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. ]
don't get caught up in the vines. okay, easy enough. (it's not) but at least there's that? the vines are starting to get all up into the everything. are they attacking people/partygoers at the moment, not just the "criminals"? otherwise, he's moving!!! temenos probably needs to get him and todomatsu away from his initial light spell area, anyway, and he casts a second, smaller holy light spell at the vines that are stating to get nearer to them. are they reactive? do they shrivel? do they take radiant damage.
anyway i got lost in the sauce, is it just the tunnel to get out? how far is owner away from us currently.... temenos respects his making of holes and interrogation and stabbing but also let's not ditch the guy. in the meantime, he tilts his head across the room to where the innocent little guys are fighting off the plant, and calls out, loudly - and somehow, just as calm as if nothing is happening, ] Come along, my wayward lamb!
[ and then jerks his head in the direction of the tunnel? you better come when you're called.
also the second a guard gets close to him forget the spell, he's gonna start swinging, aiming to thwack someone right across the face with his staff. they need to start getting out of here. ]
[ frankly if any guard gets too close to them they're getting a fucking bullet to the face if the staff doesn't get there first.
he will also fire a shot at the vines if they're getting too up in his bros' business, and will take this moment while he has their attention to repeat the supportive words he silently offered earlier out loud. ]
HEY, NEET VILLAGE! STOP DICKING AROUND AND GET AWAY FROM THE PLANTS ALREADY!
but okay, he supposes it makes sense that the vines would normally NOT burst through the glass or else these people would likely not keep coming every year. ]
The heartseed. Where do I find it?
[ there has to be like something they can physically grab and take, right?
he hears temenos calling and will in theory run off in their direction as soon as he gets some sort of answer here, unless he dies in the next mod tag I guess ]
[ i'm sorry this tag is going to be so useless. he's just beelining for that flash of color, paying no attention whatsoever to who he has to shoulder out of the way or the vines around them. goodbye everyone. ]
[ everything is chaos! the vines are snaking in further, and the splintered and fractured glass begins to crack beyond the hairline fractures that had already begun. some of the vines are managing to slip through the cracks, and others are pulling the hole created by the holy light wider.
a hole is finally broken in at the ceiling, causing glass shards to rain down on everyone. it hits many an unsuspecting guest, causing them to cry out. temenos and todomatsu, roll to see if anything hits you as you yell at your loved ones and try to avoid guards. anything under a 12 will be more substantial damage, anything above will be minor. if you roll a critical fail then. well. sucks.
crick's head visibly whips up to hear that he's being called for, a cut across his face. but he does not disobey the command, and instead grabs one of the many identical siblings - ichimatsu, who hasn't done so great with the situation it seems - under his arm. the collective of NEETs do hear their brother, at least. a chorus of insults and relief and anger are shouted back. ] SHUT UP, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!?
[ crick wonders if this is what it's like to have siblings but doesn't ask questions as he hauls ichimatsu away as incentive for the other four to follow him. he's lost sight of rei - as have all of you - but whether that's for the best or not is uhhh questionable. given his personality and murderous intent about five minutes ago.
owner is far enough away from this to not take any glass damage at the moment, but he's kind of busy anyways so there are priorities here. the announcer spits blood on owner's nice shoes, but fortunately you probably can't see it in all of the red. still, he points back, deeper beyond the cracking glass. ] It's... it's inside the garden, further out...
[ the pulsing thrum has not stopped this entire time.
kazuki is gone forever. so long. there's a grinding noise behind him at the entrance of the tunnel, like metal twisting against metal, as vines press down on the glass. people scream more. it's loud and crowded, and people push back, but he can get a look at akito towards the end of the tunnel where he's got his hands pressed against the glass. ]
[ glass. there is glass everywhere. temenos manages to fling out another spell - this one quicker, summoning up a sacred shield up above his and todomatsu's heads. it doesn't absorb all damage, but it should at least eat some of the glass, and he shuts an eye when it cracks and jerks his head to try and avoid anything too painful or anything getting in between this stupid giant mask and his skin.
hearing the osomatsu siblings shriek and yell is even a little relieving for him, but temenos doesn't pay attention to it beyond that. for now he has to focus on the vines and the guards. the smaller holy light spells don't take nearly as much mana, and he fries a vine when it gets close and takes a step towards the matsus and crick, trying to shield todomatsu at the same time. his head moves, quickly, trying to keep track, and - ]
Kazuki! [ this is getting called into the earpiece?! HELLO WHERE DID YOU GO ]
[ under his breath because crick's already leading them off (for which he is grateful).]
