Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Lara Croft: Parade Front

"Hm. Quite..." Lara mused as she frowned at Chara's almost maniacal chuckling, casting her eyes briefly over to Joey before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, we all have our demons. I certainly have mine. A particular Doppelganger, some could say... so perhaps there is a funny side to it all, in a morbid sense."

She stared at Chara for a moment more, before sighing lightly to herself and looking down at her PDA—checking its charge, before opening a simple game on the device. She moved over to Chara, offering him the PDA, a brief but curt smile twitching at her lips as she did so.

"Focus on something else, for a moment. There's rather a lot to take in all at once. It's probably best to slow things down. Once everything's cleared up... perhaps we can find someplace to rest and sort things through."

She paused, her brows furrowing again in thought.

"Assuming we'd even be allowed to stay here. Not that I'd be inclined to for long, given all that's happened so far."

Dipper & Mabel - Okinoka, Parade Rear/Front (Panic Pyramid)

After the chaos surrounding the parade had finally gone all quiet-like, a pair of young faces peeked out from inside the now-mostly vacant royal float, eyes a-dartin' from side to side.

"Is it over?"

"I-I dunno... it's definitely quiet... maybe now's our window. Let's get going."

Mabel hadn't really been thinking when she'd grapple-hook'd her and Dip-Dop into the back of the fake princess' float. She had a vague idea of 'get behind the fake princess, hope Dipper can disable her somehow, profit!'. But then all heck broke loose, and the twins made a silent agreement that whatever was going on, getting involved would probably be a bad idea. Even Mabel could see that. Seemed like everybody had some crazy superpowers, and as they took cover from all the chaos with that green guy (who looked kinda familiar, bit like the talking balloon from earlier...), everything turned into a fuzzy blur, like she was seeing all the plots of Dipper's nerdy comic books all happening at once. She was pretty sure there was a giant robot? Like, WHAAAAAT?

And it seemed they weren't out of the hot water yet, or however that saying goes. Mabel had hopped out of the float and looked around, for once not letting herself be distracted as they looked for someone they recognized, or at least someone friendly-looking.

It wasn't long before Mabel turned a corner and saw Pit Spelunker lady, talking to some kinda-normal looking people; a blonde teenage boy (wasn't sure why but he looked like kind of a doofus - maybe it was the hair that reminded her of a wedge of old cheese) and a kid with a knife. Okay the knife was kind of a red flag, but hey, she'd walked into town with a big ol' axe once. She could relate.

"Hey, look, it's Ms. Spelunky! C'mon!" she called after her brother... and was met with silence. Not even a little peep. Come to think of it, he hadn't made a single noise the entire time they-

Mabel turned back to see him still standing by the float. He was... shaking slightly. His face was white as snow and his pupils were all... tiny.

"Um... Dipper? Are you-...?"

It was then she looked over at what he was looking at. It was the spiky-haired guy from earlier, the one that had gotten them on the dragon. In all the mad-mad times they hadn't really had much of a chance to process anything, but now they had an opportunity. The guy was there with some other people... or... critters they didn't recognize, including a fancy looking, stuck-up royal lady she assumed was the fake princess. And the guy had a different vibe about him, somehow... okay, whatever, so what? He was obviously scaring the faker real good, that's what they came to do, right?

But then she looked closer, and she saw it. It was a... thingy the spiky guy was wearing. A very familiar-looking thingy. A medallion, resembling a pyramid with an eye.

She heard her brother swallow hard, as he nursed a series of scars on his arms. She remembered those scars. From that day she really screwed up and let him get possessed on her watch.

"I... I-I... how did... how is he..." Dipper was stuttering. Probably filling his head with questions he couldn't begin to answer, let alone her.

Mabel took a deep breath, feeling her little hands ball into fists. She had to step up; she'd already screwed things up for him enough as it is. She was pretty sure they wouldn't even be in this stupid fantasy crazy-times dimension even if weren't for her.

