ximilialog | closed | she may contain the urge to run away

[The news doesn't take long to spread. As soon as Yujin catches wind that the companions have gone rogue, he leaves the morgue-- the morgue that may well have other companions stored in it, lying in wait-- and makes a beeline for home. He'll hunker down and ensure he, and others, are in a safe place, then work out a game plan with the other orbers via earpiece. It's a solid plan. The promise that it'll work out just fine, as all missions have before, is enough to keep him calm and rational, even as he feels the locals' panic in the air.

And then the key to his front door snaps off in the lock. Yujin jostles the handle and it doesn't budge; he knocks and hears nothing, not even the cloak, which means Stephen's gone; he throws his shoulder into the door with all his weight, the impact sounding with a heavy thump, and the wood doesn't so much as creak.

Now he's locked out and his shoulder hurts. Great.

So he switches gears. He'll have to find somewhere else for shelter, away from the menacing companions. (Already, he spots a few companions pacing up and down his street-- the neighbors lucky enough to still have access to their homes draw the curtains, barricade their doors.) And then, it strikes him: if they're wandering around freely, could they possibly be seeking out the "troublemakers" amongst the townpeople...?

Yujin doesn't think twice. He takes off in the direction of Ryunosuke's house at a run, praying he'll find him before it's too late.

Via earpiece:] I can't get into my own home. I'm coming to find you, Naruhodo. Are you safe?

[Ryunosuke's reply comes quickly, sent as he huddles in his hiding place atop a large complex of slides and climbing bars at the center of one of Amaryllis Grove's many kiddie friendly playgrounds:]

Yes. [...] Sort of. As long as those awful things don't learn to look up I should be, anyway. I'm hiding at the playground down the street. Not sure where else to go.

[And then a bit too late, he realizes the other part of that message.]

Hold on a moment, you can't come find me! The streets are swarming with those companions, it's much too risky!

I'm certain there's SOME building that we could access. If not, while I'd like to avoid it, there's always breaking the windows of my house and boarding them back up again...

[Pointedly ignoring the other part of Ryunosuke's message :)]

Afraid I'm already out. I'm not far, anyway, and we'll both be safer if we aren't alone.

[Fortunately, that playground is already in sight-- and not, at the moment, within reach of any companions. Yujin slows his pace and catches his breath as he approaches the playground. He scans the area again, just in case, then takes a step onto the sand.]

Naruhodo, are you here? [An indoor shelter would've been better, but at least he's completely hidden.] Hurry. Let's find someplace safer. Perhaps, if we can make it into town...

[A restaurant, or some shop, maybe? There have to be options.]

[God dammit, Yujin. The worst thing about being ignored is that Ryunosuke knows he'd be doing the same exact shit if their roles were reversed.

Anyway. It's only when Yujin calls out that Ryunosuke peers around past the bars atop the kiddie parapet to confirm what he hears. Then he replies, in an urgent hiss low enough to avoid alerting the companions or the panicking locals:]

Just a moment!

[He ducks back out of sight, and. Thump. Swwwssshhhhhhhhh skshh.

The slightly haggard looking defense attorney pokes his head out from the end of the slide, down by the doctor's feet.]

I can't believe you really came all the way out here! Good grief, yes, let's make a run for it!

[The slide would've probably been funnier to him, if the situation they were in wasn't so grave. Either way, he reaches out to help Ryunosuke up from the bottom of the slide.

In his own hushed, but urgent tone:] I couldn't exactly stay put when I was locked out!

[As soon as the younger man's on his feet, though, they're on the move. The playground gives way to rows of houses and to the occasional frantic resident-- nearly all of whom give Ryunosuke and Yujin a panicked double-take to confirm they're human, before hurrying on their way. And for a little while, it feels like they're going to get away safe. They've dodged every stalking companion; every local's given them a wide berth.

When they pass the library, however, so too does a large throng of companions. Instantly, Yujin ducks behind a corner of the building, a protective hand on Ryunosuke's shoulder.]

