Yankee

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Smash Bros Crossover)

Roland & Therion

Level 7 Roland (15/70) - (Holding 1 level up)
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 277/100
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Location: The Paved Wilderness
Word Count: 1620 (+3 exp)

A race proposal was completely unsurprising, especially from Ms. Fortune, and though Therion didn't know Roland as well he also wasn't surprised when the man accepted. There was definitely a little bit of a competitive streak in the guy, or just want for something fun.

Though the thought had crossed his mind to throw some obstacles Nadia's way, ultimately the Orsterran thief was just along for the ride, so he left it at that. He'd pulled his arm in and tucked both of his hands behind his head as he leaned back in the seat and looked out the windows. Up until the time the light show in the sky ahead of them caused Ms. Fortune to lose control of her vehicle in their rearview mirror, Roland and Therion's had been pretty nice. Therion had gotten a sense of driving a couple of times already, and riding passenger. Much smoother than a horse and carriage. He could get used to it.

Although he should probably check on the feral since she'd disappeared from view.

Therion pressed two fingers to his feline ear, utilizing the linkpearl there. It had been a few days since anyone in their linkshell had used it to his knowledge, but it probably still worked. As long as Nadia still had her pearl in.

"We saw that," Therion said first, tone bland but with underlying amusement. "Call back if you need help. We'll swing back around after we find all the lost loot."

If it turned out she actually needed help that would be a different story, but otherwise Therion just turned his head toward Roland. "Let's keep going. If that ship up there crashes in our path maybe we can check that out too."

Who knew, maybe they were some kind of sky pirates that were participating in the 'scavenger hunt' as well.

After a moment Therion also asked, "...you know where you're going, right?"

He'd heard Roland tell Ms. Fortune that he had a place in mind, but for all he knew the guy was just aimlessly following the road.

”Well, more or less. These streets are a lot less maze like than the City or Midgar. I figured we should check out that mysterious building no one knew much about.” Roland said, driving fairly casually. ”Why? Place a bit too spooky for ya?”

"We haven't even seen the place yet," Therion scoffed. "Though if it does turn out to be another waking nightmare, could you really blame anyone for wanting to avoid it?"

Especially after the morning they'd all had. The thief turned his gaze back outside of the truck, watching the passing landscape and the dog fighters circling their prey. "Though I guess there are people that like that kind of stuff."

His tone subtly implied that Roland was probably one of them, what with the anecdotes he often brought up and the weird, kind of creepy way some of his transformations looked.

”Yeah, I hear that. Hopefully none of that gross stuff we were just involved with. I’d much rather some kind of mystery than just…. zombies.” Roland said, sort of both confirming and denying Therion’s idea of him at the same time.

”Really, I don’t know if I can apply any logic to this place. But if I did, I’d assume there's probably some guy holding out at that place that knows lots of weird stuff or is like, weird? Usually spots like that can have intel that no one else has though.” Roland said, justifying his idea of wanting to go there.

Realistically, what Roland claimed was baseless and, frankly, should have been absurd. However, the amount of times Therion and his fellow travelers had met someone or something out in isolated areas of Orsterra, let alone everything they could find in this world, well... the thief really couldn't argue that logic.

"Guess that makes sense," he said instead.

As they drove, a point of interest caught Roland’s attention. It was the crashed airship. A little detour wouldn’t hurt, Roland turning off the road and heading for the crash. As they got near, they found there were survivors. Numerous Froggits were running around in a panic around the wreckage of the medium sized airship, clearly in distress as they had survived the crash.

Roland looked at the cartoon frogs and quickly figured that they weren’t much of a threat. In fact they seemed kind of pathetic in a way. ”So… Do we just send them back to Hammerhead? I really have no idea what these things are...” Roland said to Therion.

"Sure, give them directions if you want," the man replied. He popped the truck's door open and hopped out, intending to get a look around the vessel and see if his hypothesis was right. Hopefully before the crew's pursuers caught up. He certainly didn’t want to give the frogs a ride or anything (even though he’d hitched one in the first place), and correctly assumed that Roland didn’t either. Roland pointed them back towards the town, although corralling the froggits was a lot… easier than he thought? They really didn’t have much of a brain among all of them, but they could at least follow the road in the direction Roland pointed.

As the two men found themselves in the wreckage of the ship itself, they came upon some of the cargo that they were told to retrieve. Three crates, with one odd crate that looked like it contained guns. Besides those, there wasn't much else intact. Finder's keepers still applied in this situation, as far as he was concerned.

"Strongboxes," Therion told Roland, dragging the only one that didn't look the same out from under some debris. He could tell just by sight the lock would be simple to pick, but figured they should at least get everything loaded into the back of the truck first. Once they were sure they'd ferreted out everything worth taking, they carried their free finds to the truck's bed and shoved them in.

Out of the three, only the gun box really seemed to have anything that interested Roland. Guns were rare in his world due to their extreme cost and oftentimes relative ineffectiveness against extremely skilled opponents. But this wasn’t his world and there were weird things here.

”Hey, want to see whats in the gun case? Might be something good.” Roland said.

Figuring he meant the red one, Therion obliged Roland and opened that crate first. It took only a few seconds of fiddling with the lock until it clicked open.

