castaside | [Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

Donnie has the cloak and goggles on. He saw Macaque had a gift for them, and he was gonna use them to their fullest.

Donnie sees the sight before him, and there's a sick feeling in his stomach at it. He really had done a number on him, and now there's a blood monster and a Macaque whose just a mess.

He holds up the staff in front of him. "Feeling nothing isn't the same of happiness. This isn't what he wanted. This isn't what I wanted to help him with," he said. "Just stand down. I'm going to fix this."

Through the goggles, Donnie will see the form of the blood flickers slightly when he says this isn't what I wanted to help him with. Probably that's a fruitful avenue of "attack".

But there's very little time to consider the implications because one of the pieces of Bloodkong attacks viciously, forming the Monkey King's staff out of one hand. It's incredibly fast like the real Wukong, but possibly affected by what Donnie said because there's at least some opportunity to dodge.

[ Roll 2d20 and drop the lowest result to dodge ]

Well then, that is an interesting reading.

It is fast, though luckily Donnie is also a staff user, and a damn good one at that, so things are a little more predictable, allowing for dodging and deflection (16+4).

Googles reacted when he spoke. So this may be less an actual fight as a talking one. Which is....certainly anxiety inducing in a lot of ways. Fuck. Okay. Channel his inner Leo.

"He was sad. He wanted to be friends with Wukong without hurting himself or Wukong. I thought I could do it! I thought it was reasonable! Its the worst when you feel like you're burdening someone you care about with your feelings, so it was only natural to try and change that! But this isn't that. This is hurting him, and Wukong and everyone else!"

Bloodkong launches a series of vicious strikes, one of which hits Donnie dead on. But his cloak stops the staff in its tracks, Donnie barely feels anything.

"It's entirely possible that fixing his feelings means that he has no desire to play parent with you anymore. Are you willing to give that up so that he can go back to being miserable?"

Donnie is definitely keeping the cloak securely on.

Frowning at that.

"Macaque wants a family," he said simply, even as he keeps up the dodging.

Watching the reaction with the goggles.

There's a slight reaction to that via the goggles.

Bloodking keeps up the strikes. You deftly dodge two -- barely -- and two others glance harmlessly off the cloak. The ground around you shakes from the power of the hits but the cloak protects you entirely.

"He thought Wukong was his family. If you get rid of me, that's what he'll go back to. There might not be any room for you or Choco. Think about it: didn't his feelings for you get stronger only after his feelings for Wukong were blocked? There was no room for anything but Sun Wukong in his head before. That's what you'll be sending him back to. And yourselves."

There is a reaction.

Donnie doesn't even pay any real heed to his words, just focusing on moving to not test the limits of the cloak TOO much.

Though as he moves, he leaves a trail of purple. Bits of shifting ninpo felt on the ground as he keeps moving. Nothing weaponized, seemingly just plates of mystic metal?

"Macaque would do anything so he didn't have to feel alone again. But he wants for the people to see him, care for him in turn. He wants it to be mutual."

Big reaction in the goggles to that one.

Bloodkong keeps pressing the attack. Perhaps it's the Ninpo or that Donnie is becoming used to the rhythm of it, but less of the attacks strike him this time. He's able to move out of the way. The blood staff carves deep gouges in the earth behind his heels.

"And if you take me away, keep me from protecting him, it won't be mutual. Wukong never really saw him. He'll be back to being on the outside looking in. He was so hung up on Wukong that he couldn't care about anything else. Is what what you want for him? Or for you?"

"I'm not Wukong," Donnie said. "Whatever his deal is, he's going to need to figure out himself." He's entirely on the defense now. Dodging and moving out of the way, leaving the trail of ninpo behind him.

The thing about his ninpo is he really can build anything as long as he can understand the object down to its basic parts. That included the material itself, if he understood the atomic structure. Usually the problem was having ENOUGH time to build up the mystic parts that usually he has to sacrifice durability of his constructs for speed. But when he draws out the process, he can put in the work for the material itself.

Like the space titanium from Wash's world. When the metal is thick enough, it can even keep a person sized object unburnt during re-entry and even hit the ground without much damage to the metal itself. (The humans inside are a little more variable.) Even when that object isn't actually MEANT to be doing re-entry on their own.

Could it stop those staff strikes indefinitely? Maybe not, but it would give him time, and that's what he wants.

"All I can say is what I'm going to offer. I want to keep Macaque in my life. I want to offer him that trust and love. If he's willing to give it in turn, then this will work," Donnie said.

And then all those ninpo pieces snap up, out of the ground, shooting between Wukong and Donnie, and forming a sphere around Donnie.

