[IC] World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

[Captain Uni]

Level:
5
EXP:
5/50
Location:
Dead Zone Hinterlands - Witch's Nose
Word Count:
277 (+1)
Interactions:
@Lugubrious @Eviledd1984 @DracoLunaris

The journey past the lake and into the mountains was spent in silence for Kit, the knight forgoing talking to think on his newly unlocked memories. It felt like a lifetime ago that he was in Lordran, fighting undead and beasts alike. He'd spent his time in the World of Light doing the same thing, just without a goal. He supposed that some part of him was always meant to be a kind of hunter of the vile, so much so that even with his memories wiped he'd still continue doing it.

As the group entered the cavern, Kit lit up his lantern so that they could see where they were going. They continued in silence until they reached their destination, a shanty town within the cavern. This was where the children were being kept. Kit watched as Heismay approached the door of one of the buildings and knocked on it, talking with one of the children who let him into the building. The group entered into the room and Kit took in the messy living room.

As one of the children talked to Big Band, Kit approached the toys and knelt down to inspect one, a small wooden horse. He picked it up and looked at it, thinking back on an ancient memory of his childhood. He could barely remember it with how long it had been, but it brought him some comfort. One of the children approached him warily as he examined the horse, and he looked over to the child who opened his hands. Kit smiled then passed the boy the horse, the boy smiling wide as he took the toy into his hands.

[Lugubrious]

Dead Zone Hinterlands - Beneath Witch’s Nose

Harry’s @Eviledd1984 Amaterasu’s @DracoLunaris Chosen Undead’s @Simple Unicycle Level 11 Big Band (25/110)
Word Count: 1788

Harry’s question got about half a dozen kids talking at once, all trying to explain in their own ways, give their opinions, correct one another, or interject something unrelated. Harry had questioned much less reasonable kids before, though, and he had managed to make sense out of much bigger messes, so he picked up a good few details from the clamor. The kids told him that Molly -who they also called ‘Huggin Molly’- was the one who brought them here. In some cases, it sounded like they’d already been abducted by some other party by the time Molly interceded, but details on this other party were scarce. The children all agreed that while Molly looked scary, and made them afraid at first, she was actually really nice. It seemed like she built these houses, brought the furniture, and fetched the supplies the kids needed. They could stay up as late as they wanted, eat junk food, and not have to do chores or labor. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though. If a child happened to catch a cold, Molly couldn’t do much about that; it seemed like she was too big to enter the house herself.

Surrounded by several conversations at a time, Big Band tried to absorb every detail, then shut out the noise to piece together what he knew. It genuinely sounded like Huggin’ Molly cared about the children and didn’t mean any harm, but at the same time he could tell that this wasn’t sustainable. This makeshift haven was ultimately just a cold damp cave, and neither it nor the kids’ indulgences would be good for them in the long run. They needed rules, instruction, and above all, their parents. Them potentially being hungry or neglected in Martira was another can of worms, and one he couldn’t crack open right now. Whatever prompted Molly to bring the children here needed to be dealt with so they could go home, and right now their best bet was asking Molly herself. Assuming she could talk.

After another few moments, Band became aware of slight, repetitious tremors. They were too brief and regular to be caused by a quake, but seemed perfect for the footfalls of a being so much bigger than he was that it couldn’t enter a house. Bingo.

Some of the children seemed to pick up on the oddly frequent reverberations too. “Oh oh oh! Molly’s coming! Molly’s coming!” she announced.

The kids surged toward the door, sweeping up Heismay, Harry, and Amaterasu in the tide, and Band followed along behind. He lost sight of Heismay right after they got outside, and assumed that the eugief had darted away to find a shadow to hide in. No doubt those big ears of his made him acutely aware of whatever was coming their way as well. After crossing the bridge, the kids spread out around the upper section of the cavern between the standalone house and the two tall houses built into the cave walls, in the center of which lay a burnt-out fire pit. They eagerly scanned their surroundings, seemingly unaware of Molly’s position, and Band couldn’t tell either. The tremors had stopped, and he found himself holding his breath. The air was unexpectedly tense.

Then his practiced eyes spotted movement, just a moment before the kids did. A large lantern, fueled by colorful glowing mushrooms inside, floated through the air, suspended by a rope of red yarn from above like a marionette. Band naturally followed the yarn upward to where it disappeared into the darkness overhead. He couldn’t see anything up there, but the hairs on the back of his neck rose. It wasn’t some machine moving that lantern, or he could hear it. Something was up there, something huge, staring down at everyone invisibly from above. “Oh boy,” he muttered under his breath.

Whatever it was set the lantern down in front of red curtains, previously hidden in shadow. The kids went over as if excited to watch a play, and after a moment the curtains parted to reveal a diorama made of painted wood. It portrayed a mountainous landscape at night, with a facsimile of Witch’s Nose in the distant background, and a number of crude buildings in the foreground. On the left side lay a number of houses that Band guessed represented Martira, and on the right towered a recreation of the stone keep.

He watched as wooden puppets rose up in front of the diorama on the right side, suspended by threads of yarn. There were three, dressed in green with gray armor and armed with spears, and the one in front had distinctive horns. With surprising fluidity the puppets crossed the scene to the town. After reaching it, they rummaged a bit, and then more puppets arose, much smaller and clothed in random scraps of cloth. Then the three retraced their steps with the smaller ones in tow, and when they reached the keep, a fearsome puppet arrived onto the scene. It looked like a baby’s head, with big round eyes and curly hair, but with legs instead of ears and a gaping, fanged mouth from which a snakelike tongue dangled. As the larger puppets approached it, another puppet descended, this one like an old woman with arms and legs splayed out like a spider. Just before the big puppets could toss the little ones into the monster’s mouth, the spider-lady caught them, then carried them with her towards Witch’s Nose and out of the scene.

Band inhaled deeply, his eyes not on the monster puppet, but on the three who’d been trying to feed it. It wasn’t difficult to parse what Molly seemed to be saying, but before he could say anything, Heismay interjected.

“So…people in the town kidnapped the children first. To sacrifice them to…something dreadful.” The eugief’s lip curled in anger, and his brow furrowed, but he kept his composure. His red eyes stared up into the darkness, as if he could see what dwelled within. “And you brought them to safety instead?”

At that moment, a commotion broke out somewhere behind everyone, echoing through the cave. Band trudged over and looked down at the cave’s lower section, toward the entrance, and saw men spilling out of the tunnel. It was the Martira guard corp, armed with spears and torches, led by Bardon with Morris at his side. They had a Stein with them, who looked none too pleased and was holding Tesset in his arms, with Tesset herself holding Mr. Mug. Band grimaced. “That ain’t good.”

Shouting broke out immediately, yelling for everyone to stay right where they were. Some of the kids ran back into the houses, while others froze on the spot. As the guards prepared to charge up the path toward the upper part of the cave, however, a huge shape descended from the darkness to stop everyone in their tracks. It was the spider-lady from the puppet show made flesh, so huge that she could easily grab a grown man in one clawed hand: Huggin’ Molly.

The sight of her froze everyone but the remaining kids, who rushed underneath her for protection. “Molly!” they cried. “Don’t let them take us away again!” The giant did not take action, but stood her ground, staring down at the intruders with four milky white eyes. Band, Harry, and the others were caught in the middle.

It was a moment before Bardon found his voice, swallowing to moisten a mouth as dry as sandpaper from hanging open. “So…this is the creature who’s been stealin’ our wee ones.”

“Not so fast, captain.” Heismay had reappeared, perching on the edge of the wooden bridge. “She may seem monstrous, but things are not as simple as they may appear?”

Morris grit his teeth. “The hell are you on about?” he shouted up. “Who’re you s’posed to be, anyway?”

Band raised an eyebrow, then took a step forward. His eyes lay on Morris’ horns. “Why officer, did you forget Heismay already? Thought you could recognize him even in the dark of night.”

“I..” Morris narrowed his eyes. “Right! Heismay! And he’s in league with this…” He seemed to struggle to find a word to capture Molly in her entirety. “This thing! Two monsters, in cahoots to steal our children!”

Heismay scowled. “I had nothing to do with it. And Molly hasn’t hasn’t harmed a hair on the head of any child here, nor even imprisoned them. She’s merely been taking care of them, and keeping them safe.”

Bardon seemed unsure. He could see that Molly wasn’t hostile, and that the kids not only seemed okay, but inclined to trust her despite her monstrous appearance. Band studied the expression on his face, wondering how much he knew. From his dealings with the guard captain so far, he seemed like a stern but upstanding man. Appearances could be deceiving, though. At least the guards around him, faced with a giant spider, didn’t seem too eager to skip negotiations. “Safe from what?” he asked after a moment.

“From the monster beneath the castle,” Heismay replied steadily. “A monster your subordinates intended to placate with human sacrifice.” As he spoke, Molly lifted one hand and pointed a gigantic claw, bigger than heismay himself, at Morris.

The man went white–then red with anger. “WHAT!? What is this…this preposterous slander? Captain!” He rounded on Bardon. “You don’t believe a word they’re sayin’, do ya Captain? You en’t gonna trust some giant spider and some bloody eyed-eugief over your own man?”

Though the old roussainte held fast, Band could see that Bardon was reeling mentally. To be honest, he was too. He didn’t know who to trust. Who was telling the truth, and who had been spinning an elaborate yarn, now on the verge of coming undone? He did have his suspicions, though. Morris had already lied to him, maybe even tried to get him and Harry killed. If he wasn’t malicious, he was at least grossly incompetent, and willing to make scapegoats of inhuman outsiders like Heismay and Molly. On the other hand, he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that either or both Heismay and Molly were actually nefarious. The tipping point for him was the children, who trusted Molly and exhibited no signs of mistreatment or coercion as far as he could see. Instead, they seemed wary of the guards. But could the testimony of kids be trusted, either?

The air was thick with tension. Neither side would back down, and it seemed like Heismay had already chosen his. It was up to Band and the other interlopers to defuse and hopefully resolve the situation with choices of their own.

[DracoLunaris]

wordcount: 1962 (+3 rapport/exp) (+10)
Edward Portsmith: Level 6 (16 cells) (2 level up benefit stored) /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (13/60)
Location The Avenger

”I’m sure it's more common in other places, but in the worlds I knew, vanilla ice cream was quite the rare delicacy. Ice magic practitioners and climates where tropical flowers grow do not generally mix” Edward commented in response to Nadia’s calling Sandalphon vanilla ice cream with bacon bits in it, before adding what he considered an amusing anecdote ”I recall a Frostling Queen who was ever so proud of the opulence being able to serve it en-mass during a diplomatic conference. She would have been appalled by the idea of putting meat that can be fattened on almost anything anywhere near her pride and joy”

The man in question had sat himself near Sandalphon mainly for the purpose of getting to know their/his new commander better, and that seemed as good an in as any.

Sandalphon absorbed the new information with pursed lips, which was a remarkable amount of visible emotion for her. Edward painted ice cream -or perhaps vanilla in particular- as much more of a rare and valuable commodity than Ms Fortune did. From what she seen of both allies so far, the feral wasn’t one to sweat the details, so she was more inclined to take the strategist’s word to heart, but who could know for sure? If he was right, though, finding the dessert might be too much of an endeavor to warrant the diversion. Still, she could keep an eye or ear out for it. “I would venture to guess that you two come from rather different worlds. Not as disparate as, say, Edelgard and Blazermate, but nonetheless so distinct that the existence of ice cream in parallel is somewhat remarkable.” Studying what she could of the natures of different worlds had become a hobby for her lately, after all. “It seems like the majority of worlds might not be as different as one might imagine.”

At the moment, Nadia was more concerned about working her jaws than her two brain cells. “I dunno,” she said through mouthful of crab. “If I was somewhere hot, ice magic would be pretty cool!”

Although Sandalphon saw the value of building rapport through idle conversation, she also saw the chance to cross another item off her evening to-do list. “Mr. Portsmith,” she began. “I was hoping to speak with you. I understand that those on the scavenger hunt managed to requisition a number of firearms today. In my spare time I have been researching a phenomenon that seems to confer subtle benefits when individuals use equipment that matches their ‘flavor’. I have tentatively called this phenomenon ‘affinity’, and in order to run some tests, I was hoping to procure a weapon with certain characteristics.”

“One: it is magical or fantastical in origin, or at least not overtly technological. Two: it requires ammunition.” It would take a lot more than that to create ideal testing conditions, so these experiments wouldn’t be scientifically valid, but she could at least get a feel for the difference through field tests. “If possible, a precision-based and/or ice-aspected weapon would be even better. I don’t suppose you’re aware of any acquisitions that meet these criteria? I would be willing to offer monetary compensation in exchange.”

”While I won’t be saying no to additional funds, I have to say, I am intrigued by your hypothesis in and of itself” Edward replied after a moment of thought (and chewing/swallowing) before anecdotally adding ”I certainly feel like I’ve encountered the opposite, where a set of technological firearms gained from a fusion were incredibly unreliable”

He put down his cutlery, raised a hand, and called up an armory menu, begging to scroll through the pile of guns he’d acquired, seeking one specific item.

”Let me see, I believe I might have something that fits… here” he said, turning the menu around and displaying the weapon he’d found.

the item in question

Hexagun: Created by a vengeful Gunjurer, the stock is formed from what was once his staff, and each piece of metal was enchanted thrice before assembly. In the hands of a mystic, its rounds have the chance to transmogrify targets. A semiautomatic precision rifle that fires extremely fast, piercing arcane rays. It comes with 75 magic rounds, but it’s single-shot and takes 1.2s for an expert to reload. With a horn instead of an actual scope, it demands exceptional aiming ability. Can be replenished via universal/long gun/sniper pickups

”A somewhat awkward configuration, it seems, what with the lack of sights, but the form certainly implies it is a precision weapon. I’ve not had a chance to fire it to find out if that is actually the case” he explained. ”I had intended to try making use of it myself, arcane firearms are also my forte after all. However I am hoping I to be able to set up an Arcane Item Forge to salvage and then construct a replacement my broken magelock rifle before we set out again”

Sandalphon read the description at a glance, so she ended up pretending to read for a while longer while Edward finished speaking before she could reply. “This meets most of the specified criteria. It does appear to be a marksman rifle, and the lack of sights wouldn’t be an issue for me since my eyes provide a high degree of accuracy. If this rifle is compatible with spell bullets, I believe it would be a perfect candidate. Would twenty-five thousand zenny be an acceptable offer? You would still be welcome to borrow it for your own tests, as well.” It took only a moment to process the other tidbit Edward mentioned as well. “There is open space in the Mysticenter if your Arcane Item Forge is not too vast. With the spellcrafting altars in the vicinity it would be ideal for magical craftwork. It sounds like a thematic fit as well.”