"HEY, YOU!!" she ran up to the assorted creatures, ignoring Dipper's desperate pleas for her to stay put. With a fury in her eyes, she jabbed a finger at the spiky guy. "YEAH, YOU! HEDGEHOG HEAD! WHERE'D YA GET THAT CREEPY MEDALLION?!"

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Mar 13th 2024 at 11:14:30 AM

Superwoman - Deja Vu

"...Does skin count?"

"Well, I was thinking more interna-"

"Shima Moyō! Leave that poor woman alone! C'mon over here, you don't know where she's been!...Sorry about that, ma'am. Moyō can be a little over-familiar."

"To be fair, I've met worse." Donna replies. "I'm going with...the flow."

The man's resemblance to Ultraman was uncanny. He certainly had Clark's chin, at least. It was like Clark Kent if he was a weeaboo (Though she wasn't about to say that out loud!). As much as she still wanted to believe this place was a product of Circe's magic, why would she waste her time creating an Ultra-clone? The Syndicate were allies, but not to that degree.

She crossed her arms inquisitively, looking at the boy from the air; with occasional glances at the game.

A deadly game of 20 questions. Owlman would have a field day.

Edited by klom99 on Mar 13th 2024 at 7:56:53 AM

Parade Rear (The Pharaoh)

"What?"

The young man turns his attention from the princess over to the shouting Mabel, the glowing eye on his forehead plainly visible.

"My Puzzle?"

{Pharaoh! The Shadow Game, you have to answer her! We can't risk lying!}

{I know...but I don't know where I got the Puzzle! I doubt she'd accept "my tomb" as a proper answer.}

"It was...a gift, from Yugi's grandfather."

Not his grandfather. "Yugi's" grandfather.

"Unearthed from a tomb in ancient Egypt. I can explain later, once we've dealt with the matter at hand."

...No tolling bell, no wooden platform appearing under "The Pharaoh." It seems that was the truth.

The Dark Magician calmly approaches Mabel, holding up one hand as if to say "calm down" before speaking directly to her.

"The Pharaoh can be trusted. He is trying to subdue this false princess before she causes any more trouble. I would urge you not to cause more difficulty, miss."

To his credit, he's holding up the hand that does not have his clearly-deadly magic staff in it.

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Mar 15th 2024 at 7:09:01 AM

Emporio, Okinoka Parade Front

Emporio took in what Joey was saying, and while he was certainly shocked for a moment, it took a surprisingly little amount of time for him to accept the information. He was used to weird stuff by now, what with all the adventures he'd been on with Jolyne.

Jolyne...

No, best not to think about that right now. He shook his head a bit as his focus went back to the present day, just in time for Chara to start laughing oddly, which made him a little unnerved. He was about to ask if the kid was alright when Joey lightened the mood by hitting himself with his own strange disc, which caused Emporio to let out a giggle despite the situation.

Then, Lara suggested finding someplace to rest, and something occurred to Emporio.

"If we're in need of a place to rest and hide for a while, I might be able to help with that." he suggested. "I have...well, you already saw the effects of Weather Report, but that power isn't really mine. It was a gift from someone else, to me, to make sure I could survive. But I also have an ability of my own. It's rather situational, but if we can manage to find any building or room in this city that's been burned down or destroyed...I might be able to turn it into a hideout."

Okinoka Parade Front

Chara's laughter was interrupted by Lara handing him her PDA, and after a few moments, his eyes focused on the game and he began playing it, taking her advice and focusing on anything but the current situation at hand. As such, it took him a bit to register the other conversations and events going on, with him only looking up once he'd calmed down enough to be able to respond while keeping his demeanor at a neutral level.

"That sounds like being trapped." He said, addressing Emporio. "I do not want to be trapped."

