W5 CYOA - Zhongli, Akihiko, Laurence, Ali Zoph

[holyspirits]

aaaaaaaaaaaa

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ZHONGLI

[holyspirits]

[ Meanwhile! Laurence disappears around a corner with Hu Tao.

Zhongli picks up Chrono under the arms, which makes him squawk a bit indignantly. And I was halfway through typing 'but there's nothing he can do about it' but actually I rolled a natural twenty for once in my entire life.

Chrono struggles free immediately, kicking and flailing like an insane person. Zhongli is probably more startled by the sudden burst of energy than actually getting beaten in strength, but what's done is done.

Chrono bolds for a column and slams a big red 'emergency' button. The girls at this card tournament ALSO BOLT. They just scatter in an instant like they're running from the cops, and you lose him in the crowd.

Sort of... wading past them... comes a familiar face. He is holding a gun! ]

Now, now. What's the problem here?

[dijun]

[ this all sure happens all at once. zhongli startles with the nat 20 flail, though he probably shouldn't be that surprised, considering how fiery chrono can get when riled up. his intent to remove chrono from the table and then immediately follow hu tao with laurence is just. gone. goodbye, plans, you did your best.

a half-step is taken forward, but as he turns his head to check on laurence... it's just him and the myriad of girls, bipedal animals, and robots around here, ain't it. no hu tao, no laurence, no chrono.

except. then there's lucas. oh n ]

... Lucas. [ do you recognize him like chrono recognized laurence? gonna find out. ] A misunderstanding with an acquaintance that had been seated at his game for hours without break, I'm afraid.

[holyspirits]

Zhongli, I hope you aren't disturbing the other customers. You think that it's only been hours? No, it's been much longer than that. As it should - this is a casino, after all. You're supposed to stay forever.

[ Well. There's one question answered! Lucas has a friendly smile on his lips, but he is also holding a rifle with both hands in a pretty clear threat. ]

[dijun]

[ neat! he hates it!

he doesn't make a move to draw either of his guns just yet, as he'd much rather not cause an even bigger scene. the rifle, in his memory soup, doesn't really surprise him, frankly - after all, he saw lucas wield a halberd. it's a decent replacement. ]

A new form of eternity, I see. [ bad. ] Well. I would hate to be a bother to anyone else, after an even greater misunderstanding than I initially thought. Would you be able to point me in the direction of, ah, customer service, my friend? I was on my way to getting a card.

[holyspirits]

I'm afraid we're on rather high alert right now. The safety of our valuable spending customers is of utmost importance. We might need to ask you a few questions downstairs, first. If you don't mind.

[dijun]

Certainly it couldn't just be due to me, could it..?

[ might as well ask questions. he really, really does not like that he and laurence have been separated. but if he stays with hu tao, wherever they've gone, at least he'll be able to find him again. and he has his phone. ]

If it would help, then gladly. Customer service is not going anywhere.

[holyspirits]

I should hope it's not due to you. This is formality. We've got a particularly big spender onboard recently and they seem worried about their safety. So.

[dijun]

Oh? A celebrity?

[ conversational and calm, despite the fact that his skin is crawling. he casts a glance around, as if seeing if there's anyone that stands out as what would count for a blue archive celeb - but, really, he's trying to see if he can't spot laurence. where tf did you go. ]

Well, if it would help ease your nerves, Lucas, my friend, then by all means. Lead the way, and we shall get the formality taken care of.

[holyspirits]

By their own judgment something of a rising star. Wonderful, thank you. This way, then.

[ Lucas will lead Zhongli out of the casino again. It still feels like it takes a very long time to get there and the path is no less disorienting, but eventually you reach the back elevators and that feeling leaves you.

Lucas takes you down a few more decks. Down past all of the guest areas. Below deck.

The staff is thinner here - by which I mean you don't see anyone else in the halls. Cruise ship workers are busy during the day and don't have a lot of 'off time' besides when the businesses close up for the night and they can get a few hours of sleep. There are rows of small staterooms.

You pass the security room, where you can hear the faint beeping of computers. The little flick of TV screens perpetually switching camera angles.

And then you get to what looks like... a dungeon! Lucas passes the one sleepy guard sitting at a desk by the entrance, and continues towards the cells. Welcome to prison! ]

[dijun]

I see. But it is not our position to question the validity of such things, is it.

[ he tries to keep track of wherever the hell they're going, but it's sort of hard to do, when it comes to such a disorienting place. especially when he's never been on a ship like this? the cargo ships of liyue are very, very different, and it's almost like a city unto itself.

but. great. we are in a dungeon, now. extra do not like that!

still following, but also mentally preparing himself to grab his guns if it winds up being that he's about to be detained down here. anybody in any of the cells? ]

[holyspirits]

Get in.

[ Yeah you're being detained. ]

[dijun]

Is this truly necessary?

[ neat. ]

[holyspirits]

Afraid so.