"We'll keep whatever's really worth it and sell the rest back to whoever owns the cargo," he agreed.

Inside the crate

Alien Sidearm An orange energy weapon of extraterrestrial origin which shoots chargable plasma shots. Comes with 35 magazines of 10 shots each. Fire rate is one shot every .15s, reload time is 1.2s, shot speed is medium. The plasma shots deal extra damage against energy shields Moonface A powerful but imprecise and slow-to-reload double-barrel shotgun with a spread in a distinctive smiley face pattern
Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol A fascinating and mostly functional antique sidearm that's essentially belt-fed for maximum time between reloads (18 shots) and maximum reload time (28.7 seconds). Fires at a rate of 24 rpm, with an effective range of 85m and a cycle time of 1.4s

”Huh. Well, I wasn’t sure what I was going to expect. I kind of like two out of three of these guns.” Roland said, looking over the items in the cargo crate, mostly pointing at the plasma weapon and the shotgun.

Therion held up the remaining one by the chamber chain, giving it a strange look with a raised eyebrow. Was it... supposed to look like that? He still hadn't gone out of his way to learn more about firearms besides how to identify them and, vaguely, how they worked.

He tossed the gun back into the crate. "Have at them. These things are too loud for my liking."

Roland gave the two guns he had interest in a try. Therion was right, guns were often noisy. However his gloves made his movement and weapon attacks silent, so Therion would hear no sound from the two weapons Roland gave a try with. Well, no sound from the guns firing although the impact sound of a smiley face of bullet spread from the shotgun hitting the side of the airship did make quite a bit of noise. The silent way the Fixer did everything was enviable, really.

”Thats uh, strange. Well, guess we should get going then. I’ll have to test to see if my shotgun and pistols do more than these or not.” Roland said, putting the pistol and shotgun into his gloves and throwing the last gun into the back of the truck.

It didn’t take too long before the two had loaded up all the crates they were going to keep, so basically all but the gun chest they had opened, and started to drive back off towards the factory again.

Shoujo⁴: Hatsukoi Reunion

True, true. Sometimes I get bogged down in details haha.

Shoujo⁴: Hatsukoi Reunion

Where we landing with class assignments? I'm sort of leaning towards separate classes since Junko and Ryuu will be by themselves in different grades, so I think splitting up the 2nd years might be good too. Could do three and three (which would put Haru with Takaya and Koharu) but I'm also fine with Olive's suggestion of those four together. I mean I'm also fine with every 2nd year in the same class but it feels like a lot hahaha.

Shoujo⁴: Hatsukoi Reunion

I definitely would love some love triangles (perhaps at first before things settle) and fun misunderstandings, stuff like that. Spices things up a little but not too crazy. I don't mind seeing if pairs form organically btw but I'm also fine with pre-pairs, as I applied figuring being the last one then my guy would be paired with the "spare" (in this case Koharu which I do think is super cute).

Oh, but imagine. Imagine if his parents told him that he should strive to make better connections in high school. That he should focus on earning the favor of the Arashiyama ojou-sama rather than waste his time with the mediocres in his class. Huhuhu…

@ERode

I love that though haha especially it being Junko's third and final year, it's the last and probably best chance to make a real high class connection in this school. Have to fight through the fan club to even try (or go through Junko's friends... Which could then lead to above misunderstandings?) But, yeah, agreed with everything else too.

Nocturnal Memoirs: An Urban-Fantasy Mafia Epic

The survey has been taken, co-captain (salutes)

@The Savant@SporkoBug responded to you both ^^

Shoujo⁴: Hatsukoi Reunion

I have finished my own relationship quotes and posted nerd ass to the chara tab. Please let me know if anything seems off with regards to relationships!

Edit: @Vertigo forgot to mention but yes, Takaya definitely DPS haha. I'm sure he's learned all kinds of roles and play styles, but defaults to DPS more often than not.

Shoujo⁴: Hatsukoi Reunion

Chihara Takaya

千 原 昂 也
千 原 昂 也

^{Chihara Takaya}

^{"They did what...? Again? I'm so sorry, please allow me to apologize on their behalf...!"}

