Nana doesn't want to think about it too much, as she slices at them with her katana. She doesn't want to think about how each of the marionettes, about two feet tall and currently trying to cut her with their strings or tackle her to the ground, looks like a friend. She needs to cut them down and cut them down fast.
Maya and Claudine first, who already lie on the ground in a broken heap. Then Hikari. Futaba and Kaoruko she can save for last, they were never a threat. But Karen. Why is the Karen shaped marionette giving her so much trouble?
As Nana kicks it off of her, stepping back to get some distance, she looks up just in time to see Alan Wake. Shit.
"Run!" Nana orders, wielding her katana like she's had years of experience as she brings it down to unceremoniously cut off the Karen puppet's head. Four down. Four left.
There are mannequins in Thomas Zane's room, poised and set up for the perfect shots, puppet like. These are not those--this is not his nightmares. This is someone else's. The 'who' is pretty obvious as soon as he sees a flash of metal, and then--yeah, that's Banana alright, sword in hand and looking entirely too comfortable with how she's using it for a girl who makes muffins and lives in a dorm room. She fights elegantly, cleanly, like this whole thing's second nature.
He doesn't have time to think of anything else--he's happy to follow Nana's orders when she calls them out. There's a puppet with purple hair that's awfully close to her, though, and Alan raises the pistol in his hand and fires. He manages to hit. The creature crumples. Alan nods.
Nana can't help but wince slightly as she hears the pistol and sees the purple hair puppet, even wearing it's glasses in puppet form, crumple to the floor. She pushes that back for the moment, instead bringing her sword back in a slice, cutting the Mahiru puppet in half.
And then she books it, assuming and hoping that Alan follows her as she runs down the hallway, away from the puppets.
Alan does follow, albeit at a slower pace--jesus christ she's so fast--and nearly skids to a halt once he sees something he can use. A chain link fence, a flickering lightbulb beyond it--yes. It could work. It could block whatever these creatures are, he's sure of it.
"Banana? You trust me?" He's panting, already out of breath.
Alan nods again before starts to double back a bit to the opening he saw, trusting Nana completely if those puppets get a little close. She'll clear the way--she's damn good at that, apparently.
He turns a left suddenly, sharply, and nearly beefing it as he does so because he's also simultaneously pulling out the lamp he keeps on him at all times. It usually sticks out of his bag for easy access, but his dress shoes don't quite work on the rusted, hellish floors and he can't quite coordinate himself properly.
"Shit--"
Managing to maintain his balance, he continues to run towards what looks like a chain link fence. Beyond it, a flickering light bulb.
One of them does get a little close, and Nana cuts it down in the process. Annoyingly, a few of them seem to be putting themselves back together: the puppet body stumbling around until it's hands brush against a head, which it plops right back on the neck peg.
All the while, Nana follows Alan, keeping close behind him, entirely focused on keeping him safe. She's able to see that he's pulling out a lamp (okay? sure?) but isn't going to let herself have the opportunity to get a good look at it. Whatever he's doing, she can ask more questions when they're safe.
Alan flinches considerably when one gets close, but he holds the lamp aloft, able to feel the light and its' magnetic pull. He doesn't hesitate, flicking it on.
The light in the lamp transfers to the bulb behind the chain link fence with a flicker: it's in the lamp and then it isn't, simple as that, but a loud, strangely comforting clicking sound follows. The chain link fence has turned into a solid wall with a door in it, brilliant, bright light peaking through.
Alan opens it without hesitation, leading Nana into what can only be described as a break room. The metal and rust is still there, the atmosphere unchanged save for graffiti - the words and phrases find alice, don't write, scratch, return, cult of the word are littered throughout the small room. A small table below the light hold a familiar thermos, a box of donuts, a radio, a plastic cooler and a shoebox, all are illuminated.
Alan looks visibly relieved as he slams the door shut.
"Normally it's just more terrain, not a safe haven," he breathes out, and then at Nana, and can't help but smiling.
Nana doesn't really know what happened. The light made it so the fence turned into a wall? Was the light doing that, or was it whatever was happening? She doesn't know. She doesn't even know how to ask. What matters is that Alan is used to this so she should be also. And Alan is relieved by this, so she is also.