We're not in their line of sight. [he murmurs, eyes fixed upon the group.] We should--

[Yujin trails off. In the center of the small crowd stands a boy with a familiar head of messy blonde hair...]

N-Naruhodo, is that...?

[Ryunosuke doesn't have to ask, because he's already looking at the same thing, his expression horror-struck.]

No...

[It's unmistakably Finn. Or a duplicate of him, anyway. Ryunosuke's stomach drops, and though he's undeniably watching the uncanny replica of the boy lurch around with the other companions, he simply doesn't want to believe it. That would mean accepting the terrible implications...

When he speaks again, he sounds faint.]

I... I've seen a few companions based on some Orbers here and there since this all began, but... How? I mean, when? When did they...?

I don't know. [Yujin replies gravely, vainly attempting to keep the fear from making it to his voice. He hadn't been able to contact or find the boy since they'd been here; an orb glitch, at least, would mean Finn was home safe with Jake. But this?]

I had hoped he'd gone home.

[One by one, the other companions disperse, heading this way and that through the town. But, as if in reply to their musings, Finn doesn't. Slowly-- inhuman and uncanny-- his head lolls their way, his face expressionless and his eyes cold. Yujin's hand grips Ryunosuke's shoulder tighter, and dread washes over him. There's too many others. If they run, another companion will find them sooner than Finn.]

Tell me there's a back entrance to this library.

["Finn" looks their way, and Ryunosuke's breath hitches with alarm the same second that Yujin squeezes his shoulder even tighter. He finds himself instinctively reaching for Karuma's hilt--

Except, he doesn't have Karuma with him. It hadn't been advisable to carry it around here, because, you know... Why would a well adjusted citizen of Amaryllis Grove need to be carrying around a Japanese katana?

They have no means of defense. Finn is getting closer. And to Ryunosuke's mind, it feels like the world is threatening to crumble around them.]

I... I don't know...

[He sounds almost dismissive of the question, blanking out on the very real threat at hand, his words tremulous as grief and anger threaten to overtake him. It almost seems like he's about to freeze up and just stay right there, too floored by this discovery to take any action... But then he whips around and catches Yujin's arm, beckoning him to follow--]

I think I saw an entrance along the side-- This way!

[Maybe it's "Finn" meeting his eyes with that listless stare. Or maybe it's the doubt that gnaws at him as the companion draws nearer. (Was there really an orb glitch? Could he have, somehow, still been taken away and replaced? How well Finn could fend for himself aside, Yujin should have been looking out for him-- he owed it to the boy, but just as much, he owed it to Jake.) Either way, alongside that wave of dread, another feeling rears its head, heavy enough that it feels like it'll anchor his feet to the ground:

Panic. Despair. If he's failed Finn, and done wrong by Jake-- Jake's memory, his brain so helpfully reminds him-- then what's the use in fighting him now? Let him come.

And then Ryunosuke catches his arm, breaking his attention and his reverie.

It feels like pulling his head out of ice water for a gulp of air: instantly, the errant thoughts disappear. Or, they mostly disappear. Something uneasy settles in the pit of his gut. So long as the companion Finn is here, he feels wrong.

Yujin tears his eyes away from Finn, and following the momentum Ryunosuke has created, he runs with him to the side entrance. Mercifully, it's still open, allowing the two of them to slip inside. As soon as he's through, Yujin yanks the door closed and locks it tight.]

Hurry, we'll need to barricade the doors!

[He keeps his gaze low as he begins to push a table nearer. If he looks up, he's certain he'll see the shape of Finn, calmly moving around the same way he and Ryunosuke had.]

[Ryunosuke doesn't need to be told twice. He hurries over to assist Yujin, ramming into the table with his shoulder and shoving against it with all his might like a linebacker at football practice. As they're both moving the hefty piece of furniture, a miserable and sadistic part of his brain can't help but observe how this eerily mirrors another time on the Ximilia, when another door had been between the pair of them and Finn...

