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redactable2020-11-15 01:53 pm
retellers) wrote in redactable2020-11-15 01:53 pm
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WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE
WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE (21 remain) Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. To the participants, yesterday's events may seem distant now—albeit not as distant as their life before this. Whether or not they notice, they will have lost a memory upon waking up. As usual, the participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and should anyone check their PHS, Chiron, Ochako, Soo-won, and Dorothy's profiles have been removed. They may also find that they have difficulty recalling complete details of the past weeks. Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated. Not everything is the same as the previous pattern, though. The barrier to the north is back up, and once more, what lies beyond is an empty field. In contrast, however, participants may notice that they can finally access a place they haven't been able to before... Additionally, it looks like the Leaders aren't around. No matter where the participants look, they're nowhere to be found. Should anyone try calling for them in the Planetarium, there will be no response—not even a message telling the participant that they're busy. Finally, everything around the participants begins to... glitch? Buildings may suddenly blink out of existence and then back in, random items like chairs or cups may suddenly distort even while they're being used, and looking at any particular thing for too long may give someone a headache. It's worse than it was that one week, though: participants will find that it's happening to themselves as well. Body parts might suddenly glitch out of existence then back in, and there will be a shot of pain when it occurs. It'll happen randomly, but it also seems to occur more often if they're touching something or another person. |
NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories |
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[ enough that he almost feels bad when lester pops up and usagi nudges him to go. almost. ]
[ but yeah, on three. he gives her a silent nod, making sure bark is good and distracted before they slip off. ]
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And, at the front, is a man who might be vaguely familiar to anyone who's looked at the photo in Goat's room. He seems to be speaking—hey, you're just in time to hear his speech. ]
... will show them that the fate of mankind is in our hands. We will gouge out those who kept us in the shadows and tried to isolate us.
[ He points a sword towards the sky. ]
Soldiers, draw your swords! Soak your swords with blood and show them! That we are the rulers!
[ Well then. The army does as he commands, roaring in agreement.
Then, a voice—Goat's—echoes. "Is that your plan? Ares."
Ares looks shocked, as a figure steps forward from the crowd, unveiling his hood to reveal Goat. From there, a memory plays, because that was way too much for me to write out.
Once it ends and Goat disappears, so do all the Deman soldiers, leaving Xie Lian and Hua Cheng alone with Ares who still stands at the front. A void forms behind him, as what can most accurately be described as teeth emerge—before they lunge towards Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.
They'll want to be careful, as they'll find that these teeth aren't essentially just giant blades: whatever they touch turns to ash. ]
[ Over with Usagi and Zuko:
Bark apparently does not notice his babysitting charges escaping. As they presumably go around the corner, Lexter looks very happy to see them!
Whispering: ]
Phew, caught up with you guys! Ready to finish this? I've got a plan.
[ He points to a mountain in the distance. Wait, was that always there? Maybe not, because Zuko might recognize it. It looks awfully like a mountain he might've shouted on before. ]
We just need to head up that mountain. Once we're at the peak, everything will fall into place.
[ I assume neither Usagi nor Zuko has a reason to be all "fuck you, Lexter, no," so he'll lead them towards the mountain. Once they've climbed up part of the way, though...
Bark suddenly drops down near them (where the heck did he come from? mystery), a giant mace in hand. Seriously, the size of the spiked ball alone is probably like half of Zuko's height. ]
And where exactly do you think you're going...?
[ Children :/ ]
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ares.
seeing goat like this - instead of like they had before, red haired and bloodied makes xie lian's heart lurch. he can see where this conversation is going the moment he starts speaking, as the pieces of memories that goat was able to share with him, over meals and quiet conversations, are starting to click into place.
that child would go on to commit many sins, because of my actions--and that is my own sin.