Well, do it better.
[ jeez. he helpfully voices temenos's thoughts that they're probably all fucking thinking right now into the earpiece — WHERE DID YOU GO??? — but aside from this he's just tagging along behind his pope shield with his gun at the ready, i'm sorry. this isn't the part of things his skills were made for. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
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 subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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!
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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! ]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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? ]
no subject
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 ]
no subject
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!! ]
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
don't get caught up in the vines. okay, easy enough. (it's not) but at least there's that? the vines are starting to get all up into the everything. are they attacking people/partygoers at the moment, not just the "criminals"? otherwise, he's moving!!! temenos probably needs to get him and todomatsu away from his initial light spell area, anyway, and he casts a second, smaller holy light spell at the vines that are stating to get nearer to them. are they reactive? do they shrivel? do they take radiant damage.
anyway i got lost in the sauce, is it just the tunnel to get out? how far is owner away from us currently.... temenos respects his making of holes and interrogation and stabbing but also let's not ditch the guy. in the meantime, he tilts his head across the room to where the innocent little guys are fighting off the plant, and calls out, loudly - and somehow, just as calm as if nothing is happening, ] Come along, my wayward lamb!
[ and then jerks his head in the direction of the tunnel? you better come when you're called.
also the second a guard gets close to him forget the spell, he's gonna start swinging, aiming to thwack someone right across the face with his staff. they need to start getting out of here. ]
no subject
he will also fire a shot at the vines if they're getting too up in his bros' business, and will take this moment while he has their attention to repeat the supportive words he silently offered earlier out loud. ]
HEY, NEET VILLAGE! STOP DICKING AROUND AND GET AWAY FROM THE PLANTS ALREADY!
[ or that. ]
no subject
but okay, he supposes it makes sense that the vines would normally NOT burst through the glass or else these people would likely not keep coming every year. ]
The heartseed. Where do I find it?
[ there has to be like something they can physically grab and take, right?
he hears temenos calling and will in theory run off in their direction as soon as he gets some sort of answer here, unless he dies in the next mod tag I guess ]
no subject
Akito!
no subject
a hole is finally broken in at the ceiling, causing glass shards to rain down on everyone. it hits many an unsuspecting guest, causing them to cry out. temenos and todomatsu, roll to see if anything hits you as you yell at your loved ones and try to avoid guards. anything under a 12 will be more substantial damage, anything above will be minor. if you roll a critical fail then. well. sucks.
crick's head visibly whips up to hear that he's being called for, a cut across his face. but he does not disobey the command, and instead grabs one of the many identical siblings - ichimatsu, who hasn't done so great with the situation it seems - under his arm. the collective of NEETs do hear their brother, at least. a chorus of insults and relief and anger are shouted back. ] SHUT UP, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!?
[ crick wonders if this is what it's like to have siblings but doesn't ask questions as he hauls ichimatsu away as incentive for the other four to follow him. he's lost sight of rei - as have all of you - but whether that's for the best or not is uhhh questionable. given his personality and murderous intent about five minutes ago.
owner is far enough away from this to not take any glass damage at the moment, but he's kind of busy anyways so there are priorities here. the announcer spits blood on owner's nice shoes, but fortunately you probably can't see it in all of the red. still, he points back, deeper beyond the cracking glass. ] It's... it's inside the garden, further out...
[ the pulsing thrum has not stopped this entire time.
kazuki is gone forever. so long. there's a grinding noise behind him at the entrance of the tunnel, like metal twisting against metal, as vines press down on the glass. people scream more. it's loud and crowded, and people push back, but he can get a look at akito towards the end of the tunnel where he's got his hands pressed against the glass. ]
no subject
hearing the osomatsu siblings shriek and yell is even a little relieving for him, but temenos doesn't pay attention to it beyond that. for now he has to focus on the vines and the guards. the smaller holy light spells don't take nearly as much mana, and he fries a vine when it gets close and takes a step towards the matsus and crick, trying to shield todomatsu at the same time. his head moves, quickly, trying to keep track, and - ]
Kazuki! [ this is getting called into the earpiece?! HELLO WHERE DID YOU GO ]
no subject
Well, do it better.
[ jeez. he helpfully voices temenos's thoughts that they're probably all fucking thinking right now into the earpiece — WHERE DID YOU GO??? — but aside from this he's just tagging along behind his pope shield with his gun at the ready, i'm sorry. this isn't the part of things his skills were made for. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)