Lemons

Septima Strikers (Super Powers/Social Turmoil) [High Casual] [Gunvolt]

Kana's mouth quirked into an amused smile as the young woman in front of her latched against the wall, looking for all the world like a bug clinging on to the side of a tree.

"Kana. Likewise. So it looks like I'm not the only Adept on the boat. Comforting for our chances to retake it, if nothing else."

Then, a beat later: "oh dear, they're still conscious. Gimme a sec, 'kay?"

A few liberally applied fists-to-the-temples later, the two invaders pinned to the door were out cold. Kana leaned against the far wall from them, frowning as she thought. "Anyway, now that we don't need to worry about them listening in, we gotta think of a plan. I could probably go at it and deal with them, but I'd really rather not hurt anyone permanently, and my guards aren't meant for violent motion. Don't want to break those."

She rolled her shoulders, limbering up for intense physical activity. "Well, first thing's first. Let me get suited up, alright?" Returning to her cabin, she made sure that nobody was creeping up on her, and the two goons from before were still well and truly unconscious before she slipped out of her casual clothing. She smiled to herself: don't get caught with your pants down! Out of her bag, she pulled the closest thing she had to her work clothing: a set of lightweight, flexible, durable armor. It was no replacement for her proper armor—she really, honestly hadn't thought she'd need it tonight—but it might turn a harpoon if it struck in the right spot, and it wasn't as baggy as her shorts. Anything that gave less leverage in a fight was good by her.

She left once more, locking the door from the outside with her keycard just to ensure no escape from the captives within and transferring her back over to Kira's. "Right. Plan. Any bright ideas?"

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

---

Alja felt dirty.

And not just because of the unpleasant sewer water that she was wading through, though it certainly didn't help. No, Alja was in a bit of a bad temper—though she did her best to hide it—because despite being one of the few able to do the job, despite probably being one of the best at it because of how face-tank she was with her armor and tanking magic (a little more reliable than a dodge tank in the new, terrifying meta where a single lucky shot could take them ouot, she thought), despite truly, honestly wanting to protect people...she was too scared to go back into a dungeon. Someone else was doing it. Someone better than her.

But no point dwelling on it. So she laughed as best she could as they pummeled their way through the rats. Glacier Chain had a lot of rodent blood on it by now, and that did nothing to help her spirits. She couldn't help but feel that she was really, honestly killing living things now, and she didn't much like it.

Kalie spoke from behind her. Repairing armor, hmm?

She threw an appraising glance at each member of her party. Graves was wearing...oh, what was it called? Laminar armor? She couldn't quite recall. Leather (she thought) and metal plates. Lighter stuff. Kalie had full leather, of course. Rael had...well, something. At a glance, she couldn't quite tell how much of it was metal, how heavy it was. She was agility based, though, so probably lighter? She nodded to herself. If she could get access to a forge, at the very least, she could help Graves maintain or replace. And herself, of course, and probably Benkei. Weapons too. The rest was more up in the air.

“More corridors. Still no nest.”

"Still, if there are this many here, and this much rat shit, we gotta be closin' in on it, right? Can't be too far."

With a sigh, she slid her flail back into the loop on her back where she put it out of combat and grimaced as she rolled her shoulders. Something new had begun, with her using Glacier Chain so much in a post-glitch environment for the first time. In Arkaanus' dungeon, she'd been magically exhausted. But now, her arms were starting to burn after a couple hours hefting the massive flail. Stretching them above her head, she grumbled good-naturedly. "Man, I'm gonna be stiff as hell tonight."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

---

Benkei was waving her over. And, as she closed on that table, it seemed that he was talking about roughly the same thing she was. And her brain was bubbling over thinking about it. Something was nagging at her. What was that quote? Oh, right: When you remove the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. She remembered that from an English class in freshman year. Arthur Conan Doyle, right? She hadn't really liked it much, had never been one for reading, but that quote had stuck in her head ever since. A dream couldn't glitch, right? And anyway, like she'd already said, it was way too complicated and complete to be a glitch. And for god's sake, you couldn't hack one. Unless they'd figured out how to hack a brain, but that...seemed unlikely. And if it were true, dream-based video games seemed like weirdly small fish. So whatever was left over had to be the solution, yeah?

And that would be very useful, she grimaced, if I had any idea what's left over.

But she had no idea what it was. Not a glitch or a hack; so what was it? There was something important she was missing. Some fundamental piece of the puzzle that was the new Pariah crisis. Something with the software, or the hardware. She found herself wishing that she'd gone into programming or something along those lines; she might have a better idea what was happening.

