Kyrie Eleison

It seemed somewhat vague in wording, but paired with the further reassurance, it was enough to put the worst of Claus’s worries at ease.

”I’m so glad…”

Claus let out a small, trembling sigh, his left hand reaching to grab at the front of his jacket. While he was certain the painful knot in his chest wouldn’t loosen until he and the people he knew were finally out of this awful place, it helped to know Mika was alright…

Mismatched eyes lifted to look at the girl, Claus’s head nodding in agreement over the lab’s complexity.

“It’s confusing. There’s too many rooms and- and too much security! I tried- I tried looking for things but I couldn’t find anything to help..!”

His voice rose briefly from his frustration. The second he realized he had, he froze and took a step back, gaze darting to the side in shame.

“Just…these.”

He spoke softly again and lifted his right hand. It opened to show the scalpel he’d been clinging onto. His lack of progress was…expected, despite how much he hated it. As he currently was, he was practically helpless. A feeling far too familiar in a place like this.

”I’m able to throw them but, that’s it.”

For those with the strength to tear down anything in their way, this place was likely a breeze. The security systems and the robots and the confusing puzzles and the horrible rooms..! But Claus didn’t have that kind of strength, not anymore. He should’ve preferred it! But…

“I hate this place…”

Claus spoke in a weak voice, his gloved fingers wrapping around the handle of the scalpel again. In that moment, Claus swore he could faintly feel his hand again, could even feel a hilt pressing against the meat of his palm.

"I hate this place this too. But don't worry I'm going to make sure you don't need to those alright? I can protect you. We might not know the way out right now but there's gotta be an exit right? After all, how else did we get here in the first place?"

She didn't want to assume it was some hopeless endeavor. And not in front of Claus either. Not this quickly when there was still hope to hold onto...

𝐦𝐞𝐰 - "Hello! Can I ask you a question?" Pink was new to the city, but that wasn't what this was about. She had noticed the girl's clothes and had been struck by how cute they were. She wanted to try on more cute clothes, and to that she had to figure out the best place to get them.

"...You even know what you're doin'?" she asks. "You know how programmin' a worker drone works? You know about the Absolute Solver? Frankly, you're lucky it ain't snatched you up while you've been on your lil' walkabout."

She hops off the windowsill and moves towards Mika, standing over her. "Y'see this here?" she says, tapping at her nametag. "Certified JCJensen Technician. Y'know how many hours of trainin' that is? How many drones I've-"

Shaking her head, she backs away. "Nah, nah, I get it. I could yak at'cha all day, but it don't mean anythin' to you."

Folding her arms, Tessa sighs. "I can't do nothin' on my own since I'm technically part of Uzi's system. But you, you're an outside user, girl. I can tell ya what to do so that you can let me in, and I can fix everythin'. 'Cuz it ain't as easy as just tappin' a big button that says 'FIX EVERYTHING,' yanno? If I was givin' you instructions, it'd take forever. I can't make you trust me, but what else are ya gonna do?"

But the last thing she wanted to do was screw up. Not only herself but the one that trusted her to do all of this in the first place.

"And how much of that trauma is left?" Mika said curiously. "If I want to go with you and let you figure it all out I'd be watching you every step of the way. It's probably not ideal for me but you'd be able to do everything you want. An "easy fix" with all the hours you have right?"

Did she trust her? Absolutely not. But the alternative really felt like throwing herself into a worse situation.

so, she offers another small smile as she touches on the subject. ❝ I once thought similar to you in my youth. I was known quite well for the lady of a high nobility with an array of the finest garments so that none other could have them but myself. I soon came to learn that such things should be shared. But, in turn, they should also be worn for your own pleasure, not merely because of another's gaze, ❞ she explains, hoping it would make sense to the young girl.

And if she was it was going to be for all the wrong reasons rather then something to celebrate for. Maybe for Halloween or some occasion that could work in her favor. But there were still plenty of people who's eyes glared at her with ire. One's she felt she could never truly ignore no matter how hard she tried.

