but now that they have even a moment, rochalizo pauses to catch his breath. ugh, he really can't keep this up forever. still, as he holsters his gun and switches to his bow again, with his other hand pressed against his face to stem some of the bleeding, he goes over to the black box.
meanwhile, philia turns into a baby bear and curls up into itself, as if for protection.]
... Better hurry with your wounds. I doubt we have much time, still. [he picks up the second feather, before looking back at the box.] Is this...?
[ the words leave his lips as he takes the torn cloth, making sure that yuri's wound is tied fast and tight before rising to his feet. he'll make sure yuri is comfortable, leaned up maybe against something and with one last careful touch to the arm, he moves over towards where rochalizo, taking a page out of xie lian's book and tearing at his shirt quickly (it's not even sexy). his right hand is singed from fingertip to shoulder, but it doesn't mean he can't spare the rest. the two-way ache of their eyes is piercing, distracting to the point where kaeya can't stop rubbing at his own so!
he'll gesture, let me see your face and if allowed! will tie the cloth fast and quick around rochalizo's eye, his touch gentle and expert, concern building in his chest. his dark right eye is unblinking while the other is sharp, glancing then towards the device. he's in pain and his brain is still all business until he can breathe fresh air again. polaris snuffles in his bag softly. ]
We'll get the rest of it taken care of when we're topside. [ we will make it topside. ] I think... this is our only option here. [ looking back to the black box, taking the feather beneath it and shaking out the dust just a bit. ] The girl said this was from long ago, but I'm assuming it should still work... whatever it is.
[ yuri can’t really say much — he doesn’t know what that thing is, it doesn’t look familiar. but it must be something like the failsafe, seeing as it stands out like this? ]
Weird… that it’s just lying there…
[ his wound stings and aches as kaeya wraps it, but he grits his teeth and tries not to move too much as he works. tries not to make it any more difficult for him, especially as he’s suffering from the injury that rochalizo is dealing with.
when he’s left alone he leans back against the wall, trying to keep his back away from pressing against the rock side of the room. ]
[ both feathers are dusty and gold. the room itself is messy in such a way that the quakes may knocked knocked them to the floor, strewen about with no sense of purpose. and though that black box does look old, you can see faint lights flickering as it holds onto life.
can your daemons still smell, with all the dust in the air and all the burns? if so, they might scent a whisp of fresh air come from the door nearby. and as you rest, you can hear rubble tumbling to the stone floors as those monsters fight their way out.
it won't be long before they get free. better make your decision quickly. ]
[ yuri grits his teeth, and so does xie lian - white knuckling his burnt fists, he holds still, holding the wallet tighter in his hand before he tucks it and the feather alike into the remains of his white sleeve's pocket.
in front of him, san lang makes a noise, soft, near where he's tending to pravda, supporting her weight with his giant bulk, and sticks his nose in the air, sniffing, and then pointing in the direction of the fresh air, and xie lian follows it, then looks at the others with the box.
he takes the moment to deal with his own throat injuries, tearing off another strip of silk while he has the time and moving to wrap it around his neck, covering the cursed shackle and the cuts once more, in hopes of staunching the bleeding. xie lian's the least injured for the moment - he moves to the door they came in and presses his back to it, determination and strength setting deep in his core. he'll hold it. ]
...Do you think that's...
[ a failsafe, though - he can certainly guess at what a switch like that might do.
an explosion. something to bring the whole place down. xie lian's stomach twists in a dawning sense of horror. ]
[rochalizo will let kaeya tend to him. philia curls in tighter around herself, before rochalizo reaches out to stroke her back.
but once kaeya's done, rochalizo will glance him over and his daemon—it's not as if kaeya is entirely unscathed either. not much time to worry about that right now, though. when philia picks up on the whisp of fresh air, rochalizo stands up and moves over to the door. is it locked, or will it open normally?
as he twirls the feather between his fingers—]
... A failsafe that was never used means that there's no going back once it activates.