Still. Who knows, maybe Benkei—well, who knows what high schoolers can do, right? He could have some insight that she'd totally missed. As she arrived at their table, she slung herself down in a chair beside Benkei, throwing her legs off to the side and lounging exaggeratedly. "Man, what the hell's goin' on?"

She stood again, pacing back and forth, gesticulating wildly. "And more important, what the hell're we gonna do?"

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

---

"No."

Alja hadn't spoken much about the denizens; her thoughts were racing too hard about what all this could mean. And what Alex had said triggered the thoughts, catalyzed them, and brought them to the surface.

"No," she repeated, "there's no way this is a glitch. I mean, the console dies, pain is on, death is a thing, magical exhaustion feels...well, exhaustin', we get hungry and thirsty, the whole denizen thing." As she listed, she ticked them on fingers, frown on her face. "I'm no programmer, but it feels like quite a few of those shouldn't actually be related in coding. If this is a glitch, it's the most weirdly coincidental and related glitch that's ever happened to anything. And I doubt that. Whatever's going on, it's not the code glitching."

Her frown deepened. She'd never put much thought into how Pariah might work; she wasn't a programmer or game designer, she didn't know anything about dream theory. It had always just been an escape for her, and she never bothered learning more about its functions. Who knows, maybe they were hackable because the hardware interfaced with the dream? But that sounded wrong. "But now the problem is...if it's not a glitch, and it's not a hack because," she waved a hand at Benkei, "yeah, seriously, how do you hack into a dream..." She hesitated a moment, almost afraid of saying it for fear of what the answer might be,

"...then what in the fuck is going on?"

Current Mood in One Gif

Septima Strikers (Super Powers/Social Turmoil) [High Casual] [Gunvolt]

Kana buried her head in her hands.

For once--for once--she'd finally managed to eke out a night of pleasure time all to herself. She was so used to people staring at her. But everyone was down in their cabins, and so the deck of the boat that she'd managed to finagle her way on to during its stop in Hokkaido was dark and quiet until she'd retired for the night.

Or, well, it had been.

When her cabin had burst open, she was quite asleep. But Kana had always been a light sleeper, and her occupation certainly didn't help. So her instinctual reaction was immediate. She jackknifed to her feet less than a second after waking. Edgedancer erupted out of her and she axed her way forwards, sliding reflexively past a harpoon and clobbering the two invaders into unconsciousness with the black plastic guards that remained on her legs. Her breaths came heavily, nostrils flared.

A moment later, she quirked her mouth. Oh. They were, uh. Not gonna be able to report. Were they. Hmm.

"Well. This is a problem, isn't it." She sighed, dragging the two of them into her cabin and closing the door behind her. So. What exactly am I going to do with you two?

And that is what found her with her head in her hands. A moment later, she deactivated Edgedancer, hauling herself to her feet.

Her lips pursed. They had harpoon guns. Not everyone was able to defend herself like she was. She heaved out a heavy breath, preparing herself for some very unpleasant thoughts. But these people deserved it. Then, lips still tight, she shucked the plastic guards off, collapsing them into their portable state and sliding them into her little bag. The tink-tink-tink of her feet was loud against the floor. But not as loud as the bang that exploded through the hallway. She jolted, then ducked awkwardly through the doorway, peering down. Huh. Those were some...invaders pinned by a door. Against a wall. Somehow? And in front of them was a shortish, spiky-haired young woman, who seemed to be responsible. Her head nearly scraping the ceiling, Kana tinked up to her out of the shadows, hoping that she wouldn't look too...well. Monstrous.

"Hey. Any idea what's going on?"

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

---

Alja sat down, wearing a proud smile on her face as Benkei introduced himself, followed by Alex and Siegfried. Huh. 17 years old, 20 years old, 20 years old? Looks like I fit right it. She chuckled just a little bit. Benkei had seemed to think she was an adult when he'd made his confession to her of being a high school student. It was a shame it wouldn't make sense to mention how tall she was in real life; she had a feeling the reactions would be pretty funny. She nodded at them in turn; Kazuma, Alex, James, Lizzie. She leaned back in the chair, balancing precariously as she gave a loose salute.

"Well, if this is what we're doin', I might as well, right?" She gave a little cheeky bow, then let her voice slip back into its natural cadance. "I'm Kelly Anne Mackay, from Scotland. 19 year old college student, goin' inta medicine; consequently, I know a little somethin' about first-aid and such and such. Not an expert, 'course, but I know enough to splint a broken leg, or what ta do when someone's bleedin' a lot. Someone gets hurt and Kazuki isn't 'round, I'm a decent bet."

