2018-03-25 - House of Fools
| House of Fools | |
|---|---|
| Summary: A mysterious funhouse appears in the Tomoeda Theme park, and Steven, Fuu, and Niramo win tickets through a contest they never entered. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Tomoeda Theme Park | |
| OOC - IC Date: 03-26-2018 - 04-01-2015 | |
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
The usual hustle and bustle of Tomoeda Theme Park seems even hustlier and bustlier today. The bright lights and blurs of color from the various rides is partially blocked by swarms of people, and the noises of machinery from the rides and music playing over speakers is drowned out by the chatter of the crowds. Most are gathered around the new funhouse, the House of Fools, with its garish paintings of clowns and jesters, "cute" and fierce animals, and silly Trick-Or-Treat Halloween-style monsters. The large building is bafflingly large, its entrance a spiral-painted tube spinning slowly, the tongue of a painted clown.
Most people in the park are here today from the mysterious contests they won without memory of entering, complete free passes as long as they brave the more official grand opening of the House of Fools. Others with a spark of magic may be here from sensing the odd aura that surrounds the building that came into existence not too long ago, where even the workers all assuming someone else had something to do with it. Still others are here because they ignored the park's widely announced fact that despite all of the recent missing persons having been here before they vanished, they were all seen leaving it days before. After all, it wouldn't necessarily be the first time there was such a connection, but they promised it isn't like that, they swear!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Funhouses are not usually Fuu's preferred attraction at a theme park - but she's not about to turn her nose up at a free pass to Tomoeda Theme Park. The only thing better would have been if she'd won two free passes; that way she could have invited Ferio along ... not that she didn't try to *anyway*, whether for an ostensible date or to investigate the chance of there being some manner of supernatural shenanigans involved.
And she's pretty sure they are, especially as she looks up at the House of Fools. It takes time to build something, especially something that big, and there's usually evidence beforehand - clearing the land, bringing in machinery and supplies, construction workers coming and going, new employees being hired and both new and existing personnel being trained to help keep the new attraction running smoothly. And while the theme park isn't necessarily near the routes of Fuu's usual comings and goings, she's reasonably certain she would have seen or heard *some*thing about it.
Just as she's pretty sure she would have remembered entering a contest for free theme park admission passes. Oh well - the pass seems legitimate enough, and the park itself has been in operation too long for her to suspect that management is up to something, unless of course it's an incredibly long plan. And if somebody *is* up to no good here ...
Well, that's why she's got her glove-jewel tucked into her pocket where she can grab it in a hurry. Better if at least one of the 'victims' can take care of herself, and others, in the event of an emergency. Right?
She's not hurrying up to check in just yet, though - the slowly turning tube is a little too creepy for her taste, and she's looking around for familiar faces. She knows she wasn't the only person to win a free pass to the theme park - plus, a piece of her is holding out hope that maybe Ferio will find out that no, he didn't actually have other commitments today, and will turn up in time to head in with her.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Earlier~
"Hey guys! Hey! I won something!" Steven says, rampaging through the beach house, looking for anyone to hear him. He waves in his small hand a heavily decorated ticket with colorful patterns and reflective materials, sure to draw the eyes of onlookers. And while he would love to show his caretakers...
...None were home. Where were they? "Hellooooo?" he says, the call of his voice echoes in the tall rafters of his home. They must be on a mission. Lion's usual place on the bed is empty as well. Must be important. Ah well.
The boy scribbles a note on the counter for them to know where he went, and off he goes, toward Tomoeda!
Now~
Steven has been here at the park for a bit, enjoying sights, sounds, and most importantly, food! The boy is chowing down on carnival food and has a big bag of cotton candy under an arm as he checks out the scene!
He was reminded that the pass came with the caveat of testing out the new attraction, most likely for reviews and finding ways to improve, or so he assumes.
The gem child comes to a stop in front of the ride. Looking at it felt weird, almost ominous. Perhaps it was the fact that he has... never heard of this kind of funhouse before. He knows his funhouses. There was one within walking distance in Beach City, and they cycled their content well. "Hum."
A casual glance to the side reveals a familiar presence nearby. It was Fuu! The boy begins to make his way toward the girl, to see why she was here as well! Seems liek they always ran in to each other for one good reason or another.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Ever since taking up the mantle of magical girl, Niramo's life has become more and more interesting with each new mystery envelope that arrives for her. Dangerous sleepovers into the dream world, ball dances, ice cream socials, and now she won a contest she never even heard of, let alone entered. Needless to say, each day was a complete mystery, but she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't excited for each new envelope, no matter what dangers they bring.
Today at Tomoeda was just a good reason as to why Niramo prefers Joyopolis or the other less-known parks compared to Tomoeda. Being so small for her age, crowds always pose a problem for the short ravenette. A casual glance can usually see Niramo finding her way by shamelessly standing up on park benches, wearing her favorite dark green windbreaker and jeans, with a plain silver anklet hidden inside a sneaker. "Ugh, why can't they design things while keeping the vertically challenged in mind?" Mild grumbling aside, she wasn't complaining about the fact that she got into the park for free, but more that it was being rather difficult to locate!
Using a lamppost to her advantage, she finally catches sight of the House of Fools, grinning at the clown-focused entryway. "Okay, if they designed it with one of those spinning tubes just for the entryway, maybe it won't be as bad as I thought!" An annoyed huff coming from within her jacket is the only indication of what her companion feels about that. Several stern warnings, and the size of the crowd was enough to keep the mouse-formed Kwami from going off on his own, despite his interest in figuring out just how many machines it takes to entertain humans for a day.
A quick glance of the crowd from Niramo was all that she needs to find Fuu, looking around and waiting. Was she here with someone? Jumping down, Niramo makes her way through the river of humanity, pushing and squeezing her way towards Fuu. It was only a slightly more ruffled Niramo that makes it to Fuu, the Juuban student glad that she go with such a loose ponytail. "Fuu-san, glad to see you here too! Hopefully your spring break is going well! Just a late night or two here, mostly due to a friend wanting to drag me along when she goes shopping for computer parts. I rather just use the computer for games or read a good book, but I think I can step away for a day at a park."
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
As the friends catch up, the crowd moves towards and into the funhouse. Each person has to brave the spinning barrel entrance, dizzying and disorienting as they try to maintain their balance. Halfway through the tube, they seem to vanish - seems there's a trick divider to make it look as if they disappear into thin air from the outside.
Those behind the three magical kids anxiously and eagerly await their turn, unable to feel the strange aura emenating from the building. Is it magic, or just the intimidating nature of the place? Either way, the funhouse gives a strange mixed air of fun and fear. Then again, isn't that just like some of the best funhouses and dark rides?
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Ah, Steven-san! Niramo-san!" Fuu smiles brightly as she recognizes the two. "Yes, my break is going well so far; I haven't been making quite the kind of progress I'd like to on Mahou Senshi Gundame, but - well, an independent project does have its advantages, doesn't it?" She pauses briefly, glancing at the pass she's holding, then at those held by Steven and Niramo. "Goodness, did both of you win free passes for the park the same way I did?"
Well, there's no real advantage in waiting longer, is there? And if the funhouse is indeed the site of hijinks afoot, then the sooner they go in, the fewer potential helpless victims have the chance to filter into the House of Fools. The sensation of butterflies in her stomach is sadly familiar by now for Fuu, and her left hand slips into the pocket of her jeans briefly, as if making sure the glove-jewel remains ready if she needs it. (It's surprisingly flat while pocketed, considering the size of the jewel when she's wearing it ....)
Her turn comes up, and with one last moment to judge the spin of that 'tunnel,' she advances - going sort of diagonally, compensating for the rotation under her feet. (There are *so* many real-time games with rotating walkways like that, though ...)
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"Heeeey!" Steven calls out toward Fuu, scampering up, his flip flops pattering on the xarnival grounds. "Whats up?" The boy asks, before suddenly, another face shows up! It seems like Steven meets these folks when something happens every time, jsut about!
Eh, probably coincidence... "Oh neat! You earned this? Awesome! I got a ticket for this from... well, I don't quite remember where, but I am totally gonna use it to the max!"
Steven holds out the massive bag of cotton candy toward Niramo and Fuu. "Want some? It is super good!" There is a disgusting amount of cotton candy there. Way too much for even the three present. Maybe he bought some for someone else? "It okay if I get in line with you two?" he asks politely. FUnhouses are even more fun with others in tow that they know! TO heckle 'em for gettin spooked! If this even was a scary one. "Uh..." he lets out, as they get closer. "Anyone feel kind funny about this one? Or am I just being chicken?"
Steven shows no signs of backing down though. He wont let a Funhouse get him down. That is like... the opposite of what funhouses are supposed to do. "What about you, Niramo? Anything new on your end?"
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Nodding her head, Niramo sighs as she remembers her projects, some half-finished or completely forgotten about. "It does, but if you try to do too many things at once, you get nothing done. I been thinking about trying to learn how to read sign language, but that's a lot harder than I thought. So many twists and turns for hands and fingers. Huh, oh, Steven-san!" Twisting around, she waves at Steven, a large smile blooming on her face at seeing her other friend. The mention of winning the same contest by Fuu has Niramo glancing back down at her own decorated ticket. "Yeah, but...I don't even remember entering anything. I think maybe Yuhira-chan did it as a joke, but...oh well, i'm not too worried about it!"
