Junna Hoshimi ⭐ 星見 純那 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thestarknows) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
yumemigaoka2025-02-18 05:17 pm
thestarknows) wrote in yumemigaoka2025-02-18 05:17 pm
Entry tags:
EVENT #10: AND MERELY PLAYERS
- By now, entering a Disturbance is familiar. That isn't a good thing -- the way that it takes that extra effort, like pushing your hand through molasses; like a wavering mirage that almost pushes back against your gaze. It's a sign of someone in distress.
But after entering the Slumbering City, the Dreamers have made their way into this newest Disturbance. And then, they've pushed onward... and everyone finds themselves on a long path through darkness, lit only by stage lights.
Welcome to Junna Hoshimi's Disturbance event! To recap from previous events and the monthly post, Disturbances are surreal and dangerous dreamscapes that draw directly on the struggles, fears and emotions of a single character, similar to the TV world dungeons in Persona 4 or the Heartscapes in Blue Reflection Second Light. They're unique among Outlying Locations in that they vanish once resolved and incubate extremely powerful enemies at their core who must be defeated to save the person at its heart – in this instance, Junna Hoshimi.
Using the descriptions in the log below, you may freely top level and have characters explore and investigate as you please! The descriptions given in this log are to give direction and progression to the events but please feel free to play around within the bounds of what's established as much as you like. Characters wishing to investigate and uncover additional hints and lore nuggets at the heart of the dungeon should indicate they are investigating in the comment header of their top level. Pinging Tex on Discord may also help in case his emails and notifications act up.
To clear the event and prevent a negative outcome on the plot that will effect both the Dream Sphere and Yumemigaoka, characters must clear both the Mid-Tier and Boss Combat Encounters by the OOC deadline of March 3rd.
SUNSET BOULEVARD
- Upon entering the dream, all Dreamers will first find themselves walking down a long path through darkness, lit only by stoplights. In the way of a dream, though, at its end, it turns into the front of Promised Morning Academy at sunset.
The building is lit up by sunset, with weather that suggests it is spring. It seems almost pleasant... but there is a buzz of tension in the air. It should be the time that people have left for the day, but there are lights on inside the school. There are murmurs, stressed and worried, but wordless. Sunset -- the time people should have left and gone home, but are still working -- never seems to end.
In that light, it isn't such a pleasant image. Still, this is a place where Dreamers can return to, to rest, coordinate, and take a breather before exploring further.
The way forward is the double doors, leading into the school. They are larger than they should be, more imposing that the ones in real life, and heavier to push open.
!SCHOOL DAZE
Upon entering, the Dreamers find themselves in a warped, endless version of Promised Morning's first floor. The hallway stretches out east-to-west, but there is a subtle curve to it. And if someone walks the full length of the hallway, it loops back around, leaving them trapped.
The Dreamers aren't alone here. There are shadowy figures, like silhouettes, wearing the uniforms of Promised Morning. Each are carrying large stacks of paper.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: If someone touches them, they seem to fuzz and not quite feel real. But each of them will put stacks of paper that are quite real into an unwitting Dreamer's hands. So many papers, in fact, that a Dreamer could be literally weighed down by them.
After escaping the shadowy students, Dreamers can pass countless class rooms and clubrooms. Each of them has a locked door. It might feel hopeless, until a freight elevator is found at the end. There is a large, blinking red light and one button. The only way to progress is to go down.
The Dreamers aren't alone here. There are shadowy figures, like silhouettes, wearing the uniforms of Promised Morning. Each are carrying large stacks of paper.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: If someone touches them, they seem to fuzz and not quite feel real. But each of them will put stacks of paper that are quite real into an unwitting Dreamer's hands. So many papers, in fact, that a Dreamer could be literally weighed down by them.
After escaping the shadowy students, Dreamers can pass countless class rooms and clubrooms. Each of them has a locked door. It might feel hopeless, until a freight elevator is found at the end. There is a large, blinking red light and one button. The only way to progress is to go down.
