, the expression on his face one of simple curiosity. he gets closer and closer, and at least his general small and young appearance woudldn't really seem threatening. the stage the announcer is on isn't too high, just a few steps, so he as casually as possible goes up. and as gracefully as he can, he unsheathes his katana, and goes to try to drive it through the announcer's gut.
this is fine.
but like, if the rest of you want to do anything, owner is probably distracting everyone from the three of you. so like, that's nice. ]
[ sorry adrastea... kazuki is busy looking for any equipment near the stages, maybe something that he could toss at the announcer or maybe even the glass to break it. the reasonable voice in his head says it has to be more sturdy than that, for a place like this to be here at all, but anything's worth a shot.
he doesn't notice anyone following, preoccupied as he is with keeping an eye on akito and checking out the equipment. he's not making any effort to hide, either - even if he did, the guitar would've given him away. but he can go the easy route and try to tell the harpist it's his turn to perform and decide what to do from there. anything to get akito out of here and safe back home.
...except owner makes his move first, and that's enough to startle kazuki out of whatever plan he was trying to think up. ]
[ well! owner first! because that sure causes a chain reaction of shit to happen. it's a lot of gasps and screams of shock, people panicking, the guards trying to push through the throng to get to the stage as the harpist's music abruptly stops.
the announcer isn't anticipating this in the slightest bit, so even as owner comes walking leisurely up to the stage, he's more amusedly watching rei ram into the glass angrily. he only turns when he hears someone joining him on the stage, and he hardly thinks anything of it. his mouth opens to greet his guest, gracious and welcoming, and then there's a choked noise instead of words. because that's a katana run through his gut.
rei stops ramming the glass. blinks at this. and then starts... laughing? you can't hear it, but it's clear that he's laughing as he sees this happen. it's not kind laughter, and it draws the attention of the other seven prospects to see what the hell is going on.
akito sees kazuki, and his face falls in panic and despair, even if he can't see his face he knows knows knows him. you're not supposed to be here, you're not supposed to see him like this, he tried to run away and you wouldn't let him. and now, there's nowhere for him to go.
the brothers, at least, don't see their youngest yet. they're just going a wide range of what the hell!! on the other side of the glass, before there's a rattling that overtakes the entire area. they begin looking around, heads whipping wildly, trying to figure out where the source is.
and, well. crick sees temenos, like a guiding bolt, though it takes him a beat longer to recognize him compared to rei clocking owner instantly and akito realizing just who it was that joined the crazy sword wielding man on the stage. he falters where he is, shocked, before something convicted falls into the set of his shoulders, something more determined. he's not in his armor, he has no weapons, but he looks around to try and find if maybe there's something out here that he can use. a rock, a branch, anything.
the vines are creeping up faster, now, and the metal of the frame begins to groan slightly as they constrict. the thrum is racing, rabbit quick, and the flowers... begin to bloom in the trees above the atrium. ]
... gods... [ adrastea is maybe seeing what you're seeing, now. ]
the minute owner starts to walk up to the stage, temenos figures out what's going to happen. he reaches out for todomatsu as he's starting to try and make his way out, because that plan is about to be ruined, and then - all hell breaks loose! and not in the way it was going to originally!!
he's going to trust owner to be the most competent for now and immediately puts himself in front of todomatsu, in an imperious swish of white and gold and blue, shoving the tip of his staff down into the ground for purchase. it gives him enough time to look up again, to lock eyes with crick. to see crick see him.
... he didn't go down without a fight then, did he? and crick won't, now, either. this time, temenos is here. whether it's real or not, he won't go down alone. the conviction is enough.
determination flares up with his magical energy. it feels good, to thrum back into his veins, and he meets crick's eyes, and his mouth quirks into a brief, tiny smile, before he casts, a beacon of aelfric's chosen. the shield will have to wait. ]
Holy light, illuminate the darkness! [ and goes for a two pronged luminescence spell, a bright flare of holy light that slams into the glass. cast the light down from above and smite the wicked. is there anything more wicked than this place they've found themselves in? let's light it up. ]
[ well, now there's some what the hell!! on this side of the glass too, as todomatsu gets reeled back in by temenos before he can fully make a break for it and watches owner in disbelief as he runs that shitty announcer through.
excuse me?? wasn't this a stealth mission?! didn't you just say this wasn't real?! why the fuck is he the only one trying to do this thing properly now?!!
at least now it's noisy and hectic enough that he doesn't feel like he needs to bother trying to be quiet when he speaks into the communicator. ]
Okay, well, this is a shitshow, and the entrance is way too far for us to get through without getting stopped by a million guards, so can you please come and break through this glass ceiling — literally — in the atrium if you want to salvage this?!
