Scene #8240: PNL: VIDEOLAND

Owner	Pose
Stanley Padgett	Everyone making the trip through Stanley's portal will find themselves Sliding sideways through reality... until... STANLEY PADGETT stands at the threshold of the VIDEO LAND, the entrance point just this side of the front door of Chastity Miller's home. The Reversal is... Polygonal. Vertices. 64-bit. It matches the general layout of the suburb the party just passed through on the way here. The sun is high in the sky, but all the shadows being cast are... just there, out of place. The sun is also affixed to the skybox. The shadows that mill about are likewise polygonal and blocky, and the whole thing just smacks of... well. Old school gaming. Or at least, old school to the teenagers present. Other people here are going to feel their age, maybe. Stanley sighs a bit and looks at the extra person they're bringing along. It's Chastity herself. The mousy sophomore seems both utterly terrified and entranced at the Shadow World, and she's sticking... Very close to whoever isn't pushing her away. Clingy is a good term for it. The brown haired girl huffs quietly, as the group moves forward. "I don't understand why I... I gotta." Stanley huffs. "Because, this was your wish, and you're going to have to take responsibility here. It's got to be done." She stomps her foot and grumbles, but sticks close to... Charlotte, for now.
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte has no problem supporting Chastity. The shadow world is, after all, quite a different experience from the Real. The senior is looking a lot better than she did after that visit to the Velvet Room, at least. She rests a hand on Chastity's shoulder and gives a little squeeze, offering a small smile. "Your dad is a lot happier as a chef, yeah?" She tilts her head a bit, "Normally, we'd destroy the tyrant created by a wish, but that would undo everything the wish had done. Yours made a lot of people happy, not just your dad. So if you can confront it, you can do a lot of good things." Charlotte inclines her head slightly then, "I think you're strong enough to make it happen." She straightens her posture then, glancing over her shoulder at the rest, "Is everyone alright? Anyone need a moment?"
Kukuru	After so many movements into the Reversal, Kukuru's gotten well used to sliding around into a funky new place. She's already half-asleep before the sliding starts, and it's only the sound of Chastity talking that finally draws her out of it and over to where the younger girl is speaking. "Don't wo-rry. You'll be safe with us, Chassy~" Kukuru affirms with a gentle pat on her head and ruffling her hair a bit while swaying idly in place. She's dressed in her usual at-home wear today with the yellow sweater, blue jeans, and a slightly stained black apron that's seen more than a few fights already, and she's passing out drinks and snacks to everyone on the way through. "Which way are we headed, anyway? This place looks..." She peers at the strangely boxed sky, even staring directly at the sun for a moment thanks to that era of lighting not being nearly as harsh as more modern effects. "It's peaceful here. Sure would be nice to take a nap once we figure out how to... Um..." She just gestures at Charlotte and Stanley, clearly not having a clear idea in her head either. "They know more about this kind of stuff, but I trust them~"
Seras Victoria	"Uwaauoh!" The queasiest noise Seras can make without outright puking is no doubt heard by everyone as she hops through with the others and feels things in places she didn't even know she had. When she appears near the others, wearing the same Hellsing uniform as last time and bearing the same loadout of FAR too big guns dangling from worn straps behind her (an oversized anti-tank assault rifle, and an even bigger cannon of some kind with the name Harkonnen engraved on it...)... She stumbles, staggers, hops in an inelegant fashion on one foot for a few hops and then topples over into the pixelated textured ground. "It's like... the commmercials for those new game systems that just came out." She remarks in wonder, gathering herself up and looking around with no small amount of awe. Allthough she isn't much older than the teenagers here, Seras looks increasingly troubled as she glances over the rest of the team, nervous worry showing just a bit before she sucks in a breath and tries to put on a braver face. "Alright... I'm here to help however I can, try to keep everyone safe, but you'll have to take the lead. I... still have very little idea how to handle this mess."
Caelan Stuart	It seems like it's been forever and a day since Caelan was being thrust into a nauseous, vomit-proximal state by the slide into the Reversal. But with each attempt, it gets a little easier. Whether it's because he's just becoming accustomed to the sensation, or because of the influence of the Freischutz, he's not sure. But it does feel... easier, this time. Even if what he sees on the other side punches him on a totally different level. "...I remember when this was all cutting edge," Officer Stuart says with a heady mix of regret, nostalgia and the keen awareness of the creeping encroachment of time tinging his voice. "...Well. I suppose it could be worse. At least it's... not from too far back." (Or not as far back as he'd ever like to consider, at least.) "So how does this work? I had thought the goal was to revert the changes of wishes in general by slaying Tyrants. How do we... accomplish whatever it is we're setting out to do?" Caelan asks, glancing Stan-ward, as if he expects the boy to know.
Isaac Beaufort	"Padgett, what in the goshdarned do you think you're doing?" A new voice says, coming from the right of the group. It's not part of the main group, but someone else who seems to rock with the style of the other side. Chasity, Stanley, and Charlotte would know him by just looking alone. It's Isaac, star of the Lacross team, and on a half different other sports teams. He also doesn't look happy about what's going on here, bringing the Sophomore into the other side...or rather, not looking happy about being here at all. "I asked you to cover for me, not recklessly endanger yourself and people uninvolved!" he says, heated. He's mad that people are in trouble, including the idiot he's talking to himself. "I'm asking you again, begging you even. Take her back, and come with me so we can stop this mess before it gets worse. The stuff online is getting out of hand, or do you want another attack in the real world that's going to get you or innocent people hurt? Come on man, please think this through!"
Stanley Padgett	Headpats and comforting for Chastity. She huffs and tries to put her hair back into place, and then keeps close to whoever is letting her, still. She won't be putting herself in harms way here, and will actively run if she's endangered. Which is smart. Isaac shows up, and rather than look peeved or cowed or sheepish like he might have a few months ago, Stanley Padgett gets up to his full height, and looks Isaac in the eyes. He can do that. He's lanky tall. "No, buddy. We're taking responsibility for what we've done. And sometimes that means putting ourselves in harm's way." He pokes Isaac in the chest with the hilt of his sabre, and then hrmphs. "Something you should have done a while back too. You saved my life, and then you vanish? Nah, bro." Stanley looks to Caelan and then Chastity. "Chastity meets her Shadow. And maybe we don't get the full Tyrant." The mousey girl huffs, but Stanley turns to look at her. "Think hard about that Wish you made. Think hard, and tell us where we're going." The girl adjusts her glasses, and then just... points towards a distant building that's moving into their view, as the Render Distance of the Reversal sprawls out from where the group came in. "...probably there." The towering building's all lit up, with big signs that read "WISHES GRANTED HERE" and a sign pointing at the front entrance. It flashes annoyingly. Not like... seizure-inducing, but it's... smug, somehow. The lights flash smugly. "...okay then." Though as the group heads that way, the Shadows get more numerous. Thicker. But they all seem to be milling around NPC like, and interacting with each other... and heading that way too. Everyone wants to get their wishes granted. Hmmmm.
