WEEKS 7 & 8

[linkupmods]

WEEKS 7 & 8

THE SEASONS TURN...

Time really passes, doesn't it? Before you know it, you're halfway through the time that the goddess Braphine has promised that you'll be here, your home away from home. You are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, maybe, even through all the challenges and eventful (!) twist and turns that have followed you through your stay here. Surely there can't be anything else lurking in the wings, right?

Through the efforts of all of Braphine's chosen, the city definitely is starting to feel a little bit cheerier, in contrast to the temperatures that are starting to cool as the seasons in Sunset City turn and the leaves change their colour. The Shopping District and the Entertainment District look and feel decidedly more warm, and a quick trip into the Nekyia also show that the haze has cleared from both districts, with the Shadows lurking much fewer in number.

Further exploration will find that the haze has thinned to explorable levels in the Nekyia Fashion District - there are Shadows to be cleared, after all. Maybe if you are lucky, they might drop you a little something in reward for your efforts.

DO YOUR PART FOR CHARITY!

On Saturday, there's a notice pinned in the lobby of the dormitory:

CHARITY EVENT FOR THE TEMPLE OF BRAPHINE
9/21
FLEA MARKET AM
FORMAL MASQUERADE BALL PM
Come and support the temple when we need it most!



Yes, you read that right: There will be a Charity Event for the Temple of Braphine, hosted by no one other than her devoted followers. They sent this over to the dorms to request the Chosens' assistance, it seems, and as the flyer says, this is an all-day event to take place on September 21st.

In the morning, there will be a Flea Market! There's a note from the hosts that they'd like the Chosens to either find a vendor to assist, provide entertainment, or participate as vendors in the Flea Market. At night, a ball will be held with live music, dinner, refreshments, and an open dance floor for all. They are not asking for your assistance with the ball, however; rather, you are automatically invited as esteemed guests and are encouraged to dress your finest for the occasion!

Given that this isn't for another week, however, it is highly encouraged that you shop around to find an outfit you'll look snazzy in for the ball. You can also start preparing merchandise to sell; or maybe, perhaps, you'd like to save that street performance for the Flea Market? Either way, you've got a long week ahead of you…

…but it won't be all rainbows and sunshine.

KEEP DREAMING.

Late into the night on Saturday, you will dream. What that dream consists of varies with each individual, but you will have one, even if you've never dreamed before. This dream could be a core memory, or perhaps about something you've always wanted, your worst fear...the list goes on.

The next day, anyone who enters the Nekyia will find that, aside from the strange "Palaces" that have popped up, things aren't right yet again…but for an entirely different reason. No matter where you are, you enter the Nekyia to a hallway full of dressing rooms. It's a fairly long hallway, because venturing down it will eventually lead you to a door that has your name on it.

Why don't you journey there and find out what awaits?

–

After seeing "Sayaka" and finding your door, you'll find something even more strange.

That dream you had last night? Well, it's here. Your dream may manifest as a small, contained landscape from your dream; a creature that you may have dreamt of might be scurrying around; another version of you, different from a Shadow; or you could be unlucky and have one of your memories on full display for everyone to see.

This phenomenon will last for the next two weeks, and dreamscapes will shift with the different dreams characters have. It won't be a one and done ordeal, unfortunately…but there is, perhaps, a way you can stop it.

(OOC: Sayaka's top level is NOT time sensitive, nor is it a mod-run event. This can be treated like a regular top level to be tagged at your own pace!

Please see the "A Dream Unraveled" commission for some details on what's causing the dreamscapes to appear! Welcome to your dreamwalking/memory share event!)

WEATHER FORECAST

Temperature: hot and humid, but gradually getting cooler! Surprise showers may occur during these two weeks when you least expect it, so stay sharp and don't get drenched!

Characters who journery into the Nekyia when it is raining may find HP-restoring items dropped during combat with Shadows.