”How generous” Edward replied, not quite hiding his surprise at the number well enough, before adapting and lowering the value to ”Fifteen thousand will be more than enough however.” He had little interest in making the new leader of the seekers grossly overpay him for this single weapon, particularly given how personable he found her and how helpful she had been, so the loss was hardly that much of a sacrifice.

With that in mind, he requested to know ”These spell bullets you mentioned, what can you tell me about them?” seeing as he had found another weapon, Odin’s pinkey, that might well run off of them.

“Deal,” Sandalphon agreed. Her somewhat excessive proposal had been genuine, but also meant to gauge Edward, so she appreciated the lower offer in addition to the tactician’s disposition. A good weapon was invaluable, but there were upsides to not splurging all her funds as well. As for spellcrafting, she was happy to relate what she knew. “These altars allow magical reagents like special stones, wood, or animal parts. Different materials can be combined at different altars to create spell bullets with a variety of effects. These include basic elemental effects, like fire, lightning, and ice, but also accelerant effects like oil and water, and more esoteric categories such as poison, disease, physics, life, and order. I have crafted a few types so far, but have lacked magic weapons that accept them until now.”

”Fascinating” Edward replied, before noting it was ”all the more reason to investigate this ‘Mysticenter’ you mentioned” and then inquiring ”Is there a lost number in charge of its operation?”

Sandalphon shook her head. “It’s general-purpose, though I believe Lakota has the most experience with the shrines. He crafts magic arrows.”

As he spoke, the man spun the armory screen back around and summoned forth the weapon they’d been bartering over. It dropped into his hand and then offered it over the table to Sandalphon, saying ”Here. We can work out the change after dinner” given that that would be far more convoluted than simply passing her the rifle.

The archangel had not been expecting to receive the weapon now, but she could adapt. She stepped back from the table in order to not interfere with the meals of her neighbors, quickly examined the Hexagun, and then set it aside. After the night’s events concluded she could get a feel for it in the firing range. Hopefully she could also find an easy way to carry it, but if she couldn’t summon it like her gunstaff, it could simply be slung across her back instead of the Eye of Sol, which could now go to someone else. “My thanks.”

”A pleasure doing business with you” Edward replied, before taking up his cutlery again and resuming eating on and off between speaking.

”While I have your ear, I was wondering what your intent was in terms when you hop over to the other team? Command structure wise?” He inquired, that situation having been a reason he had voted against the angel, and one that, in his opinion, one that still needed resolved.

Sandalphon nodded in acknowledgement of the important matter as she sat back down. “Such visits would be uniformly brief, and ideally not in times where my primary team is in need of leadership. I don’t expect that an extremely hands-on approach would be either prudent or necessary to begin with, so I see no issue with leaving you to your own devices when I am away.” Of course, she had her own ideas about who else would be fit for a leadership role within the group, but she imagined that it would happen naturally in her absence, without further need for formal definition of the command structure.

Edward didn’t seem too convinced this was the best approach, but didn’t want to be too pointed about it, replying evenly as he could. ”As you say, this is not a group that needs to be tightly controlled, or would allow for such things, but having someone designated as the one who makes the snap decision in, say, an ambush, could be the matter between life and death. You never know when a crisis might strike”

”Not that this needs to be formalized, of course. The closer we get to a military command structure the more disgruntlement is likely to arise, but it is something to keep in mind if nothing else”

“Of course.” The amount of control that should be leveraged over the group was a fine line to walk, but the issue of unexpected situations like that warranted further consideration. Hopefully she would never need to leave and the other team could just call her if they needed to speak to her for whatever reason, but situations tended to evolve, and plans to change. She took a sip of coffee, and continued to nibble at her meal.

Edward simply nodded back, glad his concerns had been heard, and returned to his own meal. He could have attempted to engage in more conversation, but quite frankly the meal was too good to let it get cold. Plus it was certainly novel, to have a meal consisting of such an absurd amount of crab.

[MULTI_MEDIA_MAN]

Geralt of Rivia & Zenkichi Hasegawa

The Avenger
Lvl 15 Geralt (143/140) +10 Collab XP + 38 Scavenger XP -> (192/140) 170% OL Charged (Lvl 1)
Lvl 9 Zenkichi (19/90) +4 Collab XP +23 Scavenger XP -> Lvl 9 (47/90)
Word count: 488 words

After the meeting, Zenkichi went to visit Akane and make sure she was still okay while reassuring her that he was also okay, as had become their routine. A short chat, some pets for Maru, and the Phantom Thief made his way to the cafeteria for lunch. He gladly grabbed a plate of crab and sides, sitting at the same table as Sandalphon and Nadia. He’d missed their earlier conversation, however, and nodded at the pair as he sat. ”Hi there, Sandalphon. Nadia, Edward. This looks really good. Reminds me of home a bit, actually.” It wasn’t exactly the same kind of crab you’d find in Japan, nor the right size by any means, but the spread seemed to have a Japanese inspiration, at least.

Geralt, for his part, had arrived shortly prior to Zenkichi, sitting down at a fairly empty table, with two plates of food. One pre-prepared dish of crab and sides, the other containing a trio of dinner rolls and being filled with his portion of crab slices from the center of the table. While he was careful to not take more than his share, he’d more than gladly devour any leftovers as well. He watched the others as they sat and ate, enjoying the moments of silence and reflection. Goldlewis and Midna came to his mind, and a sad smile followed.

While it was true that the two would eventually be churned back out by the ‘system’, they also might never see them again before Galeem’s defeat. They could be anywhere, even places the Seekers had long past and left behind. Scouring the world would cost them precious time and alert the other Consuls to their goals, and in the end, they simply wouldn’t be the same people they’d come to care for and think of as friends and allies. Sure, they’d have the same base personalities and memories, but the journeys they’d shared, the growth they’d gone through together, and even the Spirits that changed the way they thought and fought would be missing.

No, Geralt thought, it would be better to focus on their goals. Mourn their friends as they were, for they were well and truly gone. A hadn’t even left Spirits behind for them to revive. His heart hardened a little as he thought it, but it was his way of honoring their sacrifice. He would carry forth their goal in their memory, and help make sure that those of a more villainous bent didn’t fuck up their plans to…

What were their plans? The captain of the Lost Numbers seemed to want them to restore the destroyed worlds, but if such a thing proved infeasible- what then? They were burning through Guardians now, and the question would need to be asked and answered.

For now, though, he filled his stomach. They’d just chosen a leader to the group, much to the chagrin of some, and they could debate contingencies later.

[Yankee]

Feast & Farewell

Edelgard & Pit
^{@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN@Yankee}
Word count: 1,828 (+3 XP)

After she left the meeting, Edelgard returned to her room to gather her belongings. After dinner, the Avenger would pass over what they called the Theater of War and return her to Enbarr. To her people. Equal measures of excitement and nervousness ran through her at the prospect of seeing her friends and comrades again. She would, once more, have to lead them into battle and to victory. She wondered if Hubert and the Professor would be present. Her two dearest confidants and her most invaluable allies. It would be an immense challenge to reclaim her throne without them. And she would have to free them from the thrall of Galeem, as well.

Shelving the thought for now, she gathered her meager belongings and made her way to the cafeteria. There were few Seekers present at this point, though more trickled in as she chose her seat away from the center of the group and filled a plate.

Given that she had already announced her departure and sat dignified but separated from everyone else, it would make sense to assume that Edelgard may want to be left alone before she returned to her own battlefield. Whether she actually did or not, a little while after she was settled into her seat her vision filled with a head of fluffy brown and blonde hair, and a pair of white feathered wings.

"I'm glad I found you, I thought maybe you left right away!"

Pit was all smiles at the moment. Edelgard had missed it earlier, but being chosen to lead part of the Seekers' mission (even if only by a slim margin) was a nice confidence boost. Had he not spotted Edelgard in the mess hall the angel would likely have went to happily talk about the result with Roxas, but as soon as he'd seen the white hair and red armor his feet had taken him over to her table.

"So you're going to... Enbarr?" He asked, tilting his slightly as he recalled the name she'd said. "Is that where you were before Skyworld? Like, back home?"

Edelgard's face remained impassive as the angel joined her, though she did have the decency to put her fork down and pay his words due attention. It wasn't until he mentioned Enbarr that her expression changed, a ghost of a smile finding its way to her mouth. ”Indeed. Embarr is- was- the capital city of the Adrestian Empire in Fodlan. It was home after the war well and truly ended.”

Normally one could expect others to have no context for places and things unique to their own worlds. Pit still wouldn't be able to point out the country on a map of Edelgard's world, but he did have a little more information than most thanks to the Goddess of Light.

"Oh yeah, Lady Palutena said you were the ruler of Adrestia," he said, nodding his head once. "So it's not just your capital city, it's... Uh, well, really your city."

He sunk into the seat across from the empress before he went on. "I know you already said if you needed help you'd let us know, but... even if you don't need help and just want some more manpower, you can give us a call! I mean, you helped us out a lot in freeing Skyworld, and you were protecting it before I got there too, so..."

His voice had grown earnest, as it usually did when mentioning his own home, and his bright eyes were filled with determination to deliver on the promise he was about to make.

"So if you need anything to help your home too, just say so! You don't even need to ask Sandalphon - if you pray to Lady Palutena, she'll hear you. She can warp me right to you."

After a beat he added, "or send some Centurions! They're really good at rebuilding things… if that's something you end up needing."

Loathe as she was to submit herself to a self-proclaimed goddess, Edelgard had seen for herself what Palutena was capable of. Pit's offer was not one of spiritual aid or empty hope, but genuine military force, or in the case of the Centurions, a corps of military engineers. As such, she would be foolish to categorically refuse.

”Of course. Thank you Captain Pit. I shall keep that in mind should we require your assistance.” Whether she would decide to do so in the future remained to be seen, however.

The mention of protecting Skyworld before the Seekers’ arrival bothered Edelgard a little, prompting her to ask Pit, “Speaking of Skyworld, I take it that is where you and Palutena are from? Was it normally so…rife with corruption?”[/color] Rather than beat around the bush, Edelgard struck at the heart of the matter. She wanted to know how they had handled their problems outside of this world.

"No way! Usually it's safe up there! ...okay, well, we have been invaded before by the Underworld Army, and aliens, and there was that one time all the vegetables came to life and started attacking people... but besides that it's the best!"

Pit had beamed at being called captain once more, and the pride in his voice when he spoke about Skyworld was all too easy to hear.

"We watch Overworld from up there and help out whenever we're needed. But since Lady Palutena says its best not to directly interfere with humans, we pretty much only step in if other gods start messing things up. So... there's a lot of free time to make sure Skyworld stays clean and protected. All that corruption and those fake-angel monsters were because of Galeem smashing it together with some other worlds."

A world where gods only intervene to prevent the rise of demons? If only Fodlan had been so lucky that its goddess rose to halt Those Who Slither in the Dark. No, it was the efforts of her, Hubert, and the Professor that quelled Rhea and, more importantly, the Agarthans after her. ”I am glad to hear that your world is ruled by more benevolent forces. Mine stagnated under the thrall of dragons, using an unjust system of power to coalesce influence under the Crested houses. Crests grant tremendous power, but with that power comes abuse and mistreatment. I fought to see the end of that system, and the defeat of those who would suppress my people. It took many years, and many lives…but not long after my final victory, Galeem destroyed my world. How cruel.” Edelgard sighed, stabbing a piece of crab with her fork.

Pit tilted his head slightly. He thought he got the gist of what she said - evil dragons had controlled her world at one point, using those crests as a crux... but wait, weren't crests supposed to be like divine blessings? Maybe dragons could get crests too then?

Ultimately, the workings of another world would always be a little difficult to wrap one's head around.

"At least when we're all done here and beat Galeem, all the hard part's already done when you get home!" Pit said, never doubting that eventually the Seekers would succeed. Of course, he had no idea how difficult politics could be during the act of reconstructing an empire, especially after the fighting was done.

"Hey, if you got rid of the 'crest system,' did you have to give up your crests too? 'Cause you're really strong - do you still have both?"

Edelgard nodded along with Pit’s optimism about their return to their own worlds when the Seekers inevitably won. She may not have held his unshakeable confidence in this ragtag bunch of misfits, but she knew that indefatigable purpose could lead to great victory all the same. ”Yes, I suppose that would be one way of looking at it. The efforts of rebuilding after the war are still ongoing in some places, but Fodlan still stands strong, especially with Claude in a position of power within Almyra to quell their more ambitious incursions into our land.”

When he mentioned ‘both’ Crests, however, Edelgard’s face caught for a moment- shock, surprise, then a profound sadness that was wiped away in all but a moment for a much more put-on countenance. ”I’m sorry, Pit, but I believe you may have been misinformed. People may only possess a single crest outside of extraordinary circumstances. I am not one of those people, merely possessing a Minor Crest of Seiros.” On that subject, it was clear she would say no more.

Pit had seen the flicker of change in her expression, but it was gone much too fast for him to interpret. He blinked in surprise of his own. Lady Palutena had definitely said Edelgard had two. "Huh? But I-"

Maaaaybe let this one go, Pit. It doesn't seem like she wants to talk about it.

She said crests give you a lot of power - I thought it'd be better to have more?

I don't think it's that simple. Remember what she also said they came with?

Pit's mouth snapped closed, embarrassment coloring his features. Right, the whole reason Edelgard said she fought against that system in the first place, not just against the dragons themselves. Using such power was one thing, but being proud of having it was a whole other can of worms apparently. Pit rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Oh, uh, yup, I probably heard her wrong!" he said. "Sorry."

It might have been best to excuse himself after that, but he didn't want Edelgard to leave on a bad note. After having stuffed part of a bread bun into his mouth to stop himself from saying anything else that might make things even more uncomfortable, Pit swallowed the food and attempted to pivot to talking about something else.

"So, uh, Enbarr! Is there anything you're looking forward to seeing again from back home?"

Edelgard appreciated the quick pivot, despite how awkward it was. She gave a tiny nod to show that appreciation, her face softening as Pit asked about Enbarr. ”My friends. The city itself. I would like to visit the Opera House again, as well. Dorothea is an excellent songstress.”

