social_linked | Come One, Come All! [Dungeon]

Come One, Come All! [Dungeon]

Gwendolyn Dellingr, age 16. She was last seen with Onyx in his car days ago, though he has no recollection of what happened or how she disappeared. What became clear was the blue bird that appeared beside the countdown in Shibuya, ominously ticking down with what remains of her life if she's left unattended.

For those who make the effort to save her, they'll realize that the gymnast's dungeon...may not be what they expected. The bright colors, the numerous tents, the arrangement of decorations, concessions stands, minigames...not to mention the large tent in the middle of the entire setup. The circus carries onward despite any intrusion from the others, with festive music playing in the backgrounds. Not every shadow stops what they're doing to attack those who pass by, with some distracted with the various games and sideshows. There's even a line waiting to see the shows in the main tent, with thunderous applause echoing from within.

But that isn't the weirdest part of all this. While standard shadows roam through the circus, with hostility ranging from docile to kill-on-sight, a special one seems to hop between each stand and manned station with blinding speed. Gwendolyn's shadow greets all who approach her stands with a smile, despite looking visibly exhausted. The bags beneath her eyes go unmentioned by the shadows, as does the location of the real Gwendolyn...

Exploration

Surprisingly, all of the concession stands and games are fully functional. The smell of carnival food wafts through the air as scattered cheers from game winners line the alleys...all free of charge, apparently. Even the main events allow dungeon crawlers to take a seat. The shadows don't seem to attack anyone else sitting in the audience with them.

Shadow Gwendolyn doesn't instigate fights, even with the occasionally displeased guest. Keeping the facade of a happy girl up keeps her from doing anything outside of smile and wear her best shit eating grin. She seems to show extra courtesy to those who treat her with respect and proper mannerisms, whether that's extra food or a pick at some of the bigger prizes from the games. As for the cost...well, it doesn't become apparent until either requesting them yourself or overhearing her chatting with the shadows...

“No payment is necessary. Simply show your thanks to the Ringleader! She loves feeling appreciated and being treated like an actual person. The Ringleader works hard to provide for ungrateful bastards in order to see them smile her way.”

Those words are spoken with a harsh bitterness that betrays her kind demeanor. Such remarks are made throughout the circus, whenever the topic is brought up. This “Ringleader” may have a clue as to where the true Gwendolyn is...but is she really in the Big Top?

Shadow Battle

The team's investigations bare fruit as whoever made it this far earned their backstage passes to an area connected to the Big Top, one only accessible from the main performance area. It seems...larger on the inside, the heavier atmosphere contributing to the grim image of a silent, teary-eyed Gwendolyn seated in the middle of the Ringleader's dressing room, curled up on the ground and trying to will this nightmare out of her mind.

The Ringleader herself, the final apparition of her shadow, bears a twisted grin as that lion tamer's whip remains curled in her hands, her foot tapping impatiently.

“What's wrong? Don't you like the show? You should; you put one up every time you set foot outside.”

A crack of her whip startles the girl, who tenses up at the sound. Looking up at the intruders, Gwen herself shows a deep look of concern as the Ringleader extends her arms in greeting.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Love truly conquers all...especially those who desire it more than anything else. I present to you one such victim. Relatives dying one by one, schoolmates eyeing me like a trophy, an abusive father who loathes the only woman who stood with him...I present to you....Mona Lisa! The girl who smiles through it all!”

She tosses handfuls of confetti over Gwendolyn, who can only duck her head and avert the others' stares in shame.

((OOC: Explore or confront the shadow on your own or in groups. Entirely your call! I can NPC any interactions you'd like; just let me know if that's the case!

And yes, multiple boss battle threads can take place if you wish.))

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Exploration

Oswald didn't wait for any of he others the moment he found out Gwendolyn was missing. He didn't want to say she was just like him, but he understood... to not have the person you care about be there for you, show you anything. She wanted so little from her father and yet, this place had his eyes narrowed. Then again, his expression rarely changed from that.

It's a mess in this dungeon - lively, sure, but everything about it made him furious. The fact it existed at all, that the Shadow - her Shadow - looked exhausted and was practically running everything.

No, no, no...

... The roaming Shadows were not going to keep him from getting to that tent. And if the others took their time, whatever. He should have stopped Gwendolyn from being taken in the first place.

