Friends that are forced to tear each other apart at the whims of some unknowable power.
[His gaze sharpens, focusing on where he knows Scott was sporting wounds from the transformed creature his girlfriend became, though the rest of the shade remains in place. He doesn't even acknowledge the emergence of the fiery creature, its presence a sidenote at best in his mind.]
Friends that will inevitably disappear, to never be seen again—or who'll simply forget you.
[His tone remains one of somber defeat rather than anger, but there's still a certainty behind it all.]
It's all temporary, Scott... Short, pointless moments between promises of misery.
[There's no hiding the flinch his body makes when Altius speaks, his words almost cutting into him despite the fact that he's not wielding any weapon at him. There's nothing impacting his body right now. He's fine. He's not on the ground and coughing out blood while calling out for Kotone, he's standing here and--
Phoenix screeches at Altius, wings spreading, and the only reason why she hasn't started attacking is because the shade still remains in place. It's at least enough to draw Scott from his thoughts, the teen quickly snapping back to reality as he grits his teeth. Get a grip, Summers. If he... if he falls back now, it will only just prove his point.
He got hurt. It's fine. He's a X-Man now anyway. He's probably going to be hurt more in the future.]
It's not pointless. [This almost feels like stuff he and Kotone have talked a lot in the past. 'Live each day to the fullest' because you don't know what may happen the next day.] I'm never going to say that the moments I've spent with my friends and even an old asshole like you was pointless. I'll endure being hurt to share more of those moments, for however long they will last.
[What's he going to do otherwise? Just be miserable all the time? Hard pass.]
[Zekarion shakes his head, dismissing the idea with a dull disbelief.]
I'll never understand... how anyone can feel that way.
[It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say he gets to his feet when most of his lower half is unformed darkness, but the shade rises to his full height with some effort, a hand apparently over the harsh glow the attack left on his arm as if trying to support a wound.]
Can you tell me... will you ever be able to look at her in those "moments" and not think of your bones breaking?
[A small part of him notes how his earlier attack has still left its mark on Altius. It really hurt him, huh? A shadowed form and his powers generate light. so makes sense. It's actually quite handy for him to actually fight something that seems specifically weak to his optic blasts. Phoenix is probably no different. It doesn't make him overconfident, a part of him stiffening as Altius raises to his full height, but it's good to know.
Phoenix still looks moments away from striking.]
Don't be a dick.
[...] And yeah. I will. So, are you going to let me help you with your wish or not?
[He manages to sound convincing, if only because he's slipped back to that more 'leader' mode.]
[His answer is almost muttered—a disagreement without intent to argue, because to argue would be to keep fighting, to keep going.]
Bluffing.
[His eyes slide off of Scott as he turns his attention away; to try to force his method of salvation on the young man would take too much. The offer of help from the other seems absurd now, and the shade sways somewhat as he starts to turn his back to Scott.]
If you wanted to help me... you should have kept shooting.
Why? So you can disappear? [Wait. Would... would that actually work? He'd be helping to grant his wish, right? But if he goes too far, would he actually kill Altius?
Something horrible twists in his chest, Scott stuck suddenly between the two choices that are now apparent to him. Either let Altius go or continue attacking him until his shadowed form disappears. If... if he lets him go, he might hurt someone (although he didn't even try to hurt Scott but does that really mean anything). Or he might get worse. According to Fauna, the only way to stop the wish is to strengthen their heart, make them not wish for it anymore, or grant it in some way.
But if he keeps firing his powers at him until he disappears, would he actually die? Would... would he actually kill someone? He doesn't want to do that; he doesn't care if people come back to life from it. That's not what he's meant to do with his powers.
Can't he just convince Altius through words alone? Maybe he should try again? But what should he say, he's already brushed off his words from before and--
Phoenix decides to make the first attack this time, she's tired of her host's doubts. The bird suddenly straightens up on Scott's shoulder and despite the boy's protest, she shoots a fireball straight at Altius's retreating back.]
[All his struggling, all his fighting, all his desperate wrestling for control. He wants it to be done. If he can take no one with him, so be it. He was never going to accomplish anything of worth anyway.
