Feat: @Yankee’s Therion
wordcount: 1,983 (+3) (+3 rapport)
Midna: level 9 EXP: //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// (125/100) (+1 bonus pending)
Location:
Warp Charges: 1
There was, well, a line for the gacha machine and as poor luck would have it, Midna ended up arriving when it was already pretty long. She could have looked at clothes in the meantime, but she’d somehow ended up with a pretty coherent police uniform and besides, why accessorize when there was power on offer to be grasped with all four hands.
Though with that though she also had one where she maybe shouldn’t have squandered a token on an in game item. Then again, maybe she only had 5 because she’d done that. Then again again, saving the world was a team effort, so had getting a leg up on her allies really been worth it?
These questions Midna shoved to one side in the interest in being nosy about what people were getting out of the machine. In particular she was very curious about why Therion was visibly sweating as he went over his results. She hadn’t, she realized, spoken very much with Primrose’s traveling companion, so in the interest of killing time and learning about him and the machine she was going to be using, she leaned in to ask: ”Soooo, what’s got you all worked up, hmm?”
One of the man's feline ears flicked in her direction, but Therion didn't turn to look at her. He kept his eyes on the orbs in front of him, squinting into the motes of light at the visages of the people inside. He was looking for a certain trait the spirits might have, that was what had him worked up. And he hadn't known until now that he was being that obvious about it.
It took him a moment to answer her. He wasn't sure he really wanted to tell anybody. It was only earlier this morning that he'd discovered one of the spirits he'd fused with was apparently deathly allergic water of all things, so he wanted rid of that weakness. He didn't know Midna all that well, but since it was pretty clear she'd fused a ton of times (and she'd done so even for the short time he had fought together with her), maybe she had some insight into this kind of thing.
"...I'm trying to get something specific. To counteract one of the spirits I took in," he said. "And gambling's not really my thing."
”Shame the best way to acquire power involves exactly that huh? Especially when your odds get worse the more you fuse, or so it seems. I’ve started losing abilities. Can’t even levitate or use strikers any more” Midna replied as she casually leaned against the wall, four arms crossed ”Although I suppose the crippling fear of sword, shield, and lighting users I received from the very first one has been the worst so far, at least when its come up”
Way back, when she’d first lost her throne, she’d have never been so open about her vulnerabilities and failings, but she’d come a long way since those days. Well, that and when her guard was down the loose lips she’d gained from a fusion were far more capable of running free.
Her easy admission surprised Therion - but he listened, finally turning his head in her direction. If she was scared to face something as simple and common as a sword, how did she even fight? More than her weaknesses though, hearing that she'd lost some of her skills was more worrying. Levitating... he was pretty sure that was something she'd always had, and even that had been lost? He couldn't imagine being unable to pick a lock or scale a wall anymore.
Jeez... he scrubbed a hand down his face. This was going to get complicated. So now he not only needed a spirit that would reduce or cure his weakness, but it also couldn't be so radically different from himself that it would affect his own skills.
"How do you even deal with all of that...?"
”I had people shoot lighting at me earlier till i learned how to resist it using another spirit, and the proportions I have now closer are closer to the real me, so I can actually walk and run places again rather than relying on floating around” she replied, as if the first thing was entirely sane, before clarifying the second with ”Being an imp was a curse, I am actually tall and beautiful, so after all this fusion I’m more-” she paused for a moment and then gave a little theatrical sigh before say that ”well I’m taller at least now”
Ah, exposure therapy or whatever it was called. Something Therion didn't really think worked, considering he hated the falling sensation every single time he'd had to experience it - and it had been a lot of the last few days. The thought of gradually standing in deeper and deeper tubs of water did not appeal to him at all, so there was no way he'd be doing that. Back to the spirit drawing board.
"So you're basically just making do," he said. Couldn't really blame her though. He huffed in amusement at her last comment, and when he rolled the proverbial dice for yet another capsule to add to his growing spirit collection only to receive a gorgeous woman who didn't appear to be water aspected whatsoever, he clicked his tongue and casually offered it to Midna.
"If you're trying to get back to how you were, take as many as you want. Just trade me any water-looking ones," he told her. He'd already given one of his first spirit rolls to Geralt, as he didn't have any use for the ones that wouldn't help him out. "'Cause no offense, but I'm not looking to have people splash me with a bunch of water until I get over it. Rather take a short cut."