--"so you have finally made your mind up about me", he says--
Still, even with what I know... I don't think I can say that given the chance to redo it all, I would leave that child to die instead, before he had dirtied his hands.
xie lian remembers. he remembers the look on goat's face when he talked about it - remembers the solidarity he'd felt, in that moment, and the affection and warmth he'd felt for the kind of person that goat has always shown himself to be.
as ares finishes talking, xie lian takes a step forward - if he's going to shut the soldiers out, he's not going to shut the two of them out, xie lian is chasing after goat and he's not going to stop -- but then, he's gone again, and there's a much, much bigger problem.
the teeth look deeply concerning.
xie lian jerks backwards, immediately, his danger senses screaming, and puts himself in front of hua cheng, drawing his sword. there's not much fighting you can do against a giant tooth void monster but he is not getting anywhere near that thing, especially once it begins to touch literally any part of the building around them! he also now understands where goat's injury that week came from! ]
-- Back - get back, hurry, don't let it touch you! [ xie lian is really tired of people he cares about (and their body parts) getting turned to ashes!!! HE'S REALLY TIRED OF IT!!! ]
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The juxtaposition of him standing across from Ares, as Xie Lian is witness to the culmination of one of Goat's greatest mistakes is lost on him, no matter the stark crimson that it's all painted in.
Hua Cheng has lost enough body parts to various voids, he's not interested in doing it again to one full of spinning teeth. ]
Like hell.
[ Xie Lian putting himself in front of him at least gets him closer, and he snatches him by his free hand. Neither of them is at their full strength, and if the gnashing maw is destroying the world around them then it's certainly going to be destroying any weapons that they throw at it. Swords, Ruoye, their fists - all of it, gone, lost to a memory that is very, very real to them. Ares at least is a combatant that they can, conceivably, fight. But they need more room.
This is not the first time they've run from trouble to get ahead of it, to find a solution, and it won't be the last. So he pulls, booking it in the opposite direction of the void rather than letting either of them get any funny ideas about sacrificing themselves. Xie Lian can at least fight back still as they make a strategic... relocation, not retreat.
(There is the brief consideration of throwing their miniature toothy friend at it, to see what happens, but he instead flies past it. Maybe it'll eat Ares.) ]
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but alas up she up goes and looks miserable all the while. and see!!! she was right in not wanting to!!! because look who showed up again and now they’ve gotta deal with him. :unamused:
at least usagi still has the bag of gun xie lian threw at her earlier? thank goodness for that.
meanwhile i rolled at 19 so make with that as you will, jan. ]
We got lost?
[ she’s not even trying to sound contrite ]
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[ he's going to move in front of usagi and lexter, who i didn't forget was here. maybe they can avoid a fight?? ]
... We took a detour. You weren't sure what to show us, right?
[ that's not really what bark said but yeah ]
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The good news is, they might not actually have to fight him...?
Hua Cheng tries to fly past it, but guess what! That blob is jumping at his leg, and chomp it goes. Revenge, maybe. (I feel like I should specify that the biting won't, like, take Hua Cheng's leg off or anything. It won't even be hard enough to bleed!) Dark power swirls around the scene, enveloping Hua Cheng, along with Xie Lian because why not. Wouldn't want either of them to get lonely! Within the mass of power, they'll hear echoes of voices, and glimpses of memories.
"Do you want to save him with your own two hands? Unless you are trying to pacify the entire world, give up."
"I shall do so to those I see."
"The flow of life exists even in places God cannot see. If you are able to find an answer just from what you see, you can no longer walk the same path as me. Are you planning to return to the world's flow within that meager body?"
"If I am able to save that child, I will gladly do so."
Then, a man whipping a young Ares, before light erupts and Goat descends, as if from the heavens.
A grave, marked as Ares. Goat unearthing it, revealing a grown Ares but without horns, tears falling from Goat's eyes as vapour spills from his mouth.
—Then, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng will awaken in what looks to be a cave. Ares, as a young child, sleeps peacefully nearby. While they won't be sure of how they know this, they will be aware of one thing: they have gone back in time, to before the Demans were ever created.
Near the two of them lies a sharp knife. ]
[ Back with the kiddos:
Bark looks very unimpressed with Usagi and Zuko's attempts at lying, especially when Usagi pulls out the flame gun again.
Lexter looks like a deer in headlights. ]
Uhhhh...
