thunderbolts and lightning

[collectyourfriends]

Over and around one half of the Castle, the skies are filled with grey and rumbling thunder, growing greater and louder until--

Lightning explodes, throwing the edges of everything into sharp relief. Not from the sky, from a tower, the very top of one, something stands. A beast--a dog larger than any dog should be, blue and yellow, roaring a challenge at the clouds. Lightning arcs from it, back to it, and all that does is seemingly make it angrier.

If anyone comes close enough to check, that is.

If they do...

A child wearing a bandanna isn't far, off on the--roof, they guess, where they could walk from that tower to another without having to step a foot inside.

Not that Frisk's about to do that. They're not in any mood to be running, they've had enough of it, they're aching all over from when they fell. All the times they fell. Undyne's spears weren't easy to avoid; like Papyrus, like...Toriel, she wouldn't flee from a Roar.

And they wouldn't let Sparks fight her, either. He wanted to--still wants to! But she's a monster, and they don't want another death on their hands or his paws, which would inevitably be the result. Especially since she's something near water-type, according to Papyrus. 

Who's gone again, but they're less worried about it this time around, that's just...the Castle. He didn't know they'd left in the first place.

It's good that they're here. It's giving them time to rest, relax--they're sitting down, digging into some of their Berry stash, watching Sparks direct his rage at the sky, which is also helpful. He's getting his aggression out, which means less risk of lashing out, and again, less death. And less worry about their team wanting to battle each other, which is possible but doesn't end well--or end, leading to friendly-but-real fights being reignited at random intervals for months.

Frisk doesn't expect to be here longer than a day and a half again; they're just going to hang out up here until they're brought back.

Comments

very very frightening (let me know if this weather assumption needs a change)

[itstheend]

Guess who has two thumbs and hates loud noises with a passion! Guess who is also suddenly getting rained on.

After some time of shivering, drenched, under a tree and hissing angrily through their teeth at every flinch a thunderclap strikes out of them, they finally cave to their Frisk's persuasion and start heading inside, hands gripping their upper arms.

A heartbeat-stopping flash of light - an illumination - a silhouette.

Chara drips on the stone floors and leaves wet footprints up the stairs. The door to the tower slams open under one hand, the other curled by their side. Red eyes stare from the monster to the human. Their age and the bandanna obscure things enough that Chara doesn't immediately recognize them as a Frisk.

[Keep it down!] they sign angrily in the direction of the monster, body stance tense and screaming discomfort. They're fully expecting a bolt to be thrown their way for their trouble. [Some of us are trying to sleep!]

*Chara you're the only one that sleeps during the day...

[collectyourfriends]

The door slams open, Frisk and Sparks turn as one--the human looks startled; the Manectric does not, he just looks angry--but they're not attacked. The only thing thrown their way is a snarl for their interrupting, and then he's turning back to viciously hurl bolts at the sky.

Frisk shoves the berries back into the Bag and hefts it and stands. They don't care about the rain pelting their face or the lightning striking far, far too near to them than is likely considered safe, but they can't see the kid or interpret their wild hand movements with it all.

Pacing closer, Frisk notices their shirt. It's familiar. They'd met this human before? Someone that looked like them. They were a lot calmer, so they're probably not the same kid. Maybe. It genuinely doesn't occur to them that the storm could bother people.

"What?" they ask, raising their voice to be heard over the cacophony of the storm.

OKAY, BACK IN BUSINESS HHH

[itstheend]

Chara has to fight down the nonsensical urge to just. Tackle the lightning dog. Getting into the thick of that magic strikes them as a poor idea.

Instead, they storm (haha) over to the human in very ill mood, still having to suppress instinctive movement every time thunder resounds around them. They get close enough that they'd have to be blind not to see them, and point at the dog monster, then the sky, and then draw that finger across their neck.

Something even people who don't know sign could understand, probably.

=w=b

[collectyourfriends]

Definitely poor. Also tough, as it'd take a little climbing and a good chance of getting struck by the lightning from the clouds and Sparks himself before getting anywhere near enough for a tackle.

