Busou Shinki the Roleplay - IC

[Zombehs]

“Hmmm….” Humming to herself as the Asuna introduced herself; Alicia could say she was slightly disappointed in the reaction. Well, lack thereof to be accurate. It’d have been more amusing if the Shinki had made a show of being disgraced at being treated in such a way and demanded a duel to show Alicia some lessons. Then again reality rarely matched up with the delusions Alicia dreamed off. Momoko on the other hand did not fail to disappoint. Feeling the Murmeltier’s strong grip yank her prodding hand away from Sora, Alicia gave the Asuna a light shrug before she was pulled away by the angry Shinki.

“Of course that’s not how I greet someone. That’s how I annoy someone in hopes they’ll challenge me, I thought that was fairly apparent.” Alicia gave a shrug and smirk as Momoko paused and stared at her as if unsure Alicia was joking or not. “Oh gods,” she muttered as the Murmeltier got into her lecturing stance, legs spread apart and eyes boring holes into the custom Shinki. Brushing the Murmeltier’s lecture off with a scoff, it was not the first, second nor even the third time Alicia had heard it, she turned to Sora and gave a slight bow. “Apologies to you,” she said before rising from the bow. Seeing as how Momoko was still droning on like a broken record, Alicia ran for the desk’s edge while turning around to the Murmeltier. “Toodles,”she called out before giving the annoyed Shinki a small wave and dropping off the edge towards the ground.

Landing on the ground with a small thump and roll, Alicia turned to catch an indigent looking Murmeltier glaring at her from the table top. Thankfully Momoko was either too annoyed or too tired to bother with her and the Shinki gave her one last glare before turning her attentions elsewhere. Free from the attention, Alicia sighed as she looked around the room. A bit dark now that the clouds had come in and the rain had begun to fall, Alicia nevertheless had little trouble making out objects scattered throughout the room. Pausing in her observations, a realization dawned upon the lazy Shinki. The floor was fine too! Satisfied with such a realization, Alicia was about to lie down and stare at the ceiling where she was, but a brief moment of thought told her she’d be just as likely be either ignored, seen and ignored or stepped upon if she just lay out in the open. And so Alicia was faced with the task of finding a relatively safe area to laze about, as easy and trivial the task seemed.

[ERode]

The Arnval that got first place was smiling, a wide grin on her face as her master applauded her.

She rode silently on his shoulder. Neither party spoke a word.

The Howling that got third place after being soundly defeated by a custom model still managed a smile, satisfied with her placing.

The sound of footsteps up a staircase echoed, reflecting the emptiness of everything.

The one who got runner-up wasn’t smiling in front of the cameras that flashed and clicked.

The door opened, swinging outwards as a draft of cold air swept inwards.

She was expressionless, lost in her loss.

Her Cradle swung back and forth, held in the hand of her maker.

Her words in the interviews were cynical and accusatory.

A cloudy sky stretched in front of them, pristine buildings reaching up to touch them.

He only spoke two words to her.

From above, humans seemed even smaller than Shinkis.

She only spoke three words to him.

From free fall, the wind felt really good.

”You’re defective.”

Maelstrom flew.

”I hate you.”

Maelstrom fell.

[Komamisa]

"Yay~!" with an almost exaggeratedly energetic cheer, Akemi raised her arms to complement her celebratory gesture. More participants that were from the same household, especially cute participants for the show were always a completely welcome addition. In the same general motion, the Arnval gave Alicia a quick, melodic little "thank you" before she did a small rear-ward handspring right at the corner of the shelf, grabbing on momentarily to swing her feet toward the ground below, landing with all the gymnastic precision that only a Shinki or similar humanoid robot could perform. Of course, she wasn't doing any of this to show off, it was just Akemi's way of dealing with two things at once: training her motor functions, and celebrating!

"Ah, right, it's tomorrow evening! I already took the liberty and registered the two of us a few days ago. And Alicia is coming now, too. But they take at-the-door registrations, as long as the Master's or Mistress' ID is given, sooooo..." she let the word hang in for a second, knowing that Momoko knew that a 100% functional copy of Natsuki's ID was within Akemi's possession for the sake of handling things like paperwork and all the more 'onerous' tasks for a homeowner, with a simulated breath, Akemi continued, "All three of us are good to go!"