She wondered for a moment; would people stop calling her Alja and call her Kelly instead? Because...that would be weird. She'd been Alja in Pariah Online for a long time, and hearing her real name coming at the Titaness she was in-game was going to feel very mismatched. So after a moment, she spoke again, tipping her chair back forward.

"Feel free ta call me Kelly if you want when we're in down time like this. But I'm used ta Alja in Pariah, so if we're in combat or somethin' and you need me ta do somethin' right now, Alja's prob'ly best."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

---

Alja made to put her hand on Benkei's shoulder, then thought better of it, dropping it back down against her thigh. Her voice, when she spoke, was uncharacteristic of her; none of the rising hysteria of the past day, and none of the joviality that suffused it most other times. It was simple. Plain and honest. Because, in Benkei's words, she heard a little bit of herself. He's stuck between a rock and a hard place now. Just like you.

"Look, Benkei." She paused, considering her next words carefully. If she misplaced one, the potential damage could be catastrophic. And, after another moment of consideration, she dropped her Pariah pseudo-accent, reverting to her natural Scottish; but one a little less...thick and aggressive that she'd thrown at Rael. Her vocabulary shifted as well: gone were the relatively simple expressions of Alja, replaced with the kind a college student might use. "I won't preten' to understan' what you're goin' t'rough, because no matter our circumstances, they're goin' ta diverge in a number of ways. Obviously. But I think I kinda know where you're comin' from, 'least in a general sense." She slung herself down, sitting on the edge of the river and dangling her feet down over the clear water. "Feelin' like you're livin' under a shadow all your life, paralyzed with indecision, but terrified to try steppin' out from under the shadow 'cause the world's goin' ta kick ya right back underneath."

She turned up, no longer staring at the river, but directing her serious eyes straight into Benkei's. "But at th' same time, no matter if we're similar or no, I don't think empty platitudes and reassurances will help ya any. Prob'ly just make it worse. So let's try ta game this out, shall we?"

She returned her gaze to the river and picked up a stray pebble from the cobbled streets, launching it into the water as she spoke. "Ya say you're not a leader. But let me as ya somethin'. Who, precisely, do ya think would do any better out of us? It should prob'ly be a tank; they're the ones that have the strength ta shotcall while they're also doin' their job in the party. So that leaves...two others, yeah? So, which one? Rael?" She barked out a brief, scornful laugh. "Not bloody likely! She's brilliant at what she does, but what she does is not teamwork. And then there's me." She laughed. It wasn't as scornful, but there was still an edge of that on the sound. "Tankin'? Yeah, I can do that pretty decent, I like ta think. Last I checked, I was pretty high up on the boards. Not half bad at damage either if I build out for it. Not as good, but...adequate, yeah. But leadership?"

Her laugh was louder this time. "I mean, come on! Ya saw what happened in the boss room! I heard Luci scream and lost it, couldn't hold formation! I'm not bad at the game, I know my limits, and I'm pretty good at thinkin' on the fly. But plannin'? Strategizin'? Yeah, can't say that's in my wheelhouse. But let's say we expand it, past the tanks. Give it to all the party, yeah? Graves' only deal is runnin' right in and hittin' till he falls over. Not someone ya can really rally around! Seele's a great support and all. Kept it together real well. But...'member the spikes room? How she impulsively kept holdin' the ceilin' when she didn't need ta? I think she's in the same camp as I am. Kazuki?" She paused. "He's also a bit like me. Runs in all willy-nilly like, can't really control what he's doin'."

Her voice lowered for just a moment. "I noticed, in the dungeon, ya givin' him orders...or, well not orders, really, but...instructions, occasionally. Don't mistake me, I think he's a great person. Good support. Trustin' my life to him, after all. But...if I'm honest, I don't think he's very good with people. Alex? Well...I like him and all, but I think he's pretty new to the game, yeah? Don't know how much I trust his shotcalling just off that. And that leaves...Kalie." She chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, I don't think she deserves ta be kicked out the party or anythin'. But a leader? I think we all know that's...frankly, totally absurd."

She swung herself back to her feet, dusting her tunic off. "Luci's catatonic, Leaves can't lead for shite--trust me on that one--and Priscilica has her hands more than full with whatever fragments of Prophecy are left over. You're quite literally the best leader we've got on board." her voice softened. "And, Benkei? You're sellin' yourself way short. Your marchin' order and plans were fine. Nobody coulda predicted any of that. We'll make our own decisions in combat--just ya try ta stop me--but that's not on your shoulders. And as for the tavern, if Kalie and Rael weren't at each others' throats and Graves didn't overreact...that's when I'd be concerned."

