Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Pyxis was quick to anticipate even the furious slashes that the shadow dished out. With Ran's speed boost affecting her, she managed to evade about half of the ones that were aimed at her. The other half still managed to hit, but did only minimal damage. Evidently, the shadow had sacrificed power for sheer volume, but that was only effective when most of the cuts hit. Something like this barely affected her. Then came a second, much stronger hit, but Pyxis managed to avoid that as well. This triple attack seemed to leave the shadow at a disadvantage as well. With all of her possible attacks likely to be resisted or better, this was good for Pyxis.
"All good," Pyxis said, responding to Alisa. "It'll take much more than that to hurt me. Even if I can't negate it." She called on Elpis to attack once again, noting that despite the lack of charge she still seemed to be shining much brighter than usual. Although actually, now that she thought about it, that wasn't the first time she'd notice. The spirit of hope did seem to be brighter than it used to be. More meteors rained down on the shadow, meeting against resistance but still dealing not insignificant damage.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 24, 2014 23:37:46 GMT -5
Silently, my Shadow was forced to take all the attacks thrown at it. It clearly seemed to do a big number to it as I soon realized this was exactly how I would have fought a real person in a one-on-one situation, if I had my katana instead of a knife. My Shadow began to wail incoherently, black smoke emanating from its form. Curses! Curses! I can hear the voices! I'll make everything burn! Everything! And soon enough, before I could even respond with an attack of my own, my Shadow began to spray blood all over the field with her sword, before literally screaming and spraying three huge, hellish fire all over the area, and the blood she sprayed acted uncannily like oil, causing the bookshelves to ignite and the area to become engulfed in an unholy blaze.
I knew Phoebe was going to be fine, but I don't know about the others. The heat was grating and annoying, but I didn't feel too hurt by it. I couldn't see anyone in the middle of the blaze. Eventually, I felt a skeletal hand grab me and I realized Hell Biker had somehow felt corporeal in my presence and soon I saw myself literally skyrocket through the blaze, on a motorcycle, and once I shot out of the flames, I was thrown at the ground. I was now behind my Shadow, who turned around, panting and looking visibly beaten, the smoke continuously oozing from its body. "Time's up...! You can't handle four of us at once. Just give it up...! Come with me!"
The Shadow wasn't having any of that, apparently. It screamed and didn't say anything this time, and I heard the sound of shattering. I looked up and saw that Hell Biker had disappeared. I looked forward again and quickly felt the touch of cold steel on my side. My Shadow had impaled the left side of my torso. Fortunately, it did not pierce through any vitals that I could feel. Barely grazed my intestine, it was on the extreme edge of my torso. However, it did go all the way through, so it hurt like a motherfucker. I stared at my Shadow, who looked back at me smiling evilly, though it did not say anything. However, I could soon feel a warm presence cover and embrace me from behind. A large serpent with several arms and a humanoid face had embraced me from behind in an almost protective manner.
"That's... your mistake..." I groaned as I weakly shoved my hand as forcefully as I could into my Shadow's own body. It felt very cold. "You're too weak now to continue fighting. And you missed my vitals...! You didn't really want to kill me... in the... first place. Now... come... to your rightful owner...! 破邪の・・・剣!"
The serpent, "Vasuki", as the name blared out in my mind, began channelling balls of light in each of its six hands. My hand, inside my Shadow, would be glowing light too. Soon, the balls of light from Vasuki's hands shot towards my hand inside the Shadow, which caused the energy in my own hand to become so big it shot the biggest freaking laser of light I had ever released in my life, shooting the Shadow right up into the ceiling, the smoke from it dissipating and entering my own body. In the aftermath, the flames had died down, and all that remained was the nodachi still firmly impaled in my body.
I wobbled and shivered, coughing out blood. "Is... is everyone okay..."
Post by Phoebe Minola on Apr 25, 2014 8:02:38 GMT -5
It was chaos. The Shadow lost it, and lost it big time. Phoebe cringed at the Shadow's grating screaming. It was frightening and yet pitiful at the same time. It sounded so angry, so lonely and so... maddened. Although she was worried about Alisa, her heart sort of went out to it.
Although she knew she wouldn't be harmed by the flames, she still raised her arms in front of her face out of habit. The whole place was on fire!
"Look out!" she blurted. "Back away from the flames-- Alisa! Alisa!!" she carried on, watching the fires circle around Alisa.
Not knowing for sure whether Ran or Pyxis could resist these fires, she determined to push forward and help Alisa. "Keep yourselves out of the flames, I'll go in for Alisa!" she snapped and waded into the wall of flames.