___________________________________ Identity Full Name - Takaya Chihara Nicknames - Takkun, Chi-chan (childhood nickname) Age - 16 Gender - Male Bloodtype - A Year - Second-Year Class - 2-2 Personality A Perfect Student Always punctual, his uniform always clean and in order, his scores always among the best in not just his class but his year. He takes his studies seriously and has a genuine love for reading, so he is seldom seen without a book in his free time whether it be a study guide or a novel. He is a tidy and organized boy, and as he retains information very well he is usually the person to go to if someone has a question, though its not a natural talent. It's hard work to keep on top of the curriculum of all of his classes (including those of the cram schools he attends) and build up good study habits so much that they become routine. And of course he always brings extra supplies in for those that inevitably forget theirs... A Known Pushover ...because everyone knows they'll be able to get whatever they need from him. Fellow students and even teachers consider Takaya to be a responsible and trustworthy person, so its not unusual that he gets roped into helping people out with various things. He does not go out of his way to volunteer, and yet things seem to fall into his lap regardless. Maybe its a weird sense of duty, or maybe he just hates to see things left unfinished, but... at the end of the day when there are still so many little things to be done before the next morning, leave it to Takaya. When its your turn to clean the classroom, just half ass it and let Takaya fix it. Got into trouble and need bailing out? Have Takaya cover for you. Have a chore you really don't want to do and can't find Isshiki-san anywhere? Just dump it on Takaya instead. He's not so naive that he would fall for a scam or let the extra work interfere with his other responsibilities, but he usually won't stand up for himself and just goes along with what others say. This includes his parents of course, as he follows the course they've charted for his life. If he could change one thing about himself, it would certainly be... A Prudent Young Man ...well, nevermind. What's the use of worrying about things like that when there are much more important things one could fret over? Not that Takaya is a real worrywart or anything. Instead he is very much a "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst" type of person. The kind that brings a small umbrella in his bag even during long, dry summer days. That learned CPR and first aid but is really nervous about ever having to use it. That had a back up plan for his back plan if he doesn't get into his top choice for university. And the type of person that never leaps before he looks. He's not particularly good at lying or anything, but he has practiced his poker face and does have a few excuses ready should his deep, dark secret ever be discovered... A Secret Identity...! ...which he doesn't actually have. No, really. Its just some harmless fun. Takaya is not a secretive person by nature, but he does have to hide one facet of himself. Something that isn't even bad - it wasn't like he was getting into fights or drinking, but one can only take so many instances of scolding or having their 'childish' things thrown away. Takaya will tell you he is not an otaku, but he has to admit that he has... otaku-like interests. He loves games. Most any game, from MMOs to mobile games, mahjong to Monster Hunter to even Magic: The Gathering, was something Takaya was guaranteed to like. He loves anime and tokusatsu, manga and webcomics, classic literature and trashy light novels. At first he tried to completely give up his interests after he was told he shouldn't enjoy them since he wasn't a kid anymore, but nowadays he just does so on the down low. And feels guilty doing it at times. His phone is his trusty vehicle for keeping up with the latest media, and he's always watching, reading, or playing something on it when he thinks no one is looking. He keeps a few of his favorite manga volumes stashed away among his collection of 'appropriate' novels, and some collectible paraphernalia like cards and charms under notebooks in his desk drawers as if they were as heinous as pornography. It is a rare occasion when he gets the chance to indulge or talk about his hidden interests in person, but when he does the normally mild-mannered Takaya's eyes light up, and he becomes more passionate in his speech and mannerisms. Character Relationships Osanai Suzuka "Oh, yes, Osanai-san did used to live around here didn't she? I wonder why she moved back, you normally don't see that happen... n-not that I would pry, of course - she seems sort of... intense. I think it's best if I leave her alone." Isshiki Mikako "Isshiki-san is really kind and reliable. She's always been like that, it's no wonder she gets along with everyone. She's our council secretary, so sometimes I'll send her on an easy task after meetings on my free days so I can handle all the wrapping up while she's away. ...please don't tell her." Fuji Eikichi "Fuji-kun is a wily one... ah, no no, I didn't mean that in a bad way! I used to see him more in first year, now usually only when he comes to talk with Isshiki-san or Morioka-kun. He's popular and is good with people, and it's not like he's unfriendly to me or anything... it's just... sometimes it feels like I should be careful of what I say around him?" Morioka Haruto "I talk with Morioka-kun quite frequently. Mostly council newsletter business, unless he catches me in the hallways... At first I was sort of suspicious of all the invitations he gives me, but Morioka-kun is... just a genuinely nice guy. Maybe I'll accept one of his offers sometime." Shinomiya Koharu "Shinomiya-san... she's told me to call her by her nickname before like when we were kids, but I... T-there's no way I can just do that. She's so different now than she was back then. She seems happier now. I'm... glad. You know, she always borrows my things, but she's so smart that I wonder how she keeps forgetting her own. Do you think she's doing it on purpose? Maybe something's been on her mind... I know she works part time, perhaps it's to do with that? I hope it's nothing sketchy. And–" (continues) Arashiyama Junko "Of course I admire Arashiyama-senpai, everyone does. The way she goes about her life and uplifts others is very inspiring. She's also... just a little intimidating... when she's standing right next to you and talking directly to you. Her force of presence and the way she speaks like a himekishi type– n-nevermind." Sakamoto Ryuuichi "Ah, S-Sakamoto...san. He's not coming this way, is he? I never thought I'd see him again. It's hard to believe we spent so much time together in the summers as kids, and then he turned out like that. Hm? Are we still friends? Ahaha... no, I don't think so. Best not to get involved with him... especially since he scowls when we have to cross paths."