~~

Sora was looking like a wonderful addition already! Though for some reason... there was a slight feeling about her that couldn't be shaken off, like there might be just one flaw to the Asuka's personality that hadn't surfaced yet, begging itself to get out. Akemi blinked once, then twice, and cupped her cheek again, holding her elbow and tapping her fingers with all the symbolism of a thinking person. The Arnval just couldn't bring herself to think of what was nagging her about Sora's replies—not that she meant to bear any ill-will in the first place—that would hint at some sort of problem for the future. After a few idle moments lost in thought, Akemi let her arms hang loose and shrugged, finally coming back to face reality...

The reality was, Alicia seemed to be in the middle of... feeling Sora's bones? Testing the composition of the Fighter Type's simulated flesh? Poking for no reason at all? Well, at least Sora didn't appear to be too taken aback by the action, reacting much in the way of some sort of Japanese example of a woman's willpower and reservation—which meant that there was a rather noticeable lack of reaction, of course, hopefully not some sort of forced attitude! If something was annoying you and in the way, surely it's best to mention it and get it resolved straight away, instead of building up any resentment, right? With a step forward and mouth open to speak, Akemi began to get into motion to interrupt Alicia's moment, managing to get out a, "Alicia, you shou-" before she was cut off by Momoko, who reacted in the sort of way that Akemi was trying to move to prevent.

With a small sigh, the Arnval put a closed fist to her waist and braced her forehead against some fingers, scratching her scalp at the same time, pouting with her lips. Of course, Momoko wasn't wrong in any way, but there were less... tense ways to deal with certain situations, most not involving dragging someone off and recycling a speech. "Well," Akemi cleared her throat and took a deep breath before returning to her smiling self, "Like I said, we're a rather relaxed household... So being randomly touchy once in a while is sort of normal."

"Though... I don't think Momoko feels the same way in this case," she added in a hushed mumble, accompanied by another momentary, childish pout before perking up, as if hearing something that no one else did. Though in this case, that really was the case, as an internal clocked chimed for the Shinki in her mind, signaling a certain time of day, "Ah... I have to go feed Oslo! I'll be back!"

Quick equipping her standard Arnval Mk. II armor, with a few, seemingly custom pieces, Akemi flew off, leaving the desk with just Momoko and Sora.

[Xaltwind]

The Past...

Momoko could nothing but sigh and place her palm against her own forehead, being powerless and unsurprised at the Arnval already having taken such measures. She also felt immensely defeated at the moment, since the other shinki had already predicted that she would cave in to the suggestion and gone ahead and pre-registered her. Maybe the Angel-type knew her too well? Or maybe it was just a 50-50 chance occurence? No matter, what was done was done and now she would have to got a fashion show with the style-savvy Akemi and the lazy-as-Natsuki Alicia... This would not end well...

Present:

Staring daggers at Alicia as she fled the lecture, jumped down to the floor and dashed off, Momoko's mouth was twisted into an upside down 'v'-shape again. She hated when the good-for-nothing ditched her in the middle of a scolding, it was so disrspectful! She should have the manners and courtesy to listen to the people who are taking care of her and letting her stay at their house, for free, not expecting anything in return! The Murmeltier briefly pondered the idea of equipping her gear and blasting off a warning-shot... But she decided not too, the Mistress had after all - in a rare event some time ago - strictly prohibited the shinki from using their weaponry indoors unless it was an absolute emergency. Dealing with Alicia was never an emergency, just a pain. Seeing the custom-model vanish from her sight, she turned back to watch Akemi and Sora, the earlier of which was whispering something and passing a glance over at the Panzer-type. Momoko tilted her head slightly confused, then walked over to the duo - just in time to hear Akemi mention Oslo and then fly off. She shuddered at the mention of that monster. Alone with the Asuka, Momoko decided it was finally time for a proper introduction.

"Hello. I'm Momoko." She said bluntly, standing at attention with a straight back, legs spread apart a bit and her hands held behind her back, clasped together. "Welcome to our home. Remember to obey and protect the young Mistress with your life, and we'll get along just fine. Be sure that you listen to the Arnval and me as well, newcomer. We'll make sure you get used to things." Unlike Akemi's rather lax and laid-back introduction, Momoko's speech was more along the lines of an indtroductionary speech given by sergeants at military camps to fresh recruits. "Any questions?" She finally added, looking the Fighter-type straight in the eyes, with her face being blank and neutral and her eyes being just the same.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the apartment...