Getting into line with Fuu and Steven wasn't an issue, and there doesn't seem anything too creepy or omnious with the fun house. Sure, it looks super new and really advanced, but it has to be fine if the park is promoting it, right?
The Kwami riding shotgun in Niramo's jacket, however, could almost physically feel the magic emitting from the strange building, however. Climbing upwards and getting close to the ravenette's ear, he mentally thank Niramo for having the collar stick out so much. Too many prying eyes in the crowd to even try sticking a whisker out, and no need to alarm Niramo's friends, after all.
"I would be careful if I was you, Niramo. This 'fun house' has enough magic radiating from it to be seen for miles around. I'm but saying it's anything bad, but, with all those tickets, something doesn't add up."
Takk's warning almost distracts her from Steven's offered bag, but she's not one to turn down free candy! Plucking a good bit to snack on, she nods. "Go right on ahead, Steven-san. I love fun houses when I was younger, but it's so hard to find any in Tokyo. I want to try one of those 'escape rooms' one of these days, though! And...maybe just a little. After all, we're climbing into a clown's mouth!"
Following after Fuu, Niramo does her best to keep upright, but she ends up having to move like a crab, going along sideways to try to keep with the twist. "And not really! Sadly, none of the stores I go to have any new figurines I don't already have. They really need to make more Magical Detective Loveline figurines, they only have figurines for characters up to 25th episode, and episode 70 came out just last Saturday!"
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
It seems that the heroes are entering the belly of the beast... or at least the mouth of the giant clown. The slow turn of the barrel was slightly tricky to navigate but managable. What is less managable is the second barrel after the vanishing illusion curtain, rotating twice as fast in the opposite direction. The room beyond is pitch black - no, it is just painted black to look like a void, the only eyecatch is a stationary spiral disc on the wall, making it look as if it is turning and the tube standing still. Which way is up, and which way is down? Only gravity knows.
If one were to lose their balance, the shock may give someone butterflies in their stomachs, though they seem to escape from them, as the shock calms down faster than one would expect. That's nt the only unusual thing, however. The people ahead of Fuu, Steven, and Niramo are nowhere to be seen.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Uwaa - !!" The sudden change from 'turning this way' to 'turning that way and faster' catches Fuu by surprise, and she *does* stumble - although she manages to catch herself without falling over. Closing her eyes briefly actually helps ... particularly given that disc positioned opposite the entry.
She's actually kind of impressed at this point, in a way. The discombobulation of the counter-rotating tunnels with that curtain between them is very well done, and the illusion offered by the combination of the disc and the tube's rotation is excellent for disorienting people, making it feel like they've just wandered out of how space is *supposed* to work normally. On the other hand, given how many people have supposedly gone missing lately? .... nnnnot a good sign, especially given that some of the people who preceded Fuu and her companions in SHOULD still be visible in this room. Probably. She thinks.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Pushing through the curtain, Niramo almost walks into the side of the tunnel right then and there, as she wasn't expecting to suddenly have to move the opposite way, and so much faster on this side of the curtain. "Geeze, the entrance of this fun house is something else!...wait, uh, wasn't there a huge crowd ahead of us?" Looking forward while trying to adjust to the much faster tunnel, Niramo's eyes land upon the spinning disc. Was it spinning, or was the tunnel...or was both of them actually still and it was her who was spiraling down the tube?
That mental image, as well as the speed is enough to finally enough to get Niramo's feet to twist under her, causing her to tumble. Getting upright again while in a turning tube is a lot harder said than done, but a few moments is all Niramo needs to get upright once again. The sudden fall certainly made her feel uneasy for a moment, but it was already gone, unlike if she had fallen in a normal hallway. 'Takk did say something about this fun house being covered in magic, but I doubt anyone would go to all the effort just to not have people get sick here. I'm going have to be more careful!" "Ugh, i'm okay! Try not looking straight ahead, focus on your feet instead. That disc really throws you off!"
Following her own advice, the young Miraculous user bows her head down, ignoring what lays ahead of her and staring down at her feet, crab-stepping to victory. She can only hope there's not more moving floors ahead of her at the end!
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
It is good that folks are partaking of the cotton candy! He is bringing some home to someone, but it is far too big for him to carry all that way. Less heavy, more bulky. "Well, free is free, so I decided to hop along! Im sure everything is fine in there, I am just weirded out." A lot more so than he cares to admit. Might just be that front decor. Eesh.
Steven, being the polite young man, lets the ladies go first, of course. "Haha, okay okay, I dig this," he says, seeing the spinning tunnel. That is really funhouse-like. "Whee!" Steven says, letting out a goofy laugh. He lets his flip-flops not grip the turning floor and sortof just slide around with it. He topples a time or two, but he has fun! The boy waves his arms around in a wave pattern as he walks through the tunnel behind his companions.
"Ah, figure I would hear more folks being goofy ahead. Did something happen? A pause. "I have heard of some funhouses using sound dampening features, but... that was a really big line ahead."
Okay, he is starting to worry a bit. He takes a deep break. Everything will be fine. It is just first funhouse jitters. Well, funhouse in Tokyo jitters. Is that even a thing? He stuffs a piece of cotton candy in his mouth to calm himself. Mmmm. Sweet. "You two okay up there?" he asks Niramo and Fuu. He can still see them at least. For now.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
Everyone survives the horrible monsterous barrels of doom, but can they withstand the deadly forces of... the room where you can't see what is what? Everything is the same shade of black. The walls are black, the ceiling is black, the rumbling floor beneath everyone is black... and with a sound of fluttering cloth, the entrance vanishes into black. Even the design on the wall that created the optical illusion of spinning can no longer be seen, as light seems to be afraid to be in this room.
Luckily, it doesn't stay dark for very long. Various lights in corners slowly glow in different colors, bathing the room in changing hues. One turns on, then fades, leaving the darkness alone for a few seconds only for another color to shine. The walls turn red... blue... green... a varitable rainbow. And in the moments of light, three hallways are revealed.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Finally stumbling into the room, Niramo lets out a sigh of relief at having solid ground under her feet, despite the fact the room was just so dark now. "The first part was pretty fun, but that second one really makes you build up a sweat." Looking around at her friends, Steven honestly looks like he's having a blast, but Fuu looks a little apprehensive. Maybe fun houses are not her thing, or maybe she's feeling odd about the fun house too.
As the entryway closes shut behind them, Niramo quickly shuffles in her pockets. When it comes to pitch darkness and rainbow lights, it's best to bring your own! With a press of a button and a flick of a finger, Niramo's phone lights up the darkness around her, with the girl holding out the screen in front of her as a makeshift flashlight. A closer look shows that the Juuban student has a Sailor V image for the background. Moving the light around her, she finds the three hallways easily, enough for all three of them, but this causes her to frown. "Hmmm...three hallways...should we split up, or just go together?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
There's a piece of Fuu which is increasingly wondering if they *are* still in Tokyo, if they were to bust through the walls or something to get out of here. Not that she plans to start busting through the walls - this is disorienting, to be sure, but not yet frightening enough to drive her to transform or anything. And then there are the colors.
"We stick together," she replies to Niramo, not even hesitating to reply. "I don't trust this place. And I don't want to be separated from familiar faces." She looks between the hallways, taking some advantage of Niramo's phone-light. "... shall we bear right or left? Somehow I don't want to venture down the middle corridor."
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Admittedly, that spinning room wasn't so bad. A little dizzy from the flowing illusions, but overall fun! Steven will rate it 4 out of 5 Crying Breakfast Friends stickers. Wait, they didn't give him a review form at the entrance!!! How is he supposed to leave feedback for testing it now?!
It is revealed shortly as to why the crowd disappeared ahead, though doesn't explain the lack of noise. The next room is completely dark. "Ah, does anyone have a--" Before he gets to say flashlight, colored lights play the room, at least granting some form of visibility. Playing to the colors of the rainbow, the rotating hues also show the way forward! Seems like Niramo had a good idea with her phone though. A little extra light never hurts!
The boy looks to Fuu. "Yeah, I am with you on that one. Left is always right, they always say!" A pause is given, before he responds with, "... I dunno who says that, to be honest!"
"I like your idea of having extra light on hand! That could be super helpful!" Especially in other dark rooms meant for spooks. The boy hefts up his heap of edible clouds, and looks toward the left. What could be father in? And how big was this funhouse, anyway? Must be a deluxe model or something.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
As the group decides which path to take, the vibrations of the floor pick up. It feels almost like a minor earthquake! The shaking could be felt all the way to the bones, messing with lesser mortals. But these are great heroes, there's no way it could get to them, right? Well... even if it did, any panic would feel muted, not too exciting after all. There's still the matter of the three hallways, however. Which one is the most fun, the most exciting, the most likely to be the right one?
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Niramo blinks in surprise as the ground starts to vibrate even more, the weird feeling more than enough to give her a mild case of goosebumps. Having her bones be vibrated like that wasn't the best feeling in the world. "Right, left it is!...wait, no, just go left. No need to confuse us even more!" With her phone being a guiding light, Niramo takes the lead here, heading down the left hallway. She does take another handful of cotton candy, though. To calm the nerves, obviously.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"To the left, then," Fuu agrees. She'd take the lead herself, but Niramo beats her to it - and since Niramo DOES have that light from her phone, Fuu doesn't argue the point.
