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Post by Digi on Apr 27, 2020 9:23:07 GMT -5
"Your troops are obviously from the city. If you hadn't protected the city then their loyalty might've faultered. Yeah. That's a cynical as fuck way of thinking about it, but I'm sure you can understand our predicament."
Tai stays in a protective stance, taking a glance at the others for a moment, but keeping his concentration focused on Mercia and co. He doesn't make a move, but he'll be ready if he needs to.
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Post by Malefio on Apr 27, 2020 16:40:43 GMT -5
Leia tries to cough to clear her throat. She manages to speak, very very quietly.
"Sorry... I didn't know my voice had such power... I'll get used to it...
What I was saying is that you should have stopped it before it came to this.
I tried to. Didn't have the ressources. Didn't have the knowledge. But evidently, you had, knowing that MR. Butterfly was in danger.
Yet, you acted at the last second.
If I, LEIA EVERETT, didn't warn anyone that these monsters could pass the portal, my friends wouldn't have come to help, that lone horror would have went into the city unnoticed and OUR DAMN COLORS WOULD HAVE BEEN STOLEN!!!"
Leia coughs after this attempted scream, trying to catch her breath, then speaks again.
"Conclusion, I saved the world. Natsumi saved the world. Tai saved the world. Alice saved the world. Mercia just noticed them saved the world and tried to take the credits.
Now, I won't forget that you saved our lives and personally, I haven't seen you do anything that warrants everything thinking you're the bad guy.
Thank you for saving us. By my book, you're an ally.
Thank you, but still, I think the credits is ours and death doesn't scare me if it means saving the world...
Death is actually a nice lady, but that's another story.
Just remember that you being powerful doesn't mean you don't need help."
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Post by Vitsheep on Apr 27, 2020 17:57:41 GMT -5
Tai, Leia
Mercia draws herself up, wings bristling. "I-"
Greatsword sheathes their sword, puts one hand on their hip, and holds up a finger. "I need to correct some things! First of all, they don't just steal color, they steal aether, which makes up the Otherworld the same way atoms make up ours! Fortunate atoms and aether can coexist without anything disastrous, huh? But who-o-o-o-o knows what they would do to this world, hm? Second! We did indeed know 'Mr. Butterfly' as you insist on calling him was at risk, but we did not just now act! We have been culling these leeches every few days for weeks now, but this is not the only place they're appearing and they always come back and we can only do so much!"
"Enough, Iota," Sword says.
Iota puts the other hand on their hip for some double-hip sass. "No, I'm not done! Thi-i-i-i-i-ird, in case you didn't notice us standing here and the others inside, Mercia pretty obviously went and got help. So! Real conclusion, you did not save the world, you just delayed its end another few days! And I thank you very, very much for the assistance! It's much appreciated and I look forward to working with you in the future." Iota does a graceful curtsy that causes their greatsword to scrape against the ground for a moment. "Whoops, forgot four. You really should fear death, because that defeats the point of saving people when you are in fact also a person!"
"...Are you done?" Sword asks.
"Nope!" Iota taps a button on their waist and produces four small, black throwing knives. They toss them towards the ground by Tai. "There ya go. Next time you see a leech, try those instead! They're really resistant to aether-based weapons." With that, Iota turns on their heel and marches off into the portal.
"...Uh, sorry about that. Iota's just... in a mood lately," Sword says. "If you'll excuse us?"
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Post by Digi on Apr 27, 2020 18:05:13 GMT -5
Tai doesn't seem to relax at all, but be shrugs, not having anything left to say.
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Post by Malefio on Apr 27, 2020 18:07:36 GMT -5
Leia seems to want to say something, but Iota leaves before she can, so she just seems to mumble to herself.
"I'm scared of death... Just not mine..."
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Post by Vitsheep on Apr 28, 2020 11:20:00 GMT -5
Tai, Leia
Mercia flies through the portal and out of sight. The one with the sword pauses just long enough to give an awkward wave before they leave.
Alice sighs and reverts to her normal form. "Annoying..." She turns in the direction Mercia pointed. "But she's right. We should find shelter for the night, and the ski resort's the best place to hunker down. Come on."
Natsumi holds Leia back for a moment. "If you're not scared of dying..." she spins her around and pokes her on the nose. "You should at least be scared of leaving your friends behind, OK?"
"Keep up!" Alice orders. She stumbles, and immediately defies her own orders. She crouches down, picking up the chunk of shell she tripped over.
Obtained Leech Fragment x2!
Obtained Anti-Leech Throwing Knife x1!
You proceed to head through the ruins of the forest. Alice tries to lead, but shortly finds herself running out of stamina and having to slow down as you have to make your way through the downed trees and blocked paths. You're soon thankful that the clouds parted and let the moon shine down, as trying to stumble through the difficult terrain in the dark would have been nigh-impossible. And creepy, too... You don't run into any animals, and the only sounds come from the splintering and settling of destroyed trees. At least Natsumi seems well at-ease here in this moonlit forest.
You clear a ridge and find yourselves at the top of a slope, coated in a stark-white artificial snow... and a distant building in the shape of a giant log cabin. Like Mercia said, it looks like the terrain protected this place from the worst of the blast. Your relief at the sight of a safe structure quickly fades as you realize you'll need to make your way down the ski slope to get there. Alice sighs, sits down, and starts sliding down slowly and carefully, and Natsumi follows suit.
When you make it to the building, Alice marches in like she owns the place... which she kind of does. A clerk, just finishing calming down the last of some concerned guests, turns to her. Fortunately, he seems to realize she's his boss' daughter, and Alice manages to secure you a pair of rooms without trouble. She orders the clerk to admit any other hikers that stumble in overnight and deal with payment later.
