Sunward Atop Sunrest Mesa

[Namohysip]

"What other choice do we have?" he said to Odette. "We have to save her!"

"I agree with that," Mhynt said, "but... the question is how we go about it."

"I'll try to... figure out how much time I have keeping her stable," Owen reported.

Mhynt nodded. She glanced at Sada, then at others. "Does anyone know the actual schematics for this... thing?" She pointed at the Iron Moth. "What does it do? What is it connected to?" She glanced at Brisa, then Matthias, still restrained, then the other scattered, less familiar faces.

Owen stared at Brisa for far longer, like something was suddenly bubbling up, yet not quite reaching the surface. This seemed to puzzle him.

"Have... we met? ...Before?" Before. That word felt... weighted. Hmm.

"Focus on the task at hand, Owen," Mhynt reminded.

"Right--sorry."

 

[Phoenixsong]

"Leaf! Help me reach Articuno! We'll call out to him together." (Could she feel how he was feeling, too?)

With one last apologetic look towards Odette and Archie, Steven closed his eyes and focused. (Gods, today was a day of firsts all around, wasn't it?) 'Lord Articuno, please! If you can hear me, we need your help atop the Sunrest Mesa, immediately!'

They had to hope, too, that if it came to it, they could stop the Covenant again. They would. For Amida.

Leaf had never really bothered practicing telepathy before. Talking to and through Beetle, sure, but that was their thing, nothing to do with her being psychic now because unicorn. The telekinesis had been more useful (and cooler) so far. But now she was supposed to, what, somehow find one guy out in the middle of nowhere and hope that if she brain-screamed loud enough, they'd hear it? Brain-hear it? Ugh.

(Did she really even want Articuno to hear? There was still a part of her that didn't trust them, either. Did the volcarona even really understand what was being offered to her? The risks involved?

...didn't matter. Amida wanted a chance. Needed a chance. So a chance was what she was going to get.)

She screwed her eyes shut, made a herculean effort to drown out the shouting shut up shut up shut up, and tried pushing her thoughts out without Beetle's help.

[Arti— Lord Articuno? We found some of the hidden Coven...ant guys. But Ami— the Living Sun is also here, and she might fall apart. You're the only one here who can stop it!]

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Kimiko was more than a match for him, and her bladed leaves sliced into the weapon's controls more than well enough to prevent its use.

There were, however, other platforms.

The remaining barrels spat brimstone as the dirigible's guns launched twelve-pound shells towards the Wayfarers below.

Had she any time to think rather than worry about the safety of her friends below, Kimiko might have been impressed at just how easily she'd downed that machoke by herself. Alas, there were more pressing concerns. Like, perhaps, just maybe, the fact that her infiltration hadn't been enough to sabotage all the cannons...!

She felt the reverberations before she heard them fire, and they shook her to her core. She dashed to the nearest window, not even the dizzying height enough to distract her from the dread, staring in horrible anticipation, as all she could see was the smoke from the shot...

She'd hesitated. If only she'd gotten there a little quicker... those seconds she wasted blasting Matthias just to selfishly vent her frustration...

Until the smoke begin to clear and somehow, she realized, no damage had been done. The missiles had been halted in midair, by - was that Steven? Regardless, she breathed a sigh of relief.

A flash of light startled her and suddenly there was Gladion, gleefully angrily tearing apart any machinery he could get his claws on. How did...? Oh, right... Kimiko had one of those orbs, too. Well, on the bright side, she could use hers now rather than try to figure out how she was going to get back down the chain...

She left Gladion to the carnage and popped back into existence down below just in time to see Matthias crumple to Valere's finishing blow. Good, that was two problems now dealt with.

Moments later, the rest of the squad also popped into existence, along with... oh. Crap. That must be the light that the robot moth was meant to contain. The professor was suddenly in contact with Betel of all things, and there was a lot of hasty discussion of how to handle this.

“You can’t be serious!?” Archie yelled. “You can’t actually believe they’re going to just let Amida go free, after all this!? Destroy that thing, before it’s too late!”