It was like the inside of an oven but amazingly, it did not hurt at all. She heard the Shadow keep screaming but the flames and smoke obscured her sight. But her jaw almost dropped when she saw Alisa hurtling through the flames on the back of a motorcycle-- that was her Persona. The sight almost would have made her smirk, if she wasn't so worried about Alisa's well-being. She pushed on through the fire just to come upon Alisa facing down her Shadow, who seemed to almost be bleeding smoke.
It wailed one more time and then suddenly it rushed forward and... stabbed Alisa. The sight made Phoebe shout in shock and anger and she rushed forward to reach her, her eyes burning with tears ready to flow. She wouldn't tolerate losing someone the way they had all lost Vice.
Fortunately, it didn't look like it was going to come to that. Phoebe saw a large form materialize behind Alisa and embrace her from behind. It was a serpentine form with arms and a calm, gentle smile on its human face - and Phoebe suddenly got the feeling that everything was going to be okay. By the time Phoebe managed to reach Alisa, she had destroyed the Shadow and looked like she had absorbed it, with the aid of a massive light attack.
But the sword was still stabbed in her.
"Alisa!" Phoebe cried and rushed to her side, dropping her hammer in the process. "Oh fuck-- nevermind me, you've been hurt!"
She had no qualms about getting right next to her and offering her shoulder for support. Yes, she lost it a little and everyone could give her as much shit about it as they wanted. Fuck them. She was worried about Alisa.
"Don't move. We have to get you--" she was about to say 'get you to hospital' but she knew it was a stupid notion just as it zoomed through her head. That they needed was healing. "Ran-- need help over here, it looks quite bad!"
Last Edit: Apr 25, 2014 8:03:57 GMT -5 by Phoebe Minola
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Akira Nakajima on Apr 25, 2014 8:58:31 GMT -5
The Shadow began to scream and all that. Well, that was nice. And, by nice, the boy was actually a bit annoyed. At least his Shadow went quietly. After the initial debate on personality and attempts at getting him to go along with it. The scene was certainly messy, though. The surge of fire was hardly anything to bother him. Phoebe's tendency to try to play leader stuck out again. Was she really that condescending, or was she just lacking in faith in those that had come before her? Really, Akira was not entirely sure. He just rolled his eyes, walking through the flames calmly and heading towards Alisa. The investigator had achieved another Persona. The snake-thing was. . . snake-y. Not much else to say outside of the fact that it'd probably be a constriction-fetishist's wet dream. He'd need a lot of time to consider exactly how to tease the woman with that. Oh well.
”Woman, if I have to slap you to calm your ass down, I swear I will. I told you 'Nobody will die so long as I'm here', and those weren't empty words.” His eyes were neither gentle nor warm as he stared at her. ”You really need to have more faith in your allies. At the very least, in those of us that've been doing this longer.” Turning his attention to the impaled woman, though, he just smiled sarcastically, eyes a bit warm. The fact that he was that calm was confidence in his abilities and trust in the woman's capabilities. And, shit. That was a sign of the times. A few months ago, and he'd have scoffed at the idea.
”You, though. Worry more about yourself first, blood-for-spit. I'm gonna tug that blade out first. Need to before healing you, otherwise there's no point. So, brace yourself.” And, immediately after saying that, he reached and pulled the blade free. No further warning, nor hesitation. He gave her enough warning that her body would tense. While the motion was quick, it was also careful. He had no interest in causing an accidental death- especially not after the woman had grown this much. That would have been both a waste and a sin.
”Elma, Mediarahan.” With that, the healing pulse washed over the four. Physical injuries? Gone. Mental injuries? Good luck with that. And then the boy in drag just smiled at Alisa. ”Should've tried eating it. We could have been munchy-buddies then.” He almost seemed to pout while saying that. Exactly what that entailed was. . . well, ultimately up to debate. Didn't look like he had any intentions of explaining any time soon.
Despite its resistance, the loss of defense from using the 'eternal eye' move had caused all of the attacks against the shadow to badly hurt it. It screamed, clearly starting to lose it, and started attacking everything in sight with fire. Lots of fire. Pyxis was forced to weave through narrow safe areas between the flames to avoid getting hit by them. Proximity warnings and heat warnings blared in her head from all around her, but still she managed to completely avoid taking serious damage. This ultimately put her outside the affected area, though, and Alisa was definitely still inside. Pyxis managed to find her again quickly by using her sensors to search for signs of life within the blaze, but there was no clear path to her.
She was stuck outside until the flames vanished. By then, however, it was over. The shadow was gone, and Alisa remained, impaled with the shadow's sword. Pyxis wanted to run over immediately, but knew better by this point. Ran was the much more capable healer, and while she could have pulled the blade out at least, she would otherwise have been getting in the way. Besides, they already had one person panicking over her condition. They didn't need any more than that. So she waited, patiently but not completely free of worry, for Ran to pull the blade free and heal her. Once that was over, however, Pyxis approached Alisa and rested a hand on her shoulder again.
