Mob calling him that has him lifting his head, and he looks - even more annoyed at that. His tone is irritated and short, at first. ]
Who told you you can call me that? At the very least, you should be - [ And then it stops. Because he hits a gap, freezes, and his brow pinches in a different way. The kind that comes with realization.
He looks at Ange with her request, then back at Mob, then at the both of them as he leans back. ]
... how did you get here. [ He doesn't look at Xie Lian, and almost dreads that. ]
[ Well, if they get touched with it, it'll burn through their clothes to their skin. But it's just little snowflake sizes! So it's fine? But also, you know, ow. 2nd degree burns. And also, maybe, the snowflakes are kind of getting bigger, but no pressure. ]
[Ow the burns?? Ange does not like this and is now very carefully keeping an eye on the sky. They're getting bigger... she definitely nudges Mob out of the way of some of the larger flakes, but this is not sustainable.]
Yes...! He is! He will be waiting for you, so we... we need to get out of here. Before things get worse.
[ It's about then that Hua Cheng notices the weird snowfall, and lifts his gaze up. We'll hazard a guess and say that it's starting to fall in the china gays' general area now, too, and the sizzle on his skin once it eats through clothes reminds him very abruptly that his left arm is bandaged. That he's already ignoring the dull throb of an injury there, in his side, in his abdomen.
He doesn't want to leave. But this was not a happy ending that was earned, and it isn't one that was given to Xie Lian in reality.
Fuck. He disengages from him, moving to stand properly - metatext, where's his sword, is the red crystal still on his person. ]
[ His sword and red crystal are still on his person! He simply didn't notice until he realized how wrong this entire scenario was. Of course, the snow flecks continuing to fall are not great for the soul, and while fake Xie Lian isn't real, his quiet, worried "San Lang?" as he disengages sure is.
But there's no time for that, considering if they look around they'll notice that the world around them has slowly... vanished. Anything down from the mountain has been replaced with a white, glowing space. The only place to go is up.
Sitting regally on top of the shrine, looking in concern at the sky, is their angel-winged woman. Her face is almost completely visible, now. She turns to them. ]
You're still missing the key. You won't be able to leave until you find it. I only wish there were more I could do for you.
[ It's almost like she is talking through them, more than at them. ]
[ It's fine. It's fine? Before he follows, he lifts one of Xie Lian's hands up, because even if he isn't real, he can't ignore that look. A kiss to his knuckles, a quick - ] I'll see you soon.
[ - and then he goes to take Ange's hand, other one holding his saber again.
Good thing Mob is leading the way and so insistent to keep moving because otherwise Hua Cheng would be digging his heels in more. ]
[ Well, Mob is going the right way by climbing up, and so the lady watches them go. It's only when they've almost reached the top of the mountain, having to dodge growing snowflakes on the way and probably being aware that the world is cracking and vanishing behind them that the setting around them will suddenly change.
Hua Cheng might feel a weight in his...clothes. I don't know if he has pockets. He seems to mostly have sleeves.
They leave one shrine only to encounter another, though this one is slightly different, surrounded by forests and wide trees. There's no immediate sign of their forth from the exterior of the shrine, however, but knowing that they'll keep walking and we are on a deadline, I will assume these fucks will go ahead and enter the shrine. Especially considering the sky is now entirely that glowing, fissured pink, with dark storms building up there. There's no sign of the scenery around them breaking down yet, but let's not give it a chance.
Once they enter the shine proper, they'll have to snoop a bit to come across domestic scene for Izumo, chattering at the table with people who look like her, holding hands with Alphinaud(?!), and being surrounded by just. A shitload of foxes. The picture is actually legitimate to this scene and how many foxes there are. It is so many?
The sword she touched earlier is hanging on the wall, like a piece of decoration. ]
[At least they aren't kissing. He'll lead the others in, going to look for Izumo. There she is. And Alphinaud? Izumo, you already have that boyfriend.]
[It's such a domestic scene... but all of them have a fair amount of small burns now and Ange is a little over it.]
Miss Izumo, thank goodness we found you! We really, really need to go...!
[... but also that sword... why is that sword there. She blinks at it, and then glances over at HC to see if he also sees it. She doesn't get why that sword is part of the whole thing. Aren't these supposed to be their dream worlds...?]
[ Were it any other situation, Hua Cheng would try to see if he could spook Alphinaud. Because he's awful like that. But they don't have a lot of time for that, and Mob's gotten them started on getting a move on with her.
He shares a glance with Ange, inclines his head in acknowledgment - he sees it - and steps towards it so he can take a peek and see if anything else is weird about it! It means he lets go of her hand, but it's only for a moment.