[ ...and then he adds: ]
Try not to hit the guys that look like shittier clones of me if you can help it.
[ well. sometimes you decides some things are more important than being on a stealth mission, and it's stabbing someone.
he pulls the sword out of the announcer, glancing over at kazuki again. hopefully people still have not put two and two together about them knowing each other, so he won't move over to him. instead, he just sort of gestures to where the others are.
he still has his handbag, so in it he is going to just fuckin... pull out the hammer he stowed away, before tossing the bag aside. it's fine. if anyone tries to get close to him he is either going to try to stab them or hit them in the face with a hammer. it's all good. he has no idea what the hell temenos just did but it was flashy so that's cool. ]
[ gesture at the other two all you want, kazuki's not going to join them. as panic starts to take over the atrium, his eyes meet akito's through the glass and clenches his jaw in anger as he recognizes that look.
no. they're not doing this again.
cursing under his breath, kazuki heads for one of those alternate exits just as temenos does his thing. they lead into the gardens outside, right? whichever one looks closest to the those on the other side, he's taking it. ]
[ well, the good news is that temenos' holy light does, in fact, illuminate the darkness. literally, as it becomes a beacon just as much as it blinds those that are stupid enough to look into it. which, as it turns out, happens to be a lot of the people around you. including the guards, some of which who rear back to try and shield their eyes as they're reaching to draw on owner. ]
I see that now, Matsuno! [ oh, adrastea's voice comes in clearer, irritated, and a shadow is cast over the atrium in the form of a ship. ] The wh-
[ they don't get to ask what the hell he's talking about. between temenos' luminescence spell, which will drain him of some of his tenuous supply of magic, and the pressure being applied by the vines that are apparently trying to get in... the glass shatters (where he aimed the spell) and begins to fracture (where the vines are constricting the building). the announcer sinks to his knees, bleeding freely and looking up at owner in shock from the floor of the stage. people are screaming. everything is going to hell in a handbasket right now.
rei doesn't seem to care about the fact that the vines are now coursing forward and trying to take hold of them, or that they're trying to get inside, and is instead going to where the glass exploded outwards from the blast of magic. there's likely something that can be used to cut himself free, there. crick doesn't seem even a little bit shocked, having ducked his gaze away the moment he saw temenos move, but akito and the matsunos are absolutely shook from the magic that just flashbanged everybody, including them a little bit, so. akito misses kazuki rushing to a tunnel.
as far as kazuki knows, they at least lead into the gardens for more up close viewing. whether they exit out or not isn't something you'll be able to figure out without going down into them. but with his determination, nothing's going to be stopping him right now. go, kazuki, go! ]
alright! cool! go team. that's what he was hoping for. break the glass with a concentrated burst of light, give this poor group of captured criminals who are just Little Guys a chance to get free on their own. busted ass glass is better than nothing. he'd feel better if he could get a weapon into crick's hands, but for now, this will have to do. and that felt good, too - in a moment of less utter chaos, temenos will enjoy it, but for now, with the feeling of magic thrumming through his veins, he's ready to get moving. ]
Stay close to me. [ that's to todomatsu. with the darkness now dispersed, he's turning his attention to the fracturing vines up ahead, trying to get his eyes upwards to the shadow of the ship?? is that the ship?? and there's owner, who is doublefisting weaponry (cool) and - where did kazuki go.
into his wrist, this time, in hopes that the earpiece picks up - ] Adrastea, what are you seeing -
[ because they. can probably put two and two together about what a heartseed is now huh?? they can just leave, right?? we are such good thieves. ]
[ that light blast was sure a thing, and yeah, he'd definitely rather stand behind the person who can do that than anywhere else, so he'll do what he's told for now.