Charlotte Newman	Kukuru Snacks are tucked into her purse. Charlotte takes a moment to examine Seras, nodding once she's sure the vampire is alright. Caelan gets a polite nod as well. To Seras, she offers, "Most of us can take care of ourselves, so your guard priority should be Chastity here." Isaac makes his presence known and his objection directed towards Stanley. Stanley stands up to him and-- over his shoulder-- Isaac gets both barrels of Rich Girl Disgust radiating off Charlotte's expression. She even has the slightly grossed out lip curl going on. Ultimately, she closes her eyes and steps past Isaac entirely. When she finally speaks, her tone is generously curt, "If you're not going to help, than stay out of our way." "We're here to back you up and keep you safe," Charlotte assures Chastity in a much warmer tone as she approaches this Suspicious Building. She does pause outside the door, though, glancing about at the idle Shadows, "...Is this how they're making requests for partners and dreams? It's become a wish that's granting other wishes?" Her head tilts and she rests a finger alongside her cheek, "I suppose it's limited in scope, but..." She hasn't personally encountered any other video game characters, but this makes her realize that her knowledge of what goes on in Lampport is rather limited.
Kukuru	"Don't worry. It's all pretty weird, but the important thing is making sure the kids are safe, anyway." Kukuru reassures Seras with a gentle smile, looking like she doesn't have a concern in the world. "Besides... Yeah, They'll know what they're doing." She affirms to Caelan next, eventually getting her attention drawn towards Stanley when he looks his way. That, in turn, gets her looking over at Isaac when he shows up. "Oh, a new friend... He-llo there~" She greets him with a light wave as well, furrowing her brow the more he speaks. Noting his clear concern, she beckons him over and holds an arm out, as if expecting Isaac to actually come over to where she's standing, like she wants to put an arm around him. "You must really care for your friends, huh...? That's sweet." Smiling fondly, she keeps waving at him to come over, ready to hold him close if he ever does. "We're already here, though, so the best thing you can do right now is stick with us. That way, everyone's safe!" She says, both to try and reassure Isaac while also affirming that she's intending to stick by Stanley's and Charlotte's goals here. Chastity directs the group towards the most rendered building in the area, and it's time to head onwards! Kukuru leaves the Shadows alone for the time being, even taking some time to peer at them curiously while they're not attacking. "Do you think they'll be able to grant our wishes, too? Or... No, that'd probably cause more problems, huh?" It's clear she's considering it, but Kukuru is behaving for now. "But if we're careful.... Maybe?" She also busts out a thermos to sip from, full of fresh coffee that practically smells like it's been inundated with sugar even from a distance.
Caelan Stuart	"Her Shadow? Sorry, I'm still a little fuzzy on the details. You're saying we're looking for one of those things," Caelan gestures towards some of the cavorting shadow-NPCs, "But specifically the one that belongs to the young lady? Mmn. Makes sense, I suppose. Still, something about this sits oddly. Maybe it's just the cynicism of old age, but getting something so nice for... not 'free' I suppose, but still. Are there going to be consequences for changing reality like this...?" Maybe... it's what happened to him that makes the officer so suspicious of the situation. Or maybe it's just as he said-- the cynicism of an old (not really that old) man. But then someone else appears. Someone that the kids seem to recognize, but Caelan certainly does not. He arches his brow at Isaac's appearance, but shrugs it off... for now. There's still much he doesn't know. "I'll get us there safe," he says, instead, taking point and allowing the supernatural senses of his Persona guide them to their quarry. The Freeshooter isn't easily misled.
Isaac Beaufort	"How is dragging someone without a persona or an elite into this place 'taking responsibility' for what you've done? It's putting her in danger, it's making me come out here to make sure she doesn't /die/ or worse Stan..." Isaac starts to argue until that hilt is poked into his chest. "I didn't vanish..." he says, quietly, "What would you have me do, turn my back? Disappoint everyone counting on me? Ruin my future and hurt my parents? I asked you to cover for me because I had all of those people riding on me, and you know that." Charlotte gives him the mean girl look, and he looks right at her. The people here will get right away that Isaac isn't the normal kind of boy. Most would puff their chest out, try and say something sassy to protect their machismo, or brush her off. Isaac on the other hand withers slightly. "I'm...trying to stop this before it becomes a mistake..." he says. Thankfully, he's rescued by Kukuru. Mothered along, Isaac isn't exactly hard to move along with the tide, listening. "...Alright, but the first sign of trouble and I'm going to get her out of here.." he says to Kukuru. "If this is already here though, Stanley, there is already a Tyrant..." "It's just like with The Hun..." he pauses. "Why are you taking a chance on this?"
Seras Victoria	"When it WAS cutting edge?" Seras is no gamer. She hardly even knows how to use a computer. But she glances over at Caelan with mild aggravation. Once again, the Multiverse has her feeling far too behind on things, somehow. Of course, with Isaac showing up, himself unrecognized and new to her but his concerns certainly more than worthy of her sympathy... she takes a few steps forward, tries to lock eyes with him. Fix him with a deadly serious stare. "I don't know everything going on yet, but... PLEASE think that argument through. Everyone came through that portal into this CRAZY place ready for another Mr. Clean to show up, or worse. Do you think Stanley FORCED them to come here? When everyone's able to call up guardian spirits that spit fireballs and lightning bolts? Everyone's here because they want to stop things." Her expression turns into a cheerier one of resignation. "There's no talking them down from this. You'd have to tie them all up or worst. Isn't the best thing to do... to join up and help?"
Stanley Padgett	Chastity is freaking out a bit at all the commotion over her, before she stamps her foot a little bit and pouts. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" She looks at Isaac, and then puts on her brave face, her glasses fogging up slightly from tears and sweat. "My dad bein' happy is okay, the rest of it all isn't so like... yeah, if we can keep the school safe, but also not get rid of these nice... spouses, then yeah." She wilts again, her sass being spent. Stanley blinks and looks at Chastity, and wonders where that came from... before Caelan leads the way. The Freeshooter and the Vampire both get the sense of smugness overwhelming. Capricious smugness with a hint of petulant and... is that sass? Whoever is in charge of this place is a sassy person. That's going to be an issue. INSIDE THE BUILDING: This place is built like... a municipal office. Like, the sort of entrance and lobby and waiting area that you'd see at Traffic Court. The rather plain-looking Shadows have given way to darker reflections of... video game characters. Like that one guy from that fighting game, you know, the one with the hair. And over there is a space racer guy... and a trio of girls from the one visual novel... an older lady with climbing gear... Behind the counter is a chibi bunny rabbit in a Office Lady outfit, shuffling papers. She looks up blandly at the group and huffs. "You're going to have to take a seat and wait, but we're all booked up for the foreseeable future, so you're just gonna have to wait." A voice behind the BIG FANCY DOOR behind her yells out, though. "WHO IS IT THIS TIME, GERTRUDE?" The bunny sighs, and pushes a button on her desk. "You can just use the intercom, and it's a bunch of... people. People people. I don't recognize their games." "Ooooooooooo, send em in~ This is new!" Mr. Fight Guy With The Hair gets up and then blocks the door. "We've been waiting here for YEARS getting our chances, man! WHy do these folks just get to waltz in? That ain't right!"