[dijun]

[ zhongli doesn't want to hurt anyone if there's another choice. especially not someone that he cares for and misses, on the other side, and who has really done nothing to earn his wrath. but he has to find laurence, and he has to make sure that the four of them can all get out of this as safely as possible, with as little issue as possible.

for a second, he just looks a bit sadly at lucas - but just a second. trying to figure out if this is really him, or if this is a figment to be used against him, or what, exactly, this scenario has done in this moment.

and he sighs, softly. like he is resigning himself to being detained.

but then he just rears back to slug lucas, following through with the momentum of the punch to push, shove, so that he can lock him in the cell. ]

[holyspirits]

[ With your strong, powerful 18 against my weak baby 4, this very much works for Zhongli. He punches Lucas who is so completely unprepared for that to happen that he can't dodge. He's still reeling from shock more than pain when Zhongli shoves him into the cell and slams it shut. It locks automatically. ]

So this is how it is? It'll be some time before I forget this betrayal.

[ So. There aren't really any other prisoners but there are still two problems here.

1. There is that sleepy guard you passed, and the sound of the cell slamming definitely woke her up! She starts firing at you with good accuracy. But this is Blue Archive so these bullets don't quite... penetrate the way they should? They hurt, and they even break skin. When they graze you it's still like a slice, but when they hit you head on it feels more like getting punched real hard.

2. Lucas ALSO still has his gun. He is ALSO shooting at you between the prison cell bars. His aim is worse, though being pelted from two directions probably isn't great regardless.

What do? ]

[dijun]

I hoped to see you again in better circumstances, but I'm afraid that I can't stay here - especially in a fair fight. [ he's seen what lucas can do when he's dying, he's not exactly keen on fighting him on equal ground. ] Forgive me, my dear friend.

[ HOPEFULLY HE'S NOT REALLY LUCAS (he isn't, but this is going to linger with him in regret for a hot minute)

he spins on his heel to make it back towards the entrance they passed through, knowing that there's unfortunately a guard here still and also. lucas shooting his gun a whole lot at him. but his priority is getting out, so the guard is his priority. bringing one gun around, he continues his march towards her despite the hail of bullets that keeps raining down on him, and he fires on her in return. lucas can fire at him that's fine he's in gay baby jail.

terminator walks at you what do you do ]

[holyspirits]

[ SHE KEEPS SHOOTING????

But then actually stops for a second because this is terrifying. she makes a grab for the walkie talkie at her hip! ]

[dijun]

[ WELL WE CAN'T HAVE THAT!

idk how this 13 is going to work out but he is going to lunge at her. no talkie! no backup! ]

[holyspirits]

[ NO SHE IS VERY MUCH NAT 20 CALLING FOR BACKUP ]

Trouble in the prison cell! I need backup! We've got a troublemaker—Help! HELP!!!!

[ However that nat 20 was just for making the call. Zhongli did still lunge at her! She gets her message out, but he knocks the walkie away right after. It slides across the floor and you hear voices on the other side going WHAT?? WHAT?????? GIRL I'M ON LUNCH

but probably they will still show up eventually.

You've got her pinned and she can't shoot anymore! Now what?




Oh also your phone is ringing. ]

[dijun]

[ stares into the void

he's going to grab the walkie talkie and whack her in the temple with the butt of it. goodnight, hopefully.

and then he's going to fucking LEAAAAAVE. is there a lock on the door to the dungeon that he can shoot to maybe jam it? he'll do that if there is but either way he's going to make his way back the way he came, brisk but not running in case he comes across anyone, while turning down the volume on the walkie talkie. mine now.

everything happens so much ANSWERS HIS PHONE? ] Hello?

[holyspirits]

[ SHE'S WEARING A HELMET but I rolled a 2 so somehow this works anyway. Just because you're immune to bullets doesn't mean a good smack to the side of the head won't put you down for the count. Also she's still freaked from him terminator walking at her, so maybe she's just playing dead.

It's not her fault everyone else left her alone to go get lunch! He turns the volume down but still hears some very annoyed sounding teenage girl voices going UGHHH OKAYYYYYYYY... We'll be there in a sec. Who're we looking out for? What does she look like?

But yes his phone is ringing also. He's heading down the hall, past rows of crew rooms. I will be kind and not have him take his call right outside of Security. ]

[dijun]

[ GIRL I WOULD BE AFRAID ALSO IN THIS SITUATION

do any of the crew rooms look empty? can he duck into an empty one to answer his phone and maybe change into the maid fit to be slightly harder to re-identify maybe? ]

[holyspirits]

[ Zhongli opens a door and it's empty. Why is it unlocked. Because that's more fun. All the crew are busy working since it's business hours!

He may answer his phone and change. ]

[outdistanced]

[ sorry to say that as soon as zhongli answers he's getting yelled at ]

Where the hell'd you go?!

[dijun]

[ holds the phone slightly away from his ear, when he yells, before nestling it in his shoulder as he works on getting changed and cleaned up from getting PELTED WITH BULLETS. ]

Chrono managed to get away from me and hit an alarm, I believe, and Lucas collected me as part of the security staff. Fortunately, I was able to get away and I'm now in the lowest level, where the crew quarters are, and changing into the maid uniform.

Are you safe? Are you still upstairs at the casino?