witness again

[fauxmarth]

WHO: Lucina & assorted (you too???)
WHERE: the...the city...,
WHEN: first half of event
WHAT: THINGS
WARNINGS: violence mostly!! bc of this au!
Ur welcome to wildcard me or hmu at whyellewhy to party yaaaaaa

Comments

for guz

[fauxmarth]

...Nothing. Still nothing.

[no signal at all. Lucina grimaces, teeth gritted against the bone-chilling cold, even now as she's descended back down to street level. she'd kind of hoped going up high as she dared to would yield a benefit, but her phone is as useless as ever.]

We really are cut off.

[which makes their initial arrival and that assault the easy part, apparently. and maybe it was; she's used to combat and chaos like that, and even when she'd been shackled down for a time? her focus was sharp and goals clear as ever: fight back, get free, get out.

now that that's over, though? it leaves too much unknown and little notion of what's next.]

[golisolation]

[Guzma really doesn't get what's going on here, or why they're here, but everything has been chaotic and shitty, something he's used to, but the apparently...helplessness of it all has left him in a foul mood. He's glad to have Lucina as his company, even if he doesn't think she needs to be suffering whatever the hell this is, but if he had to choose any company, it'd be hers.

With her return from up above to try and get some sort of reception, he watches her, but then whips his gaze away as she gives him the news. His face twisting into annoyed frustration.]

Tch! Typical.

[Crossing his arms, he leans against the alley wall, his glare out towards the street.]

Guess we just gotta deal, huh? Wonder if there's others, or if we're just especially unlucky.

[fauxmarth]

[she makes a faint, acknowledging sound at that, trying to rub some warmth back into her arms. she's not sure she'd be happier to find the others here, or if it's better that they're not stuck as well. it's really the not knowing that's the worst of it; one way or another, she just wants to know for certain what the score is!]

The skyline doesn't look familiar to me at all, either. Even if the machinery was, this place... [her eyes wince.] It might be another world entirely. Or another time.

[golisolation]

[He hates this place, hates how cold it is, hates how unfamiliar it is. Things were going so well back home, and now they're...here. Wherever here is. He keeps his gaze away from her still, his brow hard with annoyance, and he can't help but rub at his own arms a little to try and keep himself warm.]

Y'know, I thought we were done with all of this. Them goddesses pissed off, we were supposed to be left the fuck alone for the most part, right?

[Sure they had to, what was it, feed off that universe or something? But this hardly seems like what should happen because of that. He knows he doesn't know for sure, but...]

[fauxmarth]

That's...that was my understanding, too.

[were they wrong to believe the word of a goddess? did this case fall somewhere beyond their jurisdiction? multiple worlds, multiple rules, multiple ways to get a headache...Lucina definitely doesn't have the head for this kind of thing.

she falls quiet for a beat, her eyes settling on the street opened out ahead of them.]

...If the rest of this city is...anything like it was at the onset, then...we need to be very careful, or we may find ourselves in over our heads very quickly.

[breaking free of soldiers and their cuffs was hard enough the first time, especially with Guzma's temper flaring and hindering her own power.]

But we need to find somewhere warm before the sun goes down completely. I, I don't like not knowing our odds this way.

PART....TWO.....

[fauxmarth]

Gnh...Ah-!!

[the pain is too sharp with even the slightest tilting in flight, so much so that she has to drop, curling herself to try and land on her knees without much residual impact.

it doesn't go so great. with the knife still in there between her ribs, it's hard to keep the blade from moving and doing her more harm as she tries to put more distance between herself and M.

not good. not...good. she needs to regroup. find Guzma. find help-- a healer. someone--

she knows that, but she can't move another inch, doubled over on her knees, clutching the knife hilt to keep it still while trying to breathe.

not...not good...!]

[golisolation]

[Find Guzma? More like he finds her. They had been parted for far longer than he liked, and he further didn't like that he couldn't find her...and still it isn't actually him who finds her, but rather—]

Masque!! Masqueraaaaiiin!!

[The worried chirps echo loudly around Lucina as the small pixie of a Pokémon flits around her in a panic, feeling equal parts helpless and useless as he stares down at her with terrified eyes. It's only a moment before he shoots off in Guzma's direction, his worried cries drawing his trainer's attention immediately.

At first, he worries something was the matter with Masquerain—something along the lines of what had befallen Ariados, and his chest clenches so tight he feels robbed of breath. However, he sees Masquerain is fine, and rather the bug is keen on him following, if his desperate waving of his antenna and spinning while crying is anything to go off of. He wastes no time to bolt after him—]

...Lu!

[It takes him a moment to realize the extent of what's wrong. Seeing her hunched like that, curled on her knees, he already assumed she was injured, but it's not till he approaches her more fully and sees the knife still deep within her that the soul chilling realization hits him.

