towerofanimus | [OPEN]

Entry tags:

[ou] naminé

[OPEN]

Characters: [OU] Naminé and anybody who finds her/her Shadow.
Setting: All over the tower
Format: Up to you
Summary: Naminé's shadow is running around... being nice to people? For the most part, anyway. (Watch out, she's kind of emotional.) Still, this is probably going to get awkward once the real Naminé catches up to her. / Yeah, it gets messy.
Warnings: Emotional Shadow, denial, Shadow Boss Fight and all that entails.

[NORMAL MODE]

[Naminé - or at least someone who looks exactly like her - appears to be in a very strange mood today. Every little thing seems to effect her; one second she's smiling fit to put the sun out of business and the next it looks like rainclouds are what she'll be replacing. The longer she spends on her own, the more distraught she seems to get, but since she appears to be seeking out anyone she(?) knows or recognizes, chances are she'll remedy that problem soon enough. Anybody that's ever met Naminé is likely to be mercilessly hunted down and... smiled at? Whatever the reason, she seems to be very happy to see anyone, anyone at all, but especially the people that she's already met before, and even more so the people she's formed more proper a friendship with. So, anybody that she sees will likely be accosted upon discovery by a very cheerful young lady. (Careful, though - she's liable to be very sad if she's not treated well.)]

[The real Naminé will be searching the tower herself, trying not quite frantically but about as close as she gets, to find her double. Passersby may be accosted by this Naminé as well, only this one appears to be consistently grim and concerned, and she's looking for information regarding the location of her duplicate.]

[BOSS MODE]

[Whoops. So apparently, someone had trouble accepting that this strange person wandering around was part of her - not only due to her own issues with denial but also because come on, how could she trust something like that in this particular Tower, infamous for screwing with people as it is?]

[Floor to ceiling, it seem like everywhere you look there is a giant mass of chains, shifting as though they're alive. In the center of it all is the Shadow Naminé, held aloft by those chains. Clothed in a dress that seems to go on forever, she's draped head to toe in white fabric. The bottom is loose and flowing, the ends cut in a pattern of semi-circles. The front is short enough for the ends of her toes to almost show, assuming she has them, but the back forms quite the train. The middle and bodice are the only things that seem to be tight, and quite tight at that; in combination with the bottom and the long, flowing sleeves that repeat the pattern of semi-circles but go so far past her hands as to totally obscure them and hang off, flying about with her motions when she makes them, she almost seems too thin in the middle. Veiled as she is, the only part of her skin that shows is the space between her nose and about where the line of the real girl's dress usually is. The Shadow's skin is just slightly paler than its counterpart's, though her lips and cheeks are darker, more noticable and expressive, almost, despite the fact that her eyes are obscured. She's almost reminiscent of some the lesser Nobodies, with their wasp waists and strange limbs and flexibility and their apparent lack of eyes, only what's underneath seems almost disturbingly human, for such a creature.]

[It'd likely be hard enough to get to her with just the chains everywhere, but what's worse is that she also seems to be making use of Corridors of Darkness. Fortunately for passersby, she only seems to be interested in attacking Naminé, both with the chains (which the girl is doing her best to block with Reflect, though she'll soon tire at this rate) and with less obvious means. This is also a clash of similar powers, powers over the mind and heart; at first it is visible only in Naminé's apparent distraction, but as time goes by and the battle gets more intense, something about the whole area just seems wrong, like it isn't quite real. Those who are sensitive to such things may notice a fairly terrifying amount of magical/psychic energy that just keeps building up.]