COMMISSIONS

REAL WORLD COMMISSIONS

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS

Two boutiques on Amaranth Avenue have been at war with each other - figuratively, at least. The sweet lolita brand Cookies for Mice and the punk brand Panthera Punks started out merely vying for advertising space, but have now been taking rather pointed pot shots at each other in their marketing. As the shops are across from each other, it’s plain to see the owners are taking it personally as they can’t seem to stop glaring at each other from across the road. Won’t somebody help mediate before it escalates any further…?

AN ALTERNATIVE CANVAS

Up-and-coming makeup artists are looking to land a job with a new makeup brand in the area, and their final test: finding a model (or two) to model their work and prove their skill. Characters will find that these artists are on the prowl for willing (or not so willing) faces - but at least you’ll be compensated for your patience as they endeavor to make you look your best?

FISHY FUN FASHION

Saffron Street has been chosen to host a highly regarded fashion show! The theme: aquatic life. They need models of all sexes and sizes to walk the runway in ethereal clothing that brings to mind deep sea creatures like bioluminescent jellyfish, or even angler fish! For those who are not brave enough to walk the walk, volunteers are needed to help maintain the large, specially made tanks the city’s aquarium has generously lent out for the occasion. The tanks are full of friendly fish and plant life to create the perfect backdrop for the show! …You know how to use diving gear, don’t you?

NEKYIA COMMISSIONS

THE LION AND THE MOUSE

She thinks she’s so great… I’ll show her! We don’t need her prissy, holier-than-thou attitude around here! We’ll see how she behaves when her shop’s reduced to shreds…

It seems the owner of Panthera Punks having beef with the owner of Cookies for Mice isn’t just a real world problem - she has her very own Shadow in the form of a level 30 Narcissus. Take him on in battle and help to loosen its grip on her in reality before things get much, much worse.

HER HEART WON'T GO ON

How could he… After all I’ve done, after all the money I’ve spent… He leaves me behind for her?! I’ll make him pay… I’ll make them both pay!!

It seems one of the local models has had a rather nasty breakup, and the ex and other woman may end up suffering a rather harrowing fate if all these feelings of anger are left to fester… Characters who follow these angry rants will find themselves face to face with a Level 32 Leanan Sidhe, a jealous lover all too willing to enact a very real harm on those who wronged her. Fight back against the Shadow and teach her the value in moving on from a lover who was never worth her time to begin with.

A DREAM UNRAVELLED

Deep in the Nekyia, whispers and wails can be heard; a fashion designer bemoans their dearth of ideas, and hotly defends their choice to steal their designs instead. After all, this was their dream, and they can’t give it up now - no matter the cost.

Characters may find the Unfaithful Dream-King in a nest of collected dreams of the populace - including some of Braphine’s own chosen. He will be a powerful opponent for sure, but it seems solving this particular Shadow problem is the only way to ensure everyone can have a good night’s rest once more.

Once he is defeated, he will drop a rare item. Who knows, maybe this will help you in your journey ahead.

(OOC: Please turn in your threads for this commission on the rewards page to receive a stat boost item, valid for one time use during any battle.)

OOC

READ ME!!!!

Welcome to your log for Weeks 7 and 8! Feel free to use this log for any developments that happen during the next two weeks. There will be no log posted next week, but a top-level for the charity event will be posted instead on next Saturday!
For plotting, please feel free to head over to this post on the OOC comm to post your plotting top levels.
For Nekyia commissions, you can assume that the Shadows will respawn until they've been beaten enough times to go back to normal.
Don't forget that the deadline for applications and character swaps is on September 28!

ic comm | inboxes | ooc comm | full nav

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Comments

[moonshaded]

i. cold steel coffin; (dreamscape. i am sorry there is simply no way to avoid spoilers)

[The door to Kainé’s dressing room has been violently wrenched open, almost hanging completely off of its hinges. It wasn’t easy to get into, but the way is open now.

