Yankee

Umbra Rose Condos

You're good Lemons! I think it's okay to be excited and keep posting. For my part I'm just slow, and preparing for that vacay I mentioned before. If anything I may make a general establishing post, but not be able to properly jump in for a bit as I catch up lol.

Umbra Rose Condos

You all certainly have been busy.

@Kuro

And counting lol

ᴘᴋᴍɴ : Quest for Life and Death

Auguste was clearly pleased with himself for catching the other man off guard. Yep, being petty with a friendly stranger is pretty much the highlight of all my nights. He lowered the camera, looking at the tiny reflection of himself in the viewfinder. Of every word that could be used to describe himself, Auguste probably wouldn't pick cute as first choice, but he supposed one must take compliments where one could get them. He then shifted his gaze to the digital screen displaying Julien's image, and up again to Julien himself. 'Cute' would certainly describe the blonde better - he was handsome, but not in a rugged way. He looked more like he could have been a teen idol in his youth, with softer features that complimented his masculinity rather than sharpening it. Definitely well suited to being on stage or broadcast on a screen.

"Julien Lafleur," Augsute repeated aloud as he gave Julien's features an in-depth, if brief, once over. It was a tip he'd been taught a long time ago to help keep faces and names together in his memory. This Julien was pretty confident, but if he ended up even half as famous as he claimed he was going to then he'd just given Auguste a little nest egg for the future. Lucky me, Auguste thought.

As the small talk started, Auguste's eyes flickered over Julien's shoulder to the man he was supposed to be tailing. So far things were quiet on that front, so he could indulge his newest acquaintance a little longer.

"I stick out that much, huh?" He asked, amusement coloring his voice. He wasn't really surprised to hear that. His usual ensemble of neutral, muted colors blended in well out on the town, but here it had the opposite effect. In a sea of bright, boldly dressed men and women, along with professionals in rich suits dyed the blackest of blacks, Auguste's white and beige was a little bit of an anomaly. Just a little, but apparently enough to attract the more eccentric guests.

"Believe it or not, I am here on business," Auguste said. Now that he knew Julien had nothing to do with his mark, Auguste fished a business card out of his pocket. Introducing himself while advertising - now that was efficiency.

He held the simple card out to Julien. On its face was the name Auguste Vareilles, and below it the words Private Investigator. His business email and telephone number were printed on the bottom of the card at either edge.

Tapping the camera against his shoulder, Auguste nodded his head towards the crystal tree. "If you actually want a proper photo done, I don't mind. It'll expand my portfolio a little. You can probably guess how my usual photos turn out," he said with a quick little grin.

A Very Late Self Intro

Welcome to RPG! I was also on Gaia for the longest time. I wouldn't worry about timing too much, I'm sure you'll be able to find a group or a partner that fits your schedule. If you have any questions about the site feel free to ask!

What Are You Listening To?

uhh hi!

Welcome to RPG!

Umbra Rose Condos

@Lemons

I hadn't decided whether she'd be a cam streamer or a vtuber. Both are funny for different reasons. Vtuber is probably safer...

@Silver Carrot

On the one hand, having a regular cam set up that she has to make sure no one sees her horse half seems like it would be fun and lead to some shenanigans. On the other, possibly being one of the Vtubers that Theria unknowingly fawns over also seems like it could be a good hook...

World of Light: the Endless Now

Word Count: 3366 (+4 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 135/80
Monday Night.
Location: Skyworld ➜ The Avenger

When Absalom fell and Palutena's forces sang out in celebration, Pit was quick to join them. He let out several loud cheers before alighting next to the bulk of the Seekers, and then a few more after that too. Once the soft glow of Lady Palutena's power was shed from his wings, he flicked them out a couple of times to get the last remaining tension out of them before tucking them in close against his back.

The heavenly host was already beginning to depart, and the Seekers were swiftly preparing to return to their mobile base of operations. It felt like things were going a little too quickly to Pit. They'd only just defeated the Corruption and freed Skyworld from its danger - did they really have to leave so soon? Couldn't they at least celebrate for a night back at the temple? Pit knew that being here was always a temporary thing, and that as soon as a way to get through the Dead Zone's timefall was figured out the Seekers would be called back into action, but... it had only been a week! A week spent fighting practically the whole time. He didn't want to leave yet. When Uriel approached to ask if they were really going, Pit even started to deny it - but there was a resounding variety of affirmative answers that cemented the decision. Even Edelgard and Edward were planning to take off and board the airship.

After a moment of waffling, Pit decided that he wasn't going to go with them. At least, not at the moment.

"Um, actually... someone else can take my fulton," he started, crossing his arms over his chest like he'd have to defend his choice. "I'll meet up with you guys later. Somehow. I don't... I can't just leave Lady Palutena now."

He glanced at Uriel, and at the Centurion Strongarms that had been part of his unit waiting in the wings to give their captain a ride. Those big guys seemed glad that they weren't losing their commander like some other squads were losing theirs, which kind of validated his choice for him.

Pit nodded at the Centurions, then turned back to the Seekers. Even if he wanted to keep fighting alongside them, he definitely couldn't leave without at least speaking to Lady Palutena about it. So he gave another nod, this one shorter and more for himself. As Uriel departed and his squad came to collect him, Pit offered the Seekers a wide grin.

"I know Uriel already said 'on behalf of all Skyworld,' but... thanks, guys. Thank you for helping us protecting our home!"

He turned and left after that, clasping arms with the Centurions so that they could hoist him up and fly him back to Palutena's Temple.

