Role Play Idol [Season Two] FINALE!

Season Two Finale!​

Welcome...!


Quick note; REMEMBER. Midnight Star, P, post here to save your spots, but don't post your submission. PM that to me. I will then edit your posts with the post you PM me when I receive both of yours.

Congratulations, Midnight Star and P for making it to the final challenge. You have fought long and hard and managed to reach the very end. I would also like to take this time to thank everyone else who signed up for Season Two and put up with me this whole time. It was stressful. The next season won't begin immediately after this one. I need some time to think of how to get this to run smoother before then...

Another thank you to the judges for all of their hard work. Critiquing is not an easy task, especially when there were 12 people to write for the first time and so on. I appreciate your patience and dedication.

Another thank you to Ego Imperium for the idea for this challenge; a special thanks to Tummer for stepping in at the last minute for judging, and a thank you to Chevalier for helping me out with the pin stuff, because making pins is hard.

I would like to direct your attention to this thread. For any of the past contestants and judges, or anyone simply following the competition, please feel free to suggest things that you think would work better for future Role Play Idols.

The Challenge

For this challenge, we're going to be testing your mettle in the heat of the action. It's going to be some combat; for whatever reason, your characters have gotten caught up in a fight that's gotten physical. Their fists are doing all the talking. Why it's come as far as it has is completely up to the two of you. Whatever the case is/was, you're throwing punches and kicks at each other. Maybe you've martial experience, maybe you haven't. Try not to go too o revised with that.

The setting for this little scuffle will be at the middle of a large and bustling shopping mall. Many people are, at this point, trying to evade the two of you as you pound your way through the shops and kiosks. For the moment, you only have your bodies as weapons, but as you go, you may pull something from a shelf to use to your advantage; bear in mind that you should limit this sort of selection to what would. Be typically found in a shopping mall. Odds are you won't find a good firearms store. A best, you'll stumble on a shop with swords and other weapons that are dull and meant for show.

Remember, it's not just about saying that you won the fight. You will be expected to follow the rules of role playing as you engage one another. You will not be able to land every hit you attempt to make on your opponent. Likewise you will no be permitted to dodge everything that's thrown at you. Creativity and practicality will both be key to this challenge, being able to use unique strategies the are still believably viable will be a huge plus.

You will have ten posts each, or until the time limit expires.

You will be receiving your critiques before the winner is decided, and there is--of course, no voting this time around.

Rules or restrictions for this Challenge.


♣ You may interact with each other.

♣ Remember that this is a competition. Try your best to impress me, and the judges. If you're not trying, it will be evident.

♣ Posts count, so be relevant. Please don't spam questions in this thread about this challenge, contact me personally.

♣ You have until JANUARY 19th (FINAL EXTENSION. WRAP IT UP. >:L) to post. Preferably before then.

♣ Be creative and have fun! It is a competition, but it's also about being creative, original and letting loose.

♣ Graphics are okay to use if you want them. But I'm not making them for anyone in this competition. And if you use them, you're not scoring any extra points with the judges. I've made it clear that graphics does not equal superior.

♣ Post your posts in this thread, below my post.

♣ Once you submit, that's your post. You can edit spelling errors and such, but please don't add more on. Only because it would be unfair to post, compare to everyone elses post and edit more in based off of what other people post. Please leave a reason if you do edit your post.

♣ You may use BOTH of your characters.

Good luck to the both of you! :]

 

Ryan smiled, he was happy; for once everything seemed to be working out for him. He looked down at the girl attached to his arm. After she’d looked after him so well as he was recovering from his operation, he’d plucked up the courage to make it official and actually ask her out. Thankfully, she’d said yes about twenty times without a moment’s hesitation. So, here they were. This was their first official date; it felt good to actually get out together. Although, why they’d decided to go to a shopping centre on Boxing Day of all days, he really did not know. It was jam packed and trying to navigate their way through the crowds was easier said than done.

“This way!” Iona shouted just to make herself heard above the noise. She’d spotted a path through the chaos to a shop, where they could escape from the madness. It was a clothes shop but hopefully Ryan wouldn’t mind. She’d been so thrilled when he’d actually asked her out, she liked him despite all his flaws but she’d been so scared he wouldn’t feel the same way. She was glad he was back on his feet now, those few weeks had been so nerve racking when he’s been in and out of hospital like a yoyo but thank god, he was okay now. She had her arm wrapped around his and pulled him through the crowd into the shop. She laughed, “We should be okay here for a little bit at least. Well, this is turning out to be a fun day.” She shook her head as she looked around where they’d ended up. Then she saw it. Ryan replied to her but she didn’t hear him. She was staring at a dress. Now she wasn’t usually one for wearing dresses but this one was simply amazing.

Ryan laughed with her; maybe this day wouldn’t be bad at all. “Oh yeah, definitely” He said but when he looked at her he realised she wasn’t listening. He followed her gaze to the dress and grinned as he saw an opportunity. He moved his head to beside her ear, “You’d look amazing in that. You should get it, in fact I’ll buy it you” He watched her look up at him unsure, before tentatively reaching out to pick up the hanger. It looked to be the last one in stock he noted as he saw her check the size and slowly a smile break out over her face.

 

It was six in the morning, December 25th. The whole house was silent. All were asleep. That is to say, all except one. As such, there was no one to observe the peculiar sight of minuscule girl with blue hair creeping through the halls of the house. Like a burglar, she kept to the walls, moving softly, so as not to disturb the old man sleeping nearby. She peaked through door after door, until at last she saw it: a pine tree standing tall in the corner of the room, endowed with gaudy lights, and more importantly, underneath, a large package wrapped in paper of the purest gold. Her breath caught in her throat; it took all of her effort to move forward. Controlling her excitement, she cautiously approached. At last, reaching out a tentative finger, she touched the wrapping. It looked even better up close than it did from a distance. Her heart raced, overwhelmed by the enormity of the gift. She gripped the edge of the paper, preparing to tear it open, when suddenly…

"WAKE UP."

"IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP."

"WE'RE HERE, GIRL."

"I. SAID. WAKE. UP."

Groggily, the blue haired girl, KHV-tan, opened her eyes. She glanced around, confused. She was outdoors, in the palm of Faust, her caregiver. The gift was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there were two sliding glass doors in front of them. Looking towards the old man who'd woken her, she asked, "What happened? Where did the Christmas tree go?"

Faust's face softened as he replied, "I think, KHV-tan, you were having a dream. Christmas was yesterday, remember? We agreed not to do Christmas this year."

KHV-tan's expression fell as she repeated his words forlornly. "No Christmas…?"

The only visible change in Faust was a small twinkle in his eye. "Correct. Instead, we're going to the mall on Boxing Day. It'll be far cheaper that way. After all, there's no point in paying double when we could just wait a day, right?"

"I guess…" KHV still wore an expression of disappointment, but resignedly accepted Faust's proposal, as he chortled to himself, thrilled in equal parts by KHV and the once-a-year opportunity of Boxing Day brawling.