!THE ONLY WAY DOWN
The freight elevator is not a comfortable ride down. The floor is made of steel, patterned to give some grip. There are no buttons to control it. Once the down button is pressed, all a Dreamer can do is ride it down to the bottom. And the railing on each side is woefully inadequate from a safety perspective: it's only a three foot high steel bar.
Which means, from the darkness, something can jump onto it.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Torments begin to leap from the shadows, onto the 12 by 12 foot elevator platform. The Torments, initially, are only a Shadowy outline... but they respond to the Dreamers on the platform. A Dreamer with an idol theme finds them looking like crazed fans; a Dreamer with a sword finds ones carrying axes; a Dreamer with a ninja motif finds their foes include ones carrying katanas. The Torments are easily dispatched, but they keep coming in waves -- until the elevator reaches the bottom.
When it does, there is a ding. The door opens... revealing a hallway.
Which means, from the darkness, something can jump onto it.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Torments begin to leap from the shadows, onto the 12 by 12 foot elevator platform. The Torments, initially, are only a Shadowy outline... but they respond to the Dreamers on the platform. A Dreamer with an idol theme finds them looking like crazed fans; a Dreamer with a sword finds ones carrying axes; a Dreamer with a ninja motif finds their foes include ones carrying katanas. The Torments are easily dispatched, but they keep coming in waves -- until the elevator reaches the bottom.
When it does, there is a ding. The door opens... revealing a hallway.
!BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURETTE
The elevator lets out in a darkly lit hallway. Just a short distance away is a large set of double doors, underneath a sign that declares it to be the "MAIN STAGE." And yet, try as someone might, that door will not open. It seems that the only way to get onto the main stage is through hard work.
The hallway connects to many others. There are more hallways in this backstage area than any real theater could ever have. And there are doorways here, too, and each has a poster next to it, depicting a play or a movie. There isn't another door that clearly leads to the main stage... which means Dreamers will need to search the rooms.
The poster outside of each room gives an idea of its contents. Inside, there are people hard at work. Like before, in the school level, they are shadowy silhouettes of students. The shadowy students are engaged in some work based on the movie or play poster outside.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #1: In this room, four silhouettes are hurriedly building props and backgrounds for a play. Wooden cut-outs of trees and houses that need to be built; organizing a closet full of costumes; painting details onto paper backdrops of a sky and a town. The work isn't done, and the silhouettes are in a panic about this. Dreamers who enter the room have tools pushed into their hands to help -- until the work is finished. If the Dreamers try to leave, they begin to screech and scream, and eventually attack with shadowed claws. The work will never stop, though. The props need to be put out of their sight or the silhouettes defeated.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #2: Only one silhouette is inside here. A high school student, by the look of her. She cannot speak, but she mimics going through a play by herself. When Dreamers enter, she thrusts a script to them. Then, she tries to get them to act out Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The silhouette wants to play the part of Caesar. If they act it out, the silhouette will want to do it again. She can either be defeated in a fight, or made to play another role, which will stop the performance.
Once the Dreamers have time to thoroughly search the room with the silhouette that wishes to portray Caesar. There is a poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck, a movie that came out in April, on the wall. The other materials in here strictly apply to Julius Caesar, with posters of past performances and props related to it.
Pulling down the poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck reveals a door. Opening it leads to a hallway, dark, but with the bright lights of a main stage up ahead.
The hallway connects to many others. There are more hallways in this backstage area than any real theater could ever have. And there are doorways here, too, and each has a poster next to it, depicting a play or a movie. There isn't another door that clearly leads to the main stage... which means Dreamers will need to search the rooms.