[ At this point, Lexter sort of panics and does what any self-respecting human would do in this situation: whip out pepper spray and spray this dude in the eyes! Amazingly, this works, as Bark drops his heavy ass mace because his EYES, kicking up clouds of dirt as the mace slams into the ground.
While Bark is momentarily distracted, Lexter whips out his hoverboard and looks to Usagi. ]
This is only supposed to fit one... but maybe you're small enough that you won't, like, count as a full person? We gotta hurry to the top!
[ Get on the hoverboard with him, Usagi. Don't, uh, be too afraid of the lightning coming down around the area.
Then he looks at Zuko. ]
Can you hold this guy off in the meantime?
[ Assuming Zuko (who wouldn't fit on the board with them, unfortunately) says yes and Usagi gets on the board, Lexter will take off. Imagine if Sipp is about to tell me that Zuko said no.
On the bright side, once Bark regains his bearing, he doesn't attack Zuko immediately. Instead, he looks at where Lexter and Usagi are probably fleeing away, before picking up his mace with a lurch and looking back at Zuko. ]
... Why are you fighting against us?
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he'd defied the will of the heavens, once (twice, really), to save his beloved xian le - even as the heavenly emperor scolded him for trying to intervene. given up his godhood, just like this, to put both of his feet on the ground and throw himself into saving the common people. ("Do you not realize that if you descend to appear before mortals, it will be a violation of heavenly law?" "then so be it!") he had never been the type to sit on his hands and watch, like everyone in the heavens had seemed to be - and a young xie lian had suffered the consequences of it.
but he had to try. and he would suffer those consequences again, if it meant that he didn't sit on his laurels and watch xian le burn. even if he failed at helping - he tried.
the juxtaposition of the memories - goat descending from the heavens, the way he intervened with the child, and goat unearthing the grave of an adult ares, the tears that were falling down his cheeks - won't leave him for a long, long time. it leaves him even more profoundly touched for the person he's come to know. for the person they have to find.
as xie lian blinks to reality again, swaying a little on his feet and finding hua cheng's robes with his hand, he looks around them at the cave, at the child - and his fingers curl tighter in hua cheng's robe, just for a second, steadying before he releases. even before he gets the sensation of where they are, xie lian thinks he already knows.
xie lian looks at the child, for a long moment. ]
...This is Ares. [ he says, quietly, when he finally speaks, eyes never leaving his sleeping form. ] Brother Goat told me that he left his own heavenly realm to save his life.
[ and they saw it, just for a flash - the holy light, the look of shock on the child's face as he had been saved. he knows that look, because he's seen it on the very person standing next to him, a fact he's only finally learned in his time in the realm. that tiny child who he saved that day (who would go on to become a calamity) had looked at him as if he'd hung the stars and moon in the sky himself, because xie lian wouldn't let him die.
his gaze flicks to the knife - his brow furrows, and the conviction that xie lian has always had (for the love of humanity, for the love of their agency and will, for kindness, for goodness, for every belief he's always held) wraps tight around his heart.
(I don't think I can say that given the chance to redo it all, I would leave that child to die instead, before he had dirtied his hands.)
he takes a step towards the knife - and kicks it away, towards the mouth of the cave. ]
Fate, destiny - if that child will make the decisions he will make, then they are his decisions to make. No ominous stars or bad fortunes and futures mean that his life should be taken from him.
[ right? ]
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In this case, to another part of Goat's memories.
This time, the parallels aren't lost on him. And with his own memory freshly restored to him, with Xie Lian standing at his side, with what he knows - it makes for a powerful twist of fate, across the three realms, across the Realm itself, and through Goat's homeworld to have them be the ones to witness this series of memories. (And, of course, Jan coming for our throats.)
His hand goes and settles on Xie Lian's arm, staying there even after he's steadied himself, as he reorients himself, as well.
Xie Lian's words settle on him, and he can't say he's surprised as his gaze settles on Ares, young and vulnerable, a time in the past that could have been changed, for all the suffering it would likely prevent.