[ there is always a third path... kaeya hears it as though it is whispered in his ear now, but between the state of their group and the rumbling heat that threatens them down the hall, they don't have the chance or time to explore that. ]
We can't afford to stay down here any longer,
[ he looks down at where he's left with the box, the device laid inside it foreign to him. it's true, this fail safe may save them but at what cost? the people who spurned them? who'd let them die? the little girl? innocent people. ]
Even if we try to fight these things and win, we can't keep more from coming. We need to regroup.
[ if they don't? they might not make it. they're already far too injured between the four of them, even xie lian with his strength or rochalízo with his bow... ]
I'll do it.
[ i'll take the repercussions, i'll take the burden and pay the price. ]
... [ yuri, while also looking like he got claw stabbed by a monster, also looks like he hates the angle this is taking. very much.
but... ]
She said the people have been stuck down here for too long, and won't try to leave. And those things are still chasing us.
... [ he can't even say they can come back and try to dig them out -- would the people down here even agree to follow them? or would they be risking themselves for more people who just wouldn't listen, and would rather stay down here with their fears and the time slipping through their fingers. ]
The fact it was here -- do you think it was meant for them, or for the people up on the surface?
[ the door is unlocked, left slightly ajar. beyond it, should rochalizo open it, is a long, dark hall. there are no flickering lamps to the light the way here. the feathers seem to be the only light source nearby, glowing that soft gold as the shed dust with each movement.
while xie lian holds the door, he'll hear the echo of rocks as the creatures begin to break free, and the switch sits on the floor, awaiting their final decision. ]
xie lian pushes back against the door, hard, forcing his brute strength up against the frame to hold it in place. just trying to buy time, desperately, desperately trying to think of another way. any other way. a third path. a second cup of water. a chance.
why does it always come down to this? the loss of life, the harming of others - xie lian hates it. he hates it, the idea of harming a single person, no matter how unkind they were. he thinks of that little girl, and he looks at kaeya when he says he'll do it, brows knit, thunderous and miserable all at once.
you're going to lose, xie lian!
he hits his head back against the door, once, stares up at the ceiling, and feels the shadow of the weight of a golden statue in his hands, once more. ]
I'll hold it. [ he knows, knows, knows, that's futile.
but if the cure for something is eliminating others, is it really a cure?
it's the closest he gets to admittance - that he'll do what the others agree to, by majority - but he's buying time, trying desperately to think of anything else.]
Oh, enough of this martyr talk! [rochalizo isn't here for anyone's burden problems, sorry.] Short of someone tackling the other for that switch, whatever decision we make, we bear together. It doesn't matter who activates it.
[he gestures towards the door he just checked out.]
The hallway continues, though it's dark. We're not dead yet, so let's see if it leads to the surface—and if so, the Watchers may have the power to handle those monsters. Why would the powers above design a competition where our mistakes alone could slaughter everyone?
[he hates this too, his heart thudding in his chest—and again, he thinks of the mud whale, of his brother shooting the hostages, of his father declaring that it was all to save amonlogia—but he has to keep his mind steady, or so much as he can amidst the throbbing pain in his head. if worse comes to worst, they have to make the decision that protects the most amount of lives, but they can't let the panic of a moral dilemma grip them either. or is that just wishful thinking? he doesn't know.
still, he readies his bow, in case the monsters come through right now.]
[ the tone surprises him, but rochalizo is right in some respects: what they do, they will do together, there's no laying the blame on one person, but all of them. however, while the watchers have been shown to be sympathetic to their dilemma and outlook, what's to say that they have any control over this at all? their higher power in charge of what they do, in charge of the executions seemingly, what if this in and of itself is something of the sort?
kaeya just closes his eye(s?) it's hard to tell when the other is dark as night. he'll take a second for himself, then lift his head. he moves to press the device carefully into xie lian's hand. there's no qualm or argument, this is the best way to work this out. if the third path were to mean something, then it would be to perhaps try every door and if they don't work, create your own.
but that may not be possible.
for now, it buys them time, they need time.
for a long moment, kaeya thinks--he thinks of a place with no light. and then he stoops to grab yuri. because down the hall they'll go, right?
he doesn't say it, but he thinks it. to those above their watchers? this is probably fun for them to observe. his heart aches. he has some gay thoughts. ]
[ gaaaaay as long as they’re not getting stabbed again, yuri’ll do whatever. he hates the idea of leaving people behind, but coming up with a way of coaxing people who’ve hidden down here for countless years with no desire to ever leave due to their own fear…. that’s the hard part. ]
Rochalizo’s right. To a point.
