Yankee

World of Light

Word Count: 610 (+1 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 222/90
Location: Edinburgh MagicaPolis

As fast as the felynes were at their work, they couldn't beat instant teleportation. So it was that the Ace Cadet was the first to arrive back at the Grammeowster's Kitchen. He appeared in the living quarters above the restaurant itself, the homeward bone he'd unwittingly used to get there crumbling to dust in his hand. He had a minor case of vertigo, plus that spine tingling feeling he got when magic was involved, so the hunter let himself lay on the ground for a bit - at least until he realized that he wasn't alone in the room.

He pushed himself to his feat, worse for wear, giving Lucia, Frisk, and Albedo no time to question where he'd come from before he filled them in himself. He paused in his story telling only to take a potion and then dove right back in, telling them all about what the three (and eventually, four) Seekers had seen and done - and the fate they'd succumbed to.

It wasn't much later that the rest of his group showed up at the restaurant's doorstep, unceremoniously dumped by the Felynes that had rescued them. Classic - it meant their charges were alive and well. Once everyone was ushered upstairs and reunited once more, a more in depth explanation was given to those that stayed behind and discussion began.

"It was basically like cheating," the Cadet added when Lucia remarked on the Consul's abilities. He'd already drained his tea and at some point had gone to get another cup plus a tray of food, which sat in front of him on the table.

"I don't know if it was really time control or what, it was like... he flapped his hand, trying to pull the right words from the air. "Blinking, and stopping? Whatever it is, it giggisux."

It was hard to describe, especially because it was hard to even grasp what it was, and what it was doing to them. Albedo pointed out that it had its flaws, it wasn't unbeatable. There couldn't really be a power out there that totally perfect anyway, or so the Cadet believed. He nodded his head, agreeing with Albedo's assessment now that he was looking back on the fight with hindsight. There was another thing too - it all started with that "connection." Maybe if they avoided that, the latency wouldn't effect them in the first place.

When Band mentioned he was already looking for a rematch, the Cadet shot the man a grin. "It'd feel great to clean his clock, that's for sure."

But there were a lot of things to consider, which were brought up the next moment. The matter of L, who might join the battle after having healed herself. The Consul's locations, which most likely would have changed from the Aether Paradise. The "Flame Clock" was something that the Cadet had no idea where to start. It was a clock that didn't tell time, instead if filled up with light and somehow able to heal? Probably some magic thing that he brushed off.

And of course, there was the matter of Linkle.

"That's a great idea!" the Ace Cadet said once Albedo put forth his suggestion. That morning the hunter had come to the conclusion that the Hylian was looking for them too, so it would be best to find her as soon as possible. "With a hero of justice like her back on our side there's no way we'd lose. And we'll be able to help her out with the whole skull-curse she's got going on."

In the hours before night fall he could prepare; concoct, restock, maintain his equipment... Tonight when they went looking for her, he wouldn't fail again.

World of Light

Beneath the Mask I

Location:The City of Glass - Vandelay Campus
Attendees: Susie, Raz, Goldlewis, Zenkichi, Midna, Roxas, Karin
Viewers: Blazermate, Tora, Giovanna, Geralt, Sakura, Pit, Benedict, Partitio
Word Count: 6163 (+7)

The conversation about their ethical and moral strategy going forwards ebbed and flowed like the waters lapping against the ship as they crossed the bay. Then all too soon and well past time the trip came to an end, and it was time to go listen to a debate instead of having one.

Upon getting across the lake and getting ready to look at the debate, the group had to decide who would go where. With only six press passes, it would be useful for those who were interested in the whole political situation to ask some questions that would help them learn more about what was going on and perhaps get someone like Shinra to let loose some information they normally wouldn’t.

Karin took a pass between her index and middle finger and nodded a pre-emptive goodbye at Sakura.

Blazermate wasn’t all that interested in the proceedings herself, deciding to just go with the viewer group. Politics weren’t her thing, she preferred fighting and healing. Or maybe playing some carnival games. Plus, Tora needed a support robot right now so she figured she’d stay near the guy. ”Hey Tora. I’ll be your partner for now. Maybe we can find some fun things to do in the viewer area?” Blazermate said, trying to cheer him up a little.

Judging by the withering look Tora gave her, he completely abhorred her well-meaning suggestion. “Tora not need or want replacement. Only Poppi.”

Susie meanwhile decided to take one of the passes. She had some questions for both of the people running for office, and she knew how to read political and corporate doublespeak, so she figured she’d be a good candidate for that team. Although from what she could tell of the two so far, Armstrong might be the easier of the two to get information from, while Shinra would have the more important information.

Zenkichi took a pass while Geralt practically scoffed and informed the others that the last political action he took was a regicide, and that likely wouldn’t be appreciated here. Zenkichi chuckled at the joke (That was a joke, right? Right???) and let the others know he’d figure something out, and if his bosses saw him in the debate audience, he’d figure something out.

”Keep that in the back pocket for now, especially seeing as the only royal who’s going to be there is me” Midna commented, signaling her intention to go, though as she could just ride along in the shadows there’d be no need for her to take a pass (though she’d take one if there was one spare), before continuing ”because I know at least one king that’ll need offing if Galeem put him on the board.”

”I’ll come too,” Raz piped up. ”All this political intrigue and espionage is just what the Psychonauts are trained for! Plus, they’re politicians: they always lie, so I can be there as a kind’ve lie detector! Read their thoughts on certain topics and whatever.”

”I… guess I’ll go too, if no one else wants to take a pass.” Roxas joined in after a moment of hesitation. He didn’t really understand anything about the election that everyone was talking about, so maybe attending this debate would be a chance to try and learn a bit about it?

The topic of all this political mumbo-jumbo flew right over Partitio's head, though the topic of regicide made the merchant do a double take before shaking his head and chuckling awkwardly "Uh you got yourself an odd sense of humor partner'" Geralt did succeed in drastically changing the topic though thankfully, Benedict saw nary a point to continually pushing the subject he did however made a somewhat amused noise when Raz spoke on topic of politicians lying.

"Politics are a dance of intrigue and deceit, though to read one's thoughts…" it did strike the elderly strategist as an interesting tactic indeed, such an edge would be valuable in such a debate as the one to unfold "What an intriguing idea." There were not any passes left for him at this point, however, so the former Turk need not take the risk of being recognized.

Pit was fine with staying outside of the amphitheater, grouped with the others who would be watching from afar. With all the passes given out to those that were more interested in seeing the proceedings first hand, the angel crossed his arms behind his head and bid those going in a slightly awkward "have fun," with a less awkward smile.

With that ironed out, it was time for the two divisions of the team to proceed to their respective locations and await the start of tonight’s festivities.

Those destined to attend the debate in person allowed themselves to be swept up by the steady stream of people converging on the path to the regal Dendemille Showcase Theater, only taking one slight detour on the way. Position strategically along one of the Vandelay Campus’s most public avenues was a special on-site outlet store for the apparel retailer Crazy Cap, exclusively offering Vandelay-branded clothing. They offered a selection of t-shirts, hoodies, scarves, beanies, baseball caps, shades (including shutter shades), and more. Offered as souvenirs as much as if not more so than functional attire despite the tastelessness of such a practice at a serious political convention, these clothes were about as bland and corporate as one might expect, but they did present one tangential benefit. Goldlewis floated the idea of using them to help mask the identities of those among the Seekers whose faces might be recognizable to just the sort of government higher-ups that might very well be in attendance. Of course, being a retired official rather than a rogue agent, the veteran felt no need to disguise himself. Once everyone had what they needed, he boldly led the team the rest of the way to the debate’s prestigious venue.

Zenkichi, being pulled along by the crowd, spotted the souvenir shop and tapped Goldlewis on the shoulder, gesturing to the store before quickly pushing through the wave of people. He didn’t bother trying to be heard over the crowd, and shouting that you were getting a disguise was generally considered a bad idea. Quickly grabbing himself a beanie and a pair of shades, he paid and got out of there, searching for the former Secretary of Defense’s massive frame in the crowd.

Midna, being a twili turned imp turned chimera who was highly identified by the fact that there was nothing else like her in the city, and also not intending to make a public appearance, skipped this bit of dress up, and instead took it upon herself to make snippy comments about the new look of any who did.

