Petal 6 - Video

[onceaweiss]

[The video comes on to show Aya and Umi sitting back to back. Wrapped around them are wires meant to look like rose vines with long thorns. Along the vines are red and white roses. Both are already bleeding. Aya is the first to stir and look around. His eyes narrow as he glances back to see Umi.] Umi. You need to wake up.

Wha...? Ouch. Eh

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[soulofocean]

[It'd happened again... She'd almost allowed herself to forget the last time it'd happened. This once it was even more horrible. What it involved...

Shaking her head, Umi tried to hold back the rage and anguish that the sole idea of what the City had done... what the curse itself had just suggested she should do... No, it was far too much! She gritted her teeth as both the loss of blood and anger made her feel dizzy. She'd NEVER let it end in that way! What she'd promised Ken burned inside her mind. She wouldn't let herself get killed here, and least of all lose Aya to this...!

Still turned to face him, she did her best to gather her determination and hold his stare without seeming faint.]

So much for magic, then... [She bit her lip at the thought.] Dammit! This place... It really thought of EVERYTHING...

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[onceaweiss]

Yes.

[He took a moment to take a deep breath to steady himself before looking at the key again.]

Now...the keys.

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[soulofocean]

[She swallowed down a gulp, the taste of blood in her mouth sickening her. This wasn't playing along, she had to remind herself. She wasn't hurting Aya. They were both trying to escape together.]

Do me a favor... count to three. And... [She made an effort to sound as bossy as she could.] Don't hold back because I'll notice. And... I'll yell at you once we're out.

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[onceaweiss]

Right. [He took as deep a breath as he could.]

One... Two... Three. [And with that, he reached. The pain was intense but he couldn't let that get to him. He needed that damn key.]

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[soulofocean]

[Now she knew how all the things she'd ever stabbed to death with her rapier felt. Punishment for her sins? Maybe. But she'd asked Aya not to hold back. Umi wouldn't do so either. She did her best to reach out despite the thorns were leaving her skin and clothes in tatters. Almost... there...]

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[onceaweiss]

[So close. He could feel it with the tip of his finger. Aya reached a little further. Then just a little more and...]

I have it.

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[soulofocean]

[It took impaling her flank on one of the largest thorns, but almost the instant Aya spoke, Umi was able to grab her own key. The pained yelp was likely the only answer Aya needed to understand this.]

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[onceaweiss]

Umi. Tell me you're alright.

[Of course she wasn't but he needed to know that she was okay enough to keep going.]

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[soulofocean]

[There was a hiss and an intake of breath that entailed a sharp whistle -- Umi believed that heralded nothing good, and almost felt like a lousy liar when she gasped.] ...'m fine... [A cough.] Flesh wound.

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[onceaweiss]

[Like hell that was a flesh wound.] Try the lock.

[And right away, he fumbled until he could get the key in the lock...only...it wouldn't turn. Damn it. His key didn't go to this lock.]

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[soulofocean]

[No, she wasn't dropping the stupid key due to her slippery bloodied fingers, dammit. Not after all the trouble they'd just gone through to get--- ...there!

After the first few tries Umi's face went frozen with alarm.]

---Aya! There's... nasty news...

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[onceaweiss]

Yours won't unlock either.

[Aya closed his eyes to focus himself. They wouldn't unlock. No. Wait...]

Switch keys with me.

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[soulofocean]

...What.

[The stab of panic at hearing Aya's key and lock weren't cooperating either gave way to confusion.

Then she remembered the message on the tape and it dawned on her. Make the right decision...]

Right! Maybe...! [She tried her best to reach his hand to pass the key without harming them both further.] Clever!

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[onceaweiss]

[Carefully, he traded keys with her before bring his blood slicked hand back to his lock. There was more fumbling but he got the key into the lock and turned it. That was the big moment.

It turned.

Quickly, he freed himself then went to stumble over to help Umi.]

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[soulofocean]

---You're out of it?? YOU ARE! [That notion seemed to activate a switch inside Umi's head. All that time she'd had a priority clear. Now it was out of her concerns for a moment she could focus more, and do it fast, because far as she remembered they had a timing going on top of everything.

The key turned in her lock this time. She didn't falter. Even if she felt too weak to get up, she did.]

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[onceaweiss]

[Pulling Umi against him, Aya quickly took on most of her weight and used his longer legs to move them towards the door that he could see now. His eyes were focused and he wasn't about to break that concentration. Not when Umi needed to get out of here and fast.]