"Here I mean there's so many little things to go and see. And nobody cares either about what had transpired before you came here either. So the opportunities to do that and still feel like I'm having a good time is just a bit higher." Maybe a little bit of an understatement but still the truth nonetheless.

“ i'm pretty sure you didn’t trap us on the moon, right? ”

she almost laughed again, but the sound of a turret clanking nearby cut her short. her hand shot out on instinct, fingers closing around mika’s wrist before she even realized she had moved. pomni tried her best to stay perfectly still, holding her breath, waiting until the machine faded into the silence. only then did she release mika and exhale shakily.

her gaze dropped to her own outfit, and she offered a quick, reassuring smile as she brushed dust from the fabric— an unspoken way of telling the teen she was fine. she’d survived far worse.

“ don’t worry about me. this is nothing. i’ve been shot up a million‑and‑a‑half times before. ”

Although the moment with another turret did put the student on edge, enough that she wanted to take out her firearm again and blow it up without a second thought. But the gesture and action from her was more then enough of a sign to follow suit rather then ruin whatever element of surprise they had going for them.

"I'll be sure to treat you then once this is all over. Maybe we can find a real nice spot on the beach and just relax while this all blows over our heads."

resisting the urge to slap the doll against the robot's remains , it would be childish if she did , artemista instead turned to the outstretched hand. there was a slight pause as she stared before she would reach out and grasp it. and if her tail did whack the robot when she stood ... no it didn't.

NAME / ALIAS: allul AGE / AGE GROUP: 25+ PRONOUNS: they/them TIMEZONE: EST WHERE ARE YOU FROM?: East Coast Hell CHARACTERS IN THE GROUP: Mika (OFC), @indomitableblackdragon, @robustdragonheart, @sickhackbassist, @nohrsrose, @explosivedesire, @powerofinheritance, @everydayisanight, @netherworldflower, @sparklingsplendor, @fullcolorfangirling, @cosmicproducer A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF: Unfortunate Gacha Player and big mecha nerd in the mines constantly when I'm not busy or you know, writing. Instead of watching anything good I just throw whatever generic anime show on my screen in the heat of the moment and say "yeah that was pretty alright I'll make it my personality for a week". Please see below for more information.

" oh god, i can't even imagine what it'd feel like to stub my toe if it was all stretchy. maybe it'd hurt more... who knows? either way, i don't think i want to find out. "

she continued to giggle as she carefully wrapped the cloth around the girl's forehead, making sure not to disturb her adorable hairstyle. pomni wasn't sure if the soft pastel pink was dyed or natural, but either way, it suited her perfectly. it was cute — really cute. maybe, once she finally escaped the circus, she'd experiment with her own hair a little. actually, maybe just her style in general.

her gaze drifted over the teen's outfit as she mentioned the tears in her dress and the damage to her wings. pomni's brows knit together with concern, though the reassuring smile on her face never wavered.

"oh, please. you're not a mess. we'll get you taken care of in no time!"

"And I mean look at you too!" Mika said pointing towards the scuffed outfit she was wearing as well. "I should've made extra sure you were safe before trying to take out the other mech thing before."

As if the scuffle was working off any kind of logic that said all of them needed to take turns. Or even look at a specific individual in the first place. Although it would've made things a whole lot easier if that was the case.

at the compliment, warmth crept across her cheeks. compliments weren't something she heard often, but she genuinely appreciated them — especially now, in this body.

when mika asked if using her powers were painful, pomni simply shook her head, offering a small, reassuring smile.

" nah, it doesn't hurt at all. it's more like i'm reaching for something… except my arms just keep going. kinda weird, honestly. "

the pair hurried through the doorway, and pomni gently but firmly guided the teenager toward the far side of the room, away from the frame. her pinwheel pupils lingered on the entrance for a moment, making sure nothing had followed them inside before finally turning her attention to the cut on mika's forehead.

glancing around, she spotted a worn, carefully folded blanket nearby. it was rather ratty, but it'd work. now, pomni wasn't particularly strong, though she still managed to rip a long strip from the blanket with a bit of effort. turning back to mika, she held it up with a cheesy grin.

