Scene #8703: OneShot Gaiden: Inexpressible Divine Moments of Truth

Owner	Pose
Kale Hearthward	PREVIOUSLY ON THE FORCED PUZZLE THERAPY SAGA: ... None of what happened previously matters, at least for today. ... None of what's happening next time matters, either. At least for today. None of what's happening today matters - well, that's not true. It matters to the past, and to the future. The choices of today recontextualize the choices of the past, and inform the choices of the future, but matter little to today. That is the first absolute truth. IN THE PRESENT TIME, AT THE PRESENT PLACE People get a message from Kale Hearthward. It's low-quality and a bit staticy, as though he had to force it through a low-bandwidth network, but he requests for you to meet him out here, with an accompanying set of directions and coordinates. 'Out here' is well off the beaten path, away from civilization. There's a few farms providing some variance and an occasional bridge crossing, and pastures full of cows to count (or taunt) for the bored traveler, but it's otherwise all very sparse. Closing in on the destination, there's multiple warning signs next to the road: The region ahead is low on natural oeuvre. Do not spend longer than 24 hours past this point. In case of extended exposure or if effects persist after leaving: engage in meaningful heartfelt sincere interactions with another person immediately. Reality starts to get... thin, but not in a way that's immediately tangible. Instead the environment is increasingly less notable, less... important? Less memorable. There's a road. You're on the road. There's nothing else. Not in any interesting way like... a dark void pressing up against the edges of the road, nothing like that. There's things besides the road, certainly, there's just... nothing else really to talk about. Even the road itself becomes less... present, after a while. Was this a dirt road, a gravel road, or what? Some sort of paved four-lane highway? A futuristic greenpunk road full of voltaic cells and lined with ivy-strewn solar panels? No, it's just 'the road'. Any kind of adjectives, descriptors, and narrative importance all just sort of slide off the road, as though it were frictionless. Right about when it becomes truly unnerving, music can be heard up ahead. Up ahead, there's a clearing - a clearing no more descriptive than the road's been. Off to one side is the source of the music - a frog person, in a coat and hat, sitting on a log and strumming a beat-up banjo. There's also Kale Hearthward, waiting in the middle of the clearing. He's rocking a new outfit - disco blazer over a T-shirt (with a silver-colored chalice on it), flared pants, dance shoes, and oversized sunglasses. (And no swords.) "Hey! You made it. C'mon in and get warmed up. I'd offer some refreshments, but I couldn't bring any and there's a pretty good chance they might not do you any good, anyway." Kale starts doing some stretches. "I wasn't sure who all could make it out, but it looks like a decent crowd. Once you're all situated and warmed up we can get started. We've got a tutorial we need to get through."
Ishirou	This is far out, and Ishirou almost thinks he's lost until he runs into the sign. He's not sure what this is getting at... is there something with the place ahead..? Moving forward proves that, yes, there is something wrong with this place. Losing his path, traveling along what could only barely be described as a road without meaningful details he can commit to memory... Finally reaching the clearing, thanks to the music ahead, he finds the frog, and then Kale stretching. He blinks at the sight before him, no weapons, dance shoes... the sunglasses..? "Do... did you need someone to talk to or..?" Ishirou asks, remembering the sign. "I mean... I'm here to chat if you need help, but uh... what's going on here Kale?" he asks, serious and not at all sure. Sure he could SCAN things, but right now it's so hard to even focus on something to bring it into observation he isn't sure that's a good idea. "Though I like the song, it's catchy.." he says to the Frog person. "My name's Ishirou, what's yours?" he asks the frog person politely while swinging his gaze back to Kale. "Get started for what? You're leaving details out here man."
Futaba Nuki	It's been a while since Futaba last went to meet Kale about something that didn't involve the strange giant computer. The context of his message worries her more than the message itself, though, since she's never quite heard something so grimy coming out of anywhere that wasn't her home's TV sets or museums that intentionally ramp up the scratchiness. There's no point waiting around to guess at what it could be, though, so she arrives fairly early once she figured out where those directions are pointing her towards after coming out of the nearest Warpgate. The warning signs don't worry her too much at first, but she does finally pause to actually read the fifth one she sees. "Oeuvre...? Is that a word?" She asks aloud to whoever's nearby at the time, fishing out he phone to tap away at it and try to figure out what that word even means. She's wearing a white version of her usual jacket today for a change of pace. Everything (including the scarf) is the same flashy red and black or brown as usual, too. The spookiness of things getting less and less defined does start to weigh on her just a bit over time, though, largely because there's no clear indicator to her when it even started. She doesn't notice when the ground specifically becomes less identifiable, just that it does, and she looks back as if trying to see if there's even a visible change somewhere. After pushing through enough of that anxiety, though, she finally makes it to the clearing with the music coming from it, and she considers the signs again while peering at Kale and the the music-playing frog person. "Yo, Mister Hearthward! Found a new friend out here, huh?" Brushing off that weird feeling with a slightly forced laugh, Futaba paces around the nondescript clearing a few times like that might help get her to focus better on it before turning back around. "Oh yeah. Name's Futaba! Got something going on today? And.. How long have you been here, anyway?"