But it seems like the creature, by the sound of it, is much more willing to directly grant his desire. He stops completely at the whooshing sound of the flame, suspecting what's coming without seeing it and not even attempting to move out of the way—and it bursts into a sharp stinging once it hits him, sending him staggering forward with a pained noise caught behind his clenched teeth, the fire extinguished before it fully moves through the shade. It leaves more of the dark cloud with an orange glow, like embers hiding within smoke.
And isn't that a funny thought? That a bird of flame, the sort of creature he once used to end lives, would aim an attack at him when he desired that fate for himself. A single voiceless laugh escapes him.]
[There's another angry call from the bird, but miraculously, she does as she's told and calms down, at least to some degree. The audible sound of her wings flapping can still be heard, but Altius won't feel another flicker of fire hit him. Instead, there's a strangled little noise that joins the sound of Phoenix, Scott clearly stuck between trying to make the right choice and he doesn't know what that is right now. What it looks like.
To let him go and people getting hurt from that. Or hurting Altius and maybe even more.
He can feel his hand reach to his visor again, while barely stopping his finger from shaking against the button. Maybe it is shaking, but Scott can only focus on the shadow creature in front of him.]
T-tell me that you really want this and your wish will go way afterward.
[His voice low, he turns his head to look at the young man from over his shoulder, the shade's shape and apparent injuries giving the impression of being utterly worn down, though he still holds himself nearly at his full height.]
Of course it will. ... There'll be nothing left to wish for anything.
[Because that's an implication that there will be nothing left of Altius to even want anything and that's grim. He doesn't want to go that far. Can he hope that if he hits the shade again and again with non-lethal beams, then that will be okay? Destroy the monster, leave the man intact? Or would he just disintegrate into nothing?
His hand does start to shake, even if he keeps his focus on Altius.]
... [He wants him to return to normal, even if he doesn't. That's just the wish seed influencing him badly anyway, right? It's not like Kotone would beat him down with a weapon on a normal day. So Altius probably doesn't want to stay like this either. And Scott's sure that he would want him to stop him from hurting others. He can be sure about that. Would he be more disappointed in him if he didn't do anything if he had the chance?
The mutant watches the man for a moment and with another sound that stems from the base of this throat, almost like it's strangled out of him, he fires his blast towards him.]
[Oh, Scott. Ever helpful, even though the conflict within him is clear. The shade clenches his jaw and prepares to remain silent—and it's not in vain. He falls against the blast, not at all attempting to stay upright even though the only thing truly moving him is his own pain and the weakness of his will.
The hunched, stiff form of the cloud low to the ground has partly burned away under the beam, its dissolved edges glowing brightly. But there's no man underneath it—only the nothingness of the wish, absent of the suffering human that brought it into being.]
[It would be so much easier if he could view the shade in front of him as nothing more than a monster, someone that needs to be stopped. But the truth of the matter is that he's not just a monster and Scott really doesn't want to hurt him. This isn't Apocalypse, who voluntarily tried to kill so many people, this is just Altius influenced by some outside force. It isn't as easy to full push his emotions down, unlike earlier, even if it would be helpful.
One single shot wasn't enough. Scott knows that-- he knew that wouldn't be enough to end all this and he continues to watch the struggling shadow with a clenched jaw. If he stopped now, then everything he just did would be in vain, right? There can be no half-measures now.
His finger twitches against the button before firing again. And again. Then another shot. The guilt and anxiety still swirls inside him, but he feels like he can't stop now. Something stronger than those feelings, an emotion that's raw and desperate, continues to guide Scott in firing shot after shot at Altius.]
[There comes a point where Zekarion can no longer remain silent, but his few cries are strangled, choked in a throat that's gradually streaked with bright red and partly unusable, the light of the blasts radiating out past the spots they've directly eaten away from the shade. He doesn't know if he's capable of moving, if there would be enough of him left to carry him physically or magically through the darkness. It doesn't matter anymore—it seems clear to him that it will be over soon enough.
But before Scott can do something he can't undo, there's a rapid sound of an approach—polished rock hooves against concrete. That's the only warning the young man gets before a crystalline creature darts in as fast as its legs can carry it, ramming its large head into the back of his knees to entirely upend him.]