Despite probably not having much to worry about from being noticed, Raz decided to take a pitstop at the merch store too, picking out a hoodie way too big for him (it reached down to his legs and the sleeves went past his arms), popping the hood of it up over his helmet and tugging his goggles over his face. ”How do I look? In-cog-nito?” He wasn’t too sure if he was assumed dead after not showing back up after the Other mission, so it was better safe than sorry. Stifling a chuckle as best he could, Goldlewis gave a nod of approval. As long as the fashion police weren’t around, Raz ought to be in the clear.

Hang on… the Other mission, Psych-OSF… ”Aw shoot, Lili!” Raz blurted out, quickly covering his mouth when attention was drawn their way. Once people stopped being interested in them Raz whispered to the group, ”I totally forgot to check in with Lili! She’s my, uh, my friend, from when we were just Psychonauts. Me and Roxas brought her to her senses and then sortaaaaa abandoned her… crap, she’s gonna kill me after all this.”

”Yeah, maybe you and I should check in on her when we get a chance?” Roxas suggested to the psychic boy.

Susie looked at all the corporate wear, and wasn't really interested in any of it. IT wouldn’t do for the head of a new business in town to hide herself, nor did she have any reason to. So she just waited for everyone else.

Karin carefully picked out her outfit. Despite it being a shop for bland and corporate outfits, Karin emerged looking like a snazzy business woman in a suit and skirt, with sunglasses riding high on her forehead. It wasn’t so much a disguise as it was a chance for her to buy yet another new outfit for herself.

Benedict glanced over a few colorful "t-shirts" and "baseball caps" as they called them, a sport and a mass produced piece of clothing one of which he found fascinating while the other he cared less for.

Slipping on the closest thing to a plain shirt, and with a sour look on his face as he put the hat on "This clothing is appalling to the eye but…Necessary." conceding to the point of the disguise he sighed. Partitio talked up a storm with the person standing behind the souvenir shop’s counter. "Nice little place ya got here partner, name's Partitio and I'm something of a salesman myself. Got a few tradesmen secrets too!" the merchant firmly shook the hapless shopkeeper’s hand who just smiled and nodded, not quite getting what Partitio's deal was. Once Benedict satisfied his paranoia with a disguise, the two men hurried back to the other group that would not be attending the debate.

Meanwhile, the contingent who elected to view the proceedings remotely looked for a place to spend the time. Naturally, most of the Vandelay Campus was off-limits, but the public-facing subsection known as Circuit Royal featured a handful of licensed establishments in the same vein as Crazy Cap, all intended for live-in employees as much as visitors. There were a few restaurants, stores, and entertainment destinations, even an arcade. None of it interested Tora as much as a tour through the less free-roam parts of the Vandelay Campus to get a peek at what made Midgar’s robotics industry leader tick, but even if any such experiences were scheduled this late, tonight’s slate had been wiped clean to make way for the main event: the debate. So with a heavy heart Tora joined the search for somewhere to go. With plenty of Vandelay robots around, Giovanna recommended going as off the beaten path as possible, and before too long the gang found just such a place. Tucked away on the second story above a Burger Town fast food restaurant was a lounge called Penguin Sniper, accessible by an enclosed stairway next door. Inside the team found a bar serving all kinds of beverages alongside pretty run-of-the-mill bar food, darts, billiards, and a couple game cabinets available for play. Everyone could get a quick bite to eat before the time came to settle in and watch the debate on the wide-screen TVs in the corners.

For once though, Tora wasn’t hungry. He climbed up into a booth, piled up his computer kit, and got back to work. His wings buzzed with nervous energy and couldn’t remain still, not while Poppi’s fate hung in the balance. It became apparent that he wouldn’t eat of his own volition if left to his own devices.

Blazermate, deciding to be Tora’s support medabot for the time being, hovered around him, saying. ”We’ll find her, don’t worry. You’ve gotta eat though so you can keep up the search at full steam.” And saying that, Blazermate acted like a nurse, helping to feed Tora while he worked, giving him a bit of light healing to help his shaky nerves as the soothing healing washed over him.

Geralt gave the pair an odd look, but if Tora wasn’t going to say anything, he wouldn’t either. He felt it in poor taste, personally, but again, Tora could speak for himself. He focused instead on their surroundings, a small frown on his face as he anticipated the inevitable shitshow that they were about to experience. He couldn’t stand political problems, especially ones that involved this blatantly corrupt city. Still, getting an insight into what was going on (and being close by in the event of an implied attack or other such action) was important for their cause. So here he was.

"That Wallace guy was pretty funny, I hope he ends up being able to find a friend," Pit mused while they waited for the event to start. He'd claimed a barstool and dragged it over to the other Seekers, sitting with his legs pulled up and folded beneath him. There was a bowl of slowly disappearing peanuts in his lap. He felt fidgety with want to go out and do something, but like Goldlewis had mentioned it was probably best not to be separated from the group for now. And, well, he was at least a little bit curious about the debate. It wasn't every day one got to see human politics up close.

Sakura had some gold coins on her still from Limsa that she could use to buy her food. Or rather, one gold coin, and probably a lot of change. Eagerly eating a hamburger, she considered the quarters she had collected and cast a look over at the inviting arcade machines. Then she slapped herself on either side of her head. ”Stay focused…”

As the minutes ticked by, the feeling of anticipation shared among the patrons of Penguin Sniper steadily grew. Normally people would come to a place like this to take a load off, to chat with friends over drinks and play games, but the closer to nine o’ clock it got the more eyes kept wandering back to the TVs. For now, they only delivered the faces and voices of reporters and other media personalities, either extracting or delivering opinions on the state of the candidates’ campaigns, or making predictions about tonight’s debate and how it would affect the last leg of this heated presidential race. Contention, opinion, post-truth tribalism, worry and uncertainty, promises, trust, and representation…it all simmered like a cookpot poised to boil over. Naturally, this heightened atmosphere extended well beyond this lounge; the city of Midgar itself was watching with bated breath. Nowhere was the atmosphere quite as electric, of course, than within Dendemille Showcase Theater itself. The grand auditorium, used as often for Vandelay-sponsored publicity gigs as investor and shareholder conferences, was appropriately awe-inspiring in size, with many descending rows of seats, white marble columns along the sides, and a second level elevated above the ground floor. Ushered toward the designated press rows after the inspection of their passes, Goldlewis and the others quickly took their seats. Upon the stage, in front of two enormous red-and-white banners, stood a pair of wooden podiums facing the audience, but tilted toward one another. For now they stood empty, but not for long. In a matter of minutes, two of the most powerful men in Midgar would be standing here in the flesh. The Seekers had heard about these two long enough; now, they’d see them with their own eyes.

Though it felt like hours, it was a few minutes more before the event began. The lights dimmed, the chatter ceased, and the moderator of the tonight’s debate -a middle-aged man with a thick brown mustache and eyebrows- clasped his hands, stared deep into the camera, and began.

“Good evening from the Dendemille Showcase Theater at the Vandelay Campus in the City of Glass, Midgar Sector 06. I’m H.C. Udo, COG News Hour, and I welcome you to the last of the presidential debates between President Shinra, the Administration incumbent, and Steven Armstrong, Senator of Sector 08. Tonight’s debate, just as with the prior four, is sponsored by the Commission for Presidential Debates. Tonight’s sixty minutes will focus on both domestic and external issues, and will follow a format designed by the Commission. There will be a series of segments with two-minute answers to the posed question, then open discussion for the remainder of each segment. Thousands of people offered suggestions on segment subjects and questions, but I made the final selection, and for the record they were not submitted for approval to the Commission or the candidates. The segments, as I announced beforehand, will have an emphasis throughout on specifics, differences, and choices. Both candidates will also have two-minute closing statements. The audience here is promised to remain silent at all times, so we may all concentrate on what the candidates have to say. However, there will now be one exception, so please join me in welcoming Senator Armstrong and President Shinra.”