Aidan Proudpick	Bedrest can only go so far. But training is right out. Fortunately, the People's Knights are filled with individuals with their own skills. Skills enough to keep Aidan from, in the modern parlance, crungling himself. Instead, Aidan has been doing simple exercises to keep himself going. He doesn't want to waste away in all that time. Sit ups, careful thigh exercises, glute bridges. Thankfully, being a place that hires Ex-Union, his place of employment has relatively good health benefits, so long as you can prove it was heroic endeavor related. A text pops up on Aidan's tablet. He glares at it. Then he thinks for a moment. Something deep in his mind. Something he doesn't want to glance at. If he ignores it, maybe it'll go away. NOW Aidan arrives. In addition to the boot and crutch, he is also wearing a big silk scarf and a newsboy cap(the latter purchased at a thrift store because Aidan is not about to pay actual money). He is not sheepish about them, since they are wounds gained in a heroic endeavour, and one everyone else was in. They aren't a mark of shame or weakness. Aidan silently mouths the words on the sign, before grumbling. "Why do they have to use so many big words." A soft female voice reading later, he shoves it back down into his pack. "Maybe Petra will explode," he mutters, keeping on with a steady limp. Sounds are important to Aidan. A squirrel heritage. His eyes flick around. His ears twist. He looks behind him several times as he drifts along the road. He has to look behind him. Is this a trap? Kale would not call him if it wasn't important. In fact, he's surprised Kale did at all. Aidan turns his eyes back to the road, swinging steadily on the crutch. His teeth set. This has to be something DIRE. He picks up the pace. That thing within Aidan's mind. Does he know it's there? Is he doing this on purpose? No, think. He thinks you are non-person. Just another rebel. He barely remembers who you are. Just keep that. "What. The." That thought dashes away for a moment as a brief fit of pique rushes out of Aidan's mouth. "This isn't fair!" He motions to his armor, his gun, his shield, "I didn't bring an extra outfit! I can't club like this! I thought the world was in danger!"
Ishirou	Ishirou, who is blessed with a subspace pocket stares at Aidan. "Do... did you not bring a change of clothes?" He asks, though right now what he is wearing is pretty sporty. A T-shirt, Shorts, no hoodie (for once), and some tennis shoes. "Though if this is about clubbing I'm leaving.." he says towards Kale.
Kale Hearthward	> "My name's Ishirou, what's yours?" "You can just call me 'the frog'," says the frog, not looking up from his(?) strumming. "Hey Ishirou - What are we doing? We're doing a tutorial. Like I said. Well, that and a calibration, but mostly the tutorial. You should go ahead and get, you know..." He waves a hand vaguely. "Grouped up. So you get, you know. Synergies." "Hey! Futaba!" He waves. > How long have you been here, anyway? "Ohhh - oh man, that'd be a complicated question to answer. Let's just say I've been around for longer than you have." And Aidan... gets a wave. And a smile. (Has Kale ever done anything remotely like a smile towards him before?) "Hey! Aidan! Really glad you could make it out here. Hope you're not too bad off from the... from Rita's world, right?" > "I didn't bring an extra outfit! I can't club like this! I thought the world was in danger!" "If you brought your best dancing gear, it wouldn't be much of a tutorial, would it." "And with that - let's get started. Frog friend! Give me a beat, if you would." Music starts playing again. And Kale... starts dancing. He's on the beat, but it's not a particularly stylish dance. It looks really goofy and uncoordinated, actually. "So for the warm-up... we'll start with something in the usual paradigm you're used to..." he says as he pirouttes, stops, and then brings both hands up. Kale casts, forming a ball of wind in his hands. That much is normal. What's different this time is that instead of throwing the ball of wind... he opens his beak and swallows the spell whole. And then a moment later - he starts dancing again - but this time as he moves, the wind moves with him - forming violent gusts, spiraling mini-tornadoes, and high pressure bursts with every step!