“So let me get this straight,” she seethed. “We come up here to stop the fucking Covenant from usurping this Radiance power, and now that things have gone so far off the fucking rails for them, the convenient answer to the current woe is ARTICUNO?”

"I don't... do either of you have a better idea?" Kimiko snapped back in desperation, instantly regretting how harsh it came out, but they had no time to debate this! "We can't just let her die."

Her tail lit up in anticipation of another round of battle. She was tired from dashing around, but otherwise healthy; she could handle a couple more goons if necessary. "We've beat down saints before, we can do it again. If they pull anything, we're right here. Let them try."

That this was their only acceptable option (in her eyes) left a sour taste in her mouth; she barely knew this Articuno, but it didn't sound like anyone she had any reason to trust. But that didn't change their situation. So, she dashed back towards the robot moth, planting herself directly in front of it. If anything even remotely suspicious arose, she'd be ready to start cutting.

Gods, I hope this is the right thing to do...

 

[Sinderella]

With one last apologetic look towards Odette and Archie, Steven closed his eyes and focused. (Gods, today was a day of firsts all around, wasn't it?) 'Lord Articuno, please! If you can hear me, we need your help atop the Sunrest Mesa, immediately!'

She knew that look. That was the look of someone who didn’t give the slightest fuck about her concerns. Or the concerns of the general public, or the literal god they were standing before, apparently. She wasn’t sure what propelled her forward—intellect? Fear? A desire to talk it over more rationally?—but what she did know was that she was bounding up to him, shouting protests that sounded too distant to be coming out of her own mouth.

“Wait, don’t—“

But she was a smart girl (most of the time). She knew it didn’t take long for psychic pings to reach their mark, provided there was no interference. Trying to stop him and Leaf was futile. There was nothing to do now except watch and wait.

Slowing to a stop, several emotions scrambled for purchase upon her face. The one that reigned victorious was not frustration, not anger, not even betrayal—but a cruel resentment that cast a harsh shade over her eyes.

“Oh,” she said matter-of-factly. “That’s how it is.”

The voices of her fellow Wayfarers meshed together into one grating sound that nearly set her ablaze again. She wanted to strike all of them down, solely for the looks they were casting her way. She wasn’t a fucking psychopath! She didn’t want to watch Amida die after her explicitly saying she wanted to live! That was the last thing she wanted to do!

But if they were being set up, as she was almost certain that’s what was happening, then she wanted to save Amida from an existence centered around being used. There was a substantial difference between passing away unwillingly yet freely and living an eternal life where bodily and power autonomy was not your own. Odile, a god herself, had let it be known she’d have far preferred the former over the latter.

Was nobody thinking of that?

The answer was yes, because aside from Archie, nobody was disputing it. Not Koa, not Kimiko, not anyone. She was vastly outnumbered here, which meant she had two options: walk away in expletives, or stand by and cross everything she had that she was about to eat crow for being too paranoid.

Her flames receded into her skin, and with a breath so heavy that it shifted her entire body, she raised her hands in defeat.

“Fine. Fine. The moth said her piece, so let her have it.” And say a fat fucking prayer that I’m wrong and that you all didn’t just unanimously agree to doom her.

 

[Jackie Cat]

"That might be true for you, but how can we know one of your colleagues won't remote control it... or start taking readings and signals from it?"

"Does anyone know the actual schematics for this... thing?" She pointed at the Iron Moth. "What does it do? What is it connected to?"

"What happens if you destroy that thing and she has nowhere else to go?!"

Without the vessel to inhabit, Amida's aura would dissipate as radiation. She would simply be gone.

Sada blinked out of her focused programming.

"Iron Radiance is an artificial pokémon," she explained, speaking rapidly and with perfect enunciation. "If I were simply installing an energy sample as I had prepared for, it would slowly take on a persona of its own. If it instead becomes possessed by Amida, it will become her new body. Before that happens, I am configuring the onboard firmware to reject all external executive commands. In other words, she will be protected from control by third parties or interference from malware."

She innhaled sharply, and spewed dragonfire over the most-intact of the remaining relay stations. Its metal and plastic components melted and sparked under the heat.