Then the glass doors parted, and they entered the mall.

KHV-tan's glum mood evaporated immediately. The mall was enormous, with shops lining every wall, and two huge escalators in the centre leading upwards, promising even more delights in further stores. Christmas decorations were still hung, and tinsel adorned the bannisters and walls, not yet taken down. Vibrant SALE signs sat outside the stores, as though the stores were competing to turn the most heads. Silver, gold and red balls dangled from the ceiling, and wreaths of holly were everywhere to be seen. Yet KHV-tan overlooked all of this; her eyes were drawn to but one thing: the enormous Christmas tree in the middle of the mall, extending up for five stories, huge packages lying under it. It was the epitome of festivity, and the reconstruction of her aborted dream. So it's no surprise that out of all the lights there, it was her eyes that shone the brightest.

On the other hand, Faust's already positive mindset improved even more when he saw the battlefield of the mall. Shoppers hustled and bustled from counter to counter, as though their lives depended upon it. Exasperated mothers scolded toddlers, desperately trying to drag them from the mechanical ride-on attractions. A tide of young boys with games in-hand threatened to mob the Gamestop staff, still unaware of the joys of piracy. Women and girls of all ages fought tooth-and-nail to find the best deals from clothing bins. The promise of all that strife sent shivers down his spin, as he broke into a full on grin and declared, "Come on, you can choose where we go to first!"

The blue head bobbed up and down in excitement. "Oh! Oh! Can I get a new dress?!"

Faust glanced towards the clothing store, packed with rabid ladies and doting boyfriends, eager to fight for their love. He smirked. "Certainly, my dear."

With KHV on his shoulders, he pushed through the sea of people towards the store, making sure to accidentally hit as many knees as possible with his wooden cane, only to shrug, as if to say, "I'm just an old man" when people turned to scowl. Inside, however, he was forced to relinquish his hobby, due to sheer lack of space to swing.

KHV-tan saw far and wide across the ocean of heads, protected by the lifeboat of Faust's shoulders. She peered back and forth, trying to choose between all the marvellous dresses, interrupted by only the occasional jostle as Faust stepped on feet. At last, one in particular caught her eye: a stunning sky-blue dress. There was nothing too unusual about it, but for some reason, she was instantly drawn to it. Not wasting a moment, she shouted, "There!" and leapt from his shoulders,landing on the dress, just as a certain teenager on her first date picked it up.

"Hey, this is mine!" the fourteen-inch child announced.

Immediately, Faust was there, smiling sweetly at the teenager holding the dress. "I'm sorry, but it appears my friend got to this first." He placed a heavy hand on the girl's shoulder and shoved. Hard.

"So fuck off."

​

 

Iona just stared at them for a second as what had just happened sank in. A tiny little girl had literally jumped onto her dress then some creepy old man had pushed her. At the back of her mind she were the thoughts ‘That girl’s only centimetres tall, how is that possible?’ and ‘That actually hurt a little’ were bobbing around. However for the most part she ignored them. She was more bothered about the dress; she was not planning on an old man and a girl who was way too small for it to steal it from her. “Excuse me?” She said, ever calm and polite, “I’m sorry, but I just picked it up. You clearly weren’t here first. Wouldn’t you want something smaller anyway?” She smiled nicely at the tiny girl before glaring at the man. “Just being old doesn’t make you superior to everyone else. Can you please leave us alone?”

Ryan frowned, he couldn’t believe this, an old man had just barged in and pushed his girlfriend. He was having none of this, he did not want his date ruining and having her being pushed around. He stood tall and positioned himself between Iona and Faust. “Yeah, you must be blind if you think she was there first. What gives you the right to push my girlfriend?” He said forcefully, although clearly taking pride in how she was his girlfriend. “Go away and leave us alone.” With that he pushed Faust back with a decent amount of force.

“Ryan.” Iona warned in a severe tone, she was secretly happy he was defending her but she was well aware where this could lead and she didn’t want much trouble. She didn’t want to say anything to undermine him and hopefully the old man would take a hint and go. The problem came if he didn’t, she did not want Ryan to do anything stupid and allow himself to get provoked. He appeared in control but that could easily change. She just hoped it didn't.

 

The girl way trying to reason with them, explaining how she was there first, yada yada yada, etcetera, etcetera. It was so dull, Faust felt his eyelids slipping, as he let out a yawn, and drawled, "Shut yer trap. You're far too big for that dress, so why not just move alo– Ooof!"

A shove from the boy knocked him out of his gaze, and sent him stumbling back. Reacting fast, his arm shot out, grabbing a clothes rack, and for a moment, it appeared he'd stabilised himself. Then, almost as though he'd purposefully done it, he suddenly fell backwards into the crowd, pulling the clothes stand down with him. There he lay, sprawled across the marble floor, dresses and coat-hangers skewed over his body, his cane lying to his side. Still standing was Ryan, the assailant, towering high over the pitiful pensioner.

Their shopping interrupted, fellow patrons muttered disapprovingly at the sight.

"I don't like the look of that boy."

"Did he just attack that man?"

"Youth these days… No respect for the elderly."

Shakily, Faust got to his feet, and putting on his best 'decrepit-old-man' voice, he pointed a finger at Ryan and said accusingly, "This young whippersnapper just shoved me, and now his mistress is trying to steal my child's clothes!"

The shoppers fell silent, unsure how to react. The air thickened, and there was nothing to be heard except the jarring sound of overly happy Christmas songs juxtaposing the situation, as a hundred pairs of eyes turned from their tasks to witness the commotion. Then the voice of an elderly woman cut through the silence, shattering the stasis.

"You show that youngster what for!"

Faust smiled inwardly. Vindication! From this point on, anything he did would make him the hero, a lone pensioner standing up for the rights of the seniority. "You got it." So saying, he seized his gnarled cane and spread his arms wide, inviting Ryan to take the first shot.

"What's the matter, boy? Afraid to take on someone five times your age in a fair fight? Follow your whore's advice and get out!"

- - -

KHV-tan stood perplexed. She'd gotten to the dress first, hadn't she? So why was this girl trying to take it away from her? Hadn't Faust said that she could have anything she wanted? These questions bounced around inside her tiny head, as she tried to make sense of the situation. The barrage of words launched at her by the other girl helped none, instead compounding her confusion. All she could do was grip the dress and wait for Faust to explain what was going on.

Then Faust was knocked down, and her whole world shattered. Seeing her caregiver, the person she had come to rely on, overpowered and defeated so easily threw her into disarray. Had he been killed? Was he dead? What if he didn't stand up? Who would look after her? What if that boy turned on her next? Overwhelmed, she felt her breath quickening, getting faster and faster, hyperventilating. After a long moment in which Faust did not stand up, she broke. KHV-tan turned and fled, tripping over the dress before running into the crowd.

Dodging through the forests of legs, desperate to find a haven, KHV-tan darted to and fro. Fortunately, all eyes were on Faust and Ryan, so no one was looking at the ground to see her. Breaking out of the forest, she made it to the changing rooms. She scurried under the door and sat huddled in a corner, scared, alone and afraid.