They stare at their hands... Yeah, they get it, they think. Kill the lights, or at least the lightning.

Unfortunately, the only answer they can give is a semi-helpless shrug. "He's not--he needs to do this. He'll stop soon." That is, soon they'll actually try to stop him instead of encouraging him to let loose.

[itstheend]

Chara clamps their hands over their ears, teeth gritted. Fine. So that's not going to help. They turn away from the human with a huff. They untie their shoelaces, take off their shoe, and taking a run up, wing it at the canine silhouette. Given they're a scrawny preteen, it's anyone's guess if that actually hits or gets lost over the edge.

When they put their foot back down into a puddle, they are filled with Immediate Regret.

so manectric are apparently 4'11"/1.5 m

[collectyourfriends]

By some miracle, it hits. Clips his shoulder and goes spinning, and then also goes over the edge.

It stings a bit, and catches Sparks' attention.

Two pairs of red eyes are now staring at them. Not the expected reaction, and Frisk takes a few steps to the side to see if they can spot where it landed.

Meanwhile above, Sparks' shared bewilderment with Frisk shifts to irritation and interest. What a stupid challenge, but that's what it seems to be.

The world goes white with lightning, and he's practiced using storms to his advantage for his whole life; suddenly he's there, staring at the small human from only a few paces away.

[itstheend]

Two sets of attention snap to them.

*I don't think this was the best idea...

Suddenly blind and deaf as well as mute (red eyes are sensitive!) Chara blinks away spots and removes their arms to see the dog suddenly much closer than it has any right to be. Teleportation, like Sans? The same function, if not the same method at least. It feels like things snap into black marred with green lines.

Chara draws their pointed stick from their belt. This monster is a dog. They know how to handle dog monsters.

ACT > Fetch!

They toss it over the dog's head. An easy enough catch.

[collectyourfriends]

Gaze fixed on them the whole time, Sparks ducks his head so it doesn't clip him, though it didn't seem to have a chance at it anyway. The shoe was a lucky shot, they both guess.

...Is this really going to happen? If this kid attacked, then...

"Not out here!" Frisk orders from by the wall. Sparks can control his electricity on human opponents, but the sky? That doesn't care. If the kid dodges away far enough that Sparks can't attract the lightning, it could kill them.

Sparks stands his ground, waiting, waiting, waiting for the next flash--

thereitis

and he's over the challenger, behind them.

He snarls longer than the thunder, waits again for them to turn before advancing, namesake flashing around his neck. Not quite an attack, he's herding them towards the tower door. He prefers a somewhat fair fight.

[itstheend]

Are you- what kind of dog doesn't- something is wrong with the world.

Chara whirls, ignoring wet hair slapping their face, scanning... there. That's going to be a problem. Wearing this opponent down would be difficult. It'd be just Chara's luck if the storm is fueling the monster.

They really did not think this through at all. The stick did nothing, abandoned on the stone of the roof. They reach for one of their knives and. pause.

They're made of metal. Even if the handles are wood, that's a problem.

They've just thrown away their only insulative weapon.

Chara doesn't mistake the herding action, instinct rebelling. A opponent moving with that kind of purpose is one trying to set up a tactical advantage.

*They're just obeying the command!
*You'll do better out of the storm!

What command? Hyperfocus has claimed a victim, but they can't deny in the storm the dog has the advantage. Chara draws and throws the knife hidden in their sweater - easier to reach - not really caring if it hits or how. It's a distraction for their sprinting towards the door, face burning, pausing to scoop up their stick on the way. As soon as they're in, they head up the stairs a little, turning back, stick at the ready.

They read somewhere that castle steps are designed to favour those above (they didn't read that it was only so for those who were right-handed.)

[collectyourfriends]

Sparks blurs to the left, knife clattering harmlessly down, and waits for another order.

After a long moment of deliberation...