Futaba Nuki	'"Why do they have to use so many big words.' <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "It means the collective works of an artist, Futaba." <J-IC-Scene> Futaba Nuki says, "So this area's lacking in... Artwork?" Taking another look behind herself, Futaba finally nods slowly in vague understanding. "Maybe that's why it looks so... Nothing. Even something empty would pop out more, but this is even weirder than that." She guesses with a slower nod, giving Aidan a questioning look at his other comment. "That sure came outta nowhere... Uh. What?" 'I didn't bring an extra outfit! I can't club like this! I thought the world was in danger!' 'Though if this is about clubbing I'm leaving..' That gets a grin to spread across Futaba's face. "Good thing I'm always ready, then. Watch and learn, kids!" She takes off her jacket, slings it over her shoulder, and... That's it. Sleeveless shirts and clubbing go hand in hand, anyway. She's already got the shorts and the long stockings on, anyway. 'Let's just say I've been around for longer than you have.' "Well, duh." Futaba snickers and stretches her neck from side to side as she limbers up the tutorial Kale's talking about. "I mean, you were here before we showed up! But... Closer to 24 hours or 1 hour? You saw the signs, right?" Worried as she might be, Kale doesn't sound worried enough to worry Futaba much in the process, and she folds up her jacket to stuff into her pouch while Kale starts dancing. Watching his moves, it doesn't take long for her to realize he's mostly just on beat and not much else, and she laughs again before nodding once. "Got it. So! Are we gonna be-whoa!" As Futaba's about to start doing her own dance to the beat, she ends up getting caught up in those windy gusts and tossed around a bit before finally rolling to a stop. Despite taking a bump there, she's still taking it all in stride cheerfully, springing to her feet and already starting to get into her own tempo with strangely elegant sways and steps that don't fit her general look or personality at all. "So are we just dancing or... Are we trying to amp this up?" As she goes through those light twirls and steps, Futaba reaches for Kale's hand, trying to take the lead in moving him through those motions and seeing how he'll take that. As she does, she looks over at Ishirou and Aidan, spinning once with a hand outstretched like she's trying to... Beckon them over? Get them to follow her lead? Dance with each other? The gesture is unclear.
Ishirou	Ishirou wasn't ready for hands... or he guesses in this case, moves being thrown. The wind eating captivates him for a moment, but the MOVE itself leaves him flat on his back. He gets some questions out... J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "Ow... Kale what the heck???" <J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward(?) says, "C'mon, Ishirou! You're faster than that!" <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "Yeah and I'm also /hurt/." <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "And not transformed." <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "AND NOT EXPECTING THAT!" <J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward(?) says, "Well get transformed and get expecting! We haven't even gotten to the paradigm shift yet!" <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "...Do we also have to dance?" <J-IC-Scene> Futaba Nuki laughs "Of course! Come on, keep up! A few scratches aren't gonna kill ya! <J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward(?) says, "Hah! That's Ishirou, always a step ahead!" <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "...Mm." He flips back onto his feet and groans at himself with that manuever. Rubbing his knees and his back, he stretches. Futaba seems to want to take the lead...so he attempts to follow in synch with Futaba. During all of this, he's keeping his eyes on Kale, while POD floats over one shoulder, twirling once in a while in a beat to the song, but as a robot, their sense of timing is only made for support, not the main activity. Instead, Ishirou aims to become... A backup dancer, throwing his beat support in with Futaba first, while also providing some of his actions, aiming to throw Kale off the beat with his moves.
Aidan Proudpick	Trauma flares up in Aidan's mind. The Lotus Dream. The Infinity Train. Panic, true panic begins to roll up in Aidan's chest. His breathing quickens. Aidan grabs at the front of his armor, gasping into the air. His eyes dart back and forth. Are they still on the train? Is that the only reason he survived The Queen? The only reason people defended him on the radio? Aidan clutches his face, digging his nails into his scalp in a moment as he hyperventilates. His ears and reflexes push him out of the way of the burst of wind, catching him against his side. Adrenaline starts to kick in, pupils focusing. No. Kale is different than he was. Kale wouldn't be nice, he would be mean. There is a difference between this Kale and one just a second ago. They are in a DIFFERENT strange occurence. Unbuckling his armor has two benefits. First, it gives him room to breath, trying to get his bearings straight again. Second, he drops it out of the way. The white croptop he is wearing is a tad sweaty from the armor, but also scented with a bit of oak to keep it from smelling like a gym. Aidan throws the armor aside, trying to control his breathing. Suck it in. There is a new fire in Aidan's eyes as he gets his body under control. "Why did this have to be with this suffocating BOOT." He will beat Kale. And it doesn't have to be with wind magic that he is not as strong at. With fewer breath weapons. Down go the guns, the shield. And Aidan swaggers. Climbing trees, moving your body while falling, even climbing ceilings. Using the Aegis. It's all core and lower body strength. His hands fall on his hips, an expert sway, to the left, to the right, hand fanning across his chest. Each time, Aidan breathes out a wind gust to each flick of his hand, not quite strong enough with his lungs still not at top strength. "Ishirou, come on!"