Schlrp... Schlrp... Schlrrrrrrrrrrrrrp...

A stransge, sloppy and wet sound could be heard. It resonated with regular intervals, but it was hard to say from exactly where it was coming. As the custom-model Alicia walked about, looking for a good spot to slack off and be alone, she soon found herself pursued by the noise. Regardless of where she went, jumped up/down or hid, the noise would keep getting closer and closer. Finally, as she was out on the floor, in the media room (where Natsuki kept her TV, visualizers, gaming stations and etc) a sudden shrill noise was heard and then... Splotch!

In an instant, the multi-limbed octopus of a genetrically enhanced nature, landed just behind the shinki, seemingly having dropped from the ceiling! It let out a strange, bubbling 'Ododododo!' noise, before starting to flail its tentacled arms and limbs about in an excited fashion, trying to sweep the little gynoid up in a playful - though somehow lewd - manner.

Outside...

"Hmm?"

Natsuki looked up, as something had struck her umbrella and then bounced off. But there was nothing above but rainy clouds, and she soon returned to looking ahead. Though as she was about to take a step, she froze. There, on the ground infront of her, lay a Shinki which she had never seen before, along with a somewhat now-dented Cradle. The youth stood quiet and looked at the two items, her eyes bearing her typical 'this doesn't concern or relate to me' expression. However, she could also imagine just what had happened here. For as contradiction would have it and despite what her school and classmates asid, Natsuki was actually a frighteningly astute and inteligent person - it was just that she didn't care to show it most of the time, as sleeping was more comfortable.

Bending down, she grabbed the Cradle first and moved it closer to her, so that it was out of the rain, under her umbrella. Next, she reached over and grabbed the strange shinki, who was now both wet and dirty from having fallen through the air and landed on the wet, dirty sidewalk. She held the little sentient machine in her palm for a bit, merely staring at it quietly. Thoughts went through her head and various scenarios were painted up in her mind. Finally, she settled for speaking - though her voice was as deadpan and void of emotions or interest as ever.

"I'm guessing you were thrown away? Normally, you don't toss both your shinki and cradle away like this - unless you just want to be rid off them for good." Her observation. She didn't wait for a response though. "What will you do now, Ms. Abandoned-and-tossed-aside Shinki?" She asked rather straightforward and without really seeming to care regardless of what the little thing in her hand would reply. It's like one of those cheesy anime where a girl falls outta the sky and becomes the protagonist's girlfriend... The otaku-thought.

[PlatinumSkink]

Alicia’s poking was stopped upon the arrival of a peach-haired shinki which pulled her off Sora. While somewhat happy that her personal space was no longer being breached, although that had its charms in its own way, Sora wondered about the scene which occurred directly after. Alicia was being scolded by the Murmeltier. Sora tilted her head somewhat perplexed, it wasn’t as if she had come to harm because of it or something. There was no real need to put that kind of limits on it.

… Though, apparently, that had been a test by the custom shinki to see if Sora would challenge her or not. Oh, I see, Sora thought. Was that a pass? Sora allowed a little giggle to emerge as Alicia fled the verbal assault for the floor. Really. How interesting.

‘I don’t mind at all.’ Sora responded to Akemi’s words about becoming touchy once in a while was sort of normal. If it was for the sake of a good neighborhood, then Sora wouldn't mind a bit more touching. A bit more. ‘It is partners like those all shinki should strive for~’ Then Akemi left to feed… Oslo? They were in charge of some being that needed to be fed? Oh, how interesting. Sora would need to have a go at that, later. Though right at that moment, Momoko gave her introduction and asked if Sora had any questions.

‘Any questions I have will arise naturally as our lives continue.’ Sora smiled gently at Momoko. ‘Thank you for your consideration.’ Sora brought a finger to her chin as she looked at the other shinki. ‘Say, wouldn’t she be more likely to follow instructions if they were delivered to her through a method she approved of? Scolding is slightly disturbing, why not attempt using a different method?’ Sora kept smiling at Momoko like she had just suggested the most easy and most deployable method ever to have existed… though it was clearly not.

