idolpro | POST-ROUND 1 MINGLE

POST-ROUND 1 MINGLE

[ Once the decisions have been made, everyone is ushered—though those gentle tugs—out their respective mud rooms into the courtyard. An impossibly tall and incredibly dense garden hedge divides one half of the courtyard away—moreover, it increasingly gets taller when climbed, preventing its residents from escaping their slice of the courtyard. From beyond, idols can hear the distant sounds of something rumbling—perhaps it's the ground shaking. . .

The roster is visible on a large screen, though as time progresses, certain names are blacked out. . . ]

[ Mouths and Hands will be able to transform into monsters at-will, though Hands are much more diminutive and Mouths have supernatural abilities at their disposal. Moreover, unit abilities are on. ]

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[ As he's watching more red names (and units) light up the scoreboard ]

Caeli.

[ the blue tattoo on his arm glows as he summons his hydro blades. ] Look, Xiansheng, look what I can do... again. [ he twirls them, flashing zhongli with a sharp smirk. ]

[ He turns to face Childe, eyeing the ease at which he wields those hydro blades ]

And did you have to pay a price for such a gift?

[ he takes a pointed step forward as the other tattoo glows, though that may be a bit harder to see. electricity starts dancing along his blades, his expression twisting into something a lot less… sane. ] The mouths fight for the heart and the heart lives for the body… we all pay the price when the heart dies.

[ His own Heart Weapon appears in his hand in a shimmer of gold dust, though he does not yet bring it to bear just quite yet. ]

Shall I treat you this once then?

[ He takes a step toward Childe as well. ]

For all the times you have treated me.

I'm going to give it my all, Xiansheng. [ and this is about the time he snaps, the heart's death driving him to the brink of insanity and shoving him over the edge. his eyes burn brightly; a swirl of blue and purple as static electro energy explodes off of him, sending out a shockwave for anybody stupid enough to get too close. he bolts forward, telporting to zhongli's side and attempting to drive one of his swords through his side. ]

[ He catches that attack with the hilt of his spear, uncharacteristically gripping with the weapon with both hands to properly block the strength of that single strike.

He should expect nothing less from a mouth, after all. ]

You would not dishonor yourself or me with anything less.

And I will meet you in turn.

[ He spins to the side, moving to flank Childe instead as his spear twists to slam the butt end viciously against his stomach. ]

Good. Give me everything you’ve got. [ his tone is becoming a bit distorted, but he’s still fully aware of everything. he’s just hungry for the bite of battle, to clash blades with the best of the best. he attacks zhongli with the other sword, twisting himself and angling the first to force him back into that second strike. each slash is quick, precise, and certainly aiming to relieve zhongli of a limb or two. static jumps along his limbs, helping him to move at a moments notice, but also shocking zhongli should he get *too* close. kind of impossible as they are, but what’s a little love bite between fiancé’s~ ]

[ What's a few shocks between partners.

He sidesteps and parries blow after blow, superficial cuts (and the subsequent crackle of electricity) accompanying more than a few of them. And yet while Zhongli normally would welcome a battle of attrition and endurance, he's not so sure he can win one with his own diminished power. Who fights regularly without a shield? Not this dragon grandpa.

And so - risk versus reward.

He steps in closer, taking a vicious slash to the arm up to almost the bone - and attempts to slams his Heart Weapon deep into Childe's chest to pin him to the nearest surface.

And pin is all it can do, considering his feelings regarding Childe.

Zhongli takes a moment to glance over at Childe, eyes and tips of his hair starting to glow a faint gold. ]

[ this guy! this guy normally fights sans a shield, but that’s exactly why he regularly comes back from the battlefield looking like he lost a fight with a meat grinder. he loves it though, there are so few things that get his blood pumping like the heat of battle. he grins wider and wider, relentlessly attacking zhongli in an effort to skewer him on his swords… however, he jumps back at one point, teleporting across the room. there’s an eerie silence hanging over him, eyes obscured by his bangs as he throws his hand up, the effort somewhat strained, as if he’s digging deep to unearth something… the celestial narwhal. from the floor comes an enormous hydro narwhal, electricity dancing around it and blowing out the lights around the room as it dives directly at zhongli. ]

[ incoming! ]

[ This bitch...

Honestly. ]

[ Well it certainly looks like he got caught in that blast.

But with all that water splashing and electricity sparking, Childe is going to have to come in for a closer look. ]

[ he stands there for another couple of moments, quirking his head in attempt to see how zhongli has faired, but between the damage done and the amount of people… he does have to go in for a closer look. ]

[ his steps are slow, almost casual, like the surprise of seeing him sprawled out is mounting the longer it takes him to get there. his weapons are still out, and he definitely hasn’t relaxed his posture completely. ]

Zhongli Xiansheng… where are you?