Each arrived in the midst of a miniature mob of their own personal security details, independent of the Vandelay SBR units stationed throughout the premises for general security. On one side, cyborgs in expensive suits, their technological augmentations plain to see. Under their protection was a tall, burly man of rare fortitude for a politician, with slicked-back brown hair on the verge of receding, a pronounced forehead above thick-rimmed rectangular glasses, a dimpled chin, and a broad, self-assured smile that exuded natural confidence. Despite his uncommon stature, the leader of his entourage towered above him, drawing hushed whispers and awed gazed. He was a giant among men, ferociously bald, his enormous frame clad in a heavy black trench coat that turned red toward the bottom. After receiving a nod from the man in charge, Sundowner stepped down from the stage to stand on the right side as the rest of the guards seated themselves in the front row to the right side of the moderator’s desk, and Armstrong attended his podium. Not to be outdone, his opponent emerged from the left-hand side of the stage flanked by a handful of Claws, wearing both suits and coats, their faces hidden and their serum-filled injectors glowing softly. Only two of his guards showed their faces: an unremarkable man with a bored look on his face, and the unit captain, a wolf-eared woman with a special variation on the Claws’ armored left arms. Any former Turk would recognize her: Penance, the Auditor known also as the Judge. Once she and the others took their seats on the left side of the front row, President Shinra approached the podium opposite Armstrong. Despite his wrinkles and thinning blonde hair, he had eyes as sharp and ice-blue as an arctic glacier, and his perennial suspicion-filled glare was just as cold. The two approached one another in tacit silence, locked eyes, and shook hands before returning to their podiums.

Susie, seeing the two politicians in the flesh for once, could see why even though Shinra seemed to have that old cougar sort of wit and sharpness behind him, why Armstrong could stand up to him. Armstrong looked like a meathead, and he for sure looked like it. In fact, if she could make him a bodyguard of hers, she would. He looked like he’d be a very strong one. But while she could gleam what Shinra was, she couldn’t really grasp what Armstrong was about besides he was strong. Perhaps Armstrong could be just as manipulative or even more so than Shinra.

Although that being said, Shinra did have better looking security. It was almost like the difference between old and new money, with Shinra being old money and Armstrong being new money. She also noticed that besides one of his guards, Shinra seemed to have superior guards. Perhaps that was because Armstrong was super strong on his own and barely needed security?

Zenkichi sucked in a sharp breath when he saw Penance, hoping against hope that what they’d heard about ‘something’ happening tonight wouldn’t mean any attacks going on. If there was one…well, he hoped they wouldn’t have to fight her. The other guards would be no slouches, but that woman had earned her nickname and her rank fair and square.

He wondered, though, about Armstrong. Shinra was very obviously corrupt to the core, but there was…something…about the contender that he couldn’t place. Something that raised his hackles ever so slightly. Politicians tended to keep themselves in fair enough shape, true, but Armstrong was built like a train and could probably give any Turk one hell of a beatdown. Not only that, but DespoRHado being so gung-ho on backing him, to the point that his security guard consisted solely of cyborgs? He didn’t like it.

Midna didn’t like it either. In her feudal understanding of politics, the two groups showing up to this discussion with large well armed retinues in tow and on prominent display was not a particularly healthy state of affairs. It was a rather blatant show of force on both sides, and she had to wonder if either one would back down should the democratic process, however it worked, not go their way.

While he may not have understood everything, Roxas could recognize a show of force if nothing else. And seeing this one made the Nobody tilt his head, ”This is… supposed to be just a debate, right? Why all the goons and weapons? Are the candidates expecting the other to try to assassinate them or something? I don’t get it.” Unfortunately the idea of appearances and political optics was completely lost on Roxas.

”Oh boy, hope nothing bad starts happening,” Raz said, ”or this place is gonna be lit up.” Wanting to keep track of the peace, and with no better time to start, Raz slipped one of his arms from its too-long sleeve and brought his fingers to his temple under his hood. If anyone asked this was a completely planned bit of deception on Raz’s part, letting him pull off psychic shenanigans - in this case, putting out his mind reader feelers - without being too obvious about it. Not at all something he chanced upon. Again.

”Though it would be both entertaining and enlightening should the politicians come to blows, would it not?” Karin said, clearly amused by the prospect.

Without further ado, Udo posed the first question. “Gentlemen, our first segment is about the Ever Crisis. The Others, the Machines, and Redshift continue to pose a threat to the citizens of Midgar. What are the differences between your plans to gain ground in this protracted conflict? Senator, a coin flip has decided that you’ll go first, you have two minutes.”

Frowning, Armstrong filled his massive lungs with air to reply. “Our citizens have lived in fear of the Ever Crisis for far, far too long. Year after year, the city’s elite sit in their ivory towers behind their walls, happy to send poor young men and women to fight and die on their behalf. Fighting a war of attrition they don’t believe in and can’t win. Why? Because it’s the undercities that suffer most, and that suits the current Administration just fine. As long as they stay in power, and the poor cityfolk die without ever having control of their own destiny, my opponent is happy to let the Ever Crisis come–it’s thanks to this lax attitude that things are as bad as they are! My plan is to take the initiative. To take the fight out of our streets and neighborhoods, and into the Valley of Ruin! To pull the Ever Crisis out by its roots, no matter how deep they go. Only when, and the cage we’ve been hiding in is open, can the people of Midgar be truly free.”

The man had come out swinging, and Shinra looked angrier than ever, but he kept it coldly suppressed as he gave his own answer. “The difference between myself and my opponent is that he has never tasted conflict. He may be in DespoRHado’s pocket, as we all well know, but he knows nothing of the reality of war. So he makes attractive promises, saying ‘we’ll do something at last!’ In truth, his so-called plan will squander all of Midgar’s forces on this wild goose chase, and will result in far more massive casualties than this supposed ‘war of attrition’. And then, the Ever Crisis would go for our throats. But my Administration has not been sitting idle. We have been hard at work to better understand our enemies, and to improve and perfect our countermeasures. Once I am reelected, the coming months will see the scales tip in Midgar’s favor, and the stream of attacks will dwindle to a trickle. Just this morning, in fact, my latest initiative exterminated a horde of Others infesting the subway system outside Sector 05, giving us a crucial strategic foothold. This is just a taste of what’s to come.”

“Your two minutes are up, you may now rebut your opponent,” Udo told them, as if the two men hadn’t practically opened fire already.

Armstrong gladly took the opportunity. “Abandoned old tunnels, a strategic foothold? Don’t make me laugh. It was a cheap publicity stunt, like all your ‘achievements’. You say you’re hard at work, but all the Administration does is subsist until it’s time for some smoke and mirrors to make it look like you’re doing something. Public Security prefers overpolicing and pushing around its own citizens to killing monsters, and while you’re polishing the plates, it’s DespoRHado putting boots on the ground to fight for people down below. I support DespoRHado because they’re the ones making a difference in people’s lives. That’s what matters, Shinra–results!”

“Your populist rabble-rousing is nothing but inflammatory agitation, and it’s dangerous,” Shinra replied. “By inciting uproar among the masses, you seek to use a perfectly functional Administration as a stepping-stone to seize power for yourself, nevermind if the instability leads to disaster in the process. Public Security has been at the forefront of the war on the Others and the Aberrations, while DespoRHado only concerns itself with the Machines. A battle it’s been losing, might I add! Which is why in the coming weeks that the Administration’s defense contract with DespoRHado will be coming to an end–and Vandelay Technologies stepping in to do what your cronies cannot!”

By this point, the whispers and angry murmurs among the audience had swelled, and both candidates’ security details seemed to be one step away from each other’s throats. After a few moments Udo raised his voice, however, calling for calm. “Settle down, settle down!” he told them. “Ladies and gentlemen, please remain civil. This is a presidential debate, not a wrestling ring. That goes for everyone.” He eyed the candidates, who gave him indignant looks in return.

Goldlewis shook his head, his forehead in the palm of his hand. “Goll-ee,” he muttered. This was just the first question.

”Well we already know that some part of the Psych-OSF is turning people into Others, so Mr. Armstrong is kinda right that it’s all a big publicity stunt, isn’t he?” Raz whispered to Goldlewis, who he sat next to because that size difference would be the funniest. The big man gave a stiff nod. Still, Armstrong almost certainly couldn’t have known, so while the Senator had a point Goldlewis didn’t want to fall into the trap of thinking he was in the right just yet. Hopefully things cooled down after this and the team could actually start getting an idea of what the candidates stood for, but the veteran didn’t intend to get his hopes up.

