When the future's architectured by a carnival of idiots on show

[thethirdhare]

Characters: Lavi (seaoflames), Yao Wong [China] (closedmarket), Li Shang (manmaker), Mushu (travel_sized4u) and Fa Ping [Mulan] (thethirdhare) will be OPEN later.
Location: OUT AND ABOUT idk specifically where
Rating: PG13 but subject to change.
Time: July 18 in the very, very weeeeee hours of the morning.
Description: Lavi went snooping for books and got stuck in Shibusen when the fog settled in. Ping

Comments

[thethirdhare]

[Ping felt strange. It was strange to witness someone's innermost emotions. Raw, honest, unhithered. Moreso we so many of the things spoken seemed to resonate with his own concerns. After seeing all that he couldn't help but feel even more curious about Lavi, empathetic to him, and well--defensive. He wasn't sure if the opinions of sheng and Shang had changed at all, but quite frankly he was bothered by the way they had treated Lavi from the beginning and he would come to the others aid of need be

d-derp. red and blue tag team!

[closedmarket]

"He's right."

China started as bad as he had been in shock, taking the distraction eagerly at first - what had the shadow just said to Ping? it couldn't have been right (all the same, with this babbling... thing, he couldn't help but feel bad for the Captain, embarrassed) - and then, once catching the green, stiff material of a military uniform, wished the distraction would just go away.

"What good is honor? Or dignity? Pride? All it's done is keep you from attempting to the fact that you've been rotting, breaking down, crumbling, collapsing, for centuries. You could have gotten help from someone other than Russia."

It sniffed, face sad but accusing, rubbing its nose into a sleeve even though its voice was growing in volume. China snapped out of his trance at staring at the thing to look over at the others, though his eyes snapped back a minute later. "Pu Yi would've appreciated it."-- I moved on from that, aru! You have no reason to bring that up, if you are-- you are-" Oh, there it was. Some grip of anger, but with underlying

and this is where the rock begins to fall, sob

[thethirdhare]

Where before there had been something slightly funny--perhaps even, dare he use the word, sweet about the whole situation the moment those words flew out of Shang's Shadow they disappeared completely.

I love you. Every part of Ping froze at that, and if he wasn't red before, he definitely was now. Shang loved him? Even knowing the truth? Even know that he had lied to him for two years about something so important as his gender? That had been something that in all the time Shang had been here, Ping had not been able to consolidate. He knew what he was--he knew who he was, and yet he was okay with it. A part of him had yearned to ask, but a greater part was fearful for the answer.

Now to have this dropped on his lap, he didn't even know how to respond.

Then things only became worse when another Shadow appeared and that strange sickly feeling these Shadows brought hit him like a punch to the gut. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

;_;

[travel_sized4u]

Alright just when had they taken a swan dive into crazy town? Shang's words didn't just have an effect on Mulan, Mushu couldn't help but stare wide eyed at the Captain. If...that was true, then...what had happened on the mountain...argh this was way too much. His surprise turned to worry when that second shadow showed up; and if Mulan was right about that guy really being China.

This was not going to end well, he could see that already! He watched with growing trepidation the exchange between the two China's. Dealing with Lavi's shadow had been well, awkward and a bit intimidating; but have these two around was making his gut clench.

They were in big trouble.

"Maybe now would be a good time to get outta here?" He attempted to shout out, but it came out like a whiney growl.

/orz so late I'M SORRY GUYS

[manmaker]

Shang was beginning to seriously feel like the world was crashing down around him. This...thing with his face was making outright confessions of love to Mulan and...well, yes Shang did love Mulan but...but blurting that out in public was not proper! And now there were two Chinas?

"Let's leave," he said quickly, agreeing with the dragon. Shang was a brave warrior, but this wasn't just an enemy - this was dishonour, and Shang did not want to stay around while this creature brought down his name.

"Leaving won't do anything. I'll still be here! I'll always be here, because I'm you! But you enver let my out! And shèng will never rot!" The Shadow said, suddenly turning to China's Shadow. "China is eternal! You're eternal, aren't you China?" Looking up at the real China with a hopeful expression, the Shadow almost resembled a son asking their parents for reassurance. "You are the greatest thing in the world, you could never rot, right?"

DON'T APOLOGIZEEEE it's still amazing. ;;

[closedmarket]

He realized it slowly, but he did pick up on it before Mushu started with his (very good) suggestion-- Ping's look, making China in turn furrow his forehead at him - it couldn't possibly be about his shadow, but he knew Shang's hadn't truly said- that he--

"Yes! Leaving!" Too many things were happening at once. Exhaustion was humming along with slight panic, as he turned and began to move away, halted only by the Captain's words of never leaving. No, not halted - he kept moving, kept going forward, because this was no time to stop, no time to let themselves be distracted by foolish, illusion-like things, whether they were images or words or questions of his decay. He didn't look at the Shang, but he did stop completely. Started off badly, but added in more steel as he spoke. "Of... Course. Of course. I have had bad times, but that is all. Passing things. Just as you understand the Captain could not truly act as you do, yes--?"

"Old doesn't mean eternal. It just means he's more likely to break." A sneer was replacing the complaining

[thethirdhare]

Conflict. To turn away from the Emperor? How did they live then? It was funny that it was only now that Ping thought to question the government of these places and times. He'd be so caught of with Shibusen and the war he hadn't really had as much time to think of how China may have changed in this time.

It couldn't have, could it? All this technology and these modern ideals had been easy to deal with, since it was easier to think of all this as a separate world or place completely--but as he had been told, in truth, China was simply across the sea...

And Shang. Oh what was he to say to Shang?