​

 

Ryan looked around in surprise, he hadn't expected him to fall over and he was sure he'd caught himself. Either way, he might have cooled off and apologised for going a bit too far were it not for what happened next. The man played to the crowd and Ryan could only watch as one by one they turned on him. He felt like coving his ears and screaming for them to shut up but he forced himself not to. This was wrong but what could he do? He didn't know how to react; anything he did looked like it would turn out badly for him. He did not want to attack him straight out but he did not want to back out. That slimy old man deserved to be beat up badly. He looked at Iona apologetically, this was supposed to be a great day and that man had just ruined everything. It was an impossible situation and one he could not win. He took a deep breath before looking Faust straight in the eye.

"You're unbelievable, you know that? And an excellent actor, I'll give you that. Respect is something I believe should be reciprocated. I respected you until you shoved my girlfriend, insulted her and showed a complete lack of respect for anyone." He paused, he knew he'd probably still be seen as the villain in this but he didn't care about the crowd any more. He did not raise his voice but it was still clearly audible. "I'm not afraid of you. I don't want you to get away with this like I expect you always do. You’re wrong about us; she’s not a whore and I’m not as evil as you say. So, I'll fight you and you can shed your innocent old man act. However I’ll give you the pleasure of going first, I am not the bad guy in this no matter how much you manipulate them into thinking I am." He opened his arms in the same way Faust had done. He was determined to stay in control despite that old man.

Iona wanted to disappear; she hated that man so much. He’d insulted her by calling her too big for the dress, which actually she wasn’t bothered by. She knew she wasn’t big, she was actually really small for her age, she wasn’t super skinny but she definitely wasn’t fat. So if anything, she found that funny, she was only big compared to that tiny girl. No, she hated him for what he did next. The way he turned the crowd on them, acted all innocent and weak to get what he wanted. Ryan was probably wrong for pushing him but there was no way he was as bad as he was made out to be. She was impressed how Ryan stayed in reasonable control but she just wanted to turn invisible. She backed into the crowd, she could still see what was going on but she wasn’t going to get noticed and pulled into it. Despite Faust calling her a mistress, if anybody looked at her they’d just see a frightened young girl. This was turning out to be the worst date ever.

 

Faust frowned at the boy's words. Things weren't going according to plan. The boy was supposed to take the first strike, and start a brawl, vindicating him. He most certainly wasn't supposed to try to be the bigger man and give some speech. Who did he think he was – Obama? Even now, Faust could hear the whisperings of the crowd evening out, equal amounts of praise and condemnation being given to the boy. In particular, the youth of the store were emerging like lice from woodwork, directing their support to the boy standing up to the old man.

Faust seethed, his hand gripping his cane tightly. A small portion of his mind registered that KHV-tan had vanished. He made a mental note to find her later; his life would be considerably more dull if he were to lose his favourite toy. But the portion of his mind processing this was small. Far more important was the obnoxious boy right in front of him, swaying the crowd. He opened his mouth to rebut, then promptly shut it again. The crowd was already set on its decisions. Just like the boys scampering about the Gamestops, proclaiming superiority for their chosen console, there was no way anything said could sway their choices; the teens would support the boy, and the adults would believe in him, no matter what. Faust scoffed at the simplicity of it.

He relaxed his grip on the cane, his body sagging, drawing all viewers into the deceit of old-age. He was just a senile old man, eccentric, but ultimately unable to hurt anyone.

"Have it your way, boy." he spoke, his voice laced with the tone of one who had realised his folly and surrendered.


Then, like a viper, he struck, the end of the staff lashing out towards Ryan's exposed chest.

- - -

When she'd first entered the changing rooms, KHV-tan had been inconsolable, only wanting to hide away from the world. Somewhere along the line though, 'find a hole to crawl into and die' had become 'create a fort out of pilfered clothes', which led to the situation she was in now, in which the bottom sixteen inches of her stall had some form of garment hanging from it. from wall to wall were XXXXL shirts, forming the roof of her tent, and the floor was made from a rather stunning red towel she'd taken from the gentleman in the stall-one-over. The inner sanctum, on the other hand, was constructed from a stool with a pillowcase placed over it. By the time she was done, she'd almost completely forgotten her turmoil, and was instead humming away to herself as she constructed a monument out of rogue coat-hangers.
​

 

Ryan smiled as, to his surprise; he got a bit of support from the crowd. They weren’t all on his side but he’d managed to split them somehow and disgruntled that old man. However he did not dwell on that, instead he watched Faust like a hawk. He’d just invited him to attack him, he had to be prepared. That man might be old but there was something about him that made Ryan think he wasn’t as weak as he appeared. That look in his eye, hinted this might be a hard fight. The teenager had been in plenty of fights before due to his inability to keep his mouth shut but this had the makings of an entirely new challenge.

He frowned as the old man sagged on his walking stick and doubts started to creep in. ‘Had he been wrong? Was he just a harmless old man? All bark and no bite? Was it really right to fight a pensioner? Or was this just another of his acts?’ He’d been so sure of himself before but now wasn’t so sure. Faust had already demonstrated he was a good actor and could fool people into thinking he was simply a weak elderly man. That could be what he was doing now, it was just the possibility that he wasn’t that bothered Ryan. Then in a split second, Ryan’s doubts vanished.

Ryan moved but not quite fast enough. The cane made contact and Ryan doubled over, on top of the stick. However, despite his face contorting a little, his hand closed around the staff and without warning yanked it back behind him, being sure to make his footing stable. He also swung his elbow round to catch Faust if he decided to hold on, if he let go then he’d lost his staff. The fight had begun.

Iona did not want to watch, she backed out of the crowd and into the free space behind. Looking around, this part of the store seemed fairly empty as everyone was watching the fight. It felt good to have a little fresh air but it did not make up for what was happening. This was supposed to be a date; this was not her idea of having a good time. A single tear appeared in her left eye and slowly made its way down her cheek. However as she walked past the changing rooms, she wiped her eyes and did a double take. She needed to check her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her because this day kept on getting weirder and weirder.

 

The crowd let out a collective groan of sympathy as Faust's cane hit home, burying itself in the gut of the teen.

"Not so tough now, are ya? Looks like you need that dress more than she does!"

Faust stared down at the boy smugly, towering high above him. To the onlookers, it was as though the cripple from a few moments ago had been miraculously transformed, now standing fully upright and prepared. Many of them blinked at the sudden reversal of roles of man and boy. Just a few moments ago, Faust had been on the floor, but no more! Now it was his victory, and a triumph for seniority over the inexperience of youth.

The shoppers blinked again, and all of a sudden the positions changed once more. Faust let out a surprised, "Huh?" as he was pulled off his feet, towards the boy.

CRACK

The old man at once changed velocity as he lopsidedly spun away from the boy, blood spewing from his nose, a gold-plated tooth bouncing on the floor. The crowd gasped as Faust slammed into the opposite wall head-on, leaving a red stain on the off-white plastering. They turned back to see Ryan holding the old man's cane triumphantly, a trophy his victory.