Physical Description There is nothing particularly interesting about how Takaya looks. He stands around 172cm tall, which is decidedly average among his male peers. His brown hair and eyes are a little lighter than usual, but not striking at all when compared to bleached blondes and redheads. He is not an athlete, but he eats well - which makes his body type pretty average too. He wears a pair of simple glasses, but so does about 20% of his class. Once, in middle school, a group of girls stole his glasses to see if he would have a shoujo-style transformation and actually turn out to be handsome. The results were inconclusive. Takaya does not stand out, and he is more than fine with that. Even outside of school it is very clear that Takaya is a student in the way he dresses. His parents still insist on buying his clothing for him, and so his free days are spent in slacks, sweaters, and button downs. He really likes sweat pants, but would never be caught outside of the house in them. If it was up to him, he might choose something different... maybe a graphic tee shirt for once. Personal Story The Chiharas have always been a rather traditional family of well-mannered and meticulous people. Strict, but not to the point of abuse. Both of Takaya's parents are like that, and their own parents, and so on. Takashi and Narumi had no complaints when they were arranged to be married, moved to Kumoriyama when Takashi was promoted to be manager of new department store branches opening on the island, and bore a single son. They were very particular in choosing a name for their son, hoping to raise him to be a confident, proud, and successful person. ...so far it hasn't worked out exactly like that, but not for lack of trying on any of their parts. Takaya's included. Takaya was an introverted child, but he didn't have much trouble making friends for the simple fact that he loved what most other kids did. Games, television, movies, manga. Connecting with others was as simple as talking about what happened on Sunday morning's episode of Super Sentai. It was only the growing up part that made things difficult. Where was that mysterious line that everyone else could see but him, that cut off point where it was no longer acceptable to have hobbies like anime and online games? What made a deck of Vanguard cards so much more immature than standard French-suit playing cards? Why was manga more juvenile than a novel? Takaya grew up early not out of necessity, but obligation. If his parents told him to abandon those childish things and focus on the future instead, then as a humble only son what else could he do but oblige? It seemed he lost a lot of the things that really made him happy. His interests tossed to the side, and his friends from back then fading out from each other's lives for one reason or another. Part of the latter was surely his fault, as he was left with a lot less time for getting together and hanging out. Since then, Takaya has focused on his studies and -as his parents put it- his potential. Throughout middle school and his first year of high school, he was consistently at or near the top of his year's academic rankings. After being pushed by his family to be part of student councils since his first year in middle school (it looks good on university applications), he's continued the trend and has now taken up the position of student council treasurer going into his second year of high school. For two nights a week he attends a cram school in the city's center, and on Saturday mornings he takes a ferry to the mainland to attend yet another cram school. ...although what his parents and peers don't know is that those Saturday classes are only three hours long at best, and he spends more time in the bigger city using his allowance on playing games at internet cafes, reading comics at book stores, and participating in matches at card shops. He doesn't intend anyone to find out, and since he's still on track to be able to attend some of Japan's more prestigious universities, it should be fine to indulge a little bit... right? He already regrets not joining Kumoriyama Private High's gaming club in his first year, especially after the club's disbanding when the mostly third year members graduated. The rest of his high school career is looking to be the same humdrum. He's seemed to have convinced himself that he's fine with it, but really, he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't welcome something to shake things up just a little bit... Other Information He is saving up money to buy a gaming console as soon as he moves out of his parents' home. He has an online presence that is much more enthusiastic than he normally is in his day to day life. He leaves comments on message boards and under videos, chats with many other fans of his favorite media, and has even tried his hand at writing web novels before. He doesn't have a favorite genre, though if pressed he might say he leans towards dramas and fantasies. He enjoys and keeps up with the full demographic spectrum when he can, from kodomomuke to josei media. He really loves a good story, but finds a simple plot can be just as good as an in-depth one. For games he considers the actual gameplay a far more important factor, but those that blend mechanics with story are best. He really admires people that aren't afraid to be themselves and silently roots for them when he sees them. If he had a 'type' then it would probably be... someone warm and authentic. His dialogue hexcode is #E5BFB0.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Smash Bros Crossover)

Ace Cadet, Pit,
& Therion

Level: 9 - Total EXP: 309/90 --------- Level: 8 - Total EXP: 225/80
Level: 10 - Total EXP: 274/100
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Tuesday Afternoon.
Location: The Avenger ➜ Hammerhead
Word Count: 1380 (+3 exp)

Though he wasn't excited for anything in particular, Therion was one of the earlier people to disembark from the Avenger once it touched down. He was, maybe, a little eager to see a new environment - the desert had been fine, but it was... well, a desert. Plus it had that cold mountain. The Under had not been pleasant, and needless to say the Dead Zone hadn't been either. The week spent in Mafia Town was alright, but it had been small and surrounded by water. He probably shouldn't count the Avenger, but its metal hallways were just that.

The Paved Wilderness looked like if someone had taken the Clifflands and flattened it down before drawing roads through it. There were some notable landmarks, like the one they were parked relatively close to, but otherwise it seemed a fairly normal place. That was just fine with Therion. He scanned the landscape and then made his way into one of the transport vehicles, claiming a spot. Primrose was staying behind, but that didn't mean he had to. A little excursion sounded good.

As for the others that were coming along, it seemed most of the Seekers were planning on getting out of the Avenger in one way or another. The Ace Cadet -suited up again, and this time with his deceptively spacious backpack included- was of course among those up for a little adventure. He took in the landing area and what was around it with interest, studying the scaly herbivore herds for a moment before a pear-like object (in both color, shape, and size) floated in front of him, blocking his view as it lazily passed and then hovered in his general vicinity.