I don’t think people in power would give a damn if any of us died — but if it was an inconvenience to them for us all to die, they’d have something in place to make sure enough of us survived. But that makes me want to avoid bringing these monsters surface side.
[ … but the people? well. ]
If we can find a way to get them out and they agree, we do it. But remember we might makes things harder for them if we try and they don’t want to leave. [ especially if they punch a wall in. xie lian. ]
[ xie lian has been very, very quiet, since he offered to hold the door, since kaeya pressed the switch in his hands.
it's not that he isn't listening, but he's still pressed against the door, staring down at his feet, eyes a little wide, heartbeat thudding gently in his ears. it's another one of these impossible choices that guoshi always chided him over, isn't it? it's another white no face, laughing as he whispers the cure to a disease in his ear. death or death, xian le.
and maybe he's a fool.
but maybe it doesn't have to be that way.
(but it was worth it. wasn't it, xie lian?)
he lifts his head.
(to know you did everything you could?)
yuri, especially, will feel the shift in xie lian's demeanor - a swirl of emotions, guilt and anger and nauseous fear suddenly seem to solidify into conviction. the look in his golden eyes seems to sharpen. this is the young god, the crown prince, proud and strong and more than anything, unhesitating, his spine as unbreakable as steel.
two pathways diverge between them. a choice - destroy these catacombs and kill the people inside to save those topside and escape, or be attacked and killed, too. go forward, towards the fresh air, towards the light, or into the maw of the beast.
xie lian makes his choice. ]
I'm going back for them.
[ he takes the switch and shoves it in his sleeve.
and then, xie lian turns, throws the door open, and dashes back out into the hall. there's likely not that much time, but xie lian doesn't care, because he's going to summon every ounce of his godly strength that's still available to him, and instead of going back towards the monsters, he winds up a punch that would normally bring down an entire building and slams it into the wall. and he'll keep going, until there's space enough to bust through.
if he can't find a path that suits him - xie lian will make one.
Xie Lian—we decided no splitting up, remember!? How selfish can you get...
[he's exasperated, though not surprised and not necessarily wholly disagreeing (though either way, xie lian has the switch now, so he's also not giving anyone much of a choice about their fate here). bow in hand, he goes out to follow him to cover him.]
[ firmly, but... drowned out by the sound of the stone being pounded in by his fists. he watches for a bit before glancing at yuri. the sword in his hand is cold, and his fingers flex against it tightly as he keeps yuri fairly stable, but will let him go if he demands it. ]
We leave together, as Rochalizo said. [ if this is what you wish to do, then we can attempt it, but there's no telling if they'll accept. even if we drag them back topside, they may try to return below. or worse, hurt the others. a ferocious protectiveness over their slowly deteriorating numbers swoops in. he clutches the sword tighter regardless. ]
[ closes his eyes and exhales for the next nine hours, ensuring they are all murdered by monsters—- no. but he does closes his eyes for a moment, and then opens them to look at kaeya. ]
The boss has spoken, right?
[ he’s still got dein nomos and honestly at this point if he hasn’t passed out he’s probably not going to now. ]
Let’s go. But let’s also try not to die, I’m kinda fond of narrow escapes as long as we actually pull off the escape part.
