ordalias | [Audio | Action TO ALL

--stay!

[ Is that a distorted, but may be recognizable voice? Why, yes, maybe, to those who know her. There's heavy breathing, but it distances itself from the Gear, and there's surprised sounds from a Togekiss, Typhlosion, and Gabite in the background.

Xion shakes her head. No, no, this can't be happening. Wait, she knew this place might have had a chance for something like this, but... A-Ahhghhh... She holds up hands that aren't human, gold talons moving at her will...

Fix this... Have to fix...

Swish swish swish. Clothes are being put on. Then: ]

I need... I need help. With something. Please.

[ Maybe it doesn't have to be Roxas this time. Maybe it could be Sora. Or Ven. Or anyone. ]

[ooc: 4TH WALL EVENT! GUESS WHO'S GOING TO TRY AND FIND SOMEONE TO FINISH HER? She'll be under her hood, and underneath she'll look... like this. Just maybe not gigantic. And it can be anyone. Corridors of Darkness can be convenient in traveling around, why can't Johto just allow that...

So yeah! If you're up for a fight, or just to convince this derp and stop her dead (hah) in her tracks from setting on a selfdestruction path... by all means! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Xion notes the change in dynamics with Lightning's current moveset. Offense meets offense, but Xion notes the older woman's getting tired, which is... no, no, she's not going to kill Lightning. It has to be the other way around.

A thrust of Lightning's sword causes Xion to dodge to the left, with the blade barely scraping by the undamaged side of her helmet. come to think of it, Lightning seems more intent on going for, well... headshots. Most likely because of the exposed part.

Gritting her teeth, she becomes more focused on deflecting those strikes than outright attacking now. ]

[Just because something has to be one way doesn't mean it will be that way; even with the armor not weighing her down, Lightning is tiring and tiring fast. Another hit like that Ragnarok and she's out of this fight.

Until then, however, she's continually striking at Xion's head to dislodge the helmet. She's careful to strike with only the blunt end of the blade, not wanting to cause any more harm than she has to, but every time she strikes she looks Xion in the eye, trying to get her to back down. It's probably not working, though. Offense meets offense and stubborn meets stubborner. It does happen sometimes.]

[ Whatever intimidation tactics Lightning is trying on her by making direct eye contact isn't going to work. Not this time. She'd seen such looks before when they were human, equal. But now... They were different. Xion has a chance to really show what she's made of.

One of her Keyblades smashes against Lightning's shield while the other prevents Lightning's blade from hitting her helmet again, and they're locked in a standstill. Despite Lightning having the obvious height advantage, Xion's pushing against her, defiantly glaring through the lock. ]

[When intimidation fails, another approach is needed. Especially when in a weapons lock with someone only a little bit weaker in terms of pushing power, because Xion is managing to move her back very small amounts as Lightning tries to get out of the lock. It doesn't work very well, and she soon grits her teeth. Is she planning something?

Yes. She is. A Thundaga spell roars over both their heads, striking down at Xion, but it's a double edged sword this time; the magic is strong and it courses through Xion's keyblades and into Lightning's sword and shield, shocking her as well as the girl. Only difference is, Xion can jump away; as the source of the spell, Lightning can't do that so easily.

Yep. Almost seems like she's playing martyr, too. Pot, meet kettle.]

[ Xion grits her teeth through the pain, intensified further by all the metal and the injuries from before. But she sees that Lightning isn't moving... Why won't she move? She's too close, she'll get hit, too.

...

... No, no. You're not doing that on her, dammit. Anger overrides the pain and dulls it to the point of nonexistence as Xion forces a break in their lock to try and shove Lightning to the ground and away from her.

One of her Keyblades dig their teeth into the ground as Xion struggles to stand from that attack. Even in this form, she can only do so much. ]

You're not... You're not doing this... [ She's gasping and breathing hard for air as though underwater. She jerks the Keyblade out of the soil and almost shakily points it at Lightning. Whatever "this" is... whether it be Lightning not trying to kill Xion despite the obvious intent to stop her or going down with Xion... hmm, maybe both. ]

[The shove knocks Lightning back and onto her knees, and she stays that way to catch her breath with her head down, bangs covering her eyes. It's been a while since she's been this taxed a fight before, and with no cure spells, she has only her own will to keep fighting.

Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, she has a lot of that. It's not long before she's standing up, sword still in hand. "This" would definitely be trying to take down Xion without killing her...going down with her might be in the plan; it's hard to tell from the determined look on her face.]

Then you're going to have to give up this plan of yours.

I can't. I'm not going to.

[ Despite the slight waver in her voice, Xion stares back steadily, that one exposed eye glaring defiantly at Lightning. The situation's been made pretty clear: it's either Lightning or Xion, and the latter's going to make damn sure the outcome is favorable. ]

Get ready, Lightning.

[ Xion brings her Keyblades closer, forming an X over her face as she concentrates. This attack is powerful, she knows, but it's pretty predictable. She concentrates, and pillars of light start spewing out along the field... randomly, of course. For all the power Xion's gained at this point, she certainly doesn't have enough experience to properly master it at this level. This attack leaves her stationary, exposed. So long as Lightning can dodge the beams and get to her... ]

[Getting ready involves raising her shield, but when no physical charge comes, Lightning moves. Claws and swords are much easier to dodge than magic, especially the spells Lightning is used to, but these pillars are at least visible. And even shaky as she is, Lightning is adept at dodging most things as she makes her way up to Xion and lunges, tackling her to the ground in an attempt to both stop the spell and the fighting.]

We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's your choice.

[ She doesn't respond verbally. Nope. It's the same scenario like before: Xion keeps struggling, trying to fight back. Trying to make Lightning see things...

Hard way it is, then. ]

[Yep. Definitely the hard way. Only this time Lightning won't be removed so easily; she's digging her heels into the ground to hold herself there while her shield carves a furrow in the dirt. Dislodging her will take a fierce blow...or a Thundaga to the face. Is Xion willing to risk shocking herself as well?]

[ Nope. At this point, even Xion can see she's pusing the older woman further to the limit. She can't have that, never intended to kill anyone else. It's her own death. It has to be. For now, Xion tries to merely throw Lightning off of her with various parts of her limbs jumping out and trying to loosen out of Lightning's grip. ]

[The struggling does make it quite difficult to hang on and keep Xion from kicking her off again, even if she has to put both arms on the ground and force her weight down further to keep from getting dislodged.

Not that it's likely to work; all that kicking and squirming makes it very hard to hold onto metal. A bit more and Xion can undoubtedly get free.]

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