---

The atmosphere on Skyworld's main islands was definitely more jovial than somber after the battle was over. Grief might come tomorrow, but tonight there was an overwhelming feeling of pride and relief. The guard that had remained behind greeted their returning brethren with gusto, and their returning commanders with cheers and applause. It was a proper hero's welcome back. The plaudits followed the captains as they entered Palutena's Temple, where the celebratory mood was more reverent. Palutena herself lauded them as well, and after putting the brief in debrief she bid them to do as she'd suggested earlier: be proud, return home, and sleep soundly.

Pit accepted all of the praise that was thrown his way, eventually coming to stand by Palutena's side while she dealt with the last remaining loose ends of the day. When finally the goddess too was free to relax, she let out a deep breath.

"You can leave the room to us," she told her tiny cherub assistant, who nodded and flitted away, closing the door to the viewing room as he exited. With just herself and Pit left in there now, Palutena could let her hair down, metaphorically speaking. Standing in for an unknown god for all of the various angels of her new host kept her on her toes, and she found herself sticking to being professional about it, for lack of a better word.

Pit too pretty much dropped all pretense, letting out a yawn. It had been a long day, and the bureaucratic stuff right at the end as he waited for Palutena was pretty boring. He stretched his arms out over his head until there was a satisfying crack, easily shaking out any tiredness, then he turned to the goddess.

"Well we did it! Train derailed, corruption cleaned up, and fake angels felled. Pretty good, right?"

"Pretty good indeed," Palutena laughed lightly. "I didn't doubt any of you for a moment."

"Heheh, I know you didn't." He'd been beaming at her, but his smile gradually shrank as he considered Skyworld's next steps. "So what are we gonna do now?"

"I'll have to decide what to do about everyone that's still gleaming," she said. Freeing them all at once wasn't possible, and even if it was, she had no idea how that would affect the state of Skyworld. A mass defection was possible once the non-native members of her army knew the truth, which would leave the defense of the temple and possible Skyworld as a whole in shambles. Then again, doing nothing would allow a Consul to assume control of any of them - or so Palutena had been told. Deciding who, how, and when was going to be something she'd have to think long and hard about. "And figure out a way to deal with the Flame Clock."

Pit nodded. "I think we'll need some kind of new defense system too. It would be great if you could use some kind of cloaking power on the whole area."

It sure would, Palutena thought. She could most likely use her Power of Transparency on her temple's island, and maybe the entirety of Skyworld if she really tried, but that was in no way sustainable. Plus it wouldn't do much to stop any invaders from sensing the area, nor landing on it. So until she could determine a way to stop anyone from being able to wreak havoc here, improved defenses were just going to be another thing on the to-do list.

"What about you?" She asked, changing the topic slightly. When the only reply she got out of Pit was a confused "huh?", she said, "What's next for the Seekers?"

"Finally destroying whatever Guardian is still in the Dead Zone, I think."

"I see. I'm surprised you didn't go back with them."

Pit blinked, evidently surprised that she was surprised. "I wanted to talk to you before I left! You know, say goodbye, to Uriel and Celia and everyone too. And see if you needed anything else. And make sure Skyworld's gonna be okay if I leave."

Palutena rested her hands on her hips, amusement showing on her face. "Pit, you could have done most of that without coming all the way here. I can talk to you telepathically, remember?"

"I know! I just... wasn't sure if it would still work outside of Skyworld. It didn't before."

"It will," Palutena promised. "Now that my mind's crystal clear again, I can be in yours 24/7 - so I hope you enjoyed the break while it lasted."

"I'd rather hear you all the time than not all, Lady Palutena!" Pit said, which was the honest truth. It had been pretty hard not being able to fall back on her during some of his rough moments. If their connection was re-established for real now, it would be such a weight off of his shoulders. It went both ways too - if something happened in Skyworld and she needed him back, he'd be able to know right away.

"So if you can reach me wherever I go now, does that mean you can keep using the Power of Flight on me?" he asked, eyes big and hopeful. Unfortunately, the answer wasn't exactly what he'd wanted.

"I'm not so sure. Strictly speaking, the distance between us shouldn't matter... but in this world, it might end up being a problem. There are a lot of different overlapping rules of reality to worry about now. Not to mention I can sense a lot more gods out there, and you know how touchy gods can be if another deity pokes their head into their territory."

The young angel's shoulders and wings drooped. "Oh. So if I leave Skyworld and go back to the Seekers, it'll be impossible to fly again...?"

Palutena raised a brow at the word if. He'd been using a lot of ifs. Had Pit considered possibly staying in Skyworld instead? Although she would love to keep having him around, Pit could probably do more good out there on the front lines in the war against Galeem. She smiled at Pit, which was already enough to raise his spirits.

"I didn't say impossible, Pit. I just need some time to figure out this divine tangle. I wonder where I could find a good multi-dimensional paralegal..." The goddess tapped a finger to her cheek, head tipped in thought, before something else quickly occurred to her. "In the mean time, why don't you borrow someone else's wings?"

Since Palutena had been freed, the Seekers had filled her in on a lot of the general condition of the world, with Pit happily filling in the rest so that his goddess was completely up to speed. So she knew about the power of spirits, and had given a general suggestion to her army to collect the spirits of fallen comrades if it was safe to do so. Given that an unfortunate amount of her army had fallen that day against the Corruption, there were several of them in the temple as Palutena decided what to do with them. Giving some to her guard captain would be a good use. Pit quickly caught on to her meaning.

"I was meaning to ask you about that. Do you think it's... kinda weird?"

"How so?"

"I mean isn't it kind of similar to how the Underworld Army does things? Using people's souls and stuff."

Palutena chuckled. "And you're worrying about that after you've already done it?"

"I was worrying about it before that too! And these were from, like, a vending machine or something anyway so..." Pit retorted, grasping at the front of his fusion-changed outfit.