"We're all fine, as you can see," she said. Much like Ran, her tone was calm. "How about you? I wouldn't really know for sure, since I'm built differently and all, but even with healing I can't imagine being run through to be doing you any favors."
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 25, 2014 19:43:00 GMT -5
Phoebe seemed to be in a panic, I guess she wasn't used to seeing people impaled like that. I shook my head. "I'll be fine, I think," I coughed, and soon Ran showed up and said she was going to get the sword out before healing everybody's wounds. With a quick motion, she yanked out the blade and I winced, but it hurt a lot less than when the blade went inside me. Soon, the wave of healing washed over everyone and I was fairly sure that all of us got better. The power of a Persona was truly something. "Ah, Ran, you must be quite good with handling swords..." I said softly to her. "Anyway, thank you, to everyone, for being there. I don't know what would have happened if I were alone. I might have fallen. It's a bit embarrassing that you had to see that side of me, but at least we took care of it."
I could feel Pyxis' hand on my shoulder too. "But yes, thanks. I think I'll be okay. Last time I was here I got gunned down by a Reaper, and only had my own medicines to take care of it. It's been worse in the past. I'm glad for your concerns and worries."
"Been worse"? Never mind that. That didn't diminish the situation at all. Alisa had still faced down her own shadow, just like Vice undoubtedly had, but in the end she was the last one standing. She had help, but in the end the shadow's fire attack had separated everyone else from her, forcing her to finish the confrontation on her own. That whole time, Pyxis could only watch and wait. Maybe the Reaper was stronger, but this was more personal, and would've had more serious consequences if she lost.
"Don't sell yourself short. Defeating your own shadow, especially after it resorted to force, is no simple feat. I'm just glad I could be here for you when it happened," she said. Her voice trembled ever so slightly, showing just a hint of nervousness. "Besides, I...don't know what I would do without you."
The moment the words left her mouth, Pyxis realized the implications of what she had just said. Those words, in that tone, that was practically a confession right there. All they needed was a blush, which her mechanical body was not capable of producing. She was certain that if she said anything else, she'd be even more nervous and have trouble forming words. But, fortunately, she could turn that off. So when she next spoke, it was in a near monotone with very little expression. "I apologize. I am not sure what I just said."
Post by Phoebe Minola on Apr 26, 2014 7:24:12 GMT -5
Phoebe cringed visibly at the sight of Ran just pulling the sword out. Was she really the only one so affected by these things anymore? Sometimes it felt like she was the only one who remembered being... 'normal'. She frowned; what if that was a bad thing? After all, Nietzche did caution 'He who fights monsters'... but maybe when it came to fighting Shadows, they all had to become monsters.
Ran's words were harsh but she knew that she was right. She... ought to have more faith in the veterans, but she was reluctant. She didn't know them and honestly, it was hard to trust and have faith in somebody who made her feel like garbage, even if that wasn't her intention. She shook herself down slightly. She really had to get over that sort of thing, before it got her killed. But she still had a feeling someone was bound to criticize her anyway. She just nodded dully at Ran's words, more embarrassed (or was it ridiculed?) than anything else.
But her worry over Alisa returned even as Ran healed her. She looked alright but... hey, Phoebe was a fusser.
She suddenly leaned in and gave her a gentle but warm hug.
"I don't mind what I saw and what your Shadow said," she said. "You've managed something incredible so you don't get to say you're more worried about what we think. I, at least, think you were really brave to face yourself like that and come out stronger for it. And I'm... proud to call you friend."
Then she let go quickly, with her face all a-flush. She expected a couple of barbs about being sentimental so she shuffled backwards a little.
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Akira Nakajima on Apr 26, 2014 9:58:50 GMT -5
”I'm good with long objects.” The boy stuck his tongue out with Alisa's comment on swords. It had so many different ways of being interpreted, but that was fully intentional. With a wink the boy spun on his heel, surveying the surroundings. Pyxis and Phoebe, the Double-P of the group, went on to say their parts. Pyxis sounded like she was into women-or at least Alisa. Meanwhile, the other woman acted very gushy. Sounded like a parent or older sibling, or something like that. Either way, the boy in drag was pleased to see that nothing else approached despite all the commotion. Well, for the time being, at least. That could have changed in a heartbeat, so long as they were there in that place.