He's frozen as he stares at her for a full second, unable to think, unable to act, before he drops to a squat besides her, his hands raised as he tries to reach out to her, but stops. He doesn't know what to do, how to make this better—where's Archie? Where's anyone who can heal!?

He doesn't know, he doesn't—]

Lu—Lu who fuckin' did this!? Shit! Shit!!

[He shouldn't have let himself get separated from her, now look at what's happened! He should have been there, he should have...!!]

[fauxmarth]

Guh-Guzma-?!

[she very well could be imagining him -- Masquerain's squeals didn't sound very real, either, but...but maybe that's because her heart is drumming so loudly in her ears and her head is swimming with panic and disarray that things don't seem real.

but when she lifts her head and squints, trying to blink her vision back into focus, that's--there he is. right? white hair...

through gritted teeth:] Th-there you are...gnh-! Nh. I...I messed up...I'm sorry. [she tenses up against a shudder, holding her breath for a moment.] Gotta...get a healer, or...

[golisolation]

What healers are here!?

[He can't help the panic that's clear on his face and in his voice. He doesn't think as he scoops her up in his arms bridal style, trying to be careful of that knife, or jostling her too much, but...there's only so much he can realistically avoid, let alone the panic movements don't make for the careful ones he's hoping for.]

Lu! Hold on, a'ight? I'll—shit...I'll find someone!

[Masquerain's cries in the background don't help anything, but Guzma can't be assed to tell the bug to quiet down when he's too focused on trying to carry Lucina to—hell, he doesn't even know! Anywhere that could help...he just doesn't know where that even might be!]

Just don't die on me!

for m

[fauxmarth]

[no matter where she goes, Lucina is still Lucina. being discreet for the sake of staying out of danger's way is fine and all, but it goes to the wayside when she can hear others in trouble.

and boy, does this city have plenty of that.

by now, she's gotten herself a bit of second-hand gear to protect herself -- a sword can't deflect every bullet, after all -- and is hastening toward the sound of a new fray. in her heart, she fears it another friend in peril, and more's the reason to be quick. what if it's Jaime? Adora? gods forbid her dearest friend Iris is trapped in all this!

once she banks the next corner in flight, her eyes fix on the nearest armored vehicle in the midst of all this, brandishing Aurora and lashing out at the metal to draw its gunner's fire.]

[heliophilic]

[ They brought him to this fight. They bring him to every fight. Such is the way he's lived since the accident--since thinking became too much. They tell him, and he goes.

They gave him his old uniform, so he wears it. The leather has seen better days at this point, but it's still wearable. He doesn't complain.

The axe man told him to kill the people with the City's logo on it. To kill the AEGIS unit. For some reason those logos still exist within his broken brain. He can always picture those; not like most things which had been buried with the inside voice, things he has to strain to bring up again.

He moves fast and doesn't think. His body knows how to kill people. It knows who to target. He's fast. He's efficient.

And he's certainly not holding back. ]

[fauxmarth]

[that Aegis' good name -- Jacob's dreams and hope -- would be tarnished in such ways in this world...it disgusts Lucina. so much that, maybe, she should've done something to scrub the names and insignia off the vestments, but a prideful part of her thinks that maybe she can do more herself to turn the image around than all these dreadful soldiers and their history here.

there's also no time for vanity, especially not now.

she's barely carved through the barrel of the vehicle's topmost turret when her skin tingles with dreadful warning, and she has barely any time at all to react. just glimpsing the shape out of her peripheral, she gasps and ducks the first incoming blow, which has her poised to be launched off her perch by a second she wasn't ready for at all.

it takes her a bit of a stagger and scramble to keep upright as she gets punted off the car and onto the street, and in doing so, she hustles backward to scope out what -- who? -- just struck her. she expected guns and batons, not bare fists and blows like this!

no matter, she'll take them all on! gritting her teeth, she brings her blade forward, searching her assailant out. where--?]

[heliophilic]

[He had already moved, slipping behind a car to come up around the rear of his opponent. A part of him was surprised that this one didn't go down after the first strike. The bad people usually go down after the first hit. He usually doesn't have to hit them a second time.

But the ones with that logo usually had powers, the inside voice, the unbroken part of him, manages to get through. That meant they were tougher than the usual bad guys.

It just meant he had to be tougher too.

The only sound of warning his opponent gets is the sound of the roof of the car he's standing on crunch slightly under his weight as he leaps towards her.]

for jonathan

[fauxmarth]

[things would be a lot easier if it were warmer. or if there were porters. or if every other street corner wasn't so closely guarded or riddled in surveillance...

things would be a lot easier in a lot of ways, really. Lucina's very aware, but she's just as aware that complaining won't change it -- action will.

she can't do a whole lot of incredible action right now, though, so the goal is to scope out some shelter suitable for herself and Guzma. she's trying to be careful -- flying over the cameras positioned on street corners and traffic lights, ducking windows and places where her shadow can lead suspicion...but there's so many things to keep in mind, too much can be missed!

and she rarely expects to be tailed by the face of a dear friend.]

