[closed] GO STEP ON A LEGO

[duette]

Who: Harper Sutherland (duette) & Raye Satterfield (guitar_case_vagabond)
When: Saturday, April 5th
Where: A public pool.
What: ATTACK OF THE TAMAGOTCHI MONSTER.
Warnings: Exploding pixel poop.

[ Not many people thought to go swimming at this time of year, still. Which meant that rates were low and space was abundant at one of the public indoor pools that stood just shy of Starling-Chandler. Harper was never any good at sports, but that didn't mean she was allergic to exercise — not with how much sugar and calories she's exposed to everyday. (What, she's not going to feed people cupcakes she doesn't taste herself.) The solution? Swimming! Being a Saturday, there's a few more people than she's used to, but it's still an uneventful trip through the locker/changing area.

When she makes her way out to the pool, she places a small tote of belongings (brush, towel, her Cure Module...) on one of the chairs. Unfortunately for her, that's about as far as she gets. Someone in the locker room screams, and it echoes through the enclosed space.

Harper deflates. She didn't even get to dip her toes in! ]

Oh — what... now?

[ From the entrance to the pool, a family skitters out, with children who look... actually pretty enthralled. After them? An oversized Tamagotchi waddles out. Harper stares at it. It stares back, with its beady little eyes. The other patrons are also frozen, watching the silent exchange. ]

Umm.

[ And right in front of her, probably out of spite, it proceeds to dump a fresh heap of square, gray pixel poop onto the pool's deck. ]

Um.

[ Just like that, it starts to waddle off, depositing more as it goes. ]

You're kidding, right? You... hey, hold on just a second!

[ She did not sign up for this. ]

Comments

[duette]

[ Not even in your wildest dreams, delinquent. ]

[ Well no one said it could practically fly! Rhythm's fist collides with precisely squat when the monster goes airborne, and she's left stumbling forward with a surprised squeak in its wake. Thankfully, she's a little lower to the ground when the "presents" blow, but it's not enough time to even raise her arms to shield herself properly with her froofy little damage-resistant bracers.

Like Raye, she's thrown down the sidewalk, and emerges from the smoke and bits of concrete in a colder, quieter fury.

But this is still Harper. So the quiet part doesn't last long. ]

Wh-What was that!? Of course if we throw the same attack it's going to dodge!

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[What the hell WAS that indeed? Raye drags herself up to her feet after her tumble down the sidewalk clutching her weapon tightly as Senketsu vents another blast of steam. Where the hell was all that speed and power from the last time she'd fought? She should have had this thing easily!

More than that, it feels different this time. The last time she'd felt a sort of... wholeness, a sense of being complete. Right now, it just feels like she's been stuffed into a stupid looking outfit that barely fits.]

Tch. [The monster comes down from its flight, landing heavily, stupid little digital face beaming happily and Raye hefts the Scissor Blade.] No shit, so don't screw it up this time!

[Yes it was obviously completely Rhythm's fault. Good luck arguing that too as she goes barreling back into the fight with a loud battle cry, winding up for another huge swing at the tama-beastie.]

[duette]

[ Rhythm is none the wiser for Raye's internal struggle, and the haphazard attack it causes grates on her nerves instantly. For a moment, she was sure that despite how she felt, between the two of them, they could finish this quick. Finish it and get on trying avoid one another.

How wrong was she. ]

I could say the same thing! [ Hey, if she can argue it, she will. Rhythm rises, too late to beat Raye to the punch in a physical attack. So she does the next best thing, readying her Belltier. She slings an arc of gold energy at the smug little pixel-face, hoping to at least trap it, despite herself. ] If you'd just —

[ Both her admonishment and attack are cut short as the monster begins emitting the most ear-piercing beeping wail noise. Fary's energy dissipates against the soundwaves, and Rhythm clamps her hands down over her ears. For goodness' — what was it? Hungry? Dissatisfied? Bored? It's been years since she's had one of the stupid things! ]

...listen to me!

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[Seeing Rhythm's attack blown away by something like noise might have been worth some kind of smartass remark... except actually that soundwave was like hitting a fucking wall. Even Raye's charge is brought to a skidding halt, covering her ears with the heels of her palms. What the hell was with that damned noise.]

[Bursts of steam huff out from Senketsu as the two of them weather the sonic attack, boiling away more and more blood. Raye winces, gritting her teeth as her vision starts to blur a little, going in and out of focus.]