[There's a moment where he hesitates again, Altius's strangled cry still managing to reach his ears despite everything. It pierces against his already conflicted self, adding more stress and emotion to everything he's already feeling and it's so much. Maybe too much. He doesn't know if he's breathing anymore, all the noise suddenly fading from his mind and muffling into the background, because he doesn't want to do this and--
A strangled yell leaves Scott as something suddenly rams into his legs from behind, the mutant tumbling over and landing harshly on his back in a choked cry with everything returning back to normal for him. Well, maybe not normal. Phoenix lets out a screeching noise, a fireball shooting from her mouth to hit the crystalline creature as Scott gasps on the ground as pain continues to shoot through him in a way that is different from before, but it still hurts and.]
Augggghhhh! [He feels like he can't control anything right now. Red light flashes behind his eyes as Scott struggles to get up from the ground.]
[The searing sensation stops—to an extent. There's the sound of a thud, a noise of pain that's not his own, a birdlike shriek. When the shade feels the darkness pooling to try to mend the crater of his back, he angles his head and sees...
A crys, loyally placing itself squarely between him and the boy, shaking off the largely-ineffective fireball before taking a defensive stance. Zekarion tries to reach for the magic to command them as he did before his transformation, but he finds nothing. They're outside of his control now, just like everything else.]
Move aside, [he manages, barely, the sounds stumbling out of him awkwardly as if dragged through mud—but the creature remains steadfast, standing strong as it prepares to defend the Chosen as ordered. It watches Scott and Phoenix cautiously, white eyes wide, and though its orders and nature drive it to want to move closer to check on the harm it's done him, right now its priority is clear.]
[Phoenix herself becomes more enraged when none of her attacks have any sort of effect on the new creature. Why is it resisting her!! How dare it. After another ineffectual attack, she takes the time to flap in front of Scott as she screeches both at the monster and Altius, like she's trying to protect her host. He's in pain and confused and it's affecting her, the bird spreading her wings and shrieking again. If no one else will protect her host, she will!!
He doesn't hurt nearly as much as last time, but Scott barely notices. Because right now, he feels like he can hardly breathe, just like when Kotone smashed her harp against his struggling form over and over. It's just like that, even though he's not in as nearly as much pain. He doesn't understand it, but he can't fucking breath. His hands shake in front of him, sparks of red flashing more behind his visor as that pressure mounts, before the mutant lets out another yell as he rips the accessory off his face.
Phoenix barely dodges in time to escape the blast, those twin beams heading straight at the crystalline monster for a few seconds, before being aimed straight at the sky as Scott continues to shout.]
[The boy's struggle lasts long enough that Zekarion takes note; though the crys blocks the second fireball with no trouble, the shade's attention is drawn away from his pain and his wish, the clear indications of Scott's turmoil finally coming together in his mind as something significant—something that shouldn't be happening.
This... is wrong. He'd fought for so long to keep things like this from happening, and yet he's lying here, waiting and hoping for a child to be burdened with the prospect of murdering him...?
The creature takes the unfettered blast head on, its hooves scratching against the pavement as it tries to brace itself against the force. After only a moment, deep cracks spread through its body and it's thrown backwards, its landing a scrape across the ground on its side that ends immediately in front of the shade, who's now struggling with every ounce of strength he has to lift himself into a sitting position. Shadow spills like blood from the bright hollow of the cloud as he does, one yellow eye and one amber looking to the damaged monster before turning to the red light in the sky, and then down to their source.]
Scott— [His voice is still a strangled wheeze, almost wet, but he tries again.] S-Scott.
Edited (be consistent with the pronouns, self) 2025-03-31 19:02 (UTC)
[He doesn't react to Altius, almost like he can't hear him. And maybe he can't, not with the noise of his optic blasts still resounding through the air and his own screams accompanying them. Those powerful beams glow brightly red as they continue to fire in the sky, not hitting anyone or really doing anything, but Scott still doesn't stop. It feels impossible to stop now, even as each moment drains him, but it's barely a passing feeling as everything continues to weigh down on his chest.
Maybe in a way, it's a relief. Just letting go like this.
Phoenix flaps next to Scott, out of the way of his blasts, but still keeping near. A cry leaves her throat, almost like she's mimicking him, unable to do much and influenced by the way her hosts feels. If she was her true self, she could actually help him... although strange, she doesn't know what that fully means either.]