Kale Hearthward	> I mean, you were here before we showed up! But... Closer to 24 hours or 1 hour? "Technically... closer to one hour? But that's the wrong question to ask! Not that you getting the right answer will matter much." Futaba moves in - and Kale takes her lead, letting him be guided through the motions. With Ishirou backing her up, Futaba can set the pace of the dance easily. > "Why did this have to be with this suffocating BOOT." Kale looks hurt. "Oh, come now, Aidan. Are we really that bad?" > "So are we just dancing or... Are we trying to amp this up?" "Ah - and that is one of the right questions to ask. Although you shouldn't be asking that of me - you should be asking that of yourselves." Kale splits off from Futaba, falling back - and releases his spell - the remnants of the swallowed wind ball flowing out from the edges of his beak. "So first, the paradigm shift..." He begins dancing again - but now there's no real clear method of attack. There's no wind magic, and the dancing isn't aggressive. ... But... there's the very real sense that not being mindful of the moves Kale's making, and not making some modicum of effort to get clear or respond, is dangerous. "And then - ask yourselves. If you had to say, let's say on a scale of one to ten... how much you're into this. How much you're flowing through this. How much you're digging - or not digging - this. What your - let's say, what your vibe is." +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ + VIBE CHECK FOR ROUND 2 + + + + Remember to declare your vibe before you attack! + + + + LOW<------------------------------------------------------------->HIGH + + #VIBE1\|#VIBE2\|#VIBE3\|#VIBE4\|#VIBE5\|#VIBE6\|#VIBE7\|#VIBE8\|#VIBE9\|#VIBE10 + + LOW<------------------------------------------------------------->HIGH + +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Futaba Nuki	"Wrong question, huh...? Hm. You guys got any ideas?" Futaba asks Ishirou and Aidan as she spares a quick glance their way, still going through those fast, but otherwise easygoing steps to keep the flow on beat. Kale's answer to her next question has her pursing her lips and thinking again even as she takes the separation in stride, doing another light twirl as he announces the paradigm shift! She's pretty sure she's heard that word a few times, but it doesn't really register right away. She'll have to look it up later, but for now... "I'm into it! Still don't get what's going on, but as long as we're not clubbing, I can just go with the flow!" Futaba announces with a clap and rapid steps to get right back up to Kale, stumbling briefly at trying perhaps a bit too hard to merge his style with her own. She might be too used to ballroom and shrine style dancing. "Scale, scale... Maybe a Nine? Nah, that's too... Not yet. Six? No, too mid." The ninja closes her eyes as she keeps stepping and swaying, pumping her hands to her sides and doing one more twirl before snapping her hand at Kale like she's trying to get him to grab on. "Eight! But let's get it up to ten and see how hard this goes!"
Ishirou	"I have to say I'm not feeling this too much, it's sudden and without any warning. Suddenly we're dance fighting! No warning, no idea if you were in trouble or not... so typical Kale..." Ishirou says, grumpy. It's true what he says by how he dances. Despite this feeling, and not being into it, he synchs his dancing again. He's good at reading moves, he's quicker to respond to them too. When Kale's dangerous feet come in, he braces in just a way to make it hard to land a good and solid blow, making it harder to trip him up and leave him on his back like the first move. He synchs his dancing with Aidan, trying to make it so that he can keep up his heavy-handed moves, while also leaving a OPTION with him. Much like POD, it doesn't really 'dance' on its own, but will occasionally twirl and bobble in the motion of dancing. Occasionally, when POD does it, they will Mimic POD's attempt at doing 'The Robot'. He also synchs once more with Futaba, keeping his moves with her like before. Despite her high affinity for the shenanigans going on and his less-than-stellar opinion, he somehow manages to keep up, aiming to try and keep his feet moving with hers as her backup dancer, and adding his efforts to trip up Kale to her own. "So... like a two?"