She hasn't taken Steven up on the offer of cotton candy yet, though. Admittedly, this whole situation has her too uneasy to think about snacking, even if the cotton candy does smell rather appealing. Plus, the mass of pink combined with the adjacent curls of Steven's hair make for a convenient point of reference in the intermittent light.
Now if only that uneasy feeling in her stomach would *settle down*. The vibration in the floor, while it at least helps confirm to a degree which surface her feet ought to be on - and that she's still on that surface, for that matter - doesn't exactly calm her down. Not, she suspects, that it's *supposed* to be calming .... this funhouse is a little too well designed for the task of putting people at unease.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"Yeah, see that is how I felt the first time I heard that saying," Steven begins with, running a hand through his poofy hair. Trying to stay calm under duress is had, even if it is wacky duress, like a vibrating floor. That was just for effect, right? Right? Oh dear. Could be a malfunction. Or worse.
"I'll go take a look first!" Steven says, heading toward the left side. Better make sure nothing immediate will jump out at them. It was a funhouse after all; it could happen. Better him than them. "I think its okay!" he says.
He is clearly unsure about what he just said.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
"I think it's okay!" Poor Steven, how wrong he was. From the ceiling springs a jack-in-the-box clown, laughing directly in his face before springing back up. As for Niramo, her bravery in going first led her to nearly getting attacked by a pop-out mummy coming out of the wall before going back in. And then there was the trap sprung for Fuu.
The floor beneath Fuu collapses, sending her hurdling down towards her doom. The fall seems endless, going on for... seconds? Minutes? A plunge into pure darkness and-
It then occurs to her that the floor only sunk about a half a foot. What was that sensation then? And why did the startle now seem to be fading into a feeling almost like a distant memory? Maybe the funhouse was designed to startle then calm, to prevent delivering too much stress, or maybe it was something else...
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
There is a very loud and very startled squeak from Fuu, lasting approximately as long as it takes for her to plummet six inches. .... okay, *very* approximately; it lasts longer than that, but not by much.
"'Okay' is a relative term, I think, Steven-san," Fuu comments as she checks to make sure what height the rest of the floor around her is at. She doesn't want to trip over a ledge where the floor just sank underneath her, after all. "Are you two still all right?"
.... she pauses abruptly, feeling on her face. Her glasses ARE still there, hopefully; she has an extra pair in her purse (she's had *awful* luck with her glasses since about her second year of middle school) but she does not want to go fishing for them in sub-optimal visibility. Better to do that outside where there's proper sunlight and a reliably solid ground underneath, and preferably a bench or somewhere to sit.
All things considered, she's glad she *hasn't* helped herself to any cotton candy yet.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
It wasn't that Niramo was uneasy, just putting up a brave face. The more time that she spends inside, the more strange and unusual this place seems. Especially with how odd she felt when she fell down inside the turning tunnel. Turning around from Fuu's squeak, she raises the phone up. "Fuu-san, are you...okay?" The ground, a depressed tile perhaps, under Fuu had sunken down only a little bit, but the pale look on her face certainly says it wasn't a simple drop. "Yeah, this hall is creepy, not going to lie. I rather have a mirror maze or a platform maze like at Joyo-" Turning back around and taking a step, a mummy leaps out from the wall!
The high-pitched yell can certainly be heard if there was others nearby, the young ravenette frozen stiff in shock from the mummy leaping out to grab her!...wait, it was just a cutout? Closing her eyes, Niramo holds her hands against her heart, taking deep breaths to calm herself. For such a simple cutout, it was a lot scarier to her than she expected. Collecting herself, Niramo takes another deep breath before giving in to a little rant. "I. Hate. Jumpscares! Uuuugh, so cheap, and I hate horror stuff in the first place. That's it, it's ice cream time when I leave, at least two scoops of it!"
Huffing, Niramo raises the light over her head and starts to walk forward, but now her eyes are watching the walls, floor and ceiling as much as they are looking forward. This place is easily in her bottome 5 favorite fun houses just from that.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
A distinct deploying noise goes off in the hall, just enough to get STeven's attention to turn and look right where the head of the Jack-in-the-box drops into. If one could visibly see his hair frizz out from being startled, it most certainly does! "AHHH!" he says, floundering about trying not to drop is trove of colored cloud treasure.
The boy is shaken, but okay. "Y-Yeah! Haha, okay I am starting to get back into the funhouse vibe," he adds back. These kind of hijinks were definitely funhouse material. Though Fuu's was a... little harsh.
"Not the worst thing I suppose." A look to Niramo. "You okay?" She seems to be having a rough time with those jumpscares. "Just imagine, what was on those other two paths, eh? Could have been much worse!"
He may yet regret those words.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
The hallway continues, revealing itself to be warped in a shape alternating between too thin for two people to walk next to each other - a clear sign something was going to pop down like a jack-in-the-box or a googly-eyed cartoony spider, or even dumping confetti and glitter on Niramo with a trumpet fanfare and a laugh; to wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side comfortably - where it is obvious that something was going to pop out like a cutout dracula, or a face on the wall sticking out a giant tongue. There were even blasts of air from beneath them. Each 'scare', 'laugh', or 'annoyance' had diminishing returns, possibly even being slightly tiresome. Luckily, the hallway ends... in a brightly tie-dyed room filled with dozens of doors. Polkadot painted doors, checkered doors, doors with arrows on them... just so. Many. Doors. Which way was out? Which doors lead to the exit, or further in, and which ones lead to scares? The floor beneath them is made of rotating platforms for juuust a liiiittle more disorientation. Fun.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Going further down the path, Steven finally began to loosen up some. This was a proper funhouse. That ominous feeling was gone. Silly scares that are cheesy and not particularly frightening except in the moment of appearance. Glitter, vibrating floors, whirling colors and goofy cutouts have Steven in a giggling mess, not particularly adding to any conversations. Just being a goofy 5th year.
By the time they reach the 'end' room he has this grin stuck to his face, like the glitter is stuck to Niramo. It is /on/ there. "Look at all the colors!" he says, walking in, and almost spinning out on a rotation platform. "Whoah!"
"Look at all these doors!" he says, looking around at all the options. "Its a trick maze thingy! I saw this back at Beach City! All doors but one lead back here! Or something like that." The question was, which door was it? Usually one of the doors has a hint. But so far, ntohing stands out... "Hum..."
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Okay, the jack-in-the-boxes are not too bad, and the dracula actually got a laugh out of her, just because how silly it looked. Even remembering the pop-out mummy got Niramo to chuckle a little, just looking back on it. But the glitter and confetti...Takk is thankfully safe from being bedazzled, hidden under Niramo's jacket like he is, but the young ravenette is going to find glitter for days now. But her hair was completely covered now, and the random wind jets only makes things worse. "Ummm...Steven-san, Fuu-san, maybe you shouldn't be so near to me. I don't want to get you covered either."
After many more jump scares, each more annoying than the last, the heroic trio finally arrives inside a brightly-lit room, as colorful as their last room was dark. With the floor spinning around and around, it's going to make it hard to find any real exits, and she's sure some of these doors are going to make more traps. "Okay, still not as bad as that second hallway. Um...hate to say it, but it's going to be trial and error, Fuu-san, Steven-san! Just...stand to the side when you open the doors, try to avoid any more traps!"
Moving with the spin of the floor, Niramo makes her way along the walls until she's on the opposite side of the room, and opens a door with a zig-zag pathern straight off a zebra, all while standing to the side. No need to get a pie to the face while she's as glittery as a disco ball!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Funhouses are, as noted previously, not usually Fuu's thing. And this one is both proving and reinforcing *why* - the 'fun' part is highly subjective sometimes, and Fuu isn't the sort of girl who enjoys being scared or startled, although she has a general, vague sense of why some people would.
So many surprises, whether outright scary, or silly, or just disconcerting. And finally they reach -
The last room?
It *has* to be, she thinks, perhaps wishfully. Assuming they're still in Tokyo, still on Earth, still somewhere that the known laws of physics remain in force, then these doors can't all lead somewhere massively different from each other - right? Although Steven's observation, that the wrong door(s) would lead right back to this puzzle-trap room, makes her heart sink all over again. THAT wouldn't be too hard to arrange, even if the map is a two-dimensional plane; the convolutions would be limited, but clear enough.
Probably.
Fuu's gaze sweeps around the room, quickly categorizing the patterns and colors as well as she can; she takes particular note of the door they came in by once it closes behind them. If there are no clear distinctions among the other doors, no unique case of a given color or a pattern, then the door they came in by *should* be a clue as to the door they need to *leave* by.
.... otherwise, Niramo's suggestion is probably the only one they have to work with, and there are *so many* doors to work through.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
It seems the three have figured out a strategy. Could they make it through all these doors? It begins with Niramo opening a zebra print door... safely from the side as to not get hit by anything. She need not have worried, however, as a slightly smaller tiger print door is all that is behind it. Meanwhile, there are still many many doors of all patterns. The door they entered from is probably the plainest, simply being white with a single black dot. Perhaps it is a clue, or perhaps it is just a red herring. No other door has a single dot on it, though some doors have differing numbers of colored dots, along with all kinds of weirdly patterned ones.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
With the door they entered through being white with a single black dot, Fuu starts trying to find a door which is black with limited white markings.