[ well. punching through a wall is fine, i guess, but since you've all been brought down to normal, it's going to hurt. the skin of xie lian's knuckles break, leaving dark spots of blood on the walls, but you won't have the chance to notice, will you? because it's starting to come down.
screams greet you from the other side, as glass shatteres and people scramble away, certain that these are more monsters here to rip apart their lives.
among the falling rock, a golden feather drifts to the floor. ]
[ he doesn't care!!! blood is fine. xie lian punches through it - again, again, even if his knuckles break - he's gonna shove the wall open if it shatters his hand.
rochalizo gets the smallest, grateful smile in a brief pause between hits -- it's heartening, to feel the presence of these people by his side. yuri will get to feel xie lian's gratitude and the way his strength bolsters as he puts his faith in the other three, as his confidence flares up like a star, spiritual energy or otherwise. (friendships like this are like feng xin and mu qing, the ones that become forged in steel; ones that mean the world to him.) and finally, he gets his hand on a big rock and practically hurls it out of the way behind them in the other direction, so they can break through enough to be seen.
panting, flushed and bleeding, xie lian's voice cuts through like a blade through still air. ]
Everyone, please! There is not much time. Through this way, there is a path back to the surface. We have - we have a plan.
When we reach the surface, don't try and brush it off when the others offer first aid.
[that's to xie lian. that's his condition for letting you punch this wall!!
keeping his bow ready—though he at least has the presence of mind to not, like, point it anywhere near the frightened people—he waits. like kaeya's worries, echoing in his heart, he wouldn't be surprised if these people refuse to follow xie lian.]
[ conviction flows through kaeya's heart as he steadies the sword at yuri's words, to both fight but to also show that they are not here to fight them (the mole people). he calls out: ]
We need cooperation from you all to move forward with us. There isn't much time left and this whole system could collapse. If you want to escape these creatures, we need you to come with us topside so that we can seal them off in here. For good.
[ well, it’s all been pretty covered at that point but — ]
You’ve only got so much underground to hide in. When you run out of places to go, then what?
[ the gratitude is nice, at least. xie lian will get something back like a sort of exasperation, but it’s a fond one. and one that certainly isn’t disagreeing with the concept of helping people. he’s never going to argue against that. ]
[ that's about what he was expecting, yeah. that memory from earlier is still resonating in xie lian's head - the screams of the people of xian le, in their desperation, their anger. they were terrified. xie lian never held their reactions to him against them, not for a second, and this is no different.
he stays as calm as he can, heart pounding, eyes lit up - voice bright and clear. ]
There are people just like you who live on the surface. On the outskirts of the city, now, but they have been there none the less. They are good, and they are kind, and they are alive - they have been kind to us as visitors, and they will be kind to you, too. [ the kind woman who offered to make him dinner, the girl who cooed at san lang; places that stick tightly in xie lian's memory. they were scared, too, avoiding the city, but they were there, and he holds onto that like a lifeline. ] We can take you to them, when we are out of this place - you won't have to stay in the city, if you don't want to, and you can collect all the glass you like to check us, if you don't believe it.
[ xie lian's conviction is behind his words, now, rising - his heart thumps in his chest, as it just feels like being in that room with the statue, once more. he won't fail again. he can't. he can't. ]
The chance that something could happen is on the surface, but things are happening, now, here.
Please. [ heavy and genuine - he looks back at yuri. didn't he have the glass...? ] Please, let us help you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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but now that they have even a moment, rochalizo pauses to catch his breath. ugh, he really can't keep this up forever. still, as he holsters his gun and switches to his bow again, with his other hand pressed against his face to stem some of the bleeding, he goes over to the black box.
meanwhile, philia turns into a baby bear and curls up into itself, as if for protection.]
... Better hurry with your wounds. I doubt we have much time, still. [he picks up the second feather, before looking back at the box.] Is this...?