"That should ensure my work is not compromised," she added, firmly.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova's cheek bolts turned. The way this lady spoke. It was... somehow familiar. In a way that tightened his chest.

Still, he walked toward her. "Then what else do you need to make that happen? I'm part-machine. And versatile."

 

[Jackie Cat]

The... the watch-captains, right? Right. They couldn't hear Beetle's(?) responses, even if the professor could(???). She wasn't entirely sure they'd heard Amida's own. They had no way to know what was happening.

"She..." Leaf tried to shake her head and clear it, tried to focus on the moment. Had to stay focused so everything didn't just fall apart like she'd done to Amida. "She was giving off sunlight for too long, and it changed her too much. She wants to stop, and be able to live again. If we can find a way to do that safely, then— I don't know what'll happen to Sunward, but... she has someone she really wants to find first."

Armarouge Aurelia nodded earnestly, her eyes wide in thought and wonder.

"The return of the Sun to us... would be a wondrous thing. There is no prophecy that foretells this. It is a miracle in the making."

Estelle dispelled her blades and crossed her arms, shaking her head.

"I never thought to imagine such an aberration as this. A husk of metal, a machine – a new tomb for the spirit of Lady Surekhi. I know not whether this is devotion, or apostacy."

"The Sun spoke of her will," replied Aurelia, gently.

The Ceruledge narrowed her eyes. "Her will was to be with her companion of old – the champion of victory. He is not here."

"Perhaps he can be found."

"And if not...?"

There was no certain answer to that.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Owen stared at Brisa for far longer, like something was suddenly bubbling up, yet not quite reaching the surface. This seemed to puzzle him.

"Have... we met? ...Before?" Before. That word felt... weighted. Hmm.

"Focus on the task at hand, Owen," Mhynt reminded.

"Right--sorry."

Brisa returned the odd look Owen gave her.

She had never seen this Charizard before in her life. This was a fact.

The Luxray shook her head and screwed her eyes shut, trying to think if she'd run into this guy as a Charmander a decade or more ago, or if she'd drunk too much one night to remember some Charmeleon fellow she'd happened across at a bar.

"I don't know you," she said. (It was true. And yet, as she said it, she realised she didn't believe it.)

She growled her throat clear and raised her head.

"If'n anyone gets a say, I oughta say my piece," she muttered. Then, louder: "We ain't got the right to put that 'mon up there to an end when there needn't be one," she declared. "Jus' 'cause someone might cause her t'do harm. If that were fair reasonin', I oughta bite out every throat here an' throw myself off this plateau, 'cause ain't none of us here as don't pose a potential threat to some sorry bastard down the line."

She shot a grim look at Archie.

"No-one's killin' anyone up here while I'm still breathin'."

 

[Phoenixsong]

"If what we've been doing and saying here matters to you at all, then stop yelling at us." Leaf glared at Archie and Odette, her voice strained and cold. "Respect Amida like the person she is and explain to her why she shouldn't do it. Give her the information she needs to decide what's more important to her instead of just insisting you know best and you get to determine the rest of her life." Or the end of it.

"I don't like the Coven either! If there was another way then of course that'd be better." If only they hadn't ruined everything first. "But bringing Articuno here gives her a chance! And it gives her a choice. If they get here and she doesn't want to do it after all, she doesn't have to! But if she does want to live, even with the risks, then it's not fair for you to stop her. And we'll still be here to help, either way. Stop acting like we're just rolling over and giving these people everything they want. You're the ones giving up if you just assume that. We're not going anywhere."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"What exactly can Articuno do to help us? What do we need?" Mhynt asked. "Sorry, I'm still trying to get over a case of sunburn. What's the situation on the mesa?"

"Contain Amida's spirit and her power or something," he said to Mhynt. "I don't really get it myself. It may be a Saint thing? Saint power?"

"Lighthouse, it looks like you have an astral network linking these pokémon together with yourself. Please apprise them of the information they need."

Gladly, Professor.

Please be advised; my preferred name is 'Betelgeuse'.

However, you may call me 'Betel' as a diminutive, if you prefer.

"Thank you for letting me know, Betel. It's very good to see you again."