Aidan Proudpick	There IS a part of Aidan that wants to stop hating Kale. Aidan's not DUMB. You can only come face to face with a person being actually nice to several people and try to bridge the gap. Then again, that hand also got slapped away last time. "Yea? Last time and every single time you tell me to just go home! You said you hated me! SPECIFICALLY hated me!" This is the battle Aidan has chosen. Home is not the greatest place to be. At least not before the events against The Queen. Most people turned away from him. His efforts were appreciated, but generally not to the point he could feel home. Oh sure, the rest of the miners let him have a drink. It isn't too bad. But there's just... not enough there. And well... Well, when you are turned away from a lot, and you have a whole multiverse to visit. Places where people don't know you. Places where people don't always ask everything about your background immediately. Even care if you are an elite or not. Month after month. He already took meticulous care of his fur, out of parasite worries, but he did learn a bit more self care. Not just dressing better. But dressing to impress. Ishirou may not know what he is getting into. Indeed, Aidan's movements are a lot of hand motions, fluid movements of the hips. They are slow, however, matching the beat, fingers snapping with the twos and the fours. Provacative, fluid, able to push past the pain by the energy flowing into him from the OPTION.
Kale Hearthward	Kale's dancing isn't directly physically dangerous - he's not actually kicking at the party or anything like that - but it is still wearing everyone down. > "Eight! But let's get it up to ten and see how hard this goes!" "Hah - that's the spirit! Just be careful - the more you're into it, the more dangerous it might get!" "In the future, you're going to be encountering foes that'll be interacting not just with your physical state - but with your emotional state as well. I don't know if I entirely get it myself! But things should go a bit better since we're having this tutorial session this early on." > "... so typical Kale..." "Ha ha - still? Don't know whether that's good or bad..." > "You said you hated me! SPECIFICALLY hated me!" Kale's smile falters again, and he misses a step. "Ah - that bad, huh..." "... Not much I can change about that here and now, though." "But - I can at least make sure you're prepared!" Kale's dancing intensifies - and those who have gotten into the flow too much might find themselves swept away to exhaustion just by the sheer force of dancing...! +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ + VIBE CHECK FOR ROUND 3 + + + + Remember to declare your vibe before you attack! + + + + LOW<------------------------------------------------------------->HIGH + + #VIBE1\|#VIBE2\|#VIBE3\|#VIBE4\|#VIBE5\|#VIBE6\|#VIBE7\|#VIBE8\|#VIBE9\|#VIBE10 + + LOW<------------------------------------------------------------->HIGH + +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Ishirou	Trying to keep up with Kale is exhausting, more so when he drops a question on him that makes him really /think/. His mind and his feet are desynched for a moment before he falls over and hits his face on the ground. It's always like this, he thinks, that Kale is always getting him into situations and embarrassing him... 'Ha ha - still? Don't know whether that's good or bad...' "Neither... it's who you are, and there are some good things about this... I needed something to get me out and stretching... but this might be a little /much/..." he says, but back on his feet he starts dancing strangely. Using his hands to get back to his feet, but also rolled with his body in the form of break dancing. He jumps up, once more keeping in synch with both Aidan and Futaba, he aims to contribute more to his part in this besides being passive. He's feeling the vibe now, building up his momentum, and seems to zip around Kale, finding a brand new speed that he didn't seem to have before, aiming to try and dizzy Kale, while giving the others their shots on Kale. "Alright I'm getting into it now, I think!"
Futaba Nuki	"More dangerous... Come on, Mister Hearthward. You know me. I can't not push it when you tell me something like that!" Futaba belts out another laugh even as her steps are still going all over the place. Her usual kind of dancing isn't quite a good match for what Kale's trying to teach everyone, and she's tiring herself out just trying to force her style to fit this speed! And then she starts to get it. Of course ballroom dancing isn't fitting here. She needs something that flows better with the kind of speed and energy she really wants. Undeterred, or perhaps even spurred on by her previous missteps, Futaba keeps trying to push herself harder into keeping up with those moves! That, of course, necessitates a change in dance. instead of dancing like a princess would, she starts using her arms more. Her legs. Her hips, even her tail to perform a one to one recreation of a popular dance from some anime in the early 2000s. It's since been replaced by other dances by virtue of the seasons changing and new hotness coming out, of course, but it still remembered today in some circles for how wild the movements were even by today's standards. "One more round, Kale! We gotta reach level 10!"
