week 4

[airlockedmods]

[Just like the previous week the status quo is restored with frighteningly quick efficiency. PAL still makes the morning and night time announcements through the PIP on each Champion's arm, and still the Champion unitards are freshly laundered and re-hung each morning in their closets. Even the glass roses Choromatsu and Takumi broke after the trial in their fit of anger have been replaced with fresh ones. All signs that there was anything amiss this weekend are completely gone.

There's a new floor to explore, their "reward" for a job well done.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 3, submit your memory regains and put in your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

[misanthropicprinciple]

[The thing about getting Ardyn's powers, Junpei decides, is that not being able to feel much but anger does incredible things for his focus. That's why, despite the lights in the garden feeling way too strange and bright for comfort, Junpei can be found there most of the day. He's either practicing his warp-strike by throwing a plastic replica of a kitchen knife around and poofing after it, or lying in the shade of the trees when that gets too tiring, right arm stretched out above him so he can look at his hand, thoughtful.

He drifts back inside come late afternoon to hawk his wares in the dining room. Junk and ??? items are generally available for free, underwear will be left in the inflatable pool for people to pick up discreetly, and all consumable goods are haggle-able. As Junpei minds his little store, he might pick up the otamatone to try to figure out how to play simple tunes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or start playing with the pack of cards.]

garden

[scourgingstars]

[The lights really had been getting to him, here especially. Ardyn hadn't found them painfully oppressive, but now that they'd seemingly been brought down to a lower level the difference was notable. Strange--and a little concerning--but it was low on the list of problems to confront lately.]

[He watched Junpei warp around leaving gradually dissipating trails of magenta crisscrossing around the garden, an oddly sincere smile on his face. There was something very nostalgic to this--for just a moment Ardyn was back in an Insomnia long past, teaching his little brother to warp from the courtyard to the Citadel's steps.]

[When Junpei ran out of MP finally stopped under a tree, Ardyn walked over and sat down next to him with a pigeon settled on his shoulder.]

You've taken to that quickly. Usually it's far easier to warp after a blade stuck in a wall or the ground, but you seem to be having less and less trouble with the midair variant.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Junpei glances up at him, then brings his hand down to sweep floppy hair out of his face.]

Because it's harder to visualize a moving target?

[Intellectual discussions are the easiest so far. He doesn't have to fake humor or sympathy or excitement.]

It's the follow-up that's hardest for me to figure out. But, uh, I guess that's because I don't have much in the way of actual combat training. Don't know where to put my feet and stuff.

[scourgingstars]

Exactly. Keeping pace with a flying blade is simple, but catching it is the difficult part.

[Ardyn laughed to himself, Luscinia fluttering her wings as he gave her a light pat on the head.] Your problem is the more common one; difficulty in stopping the forward momentum once you've reached the point you're warping to. Oftentimes one will just catch the blade and then keep stumbling forward until they collide with the nearest person, wall, or object. Izunia broke a few bones practicing that when we were children. Not all of them his, I might mention if I were one to hold a grudge.

[misanthropicprinciple]

But of course, you're not.

[Shh, only gentle mocking now. At least, Junpei's voice is light, but when he turns his head a little, his expression's more serious.]

I don't know how you've been doing it. I mean... being that present for us, when all the time, you feel like...

[He trails off, then gestures vaguely in the air. Feeling like goddamned fuckitywhat.]

That's some skill you've got there.

[scourgingstars]

...It's not accurate to say any of what I've been saying or doing has been a lie. That compassion was--is real, limited as it may be. But ever since this began it's felt as though I've merely been going through the motions of what I know is the right thing to do.

[Luscinia shifted on his shoulder, making some attempt at preening Ardyn's hair again.]

...I've been trying to keep this from all of you, for your own sake rather than my own. Questioning what I am now is a distant priority after getting out of here alive.

[misanthropicprinciple]

No, I... understand that. I mean, I'm literally feeling you right now. [Or not feeling, as the case may be, ayyy.] But I'm not half as good as making it work as you are. The people thing, I mean.

[Junpei's no actor.]

If and when this goes back to normal--like the first time PAL messed with us--the others are going to know something's up. ...I will, anyway, if no one else.

dining room

[motherfucking_ghost]

[So. Church has heard. And while he's gotten used to dealing with Ardyn's Ardyniness, Junpei might not react to it as well. Or...react at all?

He's going to try and act very normal. He's also a shitty liar, so, that doesn't work out for him so well. Still, he's gonna pick through the junk.]

I'm from your relative future, and even I don't understand how those things work. [But otamatones are definitely one of the most annoying things ever invented. He's sure of it.]