The poster outside of each room gives an idea of its contents. Inside, there are people hard at work. Like before, in the school level, they are shadowy silhouettes of students. The shadowy students are engaged in some work based on the movie or play poster outside.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #1: In this room, four silhouettes are hurriedly building props and backgrounds for a play. Wooden cut-outs of trees and houses that need to be built; organizing a closet full of costumes; painting details onto paper backdrops of a sky and a town. The work isn't done, and the silhouettes are in a panic about this. Dreamers who enter the room have tools pushed into their hands to help -- until the work is finished. If the Dreamers try to leave, they begin to screech and scream, and eventually attack with shadowed claws. The work will never stop, though. The props need to be put out of their sight or the silhouettes defeated.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #2: Only one silhouette is inside here. A high school student, by the look of her. She cannot speak, but she mimics going through a play by herself. When Dreamers enter, she thrusts a script to them. Then, she tries to get them to act out Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The silhouette wants to play the part of Caesar. If they act it out, the silhouette will want to do it again. She can either be defeated in a fight, or made to play another role, which will stop the performance.
Once the Dreamers have time to thoroughly search the room with the silhouette that wishes to portray Caesar. There is a poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck, a movie that came out in April, on the wall. The other materials in here strictly apply to Julius Caesar, with posters of past performances and props related to it.
Pulling down the poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck reveals a door. Opening it leads to a hallway, dark, but with the bright lights of a main stage up ahead.
!TO SHINE ON THE MAIN STAGE
The doorway leads onward, until the Dreamers emerge onto the main stage. It is a massive, circular stage, but there is a raised circular platform at the center. Rich red curtains have fallen entirely across the elevated platform and hide whatever is behind. One set of steep stairs leads up to it.
But, it couldn't be as simple as approaching the stairs.
First, a bright stage light shines down, and falls into the audience. The chairs there are empty. There is only one living thing there, though it is not a person. It is a massive giraffe, with brilliant green eyes, a pink ribbon, and and a disaffected expression.
The giraffe bellows in a baritone, masculine voice: "To be a Dreamer is to be a performer! To struggle endlessly! To be a light that shines upon the people! I... UNDERSTAND!"
All around the stage, props and stage equipment rises up. Wooden walls, stairwells, and platforms create a maze. Each Dreamer is locked within them, separated from their fellows by a maze of different theater settings: from cut-outs of castle walls, Western towns, modern cities, cut-outs of trees, and backdrops of stars and nebulae.
Up high, though, a four point golden star lowers. The stage light vanishes from the giraffe. The golden star shines brilliantly -- and then at its center, a giant eye blinks, and opens to look down. This is a powerful Nightmare, though it is far out of reach.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Navigating the maze -- whether while fighting the Star Nightmare or not -- is a complex matter. First, a powerful orchestral soundtrack fires up (accompanying vocals optional). Stairs and platforms rise up, to provide backdrops ranging from historical dramas to science fiction. These include pyrotechnics and water effects -- which can dazzle, though they can't hurt. Stage lights shine down and blind, sometimes at inopportune moments. Getting to the center of the stage requires navigating through these rising and lowering themed platforms.
But, additionally, the Star Nightmare causes illusions. Sometimes, Dreamers who encounter each other will see one another as powerful Torment, illusions altering their perceptions of each other and their attacks. They can fight each in the midst of the maze, but if they realize that they're fighting a friend, it will stop.
If you need a visual, this fight from Revue Starlight gives an idea of the shenanigans at work:
Dreamers caught here are also able to battle against the Star Nightmare as a Mid-Boss Encounter.
At the end of the maze are stairs, which lead up to the central platform. The stairs are long and steep, and the curtains have yet to rise. But now, the only way to go is up.
But, it couldn't be as simple as approaching the stairs.
First, a bright stage light shines down, and falls into the audience. The chairs there are empty. There is only one living thing there, though it is not a person. It is a massive giraffe, with brilliant green eyes, a pink ribbon, and and a disaffected expression.
The giraffe bellows in a baritone, masculine voice: "To be a Dreamer is to be a performer! To struggle endlessly! To be a light that shines upon the people! I... UNDERSTAND!"