High-pitched sirens pierced the air; the crowd's whiplashed back to Faust in an instant. There he stood, clutching a small red box embedded in the wall, giggling. At his feet were shards of glass, in the box, the toggle was flicked down, and on the rim, the word 'FIRE' was engraved in a blistering white. Then the sprinklers hissed, and a thin layer of mist started dispersing throughout the complex, coating the floor with a thin layer of water, steadily soaking everyone to the bone. Shoppers scrambled every which-way, some trying to protect their goods from water-damage, others abandoning their trolleys in favour of making a swift escape. One such lady made a mad-dash to power off the switch, but it did no good; no matter how many times she flicked it up and down, it didn't stem the flow of water. Faust watched her feeble struggle, and guffawing at her efforts, shoved her out of the way, sending her toppling and sliding onto the floor with a sickening crunch. Leaping forward through the chaos, he seized her trolley and launched it towards Ryan. Laughing, he darted from trolley to trolley, sending each one skimming towards the boy, the water granting the carts both speed and madness.

- - -

KHV-tan pottered away at her creation, oblivious as water began to hiss from the sprinklers outside the changing room. She had just finished putting the finishing touches on her empire, when she noticed a familiar face peering in. Trying to recall where she'd seen her before, KHV-tan said, "Hello, I'm KHV-tan. Who are you?" The fourteen-inch girl offered her hand to the considerably larger one, still trying to clear up the case of deja vu. Then the penny dropped. At once, the entire incident in the shop came rushing back to her, and she remembered why she was there, and who that girl was.

Recoiling, falling backwards in indignation, she shouted, "You're that mean girl!"

Then, as she felt her rear getting wetter from water leaking under the door, she slowly connected the dots, and the look of anger changed to with one of perplexity.

"What's going on out there…?"

​

 

Ryan’s initial moment of triumph at being able to actually land an attack was short lived as Faust crashed into the wall. He didn’t know if he should be happy that his attack had been effective or shocked at what it had done. It had almost been too effective. He hadn’t expected to draw blood or for him to crash into the wall, simply be knocked back. He’d somehow expected them to be tougher and harder to hurt that that. He hadn’t planned to hurt him seriously, only a few inevitable bruises. As guilt began to build up, he started to walk towards the pensioner, with the intention of making amends.

However he stopped in his tracks as the sirens almost burst his eardrums. His forehead creased as he watched Faust, “What are you doing?” He queried as the sprinkler’s started. Despite gradually becoming soaked and the spectators from a moment ago panicking all around him, he did not move. He watched Faust like in a dream, not quite comprehending the reality of it all. It was only as Faust sent the first trolley hurtling after him that survival instinct kicked in and he sprinted out of the way. He did not look back as he heard trollies crash into clothes racks where he had been standing only moments earlier. With the weight of all the stuff inside them and the speed they were going at, they packed some force, destroying the shop behind Ryan.

Ryan dodged shoppers to emerge out onto the main part of the shopping centre. Bewildered shoppers watched in confusion as people ran, soaking wet, out of the shop. Ryan did not stop; that man was mental and he dreaded to think what would happen if he caught him. He pushed people out of the way as he ran for his life, he knew he couldn’t run forever and had to stop Faust but the question was how?


~


Iona raised her eyebrows as she peaked into the tent she’d found to find the little girl from earlier, enjoying herself making it. It was really quite cute and as KHV-tan introduced herself, Iona couldn’t help but smile. It was a very strange name but then again she was a strange girl so in a strange kind of way, it sort of made sense. “Well hello there, I’m Iona” She was glad that the small girl hadn’t appeared to recognise her from earlier. However no sooner had she thought that, than the little sprite accused her.

She began to laugh when the sirens went off, followed by the sprinklers. 'What was going on?' Looking back at KHV-tan, they seemed to have realised something was going off too. “I really don’t know” She said in answer to her. “Um, listen. I’m sorry about earlier, I’m not mean and you can even have the dress if you want.” She was still holding the soaked dress, though she’d completely forgotten about it. “I’m going to find out what’s going on, want to come?” She offered her hand out to KHV-tan, giving her a path to sit on her shoulder. She began to worry for Ryan as she heard things crashing, she needed to know what was going on but didn’t want to leave the girl alone.

 

Faust stood agape as the kid not only dodged the trolleys, but also evaded the cascade of displays triggered by the stampede of customers. More importantly, he had absconded with Faust's cane! A low growl escaped the old man's throat. Without thinking twice, he sent his final trolley into a large gathering of mannequins, and without stopping to admire his handiwork, in an instant he was hurtling out of the store, hot on Ryan's trail.

Heads turned as a battered and bloody old man ran through the crowd, chasing a teenager fleeing in earnest.

"That boy mugged me and stole my cane!" He yelled, as he ran full-tilt after the boy. In return for his efforts, he received a few incredulous looks, as though they couldn't believe that the same man running at the force of a small rhinoceros could need a cane. Cursing loudly, Faust hurriedly readjusted his plan of attack to one independent of others. He eyed the boy's distance to the exit; if he got outside, it'd be game-over. He'd have to start again from scratch, picking a fight with someone else, wasting the preparation that went into this. Normally Faust would give up at this point. He'd take a step back, say he had a good run, and let his prey go. The amount of effort going into keeping it would be far too much. That is, normally. This time was different. This time, the prey had his cane.

Faust couldn't make it in time. Ryan would escape if he didn't do anything. Unlike the clothes shop, people were too spaced apart and too skeptical to step in. In a last ditch effort, he altered his course for the central Christmas tree. Getting behind it, he dug his heels in and pushed it towards Ryan. Nothing happened; the tree stayed exactly where it was. Glancing down, he could see the reason: a few feet of the trunk were embedded in the floor, anchoring the botanical behemoth. He gave another push, to no avail, only succeeding in catching a glimpse of two blue-clothed security guards approaching from the other side of the tree. Then, to top it all off, he heard the sound of the sliding doors open. In a last-ditch, all-or-nothing attempt, he gripped the entire trunk in a bear hug, and lifted.

Most people have heard tales on the news about how mothers summon super-strength to lift entire cars off of babies in their time of need. Few people believe such stories, and most just write them off as poppycock. There are, however, some believers. But not even these people could guess that the same law of nature that granted a mother super strength in her time of need would also apply to an old men fighting for his cane. But it did.

For a long second, the tree didn't move, then as if in slow motion, it rose up. It tottered in Faust's arms for another tick of the clock, giving the security guards just enough time for their faces to dawn with fearful realisation. Then it fell. The tip gracefully descending towards the doors, Christmas balls and other decorations rained down upon the mall. As per laws of fair trade and equivalent exchange, what the tree gave up in decorations, it claimed in people, flattening the two guards against the trunk as a new, grotesque decoration. The tip, however, was still descending towards Ryan, threatening to completely crush him under its five-storey weight.