The room beyond the door is not a room at all. Watch your feet, because you will find yourself in a village carved into a cliff face. There are no people around, but they are clearly in their metal houses, and they are clearly watching, hating you.]

a. do you approach top platform of the village? (cw violence, suicidal ideation, internalized interphobia, combat possible if you want)

[This is the dream she always has. It always starts and ends the same way.

Above the Aerie, a giant, bulging monster is rampaging across the cliff face and down toward the platform. This is the last day it will plague this town, one way or another. If you join Kainé there, she won't exactly notice anyone who's come along right away - the Shade has blown a stream of foul-smelling air directly in her face, causing her to waver and stumble. The words it speaks should not be understandable by humans, and yet...

”Kainé...It's me...Grandma..."]

b. do you run for the smoke in the distance to save your grandmother? (cw GORE!!, dismemberment, violence, death, no win condition, possession, this is your second-person pov experience-it-yourself option)

[It isn’t smoke. It’s too dark to be smoke. You have to get back to your house.

By the time you run back to the hollowed-out metal scrap you and Grandma have called home for years, it’s already too late. A Shade, the monster that will plague your life for as long as you live—which might not be very long—bears down upon your house, your grandmother’s broken body beneath its claw. Even from this distance, you can see—she’s badly hurt, but her arms are moving. She’s still alive, but if you don’t get to her, it’ll kill her.

The first time you charge the Shade, it bellows and flings you away like you’re nothing. It breaks your ankles. You can barely stand, but you keep desperately trying to drag yourself forward. The monster is laughing at you. Its claw is on her chest.

You have to kill it. You have to save her. Kill it. Save her. Kill it. Save her. There are only two things you can think. Do you reach for the old woman?]

c. do you check the mailbox for an invitation? (cw gore, death, violence toward animals)

[Checking the mail will instead open up a vision in a bright desert city, surrounded by the celebration of a royal marriage. The masked citizens dance and cheer, throwing flower petals for the royal couple. Kainé is in attendance, too, accompanied by a cheerful young man who’s delighted to be surrounded by the joy and love. There’s a space in front of them that could conveniently hold another person, so whoever enters this dream can slot in perfectly.

“Aw, weddings are the best! There’s flowers everywhere, everyone’s happy… it’s just great! I’m kinda jealous! Aren’t you jealous, Kainé?”]

Meh. [There’s the smallest longing happiness hidden in her expression, but Kainé doesn’t seem comfortable around so many people or so much happiness. There’s some time before the nuptials are complete. Plenty of time to chat or get a better sense of what's going on here.]

d. ɍēꞩēꝗᵾēꞥȼē īꞥīⱦīⱥⱦēđ. do you long for the future you cannot have? (cw unreality, grief, memloss)

[It’s June 6th, ████.

The world is slowly dying.

But still, today is a happy day, because something very special is happening.

It’s ███ ████████. Are you, person who walked into this fantasy, here for the celebration?

The house is small, nestled into a hill just inside a village, skirted by a small gardening plot. Some last lingering chickens peck around in the yard. The sun is out, but the sun is always out. It must be getting late in the day. Two youthful voices leak out from the kitchen window here and there—the cake is not going well. Sometimes there’s another sound, like someone else should be here, but footsteps yield no maker and breathing reveals no mouth.

Something important is supposed to happen today. Kainé sits on the roof, like she’s waiting for someone.]

You took your sweet-ass time.

ii. weather forecast; (nekiya)

[At first, the reprieve from the same dream she’s had every night for years had been welcome.

In the end, it turns out she hates all of her dreams.

Kainé can be found in the Nekiya in the middle of the rain, face streaked wet, getting into fights that trace the razor’s edge between overwhelming and just the right amount of violence.] Here for a fight? There’s plenty of these bastards to go around. Just try and keep up and don’t get it my way.

[Or, she might step in to pluck out someone who’s ended up on the wrong end of a crowd of Shadows, excited for the chance to fight just a little longer without addressing anything else going on.]

iii. fishy fun fashion; (real world)

Knock it off already. I can’t even swim.

