zhongli goes very still - not like prey, caught in the headlights, but instead like a predator gauging the threat in front of it. his instinct is to pull on elemental energy, to summon his polearm and ready himself for a fight, but there isn't either of those available. his hands touch his guns, instead, bringing them around and letting the chain fall away, pooling on the ground behind him and his maid dress skirts. ]
... perhaps it is, in some ways. [ regret. so, so much regret. an old friend given sight but eroding into a fragment of himself, lashing out at allies as if they were foes, locked away to continue eroding into nothing. ] But by completing things, here, we could put an end to what's happened on this ship. What had taken you, and Chrono.
he doesn't like the possible answers to any of them! he wants to believe that by ending this scenario, they would be freed - if they were truly here, they would be able to fetch them so that they could return with laurence back to the living as the three of them that had died limped back to the other side. if they're apparitions... they would simply fade.
wouldn't they? ]
Would you have had me sit in the cell and wait for my own self to be overtaken by the powers in play, here? Unable to help free anyone from whatever thrall that befell you?
There are no apologies that I can offer that would appease you, Lucas. I doubt even saying that I would return for you, when all was said and done, would convince you.
well. he can't say he's surprised by this. but, much like the dungeon in the bottom of this stupid ship, zhongli will power through the bullets as they're fired upon him. it hurts, yes. but he will use it to get closer to lucas as he returns fire. i did not roll well even with advantage on this. it is probably slow going especially since he has to raise his voice to call back to him. ]
You do, Lucas - you have everyone still living, and those that watch over you from the other side. You have your sister waiting for you to make it through judgement day.
[ You may not have rolled well, but seemingly at random or perhaps by a lucky shot, Lucas' knee goes out? He falls down to one knee, barely catching his weight. His spray of bullets still hits Zhongli, again feeling like punches and small cuts, before his aim flies off to nothing. ]
Where do you think you are? Which Lucas do you think you're talking to?
[ if he's really here, he's talking to the heart of him to try and bring him back out. if he's not - then, well, he's talking, which he's very good at doing. the sudden way lucas takes a knee, though, is enough for him.
looks at my rolls
well. he's going to go lunging for him to try and get his rifle away. i hope he gets shot in the face, frankly. ]
bringing his arm around, zhongli brushes the back of his previously very nice maid uniform's sleeve across his face to clear away some blood, focusing on lucas as he goes scrambling back.
he doesn't want to kill lucas. but he does want to stop him. so he lunges again, this time going to grab at his ankle to yank him close again - no scrambling away, sir. not when he's putting his so-called blockhead to work, now, rearing back to headbutt him. ]
[ Zhongli is SOOOOO good at grabbing Lucas! (I got a 2.)
He yanks Lucas back and gets more bullet spray to the gut for it, point blank. The bullets don't pierce through him, but his skin tears enough to start bleeding through his clothes.
He still manages to headbutt Lucas and it fully knocks him out. What is this completely varying level of injury tolerance people have here. Don't worry about it.
[ wow, really hope these injuries don't get worse when we leave the blue archive world!
zhongli just kind of sits there for a moment, recovering from the onslaught of bullets and getting hit in the face. still holding onto lucas' ankle, in case their battle waif wakes up again. can he look around at the stage area? is there a projector, or are the others just on display on their respective stages without any physical means of it being done? ]
On the screens he sees: an endless recursion of Akihiko watching them on the projector too. Projections of projections of projections. Then it changes. He sees Ali shoot the announcer before returning to the 'normal' daytime ship. Then it changes. He sees Laurence and Iris just kind of. Arguing. ]
... well, my friend. I think it's time that we find a way out of this so that we might get back to where we're meant to be.
[ lucas is unconscious, but that's fine. he eases himself upright, taking one of lucas' arms and pulling him up, up, over his shoulders into a fireman carry so that he'll be able to more freely use his guns if need be.
one of them he takes and aims at the projector, firing a round at it to see if it does anything. ]
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zhongli goes very still - not like prey, caught in the headlights, but instead like a predator gauging the threat in front of it. his instinct is to pull on elemental energy, to summon his polearm and ready himself for a fight, but there isn't either of those available. his hands touch his guns, instead, bringing them around and letting the chain fall away, pooling on the ground behind him and his maid dress skirts. ]
... perhaps it is, in some ways. [ regret. so, so much regret. an old friend given sight but eroding into a fragment of himself, lashing out at allies as if they were foes, locked away to continue eroding into nothing. ] But by completing things, here, we could put an end to what's happened on this ship. What had taken you, and Chrono.
