The Restoration Protocol

40 || till the last petal falls

It acts like a trigger: a mere shift of her shoulder forward to throw out her arm, and something else is thrown from the opposing side. But not at her. As Mariko dares to take a step closer to Sebastian, Riis silently commands one of his shadow hands to pierce through the air at near light speed, slamming into Soleil with the same intensity as she had used against him. She collides with the wall, the sound of metal on stone scraping Mariko's ears before she can process what happened. The force of the impact sent a rush of air blowing past her. Ruthlessly, her focus is directed away from Sebastian as quick as it had been drawn to him. Soleil didn't fall back to the ground. Mariko turns to find the same shadow hand pinning her to the wall, where she hangs helplessly.

Glowing eyes flicker. Like a device on its last stretch of battery life. She lifts a shaky hand to grab the shadow, but another appears and pins that, too.

It inches up to her shoulder. Stretching its splayed fingers. It adjusts its grip, then starts to pull, as if intending to tear her limb straight from its socket. Mariko feels her gut twist with each movement.

"Stop!!"

"She's just...a machine," drawls Riis. "But the man here...are you okay with running the risk? That this game you play can sustain a faltering consciousness. If you had to choose one...would you stand quivering in indecision...?"

She does, for a time. Soleil is closer. Her heart jolts as the thought crosses her mind. No, no, but I have to save Sebastian. But maybe, if I cut loose the hands holding Soleil, she can help me break Sebastian's chains. I don't have to choose. I can do both, I don't have to pick one friend, I can save them, I can save them-

Her heart jolts a second time, stronger now, as the floor beneath her shakes. There's a second impact, but not from the force of the shadow hands. Mariko wrestles with herself to look towards the source, this mysterious third party which quite literally fell from above. A stranger clothed in black. A black cloak, black heeled boots and a tight-fitting shirt and pants. They leapt from the balcony. It only takes a second for Mariko to realize this, and to soon after make the connection that they had done so with Soleil in mind. The hands which pinned her to the wall have now been severed by the blade of an unsheathed rapier held in the stranger's grasp. In a moment, the shadows hiss like vampires exposed to sunlight, then wither away. Soleil falls to the floor.

The stranger appears wearing a mask. An ornamented piece of eyewear to cover the half of their face, while the top of their head is shielded by the hood of their cloak. A complete air of mystique surrounds them. Something out of a fairy tale, a hero showing up in the eleventh hour.

In silence, the stranger raises their sword to be at eye level with Riis. An unspoken warning which is heard loud and clear. Riis grits his teeth.

"You...you dare show up to my home uninvited..."

The stranger gestures vaguely in response. They fold one arm behind their back. And as if interpreting this as mockery, Riis loses even more of the patience he never had. Something snaps in his eye. He lurches forward, triggering yet another wave of the shadow hands to emerge from the floor and lock on to their newest target. But this target is just as prepared. With great speed and precision, they begin to slash at the hands as each one reaches forward to grab them, failing and failing again as the thin blade of the rapier strikes right where it needs to each time.

Mariko clenches her fist over her chest. This is her chance. She comes to her senses enough to realize that Riis is too distracted to pay her any mind. Soleil is conscious, and she's beginning to stand again, even if weakly. It's enough. Mariko bites her tongue and takes off towards Sebastian. The hands haven't released the chains holding him, but if she isn't mistaken, they do seem to have gone somewhat limp. Perhaps Riis can't control too many of them at a time.