And Alan called her a lucky charm so she can't help but give him an honest, relieved little smile.
"Hehe, I don't think I actually did anything? But I'll take that compliment anyway. It's bananice!" said as she lightly bounces one of her pigtails. So hey, she can take the moment to at least ask,
Alan wants to ask, decides not to, half because he doesn't want her to be self conscious and half because he has a feeling it falls squarely into the 'adorable teenage girl' category she often falls into.
They can catch their breath. Just for a while. That's what matters.
"Still trapped," he says it before she can assume. "Uh, the lamp I've got is...." How to explain this?
"Magic, I guess. I can use it to light a light, and it nudges reality to give me a different set piece." He holds it up, handing it to her if she wants to further examine the art-deco artistry of it all.
"I've been mostly using it to run and hope a fence or something appears."
"The stage is reacting to your desires," Nana muses. But that can't be right. They're not on a stage... are they?
Nana thinks to the Barge. A morality play with an ever changing cast of characters, actions and motives and choices made by their director. Of course they're on a stage. She never left.
Nana looks over to Alan and, as if she's totally used to all this, she asks, "How long can we stay in here?"
"Exactly. I'm writing the story." Different mediums, same results. Nana gets him on a level Alan finds both comforting and a little disturbing at times.
"It's--it's enough that we can wait for them to go away. I don't know about you, but I'd really like to keep looking for a way out. I'm done with this shit."
"Then let's keep looking," Nana says, with zero hesitation. "Because I don't want to deal with this as well. The sooner we get done with this, the better."
Alan straightens, thinks about one of those donuts, realizes he's never actually eaten any, and makes what's probably the correct decision of not trying.
"Has anyone told you you are scarily good with a sword?"
Nana can't help but give Alan a little smile as she muses,
"Nope! Not that many people know about it. The reason I'm good with a sword is because of the revue. You've gotta be good at fighting, you've gotta let your desires shine through if you want to win."
And Nana, who's looped time dozens of times by now, has won a lot.
"I don't think anybody would have known about it if things didn't get so weird. It's...not something that I was planning on telling people."
There's a lot of things she doesn't plan on telling people. Alan's the only person who knows about the revue and as far as Nana is concerned, it's going to stay that way. She doesn't want anybody to think too hard about her, to wonder why she's good with a sword. Maybe she can just...Nana doesn't know, find a way to explain it away.
Teenage high school cage match, now with katanas and time loops. He's well aware that his own experiences are odd, but Nana is truly taking the cake here. Alan genuinely doesn't known what to say for a few seconds, so he welcomes the small beat of silence that accompanies this.
"I'm glad you told me." He genuinely is. It means Nana trusts him, which means Nana trusts someone, even if it's the wrong person. Maybe one day he'll open up to her about some of the shit he's done, too, but he's aware of her age and would much rather not.
It's not being a hypocrite. It's justifiable. This time.
"Now I know who to go to if shit hits the fan. Come on--let's try to get out of here."
"Of course." Nana stretches slightly, rolling out her shoulders, before fixing her face into a calm stare. She's an actress. She's playing the part of someone who can keep Alan safe. She's got this.
Nana gives Alan a small little smile before admitting, "Daiba Nana is scared out of her mind right now. But a seasoned hero, a deadly assassin, someone used to all sorts of combat...they'd be able to face this."
It's just acting. This is all fake. The Barge is all fake. She's got to keep telling herself this otherwise she'll puke with fear.
Nana, he thinks, gets Alan more than anyone on the ship. And if she's doing it...
" 'I pushed forward in the darkness, not knowing where it would lead, but knowing where I had to go. Between Banana's battle prowess and the lamp Zane had given me, I was filled with confidence. We were a stage girl and the champion of light. I knew we could make it. We had to.' "
It sounds silly out loud and not on paper. But it does help. He raises the lamp, looks at Nana, nods, and takes the light out. The dark, dim hallway is back, but they're on the otherside of the fence with a clear way forward.
Nana's eyes light up a bit as she hears the narration. Because it does make sense. It makes a lot of sense, and it revitalizes Nana in a way she finds hard to explain.