No other door having a single dot on its own doesn't really surprise her. Assuming this is still part of the mundane funhouse, presumably staff need to be able to find their way through in a hurry no matter which end they're coming from - both to do maintenance on the 'stunts,' and potentially to assist customers who are either completely lost or otherwise in distress.
If there's no door matching that description (and the 'zebra' door admittedly comes close enough to yell at it), she's looking for a door with, say, a single circle rather than a single dot.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"Ah," Steven lets out, as he looks around near the doors. Each one a pathway to back here. Except for one. But what one could it be? Each one is so crazy and looks like an eclectic mashup of color and form. "Do we open them all? I mean, didn't people come down this way, right? There was only three branching paths, but there is no way that not a single other person came down this path."
The boy pauses. "Maybe we are missing something."
The boy looks behind him. "You know, if there is only one exit, and all the other doors might lead back here, that leaves only a single path that doesn't do that." He looks back toward the way they came in.
"It possible the room moved or something? We were distracted by this colorwheel of a room." He doesn't remember the room feeling like it shifted though. Perhaps the outside moved around them?
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Leaning against the wall to the side of the tiger-striped door, Niramo lets out a soft sigh before reaching over to grasp the doorknob, all the while walking slowly to keep pace with the spinning floor. Taking in a deep breath, bracing herself for yet another jumpscare, Niramo twists the knob and leaps backwards, doing her best to avoid the incoming...nothing?
Surprised by the fact that nothing happened since it was so different, it takes Niramo a moment before she looks inside the doorframe and groans as she spots the slightly smaller door just behind it. "Oh great, i'm starting to feel like that English girl who went crawling down a rabbit hole. Nothing here seems to make any sense." Not bothering to pull open the next door open, sense there is likely going to be a smaller door just waiting for her, Niramo looks over to her fellow explorers, to see just how they were fairing as well. "Steven-san? Fuu-san, any luck with finding an exit?"
While Niramo hasn't thought about how staff must move through the fun house, Steven's musings does make sense to her, causing the ravenette to nod her head in agreement. This also displaced a little of the glitter. "Right, that makes sense. We came out of a darken hallway, so if we see a door that doesn't have a darken hallway, that should be the right exit, right?" Letting the floor move her for a moment, Niramo tries her luck with a door pattered after a fish, the red scales much like that of a herring.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
Fuu looks for a door with an empty circle, but finds no doors like that. There's one with a feather on it, one with a dozen polka dots of different colors, a couple doors with arrows pointing in different directions, a door with six dots on it in two rows of three, a door with six dots in a tringle formation, a door with a spiral... but none matching the description she was looking for. Niramo meanwhile gives up on the door-within-a-door door and opens the fish door to find an exit sign! And... nothing else. Just an exit sign. Was it suggesting breaking through the wall?
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
If they don't find the actual exit soon, 'breaking through the wall' will become an increasingly tempting idea.
However, upon seeing the door with the six dots in two rows of three - like the pips on the '6' face of a regular six-sided die, just as '1' is usually marked by a single pip in the center of that face - Fuu tries *that* door. Carefully, though - borrowing Niramo's earlier idea of standing to the side of the door as it's opened, just in case it ISN'T the exit.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Frowning as she gazes upon the exit sign, her first instincts was to sigh and just try another door. Putting just an exit sign behind a door was obviously designed to annoy the park guests, but if this fun house has already shown it, nothing was exactly what it seems. She highly doubted the fun house was asking for the walls to be broken down. Niramo may have accidently broken a few walls while she was transformed, but it wasn't like the public knew that, right? She has seen videos of mazes where either paper screens blocked an exit or it was actually an inflatable wall and crumbles at the slightest touch, and goes to do just that, placing a hand under the exit sign and pushing hard.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Steven just stares at the way they came in. Hum. Could that be true?
"Not yet, still formulating a plan!" he says to Niramo. Seems like she isn't having too much luck just yet. Wonder why those doors have animal patterns on them?
Fuu seems to have an interesting idea when it comes to the dots. Perhaps she is on to something! "Do you think the pattern on the door we came in has something to do with it?" he asks. The opposite of one is six when it comes to a dice, and some dominoes.
The boy goes to see if there are any other doors with dots om them in the room, and tries the nearest one! "One of these gotta be a way onward!" On the bright side, if the yget tired, theres lotsa cotton candy!
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
When Niramo pushes the 'Exit' sign, all the lights go dark. Guess that wasn't the exit. Where the door that Steven tries leads to is hard to tell, but it seems to be the same inky blackness as the rest of the room. As for Fuu's door...
It also is pitch black, except one by one, tiny stars blink into existence on the walls, tiny lights creating a path through the cosmos. Could this be the way out?
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
"Huh?" While the wall itself was certainly solid enough, the exit sign was actually a button in disguise, but one that actually controls the light for the entire room. "Aah! Sorry about that, everyone! I wanted to try something, but I...oh?"
Trying to apologize to a dark room, Niramo notices the tiny 'stars' blinking on, one by one. It certainly seems weird, but maybe they had to simply ignore the doors and now follow the lights. "I'm thinking we should follow these lights. I mean, there has to be a reason they included a light switch for this room in the first place, right?" Trying to sound more sure of herself than she actually was, Niramo would follow after Fuu, though she pulled out her own cell phone and would wait for Steven first.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The room suddenly going dark around her elicits another soft yelp-squeak from Fuu ... but the lights coming on along the walls behind the door she picked out are a VERY welcome sight, and Fuu holds the door open so the others can zero in on where she is.
After a moment's consideration, she also fishes her cell phone out and wakes it up, so the light from the screen will help offset the darkness. At least, she hopes it will. She's holding her phone so the screen faces down, in any case - the better to avoid dazzling anybody, while still providing a little more of a 'beacon' for the three of them to find her by.
"If nothing else, Niramo-san, you seem to have stumbled on something of a clue," Fuu admits. "Although it might not have helped much without knowing which door to look behind."
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"Whoah!" Steven lets out, when all the blinding color in the room goes dark. Rather disorienting. The boy fumbles around for a door handle, and finds one, though opening the door in front of him reveals nothing. "Uh, anyone got any ideas? How do we get the lights back on-- wait, what is that?!" He exclaims.
Steven turns to see pinpoints of light around the silhouette of one of the girls. One of them found a possible way forward! The boy does his best to head their way, though spinning floor panels still cause a few issues. Good one funhouse, good one.
"That has to be the way forward!" Steven calls out, having gotten to /somewhere/ near Fuu and Niramo. Darkness makes proximity to people nebulous at best. But he hears her. Hopefully that too, is not a trick! "Lets go forward!" he says, heading toward those tiny lights peppering what appears to be a hallway? It is super hard to see the shape of what lies beyond.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
Every door, every trap, every trick seems to remind their bodies and minds just how long they've been in there - and each time it feels longer and longer. However, the team seems to have found a way forward. The path of stars twists and turns and heads in all directions, feeling as if it might even be looping back on itself if one was to mentally map their progress, though it was hard to tell as the stars blinked out as the last one passes them.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Each step forward down a path only lit by stars only reminds Niramo of each little trap, prank and jumpscare she has seen so far, and while it was indeed a little tiring, she was determined to get out of this place without asking for help. That, and the fact she was already starting to feel tired only gave more credit to Takk's warning about how the fun house was 'saturated with magic'.
Using her phone as a light source, though dimmed so as to not drown out the starry footpath, Niramo checks the time and frowns. "It seems like we been in here for quite a while, but it's only been 15 minutes. Maybe the fun house is getting to me, but i'm starting to feel a little tired, and not that good kind of tired, either."
Speaking aloud her concerns to make conversation and to fill the eerie silence down this path, Niramo checks over her shoulder to make sure Steven was staying close, and notices the pure darkness behind them. "Looks like it's a one way path, but i'm ready to get out of here anyways. The new fun house is amazing and all, but i'm ready to ride some actual rides, Fuu-san, Steven-san!"
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"I'm less worried about rides and more worried about getting out in the sunlight again," Fuu replies. She hasn't even looked at the time on her phone, her full attention on the path onwards.
It *is* leading out, right? It can't just keep them trapped in here forever ...
Right?
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"I wonder who had the creative mind to make this 'un?" Steven asks aloud. A kid pondering can be a strange thing, though it did bring to mind a thought. Why exactly did it have such a complicated way to leave a room? Funhouses usually have to stay simple for the sake of the quantity of people who pass through the funhouse. Some folks couldn't solve that and get stuck. They would be in big trouble.
So who made it?
"I have no idea where we are going now," the boy adds. He has officially lost track of where they were in the building as a whole.
"I like the funhouse still, though it has gone on longer than they usually do." A pause. "This is definitely bigger than the building it was in. I think people are shifting parts around to give the illusion of impossible space. I have seen super famous funhouses do that."
...But the outside of this place definitely didn't resemble those. It makes him worry. But for now, all he can do is proceed forward until another room is reached.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
They had to hope they were making progress. The flashlights of their phones weren't enough, and the lights behind them were gone. Only the stars ahead ever remained, and soon, they also blinked out.
A few moments pass, though it is hard to tell just how long. It could be seconds or even minutes. Eventually, the room lightens up, revealing them to be in a huge square room... with no doors, not even the one they should have entered from. Just a red wall, a blue wall, a green wall, a yellow wall, a black ceiling, and a white floor.
How did they end up here? Where's the hall they entered from? How do they leave? Can they even leave?