His curious expression flickered with annoyance. The hunter had gone ahead and itemized the spirits of the three Neopteron demons after splitting up from Edward, and while one gave him a simple but handy herb, and another turned into a very interesting looking bow, the last had resulted in... this thing. This orb with an aghast expression that just floated around him ever since he'd touched it. It definitely wasn't anything normal, and so far it seemed attached as throwing it or stowing it didn't seem to stop it from finding its way back into his orbit. He'd gone to see if anyone could get rid of it, but Primrose had taken one look at the orb and deemed it "helpful" rather than harmful. For now it was just more exposure therapy, he guessed.

Items Obtained:

Green Herb & Green Orb
Two healing items with similar names that work very differently. The herb must be consumed to grant a small amount of health, but grinding it up and mixing it with other herbs will drastically improve its potency. The orb will float around whoever spawned it waiting for them to be injured, then be instantly absorbed to restore a little health
Samsa
A living insectoid bow crafted from demonic remains. It's difficult to wield normally, as if the weapon actively resists its user, but in the hands of one adept at dark magic it comes alive and imbues its barbed arrows with toxins. Extra time spent charging the arrows will change them into infernal insects as they fly for greater tracking, speed, and damage

The herb he'd put into his gathering pouch, the bow folded into his backpack. With all the wide open areas he hoped he would get a chance to test it out soon.

Finally, Pit made his way down the Avenger's ramp. He was completely recovered now, from both the morning in the Dead Zone and his encounter with Juri. He turned to wave at Sandalphon as he left, calling back to her, "lemme know if you want a souvenir!" Not that they could probably find much besides bobbleheads or something.

After the archangel had rescued him yet again, and then stuck close by to him after he'd thanked her, Pit had thought he actually might be in trouble. He hadn't exactly meant to pick a fight, but he'd thought that maybe Juri was the kind of person that talked better with her fists. Metaphorically speaking, since she preferred using her legs. A lot of martial artists were like that. However, Sandalphon hadn't mentioned anything like that.

"I admire your determination, Pit, but while Juri clearly needs help of some kind, trying without the necessary qualifications may only make things worse. The average doctor spends ten years studying before being officially qualified to treat patients without magic--and how much harder is it to heal the soul than the body?" was what she'd said.

It had sort of felt like an admonishment, so Pit had folded his arms and just said, "yeah, I guess." He hadn't even been trying to 'help' her really, but... well, whatever, it was done with now.

He loosened up soon after, since he liked Sandalphon and didn't mind her company. Of course he still peeled himself from her watchful gaze as soon as the Avenger landed, hopping onto the top of one of the Armadillos and letting his wings unfurl to feel the wind as they got going towards Hammerhead.

---

The outpost was busier than Pit remembered it. Of course he'd only stopped there very briefly, but it seemed to have been a sleepier place than it was now. There was a buzz of excitement to Hammerhead now, which energized the young angel. He flitted around the edge of the group until everyone was out of the two Armadillos, and then he went to get a better look at the place. It wasn't huge, so it wouldn't take him long to see most of it.

Ace's attention was drawn to the group of gorgeous girls, but not for the same reasons as some of the other Seekers. They were pretty, yeah, but they also all looked like crafters - and even more impressive was the forge behind them. Though it was putting out all kinds of metal machinery pieces, not just weapons or armor, the sight of it rang pleasantly familiar for the hunter. He definitely wanted a closer look. Maybe he could get some new stuff - Actually I think I'm kind of broke. Maybe I can trade for it though - or some upgrades. Hell, maybe if they asked really nicely they could even convince a blacksmith to join up with the Seekers. The Land of Adventure wasn't that far away, so they could always swing by and ask Rena, Ramona, or Renee in Lumbridge about that too though.

If all else failed it would be nice to just shoot the breeze with them too.

When Nadia brought the news back that there was a massive search in the region for scattered cargo, killing time trying to find someone of it did sound like fun. However, if everyone was splitting up then the hunter figured he'd just leave them to it so he could actually spend time checking out the forge.

"I'm gonna stick around here," he told his companions. "Good luck though! Happy hunting!"

Meanwhile, Therion needed to hitch a ride. Finding valuable junk was kind of his thing, though he normally found it in manors and coin purses rather than out in the wilderness like a real treasure hunter, but this sounded like it could be interesting. Juri had already left, not that he would have even tried asking her. He wasn't about to ask Blazermate for a ride, and though he was tempted to ask Sectonia, the queen bee ended up leaving pretty quickly too. He wasn't sure he wanted to be stuck in close quarters with Ms. Fortune, especially if she was behind the wheel, so that really left only one option.

Therion swung himself up onto the side of Roland's new truck, slipping into the passenger window and plopping himself down onto the seat without so much as a word. He did glance at the Fixer though, wondering if he'd be kicked out (in which case he'd just ride in the bed), but the other man didn't seem to mind the company. So the thief settled back into the seat, resting one arm out of the open window casually.

Which left Pit, who'd since returned from his quick self-guided tour of the new and improved Hammerhead. He had wanted to visit the Rocket League Arena again - one because it had been really cool, and two because last time he was there, he'd seen a couple of people he knew. That was where they'd met Asbestos too, and now she was part of the team, even if not the front-line team. But he also didn't want to miss out on a scavenger hunt!