Shadow Battle

It takes far too long for his liking to get this far, but the point was they made it at all. Take too long after all and the victim... but he shakes his head and strides forward.

... Finally, there she was.

"Gwendolyn...!"

But best not to charge forward yet.

He bristles at the Shadow, but avoids going into another rage, watching the Shadow half stalk. Not that his restraint might last long if that whip continued being cracked. It's almost completely gone after the Shadow's little spiel, dark eyes alight red. He'd see to this Ringleader being put back under heel.

It wasn't a secret that a new dungeon had cropped up. Rise and Souji could both sense it, and had gotten in contact with each other as soon as they could. Rise isn't letting him face any more big threats alone. Her determination only doubles in strength when Souji tells her one of their new teammates already ran off after her. Reckless heroics. They have enough of that already!

No time to lose. With a whisper and a gesture, Rise's persona is at her call, and she's reaching out with the tendrils of her third eye to search for the girl's shadow, and the reckless hero. She senses them in close proximity and starts to narrow in her focus to see better.

"It looks like a circus..." She feels something familiar twist in her gut. She tells Souji where to go.

"Someone trying to put on a good show..."

Dungeons always left a bad taste in his mouth. It felt... invasive. He knew that was sort of the entire point, but having all your issues and fears exposed...

It always made part of his chest ache for the victims.

Following Rise's instructions, he gestures for her to follow and stay close. Any shadow that got too close and wasn't distracted by the games or concessions, he took care of with a slash of his blade, setting his Persona to something more physical oriented at the moment.

"Oswald-san!"

That was the kid's name, right? They really needed to stay together on this. Noot that he could blame the kid for running ahead if what Cornelius said was true...

It's frustrating really. The Shadows roaming the circus grounds were mere distractions for them and for her; pointless occupants of this realm that needed to get out of his way.

His sword pulled from another, splitting form, drawing essence to strengthen himself and Lu Bu. Save it, he reminded himself, save it for the real fight in here; save it for the duplicate he had to slay in order to save her.

Flicking his blade, he took a step forward... but paused when he heard his name. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed two others present. Souji and... Rise; he thinks that was the name. Still, he was only staring for a moment before turning away and continuing onward into the crowd.

"Mmn." That feels a little close to home, doesn't it. Rise nods and follows, though, trying to keep a professional head on her shoulders. She can't just expect Souji to protect her as she walks around totally blind. She does close her eyes to concentrate once in awhile, trying to see better with her other senses. With Kanzeon's senses.

They snap open as Souji calls out, focusing on the actual sight of Oswald rather than the sensation of his soul. He runs off. Rise groans out loud.

"Let us help you!" She calls after him, then turns to Souji, "He's even worse than you," with a playful smile.

"C'mon there's some more aggressives the way he's headed."

His hand moved for a second once they were beside one another, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. It's okay. It's okay...

Souji sighs quietly to himself as Oswald runs off.

"I can't blame him-- if he's worse than me, he might even be worse than Chie- she ran in without a Persona or glasses to go save Yukiko."

He's totally ignoring the fact he ran himself ragged trying to save everyone. At least for now. But he sped up, sword held back like usual as they moved.

"Oswald-san-!" What would work, what would work on him...? To calm him down enough?

"We can watch your back, but shadows will swarm if you're on your own!"

That made tactical sense, right? If he couldn't stop the kid from completely doing a headlong rush, maybe showing they were willing to keep pace and watch his blindspots would at least show they're willing to pull their weight.

"You can't help her if you're dead!"

He might have a one-tracked mind when it came to this, but Gwendolyn... She was the first person that wasn't his cousin that he seemed to get along with. It was still a confusing work in progress trying to understand how to be friends with everyone, but she was the first person who actually approached and didn't send immediately running.

He knew it was going to get worse the further they headed, but he doesn't want to slow down and he doesn't want to wait. If he died here now than everything he'd been through before had left him ill-prepared.

Still... He scowled. He wouldn't permit himself to fail, but fine... only to ensure success. Summoning a card, he might as well clear the way for them to catch up.