They can only hope this companion version of the boy doesn't pull a similar stunt.

Ryunosuke also fails to keep his gaze down the way Yujin does, and there's a sharp gasp of shock from him when, as they push the table up against the door, that bizarre facsimile of Finn does indeed appear. Ryunosuke swears loudly, briefly jumping back from the table in alarm. He redoubles his hold on it shortly thereafter, heart beating wildly. The panic in his voice is undeniable.]

Should we keep trying to barricade or should we run!?

No, we can hold it!

[If the frantic note in Yujin's voice makes it sound like he's trying to convince himself they can... that's because he is. All too soon, there's a heavy thump against the door, causing the table to lurch forward against Ryunosuke and Yujin as they hold it steady. A few seconds later, the companion throws himself against the door a second time. The conclusion is clear: there's no way the two of them can keep Finn out for much longer.]

O-on second thought-- yes, let's run!

[It feels fruitless in the face of Finn's relentless pursuit, but it'll have to do. Now that he's sighted them, they have no other choice. Yujin scans the library, pointing to a section of shelves that'll hide them from view:]

There. If, if he loses us, it's near enough to the door for us to flee.

[For what? To run directly into the arms of a different companion?

Yujin shoves the thought out of his head, moving with Ryunosuke for cover. Without a moment to spare, either: this Finn doesn't need any help to get the door open. As soon as they're out of sight, Finn shoves the door with full force. The table skitters away, legs scraping noisily on the floor; the hinges creak and groan with splintering metal and wood as the door itself comes loose from the frame.]

[Ryunosuke doesn't dare say a single word while they're hiding like this. Out of sight, but so very far from safety. After all, there's no telling how keen the companion's hearing might be.

Staying put, though? Holding as still as possible, waiting as silently as possible? It's fucking agonizing. He feels so defenseless, listening to the footfalls wax and wane in proximity, the fake Finn stalking around the library, hunting for them.

Ryunosuke's whole body tenses when the footsteps begin to truly sound like they are getting closer. Meeting Yujin's eyes for a moment, he very, very carefully picks up the heaviest book within reach-- a compendium full of horrible jell-o recipes-- and brandishes it like a weapon. He's fully prepared to strike as soon as that uncanny face dares to peer around the shelves.]

[If only either of them had a real weapon. But what good would a sword, or a bullet for that matter, do against this strange metallic being-- strong enough to tear a door from its hinges?

And what is that thing going to do to them when it finds them, for that matter?

Frozen in his own terror, Yujin nods at Ryunosuke and his heavy book. He hasn't got the time to search for his own weapon yet: with every breath, the companion Finn draws closer and closer to their hiding space, heralded by those unnatural footsteps.

Everything is silent. Eerily, unsettling so. Yujin's skin crawls with anticipation, dread setting the hairs on the back of his neck on end--

Then, without warning, Finn turns the corner and stalks towards Ryunosuke, his hand extended.]

Naruhodo, watch out!

[Ryunosuke thought he was ready for it, but it turns out having a short range "weapon" like a book isn't super helpful when you don't 100% get the drop on someone?

The Finn companion reaches towards him, and he balks, suddenly having this sense that getting within reach of that outstretched hand would be an absolutely terrible idea. So instead of swinging, he chucks the book as hard as he can, a powerful throw fueled by terror and adrenaline aimed right at the robot's head.

...But the aim is off slightly. It winds up clipping the side of the machine's face. There's a reverberating metallic CLANG as the impact happens, and the head on the fake Finn is wrenched sickeningly around on it's pivot, so that it's nearly on backwards.

There's a pause. And then of course, slowly, like something straight out of a horror movie, it turns its head back in the right direction. A jagged crack, like a bolt of lightning lances down one side of the faceplate... But the expression on it is just as blank as ever.]