‘Now, then… Do you mind if I have a little tour of here? I’d like to see what the others suddenly thought of doing~’ Completely forgetting that she might perhaps better rest until she was fully charged, the Asuka now called Sora started walking towards the edge of the table, intending to get around and explore the vicinity and what everyone else was doing.

[Zombehs]

Frowning, Alicia was beginning to feel slightly worried. It’d been a few minutes since it last began, but ever since she had decided to look for a better spot to slack off, she’d found herself pursued by a noise. The noise was that of Natsuki’s strange pet moving around, which meant Oslo seemed to have managed to escape its tank and was now slinking around the room. Quickening her pace, Alicia found herself jogging around the apartment, pursued by the unrelenting and strange creature. Sliding to a halt Alicia quickly glanced about, hoping to catch a glimpse of her pursuer. She saw electronics all around her, but nothing that resembled a genetically modified octopus. Not until she looked upwards though.

Her eyes met those of Oslo’s and with a shrill screech the cephalopod dropped to the floor, spraying slime all around. “Ugh….” Groaning as some of the sticky liquid splashed onto her, Alicia didn’t have much time to mope about, as Oslo began to sweep its tentacles around. Having been caught once by Natsuki’s pet the first day she had arrived, Alicia was in no mood to play with Oslo again. Ducking underneath an approaching tentacle, the Shinki had learned just how strong the suckers Oslo possessed were and seeing as it was still Natsuki’s pet, Alicia couldn’t outright harm the beast. Keeping to the ground where she was just as maneuverable as Oslo’s tentacles the Shinki ducked, weaved and dashed about, a tiny gynoid seeking safety amidst a myriad of limbs and tentacles.

“…..”

Having left the media room a long time ago, Alicia was still being relentlessly pursued by Oslo. While as a Shinki, she was more than capable of playing with the Octopus until her energy ran dry, being unable to use Body’s Aegis was irritating and without the additional boost it granted to her physical abilities, turning her back to Oslo was risky. Then again, “playing” with the strange beast fairly good practice when the other Shinki weren’t obliging. The multiple arms meant Alicia had to constantly pay attention to Oslo and its movements whilst monitoring her surroundings. Oslo wasn’t particularly fast, but its dogged determination combined with having many limbs meant Alicia was constantly under assault from all directions at all times.

“Tch.”

Getting covered in the slime that covered Oslo’s body was always a pain though. The liquid sprayed everywhere whenever Oslo reached out with its limb or tentacle and was sticky and smelt strange. It was the least of Alicia’s worries at the moment though, as more pressing was the fact that if she got caught she’d have to live through Oslo’s “affection” until Natsuki bothered freeing her. This if the gynoid could recall, had taken almost two days last time. Twirling away from Oslo, Alicia slid to a stop as she felt her back press up against the wall. Tilting her head as Oslo made a shrill sound, happy the game of chase had finally come to an end, Alicia smirked. Leaping off the ground, Oslo’s tentacles grasped at empty air as Alicia flew above them. Land briefly on the wall, the gynoid’s expression went blank as a myriad of tentacles rose up to snatch her from the air. A challenge it was, but impossible it was not. Kicking herself off the wall, Alicia flew, smacking aside tentacles, whilst kicking off others to redirect herself through the air. Landing behind Oslo with a roll, Alicia turned to face the beast as Oslo scuttled around to face the Shinki.

[ERode]

She fell, and then, she struck the ground. Her light frame allowed her to bounce a few ways up, and through some freak accident of superior luck, Maelstrom's limbs, nor anything really important, stayed relatively unharmed, albeit for a few cracks and chips. Her Cradle suffered similar fate, only dented, not destroyed. She managed a bitter, thin smile. That bastard otaku obviously doesn't have enough throwing strength to even damage something akin to a Barbie doll. And he built her to have a dulled nervous system as well. Soft things won't feel as soft, but hard things won't feel as hard, so her AI wasn't overloaded with enough electronic signals to cause it to crash. Rolling up, her smile fading as a few uncomfortable cracks made her realize that her joints may not have been in as good of a shape as she thought, Maelstrom noticed that her feet were sinking into the fleshy surface of a human hand, before she looked up at the garbage collector that lifted her up. It was a young girl, maybe the same age as Asuna, but probably not as lethal. Her attire was plain, and despite her above average prettiness, she didn't have the same warm glow that could be associated with a girl who had a boyfriend and wasn't a slut. A normal person? No. Maelstrom narrowed her blue eyes.

