[ She waves back at Jake stiffly and attempts a smile in return, but it's weak. Taking a look at the cookies and drink Dirk sets out, it reminds her of a doctor's visit. Should she view this like going to the doctor? They are in the med bay....
[He feels lucky that Jake and Dave are with him. They're in their own ways both really reassuring people to be around, and he has a feeling they have more of a bedside manner than he could ever hope to. As Jake starts to offer him the strength of hope, however, Dirk's anxiety about this failure of his starts to relax. He exhales, and he holds his fist out to her. For a bump.]
[ Just in case, Hotaru lies down. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, many deep breaths. She doesn't know much about meditation, but she wishes she does at that moment. It won't be easy, but she wants to make this easier however she can.
She doesn't know what Dave means by keep her steady, but she trusts him. She trusts everyone in the room. She opens her eyes and looks at each of them to remain calm. She's safe. They'll keep her safe.
She bumps her first against Dirk's. ]
Thank you. All of you. I'm ready.
[ Dirk said he worked out all the logistics out with Jake and Dave, so she'll believe she won't die by the end of this.
[ it's not necessary in the least, but dave reaches out to snag hotaru's right hand with his left. he doesn't actually need it, strictly speaking, to implement his part in this - which he'll do around the same time dirk moves. they've done this once before, but it wasn't nice and it wasn't slow and this time, at least, it will probably be different.
[Dirk gives the nod and gathers the start of the spell i n his hands. He trusts Dave and Jake to know him well enough to feel the moment when he's about to begin. Dirk reaches out to Hotaru with the spell, and he takes hold of her soul.
He doesn't start anything until he knows Dave his part]
[ a lifetime of trying and failing to read a guy with no tells has left dave hypersensitive to body language where it does exist. dirk has always seemed incredibly expressive to him because of it, and there's no delay in his own half of their makeshift fraymotif starting.
a gear surrounds hotaru (or does not surround hotaru, if the choose not to perceive it), and time slows to an utter stop in her person. ]
[It's what he needs. Time has stopped, but Dirk is careful even though Hotaru may not feel it. Meticulous, slow, he disconnects her soul from her body. He pulls it out, that entity, the thing of Hotaru, what makes her who she is. A slight, flickering light. A fragile firefly, pulsing and delicate.
But what he pulls out is not just her. There's a counterforce, a vicious pull. Every soul he has ever seen has shown energy radiating outwards, but the second thing in here is the energy of being drawn inwards, consumed and destroyed.
Dirk takes a deep breath, Jake's power supporting him, and starts to untangle the souls from one another. He destroys what binds them.]
[ Hotaru is comforted by Dave's hand, and it makes her smile briefly. The gear and the thought that she must protect what's important are the last things she registers before everything stops for her.
After Dirk extracts the souls, a black five-pointed star appears and flickers (or doesn't) as weak resistance. It exists to suck everything into silence, but affected by the winning power combination in play and without a host, it can do nothing.
Mistress Nine's soul is prime to be completely separated and manipulated in whatever way is deemed fitting or necessary. ]
[ it's weird to watch from the outside when it's quiet like this and not a failed yank against a boss that involves way more pain. or a successful one against...dave himself...which also wasn't slow.
dave doesn't drop hotaru's hand, though she's frozen in time and will be until her soul returns and he lifts his influence, and he doesn't speak.
but he keeps an eye on the abstracts and wonders if hotaru saw them, too. ]
[Dirk makes that last pull—he keeps faith, Jake's faith in him and his in Jake—and he brings the soul into its new home: a perfectly round pile of clay. He hands it over to Jake to hold—] You take the Horcrux, English. [—and then refocuses: Hotaru's soul.
Dirk eases it back into Hotaru's body, and he begins the most delicate part. He reconnects Hotaru to her soul, piece by piece. In time stop, she won't be able to feel the strangeness of coming back to herself. It's something he's grateful for even when he has worked out how to eliminate the pain.]
[ the second the last piece is in dave looses his hold on the timestream, unfreezing hotaru. he does not let go of her hand, but instead leans over and raises an eyebrow. ]
All done, unless you think we missed a step, kiddo.
[ Hotaru blinks up at Dave. It takes her a moment to readjust her thoughts. Time has passed even if she didn't feel it. She's not hurt. She's not in pain. She's fine. (She's free?) ]
It's over?
[ She squeezes Dave's hand, her fingers trembling. They did it. She did it. It's over. She turns her head to look around, eyes focusing on the cookies on the table then on Dirk. ]
[ Hotaru stares as the clay in Jake's hands for a long moment and squeezes Dave's hand once more as if it'll give her courage before she lets go and takes the item holding all of her hardships with both of her hands. Support has and will always be important to her, but she has to do this without holding someone's hand. She misses the security of the handhold as soon as she lets go, though. ]
Thank... you... I don't know what I want to do with it, but... I know some organs can be preserved, but it's usually to study?