S-stop hurting me!
[It almost sounds like he's responding to Altius, but he's not. A delayed reaction to recent events that he hasn't been able to fully take in.]
[Even as dazed as the circumstances have made him, Zekarion knows this is just the result of everything that's happened over the course of the past several days. If the crystal creature's attack didn't trigger this, something else would have. He wonders if it's better or worse that it's come to this with him, rather than someone else, as his creation pushes itself carefully to its feet, pieces of onyx breaking off and showing the white of its core.
His touch would do nothing to help, at this point. So—]
Help him, [he whispers to the crys, and though there's no power to the words, the creature lifts its head to listen—then, after a moment, it starts to make its way towards the young man, moving with a limp to keep itself from fracturing irreparably, its pace neither slow nor aggressively quick. If it can reach Scott, it will approach with softer steps and lower its head to nudge against his shoulder. But if not—then at least it will have given a Chosen the opportunity to escape.]
[At first, Phoenix screeches at the crys, the bird alarmed at seeing the creature who harmed her host nearing closer and closer to him. No, stay away from him!! She flies over and lands on its head, almost like she's trying to stop and claw him away, but her talons aren't able to penetrate its tougher surface and a mournful noise leaves her. She can't protect the boy!! She can't... she's failing again, but she doesn't stop with her attacks, still trying to peck at the creature even as it nears the trembling boy and--
Gently nudges her trembling host with its head??
Phoenix blinks, seeing the movement, stopping her attacks as a choked noise leaves Scott-- who thankfully has stopped his assault against the sky and has covered his entire face with his hands, shaking on the ground as he sucks in deep breaths. He doesn't react much to the bump itself and it wouldn't take much for him to start expelling his powers outward again, but Scott curls into himself, like he's trying to stop something from hitting him over and over again.]
[The attacks leave minor scratches in the creature that its eyes wince at, but they fail to do any real damage—definitely not enough to stop it in its new goal of making sure this particular Chosen can return to his feet and get to safety.
The creature's head is hardly soft enough to be an immediate comfort, but it is capable of being gentle. It presses its short snout against Scott's shoulder, rubbing back and forth in the hopes of calming him.
Zekarion, having managed to push himself halfway upright, watches with exhausted concern as wisps of darkness start to evaporate from his skin.]
[He can still barely think. Honestly, he feels like he can barely breathe, even though he's sucking in large gasps between clenched teeth as he continues to tremble on the ground. He's not sure what's happening, why he's acting like this, but his heart's rapidly beating in his chest and he just wants everyone and everything to leave him alone. He wants everything to stop-- for Kotone to be okay. For everything to return to normal. Isn't she still screaming through the speaker on her mechanical form?
He can't hear it, but he feels it echoing in his mind anyway. Someone help her. ...She's okay, right?
It takes Scott a while to notice the gentle press against his shoulder, at first flinching from the contact and pulling himself into a tighter ball. But eventually, his shaking starts to lessen. He's still not reacting much to what's happening around him, but it's clear that the mutant is finally calming down, those shuddering gasps becoming more infrequent.]
Certainly, in the sense that his wish manifested... but more than that, a shadow can do nothing to help in this moment. His strength has waned and exhaustion has fully taken hold of him, but he has enough power to escape, he thinks.]
Take care of yourself, Scott, [he says, low—maybe almost inaudible from where he sits, the darkness rising around him as he prepares to fade into it.
The crys only momentarily turns its attention towards the shade before it moves a little closer to the young man and sits, careful of its cracks as it lies one heavy front leg halfway over Scott's shoulder. It lifts its head as if to look at the bird still sitting atop its head, then turns to look at the discarded visor. Miss Bird, get the face thing. He needs that, probably?]
[There's a moment when Phoenix starts puffing up, her chest expanding, because how dare this strange creature tell her, the mighty Phoenix, what to do?! She listens to no one!! However, she sees what it's looking at and oh. Right. Perhaps the dull monster has a point-- she was just about to get to it, really! She didn't need its help!! With one last peck on its head, the bird flies off the crys to grab the visor with her talons, before returning to her trembling host with a sad 'coo' emitting from her beak. He looks so hurt and upset. The girl did this.
She should peck at her some more later on.