He cut it quickly and cleanly, letting Lü Bu lash out at the Shadows around him and in their way. The demonized general's claws slice through Shadows, eliminating and tossing Shadows aside. Those that survive, some are just left reeling, but others shake and even decide to run away. With that done, Oswald just waited for Rise and Souji to catch up, visibly annoyed.

"Did she really?" That actually doesn't surprise her at all. Chie and Yukiko are so close, and Chie is so brave and bullheaded, it makes perfect sense. It makes her smile to think of it, though.

She thinks of a few choice sasses for Souji, but Oswald's sudden response in the form of cutting open a path distracts her. "Now that's more like it!" She pumps a fist as shadows go flying, and nudges Souji to lead the way.

The scowl doesn't deter her at all. He listened, that's the main thing. "Ok boys, there are a few nasties down the way we're going. I'm pretty sure we're getting closer to Gwendolyn, so that'll probably lure her shadow out of its games."

"Yeah, she did-- I'll tell you about it later."

At this point they were old enough to share their shadows and such with one another, right? Well... maybe not Rise's to the younger kids.

No need for them to get the wrong idea, after all.

...Huh, he's reminded a bit of Kanji with how this guy is going to town, but he's got Naoto's... original standoff-ness. Interesting. Moving to meet him, Souji switched his persona in step-- crushing a card and summoning up Ishtar.

"If you're going to go full throttle battle wise here, I'll keep your health up, alright, Oswald-san?"

Fullparty heal, coming right up.

"Her shadow seems to be popping in and out of the place more than I remember even our own doing..."

Speaking of suddenly shadows--

"Hello!"

Exhausted yellow eyes and a wide smile greet the party as the girl pops up from seemingly nowhere, stationed behind one of the nearby game stands. The stand itself has several mounted water guns and several targets in front of them, taking the form of clown heads.

"Thank you for coming to Ragnanival, the traveling circus! Where all we ask is to be treated like proper human beings. Would you like to play? Take aim and be the first to pop your balloon! The winner gets a prize!"

"... Right."

He was ready to keep his health up, but having someone able to summon a Persona to heal was a little better than going through his supplies. And if there were a few 'nasties' ahead as Rise put it, he would need it.

Though, he wasn't expecting the immediate 'nasty' to be a Shadow of a certain someone popping up besides them.

He took a stance to strike on reflect, but caught himself before attacking. "... We're not interested in playing. Where's Gwendolyn?"

Rise nods in approval as Souji switches to support. She can provide a little sip of heath in quiet moments between fights, but that isn't really enough to keep a full throttle physical fighter up to speed.

She actually startles a little when Shadow Gwen pops up, and hopes immediately after that nobody noticed.

"Tread carefully, Oswald-san." Shadows can get very aggressive when it comes to their humans. She braces herself for the shadow to spring at any moment, opening up her third eye to start scanning for weaknesses, even if it probably won't work just yet...

That voice has the girl finally perking up, the look of defeat shifting to total surprise as she turns to glance at the approaching heroes. Especially one in particular.

"Oswald?!"

She wants to stand back up and rush to his side. She wants to break away from this...this freak imprisoning her here, but the voice of her shadow once again freezes her in place, the girl visibly tensing.

"Oswald...he's so cute and mysterious. I really hope he likes me; every other man in my life treats me like a prize to be won...except the one I want to pay attention to me." The shadow shakes her head, looking indignant. "I do everything to please grumpy bastard and he still chooses his other daughters over me. I know if I keep this freak show running, he'll have to pay attention to me!"

"Enough!" The pooka steps forward with a sharp look cast back at the shadow. He extends a hand towards the shaken girl. "We've come to help you, Gwendolyn. This shadow will say anything to make you deny it's a part of you."

"Even tell everyone your secrets!"

"Is...is that why it knows so much about me...?"

... She thought he was cute? There's a first time for everything, but he would think about that comment later. The rest of the Shadow's words had his scowl darkening, very aware of who this person she grumbled about was. And honestly, if these were the worst of its secrets, Gwendolyn could prevail over them.

"Yes. This has happened to all of us."

Yes, all of us.

Totally happened to all of us.

Ignore Souji coughing awkwardly, he's just going to stand back and try to see how the kids handle this one...