[Those who choose to interfere will find that, unless they attempt to attack her directly, the Shadow Naminé will not attack them. She will say things to discourage them from doing so, but only if they persist to the point of injuring her will she actually fight back. Mental attacks on those susceptible include attempted memory removal and causing intense headaches and/or hallucinations, but the real Naminé will be doing her best to block such things with her own influence. Aside from that, there's the kind of stuff that Naminé will not be able to help much with, like direct attacks from the chains. For the most part, such attacks will be limited to attempting to restrain the interloper and/or cast them into a portal and send them to another part of the tower, usually a benign one where they will not be injured but are nevertheless removed from the fight until they can get back to where it is, should they choose to return. Actually attempting to hurt someone will only happen if they have repeatedly damage the Shadow Naminé and will be limited to attempted knockouts with as little permanent/fatal injury as can be managed.]

[Needless to say, Naminé is going to need some help.]

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[She looks as though she very much wants to protest, even though she knows that, truthfully, she has no chance of doing this on her own. Perhaps that's to be expected when she's fighting herself, only herself with more physical manifestations of power, which is the area in which Naminé herself is most decidedly lacking.]

[The girl starts to open her mouth but is forced to shut it quickly as her focus is needed elsewhere, and once she's gotten through that she can only nod, expression grim.]

... Thank you.

[Her Shadow seems perfectly capable of interjecting, however, and does so with something very obviously directed at Equius.]

Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you! [It's almost gentle, even though she's still swinging chains at her Original.] I just need to teach myself a lesson, that's all.

You're welcome.

[He adjusts the sheath of arrows on his back, perhaps indicating that he was about to fire -- or maybe that it had just settled oddly from the fall. After listening to the Shadow's explanation, he turns to Naminé. If the creature has already transformed, then it means that she's already rejected it. Still, got to check, just in case. There might be some way to reason this out peacefully!]

"You're not me" -- did you ever say anything like that to the Shadow?

[The girl's eyes follow the movement. Perhaps the only thing that saves her the repercussions of such a distraction is that her Shadow is watching, too, though less obviously.]

[At the question, the real Naminé's expression darkens. Looking very close to guilty,]

... Yes. Something like that.

[How could she be so foolish? It hadn't been on purpose, of course, but still-- this is all her fault.]

[Okay. That explained that, then. Equius didn't know this girl in the least; maybe the white-garbed woman could have been her true form, chain powers and all. His Shadow was very similar in appearance to him, but there were some others he could mention who looked very different from their original selves... and, oh. She doesn't look too happy.]

D-don't worry about it, we... just have to hurt her a little bit to calm her down.

[Decided not happy, yes. Especially at that explanation, although even through her frown, she nods.]

If that's what's necessary--

[Except her Shadow doesn't seem too happy about that, if the way all the chains suddenly shiver at once. The noise it makes sort of covers not only the real Naminé's answer but the very unpleasant sound her Shadow made at that.]

[eep.]

[Equius jumped when the chains started moving... even in this form, it can understand what they're saying and respond accordingly? Interesting, his Shadow was more or less a brainless killing machine when it was rejected. You learn something new every day!]

[This in mind, he whispers his next words to Naminé, hoping the Shadow might miss it from how high up she was.] ...Can you... fight?

[Perhaps it has something to do with how much of Naminé's true ability is in her mind (or perhaps her denial that she is a good person is thorough enough to impart a lot of that to her Shadow for it to carry over) or perhaps it was a fluke in his case. Either way, Naminé's no more experienced with this an him.]

[The girl is careful to listen, and in reply, she starts to shake her head, stops suddenly, then finishes instead with a slightly strained,]

-- No. I'm-- already trying to do what I can, but-- [She stops for a moment, distracted; apparently, either that barrier - which her Shadow has begun to squeeze with some of the chains - requires a lot of concentration or there's more going on here than meets the eye.] -- I don't know how much more I can do. [Maybe she's already fighting.]

Edited 2012-09-15 02:56 (UTC)

...Alright. [Well, she can only do what she can do. That's great. Looks like it's going to be two weak loser fighters against a giant boss instead of only one.]

[So he pulls an arrow and starts firing.]

[Clearly they have the best chances ever, except for the part where they don't. The original Naminé at least has the decency to look apologetic.]