[The impossible angle of the companion's head, the wide crack in its face, pushes the sight from unsettling to fully uncanny. Finn hadn't even flinched with the impact: another striking reminder that this facsimile isn't him at all. Something about the sight is almost enough to turn one's stomach.

Taking advantage of Finn's hesitation, Yujin yanks another book off the nearest shelf and lobs it at the machine. This time, however, it's expecting it: the robot steps aside, dodging the book entirely. It leans down to pick up the first book, then continues to stride forward.

Taken aback, Yujin takes a few unsteady steps backwards. He nearly trips over a short rolling cart full of books behind him. With a quick glance his split-second decision's made. Yujin pulls the cart in front of him, then, leaning his whole weight into the shove, pushes it into the companion Finn with all his might before it can make a second grab at Ryunosuke.]

Run!

[This time, Finn staggers back when struck. The force is enough to pin it back against a bookcase... but not for long.

With alarming ease, it picks up the cart as easily as it would a toy to free itself. Books spill from the cart's shelves, loudly tumbling all across the library floor. The companion's been struck first: now, it won't hesitate to defend itself. It raises the cart above its head and throws it in Ryunosuke's direction.

The obstacle dealt with, it turns its sights on its attacker...]

[First, he watches Yujin bull rush the Finn-bot with a small cart, and Ryunosuke sincerely wonders if he's out of his mind. They should BOTH be running! What does he think he's doing!?

And then... Well.

Since he's been on the Ximilia, Ryunosuke has been taking his physical fitness and training a lot more seriously. He's certainly a lot more capable now than he was at the start of his tenure here. Even so... he is absolutely not expecting an entire-ass cart to come flying through the air right at him.

There's not enough time to react. The lobbed furniture catches him with its momentum, and sends him reeling back into another bookshelf. It feels like getting hit in the back with a bat, and getting socked in the stomach by a boxer, at the same goddamn time. Staggering, wheezing, Ryunosuke slumps to the floor, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.

He honestly expects the companion to follow up, to come after him and try to finish the job next. But after a few seconds of floundering about and nearly blacking out, Ryunosuke keeps his consciousness, and through his pain-blurred vision, he's horrified to see the Finn-bot advancing on Yujin now.

His heart leaps to his throat. He struggles to get back on his feet, desperate to intervene.]

D... Don't...!

[The problem is, he really doesn't know what he's doing. He's a better quick thinker than this. There were other ways to block the companion's path, especially when its advance wasn't so speedy. The longer that Finn is near them, however, the more on edge Yujin gets. Something about that not-quite-Finn makes his skin crawl with revulsion-- enough that he wants it gone and destroyed instead of simply disabled.

But not even the unsettling feeling the companion draws out of him is enough to negate seeing his young friend's face. Finn's a boy; he's the little brother Jake raised. He wants the companion torn to pieces; irrationally, he can't bear to imagine it. Wanting it at all makes him feel vile. The dissonance is giving him a headache. Trapped in fight-or-flight mode like this, stopping the companion in his tracks by force is the best idea he can come up with.

Although he struggles to hold on, Finn yanks the cart roughly out of his grasp.] Stop!

[Yujin watches helplessly as it goes sailing through the air and crashes into Ryunosuke hard. He doesn't see Ryunosuke struggle to get up, though, because he's already lunging at the approaching Finn in retaliation. Maybe if he can just knock the robot to the floor, it won't matter that Finn's much stronger.

Together they collide with a nearby bookshelf. It wobbles, sending more heavy volumes tumbling down from their perches. A few strike the companion, but just as many hit Yujin, and Finn is also faster. Just as Yujin pulls away, flinching away from the impact, Finn catches him by the forearm with an iron grip. Instinctively, he tries to pull himself free of the grasp, but that only gives Finn greater leverage over him.

Yujin hears the sickening crack of bone before he feels the break. Then, the sharp pain rushes to meet him. He cries out, still trying unsuccessfully to wrest his arm free; Finn simply grabs him by the wrist and begins to trudge forward.]