All around the stage, props and stage equipment rises up. Wooden walls, stairwells, and platforms create a maze. Each Dreamer is locked within them, separated from their fellows by a maze of different theater settings: from cut-outs of castle walls, Western towns, modern cities, cut-outs of trees, and backdrops of stars and nebulae.
Up high, though, a four point golden star lowers. The stage light vanishes from the giraffe. The golden star shines brilliantly -- and then at its center, a giant eye blinks, and opens to look down. This is a powerful Nightmare, though it is far out of reach.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Navigating the maze -- whether while fighting the Star Nightmare or not -- is a complex matter. First, a powerful orchestral soundtrack fires up (accompanying vocals optional). Stairs and platforms rise up, to provide backdrops ranging from historical dramas to science fiction. These include pyrotechnics and water effects -- which can dazzle, though they can't hurt. Stage lights shine down and blind, sometimes at inopportune moments. Getting to the center of the stage requires navigating through these rising and lowering themed platforms.
But, additionally, the Star Nightmare causes illusions. Sometimes, Dreamers who encounter each other will see one another as powerful Torment, illusions altering their perceptions of each other and their attacks. They can fight each in the midst of the maze, but if they realize that they're fighting a friend, it will stop.
If you need a visual, this fight from Revue Starlight gives an idea of the shenanigans at work:
Dreamers caught here are also able to battle against the Star Nightmare as a Mid-Boss Encounter.
At the end of the maze are stairs, which lead up to the central platform. The stairs are long and steep, and the curtains have yet to rise. But now, the only way to go is up.
!POSITION ZERO
Those who find their way through the maze and make their way up to the stairs come to where the red curtains are. Once the first Dreamers reach them, the left up. The circular platform has Junna standing at the center, raising a hand up to shield her eyes.
Because every stage light here is shining directly onto her, which blinds her from seeing them. From up here, those stage lights can almost be reached.
They keep shining on Junna, as an elevator platform begins to lower her downward -- as an elevator. The stage lights all turn away, and shine down onto the Dreamers. They threaten to blind them.
Not everyone can go down after Junna. But it might be best to say some final remarks -- especially as Torments are beginning to move up the stairs. Those who descend will need to be protected.
And those who jump down after Junna hear a deep baritone voice bellow up, from below: "I UNDERSTAND."
Because every stage light here is shining directly onto her, which blinds her from seeing them. From up here, those stage lights can almost be reached.
They keep shining on Junna, as an elevator platform begins to lower her downward -- as an elevator. The stage lights all turn away, and shine down onto the Dreamers. They threaten to blind them.
Not everyone can go down after Junna. But it might be best to say some final remarks -- especially as Torments are beginning to move up the stairs. Those who descend will need to be protected.
And those who jump down after Junna hear a deep baritone voice bellow up, from below: "I UNDERSTAND."
no subject
I'm going to fight until I can't fight anymore. Then I'm going to keep fighting anyway.
[It's stupid. But right now, that's what she's depending on to keep her moving. If she stops, if she has to plan, if she tries to rest, she's just going to drop. And so when Sonic proposes the admittedly-correct decision, her temper flares, even as her voice thickens.]
My home is trapped in here! I don't... I don't want to go back to my empty apartment. There's nothing waiting for me there. Let me through.
[This is maybe more than is polite to let on about her relationship with Junna, but... screw it. Maybe if she makes him understand how important it is, he'll let her go-]
no subject
[Sonic's smile softens a little. For someone who has such an adventurous spirit, 'home' can be literally anywhere, an abstract concept that's as vast as the skies themselves. But that's sort of hard to explain and definitely not for everyone. Least of all for someone who seems so lonely.
Still. He gets this too.