Likewise, Professor.

Hello Mhynt, Nova—allow me to explain.

The built-up Radiance of five millennia is more than can be safely dispersed or contained in the Iron Radiance synthetic vessel. A significant portion of it must be released, to avoid overloading—or 'frying'—the vessel. If this takes the form of Infinite Energy radiation, that could be disastrous to local spacetime and its inhabitants. If it were siphoned by a weak soul, it would likely overwhelm them, or if by multiple offworlders, with unpredictably volatile outcomes. A Saint is easily the safest repository for a glut of Radiant energy. If there were more time and a means of contacting them, Zapdos Baraz or Zeraora Luz would be viable alternatives...

On that note, I am facilitating the telepathic call... NOW.

'Lord Articuno, please! If you can hear me, we need your help atop the Sunrest Mesa, immediately!'

[Arti— Lord Articuno? We found some of the hidden Coven...ant guys. But Ami— the Living Sun is also here, and she might fall apart. You're the only one here who can stop it!]

For a tense moment, there was no certainty that the Saint had heard the call.

Then, the air began to rapidly cool.

"I am en-route," came the psychic voice of Articuno.

The legendary bird burst into the air above the plateau a second later, mist steaming off their plumage and hoarfrost creaking across the dusty ground below. In the minutes following their entrance, three great entities hung in space – the bird, the solar moth, and the airship.

"A military dirigible?" mused Articuno. "Has that vessel fired on anyone?"

Yes. It had – even though a Wayfarers was sure to reply, the bird would detect spent ammunition all too easily.

"I see. Let us dispense with these armaments, then."

With that said, Articuno turned their stare on the zeppelin, and loosed a bright lance of psionic power directly at its gun turrets. The cannons cleaved cleanly away from their housing mechanisms with a sound and sparks like a titanic welding torch at work.

"I stand ready to give aid," they announced, looking around for anything familiar or informative on the mesa below. "What must I do?"

 

[Tetra]

Fine? Fine? Koa bristled. Let her have it. As if she didn't even.... How could she? His ire flared. He turned, glaring, ready to ask what was wrong with Odette.

But before he could say anything his attention was drawn away by Sada breathing out a stream of dragonfire and melting the remaining communications arrays. He stared at her eyes narrowed, surprise beginning to override his suspicion. Had she really meant it then? That she wished to save Amida?

There was too much happening to fully absorb her actions. He wasn't sure how to reconcile everything, not when she'd willingly joined the Covenant to assault Sunward, not when she'd disrupted Amida's rest and caused the dungeon to rupture ,not when she'd abandoned her son?... And yet she was at least trying to help them now. That counted for something, right?

He shook his head, trying to clear the buzzing miasma of emotions clogging his thoughts, wishing desperately for Articuno arrive even if only moments had probably passed since Steven had called.

And then allat once, with a wave of cold, Articuno was there. he silently vowed that if this truly was some kind of master plan on the part of the Saint, he'd personally fry them and knock them out of the sky.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Still, he walked toward her. "Then what else do you need to make that happen? I'm part-machine. And versatile."

Sada glanced at Nova, a strange expression on her face. Some mixture of excitement, relief, and self-recrimination.

"I should have considered that," she said, scolding herself. "Yes. You are an ARK Unit—also known as a Type: Full, a Silvally, or an RKS Chimera, yes? Biomechanical in nature."

She gestured at the Iron Radiance.

"The transition between a biological—or rather, energetic—body and a synthetic one might be cognitively or psychoaffectively difficult for Amida. The reverse continues to be somewhat difficult for me, speaking personally... If you would be so kind, Nova—please adopt a Psychic configuration and prepare to assist Amida with the imminent mental adjustment, if you feel able."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Psychic's already in." Nova's crest fanned out again. Then a sudden chilly gust heralded Articuno's arrival. He'd only caught brief glimpses of them before.