Just seeing the temple still standing had been a relief for Pit, so he could definitely relate to Edelgard just wanting to be in her city. Of course nothing could beat good company though. "Is she famous? Maybe she'll be singing there when you get back, and you can surprise her, then you can see your friend and the show at the same time! I bet everyone'll be happy to see you, too!"

”I hope so, Pit. It would be excellent to see everybody again, though I fear that much like myself, many of my friends may be scattered about the world.”

"That's true... but if any of us happen to run into them, we'll know where to send them!"

The pair's conversation continued down more cheerful avenues, as they discussed their homes and friends that they hoped to meet again, dinners slowly dwindling as they took turns eating and conversing, hopefully to see the empress off on a positive note.

[Yankee]

Getting Up to Speed

Celica & Primrose
^@Sadu@Yankee
Word Count: 2883 (+3 exp)

From the infirmary to the mess hall was a bit of a walk. Not the longest on the Avenger by any means, especially with the ship's built-in elevators, but long enough that Celica had a look around as she walked, noting the design features of the place she was in. From her experience, it all felt very, human. At least from what she had come to know of humans, but she also gathered that this place was, to some sort of extent, not the reality she knew.

When she did arrive, most of the Seekers were already there. Unbeknownst to Celica, she was about to go from a conversation with one dancer to another. Grimm had bid her join the others and get a feel for them, and almost as soon as she'd entered the room Primrose's eyes flicked over to her.

The light skinned woman with the blonde bob (and were those... ears poking out from her hair?) was not familiar to Primrose. She also didn't seem to be one of the Lost Numbers, given there was an air of... uncertainty around her. Though Primrose had chosen to stay on the Avenger during the excursion to the Paved Wilderness, she had heard some of the other Seekers had various run ins with locals both friendly and not, and that someone new had been brought back with them (as well as some comments about a huge new addition to the ship's vehicle bay).

This must be the newcomer then, she thought.

Primrose had only been present to get a small taste of Bracket's hard work and maybe chat a little, and since she'd already finished her small plate the dancer slipped out of her seat and walked towards Celica. There were plenty of more outgoing Seekers that could welcome her, and that likely would in time; Primrose was just the first, her body language made friendly and open in contrast to her usual more guarded demeanor, if only to help make Celica a little more relaxed.

"Good evening," she said with a small smile. Her voice was low and calm. "I hope this all hasn't been too overwhelming for you...?"

Celica was becoming increasingly surprised on how willing others were to talk to her, even if she had never seen beings before like most of those she now saw. As Primrose spoke to her, getting her attention, the long pointed ears with tufts of fur twitched, her eyes turning to look at her.

“I am more accustomed to this sort of situation than I wish I had to be. Losing everything, only to end up in a strange place I do not understand, it has happened time and time again. I thought that perhaps I had finally found a home that would be permanent… but I suppose with a reality altering enemy like we now face, even that was not meant to be.”

Though momentarily distracted by the ears, surmising that the newcomer must have been of some similar race to Ms. Fortune, Primrose's gaze returned to Celica's face. The Seekers of Light seemed to attract unfortunate souls, based on what she knew of some of their pasts. Her own included. The dancer could empathize with Celica, but rather than pry or offer sweet platitudes Primrose simply gave her a somewhat sympathetic look, and kept the conversation where it was, on this 'strange place' and the enemy that brought them here. A goal to chase was important, and a good way to keep one's mind off of things.

"So they've filled you in somewhat?"

“Somewhat would be putting it lightly, I suppose.” Celica shrugged a bit, adding “Just piecing together what I remember myself, and I’ve been told everyone here is like me, freed from the false memories of that, thing… and that everyone here is intent on fighting against it.”

"Just so. None of us took very kindly to learning the truth of what happened - and now we work to fix it." Primrose placed one of her elbows in her hand, her held arm gesturing lightly as she spoke. "I think all of us have some unfinished business in our original worlds... people to get back to, plans incomplete... I'm sure it's the same for you."

“You could say that… but much of my life has been spent just surviving, so I’m not sure if I really have unfinished business. All that has ever mattered to me is surviving, with my friend. But now he could be out there somewhere, as clueless as I was.” She sighed, shaking her head as she said “It is not a comforting prospect, that is for certain. If he is out there, then I must find him. But if he is not, then the least I can do is help in setting things right. If everything will go back to normal from our victory, then that may be the only path forward that I have available.”

Thinking on it, she said “I only wish you had found someone more capable. Like, my squad leader, or anyone else in my squad for that matter. They are far more experienced in combat than I am. Before I joined those humans, fighting back was never an option. It was only run, hide, and survive. So I am still not accustomed to it.”

At that Primrose shrugged one shoulder lightly. "You will be soon, if you stick with us."

It was just a fact, really. The very nature of this world they now found themselves in meant that more often than not, violence was needed to solve their problems - whether to save someone from Galeem's influence, or to cut their already borrowed time short in order for the Seekers to reach their goals. Perhaps Celica could put any skills she did have to use in other ways aboard the Avenger, like Tora and Poppi had, but that would be her choice.

After a moment of thought Primrose circled back around to Celica's mention of her friend. The dancer had been lucky to find Therion herself, and she knew plenty of the others wished they could see their own friends from their worlds. Now, though, that they were stationed on the Avenger with some kind of demonic information broker...

"If you're worried about your friend, there may be a way to find him," Primrose said. It was something she'd thought about since hearing of Vulgrim's services, finding the locations of her fellow travelers if they were out there in the world somewhere. She hadn't tried it yet for a variety of reasons, but perhaps Celica would find the demon's services helpful. "You would need to take a trip to the storage area of the ship though, unless you happened to have any spirits on you now."

Celica blinked at that, looking more than a little confused. "Uh, other than my own, I don't believe I have any... spirits..." She then followed that up with asking "Why are there, spirits in the storage area?" To her, spirits were something malevolent, but etherial. Not exactly something used as a tool or to gain an advantage in any way. So she would definitely need that explained to her.

Primrose didn't immediately answer, instead she just fixed Celica with the same small smile. So she'll need a more in-depth primer, then, she thought to herself. Lately Primrose had been leaving the technical explanations to others whenever they needed to fill someone in on... everything... but she wouldn't mind doing it now. Better to give the woman all the information she'd need sooner rather than later.

"I'll tell you, but first... don't let me stop you from getting something to eat," Primrose said, stepping away a little to give Celica plenty of room to claim a seat where food platters were already laid out, or to join the buffet line. "It may be a lot of information to go over, after all."

Celica hadn't even thought about food. It took her a moment to realize it had not just been a long time since she properly rested, but also she had not eaten anything in... possibly even longer. It was a wonder she hadn't starved yet. "That's, probably a good idea... I'm gathering there is much I do not understand about this situation, let alone this place we are in. But I seem to have forgotten that I still need to try and take care of myself." Ration packs kept her alive, but they were hardly food.

And so, with that offer, she nodded, and walked further into the dining, eventually finding herself a seat that wasn't too crowded with people wanting to ask her questions. Her story was both simple, and complicated to explain, but she was sure at least some of the people would be curious about where she came from, the kind of world she knew... but she needed her own information, and that would be hard to get if she was about to spend her entire time explaining her own life story to others.

Primrose flashed a few other Seekers in the mess hall a look over her shoulder as the two women made their way to the far end of the tables, and waited until Celica had at least started to nibble on something before she spoke.

"So... spirits," she began, propping her elbows on the table and folding one hand over the other. "You may have already seen them, but just didn't know what you were looking at while you were still gleaming.

"That's what some of us call the state of being before you wake up and realize the truth. Others call it... being 'storied' I believe. Regardless, when anything dies in this world, their bodies dissolve and they leave behind a physical spirit. A small, glowing orb of light. There are quite a few things you can do with them. Make them into items, or into allies... even take them into yourself, gain their strengths. And their weaknesses."

Before she made herself sound like some amoral sorceress, Primrose mentioned, "when I was first learning all of this, spirits were described to me like bookmarks. Information storage. Copies. It helps not to think of them as someone's soul."

Truth be told she still wasn't entirely sure if her line of thinking was correct. After everything she'd learned though, she felt it was as close as she could get until she learned even more. For now she left out certain details like the fact that everyone alive was allegedly a copy of their original selves, and that they'd expire in ten years time... she didn't want to overload Celica at the moment.

"They fade away after about a day's time, but storing them in a container makes them last longer. That's why they end up in the stockpile."

Before Celica had a chance to ask, Primrose went on a little more. "You must have seen how much fighting there is out there? The storied -the gleaming- are compelled to do battle at even the slightest provocation. Coming across spirits is a fairly common thing. And there's someone on board who trades these spirits for information. I've heard that he is almost supernaturally knowledgeable."

This naturally took some processing from Celica, but eventually she asked “Is everybody out there, or are only specific people chosen to be here in this new world? Either way… I’m not sure how I feel about trading something like that for information, especially if it may amount to nothing, and moreso if I’m not at least trading something that I myself earned…”

She looked thoughtful with a sigh, but ended up saying “I still don’t know everything, but it does feel as though the best course of action is to defeat the one responsible for all this. Are we, sure what will happen when that is done? Or are we just guessing?”

"Guessing, unfortunately," Primrose said. It was the truth. None of them knew what would happen at the end, not even the Lost Numbers' commander who had apparently been around for many, many cycles. If there was any group with more information, that could at least make more educated guesses, it would probably be... "There are other groups of un-storied people out there besides us. The Consuls which oppose returning the worlds back to the way they were, the 'Organization' who seem to support us... we learn a little more each time we encounter them, but until then..."

She trailed off, tipping her head slightly. She figured everyone had their own thoughts about what would happen at the end. And equally unfortunately, they had no way of knowing if everyone from all worlds was present in this one. Maybe they were, and everyone's 'rebirth' was staggered to allow other people a chance to populate the World of Light. Primrose had no idea. The only way to find out if Celica's friend, and her own, were out there was to ask or encounter them by chance.

There was a long few moments of silence, before Celica gave a slow nod. “Then, I guess I only really have two more questions that come to mind. The first is, what is the plan? I assume we aren’t just going to fly at the thing, fire everything, and hope that works. And the second is… what happens if someone like us, who is freed, dies?”

The second question there was an easy answer for. "We turn into spirits as well. To be used or revived, eventually."

Briefly, Midna and Goldlewis flashed into her mind. When they'd died they hadn't left spirits behind. She didn't mention it.

As for the first question, Primrose leaned back in her seat and rested her hands on her lap. "We've been told that Galeem has 'guardians' protecting it, so we've been traveling around the world and destroying them one by one. So far we've defeated... seven. Apparently there are six left."

This was as good as time as any for Celica to decide where she wanted to fight, if she was decided in fighting with them in the first place.

"Tomorrow we'll split into two groups to go after two more Guardians. Some of us are bound for the Frozen Highlands, which is just as it sounds I imagine. The rest are going to the Forbidden Kingdom, and a city called Esaka." Since Primrose had only been to Meridi-at-Han, she had no context for what Esaka was like besides the fact that martial artists flocked there. "There's a large map of the world in the ship's bridge. And I'm sure Sandalphon could tell you more."

The dancer then nodded her head towards another table across the room, where the aforementioned archangel was seated around a couple of others. Given the woman's stature and her huge tripe-halo, it was hard to miss her. "She was recently chosen to lead our little ragtag group."

Once more, Celica considered all of this information. Death wasn’t as permanent as she was used to, but that didn’t mean she was about to get reckless with things, since she was getting the impression they still didn’t know everything there was to know about this place. [color=6ecff6]“So, which place do you think you’ll be going to? I should probably go check on what has become of my Skell at some point, I doubt it’ll be of much use anytime soon, but, to be honest I never was the best pilot to begin with, so I won’t be too upset about having to do things myself for a while.”

Skell...? Perhaps that was the thing that had been hauled into the cargo area where the other vehicles were stored on the Avenger. Primrose would have to ask at some point, but first she responded with her chosen destination. "The latter. I want to get a better look around that area."

Celica looked on at the one who was called their leader, and she couldn’t help but think of a few species she knew. “I’ve seen a lot of things, where I am from. A conglomerate of alien species who decided it was their right to go around killing and stealing who and whatever they wanted. I imagine, to others, seeing such a colorful group of people must be quite a shock. I know that, once, humans where I come from thought themselves the only sentient species in all of existence. It took them quite some time to come to terms with how wrong they were. I don’t think I will have too much trouble though, as long as these people have a common goal, and no reason to turn on each other in the meantime.”

"It was certainly a shock at first..." Primrose agreed. She wasn't surprised to hear some of what Celica was saying. She supposed that humans from all worlds must have more similarities besides how they looked, after all, and the malicious could be found anywhere. Of course at the mention of turning on each other, Primrose's thoughts momentarily drifted to a few of the stronger personalities she knew within the group... but she only smiled at Celica again, an expression that wasn't exactly reassuring, but not telling enough to be called on it.

"With an outlook like that, I think you won't have much trouble either."

[Zoey Boey]

JURI HAN

Level 6: 48/60
Location: Avenger
Word Count: 1623
Points Gained: 3 +5 +3 +4 = 60 +18
New EXP Balance: Level 7: 21/70

---

Juri, it could be posited, was always in a negative mood. A nasty mood, a mischievous mood, an angry mood, a violent mood. Sometimes she was smiling, but it was rarely, if ever, a good smile. The type of smile that made others want to smile like a good smile would. Whenever she stalked or stomped into a room, the temperature dropped by two degrees.

But this negative mood was different from all the other bad moods. Juri walked up and grabbed the nearest plate, not even thinking about any rare burgers. She plopped a roll down onto the crab legs and sat down by herself. The reason why this bad mood was so different was because it was so obviously introspective. To anyone paying attention to Juri’s behavior, it was apparent how little self-reflection she did, or at least, that she presented she did. Even looking at her might trigger some rebuke. Pit, the well-meaning angel did little but start talking about where they were going next and they ended up in a fight, and not a friendly one. Juri spared a glance to Edward, her business partner, but just a quick look at his demeanor and physical appearance meant it looked like he was ‘back to normal’. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the only reason he was even tolerating her was because he fused with some evil demon. Even with ‘villains’ among them she was probably the black sheep in the Seekers. Whatever. Good. Sooner this is all over, the better.