The younger Dreamer steps forward, and in a blink closes the distance between them, green eyes staring straight into Rhodonite's, the brief pause the only warning she gets before he strikes, intending to knock her away from the door, back the way she came]
no subject
She's so outraged that he won't move that Lisa never sees Sonic coming, and the moment where their eyes meet - Rhodonite's wide and just starting to glisten with tears - is the last one she has to brace herself before the blow comes. Not powerful, not with intent to harm, but more than enough to blow her back, landing on her feet a few meters away and sliding to a stop.
No, she's not hurt, but the blow to her ego is more than painful enough, and she looks up at Sonic again, open confusion and the beginnings of dawning understanding and betrayal on her face.]
I'm not leaving, dammit! Let me through or I'm going through you! [She hiccups, losing her already-frayed control over her sorrow, as her Sandglass flares into solid form in her shaking hands, a pale red pick between her fingers.] Don't- don't make me do this.
[Lisa doesn't want to hurt him. She doesn't. She can't. She wants her Junna back, but if she has to hurt someone - someone she knows, that's a friend - to do it, she won't be able to hold her with those hands. She... what can she.....?]
no subject
It might also be the only place to get her to confront it head on]
Not bad!
[he dashes forward again at full speed, coming to a pause in front of her like he did before-] But it won't get you much further at the rate you're going. [-he feints to one side, aiming to send her flying into a stack of tables away from the door she wants to go through.
He's clearly toying with her; with how fast he can move, he could easily knock Rhodonite out before she has time to respond. More so now that she's clearly tired and worn down. But there's no point if she doesn't understand what's wrong. If anything, just knocking her out now would mean she comes back into the Dream Sphere with proverbial guns blazing and that just wouldn't help anyone, least of all the person she most wanted to save]
Come on. Let's see what you can do!
no subject
Ugh... fine, have it your way! If you won't move, I'll just have to take you down!
[In her focus as she makes her declaration, she sees him coming, and knows he's not going to make the same frontal attack again. She's tired and frustrated, but not stupid, and he knows that. On a hunch, she holds out her Sandglass bass, blocking the strike with two hands against her weapon. Taking it back into her hands, she jumps back, giving some ground on her own terms. She searches her mental catalogue for something she can play to keep her moving and fighting... and the answer she gets back reminds her she's been through too much already in this mess of a place, but she'll never know where she stands with her precious person until she gets her back, no matter what the voice in the back of her head insists. So her fingers bring the pick across the strings, and with a melancholy feeling she starts to play, taking a breath.]
If you want me to go home, make me. ♫ Did I say something wrong? Did you hear what I was thinking- ♫
[....note to self for next time she has to do this, getting words out in English is rough when you just don't have the mental bandwidth. Still, it's enough to take a couple shots at him from this range, not bothering to tone them down. He's not going to give her that courtesy, so she won't extend it to him. Two come at him from the front, while one bends to cover the side he attacked her from the last time. After a heartbeat, one from the front bends up to read a jump. It's not a good containment, but it's a start. She already knows beating Sonic will be a tall order, but maybe she can get him to at least leave her alone-]
no subject
Well, he is someone who happily hops over roofs in real life. Fighting in the Dream Sphere really is just an extension of that daredevil lifestyle.
Sonic lets Rhodonite take space back for herself, mindful, even now, to keep her away from the doorway that leads to progression. He gets ready to move as she starts playing. Her strategy is pretty solid; he would definitely have gotten hit
if this was 16-bitwhen he was younger and not nearly as fast as he is now. Rather than dodging in any one direction, he leaps at an angle towards the attacking coming from the side. The trail on his outfit is caught, but he laughs as he uses his Dash Ring to propel himself further as he hits the ground running.Was he tricking while flying through the air...? Nah, no way, must be seeing things...]