that said, he's reaching into the high slit of his skirt and pulling his gun out of its thigh holster in preparation while eyes are more focused on the more immediate threats (thanks crazy teammates).
what's the situation with the vines right now? are they like, substantially inside the atrium now that the glass has shattered? where are they relative to the death row gang out there, are these vines focused on threatening all of them or mostly the people inside? or is it equally focused on both because it has two vine hands? ]
Edited (edits this question to be less what you already answered, i can read) 2024-03-06 22:39 (UTC)
he watches kazuki run off. that's probably fine. and then makes sure the captives are also doing okay where they are. they seem to still be alive so that's also fine probably.
owner will take the opportunity of everyone being fuckin blind to speak to the announcer. his tone is rather friendly, like how you'd talk to an old friend and not someone you just stabbed. ]
What is that thing and how do we stop it? If you refuse to tell me, I'll give you a new hole.
[ he doubts he'll get a useful answer but literally anything might help right now
[ what do you want him to do, help murder a guy? that's not very punk rock.
kazuki isn't cool enough not to flinch when temenos lets loose, but hey - if the glass is shattered closer to the prisoners out there, he'll go that way instead of the other exist. if not, into the exit he goes! whatever the path of least resistance is since no one is physically stopping him. somebody has to try to help them, right? letting all this happen isn't an option. where the hell are you akito he's mad and he's coming for you
Besides whatever just got set off? Probably the same thing you're seeing. It's coming from further in, some kind of yellow light's pulsing in the trees and everything rushing out from there. [ there's the sound of movement, and then crackling silence, before the now-familiar sound of the craft door opening accompanied by the sound of rushing wind. ] I need you four to find a way to get out of there without being caught up in the vines. This craft doesn't have weapons on it, but I do - I'll try to clear the plants out from here.
[ well, they're at least trying to do something here to get you guys out in one piece. but they're not aware of the prospects that were dumped outside for the ceremony, to join the many victims of whatever this heartseed thing really is.
the vine has two hands, unfortunately, but the good news is that all of todomatsu's brothers are free and trying to defend themselves to at least get to where there are more people and less vines. they also aren't out there alone and have faced weirder things than terrible, thorny vines and slowly blooming flowers - so it's probably fine! osomatsu is yelling at the other four in some attempt to boss them around, as the oldest, but it's... mixed success at the moment.
crick is trying very hard to get them to stop arguing while they're also trying to survive. it's not going great, but he's standing and fighting, trying to protect them and cover for rei who is busy attempting to cut himself free while his (redacted) interrogates and threatens a man. go figure.
owner is terrifying to this announcer, actually! he's bloody and trying to apply pressure to his gut as the guards fumble to make their way over, torn between blindly running at the stage and also blindly running towards where the source of light was. some of them have tasers, like he saw earlier. some of them have actual pistols. a few are more preoccupied trying to stomp or hit away vines. it's mixed success here also though. ]
The... the heartseed... there isn't any stopping it, but it's not... it's not supposed to be like this...
[ forces kazuki to go into the tunnel. the path of least resistance is there, even if there are people flooding into it with him. there's a flash of color that isn't green or the delicate pinks, whites, and yellows of the flowers that are opening, so akito is either trying to find him or run away from him. hard to tell. ]
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no subject
crick wellsley is crick wellsley, in the end. though this is completely impossible - after all, temenos was the one who checked his pulse, temenos was the one who showed up too late, who couldn't stop him. who should have stopped him, the night before - this is him, down to his core. soothing others. indignant in the face of evil. crick, who once hid behind him in his fright facing monsters in flamechurch. crick, who was so eager to uncover the truth that he ran into the den of the wolves by himself.
but that cannot be him. his own logic has to take precedence. he cannot allow himself for a second to think that crick wellsley is alive. crick is dead, and buried, and even she tried to use it against you.
casual. stay casual. his hand stays on his staff - and he asks, just loud enough to be heard by their neighbors. ] Do we get to know their crimes?