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[ the words leave his lips as he takes the torn cloth, making sure that yuri's wound is tied fast and tight before rising to his feet. he'll make sure yuri is comfortable, leaned up maybe against something and with one last careful touch to the arm, he moves over towards where rochalizo, taking a page out of xie lian's book and tearing at his shirt quickly (it's not even sexy). his right hand is singed from fingertip to shoulder, but it doesn't mean he can't spare the rest. the two-way ache of their eyes is piercing, distracting to the point where kaeya can't stop rubbing at his own so!
he'll gesture, let me see your face and if allowed! will tie the cloth fast and quick around rochalizo's eye, his touch gentle and expert, concern building in his chest. his dark right eye is unblinking while the other is sharp, glancing then towards the device. he's in pain and his brain is still all business until he can breathe fresh air again. polaris snuffles in his bag softly. ]
We'll get the rest of it taken care of when we're topside. [ we will make it topside. ] I think... this is our only option here. [ looking back to the black box, taking the feather beneath it and shaking out the dust just a bit. ] The girl said this was from long ago, but I'm assuming it should still work... whatever it is.
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Weird… that it’s just lying there…
[ his wound stings and aches as kaeya wraps it, but he grits his teeth and tries not to move too much as he works. tries not to make it any more difficult for him, especially as he’s suffering from the injury that rochalizo is dealing with.
when he’s left alone he leans back against the wall, trying to keep his back away from pressing against the rock side of the room. ]
But we won’t know until we try it.
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can your daemons still smell, with all the dust in the air and all the burns? if so, they might scent a whisp of fresh air come from the door nearby. and as you rest, you can hear rubble tumbling to the stone floors as those monsters fight their way out.
it won't be long before they get free. better make your decision quickly. ]
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in front of him, san lang makes a noise, soft, near where he's tending to pravda, supporting her weight with his giant bulk, and sticks his nose in the air, sniffing, and then pointing in the direction of the fresh air, and xie lian follows it, then looks at the others with the box.
he takes the moment to deal with his own throat injuries, tearing off another strip of silk while he has the time and moving to wrap it around his neck, covering the cursed shackle and the cuts once more, in hopes of staunching the bleeding. xie lian's the least injured for the moment - he moves to the door they came in and presses his back to it, determination and strength setting deep in his core. he'll hold it. ]
...Do you think that's...
[ a failsafe, though - he can certainly guess at what a switch like that might do.
an explosion. something to bring the whole place down. xie lian's stomach twists in a dawning sense of horror. ]
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but once kaeya's done, rochalizo will glance him over and his daemon—it's not as if kaeya is entirely unscathed either. not much time to worry about that right now, though. when philia picks up on the whisp of fresh air, rochalizo stands up and moves over to the door. is it locked, or will it open normally?
as he twirls the feather between his fingers—]
... A failsafe that was never used means that there's no going back once it activates.
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We can't afford to stay down here any longer,
[ he looks down at where he's left with the box, the device laid inside it foreign to him. it's true, this fail safe may save them but at what cost? the people who spurned them? who'd let them die? the little girl? innocent people. ]
Even if we try to fight these things and win, we can't keep more from coming. We need to regroup.
[ if they don't? they might not make it. they're already far too injured between the four of them, even xie lian with his strength or rochalízo with his bow... ]
I'll do it.
[ i'll take the repercussions, i'll take the burden and pay the price. ]
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but... ]
She said the people have been stuck down here for too long, and won't try to leave. And those things are still chasing us.
... [ he can't even say they can come back and try to dig them out -- would the people down here even agree to follow them? or would they be risking themselves for more people who just wouldn't listen, and would rather stay down here with their fears and the time slipping through their fingers. ]
The fact it was here -- do you think it was meant for them, or for the people up on the surface?
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while xie lian holds the door, he'll hear the echo of rocks as the creatures begin to break free, and the switch sits on the floor, awaiting their final decision. ]
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xie lian pushes back against the door, hard, forcing his brute strength up against the frame to hold it in place. just trying to buy time, desperately, desperately trying to think of another way. any other way. a third path. a second cup of water. a chance.
why does it always come down to this? the loss of life, the harming of others - xie lian hates it. he hates it, the idea of harming a single person, no matter how unkind they were. he thinks of that little girl, and he looks at kaeya when he says he'll do it, brows knit, thunderous and miserable all at once.
you're going to lose, xie lian!
he hits his head back against the door, once, stares up at the ceiling, and feels the shadow of the weight of a golden statue in his hands, once more. ]
I'll hold it. [ he knows, knows, knows, that's futile.
but if the cure for something is eliminating others, is it really a cure?
it's the closest he gets to admittance - that he'll do what the others agree to, by majority - but he's buying time, trying desperately to think of anything else.]
