momquest: a quest for moms

[farfromgrace]

[ It's another day in Tokyo-D, and the relentless cycle of content generation for the masses goes on; how long have you been filming this drama, exactly? And it's not that it's a bad show, per se, but the fact that it's really dedicated to showing the gritty realities of combat and using practical effects for it is... kind of a lot.

Also it can't decide if it wants to be a show about frenemies or about enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies. Cowards.

And besides, it's not home, is it?

It occurs to you on break at the really honestly lackluster buffet table set up for the actors and any surviving extras that... there's really not that much security on this show, all things considered, unless there's something you're not seeing... ]

Comments

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[farfromgrace]

[ The golden thread grows thicker, more substantial in Amaranth's hand, and now all of avante can begin to physically see it—bright gold threads weaving into it coming from each of them.

Nero's complete belief that family should be together, Kohime's demand that Amaranth be able to come to her, Cardinal's steadfast belief in it being true that Amaranth should be here. Shrike's quiet insistence that she is needed here, and even with Nemesis's skittishness, her ease in talking about gathering intel and strategy for what to do when you're in heaven—

The thread is really more of a rope, now. Certainly strong enough to hold you, pulled taut. If you were dangling from it, you're sure it could hold you as long as your arms could hold onto it—and there's a strange ease in holding it, too.

Amaranth: you're certain that this rope will lead you back to Tokyo-F, if you were to, perhaps, swing from it. And maybe there's a little belief on your part required, too, to get you back there.

But you know this for a fact—all these voices you can hear, the reserved but no less real for it care of those of LiliS you could reach, avante's insistence that you should be there—

If you fall, there will be people there to catch you. ]

/3

[worthathousand]

[ a surge of answering emotion—at the the feeling of family, could she really be—?
(just because she felt it never meant it was her right or role to ask for it, but even so) ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[worthathousand]

[ It is right for her to be there. ]

You are my family.

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[worthathousand]

[ Amaranth grips the golden rope in her arms; wraps it around herself. ]

I'm trusting all of you now to catch me.

[ She jumps. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[softlyfalling]

[ oh shit. uh

WELL SHE'S TEXTING EVERY MEMBER OF LILIS SHE HEARD RECENTLY ]

sad bird in snow: she's incoming and uh
sad bird in snow: possibly going to fall out of the sky and we might need some help

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[enlightenedatheist]

Izanami-no-Mikoto: I heard where is she falling

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[softlyfalling]

[ the manner of typing makes it likely she has probably switched to TTS: ]

sad bird in snow: I am getting the impression that she is heading directly for us so possibly our balcony
sad bird in snow: since there's um a sort of tether now, that seems to be targeted here
sad bird in snow: I think I could theoretically catch her but we'll need to slow her down

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[enlightenedatheist]

Izanami-no-Mikoto: Got it
Izanami-no-Mikoto: Make sure to catch her

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[enlightenedatheist]

[ and then: ]

Izanami-no-Mikoto: Catch

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[enlightenedatheist]

[ idk how to deal with emotions like that so i was just kind of in the backseat but HEY DID YOU JUST SAY FALL

ALARM

WHERE is embarrassingly the loudest thought he's ever had while he busts out of LiliS while fumbling with his phone (one-handed, he is wheelchair) ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[vitainmorte]

[ also alarmed but also determined

grabbing his chair let's fucking GO. through the stables.

fortunately she is pretty fit even if she isn't really a runner so it's easy enough to run and wheel him at the same time. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[enlightenedatheist]

[ oh nice

letting go to properly purchase one(1) ability and yell into his phone the speech to text

and, to cypress: ]

Outside—we need to help catch her fall!

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[vitainmorte]

Right--

[ heeEEEERE WE GOOOOO ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[farfromgrace]

[ HEEEEEERE YOU GOOOOOOOOOO

and at first there's nothing you can see, scanning the sky, although you realize you can see a bright gold line stretching into the highest reaches that comes from the eleventh floor of the hotel.

and then you see it—a sort of bright spark coming into existence, very high up. so far that it's only a pinpoint. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[enlightenedatheist]

[ YELLING @ HIS PHONE ]

Catch!

[ and in the meantime, to the direction of the bright spark he's sending up a gust of blue iris petals, up and up and up, as high as he can send it ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[softlyfalling]

[ anyway, glancing around at the assembled avantes, and just—climbing up on the balcony railing, trying not to look down too much, and just: ]

Well. I suppose we're going to catch her.

[ like, well, there's nothing else for it, right? ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[unbr8kable]

Prolly better than the alternative, yeah?

You or Cardinal're the strongest...

[gestures?]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[purrrnicious]

[She hopped up onto the railing instinctively but stopped there because she's tiny, what is she even going to do here.

Also it seems appropriate to be a not insignificant part of the problem and yet contribute nothing to the solution.]

––You're going to catch her?!

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[worthathousand]

[ There she is, falling fast into view.

Amaranth's eyes are closed, expression knit with concentration, as the wind buffets her, but then an iris petal brushes her cheek and she opens them again—lonely yet hopeful. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[gigadevilbreaker]

Aw, c'mon...

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[farfromgrace]

[ meanwhile: you are falling.

and it is very clear to you know how very high up you are, falling through layers of clouds and into a space of total darkness, like you're in the night sky on Calibration, or in the space between worlds, perhaps.

it's cold here, and even though there's light from the rope, which is now glowing bright, like it's still lit by the sun, the chill darkness around you feels like it leeches away all other color present—from your clothes and your skin. but the rope is still pleasantly warm, and easy to hold onto. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[worthathousand]

[ She clutches that feeling to her with the full strength of her conviction.

...Though she also never cares to be helpless: once she's fallen some distance from Yu-Shan, she tries to call Nightingale's breeze and petals to her again. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[farfromgrace]

[ the wind won't come, it won't hold you; maybe because you're in some kind of not-space, or maybe—well, you were always the odd one out, among LiliS. sometimes that's been a strength, and sometimes it's left you very lonely.

but still, the warmth of the rope keeps the color in your hands, in your clothes, keeps your wits about you—in a way, it almost seems like the gold of that rope bleeds into your clothes, coloring them gold in places.

and below you, you begin to see a sort of brightness in the distance, a pinpoint of light growing larger. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[worthathousand]

[ there's a kind of anguish—strong enough, maybe, to travel down the rope—as she tries again and again to call the power to her.

(even though... it makes sense, doesn't it?)

but eventually the cold and grey of the fall become overwhelming, so: she focuses on that warm gold. ]

Re: ALSO MEANWHILE IN AVANTE

[farfromgrace]

[ the gold continues to bleed out of the rope, into the trim and accents on your clothes, but it's no more the duller for it—instead, it only shines brighter.

and the light below you grows larger and larger until you can see it's not just light but the sky—the sky of Tokyo-F, spread out below you, and then you're through the dark and the cold, outfitted in red and gold, hair trailing above you like a sort of halo as you fall. and you're falling fast, but—

—but below you, there's a gust of blue iris petals coming up to meet you. ]