Luckily, a quick glance at the area map showed that the Arena wasn't actually that far away from the place this thing allegedly crashed. Maybe there were things to find over there? It would be two birds with one stone! As for how to get over there... well, there was always hitchhiking! Surely a few of these entrepreneurial adventurers in Hammerhead would be heading north!

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Smash Bros Crossover)

Demonology

Primrose ------------------------------- Therion
Level: 11 - Total EXP: 243/110 ------ Level: 10 - Total EXP: 271/100
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ------------------------------ 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Edward Portsmith: Level 4 (12 cells) ///////////////////////////////// (46/40)
Location: The Avenger
Word Count: 2,437 (+3 exp)

As the Avenger prepared to land, its occupants gradually began to congregate in and around the hangar. Even those that did not plan to venture out into the Paved Wilderness gathered, if only to see their comrades off. Such was the case for Primrose, who after a visit to the Spirit Chamber was content to spend more time on the ship acclimating and resting up rather than gallivanting across the dusty landscape.

Juggernaut Spirit Results

Overshield
A device of alien origin that will interface with the shielding system equipped to whoever picks it up (if applicable) and triple the shield's strength, but any depletion to this shield beyond its base amount cannot be regained
Blacklight Armor
An alternate costume that can adapt to anyone it's equipped to, enveloping them in a suit of biological armor. While equipped, it drastically boosts physical defense (especially to Pierce and Slash, but not as much to Impact) but decreases mobility to strictly human levels
Pox
Housed in two bundles of infested flesh, these are essentially biological throwing knives that deal pierce damage, then inject toxic fumes into pierced targets. When hitting solid surfaces, they just burst into small toxic clouds instead. They're highly effective but come in limited quantities, with just ten knives per bundle, and they can only be replenished by secondary or universal ammo pickups

She stood slightly off to one side so as not to block those more interested in leaving. Though planning to get out of the ship himself, Therion loitered near her. Until the ramp actually opened, he didn't have anything better to do anyway.

"I didn't see you around after we got back. Where did you go off to?"

Therion blinked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. An expression that said wouldn't you like to know? Primrose recognized it quickly and simply looked back at him. While it might have seemed like he'd gotten up to trouble with a look like that, she'd known him long enough that she figured he had probably just kept to himself.

Which was pretty much true. Therion had stopped by his room and ferreted away some things there, as well as collecting others he'd left behind that morning. He'd also roamed the Avenger's halls, going unnoticed for the most part as he eavesdropped -intentionally and unintentionally- on many conversations going on in the rooms he passed.

He had actually stopped by Primrose's room once too, but since the dancer hadn't been there he didn't stay longer than the time it took to flick the lights on, snoop around what would have been Midna's half to see if the woman had stashed anything useful away there rather than in her portals, then leave without a trace. Primrose would probably be upset if she knew that, so he didn't tell her.

"Were you looking for me for something?"

She withdrew something strange looking from her bag and held it out to him - the bundles of bio-knives. Therion looked at them, then looked back up at Primrose with a slightly furrowed brow. There was clearly an unspoken ew on his face, but he still took them. If those tendrils hadn't tried to attach themselves to her in the many seconds she'd held them, then it was unlikely they'd do anything weird to him either. But he did hold the bundles pinched between his fingers, holding them slightly away from him as he inspected them.

"And these are..."

"Knives, I think," Primrose said. She pointed out the sharp end which she knew Therion had already seen, and the fleshy flap that housed the weapons. "If you don't want them, I can take them back."

He just stowed them in his own bag rather than confirm he'd take them verbally. Just from looking at them, he could kind of tell how they worked - some kind of delivery system like a bee's stinger, probably. They could come in handy in the future.

"If you're doing all that spirit stuff anyway, you might as well take back the one you gave me last night. Get the other one too if you do," he offered. It wasn't like he was going to use them. They were keeping them just to keep them at this point, and even stored in a container they wouldn't last forever.

She hummed an agreement. And since she would be staying behind anyway, she offered to the group at large, "if anyone has some leftover chores to take care of… spirit crushing, item sorting… I'll drop things off in the appropriate places."

She had a good grasp on the ship's layout, but it would help to get even more used to it since they were in this together with the Lost Numbers for the long haul.

"And if there are any fusion plans… I have this one left over as well," she said, displaying the demonic spirit she, Grimm, Zenkichi, and Roxas had fought together.

”Someone seems to have gone through the ones we left in the armory from the one encounter that generated them. Hard to say exactly what was left or taken from the results, but there are new items in the armory” Edward approached to say, though of course this was more to Therion than Primrose herself so that he’d be aware of the situation. The thief's ears flicked towards him in acknowledgement. He'd have to go check it out later on, not that he expected much from the scores of crawlers they'd sent back through the magic circle.

Edward did however lean in a little with an inquiring eye to inspect the demon, the eyebrow of which was raised at the sight of it.

”What an unpleasant looking creature. Or creature and rider?” he said, before asking ”what did it do?” to gauge if it would be of any value to him. With his failure in the most recent battle, he was considerably more open to taking edges he’d have been wary of before.