Maybe these spinning discs on the wall, with their interesting patterns... maybe they hold a clue. Anyone who even gets a mere glance at them can tell how important they are. Perhaps if they stare at them long enough, the answers will come to them.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"I think a funhouse with mobile architecture would have taken a bit longer to build than this one seemed to, Steven-san," Fuu points out mildly - and then they run out of stars to follow. Or, so far as she can tell, out of hallway. One moment of darkness later, though, they can see their surroundings again, and Fuu taps the power button to put her phone back into sleep mode, the screen darkening again. Only then does she turn her attention to the room's decor in full ...
And very nearly regrets doing so. That *first* spinning disc (or was it stable while the passage rotated?) threw her sense of balance off, and some part of her does not want to trust these discs to provide any actual clues. Her sense of time and location is already badly out of whack; she feels like she's been wandering around for hours at least, possibly days, and she really REALLY wants to not be here any more.
Why are there no doors? Unless one of those discs is covering the spot that they SHOULD have come through from.
This has to be the last room. PLEASE let this be the last room. Fuu's not sure if she actually mumbled that plea or not, and she's not sure how much she cares if her companions overheard it.
She takes her glasses off for a moment, rubbing at her eyes, then fishing out a handkerchief to make sure the lenses of her glasses are clean. Then she puts her glasses on again, peering cautiously at the walls and the discs. She can think of one possible solution that might be worth applying, but it depends a lot on how the walls are arranged ... although with black and white being ceiling and floor respectively, that probably doesn't match up with the Four Beasts, does it? ... or does it? She can't even remember off the top of her head, but wasn't the Vermilion Bird associated with the south, while the Black Turtle was to the north? ... or was that latter one the White Tiger?
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"Yeah, you are right," the Gem Child responds with to Fuu. This grand opening was quick. "Wait, where did our path go?! Did we step on a thingy?" he asks, though the lights altering answers that issue. They find themselves at a... a cubic room? "Hey, where did our exit go? Aw maaaan..." Steven lets out, sagging slightly. "Well, guess it is time to investigate!"
The boy goes to the wall across from where they entered, and checks out those spinny thingies!
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
"I have to agree with Fuu-san. This fun house appeared in a matter of days, even that, and it's already way advanced enough with all these traps, moving doors and lights. Whoever made this is a madman or a genius. Maybe even both, if the last room is an idea." Rubbing at her eyes as the lights come back on, Niramo taps the power button to put her phone back to sleep before looking up. It takes a few blinks before she's able to see clearly due to the sudden change in the lighting, and her sight falls upon the spinning disc straight across from her.
That proved to be a mistake, as the swirling black and white lines filled her vision and cleared out her thoughts. The spiral pulls Niramo's eyes straight to the center, and she feels like she could stare at the circle for hours...or maybe it has already been hours, and it was just that good? Maybe if she looked a little longer-
"Ow!" A sudden nip in the neck brings the glittered ravenette back to Earth, Takk noticing how Niramo's muscles had slacken and took action to bring his friend back to herself. Rubbing at the nip and mumbling a quick thanks to the Kwami, Niramo looks around the room again, this time much more careful about staring directly at the hypno-discs. The color scheme brings to mind of the Four Gods to Niramo as well, but the theme didn't seem to fit with the nonsensical nature of the fun house.
The mumbling from Fuu is starting to mirror Niramo's own thoughts, the younger girl nodding her head. "I'm thinking i'm just about done with the fun house as well, to be honest, Fuu-san. These rooms seem endless, but that can't be the case, right?" Steven seems to have the right idea, though, so Niramo walks over to examine another of the spinning discs, ready to figure out the puzzle for this room as well.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
Those swirling spirally discs on the wall are the only things bringing any sense of calm to this crazy chaotic funhouse. Perhaps it is time to take a break from exploring. Maybe sit down, stare at them for a few minutes, and stop worrying so much. Don't worry about any tiredness or weakness, anything leaving anyone's bodies, and just stand on those panels with slits on them that won't open up like trap doors or anything.
Or maybe not, as Takk seemed to warn Niramo with a bite, and everyone seems cautious around them. Yet it seems examining them is on the agenda after all, though being careful about it is lessening the effect to some degree, only making them slightly want to give in and rest and let the funhouse claim them. But perhaps there was something to either behind the discs or in the floor slots, as a bit of light can be found coming from behind the former, and slight sounds and signs of life beneath their feet giving hints at what the latter has in store.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Examining the spinning discs may be on the agenda, however reluctantly - but 'giving up' is not. If anything, the desire to give up and just flop down where she's standing has the paradoxical effect of making Fuu want to find the way out all the more ...
And then, while looking down to try and center herself again, Fuu notices those slits in the floor. "Hm? What's this ... ?"
She moves off the spot where she was standing, making sure that 'where she's standing' (or about to be crouching) isn't delineated by a set of slits ... and crouches to try and get a better look. She probably doesn't have anything that could pry them open - and she's not sure she would want to in the first place; if there's something more integral to the structure than just a convenient access hatch, she doesn't want to bust anything. At least not yet - and not if, when all is said and done, the funhouse really IS just a funhouse with no connections to anything ominous or eldritch or otherwise threatening.
"Steven-san, Niramo-san," Fuu suggests while she's investigating, "try to work out if there's a pattern amongst those discs. Rotation time, visual design if you can wrap your head around it, any detail - anything that forces you to think about what you're looking at," she adds.
If either of her companions ARE going to gaze so deeply upon the revolving discs, they might as well do so in a way that hopefully offsets the hypnotic effect.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
While examining the discs were proving to be a fruitless venture, Niramo's newfound caution is more than enough to keep her from listening to the little voice to just stare fully at the discs once more. The slim line of light escaping through a panel behind the discs, however, is proving to be a much better focus point. "Hmmm..." Frowning slightly in thought, she turns back to face Fuu, listening to her before nodding.
"Hopefully it's nothing silly like one disc that is spinning just slightly slower than the rest, that can play tricks with the mind...well, more than what these discs are trying to do, anyways! I think I found a fake panel behind this disc, so it might be another hidden passageway, Fuu-san. Want to see if we can open it, Steven-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"I dont feel like that are infinite, Niramo," Steven comments as he stares on. "Someone might just be testing new stuff as we go, see what clicks with the crowd. Though where is the crowd?" Still a puzzle. Watching them make him feel a little tired. Just enough to... yaaaaaawn.
"H... Huh? Oh! Yeah, sure," The boy says, as he studies the spinning effect on the wall. Maybe something is there. it is jsut soooo hard to see! The spinning throws it off!
The boy does his best to try and compare the spinning devices. He hears something along with it, but he isnt quite sure. But the boy reaches for one and sees if it can be stopped or removed somehow! Maybe a path lay behind them...
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
The disc with all its beauty, captivating mesmerising importance, and wonderful relaxing spinning telling them what to do, is hard to stop spinning or move out of the way, though it does budge. Perhaps this is the way out after all! There also appear to be someone on the other side of the door, but it is hard to make out what they actually look like. Steven can probably see yellow and pink above blue, maybe?
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Steven has having... kinda-fun. That point where things that worry you start to affect how good of a time you are having? That one. "I do wanna see the other rides and stuff again," the boy says, trying to ignore the color sequences in this room. "Feel like we have been in here quite a while. Funhouses usually aren't this long. What kind of building is this in I wonder?" Saying that, he does have his suspicions about this place.
The boy works his fingers around a disc, and actually finds a release mechanism that lets it be moved. "I found something!"
The boy moves the disc, and sees another room beyond! Though making out a room shape is hard with a blending color pattern. "I think I did, anyway..."
It is getting difficult to see what exactly is in there. "Did you have a light?" he asks Fuu. The boy also motions Niramo over. The way out has to be this way, somehow!
At least, he hopes it is. It could be a trap again, or lead deeper inside. Or, it could actually lead behind the trap rooms, to where the workers go to make sure it is all operational! Freaky.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Just abusing the screen on my phone, I'm afraid," Fuu says apologetically. She does fish her phone out to turn the screen back on - partly for light, partly for something to look at which *isn't* spinny disks of mesmerizing.
And also, partly, to see what kind of a signal she's getting. The funky architecture really has her wondering if they're still in Tokyo, or if - somewhere along the way, in some bend or curve or corner or twisty little passage - they actually got shunted out of the space and time they belong in.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Trying to examine spinning hypno-discs to see if one was spinning slower than the other without being distracted is hard work, and Niramo has to rub her eyes with her free hand to ease her aching eyes. As far as she could tell, she wasn't having any luck with Fuu's directions, and she lets out an annoyed sigh. She was certainly enjoying the fun house at first, but as the rooms get more and more intricate with the puzzles, the more she was looking forward to leaving. It's all fun and games when the heroes in books have to deal with annoying puzzles, after all!
"Doesn't seem like there's any different in the discs, Fuu-san. Steven-san, are you...oh, you found something!" Jogging over to Steven and Fuu, Niramo gestures with the cell phone in her right hand, the screen still as bright as ever. "Same as Fuu-san. It seems silly to purchase a flashlight application when your screen works just as well. I just didn't think we would need it in a fun house of all places."