- - -

KHV-tan eyed the soaked dress suspiciously. "No thank you. You can have it." she sullenly refused. Likewise, she turned her nose up at Iona's offer of companionship. "I can manage on my own."

So saying, she marched out to investigate for herself.

The large gathering of mannequins in front of the changing rooms burst apart as a rogue trolley skidded and smashed into them, sending body parts rolling about the floor. When mingled with the blood dripping Faust's face, they painted a darkly horrific scene. KHV-tan tried to call out to him, to state her relief, but her voice caught in her throat. He didn't even notice her, and instead dashed out of the store, leaving KHV-tan to choose between Iona and paraplegic mannequins.

KHV-tan turned around and tottered back into the changing room, her face significantly more pale than thirty seconds ago.

"A-actually, I'd quite like to come with you.." KHV-tan said shakily.

"I'll just hide away in your pocket, okay?"

​

 

Iona was slightly surprised when KHV-tan turned her down on both accounts but she kind of liked the girl had a sense of pride, dignity and independence despite her size. Iona liked her already, even if the feeling wasn’t mutual and she had caused chaos beyond belief. Either way, they’d shown their feelings quite clearly so she set off alone to find out what was going on. However before she’d got very far, she nearly jumped out of her skin by a trolley crashing into some manikins, sending various body parts flying everywhere. She had to duck to avoid a decapitated head hitting her. When she looked back round she found KHV-tan had reappeared looking petrified. Iona couldn’t blame her, it was scary enough for normal sized people and she couldn’t think what it must be like for someone so small. “Of course, don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” She knelt down and with the utmost care picked up the doll sized girl and placed her in her pocket. “Hold on tight, I’m going to try to get out of this chaos.”

With KHV-tan in pocket she set off again, trying to get through this madness to the entrance to the shop. Unfortunately that was easier said than done. She battled her way through drenched panicking shoppers, trying to protect their stuff while not sure how to get out of there. The floor was slippy and littered with clothes that had been knocked off their hangers. She may as well have been trying to run across an ice rink. Looking back, she’d thought trying to get through the normal crowds were hard, she’d take that over this any day. Finally, she reached the shop entrance. The shop alarms went off as she went out holding the dress but they were barely audible above everything else. She ignored them, that wasn’t important now, no one was going to be interested in her right now and she could always go back to pay for it later. She glanced down at the girl in her pocket and smiled, hiding her worries from the innocent girl. She then looked out at the scene that lay before her and tried to make sense of it.

People were still running out of the shop soaked though less than before, the other shoppers who hadn’t been in the shop were watching with confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. However she ignored them, she wasn’t interested in them. She scanned the crowd, searching for the boy who she’d grown to love recently. She wasn’t big on love or any of that nonsense usually but he’d begun to change her mind. Now, more than anything she longed to see his scruffy silver hair. Then she did. Moving fast through the crowd, a decent distance away an unmistakable figure was ducking and diving as fast as he could to get through the crowd. Iona frowned, why was in such a hurry? Was he running away from someone or was he chasing someone? She wished she knew.

She looked away from him for a moment and looked around to see if anyone was chasing him. She didn’t know what made her look at the Christmas tree or what drew her to it but she looked at it. “Hey, KHV-tan, who was that man you were with and what on earth is he doing?” She asked, pointing at him as she watched him put his arms round its base. His face contorted with effort and he almost appeared to be trying to lift it. In a split second everything fell into place, she knew what he was doing and why Ryan was so desperate to get away.

She gasped before screaming at the top of her lungs. “RYAN!!! THE TREE’S GOING TO FALL!” As she screamed this, she watched in horror as Faust somehow managed to lift the entire tree. Almost in slow motion, she watched the tree wobble then began to fall. More screams filled the room. Most of the crowd had somehow heard her warning, saw what was happening and ran for safety. However as the tree hit the floor and enormous tree decorations smashed, sending up showers of glass, she did not know what had happened to Ryan. Had he heard her warning? Had he got out of the way in time? Her eyes blurred with tears as she ran in, not caring about the danger. “RYAN!! No, no, no, this can’t be happening!” She couldn’t bear to lose him, or have him injured again. The car accident was bad enough, it couldn’t happen again. This first date had turned into a nightmare!

 

Scooped into the pocket of the teen, KHV-tan was jumbled about as her benefactor fought through the crowd, each step threatening to throw her out and towards the unforgiving floor. As Iona forced herself into the writhing mass of shoppers, the pocket closed in on KHV-tan, the struggle between Iona's desperation and the resistance of the laws of gravity crushing her. Every so often, Iona would slip and stumble on the water-coated floor, causing KHV-tan's stomach to lurch. Combined with the blare of the sirens and the growing dampness of the water soaking into Iona's pants, all her senses were assailed. She heard only sirens; she saw only darkness; she felt only walls of dank fabric closing in. Yet despite the deafening noise, despite the lack of sight, despite the tumbling turmoil, she wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid, because in Iona's face, in her smile, she saw something. It wasn't a perfect smile. It was tinged with worry, uncertainty and a hint of fear, nothing like Faust's confident grins. Even so, it had one thing all of Faust's well-practiced grins couldn't hope to match: sincerity. It was that sincerity, that genuine kindness that won KHV-tan's implicit trust.

They burst through the ocean of people, the store alarm adding a further ringing to the cacophony of noise. Light burst into the pocket as Iona's face looked in, her smile reassuring KHV-tan, banishing the horrors of the clothes store to the past. The sheer fact that she checked up on KHV-tan, and actually cared astounded her. Faust took care of her, but, as even KHV-tan had begun to notice, everything he did seemed tinged with malice. The family heirloom aeroplane labelled 'made in China', abandoning her on the roof of an internet cafe, the cancellation of Christmas, and the most recent fight of the shopping mall. Individually, she could brush them off as mistakes, errors or lapses in judgement, but when added together, an unbearable image of her caregiver formed. Only now, when he was contrasted with this girl, did KHV begin to suspect the truth.

This brief moment of lucidity would have probably passed. She would have found ways to explain away the bad, and embellish the good. She'd reimagine the face, strained with anger and hatred, pulling at the tree. She'd overlook his look of elation at the chaotic mall. The Christmas cancellation would become a pensioner trying to make ends meet. The abandoning would be a moment of forgetfulness. The plane crash would be a family heirloom after all, or an honest-to-god mistake, or an innocent lie to dress up the truth, or ANYTHING. She'd reinterpret the past, pushing and pulling the facts as much as necessary until Faust could fit the image of the kindly old man she desperately wanted him to be.

This could have been her future, had Iona not asked what she did. Inadvertently striking at the moment of insecurity, Iona's question pierced her and forced the petite girl to confront the Faust of reality.

"H-h-he's Faust. H-h-he c-c-cares about me and m-makes sure I'm s-safe..."

Her voice stuttered and broke as she fought back the tears welling up.

"H-he loves me! He has to!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The Christmas tree fell, and three different voices made themselves heard above the din of screams and shattering glass: Iona's cry to Ryan, Faust's cry to the heavens, and KHV-tan's cry to Faust.