”Maybe he knows because he’s got agents in places people aren’t aware of?” Roxas suggested with a whisper. He recalled in his own world that one of the ways in which Xemnas was able to stay aware of everything going on was because he had people like Xigbar and Saix observing and reporting to him directly. Maybe Armstrong had people like that planted in different sectors and reporting what they see and hear back to him on the sly?

”Given what Raiden said about how DespoRHado worked in his world, they probably have something shady going on under the surface as well… but with a disease that takes over machines running around out there, switching to using Vandelay’s ones might prove disastrous if they don’t have a way to resist that,” Midna (who would not be entirely surprised if DespoRHado would keep that little detail to themselves out of spite) noted from the shadows before coming to a small realization ”But if they are expecting to go up against that, then they’ll be preparing ways to counter it, that adds even more reasons to investigate them for Poppi’s sake.”

Roxas gave a sidelong glance to where Midna was hidden. She was right. And that also meant that Raiden was right all along about DespoRHado, and Roxas decided to say as much, ”It sounds like we should have taken his suggestion to go after them more seriously.”

”Hmm… I can see why Armstrong has the charisma to run against Shinra.” Susie said, scratching her chin.

What a load of crap… Zenkichi thought when Shinra responded to Armstrong's accusations that Midgar was slowly beating back the opponents in the Ever Crisis. Pubsec nearly let an entire undercity get wiped out by Machines to make Armstrong and DesporHado look bad. He didn't buy for a second that Armstrong actually had any way to solve the Ever Crisis, though. Even going out into the Valley of Ruin to attack the Machines was hardly a guarantee of any results given how many bases they had out there. Besides, they had reason to believe DesporHado itself was compromised along with PubSec. Were their two choices in this election really just both rotten to the core? He wasn't sure he wanted to believe it, but he had no reason not to. "I wish we could let people know what's going on without blowing our cover…or looking crazy…" he mumbled.

Though a cacophony of thoughts filled the theater, swirling like a maelstrom on the water, Raz reached out into the storm, sifting through and parsing whatever he could. Upjumped meathead…trying to put us out of business…getting in my way…whatever it takes…shut him up…old hypocrite…just you wait…go ahead and try…Vandelay, replace us?...could break him in two…don’t get cocky... There were a lot of expletives. Almost nobody in the whole place had their mental guard up, except the two candidates. Neither seemed to be as vehement on the inside as they appeared to be on the out. As Raz tried to attune to them, however, he happened to snag a snippet of thought that just about turned him white.

This is already getting good! I won’t have to keep up the act for much longer. I can hardly wait to see what happens when they start to realize...hm? What’s this feeling?

A feeling washed over Raz. A surge of raw panic. Like he’d been covertly watching someone important from afar, only for them to whirl around and stare directly at him. Even though they couldn’t have possibly known.

Well now, that’s even better. I’m gonna have to tune you out though, ‘kay? Gotta wait in line like everyone else. See you real soon…

Then that line of thought disappeared, as suddenly and completely as a fisherman’s hook yanked from the waters.

---

Unlike in the Showcase Theater itself, the people inside Penguin Sniper didn’t need to restrain themselves. Practically everyone with any kind of opinion on Midgar’s political landscape had dropped what they were doing to comment on the proceedings, often repudiating the remarks of one candidate or another and offering insults. And when two people -or groups- happened to have strongly differing views in close proximity, tempers flared. Given that both presidential hopefuls had opened with statements more focused on condemning their opponents than actually shining light on the specifics of their plans, Giovanna couldn’t help but think this made sense. If anything it seemed intentional, this stoking the flames of partisan contention. Armstrong made no bones about it, but even if Shinra was right in condemning it as dangerous, he wasn’t doing much better. A classic case of having your cake and eating it too. These men weren’t trying to have a civil presidential race. She never paid too much attention to stuff like this back in America, but this somehow managed to strike her as even more volatile in comparison. Maybe Midgar’s situation made heated politics like this justified, but Gio didn’t like how the city felt like a tinderbox ready to go up in smoke. Still, one thing was preventing any actual conflict in Penguin Sniper for the moment–the fact that the overwhelming majority around here seemed to be in favor of Shinra. Anyone who thought otherwise probably wouldn’t dare to speak up.

Still, all the hubbub made it really hard for Tora to work. Wanting nothing more than peace and quiet to concentrate on his work, he found himself utterly unable to focus. It wasn’t just the chatter, but the heightened emotion around him that poked and prodded at him like so many mosquitoes. No way he could get anything done in a situation like this. Thus he pushed aside his computer for the time being and stared glumly at the nearest television, nibbling at a small carton of fries; if for no other reason than to get Blazermate off his back. His face was one of abject misery. Every minute that passed him by felt like time in which Poppi was slipping farther away.

”Wow, Armstrong is a meat mountain isn’t he?” Blazermate said, having watched the debate. Sadly there wasn’t much she caught onto from viewing things so far.

"No kidding!"

"Man's large enough to lift a wagon, it looks." Geralt half-seriously commented. Armstrong was not your average noble. He possessed neither the robust gut nor well-manicured frame that the upper class tended to gravitate towards in his experience, instead looking like he could put any witcher to shame in the physicality department. A small part of him wondered if he had any hidden enhancements like the cyborgs he was so close with, but he figured a city as invasive and obsessed with surveilling the every move of the populace as this one would be well aware of that fact and making it obvious. The things the two candidates were saying barely registered with Geralt beyond the fact that Armstrong was blaming Shinra for not making Midgar a city paved with gold and fed with exotic wines and spices, while Shinra warned that Armstrong would burn the city to the ground in his desperate quest for power. He’d much rather be drowning in ale than watching this nonsense, but instead he simply drank water and ate some fatty food to keep himself sated.

Sakura had her cheek resting in her hand. ”They should fight each other.” Sakura said, unknowingly echoing the sentiment of her friend Karin at the event itself.

"That'd be unfair for the old guy," Pit responded, "his opponent's like three times his size!"

He'd been watching the debate with brows furrowed and head tilted, actually trying to retain some of what the candidates were saying... but even though they'd been talking a lot, it didn't seem like either one of them actually answered the question they'd been posed. With no concrete information to grasp onto, it was easy for the angel's brain to slide from the proceedings to Sakura's suggestion.

"But maybe they could pick champions to fight for them. Did you guys see the big bald guy and the lady with the metal-y arm earlier? Tons of kings and gods do that." Of course in his experience, most gods didn't bother with debating anyway, skipping right to the violence. Judging by what was showing on the screen, it looked like that might still be in the cards if tension continued to build.

Expedition to Isekai

______________________________________________________________________

Masato barely registered that someone - Kogen, by the sound of it - had thrown themselves onto the monster before he was lifted up and tossed away. He bounced against the ground and after coming to a stop, he laid there with his eyes closed for more than a few seconds. He hadn't been able to escape on his own, despite his struggle. Still wasn't strong enough to get from under that weight. And of course it was Kogen that had been the one to save him this time. There was anger pooling in Masato's gut, but it was as muted as the rest of his senses at present.

The gentle touch on his face coaxed his eyes open, though focusing on the face hovering in front of him took longer than it should have.

Sato...?

It was her. She was saying something to him. Go? Surely she wasn't telling him to run. Upon glancing up he realized that wasn't it - everyone that had been ambushed at the bus managed to slip away from the chaos while the stronger students held the monsters' attentions. Injured or not, they were going to make a run for it.

As he sat there regaining his sense, he could imagine a host of futures playing out. In some he dove back into battle and the students overcame the beasts, in others the smell of Tsubaki's blood influenced his vision and every member of the class died no matter what they did. No matter what he did. He felt the familiar ache of a decision weighing him down. He looked back at Sato.

"Okay," he said, his voice so thick it nearly stuck in his throat.

If the other kids were going to escape into the woods, he would be there for them. The Changed students would have less to worry about with their friends out of the line of fire, and the Unchanged would need someone to protect them from anything else that was lurking in the night. The ones left to do battle would be alright. They were strong. This was the right choice.

He let Sato take his hand as he pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head a little to get his brain back into place. He ignored the coals churning in his core and moved to relieve Ohta of her burden. Stamped down the ire curled around them to focus on the task at hand.