Also he has to check what's in his clothes. It's probably in the inner breast of his robes like the red crystal shard is, so he'll reach in for that and whatever weird thing is now on his person while they talk to Izumo. ]
We don't have a lot of time for this. How's your arm?
[ much like hc, when they arrive, izumo isn't paying attention to them even though they're addressing her directly. if anything she continues to smile (probably the happiest that they've ever seen her...maybe the happiest she's ever been(?)) as she talks to the two others sitting with her at the table and keeps a tight grip on alphinaud's hand.
it's not that she doesn't hear them, when hc mentions her arm, she does flinch for a moment but keeps her attention focused away from them. ...does she realize this is all fake? hm. who knows, but she does eventually give them a time and day and look over her shoulder to look at them and... ]
Mike, can you see what they need?
[ insert one of the many foxes, but the one who has a more humanoid form, addressing them now. his face is a little on the grumpier side but he nods at them nevertheless. sorry, but no. she is not going to be leaving so easily. ]
[ The sword on the wall is there! A simple decoration that is glowing dimly. This is normal. Do you guys not have glow in the dark swords? It's unclear how it's hanging onto the wall.
HC's prize seems to be a very pointy white gem that feels cold to the touch. It's got spikes all over... he might get the feeling that it would let him control ice if he used it.
While they're inside, they seem to be safe from any further disruptions! That, or they simply aren't seeing them. Which is fine, it means they can't get hurt. Probably. ]
[ Considering the fact the foxes aren't freaking out over them being in here with a jacked Mob and a weapon on hand, he's just going to go closer to the sword. No one's stopping him yet.
He is going to reach out for it, after putting away his fun rocks. If Ange and Mob need hhelp with Izumo he will help, but if this sword is what brought them here, in the first place... ]
[ the fox will cross his his arms across his chest and look down at the two teens with a disapproving look. meanwhile izumo is still blissfully involved with the group at the table and leans against alphinaud as they continue to converse. ]
T̶̢̠̔a̴̩̣̦̐͋m̵̯̈́́̏͝ä̸̖͈͓͇̰́́͗-̸̦͇̘͓̰̂̃̍̆̑c̶̟̪̦͋ͅh̷̝͚̮̜͉̩̽͋̇͐̈́a̵̘̺̗̓́̽̏̔͝n̷̨̹̮̿̄̕ is currently busy with her family, can't you see?
[ the fox will glance over towards alphinaud for a moment before turning back to the ange and mob, correcting themselves a bit. ]
[ Thanks for touching the sword, HC! Not only does it feel impossible to move away, but also, it electrocutes him for his trouble, which I'm sure is fun and pleasant.
There's rumbling as the wind picks up outside. Or maybe it's starting to come inside? Hmmm. ]
Yes, I can see. [He did get to see Izumo's memories a little - he understands why she might treasure something like this.
. . . He's just going to talk loudly enough for Izumo to hopefully hear.]
. . . We need her help, though. Do you hear that? [Gesturing in the direction of the rumbling.] It's getting worse and worse, and we're getting hurt. So we really need help from Kamiki-san.
[ At least he doesn't do the stupid thing of just continuing to hold onto it! But his left arm is taking some damage, here, and he yoinks his hand back with a quiet hiss of surprise.
As he shakes it out, he glances at Ange. Nods, then shakes his head before his gaze sweeps over in Izumo's direction, then back to her.
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Anyway, he’ll hurry over closer to the two of them.]
Hmm. . . Sorry, I don’t know your name, I guess. Is it San Lang-san?
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Anyway Ange follows naturally since they are hand-linked, a faint furrowed brow to show she is Concerned.]
I'm sorry, it is just... you are the one we want to talk to right now. Is that all right?
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Mob calling him that has him lifting his head, and he looks - even more annoyed at that. His tone is irritated and short, at first. ]
Who told you you can call me that? At the very least, you should be - [ And then it stops. Because he hits a gap, freezes, and his brow pinches in a different way. The kind that comes with realization.
He looks at Ange with her request, then back at Mob, then at the both of them as he leans back. ]
... how did you get here. [ He doesn't look at Xie Lian, and almost dreads that. ]
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We're here to help. [Are they. Are they.] But. . . the real Xie Lian-san is waiting for you out there.
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Yes...! He is! He will be waiting for you, so we... we need to get out of here. Before things get worse.
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He doesn't want to leave. But this was not a happy ending that was earned, and it isn't one that was given to Xie Lian in reality.
Fuck. He disengages from him, moving to stand properly - metatext, where's his sword, is the red crystal still on his person. ]
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But there's no time for that, considering if they look around they'll notice that the world around them has slowly... vanished. Anything down from the mountain has been replaced with a white, glowing space. The only place to go is up.