"Uh-huh." She gave him a knowing look. "Well, you're not wrong that it does seem a little like the Underworld Army's process. But Hades turned those souls into monsters - a much worse fate. These ones are going to be used to help rescue the world."

"I guess that makes sense," Pit said after a moment of reflection, scratching his head. "If I got turned into a spirit, I'd rather have someone turn me into a sword and use me to beat up bad guys than fade away..."

"If you're still worried about it, then I'll give you the official Palutena seal of approval for spirit usage." Palutena leaned over, reaching out to flick Pit's forehead. Though the angel rubbed the spot on his head afterwards, he grinned at her too. If the Goddess of Light said it was fine, then it was fine - no need to think about it anymore. In truth, Palutena would normally be against such exploitation of souls... but she could be pragmatic when she needed to be. If it was for the sake of the world, for the greater good, then she knew that sometimes the good guys needed to do whatever it takes to prevail.

"Hm... Lady Palutena, do you think I'd turn into a sword or a bow? Or maybe a staff?"

"Let's hope we won't have to find out."

Palutena turned to go collect a suitable spirit as Pit followed, chatting away.

"You know they have this thing on the ship that let's you pick where you want to change. If I use it on my wings, maybe I really will be able to fly!" The bonus of giving a spirit another way to stay and fight the good fight was nice, but the prospect of potentially being able to fly was what really excited Pit.

"You just need to use the spirit on your wings? I could help you out with that. Here, turn around."

Pit did so, but the look he gave Palutena over his shoulder said he wasn't so sure. "Uh, I don't think it's gonna work like that."

"Who's the goddess here, Pit? Besides, I haven't gotten to see a fusion up close yet. Just hold still..."

"Ow! You pinched my feathers!"

Fwooosh. With one hand holding Pit's wings out away from the rest of his body, Palutena pushed the spirit of a fallen Feathersword into them with the other. A light engulfed Pit, bright enough that even the Goddess of Light almost had to look away. She watched on, curious, as her angelic guinea pig underwent changes right before her eyes.

For Pit

Spirit consumed:
Feathersword
The host's hair has gotten shorter again, with the blonde tips lengthened into sandy streaks. His laurel wreath is now shaped more like feathers and its glow more white. His wings are longer, stronger, and better-developed. The purple and orange accents in his outfit have turned red again. He's gained a chestplate (front only) and forward-facing armor plates on his legs beneath his singlet, both a pale gold like all of the metal on his person. This spirit grants the Ability Momentum Swing, granting a special attack with either a shield or sword. Spiral Sword will temporarily buff his evasion and debuff his target's, while Shield Smite will temporarily buff his defense and debuff his target's. This spirit also confers the Weakness Pierce the Heavens, increasing the damage dealt to the host by projectiles that deal pierce damage.

Following the fusion, Pit immediately wriggled free of Palutena's grasp and spread his wings out wide. He only felt a little different for the first few seconds before everything settled into place. He felt the weight of new armor pieces, and no longer felt the tickle of his hair at the base of his neck, so he could tell that Palutena's plan hadn't actually worked as intended. His wings, though - that was the important part. He knew them better than the back of his own hand, so he could tell that something had changed.

Closing his wings around himself, Pit found that they were definitely longer. They felt sturdier too. He whirled around to face Palutena and exclaimed, "How do they look? Flight-ready?!"

Palutena had been studying the changes too, trying to puzzle out how and why certain aspects changed and others didn't. Of course, she was going to need a lot more data to come to any real conclusions. Though her interest was mostly for scientific curiosity, she did frown slightly when she noted Pit's laurel wreath. The golden leaves were part of her iconography just as much as her halo was, so she wasn't sure how she felt about her symbol marking Pit as part of her host being transformed. She didn't dwell on that for long though, instead shifting her gaze to Pit's wings once more before giving the angel a smile. "Well why don't you try it?"

He didn't need to be told twice. Pit launched himself up into the air, beating his improved wings until he was up as high as the ceiling would let him go. He was a little quicker in the air, and so far he was airborne for a little longer, so for a few moments both angel and goddess thought that the fusion had worked. Then, sustaining himself in the air became too hard. His wings faltered and he started to fall, with no amount of frantic flapping stopping him from dropping back onto the marble floor.

"Nooo, ugh!" Pit lamented. He brought both of his wings around towards his front again, inspecting them in more depth. Having that little bit of hope come crashing down felt like a gut punch. "I really thought..." He trailed off, staring at the crisp white feathers in his hands. Then he sighed and let them go, his wings going to rest at his back. "I guess it wouldn't be that easy, huh?"

Palutena wondered why it wouldn't be. While she remotely viewed the battlefield earlier, she'd seen her once wayward commander Edward Portsmith fuse and become capable of flight, however limited. Was it because he'd absorbed two angels? Pit already had a set of wings, but was their flightless defect so great that just one flight-capable spirit wasn't enough? Or was Pit's physiology as an angel of Angel Land just that different from the angels of Albion? If the latter flew under their own wing power rather than the force of their soul channeled into their feathers, then all fusing with them would do is make Pit's wings more powerful - it wouldn't fix the inherent issue. That was the most likely problem, then. Pit seemed to be coming to the same conclusion, though a bit slower. He glanced at the remaining spirits and considered trying again before shaking his head lightly.

"You'll be alright, Pit. It won't take me long to figure out the long range boons - we'll have you back in the air yet," Palutena offered, at which Pit forced a smile onto his face.

"Yeah, no problem. I've been fighting for longer without the Power of Flight anyway," he said. It would just be back to the more of the same, except this time he'd have Lady Palutena's guiding voice in his head to make things easier. While he was out in the world, he could try and find some other methods of flight too. That was, of course, only if he did return to the ranks of the Seekers of Light.