She cracked her neck, sighing a bit and falling back into her Pariah accent. "But one thing you do have a problem with--as we can see here," she smiled to ensure there was no offense as she stretched her stiff arms over her head again, "is givin' up. Some come on, boss. Buck up, let's get back up to that tavern. You've got some people to keep alive."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

---

"You're right, Alex. You're right."

Alja shoved herself to her feet, clenching her teeth. "Our best chance is together, and it's...really dumb to split up like this. We need to keep each other safe." She heaved out a deep breath, screwing her eyes closed for a moment. She'd had a strange, disconcerting dream, but couldn't quite remember it...ah well. She'd think more about this when she had more time. Her eyes snapped open. "I'll go see if I can find Benkei. Dunno where he went, but I'll find him."

She cracked her knuckles. She was so incredibly antsy. The smart thing, she knew, would probably be to ask Alex what direction Benkei had gone. But she desperately needed to move. And so, with a quick call back to Alex--"If someone tries to take my armor, mind shootin' them in the side of the leg?"--she slogged out into the humid heat of Thorinn. She started sweating almost before she started walking. Kelly liked the cold, and Alja was the same similar; this kind of heat was something she could really, honestly do without. But, if nothing else...combined with the time since her last drink and the brief spat of unconsciousness, it sobered her up pretty quick. She made her way through the streets, keeping her eyes peeled for her fellow tank as she walked along the bank of the river. And as she moved, she tried to puzzle this out with her social brain:

Alright. What caused this?

Distrust of Kalie jumped to mind first. But no, that wasn't really it, was it? That was Kazuki's deal. And, as she'd discovered from listening in on the argument, she knew that they were brothers. She winced. That would make this hard. There was something that flickered in the back of her mind about the way he was acting--something familiar about him--but, though she pondered it, she couldn't place it.

Another breath. When she was dealing with bullies in high school, she'd learned a few breathing exercises to bury negative emotions like anger. And, as she'd just seen illustrated one more time, unleashing negative emotions tended to have...questionable results for her. So, the steady breathing continued as she compartmentalized.

And, before she could ponder it much more, she...well, she got lucky, and Benkei came into view. Alja's eyebrow quirked--Priscilica? No. Similar looking, but not her. Looked like they were talking about something serious. She took one more of those deep, steady breaths, thinking for a second about what she was going to say. And then she buried the last of her frustration and what remained of her boiling anger deep down within her. Her thunderstorm eyebrows lightened for the first time since she'd woken up. And then:

"Yo, boss."

She walked up next to him, taking the other side from the pink-haired Priscilica lookalike and staring out over the river. "Not gonna ask if you're okay, 'cause that's dumb. You're clearly not." She stretched her arms over her head. "You don't strike me as the type who's a fan of bein' pressed to talk. So I won't. But," she turned, giving him a small smile, gentler than the typical fare, "If you want to talk, I'm always here."

Pariah Online: A Voyage into the Intangible Aether

---

As tempers rose at the table, so did Alja. She surged to her feet, eyebrows already drawing together above her head. Her mouth opened to spark out another snap like she'd done at Rael.

And then she...

and then...

and then

---

The snow had turned to rain. Pouring rain that beat down upon her. She cried out, holding her arms above her head ion a futile effort to shelter herself against the onslaught. The drops of rain hit her like hammerblows, and it was all she could do not cry.

Then she heard a voice somewhere, calling out her name. So faint through the pounding rains, but there nonetheless.
_{"Kelly!"
"Kelly! Where are you?"}

Kelly's heart swelled, and through the bloody-red (bloody?) downpour, a smile came to her face, small though it was. "Is that you, ███████? I'm over here! Hurry! I can't see!"

_{"Kelly! KELLY!"}

The smile left her face. Something felt suddenly...wrong. Her next shout was filled with an urgency that hadn't been in the first. "Hello? ███████! Can't you hear me? I said I'm over here!"

_{"Kelly!"
"Kelly!"
"Kelly!"
"Kelly!"}

Then the noise of the rain overtook the voice. Kelly was alone again.

This time, she let herself cry.

---

...
"AH!"

Alja jolted awake. She gripped the side of her face, groaning. What...ugh. What just happened...?

Then her eyes shot wide, and she looked around. The table. Where was everyone? Where had Benkei gone? Where were Graves and Kazuki? There was a fight brewing, and then...

She threw an urgent glance to the side, her head pounding. She'd bitten her tongue, and her mouth tasted like blood. "Alex! What...what happened? Where did they go?"