linkingup | a winter labyrinth

a winter labyrinth

断ち切るしかないんだろ
注いだ冬は心のラビリンス
後戻りなんて出来ないから
やりきるしかないんだろ
黒い気持ちと手を繋いだって構わない
抱きしめたっていいh

I have to break free
This pouring winter is my heart's labyrinth
I can't go back anymore, so
I have to finish this
I don't care if you took my hand with dark motives
I want you to hold me close

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[Shalem blinks awake when the rest of their motley crew arrives, and he begins his preparations, because he can tell what's coming, and what they may have to do ~~though he'd never foresee that he'd have to work with others for this~~.

He removes his shoes and socks, staring at the blisters forming on them and wiping them away with a Dia, before wrapping up his feet, especially toes, with tape for extra cushioning later. He doesn't like that flooring.

And when he's done with that and has dressed again, he begins stretches-- dancer's stretches, bending over to touch his toes, spreading his legs wide, really pushing his flexibility to the limit. He's not sure if he has to sing, but at the very least he can dance.]

It's best if you all warm up, as well. Given the theme of this place, we're clearly meant to be performing. [Then he points at the dancer's tape he took a portion out of.] Wrap your feet in that, it will help you handle whatever rigorous routine they expect out of you, and minimize blisters.

[He's very professional right now! Because he is. He's a professional stage performer, even if pop and rock are not his style.]

[ Sunrise had frozen up when they were told they were supposed to perform onstage because...well, that is simply something she's never done. She handled what happened backstage, and occasionally what happened in the background. She was perfectly happy to do it too; she doesn't have to be a genius to know she's too much of a dead fish to perform.

But they're going to have to it, so after a while she takes Salem's advice and takes off her boots to put on the tape. ]

Alright... I've never done this before, but it can't be that bad.

[ And he will actually perform decently! He's going to stretch like Shalem is and follow all that advice. Let's go team let's go!! ]

[Oh Yoon, don't try to do what a pro is doing--]

For you, your warm-ups should be less rigorous. You have never performed on stage before, correct?

No, I haven't.

[ He puts his hands on his hips. ]

Alright! Show me what I should be doing?

Start simple to avoid injuring yourself. First your neck, then your arms, like so. [Which he'll demonstrate by tilting his neck left and then right, the back, holding the position each time, before flexing his shoulders with his arms pointing straight down.]

The point of a warm up is to prepare your body for movement that would push it to its current limits.

It just so happens that my limits are different from yours. [Hence why he twists himself around.]

[ Stretching he can do, just barely. He just dreads the next part looming over them. ]

...

If your body breaks on stage, you can heal yourself, yes?

...I can, if it's necessary to proceed.

[ He didn't go through an earlier kind of hell with Avrae, so... ]

If a proper performance is necessary to proceed, can you do it?

I don't believe whether I can or not will matter, given how palaces operate.

[ Rolled a (5) for this when the mechanics dropped, the dice understand and laugh. ]

(no subject)

prozaic - 2024-10-16 00:02 (UTC) - Expand

cw: death

idealitas - 2024-10-16 01:27 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

prozaic - 2024-10-16 02:53 (UTC) - Expand

Hmmm? So performers need to go this far on every level?

[Schneider is very flexible but she seems at ease with some of this]

Yes, we do. I know Haruka's circumstances and they're slightly different, but the intensity is similar and the consequences are the same.

You have one chance to make it right and make an impression. Or you drop into obscurity in an instant. [Or fucking die.]

Hmmm. The entertainment industry back home...only girls with dreams of stardom and no knowledge of the bastards behind it had any desire to succeed.

[Nothing so clean in her world. Talent? That didn't matter]

[ ...his worst fears really did come true. Wow. He's killing Haruka. It's official. ]

What? Fuck that? I ain't performing anything for this bozo. Let's just find him and kick the shit out of him already.

Edited 2024-10-16 04:07 (UTC)

Then I suppose you'll stay here. I don't make the rules, he does.

Like hell he does. We can fight the shadows out there instead. Force him to come out and deal with us. I can't sing or dance, okay? All I got is beating things up!

[A certain someone has no sympathy for him.]

Will that truly bring him out, make him choose a battle over a performance? Do you really want to try it?

Can't see how that'd be any different from me going out there and embarrassing myself.

Then go ahead. I will not stop you. [But he won't help either.]

[ ...why is this pissing him off so much? Oh, yeah, it's because this same guy nearly lit Celeste on fire. ]

Whatever.

[ Fffuck this, he's going to go pace around the room trying to think of something, in that case. ]

[ Yoon is inevitably going to perform but he sees Eli looking rather disgruntled and upset. He has no idea about the horrors from Group 2 just yet, but he looks worse for wear. ]

Eli?

[ He'll toss a Diarama at him for good measure. ]

[ Eli turns to snarl at poor Yoon... but only briefly. He's in a piss poor mood after all that fire. The heal does help, though, and he tries to relax a tiny bit here. ]

...thanks, Yoon.

[Wow! He barked so much and then just... did nothing. Coward. He'd definitely be able to feel judged, even if Shalem isn't looking right at him, going back to his warm-up stretches.]

[ Stopppp, Haruka's already judging him enoughhhh. ]

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