"Macaque, if you don't want this, then I'm sure Bloodkong here will get through the barrier soon enough. Or you can trust me when I say as long as you want someone to reach out for you when you reach out, I can make that happen. And slow him down for me," Donnie said, and then he sits down on the ground.

Tugging off the cloak to pull it into his lap and closing his eyes.

Bloodkong pauses when the ninpo forms into a protective sphere, staff raised, unsure. It strikes at the sphere just once, but the hit is noticeably weaker than the previous ones. As if testing something. It leaves a splotch of blood on the ninpo sphere.

It circles Donnie and the sphere. The goggle lenses notice an intense reaction, though it's unclear whether it was to the sphere or the words or Donnie removing the cloak.

"A test of trust, is it? Clever boy. Or is this your way of taking responsibility? Are you trying to help him here, or punish yourself?"

Edited 2024-03-24 20:02 (UTC)

"I don't believe in needless self punishment. That's more Leo's thing," Donnie said, spreading out the cloak across his lap. "No, this is all about trust."

The beauty about his ninpo is when its built, its there. He doesn't need to give it more attention. As long as he's conscious, it exists as the real thing. So he doesn't have to do anything more with the sphere, and he can focus on what he's going to try to do.

The cloak is Macaque. The cloak is Macaque's hand extended to Donnie. Its Macaque asking Donnie to trust him, to help keep him safe. And its done so, with the dragon and Bloodkong. Donnie offered him trust in wearing the cloak and he's offering it now.

"I trust Macaque. And now I'm asking him to trust me," he said, hands trailing over the cloak, purple pixel energy forming around the cloak, moving in between the weave of the fabric. "I can't make promises for Wukong. I can't make promises for MK or Red Son or anyone else, but I can make a promise from me. It doesn't matter how hard things get. It doesn't matter how dark a path you may find yourself going down. It doesn't matter if I die."

He pushes with his energy, not an attack, not a domination, but an offer. Mystical energy poured into the fabric is an extended hand, one that is offering trust and asking for it in turn. Offering of love and asking for it in turn.

Even if its just a moment, a moment where Macaque truly believes Donnie and feels those emotions in himself, it would be enough to make the connection, to let the enchantment take hold, and connect the ninpo.

"As long as he's willing to reach out a hand for me, I will reach back. Anatawa hitorijanai. You are not alone. I'll make sure of it."

Bloodkong raises its staff as if it's going to strike the ninpo sphere again--

But it doesn't. Its hand goes still as it listens to Donnie, watches the energy flowing into the cloak.

The goggle lenses react so strongly that Bloodkong looks fittingly like a tiny sun. It opens its hand and its staff dissipates into the air. It regards Donnie for another moment, thoughtful rather than enraged. And for a long moment, Donnie can feel it there. Teetering on the edge of something.

And then the rest of it dissipates in the same manner that the staff did, slowly disintegrating into the air.

And Donnie feels Macaque reaching back to him.

~~So about that whole Donnie is haunted as fuck thing.~~

Donnie reaches out to take his hand, letting the energy suffuse through the cloak.

Like the Sun is an apt description. However, its not the blinding blaze of the sun in the desert, not the kind where you're trying to stare directly at it, and blind yourself. No, its the feeling of a Summer day, laying on a grassy hill, warm and content as a light breeze keeps the heat from being too overwhelming. There are trees around, and clouds, moments where one could take a break from the sun, but the light stays, making the world a vibrant mix of color, as long as someone is willing to step out into the light.

But there is an avenue for a break if someone truly wants to hide from the sun.

Because the ninpo will never force itself on another. It is love. It is trust. Is it endless, unending support, so long as its allowed inside. The words you are not alone are baked into the mystic power itself.

For someone as magical as Macaque, its not hard to see the hundreds of souls that are tied into the magic. Generation after generation of Hamatos choosing to offer their power and support to those who came after. A connection maintained, even in the afterlife, where its possible to reach out and ask for those of the past to offer wisdom and comfort as well.

Though, admittedly, that is difficult across the multiverse, so their presence is left hazy, but at least a fraction of that power is offered even at this distance. A power that, like the sun, is truly immense. A fully trained and well practiced Hamato would be a force to be reckoned with. Even for someone working on Macaque's level.

With the caveat that for a Hamato to be fully realized, the trust and love in their family must be ironclad and mutual. But even with self doubt and uncertainty....

That warmth that you're never truly alone remains, a glow that is hard to fully remove from one's chest.

Of course, there are two bright spots now, where there is no haze. Donnie and Korone are beacons, bright and shining in their own ways.

[Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

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CLEAR

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