Calm down, Raye! [Senketsu's voice, loud and clear even over the shrieking noise. She glances downward, speaking through clenched teeth.]

That's easy for you to say--! I'm the one doing all the fighting here.

You're wrong.

What?

You are not the only one fighting. I'm with you and even Harper is standing by your side. ... You do not need to defeat this opponent alone.

--!

[Heedless of any conversation, the Tamagotchi grins brightly, apparently satisfied that it has its two enemies immobilized with its latest attack and quickly produces another bomb and, with a swift kick, sends it hurtling Rhythm's way...

... where it's abruptly intercepted by the blunt, curved edge of the Scissor Blade and bounced back like a baseball. The digital face shifts briefly from :D to :O before the bomb blows up in it and the monster drops back, stunned for the moment.]

... Okay, fine, I'm listening. But make it fast.

[Fast would be good. Raye's standing just in front of Rhythm, Scissor Blade held out from the follow-through of her swing and she doesn't look good. Her breathing is heavy, coming in deep huffs and sweat is already beading on her forehead as if from exertion. There's a noticeable tremble in her hands where she's tightly clutching the Blade's handle as well. Even Senketsu is coughing and chugging out bursts of steam even more often than before.]

[duette]

[ In the wake of the deflected attack, Rhythm stands there in the steam, a little stunned. It'd been hard to hear much of anything over the awful noise, but she'd heard Raye talking — it had to have been to Senketsu, even when she couldn't hear him herself. What had he said? Did she do that because of him? She'd been so prepared to just fight this tooth and nail until it was over that now, she's not quite sure what to do but stare at Raye's back.

Unfortunately, that doesn't make anything better. Even putting the fact that she hates feeling helpless aside. As Senketsu lurches, gushing more steam, her state becomes way more obvious, now that Rhythm's paying attention. One hand tightens on the grip of her Belltier, and she feels the nails of her other curl into her palm. God, for all of her stupid macho posturing...

She's utterly pissed, for a number of reasons, but if anything — if really was Senketsu's doing, she owed him, and by proxy, Raye. The last thing she's going to leave this stupid fight with is a debt. In the clearing smoke and plumes of steam, the Tamagotchi's screen appears, and it's scrolling.

Rhythm's heel scuffs against the pavement. ]

Let me distract it.

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[This was getting bad. Raye shifts her hold on the Scissor Blade, holding it up in front of her as the monster starts getting back up and tries to will her vision to focus in again. What the hell's the matter now? She feels like crap, and with every burst of steam from her Kamui she looks a little closer to death warmed over.

Which just further convinced her that Senketsu was right. Harper was a pin in the ass and a loudmouth and everything... but they were also in this fight together right now. That's what Lily kept saying too, right? Well, that's just fine with her. She'd play along and then she and Harper could go right back to staying out of each other's way forever.]

You got it. Heh. [Her face splits into a lopsided grin.] I got my eye on a spot to hit this fucker anyway, and I could use a distraction.

Raye, we're running out of time. If you're going to continue to fight, then you need to end this quickly.

Yeah, yeah, I get it. [She glances down toward her armor, then looks back toward the monster.] You're up, Sutherland.

[And with that, she jumps aside to let Cure Rhythm take center stage for now.]

[duette]

[ Good, she went for it. That got a significant amount of the problem out of her way, at least for the moment. If she could just take care of it before Raye pulled anything too stupid... they'd be in good shape still, probably. Rhythm shifts to go on the offensive against the stupid little egg monster, readying her Belltier once again. ]

Come, Fary. One more time! [ Her yellow Fairy Tone twinkles as it reappears, puffing up and zipping over to snap back into the weapon. Immediately, it begins to fizzle and glow. The energy pours from the creature, and almost masks the effect of an echo pulsing through her, too — if not for the knowledge that arrives with it. Monsters. Monsters exactly like this. This was her whole gig, every last bit as ridiculous as she imagined. She knew how to defeat things like this! The Tamagotchi emerges fully from the smoke kicked up by its own poop-bombs, flashing a triumphant little lightbulb on its screen. Its item choice?

Hair gel. Rhythm stamps her foot, almost offended. ] Just because I have a lot of hair doesn't mean you're going to get anywhere with that!