(Would this have been Hua Cheng, in another life? For all the kindness that he and Ares were shown, what followed, to lead Ares down this path where Hua Cheng had taken another? For all that he had loathed mankind and its cruelty, the years of people causing him misery, the star he was born under causing him a less than fortuitous fate...
He looks at Xie Lian, remembering the hand that reached out to him, the one that cradled him close when so much of the world had cast him aside.
... he can pretend he doesn't care about people, but things have changed. And they had begun to change a long time ago because of one person.) ]
If Goat made his choice, then he'd made his choice. The same as Ares would come to.
[ I can't tell you what to choose, he'd said, to another heartbroken and lost child. You deserve to make the choice yourself, for what feels right in the end. Whether it will be - that's for you to find out. ]
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usagi looks rather overwhelmed by the past five minutes but she manages to give lexter a stink eye for his comment. don’t try her, npc-kun....! she’s learned how to punch!!
yet her she is, yelling from the back of his magic hover ride ]
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[ he's still tenderly holding that falcon. he hasn't made a move to grab his swords or attack bark. he's just standing there. ]
... I don't want to fight you. I haven't even drawn my weapon.
[ a beat, because usagi did. ] We've been attacked a lot today, and she's jumpy and .... kind of..... I mean, she burned me earlier. [ zuko just throws usagi under the bus???? at least she's out of earshot. ] As for the other guy.... from what I've gathered, there's some kind of war going on here?
[ maybe it's not his place to get involved, but war..... is bad. ]
[ he sighs, though. ]
Look, if you attack me, I'll defend myself. But I'm not here for a fight. I'm trying to find my fr---
[ a beat, here. are he and goat friends? zuko wanted to be, but he still hasn't gotten to know him too well. and goat's been disappointed before, he said. and zuko knows, more than anything, how much he's disappointed others. maybe it's only a matter of time. ]
[ then there's the other end of it. could zuko trust goat? he'd trusted his own leader, and he'd gotten burned for it. ]
[ ... ]
... I'm trying to find someone I care about. She is, too. He's got silver hair, he teleports, and he likes animals. He's in trouble. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to help him. I don't have any issue with you. But if you try to stop me, then we're going to have to fight.
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You will not sacrifice anyone...?
[ If they turn around, there's a woman, ethereal and with a face identical to Goat's. She smiles. ]
If you return to the present like this, you will have to fight him regardless—and, in your current state, die by his hands. If you intend to kill him one way or another, what does it matter, to do it now or in the future?
[ Over with Usagi:
She and Lexter zoom around on a hoverboard, heading to the peak of the mountain. Once they're there and get off the board, Lexter manifests what might be a very familiar pink, heart-shaped scepter to her and presses it into her hands. ]
You gotta activate this! [ what ] Let there be light, and all that jazz. Once you do, the path will be complete.
[ Over with Zuko:
Bark eyes him for a moment, before speaking. ]
... So you're looking for Lord █████. However, Lord Ares has already deemed him unnecessary in his new kingdom, and so he must be disposed of.
[ His grip tightens around his weapon. ]
You've got spunk, kid. You would've made for a good Deman. But as Lord Ares's first follower, I will not let him down—so if you're going to get in our way, I won't let you.
[ And then, with superhuman strength as lightning crashes around them, he swings the mace at Zuko.]
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jan: :')
me:
me:
me: welp ]
Oh....!
[ she almost reverently takes her scepter, a fond gentle smile on her face as her eyes close. it doesn't take more than a simple thought to activate it and whoosh there goes the path, y'all have fun now ]
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xie lian holds still, for a moment, before he turns, and sees - well, he sees what he was expecting. the woman from goat's memories, wearing his face.
he regards her for a second. ]
...What would you know, if it mattered or not? [ xie lian says, slowly. ] You have no way to understand what he was feeling - [ not the child, but... more importantly, not goat, either. his hands curl at his sides, into fists. ] - and no way to understand that the future is not always set in stone.