Pit brought one arm up to self-consciously rub at the other. He did want to help fight against Galeem. It kind of felt irresponsible not to. He was there, on that cliff, when Galeem first appeared. He was one of the first to stand against it. It was an important mission, probably the most important one in the world at the moment, and sometimes the adventure had even been fun. But after being separated from Lady Palutena for so long, he hardly wanted to leave her side now that he was here. Would it be so bad to resume his position as captain of her army and stand guard in Skyworld?

Sensing his hesitation, Palutena laid a gentle hand on Pit's shoulder. He looked up at her to find a reassuring smile aimed at him, and when he smiled back this time it was more genuine. Then Palutena stepped back, summoning her staff to raise it and bring it down against the floor with an echoing thump.

"Are you ready for your next mission, Pit?"

The angel dropped down onto one knee with his right fist pressed against his heart, his head bowed and his wings spread out low. Palutena threw her arm out as she spoke, her voice taking on a commanding tone.

"Go, join the battle to free the people of this planet, and bring this World of Light to an end!"

"Yes, Lady Palutena!"

Pit hopped back up to his feet, Palutena's order having flushed away all of his doubts. To serve her was his calling, and if she decreed that he be there personally to hunt down Guardians, fight off Consuls, and help take down Galeem then he would gladly do it for her.

Easing up slightly, Palutena spoke again. "Now picture someone aboard the Avenger."

A couple of faces flashed through Pit's mind before he realized what she intended.

"Are you going to–"

"Warp you? Yes. Hope you have someone in mind."

"You didn't give me a chance to say goodbye!" Pit complained, though it was without any real bite to it.

"Goodbye for now, Pit," the Goddess of Light said, exchanging a last smile with her angel. She pointed her staff at him, its head beginning to glow a bright, sparkly blue.

"Warp!"

---

There was very little warning at the other end of the warp point that a whole other person was about to pop into existence there. In the end it was Roxas, his friend and roommate's face that Pit had pictured as the divine power took effect. If he was lucky, Roxas would already be in their room and Pit wouldn't even have to do anything else before trying to get to sleep. For the Keyblade wielder, small shimmering blue lights began to form in the open air next to him, quickly growing larger and more frequent until within moments space itself distorted and opened up, dumping the angel out next to him.

Pit landed ungracefully with an oof. It had been a little rougher than usual, maybe because the Avenger was moving? Nevertheless Pit quickly got up and dusted himself off, announcing himself with a pleasant call of, "I'm back!"

Pit Level Up!

New Power: Patron Goddess - As Palutena's dedicated servant and her personal angel, Pit and Palutena's bond is tightly woven. Now that they have reunited, so long as their connection remains uninterrupted Pit is able to access temporary divine powers granted by the Goddess of Light. It is limited by distance at first, but is able to grow in strength over time. It is hindered by abilities that prevent divine intervention or other similar effects, can be voluntarily severed (and reestablished) by either Pit or Palutena, or come to an end if something were to happen to Palutena. No matter how many powers are available to Pit through his bond with Palutena, he can only use one at a time.

Tier 1

Palutena's Guidance: The only ability available at this level. Telepathic communication between angel and goddess, Pit can reach out to Palutena and ask her questions, for advice, or just to chat. Though hailed as an all-seeing, all-knowing being, Palutena is not actually omniscient... though she does possess a vast array of knowledge to pull from, including information about worlds other than her own. The factual information Pit can receive is limited to both what Palutena knows and chooses to tell him, otherwise he may end up with anecdotes, her own subjective deductions, or mere well wishes that he makes the best of the situation on his own. Being a form of telepathy, this ability can suffer interference from anything that blocks psychic powers in addition to being affected by anti-divinity effects.

***

World of Light: the Endless Now

Pun Intended

Ace Cadet & Nadia Fortune
Late Monday night aboard the Avenger
Word Count: 5477 (+6)
_{@Yankee@Lugubrious}

After learning that the crew of the Avenger was going to be doing the rounds and collecting Seekers from all over the world, the Ace Cadet had wanted to be there to greet them. He was grateful that Band and Red ended up in Edinburgh Magicapolis with him so that even the cold, clouds, and magic couldn’t make the experience miserable, but after two weeks apart - which honestly felt a whole lot longer - it was going to be great to reunite with the whole crew again. Especially a certain fighting feral.

However, the hunter had underestimated how tiring a process onboarding would be, particularly since it immediately followed the emotions of the night before. He’d arrived at the Avenger as a big jumble of satisfaction at their victory over L, anticipation at rejoining the bulk of the Seekers, as well as disappointment and stress that they’d had to leave Linkle behind. After being picked up by the shuttle, they’d directed the craft to swing by the Aether Resort for Linkle, Albedo, and Lucia, but instead found the area under lockdown with none of their allies in sight. It was definitely bittersweet parting with them without even a goodbye, but Mewtwo had stayed behind - hopefully it could locate them and fill them in on everything. And if it came down to it, now that the Cadet’s scoutbugs had the Skullgirl’s scent, he would be able to track her down again.

Which then came the next morning, which saw him packing an overwhelming amount of information into his head. He got a low down on the Seekers’ campaign and their own victories over two more Guardians, the status of their next move which would be in more detail tomorrow, and in turn filled in the relevant parties about what they’d learned in the Frozen Highlands. There was also the bad news, which included being informed of their missing members. Plus the whole Lost Numbers thing and the fact that everyone besides them was living in some kind of soul-loop, which was a mindfuck to say the least, but also put some of the things that Linkle had said into perspective.