[ In response, it rears back and spits a few high-speed gel bombs her way. Rhythm tenses, ducking one and flinging a yellow blast of energy at another, sending it splattering across the street in a fiery, goopy mess. Right, flammable. She darts forward before it can prepare another shot, catching its >:O face right before she smashes the heel of her boot into its screen.

Without anyone to distract her, she'd forgotten how light she really was. ]

We can trap it on our own, Fary! On my mark!

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[A hair gel attack? This thing is getting stupider by the minute! On the bright side, though, Rhythm's pummeling of the monster had given Raye exactly the opening she had hoped for!]

There's our shot! Let's do it!

Right!

[Star-shaped sparkles glimmer off of her as, for that one moment at least, she and Senketsu act as one. All at once, their speed increases dramatically, becoming a blur and the lines of red glow with an intense light.

Unaware of the incoming attack, the Tamagotchi gives Rhythm its best angry emoticon and stomps one big foot. All at once, that screeching beep begins again, pitching to an even higher frequency. Windows crack and at least one car alarm goes off-- and then it goes off with a sputtering squeak. The face switches quickly to D8!!!!!]

THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK AGAIN, YOU BASTARD!

[And there's Raye, standing behind it with her feet braced and the Scissor Blade jammed up to the hilt into the speaker on its... er... backside. She clenches her teeth, Kamui shining brilliantly as she jerks the blade free and swings it up over her head.]

THIS IS IT! EAT TH-- ghk!

[And just like that, the light flickers and vanishes with a few stray stars drifting away. There's one final, sputtering puff of steam and the Scissor Blade drops from her hand as she collapses forward onto one knee.]

S... Senketsu...? AGH! [She gives a sharp cry as the Tamagotchi whirls around, swinging one foot out in a brutal kick that knocks her flying through the air and into one of the walls of the building. The wall cracks and she drops forward, just barely lifting her head to look up as the monster prepares another onslaught of flaming hair gel to douse her in....]

1/2

[duette]

[ Skidding to a stop in mid-attack as the Scissor Blade jams through the monster's plastic hide, Rhythm's barely able to process that the blur and glimmer of red responsible is Raye. Of course it was Raye, who else could it be — but she's sort of caught in the moment, between disbelief and anger at the stunt. She knew she only meant to distract it, but she had this! Music Rondo could have disabled it, she remembered that, and then they could have just gotten it over with!

Unfortunately, that's not the only illusion to shatter. There really was something wrong with Senketsu, she sees it the instant he goes out like a light. Her kneejerk "Watch out!" is just a moment too late as the monster takes advantage of the lull in their power. Rhythm takes in a sharp gasp on instinct as Raye collides with the concrete, disarmed.

For a brief moment she may not be entirely aware of, she's afraid.

Now, it was just a matter of the monster, it was a matter of making sure someone didn't die in the process. Raye was already hurt, and somewhere, she feels that is also unacceptable. Precure were supposed to protect people, and Harper Sutherland is rarely afraid.

That meant Cure Rhythm wasn't going to get that luxury either. ]

Unforgivable. You're not going to get away with that...

[duette]

[ Thrown into action by the second echo to strike through her, Rhythm spins her Belltier and swings it forward. All the commotion is enough to cause the Tamagotchi-beastie to swivel to face her, now that she's a flashier target. A white pop of light erupts from the Module fixed to her chest, and her second Fairy Tone emerges. ]

Rery, come!

[ On command, the tone rings like a bell and drops into the weapon. She holds it horizontal to herself, twisting it. ]

Fantastic Belltier, separation!

[ Wielding each piece like miniature harps, she crosses them over her chest, and each Fairy Tone bursts into gleaming lights. Rhythm is so pissed and ready to just stomp the creature that she forgets what learning a new attack entails. Awful catchphrases. ]

Bursting rhythm's fantastic session! [ Ugh. Whatever, she gets on with it and traces a heart with her weapons. It sticks in the air, illuminating the whole area and causing all the nearby rubble to rattle and shake. Rhythm rears back. ] PRETTY CURE! FANTASTIC PIACHERE!

[ With everything that she can muster, she flings her arms forward and sends the fiery attack hurtling towards the Tamagotchi. It collides, engulfing it in purifying flame. She swings her hands like a conductor would to a symphony. ]

3/4 beat! 3, 2, 1... finale!