Caelan Stuart	"Twenty years ago. Or so." Caelan explains, with regards to The Age Of Vidya Games. "I had to go to a friend's house to play that kind of thing. Consoles were expensive, but cartridges even moreso." Still, he follows the Freeshooter's senses as they guide him deeper and deeper into the Reversal, until... He's... in another place that's extremely familiar. "...A DMV?" Caelan asks rhetorically. The bunny in office lady attire seems... familiar. Like, didn't Alice have that one in her game...? Wasn't there usually a bunch of other similar things running around? Like a particularly angry red panda, or... something? Caelan makes an uncomfortable noise and prepares to spend the better part of the day waiting, when SUDDENLY-- He doesn't have to. But someone takes offense. "We're just here to see the person in charge," Caelan explains with a shrug. "I don't think we'll be taking up valuable wish-granting time. The gears of the bureaucracy will turn, rest assured." Unless they break them all. That could happen too.
Seras Victoria	Into the building everyone goes. Seras is keeping her armory close at hand but clearly held behind her, the safeties all on. She can do nothing about being visibly armed to the teeth... But as str strolls through the lobby towards the receptionist, her teeth grind and steps slowly. The place feels wrong. Oppressive.... She's quiet as Gertrude, the distant voice, and the fighting guy... "I'm not sure we're even here for the same THINGS." She declares to the obviously combative man. "What's YOUR story... Mister...?"
Kukuru	"Good luck, Cae-lan!" Kukuru cheers the officer on with a bright smile, all too willing to let him and everyone else lead the way. She's got her hands full trying to reassure everyone, after all, especially when it comes to fussing over Isaac and trying to help him fit in with gentle pats and side-arm hugs like he's already one of the crew. "That's fine. We've fought some dangerous stuff before, and I'll be able to fix her up easier if she's not missing." She explains without really explaining anything, giving him an approving pat on the back a moment later. Giving Chastity another ruffle on the way in, Kukuru peers upwards once everyone's finally inside. She's fully willing to take a seat when Gertrude explains that there's plenty of time to do so, and she actually looks mildly disappointed when the voice over the intercom just calls them in. The stop and go actually seems to be irritating Kukuru a bit, too, when it continues with Hairman Fightguy stepping up to block their path. Despite that brief flash of irritation on Kukuru's face, she still goes right back to her usual soft smile as she steps right up to the guy. Her defenses are clearly lowered with her hands crossed lazily in front of her, she has that serene/vaguely vacant smile that she usually wears on her face, and her tone is even sympathetic while still being recognizably the same as she usually speaks to everyone with. "Aw, I'm sorry. I don't know why, either, but... I know. You could come in with us if you wanna find out~" Somehow, there's a vague sense of menace when she finally speaks up, as if she's daring the guy to just go in with them and find out with everyone else. "I'm sure they won't mind, right?"
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac doesn't have any other choice but to walk with the group, though he does stare at Chasity. "I don't think you understand what it is you're getting into," he says, evenly, but he's not pushing it anymore. "But I'm serious. If things go south, I'll get you out of here." When they get inside what seems like an obvious trap, it turns out to not be an obvious trap. Things are settled here like a bureaucracy. This is somehow worse to Isaac than anything. He utterly hates having to wait in these kinds of places, to fill out forms and stuff. The paperwork doesn't even /do/ anything he's sure... When the big guy gets in their way, he quietly picks up a table and sets down two chairs. He puts his hand on the table in the form of an arm wrestling match. "If I win, we go in. If you win you go first," he says simply. Little does the guy know that the might of his persona is infused in him. "Unless you're afraid?"
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte expected Boy Defiance from Isaac. When he withers instead, she actually pauses for just a moment. There's a bit of her that feels Bad about that, suddenly. It's enough for her to hear him out, at least. "We know that it's possible for a wish to be Good," she explains while maintaining her Rich Girl Mean Vibe towards him, "Chastity's wish helped people find love and pursue their dreams. It's almost there, so we're going to help her push it over the line. A lot of people would have their dreams broken if we just destroy it." Caelan leads the way into... "A DMV?" she parrots his surprise, glancing at him, "Is this what they're like on the inside?" Her eyes wander across those gathered here, ticking off each familiar face in her mind from the games at the Happycade or on display at the Gameport in Southcourt Mall. She catches herself staring at John Hoop when it takes her a moment to recognize the power armor. A voice booming from the back is what gets her out of it, glancing at Seras and Kukuru when they confronts the Road Warrior guy. What was his name again? Byu? Ben? Bakura? Ban? Bakuma? There are so many characters in that game with nearly the same costume and moves, she can't keep them straight in her head. Instead of pick a fight of even Mean Girl him, though, the girl offers, "We're here to offer a proposal that'll help this go faster. That way you can all be taken care of much faster." Isaac places a challenge, though, which has her staring at him from the corner of her eye for a moment. She then glances at -- whoever it is, "Well, he might be speaking your language."
Stanley Padgett	BRAN FIGHTMAN is given several options. KUKURU gives vague threats. SERAS seems confused. CAELAN promises 'everything will be fine'. CHARLOTTE gets Bossy. But ISAAC gives the Correct Response. "HAH. I LIKE YOUR STYLE, KID." He flexes, all of his muscles showing all over through that tight shirt of his, and he simply walks over to Gertrude's desk. The jeans FLASH as he simply kicks all the paperwork and computers and stuff off the desk, drags a seat over, and plants his arm on the table, READY TO RECIEVE. Gertrude isn't happy about this turn of events, and she starts wiggling her arms in an adorably cute manner, trying to hit AKU THE FIST. >STR CHECK for ISAAC The voice behind the door calls again. "Hey, why aren't they coming in?" There's huffy noises, and then... It simply opens up as the FIGHT OF THE CENTURY gets underway. And the person who's opening it... Is Chastity. Actually, it's Chastity if she got a mega glowup and was doing cosplay as a belly dancer. The mousy hair is pulled into a long pony tail, she's wearing a silk... well, it's sort of like an outfit, but everything's covered. She's from a PG game, we swear. She's still wearing glasses, but there's an edge to the girl, something taller and haughtier as if she's doing Charlotte's Mean Girl impression. "...oh. OH. Look at all of you, god, you shouldn't be here, I'm busy with the REAL WORK of making dreams come true!" Dancer Chastity's eyes, though, are not the grey of the actual girl. They are yellow.
Isaac Beaufort	Strength Check: [Easy: Success] Muscle Milk's hand grips Isaac's own. He struggles and strains, but Isaac doesn't appear to have any trouble what's so ever. Interestingly, he's not pushing his advantage, instead giving the illusion of a match. It's obvious to anyone watching it that Isaac could end it immediately. Instead, he slowly pushes his hand to the table. "Then I suppose we'll be heading forward. Good match!" he says, brightly. "You had me for a moment," Isaac says, trying to help salvage whatever of the man's dignity that he could. Mostly so he wouldn't hound him for a rematch to salvage his broken pride. This is his life on a daily basis. He avoids Charlotte's gaze and instead looks down or to the side. When Dancer Chastity steps out, her yellow eyes are what get his attention first. He's trying not to look at the rest of her, despite being a teenage boy. This has got to be deathly embarrassing for the real Chastity. Even if she fills out the outfit nicely. He looks towards the real Chastity. "You've come this far, don't be afraid now," he says, trying to encourage her with a soft smile. "If things get rough, I'll protect you so don't worry about anything but trying to make your wish come true.." he says, though not entirely sure. But he's already here, he's already come this far. He knows what it's like to have others ride on you.