And then there was the Avenger itself. A technological marvel that Ace hadn’t had the chance to properly appreciate when he’d first arrived, and one he’d have to acclimate to. Luckily he was pretty good at that, so after an intense and informational morning he’d spent a majority of the rest of the day scouring the entire ship. It was the definition of radalos, equipped with pretty much everything a team could need. He’d spent more time than strictly necessary in the cargo bay, the armory and the stockpile, but otherwise he went to and fro everywhere and tried to familiarize himself with where things were as much as possible. He stopped to talk to strangers too, of which almost everyone aboard was, getting a feel for the general atmosphere around the ship as well.

So it was that by the time night had rolled around and they still had yet to pick up the first contingent of wayward Seekers, the Ace Cadet was already beat. He figured he’d kill some time with a book in his new quarters (of which he’d been told would eventually be shared with another person, no issues there), and ended up… dozing off, snoring loudly.

The turbulence over Skyworld jostled him into waking. He sat up, blinked, and realized that with the hour being so late that he’d probably missed everyone. No doubt they’d be tired and eager to hit the hay after getting back.

Ah, dalamadamn it. Oh well, I guess it’ll make a nice morning surprise then, he thought, flopping back down with his hands linked behind his head.

Not everyone could wait that long, though. As Ace reposed in his bunk, his mind wandering far afield as he waited to nod off again, a muted murmur of voices filtered in from the hallway into his room. Minor ambient disturbances, such as the turbulence he experienced earlier, simply came with the territory of a confined living space, and though the hunter had yet to acclimate the sounds soon subsided. Only to return in force the next moment when a rapping of knuckles against his door, sharp and urgent, jolted him into wakefulness. Before he could get up and answer the door, however, his visitor tried the handle, leading both parties to discover that Ace, in his weariness, had not locked the door.

It got thrown open the next moment, slid sideways into its crevice until it came to a stop in its receptacle with a whack loud enough that anyone in the neighboring rooms could definitely hear it. Having not spent a night here so far, Nadia didn’t expect it to do that, so the sudden noise made her jump in momentary panic just as her words were about to burst forth. “Bwah!?” All her dramatic preamble had been forgotten in an instant–evidently her drink in Stolen Moments hadn’t taken the edge off as much as she hoped. Still, such an overeager bumble was everything Ace needed to know exactly who he was looking at. Sure, she’d found a flashy new outfit (though she’d ditched her jacket in her own room on the way over) and filled out a bit more, with subtle differences in both her face and her voice, but despite the colorful calico highlights and LCD peepers, this hispanic catgirl was absolutely the same Ms Fortune he knew and loved. She looked around the darkened chamber. “Ace!?”

She found him just as she’d left him - a tanned man with a mop of fluffy scarlet hair, accented with a yellow tuft at the front, and warm eyes of gold and chocolate. He was stripped of his armor and rigging, instead sporting a pair of sweatpants and a silly pullover. The moment she laid eyes on him, ugly sweater and all, her face lit up with joy, a wide smile plastered across it. Any planned attempts to seem mad at him evaporated along with her doubts and fears. While logically speaking she had no reason to doubt Band’s word, the two had been separated in an impossibly unpredictable and dangerous world, so Nadia couldn’t have been sure until right this moment. Now that she could see Ace alive and well, however, nothing could stop her smiling ear to ear. Without another word, the feral charged. Where she wrapped herself around Ace in a suffocating hug was for him to decide, if his reaction speed was up to snuff.

She caught him around the shoulders as he scrambled out of bed, the movement sliding her arms up to circle his neck while he returned the embrace just as tightly, his own arms enveloped around her back.

"Nadia!" She was impossible to mistake. Ace had been really looking forward to seeing her again, and now that he finally was, the reunion was hitting him a lot harder than he'd thought. It hadn't been that long, but absence really did make the heart grow fonder, he guessed. He couldn't believe that just a few minutes ago he was ready to leave this for tomorrow morning.

Though reluctant to let go, the hunter did want to actually see more of her than just the fluff of her hair and the cute curl of her tail. He gave her a squeeze and then released her, though his hands hovered nearby while he took in all the changes.

"It's kinda hitting me all at once how much I missed mew," he said, speaking his feelings aloud and completely unable to keep a smile off of his face even if he tried - which might have contributed to the slight tripping over his words. "I'm so glad you're alright! I mean, are you alright? You look great."

“Yeah, thanks!” She beamed at the compliment, her decision to fuse validated. “Check meowt!” Though Ace let her go rather quickly, it had taken a moment longer for the feral to exhume her face from the hunter’s chest, and even after Nadia pulled back a little, her hands did not stray far. Instead she grabbed his and pulled the both of them into an excited whirl, their arms outstretched toward one another so both could get a good look. It seemed like the catgirl was just as physical -and just as forward- as ever. “I’ve been fine! For the most part, anyway. I’ve been stuck in purr-gatory, y’see, just waitin’ to find out if I’d ever see you again! I was worried sick. But it looks like you’re still in one piece, eh?” Despite his misadventures, the man seemed fine. Her friend hadn’t changed since they campaigned in the Deep Blue Seaside together, and even then Ace’s only departure from his original self had been his fusion with Jamaica, which made him a touch smaller and prettier overall. The last time they’d really hung out was at Heaven’s Edge, and Nadia would be lying if she said those scenes hadn’t been replaying in her mind now and again. “Glad you haven’t fur-gotten me!”

He laughed. Man, the sound of her voice was so good right then. "How could anyone pawsibly forget you?"

After a few seconds the initial rush wore off, and Nadia calmed down enough to relinquish her hold on Ace. Her face was a little flushed–despite her general self-confidence, Nadia could never be sure if her advances were appropriate or not, and she didn’t want to risk scaring Ace away. That smile on his face, though, sure made her heart soar. Her tail continued to flick excitedly behind her as she crossed her arms beneath her chest. “So, you wound up in some ice-cold northern city, did you? Really puts the ‘brr’ in Edin-brr-uh, I guess. What the hell happened?”

