And they need me to do their will

[oceantier]

Who: Closed to Eda, Frisk + Sans, Connie + Agent 3
What: A mind-controlled Lapis attacks Eda, Frisk, and by extension, Sans. Connie and Agent 3 go looking for Lapis and find more than they expected.
When: Prior to the festival, after Lesedi
Where: Club near Pride, then a park. Also the beach.
Warnings: Violence


A. Closed to Eda - The young man was too thin, not even enough visible muscle to be called wiry. Dressed in dark clothing, the deep hood drawn up and obscuring the upper part of his features, he still managed to move with some grace, slipping through the waning crowds. It was late -- very late, and the club was emptying slowly, laughter echoing off into the night even as the lights began to flicker out in the establishment one by one. Soon there would be little but the streetlights.

Unlike the other patrons, though, the young man doesn't go home. He pauses on the street near the entrance to an alley, silent and waiting in the dark.

B. Closed to Frisk and Sans - Evening. The park is beginning to empty, parents dragging their children off for dinner. Only a few kids remain -- mostly older, but a few younger ones tagging along after brothers and sisters. The basketball court is busy with the slap of feet and the pounding of a ball against concrete. A few of the smaller children spin idly on the hand-turned merry-go-round, the momentum dying slowly with a screeching protest of metal. The kids have long since left the water feature -- a collection of spits and spurts dancing up from the sidewalk at random in patterns. The water shoots briefly into the sky as one goes off, then another, reaching their peaks and then arching back to the pavement.

It's quiet, but Frisk might catch a familiar figure in the near distance: Luna, drifting towards them, her shape unmistakable, but features not clear enough to read from this distance.

Comments

BONUS ROUND

[missknight]

Lapis hasn't been back at the apartment lately.

It's not too strange. Lapis does that sometimes, as far as Connie has been able to figure out. Yet everything is becoming too much- the world tour approaching, the chance to finally have things that can remove the chips out of the musicians' brains, rescuing musicians... It feels like anything could go wrong at such a critical time, and Lapis' absence makes her feel nervous.

They've already had so many other people disappear, after all.

It's been a whole day of searching- secretly, which is actually really hard to do, but that Juno woman saw her, and Connie doesn't want to take any chances. Whether it's because of that or just plain rotten luck, it seems like they don't find anything.

'They', meaning mostly her and 3, who Connie glances to as she sits down on a park bench somewhere. "Sorry for taking you all over the city when we didn't find anything even hinting about Lapis," she says apologetically. "The beach is only a little ways from here, and I was thinking about going to check there, but..." Well, it seems like water is a thing for a squidkid.

[woomy]

Lapis does come and go from the apartment, but like Connie, 3's noticed that Lapis hasn't been around. That's why she agreed to help Connie search and figure out what's going on. Lapis isn't responding to any attempts of communication through the headset either.

"It's okay. Let's check the beach. But the ocean starts going crazy again, I've gotta jet out of there."

Somehow, Agent 3 hasn't quite put together that Lapis was the one to cause that chaos. She knows of Lapis' trigger finger (thanks to Sans' unplanned arrival and subsequent chaos there) and her water powers. Yet, she can't quite picture Lapis doing all of that and putting so many people at risk.

[oceantier]

If they catch it at that moment, they'll see it -- a movement out of the corner of the eye, too large for a bird. If they look up, they'll catch Lapis, wings arched at the right angle to catch the wind, her direction aiming for the beach.

She's high up yet, but obviously she means to land; she's getting lower as she goes.

[missknight]

"Alright, if you're sure-" A flicker of blue, and Connie jerks her head about. There's no mistaking it. She'd recognize that shimmer of ocean blue anywhere. "There she is!"

Leaping up to her feet, she gestures for 3 to follow after her. At the same time, she's trying to call out. "Lapis! Lapis, it's us!" Can she even hear them that high up? Connie has no idea, but she tries anyway.

[woomy]

3 sees the same flicker of blue and gives chase.

Maybe if one isn't enough, then two girls yelling might better catch her attention. 3 waves her arms over her head. "Lapis! Over here!"

[oceantier]

Two voices do definitely attract attention. Lapis catches the voices dimly and casts a glance back over her shoulder towards the two down below.

But she doesn't stop. She continues her flight, dipping down lower as she comes toward the beach.

They'll find her there if they follow.

[missknight]

That's... not good. The hairs on the back of Connie's neck stand up, but she doesn't stop running. Instead, she yells back to Agent 3, "Stay away from the water! If something weird happens, try and get Lion!" The disguise device should be recharged by now, after all.