Nice shot! Too bad you're too slow~
[the trail of blue light he leaves behind changes slightly, distorting as if pixelated, as he dashes around a small desk and chair. The light shimmers and the items are sent up into the air; with a quick one-two kick, Sonic launches both items at Rhodonite before dashing off again]
no subject
-did she get him? No, just his outfit. Darn. He's... stupid fast, but maybe he pays for that some other way. Unusually squishy, maybe, but not the good squishy. Just the bleeds-easy squishy. The bend of his legs like he's doing a method grab without a board, on the other hand, is infuriating, but she can't be bothered to actually get mad right now. Instead she turns to face him as he dashes, but has to catch herself as he somehow picks up furniture and kicks it at her? Oi, this is crazy- wait, no, can't complain about that, gotta not take it in the face first. Rhodonite's usual dome shield comes up in front of her to intercept, splintering the chair and throwing the shards of wood back where they came from like a spray of daggers, and casting the desk into the floor where it leaves a dent and several chunky pieces. She's going to have to be careful - if he throws too much stuff at her, she's going to lose room to maneuver. But she's also lost track of him now, where did he- behind!
Lisa spins on her heel. She can't let him keep setting the pace, but does she have a power fast enough to catch him? Accurate enough? She's not exactly a spray-and-pray kind of fighter, but she can try to shoot at him and hope something connects? She won't win like that, but she only has so many trump cards, and if she has to break out Overdream, she loses anyway. There has to be an answer. There has to be! For now, though, she keeps moving; the endless halls make it hard to keep her back being exposed, but for the moment she takes cover behind a huge potted tree - fake, by the weight as she bumps into it - to aim where she'd seen him last and throw out a few more bolts while she wracks her brain for suggestions. Maybe she literally keeps moving, shooting at him as they run through the halls until she gets a lucky hit or he kicks her into a wall?]
no subject
Hopefully, it doesn't get to that point.
Sonic still needs to dodge the attacks being thrown at him though, so Rhodonite's attempts to keep him at a distance isn't a complete waste... But she's having a hard time keeping track of him while he's able to follow her movements a little more easily. All those attacks have to originate from her, after all... So he gives her a second to breathe before sliding in next to her hiding spot all casual like-]
Still thinking about it?
[He braces his hands against the floor before he kicks his legs up and around in a windmill. He's left enough room for Rhodonite to slip out, but it might be a tight spot with the potted plant in the way. Once he's physically chased her out of her hiding spot though, Sonic turns his windmill into a backspin before getting back to his feet and zipping off again. His strategy must be to hit and run, but he's made it unclear what his purpose is]
C'mon, Rhodonite! You can do better than this. What happened to all that bravado?
[... Maybe his purpose is just to be annoying]
no subject
Her face is set in a grim snarl, so far from the calm, cheery expression she should be wearing. That she wants to be wearing. Junna being further inside is the main reason, but there's so much... the weight is so heavy... and right now Nikki, bless his heart for what he's probably trying to do, is only making all that worse, her grip on her emotions slipping just a little further. Not that there's... a whole lot further down to go.]
Nobody believes I'm any better than this. Nobody ever has! That's how I got here in the first place! [She's screaming as she sobs through her words, still playing but strumming so hard the notes are distorting, loose energy starting to rise off her.] Silly Lisa, never smart enough, never kind enough, never pretty enough! Not obedient enough! Not strong enough-!!
[Rhodonite chain fires bolts down the halls like a woman possessed, spinning to shoot at even the barest hint of blue, color about all she can identify through her tears, but keeping up the volume of fire even if she doesn't see him. This would be commendable, but... why wasn't she doing this much before? The answer, of course, is that she can't, and she's visibly pushing herself beyond her limits to do it. But if it gets him out of her way-]
♫ Tell me what you hate about me - whatever it is, I'm sorry- ♫
no subject
Sonic stops a short distance away, near enough to be in earshot (and firing range) but just out of line of sight for a moment. Poor girl... He can't imagine bottling all those feelings up for who knows how long, but it does explain how she behaves a little bit. Always some measure of anxious over saying the wrong thing, worried about being seen the wrong way, never really content with who she is. She really can't keep fighting in a place like this when her headspace is like that.