Seras Victoria	Seras... is just a bit baffled at how a simple arm wrestling challenge is all it takes to disarm grouchy fightguy, blinking a few times. She could have tried that route, but... The more she imagines it, the longer and more dismayed her face looks at the idea. It wouldn't look very good no matter the outcome, no siree! A problem Isaac surely wouldn't have.. right? And so, she quickly focuses her attention instead on the newcomer: Mystic Wish Granter Chastity, only missing a proper mahou shoujo entrance. Seras gives her a good stare of disbelief. "Did... you pop out of a bottle laying around here somewhere, miss?" She blurts, not quite believing that anyone would be walking around in such a getup. "But... which dreams are those?"
Kukuru	Mister HOLD FORWARD conveniently steps away from the door, and Kukuru's about as pleased as she can be with the path now cleared. Better yet, the door opens, and she sees Chastity-but-different! "Oh, he-llo Chastity. How'd you get in already? That's-" As she reopens her eyes from her usual drowsily pleasant greetings, she takes note of all the other differences in her appearance and the actual Chastity's. Kukuru glances between the two of them several times to try and parse what she's looking at, and it takes her far longer than it should to finally figure it out. "Ohhh. You're her Shadow! So nice to meet you~" Undeterred, Kukuru waves the rest of the group in, waiting for everyone and especially Chastity (real) to file in before stepping inside Dancer Chastity's office herself. "How did you make all these dreams happen, anyway? It must be really hard work, and... Um..." She forgot the point she was trying to make. She looks towards Stanley and Charlotte for help briefly, then back at D!Chastity again. "Knowing how all that works would be real nice, if you could tell us. And then..." She trails off, unsubtly glancing towards Chastity to try and get her to speak up next. Kukuru can't speak for the girl, after all.
Charlotte Newman	Of course it's the contest of strength that finally moves Guy Fighter the Fighting Guy. While he and Isaac have their arm-wrestling contest, Charlotte folds her arms and rolls her eyes with a quiet utterance of "Boys..." The voice from the back office gets impatient. She turns at the waist to glance towards the door itself, "We hit a delay--" Then Chastity's shadow/tyrant comes through. Charlotte drifts off into some level of surprise, then glances towards the mousey girl still hanging on to her for a quick comparison. She glances back towards Isaac and Fightguy, then back to Shadow Chastity. Turning fully, she places a hand on Chastity's shoulder and gives a reassuring squeeze. The others engage directly, but Charlotte is only going to be a pillar for her younger friend to lean on for support. She's not going to speak for her.
Caelan Stuart	Of course the game fightmans wants to have a game fight. Well, at least punchmaster is apparently officially out of the way, allowing them to meet the one in charge of this-- This-- Caelan dead-fish-eye stares at empty space, as if he were peering directly into the dark heart of the universe. Every ounce of his being wants to ask this young lady what she thinks she's wearing, but he's pretty sure A) she knows exactly what she's wearing and B) it'll only embarass the hell out of the actual Chastity even more if he calls it out. And so he instead says nothing about the outfit, and continues judging the universe itself for what it has decided to do here. "Well, you're up, kids," Caelan tells the Youngins, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm here for emotional support. If this is another aspect of yourself, miss Chastity, then remember-- we all have things inside of us that we'd rather not have anyone see, especially not ourselves. So whatever happens here, I'm sure nobody will judge you any differently." (Right, Stanley? Caelan was a teenage boy once. He knows how these kinds of things can affect kids (Caelan has no idea that the internet has probably shown them far worse by now) ) "Do your best. We'll be here if you need us."
Stanley Padgett	Shadow Chastity smiles languidly at the group, and then casually floats upwards, sitting cross-legged in midair. "Oh? Me? Moi? I'm just the most wonderful, marvelous, fantastic, beautiful girl in all of the Video Land~" She twirls in place, and smiles. "And I get to pick and choose who gets to be happy~" Even as QUARTER CIRCLE KICK is huffing and trumping at rubbing his arm where Isaac got him good in that exchange, Shadow Chastity simply floats over to the fellow, drapes herself on his shoulder and then... "You're up, good luck out there~" And then with a flash, the man is gone, and... Everyone can smell... the lunchroom at school. Even those who haven't been to a school lunchroom in a very long time will get a sense of that feeling, of food service food and waiting in line and... and all of it. "And just like that, Ms. Grover has a boyfriend~ Aren't I WONDERFUL?" Stanley gently nudges Chastity in the back. She's STARING at her Shadow, and stammers. "Why are you dressed up l-l-like a slut?" A pointing finger. "I wouldn't be caught d-dead in that! And STOP THAT. You're just-just... making problems for people!" "What, like you? You're just one BIG problem, you little dweeb. Mom left, Dad's at work all the time, and you just wished yourself a new mom, just like that. Poof! Well, I'm here helping OTHER people, not just you~"
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac doesn't say anything at first, instead listening to Shadow Chastity as she and the shadow speak. It's clear that something isn't going right. Things are happening, and the positive is a net good...but is it for a good reason, or is it to spite her real-life self..? He continues to listen, until it gets very personal. "It doesn't sound like you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart, but instead because you want to be better than someone," Isaac finally says, directly to the Shadow. "Instead of doing it, thinking not of yourself, but instead of those your helping, you're instead only thinking of yourself. How this looks on you..." "If you share her memories, then you have shared her pain. No mother, her father's busy all the time. She decided to be selfish, and now you're mocking her for it, trying to stand apart. Why? Why not try and figure yourself out first...and use that power you have for good."
Kukuru	"A boyfriend...? Oh, you're a matchmaker! Aww, how sweet..." She coos softly, giggling after a moment as she turns around to the rest of the group. "I don't think we have anything to worry about here, then. Let's-" Chastity starts shouting at D!Chastity, and that actually gets Kukuru to frown just a bit. "Aw, Chassy. Calling people names over their bodies and what they do is mean, you know." She scolds, crossing her arms under her chest absent-mindedly. D!Chastity gets a disapproving look from Kukuru when she starts firing back, too. "That's not nice, either. Things at home can be rough without anyone else at home, so it's normal to want somebody else nearby." Kukuru explains, taking a deep breath before stepping closer to D!Chastity while gently pressing a hand against Chastity's back to try and get them closer together. Isaac gives her some extra context, and Kukuru furrows her brow. "It's not a bad thing to help people, even if the reasons are a little selfish. It's okay to be selfish sometimes, too, and... Everyone gets lonely, so it's not bad to want to stop that. But now..." She pauses with a hand on her chin, then breaks into another smile while holding a hand out to D!Chastity and beckoning her to approach. "Now, you've both got a new sister you didn't have before and a new parent you didn't have before. That means you have even more chances to make happy memories, right?" Kukuru sounds like she genuinely believes that, too.