”...” Now though, Juri was quiet, her eyes fixed off into some distant space as she joylessly ate crab and bread and butter. She had planted herself thoughtlessly into a corner table bench. She couldn’t speak for the others, but there was a reason her idea of a ‘break’ was more fighting. Juri was at all times fleeing from boredom, inaction, and the thoughts that came with it.

While Juri isolated herself to stew in her bitterness, a spark of joy drifted dangerously near. Not long after the Seekers arrived for their meal, the head chef made her way out of the kitchen, tired but proud as punch. On most days it was a challenge to ensure that every Lost Number was well fed, so today's feast had been something of a Herculean effort, but despite her small stature Bracket Brace had risen to the challenge. No ordinary Mimiga, the small, white-furred, rabbit-like creature was a master of the culinary arts, and now that she'd finished her work for the evening the little chef was here to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Of course, that didn't mean eating her food -she'd sampled enough during the cooking process to ensure its quality- but seeing the happiness it brought people. Good food fed the soul as much as it fed the body, and it created a community atmosphere in which people could share not just their dinners, but themselves.

At least, that was the theory. She definitely got positive feedback from most people she asked, but it was hard to ignore the unhappiness Bracket did see. After putting it off a little to make sure that most people loved her crab and dinner rolls, she finally hopped over to Juri. When she spoke, she sounded neither timid nor intimidated, but genuinely concerned. "Hi!" the little chef piped up from beside the table. "How'd the food turn out? I hope everything's to your liking!"

Juri blinked back into reality and did a double take. Rabbit ears. Juri had to look down more than she thought to get to the face of the rabbit chef she didn’t know the name of. ”What?” She asked, confused. Crab and rolls were being methodically eaten. She needed to eat but she wasn’t savoring the flavor. Maybe an experienced chef could tell that kind of thing?

A frown settled onto her face when she realized what was going on. ”It’s fine, it’s whatever.” She dismissed Bracket and her unwanted concerns with a wave of her hand. Juri’s antisocial game was off. She wasn’t above scaring a little rabbit person who had given her free food, but she didn’t have the energy to do it right now. Or maybe Pit with his frankly absurd stubbornness had poisoned the well, and she thought an underreaction might get someone to drop it. Really she should have grabbed her tray and headed off into some hidden corner of the Avenger, but even that idea slipped her mind earlier.

Juri’s response seemed to disappoint Bracket somewhat, but she put on a polite smile. “Oh, okay.” As nice as praise would have been, Bracket could see that the food was still being eaten, and at the end of the day that was what mattered. If Juri was unhappy for other reasons, it wasn't a chef's place to pry. She perked up with a friendly smile. “Well, if there's anything I could do better, I'm all ears! Hehe.” She wiggled her own big ears to demonstrate. “Oh, and if you've got a favorite food, I could try making it sometime! Everyone needs a li’l taste of home now and again.” She prepared herself to bounce off, but lingered for just a moment in case a request came to Juri’s mind.

‘Ugh. You got to be kidding me. Where do these types of people even come from?’ The sour martial artist thought to herself. ”Always been fond of rabbit stew.” Juri said flatly. ”I’m clearin’ off. Go hop around someone else.” She rose from her seat, grabbing the last roll on her plate and taking it with her.

Bracket watched her go, a thoughtful look on her face. “Hmm…” she mumbled. “Stews are pretty easy. But where the heck are we gonna find some rabbits?” With the diners fully queried, the mimiga returned to the kitchen to discuss the matter with her fellow chefs.

Juri stuffed the roll into her mouth, unable to think about anything other than her problems. M. Bison. The man she swore revenge on. She needed more spirits if she wanted to trade info with the info broker. But chances were if he was going by M. Bison and the Four Kings and not Consul M or Consul B or Consul V or whatever the hell his name was, he wasn’t a Consul. And that meant he couldn’t die. Not really.

So how was she going to get her revenge?

As much as she was loathe to admit it, back on her world, her record against M. Bison was 0-2. The only one who really managed to beat him was the world's most boring homeless man. But in this world, things could be different. She could kill M. Bison. But if she did, he would just come back. Reincarnate. Maybe not tomorrow, or the day after, but eventually. And he would forget. And she would forget, too, in a decade or less. Maybe she had killed him already. Maybe he had killed her. There was no way to know. Juri didn’t give much of a shit about this existential identity crap, but if M. Bison was still walking around than her previous selves hadn’t really sealed the deal.

Her mind danced with possibilities as she wandered down the hallway. She could copy his mind into a robot like with the commander, and upload his digital copy into a virtual hell. It might not be the ‘real’ M. Bison but it would be A M. Bison, trapped forever, and that might be good enough. Perhaps she could suck up to him again and somehow get him to be a Consul. Then she and the Seekers would kill him for good. But how the hell would she manage that? Consul O’s words played over in her head. What if she had become a Consul? Why didn’t she take the deal? She wasn’t sure. Spite, probably. She hated being told what to do, being manipulated. A sleazeball like that getting out of his death by tricking her was something her pride wouldn’t allow.

Or he was closer than he thought with some of his last words to her, about ‘ennui’. That she hated this shitty world and pretty much everyone in it, and the last thing she wanted to be was stuck here forever. This world. Her world. Any world. ‘

Plus: ‘Consul J’. What a joke. Juri had run SIN for a while and it was boring as hell. Being ‘in charge’ was for egomaniacal assholes like Consul O and M. Bison.

Of course she knew M. Bison wasn’t thinking about her at all. That’s why whenever she went after him, she never even bothered to explain why. He wouldn’t care. Neither does she, really.

Juri looked down at her own hands, and noted they were see-through. Some part of her spirit here had clicked, and she ‘remembered’ how to use Stealth. A powerful function of her technological capabilities. The spirit she had absorbed and her own Feng Shui Engine. This truly snapped Juri out of her funk. Hidden from sight, she clenched her fists in excitement. Complete invisibility! It had its limits, sure, but now her mind was abuzz with the possibilities of being invisible, not revenge. Her steps were so much lighter while she was invisible, too. Juri scampered off down the hall, out of sight.

Juri was skipping out on the memorial service, of course. She had no desire to weep around, especially for a couple of people she barely even knew. Especially especially for people who weren’t even dead. They had their minds wiped of ten years of meaningless memories, max. Big whoop. Instead, she would be testing the limits and strengths of her new talent around the Avenger.

[Archmage MC]

Blazermate

Sectonia

Level 14 Blazermate (Holding 3 level up) - (1/140)
Level 12 Sectonia (holding 4 level up) (115/120)
+3 rapport

Location: The Avenger
Word Count: 1345

With the premise of food, Sectonia decided to grab a bite. It was supposed to be 'high quality', so Sectonia figured she'd take a look. So far, she really hadn't had much food fit for a royal. The pizza from Pizza Tower was alright, but so far shes had to get by with what she liked, but nothing super fancy. Not for lack of trying though, that she knew. And things had been interesting from time to time, such the aforementioned Pizza. Sure she had pizza in Floralia, but not a dessert pizza, that was a pleasant surprise. That wouldn't stop her from complaining of course, but it could let her tolerate things.

Heading to the cafeteria, well, they weren't lying about there being celebratory food. Either it was an honest celebration over their victory, or a certain honey lover now being the team captain, food Sectonia liked was on the menu for once. Although she had choice this time as well, which helped. For her, funny enough, as long as it was a fruit made sickeningly sweet and drizzled in honey, thats what she preferred. Sure when she grabbed a few candied apples with honey the sticks they were on weren't made of crystal, but even she knew that would be something that came with time.

Blazermate decided to join everyone in the cafeteria even though she didn't eat. Everyone was there chatting, so why not join them? It seemed people were pairing off or in small groups, chitchatting about various things. As Sectonia had come in a bit late she was a bit late, probably making herself look proper. Blazermate shrugged and decided to sit next to the queen who seemed to be lazily eating candied apples as if they were oversized lolipops as she looked over the others.

"Hiya! Hows it going?" Blazermate said, casually floating over her seat, seeing as Sectonia was so big she might not even see if her Blazermate sat down. Sectonia didn't really shift her position but turned her eyes to look at Blazermate. "Fine." Sectonia said dismissively. "So... are you uh... ok? You seem bored or out of it."

Sectonia calculated what Blazermate was doing, and decided to humor her. What harm would it cause? "Just... studying everyone." Sectonia did that a lot more than people realized. One thing she was looking at group loyalties and the like as well. Or for a better thing, looking at who voted for who and trying to decide things on that. "Why not go up to someone and just chat? Instead of like, being off by yourself?" Blazermate said, saying the big thing out loud.

This got Sectonia's full attention, her turning a bit to have more of her looking at the medabot. "I was going to do that during the memorize. For now I'm content just watching the others converse.". Blazermate decided to be a bit of a bother here, after all, even she saw Sectonia was standoff-ish to all but a few. It seemed that she'd respond to people coming to her, but rarely do the other unless someone was ugly or to give them a compliment for taking care of themselves. "Well, why? You could join in!"

Sectonia didn't answer, and as the silence went on, Blazermate pushed a bit further. "... Are you disappointed in not winning the leader thing? Or are you trying to figure out who voted for you?" Blazermate said, trying to get some idea of what was going on. This annoyed Sectonia, but she couldn't deny Blazermate was wrong. A weird insightful moment for her, as Sectonia knew her to be more lackadaisical. But this led to her saying. "...Hmph." as she didn't appreciate the attack on her pride. Seeing this, Blazermate continued. "I mean, if you chat with people more, you could become friends with them. I voted for ya because your the most experienced member on the team but since a lot of the people here don't really know you, well yeah." Blazermate figured if she said "and Sandalphon is just full of self sacrifice and a healer so people would gravitate to her over anyone usually." that would cause trouble.

Sectonia knew that Blazermate wasn't trying to make fun of her, and out of everyone hearing she voted for Sectonia over Sandalphon even though she said she was going to vote for Sandalphon was... well, it clarified something she was thinking of. She could guess at two of the people who voted for her, but not the third. This clarified that third. Well, she wasn't wrong. If anything she'd need to teach a few of the others how to keep themselves properly well taken care of. This also did bring up a good point; those that did vote for her were the ones that were with her during their few weeks in Skyland, while those she knew didn't vote for her were somewhere else. That made sense. Although a royal mingling with the common folk? Well, they were much stronger than the common folk. Outside of a couple rivals, any of the people here would be strong enough to be a commander in their own right in her army so they weren't really common were they?

Relaxing her stance, Sectonia went back to looking at the others munching on a candy apple, saying. "You have a point." and with those words kept watching and seeing if Blazermate was going to continue pushing her luck. After a bit of silence, Sectonia said. "Was that all?". Blazermate took this opportunity to diffuse the tense situation she herself caused. "OH! uh... I heard you went to see Vulgrim. How'd that go?"

Sectonia casually mentioned what she and Roland learned at Vulgrim, mentioning her disappointment at how she mistook exactly what he could and couldn't do. She did admit that him knowing about a way to circumvent the 10 year limit was a longshot especially with the weak spirits they had in the first place, but it was worth trying. Blazermate asked her why that was her first and really only big question, with Sectonia saying. "I thought it was obvious. How could I rule and make things beautiful with such a short amount of time? Nor how could I make that beauty last with such a short time frame. Having things reset over and over, even if I found a way around it, would just be frustrating and exhausting."

Blazermate nodded, as that bit annoyed her too. "If you think its bad, imagine how bad it is for Jr. and Rika. They get to just barely grow up before PHWIP, restart time!" Blazermate thought for a moment, before saying. "man, I hope someone finds something to fix that.". Sectonia could only nod to that fact, although her motivations weren't so clearly altruistic. She'd hold that knowledge for the price of loyalty to herself if she found it out.

"I'm kinda a bit surprised you didn't ask about the Flame Clocks or anything." Blazermate said. Sectonia replied. "Yes, that is something I should figure out. If he even knows that knowledge. But something like that may require better spirits than what I had." She wouldn't speak on that bit anymore, Blazermate sorta getting a vague hint that she was embarrassed about the situation than anything and decided to just let it go. Blazermate figured it would be like this. While she could probably get Sectonia to yammer on about how to keep herself looking good, getting her to chat about anything else was really difficult. Why was she so guarded? Was there a reason for that or something? All she could hope was Sectonia took her little suggestion and try it out. Blazermate knew she wasn't bad; when they all fought things she had a lot of support stuff she used to help out and had saved a few people here and there. Well, she'd have to see what happened at the memorium then.

[Lugubrious]

The Avenger - Tuesday Evening Service

Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (111/150) Lvl 8 Sandalphon (37/80) Lvl 5 Grimm (8/50)
Junior, Rika, & Edward’s @DracoLunaris Blazermate, Sectonia, & Roland’s @Archmage MC Geralt, Zenkichi & Edelgard’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Ace Cadet, Pit, Primrose & Therion’s @Yankee Juri’s @Zoey Boey Roxas, Ganondorf, & Captain Falcon’s @Double, Celica’s @Sadu
Word Count: 2146

When Edward deposited himself at the table to engage Sandalphon in conversation, Nadia left the two eggheads to talk turkey and turned her attention elsewhere. She figured that the Seekers’ resident smarty-pants would wind up discussing much more technical (AKA, boring) matters than what desserts people might be, and it didn’t take long for the pair to prove her right.

Luckily there were plenty of other people around who weren’t confabulating about equipment, affinity, and spellcraft, among them Zenkichi, who joined her at the table not long after Edward did. Nadia was ready with a smile, but he threw her off when he used her real name. As far as she knew, everyone only knew her as Ms Fortune. Did someone she trusted with her real name let it slip? Having been in the Underground while the detective hailed from Midgar, and not having teamed up with him during the minigame roulette in Carnival Town, she’d never really talked to Zenkichi. Then again, maybe the one who slipped up had been her; it would be pretty in-character for her to randomly forget about the bit at some point. Either way, it wasn’t worth making a fuss over.

“Hey Keechy,” she greeted the man, testing the waters with a brand-new nickname. “You come from a place with good seafood, then? Well, make sure you leave some for the rest of us. Can’t afford to be shellfish!” With a snicker she stuffed a heaping spoonful of crab fried rice into her mouth.