[drivesadesk]

[Jonathan is, naturally, bundled up to hold in all the heat he'd managed to build up before he headed out. Once it's gone it's gone, so it's definitely important to Jonathan to make sure he stays warm. He doesn't intend to be out long...but then he sees someone who is clearly a meta carefully avoiding the cameras.

Well, dammit.

Maybe he should pretend he doesn't see anything, but if anyone witnesses him outright ignoring an obvious meta, he'll be in a lot of trouble. So he starts following her, trying to pretend he's just casually walking along, waiting to see if she goes somewhere where she can be more easily cornered.]

[fauxmarth]

[chancing glances through darkened windows doesn't yield much...they're dark! how's she supposed to know if they're occupied or not?! gods, this is more difficult than it needs to be. and slow; hearing footsteps below gives her pause, keeps her in place for moments with her breath held before taking the risk to hasten into an alley and land to catch her breath.

at least here, at least in the dark...she doesn't appear to have blue hair. and maybe no one can see the sword and ask questions and--]

-?!

[she freezes, feeling someone near. perhaps it is mere coincidence?

...not likely. not in a place like this.

for a sense of security, her hand rests at her hip, by the hilt of her sword as she waits and listens.]

[drivesadesk]

[And Jonathan, hearing her hurry into the alley, naturally follows her in. He sees her hand on the hilt of the sword. So she's armed. He'll have to be careful, then. He can't tell if she's waiting for him to get close so she can catch him by surprise and stab him, or if she doesn't know where he is. He decides not to chance things by getting too close.]

I'll give you one chance to drop the weapon.

for archie

[fauxmarth]

Ah...

[someone's blown up this government outpost faster than she could reach it! were she a few seconds faster, she might've gotten blown up with it. she's honestly a little disappointed she couldn't swoop in and do the work herself, but...it's probably for the best, right? save her strength for a bigger fight, not just sentry cameras and droids...

even so, she has to check for sign of her friends -- of Guzma's friends. to make sure they're not caught up in this. it's why she lands and starts investigating the blown-up perimeter of this little base, her head on a swivel for signs of reinforcements.

she freezes and whirls around at the sound of steps or rustling or...glorping? sounds almost like...like oozing filth...

no, it actually smells like oozing filth; Lucina grimaces, bringing a hand to her nose, brandishing Aurora with her other.]

Who goes there?!

[h2no]

[oh, lucina. poor, poor lucina. it's muk-- the slime pokémon makes itself look bigger and advances on her menacingly. a real ゴゴゴゴ approach. archie saunters around him, holding a gun. wow. that's not normal. remember when he fired a gun in aegis training then immediately puked after?

there's no recognition in his face when he faces her, holding the gun up at her.]

You first.

[fauxmarth]

[seeing Muk here of all places is startling enough, but seeing a gun in the hands of someone so very plainly Archie is dreadful to a far different degree.

the blade wavers, starting to lower, as is her hand over her face.]

Archie? [...] That...That's you, isn't it? Why are you--

[h2no]

[he fires a warning shot up into the air, then levels the gun at her again.]

I said you first! [she knows his name-- that's not good. maybe she's on his side? you can't be too careful, these days.] You give me your name or you get to fuck, asshole!

for luke

[fauxmarth]

[sometimes, in the midst of fighting for survival in a violent world, a girl takes a few licks.

sometimes she even gets launched clear through a window in the process.

in fact, that's exactly what's happened!

...well. not exactly. she wasn't fighting -- she was flying! trying to get away! but this city has some serious ground-to-air defenses unlike any she's known before...and thus, being struck, she struggled to make her way down safely, winding up careening out of control and straight through a window.

the window of someone's hideout, in fact.]

[faithfulson]

[ Luke could sense that something was about to happen; that something was coming, and he very nearly groaned. The place he was squatting in now was, admittedly, only temporary, but he had literally just found it. He rolled his eyes skyward, shuffling over to the window that didn't feel right, holding up a hand. ]

[ As if on cue, someone came crashing through the window, and Luke simultaneously shoved the shattered glass out of the way and tried to slow them enough that he could easily catch them, their head only bopping against his bearded chin. ]

You know, most people use the door.

[fauxmarth]

Ah--ow!

[wait...there's no...actual pain to precede the ow. Lucina's not a smattered stain on the floor?

she's very baffled by this. doubly so by discovering that she's being safely held aloft from aforementioned stain status?

give her a moment.]

Wh...what just...how did I--who are you?! [she can only tilt her head back enough to catch his face at a weird angle, and it's neither flattering nor familiar.]

[faithfulson]

[ Luke made a face, before pulling her up enough to make sure she could stay on her feet before letting her go. ]

You fell into my hideout; you tell me who you are.