tunein | 04 ❥

[The shadow isn't stupid. Her previous reaction to the card's appearance is enough for her to again, stumble back, to well up with tears, to pretend to be the child.

For a few seconds, it continues this charade, until it gives him a grin that is hardly human.]

You really think so? You really think you're a prince come to save her?

[Even with Izanagi meters away, it still continues baiting.]

Try, then. You wake her up. Wake her. Go on.

[Because it's impossible. She's in too deep.]

[Souji stares back, meeting her inhuman smile with his calm stare.] I'm nothing of the sort. It's as you said...I'm the one friend she made.

[He doesn't wait for a response -- merely goes to try and shake Lucina awake. If he didn't try, then he came all this way only to witness someone's death...!

Come on...you can't be gone yet...! Stay with me!]

[The shdaow watches, clasping its hands behind its back again, walking to stand next to the pair of them.] It's not enough. I told you so.

[--or is it?

Lucina is dreaming. But that dream is crumbling. Where she was with her family, her baby brother asleep in her mother's lap as they watched a movie, her father vanishes. She turns around to ask her mother where her father is but she's gone, too. She looks down. She's older. She looks to the side. There's Inigo, asleep on the sofa next to her. A clock strikes a little past eight. Snow is falling outside. A phone rings somewhere in the house.

She knows this.

She knows this day like she knows herself. Hears the distant voices. The heavy footsteps. The phone answered. Then slower footsteps, until-

Miss Lucina. You may as well wake Inigo.

And Inigo is awake.

And their maid tells them the news she already knows she is going to hear.

Your mother, she... Lady Olivia didn't pull through.

The furniture go, the walls go, the house goes. The people beside her go. She's standing in a field of irises. Everyone always leaves.

Stay with me.

She doesn't recognise the voice. Something heard that couldn't possibly have been heard, somewhere distant, far away. But she walks. She walks through the field towards it. The distant murmur. It's better than standing here alone.]

[It's not over yet.]

[There's no visible sign. But the shadow knows it's falling. She made a mistake. Maybe not even a mistake. Maybe it was simply time, after they had come here. She should have made them go as soon as they got here.]

No! How can you... Lucina, don't! It'll hurt! It'll hurt us so much!

[Lucina opens her eyes.]

[There was a moment in which he faltered while he tried to wake her up...a short sliver in which his hope withered, and his heart sank. Why wouldn't she...? She couldn't have been dead... Was he really too late?

Had he really lost her to this?]

Edited (No repeating words here... >8C) 2013-10-12 16:56 (UTC)

[But it's when she finally opens her eyes that, without thinking, he holds onto her tightly -- letting the relief that washed over him calm his nerves. She was safe...alive...awake. Breathing. She might even feel a small tear fall as he continues holding on.

Make no mistake. It was his.]

[She's dazed. Everything is too loud, distant, too bright. But she knows someone is holding her up, off the ground, in... an.. an embrace?

She can't make it out. She can't figure out why. She can't think who it is. But she feels a tear and she blinks. It's not hers.

She blinks again. Again. Vision swirling. Difficult to focus. Fog everywhere.]

Sou... ji?

[He gives her a weak squeeze in response. It was him, alright...that same boy that supported her as best as he could.] ...Mm.

I'm right here...Lucina-san. [Still holding onto her, he spares a look for the Shadow, to not only keep her from seeing his sadness, but to make sure it hadn't done anything else.]

[She's still too out of it to hug him back or be embarassed about it... but it's a comfort.]

Where are we?

[She can barely make it out, as is, without the whole cosmos thing going on around them. Even as she attempts to look around, her eyes fall on her shadow.

Then they go wide in surprise.]

I remember... you were... you were here when I...

[She trails off. Ow, headache.]

[The shadow is quiet.

In fact, she has, for the most part, shut down.

Upon Lucina's awakening she dropped to her knees, before scrunching herself up into the equivalent of a ball, head against her lap and her hands over her head, holding herself together.]

No! No, it hurts too much... w-we can't... I don't want to!

I'll...explain when we get out. Right now... [He carefully helps her up, letting her lean against him should she need support, letting Izanagi fade for the moment. His eyes darted over the Shadow; it seemed...docile, all of a sudden. Weak. But there was the lingering question of whether or not it was an act.]

There's one thing you need to settle.

[She needs that support. She's not sure how long she's been... wherever she is, but it's long enough to make her feel tired, as well as hungry. Right now she could eat that Aiya rainy day special.

But her mind is off that, what with her other self across the room, herself as a child, and when he mentions the later. She's taking it rather well, seeing herself, but maybe it's because she's so tired, maybe it's because she's broken freen of one of the traps it set up for her.]

Settle?

[It may well be both...like he'd actually know for certain.] ...That's your Shadow. An embodiment of the things you're running away from.

[He keeps his attention affixed on it. Was it to hide that he knew everything now, that he knew the truth? Or was it something else?]

[Her first thought is to say that that's not possible.

It's not something that could happen. It's not something that's true.

But, she knows that it is, to both things. She knows it's real. It was the one to lull her in, with soothing stories of times when her parents lived and her family was whole. She knows she is running away from things. She just hasn't stopped, allowed herself the time to think about it.

Because it hurts.

That's all the reasoning there is.

She takes a long hard look at the shadow. But the shadow is already taking in those thoughts, those two doubts, and twisting them, though it's still hunched over, shaking its head.]

He's lying! He's lying. Don't listen to him. Come back. Don't leave me here alone!

[She doesn't know what to think. It's her words, her voice, her face. But it's not.]