N-Naruhodo-- call for help!

[Though Yujin tries to stand his ground, it's to no avail: Finn tugs him sharply along by the hand like a child. Yujin yelps in pain again, unable to shake the feeling that things are tearing within his arm. Together, they stumble closer to where Ryunosuke lies on the floor.]

[Ryunosuke is still reeling, battered, and trying to catch his breath from before. He half staggers back to his feet just in time to see the companion catch Yujin by the arm--

That cry of pain nearly makes his heart stop.]

No--!

[He swears he hears the bone snapping; maybe from this distance he's just imagining it, but either way, it's a stomach churning sight coupled with a ghastly sound. And Ryunosuke is helpless to do a damn thing about it.

Now the companion has turned it's sights on him, and it's dragging the poor professor along by the wrist...

Yujin is right: they need help, but. Who can he even call? Ryunosuke naturally thinks of Yzak first, but he's already been injured once in this fiasco, and there's no way he would be able to get here fast enough. So, who--?

Focus. More pressing to his mind is the need to get the fake Finn to let go of Yujin, so they can make a run for it. Ryunosuke stumbles backwards, frantically glancing around for some method of intervening, as the companion advances with eerie calmness. There isn't much to work with immediately on hand, but...

...His eyes light on a fire extinguisher, tucked in an alcove a few yards away.

Ryunosuke lunges for it. He grabs the device and fumbling frantically to turn it around. Finn calmly changes course to follow him without any fuss, closing the distance easily. Ryunosuke panics, takes a badly coordinated step backwards, falls backwards onto his ass-- Finn slowly reaches out for him--

Aiming from the ground up into the mechanical companion's face, Ryunosuke yells and lets loose the frigid contents of the canister. He can only hope that at the very least, it will force the mechanical menace to let go of Yujin's arm, and ideally stall it long enough for them to gain some distance.]

[Everything in Yujin screams to keep his arm still, and again and again, the fake Finn continues to pull at it during this relentless forward march. The shock he's experiencing can only do so much to keep the pain dulled and in check: every jolt of snapped bone against bone is excruciating, and being in close contact with the companion only makes him feel worse. He's helpless to break away, much less to keep the companion from making quick work of Ryunosuke too.

Just as the hopeless situation's becoming too much to bear, Ryunosuke lets the fire extinguisher loose. Yujin instinctively brings up his free arm to shield himself from the spray of white foam; the robot does the same, the split in its focus causing the grip on Yujin's arm to loosen. It's just enough for Yujin to wrench himself away with a shout.

The companion whirls around to grab for him, but Yujin's already gone. It staggers backward under the fire extinguisher blast; meanwhile, adrenaline drives Yujin forward. He hurries to Ryunosuke's side, cradling his broken arm to his chest.

While Ryunosuke's keeping the companion at bay, he may as well call for help himself. Stephen, he thinks-- but, instead of the text message he was hoping to send, it's only a thought. Dread twists instantly his gut: is he gone? Has something happened to his earpiece, god forbid the man himself? Then he realizes that his own device is gone, knocked off in the scuffle and under a pile of books all the way across the library. Looks like Ryunosuke's calling, after all.]

Stephen! [he cries, trying in vain to pull Ryunosuke up with his good arm.] Call Stephen!

[Scrambling to his feet once more, Ryunosuke exhausts the last of the fire extinguisher, and then chucks the empty canister at fake Finn's head for good measure. He hears Yujin's plea loud and clear, and though he can't quite split his focus enough to give an affirmative, he immediately activates his earpiece to send out a distress call to the man in question.]

INCOMING AUDIO MESSAGE; SENDER UN: NARUHODO

Mister Strange! Please respond, we urgently need your assistance!

["We" meaning him and Yujin of course, hopefully Stephen can surmise that much considering it's Yujin's (basically) son-in-law yelping at him for help.]

