neverplaysfair | Game 028 [Action] - It Was Worth a Shot...?

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Game 028 [Action] - It Was Worth a Shot...?

[ Hey Luceti, who remembers that stunt Joshua pulled ages and ages back?

Well, guess what. He's trying again, in a different place. Because the ever-so-lovely earthquake has resulted in a shift of what he thinks is Luceti's center, but pretty much no one but Josh cares about that anyway.

Let's hope there aren't too many people in House 29 in the wee hours of the morning, because between there and the ruins of what was once House 22 stands Joshua. He's still for a moment, hands raised to the sky, murmuring to himself.

Suddenly there's a flash of light.

Then loud, echoing, sharp enough to feel like a punch straight to the chest, ]

CRACK!

[ Yup, he failed again. This time around, though, he's lying crumpled on the ground, completely unmoving. Occasionally there's a faint crackle as a soft wisp of power flickers across his skin and vanishes.

Um. He might need help. ~~Beware the zapping.~~ ]

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[Mayoi isn't a very deep sleeper. Too bad for her, she ends up waking from that loud sound as the only resident in House 29. A couple minutes after the zap she gets herself dressed and walks out of the house, still half asleep.

...............there is a person on the ground.

........Right. This is Luceti. Completely normal.

She slowly walks off her porch and towards the person on the ground. Not even noticing the flickers of power in her tired state.]

[Sonny was a little farther away, n]but not too far to see and hear the miraculous light and sound that accompanied it. Walking briskly, Sonny found herself at the site where Joshua was.]

Ohmygosh!
Josh! Are you okay?

[She almost grabs him by the shoulders, but she's stopped when she sees a small current of electricity zap over his skin.]

[ Sanae happens to be hanging out on his roof this morning, just sipping coffee and looking out over the ruined town -- and then, oh, he feels that disruption of space more than he hears it. The coffee mug hits the edge of the roof, rolls off, and shatters. Hanekoma doesn't seem to notice or care. ]

I told him not to get in trouble again, not like I really expected him to listen, but--

[ Almost irritated enough for it to hide the concern, he vanishes from the roof. It doesn't take long to find Joshua, with the guy's vibe at the level it is, and then Sanae can be found just hanging back by the edge of the path. He'll wait to see if Josh is conscious enough to lash out at him for being there before he thinks of stepping in. ]

[ Well, if she gets close enough to tough him she better notice it pretty fast. Joshua gives a soft groan, more power flickering across his skin, but he doesn't move. He hasn't realized that there's someone else there yet. ]

[ He makes a soft growl low in his throat. That shouting did not help the splitting headache kthx. ]

Never better.

[ Except for the part where his power's going haywire, he's got a headache like there's no tomorrow, and he can't seem to move. ]

[ Conscious enough is about the only qualification he has for lashing out. Well, that and having power in the first place, but he isn't exactly in control of it. It's a few moments before he notices Sanae is even there. When he does, the crackling across his skin picks up quite a bit for a few seconds, then dies off again. He doesn't move at all, aside from a cringe that's only visible in his face. His expression isn't even a glare, just watching.

A small voice in the back of his head whispers Maybe they'll take away my Ascension if I die and he pushes it away. He doesn't want to find out, doesn't want to risk dying here, what it might do, what Sanae might do with it. But he's not sure whether he's too exhausted to glare, or if he really just doesn't feel like it. ]

[ The new burst of energy makes him warier, and Sanae doesn't make a move to get closer. He'd rather wait and see if anyone else is going to come to Joshua's aid-- it'll give him time to try and gather his thoughts and motives, anyway. A hands-off approach would be more comfortable for them both, and offers less opportunity for cataclysmic failure, but successfully rescuing Josh could be a big step in the right direction and it's what he wants to do. He mulls this over in silence, eyes on Joshua and wings hidden away.

But then, after what feels like hours but can't be more than three or four minutes, he gives in. Sanae strays forward, hands in his pockets and glasses tipped down so Josh can see his eyes. ]

You'd think a guy would learn after the first attempt.

[ Joshua has no idea what Sanae was waiting for. There were too many possibilities, good, bad, neutral; and the longer he waited the more worried he was becoming even if he wasn't admitting it. Energy still crackles around him as he tries to move. He can't, and it's frustrating. He hates being unable to do anything.

Part of him is terrified that he's so helpless now.

His heart leaps when Sanae takes the first step forward, a sharp snap as one particular wisp of power hits the ground and disperses. But he can't move.

The verbal reminder that he failed a second time just makes him press his lips together in frustration. Until Sanae actually comes into contact with him, there's nothing Joshua can do to retaliate against what he might have planned. ]

... guess I can't blame you for giving it another shot, though. Just hate seein' you like this. Wish I could do the smart thing and leave you here.

[ But that's not as easy as it sounds. He stops maybe two yards away, eyes that energy coming off of Joshua, and then slides a few feet closer. ]

You wanna do us both a favor and pass out so I can bring you someplace safe without gettin' shocked, Josh?

[ And that gets a glare to Joshua's face, complete with more sparks of power. ]

No.

[ It looks like Sanae's about to take a step back, but he catches himself just in time and holds his ground. No, he's not backing up just yet. This is too important to let lie. ]

Then how 'bout staying conscious but not shocking me? Doesn't hafta be my place, if you're worried 'bout traps. But you'll probably wanna get out of the open.

[ Joshua holds down a groan as his head gives a sudden throb. There's a pause, then finally... ]

We'll see.