"They seemed of two minds, but were fused together into one being," Primrose told him. Malphas had been a ghastly demon to be sure, although it was because of what it could do that Primrose had had second thoughts about merely crushing its spirit.

"This was a dark sorceress... It conjured ichor to attack with, although most troublesome were its portals. That... bird part of it was particularly strong, and able to strike out from anywhere when combined with them."

”That certainly is a way to have both might and magic in great supply” Edward said, with some distaste, but not so much as to be immediately rejecting the possibility of utilising it.

”A striker would make a great deal of sense, but, hmmm, well, fusion is reversible, so it could be prudent to experiment” he supposed, mostly to himself, before coming to a partial decision as he half-rhetorically asked ”only question is heart or mind I suppose?” and then actually asked ”and, of course, what you’d want in return?”

Primrose raised one delicate brow, amusement playing at her features. At the same time Therion looked between Edward and the spirit of Malphas, a skeptical look clear in his one visible eye.

Leaving aside the triple humanoid body the demon sported, personally the thief wouldn't want to risk being fused with a malformed chicken even temporarily.

"These scholarly types," Therion scoffed lightly, having already pegged Edward as a learned, inquisitive man.

Primrose glanced at Therion, and then simply handed the spirit over to Edward.

"I'd like to see the results," she said, naming her price as only that. So far she had not fused with monsters like these, for a number of reasons, but she liked seeing the changes. If the time came in the future that she chose to fuse with something like this, it would be good to have as much reference information as possible.

”Well then, In that case I won’t chicken out and take the easy path” Edward said, having clearly spent too much time around the Ace Cadet, before accepting and then applying the spirit to his chest.

For Edward

Notable spirit consumed: Malphas The host is three times bigger, bow-legged, and hunchbacked. His body is roughly separated into two sections: the head, arms, and front influenced by Malphas, while his back and everything from the legs down is influenced by the Hatchling. A ring of jagged crystals line the 'seam' between the two halves. The hatchling half is more mottled, brownish, and scaly, with four talon-bearing toes too large for shoes. His wings are threadbare, with most feathers now more like pine needles or spindly clawed fingers, and what feathers are left are black. Additional fingers protrude at random from the wings. There is a similar tuft of tail-feathers protruding from his spine. The Malphas half is more pale and slender, but with strange bone structure almost like the bones are undergoing osmosis, and about to split into three. There are black markings on his face, his eyes are glassy, and his hair is longer and darker. His personality is more cruel, egotistical, and unhinged. This spirit grants the ability Nether Portals, allowing the user to conjure portals of various size at high speed. Though static, they allow very quick displacement, allowing them to be used offensively, but their range is limited to line of sight. This spirit also grants the weakness Chimeric Entropy, causing cell tissues to gradually break down, causing abilities to strengthen but physical stats to decrease more and more over time

The results were not pretty, to say the least, and very difficult to ignore as the man towered over them, hunched over from looking down at them. It was a good thing they were in the hangar, because he’d have likely been crushed or destroyed some walls had they been anywhere else on the ship. He blinked in confusion, took a heavy step back, and then with a mere thought opened a pair of portals before him, looking through one to see himself out of the other.

”Well, isn’t that dramatic” the man said, with a tone far closer to a mad scientist than merely an inquisitive academic, as he examined himself. Then he ran a hand across the opposite arm and remarked ”and internal changes as well? I should dissect myself to see what it has done to my bones because they feel very strange” as if this was an entirely reasonable course of action.

Portal flashed open and shut as he took the entirety of himself in quick succession, as he mused ”Fascinating, far more change than Ganondorf in terms of the shape of the physical structure despite the utterly inhuman nature of his fusion. I wonder why that is”

The Orsterrans regarded the changes with about the same mix of surprise and distaste. Therion was much more obvious with it, and he was quick to extract himself from the conversation when Edward brought up dissecting himself - especially as he wasn't entirely sure if it was the spirit making him talk crazy or if it had merely brought out some deeper facet of his personality. You never knew with scholars.

"I'll leave you to figure out," he said, heading for the ramp without a second glance at either the dreadnought or dancer as his tail swished behind him.

Primrose watched him go out of the corner of her eyes, keeping most of her attention on Edward. Malphas had been very powerful, and the demoness' dark magic would certainly have been nice to wield for herself, but... now she was very glad she hadn't tried. Hopefully she would have still wanted to de-fuse afterward. Speaking of...

"You... don't look very comfortable in your own skin," she said. So far her experience had been that most feelings of unease passed after a few moments as the changes blended together and felt natural, but going from what he'd been before to this, well... it wouldn't be a surprise if he didn't settle into it.

She folded her arms, looking up at the changed man. "Although at least you didn't split into three. I don't suppose it gave you the power to change shape?" Malphas hadn't displayed anything like that, and her comment was more teasing than anything. "How does the magic feel? Worth it, or do you want to change back?"

She glanced back at the hallway leading into the hangar, unsure if he could even fit through the corridor. Could he even fit into the Spirit Chamber if he created a portal that led to it?