"See that golden light breaking apart volcarona up there?" Nova pointed a foreleg to the sky. "She kept the world lit when Blackglass Caldera erupted. And she's breaking down, which would release a whole lot of radiance that would decimate Sunward." He glared at the downed Covenant goons. "These lovely folks wanted to take that energy so they could study and make their own radiance." He jerked his head toward the volcarobot. "And must've built this to hold the energy. We're trying to reconfigure it so she can use it as a new body and be alive again. It's her wish... and we need a Saint to facilitate this. As strong as we are, I guess we... will not react well to all the radiance in the air."

He was vaguely aware of some of the others arguing about whether this was a good idea or not. Nova had doubts, too. But this was her wish. And he still remembered Powehi's words.

She'd given her life for Forlas before... so, if she wanted that second-chance, then Nova would oblige. He nodded to Sada.

 

[Sinderella]

Leaf glared at Archie and Odette, her voice strained and cold. "Respect Amida like the person she is and explain to her why she shouldn't do it. Give her the information she needs to decide what's more important to her instead of just insisting you know best and you get to determine the rest of her life."

She returned Leaf’s glare tenfold. “Don’t put words in my mouth and act like I’m not fucking respecting her,” she seethed. “Is it not convenient to anyone that Articuno just so happens to be the only viable saving grace here? So what happens if they show up, complete this little ritual, and now Amida is not alive and free, but alive and at the beck and total call of another Saint? Living a life where her body and power aren’t her own? What kind of existence is that?” It was hard to tell if the question was rhetorical or not. She paused as if waiting for an answer, but continued before anyone could respond.

“There’s a difference between dying free and living chained. And I know gods who would pick the former, so I was just—“

Her words clogged up in her throat, and she turned toward Amida with some strained, unreadable emotion crossing her face.

“I’m sorry. If something bad is happening here, I don’t want that for you.”

 

[Shiny Phantump]

The floor of the airship shifted beneath Gladion's feet as a large amount of mass of the cannons was forcefully cleaved from it. God, that kicked ass. Made his attempt to destroy its electronics look foolish in comparison. His concerns addressed and emotional energy spent, he jumped off the ship, using the freeing feeling of wind on his face to catalyze a shift to flying-type in time to aerokinetically slow his fall and avoid breaking his legs.

It came as something of a surprise to see Odette being one of the strongest proponents for letting Amida die. He understood where she was coming from, he really did. If he believed letting Articuno help would subject Amida to the Coven's will's for all eternity, he'd be saying the same things as her right now. But he wasn't, because... Well, perhaps it was somewhat ironic given the stances the two of them had taken on Coven interaction so long ago, but he trusted Articuno.

"Hey, Odette, I... I get it, I know where you're coming from. Both the type to care a lot about freedom, you know?" Freedom from her father and his mother. He remembered that much from their sort-of-reconciliation. "And you know me well enough to know I don't trust easy, right? Especially people with positions of power. But I've spoken with Articuno a few times, they've earned my trust. No idea if we're cool enough that you trust me, either, but I guess if you do then..."

Then what? He didn't really have a then what to end that sentence with. It wasn't really an attempt to appeal to reason or to tell Odette waht she should do. He just didn't want to see her anguished, or dogpiled by other wayfarers who didn't get it. He'd shared his thoughts, and she could do with them what she would. So he just let the sentence trail off, a conclusion left for her to draw.

 

[Phoenixsong]

"You know what? You're right!" Leaf laughed bitterly, but she couldn't look Odette in the eye any longer. "I'm sure I have no fucking idea what it's like for other people to try and dig their claws into every single part of my life without caring what I want or even bothering to explain why I should agree. And I definitely didn't stop for a second to consider that the people we were just actively fighting might try to double-cross us. Never crossed my mind! No one here even thought of that other than you and Archie!"

Her snarled sarcasm sank into mumbling, almost like she was talking to someone else, or just to herself. "I'm just a stupid little idiot who doesn't understand anything, and anything I try to do is a terrible, selfish decision that will only ever hurt other people because I don't think, because only the people who know everything understand enough to make the right choice. Sure glad someone's here to remind me! I was trying to get better at that, and for a minute there I was worried I might've managed it."

She started to turn away, let Gladion deal with her, but paused for a second before moving to Amida. "You said know gods who would choose." Whatever the hell that meant. Who cared. "The only thing that matters is that we let. Her. Choose."