[ temenos asks it almost bored.
like it isn't the entire world crashing down, like it isn't making his mouth dry, like his heart is not pounding in his ears. his bored, placid mask the same one he's stapled onto his face every day of his life, does not budge. it would not budge for arcanette. he will not lose it, here.
in the meantime, temenos is calling up on that magic in his own regard, somewhere in the back of his mind reciting the words to a prayer. what can he do? could he cast a divine effulgence and burn this place to the ground? not likely. there's not enough time to prepare for it, and he'd be left vulnerable. could he stop the curse from taking place? could he cure it, if he did?
(can he stand here, and watch crick be a sacrificial lamb once again?)
his gaze pulls away from the facsimile of a stage for a moment, to sweep across the group, trying to catch owner's gaze first. they're the responsible ones here. (or at least, they're the ones loaded with magic.) ]
no subject
M-maybe it's better if they don't announce them, actually! Just seeing them here like this is probably bringing their families enough shame already, don't you think?!
[ ah.
he winces even as the words are leaving his lips, shrinking back a bit as the heartbeat — heartbeat? — pounds heavily in his ears. can they see him from the other side of the glass, he wonders? even dressed like this, they'd all recognize him in an instant if they could — after all, who wouldn't recognize their own face?
there he is, the youngest brother who left them all behind without saying a word, like he so often does, standing in the crowd with everyone else who's come to delight in their well-earned suffering as they're finally (finally!) forced to make something of themselves.
he can practically hear the reactions.
eh?! he's still worrying about his own image at a time like this?!
ah, well, what would you expect from that dry monster?
that's right. he doesn't have a heart, after all.
if he wasn't here seeing it for himself, he probably wouldn't even notice we were gone tomorrow.
ahaha, you really hated having us for brothers, huh, totty?
n-no, no, no— wait. ]
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but then temenos speaks, and todomatsu reacts nervously to the request, and he thinks, uh oh. this just put too much attention over here. he isn't sure if people speaking up like this during this event is normal or not, but maybe they can be excused for openly being new...? on the other hand, those with power do have a tendency of getting offended easily, so this can really go either way.
he doesn't speak up, just in case. if anyone approaches the other two, he wants to keep the element of surprise to be able to step in, since people shouldn't think all four of them are together. he looks over at kazuki to see how he's reacting to this. ]
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maybe akito still thinks he deserves whatever punishment is coming, but it's good to see him fight. kazuki watches him with clenched fists, seething as awareness starts to come back to him, and he shoots temenos a glare. ]
Does it matter? [ he bites out the words bitterly. ] They already screwed up. There's no going back from that.
[ that's how these people think, isn't it? that nothing is worth forgiving, only judging.
eyes back on akito, kazuki shakes with rage and fear as they all fall to their knees. that sound - they're too far to do anything about it from here, aren't they? what would he even do when they're surrounded by a bunch of lunatics who want to see this happen?
c'mon, akito, get up... ]
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Oh, no. That wouldn't do. [ someone nearby says. ] They lost their right once the verdict was given! The crime hardly matters.
[ they're guilty. why would they care about their crimes beyond that?
they're guilty, aren't they? why would they be here if they were innocent? (would they even care, truthfully, if they were?)
jyushimatsu and akito are the ones that are unbound, but none of the others are. some sort of instructions must be given, because jyushimatsu starts trying to free his brothers, hands shaking as he goes one by one, and akito shakes his head, disbelieving, questioning. he's not fighting back physically, but - this isn't what it was meant to be.
there's no answer for him as the eight handlers leave them behind, leaving him on hands and knees. crick twists at his waist to speak to him, already having gotten at least one knee up, trying to reassure and get his attention. if they can get free, maybe there's a chance they can do something. rei, on the other hand, finds a way up to his feet again, again, and is making his way towards the glass of the atrium. at the very least, the guilty know they're being watched - because he's staring down the announcer as he approaches, all violent intent. ]
My, what a beast this one is! [ laughter bubbles up from the announcer, unconcerned. the pulsing heartbeat speeds up.
adrastea's voice comes through, clearer than before even as it crackles now: ] I'm com...ng... there's something happening... run.