For now, however, Phoenix flaps close to him, pressing the eye accessory to his covered hands, like telling Scott to take it. Come on. It's okay. No one is attacking him now. Miraculously, the mutant slowly reaches to take the visor from her, hands shaking as he tries to slip it back on. He's still struggling with his breathing, almost like he's panting, but some rationality slowly starts returning to him.
[When he does, the new friend is the only one there, calm and patient like Altius always has been, resting its foreleg over Scott and keeping the jagged edges of the damage in its body away from him, even managing a little pat. Even if it were particularly eager to go find another conflict to disrupt, another Chosen to protect, it would be likely to fall apart if it moved too quickly or made too many missteps. It must rely on the others to continue their work.
So—here it stays with the boy and his proud bird, in the hopes that its presence might do some more good. Sometimes people need to be protected from themselves, after all, and that's still an important job.]
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expiationlogs2025-03-11 10:18 am
no subject
[His gaze sharpens, focusing on where he knows Scott was sporting wounds from the transformed creature his girlfriend became, though the rest of the shade remains in place. He doesn't even acknowledge the emergence of the fiery creature, its presence a sidenote at best in his mind.]
Friends that will inevitably disappear, to never be seen again—or who'll simply forget you.
[His tone remains one of somber defeat rather than anger, but there's still a certainty behind it all.]
It's all temporary, Scott... Short, pointless moments between promises of misery.
no subject
Phoenix screeches at Altius, wings spreading, and the only reason why she hasn't started attacking is because the shade still remains in place. It's at least enough to draw Scott from his thoughts, the teen quickly snapping back to reality as he grits his teeth. Get a grip, Summers. If he... if he falls back now, it will only just prove his point.
He got hurt. It's fine. He's a X-Man now anyway. He's probably going to be hurt more in the future.]
It's not pointless. [This almost feels like stuff he and Kotone have talked a lot in the past. 'Live each day to the fullest' because you don't know what may happen the next day.] I'm never going to say that the moments I've spent with my friends and even an old asshole like you was pointless. I'll endure being hurt to share more of those moments, for however long they will last.
[What's he going to do otherwise? Just be miserable all the time? Hard pass.]
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I'll never understand... how anyone can feel that way.
[It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say he gets to his feet when most of his lower half is unformed darkness, but the shade rises to his full height with some effort, a hand apparently over the harsh glow the attack left on his arm as if trying to support a wound.]
Can you tell me... will you ever be able to look at her in those "moments" and not think of your bones breaking?
no subject
Phoenix still looks moments away from striking.]
Don't be a dick.
[...] And yeah. I will. So, are you going to let me help you with your wish or not?
[He manages to sound convincing, if only because he's slipped back to that more 'leader' mode.]
no subject
Bluffing.
[His eyes slide off of Scott as he turns his attention away; to try to force his method of salvation on the young man would take too much. The offer of help from the other seems absurd now, and the shade sways somewhat as he starts to turn his back to Scott.]
If you wanted to help me... you should have kept shooting.
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Something horrible twists in his chest, Scott stuck suddenly between the two choices that are now apparent to him. Either let Altius go or continue attacking him until his shadowed form disappears. If... if he lets him go, he might hurt someone (although he didn't even try to hurt Scott but does that really mean anything). Or he might get worse. According to Fauna, the only way to stop the wish is to strengthen their heart, make them not wish for it anymore, or grant it in some way.
But if he keeps firing his powers at him until he disappears, would he actually die? Would... would he actually kill someone? He doesn't want to do that; he doesn't care if people come back to life from it. That's not what he's meant to do with his powers.
Can't he just convince Altius through words alone? Maybe he should try again? But what should he say, he's already brushed off his words from before and--
Phoenix decides to make the first attack this time, she's tired of her host's doubts. The bird suddenly straightens up on Scott's shoulder and despite the boy's protest, she shoots a fireball straight at Altius's retreating back.]
Phoenix, stop!
no subject
[All his struggling, all his fighting, all his desperate wrestling for control. He wants it to be done. If he can take no one with him, so be it. He was never going to accomplish anything of worth anyway.