Sitting regally on top of the shrine, looking in concern at the sky, is their angel-winged woman. Her face is almost completely visible, now. She turns to them. ]
You're still missing the key. You won't be able to leave until you find it. I only wish there were more I could do for you.
[ It's almost like she is talking through them, more than at them. ]
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[He'll hold Ange's hand, and let Hua Cheng hold onto hers, if he wants to. But they're going to climb up the mountain.]
It's okay. We'll find it. . . . Where next?
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Okay.
She offers her hand to Hua Cheng, with a faintly sympathetic look. It's rough, buddy.
Join the hand holding chain. Mob's leading now. She's gonna follow him!! Time to climb the mountain.]
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[ - and then he goes to take Ange's hand, other one holding his saber again.
Good thing Mob is leading the way and so insistent to keep moving because otherwise Hua Cheng would be digging his heels in more. ]
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Hua Cheng might feel a weight in his...clothes. I don't know if he has pockets. He seems to mostly have sleeves.
They leave one shrine only to encounter another, though this one is slightly different, surrounded by forests and wide trees. There's no immediate sign of their forth from the exterior of the shrine, however, but knowing that they'll keep walking and we are on a deadline, I will assume these fucks will go ahead and enter the shrine. Especially considering the sky is now entirely that glowing, fissured pink, with dark storms building up there. There's no sign of the scenery around them breaking down yet, but let's not give it a chance.
Once they enter the shine proper, they'll have to snoop a bit to come across domestic scene for Izumo, chattering at the table with people who look like her, holding hands with Alphinaud(?!), and being surrounded by just. A shitload of foxes. The picture is actually legitimate to this scene and how many foxes there are. It is so many?
The sword she touched earlier is hanging on the wall, like a piece of decoration. ]
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Kamiki-san, can we talk to you?
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Miss Izumo, thank goodness we found you! We really, really need to go...!
[... but also that sword... why is that sword there. She blinks at it, and then glances over at HC to see if he also sees it. She doesn't get why that sword is part of the whole thing. Aren't these supposed to be their dream worlds...?]
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He shares a glance with Ange, inclines his head in acknowledgment - he sees it - and steps towards it so he can take a peek and see if anything else is weird about it! It means he lets go of her hand, but it's only for a moment.
Also he has to check what's in his clothes. It's probably in the inner breast of his robes like the red crystal shard is, so he'll reach in for that and whatever weird thing is now on his person while they talk to Izumo. ]
We don't have a lot of time for this. How's your arm?
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it's not that she doesn't hear them, when hc mentions her arm, she does flinch for a moment but keeps her attention focused away from them. ...does she realize this is all fake? hm. who knows, but she does eventually give them a time and day and look over her shoulder to look at them and... ]
Mike, can you see what they need?
[ insert one of the many foxes, but the one who has a more humanoid form, addressing them now. his face is a little on the grumpier side but he nods at them nevertheless. sorry, but no. she is not going to be leaving so easily. ]
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HC's prize seems to be a very pointy white gem that feels cold to the touch. It's got spikes all over... he might get the feeling that it would let him control ice if he used it.
While they're inside, they seem to be safe from any further disruptions! That, or they simply aren't seeing them. Which is fine, it means they can't get hurt. Probably. ]
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Anyway, he looks up at the fox.]
Hello. We're here to talk to Kamiki-san.
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Um... please, it's very, very important that we speak with her.
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He is going to reach out for it, after putting away his fun rocks. If Ange and Mob need hhelp with Izumo he will help, but if this sword is what brought them here, in the first place... ]
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T̶̢̠̔a̴̩̣̦̐͋m̵̯̈́́̏͝ä̸̖͈͓͇̰́́͗-̸̦͇̘͓̰̂̃̍̆̑c̶̟̪̦͋ͅh̷̝͚̮̜͉̩̽͋̇͐̈́a̵̘̺̗̓́̽̏̔͝n̷̨̹̮̿̄̕ is currently busy with her family, can't you see?
[ the fox will glance over towards alphinaud for a moment before turning back to the ange and mob, correcting themselves a bit. ]
Mostly family.
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There's rumbling as the wind picks up outside. Or maybe it's starting to come inside? Hmmm. ]
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. . . He's just going to talk loudly enough for Izumo to hopefully hear.]
. . . We need her help, though. Do you hear that? [Gesturing in the direction of the rumbling.] It's getting worse and worse, and we're getting hurt. So we really need help from Kamiki-san.
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Ange would like to help Mob with this but she just watched HC get electrocuted for touching the sword and she's a bit preoccupied with that.
She just mouths at him:
Are you all right?
Mob's totally got this covered though, right?]
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As he shakes it out, he glances at Ange. Nods, then shakes his head before his gaze sweeps over in Izumo's direction, then back to her.
He's pretty sure they need her, first. ]
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