Paying no heed to KHV-tan, Iona dashed towards the point of impact, all of her being focused on the one she loved, even as branches, globes, lanterns and life-sized nutcrackers pelted down like meteorites, exploding into flames on impact, igniting shoppers, foliage and freshly-bought clothes alike. Ironically, the lucky ones were those who were in the clothes shop earlier. They had already been soaked, and were thus safe from stray sparks. Others were less fortunate, having purchased woolen pajamas, aerosol sprays and in the worst cases, half-price tanks of gasoline for barbecuing. Within moments, the false fire-alarm had become all too real, and was threatening to engulf the entire store.

In that instant, KHV-tan made up her mind: none of them matter. None of Faust's flaws mattered, because he was the only one she could rely on. As he'd always said, he was the only one in the world who'd bother to take care of a freak like her. With anyone else, she'd be locked up and put in a cage in a zoo, or she'd be cut up and studied upon, or she'd be wrapped by a peddler-file. He alone could protect her and give her a normal life. No matter her suspicions, no matter his actions! His arms were the only place she could truly call home. That was the choice she made.

The ceiling decorations creaked and groaned; now that their support was gone, only thin wires held them up. One by one they plummeted, colossal planets in comparison to the smaller meteors. Initially hanging just over the tip of the Christmas tree now dangling off-centre by a few threads, the largest decoration of all, an enormous angel, was suspended, its wings extended, its arms crossed, its torso widening out to a hollow dress filled with hundreds of pinpoints of lights, some from modern electricity, others from traditional candles. It was under this ceiling that KHV-tan half-leaped, half-fell from Iona's pocket. Whereas Iona ran towards the tip of the tree, KHV-tan made a stumbling run towards the base, towards her only friend, towards her future.

"FAUST!"

A wire holding the angel snapped. Three remained.

Laughing to the heavens, his arms spread wide, the man turned his gaze from the winged saint and looked at KHV with a sneer.

"Oh. You're still alive."

Another broke.

Tears running down her cheeks, KHV-tan forced a shaky grin.

"Yeah. lucky, huh?"

The penultimate wire gave way, giving Faust just enough time.

"I was thinking more... Boring."

In tandem, the final wire and KHV's heart tore and fell. For what seemd like an eternity, over and over, the angel turned, its end blazing. Then with a thunderclap it landed directly over the minute girl, flames licking up from around the edges.

The old man stared at what, moments before, had been KHV-tan. His eyes widened, and he took a step back, mouth half open, hands limp at his sides. Slowly he began to process what had just happened. A bitter, stinging feeling he'd almost forgotten began to well up inside of him; a feeling of deep loss.

He relished it.

After a long while, he snickered, and steadily resumed his maniacal laughter. But ever so often, he'd feel it catch in his throat.​

 

Iona ran through the madness, everything was being destroyed around her but she did not care. She did not try to run away. She didn’t try to get to safety. She did the exact opposite, she ran straight into the heart of the danger. The one she loved was in danger, she was going to find them and make sure they were okay. However she paused briefly as she felt something in her pocket and saw KHV-tan leap out of her pocket. “Hey!” She began to call out to the tiny girl her but they had already been swallowed up by the crowd. She realised that she’d brought her into the heart of the danger without a second thought. She should have found somewhere safe for her before going in. It was a bit late for it now, she couldn’t stop now, she had to find Ryan. However she vowed to herself to find KHV-tan once she knew Ryan was safe.

SMASH!!

A huge Christmas decoration smashed next to her, knocking her back and covering her in cuts from the glass descending on her. She did not cry out from the pain, she simply grimaced and moved faster with a strengthened resolve. She did not care for herself. She wasn’t important. She had to find Ryan. She’d kill him if he was dead. She refused that possibility, he was going to be alive, he had to be, didn’t he?

She rounded the tip of the tree, searching for him, growing ever more panicked as she looked. Where was he? Had he got out and made for the exit or was he still here, crushed? She prayed for the first but then she saw him. There he was, lying sprawled out on the ground on his front, his head turned away from her. He didn’t seem to be moving. “No, no, no. You can’t be dead, you just can’t. Oh, please.” She ran over to Ryan as fast as she could, dropping to kneel by his side.

“Iona? Sorry to disappoint but you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He smirked as he lifted his head to look at her. He couldn’t believe she’d gone through this to find him and from the state of her, it hadn’t been easy. “I’m sorry; I think things got a little out of hand. I’m not sure quite how things got this far but at least you won’t be forgetting this date any time soon.” He grinned, before he looked down at his leg which was trapped beneath a big branch. He sighed and turned slightly more serious. “I’m trapped and I think my leg is broken.” He told her regretfully.

Iona’s face lit up like a Christmas tree as he responded, “You’re okay! Thank god for that, I was so worried. Now don’t apologise. I’m going to get you out of here” Something exploded not far away as she spoke. She glanced at it before moving quickly over to the branch. She was small for her age and the branch was almost bigger than her but she grabbed the branch and pulled. He face strained with effort and she physically shook, it was heavier than she’d expected. However, slowly but surely the branch lifted off his leg. Ryan was not idle either. The moment it was off his leg he used his arms and okay leg to free himself. Iona dropped it as soon as he was out, relieved he was free and she didn’t have to hold it any longer. She grinned and went straight to hug him. She held him so tight that she didn’t want to ever let go. But there was one thought still niggling at the back of her mind. She’d promised herself to find KHV-tan. She let go of Ryan and helped him to his feet before saying, “Um, will you be okay? Can you walk? The emergency services are just coming in, they’ll help you. I just need to go something first.” Ryan nodded understandingly and kissed her. That told her more than any words could.

She moved fast through the chaos once more, it was extremely hot and fires were burning all around now. However most of the people had evacuated and fire engines were just getting on the scene. It still wasn’t easy to see due to the smoke but she could see enough. She headed towards the base of the tree; she had an inkling where KHV-tan would have gone. She smiled as she saw she was right, there she was before her eyes, the miniature girl talking to that horrid old man. She was too far away to hear what was being said but she continued on towards them. Then it happened. One second she was there the next, gone. Iona tried to cry out but it lodged in her throat. She didn’t know what to do.

Then Faust began to laugh. Iona snapped. He’d just attempted to kill her boyfriend and now this. He was a monster. He might be locked up for the tree, there were no shortages of witnesses but the police would never believe her about KHV-tan. He could not get away with this. “YOU MONSTER!!” She screamed, with tears streaming down her face, as she flew at him. Her foot came round from nowhere towards his face at speed. She was normally so polite and delicate but she just lost it. She was not going to be stopped. She attacked him with such speed and force that seemed impossible for a girl like her, how she did it was a mystery to even her.

 

"OOOOF!"