"Go. Be careful, they're human," Frisk tells him firmly. A reminder. A fight with them's not as dangerous as a monster, but still not the same as another Pokémon. He acknowledges this with a growl and heads forward. This is his battle, not theirs. They trust him.

They crouch and take the knife. What'd the kid expect to manage with that?

Alone, Sparks steps into the doorway and pauses to shake off the rain and send static-y droplets everywhere. His fur's crackling loudly in this space.

His head's level, but his eyes follow their fresh water trail up the stairs.

There they are. Sparks rumbles deep in his throat. Hello and I see you rolled up in one.

He drags a paw across the floor like a Tauros--a few seconds of warning, purposeful--and charges. He's curious. Are you fast enough, human, to react to his leaping strides that take him up four steps like they were only one?

[itstheend]

They quiet their breathing as much as they can. Slow, even. Seven in, and seven out. They strain their ears against the muffled thunder; they can hear the crackling getting closer. They can see the moment the dog spots them.

They know that language, even if they were never taught it. The sound of prey found. They try to mimic it as the paw drags, smiling, and their throat grinds horribly on the inside. They crouch, brace themself, feet and back and knees against the stairs, butt of the stick jammed into where two steps join.

Time seems to slow down as the dog begins to bolt up the steps. They have only time for one reaction, and they have to make it count; they bring the point of the stick up towards the dog's belly.

You're very fast, dog. By all means, ram that speed straight onto the tip.

*Chara, if you touch it you'll-!

[collectyourfriends]

That growl returned elicits a--is that a toothy grin? It doesn't show for long, whatever it is.

They're sitting. Frozen prey or strategy? Humans can be quite a mix of both. This is one way to find out.

Sparks slams into the stick with full force, pointed tip sinking through the fur and into his skin, hard enough that his growl breaks off into a short howl. Not the kick he was partially braced for.



This doesn't stop him or the shocks dancing through his mane. He aims his paws at their shoulders, trying to pin them against the stairs, but it's hard to see them beneath him at this angle. The stick's still a giant splinter in his belly, too, rivulets of red spilling down.

[itstheend]

Cocky, cocky. Not that Chara isn't often cocky themself.

*-get shocked!

Case in point. The impact of a dog that is a lot bigger than they thought up close and personal jars the stick in their hands a great deal; there's the warning crack of wood about to snap, although it holds. Just. Chara's grip bulldog-tightens around it; it can't not as each time those paws come down it feels like walking face-first into an electric fence and their muscles jerk and spasm. Perhaps, ironically, making them more difficult to pin.

Red runs down their arms. It's hard to think, but the colour, haha, bleeds through. Red, not dust. What...?

Chara shouts and in a lull thrusts the stick upwards further against the dog's weight, before twisting. The stick finally snaps, half still embedded. The second time a canine has broken their stick here, but they now have a usuable, if shorter weapon.

They stab indiscriminately and viciously with the new stake, kick with their feet directly into the wound, scrambling to get out from under the monster dog, make some distance. A difficult task, with contact making their brain momentarily fuzz and their thoughts briefly scatter like sparking stars.

sorry, lovin' this guy, so much to explore

[voidster]

Day Eight.

Something like wrists appeared under his pseudo-sleeves on day five, and now he's wearing an old repaired watch. Some individuality. If he is an individual. It may help others to tell him apart, assuming there are still other iterations of himself wandering around, and not just him.

The constant ticking helps ground him, too. See, time is passing linearly again, second by second instead of all at once.

He's in the library where he's been for the past ten hours, reading, when he becomes aware he's been hearing the most peculiar noises. Booms. Rumbles. Things blowing up? Is the castle under attack? They're getting more frequent, whatever they are.

So. He finds his way outside, still carrying his book, glad that this time the castle cooperated and made it easy.

It's raining. He's never seen rain before. Mesmerized, he stares up at the sky and the lightning, long enough for the book to be ruined. In all his absent minded wonder, he's forgotten he brought it with him. Oops!

np!