Let me speak. If you are as Souji says, surely you will allow for that? Why would you not wish for me to leave?

[Something snaps in that moment. The shadow looks up, straight at the both of them.]

You won't. I won't let you! I won't let you leave!

[Apparantly this one doesn't need denial to go beserk.

Irises swirl, and a wind, a tornado, something, rips through the black nothingness, what should be a vacuum but isn't. Its form changes. Where once stood a girl, now looms a dragonesque figure, hard and sharp scales, with wings, long and spiked. What passes for a face is lost behind a butterfly mask, covering eyes to snout; what can be seen are lines of long, sharp teeth.

Lucina takes a long hard look. She gently brushes away Souji's support, standing on her own two legs.]

If this is the way you wish for it. It is how I would do things. I will leave. And it will not just be myself that does!

[And here is one Yosuke, who had up until this point been standing on the sidelines, watching as Souji took the lead. But with a shadow's true form appearing, he runs over to the two of them.]

Dammit... just when I thought we were in the clear... well, no use worrying about it now. You ready, partner?

[And a Teddie, squeaking footsteps included.]

Luci-chan, you should listen to Luci-chan!! [How that makes sense we don't know but grrr anyway.] Sensei, we need to calm her down! I don't think you'd be beary happy if it went to full power...

Senpai, I'm with you. [Directed to Souji. And then, to Lucina:] If you can fight, Lucina-senpai, then we'd gladly have you with us.

[He should have figured it wouldn't be so easy. A Shadow that didn't go berserk when it was rejected, though...it was, to say the least, a huge change from the norm. Then again, with how much it wanted her to stay, it was probably inevitable that it'd get to this point. He looks to Yosuke--]

Ready as ever. [--then to Yukiko, the only one left of the group.] Will you be fine on your own?

I might need some help here and there if any Shadows come running...but I'll be fine. You just worry about the one in front of you.

Alright. [Forming the World Arcana in his hand again, he gets back into his leading role as he looks to the approaching Teddie.] We won't allow it. Just make sure Yukiko-san has support if she needs it. [To Naoto, he manages a brief nod.] Cover her as much as you can. We've come too far to lose her now. [And finally...to Lucina herself -- he motions to her for Teddie. She's going to need a spare pair if she's going to fight alongside them. And only one reminder, now that he knows how badly tired out she was earlier.] Don't strain yourself.

[With those orders given, he turns to the dragon Shadow Lucina has become, tranquil fury settling in.] We're leaving. And I won't let you have any say in it.

Edited (Misrepresentation. 8|a) 2013-10-13 10:44 (UTC)

[Naoto nods in acknwoledgement, and Yosuke takes the time to give Lucina a reassuring hand on her shoulder before he turns back to the shadow. Teddie, equally as much, takes his cue before pulling out a pair of glasses that he made, just in case glasses were needed again.

Lucina puts them on as told, and- hey, she actually see a lot clearer now. Thanks for that. She turns to Souji with a grim smile.] I'll try not to. I don't know how much help I can be, but... there's something she needs to hear, when we're done.

[She needs a weapon. It's as she thinks that that her eyes catch a glint, nearby, in the irises that sprouted when the shadow began to cry. There's a sword there. Not just any sword, she notes with surprise - the ceremonial sword of the house. Or at least, a very good replica of one, despite the fact it's mostly transparent and its existance is hazy. Perhaps not a true weapon, then, but a manifestation of it. She picks it up.

Shadow Lucina scoffs at the sentiment from Souji, as well as really much of the party. Her eyes linger on Yukiko, as if debating to call for reinforcements to take her to task, but that moment passes, instead rolling once in the air, stretching, preparing. She also eyes the sword, but disregards it. It's of no issue to her. It's not the real thing, and that legend is just that. It is not a sword to fell dragons.

The first thing she does is cast; Weight of the World. You'll find all your movements are... a lot more... sluggish. And your SP is... going down more than it should... probably should... try to... get rid of that...]

[And music for conveniance.]

[...This wasn't Exhaustion -- no, this was something far worse than that. Souji quickly directs Yosuke to counteract the slowdown, before summoning Izanagi and hoping that one solid casting of Salvation would curb the drain. (What a time to be without all those Amrita Sodas...) If it was anything like exhaustion, it could be cured by the best he had.

What Naoto and Lucina would do was up to them, for now; though, most certainly, some sort of attack had to be pressed.]

[And Yosuke does just that, and thanks to the combined efforts, it seems to have rectified that. For the time being.

Naoto makes the elective decision to mind charge, to later cast Megidolaon. Lucina swings her gained sword in one hand before charging over and hitting her Shadow self with the sharp side of the blade. She has no persona, no magical abilities to speak of, but it certainly packs a punch, making the shadow hiss and recoil. This is also helped when Teddie uses Bufudyne and it screeches in distaste.

In retaliation, it decides to spit fire at you, Souji, before sending out another ray across the entire field.]

[If there was a time that he was thankful that Izanagi was resilient to Fire in his current state, it was now. Souji's left reeling slightly as the flames hit, though not so much that he'd be knocked down, and once he has room to act again, he directs Yosuke to keep providing support before switching. Where the World Arcana was, Judgment takes its place as he calls upon Trumpeter to provide a well-needed Heat Riser to the only non-Persona User they had.

He hoped it would help, even as he tried to keep his eyes on what was going on.]

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have a yosuke

did someone call for a party up in here

think they did

Hell yes they did. Time for a good old fashioned Shadow brawl! >8|

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