Faust saw the girl's foot coming towards him seconds after he felt it connect solidly with his jaw. Like a stone thrown masterfully across a lake, he bounced across the floor seven times before coming to a halt, dripping blood. He slowly got to his feet as his vision took a moment to refocus on the threat. That earned him a clean blow to the gut, and his frame folded with the frailty of age, almost doubled over. Then he grinned, and straightened himself out, laughing heartily.

"That all you got, girl? Can't even keep an old man down? Why don't you go take a peek up an angel's skirt like your fri- URG"

Iona's shoe buried itself deep into his prostate. He tottered back, and looked up. He was no longer laughing. In his hand was a large shard of glass. Iona saw it. He knew she saw it. He grinned, and lunged at her. Now she was the one on the defensive, dodging the glass, getting hits in where she could. Her assault was wearing him down, and her earlier hits definitely took their toll. The old man moved more cautiously, and swung slower. On the other hand, there were his eyes. Something about them left no doubt that he fully intended to eviscerate her body and desecrate her corpse.

"Such a skinny body you have. But don't worry. I'll make sure you cut you open and pack you full of candy!"

He sped up, swinging faster and faster, mental faculties breaking down, madness taking hold. Blood leaked from where he gripped the shard, white threads trickling over his ghostly-white knuckles. He no longer even registered what was Iona and what wasn't. He just swung blindly, intent on murder.

"SECOND WARNING!"

Then his entire body was ablaze, fire running through his veins, incinerating everything in a matter of seconds.

Then nothing.


- - -


"GO! GO! GO!"

More sirens were added to the din. These ones were not sirens of shoplifters or fire alarms - no, these sirens hailed not misfortune, but salvation. red, blue and white uniforms swiftly filed out of their vehicles, preparing for the battle before them, be they fighting fire, evildoers or death itself. First came the firefighters. With an expertly-placed swings, the glass doors separating the chaos from the mall from the order of the outside world was shattered, and the wave of red poured in, elongated hoses trailing behind them. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty. Forty men burst in. The hordes of people parted for them, and they easily navigated to the blazing tree. Surrounding it, they shouted a command:

"Water on!"

With the force of a thousand suns, the jets shot out in unison, tearing through the fire as easily as the fire tore through the mall. Slowly but surely, the fire receeded, first trying to hide in the depths of the tree, then trying to take refuge in passing people. No matter where it tried to flea, it could not hide from the firefighters' sea serpent. Enraged, it turned its head, lashing out at any bursts of flame. It twisted around the tree, over the walls and even through people, not resting until every flame was doused and every ember turned to ash.

Next came the ambulance staff, stretchers in hand. Prioritising the wounded, two of them ran to a boy lying next to the smoldering remains of the Christmas tree.

"Are you okay son? Don't try to move your leg. We'll get you loaded up and out of here in no time."

Others tended to the blackened, bloodied and bruised, in that order. The unfortunate victim of the exploding gas cylinder was a victim of all three, and as such was swarmed by a mob of white robes. Most people got away with their cuts bandaged, while others, such as a twitching woman found in the clothing store, were packed into the many ambulances outside the building. Whatever the conditions, the civilians were tended to, and slowly the screams and crying subsided as the medical workers did their duties.

The flames fought off and the wounded tended to, the police were finally free to act. First came the chief, then the rest entered surreptitiously, and hugged the walls of the mall, trying to stay unnoticed. At first they targeted opportunistic shoplifters, single-handedly turning back a flash-mob of preteens clutching green, white and black cases. Then a higher priority caught the eye of the chief: a beating in the centre of the mall, at the base of the Christmas tree. A teenager appeared to be raining blows upon an old man as he struggled to defend himself. Signaling to the other officers, they ran forward. Then, all of a sudden, the chief stopped dead. He'd stopped, because over the sirens, he realised that in between blows, Faust was laughing. Uneasy, he signalled the others to cautiously edge closer, prepared for anything. The old man stood, and started to retaliate. The chief couldn't quite make out what was in his hand. He wasn't as hot as he used to be, and it didn't look like a knife... He hesitated for two long moments. Then he heard Faust's cry.

"Such a skinny body you have. But don't worry. I'll make sure you cut you open and pack you full of candy!"

He needed no other excuse. That much would be good enough for the lawyers.

"Take him down!"

Several officers ran forward, tasers extended, lasers pinned on the man as he swung at Iona over and over.

"First warning. Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!"

Faust, quite predictably, didn't even register their existence.

"SECOND WARNING!"

There was no second warning. Five different tasers shots fired into the old man. He dropped instantly, convulsing on the floor. For a few agonising moments, he lay there. He twitched, then he was no more.


- - -


KHV-tan was not dead; she was still very much alive beneath the angel. Alas! Being swiftly crushed to death would have been a far more merciful fate than what lay in store for her.

"A-ah?"

KHV-tan unclenched her eyes as she realised, to her surprise, that she was alive. Her eyes barely had time to register the wall of orange before the blaze was upon her; a hundred flame-coated rats eagarly leaped from the sides of the dome. They gnawed at her appendages, at first hesistant of the wet clothes. Their nips and bites sent pain lancing through KHV's arms and legs. They ripped at her hair, tearing blue locks from her head, turning them a charcoal black. Eyes streaming from the smoke, she strained to endure the heat, searching for an exit. Despairing, she clawed at the edges, trying with all her might to escape the blaze. Pain ripped through her tendons, her fingers running raw. The pain in her legs reached a crescendo; she fell. The rats screeched in triumph at the blackened stumps, and moved upwards, flowing over the rest of her body, smothering her. They gorged themselves on her flesh and changed, becoming muscular hands. They pulled and tugged at her clothes, ripping them from her and assaulting the tender skin beneath. She screamed as the fingers dug deeper into her flesh, gouging out huge chunks. Her eyes bulged as she felt it progress from first, to second, to third degree burns. With her last vestiges of strength, she cried out weakly,

"Faust! Faust! Please... help me..."

Over the roar of the inferno, she heard a voice. She was certain she heard a voice. She had to have heard that voice.

"Hold still, KHV-tan! I'll save you!"

That sound danced around what used to be called her ears, on the side of what used to be her face, calming her. There was no pain anymore. Just the crackle of flames, and the voice of Faust.

"It'll be okay. Did you really think I meant all that? Even now, this is just a prank, or a bad dream. Any moment now, I'll turn on the lights and yell 'surprise!' and there'll be a special Christmas dinner I cooked for you."

What remained of KHV-tan gave her best attempt at a giggle.

"I knew all along you were kidding about skipping Christmas. I just knew it."

Faust stroked the side of her cheek fondly, smiling down at her in her bed.

"It's not quite time for dinner just yet though, alright? It'll take a while for me to prepare. So just close your eyes, and go back to sleep. You can sleep for a long time. When you wake up, I'll have a huge feast ready, with a roast turkey and everything, just how you wanted. So please, go to sleep."

"But I'm not tired!" She objected, still smiling. But as soon as he'd said it, she let out a great yawn, and snuggled deeper into her blankets.

"Okay, maybe I'm just a bit tired..."

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep, I promise."

"Mmm..."