[ There is the whispers of scales and stone turning back to flesh as Zhongli drops his other form. It's difficult to see if it was his henshin or something else entirely through the chaos around them.

But either way---

Zhongli will try to use that forward momentum to try and bodyslam Childe off balance. ]

[ childe digs his heels in and takes the brunt of the slam, staggering slightly, but not entirely thrown off kilter. he hadn’t expected zhongli to have lost so easily, so a retaliation of some kind was expected. ]

[ he shoves at him, restablishing a bit of space as swirls of electro transform one of his blade, so that he’s got one of each of his elements. ] Keep coming at me, Zhongli Xiansheng, I’ve hardly had my fill.

I have not stopped. You are the one that keeps requiring distance.

[ He adjusts his footing, turning to always keep Childe in front of him. ]

Perhaps this time, you should come to me.

[ childe laughs, forging his swords into a hydro electro bow. ] I *am* an archer. [ “archer”, he says, as he fires the first few arrows… the last and final arrow just thrown. ”archer”. ]

[ He blocks the first two arrows with his spear. The third clips his leg and the others---

Well, Zhongli is perhaps in too close range to really matter if they hit or not as he attempts to spear through Childe's wrist and then his side to pin at least one arm and give the "archer" a handicap. ]

[ as zhongli comes closer and closer childe tries to jump back, to reestablish some space in between them, because he’s got a bow out at the moment, and just short of clocking zhongli over the head with it there’s not much he can do. he manages to move back, but with how close zhongli had gotten his wrist is still hit, pinned actually, to the support at his back. his eyes briefly drop to the wound, though they quickly flicker back to zhongli. ]

Try harder. [ perhaps he’s a little cocky, but now that Zhongli is this close he’s absolutely going to try to stab him with a hydro blade, the weapon forming in his good hand as he thrusts it forward. ]

Edited (I’m a dumb) 2022-02-26 20:57 (UTC)

[ Zhongli's brows pinch when that hydro blade slides into flesh, blood seeping from the wound. ]

I am putting in the adequate amount of effort.

[ He does not avert his eyes from Childe's as he attempts to brace one forearm against his throat painfully and let go of his Heart Weapon so he can move to snap the hand holding the hydro dagger at the wrist. ]

[ childe chokes out a laugh as zhongli shoves his forearm against his throat, stifling his breathing some. he tips his head down, applying as much pressure as he can, so zhongli can't completely choke him out. he knees zhongli in the gut as soon as his wrist is grabbed, the pressure snapping one of the two bones there, but childe thankfully manages to avoid having it completely broken by starting his foul legacy transformation. armor coalesces around his entire body behind a swirl of hydro and electro, the amount of mangled energy coming together enough to send zhongli flying across the room. when the smoke clears and the dust settles childe will be hovering there in his foul legacy form, his teeny tiny hydro / electro swords snapped together to form a spear, which is then transformed as well. ]

Now it's time for me to do the breaking. [ he teleports to zhongli, but instead of stabbing him he's going to try swatting zhongli with the side of his spear, aiming to simply knock him around for now rather than kill him outright. he's playing with his food, ok, it's legit. ]

[ Zhongli stares (as he always does) at the monstrous form of Foul Legacy, the abyssal energy making him want to gag with his own celestial senses heightened. But still not quite strong enough as he is now to avoid the blow as he is slammed into the opposite wall enough to make his teeth rattle and taste blood.

Ah. He is so mortal now.

In the face of what he needs to do.

As he rises, his henshin covers his own form like a second skin, white and gold. ]

You use so freely that which hurts you.

For what? Power? Pride?

It is not your blows that do the breaking.

[ childe floats closer to zhongli with a laugh. ] Putting all the blame on me for the use of this form right now? I couldn't do it without a little... help. [ a dark and sinister laugh, one that distorts at the end. ] If not for the death of the heart I wouldn't be able to change. [ but his lips curl into a smirk at the follow-up questions, a swift strike sending a torrent of hydro at zhongli to slash him. ] You know the answer. [ that last bit he chooses to ignore, teleporting to his side and grabbing at his hair to yank his head back. ] I should devour you right here, right now, ...make you truly mine.

I do not blame you for the existence of that form. But I will never condone your usage of it.

That is not where your true strength lies.

[ He grits his teeth as his hair is pulled back, attempting to twist his neck so he can at least get a better glimpse of Childe's face. To look him in that one clear orb. ]

I am already yours.

Why do you want for that which you already have?

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cw: bone breaking

Re: cw: bone breaking

Re: cw: bone breaking

Re: cw: bone breaking

Re: cw: bone breaking