Maybe it'll be the same. Maybe it won't. But there's no way of telling that if you cut something off before it ever has the chance to grow, because of some future that someone says has to be. No one makes their fate but themselves - and beings like you that cause more strife in the first place!
If it's a fool's errand to wait, then so be it, but if there's a chance, even a fraction of a chance that saving this child's life has done something good, even if it's just for the sake of saving his life right now, then it's worth it! Showing someone kindness isn't a weakness. Saving someone's life -- trying to save someone's life is never the wrong path. If something goes wrong, then that was this child's choice, and we will give him that choice to make himself. No matter how many times it goes wrong --
[ a beat, and his voice picks up some volume - xie lian gestures sharply with his free hand. ]
-- I am not afraid of failure, and neither is he!
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But he lifts his gaze up and turns, instead, unimpressed. ]
It's fascinating to me, that so many that would call themselves gods decide they know the best actions that need to be taken. Do they just enjoy watching mankind and taking their choices from them? For the greater good, for their own gain, for the well-being of humans. If he made his choice, and wouldn't come here himself to change it with the chance, then there's more important things to worry about.
[ Humans are selfish by nature, but amazing how gods will always take the crown, there. They don't even have the selfish desire for life that is so inherent in humans to excuse some of their actions. ]
No god, no star of misfortune, no Realm, will make my choices for me. I took my fate in my hands - if I face death, it won't be the first time, and it'll be my choice to face it head-on rather than killing a child.
One person's kindness granted me that chance. One person will always make a difference - one act of kindness, one person saved, can change fate.
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[ the irony here is not lost on zuko -- he knows his mountain, he was on it, screaming at the sky to strike him. and now the lightning's crashing around them, and it's a very real possibility. ]
[ his expression hardens at bark's words, and he finally reaches for his weapon. they're at an impasse - zuko's equally as determined not to let goat down, and there's no way around this. ]
[ too bad. ]
It is what it is, then.
[ with that, he throws himself under the mace, drawing out his broadsword with one fluid motion and striking to incapacitate him. their size difference and rng smiling upon zuko means it's easy enough for him to dodge -- but he has to jump pretty high to strike a significant blow. luckily, mario jumping and parkour comes easily enough, and he strikes precisely and without hesitation. ]
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If this had been a human, or perhaps a weaker Deman, Bark would certainly be dead—but then, despite the seemingly lethal hit, he appears to be regenerating...? That is, unfortunately for Zuko, he's dealing with a boss-level opponent. At this proximity, Bark's hand lashes out to grab Zuko's throat, either to choke the life out of him or maybe even to just tear his head from his neck.
—And then Usagi activates the scepter. It doesn't actually create a path, though. "Then why did Lexter keep talking about a road" there are some things that made more sense before canons collided.
Light erupts from her scepter, high up on the peak and spreading across the land. To humans, it brings no harm, but for every Deman it touches? Their skin burns and their bodies crumble away. Honestly, they're supposed to be weak to sunlight, so maybe Sailor MOON saving the day is horribly inappropriate, but it's fine.
As Bark begins to disintegrate, and after his initial shock, he can only smile in resignation. ]
... The victor is the one who's right, in the end.
[ A nod of respect for Zuko, there. And then, with the rest of the Demans, his body turns to nothing.
As for Xie Lian and Hua Cheng:
The woman only continues to smile serenely, making it difficult to decipher how she feels about their response. If anything at all, really. ]
We will see what comes from your choice, then.
[ Then, their surroundings shatter. When they come to their senses, they're back in the area where they were fighting Ares, though he's no longer there. In his place is another white cosmos flower; again, if any of them touches it, everyone in this group will regain one of their memories.
With the Demans dead, humans begin to fill the space; dressed in uniforms, so most likely they're the militia Lexter spoke of. Speaking of Lexter himself, when he climbs back down from the mountain (with Usagi and Zuko in tow, maybe), a burly, gruff-looking man dashes toward him to wrap him in a bear hug.
The humans look around in awe. The Demans are gone? They're free?