"We'll get everyone somewhere safe," he told the assembled students, letting Ryuugasaki take the lead to guide them through the trees. Before coming back for the others, went unsaid.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 175/80 ------ Level: 6 - Total EXP: 115/60
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 2203 (+3 exp)
Location: The Under

The downside of acquiring something by less than legal means was that finding someone to explain how to actually use it was difficult, if not impossible. The regular citizens in the Home of Tears had scarcely seen the Linkshell system up close, and asking a member of the Mermaid Corps was obviously off the table. The only option was trial and error.

The Linkshell itself was a simple looking item. Up close, Primrose thought her comparison of it being a cross between a conch and a scallop shell was an apt one. It was only a little larger than the palm of her hand, with smooth ridges on the top. It wasn't completely hollow, that much she could tell by its weight, but the pearls it produced came from a groove on the inside of it that led deeper in, where she imagined some animal might have made its home... if the shell was not a man-made construct. That she couldn't tell, but she did know that it must work based on some kind of magic given there were little other features to be found.

Primrose was seated with her umbrella's handle trapped between her arm and her side, shielding her from both the rain and any nosy passersby while she fiddled with the item. Therion had taken the pearl created earlier and, with nothing better to do at the moment, was listening in on the town guard's progress with whatever mission they were handling. Something about Flukes, which he'd seen his fair share of in the Royal Waterways.

"Oh."

The thief glanced over, but his line of sight was just as obscured as any random person on the street.

"What?"

"Its color changed."

Primrose hummed lightly, and with a few swipes of her hand the Linkshell's color changed once more. She wasn't quite sure what she'd done to start the process, but now that something had happened she pressed on. The hue cycled until it landed on a pretty, reddish color; and when she generated a pearl, its own color matched.

"...sounds like the connection's dead," Therion said, pulling the original pearl out of his ear. He hadn't been able to hear anything after Primrose changed the shell's color. She handed him the new pearl and he pressed that where the prior one had been. The dancer created her own and did the same.

"Let's see if this worked..." She held her fingers to her ear, watching Therion mirror the gesture. "Testing..."

She could instantly tell that something had happened by the brief look of surprise that passed over her friend's face. He returned the favor, confirming that with the changing of the device's color a new network was established. Very pleased with herself, Primrose let the Linkshell start producing as she tucked it away once more.

She stood, about to suggest to Therion that they try and find some of the others when a sigil lit up the "sky." A twisted red sign, the same that had been on Consul P. Therion turned quickly to see what she was staring at, and after recognition kicked in the travelers glanced at each other. Not a moment later they hurried through the rain drenched streets in the direction the ominous signal was coming from. They arrived at the central fountain, reunited with the other Seekers that had been drawn by the Consul's beacon.

He really was lured in by P's defeat, Primrose thought. Unfortunately most of the group were still fatigued and healing from the battle earlier. They would be hard pressed to try and take on a second Consul so soon after the first, especially if what F said was true about P being the weakest of their number. She was inclined to believe it. And though F said he wasn't interested in hurting them just then, Primrose prepared herself for a fight all the same - but what followed couldn't really be described as a simple fight.

When the Consul's ruse was put into motion Therion lashed out at the Consul with his fire, too little too late. The flames ate up the air F had been occupying and fizzled out. Therion let out a harsh breath, halfway to a snarl. He knew it was pointless to stick around looking for F, not to mention too dangerous, so he abandoned the central fountain with most of the others. He and Primrose made a beeline for the white whale, the latter clearing a path with her dark magic surging. Both of them were singed, cut, and scraped, but they'd made it to the vehicle of their escape.

It seemed the entire city's population was after them, a scene similar to the one in the Metro but worse. Familiar faces were among the pursuers, from Irenes the friendly guard to Primrose's opponents from the Royal Canopy Club. All of them were robbed of their agency, one of their eyes lit up in an angry red glow. Forced to run, the travelers kept who they could at bay, fending off would be boarders while trying to deal with ranged attackers.

Primrose manifested the Makami and commanded it with a call of, "Mafrei!" Her striker howled and cast its magic, forcing a swath of citizens back away from the water's edge. Its master kept her own casting up, countering magic bolts and blasts that sailed the Seekers' way with her shadow. With her flame she ignited the boats in pursuit of them and spurned anyone gathered on the canal's edge looking for an attack of opportunity. The Devout Beads on her back let out a constant glow as they shot enemies and projectiles out of the air. This situation made her style of buff almost impossible, so rather than dance Primrose focused on her magic. The Baldur Shell having long since broken under the hail of attacks.

When he could, Therion lent her some of his mana - as well as ever other caster aboard. He darted around the creature's back playing support and clean up, tagging the magic users to donate his own mana in order to keep them going. He had his shield equipped, steadily blocking knives and arrows that came their way, and any sneaky hanger-ons that grasped to the side of the whale's body found themselves on the wrong end of his daggers.

It was an all out assault, with a desperate defense by the Seekers. If they couldn't hold out it would suck up the last of their energy and probably kill them. Fueled by adrenaline, Therion all but ignored Ichiban's words of thanks and just continued his work - which only got all the harder after the whale resurfaced from its dive.

A shadow passed under the water, and nearby their whale Barbary emerged from the canal. There was a sharp toothed grin on her face as she rose up, almost towering over the Seekers.

"Ye think ye can escape?" She bellowed, her tentacles thrashing beneath her and churning the water. "My bombs're gonna blow ye sky high!"

True to form she conjured a couple of bombs, seeming not to care that there were several of the city's citizens also present on the whale's back. She tossed them up, which refocused the Travelers' attentions. Therion threw a hand up with the intent to intercept them with his Wildfire, only for the spell to sputter and fail. He cursed under his breath. He'd always been bad at managing his own mana, but was he really out or was the stress of the situation affecting his focus?

Primrose stepped in then, hurling a Fire Orb Barbary's way. The fire ball met the bombs in midair, the explosion pushing the octopus woman back and washing the Seekers with hot air, nearly turning the rain to steam. The dancer let out a deep breath, meeting Barbary's annoyed glare.

"Why you..." the pirate growled, raising an arm to conjure another bomb. This time, Therion moved to preempt her. Barbary was close enough that one good dash and jump saw him land on the octopus' body, taking hold of one of her spikes to keep his footing.

"What are ye doing?!" She shrieked, surprised at she herself had been boarded. Her surprise turned to pained outrage when he turned his sword on her. The blade sliced through her sleeve and bit into her arm, making her yank the limb out of the sword's reach. Her tentacles came up all at once, but Therion was ready for them. He used up a Boost, energy glowing around his body as he strengthened himself. He cut through one tentacle, separating a majority of it from the base. Then another, a third, spraying blue blood as the limbs thrashed around.

He hoped that losing parts of her body might make the giant back down, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

"Grrrrraaaaah!" Barbary slammed her wounded tentacles into the water, making a huge splash. Therion shielded his eyes from the water, and when he looked again all of the limbs were back to normal, if a little fresher looking. Completely regrown, as if his attack hadn't mattered at all.

"You're kidding me," he groaned. He turned back to Barbary's main body, the human-half that he suspected was probably her weak point. He raised his sword to stab her, but a tentacle shot towards him. It intercepted his sword and curled around him, and with a laugh Barbary flung the thief away.

"Therion!" Primrose had been tangling with a few enemies that recently swooped in overhead, but seeing her friend tossed through the air she swatted Zasp into the water and summoned her Makami again, willing it to zip over Therion's way. It wrapped its body around his arm to catch him and floated there in the air to stop his movement. He made an attractive target for many pursuers like that, but the spike of pain from an arrow was better than being cast into the water to drown. Plus he had a good angle on Barbary at the moment, using his Shackle Foe at the same time the Makami cast its Tarunda, the both of them lowering Barbary's attack power. He dropped back down onto the white whale's back once the striker's time was up.

Barbary could feel something happen to her, but she disregarded it entirely. Letting out a roar she lunged for the whale, hooking the claw of her front two tentacles into its body to slow it down.

"I'll be sending ye scallywags straight to the locker!" She raised her arms up, creating a bomb larger than the others. If the Seekers set it off preemptively, its size and proximity would mean the explosion would get to them either way. "Yaharharhar!"