Natsumi insists on rooming with Leia and changes into a set of pajamas the resort provided for you. "No offense, Tai, but Leia's kinda shy." She heads to bed after wishing you all a goodnight.
Alice barely manages to get her shoes off and untie her hair before passing out on top of the bed.
Sunday, October 7th
Morning
Tai
You wake up to the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. Sounds like Alice, despite her exhaustion, managed to get up before you.
Leia
When you wake up, Natsumi is still curled up asleep beside you.
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Post by Digi on Apr 28, 2020 13:00:46 GMT -5
Tai dors some light stretching then texts a couple of people.
Mattea: "Last night was a shitshow. But everyone's safe at least."
Dewey: "Ran into Mercia and a couple of her goons. Hate to admit it but the bitch kinda bailed us out of a bad situation. Still not sure what her angle is though."
Natsumi:"Are you and Leia okay? Shit got pretty intense last night."
He also shoots his mom a text that he's safe, though he suspects she's too busy working to even have noticed his absence.
Whiel he waits for Alice and repsonses, he'll practice sketching.
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Post by Malefio on Apr 28, 2020 16:52:31 GMT -5
Leia will look at Natsumi for a few seconds, with a goofy smile.
She will then slowly get out of bed, making sure Natsumi has as much sheets to curl up in as she can.
Leia whispers to herself.
"This is a shame... We're not home... I can't cook for her... Maybe I can invite her tonight! She didn't get to taste my chili... I just have to redo it..."
She seems to walk from one wall to another, lost in her head.
"Those "leeches" keep reappearing she said? Which means we still have to keep tab on that place... I can do that... I didn't get to notice if the colors came back... Aether she said?
Natsu-girl, Tai, Leia and Alice, Heroes of Aether... Sounds great... Maybe Buttons and Kiran would want to join our group... I have to ask if we want an official name to everyone first though...
Heroes of Aether... It sounds really cool..."
Leia will sit down, look at Natsumi still sleeping, then start drawing her.
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Post by Vitsheep on Apr 28, 2020 20:20:45 GMT -5
Tai
Mattea: "Yeah Alice txted me this AM and gave me the cliffnotes"
Natsumi and Dewey don't answer right away.
You don't get long to sketch before the shower stops. Alice walks wearing her Otherworld outfit as she wraps a towel around her hair. "Hey, Tai. So. They're sending a bus up to bring everyone down. We'll be back in the city just in time for breakfast. Oh, and guess what?" She gestures to her armor.
Leia
You sketch Natsumi for a bit before her phone buzzes. She starts awake, rolling over to grab her phone. She pauses when she notices you and remembers where you are. She lets out a long sigh and rolls onto her back, stretching and pushing the covers half-off. She lies with her arms over her head and stares at you silently for a moment with a soft smile. She rolls onto her side, lifting up the covers with one arm and patting the bed next to her with the other.
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Post by Malefio on Apr 28, 2020 20:23:47 GMT -5
"Hey... Hum... Natsu-girl...
Would huh... You didn't get to taste my chili for the cookoff...
Would... Would... Would you like to come over tonight? I can do some award-winning chili for you...
And you can meet Winkybunion!"
Leia seems completely red.
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Post by Digi on Apr 28, 2020 20:32:29 GMT -5
He types a quick response to Mattea. "Yeah, shit was fucked. Glad you weren't there. Wish none of the others were either though."
Tai tilts his head quizzically.
"You... cna activate this far away..? And at this time of day...? How the fuck did you manage that?"
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Post by Vitsheep on Apr 29, 2020 3:41:20 GMT -5
Leia
Natsumi gives Leia another few seconds, then tosses the covers off and springs to her feet. "Yep, tonight is cat night!" She looks at her phone and sends some messages. "Alice says a shuttle will take us back to town in a few minutes! Good. I need to go check on Dad. I'll come over around dinner, OK?"
Tai
Dewey: "I don’t suppose that bad situation had anything to do with the weather, did it?"
Natsumi: "So sore from all the hiking... (ㄒoㄒ) We'll be out soon"
Alice shrugs. "I have an idea but I don't exactly like it. If that creature exploded and released all of that aether into our world... Who knows what else might have happened. We need to hurry back to town and investigate." She walks over and send some messages on her phone, then stops and swears. "Fuck. My mom. We really need to get back ASAP. Go get changed and I'll get the others moving."
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Post by Malefio on Apr 29, 2020 5:52:07 GMT -5
"Oh cool!"
Leia springs up and goes fir a quick hug to Natsumi. She takes a few step after, with a goofy smile, twirls like a ballerina, then takes a pose with her fist in the air, closed.
"We're superheroes, Natsu-girl! What do you think of the name "Heroes of Aether?""
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Post by Digi on Apr 29, 2020 7:38:26 GMT -5
Tai changes pretty qyickly. As he does, responds to Dewey.
"Yeah, the monster that was destroying the Otherworld area we found got out. We killed in, but it had a fucking self-destruct mechanism when it died. And now Alice at least was able to summon her Otherworld form just now. Way after fucking midnight and nowhere near a portal. She think it's because of the Aether the monster released."
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Post by Vitsheep on Apr 29, 2020 17:31:43 GMT -5
Tai
"I'll go make sure the others are getting ready," Alice says, giving you some privacy to change.
Leia
Natsumi mimics the spin and pose, then thinks for a moment. "The name's good, but I think the little dance might be too much if we're trying to be kinda subtle."
A knock comes from the door. Natsumi opens it and Alice steps in. She looks around the room and frowns. "Sorry. I wish you could stay and enjoy yourselves a bit, but I'll have to make that up to you another time. I need to get back to town as fast as possible, so could you get dressed quick?"
She seems upset.
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