[ roll a perception check. ]
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frustrating, but not surprising. this is kaldena all over again. how appropriate, to be watching crick have to deal with this - watching him face down judge, jury and executioner. bitterly, somehow (i'm here this time.)
his only outward reaction is a click of the tongue. ] Quite. Let the show begin, then. [ as if he agrees with any of this - cool, relaxed, unbothered.
in reality, he is not any of those three things! but at least he's super good at hiding it. he's distracted, thinking instead about what to do in the aftermath. if he can remove the source of the curse, he can likely revive - well, he can certainly try to get all of them. eight people is a lot at once, and it would undo his already tenuous reconnection to his magic, but if he conserves his mana, then maybe it'll be fine. his eyes stay on crick, and he finds himself - hoping. for once, hoping, maybe, that he can find his way out, that he'll be a stupid, gallant knight, that he'll save them from their situation.
of course, all planning for the future is interrupted when he hears run from adrastea. the idea of just abandoning them is making him feel a little ill, a little trapped, but this simply cannot be real, and the four of them are. he has to cling to the logical no matter how badly he wants to smash open the glass. he can't. he has to keep a cool head.
instead, temenos starts a prayer in the back of his mind. a familiar one, mentally calculating the amount of magic he'll need to prepare it and never taking his eyes off the display. Aelfric, grant us your sacred shield.
(DND voice) hold an action ]
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Jyushimatsu-niisan...
[ he's not sure what's happening right now, why jyushimatsu is the only one of the five who's left unbound — a funny risk to take, he thinks, when he's by far the strongest and most unpredictable of them all, though he's also never been able to carry malice nearly as well as most of the rest of them — or what instructions he's being given.
his questioning is interrupted by adrastea's voice in his ear, though (which at least puts a stop to the other voices he was imagining), giving him a command that he would love to follow, but isn't sure he actually can. ]
What...?
[ he lowers his head, suddenly very alert to the faces that have turned toward him, keeping his voice hushed. ]
W-wait, what are we doing? I mean— isn't that going to cause a scene?
[ more importantly, are they really just going to leave? ]
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well, the metatext said it was a half hour walk to reach this area, so if that was a legit time frame, they could make it back faster than that while running... however, there are other guards over on the other side of the tunnel, and if them suddenly leaving is seen as weird, then they would essentially be running to a dead end if the other guards are alerted because of how much time it'll take to reach there. there are other paths, but they have no way of knowing where they lead.
these are all things he is thinking about, but his main focus remains on rei. owner watches how defiant he is, and that does seem real. his hands are still in their spot behind his back, and he feels the sheath of the katana again, and there's a moment where he wonders how thick the glass is.
he manages to mumble into the headset, ]
Adrastea-sama, where are you? Are you going back to the main entrance?
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[ they're as good as trapped, anyway - it took way too long just to get here in the first place. what good is it to run, when akito is right there in front of him? how is he supposed to stand by and just watch akito be punished as if it doesn't affect him at all?
he can't. he won't.
there's a voice in the back of his head screaming at him that this is stupid, that he has no idea what he's doing. it's right, of course, but kazuki ignores it to step forward, walking toward the stage. ]
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[ but after a bit of silence, there's something for all of you: ] ... entrance... can meet you, where...
[ most of you are distracted by what's happening in front of you, the people that you see on the other side of the glass. akito has managed to get his wits about him, with careful coaxing from crick, who keeps looking at him, then up, deeper into the garden around them. temenos knows him well enough he should be able to tell that he's on edge, but he's trying to treat akito gently, and the teenager moves around behind the knight to start undoing the bindings that are holding his arms there. these two haven't noticed familiar faces inside, yet.
rei does, though. he stares down the announcer, first, arms shifting behind him, trying to work off his restraints himself. the announcer is hardly affected by this, and instead smiles indulgently as the heartbeat thrum of magic, of energy, reverberates in the glass around them all.
but then, he scans the crowd behind the announcer, as if taking stock of everyone that's come to perversely watch the proceedings. and he sees owner. there's a minute widening of his eyes, before they narrow, all the more furious for having spotted him. he tilts his body and rears back, slamming his shoulder into the glass. it does nothing.