The tables in the mess hall filled up quickly, some faster than others, and a pleasant, communal hubbub filled the air. Nadia happily rattled off food-based puns to anyone in earshot, making light of anything and everything she could in an effort to raise everyone’s spirits. More trials and tribulations awaited them come the dawn, but for now at least the motley crew of heroes and villains could enjoy this moment of peace and plenty. If tomorrow was uncertain, and fraught with danger, then today was a gift–that was why it was called the ‘present.’

When Bracket made her rounds, asking if her food was to everyone’s liking, Nadia made sure to lavish the little chef’s work with praise. She also noticed Juri leaving in a huff soon afterward. Despite her best efforts, hot pink was hard to miss. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Hatred didn’t come easily to Nadia, and she certainly didn’t want to hold anyone in contempt, but that woman sure made things difficult. While she’d be loath to admit it, she remembered their fight in the Qliphoth with frustrating clarity. Sure, Moebius D had mind-controlled her, but that hadn’t interfered with her fighting ability. Despite all her extra spirits and time as a Seeker, she’d been molly whopped. Part of her wanted to demand a rematch to set the record straight…but what if she lost again? How humiliating that would be. Normally Nadia didn’t care about such things, but Juri was a master at making Nadia act unlike herself. Rising to Juri’s provocations would be the real mistake. The only winning move was not to play.

“Bah,” Nadia muttered. The sooner she got that creep out of her head, the better.

The sight of a fresh face, it turned out, was just the ticket to get her train of thought chugging again. She spotted Primrose first, then Celica behind her as the dancer led the blonde toward a less-occupied table for an introductory chat. Of course, the feral couldn’t tell if Celica was a new recruit or a Lost Number, but either way she was new to Nadia, and worth a greeting. “Hey there!” She waved to Celica with her friendliest smile, her voice slightly raised over the ambient chatter. “Welcome to the party. Love your hair!” With blue eyes and a shared love of the bob cut, the two had a lot in common right off the bat. Once upon a time Nadia had been a blonde as well -platinum blonde, but still- and even with her relatively recent calico coloration, she was still primarily fair-haired. With any luck, the two of them could be friends.

“That is Celica,” Sandalphon pointed out after the newcomer passed by, before Zenkichi could. “One of our teams rescued her this afternoon. She may be interested in joining us.”

Nadia’s eyebrows went up. “Oh yeah?” She gave the new girl another glance. If Primrose had decided to help Celica out, she’d be in good hands. Given the importance of the Seekers’ campaign, it was always good to see new faces, especially after incurring some losses. Nadia managed to stop an offhand joke about finding a quick replacement, which would have been in poor taste even by her standards.

As dinner began to wind down, though, that very subject came next. As seven o’clock drew near, Sandalphon eventually rose from her table, then went to deposit her dishes in silence. Nadia breathed in deep, then exhaled and got to her feet with a heavy heart. She’d entertained the thought of not attending the next event on tonight’s schedule, since she knew it wouldn’t do her mental state much good, but even a doofus like her knew that she’d have to come to terms with stuff like this eventually. Plus, it was just the right thing to do. The man and woman of the hour deserved better than what they got, but in lieu of that, they deserved respect. From everyone they’d laid down their lives to save.

Following Sandalphon, Nadia made her way out of the cafeteria with Chucho right behind her, and down to Stolen Moments.

Ultimately, the barroom wasn’t very big. Its stools could only seat seven people at a time, and about twice as many people could crowd around the bar. If this place had been chosen to house a proper funeral service, with dozens of friends and family members dressed in mournful black, it would have struggled to fit. Tonight, though, there were only a handful of people, united in common purpose but thrown together by random chance. No next of kin were present, if indeed they had any, since they never mentioned any whilst alive. As more people filed in, the mood of the place remained somber and commiserative, but gradually less bleak. As the minutes slid by, certain absences like Grimm and Juri became more notable, but attendance wasn’t required to begin with.

Half of the room, furnished with rustic decor and bathed in warm yellow, housed the bar tended in taciturn professionalism by Cirrus, and the far wall featured an array of white plaques engraved with black names that gleamed under the pale blue light. There were dozens of them, maybe even hundreds. How many generations of Lost Numbers had already lived and died? How many Seekers had already given their lives and returned to the cycle? The hairs on the back of Nadia’s neck rose and she forced herself to look away. She did not want to see any names she recognized on there. None except the two most recent additions: Goldlewis Dickinson, and Twilight Princess Midna.

On the computer screen nearby was a photograph of Goldlewis himself. Portraying Goldlewis and Tora in the hangar, with no preparation or planning, it had been taken just this morning by Poppi to test the camera the young nopon had been working on. Unfortunately, no such image had been captured of Midna. That same camera now lay on the shelf beneath the plaques, a silent and poignant impetus for the Seekers of Light to start taking more photos from now on, lest any more names become nothing but a memory.

It wasn’t long before Nadia asked Cirrus for a beer.

Sandalphon did not sit at the bar or order a drink, but stood between the memorial wall and the computer screen, staring off into space until it was seven o’ clock. Then she began to speak.

“Ahem. Your attention, please.” Her pupils were their default power symbols, but the archangel looked more sad than usual. “This is the first memorial service I have performed. I must admit that eulogizing was not among the core competencies bestowed upon me. If I underperform in this important task, I beg you all to address your complaints to the goddess Ilia.”

Taken off guard, Nadia let out a breathless, quiet laugh. She had not at all been expecting a joke from Sandalphon, but somehow the humorless archangel had managed to break the ice.

After a moment, Sandalphon continued. “However, as a result of today’s events, I somehow caught a faint glimpse of the Remembrance. Just a glimpse, small, but scintillating. Therefore, my first act as leader of the Seekers of Light will be to eulogize the fallen. Goldlewis Dickinson, and Midna, Princess of Twilight.”

“Today, they gave their lives in the struggle against Moebius and Galeem’s guardians. Erased by Moebius A. Eyewitness testimony indicates that A trapped the entire team in a rapidly closing pocket dimension, and only the sacrifice of a volunteer sufficed to free the others. In other words, both gave their lives to save everyone else. It is no exaggeration to say that it is thanks to their courage and selflessness that the Gravemind was able to be defeated–that many of us are able to stand here now, and that the fight for the future of all worlds can continue. We owe them our gratitude.”

Sandalphon paused for a moment. “I regret that I do not have any experiences with Midna that I can share. I can assert, however, that she had the heart of a true warrior. She not only led the charge into every battle, but facilitated speedy travel throughout Midgar via her portals. Our victory in Midgar would not have been possible without her as well. Today, we lost an invaluable comrade. The World of Light is a little darker without her.”

Her gaze shifted upward. “In Carnival Town, Goldlewis and I happened to be tied together during one of the challenges, and together we attempted to climb a mountain. Unfortunately, we did not get far. My lack of strength and our combined lack of agility led to a long fall, and after that, we chose to simply sit and talk for a while amidst the falling snow.” She could remember that brief but unforgettable conversation, every word spoken, every frosty puff of breath, every contoured snowflake, clear as day. “I wanted to continue and put forward my best effort, regardless of the consequences, but he wanted to stay put, joking about his age and physique. He reminded me that it was just a game, and that the point was to have a good time. That rationing our strength wasn’t weakness, but wisdom. We talked about aging. Its realities. Its gravity.”

She paused to take a breath through her nose. “Goldlewis had lived a great many years. He spent a lifetime fighting for what he believed in, on battlegrounds real and metaphorical. As a soldier, he stared death in the face many times, and he was not afraid to die. As tired as he was, though, he did not want to die. He believed that even in a world like this, life is worth living, and that we should all cherish the time we have. The people we have.”

After a moment, she swept her gaze across the room. “Some of you may have wondered. Why mourn the fallen, or care for ourselves or one another, when death seems impermanent, and anyone could return again, with but a turn of the clock? It is a reasonable question. And it is true that, someday soon, we may see Midna or Goldlewis again. They may even join the Seekers again, and fight for the future of our worlds. I expect that they would want to. However…” She shook her head. Nadia just listened, petting Chucho all the while. “Remember this. Our memories make us who we are. Each moment, each experience, woven indelibly into the fabric of the universe. Goldlewis might come back, but not all of him will return. It would be…a different Goldlewis. The Goldlewis we knew…is gone.”

Sandalphon breathed in, her pupils became exclamation points. “Every life -every one of us, here and now- is precious. None of you are replaceable, nor disposable. To me.”

Another couple seconds passed before she continued. “Let us honor Goldlewis and Midna, by caring for ourselves, and one another, while we can. For we cannot know what tomorrow will bring.” For the first time in a while, Sandalphon closed her eyes. When she opened them, her pupils were back to normal. “If anyone would like to say a few words, please do.”

Silence reigned until Nadia let out a tired laugh. “Well, we better all become friends. Don’t wanna hear ‘I didn’t really know her’ at any more funerals.” She shook her hair and cleared her throat, then held up her beer. “To Midna. A role model for royals everywhere. And the old man too. Gold by name, gold by nature.”

[Eviledd1984]

@Lugubrious @DracoLunaris @Simple Unicycle

Word Count: 652
Level: Lv: 6 EXP: (3/60)
Location: Dead Zone Hinterlands - Beneath Witch’s Nose

Harry patiently answered as many of the children’s questions as possible. He was reminded of when he would visit various schools and tell the children about his occupation, before his descent into alcoholism and depression. He learned a little bit about this Molly person, although there was still a lot of information he would like to know about their protector. Thanks to the children's description, he didn’t want to imagine Molly's appearance.

“Perhaps this Molly is quite attractive. Perhaps she can be your dommy mommy.” His Electro-Chemistry said.

“Maybe you can make some fuck with her.” His Suggestion chimed in. Harry licked his hand and tried to slick back his thinning hair.

“You wanna try your luck fucking a monster? That sounds like a terrible idea. Unless you want your penis ripped off. What the fuck is wrong with you Harry?” Logic said

Harry wondered where Hemisay went; perhaps he left so the kids wouldn’t surround him. He didn’t blame them; they could be emotionally and mentally draining. But he didn’t mind; he quite liked kids. Part of him wondered if he would be a good father or not—probably not because of his alcoholism and erratic behaviour. Following Band and the kids, watching in case Molly came around. Keeping close to Band because he didn’t want to get lost in the cave. Harry looked up at the ceiling, wondering who was carrying the lantern. Squinting his eyes, trying to see who was holding it.

“The only thing you can see is a large body with multiple arms and legs. For a brief moment in the light of the lantern, you can make out the faint image of a face. Whatever it is, you’d hope you're in some sort of nightmare.” Perception said after Harry unsquinted his eyes. Harry watched the little show, trying to interpret what it all meant.

He wondered if the spider-woman was protecting the children from whoever the big puppet was. “Molly must be protecting the children from whatever is living in the town. Must be why Morris would want us to try and get the kids back.” The thought of the townspeople sacrificing kids angered Harry greatly. Looking down, he noticed the town guards rushing into the caverns. “Ah shit…” Harry came down with Band to try and break up the commotion. Harry got the kids standing frozen in place to stand behind him.

Harry’s whole body was shaking as something was coming towards them. When he saw Molly if he didn’t crap his pants seeing her, then he was close to doing so. “Okay, everyone, QUIET!” Harry yelled, his voice echoing throughout the cave. “I want to ensure I get the big picture of what is happening here. So I wanna question everyone.” He pulled out his notebook, quill, and ink well.

“ARREST MORRIS, IT’S OBVIOUS HE’S A CHILD MOLESTER!!!” His tie screamed out, trying to get Harry’s attention, but Harry just ignored it.

“Okay, Morris, tell me more about this creature living under the castle. When did it come to the castle, or how long had it been living under the city? And when did it tell you it wanted the children from the village? I’m a bit skeptical of your motives since you lied to us to bring these kids back to be murdered.” Harry would take down any answers to his questions. His eyes were now looking at Hemisay and Molly. He wasn’t sure what the intentions of both parties were for the children. But he would try to protect them as best he could.

[DracoLunaris]

wordcount: 825 (+2)
Amaterasu: level 8 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (16/80)
Location: Dead Zone Hinterlands - Curien Mansion

Amaterasu’s internal thoughts on the situation mostly mirrored Big Band’s, with one added focus. The kids were not getting any sunlight stuck in a cave all day, and that was a travesty. The solar celestial wasn’t even being self important on that front (mostly). She was simply instinctually aware mortals life needed sunlight to live, even if she was not aware of the specifics of vitamin D production that was the reason for this

At least the kids had been spared from whatever other thing they had been kidnapped for, but what that fate exactly was wasn’t initially clear. None of them had seemingly seen where they were or why they were being taken before being rescued, or had been rescued from wherever they were getting taken.

Which was concerning.

The receiving of further information had to come from the woman who had kidnapped them, and she did not, in Amatrasu’s opinion, give the best first impression. Skulking around unseen, while also clearly being absolutely massive came off as an attempt to be intimidating, which she did not appreciate. Plus her arrival put an end to the petting session. Not that she could really hold that last thing against the woman, the attention of children was a fickle thing after all.

After being more or less dragged outside by the kids and placed in front of some kind of miniature stage, she found herself sitting on her hindquarters and watching a play, which turned out to have an answer as to what the kids were being saved from.

She didn’t like what she saw.

Not the puppet show, to be clear. She liked that, and it was a novel (for her) experience to be sure. But the macabre subject matter touched a core part of her being that struck a cord even if she did not remember it, for sacrifices being made to terrible monsters were a core part of the original Amatarasu’s tale.

Not that she needed that memory to be appalled by this information of the existence of a child eating monster. If it was true anyway. It could be that the titanic invisible being was spinning an elaborate tale, though she was not, it seemed, inventing the part about the children being kidnapped. Assuming there was no mental manipulation going on of course. For all she knew the kids were simply being convinced that they had been saved when this had not actually been the case.

There were only really two courses of actions here, she thought: get the answers out of the guards, or stalk them till they were caught in the act.

Helpfully, or unhelpfully, it soon appeared that the very same guards had followed them here and begun throwing accusations around, while Molly revealed herself to stand guard over the children. In doing so, she revealed herself to be absolutely massive and, indeed, of a spider like nature.

Which raised the question of why she would need to kidnap the children, if she could simply crush the offending guards in one hand. Maybe she didn’t have a proclivity for violence? Certainly, even when cornered, she didn’t seem inclined to go on the attack.

Or were these men more dangerous than they appeared?

Questions upon questions, and the words of mortals were not making anything clearer as accusations and denials were tossed hither and thither, much to the divine’s annoyance. Had she not been worked up and affronted by the deaths of children, she might have taken a lie down till they finished yammering on.