The faker was slow to answer, having been distracted and confused by the appearance of the platform with steps. "...Oh, uh- Well, I...I'll be living the good life! Eating the best food, wearing the best fashions, and taking full advantage of my status as Princess Urikohime, beloved by all!"

Her stated intent was mostly true, though it didn't paint her in a good light, and she sure as hell wouldn't be beloved by all after her bridezilla outbursts earlier, let alone this chilling exposé.

The faker put on a sweet smile that looked more like a pained grimace "Why, sweet sixteen, of course!"

WRONG, WRONG, DEAD WRONG.

Uriko had been staring intently at the shadow game in the distance, fists balled at her side and a furious look on her brow. Joey's explanation of Yugi's special circumstances was enough to grab her attention. "Two Yugis?" She echoed, "That must get horribly confusing. But why does he call himself a 'Pharoah'? And is 'Egypt' some otherworld name for Kumat?"

"I see," said Momotaro, "Well, so long as you folks are alright doing the hero work, that's a load of my shoulders."

With a casual nod to the others, Momotaro made his way over to Joey and Uriko. "Good morning," he said to the bride-to-be with a polite bow. "I take it you're the real Urokihime?"

Uriko blinked in surprise at him. "You're...You're Momotaro! I've read about you in the palace archives- the hero-boy of Onigashima! I-It's an honour to meet you."

"That'd be me," Momo said bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Hoped we'd meet under better circumstances, but I'm just as relieved you're as nice and polite as everyone says."

Uriko blushed, "Thank you...I-I am engaged, so I hope you weren't-"

"Oh, no no no, nothing like that. I just wanted to learn more about you...the girl who apparently hatched from a watermelon."

Uriko gave him a wary look, until realisation suddenly struck. "Oh, that's right! You came out of a peach as a baby, didn't you? At least that's what the stories said."

"Slight exaggeration, but yeah. Kind of thing that made me wonder if we were related somehow."

Uriko's eyes lit up. "Oh my word...we could be cousins, couldn't we?"

If Superwoman were to catch wind of this conversation, she might recall how she met the light-haired young maiden to begin with. Now she'd start to realise why those glowing green rocks Uriko was chained with seemed so familiar!

Parade Rear (The Pharaoh)

“The Shadow Realm reveals your words for what they truly are - the lies of a bully and a coward!”

As the false princess utters her second lie, the platform beneath her feet undergoes a change. A (fortunately-locked) trapdoor begins to form under her feet as a wooden post starts to construct itself towards the rear of the platform.

The Pharaoh, as he is evidently known by his friends, chuckles at this development.

“I suppose I should at least tell you the name of the game we’re playing. It’s well-known where I come from, there’s hardly a school-aged child alive who hasn’t at least heard of it.”

As the Pharaoh speaks, the rest of the structure around the false Uriko can be seen forming as a ghostly silhouette, waiting to be filled in. A wooden post rises from the back of the platform, reaching above the false princess’s head and ending in the unmistakable profile of a swinging rope.

“…Hangman.”

Parade Front (Joey Wheeler)

Joey rubs the side of his head, still recovering from his accidental self-bonking as he responds to Uriko.

“Nah, it ain’t dat confusin’ once ya get used to it. Ya kinda learn to figure out which Yuge yer talkin’ to pretty quick. If he’s all smiles, probably da normal Yugi. If he’s dishin’ out some wisdom, it’s da Pharaoh. He’s like a sorta king from a real long time ago. Like, we’re talkin’ a couple thousand years. I dunno what his deal is entirely, but he’s destined to save da world or somethin’. I figure if he and Yugi are supposed to save da world, den it’s my job to help ‘em. They’re both my pals, da real Yuge and da Pharaoh. He’s helped me an’ Yuge outta some tight spots. He gets a little weird wit’ da wisdom an’ magic stuff, but you’ll never meet a guy who’s got ya back like he and Yuge do. We’re in good hands ‘round here, is what I’m sayin’.”