[The fashion show promoters are insistent, though their pushiness hasn’t crossed any lines yet. It would seem Kainé has been targeted for looking “so ethereal, she’d be so pretty in an underwater scene.” She seems, uncharacteristically, a little uncomfortable with the attention, even as she lingers to look at some of the sample pieces—which are indeed pretty to look at.]

You don’t want someone like me showing off your brand, anyway.

[And, if someone passing by doesn’t really want to get involved but needs to for the sake of participation, the buck will get passed to you.] Why not someone like them?

iv. wildcard;

[Anything else you’ve got in mind? Hit me uppppp. I’ll try to do a quick plotting comment again for this week pair, but I’m baaaad at it. For anybody who wanted Nekiya shenanigans last log, I’m happy to map them over here to do rain/boss adventures instead! I’m very open to doing different things with the dreamscape and memshare…please forgive me if at some point I reach the limitations of my attempts to write fuckshit and link a video or one of the short stories; I’m not used to interactable memory writing, and I’m trying a few different things with these. I can also supply different memories or experiences for the dreamscape. If you’re familiar with the canon, you can ask about something specific (and I can figure out how to redact…things), or if you aren't and just want a particular vibe, we can work something out!]

1d

[unweathered]

[ The world is dying. Again. But this time, the rain does not fall in reverse and she does not feel an insatiable hunger for gold. It's an odd world, something at odds with everything Schneider has ever known. She looks up, tilting her head]

Am I? I thought I was unusually early myself.

[moonshaded]

Seriously? Selfish bastard. [Toothless. It's really just the way she talks.] Way to keep everyone waiting.

[Bold for Kainé, who keeps her own time in Sunset City and comes and goes as she pleases, to call anyone else out for that. She stands up, balanced perfectly on top of the house, but doesn't jump down yet.]

Did you get in trouble? The Shades are getting desperate. [They know better than anyone, Kainé knows, even if she can't understand their words anymore.]

[unweathered]

[ Schneider just smiles. It's clear Kaine isn't talking to her and that was fine. After all, this was just a dream.

Besides, she is a selfish bastard. That much was true]

The shades? [ Prompting for information and then] Don't you know I can get out of anything?

[moonshaded]

Yeah, the little shadowy creeps are still around, still trying to get into the village, still attacking people on the road when it's cloudy. [Since Shades are just a fact of life, even in this impossible world where she lives here with Yonah and Emil and ████, she gives Schneider a two-heads sort of look. Right. Maybe she doesn't know.

She hops down from the roof.]

Food's almost done. Yonah and Emil sounded real excited about it. [From her tone, there's a 50% chance of that being a good thing. Hopefully Schneider at least grabbed a snack before she got home.] ... They've been trying hard. It's a special occasion, right? [Her voice never stops being coarse, but there's a softness to it like a door being opened.] So don't let 'em down.

[unweathered]

Who are Yonah and Emil?

[Shades sounded like critters and the other monsters Schneider had to deal with. But maybe there was something more to it. She nods, smiling as she tilts her head to the side]

Don't worry. I can be good.

[moonshaded]

They're in the kitchen. [As if on cue, there's another ruckus from in there. The modest stone cottage has few windows, but there is a small one right in front by the door. A waif of a teenage girl, fragile and white-haired, hurried pulls pans from a too-hot stone stove while a charming young man tries to dim the fire with no small amount of waugh!ing noises. The table nearby isn't made to seat five place settings, but they're crammed in there all the same.

If the long-awaited guest here is meant to be represented by Schneider or someone else, it seems to change by the minute. At one moment, she's exactly where she should be. At another, there's still something missing, a hollowness that was never filled in the first place. It's like trying to pour wax without a mold:

Impossible.]

Yeah, you're a regular goody-two shoes. They'll be happy to see you. Are you gonna come in or not?