Edited 2017-08-25 03:07 (UTC)

"So they say. You should be wary of me, Oswald; all of my loved ones tend to die by around me. Griselda only came to Tokyo to check on me...and what a time she chose! Let's not forget about mother; how long do you think she held me in her arms before the stressful labor claimed her life?" The Ringleader mockingly wraps her arms around herself, an eerie smile on her face that seems to drain Gwendolyn of her will to fight.

"Stop..."

"We killed them, Gwennie. They shared their love for us and we shared our misfortune. Maybe that's why father has survived our presence for so long..."

"The blame for their deaths isn't yours to take." Mikasa snaps, looking notably less calm than usual. "You burden yourself enough trying to impress a man who has no right to call himself your father. A loving father would never allow their child to hurt themselves like this..."

"Yeah! Sometimes, bad things will happen to good people for no reason; that doesn't mean it's your fault. You're a good person, Gwen-chan; if you weren't, then you wouldn't be in so much pain over this, right?"

The shadow cracks her whip in annoyance. "Stop pretending to care about me! You don't even know me! You're putting up just as much of a show as I am! Just as sincere, too..." The shadow adjusts her hat and returns to her announcer tone of voice. "Perhaps you'd like to join the circus for our grand final? Gwendolyn is going to disappear forever. Father has to care about me once I'm dead and gone, doesn't he? He cares for every other woman in his life who died! Especially when they wanted nothing to do with him!"

"I have my own misfortune. I am not afraid to bear more... I will help Gwendolyn accept her fears; I will help her accept you."

The Shadow does not scare him. If the thought of him dying here made him afraid at all, he wouldn't have come, but this was his life; it was his turn to make his own decisions.

Raising his sword, he points it at the Ringleader, his eyes glowing. "Perhaps her father will only care if she dies, but this has gone on long enough. I will not allow you to harm her any further even if you bear her face. We are taking her back... I will see that she gets a new home."

The shadow rears back slightly, eyes focused on that blade that stands too close to her. She grits her teeth as, for a moment, Gwendolyn herself seems that much more hopeful. That soft gaze looks up at Oswald her her hand against her chest.

"A home with you? My knight in shining armor?" She laughs to herself. "Well. We spent so much time copying mother and Grizelda, we may as well try to mimic Velvet, shouldn't we?"

"Wait...are you referring to Velvet Valentine?"

"My half-sister, yes. She's the only other family member who's still alive..."

"No...don't you dare..."

"I know you've thought about it, Gwendolyn. She's the only woman left who still has father's love. That would change if she died too, didn't she? Father would have to love his only living daughter..."

Gwendolyn finally rises to her feet with a hand balled into a fist as she stomps towards her shadow.

"Don't you dare hurt her, you imposter!"

The shadow goes down in a single right hook, knocking off the ringleader's hat. She's still for a moment with the other members of Oswald's party looking...worried. The reason becomes clear once the aura around her shadow darkens and a heavier laugh comes from the Ringleader.

"An imposter, am I? Well fine. I don't need your love to make me happy; you can just DIE!!!"

The shadow's power surges as Gwendolyn tries to take a stand against it, but a sharp fit of exhaustion and pain cuts that short, the girl falling into unconsciousness. Her shadow's form begins to change, the figure that once shared Gwendolyn's face contorting into a bird's, roaring out despite the collar and leash tightly wrapped around her neck. It struggles to keep its balance atop a unicycle while juggling multiple bowling pins, the goofy mixture offset by the natural look of exhaustion and despair in the shadow's eyes. It loudly caws out in anger, those exhausted eyes shifting towards the group with the visible intent to kill.

The Shadow had the unfortunate ability to get under their other self's skin like that. He understands the outburst, and only holds his weapon at the ready still though he does lower it when Gwendolyn strikes her own Shadow.

... Not the moment for a few extra heart beats that's for sure.

"Gwendolyn!"

He rushes as the Shadow changes and catches her before she can fall to the ground, quickly moving away from the Ringleader. Weapon aside for a moment, he can breathe a small sigh of relief - she's only unconscious for now. Gently laying her on the ground, he gnashes his teeth behind his lip. "... I'll be right back, Gwendolyn."

Standing up, he heads over to join the others. There's a Shadow that needs to be taken care of.

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Come One, Come All! [Dungeon]

Oswald - Open

exploration

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Shadow Battle

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