AUBREY'S PALACE

[moodwrecker]

♪ ♫ ♪

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[moodwrecker]

SHADOW AUBREY isn't quite able to defend herself in time - Richard and Kaine manage to score hits on her, though Kaine's attack ripples through the crowd. Between that and Arven helping to flip the pews, the pressuring gaze feels nearly unbearable, and the whispers are now a dull roar of judgment.

“Ah, ever since her father left... ...She’s so uncontrollable... ...Disrespectful... ...I feel bad for her mother...”

The sword and shield once meant to defend and counter against any attacks against her falter.

SHADOW AUBREY has fallen into despair!

SHADOW AUBREY cannot move this turn!

[beathollow]

HER MOTHER DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING. NONE OF YOU DID! NONE OF YOU TRIED TO HELP HER AT ALL, DID YOU? And you did this, talked about her like this, hurt her in the house of God! What would your God say about all of this? You're all HORRIBLE!

( telling, isn't it, that that is what sets mafuyu off. how dare these people! how dare these people look at a struggling family, a struggling child and scorn her! did they even bother trying to extend a hand? or was it funner to judge!

mafuyu isn't sure what to do right now. so she might act in a little bit- )

[supherb]

[He should be focusing on the fight, but that shout pierces right through all the noise coming from the shadows. She must know, too.]

Mafuyu...

[beathollow]

I- ... I don't...

I had help. Who's helping her? They're all horrible, Arven-

[supherb]

[He did too. If he didn't...would he have just stayed this angry and resentful forever?]

...I don't think she has any. I think that's the reason why this is all here in the first place.

[strawsandals]

...

[ Yoon sees her fall. She doesn't even attempt to attack. The voices are growing louder, and he decides to take a risk. He'll leave himself vulnerable to an attack, and he'll try to get out of the way if he can, but -- there's so much fighting and noise. He can't stand it. He's upset at her but also upset for her, someone he's only known for a few days, someone who wanted nothing to do with him on their first meeting.

He approaches with the beach ball and lightly tosses it towards her. ]

Hey. You said your friends -- they're not in your life anymore, are they? One of them is gone and the others have aggravated you. Your mother clearly wasn't there for you when you needed someone. These people are calling you a threat but haven't even bothered to understand you.

[ I couldn't protect Yona...but maybe, here, things can be different. I have to at least try.

(If it looks like his eyes are watering, well, no they aren't.) ]

Come on. Ignore them. Ignore your neglectful mother. You may have lost your old friends, but a new one is here, standing in front of you right now.

[supherb]

[...

They may have stunned Aubrey's shadow for a time, but in no way does it feel good for Arven. It hits so damn close to home, way too close for comfort. One parent not in the picture, and the other may as well be too.

He lashes out at the shadows with Mafuyu.]

Stop it! You don't know anything!

[pointzeropercent]

[Hearing that part, Sou hesitates. This is stirring up feelings in him that he doesn't really like, but maybe he needs to be uncomfortable to end this.]

You're not alone in this. I...

[He still can't quite say it, even now.]

People say all sorts of things when they should just keep their mouths shut.

Instead of fighting us, how about we shut up those voices instead?

[fullmoonmutt]

[ That pressuring gaze, those words... They hit home for Eli as well, one amongst the others who know this same feeling here. How could she adopt such a beastly child, they should have put him down, it would have been a mercy, he's too wild, he's too aggressive...

He could easily hear these things saying all of that to him, too, and it pisses him off all the more if that's even possible. ]

I told you all to shut up!

[ Sadly, Eli fails to flip any more pews (4), so he's just yelling at the shadows now. ]

You don't get it! People like you never do! Fucking useless gossips, sitting on your asses and running your shitty mouths!

[ledbythewind]

[... ah. Richard's grip on the hilt of his sword loosens, the blade lowering. People really are all the same, aren't they... they don't see. They don't understand, because they don't care enough to try. They don't care about anyone but themselves.

They're all the same in the end, and that's why...

Behind him, Lambda stands motionless, as if awaiting his command.

But Richard doesn't move, doesn't act, doesn't do anything but bow his head in silence, his eyes squeezed shut.]

[moodwrecker]

The dull roar of anger and judgment cannot be stopped. The pressure has become unbearable. Though Yoon does try to toss the beach ball to her, it only bounces sadly off her shield, having no effect.