She smiles at Fuu and Steven, but internally Niramo was wondering why they haven't met any other park goers since they entered. With how difficult these puzzles were, she's certain there has to be a few stragglers who were having trouble progressing too.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
As the disk is pushed aside, and the lights of the phones enter the new room, the truth of the room behind the disk is revealed. It is... a hall of mirrors! The person that Steven saw on the other side was himself, distorted into a tall skinny figure, while other reflections make them all into short fat blobs, big headed with small bodies, all kinds of distorted features. It seems the "fun" has just begun, and the end of it was nowhere in sight. They would have to traverse a maze of mirrors, or try to head back and look at the pretty spinning disks some more, maybe even forever if they feel like it.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
As the shape before Steven becomes apparent, Niramo lets out a sigh of relief upon seeing the mirrors. The multiple doors and the spinning hypno-discs were a little annoying to deal with, but the room that laid before them looks simply like a hall of fun house mirrors, and with the branching paths, it has become a mirror maze. That, and the sight of the three of them looking to have massive noses that take up the majority of their faces is certainly hilarious after the stressful rooms behind them.
Taking a quick picture with the flash off, Niramo starts to examine the area around the three of them, and points towards the left-most path. "I remember reading in a fantasy novel where the heroine was trapped in a large maze, but by constantly following the wall to her left, she eventually found the way out. As long as we do that and keep an eye on the floor, we shouldn't have any trouble getting out of here. With how big the fun house is, and with how it looked on the outside, this has to be the last room."
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Fuu tucks her phone back into her pocket, looking ... well, not exactly 'unhappy,' but very distinctly not smiling like she normally would. "They should have started out with the mirrors," she observes casually. "And given that I'm not even sure we're in Tokyo any more, I'm not certain the right-hand rule - or left-hand, in this case," she amends as she sees which wall Niramo's following, "would even work. We don't have a ball of string to keep track of where we've been, though, so ..."
And the ball-of-yarn trick comes with *its* own problems, too. She starts following Niramo.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Steven peers into the room ahead, both Fuu and Niramo at his side. The lights reflect back, and it becomes obvious what is ahead! The boy scampers through the hole with a bit of climbing work, and starts giggling as he is known to do. "Okay! See, this is more along the lines of a funhouse. Mirrors! Look at em!"
The boy goes to the closest one and starts making silly faces and wavy motions with his arms. Seems these might be his favorite rooms. Or close to.
"We just gotta find a way out of here. But that should be easy! The hard part is getting distracted." A pause to look around the mirrors and their layout. "To find your way out, the best way is to look down and shuffle forward." The boy looks to Niramo. "I like that idea too!"
The boy looks towards Fuu."What makes you say that?" he asks. Of course Fuu would be smart enough to discern something strange is afoot. Maybe it has something to do with her phone? Hum.
"We should make sure to stay super close! I have seen a buncha cartoons where a group of mystery-solvers don't and it kinda jsut goes everywhere," he adds.
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
It seems that everyone has a good idea on how to navigate this hall of mirrors. Wandering through looking down with hands on the wall seems like it might work. In fact, they were getting clues that someone has been here before, or maybe even is still here! They could feel people watching them, eyes staring at them from somewhere, and while looking down, they might even notice that there are shoeprints from three different people. Maybe someone passed through here before them? Except... something looked familiar about them.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
"So many mirrors!" Steven says, trying his best to pay mroe attention to the floor than the reflective surfaces surrounding them. If he just ignored them they could make it through! Sortof. They still had to navigate a maze. "Stay close and everything will be gravy." Would folks from Tokyo even get that line? He didn't think of that. Admittedly Americans have strange sayings sometimes.
The boy trudges along, but spies something that gets his attention. Not only does he feel like he is being watched, but he sees shoeprints left on the ground. "Hey, someone has come through here!" he says, pointing some out. "I feel like I have seen that pattern before too. Huh."
The boy decides to take a closer look. Maybe he can discern something more about them...!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Three sets of shoeprints. That seems like about how many people previously went missing ... but out of a hunch, Fuu checks those shoeprints more closely, then takes a look at the bottom of her own shoes. "Steven-san, Niramo-san, let me see your shoes briefly ... ?"
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Not getting distracted is indeed the hard part, like Steven said, as each mirror they pass have a new distortion on what it was reflecting. Massive feet that should be shaking the ground, hands that look too small to pick up anything, or making the three of them to take on chibi-like appearances, each new path was a different way to get sidetracked. But with the three of them on the case, it shouldn't take too long before they find a way out, considering they haven't even seen a dead end yet!
The distinct pattern of footprints in the ground before them has the daughter of a detective excited at first, a clear sign that they were on the right track! "Alright, looks like we have foot traffic here, so we're on the right path! Though it looks like one of them stepped into cotton candy at one point, they're leaving a little bit of it with each step they take."
Since Niramo was leading the way with the 'right-hand' trick, she looks back at her friends, in part by trying to rouse Fuu's spirits, but looking behind her causing a problem with that. Tiny pink dots follow them from behind, leading right up to Niramo herself, and an instinctive urge to check her shoes only confirms her suspensions. A bit of Steven's cotton candy clings to the bottom of a sneaker, causing the ravenette to sigh and rub the bridge of her nose. "Um...no need, Fuu-san. I think...somehow, despite following the walls, we're turned back on ourself."
It takes a moment before Niramo asks the question she's been wondering for a while. "Anyone else thinking it was a bad idea to come to the fun house today?"
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
The right-hand maze rule, failing them? That's inconceivable! Yet it seems they must conceive that idea, as it is the case. They have doubled back on their own tracks. The reflections appear to share in their pain, while appearing very silly... mostly. Some of the mirrors seem almost normal, yet those seem worse than the others. They may not warp the group's appearances, but they seem to warp and distort... something else.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"I've been thinking that since ... oh, the second or third room, it feels like," Fuu replies wryly, finishing her comparison. "Definitely well before we got to the room with all of the doors."
Still, she thinks in the privacy of her head, it's likely just as well that they *did* come here - because now they might be able to break the plot before any other victims fall prey to it. At least, Fuu is optimistic about their chances. They just have to find whoever, or whatever, is responsible for all of it.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Steven crouches to take a look, but Fuu is on to something about their own shoes! The boy stands up, and pops off his flip-flops for her to take a look at, holding them out to her. "Here you go!" The are just a standard set of pink flip-flops, well taken care of. Despite their cleanliness, he makes sure to handle them with the hand that isn't in charge of the cottom candy.
Just to be safe.
"Ahh... kinda," Steven says toward Niramo. "I don't think I was prepared for anything near this complex of a funhouse. I guess that is why they are testing it. Some sort of new 'extended funhouse'. The boy looks toward Fuu when she mentions cotton candy stepped on. "Uh." Steven looks to the large haul of it he is toting around. "Oops."
At about this time though, he begins to see that the mirrors are reflecting how they look, strangely. The boy stops what he is doing, and goes to one of the wants distorting in a weird way. "What is up with this one...?" he asks, staring in to it.
"Either this is some of the new funhouse tech they are trying out, or somethings definitely not funky with this mirror," he says, pointing at the stranger ones.
<Pose Tracker> Niramo Umokeshi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Niramo looks sheepishly to the side, rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand. "To be honest, Fuu-san...me too. I just didn't want to admit it until now. I'm all for fun and games, but it feels like this fun house just doesn't want to stop."
By looking off to the side, however, the ravenette does take notice of a mirror that appears almost normal, but the subconscious feeling that there was still something odd about the mirror draws her closer to examine it. That, and anything that remotely stands out in this maze can point to the way out!
As she walks up to the mirror, it looks like an normal enough mirror, honestly. The three of them, together, with normal-sized limbs and bodies, but it was something about the eyes that looks so out of place.
COMBAT: Amethyst transforms into Youma Form Mirror Clones!
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
There was definitely something strange about these mirrors. They looked normal, but something was off. Maybe it was the eyes. They didn't seem to reflect the same emotion... or any at all. The eyes looked soulless yet as if they were looking into the soul of the person they reflect. And as Steven and Niramo observe the strange mirrors, they notice the reflections are moving closer...
And then they attack.
Mirror Niramo and Mirror Steven reach out towards their real-life counterparts, through the mirrors trying to drag them inside. Mirror Fuu leaps out of hers, also reaching out towards her counterpart, but instead of attempting to grab her, a sudden beam of burning light shoots from her hand, attempting to strike the Wind Knight.
COMBAT: Steven Universe transforms into Steven Quartz Universe! COMBAT: Amethyst has used Wrong Side of the Mirror on Steven Universe. COMBAT: Niramo Umokeshi transforms into Sourisi! COMBAT: Amethyst has used Wrong Side of the Mirror on Sourisi. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Wind Knight! COMBAT: Amethyst has used Reflected Light on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Amethyst has finished attacking. COMBAT: Steven Universe braces 9 Mana damage from Amethyst's Wrong Side of the Mirror, taking 4 Mana damage! Steven Universe's Block and Parry abilities activate! Amethyst drains 3 mana from Steven Universe! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji braces 10 Fatigue damage from Amethyst's Reflected Light, taking 8 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji's Block and Parry abilities activate! COMBAT: Sourisi perfectly dodges 15 Mana damage from Amethyst's Wrong Side of the Mirror, taking 0 Mana damage! Critical Hit! Critical Dodge! Sourisi's Fade and Flash abilities activate!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
A glint of light catches Fuu's attention out of the corner of her eye, and she glances that way - then lets out a yelp, possibly intended partly as a warning to her allies. Certainly it's not worded clearly enough to actually be calling out to her powers -
But the whirlwind still manifests around her, enfolding her almost protectively, and when the green-tinted winds disperse, the Magic Knight of Wind stands in her armor, bringing her arms up to shield herself against that beam of light, the glove-jewel on her left hand gleaming in the sudden brightness as the beam itself washes around her upraised arms.