but todomatsu will see, beyond his brothers, the shifting of plants again. the wind has picked up, so that's not too surprising, at first - a reaction, maybe. something to do with the mounting dread that's hardly aided by the harpist's playing. jyushimatsu doesn't pay the wind any mind, though, and is instead focused on actually ripping the bindings off his brothers, one by one, as the five of them talk to one another. they're looking around as if to try and figure out what the next step is.
they've gotten into harrowing trouble before. they can get out of it, surely.
except he'll notice the movement isn't just beyond the "prospects." it's also along the edges of the atrium, as vines creep up the cage that you've all found yourselves in. bit by bit, by bit, by bit. ]
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temenos doesn't have those. he's currently busy - in fact, his eyes close, briefly. he tears himself away from looking at crick helping out akito (of course he is) and starts reciting the prayer for the sacred shield if they're going to need it. his first priority is to protect kazuki and todomatsu, and though his sacred shield is not strong enough to completely block any kind of hit, it can at least absorb something. i would never steal your injuries from you.
that's all his focus at the moment, is silently mouthing the words to cast sacred shield. he doesn't do it yet, though todomatsu as our eagle eye might feel that temenos arm is a little warmer than it was before where he was holding onto him.
temenos has not noticed the extra movement. spellcaster life. he is still holding his action for when all hell breaks loose, because inevitably, it is going to break loose. come on, aelfric. come onnnnnn magic powers. ]
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it's when he's looking toward their potential exit route that he sees it — the movement of the vines around them, not just that of the trees behind his brothers. shit... the longer they hesitate here the more of that they're going to have to deal with, right? ]
Hey. The vines are moving — look. I think we really do need to get out of here.
[ a slight tug on temenos's arm (when did it get so warm?), and then he ducks down and starts to move through the crowd, trying to be subtle as possible and kind of wishing now that he wasn't such a showstopping beauty in this getup.
he glances back up to jyushimatsu and the others — they have indeed gotten out of much wilder scrapes than this before, so he wants to believe that they'll pull through this time too. sorry, he mouths silently in their direction. do your best. ]
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owner is still staring at rei, and then they make eye contact with each other. immediately, owner realizes the misunderstanding that forms in rei's head as he slams against the glass. oh, owner is here. this must be owner's fault. it would be amusing, except even he's aware that the odds are stacked very much against his favor at the moment.
he catches todomatsu moving to leave, although he doesn't quite catch what he says. either way, it makes sense that he's going, because there is a lot happening at the moment and their getaway driver is really insistent that they have to go now.
he looks at rei again.
todomatsu heads toward the exit, and owner heads for the stage. he moves slowly and carefully, acting like someone who simply wants a better view, the expression on his face one of simple curiosity. he gets closer and closer, and at least his general small and young appearance woudldn't really seem threatening. the stage the announcer is on isn't too high, just a few steps, so he as casually as possible goes up. and as gracefully as he can, he unsheathes his katana, and goes to try to drive it through the announcer's gut.
this is fine.
but like, if the rest of you want to do anything, owner is probably distracting everyone from the three of you. so like, that's nice. ]
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he doesn't notice anyone following, preoccupied as he is with keeping an eye on akito and checking out the equipment. he's not making any effort to hide, either - even if he did, the guitar would've given him away. but he can go the easy route and try to tell the harpist it's his turn to perform and decide what to do from there. anything to get akito out of here and safe back home.
...except owner makes his move first, and that's enough to startle kazuki out of whatever plan he was trying to think up. ]
Wha-- Hey!
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the announcer isn't anticipating this in the slightest bit, so even as owner comes walking leisurely up to the stage, he's more amusedly watching rei ram into the glass angrily. he only turns when he hears someone joining him on the stage, and he hardly thinks anything of it. his mouth opens to greet his guest, gracious and welcoming, and then there's a choked noise instead of words. because that's a katana run through his gut.
rei stops ramming the glass. blinks at this. and then starts... laughing? you can't hear it, but it's clear that he's laughing as he sees this happen. it's not kind laughter, and it draws the attention of the other seven prospects to see what the hell is going on.
akito sees kazuki, and his face falls in panic and despair, even if he can't see his face he knows knows knows him. you're not supposed to be here, you're not supposed to see him like this, he tried to run away and you wouldn't let him. and now, there's nowhere for him to go.