Ping moved, but he was somehow certain that these two figures would not leave until properly confronted, as Lavi had done with his.

[travel_sized4u]

China...without an emperor? Could that actually happen? Mushu cast a quick glance at Ping before folding his arms and glancing between the two shadows. Shang well...except for the whole confession to Mulan thing he didn't seem too bad. But if the good Captain was actually on the same page, well Mushu had a good idea things were not going to end well. This was just getting beyond the point of confusing.

When Ping started to move, Mushu tried to urge her on silently. If they'd run out here after her in the first place; they might follow her out of here too.

"Come on! Let's get outta here; before things really get ugly."

[manmaker]

"You can't leave. I'm you!" The shadow said. "It doesn't matter where you go, I'll always be there. But you don't let me out!"

Shang narrowed his eyes. He had had enough of this imposter.

"You are not me," he said harshly, preparing to turn away and make an exit.

But then the Shadow changed. It's form twisted, hardening into stone and growing claws and teeth and a stone mane. Until all that was left was a stone lion, roaring silently.

And then Shang was on the ground, unconscious.

[closedmarket]

The reaction was instantaneous.

This wasn't confusing, mangled words, this was a sure change - and even though at first, he had to wonder what one of his statues were doing appearing, the actual situation caught up rather fast. Second thought was to continue running. But when his eyes fell to Shang's prone body (that hadn't happened with Lavi), he stopped, turned, a ringing note of worry pitching his voice higher. "He-- the Captain! We must get him, first, aru--!" Questioning why or how Shang had fallen wasn't a priority - saving him was.

But as he rushed forward, another gold-eyed figure broke his path. "What for? He'll leave you as soon as you do. He's already gone, actually. At least he won't cut you down before doing it, but that's a small grace."

"Wh-- I think none of those things. Move aside." He didn't want to touch the thing, not at all; tried to edge around it, but it blocked him, furthered his anger. "Move!" At least, he had to think, at least the lion didn't look like it was moving.

But neither was Shang.

[thethirdhare]

That's when Ping's blood ran cold. He turned agilely on his heel and began to return when he heard China, and he stopped to look back.

Stuck, he wavered back and forth.

"Mushu, if you can smell him out, go back to sheng." he said. The immediate concern was Shang and the monster-dog hovering so close to him.

He raced forward, and didn't even bother taking up a defensive position of any sort. With Shang down Ping wasn't willing to make any sort of negotiations, the time to fight was now.

The creature was made of stone, so the two short swords wouldn't be very likely to do much damage just yet. He'd have to find other ways to weaken it first--perhaps create a crack to which he could channel all his attacks.

An idea came to mind, but he would need Mushu's help. For now he tried to just drive the beast away from Shang by slashing near it.

[travel_sized4u]

"Aah!" He grabbed onto the edge of her armor as she skidded, but let go to bounce on the ground. Find China...in this fog? Well...he'd felt Ping so. "Hey! China! Here boy!" He skittered on the strange street before he ran into a leg. There was a familiar feeling to the leg and it wasn't dressed in green. Alright!

He crawled up the pant leg, moving around China's torso to perch on his shoulder, "Hey, come on uh...China, we gotta get goin'! Ping's over there!" Yes he was a little worried about Shang but the fact that Mulan was over by those stone teeth had him on edge.

He really wished he could do something- all Ping had were a couple of swords!

/orz I'm sorry I'm late again *faaaaaaaail*

[manmaker]

The Shadow snarled, facing Ping down. At it's paw a stone ball appeared, and the Shadow passed it to and fro between it's paws - and it seemed as it there was a sense of something building in the stone lion. As if that stone ball was more than just something it was toying with.

The Shadow paused, holding the ball under one paw. It stared at Ping with dead eyes, and then, faster than you would think a stone creature would move, it bowed it's head down to the ball and pushed at it with it's nose, propelling the ball at great speeds towards Ping.

On the ground, Shang remained motionless.

/responding lateness. ;;; asgjknjkh really sorry, too.

[closedmarket]

Had someone just called him by 'here boy?' He opened his mouth, about to respond in a more cohorent manner than a yelp and leap, but the sudden attachment to his leg had him stumbling backwards a bit-

Oh. It was the dragon.

"Do not do that! Aiiya, what is wron--" Then the rest of the words registered, along with connective thoughts. Ping. Shang. Trouble. In a second flat, he'd regained his bearings, looked about for the sounds of the monster. Ping- Ping was taking care of it? He couldn't! He'd be crushed!

Hopefully, Mushu was holding on, because China was darting as quick as his mind - and the sudden reappearance of that doppelganger - would let him. "Really, what are you doing? You're acting just like a human. What's two soldiers in the face of so many--?"

"Go away. I have no time for you!"

"But we're-Something snapped. "Quiet! We are not! Now, go awa--" Literally, maybe. Because Mushu would suddenly find himself a lot closer to the ground, and a large, red-striped tiger with a curiously empty hole where its heart, lungs and

/s'ok! hugs

[travel_sized4u]

"AHH!" Ow! That...was a long fall, Mushu shakes the cobwebs off and glances up. His ears wilt at the sight grinning before him. "China! Come on let's...this is no time for a nap!!!" He crawled over the unconscious man, grunting a little as he tried to turn China's head, "HELLO! We...aw man...."

He scampered back, no way he could get past a teeth machine like that, "HEY! PING!!! FATHERLAND'S EATIN' DIRT!!!"

no worries guys <3 and switching to action for the fight!

[thethirdhare]

[Ping is not taking his eyes of the lion. That might be a very, very bad move but when he heard Mushu well--he allowed himself one very quick glance over his shoulder and that's all he needed