Charlotte Newman	> Aren't I WONDERFUL? "So it's not about helping people who are lonely or depressed?" is the broadside Charlotte fires at Shadow Chastity. Aimed directly at the wish's motivation. She keeps a hand on Chastity's shoulder, a reminder that she's there for the girl as support. Glancing down, she murmurs, "She's your shadow, she's a part of you. You have to accept her before you can defeat her." Charlotte raises her other hand, making a fist and pumping it a bit, "And you've got us in your corner..!"
Seras Victoria	Seras has very little to say about this that others aren't already saying. Her blue eyes rapidly shift from speaker to speaker as she tries to follow the meat of the conversation and make sense of the thoroughly oddball scenario. And, eventually, hints of realization settle in. "Oh. The Reverse... collective thoughts." As her eyes go wide, it's clear she now understands a bit more of the nature of the two Chastity's. "Defeat her for what though?" Seras pointedly asks Charlotte. "Getting the feeling I'm missing some details. How did these wishes go wrong?" The dangers of operating on far too little information are on full display here.
Caelan Stuart	Oh boy, it's like looking directly into the self-esteem black hole that is mid-to-late-puberty through the eyes of a young woman. Is this what Alice has to deal with on the regular? Hm. Maybe he should be try to spend more time asking her to tell him what's on her mind. Best to nip this kind of self-talk in the bud as much as possible. Speaking of. Chastity is telling herself off for not having enough chastity! It's a whole thing. You could write a research paper about all this. But she also says something else. "I'm sorry that you see yourself as a 'problem,'" Caelan starts, gently. "I understand how painful it is to be in a family that seems like it's falling apart. I... probably did not do enough for my girl, when we were faced with something similar. But there is never anything wrong with wishing things were better. The fact that this place allowed you to shortcut to achieving that wish notwithstanding, it's not a pain anyone should be ashamed of feeling." He looks to Shadow Chastity with a curious look on his face, "Why /did/ you keep going, once you granted your original wish? Changing reality once is one thing, but to keep doing it again and again... You must have really wanted to help those people like you've helped yourself."
Stanley Padgett	Shadow Chastity just siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighs at all the grown-ups trying to rationalize things at her, and floats around, making a mocking mouth-flapping gesture with her hand. "Listen, it's me, I'm the reason the school's so exciting now, I'm the reason that people are talking about stuff. Sure New-Mom is COOL and all, but just look at all the stuff that's happening!" She twirls in mid air, a lazy roll that twines her ponytail around her until it falls away again. She points at Caelan. "Alice? Oh neat, I know her, she's super cute and people like her." Those yellow eyes bore a hole into Actual Chastity, who wilts and huffs. "So what? I'm not... you're... I'm fine! You're just being mean for no reason!" "WhatEVER. So like... just go home and let me keep doing my job. I'm better at it than other me, anyways. At least people notice me~" Chastity stamps her feet. "You're not! This is WRONG! You're not me!" Stanley... has a sudden lurching in his chest, as does anyone else who has enhanced senses. "...shit." "THAT'S RIGHT." The Dancing Chastity starts to oujo-laugh, which sounds ODD coming out of a 10th grader. "THAT'S RIGHT!" And there's a clatter, as the roof falls away from the office, floating away like the big old flat polygon it is, and the wanna be videogame escapees all... scatter off into the suddenly yawning realm around them. It's a big old stage, that looks suspiciously like this fall's production of Crazy For You, if the old time-y dance hall was neon trimmed and smoky and full of digital glitching. And Shadow Chastity is growing taller, more pronounced. The hips flare out, elongate, and turn into a whisp of smoke, as the rest of Chastity flares over, a towering, flawless bronze female form with too many arms, all holding sabers and bladed weapons. "I AM A TYRANT! THE TRUE SELF! BOW BEFORE MY MERCY AND KNOW JOY." > THE GAME GENIE < Actual Chastity is trying to find cover, but can't, and just sort of runs a few steps away and collapses, whimpering up at her Tyrant.
Stanley Padgett	And the Game Genie snarls, in a horribly digitized TTS noise, a wave of awful pressure trying to better everyone down to the turf. "THIS IS MY WORLD, MY TIME. YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS FROM ME. I'M THE QUEEN OF THIS PLACE, THE MASTER! I CHOOSE WHO GETS TO GO AND LIVE A HAPPY LIFE." Blasts of black lighting arc across the stage, trying to smash into people and jolt them into submission.
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac steps forward, towering over Chastity...but not facing her. His back is to her, aiming to place himself between her and her shadow. His eyes are narrowed as he speaks again. "This isn't you, Chastity, but it is a part of you. Even if it's a small part, it still is something you are in your heart. It's nothing to be ashamed of, as we all have these things there." He takes a step forward toward the Tyrant. "It isn't wrong to be selfish, and not everyone needs or wants to be a hero. Some people need them to show up and help them out.." he says, narrowing his gaze again. "You...remember what caused this wish in your heart, listen to what she says, and try and remember. I suppose we'll do the rest." There is a pause, the lightning hits him but it seems to not affect him very much. Oddly, the ground itself starts to change, as bits of metal sticking out of the ground, drawing away lightning attacks from others and grounding them. 'So you finally accept me..' a voice rumbles in his head. 'You released me once, but now you've decided that to protect others, you will bear their burdens...' The voice continues, monstrous, deformed...foul. 'Then call out my name, call me out, and accept the monstrous power from your heart...and use it to achieve your /real/ goal...and not the one you are burdened with now.' Isaac yells out, and suddenly there is a PERSONA appearing behind him. The monstrous Frankenstein's monster. Filled with primordial fire, Kirby crackles, and bits of metal sticking out of it. "ZIODYNE!" Isaac shouts, let's rip a bigger ball of lightning right at the top of the Game Genie. "To be a hero, to make the wishes of others come true...to do that isn't done to lord over them, but to help them. To heal them. To protect them! You are wrong, and I renounce you."
Kukuru	Feeling just a bit taken aback by Shadow Chastity not taking her heartfelt suggestion, Kukuru pouts lightly while lowering her arms to her sides again. "Are you sure about all this? I was really hoping you two could get along, too." She sounds more disappointed than upset as she lets out a low sigh, lazily approaching Chastity even after Shadow Chastity's gone through her entire transformation. She stops beside her, squatting in place with Isaac's back facing them as she speaks to the fallen girl. "Come on, don't be scared. Just keep getting up, and find a safe place to take a break." Kukuru whispers as she kneels beside Chastity, holding one hand out to help her up while smiling softly. "We'll take care of the rest. Do that for me, okay?" Part of it is a genuine desire to reassure her. Part of it is also Kukuru's own selfishness. Turning back to the Tyrant once more, she's hit head on with that wave of pressure, already feeling her limbs straining at keeping her upright. That's followed by the blasts of lightning coming her way, and she takes that head on as well with a teeth-clenched scream, but it doesn't take Kukuru off her feet. Instead, she pushes through it thanks to her healing abilities, and she fires her nanites outwards to aid the rest of her allies through the power of excessive healing juice. "Everyone deserves a happy life. It's not wrong to give them to people when you can, but when you start wanting to take them away... That's when you need to go." Slipping her oversized claws out of her pockets, Kukuru rips a massive polygonal thing out of the digitized ground, then falls forward as a dark cloud swallows her up. She reappears above the lightning ball summoned by Isaac's persona, dropping towards the Tyrant and flinging the shape down at her before diving downwards to start carving right into all those arms.