The beam subsides; the Wind Knight lowers her arms, her bespectacled gaze crisp and chill. "Whether you're the source of this trap or an avatar of its creator," she says with a wintry smile, "thank you for presenting yourself so readily. WINDS OF ADMONISHMENT!!"
Those words accompany a sudden outward thrust of her left hand, and the winds sweep up once more in the mirrored corridor, attempting to wrap her assailant in a constraining cyclone. She might manage to ensnare the other two attackers, but she isn't really aiming for them.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Admonishment on Amethyst. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
The curiosity of Steven Universe will one day get that boy seriously hurt. Which could be sooner rather than later. The boy pushes his luck, and begins to try and touch them. See what is exactly up with them. He notices that the reflection is moving on its own as he touches the mirror. The mirror is cold. And as he looks to the reflection, it reaches through a rippling surface and nearly grabs him! "Eep!" The boy lets out, backing up quickly.
For what little time the... whatever that was, was touching Steven, it felt like his energy was sapping his strength. Just cold and apathy. "You two were right! Totally right! This place is bad!" Steven says, summoning his shield forth.
The boy readies his mother's shield, emblazoned with the bindings of a rose, and lashes out at that thing that looks just like him with sets of furious swings!
"I am tired of dealing with copies of myself!"
COMBAT: Steven Universe has used Shield Bash on Amethyst. COMBAT: Steven Universe has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
As Niramo gets closer to the mirror, it takes a moment before it dawns on her why the eyes look so different, and why it look so bizarre, even when compared to the other trippy mirrors in the maze. It wasn't the oversized hands or the misshaped bodies, but the eyes on the reflection of all three of them that show with an inner malice. Maybe it was that, or how Takk warned her earlier that the maze was emitting magic like a neon sign, or even an combination of the two that allows Niramo to be on her guard and jump just out of reach of her replica, but she's just glad to be out of harm's way.
With how unlikely it has to be that there was someone in the amusement park that looks just like her, let alone all three of them, it's clear that she has accidentally stumbled into a monster's lair of sorts. Especially when the mirror replica of Fuu somehow fires a beam of light directly at her friend, which causes the poor girl some distress.
She doubts her friends live double lives as magical warriors of justice, and with the monsters right in front of them, there was no chance for Niramo to just sneak away to transform. Doing so will leave Steven and Fuu in harms' way, and she'll never forgive herself for not helping others when she could do something. As if reading her thoughts, Takk slips out of her jacket and gives her a quick nod, not complaining at all given the situation, and if anyone questions Niramo later, then she'll answer or evade them as best as she can, but her friends come first. "Sorry, Takk! No rest for the protectors, it seems. Tail, sprout!"
A minor lightshow later, and the mouse-suited Sourisi is already rushing forward, tonfa pulled free of their clasps and swinging her arms in an exaggerated overhead swing. However, this was simply a feint of the magical girl and she crouches and twists, her tail glowing a pale yellow light and whipping to ensnare the legs of her own faker. "Maybe you should polish up on how to attack, but maybe that just reflects poorly on me, since you're trying to be me, after all!"
COMBAT: Sourisi has used Tail Snag on Amethyst. COMBAT: Sourisi has finished attacking. COMBAT: Amethyst counters 11 Fatigue damage from Fuu Hououji's Winds of Admonishment, taking 11 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Fuu Hououji is Psyched! Amethyst's Reverse and Tactician abilities activate! Cripple and Trap applied to Amethyst! COMBAT: Amethyst's counterattack, Reflecting Shard, partially gets through, doing 9 Fatigue damage to Fuu Hououji! COMBAT: Amethyst fails to counter Steven Universe's Shield Bash, taking 6 Fatigue damage! Steven Universe is Psyched! COMBAT: Amethyst's counterattack, Stop Hitting Yourself, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Steven Universe! COMBAT: Amethyst fails to counter Sourisi's Tail Snag, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Trap applied to Amethyst! COMBAT: Amethyst's counterattack, Stop Hitting Yourself, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Sourisi!
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
Somehow, the group turned out to all be magical kids with superpowers! Unfortunately, that meant the mirror clones also were. A whirlwind surrounds the copy of Fuu, transforming into an identical copy of the Magic Knight of Wind, except horizontally flipped. She mimics the motions of the Knight's 'Winds of Admonishment', except summoning a giant shard of glass that releases a burst spiralling swirling wind trying to copy Fuu's attack. The two go through each other, hitting copy Fuu and attacking real Fuu. Meanwhile, Niramo and her fake ironically become mousier yet bolder, trying to trip each other, as the two Stevens summon and attack with their shields. Luckily for the real deals, the mirror copies don't seem to have mastered their counterparts' techniques. Fake Sourisi is tripped as Fake Steven's shield shatters like... well... glass.
The mirror trio have a much worse attack to deal with, however. Their mouths move, yet no sound comes out. However, the three kids get the messages somehow anyways. "Steven, we'll never live up to the Gems' expectations, we'll always let them down." "Fuu, we cannot protect everyone... we have failed too many times. "Niramo, we are a burden to Takk, our Miraculous would be better off with someone else." Only those the messages were intended for could hear them, and the words seem to attempt to attack their very souls.
COMBAT: Amethyst has used Distorted Reality on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Amethyst has used Distorted Reality on Sourisi. COMBAT: Amethyst has used Distorted Reality on Steven Universe. COMBAT: Amethyst has finished attacking. COMBAT: Steven Universe partially dodges 1 Mana damage from Amethyst's Distorted Reality, taking 4 Mana damage! Amethyst drains 3 mana from Steven Universe! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji counters 1 Mana damage from Amethyst's Distorted Reality, taking 4 Mana damage! Fuu Hououji is Taunted! Amethyst drains 3 mana from Fuu Hououji! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji's counterattack, Gale Arrow, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Amethyst! COMBAT: Sourisi cleanly braces 6 Mana damage from Amethyst's Distorted Reality, taking 1 Mana damage! Sourisi is Taunted! Amethyst drains 1 mana from Sourisi!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"That stopped me *once*," the Wind Knight answers her reversed reflection, her bow and quiver materializing as she tries to loose an arrow at the Dniw Thgink ... but she's in too much of a hurry, and the magical effort is all but wasted, her arrow glancing off her opposite's armor. "But for me to give up would be to leave many, *many* more people unprotected, and our enemies wouldn't even slow down."
She nocks another arrow, drawing it back - and actually just *stands* there for a moment as she raises her bow, drawing the arrow back, sighting along the shaft. She's terrifyingly vulnerable as she repeats the movements of a formal kyuudou draw, but there's no trace of fear in her demeanor or movements - just the serenity of finding that still point within her heart, the pocket of calm where she remembers her discipline and her training. She doesn't need magic to be a skilled archer, after all; she was on Infinity's middle-school team before that fateful day at Tokyo Tower, and her skills have nothing to do with Cephiro, Emeraude, or Clef.
She finds that point of balance, her aim goes from 'steady' to 'unwavering,' and the arrow flies.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Basic Archery on Amethyst. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Steven's shield proves to be mightier than his duplicate! It fractures and falters, as surely many arms have done before in centuries past with its previous owner. The boy slides back and readies to attack again, but the clones have something to say about that.
Literally.
The clone opens its mouth, and creepiness washes over Steven, chilling his spine. A voice comes out, admonishing his ability to make the Gems proud. This makes the boy more angry than anything. "You don't even know them! How could you say something like that!" Steven's knuckles whiten as he clenches a fist. His shield hovers over his wrist and has no fastenings, yet he acts as if he is holding something incredibly tightly.
"You... You...!" the boy says, and lashes out at the copy with an anger... not usually seen in the boy. He takes his pride with the Gems seriously.
COMBAT: Steven Universe has used Shield Slam on Amethyst. COMBAT: Steven Universe has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
While the mirror version of Sourisi may have style, she has no grace as the original's tail manages to get a direct hit upon the other's leg, allowing Sourisi to pull the faker off balance. While it may not actually hurt, the magical chains leading up and down the leg that her tail left behind is sure to hold her double back. Leaping back upright, Sourisi eyes her mirror copy for a moment before glancing around, surprised to see Steven Universe and Fuu to be gone, and with Steven with the shield and Breeze to be there in their place. While this confuses her for a moment, the mouse girl couldn't help but feel that her friends were going to be safe for now.
Seeing movement from the Mirror Sourisi out of the corner of her eye, Sourisi raises her tonfa in front of her, to brace herself from an unseen attack, only to realize that the faker was speaking. Even without sound, the words come across loud and clear, and the novice magical girl feels a tiny seed of doubt to spring in her chest, only to shake her head and clear her thoughts.
If Takk really felt that way about her, then he would tell her the truth, since the Kwami wasn't exactly the most caring about if he hurt feelings or not. Besides, Sourisi knows that she has done a lot of good in the short amount of time she learned about magic being real, with the original shaking her head in disagreement with the original. "If that was true, i'm sure I wouldn't have known about Takk in the first place. Besides, just how many people would stand being known as a mouse magical girl?"