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[he gestures towards the door he just checked out.]
The hallway continues, though it's dark. We're not dead yet, so let's see if it leads to the surface—and if so, the Watchers may have the power to handle those monsters. Why would the powers above design a competition where our mistakes alone could slaughter everyone?
[he hates this too, his heart thudding in his chest—and again, he thinks of the mud whale, of his brother shooting the hostages, of his father declaring that it was all to save amonlogia—but he has to keep his mind steady, or so much as he can amidst the throbbing pain in his head. if worse comes to worst, they have to make the decision that protects the most amount of lives, but they can't let the panic of a moral dilemma grip them either. or is that just wishful thinking? he doesn't know.
still, he readies his bow, in case the monsters come through right now.]
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kaeya just closes his eye(s?) it's hard to tell when the other is dark as night. he'll take a second for himself, then lift his head. he moves to press the device carefully into xie lian's hand. there's no qualm or argument, this is the best way to work this out. if the third path were to mean something, then it would be to perhaps try every door and if they don't work, create your own.
but that may not be possible.
for now, it buys them time, they need time.
for a long moment, kaeya thinks--he thinks of a place with no light. and then he stoops to grab yuri. because down the hall they'll go, right?
he doesn't say it, but he thinks it. to those above their watchers? this is probably fun for them to observe. his heart aches.
he has some gay thoughts.]no subject
gaaaaayas long as they’re not getting stabbed again, yuri’ll do whatever. he hates the idea of leaving people behind, but coming up with a way of coaxing people who’ve hidden down here for countless years with no desire to ever leave due to their own fear…. that’s the hard part. ]Rochalizo’s right. To a point.
I don’t think people in power would give a damn if any of us died — but if it was an inconvenience to them for us all to die, they’d have something in place to make sure enough of us survived. But that makes me want to avoid bringing these monsters surface side.
[ … but the people? well. ]
If we can find a way to get them out and they agree, we do it. But remember we might makes things harder for them if we try and they don’t want to leave. [ especially if they punch a wall in. xie lian. ]
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it's not that he isn't listening, but he's still pressed against the door, staring down at his feet, eyes a little wide, heartbeat thudding gently in his ears. it's another one of these impossible choices that guoshi always chided him over, isn't it? it's another white no face, laughing as he whispers the cure to a disease in his ear. death or death, xian le.
and maybe he's a fool.
but maybe it doesn't have to be that way.
(but it was worth it. wasn't it, xie lian?)
he lifts his head.
(to know you did everything you could?)
yuri, especially, will feel the shift in xie lian's demeanor - a swirl of emotions, guilt and anger and nauseous fear suddenly seem to solidify into conviction. the look in his golden eyes seems to sharpen. this is the young god, the crown prince, proud and strong and more than anything, unhesitating, his spine as unbreakable as steel.
two pathways diverge between them. a choice - destroy these catacombs and kill the people inside to save those topside and escape, or be attacked and killed, too. go forward, towards the fresh air, towards the light, or into the maw of the beast.
xie lian makes his choice. ]
I'm going back for them.
[ he takes the switch and shoves it in his sleeve.
and then, xie lian turns, throws the door open, and dashes back out into the hall. there's likely not that much time, but xie lian doesn't care, because he's going to summon every ounce of his godly strength that's still available to him, and instead of going back towards the monsters, he winds up a punch that would normally bring down an entire building and slams it into the wall. and he'll keep going, until there's space enough to bust through.
if he can't find a path that suits him - xie lian will make one.
there is always a third path. ]
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he sighs.]
Xie Lian—we decided no splitting up, remember!? How selfish can you get...