Aidan Proudpick	Indeed, Aidan is suddenly exhausted. His expert and fluid motions, even with the boot on, quickly takes a dive. He feels all of his energy sapping out of him, like he's been at this for an hour. A squinting eye is cast at Kale. Trying to figure out what is truly going on here. The thought of leaving Kale here until this world actually forces him to be nice is a pleasant one. "Stale winds," Aidan mutters to himself. Just as at Christmas Court all those years ago, as wonderful as it was to see Kale behind bars, he is also a person who doesn't deserve brain washing. No one does. Humility! But not brainwashing. He wants to beat Kale fair and square. Not because some magic slash science forced therapy changed the bird. Aidan takes a moment to catch his breath. He still has good lean core muscles to put to use, undulating in place, hand floating over his bare stomach. It'll have to do. "Two questions. What are you preparing us for?" That thought bubbles up to the front of his brain. Even if he resisted it. Even everyone glared at him while he received it, everyone but Hazelthistle muttering about it. He DID provide aid to everyone, Aidan included. If he didn't get several days of it while the warpgate was prepared, he might not ever go back to being an Elite. Honor demands he respect that. But, Winds, please, don't let Kale actually think of that. God, why couldn't Ishirou just ask it. "If we get through this too tor e all, will you be freed?" "Ishirou! Come on, you look good, you gotta dance like you look good!" Aidan tries to then immediately distract himself.
Kale Hearthward	> "Neither... it's who you are, and there are some good things about this... I needed something to get me out and stretching... but this might be a little /much/..." "Well, that's good at least! You say it's a bit much, I say you should push yourself more." Kale's having trouble keeping up with Ishirou's zipping. "Yeah, you've got it," he says, despite struggling. "That's how you do it." Futaba's style shift throws Kale off, causing him to miss a couple of beats. "Whoa - yeah! You've got it. Hah, did I even need to come back and give you all this tutorial?" > "What are you preparing us for?" "I can't say! I mean I could say, but I shouldn't say - things might turn out differently if I do. Let's just say things should turn out better if you're a little more prepared." > "will you be freed?" "Ahh - I can't exactly leave here, but I'm not supposed to be here to begin with. I'm cheating just a bit, and it's easier to do so here. It's complicated." Kale goes along with Aidan's moves, flowing effortlessly through them. "Now some words of wisdom - don't expect every fight to be exactly like this! Also - expect things to change. I'm not altering my pattern too much, so you can get used to what's going on - but most foes will mix things up, and you'll want to pay close attention to them to see if you can spot any hints." Kale makes a bid to take center stage - grabbing the spotlight and forcing everyone else to move to his rhythm. "For example! Let's say that I say I'm easing back next turn, and putting forth the same amount of driven effort against everyone regardless of how much they're vibing." +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ + VIBE CHECK FOR ROUND 4 + + + + Remember to declare your vibe before you attack! + + + + LOW<------------------------------------------------------------->HIGH + + #VIBE1\|#VIBE2\|#VIBE3\|#VIBE4\|#VIBE5\|#VIBE6\|#VIBE7\|#VIBE8\|#VIBE9\|#VIBE10 + + LOW<------------------------------------------------------------->HIGH + +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Aidan Proudpick	Pain starts to shoot up Aidan's leg. Pain medication runs out of his system, reviving the pain in his chest. "If I'd been fresh... I swear..." Aidan holds onto that thought like a liferaft. He wasn't fresh! He wasn't at peak performance. He's wearing a slightly sweaty shirt and leather armor on his legs! That's it. He can't be blamed for it. The squirrel goes down like a felled tree, hitting the featureless ninja plane with a weakened groan.
Ishirou	Ishirou's getting information about the situation, realizing that this might not be Kale based on the words he's saying. "Okay wait, who are you the-" Kale pushes them all hard now, it doesn't matter how he was building up, or how hard he's about to come up... He trips over his feet and then gets tripped up by Kale again. He goes tumbling ass over kettle off the stage and onto the ground and lying flat on his back. Everyone encouraging him just makes this sting a bit more. He rubs his head, knowing he'd be feeling a new bump there if it wasn't for the fact he wasn't in a human form. Instead, he just goes flat on the ground and doesn't get back up. He wishes he had the hoodie again because he's thoroughly embarrassed about this.
Futaba Nuki	Futaba should've used that style of dance earlier. it's feeling more natural for this speed than the previous one, but she's already looking pretty tired at this point. She doesn't stop, though, even as Kale takes the stage and she jumps right up to follow him without missing a beat. "You can tell us after, right? Kinda hard to help without some basic info!" She does ease it up a bit, though, opting for a different series' dance that's mostly exaggerated arm movements used to disguise the actors' lack of footwork. it's definitely easier on her than the last one, but Futaba still isn't easing up quite that much despite all that. "If someone's easing back without variation, then that means.. Uhh. They're... Doing some solo piece?"
Kale Hearthward	Aidan and Ishirou go down. Kale takes the hit from Futaba, but then winds down his dance, looking embarrassed. "Ah - was... Rita's world that bad...?" he says, rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe I should have picked a better time. Or gone kinda easier." "... Sorry, guys. Um. You got the gist of it, at least. I hope. Right?"
