After The Fall [Open]

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Things just keep getting worse and worse...

The bomb situation was over. They won. They're alive. In a sense - if the reports are true, then they've lost a number of people. And again, there was nothing Irma could do. She felt helpless at this point - no Guardians, no real powers, nothing. For once in her life, Irma started wishing that she was a normal person again. At least that way she could have more options as to what to do.

She didn't want to hide in the W.I.T.C.H. Bus and didn't to hang around the school or the citadel. Instead, she decided to wander, hoping to find someone, ANYONE, to talk to, to get her mind off of what was going on.

Comments

[fulltinyalchemy.livejournal.com]

Ed was laying on a portion of the park, his hand reached up into the air. Somehow this comforted him, always reaching for the sun like some kind of braided Icarus. The sun metaphor was close to what he and Al went through.

Briefly he wondered if Al was alright, and he needed to send a message.

Looking over, he noticed Irma wandering around. Huh, she looked really down. "Hey," he called out as he sat up from his patch of grass.

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Irma heard Ed call out to her, causing her to stop and turned her lowered head over to him. She cracked a weary smile as she waved back.

"Hey to you, too..." she said, her voice matching her feelings.

[fulltinyalchemy.livejournal.com]

"C'mere, sit down a spell," said Ed, pulling his jacket off and tossing it onto the ground to allow for a soft spot to sit.

"You look like you need a friend right now," said Ed. Social he wasn't usually, but he knew that this was a unique situation.

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Irma let out a sigh and nodded, joining Ed and sitting down on the jacket. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees.

"I kinda do, actually... it's... it's hard. Really hard. You're told you're supposed to save the world and you can't even save one measly person!"

[fulltinyalchemy.livejournal.com]

"Preaching to the choir on that one," replied Ed softly. "Saving one person can be harder than saving the entire country."

He sighed tiredly. "Has Matt told you what I did? How I tried to resurrect my mom and wound up, well, with this?" And he held up his metal arm.

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

"...what? No... that's a new one." Irma said, eyes going wide hearing that. "How about you start at the beginning."

[fulltinyalchemy.livejournal.com]

Ed shrugged. He had told his story many times before, but this time she needed to know what happened. "We were young, about six or so years old. Our old man was never around and all we had was our mom. When she died, Al and I were devastated. Then I got an idea, to use Alchemy to bring her back."

"So we learned Alchemy from teacher, and then one stormy night, we tried it."

Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a battered notebook, one of his possessions and list a number of minerals and ingredients that sounded like a bizarre shopping list. "All of those items there? Those are the ingredients for a human body. So, we walked into Gods Domain, and he came up and kicked us in the balls. He took my leg, and Al's entire body. And then I gave up my arm to bring Al's soul back, and bound it to a suit of armor."

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

"Woah..." Irma uttered, hearing the story. "Man, that's harsh. I... kinda did something like that earlier. Not that bad, but..."

Letting out a sigh, she continued.

"...for me and my friends, this just went south. One of our foes - a snakeman named Cedric - had just gotten a MASSIVE energy boost and we couldn't beat them. We were forced to reach inside ourselves and tap into our full potential - our Zenith, I heard it called. But, it came at a massive price, our humanity. We almost lost ourselves to our powers if it weren't for our friends and loved ones."

She looked away a bit. "I could do that here. I'm sure of it, but... if I did, I'd probably never come back."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Distractions, huh? Someone to talk to? Anyone, huh?

Because there, walking through the streets of the City, strode a green-haired, vacant-eyed girl. She wasn't the important part of this scene, though. Instead, mind what she carried: a massive tome, five feet by three at a rough guess. Said tome has a face. And a voice. Because it is laughing, over something or some occurrence.

Was Irma THAT desperate for distraction?

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Irma stopped, seeing the strange girl and the tome that was laughing.

A laughing book? And I've never seen THAT person before...! she thought, a little confused.

"Hey... hey! Hold up!" Irma called out.

(HTML can DIAF)

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Zetta has plenty of practice hearing things over his own (patented blend of) evil laughter. Said laughter stopped, as the woman carrying the book turned it to face the one so addressing it.

Another adolescent girl? What's up with this? There's so many of 'em! Zetta was seriously beginning to wonder if this whole ship was nothing but a giant slumber-party. But hey, he was fresh off a victory. An Overlord could afford to be magnanimous. So the tome spoke a very grand and Overlordly response to that girl. "Yeah?"

Re: (HTML can DIAF)

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Irma stopped as she saw the book talk.

"Wait... you just talked... I've seen weirder stuff before, why am I surprised at a talking book?" she said, before shaking her head. "Lemme guess - you're some sort of magical book and the girl was someone who was released awhile back, right?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"What? I -- huh." Zetta, you technically ARE a magical book. "It's complicated. Sort of." he said, entirely unhelpfully. "But her? She's my minion. One of my loyal battle-monkeys. And me?"