[he's exasperated, though not surprised and not necessarily wholly disagreeing (though either way, xie lian has the switch now, so he's also not giving anyone much of a choice about their fate here). bow in hand, he goes out to follow him to cover him.]
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[ firmly, but... drowned out by the sound of the stone being pounded in by his fists. he watches for a bit before glancing at yuri. the sword in his hand is cold, and his fingers flex against it tightly as he keeps yuri fairly stable, but will let him go if he demands it. ]
We leave together, as Rochalizo said. [ if this is what you wish to do, then we can attempt it, but there's no telling if they'll accept. even if we drag them back topside, they may try to return below. or worse, hurt the others. a ferocious protectiveness over their slowly deteriorating numbers swoops in. he clutches the sword tighter regardless. ]
Yuri?
[ how u feelin dude ]
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The boss has spoken, right?
[ he’s still got dein nomos and honestly at this point if he hasn’t passed out he’s probably not going to now. ]
Let’s go. But let’s also try not to die, I’m kinda fond of narrow escapes as long as we actually pull off the escape part.
[ yolo ]
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screams greet you from the other side, as glass shatteres and people scramble away, certain that these are more monsters here to rip apart their lives.
among the falling rock, a golden feather drifts to the floor. ]
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rochalizo gets the smallest, grateful smile in a brief pause between hits -- it's heartening, to feel the presence of these people by his side. yuri will get to feel xie lian's gratitude and the way his strength bolsters as he puts his faith in the other three, as his confidence flares up like a star, spiritual energy or otherwise. (friendships like this are like feng xin and mu qing, the ones that become forged in steel; ones that mean the world to him.) and finally, he gets his hand on a big rock and practically hurls it out of the way behind them in the other direction, so they can break through enough to be seen.
panting, flushed and bleeding, xie lian's voice cuts through like a blade through still air. ]
Everyone, please! There is not much time. Through this way, there is a path back to the surface. We have - we have a plan.
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[that's to xie lian. that's his condition for letting you punch this wall!!
keeping his bow ready—though he at least has the presence of mind to not, like, point it anywhere near the frightened people—he waits. like kaeya's worries, echoing in his heart, he wouldn't be surprised if these people refuse to follow xie lian.]
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We need cooperation from you all to move forward with us. There isn't much time left and this whole system could collapse. If you want to escape these creatures, we need you to come with us topside so that we can seal them off in here. For good.
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You’ve only got so much underground to hide in. When you run out of places to go, then what?
[ the gratitude is nice, at least. xie lian will get something back like a sort of exasperation, but it’s a fond one. and one that certainly isn’t disagreeing with the concept of helping people. he’s never going to argue against that. ]
C’mon. Move it or lose it.
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We can't go to the surface! It isn't safe!
They can't get to us here.
They'll make the sky burn again!
We can't trust these people, can we? The glass is broken, we can't see -
[ well, you did expect resistance. meager reassurances do nothing for a people born and raised in fear. ]
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he stays as calm as he can, heart pounding, eyes lit up - voice bright and clear. ]
There are people just like you who live on the surface. On the outskirts of the city, now, but they have been there none the less. They are good, and they are kind, and they are alive - they have been kind to us as visitors, and they will be kind to you, too. [ the kind woman who offered to make him dinner, the girl who cooed at san lang; places that stick tightly in xie lian's memory. they were scared, too, avoiding the city, but they were there, and he holds onto that like a lifeline. ] We can take you to them, when we are out of this place - you won't have to stay in the city, if you don't want to, and you can collect all the glass you like to check us, if you don't believe it.
[ xie lian's conviction is behind his words, now, rising - his heart thumps in his chest, as it just feels like being in that room with the statue, once more. he won't fail again. he can't. he can't. ]
The chance that something could happen is on the surface, but things are happening, now, here.
Please. [ heavy and genuine - he looks back at yuri. didn't he have the glass...? ] Please, let us help you.
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You're also going to burn from those monsters if you stay in here, so really, I don't see why you're afraid of the sky burning.
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