Ace didn't even question how she knew that, figuring she must have run into Red or Band. It was probably how she'd found out he was back in the first place. He hardly wanted to talk about himself right now, he wanted to talk about her - what she'd been up to, how she'd been, and the like, but she had to be feeling the same way about him, or else she wouldn't have asked.

The Cadet took her hand again, guiding her closer and inviting her to sit on the bed while he stood and regaled her with what he'd been up to in the time they'd been apart, gesturing included. She allowed herself to be thusly guided, though she looked a little disappointed that Ace didn’t sit with her.

"Brr is right - the whole place was fur-eezing! So we're left out in the cold, pretty much stranded after we got chased out of the metro. Apparently this Consul guy, N, had run of the place so we couldn't have gone back even if we wanted to. And worse than the cold was, the entire city ran on magic of all things. So we had to conjure up some money, a place to stay, and as much information as possible, right? And at the same time we were wanted men not just in the metro, but in Edinburgh too! So we're scoping the place out, looking for leads, and we end up working at this animal show. Spheals - fuzzy little round things, snow cute. Wish you could've seen one... but there, we meet this girl named Frisk who introduces us to her friend and shows us where they're staying - which turns out to be this gargwawesome place that was like a little chunk out of my world. We're probably gonna have to go back to those frozen highlands eventually; you've gotta let me take you there."

Would Nadia like the rustic feel of the place? Would she get a kick out of the felyne staff? Would she enjoy the food and the glimpse into his home world? Imagining just the two of them in Grammeowster's warm, cozy cantina sure was a nice thought. Realizing that he was getting a little off track, the hunter went on.

"So it turns out, Frisk and Albedo end up knowing Linkle. She was there in the city! But she was in a bad way. She was... I mean, you probably know, right?" Nadia had been the one to originally explain to him a little about what had happened to Linkle, so she must have had some inkling into what her curse was. "But don't worry, she's okay.”

Nadia breathed out. She’d heard as much from Band, hard as it was to believe. If Linkle was putting up a good fight against the Skull Heart, that was good to hear, but could she really hold out against a being of such terrifying corruptive power?

"We ended up meeting with her after we fought with N. While we were there, we heard about what happened to Alcamoth. The Consuls spun it like they were the heroes, there was a whole welcome back rally for them and everything. Left a real bad taste in my mouth, you know? It was around then that Mewtwo showed up out of nowhere. He was one of the survivors. So, after that..."

His story gradually veered out of an upbeat retelling to a more subdued one as he went over the low points. As he went on, he keenly left out the part where he'd been a hair's breadth away from death at the hands of Consul N, and the beating he took versus the Darkbeast Paarl. It was nice to know that Nadia had worried over him, it showed that she cared about him, but at the same time he didn't actually want to cause her any worry. Thankfully, the story ended on somewhat of a high note, so he was back to eagerly telling Nadia everything in no time.

"Once the whole team was together, we cooked up a plan to force Consul L to tell us how to ice the Guardian in that area. I'm waiting at the top of his huge tower that's already on top of the biggest bumblepumpkin ever for half of our team to force L to retreat to our ambush point. And when she gets there, well - we won." He paused only to flash her his best heroic grin.

The news definitely impressed Nadia. “Wow, no kitten?”

"Mhm! She ends up telling us this plant called mistletoe is the only thing we need to beat the Guardian. And then suddenly this flying ship comes over with Wonder Red's commander in it. We get scooped up and now we're here! And the best part of the story is it ended with getting to see you again."

Ace was practically breathless after fitting as much information into as short a speaking time as possible, and his face had grown pink after the cheesy line he threw in at the end. Still, he had one more thing to say at the moment. He sat down on the opposite bunk facing Nadia. "Honestly, it feels like we got our Lunasstras kicked just as often as we did the kicking, but enough about all that! What happened with you? When we got here we got filled in on a lot of stuff, but no real details. You beat another Guardian underground, right?"

The unexpected sappy ending to Ace’s tale made Nadia grin like a giddy schoolgirl. What a total dipstick. Between cops, Consuls, and undead nightmares, it sounded like Ace had been through hell and back, and still he found it in himself to make jokes like that. The two of them really were birds of a feather. Now that he’d told his story, it was time to repay the favor, though she didn’t plan to go to such detail. Between her tiredness and her spaciness she’d zoned out a couple times during Ace’s tale -listening more to his delightful excitement than to every last word- so she’d need to get a move on before her story became a snorey.

“That’s right,” Nadia began. “The Underground was huge. We arrived in this quarry aboveground with a huge pit in it, and the meowment we went to ride the lift down, bam, a Consul showed up. F. He dropped our lift, and after falling for like, a minute straight, we plopped down in this magic flowerbed. Monsters came at us right away, and things only got crazier from there. There was this poop-filled dung-geon full of gross critters and weird upgrades. That ended with a fight on a river raft inside some giant monster’s bloody guts, against this giant fetus thing…talk about a womb with a view! We had to take it out, but it was super nasty, so it’s hard to feel sorry abort that.” She giggled evilly. Ace was glad she seemed not to have minded it enough to joke about it, because if anything the one upside of not ending up in the Under where he'd originally planned to go spared him from going through all that.