”Oh it is deeply unpleasant, but I have felt many unpleasant things in my life, from death to far worse, and so i am willing to endure it for knowledge at least” he replied, before adding that ”the impracticality however is certainly a reason to dispose of this. I'd rather not crawl through the halls of the Avenger, so you’ll get them to move the de-fusion device to save me the trouble once I return”

Briefly Primrose wondered if the death he endured was meant in regards to the cycle they lived through in this world, or if he'd died in his original world before ending up here. Primrose herself had almost ended up that way. There was also the option that he'd been resurrected or something like that. She might have asked, if not for the tone he spoke in.

She raised another brow at him.

"Is that a request or a demand?"

Edward, it seemed, had taken it as a given, as he had begun and did not stop to half turn and then walk into a portal, taking him outside of the Avenger in a single step. He then glanced around, and entered yet another portal, stepping to parts unknown.

Shoujo⁴: Hatsukoi Reunion

I agree, more established relationships (whether friendly or not, honestly) would be best. As for Eikichi and Haru, well @Nani, I'm sure Takaya and Haru are actually friendly with each other for the reasons you mentioned! Takaya would most likely decline a lot of outings, but would agree to a few as its made clear Haru isn't letting up - at least until he starts getting more involved with everyone, in which case he finds it harder and harder to decline in the first place haha. And being on the student council, he would work together with Haru when they need his skills.

This goes for Mikako and Eikichi too, at least while Eikichi was on the council in his first year. It's an easy starting point.

@Lemons Mikako and Takaya are probably those that stick around the latest after council meetings. They might have eventually come to an agreement to swap the little duties after meetings (Mikako handles clean up and everything else on Takaya's cram school days, Takaya does it otherwise so Mikako can head to her other clubs or home to her family). I would say they are probably friendly, though Mikako and Haru would be closer to each other (and Eikichi) than Takaya? At first, at least.

@OliveYou And Eikichi, I think they would be cordial, if not a little friendly due to that familiarity in first year and him being friends with Mikako and Haru. But not very close. I would love if Eikichi knows or has an inkling that Takaya is a huge nerd and teases him with it. Perhaps some very mild black mailing to make sure Takaya agrees to Haru's latest invitations as not to bum Haru out hahaha. I think it also could be sort of interesting to play with Takaya's very traditional, plain look and facade versus Eikichi wanting to avoid being seen as plain and forgettable. Like, I feel like they wouldn't start off as very close friends but could become like that eventually - and then let Eikichi handle pushing Takaya to pursue his love interest haha.

@ERode And for others, with Junko becoming the manager of the judo club I expect that she and Takaya would start to see each other more often, even if only a little, especially if she needs to requisition funds for the club. Reading her quote about him, I can see him looking up to her as a senpai, seeing her as inspiring and intimidating in equal parts for many reasons, but he would certainly never presume to get friendly with the school's most beloved student. Although I think as things go on, the group gets tighter, and they start getting to know each other, I think it would be very cute if they became real friends. Assuming he follows the advice she keeps trying to give him.

@Feyblue Suzuka I actually feel would be the person Takaya might be least closest to, which is fine with me as it leaves her closest relationships to others. If you have any ideas though Fey, please let me know. It might be fun if they talk to each other on message boards about the latest battle shounens though, whether they know who the other is or not.

@Vertigo For Ryuu, perhaps as kids they were actually pretty close, but after Ryuu's trouble started and the separation, and now Ryuu turning back up as a (gasp) delinquent, they probably avoid each other. Or maybe its one sided and Takaya avoids him. So maybe some hurt feelings there, but ultimately they should become friends again. And if you want to go with Ryuu and Suzuka as cat friends but still want someone to know Ryuu through games, well Takaya is 'free' every Saturday for Ryuu's raid static haha. Could be a case where after discovering Ryuu is their crew's healer, he starts trying to mend their relationship through the game first before talking in person. Just a thought, of course.

Would be a similar case with Koharu in that his parents would definitely not approve of having a friend like that, so he'll have to get over it and just be friends with the people he likes.

@Kensai Which leaves Koharu! I think it would be nice if they were also close as kids, as they would have been similar as kids. And then to see her transformation would inspire some mixed feelings in Takaya. He's happy that she seems so happy, but also... not exactly jealous, the word is escaping me at the moment, but seeing how she embraces her true self as she grew up would make him feel some type of way. But yes, assuming they're in the same class (I just arbitrarily picked 2-2) he will be lending her all kinds of things haha. Eventually when he lets his cringe side come out more, he will lend her some manga too. In the mean time, he will be polite to her and probably classmates assume she is taking advantage of his nature before people learn they are just friends hahaha.

All that is more recent relationship stuff though. As for back then... I'm sure they would remember Takaya as a regular kid that hung out with them and eagerly played superheroes and such. After Suzuka, Koharu, and Ryuu left and both Takaya and Mikako's free time started evaporating, I imagine that some that remained behind went to different middle schools too. Maybe that was the case for Takaya, as even though he has lived in the city the whole time he pretty much didn't see the others during the next few years. So them meeting in high school is more like "ah, it's good to see so-and-so still doing well" rather than a more enthusiastic reunion for him? And then as they all start to hang out together again the memories come up, he recalls how fun it used to be, and he gradually gets closer to everyone again.

...er, sorry for the wall of text lol.