But that's a worst case scenario kind of thing. As the beach comes into view and Connie stumbles onto the stand, she hopes that it doesn't happen. "Lapis?" she calls again hesitantly.

[woomy]

"I got a trick up my sleeve if it comes to that," Agent 3 says as she doesn't turn around. She's the last person who needs to be warned of water, and she's seen a little of what Lapis can do from up close.

"Lapis! You okay? Where've you been?"

[oceantier]

Lapis has come to land on the sand near the water, touching down like a seabird in the strip of damp sand vacated by the tides.

Twisting over her shoulder, she looks back at them. It's not particularly a friendly look, eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here."

The words are flat, dark.

[missknight]

"We came to look for you, Lapis!" Connie calls out, remembering another beach and water rolling upwards into a night sky. She shakes the thoughts from her head, focusing on the now.

"We've been worried about you! You haven't come back in a while."

[woomy]

"Yeah! We didn't know if you bounced back home or if you got caught up somewhere. You okay though?" Agent 3 asks again because Lapis didn't answer, and she doesn't really sound okay at all. She continues to get closer, so she can get a better look at her.

[oceantier]

They're always coming. Always following her. She knows what their help really means, despite those wistful faces. They want her back, want her where they know where she is, where they have control.

They want her back in the mirror, and it's not going to happen.

"Get back." Her feet shift in the sand, defensive, and the water reacts, sliding forward from the waves in silvery points like shards. One jabs across the sand towards Agent 3, even though it will stop short of actually touching her. It's a warning, and one she expects to be obeyed.

[missknight]

Uh oh. That is not good. Slowly, Connie raises up her hands, fingers spread out to show she's not doing anything.

"Okay, we're back! Right, 3? We're staying back. But can we just talk to you, Lapis? Please?" Despite her words, her whole body feels tense, ready to leap at any other show of aggression. Her heart is beating hard in her chest, throwing itself against the inside of her ribs, and it's getting hard to breath. Connie does her best to ignore it and keep all her attention on Lapis.

[woomy]

3 quickly jumps back a few feet away from that warning wave, and a hand goes to her wrist where her half-Bubbler is. She's ready to activate it at a moment's notice.

"Not again. That's a really bad habit of yours, and talking works a lot better." This is really not good. They didn't even do anything threatening like Sans did, and Lapis is still giving them the warning water. Why is Lapis being so salty about their concern?

"Just talk. No fighting. Did we do something to upset you?"

[oceantier]

They're persistent. Wheedling. Again, they'll pretend to be submissive now, follow her commands, but they don't mean it and won't follow it; it's just a ploy to try to get her into their hands -- where they'll break her gem and force her back into the mirror. Both voices tumbling in her head are in agreement on this; they're loud, badgering, reminding her that every moment she's wasting time, putting herself in danger . . .

Her shoulders tense, fists balling, a shudder rippling through her until her head whips fiercely from side to side in refusal.

"Leave me alone!"

Silver strands spike forward from the waves, racing towards Connie and 3. As they surge forward, they grow, re-shape . . . until they're versions of both girl and squid themselves, glaring back at their fleshy equivalents, lashing out with their fists.

[missknight]

The shudder already as Connie's body ready, and by the time the water surges forward, taking shape, she's already leaping away. She hadn't fought the Water-Steven, not really, but she'd seen enough back then.

Water doesn't take hits. It ignores them completely.

So she completely disregards fighting her double completely, just dodges and uses her spare breath to call out to 3. "They can stretch their arms, so just run, 3!"

[woomy]

"Lapis?!" 3 yells, noticeably alarmed and scared now. She gives herself some distance and aims with her Hero Shot. Ink vs. water isn't a combination that'll go in her favor, but 3 knows she can use the mobility if she shoots on the ground. Shooting her water clone (such a weird thought) will not do anything. Shooting the ground will make 3 harder to hit and move faster.

"What are we gonna do? She's lost it!" And the chance to talk is now gone.

[oceantier]

The water clones are racing after them -- faster than any human being should have the right to move. Connie's right about the arms; her double shoots them outward in front of its original, aiming to knot them in front of Connie's forward motion and grab the girl backward towards it.

3's clone is keeping up admirably and seems to have formed a blaster of its own, shooting off a volley of water. It seems more, though, that the shots are less about trying to hit 3 herself and more to keep her away from Connie . . .