A few silent tears dripped down the old man's cheeks as he sat on the side of her bed, the girl's minute hands gently cupped in his own, her face looking ever so peaceful as she drifted off to sleep.


- - -


end​

 

The fight was a blur; Iona was so full of emotion, so full of sadness and anger towards this abomination that she barely registered what she was doing. She just kept attacking, he seemed to relish it and she wanted nothing more than to wipe that evil grin off his face. She did not know how long this went on for but about halfway through he somehow got a shard of glass. For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, the epic battle paused as they both realised what that meant.

Then the showdown resumed but it had changed, she was no longer fighting to get justice or revenge, she was simply fighting for survival. She still tried to attack where she could but for the most part it was avoiding getting brutally murdered. He fought well for an old man but she did not see him has such any more, she barely saw him as human and that look in his eye, it chilled her to the bone. She moved faster than she had in her life, she was aware that in this battle of wits that one false move and she was dead. It seemed to go on forever and showed no sign of stopping. They were locked in combat and he had a weapon, she could fight but the eventual end appeared inevitable.

She barely registered the appearance of the police; she was a little busy simply trying to stay alive. She’d just managed to briefly separate from him when the second warning yell rang out and everything attacked Faust. Iona could barely comprehend what was happening as she watched him fall. She just watched with a dazed look, physically shaking as she stood there. Then it was as if her legs just gave up and she collapsed to the ground. All at once the all the energy she’d exerted caught up with her. She was exhausted both physically and mentally, battered and bruised all over but somehow still alive. She was vaguely aware of people surrounding her, talking at her but she didn’t register any of it. She fell backwards and let the darkness swallow her up.

Ryan watched her from a distance, with the fires being put out now and a lot of people evacuated, it was easier to see what was going on. The paramedics came and helped him with his leg but for as long as he could before they brought him out he watched his girlfriend fight. He watched with both worry and awe, he could barely believe this was the same quiet reserved girl he’d gone out with this morning. Not that he minded, he quite liked the fact she could hold her own in a fight. However now it was his turn to worry about her. He’d had first-hand experience of that mad-man; he just hoped Iona would be okay.

~

Iona’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She ached all over. “Ugghh” She mumbled and her forehead creased as she tried to work out what was going on. Her eyes slowly focused to see a grinning face looking down at her from beneath some shaggy silver hair. “Ryan? What’s going on? I feel like I got into a fight with a gorilla, I hurt everywhere.”

He laughed, “Not quite but almost. Remind me never to piss you off. That was quite a fight you had.” His ever cheeky grin lit up his face as he leaned forward on his crutches. Iona had a look of confusion on her face for a moment then gradually her expression changed as she remembered. “The police want you to do a statement at some point but no pressure, though if I were you I’d leave out the tiny girl or they’ll think you’re crazy. They seem to understand how mad he was so I think you're in the clear.” He continued.

Iona shook her head, taking it all in, “So, it did all happen? I half expected it to be a dream, it all seems so surreal.” She smiled but then as the memories came back and Ryan mentioned KHV-tan she looked down sadly. She wiped her eye, trying to hide her grief. She made a promise to herself that she’d go and pay her respects. She wouldn’t let her go forgotten. “What happened to the old man?” She asked though she already knew what the answer would be.

“You’d better believe it” He answered, waggling his crutches before turning slightly more serious, “It was too much for his body. He didn’t survive. It’s probably for the best though, he was a danger to everybody and he was old.” He explained, they both felt a touch of guilt for what transpired but with a shared look and a squeeze of a hand they understood each other. “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this. Together.” He said before asking with a huge smile, “Hell of a first date, so you up for a second?”

Iona nodded; she felt so glad he was there with her but his question took her surprise. “Are you kidding? After what just happened on our first date?” She saw his face drop sadly before continuing, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world! I’m pretty sure that together, we can get through anything life has to throw at us. Watch out world, here we come!” As they exchanged looks, there was a twinkle in their eyes and the world didn’t seem such a scary place after all.

 

Alright guys. Time for the judging to start. Thank you for your posts, you two. And good luck. ​

​

 

I’d just like to say that it’s been an absolute honor judging for this season of Role-Play Idol. I’ve seen a lot of superb talent over the passed weeks, talent that shocked and amazed me in the best ways possible. So with that said, I will begin dispensing my critique for our finalists.

P

Spoiler

The more I’ve read of Faust, the more I’ve despised him as a person; the more I despised him as a person, the more I loved him as a character. When the premise of the challenge, particularly with the setting and resources available to you is considered, you put up a very dynamic front with him. It’s pretty much how I’d expect a bitter, self-centered, crazy old coot to fight his battles. You used your setting to a definite advantage. The fire alarm and sprinkler set off was a nice touch to his efforts, and something that could easily be seen in the context of a real life mall brawl. While the tree lifting was a bit of a stretch, you reasoned it well enough to keep it in the suspension of disbelief.

But in the long run, what I liked best about your posts in this challenge was the spirit in which you took to the fight. You went into the challenge with the mindset of it being a fight (which was, after all, what the intention was).

Midnight Star

Spoiler

I’d have to say that, in terms of posts, this has definitely been one of my favorite rounds for you in this RP Idol season. However, I don’t feel that you were quite up to the challenge. Or maybe it was that you didn’t quite see what I was looking for when I created the premise of it. I don’t, and won’t, doubt the validity of the “live to fight another day” mentality. It’s perfectly viable, and would be available in a real life situation. However, the nature of this challenge was for the two of you to pit your characters against each other, and to display your ability to fight through role-playing.

You got a good hit in early on in the challenge, and a creative one at that, which used your opponent’s “weapon” and strike against them. It was clear to me that Ryan had it in him to keep his end of the fight going where he was. Maybe it was a matter of his personality not being one for fighting for long periods. Or, like I said, maybe it was just a miscommunication somewhere between my making the challenge and your reading of it. I just think that you could have taken to the battle with a bit more gusto.

 

Sorry mine is so late

P

Spoiler

One thing I enjoyed since the very beginning, even when I was a contestant for a little while, was the fact that you decided to take control of characters that one wouldn't normally put in an role play. It's very obvious at this point that you knew what you were doing. They are well thought out, three dimensional characters that you've obviously explored.

For me though, your posts seemed to be more on the novel writing side of things. Not that it's bad, but it will make people become uninterested at some points later on. This is a role playing competition after all.

Midnight Star

Spoiler

You characters are very normal for role playing games, but that also means that they are characters I am familiar with in one way or another. You also found ways to make them more interesting and have a greater depth. There isn't much I can critique that I haven't told you already. It's obvious that you are an avid role player and you know what you are doing. To me, it seemed like you put all of your effort into this. I liked your posts the best for the reasons stated in this post.

 

Thank you to those who have posted.
The other two judges have essentially quit last minute, so I'll be reading the posts and writing up a critique.
Then we'll move one and make a decision.

Judges: Please start thinking up some arguments as to who you feel should win. We will be discussing it shortly so please be ready for it. I want to get this season over with. ​

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