neverplaysfair | Game 037 [Action]

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Game 037 [Action]

[ Today you might stumble across Joshua as he's out and about. He's walking around with an alert look on his face, wandering all over the village. He doesn't seem to be searching quite so much as expecting. The particularly observant might notice the way that the light seems to fall strangely on him, as if there's another light source on him that's completely independent of the cloudy sky overhead. If you get close enough, or spend enough time near him, you may find yourself subject to a mysterious headache that will fade if you move away.

His vibe is up and he's trying to attract some sort of attention, but unless you're familiar with his world, it might be confusing as to just whose attention he's trying to grab.

After combing the village which results in a distinct lack of sudden assault by crazed mathematicians, particularly of the Taboo-infused variety, he'll head back to Kat's Kradle. ]

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[this weather wasn't exactly people-watching friendly, but so far Jilly hadn't let that stop her. Having bundled up as best she could against the chill, she's cleared herself a spot to sit on a set of steps, sketching the various people passing her by.

Joshua, though... well... she can hardly miss the way the light behaves. Or, rather, the way it doesn't. So, flipping to a new page, her focus shifts as she tries to capture it in graphite on the page, gaze flickering between paper and subject as she works]

[ And then, finally, a giggle, rather humorless though it is. ]

You can't say I didn't say anything, this way.

[ He moves closer still, and slowly, slowly the walls around his code dissolve, though it's not done without a small but visible increase in nervousness from Joshua. He doesn't like being vulnerable, even around those he trusts. That's something that's never changed. ]

[ Joshua doesn't notice her for a bit, preoccupied with what he set out to do... but it's not too long before he notices the furtive glance of an artist. His expression turns to amused curiosity, and he waits to see if she's going to say anything to him, or just keep drawing. ]

Fair enough.

[ He's startled by the openness, even knowing it had to happen. It fascinates him, Joshua with his Soul bared, so exposed and vulnerable in ways he never is. With nearly the refinement of an Angel, Sanae has to admit to himself that Joshua is beautiful; he might not be someone to sleep with, definitely isn't one for a relationship, but his Soul is brilliant. ]

Should we, uh-- lock the door, move upstairs, anything? Get you sitting down? Not sure how rough this'll be to sit through, but I can guarantee it'll take a lot of energy.

[ How much energy is what he can't begin to guess. ]

You'd know better than I would. [ But he fidgets then, just a fraction, a wary glance towards the door and little more. ] Upstairs might be better if Brainy won't get in the way.

Java.

[ He smiles faintly, despite himself, but the fidgeting isn't lost on him. ]

Upstairs, then. You can have my bed again.

Brainy. [ He rolls his eyes and heads for the stairs. ] It's not as if I'm going to sleep, Sanae. [ /honestly thinks that 8D ]

This might be a lot more unpleasant than you're expecting, Josh. I'll try to make it hurt as little as possible, but getting your Soul messed with is a pretty intense thing. Even if you're not sleeping, sitting's probably for the best.

[ He follows, still obviously a little ruffled. ]

[ As if Joshua is the picture of unruffled himself? He's not comfortable with his Soul and code exposed, and is actually quite twitchy no matter how much he tries to hide it. ]

I figured. [ After all, even if it was only a superficial pulling of feathers, he's messed with Sanae's Soul and that didn't go over well for either of them.

He pauses at the top of the stairs, hesitates, and then heads to Sanae's room. ]

[Wrapped up in capturing the play of the light, she almost misses the fact that he's turned his attention to her as well. When she does notice, blue eyes meeting his unexpectedly, she blinks... and then gives him a smile that's apologetic, but hardly embarrassed]

Sorry... I guess I was being pretty rude. I didn't mean to stare.

Edited 2011-01-20 18:54 (UTC)

What are you drawing, hmm?

[ He's wary of approaching anyone with his vibe up, but Joshua is more than willing to hold a conversation. ]

[ Sanae's thinking along the same lines, though with more of a focus on the Malnosso's actions than Joshua's. The feather-pulling was unpleasant, aggravating, put more of a dent in his trust towards Josh than just about anything between them so far -- but it had nothing on the damage done by their captors. Unsettled and preoccupied, he follows Josh in. ]

... d'you believe me when I say I'll do my best to keep it painless?