Looks like you've won... maybe? There's still no sign of Goat anywhere. ]
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when xie lian's senses return to him, he looks down, and the first thing he sees is another white cosmos flower, and this time, he's the one to pick it up.
and when he does, he inhales, a short, sharp intake of breath.
(remaining in the place where that ghost had stood - wu ming - was the sword fang xin, as cold and chilled as night, but silenced... and a single, pristine white flower, lightly dusted with dew. the only symbol of the sacrifice that 'no one' had made.)
his hand curls around the flower - xie lian squeezes it, shutting his eyes tightly for a moment, and briefly brings it to his heart, before he straightens again.
looking around to see zuko and usagi is a relief - it crosses his face immediately, expression softening into a smile. ] Zuko, Miss Serenity -
[ - and he watches the bear hug happen (i hope all of them get hugged), and starts to look around again. still holding the flower to his chest, he can feel the sensation of shock, and awe, and then, joy. it feels like a battlefield - the end of a war. the dawning of a new day.
...but something's missing. ]
...We... Brother Goat, we still have to find him. Young man --
[ someone start asking these people about our goat!! WHERE IS OUR GOAT ]
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(He already had the actions, the memories, but he didn't have his identity to go with it. Didn't have the name, or lack thereof, to go with it. Funny, how he's truly becoming nameless, and yet has gained something akin to one.)
If the Demans are gone, then it truly is a cause for celebration. And yet, they aren't done yet. They don't know where Goat is, and they're still here, in this world created from memories. Where's their dramatic exit and their rewards for the journey? They're not done yet. ]
Lexter! [ We don't have time for this. ] Where's "Mr. God?"
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which is why she’s perfectly fine following along after everyone smiling gently at the reunions happening ]
Usagi is fine, Xie Lian-san.
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[ zuko returns the nod of respect ]
.... No. Your convictions aren't wrong. We both wanted to protect someone we care about.
[ his last words as mark disappears and he's reunited with the fam. when he touches the flower and his memory returns he shudders... and sighs. ]
[ but that conviction is renewed. ]
... We have to find him.
[ he seems... driven. less directionless, maybe ]
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A void appears high up above everyone's head, like a black hole sucking in the sky itself. The group will feel an intense pressure; a menacing aura that can only be described as the impending end of the world. To Xie Lian and Hua Cheng especially, something about it rings familiar of the woman they just encountered.
Then, everything—everyone—around them begins to turn to ash. It's just slow enough that the humans can see what's going on, can look horrified before they and their loved ones dissipate and scatter. Lexter can't manage to say anything, before he and the man holding onto him join the others. Nothing but ashes, now.
All the while, an unfamiliar voice sounds out. ]
Now, o King, make thine second advent! Unlike 'Ra', only thou art seeing the correct world. May Destruction be our salvation—
[ Before it all reaches and kills Xie Lian and co., though, Zuko will feel the falcon stir. Light bursts forth from it, enveloping the group. It almost feels like a warm embrace, as if touched by the sunlight.
When the light fades, they'll see that they're safe, although everything else around them has been brought to ruin. Night has fallen, leaving them almost entirely in darkness. The bird is unconscious once more, and Zuko will be able to feel its life force growing weaker and weaker.
Aside from the newfound desolation, however, there's something that's different. If they walk a bit further out, they'll find a design drawn into the ground. Within the center lies a baby goat, surrounded by what look to be weapons: a gun, a flute, a double-sided lance, a gauntlet, a staff, an orb, a chain, and something resembling a two-pronged trident, but with the handle sharpened at the end like a spear.
If they try picking up any of the weapons, it turns into light in their hands. It doesn't quite retain a shape, like it's more a manifestation of power than a physical object, but it resembles a blade and seems sharp enough to stab something all the same. (If they put it back down, it returns to normal.) The only exception is the last, trident-like weapon, which does not change at all if they pick it up.
Voices echo. ]
Hurry! You must pierce the goat with the eight spears—complete the ceremony—
[ Then, more. ]
Do not listen to them—they are trying to trick you—she will be fully released if you do—
[ ...