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Mar 18th 2024 at 10:41:56 AM

Parade Front

"Excellent." Agahnim said, smiling at Durge.

Of course, unlike the others, that was that very rotten brain that had attracted the robed priest's attention.

"I understand what you mean, dragonkin. I would happily discuss these matters with you, but we have other matters at hand that require our attention." he politely said. The priest did glance at Yugi from afar, apparently playing alongside that... other persona of his that was the "Pharaoh".

Eventually, Agahnim led the Prince and his father to the real bride alongside the others. He didn't intervene, at least not yet, and calmly turned to watch the game of shadows from afar.

"It would seem the demon has given yet another incorrect answer again. Hmph. Soon, she will be ours." Agahnim muttered. At this rhythm, he didn't even feel the need to ask another question.

Emporio, Okinoka Parade Front

Emporio frowned as he heard what Chara said.

"Yeah, I get that..." he sighed. "But...trust me, you won't be trapped. You'll be able to leave whenever you want. I wouldn't be able to keep you confined, even if I wanted to."

He was already starting to slip back into a worried mood, and that wasn't helped by the developments at the parade's rear, which he was still watching out of the corner of his eye.

Parade Front

'We're in good hands', the card enthusiast had said. One look at how the game was going, and Chara had his mind made up on what kind of hands, good or otherwise, he'd be in if the Pharaoh ever got him in his sights.

"If he's invited, I'll take my chances elsewhere, thank you." Chara replied, pointing a singular finger to the Pharaoh and Yugi by extension to make it clear who he didn't want to be around.

Your eyes turn towards the offered hand. Something in your wicked brain was immediately shifting in gear. It was tempting to go...for a bite. This branch of flesh is begging to be pruned, and its sap supped from.

...But no. You're supposed to be better than that. You lost yourself for a second already. You can't lose yourself again, not now. Your clawed hand went to accept the handshake of the woman, softly and in control.

"Call me Durge. It is...a pleasure to meet you miss Kanami." You gave a soft nod to the woman as you introduced yourself. It seemed the situation with the impostor was climaxing...with a unfortunate end for the impostor if she does not find a way out of this very, very soon.

Parade Front (Joey)

Joey shoots a look at Chara.

"'Ey, whaddya mean? Da Pharaoh's a good guy. You just gotta trust dat he knows what he's doin'. Sure, he's a little...creepy sometimes, bein' dead for a couple thousand years'll do dat to a guy, I guess. Once got me, Yuge an' our friends outta gettin' our souls stolen by some freaky spirit guy. Real glad he came along wit' Yuge to dis weird place - I'd trust Yuge wit my life, don't get me wrong, but it's double reassurin' havin' da Pharaoh wit us."

That smile has not left his face this whole time, he really trusts this ghost king guy.

Magolor (Okinawa)

There were a lot of things Magolor probably...should have said in response to the imposter's answer. Pressing her for further details, perhaps, or making a snarky comment about how 'beloved' she really was. Both of those things probably would've been better than what he actually said, which was a confused "Wait, doesn't hime just mean princess in Japanese?"

His head was tilted to the side as he stared at the imposter, bewildered. "So—you just called yourself Princess Princess Uriko, did you notice that? Or is your full name Urikohime? So it would make you Princess Princess? I mean, I don't really know how Japanese works, I might be making no sense here, but—"

Then the magic shifted into the ghostly form of...a noose.

An actual freaking noose.

Magolor's eyes widened, and his ears flattened against his head. Please don't let this be what I think it is...

Yami revealed it was what he thought it was.

"H-hold on! You're going to hang her?!" Magolor whirled to face Yami in a panic, frantically gesturing with his hands. "I-I know she's not the real princess, but— hanging her?! That's not even how Hangman works! You're supposed to guess a word, not answer questions! We haven't guessed a single word at all!"