She lobbed it right at the whale. She cackled as she watched the people on board scramble, but she didn't get to watch it explode. Fwip. A well placed knife severed its wick and the bomb landed on the blubber with an anticlimactic plop, taking a least one mind controlled citizen with it as it rolled off the other side. Barbary turned her glare on Therion who'd thwarted her bomb.

Before she could raise one tentacle to smash him, she felt the sting of Primrose's own dagger. It was swathed in dark magic, cutting Barbary's grasp on the whale. In the next moment the dark lance of the Rites of Termination formed and slammed down on the octopus woman. It slashed through her upper body and all but pinned half of her tentacles to the bottom of the canal, spreading magic that would crash into any other underwater pursuers. Barbary hollered more in anger than in pain, but either way she was stuck and the Seekers were free to get on with their escape.

Even after the whale they were riding left the canal and crashed into the cliff face of the Crumble Caverns, the pursuit didn't stop. Aquatic citizens tried to leap the gap themselves, while flying ones crossed right over. It pushed the Seekers into the tunnel, at which point the Travelers split up.

Therion assumed his beast form and shot forward, overtaking the other Seekers to blaze a path forward. He'd heard the brief exchange with Purse, so he knew the ultimate goal was a tower at the end of the cavern. The tunnel's obstacles didn't hinder him much at all, and the rat creatures that didn't flee at the sight of the large wild cat found themselves at the mercy of Therion's blade and claws, mercy which he didn't have much of at the moment.

Primrose took the opposite approach, following the safest path beat by the other Seekers. Although once she confirmed that everyone was inside the cavern, she paused only once to turn back to the way they'd come and summon her other striker.

"Hippowdon, collapse the entrance!" she said, and the Pokémon raised itself up onto its hind legs. She left it there to fulfill its command, and when it slammed its feet back down an Earthquake shook the area. Hopefully it would stop any other pursuers from getting inside the cavern, as there was no telling when F's control would wear off, or if it even would.

What Are You Listening To?

Greetings and Salutations.

Welcome to RPG!

Mahz's Dev Journal

As for "You", I'm not sure why it needed to be changed. Your username already made it pretty clear that it was you/your profile link.

@Kuro

I do agree with Kuro on this point, especially if the account switcher Legend mentioned in the discord a little while back becomes a thing, it will be easier to know which account you are on if it says the account name. Here is the preview they linked for it before.

It is pretty cool to see all the changes going on though. Thank you for your work!

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 172/80 ------ Level: 6 - Total EXP: 112/60
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 3304 (+4 exp)
Location: The Under

Before any plans were made, any consensus was reached, or any future rendezvous point was established the Seekers once again went their separate ways. Primrose watched them all filter out, some with incredible haste and others casual but quick. She dropped her chin into her palm as the lastest Seeker left the cafe, leaving only herself and Therion remaining at the table. It was a little funny; at first glance she wouldn't have pegged some of these people as the flighty types, and yet off they all went.

Therion took one of the vacated seats. There was a crease in his brow when he said, "Is it just me, or did nothing actually get decided?"

Primrose let out an amused puff of breath. "Seems like we'll be staying in the city for a little longer, but as for after that, who knows?"

The thief slumped in his chair and crossed his arms, his tail sticking out of the back and thumping against the floor. He was keen to get out of the rainy area and onto finishing their mission so they could ultimately return to the surface. They didn't need this mask finding fetch quest to drag on any longer than it had to. Maybe next time the group could put the decision to a vote before splitting, or draw lots for the winner to decide where to go.

"Guess I'll find something to do," Therion sighed. The request boards that dotted the city held no interest to him. He could be practical and stock up on food for the road, or go find the missing Seekers... or he could catch up with the group heading to the auction house and see what valuables were up for sale. Not that I'd be buying anything, he thought to himself. Even though he had a nice chunk of change between the money recovered from Consul P's room, that treasure he'd found in the waterway, and the various other gems he'd sold off, he had other ways to procure something he wanted. An auction heist would be a classic caper to flex his skills in. While turning the thought over in his head, Therion glanced at the dancer across from him. "What about you?"

"Hmm~" Primrose adjusted her posture and considered her plan for the rest of the evening. She had no pressing matters to attend to, personal or otherwise. She could return to her room and rest, maybe do some self care. Soaking in a warm bath would be nice after being rained on all day and night. However, something she'd been thinking about since long before they'd come to the Under pushed to the forefront of her mind once more. Something that would be beneficial for her and the rest of the group.

"A bit of shopping maybe," she replied after a few moments. She didn't need to look at Therion to know he probably had a curious look in his eye. "You remember Panther and the other Phantom Thieves, yes?"

There was a noncommittal noise from Therion. Primrose went on. "They had this... device. It was for communicating. It fit in their ear, and they were able to speak and listen over a distance. That fox... er, Fox had one too. I remember how useful it was, even though I didn't know how it worked. I assumed at first it was some sort of magic, but..." She struggled to explain it with her limited scope of technology, but her friend got the gist. "Anyway. I'd like to find something like that."

"That kind of thing would be useful," Therion agreed. "Then we wouldn't have to try and catch people by chance to meet back up. Can't help but notice no one picked a new time or place to gather. Again."

From the disorganization among just the Purple Team, he couldn't imagine the larger "Seeker" alliance. There were other groups out there too, or at least one more - the others they'd met at Twilight Town. "Kind of a miracle a group like this can even function without some kind of communication, huh?"

"Having a base of operations to return to helps," Primrose said, catching onto what he meant. "But since we don't have one down here, and given how easy it seems to be to get lost in these tunnels..."

The dancer trailed off, but her decision was made. She was definitely going to search out an item that would help them all stay in contact with the rest of her time in the city. She stood up and smoothed out her dress, preparing for another walk through the rain. "If you've nothing better to do, care to join me?"

"Why not?" Therion's umbrella was already half open before they even got to the door.

Together they ventured to the merchant shops of the city. The people they spoke with helped point them in the right direction when the two tried their best to explain what it was they were looking for. It was a learning experience, but soon enough they had all kinds of vocabulary to help their search. "Communicator," "codec," "earphones," "ear pieces," "wireless," "phone," "radio." However despite being armed with new information, actualy locating something like that was easier said then done. Few stores carried anything even remotely similar, and those that did had limited range. The last shopkeeper they spoke with mentioned the only people that could be seen using that type of magitech were the Mermaid Corps.

Primrose and Therion stopped under one of the city's rain shelters, considering their options.

"So this plan is a bust," Therion started off with, still holding his umbrella up even under the canopy. "Unless..."

"Unless..." Primrose repeated, raising an elegant eyebrow. She was fairly sure she knew where his train of thought was going. "...we take the communicators from the town guard?"

"Sure. Think about it. We took care of the dictator and his cronies, killed a lot of huge monsters nearby, what else has this place got to worry about? Plus we're leaving soon anyway."

He had a point. It was something Primrose wouldn't have considered on her own, but now that she was... well, there was no better person to have plan a theft than the man next to her. "That's true... and I'd say we need it more, even. Saving the world trumps protecting one city, surely?"

"Exactly." The thief smirked. They chatted quietly, coming up with a few plans of action.

The first part would be information gathering, which meant finding a guard. Normally that was something that should have been a little easier considering what they were used to with large cities, though it seemed the law enforcement was sparse down here. They set out from under the cover of the shelter.

"Look." Therion jerked his chin to indicate a member of the city's Mermaid Corps a little farther ahead of them. The mermaid was at attention in the canal, and sure enough a hand was pressed to her ear while the look on her face said she was clearly listening in on something.

They put step one into action. Primrose did a quick appearance check and then plastered a kind, somewhat naive smile on her as she approached the mermaid. She planned to make some small talk and casually bring up the device, but if needed she could usually seduce women just as well as men. She didn't expect trouble.

"Excuse me," she said, shy and sweet. The guard turned to her sharply, only just noticing Primrose. Her eyes studied the dancer briefly before narrowing, and then her gaze searched the vicinity until they landed on Therion. The man stiffened in surprise, which made the mermaid's expression harden. There's no way we're caught out that quick, he thought.

"Is this human troubling you, sir?"

"...huh?"

"Er..."

The mermaid held a hand up to Primrose and swam closer to Therion, rising out of the water with the aid of some air-flotation device. Therion's ears were standing straight up and his tail bristled out. He glanced at Primrose, who was a little red faced about being so rudely ignored, and saw the dancer miming the cat ears on his head with her hands. ...right, right. They probably think I'm a beastman or something. Jeez...