"Amida." Leaf had to fight to keep the choke out of her voice as she spoke to the volcarona; somebody had to explain to her, it was important. (How much time was left? Was there even enough of her left to hear, to make the decision she needed to make?) "We can try to get you into a new body. Nova and Lord Articuno can help you. But the people who made it wanted to try to use your power for themselves. And we don't know what will happen next." She finally managed to pick her head up again, stared into the sun one more time. "If you're worried that they'll take advantage of you, you don't have to do it. You don't know them, and you don't even know us, and if you don't want to trust that they won't trap you again then... that's okay. But if you want to try anyway, we're here. We'll do whatever we can to make sure you can live the way you want."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

[...]but what she did know was that she was bounding up to him, shouting protests that sounded too distant to be coming out of her own mouth.

“Wait, don’t—“

[...]Slowing to a stop, several emotions scrambled for purchase upon her face. The one that reigned victorious was not frustration, not anger, not even betrayal—but a cruel resentment that cast a harsh shade over her eyes.

“Oh,” she said matter-of-factly. “That’s how it is.”

Steven had just blinked himself back to the present, warding off the woozy feeling of attempting to project himself an entire continent away (telepathy was not his forte, that's for sure), when he found himself face to face with Odette. A very, very upset Odette.

He recoiled from her on instinct, shuffling his legs close in attempt to withdraw. "Odette? It's not--" But before he had a chance to process what she was saying, she fixed him with a look of such disappointment that it froze his words in his metaphorical throat. '-- like that.'

And then everyone was yelling. He could feel the protective anger rolling off of Leaf in Radiant waves, and Odette had already moved on from him, biting back with defiance of her own.

It's not that he hadn't considered Amida's freedom. He'd almost said as much himself, until Amida voiced her desire to live the life she could have had, and he knew what that felt like ten times over and he would be the first to smash anyone or anything that would take that away from her--

But there weren't enough words to say that to Odette now, and definitely not enough time. The snap of frost in the air was punctuated by Articuno's arrival. Their psychic plea had worked, at least. Now to pray the rest did as well...

"I stand ready to give aid," they announced, looking around for anything familiar or informative on the mesa below. "What must I do?"

Steven did better at hiding his wince as the airship was neutered by Articuno. Watershed was not going to be pleased at that... But that was the least important thing happening right now.

"It's as Nova said," he began. "The Living Sun's Radiance is more than her new body can take in. What's left needs to be safely dealt with, otherwise..." In truth, he didn't really know what would happen, or perhaps maybe he did, having borne witness to her Radiance's power five thousand years in the past.

"We need your power to prevent her from potentially destroying the very thing she gave her life to save."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

As Sada began her work on the iron moth, Kimiko backed off a few paces to give her space to work. She kept close enough to peer around the big lizard, as if she understood whatever technobabble she was seeing; she'd just have to take Sada at her word for now. She maintained her ready to unleash a blast of bladed leaves at a moment's notice anyway, but Betel was cooperating willingly, and that was enough for Kimiko to ease up a bit. Surely if this plan was an imminent problem, Betel would be warning them rather than helping it proceed.

The yelling behind her had not ceased, and Kimiko was moments away from scolding them all like toddlers throwing a temper-tantrum. But it didn't really matter now anyway; Amida had already expressed her desire, and Articuno was already here now to help it proceed.

So, as Articuno was informed of the details, Kimiko let her building energies die and relaxed. She sauntered out of the way - they didn't need her there when they got started - and wandered back towards Odette, trying to put on a sympathetic smile. Along the way, she shot that same expression towards Archie; he'd been silent since his original outburst, but he and Odette had been on the same wavelength about it. When she spoke, her words were directed at them both. Kimiko didn't have any strong words of encouragement like Gladion (or Leaf) did, but...

"I know you're speaking from experience here." Her voice was calm, quiet; worrying that yelling further would only make them less likely to listen to reason. "And if there was any other way, we'd jump on it. But this isn't our choice. Think of it like a bandage solution, if that helps; we need something done now, and can look for something with more autonomy when we're not, y'know, in danger of incinerating. And come on, if things really did go south here, do you think we wouldn't all leap into action to make it right again?"