[ Her voice trembles, and it sounds faraway in her ears. She's sure all three of them have done everything to make it safe for her, but fear is irrational. She takes a few steps away to come to terms with the clay. If it's clay in her mind, it's less dangerous, but it's not just clay.
Her hands are shaking. She's holding it like it'll break in her grasp, but she's looking down at it like it'll break her. She can't let it get to her. She can't. She's come so far. She went to Sorey and Mikleo because she wanted to do something about it, didn't she? She went to Dirk because was ready to deal with this, didn't she? She can't stop her progress. She's grown stronger, better. She doesn't want to cause harm to anyone, to anything. No, she wants to do more than that. She wants to be more than someone who doesn't hurt anyone. Her fingers still.
She wants to protect the people she's come to care about and cherish. She wants the power to stand up on her own and protect herself and everyone she loves. She will gain that power. She won't stop until she does. That is something worth fighting for, worth living for.
The symbol for Saturn shines bright and purple on her forehead. In the next moment, Hotaru is engulfed in blinding light.
When the light dissipates, Sailor Saturn stands, clay in one hand and glaive in the other. ]
[ dave leans back immediately, eyes blown wide under his shades, as that...happens. sailor saturn reborn is a reincarnation and has enough Weird Time Shit looped in from lifetimes lived before, iirc, that it's an immediate sense of incongruity that nevertheless...belongs.
it's...
not the weirdest thing he's ever seen. or felt.
but all the same he elbows dirk in the side like that's going to help something, or like it at all matches what he should be doing in this moment. maybe like. asking? what is going on? or? ]
Hey, we could see that abstraction, right?
[ he's apparently still concerned about whether or not he can acknowledge other people's transformation and magical attack sequences. but also, he's just trying to deal with the sudden addition of so much time in the same location as himself by focusing on the first stupid topic to come to hand. ]
[ Sailor Saturn turns to face them properly. Her steps are very deliberate and very slow because her dramatic appearance has to be accompanied by some kind of gravitas. ]
It's premature, but she made it happen by her own determination. I only appear when I'm needed.
[ Her tone implies she's not too needed at the moment since the world doesn't need to be destroyed (probably). ]
Didn't say that. Just happen to like the kid a lot.
[ the response is lightning-quick although he doesn't ask for clarification. so long as he can relax on that regard it's fine because - well, hotaru not being around at all - and this person is talking about her like she's someone else entirely - would suck. so. ]
Also, you set me off-balance. [ with the addition of time, rather than the magical girl transformation - that was actually really normal by dave's standards of "weird". ] But hey, you want us to make some tea and biscuits and shit and have a tea party, why the fuck not. Dirk will print you up an official e-vite.
[ It's cute how many people like and accept Hotaru here. It makes her feel almost... proud. ]
I don't need you to make me feel welcome. [ At least she knows what an e-vite is because absorbing memories from Hotaru is a lot easier than the other way around. ]
[ someone save sailor saturn from dave because he continues to be casual and mostly baffled ]
I didn't say I sensed anything.
[ dave opts to be randomly obstinate about this for a second, but: ]
So, like, if we WERE allowed to see that, are you gonna explain what that was or like. Not. Just so I know if I'm accepting the confusion thing here or what?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
superseding) wrote2017-06-17 11:38 pm
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She hops onto the bed. ]
Is it something I should lie down for?
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[ by freezing her but he doesn't elaborate, just offering a small smile that comes easily enough; he likes hotaru, and always has. ]
Though it's not, like, the worst idea in the world?
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[He feels lucky that Jake and Dave are with him. They're in their own ways both really reassuring people to be around, and he has a feeling they have more of a bedside manner than he could ever hope to. As Jake starts to offer him the strength of hope, however, Dirk's anxiety about this failure of his starts to relax. He exhales, and he holds his fist out to her. For a bump.]
Just let us know when you're ready.
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She doesn't know what Dave means by keep her steady, but she trusts him. She trusts everyone in the room. She opens her eyes and looks at each of them to remain calm. She's safe. They'll keep her safe.
She bumps her first against Dirk's. ]
Thank you. All of you. I'm ready.
[ Dirk said he worked out all the logistics out with Jake and Dave, so she'll believe she won't die by the end of this.
She believes. ]
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and potentially more effective. ]
Your call. [ on the go time. to dirk. ]
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He doesn't start anything until he knows Dave his part]
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a gear surrounds hotaru (or does not surround hotaru, if the choose not to perceive it), and time slows to an utter stop in her person. ]
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But what he pulls out is not just her. There's a counterforce, a vicious pull. Every soul he has ever seen has shown energy radiating outwards, but the second thing in here is the energy of being drawn inwards, consumed and destroyed.
Dirk takes a deep breath, Jake's power supporting him, and starts to untangle the souls from one another. He destroys what binds them.]