[unweathered]

Me...? [ Schneider steps in, reaching out to touch the walls of the stone cottage. She's out of place, disorientated, yet drawn in further into this world by a strange whim not entirely her own]

If you're welcoming me...

[moonshaded]

No shit. Stop stalling and come on.

[Kainé walks into the house and past the ӻꝋᵾɍ place settings, where she stops still. There's a downstairs bedroom nearby. There isn't a downstairs bedroom. There's a room; it's for Emil. Yonah's voice in the kitchen, a matter of steps away, feels stretched out by miles. "Uh... Well, at least it's not too burnt! It needs to be the best ever! We can do anything less for ███ ███████'█ ████████!"]

What's supposed to be...so important? [Kainé stares at the table that doesn't make sense, not knowing what doesn't make sense about it. Her face feels insane-hot. Isn't this everything she wants?]

[unweathered]

[Whatever this world is, whatever this dream is...Schneider knows better than to embrace an unreality and lose yourself chasing regrets and wishes that couldn't come true.

She reaches out to touch the table setting, a strange wistfulness tugging at her. In her home, it would have been thirteen places. A mismatched assortment of her sisters and her men, milling around in and out of a too small house on the edge of a rundown farm.

This is cosier, cleaner. But it's not hers.

She wonders if it's Kaine's.

She feels parts of it disjointed, not quite blending together. Bits and pieces of a puzzle that wont fit]

...I don't know. But I don't think I belong here.

1a

[bloodandstars]

[ Another dream that's almost comfortable in its familiarity. The open air whistling between the cliffs, the unseen gaze of hating eyes.

The giant monster speaking words she feels more than hears. It reminds her of a song that sings through the blood. Her boots make a ringing counterpoint against the platform as she approaches Kainé, but it won't surprise her in the least if that fails to draw Kainé's attention. ]

Have I ever told you that your family looks a lot like mine?

[moonshaded]

["Oh, how you've grown..." Silence. "Oh, how it gladdens my heart to see you again..."

Kainé cannot answer Maika's observations right away, dizzy or bewitched or daydreaming or something in between all three, swaying like a drunk on the platform. This close and this still, there are some differences in her appearance from the world outside. She's a little younger, if not much, and her left arm and leg are covered entirely in bandages. There's no flower tucked into her hair.] G-Grandma...?

[The Shade gutters a little, the elderly coo of its voice distorting when it finds there's something here that shouldn't be. There isn't supposed to be another person here.

There isn't supposed to be another person here that can understand it.

Ⱦħēɍē īꞩꞥ'ⱦ ꞩᵾꝑꝑꝋꞩēđ ⱦꝋ ƀē ⱥꞥꝋⱦħēɍ ꝑēɍꞩꝋꞥ ħēɍē.

"Is that so...?" The scenario expands and adjusts to accommodate what should shouldn't be there. "Then, dearie, don't you know how tired she is? You could help her... you could help her come back to me. Come to her Grandma's side."]

[bloodandstars]

[ Maika is studying Kainé, taking in those differences, all while most of her senses are primed to listen to the first sign of unexpected movement from the creature.

The words are sweet and coaxing. Maybe they're even genuine — if Kainé's family is only superficially like hers, that is. But when she speaks it's to Kainé first, even though she hasn't responded yet. ]

I'll share the best advice my mother ever gave me. "When dealing with family, trust only gets in the way."

[ No one talking like that ever has your best interests at heart. But she finally turns to face the Shade again, eyes narrowed a little in consideration. ]

Yeah? And what are you offering her, Auntie? A place to rest? In exchange for what?

[moonshaded]

[It isn't like that, Kainé might protest if she wasn't swaying forward in the hazy aftereffects of the rancid breath blown. Her Grandma is the only one who ever cared for her or ever made her feel normal.

The Shade lowers its head. Its face is twisted, but its bright yellow eyes are clear and intent. Its gaze stays fixed on Kainé, save for one pointed glance toward the other, unusual, intrusive woman. It seems to be smiling.