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What do you think happens to the apparitions you leave behind?
You think they rest in peace the moment you leave?
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he doesn't like the possible answers to any of them! he wants to believe that by ending this scenario, they would be freed - if they were truly here, they would be able to fetch them so that they could return with laurence back to the living as the three of them that had died limped back to the other side. if they're apparitions... they would simply fade.
wouldn't they? ]
Would you have had me sit in the cell and wait for my own self to be overtaken by the powers in play, here? Unable to help free anyone from whatever thrall that befell you?
There are no apologies that I can offer that would appease you, Lucas. I doubt even saying that I would return for you, when all was said and done, would convince you.
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I don't know. Wouldn't they? ]
You have allies on your side, Zhongli. Not all of us do.
He stops hesitating and begins to fire as he approaches. It's time for a shootout. ]
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well. he can't say he's surprised by this. but, much like the dungeon in the bottom of this stupid ship, zhongli will power through the bullets as they're fired upon him. it hurts, yes. but he will use it to get closer to lucas as he returns fire. i did not roll well even with advantage on this. it is probably slow going especially since he has to raise his voice to call back to him. ]
You do, Lucas - you have everyone still living, and those that watch over you from the other side. You have your sister waiting for you to make it through judgement day.
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[ if he's really here, he's talking to the heart of him to try and bring him back out. if he's not - then, well, he's talking, which he's very good at doing. the sudden way lucas takes a knee, though, is enough for him.
looks at my rolls
well. he's going to go lunging for him to try and get his rifle away. i hope he gets shot in the face, frankly. ]
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He gets hit in the face with the butt of the gun. Then he gets shot!
......... Weirdly, getting hit hurt more. Lucas doesn't manage to scramble back so this is now an extremely close range gun fight. ]
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bringing his arm around, zhongli brushes the back of his previously very nice maid uniform's sleeve across his face to clear away some blood, focusing on lucas as he goes scrambling back.
he doesn't want to kill lucas. but he does want to stop him. so he lunges again, this time going to grab at his ankle to yank him close again - no scrambling away, sir. not when he's putting his so-called blockhead to work, now, rearing back to headbutt him. ]
no subject
He yanks Lucas back and gets more bullet spray to the gut for it, point blank. The bullets don't pierce through him, but his skin tears enough to start bleeding through his clothes.
He still manages to headbutt Lucas and it fully knocks him out. What is this completely varying level of injury tolerance people have here. Don't worry about it.
Lucas is now unconscious on the stage!
Now what!! ]
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zhongli just kind of sits there for a moment, recovering from the onslaught of bullets and getting hit in the face. still holding onto lucas' ankle, in case their battle waif wakes up again. can he look around at the stage area? is there a projector, or are the others just on display on their respective stages without any physical means of it being done? ]
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There is a projector, up on a tall stand to the back of the seating. ]
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cool. what's going on on the screens at the moment? is it just him and lucas, here, or is the announcer in the audience for him? ]
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On the screens he sees: an endless recursion of Akihiko watching them on the projector too. Projections of projections of projections. Then it changes. He sees Ali shoot the announcer before returning to the 'normal' daytime ship. Then it changes. He sees Laurence and Iris just kind of. Arguing. ]
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[ lucas is unconscious, but that's fine. he eases himself upright, taking one of lucas' arms and pulling him up, up, over his shoulders into a fireman carry so that he'll be able to more freely use his guns if need be.
one of them he takes and aims at the projector, firing a round at it to see if it does anything. ]
no subject
The sound fizzles out, and then slowly, so does the night. Lucas disappears with the scene change as the daytime ship coalesces around you again.
You are standing, bloody but ignored, in the hustle and bustle of so many teenage girls. You may reunite with Ali and The Idol. ]