This person was just emotionally dead. Probably why she wasn't treated like an abandoned kitten or something.

But at least a girl was better than a Kuradeel. That guy was an ass.

She frowned for a moment, before replying flatly, in a manner that was only half-sarcastic, “Do you know a hitman? Particularly one that specializes in killing otaku scumbags who only live because they have retarded parents who give them stupid amounts of money? Alternatively, are you an assassin?”

There. That should have destroyed any hope that she was going to be some angel that fell from the skies to join some lesbian harem for an 18+ anime featuring massive height differences and unbirthing.

[Xaltwind]

The Apartment.

"Because she's a lazy good-for-nothing who would only take advantage of any kindness givem her." Momoko replied in turn to Sora's suggestion of giving Alicia some more lenient treatment. True enough though, scolding wasn't all that effective, but it was certainly more effective than letting the freeloader get off by merely telling her off with a gentle smile and pat on the shoulder. Besides, it wasn't like she hadn't tried a less strict approah at first, but the lazy shinki that was of a custom design seemed hellbent on doing absolutely nothing for anyone unless forced into it, or ordered around. The naievty of this newly activated Asuka was troubling, but for now Momoko would overlook it, as the youngster had no experience or prior knowledge about dealing with the others' of the household.

The young Fighter-type's eagerness to explore and become familiar with her surroundings were admirable, if a bit brash though. Certainly, the pink-haired Panzer-type smiled briefly and very vaguely, as she heard this request. Now was not the time for that though, she first had to get fully charged and run a final diagonostic to make sure she was operating at full capacity. After that, Momoko would be happy to guide her around the apartment.

"Patience. Fist you need to get charged up, then you'll run your self-diagonistics to make sure nothing's wrong. After that, we can go look around and get your familiar with things. Understoof?" This wasn't so much a you should do this-kind of statement as it was a you will do this first-sort of statement. Momoko didn't seem interested in having any buts or ifs spouted her way, as she again put her hands on her sides, stook spread-legged and looked at Sora while folding her arms infront of her. "Oh." She suddenly rememered something. "Just in case you find yourself in a situation where you feel threatened, please remember that we're all forbidden from using our weapon-equipment inside these walls." The Murmeltier added, as if she had a sixth sense that something was amiss somewhere else in the home...

Which brings us to...

"Ododododo~!!"

Oslo was seemingly very excited, as he again made the strange sound and flailed his multiple limbs about. Apparently, the genetically enhanced octopus found great joy in 'playing' with Alicia - though while it was a game to him, it was a matter of being slimed and possibly violated to the poor shinki. In addition, even though Alicia had been kicking and repelling Oslo's limbs as he tried to grab her, the mollusk didn't seem to be at all phased by her attacks, either not feeling any pain from the blows he had received or simply ignoring them as nothing more than tickling sensations. As the custiom-shinki jumped over and landed behind him, he shuffled and jumped, plopping down so he was once again facing her. The two stared at each other intently, like two gunmen in an old-timey western drama, preparing to draw their guns in a deadly ghost-town duel...

... Except unlike a fair gunman, Oslo had eight limbs and six of them were suddenly sent out, trying to catch Alicia. The octopus attacked in a scissor-like motion, sweeping three limbs from one side and the other three from a different direction. This meant that unless Alicia had some kind of matrix-like bullet-time reflexes, she would either have to jump backwards - and risking getting caught by Oslo's long reach, or jump upwards and try and soar above all six limbs... Because jumping inbetween them was not an option, since a limb from a different direction would strike her in midair if she did so. Likewise, trying to bat off or kick a limb out of the way would just leave her open to a counter-attack from another limb, or a surprise-attack from the two tentacles he had kept in reserve.

He was a crafty bastard, that octopus...

Outside in the rain...