As it was, she sought answers where only she among the team could find them

Amaterasu stalked closer to the accused guards, and raised her snout to audibly sniff the air, before suddenly flinching back as her nose caught a whiff of a repugnant, aberrant odor on the accused guards. Something human and alien at the same time, and all together wrong.

That sold it for her on who was in the right here, because what else would a giant baby head with monstrous appendages smell like? Even if that wasn’t the source of the smell, for all her monstarouse size and form, Molly merely smelled of what she was, not of anything inherently ‘wrong’ and so only one group was passing the sniff test here.

She couldn't communicate this, but she could communicate the side she was choosing. She did so by lowering herself into an aggressive pose, before stalking around the guards, growling at them as she did, before putting herself defensively in front of Molly and the children.

Given her own (misbegotten) reputation in the town, this was maybe not the most convincing argument for a peaceful resolution. Then again, it wasn’t meant to be one. Unlike Molly, the Galeeming Goddess very much had a proclivity for violence, and this was everyone’s one warning to either find a peaceful solution, or else she was going to take matters into her own claws.

[Archmage MC]

Roland

Sectonia

Level 7 Roland (50/70) holding 1 level up
Level 12 Sectonia (holding 4 level up) (118/120)
+3 rapport

Location: The Avenger
Word Count: 1481

As dinner finished, Roland made his way out of the mess hall heading to Stolen Moments. A beer would go well with a sandwich, so he would've went to the bar even if there wasn't an event there today. As such he was one of the first ones at the bar ordering himself a drink. He waited for the place to fill, sitting at the bar and slowly sipping a beer knowing he'd probably have to say something.

Sectonia had come in with the rest of the group. Unlike Roland, drinks weren't the first thing on her mind and much like she told Blazermate, this was the time to mingle. Although when it came to the diseased, she only knew one of them and it would only make sense to say something elegant. Well, after the others have said something. Unlike a few of the others, she just hovered about and made small talk until the ceremony itself started.

Out of the two people that had passed, Roland really only knew one. And when it came to colleges passing, there wasn't a whole lot to say as his line of work was dangerous, and that was just how things were. When it came time to say things about the deceased, Roland said. "Goldweis was from Midgar, or whatever he was from before that. He did what he had to to make sure people survived and the mission was done. Although the guy could've used more cardio, he wasn't much one for parkour. Still, He was into the self sacrifice to make sure everyone else lived and even outside of Midgar, he did quite a lot to help the group. He would want us to continue on with the mission and not be depressed by his passing. Thats that, and this is this." He then took a swig of his beer, as if this wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, that something like this has happened to him.

After a few other people went, Sectonia made herself known and gave her few words about Midna. "Midna was an interesting princess. Even when turning into a haphazard creature through fusing she tried to have dignity and make the most out of a bad situation. Well, that came true in more than one regard this time. She helped make the world more beautiful, we should make sure that continues." With her small speech done, Sectonia went back to socializing.

Her speech getting Roland's attention, he motioned over for the bee queen to come over and have a drink. Since she was in a sociable mood, she obliged. "I did offer you a drink. Whats your poison?" Roland said as the queen hovered near him. She rarely sat Roland noticed, so hovering must not be uncomfortable to her at all. "Mead." Sectonia said simply. Considering she was a 'royal', Roland would've thought wine as that just fit. But mead just makes more sense for a bee woman. Due to her size, she was just outright handed a bottle of Mead and a glass to serve herself which Roland knew he'd regret when the bill came around. But he wanted to follow up on his intel gathering and thats just what happened sometimes.

Watching as Sectonia took a few sips to make sure she was loosened up, Roland opened up the conversation. "So, you weren't in Midgar nor at Meridz at Han, so whats your story? Why did someone who keeps herself looking as pristine as you go to the dead zone?" Roland knew that you caught more with flattery than anything when he has no reason to use intimidation, and Sectonia was one to gladly bite at something like that.

"My goal is to make the world as beautiful as I am. And by that, such an ugly blight upon the land must be annihilated. While I would like to leave it to my subjects to do such a thing in my stead, I'm aware that the things that protect these blights upon the land are incredibly strong. So while I hate having to do so, if it is to be cleansed, my strength is needed." Sectonia said. While this sounded selfless, it was just what she did.

"And what would you do if you got that world? How would people under you be treated?" Roland said. Thankfully her being both an adult and vein made asking the direct questions way easier than with Jr. "Make everyone beautiful and persue beauty and strength. Outside of that, people will need to do their jobs to make things beautiful. Besides that, as long as they don't disrupt the beauty of the kingdom and bow to my rule I don't care much about what they do. Those that peruse beauty will be rewarded."

That... didn't tell Roland much. It was vague, practiced even. Although Roland had a bit of a trick on how to get around that. "So... what ammenedies would you have then? Its not easy for everyone to do that on their own." And much like before, Sectonia took that bait easily. "On Floralia we had a great circus for entertainment, a great gallery for art, a beautiful flower field, an entire industry making sweets and other baked goods for the kingdom, a thriving industry making things from volcanic ash..." Sectonia said, going on about the things her old kingdom had. Roland nodded and sipped his beer as she went on, trying to sell herself. From what Roland gathered, whatever she had or wanted to make; it wouldn't stand having something similar to the Backstreets. He'd have to see what kind of sacrifice this all took, but it sounded like one big nest.

When she was done, Sectonia took a sip of her mead to wet he mouth. Roland knew he wasn't going to get much beyond this point, but before he could ask his next question, Sectonia said. "But a kingdom greater than that will have to wait until this blasted time limit has been resolved. Conquest is fast, but building beauty takes time and effort. And those things are not an ally to those with limited time." Roland really wasn't sure what she was on about at this point, but for some reason she felt 10 years was a short amount of time. Making a lasting kingdom... Roland could understand that if she felt the entire thing would reset after 10 years. But that wasn't the case was it? Well... Roland would have to see how she acted towards others to get his next few questions answered. Although, he did float one that was on his mind.

"That sounds good and all, but what would stop the 'common folk' from trying to use each other as stepping stones?" Roland said, knowing how the nature of people would ruin even the best laid plans. Sectonia dismissed this, almost naively so. "Why would they even need to do so? A peaceful flower field, an elegant house, and very little danger within the kingdom. Those that disturb that peace would stick out and be dealt with." Knowing how angry she could get, 'dealing' with them Roland figured would be fast and brutal. Well, that could be a good or bad thing, so he had one more question.

Although before he got that, Sectonia interjected his thoughts by saying. "From the sounds of it, are you perhaps looking for a new place to live? Serve your Queen and I can guarantee that will happen and reward you along the way."

And there it was. Although not inherently a bad thing, the self importance could rub people the wrong way. Roland knew how to deal with this though, saying. "Yeah sort of. Uh, sounds good, yeah." A way for him to deflect without hurting her ego. Sectonia wasn't super satisfied at his reaction all things considered, but she wasn't going to push the point as she herself didn't have much to show but words and a few deeds and this wasn't the first time someone game a lukewarm reception to the idea. He had more questions, but he figured he'd let the girl get on with her drink. He still had one more royal to interview anyway.

Speaking of, he could ask her what she thought of the other two. He should've done that with Jr, but he can ask that later. "You know, I had a chat with Jr. a little while ago. He seems to be missing his dad, but hes trying not to think about it." Roland said, bringing up one of Sectonia's perceived rivals. Well, in Jr's case, it was his dad she had a rivalry with. "His dad was a bumbling buffoon, but he did love his kid. From what I understand, he had a soft spot in adopting monster children in general even if it did bite him in the butt later on." Sectonia said, saying what she knew of the situation.

"He called his dad and himself the 'bad guys', whatever that means. He talked about his dad's kingdom like some lava wasteland. That just sounds too hot or barren to me." "Yes, his dad mumbled on and on about doing various outlandish exploits. Exploits that a few people even verified. Why he would live in what sounds like a volcano is beyond me. He even had a deeper rivalry with Ganondorf than I do. He might be my royal rival, but Bowser almost had something... personal with that one."

Well, Roland didn't have to ask about Ganondorf then, Sectiona just said what he needed to know. While Roland had a few ideas, he'd wait to voice them until he knew these royals a bit more. Granted he wouldn't be able to see what Sectonia did first hand as they'd be in different squads, but that could be something for later. If anything it seemed a bit of booze opened her up, even if it was only talking about herself.

[MULTI_MEDIA_MAN]

Geralt of Rivia & Zenkichi Hasegawa

The Avenger
Lvl 15 Geralt (192/140) -> (193/140) 170% OL Charged (Lvl 1)
Lvl 9 Zenkichi (47/90) -> Lvl 9 (48/90)
Word count: 698 words

With dinner finished, many of the Seekers found their way to the Stolen Moments bar. They came in different intervals, and a somber air filled the dual-purpose room as they gathered. The photo of Goldlewis was a nice touch, Zenkichi thought. He eschewed getting a drink, feeling the moment a little too heavy to dull with alcohol. Tomorrow, maybe even that night after, sure. But right now? No.

Geralt, on the other hand, had an ale in hand almost as soon as he reached the bar. It was a fairly light one, though. Sandalphon’s eulogy struck him as oddly stilted, yet less so than expected. It was a bit curious, but she’d been managing to lighten up a little with her fusions and chats with people, he supposed. Regardless, she did a damn fine job with Goldlewis, and was more than free to admit that she hadn’t had enough experience with Midna to give her a proper sendoff.

Edelgard had chosen to show her face for Midna’s sake, not having had any opportunity to properly meet Goldlewis. The Twilight Princess had taken some time, even if it was not overlong, to help explain this world to her and Edward, and when Sandalphon and a few others had said their pieces, she joined them. ”Midna…I did not know terribly long. She helped Palutena’s forces in reclaiming Skyworld, helped us minimize our casualties in doing so. She was a capable and caring commander, that much was plainly evident. She helped Edward and myself learn more about this world that we have found ourselves in. Had we the time, I like to think that we could have become friends. I did not know Goldlewis, but from the way you speak about him, he certainly seems like the kind of man we could have used a hundred more of.” She joked lamely. ”It is a great loss to us all that they were taken.” Bowing her head, she raised it with a resolute expression. ”Their deaths shall not be in vain.”

”You got that right.” Zenkichi added. Goldlewis was larger than life, almost literally. I don’t know he got that big, and I don’t think I want to know. What I do know…is that he came from a world like mine. Not the same one, not from what he explained about his world’s history, but he came from a country I knew well by name. I wish we’d gotten to share more stories. Make more stories. As for Midna…I didn’t get to know her too well, but she was a big help in Midgar. She helped investigate some of the shadier things the government was doing. She tried so hard to help Peach…” he sighed, deflating a little. ”And she saved us all.”

“Nearly killed Goldlewis in Midgar.” Geralt opened up with a startling story. “Got him pretty bad with the orphan’s cleaver while we were fighting Chimeras. Damn Spirit was messing with my head. This kind of…pressure, deep in the back of my head. Made me angry all the time, just under the surface. And those things are impossible to hurt without special weapons or this combat drug they made there. I lost control. And I nearly killed him.” He huffed through his nose in a rueful laugh. “He let me have it. And then when I explained to him, he told me I ought to think about fusing with something else to cool me down. Well, that was how I ended up a woman for a day, but it worked. That anger, that pressure…it’s still there, sometimes, but it’s more than manageable now. I dealt with more infuriating things on the Continent daily.”

“As for Midna…we had a good time playing that Carnival game. Junior and Goldlewis were with us, too. He was just as useless as I was, two old men just trying to keep the kid safe while we pretended to be scared. They helped make sure he didn’t get his game ruined while I stayed back and got beaten to fake death.” He sighed, letting out a half-chuckle. “She was a good person. Good ally. Fuck Galeem.” he finished, taking a sip of his drink and sighing.

[Lugubrious]

Dead Zone Hinterlands - Beneath Witch’s Nose

Harry’s @Eviledd1984 Amaterasu’s @DracoLunaris Chosen Undead’s @Simple Unicycle Level 11 Big Band (28/110)
Word Count: 1963

The tension in the air was palpable. With emotions high but neither side in a hurry to attack one another, the Martira Guard Corps and Huggin’ Molly were in a standoff, with Big Band and his fellow investigators caught in the middle. It was a tricky situation, made all the more treacherous by the lack of concrete evidence on either side. The elaborate puppet show that Molly put on to try and communicate the events that justified her actions seemed to indicate that Molly herself couldn’t speak, so nobody had anything to go on but the testimony of the missing children themselves. Unfortunately, the newcomers hadn’t seen that puppet show, and Band didn’t think they’d waltz up here for an encore. Even if those kids were telling the truth, there was no guarantee that Bardon’s crew would take their word for it, especially when some of them stood accused. Before anyone did anything rash, Band, Harry, and the others had a chance to try and intercede, to defuse the situation and bring the truth to light.

Harry began with a volley of questions aimed at Morris, but the clemar wasn’t playing ball. “The bloody hell are ye on about?” he exclaimed, somewhere between fearful and furious. “Monsters? In Martira? Y-yer off your damn rocker! There’s only two monsters here, and I’m lookin’ right at ‘em!” He pointed a shaking, irate finger at Molly and Heismay.

Around him, the guards' expressions tightened alongside their grips on their weapons. Band had to admit, the demihumans were in a bad spot right now. It didn’t matter what condition the children were in; the fact that a monster had taken them and brought them here was proof of Molly’s guilt. If not for the spider’s huge size and intimidation factor, he suspected that the guard corps would have already taken action. The main problem was that there was no telling how many of the guards were in on it. If the corruption went all the way up to Bardon, trying to negotiate was a foregone conclusion to begin with, and if he was the innocent captain of a crooked unit, things wouldn’t be much better.

Of course, if the guards dealt with Molly and took the kids back, time would tell. If the kidnapping stopped, the blame would rest on Molly, but if they continued, she’d be proven innocent. It would take a follow-up investigation to bring the real truth to light in such a case, but Band was loath to do things that way. Children weren’t pawns on a chessboard, after all. This had to be solved today. Now that the guards knew where the children were, the cat was out of the bag, after all. There was no going back now.

When Amaterasu approached Morris and his compatriots, the man recoiled. “Hey! Back off!” He glared at Band and Harry. “Get your mangy mutt away from me!” His indignation became confusion for a moment as the wolf recoiled in her own way, but when her inquisitive sniffing turned into growling, he responded by lowering his spear. “Back! I’m warnin’ you!”