"No, she's... uh, helping me," he said. He cleared his throat, smoothing over his prior alarm. Thinking fast he spoke the first lie that came to mind. "We're trying to find the Mermaid Corps' main office and having some trouble."

In the corner of his eye he could see Primrose shoot him a questioning look, and he aggressively thought "what did you expect me to do, I'm on the spot" in her direction.

"Why?" the mermaid asked. She glanced over her shoulder at Primrose and leaned in a little, whispering, "If there's something you need to report, you can tell any guard, anytime."

She seemed earnest, even if she was barking up the wrong tree. Therion was nearly at a loss on how to handle this. Maybe just go with it? He took a deep breath and whispered back, "it's okay, it's not... serious. Wouldn't want to disturb your post. We're going to sort it out, if you could point us in the right direction..."

When the mermaid gave him a look of sympathy he had to clench his jaw in order not to give the game away. She dutifully gave him some directions. He thanked her and hurried away with Primrose in tow, slightly mortified by the whole experience.

"Well. What a role reversal. You played damsel in distress well for an amateur."

"Cut it out."

After that encounter, Primrose pursed her lips. She knew that the Home of Tears was a monster city for the most part, but she hadn't actually encountered any problems so far for being a human. Not to mention the city's elite seemed to be humans themselves; that mage, the Agarthans, maybe even the late Consul though it was hard to tell. Perhaps that was the problem, the common folk were scared to cross a human for fear it would be the wrong one, while the city guard had no such qualms.

"Things may go better if I had a disguise." The Koopa Prince had mentioned some kind of "tape" that recorded monsters and could transform the user into them temporarily. Maybe she should give it a try? Though where she would find the actual "tape player" she didn't know. Then maybe a small fusion enough to give her some non-human traits? She'd have to chose her target carefully...

"...you look like you're considering murder," Therion said to her, voice low but blunt. Primrose glanced at him and smiled briefly. She had been doing just that. The two travelers were heading in the direction the guard pointed them, and if they were really thinking about doing this then they needed to get rid of any disadvantages they could. Therion pulled the fake horns off of his head and offered them to Primrose.

"Here, I dunno how much it will help but if you hide the band with your hair it might look like natural horns."

"Thank you." The dancer pushed her own head piece back farther on her scalp and fitted the Loki's Horns into place. Thankfully since they were solid black and simple, they didn't clash with her outfit. "It will be better than nothing."

They continued on, and though yet to complete step one the plan hadn't really changed. Thankfully the next guard they met was a friendlier one. She stood on her tail, stationed in front of a watertight sphere above a body of water and a bold sign that declared "MERMAID CORPS."

"Greetings! Do yoü need assistänce?" she asked. She had a strange way of speaking, but she smiled kindly when she spoke. Primrose returned her smile.

"Just some questions, if you have the time."

"Of cöurse! Möst öf the ötter guards äre oüt dealing with flukes, since I was left behind I häve been so böred... whät questiöns do yoü have?"

Honestly Primrose didn't think this mermaid would have to be fooled out of the information, she seemed happy to chat. Without further ado Primrose motioned to her own ear and asked, "Actually we were wondering about the thing the mermaids use to communicate. We've been curious about it for a while and have hardly seen anything like it."

"Oh!" The guardswoman reached up and, to both Primrose and Therion's surprise, took what looked like a pearl earring from the inner most part of her head fin and showed it to them. "The Linkpearl, yes?"

It wasn't anything like Primrose expected. Was it as simple as enchanted earrings? Who could sustain such magic? "Yes. How does it work?" she questioned. The mermaid giggled sheepishly.

"I dön't really knöw. It ist cönnected to a Linkshell thät the captäin has, büt besides thät?" She shrugged.

Even though the guardswoman claimed not to know much, what she had told them was a lot more than the travelers had before. They were on the right track too by coming here, if the main part of the device was with the captain it stood to reason that the captain was here at the headquarters.

"Speaking of, we were also hoping to meet with the captain," Therion chimed in, completely winging the next part of their plan. This time Primrose didn't question it, especially when the mermaid in front of them gestured to the sphere beside her.

"I'll escört yoü! Büt she might be büsy, so yoü may have tö wait."

The three of them stepped into the diving bell, and after the door closed it plunged into the water. The mermaid introduced herself as Irenes, chatting casually with Primrose as the bell descended. Therion had his arms crossed, ears flat, and eyes closed for the majority of the short trip. Long before they came to a stop the station could be seen through the glass.

"Wäit here," Irenes told them when the bell's doors opened into the lobby. Even here the guards' presence was minimal. In fact they saw only one other mermaid that hardly sparred them a glance as she went by. Being underwater they must not worry about security here at their headquarters - a fact that would work out just fine with thief and accomplice.

"So what's the plan now?" Primrose said quietly. She recalled that ever since getting to really know Therion in Orsterra, she'd kind of wanted to tag along on one of his jobs. He never let any of the other seven come along unless it was absolutely necessary, and most of the time it wasn't. Now, she was decidedly less excited about it. They were underwater, in the town guard's station, about to meet their captain. In order to steal their "Linkshell," that they didn't know what it looked like. Then they had to leave with it.

"Get the thing and get out," Therion replied. Primrose looked at him, frowning. "You can't be serious."

"Things have been going good so far, right?" he countered. "When luck's on your side for once, don't question it. Just go with it."

"...this explains a lot about the situations you've found yourself in," Primrose sighed. The thief bristled, the manacle on his wrist clinking against his hidden weapons when he turned in order to refute her.

"NGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I will defeat you!!"

The sudden shout silenced the two of them. It sounded like it came from somewhere down the hall. Following it was the murmur of some voices, the scrape of furniture. Another, more muffled yell of frustration. The sound of a door slamming open. It was a couple minutes later that a tall, blue skinned, red haired fish woman with an eye patch stormed through the lobby. She was holding two halves a pencil between her fingers, and she didn't so much as notice the station's guests as she went from one hall to another. She was flanked by a frog-like girl who held a stack of papers.

"I'm taking a break!" Undyne announced while on her way, sending the paperwork in the frog's grasp a scathing look. "Round two soon to come! And I WON'T LOSE! But right now I need to fight something ELSE!"

She was already gone when Irenes trailed back into the room, her voice echoing throughout the station. Irenes beckoned the travelers over, giving them an apologetic smile.

"Captäin Undyne will see yoü when she retürns. This wäy."

Primrose reassured the mermaid that it was fine, letting her take them down the hallway.

"Don't question it, just got with it," Therion repeated, hissing the words through his teeth as they were led to the captain's office.

The interior was much like a normal room. There was an oaken desk, a small bookshelf, and a filing cabinet. It was not one of the completely glass domes they'd seen from outside, giving the captain some privacy. Behind the desk mounted on the wall was a sword, and besides a few chairs the only other feature was a small spinet against one wall, its keyboard cover open.

"I am süre she will be bäck soön," Irenes said, though she didn't sound too confident in her statement. "I am göing bäck to my post, büt I will leave the diving bell döwn here for yoür return. Mäke sure to say hellö on yoür way öut, okäy?"

"Of course," Primrose promised. "Thank you, Irenes."

Once left to their own, Primrose and Therion gave it a few seconds before they looked at each other.

"Much too easy," the dancer said, keep her voice soft on the off chance someone, somewhere, could hear them. They'd just happened to find who had to be the friendliest member of the Mermaid Corps on a day that many of the Corps was away on a mission, and now their captain indisposed? Primrose could laugh at the absurdity of it. "This doesn't bode well for the future."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now come on, let's see what we can find."

It did not take long at all to find what they were looking for. The Linkshell was just as its name implied. It looked like it could be a cross between a conch and a scallop, and it was the only object of its kind in the room. Furthermore when Primrose gingerly picked it up and turned it over, she found a Linkpearl of the same kind Irenes had inside of it. She picked up the small earring, and in its place another grew inside the shell.

"Amazing." Primrose removed one of her earrings and fit the Linkpearl in its place. She touched two fingertips gently to the pearl and focused, a grin growing on her face when she could hear the discussion of Mermaid Corps members.