Seras Victoria	'Youre not me.' Every hair on the back of Seras's neck stand up the moment those words echo in the chamber. Her blue eyes snap open wide as they can go. More things are realized in the moments between instants here, but with no time at all to ask about confirmation. Instead, feeling the intense hostility brewing in the air, chokingly thick, as the world becomes an arena... this time, Seras does not gawk. She does not point out how utterly ridiculous this is. Anyone with EYES can see that for themselves. And hers steadily shift fiercely, shrinking inwards and beginning to glow a hellish crimson as she locks and loads, swinging the 13.7mm rifle around into a proper grip and flipping off the safety. And this time, she slams a clip of blessed silver rounds into place. A thing she did not do against Mr. Clean. Leveling the weapon straight for the Jackass Genie, she unleashes the a burst here and a burst there. There is no summoning of persona, no complex spellwork, just guns and bullets. Lots and lots of bullets. The lightning cascading every which way though, is a problem. Seras moves with crazy reflexes this way and that, skidding and dashing and zigzagging around, unleashing several more bursts, only for her assault to finally be ended by taking a lightning bolt head-on and having to use her weapon as a shield. This scorches the paint job, but also ZORCHES her nastily, leading to the smell of sizzled flesh and a short, strained cry from her. But she still rises up and slams in a new clip... "This is a BIT MUCH for a simple rejection. Just what ARE you so ANGRY about!?"
Caelan Stuart	Oh, so that's what happens when someone rejects their shadow. Caelan makes a disappointed dad noise as the Game Genie advents, materializing in all of its bronzed, multi-armed, distinctly scantily clad glory. ...Sigh. Black lightning blasts across the shifted landscape, arcing this way and that. Caelan grunts, the Form of his Soul materializing in a blaze of blue flame. Der Freischutz gestures, issuing forth a whirling halo of bullets directly into the blast of ebon electricity. Sparks leap and arc, singing the detective's sleeves, but he holds his ground. ...Even as New Kid materializes his /own/ Persona for the first time. Interesting. But he can handle that... /after/ this. "Freischutz, take out her arms," Caelan orders, the embodiment of his soul taking aim with its oversized rifle-arm. With a crack of thunder, it fires. A bolt of white-hot lead the size of a cannonball streaks through the air like a jagged neon line. It dips and pivots mid-flight, looking to cleave through several of the Genie's arms at once. "I don't know why you hate yourself so much," Caelan says as the thundrous peal of the Freeshooter's rifle reverberates into the distance. "No, it's more that you hate the idea of going back to 'normal,' isn't it? You finally have the attention you've been denied for so long, and you're drunk on it." "Well, that's fine. We'll sober you up."
Charlotte Newman	> You're not me! Chastity boofs it a bit, and it's not something Charlotte can blame her for. Confronting the uglier sides of yourself is never easy, and the imperious nature of this Shadow especially so for someone so timid. As the surroundings warp into an arena, she puts up an arm to shield her face, eyes closed for a moment. In all of it, she loses track of the girl, glancing quickly about-- to see Isaac has stood by his word and is actively covering her. He then surprises her by pulling out his own Persona, as freaky as it looks. Wide eyed staring is only temporary, though. After a heartbeat or two, she nods once and returns her attention to the Game Genie, "Come forth-- my other self!" Her silhouette distorts and separates, producing the robot-like, enchained persona Galatea. Sweeping one arm back, the other raises, fingers spread and producing a brick-like barrier in front of the girl against which the dark lightning strikes, "Rakukaja!" By the time the barrier breaks, most of the bolt's energy is spent. Charlotte pushes through it, pulling her bat off of her purse's strap. With a flourish, she points it forward. Galatea brings both hands together and then sweeps them up, drawing in icy-colored light. Mist collects around the Game Genie. Charlotte drops her bat to point downward, calling out, "Bufula!" There's a sound like cracking glass as the mist solidifies into large chunks of ice, entrapping any limbs that happened to be caught in them at the time, weighing them down.
Stanley Padgett	It is frankly an awe inspiring display of power, as all of these Elites team up to face down the Game Genie. And the ragged TTS voice of Not-Chastity bellows as her initial attacks are turned away, batted away, smashed against shields and just plain tanked. There's somehow some confusion on the face of the faceless Tyrant, the head tilting, before the group of Combat Psychologists start in turn trying to subdue the thing. Ice smashes against the limbs, and it's forced to work harder, the metal joints bending in force to smash through the ice bindings. The lightning is turned away and RETURNED by Isaac and The Creature, and it swats at him and his beastly Persona, trying to slace at him with a pair of those swords. Seras's MASSIVE CANNON does a lot more good than she might have been expecting, the shot planting a massive divot, center of mass, in the bronze creature. It is NOT Holy/Bless immune. Good to know. Sadly, now there's a pair of swords coming for her as well. Unfortunately, those swords are being slowed, stopped in their attacks and attempts by Caelan and the Freeshooter, each shot dulling the downswing, forcing the Genie to reposition and try again. Kukuru's TELEPORT SMASH does the trick as well, the Genie unable to keep up, the rock bashing into her top and crumpling the peak of the creature's head. It is... confused. Text to Speech Chastity rattles in the air, as the Genie is struggling already. NO! THIS ISN'T FAIR. THIS IS MY WORLD. HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND TALK TO ME LIKE THIS." Stanley... Stanley isn't fighting. Stanley has sat down next to Chastity, and is just talking to her. There's... There's a sense of coolness in the air, as Mercutio is busy just parrying everything that comes near, making sure that between Isaac and Stan, no one's hitting Chastity. "...You gotta look at her, Chastity. You gotta see. We all are ashamed of the things we have in here." A breath. "The things we wished we could change. But you nearly got there on the first try. You just gotta come the rest of the way with us." The poor nerd is whimpering. "Dad looked so happy, he was just... it was weird, it was weird, I didn't know I was making people, alright? I thought it would just... that it would... make us happy again."