“Anyway, we wound up in a huge city of monster people called the Home of Tears, where it was always raining. I know rain sounds crazy underground, but I’m not deluge-ional! It was nice, except for the Consul ruling it: P, or as I liked to call him, P-brain. I say ‘liked’ because we washed that little bitch like dirty laundry. Even though he had freaky time powers. Sadly we couldn’t stick around and celebrate, ‘cause F invited himself over again and turned everyone in town against us. We escaped through this cavern full of cheese, and that basically began a big, multi-day trek through every kind of cave you can imagine. There was a pizza tower, an abandoned mall, a giant beehive, and this tomb where we got our souls stolen and had to dance to get ‘em back. And lemme tell ya, after a couple lessons from Primrose, those skeletons were dyin’ to see me on the dancefloor! Then…” She made a face as she remembered the creepy underground prison of dreams and nightmares. “We fought this freaky horse…we kicked his ass, but quittin’ just wasn’t in his neigh-ture, so we had to do it all over again in a dream. And I’m pretty sure we fought the Guardian in a dream the next morning, too. But the spirit Toni got was plenty real, so…mission accomplished!”

The feral shrugged. “We needed a break after all that, so we headed back to the train station and went for a ride ‘round the eastern coast. We ‘shore’ had a good time, too! First Gerudo Town, then Carnival Town. Good food, good games, and good company.” She scrunched up her face. “With one exception. We ran into my old rival Juri. She’s a total bitch, so steer clear. I’m over it now though, so don’t worry.” Nadia smiled at Ace. “Wish you’d been there. We did mountain climbing, taxi driving, hide and seek, exploring a haunted factory…I got partnered up with that Therion guy, and he’s a cool dude, but kind of a wet blanket. I like a guy with a sense of humor, so if you see any, lemme know.” She winked at Ace.

He grinned back at her. "I might have one in mind."

“Oh, and after the games we used our tokens on this machine that gave us a TON of spirits. That’s pretty much how I wound up like this.” Nadia performed a dashing pose, her hands on her hips with her head jauntily turned away. “The extras…well, they’re probably gone by now, but you should still check out the Spirit Chamber sometime. Gettin’ stronger and lookin’ good doin’ it is easier than ever!”

"Groovios. Purr-sonally I don't think you've ever had a hard time looking good, though," he casually flirted. Nadia replied with a double snap into double finger guns, smiling as if to say aah, good one.

The Spirit Chamber... Ace had poked his head in, as he had every other non-restricted area on board, but found the vibe in there pretty weird. The room looked high-tech, but had a mystical feel to it as well that had prevented him from spending much time in there. Since his one and only fusion he hadn't really thought about doing it again - he was an equipment sort of guy, so the majority of the time he just squished spirits for items. Maybe in the future he'd give the chamber another look, if he came across anything interesting.

At the moment though, he was still more interested in the woman in front of him. He sat on the edge of the bunk with his hands on either side of him, leaned forward as if that would better help him absorb everything Nadia had said and would say. He'd probably ask her more details about some of the things he'd heard later; he could tell her energy was starting to flag. Her sudden appearance had repelled a lot of his own weariness from the day, but his had been more mentally exhausting than anything.

"Sounds fun - the end of it I mean. The rest of the story was Kut-kurazy," he chuckled. He definitely would have appreciated getting some time to just relax and goof around with everyone. "So after all that you guys all split up again?"

The catgirl nodded. “Uh-huh. Both teams faced off against two Consuls apiece, and it sounds like another one -Z- found and attacked the city team right after. So the guys in charge figured we’d poked the tiger a little too hard and better lay low for a while. Plus, the techies needed time to figure out some problem with the Dead Zone so we can go after the Guardian. I never, uh, really learned the details. Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” At that moment, Nadia failed to suppress a huge yawn. “Uuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaah…ah, man. Guess the day’s cat-chin’ up to me. I did spend most of it diving.” She smiled at Ace as she stood. “I’ll tell ya about Mafia Town some other time. Maybe even take ya there, if we get the chance. After chillin’ in Edinburgh for half a month, I betcha could use another beach day or two.” Nadia lingered a moment within arm’s reach, as if she didn’t want to leave just yet–or she had something else she wanted to do before leaving, but couldn’t quite work up the nerve to do it herself.

"Or three or four," he agreed. Naturally her suggestion brought to mind the last day at the beach they'd spent together, which was a warm and welcome memory. A few more like that would be really nice.

When Nadia stood up, Ace did too, but since she lingered neither of them moved for a few moments. The Cadet felt a little guilty - he wanted to talk with her more, and honestly keep her to himself a little longer, but she was clearly bushed. He thought about asking her to stay over the night. The extra bunk in the room was unclaimed as of then, though most likely wouldn't be after tomorrow. Would that be weird? She might get the wrong idea, he thought. The man wasn't exactly known for being eloquent, so he'd probably phrase the offer poorly. Despite how courageous and open Ms. Fortune could come off as, he knew she still played a few cards close to her chest, and he didn't want to accidentally upset her. He discarded the idea, and after realizing that the whole time he'd been thinking about it he'd been studying her face he blinked, letting out an awkward puff of a laugh.

Thankfully another plan to spend even a little more time with her came to mind. He reached out slightly, bumping his fingers against hers as an offering. "Let me walk you to your room?"

Her fingers snuck between his in an instant. Nadia did not seem to begrudge the extra moment or two of what she saw as admiration. “Don’t know what I’d do without you~”

When the two of them entered the hallway, it was silent. There wasn't a soul around besides the two of them, though that wasn't exactly surprising. Ace had no idea what the actual time was, but it was pretty late by now, he knew that much. Outside of the private quarters they found the corridor to be a little chillier, giving both of them the unneeded excuse to press close and brush their shoulders together as they walked while their hands stayed joined between them. Their pace was way slower than it ought to have been, but considering all of the Seekers' dorms were in the same general area it still wasn't a long trek.

Ace had intended to chat a little more, but given the quiet they'd stepped out into the pair ended up keeping quiet too - but it was a comfortable quiet, just enjoying each other's presence lest they break the atmosphere. At least, until, they came to Nadia's door.