[If he manages to land a shot, he'll be rewarded with an absolutely unholy amount of noise from the chains. Fortunately for him, none of them seem to be directing any of that agitation toward him, but they will be making it a lot harder to hit the Shadow, should he choose to try.]

[She gave her enough time, more than enough time. When Eleanor enters the room and takes in the scene, the portholes of the suit turn a bright, angry red. She teleports herself behind where Equius is standing.]

Didn't go so well, did it?

[But though the suit is at its most terrifying and she's crouched halfway into a fighting stance, she doesn't sound angry.]

[Oh, he's going to try. But whether he succeeds, past the first shot... yeah, not so much.]

[He jumps when Eleanor appears, and immediately turns around — does Naminé's Shadow have an accomplice? But as it turns out, that glowing diver suit completely contrasts with the soft, flowing gown of the Shadow. It was clear that they weren't in cahoots, but Equius quickly backed out of the way in case he was obscuring her shot.]

[Eleanor's arrival causes a startled ripple in Naminé's concentration and thus her barrier, but it's back in shape before there are any proper repercussions.]

Eleanor...!

[Even though it's a relief to be in a better position in this fight, she can't help feeling dismayed; she'd hoped to spare Eleanor this, too.]

... No. I'm sorry.

Right.

[She nods, taking in the situation carefully.]

Don't worry, it'll be okay.

[Again with the certainty, trying to boost Naminé's confidence with her own. Eleanor studies the shadow, focusing on it and only letting useful voices chime in, mostly her father's and a few of the most accomplished fighters in her repertoire. Her feet slide apart a little.]

Do we have a plan, or are we just hammering her into the ground until she stops trying to hurt you?

[To be honest, no, they really don't have a plan. But it's not exactly his place to say that, since for all he knows, maybe Naminé does secretly have a plan that she just hasn't bothered to share yet or something. Even though she is clearly in some serious trouble here, and any sort of ace in the hole would probably have been sprung already.]

Well... if you plan to go the second route, I think we would need a very large hammer.

[The clattering of the chains gets a little louder, but otherwise the Shadow seems to leave them to their plotting. The original Naminé hesitates, trying to split her concentration between the dicussion and the fight that isn't visible. The tension in her brow increases and her lips purse; it's obvious that the answer she must give is not the one that she wants to.]

... It doesn't seem like we have much choice. I can try to keep her distracted... [which she already is, at the moment, and that's the main reason Naminé can keep an ear on the conversation.] ... but other than that.... [No plan, apparently, at least not from her.]

Edited 2012-09-22 01:44 (UTC)

Not a hammer no.

[It's a good thing she's wearing the helmet, no one has any business seeing the kind of smile she's got on her face.]

But I'll think of something.

[She looks over at shadow Naminé and nods sharply, seemingly getting her wits about her. Eleanor has helped kill Alpha Series Big Daddies, those that looked the closest to her father. It doesn't matter if this creature looks like Naminé. It doesn't matter if it is part of Naminé. It is hurting the girl and it needs to be put down.]

Try not to shoot me, if you can? Waste of arrows, that.

[And with that she lounges, teleporting midair only to reappear above the shadow, harpoon raised as she fell towards it, intent on, well. Hammering the monster to the ground.

Subtlety, Eleanor Lamb has none.]

Of course, I'll try not to—

[Oh. Well then.]

[Equius actually didn't start firing arrows for a little while; he was too occupied with watching that thing go. Of all the things he expected to happen, Eleanor (that was what Naminé called her — female?) jumping so high was not one of them. Somehow, he was less surprised when she teleported to above the monster's head. Maybe because she'd already broken all of his expectations, that was just another part of the show.]

[At any rate, he only remembered that there were arrows to shoot after she'd finished the slamming attack. Even though she pretty much did more damage in that one attack than he would for the entire battle.]