Isaac Beaufort	"I want to make my parents happy and proud of me too, Chastity," Isaac says. The swords are caught by both hands of the mighty Monster. Both hands hold it at bay, as he stares right into the eyes of the Tyrant. His body heals, despite the physical damage it has taken, as he moves to try and pull her arms down, and then Isaac uses his persona to drag the Tyrant into a hug. "Stop," he demands trying to hold the gaze of the Tyrant. "You're not mad at her, you're mad at her powerlessness. She's not an empowered part of her mind like you are. She isn't immune to damage or can cast fireballs with her head. She's here regardless. Here trying to face you down, trying to understand you even if she's failing at it." "She may have denied you, but you denied her first. Stop trying to get her rejection, and instead try and understand her feelings, just as she is trying to do the same for you." "Both of you are hurt by what your mother did. By how your father is coping. He is happier now, but is it real? Or is it salve trying to cover a deeper wound?" he says, calmly. He takes every hit that the Tyrant throws. Unwilling to give up. This means it'll give others a chance to help weaken it. Even as his own body is battered. Again and again. Instead, all he does is keep her in the hug, and look into her eyes. "Stop doing this to yourself."
Seras Victoria	Incoming giant swords! "I -REALLY- need a better training routine!" The Draculina declares in half-panic. She's used to close quarters urban scenarios involving shooting down relatively soft targets that go down if you get the drop on them. Not slug-it-outs with cosmic evil spirits wielding colossal blades. Thankfully, to her, those swords are just moving FAR too slowly to catch her unawares. Spinning the Harkonnen about and grabbing it with both hands, she's forced to put its sturdy construction to the test. It proves to be a fairly smart plan. The blades, coming in at slightly different angles, are BOTH caught against the weapon's heavily reinforced barrel. Sparks fly and the intense power behind that impact sees Seras forced to her knees. In a half-second, she loses the contest of strength as the raw momentum carries her off her feet and one of the swords glances free, slashing deeply into her side. The young lady goes flying, yowling in pain, before crashing back to the ground and tumbling a good fifteen feet. Yet at the tail end of it she SLAMS a fist into the ground hard enough to crack it and springs back to her feet, holding her side briefly with one hand. It's a NASTY wound. Would no doubt be fatal, without medical attention, were she a human. However, human, she is not. As she pulls her hand away, one might see the flesh steadily mending back together. She lost a good bit of blood, but not as much as might be expected if her heart was actually pumping it through her veins. Her sharp ears are hearing everything, of course. "I really have to agree on another point. What good is this whole conflict? You don't agree on everything, but what is lashing out violently going to ACHIEVE? This is just tearing yourself to pieces and going nowhere!" A quick inspection of the Harkonnen reveals that it's still in good condition, but a few more hits like that and she might not want to risk firing it... Seras pulls out out an armor-piercing incendiary round and slams it into the breech loaded barrel, takes aim, and fires at one of the genie's... shoulders, odd though it is to have so many of them.
Kukuru	"It's not fair, no. A lot of things aren't, and I really hoped you two would get along so maybe..." Kukuru continues speaking quietly and calmly even as she lands on Shadow Chastity's massive form, somehow sounding like she's not putting in a single iota of effort even though she's quite visibly is. "... You could help each other through how unfair the world can be sometimes. It's a lot easier when you have someone who understands you even when you don't, you know? Someone like..." Those claws work on slashing and tearing at those many arms, grasping on when Kukuru's close enough to start twisting and pulling limbs right off at the socket, or otherwise ripping through them if they're too stubborn to come off just from that. "A new sibling. A new parent. Friends at school, or even a teacher that really cares. And for people with powers like yours, mine, and all these kids here to help you and Chassy here?" As the fight goes on, Kukuru keeps ripping away at arms, swords, anything she can reach with her monstrous strength. Healing nanites keep going out, too, focused mostly on Isaac to help him weather everything coming his and Chastity's and Stanley's way, but also towards Charlotte and Caelan and Seras to keep them on their feet as well. She's neglecting her own healing somewhat, though, even as she finally stops tearing at Shadow Chastity. Instead, Kukuru clambers onto what serves as her head, dropping her claws and grabbing onto the Tyrant's face with a far gentle grip than she had mere moments ago. She shoves her face right into the Tyrant's make uncomfortably close eye contact, panting slightly in exertion at having to move so much to get there, but otherwise still smiling calmly. "It's our job to help each other make things better for everyone else who can't. We make each other happy however we can, and everyone's happier when everyone else is feeling good. That's how it should be... Don't you want that, too?"
Charlotte Newman	When Isaac gets close, Charlotte swings her bat up again, pointing to the sky. Galatea twists behind her, angling the left arm up and exposing a cannon. There's a chunky report of the weapon when it fires a golden yellow sphere upward. The girl sweeps her bat down, calling out, "Zionga!" In midair, the shell bursts into a bolt of lighting, crashing straight down on the Genie from above. She turns her head enough to see Stanley guarding Chastity, calling out, "Darkness lurks in everyone's heart. She's a part of you! You're in this together, but you must not let her call the shots. You are the one who casts the shadow." "You have power over her! Stand up and reach for it! I know you can do it, I believe in you, Chastity!"
Caelan Stuart	"It isn't fair. But the world we live in isn't fair. Even when we feel like we have the power to control everything around us, we don't-- not really. This isn't just your world. And even if it was, the multiverse is a big place, and there's no saying that someone from outside couldn't show up someday and cause a ruckus." Like certain Shadowrunners, for example. Enormous swords scythe down. Caelan clicks his tongue, a barrage of bullets courtesy of Der Freischutz knocking the weapon to one side just far enough to turn a lethal blow into an ear-ringing near-miss. As the cloud of dust clears, it reveals The Freeshooter standing in precision stance, its enormous arm-gun unfolded with its head angled down and mounted to its stock like some kind of warped, twisted sniper's scope. "But that's why you need to be kind to yourself. You need to learn to accept the things you cannot change, acquire the courage to change things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference. But there's no sense in hurting yourself for all the things you regret-- we're only human. Our reach can only go so far." With another crack of thunder, the Freeshooter fires. Its enormous slug sings through the air, rebounding from one sword to another, knocking them ever so slightly out of position one at a time-- and then again, the same shot ricocheting back to its original position. Again and again, that bolt goes around as if in a circle-- but each time it's hitting the exact same spots on each of those swords. ...It's only a matter of time before they shatter completely...!
Stanley Padgett	And for those who just went through the ringer that was Mr. Clean, this is different. It's like her whole heart isn't into this fight, as the Elietes overwhelm the poor girl's Shadow. Isaac puts a bear hug on the Genie, holding her in place for Seras to blast the thing with an incendiary round, and for Kukuru to maul it, and for Charlotte to smash it with more lightning... and for Caelan to get to the dirty business of literally disarming the Tyrant. And as Kukuru goes for the head grab and the twist... the head pops off the genie, like it was a big old comedy costume mask, and like a balloon, all of the fight and the juice goes out of the Game Genie... until all that's left in Isaac's arms is a scantily clad Shadow Chastity, limply flopped there, defeated and grumpy about it. Well... she's pouting at least, but unable to say anything, her energy spent. Stanley takes a breath, and looks to Actual Chastity. "I know they've all been talking to the Genie... but... that's also talking to you. She is you, and you are her." A breath. "If you didn't have the desire and drive to try and change things, you wouldn't have made that wish in the first place. If you didn't want to make things better, you would have wished for something... well. Something would have been for just you. But you didn't." Actual Chastity is sniffling and fixing her glasses, and looks to Caeland and Kukuru in particular, the Grown-Up grown ups, and sort of wilts as well. "...I just wanted... to be happier, for dad to be happier. I didn't know this would all spiral out of control. But... but I don't... I don't want to be the center of attention all the time! That's not who I am, I just... a little bit..."