She holds her sword, clenching it tighter, as she also narrates, " 'Banana's grip tightened on the sword as she followed me onwards. She took the way and I could see the confidence start to settle in her face. It was obvious my words were inspiring her.' "
He starts moving, the thrill of whatever that was rattling his bones in a very pleasant way. There's vulnerability in speaking this shit aloud, a strange sort of magic in and out of itself. He's king of inner narration, but to share that in a way that's not in a manuscript? He's surprised it went over well.
Then again, they know each other. Maybe not fully, but there's a strange level of understanding between them that Alan hasn't found anywhere else. He begins to move.
"I told you how I was trapped before this, right?"
"A bit," Nana answers, sword at the ready, keeping up with Alan's pace. She's scanning the area, focused on their surroundings, ready and willing to cut something down should it get in the way. She's got this. She can keep Alan safe.
"But I wouldn't mind hearing more details. I know I inevitably forgot something."
"I was stuck in something I thought was a loop. Like the one you created, sort of."
A left. Alan halts, thinking he's heard a name--a low growl, a scratching noise--but decides to continue forward, dropping his voice. Straight until he takes a right turn.
"I found out it was more of a spiral. Descending towards ascension, that sort of thing." That probably makes no sense. Alan quickly continues: "The main thing that pushed me forward was that I didn't want to be alone anymore."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
in person, during the silent hill event
Nana doesn't want to think about it too much, as she slices at them with her katana. She doesn't want to think about how each of the marionettes, about two feet tall and currently trying to cut her with their strings or tackle her to the ground, looks like a friend. She needs to cut them down and cut them down fast.
Maya and Claudine first, who already lie on the ground in a broken heap. Then Hikari. Futaba and Kaoruko she can save for last, they were never a threat. But Karen. Why is the Karen shaped marionette giving her so much trouble?
As Nana kicks it off of her, stepping back to get some distance, she looks up just in time to see Alan Wake. Shit.
"Run!" Nana orders, wielding her katana like she's had years of experience as she brings it down to unceremoniously cut off the Karen puppet's head. Four down. Four left.
no subject
He doesn't have time to think of anything else--he's happy to follow Nana's orders when she calls them out. There's a puppet with purple hair that's awfully close to her, though, and Alan raises the pistol in his hand and fires. He manages to hit. The creature crumples. Alan nods.
"Let's go!"
no subject
And then she books it, assuming and hoping that Alan follows her as she runs down the hallway, away from the puppets.
no subject
"Banana? You trust me?" He's panting, already out of breath.
no subject
"I do," she says, without hesitation. "Whatever you're going to do, do it."
no subject
He turns a left suddenly, sharply, and nearly beefing it as he does so because he's also simultaneously pulling out the lamp he keeps on him at all times. It usually sticks out of his bag for easy access, but his dress shoes don't quite work on the rusted, hellish floors and he can't quite coordinate himself properly.
"Shit--"
Managing to maintain his balance, he continues to run towards what looks like a chain link fence. Beyond it, a flickering light bulb.
no subject
All the while, Nana follows Alan, keeping close behind him, entirely focused on keeping him safe. She's able to see that he's pulling out a lamp (okay? sure?) but isn't going to let herself have the opportunity to get a good look at it. Whatever he's doing, she can ask more questions when they're safe.
no subject
The light in the lamp transfers to the bulb behind the chain link fence with a flicker: it's in the lamp and then it isn't, simple as that, but a loud, strangely comforting clicking sound follows. The chain link fence has turned into a solid wall with a door in it, brilliant, bright light peaking through.
Alan opens it without hesitation, leading Nana into what can only be described as a break room. The metal and rust is still there, the atmosphere unchanged save for graffiti - the words and phrases find alice, don't write, scratch, return, cult of the word are littered throughout the small room. A small table below the light hold a familiar thermos, a box of donuts, a radio, a plastic cooler and a shoebox, all are illuminated.
Alan looks visibly relieved as he slams the door shut.
"Normally it's just more terrain, not a safe haven," he breathes out, and then at Nana, and can't help but smiling.
"Banana, you might be my lucky charm."
no subject
And Alan called her a lucky charm so she can't help but give him an honest, relieved little smile.
"Hehe, I don't think I actually did anything? But I'll take that compliment anyway. It's bananice!" said as she lightly bounces one of her pigtails. So hey, she can take the moment to at least ask,
"Where are we, anyway?"
no subject
Alan wants to ask, decides not to, half because he doesn't want her to be self conscious and half because he has a feeling it falls squarely into the 'adorable teenage girl' category she often falls into.