Ishirou	"You aren't Kale..." he says, rising to a sitting position instead of a laying position. His face is a blushing blue, rubbing it to try and make the blushing go away. "And yeah, it was... things almost went the other way, and very much could have if we'd made even one wrong move during that entire thing.." "So the real question is... who are you and why are you impersonating Kale?"
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan looks up just slightly, one eye squinting up at Kale. "You did that on purpose," he mutters. About 30 percent half-heartedly. Maybe 35 percent. Aidan presses his face back down to the floor. His tail flicks up as Ishirou mentions that. "Wait. Yea, Kale knows what the battle was like." 'AND he's a dick,' but Aidan leaves that unsaid for now.
Futaba Nuki	When Kale winds down, Futaba too just falls back on her ass, but in that weird way where her tail turns into a whole goddamn couch with the good kind of cushioning and upholstery that doesn't feel gross even while sweating all over it. It's even kind of cold to the touch, like it's made of slime or something. This is relevant, of course, benefits Futaba wastes little time in stretching her arms out to try and yank all three of them (Kale, Ishirou, and Aidan) over to rest on her slimy couch body. "Hah... I think so! It was kind of touch and go there, but... Rita?" She looks over at Ishirou and Aidan, as though she's only now starting to understand something. "Is that why you guys got all tuckered out so quick?" She's trying not to look tired, but she totally is. She turns to Kale(?) afterwards. "And yeah, Ishirou brought up a good point... If you're not Kale, who are you? And how do you know stuff only he does?" She looks back at Ishirou and Aidan for confirmation about that last point. She doesn't actually know if he does or doesn't.
Futaba Nuki	She also eventually remembers to gesture at the frog guy to come over, too. She's sweaty, but she not (that) rude!
Kale Hearthward	"Ah - no, I'm not impersonating Kale - I mean, kind of impersonating your Kale, but I am Kale..." Kale(?) rubs his face. "I was kinda teasing with it, hoping someone would guess it, since I'm not really going to get this opportunity again..." "... But okay, to spell it out plainly, I'm from the future." He takes a seat on the Nukicouch. "See, at some point in the near future, I manage to find a method of time travel. It's got a lot of limitations on it, I can only hop back to certain places and times like this low-oeuvre zone, but it works. And I think... it'd be great if I made sure we were prepared for visiting the Everhood." "Which apparently I did already, since I remember hearing about myself doing so?" Kale looks concerned. "Maybe I should have figured out more about how all this works before I went and did it."
Ishirou	"A Kale I can buy..." Ishirou pauses, thinking about it. "Okay I can buy the time travel too.." he says, and looks at Kale, with that look that might assume he knows why, and that assumption might be linked to trying to 'catch up' to a certain someone. He sighs, in frustration, and lays back down. "Thanks for being plain about this... so you went to... a place called the Everhood, and now you're here making sure we're prepared for it... and to prepare us for it, we had to get into a dance fight..?" he asks, trying to make sure he got everything right, and it wasn't just something he fever dreamed. Head in hands as Kale mentions something about figuring out more about this power before he dove in. "Yeah, that's definitely a Kale thing to do.." he groans.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan is pulled up onto the flesh couch. He sits there, clearly trying to figure out how he feels about this. It is less than swimming in human chum, so only slightly off putting. And he's tired. He looks over at Futaba, "Yea. It was... terrible." He looks at Kale, trying to judge that sentence. He stares at the bird for a long time, as if he could actually glean something. Kale doesn't LIE because Kale believes Kale is always correct. Finally, he lulls his head over at Ishirou, "It might be some kind of fake. Can you... scan him or something with your computer genius?" "Well, if you ARE from the future, good to know you aren't always an asshole." His mouth moves slowly, as if chewing something. Maybe swallowing spit. Aidan casts his eyes around, as if bored, or distracted. He taps a finger on the couch. His tail twitches erractically over his head. He makes it for a FULL minute before he blurts out. "But I'm a really cool knight and wind mage in the future, right?"
Futaba Nuki	"Kale from... What? Since when could you can do that?" Futaba fixates on the wrong thing for a bit, but it's all in stride because FutureKale actually takes a seat. Hearing oeuvre used for the second time today, she actually grins a bit in recognizing that word, then raises an eyebrow again when he drops another unknown word. "Everhood? I don't remember you even doing that, though. Unless..." She purses her lips, then snaps her fingers. "That's why you're here! To... Stop yourself from doing that?" She looks over at Ishirou for further confirmation, nodding at his assessment of the necessity of the dance fight while staring a hole right into him. The couch is so inviting. It wiggles. It even looks cold being as shiny and mildly translucent as it is. When Aidan asks about his own future, though, Futaba suddenly lets out a loud surprised noise and reaches over to try and cover Aidan's ears with her hands reflexively. "Whoa hey oh! None of that. If you find out about your own future, you might blow yourself up or something! Or get eaten by..." She looks over at Future!Kale. "Time... Police? Is that a thing in the future?"