[misanthropicprinciple]

[Otama-chan: aaaaaaaaaaaa :V

Junpei smiles faintly at Church.]

They're supposed to be user-friendly. It took Ardyn, what, less than a week to master his, right? And I've got nothing better to do at night. You know, recently.

[motherfucking_ghost]

He probably mastered other instruments because royalty has to be well-rounded or something bullshitty like that.

How's the... [GENERAL MOTION TO THE FACIAL REGION] going?

[misanthropicprinciple]

It's interesting. I guess.

[Junpei leans to one side to see if Ardyn's anywhere around and then lowers his voice.]

Did you know whatever's going on with him makes, like, ninety percent of his emotions not work right? It's fucking weird.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I kinda gathered something along those lines. Never, uh. Said it in so many words. [He picks up the...dildo-spaceship, gives it a face, puts it back. Don't need to be hit in the face with another one of those.] He's not telling me everything he knows about it. [Liars recognize liars, brah.] But I figure...he tells me whatever he feels safe telling me. So I've got to trust that he'll tell me more when he's less freaked out.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[After observing quietly for a moment, Junpei puts his Otamatone down and notes:]

You're not his keeper, Church.

[This is what you get for leaving him out of all the fun Kingsglaive assignment discussions. >: ( ]

garden

[myocordial]

[You know, the garden is normally quiet and peaceful? Generally not too many people hang out there at once. It seemed like a nice place to relax considering how tiring everything has been.

So Heart isn't really expecting to find much here. He certainly isn't expecting the sudden movement of the knife and the sudden warping--

It wouldn't be a big deal, but it catches him off guard. And he jumps. Well. Part of him does, while his body falls to the ground.]

...Oh, not again.

[Heart just sighs as his "ghost" is once again out of his body.]

[misanthropicprinciple]

Whoa--!

[Startled himself, Junpei fumbles the landing and eats shit. When he picks himself up, spitting dirt, he glances over at Heart and... Heart? He looks from projection to unmoving body and thinks, oops.]

Uh. ...Sorry. Can I help you with that?

[myocordial]

No, it's... fine. I may need a moment, I haven't quite mastered this yet...

[He looks down at his body just lying motionless on the ground. Ugh.]

I may never get used to this.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Hopefully we won't have to.

[Straightening up, he brushes himself off.]

Rii-san was pretty freaked out.

[myocordial]

Yes, I... ran into her yesterday. It seems I just keep seeing myself.

[First his actual body, then his evolved form... He shakes his head, quickly phasing back into his body. As he sits up he sighs again, but outside of looking a bit tired he seems no worse for wear.]

For me, that transformation is as easy as breathing. It's part of me, just as much as this form. But for a human... I honestly can't even imagine how it must feel.

[misanthropicprinciple]

Yeah, human bodies don't generally do the rapid change much past puberty. And teenage girls don't usually shoot up to be eight feet tall. ...It's kind of cute, though, seeing how Rii-san she still is in that shape.

[All that cute, feminine body language in toku monster form? Adorbs.]

How's being a ghost? As freaky as it looks?

I have waited for when this would be the most funny and somehow Junpei being deadpan feels right

[desperateprayer]

[ Clarith is going to catch him in the dining room. ]

Good afternoon, Junpei.

[ She looks like a real nun now, Junpei! But she'll look over his wares and... Pause at the underwear. And then go pale. Oh gods, did he seriously...? She'll pick up the very simply, medieval underwear (ONE OF THEM WHY ARE THERE TWO) and stare. ]

...How long have you had this...?

She has HIS UNDERWEAR TOO does she even know what it is

[misanthropicprinciple]

[That... is quite the look, Clarith. Junpei rubs the back of his neck.]

That? Couple weeks, I think. Not sure it belongs to anyone or if it's just one of the generics, since I've got two.

No she thought they were just a weird pile of cloth

[desperateprayer]

Um...

[ Junpei do the math. She is pale and going very red. ]

Well. They are.

[misanthropicprinciple]

[He pauses, then pushes the inflatable pool o'panties towards her and gently screens his eyes from witnessing a nun take her underwear back.]

I mean, what panties? I don't see any panties.

She's never going to figure out they're underwear

[desperateprayer]

[ She's just. Graciously going to take them and tuck them into her clothing. There are, after all, pockets. ]

...Thank you.

Junpei is just never going to have more than one set of boxers

[misanthropicprinciple]

You're welcome.

[Normally, he'd be mortified right along with her. Maybe there are some real advantages to having contracted fuckface.]

How are you, anyway? Did end up with any...

[He gestures vaguely to himself. Surely by now, everyone knows something's going on, right?]