" okay, hold still. let me wrap up that cut, alright? "

The attempt at trying to push the attention off her wasn't amazing. If anything it really was a poor attempt given how quickly the jester went to find something to help the student out. Maybe there was some kind of magnet attached to her wings for selfless individuals helping out the former witch...

"Seriously it's not that bad. If you think something like this isn't good you should've seen what happened back home. We probably could've blown up this entire place if we went all out in here."

Whether that should've been taken as a jest or not even Mika wasn't sure. But she still reluctantly got closer, letting her face get closer to the makeshift wrap.

the girl shook her head in disapproval at her statement but went along with it.

" when we get to the next room, at least let me take care of it. no buts, okay? they can scan me, but they won't get much... unless they want to be really stretchy. "

the last thing pomni wanted was for someone to get injured on her behalf. the fact that these weren't her friends she was shooting at must have gotten in her head and distracted her, causing her to miss a stray attack.

"It's a bit cool honestly. I mean probably not for you actually. Someone back at school used to read comics with someone with a real stretchy body like that. I didn't really get the whole gimmick at first but I guess I can see it now."

Albeit just a little bit. There were other questions she wanted to ask even if this really wasn't the time for it.

"You aren't hurt right?" The student said before wandering on over and putting the gun by her side. "Geez this is all gotta be crazy for you right? Come on let's get out of here. There's gotta be an exit for the two of us somewhere in this weird place."

With a scalpel squeezed in his right hand he weighed his options, fighting or fleeing. The last thing he'd been expecting was for gunfire to ring out, the noise deafening and disorientating. It...had been a while since he'd heard gunfire.

If it were possible for him to press any further against the wall, he likely would've to brace himself. Each bullet rattled through his brain but somehow, no pain followed. It wasn't until the heartless robot collapsed to the ground that he realized he wasn't the one being fired at.

And right after, a familiar voice and a familiar head of pink hair.

"Mika?"

A heavy sigh of relief escaped Claus, his body slumping down the wall a couple of inches before he caught himself. The scalpel in his right hand had almost slipped from his grasp before he readjusted it and pushed himself off the wall. He wobbled, but still managed to keep himself upright while Mika approached.

"'M not hurt..."

He managed to respond in a weak voice. While he was likely the furthest from 'okay' he could ever possibly be, he was okay physically. Any aches or pains were simply part of the norm, and he'd managed to avoid most confrontation he couldn't handle.

"Are-Are you okay? Nothing's different?"

Escaping was a priority, Claus wanted out of this nightmare as soon as possible. But...he also needed to be sure Mika was alright. He had no idea if the ones in charge of this place had tried experimenting on them while they were unconscious. He wouldn't put it past them...

A first glance didn't yield anything obvious...but Claus also knew there were far less obvious augmentations out there.

"I'm doing a-ok!" A smile and a wink was all the assurance she tried to give Claus without worrying him too much. "Not gonna let some oversized appliances get the jump on me that's for sure."

Though some of them did give her a little bit of a run. Especially with how strange they were in their mechanics in the first place...

after a few minutes of ... panicked throwing of ice at them , she would crouch beside one of them for a closer look. very strange looking. and for a moment there ... it had her ears and tail. she would recognize that fluffiness anywhere. it was gone now but ... she knew what she saw.

her own tail thumped against the ground in agitation , thoughts going through the battle she just had , nitpicking it if you would when a familiar voice called from behind her.

"Yeah they are some really weird robots. I think it's probably best we find how to get out of here as quickly as we can. I don't need to be seeing myself in their helmets or something." A hand extended out towards to her, trying best not to draw attention to everything.

"Come on you can stick with me. Let's try to get somewhere that more won't keep showing up."