So, what will you do? ]
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and then, there's nothing.
what was left behind here can only be called devastation. xie lian slowly rises as the light fades, standing up among the ashes for the first, second, third, hundredth time all the same, and feels his heart shatter to pieces at the sight. so many brief and beautiful moments of joy, and that void, endlessly yawning and cruel, at the center of it. destroying it in seconds.
... there's no time to focus on the suffering and loss, though. not now. only stand up, and walk forward. just up ahead, there's an array, and weapons, and... xie lian's heart surges at the sight of something tiny in the center of it. he's already starting to move as the voices echo around them. one step. two steps. three, to bound into the space of the array itself.
complete the ceremony.
of all of the parallels to his own life, xie lian thinks this may be the worst.
for a moment, the memory surges to life in the back of his head, something he's never forgotten - it has been eight hundred years and the trauma of his own altar still wakes him in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. one sword, one hundred times, reducing him to a pile of unrecognizable flesh in the name of a cure that didn't even matter.
even now, the mere words coming from the voices around them send ice into his veins, and xie lian feels his heartbeat ratchet up in his ears, in a moment of crystal clear terror. (it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, why can't i die, it hurts, IT HURTS)
but it's not terror for himself - it's for goat.
as he enters the array, he drops to his knees beside this tiny baby goat - what a fitting name, for their nameless leader, isn't it? -- and reaches for it, his hand hesitating for barely a second before he soothes a (shaking, trembling) hand over the top of its head, instead. if he can pick up baby goat he will. ]
Don't be scared. [ he says, barely loud enough to be heard, voice affected with emotion. his back is to the others, at the moment - a veritable shield. ] Don't worry. Nothing will hurt you.
[ xie lian is not going to let what happened to him happen again.
not if he can help it.
if someone has to be stabbed, then they can just stab him instead. ]
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Well, something to think about later. When the images of a fleeting victory crumble into nothing, and all that's left is the four of them and the again-unconscious falcon.
His gaze drops down to the bird in Zuko's arms, his hand on Usagi's back and his brow furrowed, before he moves to look at everything - at least, until more voices begin to echo throughout the ruin around them. The same words stick in his mind that do in Xie Lian's, and it's almost like someone took one of the "spears" and ran it through him.
Xie Lian's reaction is what wrenches it deeper.
Every step is followed, every trace of hesitation seen, the shaking of his hand driving the pain in further and further, as he remembers being forced to watch a ceremony, with no body to fight with, no hands to offer comfort with, no strength to do anything. It doesn't matter if it's only eight spears - to Xie Lian, and so to Hua Cheng, it's a hundred swords all over again. It's no wonder that this bond was forged.
He steps forward, following, but surveys the weapons.
After finding out what happens when they touch them - whether it's just him checking, or Zuko and Usagi check as well, it doesn't matter - he makes his decision.
Hua Cheng straightens, moving into the circle proper, and hooks the toe of his boot under the trident, kicking it up to catch. While he has his saber, this is a weapon provided by this memory, and is the only one to remain solid. It means something. He will not let some figment from Goat's past come near it, for risk that it could be used against them. ]
No. [ He sounds furious, in just one word.
He is not just some ghost fire, unable to fight, unable to protect. Not this time.
This will not happen again - it doesn't matter if it's to Xie Lian (although he knows he'd offer himself up, he remembers him doing it, for a people suffering the sins of a war long over), or if it's to the defenseless goat. ]
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[ there’s no time to stop it, no time to reactivate her temporary fix, all Usagi can do is look on in horror as the world turns to ash around them. but-
this falcon of theirs……… standing as close to zuko as she was, usagi slides a gentle finger down the back of its head in thanks as she too takes in this scene. both dad's reactions make her heart ache, the emotion behind both of their words clear enough to know Something about it is familiar to them. ]
How dare you assume we would hurt an innocent soul! There is nothing you say that would turn our hand against those we protect!
[ she’s stepping in slow circles, yelling at clouds, though the way her shoulders pull back and the defiant jut of her chin makes it seem like she’s done this before. all she needs now is the light of the moon to turn her into the sailor guardian she is. ]
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