idolpro | ROUND 3

[ war. there's a flicker of recognition in the back of her mind.

and then the sound of the slight shift of her boot heel against the stone is the only warning before there's the feeling of a bark-coated arm hurling Paloma against the wall. ]

Paloma. Tell me the stakes.

[ Her back slams against the wall and she grunts—an unusually indelicate sound, but this is pushing her up against all of her limits. Not her best day.

At least she can appreciate this as a lesbian, ]

...mm. Mysterious personalized "punishments."

[ She has just enough range of motion to go for the derringer— ]

So you can see why I'm fighting hard.

[ —and presses it between Amaranth's ribs and fires. ]

[ it hits like a sharp and intense punch in the gut, and there's a pained grunt of her own as she halfway doubles over, the blindness flickering off for a moment as Amaranth's focus wavers ]

Edited 2020-01-12 03:07 (UTC)

[ —but just a punch, because though the bullet rips through the fabric of her sweater, it crumples uselessly against Juniper Tree's bark coating.

There's just enough of a moment of vision to see that the other woman is coated in shiny, ridged bark, before Paloma's vision goes dark again—

—and Amaranth's fist connects with her face. ]

FUCK—

[ Well, she just goes sprawling, planting face-first into the floor. no one's punched her before, what the fuck! She's gay for danger but she's got shit to do—

She manages not to drop the gun at least for all the good that's going to do her, and levers herself back right side up, struggling to her feet through the blindness. ]

So it's that sort of game.

[ she takes advantage of the brief window of opportunity to scan the room, noting the podium in the center—it's not exactly subtle in its significance.

there's the sound of her boot heels clicking against the tiled floor as she walks over to it. ]

....The button signals that it's over, doesn't it.

[ she tries to track the sound of Amaranth's boots across the floor as she gets to her feet, but—

...she's not going to make it, is she. even puppeteering, if they're both facing toward the button, and she's still not entirely sure what way she herself is facing— ]

...suppose there's no point in trying to hide that anymore, is there. You're a formidable opponent.

[ lightly, teasingly: ] No mercy in memory of a lovely afternoon spent together, then?

[ it perhaps depends on how Paloma manifests her puppeteering, but—
if nothing else, she could likely delay her, as one last stand. maybe even deny them both the win. ]

You did press your flamepiece into my gut, you know.

[ and she presses the button ]

...I remember, now, that I resolved my last round with talk, for all that I initially meant to fight. But you had me more than half-convinced it was truly a duel to the death. I might well have actually killed you, if I hadn't glanced the button again.

I wouldn't have gone so hard against someone I didn't respect. The last one I just spun around in circles until she fell over. I just know you'd do anything to protect your unit as much as I would.

If you wouldn't mind helping me face my fate with dignity?

Edited 2020-01-13 19:17 (UTC)

[ there's the sound of boot heels again, this time coming towards her (a last hurrah for lesbian culture); then, Paloma's vision clears to the sight of Amaranth leaning towards her to offer a hand ]

Consider your reaction to getting punched already forgotten.

In truth, I cannot describe that as an especially dignified moment from me, either—and I will never relish BARiTONES suffering.

A real gentlewoman. Really, it was very effectively done.

[ she takes the hand, and—well, she's contractually obligated to CR check, but. it'd be appreciated regardless.

she brushes herself off; adjusts her blazer ]

Well, may at least one of our units make it to the finish line. I could say the same for you and yours.

[ beginning with the strongest emotions, moving downward:

Persephone, Lucifel, a ....third? (it's Caelestis): utter devotion—she would die for them without hesitation; kill for them, if necessary. there's a mournfulness there, too: a feeling that she has already failed them; that she is desperately making up for some failure.
LiliS: very nearly as strong a feeling—her children, but adoptive. a loneliness, though, like they might not understand her. she misses Lavender. she already adores Azalea and sees much of herself in her, but is unsure if that's a good or bad thing. she fears her distance from Camellia.
Cardigan: her 'bash, her mate, the one who knows her as if on instinct. love.
John: She hates him. He will never understand her—or perhaps he does, but he rejects that understanding. It would be better if he had never joined LiliS. She loves him. Please find happiness. A strange new seed of distrust.
avante en garde: there's not the sense of familial obligation as with LiliS, but much greater comfort; a feeling that she is understood in avante in a way she isn't with her own unit. An extra degree of affection for Griffin; an uncharacteristic discomfort for Nemesis.
Shrike: another from her world, besides Persephone. a student, perhaps. a confidant. growing respect.
Eclipse: from her world, too. an adoptive son. pride, protectiveness, worry.
Requiem: oh gods she fucked up. a strange blend of care, protectiveness, worry, frustration, and even attraction.
Kohime: a blend of motherly protectiveness and distinct camaraderie—someone with whom she can share her own bitterness.
Cobalt: she can't decide if she sees him as a son or a comrade, but she trusts him, and wants him to be happy.
"the godling" (God): borderline-murderous, though the feelings are currently held in check by her own temperance. also strong negative for Amy, though more along the lines of "THIS bastard fucko."

beyond this point, the strength of the feeling is much less distinct.

BARiTONES: LiliS's sister unit; the other side of the same coin. protective of them and angry on their behalf, but besides Kohime and to a lesser extent Ruby, does not feel strong trust or connection with individual members.
Intensity: respect and distrust in equal measure. please stop making child soldiers. someone who is willing to make a change, but she's not sold on liking that change. also Cardigan is hers now, so he can fuck right off.
Maki: old dislike being worn away, gradually replaced with a kind of respect. wanting to write her off and earn her respect at the same time. someone who is like her and yet not like her.
Wednesday: daughter-lite
Silver: trying real hard not to resent him for being the one John actually loves; trying instead to care about and protect him as the one thing she actually can do for John.
BAD END=DEAD END: committed allies out of the common cause of dying a whole lot
Kaguya: a student
Other units: a generalized bitterness; a belief that they want to be good but don't want to actually make the hard choices that would be required for the pain of bad games to not be disproportionately heaped on the same units again and again. ]

Edited 2020-01-14 03:03 (UTC)

[ being vibe checked doesn't occur to her, though honestly it's debatable whether it would bother her, even if it did. ]

An effective punch, or an effective resistance in general?
—In truth, that is the first time I've been aware of my mind being altered. I would ask that you not do so again, so long as any other option remains to you.

[ it's a big loophole, but past a certain point, one must use the weapons one is given. ]

Both. Didn't I tell you I wasn't a front-line combatant?

[ which, given how she did fight, has some implications, probably. ]

Though while we're requesting courtesies, I can't say that I found losing my senses pleasant. I'd rather not fight against you, of course, but as this has illustrated, we don't always get our choice.

Indeed.

And I shall note that. Unfortunately, LiliS has few options in combat, once powers are brought into the mix—but that does not mean we need to do that in the first place.
—It's certainly the more honorable approach.

Fair enough. I'm no stranger to what others consider dishonorable combat, so I don't hold grudges on it, but I appreciate the consideration.

I suppose it's rare we get the chance to decide our fates on this level at all, though.

ROUND 3

Re: Paloma vs Amaranth

Re: Paloma vs Amaranth

1/2 again

i'm not sure if this is still romantic i'm sorry

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1/2: CR information

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