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac sets down the shadow next to Chastity and stands up. Even if his body is fired and hurt, he seems to be healing it back at a good pace. The Persona fades away again, as he quietly watches. There isn't much he can say right now that he hasn't already. It has to come from within their hearts...despite how much he wants to speak up. It's not time for him, it's time for them.
Seras Victoria	Seras is at first, HORRIFIED to see the Genie's head pop off but... as the matter settles and the great big evil monster turns back into the bedlah babe she makes a few stammery noises, gapes and then steadily shuts her mouth again. And this leaves them all with crying kids. Seras... looks over in deep consternation and sympathy. She can hear EVERYTHING being said rather clearly after all. And it's like knives twisting in her gut, even lacking large chunks of the story. And there's a reason she focused on being in the firearms unit instead of ordinary patrols. She's hardly qualified to be untangling anyone else's psychological spaghetti. But even so, she makes her way over towards the others, glancing between the two Chastity's. Clearly searching for the right words... "That's a lie." She points out. "You DO want to be. To your family, at least. Not sure about everyone else! ...but you also know you CAN'T be. ... It's okay to feel both ways, you know?"
Kukuru	With the fight brought to a close, Kukuru drops off the Game Genie's face to the ground about as gently as a deer tripping over an overpass. Regardless, she's back on her feet moments later, brushing herself off and keeping that flow of nanites going ot everyone before bringing them back to herself so she can be a little more presentable by the time she reaches the pair of Chastitys. It wouldn't be long at a normal walking speed, but she's really taking her time to get there. She can tell that they all need a moment, and she just takes a seat by them both before resting her hands on both of their heads. "Of course you did. Nobody wants to be unhappy, especially not family. Powers like ours, wishes, all that stuff..." She hums softly while stroking their backs, trying to reassure both the Human Chastity while also showing affection to the Shadow to try and ease her bruised ego while showing them both that she's still there. She can't quite come up with anything particularly insightful to say, and she takes a cue from Isaac's book to leave it to the pair to work out themselves.
Caelan Stuart	The Tyrant is dethroned, dissolving into so many motes of inky black shadow-stuff... and one grumpy-looking Shadow Chastity. Who is STILL in the dang harem girl outfit!! Jeez!! Caelan sighs, his own persona disappearing into a flash of blue flame. He turns toward the Actual Chastity and sees... His own daughter, hears his own daughter. The words she's using resonate almost painfully. His expression softens as he gets down on one knee, bringing himself closer to her level. "It's alright," he says, gently. "These things happen. Even the best of intentions can lead to consequences we could never have foreseen. Your father is lucky that his daughter thinks so much of him. I think that-- is probably more important than... any of this." "Still," he squeezes a hand gently around her shoulder, "We need to take responsibility for the things that we do. All that we can ever do in life is to do our best-- and take ownership of whatever comes of that. So go talk to yourself, and let's put our best foot forward, huh?"
Charlotte Newman	Charlotte recoils when the Genie's head rolls off the body, letting out a gasp. The horrified look on her face softens when it becomes clear the Shadow has not, in fact, perished. Closing her eyes, she rests a hand on her chest and lets out a breath she just realized she'd been holding. Galatea shifts her aim, pointing the cannon arm straight up. The report this time is softer, the projectile bright white. When this bursts, it envelops all present in an umbrella of soothing light that gently heals wounds, all from Charlotte's call of "Mediarama." -- It should help, along with Kukuru's healing nanobots. The Persona then twists back into Charlotte's silhouette with the faint rattle of chains while she turns. A few steps later, the senior seats herself and folds her legs neatly together within a respectful distance of both Shadow and Real Chastity. She looks between the two. After a long moment, she speaks again: "You deserve happiness, above all else. Does seeing your father happy with Miss Salem make you happy too?"
Stanley Padgett	Everyone's gathering up to help talk to Chastity, and she just... wilts a bit. Between Caelan and Kukuru and Seras, there's enough GROWN UP views to finally make it through her brain, especially good with the MOM and DAD messages from Kukuru and Caelan. Seras is like... big sister, along with Charlotte. Stanley and Isaac, still standing over her, strong and fearless despite what they both just saw. Saw of THEM. Chastity looks at her Shadow, and murmurs. "...Can we even go back to the way we used to be? After all this?" "...I don't think we have? Do we have to go back?" Stanley looks confused. "Of course not. This is you. You can't ignore what you've done, but you can make it better. How can you make it better, Chastity?" The girl blinks. "...keep the people, but get rid of the... videogame stuff?" Stanley prompts. "...it was your wish." Chastity adjusts her glasses... actually both of them do, at the same time. And then Shadow Chastity is vanishing. And as... well, just plain Chastity continues to rest in in Kukuru's atms, there a blue flash of energy in the air, and... a great, towering woman with red and yellow braids and a gnarled staff flashes into being, before vanishing again. And then it's all going to heck. Or at least, the twisted world of the Reversal unwinds itself, and kicks everyone out to the nearest safe space... The hallway outside of Chastity's bedroom. It is... cramped, and people end up all sorta... jammed up against the drywall. Woops.
Kukuru	Kukuru hums pleasantly as Chastity finally gets a chance to rest after resolving her issues with her own Shadow, looking up at the strange figure that appears for that moment. Even the disorienting feeling of being transported back to reality isn't enough to get her to let go, instead just getting Kukuru to close her eyes for a few moments while running her hands through Chastity's hair to make sure she feels comfortable in that moment. What's less expected, though, is suddenly having everyone bunched up in the hallway. Without missing a beat, Kukuru hoists the wishmaker up in a one-armed princess carry, then heads down the hall to... Wait. Her bedroom is in the other direction. On the way back, though, she makes sure to scoop up anyone else that might be dozing off with her other arm, more than ready to just bring everyone to the bedroom for some much needed rest. She'll probably climb in herself before long, but not until after getting everyone else (that needs it) into bed first.
Charlotte Newman	As Chastity and Shadow Chastity talk it out and reach an agreement, Charlotte closes her eyes with a pleasant smile and a nod. The flash pulls her attention back, eyes open, realizing that the Shadow is gone and what is undoubtedly a witch has replaced her. Her eyes widen. Then all hell breaks loose and the Reversal un-screws itself. Charlotte soon finds herself somewhere in the middle of the tangle of bodies crammed into the narrow hallway of the Miller home. She squawks in surprise, squirming to untangle herself. An elbow here, a knee there, and several apologies later, she's pulled herself free and taken a few steps back to see how she can help anyone else get free. This will be fun to explain to her parents later.
Isaac Beaufort	Isaac is at the bottom of the pile. Groaning for them to get off of him. When it sorts itself out, Isaac takes a step away from the group. He'll simply leave before anyone can see him and get away so as not to bring too much drama upon the poor girl. He avoids Kukuru trying to take him to bed, through a portal through the Reversal if need be.