"This is it," she confirmed with Therion. The man nodded, and as tempted as he was to rifle through the rest of the small space he was already heading towards the door. Primrose followed with the shell tucked in her bag. Mission accomplished.

She didn't realize she'd still had her hand pressed to her ear until she heard a confused voice asking, "What's it?"

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"Someone said 'This is it.'"

"Who?"

"Not me."

"Stop clogging up the Linkshell and focus!"

Oh dear. Primrose hurriedly removed the earring and shoved in her bag next to its shell. She'd have to figure out how to disconnect the Mermaid Corps "frequency" (another term one of the shopkeeps had taught her) or find someone who could. She spurred Therion to walk a little faster, and though he didn't know what got her worried he didn't need much convincing, just as eager to get out of the town guard's home turf. Within minutes they were back in the bell and rising to the surface in order to bid Irenes good bye and, hopefully, make a clean getaway.

World of Light

Word Count: 703 (+1 exp)
Level: 4 - Total EXP: 129/40
Location: Dystopiascape - Midgar: Sector 06

After Giovanna informed everyone that the other half of the Seekers in Midgar also had suffered a loss, being Princess Peach no less, a lot of the optimism Pit had tried drumming up evaporated. They'd been in battle, casualties should be expected (and they weren't even dead, just compromised), but it still stung. He found himself at a loss of what to say, so he stayed quiet.

He remained quiet, uncharacteristically so, throughout the move from Seventh Heaven to Sector 06. At certain points he even had his eyes tightly closed. To the outside observer it might have looked like he was meditating, at least until his eyebrows pinched together and his nose wrinkled up. After that it appeared he might have been thinking of something unpleasant, perhaps ruminating on what had happened with Poppi and Peach. That wasn't technically correct, but it was part of it.

What Pit was actually trying to do was the same thing he'd been trying over the last several days: contact the Goddess of Light.

Lady Palutena's wisdom would be invaluable right about now. She always knew what to do, and how best to help people. He knew that he didn't really have anything to do with the mental connection between himself and Palutena - it was all a result of the Goddess establishing and maintaining that link with her telepathy. Even so he couldn't just give up on trying to reach out to her, even if he had no idea how to.

Come on, Pit! Just... think... harder! Graaaah!! He raised his finger tips to the laurel crowning his head, imitating Raz and some other psychics.

By the time everyone had reunited in the Hublink just outside of Sector 06, the only thing Pit had managed to do was give himself a headache.

So it was that when they rolled up together to the security check point and needed to find a way in for all of them past the robotic guardsmen, the angel couldn't offer a solution faster than Blazermate or Midna. They'd come to the same conclusion, one that was pretty simple: teleport in. "Can't argue with that," he said.

Pit himself was part of the group waiting on Blazermate to set up her teleporter. In the mean time some of the Seekers picked through the clothing Midna dropped off before joining those going through the checkpoint, but just as he'd done the morning before Pit declined to change.

"The angel's code of conduct says that we must always be ready for duty," he stated matter-of-factually, the same code he'd quoted yesterday. "Plus this has to count as 'high society!' It's a divine uniform."

He would end up sticking out, but that wasn't a concern of his. His chiton was a little dusty but still intact, and the gold accented ensemble had to count for something didn't it? At least it would be better than, say, Geralt's grizzled armor...

When finally they were summoned through the teleporter into the City of Glass, Pit looked around at the shining city and let out an impressed, "Wooooow. Tt's big! And bright! Super sci-fi." This is where Tora mentioned the "high tech super-rich" lived and worked, and it certainly looked the part. The people around them looked the part too, and Pit had to admit some of their fashion sense were kind of cool. Maybe he could be convinced to find something to blend in with, as long as it fit over his regular outfit.

Now that they were there, it was time to get a move on. Goldlewis pointed out the enormous V-shaped building as their destination, or close enough to it anyway. Wonder what that place is even for. Are the rooms inside it slanted? Must be owned by someone really full of themselves... As for getting there, since it was across the water, a boat would be the easiest wouldn't it? Pit nodded, agreeing with Tora suggestion. A suggestion which quickly devolved into stealing, requisitioning, and even mind controlling.

"Wait, wait!" Pit exclaimed, eyes wide and looking between Midna, Zenkichi, and Geralt. "As cool as it would be to flash a badge like, Police, I need your vehicle! We could just ask first, you know?"

Expedition to Isekai

______________________________________________________________________

The moment that Masato realized he wasn't going to best this monster with his new found strength, he felt the flame in his chest flicker. A flash of doubt in the most frustrating way; he could almost do it, close but not close enough. When the fact set in it was too late to bail and try another strategy. He was lifted up, his stomach flipped, and then he was smashed into the ground once more.

He let out a strangled shout as he felt his breath leaving his lungs. The lacerations on his back had already healed, a small blessing that he didn't feel any more pain besides the weight of the beast pressing down on him, but what did it matter if he was going to die anyway? He might have preferred that it hurt more as proof of his struggling - it was about all he could do at the moment after all. Both of his hands were still wrapped around the hulking creature's paw though he couldn't dislodge it. He strained against its press, trying to get his legs underneath him again. He was pretty effectively pinned, and hadn't regained breath enough to call out for help.

Looking up at his captor, Masato could swear that the beast was grinning back down at him. A chill spread through his body along with an inkling that these things were not just alien animals, not really. Even with the ability to shoot magic lasers, he'd expected that they'd be dangerous but simple, predictable... but the fact that they'd split up, that there was a trio firing on them to support their larger pack mates, that there was a creature waiting in the wings, that this one hadn't yet killed Masato despite rendering him almost completely vulnerable... it all suggested a capacity for thought. For violence beyond just survival.

It flexed its shoulder and pushed down harder, the look in its eye bringing him to another time his back had been pressed into the dirt, an overwhelming presence above him keeping him there.

"You've been acting really entitled lately," that presence growled. "Now you won't even greet your family properly?"

Right, that was how it started this time. It was already well into the evening by the time Masato had gotten home from cram school, he'd had a headache and brushed by Akito and his parents on the way to the small kitchen. A snide comment followed him there, though he couldn't recall what it was. He could tell his brother was in a bad mood, but still ignored whatever it was Akito was saying while he pulled leftovers from the fridge. The flick of a lighter reached his ears and annoyed him. The smell of smoke that followed incensed him. He remembered rounding on Akito when he heard their mother coughing from the other room. Remembered telling Akito to put the cigarette out and the bark of laughter he'd gotten in response, and how he'd snatched the thing and snapped that he didn't feel like dealing with Akito's shit that night. He definitely remembered thinking that was the wrong thing to say, but not how they'd ended up outside afterward.

He hadn't realized he was still holding the cigarette until Akito ripped it from his hand while pressing a knee into his chest. When his brother spoke again it was after a long drag and smoke billowed from his mouth around the words.

"Why don't you give oniisan an apology, then we'll be done with this." For today went unsaid.

"Akito—"

"O-nii-san."

"—get off me!" Masato snarled. He grabbed a fistful of his brother's shirt and dragged him in closer. The angle was bad for a punch but he went for it anyway, barely cuffing Akito's chin before the older of the two retaliated. He took hold of Masato's collar and raised the boy up to slam him back into the ground.

"So fucking annoying, always thinking you're better than me," Akito hissed, his patience run out already. "Spoiler alert Masato, you're just the same!"

It hadn't been much of a tussle that time. Some days Masato liked to think he could give as good as he got, but it wasn't one of those days. It ended with a small, circular burn on his skin. He felt those ashes, that heat now under the monster's foot. The memory helped burn away some of the chill of dread he'd been feeling - right now he was still alive and he needed to do whatever he could to stay that way. He had to make it back home and tell off his asshole brother one more time, see the look on his face when he got on that plane.

He gathered air into his lungs again, but didn't cry out for anyone to come to his rescue. He'd gotten himself into this predicament by overestimating his strength, and he'd get himself out somehow. Masato curled, wrapping his legs around the monster's limb to use as leverage. His plan was much the same as it had been before: snap this thing's bones. He shifted his grip so that he could twist, hoping to force its foot to twist with him in an unnatural, painful way. Even if he couldn't break its digits, if he could get it to let go in order to escape its pin that would be good enough. He could figure something out from there.