They can catch their breath. Just for a while. That's what matters.
"Still trapped," he says it before she can assume. "Uh, the lamp I've got is...." How to explain this?
"Magic, I guess. I can use it to light a light, and it nudges reality to give me a different set piece." He holds it up, handing it to her if she wants to further examine the art-deco artistry of it all.
"I've been mostly using it to run and hope a fence or something appears."
no subject
Nana thinks to the Barge. A morality play with an ever changing cast of characters, actions and motives and choices made by their director. Of course they're on a stage. She never left.
Nana looks over to Alan and, as if she's totally used to all this, she asks, "How long can we stay in here?"
no subject
"It's--it's enough that we can wait for them to go away. I don't know about you, but I'd really like to keep looking for a way out. I'm done with this shit."
no subject
no subject
Alan straightens, thinks about one of those donuts, realizes he's never actually eaten any, and makes what's probably the correct decision of not trying.
"Has anyone told you you are scarily good with a sword?"
no subject
"Nope! Not that many people know about it. The reason I'm good with a sword is because of the revue. You've gotta be good at fighting, you've gotta let your desires shine through if you want to win."
And Nana, who's looped time dozens of times by now, has won a lot.
"I don't think anybody would have known about it if things didn't get so weird. It's...not something that I was planning on telling people."
There's a lot of things she doesn't plan on telling people. Alan's the only person who knows about the revue and as far as Nana is concerned, it's going to stay that way. She doesn't want anybody to think too hard about her, to wonder why she's good with a sword. Maybe she can just...Nana doesn't know, find a way to explain it away.
no subject
"I'm glad you told me." He genuinely is. It means Nana trusts him, which means Nana trusts someone, even if it's the wrong person. Maybe one day he'll open up to her about some of the shit he's done, too, but he's aware of her age and would much rather not.
It's not being a hypocrite. It's justifiable. This time.
"Now I know who to go to if shit hits the fan. Come on--let's try to get out of here."
no subject
"Tell me what to do next and I'll lead the way."
no subject
"You need your character's motivation?"
He's not teasing her. He's actually sort of serious.
no subject
Nana gives Alan a small little smile before admitting, "Daiba Nana is scared out of her mind right now. But a seasoned hero, a deadly assassin, someone used to all sorts of combat...they'd be able to face this."
It's just acting. This is all fake. The Barge is all fake. She's got to keep telling herself this otherwise she'll puke with fear.
no subject
" 'I pushed forward in the darkness, not knowing where it would lead, but knowing where I had to go. Between Banana's battle prowess and the lamp Zane had given me, I was filled with confidence. We were a stage girl and the champion of light. I knew we could make it. We had to.' "
It sounds silly out loud and not on paper. But it does help. He raises the lamp, looks at Nana, nods, and takes the light out. The dark, dim hallway is back, but they're on the otherside of the fence with a clear way forward.
He starts moving.
no subject
She holds her sword, clenching it tighter, as she also narrates, " 'Banana's grip tightened on the sword as she followed me onwards. She took the way and I could see the confidence start to settle in her face. It was obvious my words were inspiring her.' "
no subject
He starts moving, the thrill of whatever that was rattling his bones in a very pleasant way. There's vulnerability in speaking this shit aloud, a strange sort of magic in and out of itself. He's king of inner narration, but to share that in a way that's not in a manuscript? He's surprised it went over well.
Then again, they know each other. Maybe not fully, but there's a strange level of understanding between them that Alan hasn't found anywhere else. He begins to move.
"I told you how I was trapped before this, right?"
no subject
"But I wouldn't mind hearing more details. I know I inevitably forgot something."
no subject
A left. Alan halts, thinking he's heard a name--a low growl, a scratching noise--but decides to continue forward, dropping his voice. Straight until he takes a right turn.
"I found out it was more of a spiral. Descending towards ascension, that sort of thing." That probably makes no sense. Alan quickly continues: "The main thing that pushed me forward was that I didn't want to be alone anymore."
no subject
Said with a hundred percent seriousness. Nana is petrified of just that, of solitude.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)