idolpro | HEART GAME: REQUIEM (run 2)

[grabs after her, or at least attempts to]

Wait-- Wait, geez, that wasn't even an answer and you know it. Just 'cause I had a dumb joke question doesn't mean it wasn't a valid one. D'you mean a vampire that only drinks blood? A vampire that goes around killing people for sport? A vampire that's a cat or has a really unnerving voice? If this's gonna be one of those talks then come at me, spit it out.

She lets you grab her, only a little startled-- Hurricane frowns, and is the one to speak up again. "Any of those. All of those. Would you be able to still like me after all that?"

But he doesn't wait for her to answer before saying, more gently, "You shouldn't, you know? ... if I ever get like that, you should take me out. Cuz if I can't even control myself, what good am I?"

[Frowns; she's not always the smartest person to begin with, and this isn't the greatest conversation topic. But still, she can understand this sort of feeling, a little, and it is deserving of a fully considered answer]

...

Would it make you feel better if I said I would? Take you out, I mean. Is that what you want, someone just in case you lose yourself...?

"No," Nemesis says immediately, squeezing your hand. "No, it sucks! It sucks and I don't ever want to be something like that, and I don't want you to do that, because I like you! And I want you to-- to keep liking me, too.

...

But I don't... know what to do. If that happens."

Well... Maybe you should talk it over. Maybe we should talk it over. Don’t gotta worry if you got a plan...right?

[Gives the both of them crooked smiles]

...C’mon.

[And unless some new gateway has opened up, she turns to lead them back towards home]

Hurricane looks unsure, but nods. Nemesis nods too, head bowed a little and glasses pushed up to rub at her eyes, but her grip is tight.

Roll INT before you leave the City Remains, please.

Edited 2019-02-19 19:02 (UTC)

[Well that's a botch so hopefully the other two know what they are doing; with INT -3 it's possible Nemesis has forgotten who exactly she is much less the way back to the house]

You make it back to the house quickly enough, and nothing catches your eye on the way.

[This time she wants to look more around the house, and check out the house itself--last time she got distracted by herself, which happens, but she's wondering if this whole thing was simpler than she'd led herself to believe (INT unsurprisingly a 4, like it is never not going to be 4, let's be real)]

You search around. Nemesis finally lets go of your hand to search too, and Hurricane separates to do the same.

Roll AGI. Y'know, for reasons.

[10, is it a raptor I hope it's a raptor]

Not a raptor.

It IS a very large (and perhaps frighteningly familiar) bat-monster, swooping down at you. Unfortunately you're a bit too slow to dodge it tackling you to the ground.

Nemesis immediately draws her sword, panicked, and Hurricane holds his staff at the ready. "--Nem!"

[The monstrous bat's the same as her memory, just as massive and menacing as her nightmares. It looms over her, holding her down, eyes luminous blue slits and mouth a jagged forest of razor-sharp teeth and it's going to rip her limb from limb and tear out her throat like always and she can't fight can't run can't move like always can't scream can't breathe can't look away can't can't can't]

There's a long moment of stillness, as its clawed hand reaches for you--

And stops. And it stares at you, then recoils, making a wounded, frightened noise as it scrambles back and away, flying back into the darkness of the cave.

Nemesis and Hurricane finally move to join you, as if they'd been paralyzed, their faces worried and frightened.

[She--

--can't do this here. She has to get up.

A beat and she forces in a breath; another and she shakily pushes herself upright, barely--immediately shoves up her glasses to bury her face in her hands, letting them sag into her drawn-up knees.

(Fuck.)]

It's a long, quiet moment.

But Hurricane lowers down to sit next to you, leaning, and Nemesis gently curls an arm around your back, hugging, petting your hair.

Her voice is a little shaky when she says, "I'm sorry-- I'm sorry."

[Another breath.]

It's--

["fine" doesn't exactly make it out, even if the contact is nice--warm--but she scrubs at her face and starts over]

...Guess we found your shadow. Now what?

[She has a feeling--she has a couple feelings--but will buy herself time to avoid digging into them anyway]

"... don't know," Nemesis says, at a loss. "What do you WANT to do? Did it hurt you?"

...No. Didn't even touch me.

[Usually it does. In real life, in her dreams it does, every time.

But this isn't a dream. Or at least, it isn't her dream. The monster didn't hurt her. It didn't try.]

[What does she want to do?]

...Hey, other Nemesis. When it came in here, did you make any contact with it? Or has it just been hiding out?

Nemesis looks a little startled by the question, and unwraps her arms from you, instead settling in against your side to complete the Hurricane-Kitty-Nem comfort sandwich.

"Uh... well. I didn't actually-- see it. I mean, I saw it, but I didn't know it was... that monster. But I searched all over the cave, and I tried talking to it a few times," she says, frowning. "... never came out, though. Figured it might have slipped out when I wasn't looking, but... it was here the whole time, I guess."

[Of course. Of course.]

Well... This's home, isn't it?

[She stays put for another few selfish moments before getting to her feet, setting her stance. Who knows if she can pull this off--she's not strong enough to leave Hurricane or Heart!Nem to leave them out of this--but she calls out anyway]

C-come out. We're not gonna hurt you.

They get up alongside you, and Nemesis keeps her blade out and ready, but she says, curiously, "... home? For us, maybe..."

Hurricane casts Enhance on you, just in case-- you gain +3 STR.

Nothing responds from deeper in the cave, within the darkness.

Edited 2019-02-20 21:39 (UTC)

[ffffffffffffff why is everything always in the darkness,]

[But after talking a bunch of shit earlier to Hierophant she can't exactly just ignore it, not here. So. She waves at Nemesis to put her sword away (or at least to stay back--it's not like she can win anyway) and takes another few steps forward, deeper into the cave. She continues to call out to the batmonster]

You're not gonna make me go in there, are you? I'm--really not feeling the dark lately. That one's not your fault, at least.

Nemesis hangs back with Hurricane, a little, at your gesture, looking... confused, mostly.

At least your own sword still glows, gently illuminating the area near you. And for a long moment, again, there's not any sort of response--

Until a pair of bright green eyes peer out at you from around some rocks, narrowed. There's a soft, half-hearted hiss, more like a frightened cat than something angry or threatening.

------O-okay. Okay. Okay.

[She's honestly not sure who she's trying to calm more, the monster or herself. At any rate, she doesn't try to approach, and even stands the sword in a convenient tuft of mud or junk or whatever, so it can give some light without her having to actively brandish it, then takes a (small) step away.

And then she pauses, again taking a moment to gather herself--trying to get her pulse down from heart attack range]

...Okay?

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