But it seems like the creature, by the sound of it, is much more willing to directly grant his desire. He stops completely at the whooshing sound of the flame, suspecting what's coming without seeing it and not even attempting to move out of the way—and it bursts into a sharp stinging once it hits him, sending him staggering forward with a pained noise caught behind his clenched teeth, the fire extinguished before it fully moves through the shade. It leaves more of the dark cloud with an orange glow, like embers hiding within smoke.
And isn't that a funny thought? That a bird of flame, the sort of creature he once used to end lives, would aim an attack at him when he desired that fate for himself. A single voiceless laugh escapes him.]
no subject
To let him go and people getting hurt from that. Or hurting Altius and maybe even more.
He can feel his hand reach to his visor again, while barely stopping his finger from shaking against the button. Maybe it is shaking, but Scott can only focus on the shadow creature in front of him.]
T-tell me that you really want this and your wish will go way afterward.
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[His voice low, he turns his head to look at the young man from over his shoulder, the shade's shape and apparent injuries giving the impression of being utterly worn down, though he still holds himself nearly at his full height.]
Of course it will. ... There'll be nothing left to wish for anything.
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[Because that's an implication that there will be nothing left of Altius to even want anything and that's grim. He doesn't want to go that far. Can he hope that if he hits the shade again and again with non-lethal beams, then that will be okay? Destroy the monster, leave the man intact? Or would he just disintegrate into nothing?
His hand does start to shake, even if he keeps his focus on Altius.]
... [He wants him to return to normal, even if he doesn't. That's just the wish seed influencing him badly anyway, right? It's not like Kotone would beat him down with a weapon on a normal day. So Altius probably doesn't want to stay like this either. And Scott's sure that he would want him to stop him from hurting others. He can be sure about that. Would he be more disappointed in him if he didn't do anything if he had the chance?
The mutant watches the man for a moment and with another sound that stems from the base of this throat, almost like it's strangled out of him, he fires his blast towards him.]
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The hunched, stiff form of the cloud low to the ground has partly burned away under the beam, its dissolved edges glowing brightly. But there's no man underneath it—only the nothingness of the wish, absent of the suffering human that brought it into being.]
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One single shot wasn't enough. Scott knows that-- he knew that wouldn't be enough to end all this and he continues to watch the struggling shadow with a clenched jaw. If he stopped now, then everything he just did would be in vain, right? There can be no half-measures now.
His finger twitches against the button before firing again. And again. Then another shot. The guilt and anxiety still swirls inside him, but he feels like he can't stop now. Something stronger than those feelings, an emotion that's raw and desperate, continues to guide Scott in firing shot after shot at Altius.]
no subject
But before Scott can do something he can't undo, there's a rapid sound of an approach—polished rock hooves against concrete. That's the only warning the young man gets before a crystalline creature darts in as fast as its legs can carry it, ramming its large head into the back of his knees to entirely upend him.]
no subject
A strangled yell leaves Scott as something suddenly rams into his legs from behind, the mutant tumbling over and landing harshly on his back in a choked cry with everything returning back to normal for him. Well, maybe not normal. Phoenix lets out a screeching noise, a fireball shooting from her mouth to hit the crystalline creature as Scott gasps on the ground as pain continues to shoot through him in a way that is different from before, but it still hurts and.]
Augggghhhh! [He feels like he can't control anything right now. Red light flashes behind his eyes as Scott struggles to get up from the ground.]
no subject
A crys, loyally placing itself squarely between him and the boy, shaking off the largely-ineffective fireball before taking a defensive stance. Zekarion tries to reach for the magic to command them as he did before his transformation, but he finds nothing. They're outside of his control now, just like everything else.]
Move aside, [he manages, barely, the sounds stumbling out of him awkwardly as if dragged through mud—but the creature remains steadfast, standing strong as it prepares to defend the Chosen as ordered. It watches Scott and Phoenix cautiously, white eyes wide, and though its orders and nature drive it to want to move closer to check on the harm it's done him, right now its priority is clear.]
no subject
He doesn't hurt nearly as much as last time, but Scott barely notices. Because right now, he feels like he can hardly breathe, just like when Kotone smashed her harp against his struggling form over and over. It's just like that, even though he's not in as nearly as much pain. He doesn't understand it, but he can't fucking breath. His hands shake in front of him, sparks of red flashing more behind his visor as that pressure mounts, before the mutant lets out another yell as he rips the accessory off his face.