Once she screams her frustrations into the air, he let's out a short sigh] There we go.
[he takes a blind dash out from his hiding spot, a trail of blue light behind him as he Boosts past the lasers, one step ahead as she's left to react to his movement. Sonic zig zags around, jumps over some of the lower shots and slides under the higher ones. He moves so fast that his movements are reflexive; they have to be, because anything less leaves him open to running right into an attack rather than dodging it. No onlooker would know about the amount of time and practice Sonic's sunk into making his movement this smooth. But that seems to be the theme of this place; the unacknowledged work that goes into outwards appearances and the toll it takes on the person trying to maintain the veneer.
In a shocking display of patience (though it probably doesn't feel particularly patient for Rhodonite), Sonic waits for a lull in the onslaught. Once he spots the opportunity, he closes the distance with a burst of speed, one hand closing on Rhodonite's left to stop her fingers moving along the frets of her bass]
You don't have to be sorry for anything.
[then, he's sweeping her legs out from under her before launching a powerful roundhouse kick to her (left!) side before she's even hit the ground]
But you're going to need to go for a time out!
no subject
And she definitely isn't. Vibrato is great - fast, accurate, easy enough to use - but against someone like this she may as well be throwing water balloons. Leading, feinting, splitting up, nothing's helping, he's just too damn fast. Is she destined for all of her matchups to be terrible? (Yes, dear, you're a shielder.) She's... lost. She doesn't know how much of his energy it's taking for him to flit around like this, but it's less than she's burning to go turret mode. So when he finally closes, she doesn't have an answer. Blowing him away again just repeats the cycle until she's tapped out. Either he has to make a mistake, or she just. Loses. Dies in despair. Still not strong enough.
She's enough of a consummate performer, even in this impossible situation, that when he gets a hand on her to still her strings, a tense silence falling over the hallway but for his words and her lyrics, she doesn't stop singing until the very end. But the pain in her voice is telling, and her eyes are wide and terrified, to go with puffy and red, especially as the ground's now coming up to meet her.]
♫ I'm coming to terms with a broken heart, I guess that sometimes good things fall apaaaaa-!
[Somehow, she expected the shot to come to her right side like it always does, and she'd tensed to be sent that way. So it's a surprise when he hits the left side, and she's somehow completely unprepared. Not that she has far to go before bouncing off a wall heavily, right side hitting first to complete her day, Sandglass flying out of her hands with the impact and dissipating when it bounces on the ground, soft glow fading from her with her will to fight. Rhodonite's face is blossoming into a bright purple bruise where it hit the wall, as she lay in a heap on the ground. Her legs twitch, like she wants to get back up, kneel on the floor, at least complain at him. But that's about all she can do. She's physically exhausted, magically spent, and emotionally wrung out. She's only still here through spite and wanting answers, but that won't last either.]
Still n-not good enough, huh. [Her tone is dull, empty, physically pained instead of emotionally. She doesn't get to scream anymore. That's not her right. But... at least she doesn't have to hide from him.] Even when y-you're being a jerk... you're t-too nice to me.
no subject
She told him she'll be waking up to a lonely apartment, so the least he could do is keep her company until then. Up close, his clothes are noticeably singed, a sizeable burn mark where he'd been hit by Phaser marring the otherwise clear expanse of blue. But that will be gone the next time he sees her]
Heh. [he shakes his head, expression a little muted but smiling all the same] Go get some rest. Then you can show us all what you're actual best is.
no subject
Jerk. [There's no heat in it.] Stab Caesar-chan an extra time for me.
[Then Rhodonite finally shimmers and disappears, back to her own bed, where she groans in both pain and frustration, but... less of the latter, and just a memory of the former. What a day. What a disaster. Nothing she can do on the near side will help get Junna back any faster... so maybe she'll take Nikki up on that rest. Heaven forbid she has to fight him again........]