The little mage was rambling at full speed now. "Yeah I don't know much about this situation but I know that if she gets too many wrong answers you're going to actually kill her and that's not right in the slightest and— and—"

Magolor paused for breath, then exclaimed, "Does she really deserve to die over this?"

...uh oh.

That one had no "true" answer.

Okinoka, Parade Front

"Mhm!" Kanami nodded with a sunny smile at Durge's introduction, then released his digits and put a hand to her chin.

"Durge, Dirge, Dirge..." she muttered to herself, then snapped her fingers with a 'Eureka!' look. "Aha! Not 'Scaley', but you can be 'Scales'! Since, you know, you've got scales and dirges have musical scales! Ha! C'mon, Scales, let's meet you the Emperor and the Lord and Lady of the day!"

With a bounce in her step, the <Monk> strode over to Uriko, the Prince, and the Emperor, who were protected by Agahnim, Flame Swordsman, and Coppelia. Predictably, the last of the latter three immediately asked, "Do you require healing?" as they approached.

"Well, I don't need healing, but I bet Scales' throat is pretty raw, right, Scales?" Kanami answered.

"Understood, Mistress," Coppelia replied, raising her palm to point at Durge, which glowed with a soft green light that resonated with another light atop Durge's throat, and he could feel the pain in his esophagus lessen, then disappear entirely.

"Here, have some water! Need to replenish the fluids you just lost, after all!" Kanami offered after the healing was done, seeming to tap the air a few times to summon a full canteen of sweet, sweet H2O out of the aether to her grip, which she uncorked and handed to Durge.

While the scaled man was (hopefully) drinking the proffered water, Kanami took the liberty of introducing each of the three people this section of the party was protecting:

"So, here we have His Majesty the Emperor, his son, His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness' bride, Her Highness Uriko, or as I call her, Uriko-chan! -chan is an honorific that implies you're familiar and close with the girl in question, which I feel like I am, since I'm pretty sure the two of us are friends! Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, this gent is Durge, or as I like to call him, Scales! Oh, and this girl here is Coppelia, a <Cleric>! She and I traveled over here to these lands from waaaaaaaaaaaay across the world, because I have a hunch that whatever is causing the likes of Scales and me to show up here is located somewhere here, in this country! That about sums it up, I think! Anyone have any questions?"

"Coppelia is honored to meet you, Your Majesty and Your Highnesses," Coppelia intoned in her quiet voice, lifting the edges of her skirt-apron and curtsying to each of them in turn. "If you require healing, please rely upon Coppelia and her powers."

Edited by darksidevoid on Mar 27th 2024 at 10:34:22 AM

Parade Front

Agahnim restrained himself from sighing at the imp's remark. Again, he was making a case for the impostor.

"The shapeshifter has usurped the bride of a prince, and used a spell to brainwash him and his father, the Emperor, to do her bidding, thus bringing this kingdom to obey her every pitiful whims. And I can only assume that she did whatever was necessary to ensure that the real Princess Uriko would never be able to reclaim her rightful position, something that our dear Lady and the outsiders that have brought her here may or may not confirm. I cannot say for this country, but for many others, such crimes of lese-majesty are often punishable by death." Agahnim somberly replied to Magolor.

And again, hanging her was rather merciful for someone as twisted as Ganon. If he was in Uriko's shoes, he would have made the impostor beg for death instead.

Edited by Scipion3 on Mar 26th 2024 at 5:51:38 PM

Parade Front

"Really. Being dead makes you creepy. Tell me more." Chara replied in a flat voice. Before he could continue to needle Joey, the sound of Magolor's hysterics reached his ears, and a sigh of annoyance escaped him, not unlike the one that came out of Lara a few minutes prior.

"You wouldn't happen to have earplugs, would you?" He asked, turning towards Lara in the hopes she might be able to spare his ears from listening to the floating creature freak out over the idea of their enemy being dispatched. Honestly, did he have to be so whiny about it?