The situation seemed liable to escalate. Band glanced at Kit to see if he planned to say anything, but the knight held his tongue. The detective couldn’t blame him; this was a tricky situation even for someone like him, let alone a simple swordsman. Harry had tried, but Morris wasn’t about to implicate himself in anything. He had to act, and trust in his intuition.

Band inhaled, stepping forward, and deployed a trombone with which he let out a harsh, brassy note. It got everyone’s attention, and after stowing his trombone he spoke out in a loud voice.

“Bardon, sir. Now you’ve laid eyes on the kids, you know they’re safe an’ sound. If they’re safer here, in the company of a giant spider, than with their kinfolk in Martira, that don’t exactly reflect well on the town guard. If there is a monster beneath the castle chowin’ down on children, that’s bad enough, but if it’s your own boys feedin’ it? Hoo boy.” Morris raised his voice to interrupt, but Band cut him off. “I ain’t done yet! I know it’s a serious accusation, but sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. You let us do all the hard work of findin’ your ‘wee ones’--I say, how about y’all get off your asses and check under the keep for yourselves.”

Bardon’s expression was grave. “And leave the children here?”

“It’s your castle, ain’t it?” Band countered. “How long can it take?”

Morris let out some incredulous laughter. “This is ridiculous. There’s nothin’ under there, just old cisterns and sewers.”

“If you’re so sure, perhaps you should show Bardon as much yourself,” Heismay interjected.

The guard captain stared at Morris, who averted his gaze, then regarded Band’s crew. “You’re right about one thing, at least. We have failed in our duty as Martira’s protectors. In light of these accusations, I intend to launch an investigation of the keep. But…we cannae leave the children here. It’s unconscionable. They need their parents. Not a cold, dark cave.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you intend to stop us?”

Around him, the guards exchanged looks, both amongst themselves and with Molly. Clearly, none relished the idea of fighting her. Heismay watched them, tense. Though his claws rested on the hilt of his blade, he didn’t want to fight, either. He knew as well as anyone that once you lifted a hand against lawmen, there was no going back.

Band breathed in through his teeth, then out the air out as a bilabial trill. After that latest claim from Morris, he strongly suspected the man, and after everything Molly had done -and not done- he found it hard to ascribe malicious intent to her. But what should he do? Amaterasu’s choice was clear, at least. It seemed like she smelled something on Morris and his buddies that set her off, maybe even the alleged monster. But did she know what she was getting into?

“Allow me, Mr. Band, Miss Molly,” Heismay piped up. The little, white-furred eugief stepped forward onto the precipice of the upper section of the cave, looking down at the lower section with the guards. “I am but a disgraceful hermit, with no reputation to lose. Tis why I stand here now. I ran from my past, seeking to bury my pain. Believing that I deserved the world’s scorn, I allowed myself to be their scapegoat. Yet…I cannot stomach it any longer. Low and loathsome though I am, I shall allow no harm to befall these children.” He unsheathed his blade, which glittered in the fickle light as he flourished it. “Any scoundrel who preys on innocent lives will see his sin repaid!”

He leaped into the air, and became engulfed by a vortex of red and black. From the singularity dashed a fantastical mechanical warrior, clad in spiky steel and voluminous white cloth atop a framework of orange-streaked black. With a baglike hood and a katana in hand as tall as a human, the Archetype landed beside Amaterasu, ready for battle. “Even the lowliest being can choose to do the right thing. By these hands, stained or sinless, I will fight!”

The guards pulled back, readying their weapons but less confident than ever. Even Bardon took a retreating half-step, his hand on his sword’s hilt. Though surprised at first, Band couldn’t help himself smiling. “When the word of law falls, pick it up and hold it higher,” he murmured. Then he jumped and slammed down heavily enough to shake the floor. Steam hissed from the valves on his sides. “Molly ain’t the problem here, Bardon. Either you’re incompetent, or complicit. Which is it gonna be?”

Bardon hesitated, frustrated. He knew that his side couldn’t win this fight, but he was also struggling with some sort of internal conflict. After a moment, he looked up at Molly, and swallowed his pride. “So. Ye say there’s another monster? One in Martira itself?”

The spider nodded, then turned and grabbed a puppet from her show earlier. She let it dangle in full view of the guards, showing them what it looked like. Bardon pursed his lips. “And if we deal with it…you’ll let the children go?”

Molly nodded again.

After a moment, the guard captain took a deep breath. He released his hold on his sword. “Fine. Since the children seem to trust you…I have no choice but to trust you too. Logically, you could have harmed them at any time, or smashed us to pulp the moment we appeared, but you did not. Only two things matter: the safety of our wee ones, and the truth.”

“What!?” Morris seemed flabbergasted. “Captain. You’re leavin’ ‘em to die!”

“And what would ye have me do?” Bardon rounded on Morris and grabbed him by the shirt with surprising anger. “We’re marchin’ down to those cisterns and sewers of yers right. Now. If these people were tellin’ the truth, there’ll be hell to pay, mark my words.”

The clemar swallowed. “Y-yes, captain!”

Bardon got his squad moving back through the tunnel through which they came. He was the last one to leave, and the look in his eyes told Band’s side that if they were lying, there would be hell to pay for them, too. Stein and Tesset stayed behind, glad to be rid of the unwanted company.

A few seconds after the torchlight disappeared, Band let out his breath. “That coulda gone worse.” He turned to Heismay, who now stood even taller than he did. “Now, what the hell’s this all about?”

“Forgive me.” In a crimson flash, Heismay turned back. “I’m not so sure myself. My heart stirred within me, and I let it cry out. To take action after so long…tis liberating.”

Stein walked up, Tesset seated in the crook of his arm. Tesset seemed upset from all the chaos, but her dad was doing her best to calm her down. “So what now? You gonna post up outside to make sure they don’t come back? Or head down into Martira?”

“I think Bardon’s heart’s in the right place, but we can’t trust him or his men to get to the bottom of things,” Band declared. The kidnapping had simply been going on too long. “I got half a mind to take a peek beneath the castle for myself.”

Stein shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind stakin’ out here for a bit. I figure we need a break from Martira, and it’s been too long since Tesset’s been with kids her own age, anyhow.”

Band assumed that he’d complied with the guards outside when they arrived, but now that lines had been drawn, he wouldn’t be coaxed out from inside the Atom so easily. “That works.” He deployed a small mechanical arm from inside his coat to pop open a pocketwatch. “Hmm. I don’t got that much time left. Gotta get this sorted out before sundown.” He waved to Kit, Harry, and Amaterasu. “C’mon, y’all. Got another long walk ahead, but at least it’s downhill this time.”

He was surprised to see Heismay fall in alongside them once they got moving. “I would accompany you, if I may,” the eugief requested. “Now that I have chosen, I cannot rest until this matter is settled. The perpetrators must be dealt with, be they monster or man.”

“Fine by me,” Band nodded. One more for the merry band. Right now, he and Heismay were thinking the same thing. Together, the five of them bid farewell to Molly, Stein, and the kids. With any luck the truth would come to light before nightfall, and the kids could all go home.

[DracoLunaris]

wordcount: 1,277(+3) (+2 rapport)
Bowser Jr: Level 15 EXP: //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////(220/150)
Rika: Level 10 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////(266/100)
wordcount: 1962 (+3 rapport/exp) (+10)
Edward Portsmith: Level 6 (16 cells) (2 level up benefit stored) //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (16/60)

By way more or less of momentum, Jr and Rika had ended up at the lost moment’s bar anyway, despite the former’s reservations about how it would feel pointlessly sad, and the latter’s lack of really getting it.

In contrast Edward got it in spades.

The military man had attended, and led, numerous funerals and wakes. War had its casualties, this was inevitable, but that did not mean those deaths did not matter, that respect should not be given.

The commonwealth’s manuals had emphasized the importance of last rights being given from a purely strategic standpoint, and given guides about how to perform them in a manner that bolstered rather than broke morale. Sometimes in times of extreme stress Edward had had to fall back on the thinking of these things, when his spirit was not in it, but the needs of the campaign demanded it. Ultimately however it was his firm belief that these things genuinely mattered, and not just for those who were left behind.

The dead deserved respect, those who had died because they dared to fight for a noble cause even more so.

Thus, when it came time to speak, he did so both with practiced oration and from the heart.

”In the short time I knew her, I came to owe Midna a great deal. From bringing me up to speed on many of the ways this world worked in ways that no doubt saved my life in the battle I was awoken during, to being generous with her supplies and wisdom of the arcane. Even had she lived, I would never have been able to repay her, either for her kindness or her easily given companionship”

”From what I saw of her leading her unit in skyworld, she was also the kind of leader all should aspire to be. Brave, cunning, and compassionate for those who served under her, willing to put herself on the line to preserve the lives of her troops, when a lesser general would so casually expend those same lives for even a slight advantage. She, was, ultimately, in the end, selfless to a fault”

”That last can without a doubt be said for both the fallen. I did not have a chance to make Goldlewis’ acquaintance, but I do know that his final act spoke volumes of who he was. Who they both where”

”We owe them everything. Let us not let their sacrifices be in vain” he declared, thumping a fist to his heart in salut, before stepping back into the crowd

As he did so, he caught sight of two figures who were, it was fairly clear, not in any way as used to funerals as he was.

Buried in the crowd that towered over them were two children, who absolutely should not, in his opinion, have been put in the danger that had killed Goldlewis and Minda.

And yet, they had endured it better than him, and might have been the reason that Consul A only took two lives, thanks to their powerful transforming ability.

He still needed to look into that, but now was not the time, because both children were runny nosed and tear streaked, though it was a quiet, sniffling kind of sadness, rather than ones involving any outright bawling. They also both looked to be varying levels of confused, annoyed, and embarrassed by this fact. This latter heightened as Bowser Junior noticed him looking, the prince rubbing his face with a sleeve and making a right mess of it in the process.

For all his multi-planner experiences, Edward was not, he would, admit, exactly experienced with children. Such youths belonged nowhere near a war camp after all, and even when he had ruled he had rarely been out of one. But if he were to hazard a guess, it was that right now, being treated as children would only make them more angry about their own emotions.

So he stepped closer and silently offered the pair a handkerchief each (he was going to need more at this rate) and a curt nod of understanding/respect, making sure that his expression and actions could not have been seen as either pity or judgment.

The girl, Rika, started at these with confusion, prompting her Brother to grab both and to then whisper that she should use it to ”dry your tears” speaking said words in a cadence that belonged to an elder koopa Edward had never met, before seeing to himself. The prince wiped down his scales and then rather loudly blew his nose into it, prompting his sister to do the same.

”Thanks” the prince mumbled after he was done, handing back the now snotty and tear stained handkerchief, with Rika following suit a moment later.

Edward suppressed a grimace, and instead nodded to them again, before bundling up the handkerchiefs in a random spare bandage he had on him (he was now out of clean handkerchiefs, and would indeed need more).

He then turned away from them, keeping his checking on them far more subtle than his first look, but fortunately the situation had been stabilized.

As the funeral continued, Edward, in the back of head, debated on what he should say to the children after it was over, but in the end that choice was not his to make. When the wake ended the two would manage to weave their way between the legs of the crowd and away from him, in order to avoid exactly the kind of conversation Edward himself was not sure how to have.

He was silently thankful for this for a moment, and then admonished himself for the thought. Still, it was out of his hands now, unless he could catch the pair at some other time for a quiet, no doubt awkward, talk.

They did at least have their own talk of sorts, with Rika asking her brother ”Why do I feel better, but also worse?” to which the prince had no real answer. He, after all, only really felt worse. About the deaths, about the mess he’d been, about not talking about he and Midna had made that cool goop cannon that one time because it felt silly and pointless when compared to the other’s fancy words.

All he could really do, think of doing, was try and let this never happen again. As if responding to this desire, this mental statement of will, the metal on his hand began to reshape a little, preparing to bloom forth new life giving power.

Jr level up

Secret of the Lily (B’giotahmo Bravha): Part of Jr’s metal tattoo lattice on his shoulder transforms into a healing gauge that can fuel certain spells. The Blue lilies are gained every 20 seconds of combat, and up to 3 can be full grown at once. The singular blood lilly meanwhile will bloom after 3 lillies have been expended to fuel spells.

Blue lilies can be used to cast Afflatus Solace, which is a 30 yard ranged single target instant cast cure spell (60% stronger than cure) or Afflatus Rapture, which is a 20 yard aoe instant cast cure spell (25% weaker than cure). The blood lily meanwhile can be used to cast Afflatus Misery, which is a 25 yard range high damage spell (2.5 cures worth to be exact) that also hits all foes in 5 yards for 50% of the damage dealt to the primary target.

It was, in a way, he felt, all on him if people died. Such was the healer’s burden.

A terrible thing to allow a child to place on their own shoulders, and yet there it was, clear as day.

[Sadu]

【Ｃｅｌｉｃａ】

Level:
5
EXP:
13/50
Word Count:
1301 (+3)
Location:
The Avenger

Celica took her time eating, thinking to herself, letting everything sink in. After a while, Primrose went to do her own thing, and bit by bit the place cleared out. She was eventually left mostly alone, with just the odd person here and there. And so she finally got up, and decided it was time for her to fully explore the ship. So saw people gathered in the bar, and was there in the doorway when they started talking. But it just gave her an uneasy feeling, and she ended up leaving as it all got started. She just didn't feel like it was really her place to be at something like that, which had nothing to do with her, and was about people she had never met.

And so she went elsewhere, using the time where so many were gathered in one place to explore more quietly. Perhaps it would have been better to have a proper guide, maybe she should have asked one of the other two she had already spoken with for help, but as stubborn as she was, she was determined to figure things out on her own. And so off she went, starting up on the bridge. There wasn't exactly a lot to see up there however, as she had no idea what she was looking at. General... ship, bridge, stuff? The map was helpful, but she didn't feel like staring at it for too long, and so as quickly as she came she was gone.

She went down a level, into the Workshop, then the Training Center, and then the Lab. These were more places where she would probably need an explanation from someone else as to what was going on in them, but she also figured they were mostly self explanatory. She wasn't much of a tinker, nor a scientist or researcher, so the workshop and lab probably weren't anywhere she was going to spend too much time, but truly who could know?