[collectyourfriends]

Frisk's focused mostly on hunching over their meal, trying to keep it from getting completely soaked. Not that they're picky, or they wouldn't be out here in the first place.

Sparks isn't focused at all, he's just venting through strikes and howling, and when he spots movement on the edge of his vision he whirls and snarls at him, too. Leave or you'll be fought.

It's a noise they recognize, enough to distract them into looking up and around for the 'opponent'.

[voidster]

Excuse me? go his long graceful fingers.

Good gracious, why is everyone here so violent? Stabbed repeatedly (harmlessly) by Chara, threatened with a spear by Kalak...

The Manectric doesn't strike him as odd in the slightest. Monsters come in many shapes. Looks don't matter.

You may try. You'll probably be disappointed. I'm a poor fight these days.

[collectyourfriends]

Neither of them have an idea what he's saying. Frisk has a way of voicelessly commanding, but that's far from a genuine sign language. He's trying to communicate something, but that's all they understand.

...He looks a little like a skeleton. That means monster, weak. It's enough to get them on their feet and hurrying toward him, sharply shaking their head back at Sparks. No battle here.

Unfair comes next, a snarl that dissolves into half a whine, but they're not going to cave on this one.

"You need to leave. It's dangerous to be up high in a storm."

[voidster]

Kind of you to worry, but I believe I'm beyond harm.

He lifts his hands, looking through the hole in his palm at the sky. Ah, rain. It feels very very good, to stand here with the sky falling on his face. Nothing at all like Waterfall's constant dripping.

(There's a book on the ground by his... feet. If there are feet under his coat.)

And then his attention turns back to them.

I'd rather not miss it.

[collectyourfriends]

For a split-second they flash their teeth in something that's not a smile. They don't get it, and they'd call him a liar if they did.

They push a hand towards the center of his chest area, trying to give him a bit of a shove. Not a rough one, mind you, but one that'd get their point across more clearly. "Hey. 'S a lot of castle you can be in. Take you and your book and go." They nudge said book with a toe.

[voidster]

Oh, you can't understand me, can you? Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Many monsters can't read his signing. It was always a pain whenever he needed a translator.

It's beyond ruined, he realizes when he scoops the book up. Shame. All the brains he has and he didn't stop to think paper plus water equals a bad time. He gestures up at the falling sky with his book, shaking his head, tapping his unbroken eyesocket and shrugging. Too wet out here to write a note. Will his point come across to the human?

[collectyourfriends]

Their hand meets his chest and ew. It feels...squishier than it should, even with the rain soaking it, and they withdraw their hands to their sides. Okay, so that's not working.

He's only gesturing with the book, as far as Frisk can tell. Up. At the spectacle, right?

"You can look at the lightning somewhere else."

[voidster]

If. They insist. Perhaps he's being rude, intruding upon them. His head tilts back in silent laughter and delight that he cannot control--which beats melting in front of yet another person--and he shrugs again. What a worrywart the human is. They resemble what Frisk might look like when older, come to think about it.

He waves a hand at the sky a second time, smile not fading, and turns to go. ...Away from the door he exited from. Gaster is more than willing to give the human space. Not to miss the rain. The respite could end at any moment, he must seize the day.

[collectyourfriends]

"Not in the storm!"

...Sparks is laughing at them. They give him a glower that is, unsurprisingly, completely ineffective.

"There are clouds up here. The lightning's gonna spread. Which'll hurt and probably kill you if it hits," Frisk says, jabbing a finger at the sky. Does he get it yet?

[voidster]

Hahaha. Ha. Do they think he's a child? He waves his free hand through the air, shaking his head quite firmly and splaying long fingers across his chest. No, not me. A finger jabs towards them, as he tilts his head simultaneously--you? How do they plan to survive the lightning?

[collectyourfriends]

"...He won't hit me," they nod to Sparks who's still laughing with obnoxious crackling half-barks, "but he might strike you. Not too happy with monsters. And the lightning won't hit me if I'm near him." They'll be perfectly fine. So go already.