Parade Rear (Yami)

Yami looks at Magolor, his expression unchanging even in the face of this frantic stream of questions.

“As I said - losing this game carries with it the ultimate price for the loser.”

As Magolor’s question regarding whether the faker deserves to die has no “true” answer, the Pharaoh is not compelled to answer.

Parade Front (Joey Wheeler)

{Sure hope ya know what you’re doin’, Yami. I know Yuge wouldn’t let ya do all dis if he didn’t trust ya.}

Joey finally throws in a question of his own.

“‘Ey, ya big faker! I got a question for ya! Ya say you’re sixteen, dat ya name’s Uriko an’ you’re da bride. An’ we been lobbin’ questions at da Pharaoh, too. So lemme ask ya both dis. What are ya? Like, species-wise?”

{If she’s some kinda freaky monstah, den she can’t just say she’s human!}

Parade Front (Yami)

The Pharaoh smirks at Joey’s outburst.

“An astute question, Joey! I assume that in life, I was human. As it stands now, however…I am a spirit, still wandering the world of the living.”

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Mar 27th 2024 at 7:51:20 AM

Scales? You supposed that such a harmless nickname would be perfectly okay for you. After all, its not like you even know your real name right now, considering your amnesiac situation right now.

"Hm. Scales isnt bad sounding. I'll take it."

Giving a thankful nod to Kanami as you grab the offered water and drinking it, between the Cleric helping ease your throat, and the offered water, it was as if you didn't even vomited at all. It seemed she was introducing you to the nobility of this land. While the entire situation with your Urge was a blur, you certainly hoped these people didn't even took notice of it

"A pleasure, Majesty and Highnesses. A Sorcerer of the Weave, at your service." You gave a respectful bow to them as you introduced yourself. Strangely, all this felt natural, as if you were well acquainted with nobility and knew how this worked. This was rather strange. You certainly hoped more of your memories would come back soon.

"U-Y-Y-Yes. Obviously, this a thing that I knew beforehand and called myself because it was pretty and...and prophetic, yes! Prophetic in that...I would...be a princess, by marrying and the thing and...obviously." In her nervous haste, the imposter babbled out another false answer.

Then Yami Yugi revealed the name of the game. The false princess went pale at the sight of the apparating noose, and reflexively reached for her throat.

"NO!" she snapped. "No, definitely not! I am a princess and I deserve a happy wedding rather than this whole ridiculous charade! WHY has this blasted sorcerer not been ARRESTED already?! What's the use of all you idiotic guardsmen out there?!"

"HUMAN!" she squawked, "Lovely and pretty and human and completely innocent here!"

"At this moment?" the Lord replied, "A thousand questions. But some of these can wait until this grim spectacle is concluded. Point of order, however- I am not the Emperor, but his brother, Lord Shio."

"...thank you," said the Prince, put slightly at ease by Coppelia's well-mannered tone. He looked over to the real Uriko, confusion and uncertainty in his eyes.

The real bride drew closer. "Taichi," she said plaintively, "Don't you know me? It's me, the real me!"

"...I-I think I believe you," he replied. "You act more like Uriko than Uriko's acted all morning. It's just...my head...feels like it's full of fog."

Uriko gripped his arm. "She's had you under her spell all this time. She tricked me too, and she didn't even need magic for that."

Edited by LizardOfAus on Apr 11th 2024 at 8:56:02 PM

Parade Rear (Yami)

“…Another lie.”

The shining eye on the young man’s forehead glows even brighter.

“Which means you lose.”

As the Pharaoh speaks, the rope descends, wrapping itself around the fake Princess’s…wrists, binding her arms to her sides as the ancient king chuckles to himself.

“Innocent? I don’t think so. The shadows see your true nature, and now you shall pay the ultimate price for your lies.”

The rope continues to constrict like a snake, winding its way around Fake Uriko while curiously avoiding her neck.