[ On cue, it detonates, sending the thing up in smoke and light. Thanks to the energy being strictly purifying, it leaves the surrounding area, and Raye, untouched. ]

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[Dimly, Raye's aware that she's in trouble. She watches as the monster looms over her, cycling over to the next attack, and she knows she has to move... to get up, and run, and of Senketsu's voice shouting at her to do just that. Everything seems far away, both the sight and sound of it drifting in and out of clarity, and even that thought is hard to hold onto. She couldn't manage it even if she could focus... her arms and legs feel like lead weights and refuse to obey even the simplest command.

She's dead. The thought manages to sneak its way into her mind as she watches the digital pet ready its final attack. Unable to do anything else, she closes her eyes and waits... and she only hears Rhyhtm's voice, shouting through the haze in her mind. Her eyes open up again just briefly, in time to see Rhythm's attack engulf the monster and destroy it. She glances down to watch the stupid little keychain toy hit the ground and beep out one final, dying note.]

[The last thing she thinks is how much getting one-upped by Harper sucks before her vision tunnels and everything goes black....]

[Senketsu, meanwhile, is able to watch the whole thing even while he focused on maintaining their transformed state in the hopes that it would be enough for Raye to survive the attack. It's only when Rhythm has defeated their opponent that he's able to truly notice the sharp dip in Raye's physiology, and his eye widens in sudden fear.]

... Raye? Raye!

[This was bad. He'd consumed far too much of her blood over the course of this battle! More star shapes engulf her, twinkling brightly before one final flash of light and he's back in his regular state.]

Hold on! Harper! She needs assistance immediately!

[Of course, his concern goes unheard. The only person who could have even heard him is crumpled on the ground, unconscious, breathing shallowly and looking dangerously, frighteningly pale.]

[duette]

[ ...She did it. As the last of the energy runoff from her attack wafts harmlessly over the scene, Rhythm's edge dulls. Her arms loosen from their offensive position, lowering to her sides, and her Belltier flashes away, leaving her alone with Rery and Fary. No, wait, she wasn't supposed to be alone, why was it so quiet? At the very least, she expected some kind of infuriating commentary on her stupid, froofy attack — Rery bolts up, interrupting that thought, and waves one of his little arms. ]

Rhythm! Look!

Huh?

[ Following his lead, Rhythm's gaze lands on Raye, and her heart drops into the pit of her stomach. She isn't moving. For a moment, she's almost too afraid to go check, but the Fairy Tones take off first, giving her the courage to follow. By the time she gets out of the street and up onto the sidewalk, the gravity of the situation has dawned on her, bleaching her power away. When she kneels, she returns to normal in a pop of white light.

Harper reaches out to try and right her, but Raye is heavy. Catching sight of how pale she is, Harper snatches her hands away as if she'd been burned, even if Raye was actually alarmingly cold. For a moment, she just plops down on the sidewalk, forgetting she's not allowed to be afraid. Her gaze darts down to make eye contact with Senketsu. ]

S-Senketsu... what happened? It wasn't you, right? I-I don't know what's wrong!

[ He's not going to answer her, but for a second, she's stumped on what she should do. On the ground by her knees, Fary has one tiny 'hand' placed on Raye's cheek, and Rery turns to look up at her urgently. ]

You have to find a way to help her! Hurry!

[ It was numbered business, but Harper can't think of anything else to do except fish for her phone in her pocket. Her hands shake as she hurriedly dials 911. Here comes the word vomit that's not going to make a lick of sense to a normal person... ]

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[Raye doesn't give any sort of response to Harper's attempts to sit her up, or to Fary's light tough on her cheek. The only movement from her at all are the slow, short breaths she's taking.]

[And all Senketsu can do is look on, urgent gaze moving between Harper and the Fairy Tones as they come to Raye's side. His eye shifts around before meeting Harper's when she addresses him directly. ... Of course, he can't answer, and he doesn't. What was there to say if he could? His only response is to look away after a moment.

He had done all he could to regulate their power, to take as little of her blood as possible but Raye's blood had grown too hot too quickly, despite his attempts at warning her. If only they could have achieved Life Fiber Synchronize again, but something still held them back from regaining that form. Worse yet, he couldn't understand just what that something was.

So all he can do is watch in silence as Harper does the one thing he can never do for Raye.

Call for help.]