Still reluctant to part, the Ace Cadet shifted where he stood. He glanced from the offending door that signaled the end of the night to the feral. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't, and though he reached up with his free hand as if he were going to touch Nadia's face, he aborted and instead swapped to sheepishly rubbing the back of his own neck. "Eheh..."

When he looked at her he found the same old hesitation bubble up in him again. The track record of his love life was pretty bad, and so far he and Nadia had a good thing going. They worked well together, liked joking around together, and had an easy camaraderie built over only a few days that their separation hadn't put a damper on. Clearly neither of them minded some skinship, and the flirtatious air to their back and forth was fun. In the grand scheme of things they really hadn't known each other that long, and he didn't want to potentially wreck a still-budding friendship, let alone a relationship... but the simple fact of the matter was that he liked Nadia. A lot. And whatever it was they had couldn't be that fragile.

As he was sometimes wont to do, Ace pushed the smarter, more logical thoughts to the back of his head. He dropped his arm back down to his side, and with his other hand still in Nadia's he gave her a light squeeze.

"Thanks for coming to see me. You were a real sight for sore eyes," he said quietly, mindful not to disturb anyone already sleeping in the rooms nearby. He gave her a small grin, though his smile grew more tender as he held her gaze. Then he leaned in towards her a little closer, and spoke a little softer. "Nadia... would you mind if I kissed you?"

During the all-too-short stroll over here, Nadia’s heart kept fluttering, even though nothing had happened yet. But neither she nor Ace needed to say anything to know that something was there–they could feel it between them. And yet, for once in her life, the feral remained tongue-tied. Until the two of them paused at the threshold to Nadia’s room. She turned toward her companion, a helpless, weirdly bashful grin on her face. Despite her fatigue, her whole body seemed to tingle with nervous energy. As fond as she’d grown of the Cadet, and as much as it seemed like he liked her too, doubts left her paralyzed. Doubts about herself, and what was appropriate. Her heart kept pounding, and her tail kept flicking, until Ace offered a heart-stopping smile and a very important question.

WHAM!

Barely had the words left the hunter’s mouth before Nadia pounced on him, pushing him against the corridor wall with her chest pressed against his. Her lips met his with surprising ferocity, and as the catgirl’s arms encircled Ace’s waist, eyes squeezed shut, her tail wound around his leg.

Nadia had always been forward with him, which was part of the reason he'd had the courage to ask in the first place. That outgoing nature was part of her charm. Still, he hadn't expected to find his back hitting the wall and her mouth on his quite so suddenly. Even if it took his brain a moment to catch up to the surprise, his body had no such issues. His hands came up to cup either side of Nadia's face, holding her close and steadying the both of them as he tilted his head slightly so that the pair better slot together.

If Ace thought that Nadia's mere appearance had re-energized him, then the kiss practically electrified him. One of his hands moved to curl around the back of Nadia's neck, the other slipping down over her shoulder and coming to rest above her hip. His hold was loose, partly because it felt like he was hyper aware of everywhere they touched anyway, but mostly so that Nadia could pull away any time she wanted to. With his strength he could easily have pushed away from the wall, reversed their positions, and kept her as long as he dared - but he was more than happy to let Nadia make that decision. If it was left up to him, he might let this go on forever.

When they did come up for air there was a dopey smile on Ace's face, the widest one he'd worn in a while. Naturally, he couldn't resist the chance for a dumb joke.

"So I guess you don't mind?"

By the time Nadia leaned back, she was practically gasping for breath. Her heart pounded in her chest, propelled into overdrive by a cocktail of raw emotion, and her eyes were wide as if she'd just awoken from a trance. Evidently both her brain cells had been fried in the heat of the moment, and only just now the feral's higher faculties rebooting. She didn't know what primal instincts came over her, but honestly? She didn't regret it. Right now, she felt happy. Maybe happier than she'd ever been. For a precious moment, all her pains and fears had melted away. She'd forgotten the scars, the losses, the hunger, and the charades. In that sublime handful of seconds, there had been nothing in the world but the two of them.

If only it could last forever.

As she rebooted, becoming aware of what she'd done and the noise she made doing it, Nadia's cheeks flushed red. But just like Ace, she couldn't wipe the idiotic smile off her face if she tried. "Well, I'm purr-etty sure I'm the one who kissed you, but it could go either way, honestly." Her hands had yet to leave his solid oblique muscles and her tail remained coiled as she dared to think about another go despite the possible disturbance. Before she could make up her mind, however, the decision was made for her. With a sliding sound the door behind her came open, revealing a puzzled-looking Blazermate. Of course the medabot would still be up at this hour, and more than willing to cheekily poke her faceplate into someone else's affairs. Though some part of Nadia panicked, urging her to disentangle herself from Ace and pretend everything was normal, the cat burglar didn't budge. Right now she still felt the rush of victory, filling her with joy and pride. So what if Blazermate saw? Still, all good things had to come to an end. This was enough for now--more than she could have hoped for, in fact. Nadia raised her eyebrows at Blazermate as if to say what of it?, then turned to wink at Ace before letting him go.

"See you 'round~"

"Yeah," he replied as she slipped away from his hands. He raised one of them in a little wave, and gave Blazermate an awkward sort of nod. He hoped they hadn't offended her or anything, but honestly it seemed like she had whatever the opposite of delicate sensibilities was. "Good night."

When the door to their room slide shut once more, leaving Ace alone in the hall, he just stood there for a few moments. He still felt kind of tingly all over, with a phantom touch left where Nadia's arms and tail had been wrapped around him. When he finally moved he turned and walked swiftly back the way he came, not really wanting to be spotted randomly standing alone in the hallway smiling like some kind of Kecha-wacko. His skin was still thrumming lightly even after he was back in his own room, and his mind flushed with elation... which actually presented a small problem. How am I supposed to get back to sleep now?

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