In fact as she went down further, she quickly came to the conclusion that with each room having such a specific purpose, it was unlikely she would see many of them too often. Eventually she came to the Infirmary, where she had first started, and well, she HOPED she wouldn't have to see this place too much. And from there she found herself soon after in the place where they stored Spirits. She wasn't sure how to feel about that, but at least she knew where it was, like the other places. The idea of spirits, whether looking at them as actual spirits, or left behind data, was just a little bit unnerving. And so on her way she went again.

The lower levels held even more confusion for her... she had no idea what any of the rooms were, the Mysticenter, the Business Center, or the Proving Ground. She would have to ask someone later... who could they even do business with in a world like this?

But finally she ended up in the Cargo Bay, and she felt somewhat more at home here. The containers, the heavy equipment for moving them around, it felt just a little bit more like home, like the Industrial District of NLA. Just, on a much smaller scale. She didn't stay too long though, as she did have an intended end goal in mind, as she ended up going back to the upper floors, and found herself stepping into the Armory. Her goal was of course, on the other side, and walking right through she entered the Vehicle Bay. It only took a moment of looking around to see her Skell, propped up, armor torn to pieces, giant hold in the chest, and sparks falling out of it from time to time.

Walking over to, she placed a hand on the the side of what she could reach, and let out a long sigh. She hadn't exactly taken care of it, and she couldn't blame being under that thing's influence for that. She should know better than to act so recklessly with something like this. Skells where she came from were far too rare as it was, and she had been entrusted with one. And now here it was, torn apart, looking like it wasn't going to be in fighting shape any time soon.

She felt bad, not just because of what had happened to it, but because she knew she wasn't the most capable pilot there was to begin with. But where she was from, survival demanded the ability to take on threats that just a person with a gun couldn't handle. She stood there in silent thought for quite a while, imagining how her team would react if they saw the sorry state of the machine. The more she tried to imagine them upset however, the more she knew that would never be the case. Each person she tried to imagine scolding her for having gotten her Skell wrecked, all she could see was their worried faces asking if she was okay, and she knew it was all they would care about. Even the Commander would have been worried about her life first, and the status of the Skell as an after thought. Perhaps the Director would have been upset... but that was his job, to look at the big picture, not take stock of individual lives. He would be the one to acknowledge that a Skell out of commission was one less powerful weapon they had to defend themselves. But nobody else would have looked at it that way.

Thinking through it all, she seemed to be trying to find fault in her actions, to try and imagine someone reprimanding her so that she could try and imagine what they would say, hoping it might help her imagine how she could have done better. But ultimately, all that happened was she reached up and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, muttering a little "I wish you were here in my place Elma. These people could use your help a lot more than mine."

In fact in her mind, she was by far the worst possible person they could have ended up with from her team. Elsa was an amazing leader who would have never come in and tried to take over, but would have given guidance to those around her, while being more than willing to follow orders and go with the plans of others.

Lin would have probably loved this place. Not only could she have had this Skell back in working order in probably a day at most, she would probably be using every resource at her disposal to upgrade it. It would take everything in the crew's power to keep her from trying to upgrade everything else too..

And then there was Cross of course, the hero who held it all together... the one who took over for Elma when she wasn't able to lead. In fact she noted that Elma was often handing over leadership to Cross. There was something special about them... it was like, they were the main character in a story book or something-

Even Irina, Doug, or Lao would have been far better for them to have found. They were all far better soldiers than she was, and much, much more experienced pilots.

Though one thought did hit her... and her face scrunched up just a bit as she thought to herself for a moment. No, perhaps it was better they ended up with her... than that H.B. guy... poor idiot would have probably been kicked off the ship at their very next stop, he was just that insufferable.

Well at least her being the one who was found saved one poor soul from dying a sad, lonely death of their own making...

[Lugubrious]

The Avenger - Tuesday Evening Skies

Lvl 15 Ms Fortune (111/150) Lvl 8 Sandalphon (38/80) Lvl 5 Grimm (8/50)
Junior, Rika, & Edward’s @DracoLunaris Blazermate, Sectonia, & Roland’s @Archmage MC Geralt, Zenkichi & Edelgard’s @MULTI_MEDIA_MAN Ace Cadet, Pit, Primrose & Therion’s @Yankee Juri’s @Zoey Boey Roxas, Ganondorf, & Captain Falcon’s @Double, Celica’s @Sadu
Word Count: 653

To Sandalphon’s relief, almost every Seeker of Light in attendance offered a few words for the sake of the departed, however long they happened to have known them. The veteran’s size got mentioned more than Sandalphon would have expected, but for the most part everyone echoed the same sentiments about courage, capability, and sacrifice. Even in the strange and unpredictable circumstances afforded to them by the ebb and flow of the heroes’ grand campaign, both Goldlewis and Midna had made quite an impact on those around them, be it in times of war like the battle against Skyworld’s corruption, or in times of peace like the Carnival Town roulette. They hadn’t just been soldiers; they had been natural leaders. In the coming days, with official leadership a hotly-contested subject, their loss would be keenly felt.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, with each person sharing something new so that neither fallen comrade went unremembered, both Goldlewis and Midna were thoroughly eulogized. There was no weeping or anguish -nobody knew the two personally enough for that- but there were a few teary eyes, especially among the service’s youngest attendees. Luckily, the prevailing mood in Stolen Moments wasn’t one of dejection and misery, but respect and honor, with many vowing to not let such selfless sacrifices be in vain. Though this was Sandalphon’s first time heading such a ceremony, she was well aware of just how important they were. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, none of them could afford to forget that death could come for any of them at any moment. That vital knowledge made survival all the more precious, both for themselves and their allies. Furthermore, this bonding activity would help solidify them not just as assets, but as allies.

If only everyone was here. Even if she was capable of doing so, Sandalphon would not forget those who had spurned this event. It was well beyond both her abilities and her purview to attempt to divine their reasoning, but to an extent, their reasoning did not matter. Unity and trust were important. Of course, participation hadn’t been required, but one's actions still reflected on one's character. Whatever their reasons, the absentees should still have come. To not even as a formality was to make a conspicuous statement. She could only hope that this was not the beginning of a trend, and that no problems would arise from th

Once all the speeches concluded, Sandalphon raised her glass. She’d filled it with a snifter of the mead Sectonia chose, finding its honeyed flavor very compelling. The gentle, warm light of her halo swirled in the golden liquid. “To the fallen.”

Her toast marked the end of the service. With their drinks covered by Sandalphon herself, the Seekers could filter out from Stolen Moments and disperse into the Avenger with what the fallen would have wanted in mind. Among everything the attendees had said, it was some of what Ms Fortune’s said that weighed on the archangel most keenly. We better all become friends. Nobody wanted a silent funeral, intercut by rote condolences and vague sympathies. Hopefully, everyone would be spending more time together and getting to know one another better, in whatever time they were allotted.

If only.

After a minute or so of uncharacteristic hesitation, Sandalphon sent Zenkichi a message. A light screen would pop up in front of him displaying a letter, and at that point tapping the screen would display the succinct contents of her missive. It read, Mr. Hasegawa. I would like to request a brief, private audience with you in the Bridge. If this is acceptable, please rendezvous with me there at twenty hundred hours. Thank you. Sandalphon. That was about five minutes from now.

Since it was only about eight o’ clock in the evening, and quiet hours were not yet in effect, the Avenger was still full of activity. In the Vehicle Bay, Celica’s massive Skell was undergoing examination from the two foremost authorities on otherworldly tech amongst the Lost Numbers: the nopon Lulubi and Tora, much to the latter’s delight and the former’s chagrin. This machine would take time and effort to repair, and no doubt some specialized parts, but with these two on the case one could probably just expect some miracles.

An unusual duo, the knowledgeable Professor Koa and the lovely seamstress Anais, could be found working on a project in the airship’s main workshop they were keen to keep secret from any Seekers, at least for now.

A certain someone, stranger to some but old friend to many, had just arrived aboard the Avenger via Fulton recovery, and would soon find herself in the Training Center to put it -and herself- through their paces.

In the Mysticenter, Gronk Moldbreak happened to be testing rotfly cocoons in various kinds of medicinal potions in order to improve their flavor for the sake of the Lost Numbers’ children.

Bracket Brace could be found in the kitchen, finishing off the standard cleanup routine. When she wrapped up and began to take stock of the Lost Numbers dwindling food stores, the realities of feeding a much larger -and hungrier- fighting force than usual would quickly begin to set in.

Lakota, Dawn, and their daughters had just spun up the movie projector in the Common Room in order to watch Blood Puncher, a cheesy old-fashioned action flick. Anyone could join them if so inclined, and out of everyone, it was Grimm of all people who’d shown up. His Grimmchild seemed to like playing with the little girls, after all, and after missing dinner in favor of Celica’s nightmare flame, Grimm himself seemed interested in the complimentary microwave popcorn.

Though normally happy to serve as the Avenger’s janitor, the slime girl Gillian happened to be walking Caesar tonight. Clad in her heavily armored Haimatsu diving suit, Gillian followed the Great Pyrenees wherever he wanted to go, and would prove to be just as friendly as Caesar to anyone who happened to meet her for the first time.

Once Celica saw herself out of the infirmary, Eleison busied himself with fabricating new medkits. Making these consumables wasn’t exactly easy, but each one could be the difference between life and death, so the cleric worked tirelessly to prepare the supplies for tomorrow’s deployments. Though the act was somewhat meditative for him, he wouldn’t say no to a little help, either.

Finally, a couple youngsters seemed to take a particular interest in the Seekers themselves. The identical twins Bartholomew and Marguerite, universally known as Bart and Marg, were debating among themselves about which Seeker was the strongest, their wild speculation and ill-informed judgements conspicuously within earshot, as if to tempt the heroes to set them straight on the matter.

[Eviledd1984]

@Lugubrious @DracoLunaris @Simple Unicycle

Word Count: 448
Level: Lv: 6 EXP: (3/60)
Location: Dead Zone Hinterlands - Beneath Witch’s Nose

Harry didn’t seem to be getting any answers from anyone. A fact that immensely bothered the detective. “Well, apparently there's something under the castle the kids are afraid of.” Harry put away the items he had pulled out before. Standing a little closer towards Morris, staring him down. Even though he wasn’t sure of the other’s intentions, he was more concerned for the kid’s safety.

“These kids are scared to return to whatever hell might be living back in town. But I don’t think they should live here without their parents.” He said, now looking back at Hemisay and Molly. Harry eyed Amaterasu, thinking she knew something was wrong with the situation. Moving in front of Amaterasu to try and protect her.

Harry watched the conversation between Band, Bardon, and Morris, looking over at Molly, and wondered if the guards were starting a fight to bring back the kids. He assumed Amaterasu knew something he didn’t know. And he hoped he could figure out the truth.

"There is something off about the situation. Neither party is telling the truth about their intentions. But it doesn’t look like you’ll be a part of the investigation to find the truth.” His Perception said, which angered Harry greatly.

“Something is not right here. But it seems obvious that Bardon and Morris are hiding something.” Inland Empire added to the conversation. Confirming that there was nothing more he could do. The detective clenched his hand and bit his lower lip. Biting hard enough that a small trail of blood oozed out of the side of his mouth.

“Screw it i’m not gonna let anyone harm these kids.” Harry licked the blood from his lips. He got into a fighting stance along with the others. He wondered how he had summoned the figure armed with a katana. But he assumed it was another power he got being here. He did a bizarre pose. as he stood near the katana wielding figure. Feeling good, because the guard didn’t want to fight them.

Smiling as he saw the guards starting to leave. However, part of him felt good about winning this battle. He still had this bad feeling in the deepest part of his stomach. “Well, you guys did good there.” Harry said, giving them a thumbs up and his patented smile. “I feel like we should check whatever is underneath the castle. Just to bring closure to this case. Don’t know how the rest of you feel about doing that.” He said before shrugging his shoulders. Following Band and the others wherever their next destination is. Waving goodbye to Molly, Stein, and the kids. After all of this, he would need a good drink.

[Captain Uni]

Level:
5
EXP:
6/50
Location:
Dead Zone Hinterlands - Witch's Nose
Word Count:
141 (+1)
Interactions:
@Lugubrious @Eviledd1984 @DracoLunaris

Kit had watched the showdown between his group and the guards in silence, a hand kept on his sword just in case things escalated far enough. It wasn't going too well until Heismay decided to step in, transforming into a new form that seemed properly intimidating. His show of power was enough to convince the guardsmen to finally check underneath their castle, and Kit let his hand fall from his sword with a sigh of relief at that.

As the group came together to step out of the cave, Kit waved goodbye to the young boy he had given the horse to. The group left the cave behind, stepping out of the mountain pass to gaze upon the lake. Kit looked at the others, then spoke up, "Let's hope we can find that monster. All these kids are relying on us."

[DracoLunaris]

wordcount: 334 (+1)
Amaterasu: level 8 EXP: ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (17/80)
Location: Dead Zone Hinterlands - Witch’s nose

Amatarasu’s growling aggression ramping up the likelihood of a fight breaking out was interrupted by Harry placing himself between the divine wolf and the guards. For a moment she mistakenly believed that he was trying to protect them from her, and was thoroughly appalled at that prospect, until he turned his back to her and made it clear it was she he was trying to protect from them.

An absurdity.

The celestial was quite sure she could rip through these foul smelling scum with ease. She did not need protection from them.

This brief redirection of her ire gave the level heads time to talk something out, though Amatarasu wasn’t exactly sure she liked simply letting the guards go. Even if their boss wasn’t in on their deeds, that only meant that they would try and remove him from the equation rather than actually reveal their crimes, which wasn’t going to solve anything.

As such she was entirely onboard with going along with the plan of checking out the place the monster supposedly lurked.

The rest, it seemed, were onboard, including Heismay, which would be interesting. She wasn’t quite sure what sort of power he’d activated, and seemingly neither was he, but the resulting armored figure had certainly seemed like a powerful figure indeed. Given his pre-existing speed, she was very interested in seeing it in action.

Speaking of, perhaps it was time she allowed them to see her in action as well. It would at the very least dissuade Harry of the foolish notion that she of all beings needed protecting.

Of course, neither of those things were really what was important, as Kit reminded them as they exited the cave. If there was fighting to be done, it was, first and foremost, fighting for the sake of the children. The wolf giving Kit an acknowledging glance for his words, before she set off, leading the way as she followed the trail of the guards back the way the way they had come.