"I saw her by the lake... She pushed that poor Basil boy in... First she and her friends bullied him... Then she stole from him... And now she’s killed him...”

“This isn’t a place for murderers... ...Someone call the police...”

She lowers her sword and shield. All of the fight in her, all of that furious energy... it's all being sapped away by her despair.

SHADOW AUBREY has fallen into despair!

SHADOW AUBREY cannot move this turn!

[beathollow]

( mafuyu is going to look for any other potential enemies in any form first. )

[moodwrecker]

[There's only Aubrey and the apparently untouchable Churchgoers.]

[fullmoonmutt]

...crap... this is going to be embarrassing if it doesn't do anything...

[ Rrgh, with a growl Eli turns and charges back across the church towards the unmoving Shadow Aubrey. He lunges towards her, arms coming up! To!

Give her a hug (13). Haha, wow, he hates this. Everyone's going to be watching. ]

Aubrey! Stop listening to them! They don't know how it is. They're full of crap.

[beathollow]

( mafuyu approves! )

[ledbythewind]

[Richard also approves, but he will never say this out loud or acknowledge it in any visible way.]

[strawsandals]

[ Yoon approves (x3). In fact, he'll be right next to Aubrey – where people apparently didn't want to be before – when it happens. While Eli's hugging her, he'll cast Marakukaja and raise defense for Eli, Mafuyu, Richard and himself. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ will everyone please stop approving of this he's going to let you all down again in the next ten minutes probably c'mon ]

[supherb]

[What in Arceus's name are these shadow people talking about?! Arven doesn't want to hear any of it unless it's from Aubrey herself.]

Is there seriously no way to stop them? She doesn't deserve this!

[Nor does she deserve to get kicked while she's down, even if it's her shadow and not really her.]

[bloodandstars]

[ Thank whatever she doesn't pray to that Eli is doing the hugging thing so she didn't have to. She'd probably catch fire. What shitty advice has Kippa given about situations like this? Let's see...

"A hug can be with your words"? Right, that's... fucking fine. Alright. ]

You're really going to just let them say whatever the fuck they want? Did it happen that way, or not? Fuck what they think. Fuck what your mother wanted. Get up off your ass and face what you did yourself. You don't owe any of them shit. But you owe yourself the truth.

FINALE

[moodwrecker]

Eli makes his way up to her, and while she dully thinks Oh, I should defend myself-

She doesn't.

And, it turns out? ...She didn't have to.

The mask cracks and breaks away, and Eli will find himself hugging not a Shadow, but a regular girl with bright pink hair, dyed in memory of a friend no longer with her, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

"...I didn't mean to." Her voice shakes with horror. "I just... wanted them to leave me alone. I didn't realize... the lake was right there..."

The dull roar of judgment seems to fade away. In fact, so does the rest of the Church.



BGM: By Your Side ♪

Like grime gently cleaned off the surface of a photo, the church seems to melt away around them, leaving everyone standing in a peaceful cemetery.

Behind Aubrey, a headstone can be seen, the words engraved upon it clearly visible still:

“OUR DEAREST MARI; THE SUN SHINED BRIGHTER WHEN SHE WAS HERE.”

There are no flowers to adorn the grave. Only the nearby sobs of a girl who was left behind.

Re: FINALE

[beathollow]

...

Aubrey...?

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Oh no, noooo, she's crying and he's right here, hugging her, and that means... it's impossible... he can't help it... It starts as a sniffle, then that telltale struggle to hold it together, but, as it turns out, Eli is... a big fucking cryer.

While Aubrey is crying, so is he. He can't help it. He'll even stay and hug her for as long as she wants. ]

H-hey, we know... we know you didn't mean to...

[ Eli doesn't really know at all, but that's just what you say, alright?! ]

[supherb]

It's...over?

[With the oppressive judgment gone and a gentle silence washing over the scene, Arven finds a spot to sit nearby the group. He needs to recuperate and just...take this all in while he listens to the others.

Phew.]

[strawsandals]

There you are...Aubrey...!

[ Aubrey and Eli aren't the only criers in the group, because Yoon, too, bursts into tears. He'll hug Aubrey when Eli's finished. He'd like to meet his new friend when she doesn't have her trauma on display for everyone to see.

But, like Arven, he'll find a spot to sit nearby, bring his knees up, and bury his face in his hands. ]