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After Dirk extracts the souls, a black five-pointed star appears and flickers (or doesn't) as weak resistance. It exists to suck everything into silence, but affected by the winning power combination in play and without a host, it can do nothing.
Mistress Nine's soul is prime to be completely separated and manipulated in whatever way is deemed fitting or necessary. ]
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dave doesn't drop hotaru's hand, though she's frozen in time and will be until her soul returns and he lifts his influence, and he doesn't speak.
but he keeps an eye on the abstracts and wonders if hotaru saw them, too. ]
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Dirk eases it back into Hotaru's body, and he begins the most delicate part. He reconnects Hotaru to her soul, piece by piece. In time stop, she won't be able to feel the strangeness of coming back to herself. It's something he's grateful for even when he has worked out how to eliminate the pain.]
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All done, unless you think we missed a step, kiddo.
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It's over?
[ She squeezes Dave's hand, her fingers trembling. They did it. She did it. It's over. She turns her head to look around, eyes focusing on the cookies on the table then on Dirk. ]
Is it...? Where is...? Is it something I can see?
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Here you are! Um, I don't know if it's true or not but I heard hospitals let you keep organs that get taken out in jars.
[It sounds cool and he is suggesting she have an evil soul jar basically.]
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[If it does anything, they have a buff, a timestop, and a soul rip to take care of it.]
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If it were me, I'd smash it.
[ idly said, but it's not like dave is on record as liking possessed soul things. ]
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Thank... you... I don't know what I want to do with it, but... I know some organs can be preserved, but it's usually to study?
[ Her voice trembles, and it sounds faraway in her ears. She's sure all three of them have done everything to make it safe for her, but fear is irrational. She takes a few steps away to come to terms with the clay. If it's clay in her mind, it's less dangerous, but it's not just clay.
Her hands are shaking. She's holding it like it'll break in her grasp, but she's looking down at it like it'll break her. She can't let it get to her. She can't. She's come so far. She went to Sorey and Mikleo because she wanted to do something about it, didn't she? She went to Dirk because was ready to deal with this, didn't she? She can't stop her progress. She's grown stronger, better. She doesn't want to cause harm to anyone, to anything. No, she wants to do more than that. She wants to be more than someone who doesn't hurt anyone. Her fingers still.
She wants to protect the people she's come to care about and cherish. She wants the power to stand up on her own and protect herself and everyone she loves. She will gain that power. She won't stop until she does. That is something worth fighting for, worth living for.
The symbol for Saturn shines bright and purple on her forehead. In the next moment, Hotaru is engulfed in blinding light.
When the light dissipates, Sailor Saturn stands, clay in one hand and glaive in the other. ]
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[ dave leans back immediately, eyes blown wide under his shades, as that...happens. sailor saturn reborn is a reincarnation and has enough Weird Time Shit looped in from lifetimes lived before, iirc, that it's an immediate sense of incongruity that nevertheless...belongs.
it's...
not the weirdest thing he's ever seen. or felt.
but all the same he elbows dirk in the side like that's going to help something, or like it at all matches what he should be doing in this moment. maybe like. asking? what is going on? or? ]
Hey, we could see that abstraction, right?
[ he's apparently still concerned about whether or not he can acknowledge other people's transformation and magical attack sequences. but also, he's just trying to deal with the sudden addition of so much time in the same location as himself by focusing on the first stupid topic to come to hand. ]
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No, Dave. It's just you.
[Yes, they all saw it. But his focus is kinda on Sailor Saturn here.]
Okay, so that was really cool, but I wanna be sure that was supposed to happen.
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It's premature, but she made it happen by her own determination. I only appear when I'm needed.
[ Her tone implies she's not too needed at the moment since the world doesn't need to be destroyed (probably). ]
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That's...cool? Is she, uh, coming back?
[ it was asking that or saying "so, you're old as balls" ]
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Am I an uninvited guest here as well? She has to bear the weight of all my memories.
[ So eventually. ]
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[ the response is lightning-quick although he doesn't ask for clarification. so long as he can relax on that regard it's fine because - well, hotaru not being around at all - and this person is talking about her like she's someone else entirely - would suck. so. ]
Also, you set me off-balance. [ with the addition of time, rather than the magical girl transformation - that was actually really normal by dave's standards of "weird". ] But hey, you want us to make some tea and biscuits and shit and have a tea party, why the fuck not. Dirk will print you up an official e-vite.
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I don't need you to make me feel welcome. [ At least she knows what an e-vite is because absorbing memories from Hotaru is a lot easier than the other way around. ]
What do you sense?
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I didn't say I sensed anything.
[ dave opts to be randomly obstinate about this for a second, but: ]
So, like, if we WERE allowed to see that, are you gonna explain what that was or like. Not. Just so I know if I'm accepting the confusion thing here or what?
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