“In your case, the ultimate price is being seen for what you are, having your lies and deception revealed to everyone you tried to pull into your web of deceit! The ultimate price for a manipulator is being exposed! Now, suffer the penalty for losing a Shadow Game! Reveal yourself!”

The trapdoor beneath the amanojaku opens, a phantom doppelgänger of Uriko falling from the amanojaku and through the door. Back up on the platform, suspended in midair by her arms and waist in the rope’s grasp, the amanojaku is quickly besieged by the shadowy fog gradually dissolving her disguise into wisps of purple mist.

Parade Front (Joey Wheeler)

“See? Toldja da Pharaoh wasn’t gonna just waste her! He’s not a psycho or nothin’ like dat!”

{Jeez, Yami almost had me a little worried for a sec dere…}

Parade Front

"There is no point in concerning yourself, your Majesties. It seems the fiend had played her cards well until we barged in. What matters is that you are freed... And that the impostor will face her just punishment." Agahnim said to the three royals.

And at last, the curtain fell. The amanojaku had lost the game and was... forced to just reveal herself.

Oh. That was extremely disappointing, not to mention anticlimactic.

Still, Agahnim stood there, impassible. Waiting for things to unfold once the creature would be forced to reveal herself before all.

Lara Croft: Parade Front

"Unfortunately not. Normally the sounds I take in are the sounds of nature. That, and I've become accustomed to the sound of gunfire," Lara dryly responded to Chara, casting an irritated look towards Magolor before sighing. "Oh, well. There's worse company to spend time with. If only fractionally. Bear with it for a moment. This song and dance can't take too much longer, now."

Inevitably, she began tapping her foot, though she found herself leaning forward with some intrigue when it appeared that Yami Yugi was about to execute the amanojaku by rope. She honestly didn't expect that from the kid, and was about to reassess her perception of him until the amanojaku made its final wrong answer and was subject to whatever its intended fate was. Which was simply binding it up and forcing its disguise to be gradually eaten away by the dark mist. Which, redundant as she viewed it, was just the thing she was waiting for.

"What a terrible surprise, the incredibly suspicious imposter isn't the real Uriko," she said delicately, unholstering her pistols and striding up to the parade with them held loosely by her side. "All sarcasm aside, that was an impressive display, I have to mention. But short of this creature running off ashamed into the wilderness only to return with courage at the next opportune moment... likely as soon as we're gone..."

She pointed one of her pistols at the amanojaku, even as it was still in the midst of being revealed, though obliged herself in looking down at Yami Yugi before doing anything.

"As you've imposed yourself as the judge of this whole operation, I could relieve you of the responsibility of its fate. As someone very, very willing to get this all over with."

Edited by Enirboreh on Apr 12th 2024 at 11:26:46 AM

Emporio, Okinoka Parade Front

Emporio listened to Chara and Joey's respective comments on the Pharoah, and added one of his own.

"I'm not fond of him so far, but he seems to be our best chance at unveiling what's really going on here." he replied. "If he does try and do anything bad..." he paused for a moment, contemplating the scenario, his frown deepening. "I don't know what that would entail, b-but I'll do everything in my power to try and stop him."

Then, the Amanojaku's true nature was revealed by the Shadow Game as it trapped her in place, and Lara made the offer to execute the creature. That was when Emporio stepped closer to her, putting in his own two cents on the matter.

"I don't think we should just let her run off either. She's not like those guards, who were being manipulated. She's the source of all the suffering here! She needs to be taught a lesson!"

The clouds above the Amanojaku rumbled with thunder once more.

"Just say the word, and I'll..." he faltered for a moment, before continuing. "I-I'll strike her down!"

Parade Front

"Do whatever you want with her." Chara replied, turning his attention back to the device that Lara gave him. One would think he would be all for watching an execution or punishment take place, but at the moment, he didn't seem to care at all. Perhaps he was just numb, or at his peak of excitement for the day and wanted to blot everything else out.