Not letting the lie and her inner doubt get ahold of her, the mouse girl takes advantage of just how close she was to Isiruos and rapidly jab her tonfa, the wind almost becoming visible around each tonfa with each swing. "Maybe I just need to get better so I can help everyone!"
COMBAT: Sourisi has used Mouse Flurry on Amethyst. COMBAT: Sourisi has finished attacking. COMBAT: Amethyst fails to counter Sourisi's Mouse Flurry, taking 21 Fatigue damage! Sourisi is Psyched! COMBAT: Amethyst's counterattack, Tonfa, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Sourisi! COMBAT: Amethyst decisively counters 15 Fatigue damage from Steven Universe's Shield Slam, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Steven Universe is Psyched! Amethyst's Reverse and Tactician abilities activate! COMBAT: Amethyst's counterattack, Shield, partially gets through, doing 8 Fatigue damage to Steven Universe! Critical Counterhit! COMBAT: Amethyst fails to counter Fuu Hououji's Basic Archery, taking 9 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Amethyst's counterattack, arrow, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fuu Hououji!
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
Arrow meets arrow, shield meets shield, and tonfa meets tonfa as the reflections attempt to mirror their counterparts. But perhaps these weren't designed to fight magical girls and boys after all, as their counterattacks seem to be slightly off. Dniw Thgink's arrow shatters like glass as it impacts the real arrow, not at all affecting its trajectory as it hits the faker. Isirous cannot stand up to the onslaught of rapid-fire attacks from Sourisi. Steven, unfortunately, gets the short end of the straw as shields collide, creating a shockwave reverberating through both shields. The copies don't seem to get the memo that the heroes are resisting their taunts, as they continue. "Steven, we will never live up to our mom's legacy or expectations, we are a mere shadow of her." "Niramo, we have barely protected others from attacks, we won't always have luck on our side. "Fuu, how many have we seen fall? How many have we LET fall?"
COMBAT: Amethyst has used I know you on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Amethyst has used I know you on Steven Universe. COMBAT: Amethyst has used I know you on Sourisi. COMBAT: Amethyst has finished attacking. COMBAT: Steven Universe cleanly braces 0 Fatigue damage from Amethyst's I know you, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Steven Universe is Quipped! Steven Universe's Block and Parry abilities activate! COMBAT: Sourisi partially dodges 0 Fatigue damage from Amethyst's I know you, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Sourisi is Quipped! Sourisi's Fade and Flash abilities activate! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji partially dodges 0 Fatigue damage from Amethyst's I know you, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji is Quipped! Fuu Hououji's Fade and Flash abilities activate!
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
Despite Steven landing hits on these things, he doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. It is always there to block or take the impact in a better way than he expects. Sure the shield shatters, but it just retrieves another, almost how he can summon them. The familiar ringing noise reverberates out when something firm connects with the shield that is energy based. The last time that happened was with Lapis, but he isn't so lucky as to end the problems immediately.
Most likely because this isn't directly Gem related.
"D-Don't...!" Steven says, holding his head for a moment. In a strage way, it was kind of right. A way that irked the boy to no end. That feeling in the pit of your stomach when you fight against something, but you know there is soem grain of truth to it. That strange sensation of loss coupled with the glancing around for an immediate answer, though one is never to be found.
"I will prove you wrong!" he says, engaging the touble again. But that strange effect of shield collision gives him an idea. The boy moves in to attack again, waiting for the copy's shield to retaliate as it assuredly will. When it does, Steven makes sure to aim the shield slightly off this time, and aim thsoe reverberations toward the mirror it came out of!
COMBAT: Steven Universe has used Reverb Shield on Amethyst. COMBAT: Steven Universe has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
So far, Sourisi has never have to deal with an opponent that could reach the same speeds as her when it comes to her attacks, but even she can tell that this mirror version of herself wasn't used to fighting. It was just a tad slower, as if it wasn't sure just how fast to go, allowing the original to jab the faker several times in the torso. But the words they speak, even if they can only hear their duplicate's words is another matter.
Despite her encouraging attitude, though, she couldn't deny just how much Isirous' words hurt her. Sighing softly to herself, she had to agree with what she was saying, her braid bouncing slightly. "And you're certainly right about that. I just do my best to cause distractions and trip up the monsters I fight, but i'm nowhere near Ladybug or Chat Noir when it comes to making battle plans on the go. But, that's fine!"
Sourisi looks back up and looks her reflection in the eye, keeping herself calm despite what she was admitting. "Because i'm still new to this, and i'll learn. I won't hold anyone back, and not let luck decide my battles! And that's why..." Sourisi flicks one of her tonfa outwards, counting on her reflection to do the same with the other arm and letting the original tonfa fly true, directly at the mirror behind the mirror trio. "...i'm going have to shatter your expectations!"
COMBAT: Sourisi has used Crashing Tooth on Amethyst. COMBAT: Sourisi has finished attacking.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Too many," the Wind Knight replies, teeth gritted. She knows *full* well how many people she's failed to protect - and the names are always going to be lurking in the back of her head. "But the last time I let that stop me ... if you're really a reflection of me ... you KNOW what happened."
Her skirts stir about her thighs, her hair tousled against her forehead and cheeks, as a breeze picks up around her, her words of quiet defiance continuing.
"Our enemies didn't even stop. The Pretty Cure Hunter attacked before I even realized the light of my magic had died. And then Alcyone herself struck - capturing Umi-san, capturing other fencers at the tournament, and I was *helpless*. I called together what help I could, Clef-san sent word out as well, and we went into Cephiro to rescue the kidnapped, Umi-san among them. By the time we got there, even with me being little more than a burden along the way, she had led an escape - and nearly died because of Alcyone's treachery."
Her bow and quiver vanish, her hands flexing by her sides, the stiff breeze still rising and swirling around her.
"Because I lost my belief, I lost my power. And when I lost my power, the results were disastrous. But the power that was reborn within my heart, the belief rekindled in my magic - I will not relinquish them, no matter how much I question myself. Because every time I ask that question, the answer is the same ... I believe that if I do *not* fight to protect people, nobody can truly take my place. Not as a magical girl of Tokyo ... and not as a Magic Knight of Cephiro!"
Her arms finally come up, her hands thrust out - not just at her *own* reflection, but at all three - as she calls out, "STORM-DANCE OF KAMAITACHI!!" and unleashes the tempest's fury, a rending whirlwind taking form and ripping its way towards the Dniw Thgink.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Storm-Dance of Kamaitachi on Amethyst. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Amethyst accepts Steven Universe's Reverb Shield, taking 16 Fatigue damage! Stun applied to Amethyst! COMBAT: Amethyst accepts Sourisi's Crashing Tooth, taking 32 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Amethyst accepts Fuu Hououji's Storm-Dance of Kamaitachi, taking 56 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
<Pose Tracker> Amethyst [None] has posed.
The shields collide, creating a shockwave that destroys Nevets' mirror. Sourisi is too fast for Isirous to counter, as the tonfa shatters her mirror. In their moment of weakness, the full force of the raging wind strikes all three, and shatters the third... along with a chain reaction shattering every other mirror. A screech of pure seething rage and a blinding light fill the area. When it fades, all is calm.
The malevolent, tormenting "funhouse" and all of its tricks have vanished. All that remains is the floor of the spinning disk room, with its trap doors all open. Weak noises rise from the pits, growing into sounds of confusion, and finally into a chatter of human voices wondering how they all got there. It seems the mystery of the funhouse, and the mystery of the missing park-goers, have both been closed for now. However, a faint growl of anger is caught by the wind, fading away. Still more mysteries remain, but those can wait for another day.
<Pose Tracker> Steven Universe [Juuban Public School (5)] has posed.
It seems the gambit paid off, as the reverbation and disruption effect from Steven's shield shatters the shield beyond it. The others catch on as well, and launch their own attacks as well, to assail the mirrors. It seems a possibility that these beings are tired to the material they come from, and with decisive attacks breaking them and disrupting their appearance.
Fuu decides to let loose and not only wreck the mirror her duplicate stemmed from, but every murror in the room. Steven's hair floofs all over.
And when it dies down, not only does everyone miraculously have cuts from mirror shrds flying on magical winds, but they find where everyone went that was ahead of them! "Wow! Some attack!" he comments towards Fuu.
The boy immediately goes to try and help everyone he can and get them out of here! Some contest winning this was. At least they can have fun at the rest of the park. This probably wasn't their fault anyway.
Or was it?
<Pose Tracker> Sourisi [Juuban Public School (8)] has posed.
Despite the sound of shattering glass filling the space around them as their combined efforts shatter the mirrors, Sourisi couldn't keep a frown creeping up onto her face. Despite her words, Sourisi feels like this was more of an pyrrhic victory than anything else. The 'voiced' concerns and doubts her faker brought up did leave more of an impact on her than she cares to admit, but she couldn't worry about it right now. With the 'fun house' reverting back to the trick door room, and weaken innocents starting to awaken now that they were somehow free of the Fun House, they would need help, and she's more than happy to give it.
Niramo will find and look for Steven Universe and Fuu once Sourisi can pull away and, assuming the theme park doesn't shut down due to dozens of people waking up on the property, will have a good time with her friends. The concerns that today brought, such as what her fake said, and what could have created the fun house in the first place, will have to wait for later, but after today, she deserves it!