[ The power, in fact, dies off a decent amount. But Josh makes no guarantees. For one, he can't even be sure he could keep it under control if he wanted.

Sanae could kill him easily either way. ]

[She looks down, still not really registering those flickers.]

Hey. Hey are you okay? [...Well that's kinda dumb he's on the ground.] Um...should I go get a healer or something. Ah I don't know what I'm supposed to do...

[ 'We'll see' is the most positive reply he's gotten out of Joshua in quite a while, and he's more than willing to take what he can get. Sanae gives a little noise of thanks and approaches further, nearly close enough to reach out and touch him. ]

Without the power cap, I think I could teleport the two of us someplace and not have you die on the way. My room, the clinic, your front door, wherever. I've got friends who'd take you in.

Be easiest to get you back to my place, though. No one else'd hafta get involved.

Okay, I know what sarcasm is!

Seriously, why are you... electric?

[ Joshua suddenly hates this. Sanae hasn't been this close to him in a while, a long while, and he suddenly feels scared. Power sparks again, completely out of his control, and his voice wavers as he can't help but say it, ]

Get away from-

[ And all he wants right now is to be able to think but the headache isn't letting up at all and probably won't. He's trapped, completely trapped, and even if Sanae were to actually listen to what he asked, he just wants to be home, IN his apartment, not outside, but there's no way Sanae would be willing to go back there when it'll just catch him again and Joshua's in no state to let him free. He has nowhere to go that's safe. And this would all be so much easier if Sanae hadn't betrayed him in the first place, because now Joshua doesn't know how much he trusts him. He doesn't, but he knows that there's at least some things he can trust Sanae with. But he doesn't know what, not anymore, but certainly not his own life, and he's scared. Truly scared. ]

[ He makes a soft sound when he hears her, more power flickering around him. It's more an automatic reaction that pushes out the words, ]

Just fine.

[ But if that weren't the most obvious lie he's ever told. ]

[ Josh gives a small roll of his eyes. ]

I can't control it. [ Which is actually a lie, as it seems to be responding to his attempts to move anything lower than his neck. But that might as well be truth, at this point. ]

So...you were just taking a nap outside of my house in the early hours of the morning. [Not that she wouldn't be surprised if that was true, just because this is Luceti and half of the people here are nuts enough to do this.]

Something like that, I suppose. [ He gives a little cringe. ] You wouldn't happen to have any headache remedies, would you?

[ He backs up. Sanae is standing up straight a few feet away before he even realizes he's moving, and maybe it's the combination of the power coming off Josh and the desperate sort of edge to his voice. One way or another, he puts some distance between them and stays put, back to being wary. He's not surprised; if there's anything on his face besides cautiousness, it's faint disappointment. ]

Tell me where you want to be. You call the shots, I'm not makin' any moves.

[ There's a beat of silence, and then he takes another step back for good measure. Anything to bring back that response he'd had a minute ago, anything for cooperation, if not trust-- ]

[ "where you want to be" catches him, almost like a spell, and it's a couple seconds before he responds. ]

Home. [ And then, slightly weaker, ] Shibuya.

[ Because no matter how much he ignores it, no matter how much he pretends that everything is alright, he's a Composer. His city is a part of his Soul. His grabs to claim the space here were only partially to actually get control: a part of him is desperate, too desperate for words, to get back to his city. More than betrayal, more than trust, the one feeling that's been plaguing him since he arrived in Luceti, constantly, no matter how much he shoved it to the back of his mind, was homesickness.

And if Sanae offered him a way back and set up a trap behind it, Joshua would walk into it without a second thought. He'd already done it once here, anyway. ]

You're still my Producer, right? Get me home.

[She totally doesn't believe you Josh.] Um...I think I might have some painkillers. Are you sure you don't need a medic?

[ You're still my Producer, like he should be able to bring Joshua back, like it's his duty -- and it is. He's pulled Josh out of cross-dimensional scrapes before, and if he had the ability to do it now, even if it meant walking right back into Their punishment, he'd do it in an instant. Even if he wasn't allowed a last look at Shibuya, he'd do it in an instant. Getting Josh home was synonymous with keeping Shibuya safe, here, and it was the highest priority. ]

... I would if I could, but the best I can do is mimic her music. We're still stuck here and I still don't have a way out -- think I'd still be here if I did?

[ Not that he'd leave without Joshua. Even if he made the jump just to get a glimpse of the city, that could mean capture and punishment and no way for Josh to follow him home. And the city needs Joshua more than it needs him. ]

Let me take you someplace here that's safe. Not safe from me, maybe, but safe from everything else this place can throw at you.

[ That hurts, a lot more than he'd ever admit. He needs Shibuya, desperately, between his withdrawal and his Ascension there were just too many things straining Joshua. These aren't thoughts he wants to be having now, not when he can't seem to move and his head is throbbing, but he's remembering the faint wisp of Shibuya's Music Sanae imitated for him and the single strain that Neku could play, the only thing he could play; and after however long he'd been here, even Neku was starting to forget it, to develop his Music in a way that was free of Shibuya's influence.

This wasn't what he wanted to be thinking about. He should really be thinking about his own survival, about the fact that the Fallen Angel who tried to kill him is only a few feet from him and he can't get his power more than a few inches off his skin. But he's exhausted, and his head hurts, and he just really, really wants to go home. Or at least sleep. The prickling beneath his skin won't even let him do that. ]

Fine.

[ It's all he says. ]

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Game 028 [Action] - It Was Worth a Shot...?

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