Kale Hearthward	> "...and to prepare us for it, we had to get into a dance fight..?" "Yes," says Kale, as if this makes all the sense in the world. > "Well, if you ARE from the future, good to know you aren't always an asshole." "C'mon, I wasn't that bad, right?" And then Kale waits patiently for Aidan to ask the thing he's clearly itching to ask. > "But I'm a really cool knight and wind mage in the future, right?" "I shouldn't say too much," says Kale, even before Futaba brings up the possibility of the TIME POLICE. "But I can give you this," he says, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a notecard, to which he writes a radio contact number. "Here. Uh - might want to memorize that or write that down on something else. In case it disappears when I go back to my own time."
Ishirou	He absolutely does not get on the flesh couch. He attempts to ignore any attempts at getting him on it or its existence. Aidan asks about his future self, but Ishirou sighs and slowly gets up again. "I don't think I want to know too much about myself. As much as I want to, I'd sit here all night and ask you too many questions... and honestly, I think it'd be bad for me even if you were to indulge me. So..." he shrugs. No more questions besides what he already asked.
Futaba Nuki	Futaba Nuki says, "He doesn't seem that bad before... Now?" Futaba starts, then pauses as she tries to figure out how to conjugate the topic of Kale's assholery. "Didn't...?" That's going to keep her busier than anything else if not for Future!Kale giving her some mild relief at not calling down the time police on everyone's heads just for being here. There's still some curiosity in her eyes, though, as she peers right at Aidan, then back at Kale like she's trying to figure something else out entirely. She probably won't figure it out today, so she'll have to mull over it later. For now, she takes out her phone, and she snaps a quick picture of the notecard before adding it into her contacts under a bespoke name and not just Future Kale. "Speaking of disappearing.. Uh. What do we do if we run into the you from our time? Just... Act like we never saw you?" All the while, she sees Ishirou acting like he can't see her slime flesh couch. She doesn't say anything, but she totally sees him from there."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan waits a bit before shooing Futaba's hands off. "Alright. I get it." He glares at Kale. There is a war in those eyes. To spit it all out. But the person across from him doesn't deserve that venom. Aidan eases, but into a stiff tenseness. There is some sort of relief in telling it TO Kale but it'll never actually get BACK to Kale. He glances at Ishirou, considering that previous thought. Before side-eying Future Kale. "You had all that. Power. Prestige. Skill. The legitimacy of the Paladins," Then, more softly, "A boyfriend who was a really good guy. You got all that. And you picked to be an asshole." Aidan takes the picture of the card to distract himself. Shouting all of his frustration at The Queen pulled some of the burden off. But there is some of the person who wants his own life back that his family denied him. "Uhh, sorry, didn't mean to get that out in front of everyone," he admits sheepishly to Ishirou and Futaba.
Kale Hearthward	> "You got all that. And you picked to be an asshole." There's a long pause from Future Kale. "... Yeah. Yeah, you're right. And it took - will take, a lot for me to let go of that." > "Uh. What do we do if we run into the you from our time? Just... Act like we never saw you?" "I find out somehow, I forget how I find out, so your call on that." Kale gets to his feet. "Though I should probably get going back to my time. Now that I'm done with what I came here to do."
Ishirou	"For what it's worth, thank you Kale. I am sure we'll think of something or some way to figure out that isn't just... a report..." a pause, "It's a report I make isn't it?" To Aidan, he shrugs. "What's between the two of you is serious, and I can't judge other people for getting their dirty laundry out after what I did with Petra so..." he gets up. He doesn't notice that Futaba noticed him wanting to avoid the flesh couch. Or he did. Either way, he doesn't comment or look at it.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan remains quiet. And sullen. He doesn't feel any better. He SHOULD. But he doesn't. And somehow, that feels worse. That tight ball of hate and jealousy in his chest doesn't loosen. "Yea. Thank you." Aidan fidgets, "For what it's worth, I am glad it seems like it turned out okay for you. Everyone deserves that." At Ishirou's mention of his thing between him and Petra, he grimaces. That answers that question for him.
Kale Hearthward	"Alright then," says Kale. "C'mon, frog friend." He heads further into the low-oeuvre zone, past the point where anything's notable at all. "(Okay, let's see if I remember... It's just a jump to the left... and then a step to the right. You put your hands on your hips... and then-)" If anyone goes looking for him, he's gone.