"There's nothing. Just...a chance for us to finally be together again. You know she's been lonely for so, so long... So much pain... so much despair... Why go on living anymore?"

Kainé stops walking and goes completely still.]

[bloodandstars]

Why go on?

[ She doesn't know Kainé enough to give an answer for her. But she's stood in the same place enough that she doesn't hesitate to reach out for Kainé's unbandaged arm to seize it in a gentle grip.

When people stop abruptly like that, she knows enough to know she doesn't want to be surprised by what happens next. ]

Because you don't know what's ahead of you yet. Maybe it's more loneliness. More pain and despair. The world's never short on those. But maybe it's not... and it won't kill your granny to keep her waiting a few more decades. Are you really listening to this?

typical kaine language itt

[moonshaded]

Shut up.

[Kainé's eyes are lowered, her expression inscrutable and her face dark. With no eye contact, it's hard to tell if she's talking to the monster cajoling her or Maika at her side. "Grandma" vibrates in delight, gold pulsing through the viscous dark sludge comprising its form.]

... Are you finished yet?

[The Shade stops its triumphant undulating at her rebellious tone. "Don't talk to your Grandma like-"]

You're going to stop talking now. And then I'm gonna slooowly walk over to you... cram my hand inside your goddamn bitch-ass chest, and PULL OUT YOUR FUCKING HEART!

[Since she's holding onto her arm, Maika might feel the sheer pressure blasting off of Kainé when she comes alive again. There's something other than humanity in her powering her, giving her an energy that feels dark and similar to the monster on the platform.

This is the part of the memory where combat would take place, but for the sake of prioritizing memshare, it can be generally condensed into everyone just dropping a couple of short combat summaries. How would Maika like to proceed?]

[bloodandstars]

[ That energy? That's not in any way undermining Maika's impression that they might be actual family. But every word out of Kainé's mouth is something Maika would say to her own family, too. It makes her ache; her missing arm all but burns with what should be there instead. ]

...Yeah. That's more how these things usually go.

[ And Maika is more than happy to join in the cause of this (condensed) combat. Albeit with a moment of hesitation that flickers clear across her face because dammit, if this is a dream, can't she bend it at least this much to her will? ]

Zinn, you senile fucker, now would be... a really good time.

[ But nothing replies — no answering whirlwind of energy, no darkness and stars and song and eyes that should be waiting for her. So Maika will fight the way she's always fought, with teeth and claws and literally anything else that comes to hand when she charges in to support Kainé and provide a distraction for Kainé's murder ambitions. ]

[moonshaded]

[There's a cackle from the monster going around calling itself Grandma, the voice distorting from the warble of an old woman into some grotesque and roaring. It smells like waste and rot and gives off a sickening dark power. Each stomp of its massive claws sends out balls of toxic energy that need to be avoided - but at least the massive limbs provide an easy target for attack, the wooden platform beneath it shaking with ever step.]

My grandmother would never say that! I've spent my entire life searching for a way to avenge her death!

[Any hazy confusion Kainé was experiencing as a result of the monster's tricks is gone now, leaving her only with vicious, commanding rage. Incensed, her focus is entirely on the beast - and on yelling with her entire chest. Her two serrated swords - not just the one like she has in Sunset city - hack and slash at the unending shadowy body. She fights with amazing strength and skill in the Nekiya all the same, but this dream contains relics of a power from the past.]

She gave me the strength to deal with this goddamn mutant body! Do you know how long I've been like this? How much I loathe myself?

[As the fight goes on and the Shade becomes more and more desperate, the structure of the platform warps and distorts more and more. Its suspension structures wobble. The wood splinters. Even though Maika can't draw on what she wants to, she can still have the last blow.]

[bloodandstars]

[ It's an insane thought to have in the middle of a life-or-death fight — dream or otherwise — but for just an instant, Maika feels a little flare of jealousy burning low inside her, twisting her stomach like the scent of rot.