the brothers, at least, don't see their youngest yet. they're just going a wide range of what the hell!! on the other side of the glass, before there's a rattling that overtakes the entire area. they begin looking around, heads whipping wildly, trying to figure out where the source is.
and, well. crick sees temenos, like a guiding bolt, though it takes him a beat longer to recognize him compared to rei clocking owner instantly and akito realizing just who it was that joined the crazy sword wielding man on the stage. he falters where he is, shocked, before something convicted falls into the set of his shoulders, something more determined. he's not in his armor, he has no weapons, but he looks around to try and find if maybe there's something out here that he can use. a rock, a branch, anything.
the vines are creeping up faster, now, and the metal of the frame begins to groan slightly as they constrict. the thrum is racing, rabbit quick, and the flowers... begin to bloom in the trees above the atrium. ]
... gods... [ adrastea is maybe seeing what you're seeing, now. ]
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okay!! WELL!!!!
the minute owner starts to walk up to the stage, temenos figures out what's going to happen. he reaches out for todomatsu as he's starting to try and make his way out, because that plan is about to be ruined, and then - all hell breaks loose! and not in the way it was going to originally!!
he's going to trust owner to be the most competent for now and immediately puts himself in front of todomatsu, in an imperious swish of white and gold and blue, shoving the tip of his staff down into the ground for purchase. it gives him enough time to look up again, to lock eyes with crick. to see crick see him.
... he didn't go down without a fight then, did he? and crick won't, now, either. this time, temenos is here. whether it's real or not, he won't go down alone. the conviction is enough.
determination flares up with his magical energy. it feels good, to thrum back into his veins, and he meets crick's eyes, and his mouth quirks into a brief, tiny smile, before he casts, a beacon of aelfric's chosen. the shield will have to wait. ]
Holy light, illuminate the darkness! [ and goes for a two pronged luminescence spell, a bright flare of holy light that slams into the glass. cast the light down from above and smite the wicked. is there anything more wicked than this place they've found themselves in? let's light it up. ]
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excuse me?? wasn't this a stealth mission?! didn't you just say this wasn't real?! why the fuck is he the only one trying to do this thing properly now?!!
at least now it's noisy and hectic enough that he doesn't feel like he needs to bother trying to be quiet when he speaks into the communicator. ]
Okay, well, this is a shitshow, and the entrance is way too far for us to get through without getting stopped by a million guards, so can you please come and break through this glass ceiling — literally — in the atrium if you want to salvage this?!
[ ...and then he adds: ]
Try not to hit the guys that look like shittier clones of me if you can help it.
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he pulls the sword out of the announcer, glancing over at kazuki again. hopefully people still have not put two and two together about them knowing each other, so he won't move over to him. instead, he just sort of gestures to where the others are.
he still has his handbag, so in it he is going to just fuckin... pull out the hammer he stowed away, before tossing the bag aside. it's fine. if anyone tries to get close to him he is either going to try to stab them or hit them in the face with a hammer. it's all good. he has no idea what the hell temenos just did but it was flashy so that's cool. ]
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no. they're not doing this again.
cursing under his breath, kazuki heads for one of those alternate exits just as temenos does his thing. they lead into the gardens outside, right? whichever one looks closest to the those on the other side, he's taking it. ]
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I see that now, Matsuno! [ oh, adrastea's voice comes in clearer, irritated, and a shadow is cast over the atrium in the form of a ship. ] The wh-
[ they don't get to ask what the hell he's talking about. between temenos' luminescence spell, which will drain him of some of his tenuous supply of magic, and the pressure being applied by the vines that are apparently trying to get in... the glass shatters (where he aimed the spell) and begins to fracture (where the vines are constricting the building). the announcer sinks to his knees, bleeding freely and looking up at owner in shock from the floor of the stage. people are screaming. everything is going to hell in a handbasket right now.
rei doesn't seem to care about the fact that the vines are now coursing forward and trying to take hold of them, or that they're trying to get inside, and is instead going to where the glass exploded outwards from the blast of magic. there's likely something that can be used to cut himself free, there. crick doesn't seem even a little bit shocked, having ducked his gaze away the moment he saw temenos move, but akito and the matsunos are absolutely shook from the magic that just flashbanged everybody, including them a little bit, so. akito misses kazuki rushing to a tunnel.