”I can do that if you’ll let me sneak in after you” she replied as she examined the spirit, finding her certainly pretty, but not sure she’d get any use out of harp playing talent. Still she pocketed it anyway, before saying that ”I’ve got five chances. One off that second pity, though I’m not sure if that’s much of a loss” as she popped them out of a portal and caught them in an open hand.
”Had one of those yet?”
"A 'pity' pull?" He had, though he didn't get how exactly it was different from getting a random spirit. So far he'd gotten two of them, and though he had to admit they were both much more interesting options than his other gets while also being closer to how he currently looked, neither of them were what he'd actually wanted. Well, third time's the charm as they said. "I'm about to get another one."
He slipped the token into the slot and turned the crank handle. The Orb Machine rumbled and dropped a capsule down into the prize space. The blue colored base immediately caught his attention - maybe this was actually the one? Popping it open revealed a man with some promising wave patterns on his clothes.
"Huh, this could be it." Therion rolled his last remaining token between his fingers.
”If that’s what you need, then maybe those pulls are worth a fair bit after all” Midna guessed, before leaning in and asking ”Saaaay, how many tokens did you have again? Because if it isn’t a multiple of 3, it’d be better for the team to get as many of those as possible.” before adding ”I’ll even trade you something for it so you’re not going empty handed. I’m carrying around quite the arsenal you could pick from”
Therion dragged his clouded eyes from the coin in his hand to Midna's face. She made a fair point, although he was inclined to just keep the token and try to get lucky again. However, her offer made it clear she didn't expect charity - which the thief appreciated. He thought on it for a moment, then a wry smile formed on his face.
"Here," he said, flicking the token with his thumb in her direction. "Take it. And let's just say you owe me a favor, alright?"
She caught it, looked a little tepid on that point of a nebulous favor for half a second, before smiling back and replying ”allright, but don’t hold onto it for too long. In a few days we’ll have Galeem in a grave and then who knows what the future holds after that”
"Of course." A favor could be a powerful thing, so he would be taking advantage of it as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Given the nature of the Seekers' collective mission, he was sure it wouldn't be very long.
Therion moved out of the way of the machine, jerking his head toward it so Midna could take her turn next. "All yours."
”Why thank you” the princess replied with grace, before stepping in and, with much less agonizing over her results than the man had exhibited, popping out all her rolls one after the other without even taking a look at the results in between. Then she too stepped aside to swiftly make space for those she’d cut inline in front of, before finding a spot to examine her winnings
For her random rolls, well, for the first she could only comment that ”That, well, that’s a lot” before moving on to less hilly pastures. The second she had more interest in the weapon the woman was holding than the woman herself because she couldn't figure out ”What in the world is that? Is it a hammer but with a bow as the shaft? How? Why?” and promptly resolved to find out the answer once they where on the ship.
Next up was a blindfolded woman in a dark dress that very much fit her fashion sense. Also her inhuman skin color. That certainly made her a fusion candidate on aesthetics alone, though was that worth whatever the price was? Something to consider. Finally, a lady with a familiar looking weapon, more or less exactly like the thing that had dragged Goldlewis up in the film those freaks game, which is the only reason she knew what it was for. Probably another item candidate.
As for the pity rolls, the intent for the first was obvious ”A floating beast for one of my things to fuse with. Funny is that because I mentioned losing my own ability to float or?” but the second had her stumped while looking at the man, only to understand when her eyes went up to his magnificent weapon.
”Ohhhh, well now. Hopefully that’s not a flimsy piece of junk like the last two swords I got. I really do need a replacement for those” she said, before adding just a little sadly ”and for Maos”
She hoped the demon was doing ok, wherever he was, regardless of his abrasiveness.
At any rate, with that sorted, it was high time they prepped to get going, the princess moving her way towards the exit so as to avoid any rush. While doing so she overheard that this Captain Falcon fellow, who they had apparently recruited, wanted to bring his vehicle along, but was unable to do so due to the weight limit of the ‘fulton devices’ they were going to use to get back.
”I can help with that” she popped into the conversation to inform him that ”I can send stuff to a parallel dimension via portals, like this” she briefly demonstrated by portaling in and out a motorcycle ”So if you have it on hand I can do the same with this transport of yours”
That didn’t help the whole air hanger only, no landings permitted, problem, but they could figure that out at a later date she was sure.