 

[Sinderella]

He recoiled from her on instinct, shuffling his legs close in attempt to withdraw. "Odette? It's not--" But before he had a chance to process what she was saying, she fixed him with a look of such disappointment that it froze his words in his metaphorical throat. '-- like that.'

She shot a look at him over her shoulder. There was nothing else to say now.

"Hey, Odette, I... I get it, I know where you're coming from. Both the type to care a lot about freedom, you know?" Freedom from her father and his mother. He remembered that much from their sort-of-reconciliation. "And you know me well enough to know I don't trust easy, right? Especially people with positions of power. But I've spoken with Articuno a few times, they've earned my trust. No idea if we're cool enough that you trust me, either, but I guess if you do then..."

"You know what? You're right!" Leaf laughed bitterly, but she couldn't look Odette in the eye any longer. "I'm sure I have no fucking idea what it's like for other people to try and dig their claws into every single part of my life without caring what I want or even bothering to explain why I should agree. And I definitely didn't stop for a second to consider that the people we were just actively fighting might try to double-cross us. Never crossed my mind! No one here considered that for a second other than you and Archie!"

She took turns wrinkling her nose at Leaf and eyeing Gladion with soft suspicion. She was in no headspace to try to argue with Leaf—and it was very clear that she wasn’t either. She wore her struck nerves on her fucking horn, and that wasn’t a bomb Odette was in any mood to poke at.

“And that’s what I’m doing,” she said with a finite shrug. If Amida—if the group—was willing to take that risk, she had no power to keep trying to protest.

Listing her attention back to Gladion, she raised a doubtful brow at him. How strange was it that they had essentially traded places here. Where her suspicion had only increased, especially since speaking with Nolan, Gladion’s had waned since speaking to Articuno. When the fuck did that happen? She supposed she appreciated him keeping the pointed glares to himself, but she was no less skeptical, even as the Saint of the hour landed before them, ready to save the fucking day. Hopefully.

But this isn't our choice. Think of it like a bandage solution, if that helps; we need something done now, and can look for something with more autonomy when we're not, y'know, in danger of incinerating. And come on, if things really did go south here, do you think we wouldn't all leap into action to make it right again?"

She saved some of her look for Kimiko, who also had the decency to keep her voice down. But she felt no less sated; no less doubtful that they weren’t all walking straight into fire.

Her eyes narrowed. Not angrily, or scornfully. Just tiredly.

“And what do we do if the south traversal is something we can’t handle? Then not only is Amida fucked, Forlas probably is too. Then what?”

She shook her head and relegated her attention to Articuno. “I’m not arguing anymore,” she said under her breath. “If living is what Amida wants, living is what Amida gets. All I can do is pray that crow tastes good.”

 

[Namohysip]

"I suspect that letting her die would discharge the same kind of Radiance," Mhynt said, eyeing it. "That's also part of the problem here. Amida would become a destructive force after all the time she'd dedicated to saving it."

"I can help, too," Owen said, rising a little higher while still keeping Amida stable and under his wings. "I may not look it, but I'm a little Radiant myself. I can help the transfer and cancel some of the excess with my Shadow part."

"...Owen, that will hurt a lot."

"I've had worse."

"...Owen, that will hurt me a lot."

Owen's pitch-dark face smiled nervously.

Mhynt sighed, pinching her brow with her claws. "Carry on."

But then, turning to Sada, she said, "As contributors to saving her at all and making this possible... we would like to keep an eye on Amida afterward. She has been gone for five thousand years. Perhaps we should help re-integrate her into society before she's tossed into whatever... worship they want. Give her the opportunity to choose her own path. You can study the machine's results, of course, since we'd probably want maintenance on it anyway... but surely she deserves that respite as well."

And maybe they could see if there was a way to analyze her aura to make sure she was safe enough to not dissipate fully when the machine was broken. Perhaps Powehi could stabilize her... Cash in that favor for saving his realm.

Mhynt thought quietly to herself. while Owen assisted.