"No, and no." Natsuki replied to the little sentient doll in her hands. She had made no mental note of what the shinki had requested or asked for, she had merely answered the querries earnestly and already discarded them. After all, it wouldn't be strange for someone in this position - someone that had been thrown out, hurt and left for dead - to be bitter and angry, thus there was no need to put angry, hateful requests or words on the memory, because they were natural factors.Turning her head, the young girl also scrooped up the dented and damaged cradle. It wasn't broken, but it certainly could use some repairs and fixing-up after the little soar and subsequently 'rough' landing. She turned her head back to the little shinki, who looked like she could use a paint-job and some plaster herself.

"What'll you do now then? I don't think you'll be able to repair yourself and get revenge on your former Master on your own." The girl said, deadpan in both voice and eyes as she looked at the little artificial intelligence in her hand. "Your cradle isn't destroyed either, but it'll likely short-circuit if left in this state, out in the rain, for much longer. Without it, you'll run outta power and shut down in a few days, maybe even less given your current state." She wasn't sugarcoating or trying to say things in a thoughtful way, more just blurting out the obvious facts and truth - which was her way, because there was no reason in Natsuki's mind to try and make the situation sound any less bleak than it actually was. "I'm heading to a Shinki shop right now, but I doubt they'd repair you unless you got something to pay them with. And even if they repaired you for free, they'd likely just shut you off and reset you so they could sell you to some new owner." Which was a fully legit and reasonable marketing-move!


A brief pause followed. The sound of the rain in the background. The wind... The sound of cars driving by infrequently. It seemed time had stopped yet the scene kept unfurling, though nothing was said or done... Until...

"... But if you'd like." A small, nearly unnoticeable, yet still genuine, smile appeared on the previously emotionless face of the adolscent woman. "... You could stay with me and my shinki, for today at least, until you figoure out what you want to do."

The smile then vanished and a certain reaizatorial spark came to her eyes as her face returned to a blank state and she looked up.

"Ah... But hurry up, would ya? I gotta get to the store before they close for today..." ... The scatterbrained shinki-owner said, realizing she had probably spent way too much time already...

[Zombehs]

As usual, the blows she threw were little more than tickles to the stubborn octopus. The only reaction the blows managed to elicit from Oslo was the strange noise that seemed to be its call. As the octopus turned around, Alicia starred into the large bulging spheres that were the octopus’s eyes. A moment of silence passed between the two of them, broken only as Alicia caught a glimpse of Oslo's six tentacles sweeping in from both sides. A dodge backwards would be impossible, at least with Oslo’s remaining two arms, which waved happily in the air above him. With a sigh, or at least in an imitation, Alicia let the limbs draw closer until finally, she kicked off the floor. Or that had been the plan at the least. Damn that octopus, covering the entire floor with its slime. Crafty bastard indeed. The attempt at throwing herself at Oslo just ended with a fall face first into the ground and as she felt one of his slimy limbs on her back, Alicia frowned in resignation.

Wincing as the tentacles snaked around her body, the suckers coupled with the cool slime was more than enough to make the Shinki feel uncomfortable. As Alicia was brought face to face with the annoying octopus, she would have unleashed a torrent of questionable language. Sadly Oslo, as usual had wrapped her up with at least three of its limbs, making talking almost impossible. Struggling was simply out of the question, as Oslo held onto her with an iron clad grip. Sighing mentally as Oslo continued to wave around its newly captured prize, Alicia contemplated simply hibernating until the ordeal was over. Covered in slime that smelt strange and abused by the octopus in various ways, Alicia simply let her mind wander. A day lost here and there, what was the difference.

[PlatinumSkink]

‘Oh. Alright. It would appear I got a little ahead of myself, there. I apologize for my rashness.’ Sora nodded with a smile in Momoko’s direction as she turned around from the border of the table. The Asuka walked back with her own little proud grace in her steps and sat down in the cradle from which she came. With no special intention to act rebellious or anything else, Sora simply sat back to get herself charged.

‘So, who’s this Oslo that- kweah…!?’ … The Asuka had apparently somehow sat herself on an angle a bit left from perfect symmetry and managed to hit her head against the slight wall on the left side of the cradle. If this was just a slight mistake in the otherwise graceful handling of Sora’s movement… or a much deeper problem altogether… there was no sign of as of right now. The Shinki quickly corrected her sitting-angle and sat back again, acting as if absolutely nothing had happened.

‘So, who exactly is Oslo? What can I expect of him?’ She apparently tried asking again…