They're so alike. They're so different. This clear-cut vengeance, this monster to blame her suffering on and vanquish and step over its corpse to a brighter future? That's the stuff of dreams, alright. And perhaps it is, even for Kainé. It's not like Maika can know from just this what's memory and what's idealized. What she does know, what she's learned through long repetition and failure, is that even this dream matters. And whatever ugliness she feels stirring to wakefulness inside her — she's more than that, too. And she's not leaving Kainé to fight alone. ]

This is your dream, isn't it? Your vengeance. Show me how it ends. Take everything back!

[ Maika's claws tear through limbs and rot, opening up deeper gouges where Kainé's blades make her openings. She's not polite enough to hold back; and with Kainé fighting like this, there's really no need to. She's a whirlwind of fury and intent, and Maika is at ease sweeping in in her wake, ripping and tearing unceremoniously into the creature as the platform creaks beneath them. She has no certainty of what would be a killing blow for a creature like this, but the lightning gathers around her fist and pours into a tear in its throat, adding the ozone-sharp scent to the others already mingling in the air.

More than the monster, she's watching Kainé, and their footing. The second this cracks under them? She's grabbing Kainé and jumping out of there. ]

nekiya

[idealies]

[ Ai is fighting with the opposite energy, all light and rainbows and occasionally bopping the shadows sternly with her confetti stick and trailing colorful confetti. ]

I'm here for a commission actually! I heard someone had love troubles, and I followed the sound of an angry woman shouting... [ She doesn't mean you Kainé, though if you did shout she may have confused your voices, I'm so sorry. ] Did you happen to hear her?

[moonshaded]

[The contrast between them is noticeable, even to someone who isn't exactly in the frame of mind to pay attention to others right now.

Kainé probably has a reputation for her loud, crass mouth, so anyone - especially relative strangers - would be forgiven for equating her with any angry woman shouting in the darkness. In the wake of the rainbow confetti and the commission-based altruism, Kainé is silent for a little bit, focusing on cutting through the void-steeped darkness. Eventually, she tilts her head to give AI partial attention.]

I wasn't listening, [she says finally, simply. Better to be dismissive then to reveal she was too absorbed in her own bullshit to pay attention.] Coulda been down here. Where'd you hear it coming from?

[idealies]

It was down this way. [ She motions deeper into Nekiya. ] She was yelling 'you left me, I'll make you pay!'

[ Ai punctuates her words by lowering her voice and impersonating the woman's cries. ]

If we don't intervene, do you think she would really...?

[moonshaded]

Who knows? Probably.

[She gives a little bit of a shrug. It's not like she understands half of what's happening here, but that seems to be the constant refrain. Negative emotion froths into shadow, and removing shadow makes the place seem a little bit cleaner.

The city districts are getting a little less hostile, but Kainé has never heard of someone pulling it together without some outside influence. She knows that well enough. Hand't it been the same for her?]

If she's that far gone, "sorry" and some flowers probably won't patch it up.

[idealies]

Yeah. I'm not really sure what to say to her when we find her. We're probably past the point of empty platitudes.

[ Matters of the heart are complicated. Not for the first time, she thinks the goddess put an immense task on her. She's never been good at mending relationships. Her own have, despite her best intentions and even because of her, fallen apart. Ai thinks it was much easier being an idol than a Chosen, but. Keeping a positive face! ]

But not doing anything is worse! Are you ready?

[moonshaded]

Maybe we just knock some sense into her.

[If Ai isn't good at mending relationships, then her own skills are simply unsalvageable. A bonafide relationship killer. She pulls her weapon up and swings it to the side.]

Let's get going. If the beating part doesn't work for you, you can always stick to the inspirational speeches and lovey-dovey shit.

[It's true that she's making an assumption based on the brightness and vigor of Ai's combat. In a way she might even be giving her protection, a way out. Kainé, at least, hasn't any qualms about getting her hands dirty.]