The book puffed itself up proudly. "Overlord Zetta. The most badass freakin' Overlord that is, ever was or ever will be. Hyaa ha ha ha ha!" At least he doesn't demand obeisance or humility before him, right?

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Irma's eyelids lowered a bit, giving her a "What is this bullhockey?" look. True, at least it wasn't Shiva...

"Riiiight. Irma Lair, magical girl who can't even do anything right at the moment." she said plainly. No need to sugar coat it.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Zetta considered her words for a moment, matching it to the archives of genre-savvyness in his head. (It's a fairly large collection, except the self-awareness section, which is so empty it's been mistaken for a Prinny's paycheck at times.) "I'm pretty sure going through that phase is pretty much required for magical girls, or heroes in general," he said. He should know, he's caused a couple. "Well, you could fight me, and despite the impossible odds against you find meaning in the fact that you struggled to the very last... but that's pretty trite.

"Still, since you decided to flag down the talking book and then said that pretty directly, I'm guessing you need someone to talk at." There was a time when Zetta would have simply laughed and made some pompous, self-important speech, but...

...this ship and its people were just making him soft. But hey, if he could get her back up to full magical-girl speed, she'd gain power and strength and be a valuable ally in the fight against the Ohm. That's the ticket!

Absolutely shameless rationalization and self-justification complete, the book smiled, and for a change it wasn't arrogant and nigh-psychotic in the extreme. "So what's eating you, Irma? Not that we need to talk here in the middle of the hall. But hey, talk and walk."

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

"Fiiiine, with me." Irma said, shrugging. As they started walking again, Irma continued on. "Basically? I might be a magical girl and all, but... I've been failing at it. Can't transform because my leader's MIA and it seems that every time something big happens, I'm on the sidelines!"

[silky-doll.livejournal.com]

She was down in an isolated area of the city, in a complex of empty buildings where nobody ever went. You could only find her if you followed the sound of metal hitting stone, and there, inside the rubble, you could find Sylia, fully suited up in her hardsuit, and fully destroying the place.

She kicked and punched the walls, she broke loose stones into a thousand pebbles. Between every strike she yelled out in frustration, darkly wishing that there was someone standing in between her and the walls. Wishing he was still alive to stand there. Wishing she didn't feel so angry about a man who she really barely knew at all, and yet...

It felt good to wear her suit again. She'd probably pay for it later, but so be it. Sylia was starting to come to a decision about what to do in this god-forsaken place.

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Irma's roamings were cut off as she heard the sounds of screaming and the sight of destruction. Approaching the sight, she caught sight of Sylia in her hardsuit, wrecking the place.

Blinking, she took her chances and approached Sylia. "...I take it you're feeling the same as me right now... whoever you are..."

[silky-doll.livejournal.com]

It took a moment for Sylia to answer, as she was staring blankly at the hole she'd just punched clear through the wall.

"I suppose you could say that," she answered somewhat coldly.

After another few seconds, she slid her visor back so the girl could see her face, and her voice sounded much more gentle. "I'm sorry. I hate talking through this thing."

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

Irma couldn't help but blink at the person on the other side. Wow, she's pretty... she thought.

"It's alright. Frankly, I don't care whom I'm talking to, just..." she said, letting out a sigh. "You ever have those days where you just feel so... helpless?"

She stopped as she said that.

"...y-you know what I mean, I just... you have all these powers, told to save the world and... you can't."

[silky-doll.livejournal.com]

Sylia was quiet for yet another long moment, and then her face softened almost instantly. The hardsuit clanked mechanically against the floor as she took a few steps towards the younger girl.

"I know exactly how you feel," she said. "It feels like the world is waiting at your fingertips, waiting for you to make a difference-- but when the chips fall, you're helpless to stop them.

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

"Exactly!" Irma said. "I mean... what can we do if every time something like this happens, we're helpless to do anything?!"

She let out a sigh and hung her head in defeat. "I wish I knew what I could do..."

[silky-doll.livejournal.com]

"I hardly think we're alone in these feelings, dear," Sylia assured her, sadly gazing back at the hole in the wall. "And I'm not sure I know myself..."

Her fist clenched. "But whatever it takes, I won't be caught so helpless again. I'm going to see to that."

[magictrkswwater.livejournal.com]

"Uh, not to seem rude and all, but... how are you gonna do that?" Irma asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

[hero-sting.livejournal.com]

Like Irma, Chris was feeling more than a little helpless. He felt in his heart that maybe he should have gone against orders and tried to help. He could have done something. But no, he stayed like a good soldier. Chris sometimes wondered if that was all he was good for: taking orders. He gave a glance to a younger teen girl as he walked through the halls.

"Excuse me."