as far as kazuki knows, they at least lead into the gardens for more up close viewing. whether they exit out or not isn't something you'll be able to figure out without going down into them. but with his determination, nothing's going to be stopping him right now. go, kazuki, go! ]
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alright! cool! go team. that's what he was hoping for. break the glass with a concentrated burst of light, give this poor group of captured criminals who are just Little Guys a chance to get free on their own. busted ass glass is better than nothing. he'd feel better if he could get a weapon into crick's hands, but for now, this will have to do. and that felt good, too - in a moment of less utter chaos, temenos will enjoy it, but for now, with the feeling of magic thrumming through his veins, he's ready to get moving. ]
Stay close to me. [ that's to todomatsu. with the darkness now dispersed, he's turning his attention to the fracturing vines up ahead, trying to get his eyes upwards to the shadow of the ship?? is that the ship?? and there's owner, who is doublefisting weaponry (cool) and - where did kazuki go.
into his wrist, this time, in hopes that the earpiece picks up - ] Adrastea, what are you seeing -
[ because they. can probably put two and two together about what a heartseed is now huh?? they can just leave, right?? we are such good thieves. ]
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Okay???
[ that light blast was sure a thing, and yeah, he'd definitely rather stand behind the person who can do that than anywhere else, so he'll do what he's told for now.
that said, he's reaching into the high slit of his skirt and pulling his gun out of its thigh holster in preparation while eyes are more focused on the more immediate threats (thanks crazy teammates).
what's the situation with the vines right now? are they like, substantially inside the atrium now that the glass has shattered? where are they relative to the death row gang out there, are these vines focused on threatening all of them or mostly the people inside? or is it equally focused on both because it has two vine hands? ]
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he watches kazuki run off. that's probably fine. and then makes sure the captives are also doing okay where they are. they seem to still be alive so that's also fine probably.
owner will take the opportunity of everyone being fuckin blind to speak to the announcer. his tone is rather friendly, like how you'd talk to an old friend and not someone you just stabbed. ]
What is that thing and how do we stop it? If you refuse to tell me, I'll give you a new hole.
[ he doubts he'll get a useful answer but literally anything might help right now
anyway hopefully everyone else is having fun ]
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kazuki isn't cool enough not to flinch when temenos lets loose, but hey - if the glass is shattered closer to the prisoners out there, he'll go that way instead of the other exist. if not, into the exit he goes! whatever the path of least resistance is since no one is physically stopping him. somebody has to try to help them, right? letting all this happen isn't an option. where the hell are you akito he's mad and he's coming for you
what's out there!! ]
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[ well, they're at least trying to do something here to get you guys out in one piece. but they're not aware of the prospects that were dumped outside for the ceremony, to join the many victims of whatever this heartseed thing really is.
the vine has two hands, unfortunately, but the good news is that all of todomatsu's brothers are free and trying to defend themselves to at least get to where there are more people and less vines. they also aren't out there alone and have faced weirder things than terrible, thorny vines and slowly blooming flowers - so it's probably fine! osomatsu is yelling at the other four in some attempt to boss them around, as the oldest, but it's... mixed success at the moment.
crick is trying very hard to get them to stop arguing while they're also trying to survive. it's not going great, but he's standing and fighting, trying to protect them and cover for rei who is busy attempting to cut himself free while his (redacted) interrogates and threatens a man. go figure.
owner is terrifying to this announcer, actually! he's bloody and trying to apply pressure to his gut as the guards fumble to make their way over, torn between blindly running at the stage and also blindly running towards where the source of light was. some of them have tasers, like he saw earlier. some of them have actual pistols. a few are more preoccupied trying to stomp or hit away vines. it's mixed success here also though. ]
The... the heartseed... there isn't any stopping it, but it's not... it's not supposed to be like this...
[ forces kazuki to go into the tunnel. the path of least resistance is there, even if there are people flooding into it with him. there's a flash of color that isn't green or the delicate pinks, whites, and yellows of the flowers that are opening, so akito is either trying to find him or run away from him. hard to tell. ]
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