Phoenix barely dodges in time to escape the blast, those twin beams heading straight at the crystalline monster for a few seconds, before being aimed straight at the sky as Scott continues to shout.]
no subject
This... is wrong. He'd fought for so long to keep things like this from happening, and yet he's lying here, waiting and hoping for a child to be burdened with the prospect of murdering him...?
The creature takes the unfettered blast head on, its hooves scratching against the pavement as it tries to brace itself against the force. After only a moment, deep cracks spread through its body and it's thrown backwards, its landing a scrape across the ground on its side that ends immediately in front of the shade, who's now struggling with every ounce of strength he has to lift himself into a sitting position. Shadow spills like blood from the bright hollow of the cloud as he does, one yellow eye and one amber looking to the damaged monster before turning to the red light in the sky, and then down to their source.]
Scott— [His voice is still a strangled wheeze, almost wet, but he tries again.] S-Scott.
no subject
Maybe in a way, it's a relief. Just letting go like this.
Phoenix flaps next to Scott, out of the way of his blasts, but still keeping near. A cry leaves her throat, almost like she's mimicking him, unable to do much and influenced by the way her hosts feels. If she was her true self, she could actually help him... although strange, she doesn't know what that fully means either.]
S-stop hurting me!
[It almost sounds like he's responding to Altius, but he's not. A delayed reaction to recent events that he hasn't been able to fully take in.]
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His touch would do nothing to help, at this point. So—]
Help him, [he whispers to the crys, and though there's no power to the words, the creature lifts its head to listen—then, after a moment, it starts to make its way towards the young man, moving with a limp to keep itself from fracturing irreparably, its pace neither slow nor aggressively quick. If it can reach Scott, it will approach with softer steps and lower its head to nudge against his shoulder. But if not—then at least it will have given a Chosen the opportunity to escape.]
no subject
Gently nudges her trembling host with its head??
Phoenix blinks, seeing the movement, stopping her attacks as a choked noise leaves Scott-- who thankfully has stopped his assault against the sky and has covered his entire face with his hands, shaking on the ground as he sucks in deep breaths. He doesn't react much to the bump itself and it wouldn't take much for him to start expelling his powers outward again, but Scott curls into himself, like he's trying to stop something from hitting him over and over again.]
no subject
The creature's head is hardly soft enough to be an immediate comfort, but it is capable of being gentle. It presses its short snout against Scott's shoulder, rubbing back and forth in the hopes of calming him.
Zekarion, having managed to push himself halfway upright, watches with exhausted concern as wisps of darkness start to evaporate from his skin.]
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He can't hear it, but he feels it echoing in his mind anyway. Someone help her. ...She's okay, right?
It takes Scott a while to notice the gentle press against his shoulder, at first flinching from the contact and pulling himself into a tighter ball. But eventually, his shaking starts to lessen. He's still not reacting much to what's happening around him, but it's clear that the mutant is finally calming down, those shuddering gasps becoming more infrequent.]
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Certainly, in the sense that his wish manifested... but more than that, a shadow can do nothing to help in this moment. His strength has waned and exhaustion has fully taken hold of him, but he has enough power to escape, he thinks.]
Take care of yourself, Scott, [he says, low—maybe almost inaudible from where he sits, the darkness rising around him as he prepares to fade into it.
The crys only momentarily turns its attention towards the shade before it moves a little closer to the young man and sits, careful of its cracks as it lies one heavy front leg halfway over Scott's shoulder. It lifts its head as if to look at the bird still sitting atop its head, then turns to look at the discarded visor. Miss Bird, get the face thing. He needs that, probably?]
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She should peck at her some more later on.
For now, however, Phoenix flaps close to him, pressing the eye accessory to his covered hands, like telling Scott to take it. Come on. It's okay. No one is attacking him now. Miraculously, the mutant slowly reaches to take the visor from her, hands shaking as he tries to slip it back on. He's still struggling with his breathing, almost like he's panting, but some rationality slowly starts returning to him.
He'll notice his new friend soon enough.]
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So—here it stays with the boy and his proud bird, in the hopes that its presence might do some more good. Sometimes people need to be protected from themselves, after all, and that's still an important job.]
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