I don't know. [ The honest truth. He doesn't know if he believes Sanae. He wants to believe him, but he can't entirely trust that Sanae will do as much as he can to keep it painless, even if that means straining himself a ways or something similar. ]

As long as you do it right. [ As long as he does it right, as long as Joshua ends up alright and with Shibuya still intact and most of the pain gone and the Composership still his... he doesn't care how much it hurts in the meantime. ]

Obviously it should be the second one. [Dumbass]

A pleasure to meet you, then. My name is Joshua.

The light.

[a quick smile] You seem to be... well, you seem to be glowing.

It was kind of hard to pass up.

Haruhi. [Yeeeeah she definitely disliked this guy]

I will.

[ He gestures for Josh to take a seat on the bed, raises his vibe until his wings are almost showing. Sanae's already trying to plan this out, decide what to do and how to do it. Nothing occurs to him that won't be difficult as hell and probably less than comfortable. ]

[ There's a fraction of a second's pause when Sanae's vibe goes up, but Joshua sits down on the bed, regardless. He's uneasy, a bit wary, but there's an undercurrent of hopefulness hiding in his expression. He doesn't want to admit just how straining this whole ordeal has been, but it's well beyond taking its toll on him. He's ready to go back to what he was before. ]

[ Sanae gets comfortable beside him, because proximity helps, proximity makes it easier to focus. He gives Joshua a moment to register the movement, gives Joshua a moment's warning, and then Sanae's fingers are hovering by those wounds on his back and his presence is intertwined with Josh's. The contact is deep and easy when his barriers have fallen so far, and before half a second has passed, Sanae is bending and warping and changing.

Force his vibe down, force his code to change, both are simple enough to do. Unpleasant to sit through, yes, but bearable. The real trick is to alter his whole being, impair his Soul in such a way that he can't achieve Ascension. If Joshua can hold up alright through these first steps, Sanae will do some real damage in just a moment. ]

...I guess. I'll let you get back to, er, whatever it is you're doing, then.

[ Joshua tenses, a choking sound catching in his throat. It's not quite so painful as unexpected: even if he knew it was coming, the feeling is still unusual. He feels himself warping, and his code pushes back against Sanae's efforts: with such a pure Soul, his code naturally resonates with that of an Angel's. It doesn't want to stay as a Composer, and his form hasn't yet reduced to that of a teenager, despite where his vibe is.

That's the painful part. ]

[ True to his word, Sanae's being careful with this, handling it as delicately as he can. It could be painful if botched, and that's one of the better ways for things to go wrong. Here, there are chances things could get a hell of a lot worse than 'painful' -- but Joshua's code won't respond much until his Soul has been altered, can't be changed with finality until that part is done.

His influence strengthens, deepens, pulling and twisting and warping everything Joshua is, and this is something he's never even come close to doing before. It's beyond twisting and suppressing; he's doing actual damage, trying to fragment Josh's Soul. There are any number of ways to corrupt a pure being, bring it down to a lower form, and not one of them is pleasant. ]

[ The moment Sanae is on his Soul, Joshua shouts and pitches forwards. His hands reach for something to grab, anything, and his eyes widen for a moment before squeezing shut. He doesn't lash out, but he does yell. He yells because it hurts, and he can feel his Soul straining under Sanae's influence.

And then, for an instant, he feels something chip, something break off, and pain shoots through him. Enough pain to choke him silent, and all he does is tense up, a silent scream on his lips. ]

[ The yell barely registers, and the tensing earns a faint cringe from him but not much else. It's not enough to really bring him up short, and so there's another moment of warping and pulling and gathering up the resulting fragments -- then he's done, it's over, and he's back to adjusting code and vibe. They've returned to the shallower aspects of the process. He's more forceful than before, strained by Joshua's pain, but the worst is done. ]

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Game 037 [Action]

[action] Sorry for the late...feel free to ignore. >.>;;

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[action] It's not late at all!

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