Edited 2023-12-03 21:51 (UTC)

[ Stephen's out in the streets, going door to door, intervening in altercations between people and companions and one another when the message comes in. The street he's in at that moment is empty. His focus switches immediately, not a second of hesitation in the response. ]

Where?

[Thank god he responds immediately. That's a much-needed positive turn in an otherwise chaotic situation, enough to have Ryunosuke casting out some silent thanks to the universe.]

The library at the center of town! [He's think-shouting the words as clearly and quickly as he can, while in the real world he and Yujin are staggering away, trying to find somewhere they can hole up and better defend themselves--] There's a companion after us, it-- It looks like Finn but wrong and-- Professor Mikotoba is injured! Please hurry, we don't have any reliable means with which to fight it off!

[ It takes a second. That's all. Takes news and a location and a sudden searing light carving a circle out of space, positioning itself between the aggressor and the retreating crewmates.

Stephen emerges. Doesn't spare more than the briefest backward glance to ensure the whereabouts of Yujin and Ryunosuke (can't get distracted finding out injured how - he's upright, moving, that'll have to be enough for the moment) before turning his full attention on the advancing companion.

It does look like Finn. Uncannily like Finn - only with damage now that doesn't reflect human damage, and a cold vacancy to its expression that he's never once seen on Finn's face. He doesn't hesitate. Arms come up, hands moving swiftly through a spell— then he's launching three thick bands of solid red energy out toward the Finn-thing, intention to wrap them around him at the legs, the waist, the upper arms, pin everything that might allow him to do harm fast to his body and render him at least temporarily disarmed. ]

[There's no real feeling of impact when the portal appears. Only that blinding light, like a bolt from the blue, materializing from nowhere. In what feels like that same instant, Stephen Strange steps out of that searing circle of light, moving too purposefully to meet Yujin's gaze.

But seeing him at all, hale and whole even before he's coming to their rescue, is enough. Relief washes over Yujin: even if they can't defeat the companion, they'll sure as hell get out of here. He sticks close to Ryunosuke, offering himself as support even as he leans against the younger man for balance, himself.

As for the companion, it's looking far worse now: the hit from the fire extinguisher had broken off a piece of its face, revealing the true robotic musculature beneath. It turns sharply, inhuman, when another target appears... only to be stopped short. Now wrapped up tight, it crashes to the floor with a metallic thunk. Not once does that impassive expression on not-Finn's face shift to anything resembling pain-- from the moment it's seized in those magic bindings, to the loud impact when it hits the ground. But it's not quite broken, only stalled. It thrashes about, trying to wriggle free with no avail; the fire extinguisher rolls pathetically away across the library floor. Until Stephen drops the spell, the three of them are safe.]

[ The companion goes down, extinguisher rolling away with a metallic clatter, and once he's sure it can't squeeze out of the spell Stephen turns his focus back to the people he came here to protect. A quick pass of his attention over Ryunosuke makes way for a lingering check of Yujin, who he knows already is hurt.

Not so hurt that he can't stand, thank god. Some of the tension he'd carried in through the portal eases as he stalks the few paces toward them, focus on Yujin's face with a quick glance to the younger orber and back again as he asks of them both: ]

Okay?

Y-yes-- I'm fine. [Yujin answers shakily, the rush of adrenaline already beginning to fall away. Something like awe crosses his expression, mingled with the relief. He even manages a hesitant half of a smile.] And you are, too, Stephen... I'm so relieved...

[But with the immediate threat neutralized and the adrenaline leaving him, the pain returns to meet him on all fronts. The makings of tender bruises begin to ache. His broken arm throbs painfully; he winces, sucking in air through his teeth. He steadies the fracture by the elbow, gingerly cradling the fracture closer to his body.]

Naruhodo, are you-- [Yujin winces, swearing under his breath. When he continues, his voice sounds a little tighter.] --you're alright too?

closed | she may contain the urge to run away

yujin & ryu

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cw fracture and robo finn's mean about it :(

cw more BONE STUFF mentioned

a little more Bone Stuff

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