Vitcity

Leia

"Huh?  Oh, yeah...  I'm not too much of a people-person, but Natsumi seems pretty nice, I guess?"  Jimmy rubs his neck.  "Maybe a little odd but not, uh, in a bad way?  Kiran's kind of... weird, though.  What's the word?  A flirt?"

When you go to hand the photos back to Jimmy, he snaps open a small notebook to tuck them away.  You notice he places them on one side, but there's another stack of photos on the other.  You manage to steal a glance at the top photo.  It has a much clearer picture of a monster.  What's more, you get a glimpse of an arm belonging to one of those power-armor suits on the edge of the frame.

Jimmy quickly snaps the notebook shut, but you're almost sure about what you saw.  It was too glow-y to be anything else but some kind of weird armor, magic or metal.  And the giant snake monster was very, very clear.  He only showed you the bad pictures.  He's definitely hiding something.


Dewey

You check to make sure you're alone - you double-check for any cameras pointed in this direction, too.  It seems clear, other than the present company.  You hold up your key and find it reacts easily.  If anything, it seems to be functioning better than it usually does in the real world.

The caped crusader's head cocks with recognition as you transform.  "Ah! I remember you from yesterday's crisis! You carried yourself well back then, comrade. Well met."

"Yes, yes.  Everyone is friends here," Mareena says.  "You've had a few questions, and now I've one of my own.  Tell me, what do you make of what happened yesterday?"


Nora

Alice plays a lot better this game.  Her moves are more confident.  She even seems a little more giggly now - though she makes sure to pause and watch you carefully for any surprise tickles before ever moving her queen this time.  Eventually she ignores a trap you tried to set and instead sends her knights on a suicide charge into your rear line, leaving your queen underdefended.  She loses half her pieces and has to take a few breaks to catch her breath from all the giggling but comes out ahead in the exchange and manages to break through your front.  It's only a few turns before she plops her queen down for a checkmate.

Alice grins at you.  "Well?  I told you it wasn't just nerves or anything.  And now it's your turn for a date with that damned feather duster...  After dinner, of course."  Alice's grin slowly fades.  "...Is what I would normally say.  But I've kinda... been keeping some stuff from you, too.  Or at least never had a good chance to say anything about it...  So, I can hardly say you deserve some special punishment and I don't, now can I?  I'll explain after dinner.  In the meantime, best two of three to see which of us is first?"

Nora

Alice starts the tiebreaker much slower than before, over-developing her knights first. One of her bad habits. "I've been thinking. A lot. About that day with the elevator. And it's all really blurry. But I keep thinking and thinking. And with the few... shadows of things I can remember... and some things about my injuries that were kinda weird... I don't think I was in an elevator accident." Alice stops mid-move. "I mean... I was, I think, but not a bad one. I think I only fell a little and the emergency brakes stopped it. I... kinda vaguely remember prying my way out. I think? And then I think I was attacked by a monster..." She picks up the knight she was about to move, twirling it in her hand. "I haven't said anything because I'm really not sure. It's all so blurry. Half-real and half-fake and all hazy. Like a dream right after you wake up. And it's a lot to think about. But I really should've said something about my suspicions, maybe... I just didn't want to sound crazy or paranoid or start throwing out accusations that... y'know."

Dewey takes a moment to consider his answer.
“Well, on the one hand Id say it was a good reminder of how serious this all is. We’re lucky the city is so well defended - considerably better than I thought, in fact, as the fact the damages were as minimal as they were is a miracle. The fact that all of this came from a few overstimulated Soul Keys is concerning, and under lesser circumstances could raise questions about whether we should still be using them… but then, what happened was also a reminder of why we do t have that luxury. If we don’t figure out a way to stop them the Vagus will eventually break down the borders between worlds, and then yesterday will seem like a minor nuisance by comparison.”

Nora grins, leaning back and folding her arms over her chest and crossing her legs. "My, my. Look at that. Someone's finally actually playing me again, instead of the demons in her head. Well done. You win, I admit it. So? What now?"

She leans forward, her arms moving so she's resting her chin on the back of her hands, her grin widening further. "Whatever will my special punishment be? Surely a simple feather duster won't satisfy all your pent up frustrations. You won. I'm all yours."

Leia can't hide the shock in her face. Shock which quickly turns to pure confusion. No sadness. No anger. Confusion. She starts walking from side to side in front of Jimmy, rambling in front of him. And while she's talking to him, it almost feels like she's thinking out loud. And there is not a single ounce of stuttering.

"I saw that... But why? Are you Gamma? You're Gamma aren't you? I was certain it wasn't you, but it doesn't matter. I guess you already have a Soul Key or something similar. I don't need to ask Natsumi or Kiran to obtain one from you! But why would you hide that from me? Did you think I'd hate you? I don't even know why we're supposedly enemies. Nobody will answer me. Not even Natsumi. You saved me. Again. And again. And again. How could you think I could show anything other than grattitude? You're not a supervillain, you're a superhero just like us. You prevent monsters from invading our world, just like us. Is it because I didn't respect the prophecy? It's because I fell in love with Natsumi when you so clearly thought I was destined to you isn't it? Maybe the prophecy didn't mean the first girl you saw when you got told about it. I don't know. I'm sorry if I misled you. I was not scared of your reaction. I was scared of the paranormal. I was scared that if I broke your heart I would break the space-time continnuum. Is that really a crazy thought after all we've seen. I'm so sorry Jimmy... I'm so sorry that I hurt you... That you couldn't trust me... But I still trust you..."

The ramble goes on and on as if it won't end if she doesn't get interrupted. She is not looking at Jimmy at all.

Leia seems to be about to go in another monologuing rant, but then looks Jimmy in the eyes and stops.

"Why would she...

Can I meet her?

I mean properly meet her.

Maybe I'll know what I'm fighting for then."