[Naminé is a bit startled, not so much by the teleporting but by the approach itself-- isn't that dangerous? It earns Eleanor a good shot or two, although it may be hard to tell since the Shadow doesn't bleed properly (anything that comes out is black and dissipates like smoke right away) but immediately after that, the chains are snatching at Eleanor, and unless she's quick, she's going to get grabbed and tossed forward, away from the Shadow.]

[The noise at that point is loud enough to hurt one's ears, but that's not what makes the real Naminé wince; she never has enjoyed watching anyone be hurt, ally or enemy, and she's quite worried for her companions. She realizes late that this is her chance, but when she does, she moves to take the upper hand in the mental battle with her counterpart.]

[Eleanor always takes the more straightforward solution to problems, which is often pointy and packing enough of a punch to break steel. She dodged the incoming chains once, twice, and then yelped as they caught her ankle and tossed her away into a wall.]

...yeah, alright. If it has to be that way.

[Eleanor climbed back to her feet and let her hands ignite, flinging a few fireballs at the shadow in retaliation for that hit. That hurt, okay, that's not okay.]

[He cringed. Eleanor clearly had very good defenses, but even so, being tossed into a wall by the ankle? Not fun at all. For a minute there he contemplates fleeing — if that kind of destructive power could be tossed away like it was nothing, what worth was he in the scheme of things? It would be much smarter to slip away now, while both Naminé and Eleanor were distracted, and add them both to his "people to avoid" list.]

[...But he's not going to do that.]

[Having remembered by seeing Eleanor's fireballs, Equius reaches into his pocket, and comes out with a small lighter. There's a certain beauty in being prepared, particularly when 'being prepared' involves attaching small incendiary boxes to some of one's arrows. It doesn't take a lot of brain power to figure out what happens next — there are a bunch of flaming arrows now headed for the Shadow's face.]

[Fighting a battle on multiple fronts is rarely a good idea, and the Shadow is finding that out. Several of the fireballs and flaming arrows do make contact, even if she does have the potential for a good defense herself; since her mind is also very distracted trying to keep the real Naminé at bay.]

[The bad thing about this is that instead of being able to keep her focus on the chains precise and therefore also do the same with their movements, the Shadow Naminé has little choice but to swing wildly. Since there are chains everywhere and she's not paying much attention to which ones she's moving? This could be bad for those unprepared to dodge or block.]

[Eleanor lost her rhythm with the fireballs, having to dodge incoming chains. She jumped about, trying to avoid the chains, but she still got smacked by another incoming blow before she could gather enough wits to teleport away.]

Stop. Pissing. Me. Off.

[And then the portholes glowed red and she let out a very unpleasant screech, high pitched and feral before she began hopping about, teleporting in and out and trying to close in on the shadow again.]

[Chains. So many chains.]

[Fortunately, Equius was coordinated enough to avoid some of them — most of them, actually. But that meant that he couldn't exactly spend as much of his attention on the whole arrow-firing thing. They lessened in frequency pretty soon afterward. In fact, it was starting to look like the most prudent course of action was to hide in the corner and hope that Eleanor didn't produce a stray bullet. Look at that girl go. Seriously. Wow.]

[Naminé can't exactly move much when she's trying to keep her Reflect spell going, so the best she can do is buckle down and try to hold on until the chains stop moving. The shield holds, but she does end up getting knocked around a little inside it, clenching her jaw to keep from making any noise.]

[Eventually the chains calm, but unfortunately, they also become more precise. They're not out to hurt anyone, just attempting to catch or restrain, and Eleanor will find she has to knock aside several of them if she wants to get another hit in.]

[Eleanor finds her movements further restricted by the chains, thrown around a few times as she gets distracted by Naminé's situation. That's so not okay with her there are no words to express it beyond another inhuman screech.

Pushed as she is, she tries to use her telekinesis to see if she can block the chains that way, though that is more taxing than any other of her powers. But maybe if she can, that'll give Equius a good opening to get a shot in.]

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