”Don't worry about the embarrassment, though.” The boy in drag noted before turning back to the investigator with an impish, but warm smile. ”I'm sure I can find something even more embarrassing to tease you with. So don't worry. You accepted your faults and survived. For the time being, be proud of that. As far as I can tell, you'll only have to deal with it once. Obviously, no way to verify that, but take it for what it's worth.” The boy turned and began to step towards the stairs. All looked good. The woman should be fine for the time being, and she was more powerful than before. With that in mind, the boy believed that his role on the stage was over for the time being.
”I may have healed you, but you did just deal with something a bit surprising. I'd advise heading home and resting. If you need me, you have my number.” He winked at the investigator, looking over his shoulder, before waving at the other two. ”I'm out for now. See you soon, I'm sure. We've still got lots of things to do.”
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 26, 2014 10:08:45 GMT -5
"Long objects, definitely a good sword-handler, I must say," I simply responded to Ran's quip, now definitely aware of the possibility of interpreting that as a double entendre. "I'll hold you to that though, Ran. You go and take care as well. I'll get my rest and resume my work as soon as possible." I waved back at Ran as she began to leave. Meanwhile, Pyxis had blurted out that she wasn't sure what she would do without me, before quickly going to robospeak mode and mentioning she had no idea what she had just said. On the other hand, Phoebe continued to gush over me and gave me a soft hug.
I reciprocated, hugging Phoebe back softly. "Thanks, really. I'm just glad we all made it out at least in one piece, even if I suffered an injury that wasn't for... uh, the faint of heart." Letting go of her, I turned to Pyxis and gave the robot a hug as well, though this one was a little tighter.
"You don't need to worry about what you just said, Pyxis," I said to her. "I'm grateful for your support and I wouldn't want to leave you either. If you want, we can hang out at my place for a while or something. Phoebe can come along too if she's free."
It took me a while to register I was still hugging the robot, but I let go a bit awkwardly and stepped back so I was looking at both girls. It was probably a bad idea to stick around a bit longer.
Ran said her piece and left. Pyxis gave a wave back to her, then turned her attention back to Alisa. As soon as Alisa finished hugging Phoebe, she turned to Pyxis and did the same. Pyxis gladly returned it. Although Alisa's hug was surprisingly tight, Pyxis was still delicate in her own and careful not to put too much pressure on her. She smiled at Alisa's response. It didn't sound quite like Alisa was returning her feelings. But it definitely sounded like there was still hope there. For the moment, Pyxis would be content with that. This wasn't a good time to worry about trivial things, after all.
"I'd be happy to," Pyxis said, answering Alisa's offer after she finally stepped back. Her tone had returned to normal, although there was still a hint of nervousness to her words. It cleared as she continued. "Ran's right though, we should head home. Preferably before anything else pops up that wants us dead."
Post by Phoebe Minola on Apr 27, 2014 7:10:02 GMT -5
Phoebe was sort of lagging behind a little, kind of bemused at Ran's innuendos -- honestly, hearing kids talk like that sometimes made her feel old. And she was only twenty-four, for pity's sake! She shrugged a bit and shuffled along, then absently waved at Ran as she left.
That kid troubled more than she liked. On one hand she was irritated at her insensitive approach but on the other hand... can't really deny truth and common sense when you hear it, no matter how blunt it is. She smiled awkwardly but benignly at the girl called Pyxis hugging Alisa too. She'd noticed some things about her in the fray but she felt it was pointless to really address them now. Perhaps eventually the girl would come clean herself when she felt comfortable.
Alisa's suggestion that they go hang at her place snapped her out of her reverie.
"Oh, uh, yes sure. I have some time before I need to head home. I have exams to grade later," she blurted. "Let's get going before anything else shows up. I'm still nervous about coming here for the first time..." she added with a nervous chuckle.
This place had given her a hell of a welcome.
"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyrril Connolly
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Apr 27, 2014 8:55:41 GMT -5
"Alright, looks like we're gonna chill and relax at my place then. Come on, let's go. It's gonna get dangerous soon I think if we linger." I nodded towards the both of them and began to leave, leading the way out. Overall, today has been a rather strange, enlightening experience. I had reliable friends and colleagues to back me up, and I definitely knew that Pyxis had some sort of feelings for me despite her innately mechanical nature. Sure, she had been developed with a human psyche in mind, but it would come to pass that eventually, she would learn what 'affection' and perhaps even 'love' truly were. I knew Phoebe had asked me about Pyxis in the past, but I still felt obligated to her in keeping her "secret" but maybe Phoebe could figure it out soon enough.
I like Pyxis a lot. But I'm not sure if I should tell her how I really feel yet. I'll give it a bit more time and see how that turns out. She was the first one to really bother to give a two fucks about me way back when I learned Chidori had been lost to disease. Even if our first meeting was awkward, I felt like we hit it off at the next meeting. So, perhaps, we shall see.