It's a busy day in Centropolis
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Wow, anon - I don't know how you come up with these installments. It's always something new! & I really do enjoy reading all the story tangents ^_^
Both of the wigs are lovely! Julianna's would be my first pick though ❤️
P.S. Sorry for not being a very responsive reader :( Lots going on right now in RL.
Whoops, just logged in after a couple months of inactivity (those university finals man!) and it looks like I missed the first parts of this new installment. Thanks everyone for posting so I can keep up with the plot. Also...since I have no clue how to contact the author or authors, I'll just leave a message here:
Thanks so much for all of this. The last plot and this one are so incredibly detailed and I can't even imagine the amount of time and dedication it takes to write all the parts and to customize it for everyone. I loved the user sketches from the last plot and it just blew my mind how far you'd go to personalize the stories. You are appreciated!
You try to squeeze Aria's arm to see how she'd react. She does not seem to pay you much mind, until you hear her giggle and squirm in place, saying, "That tickles!"
Raine returns from outside, wheeling in a cart filled with translucent containers and a few bags. Two paramedics enter the room and speak with Al as Makoto holds both of Aria's hands down, and instructs you to hold her by the legs. You oblige, keeping her on the ground as she violently flails her extremities against the force exerted by your weight. You feel Aria attempt to break free from your grip on her ankles, so you apply more force on her.
"Let go of me!", she yells as she raises both of her legs and unsuccessfully kicks you off her. You find your arms fully stretched out as both of her legs remain suspended above the ground, supported by the weight of the rest of her body. She must have intense endurance to keep both of her feet that high above the floor in such an uncomfortable position.
"Umm, it's waaaay past my bedtime. Just… tie me up to the bed or something, but please, get off me!" She swings both of her legs up and down, as though shaking a bug off her skin.
What time is it, anyway? Half-past your skin?
You take out your phone and realise that it's a few minutes to 12 midnight.
1A
Wow, suggestive much? You decide that it's better to extend some pity on Aria. After all, so many people have been after her this entire time, and she could use her sleep. You can always confront her some other time. You ask Makoto if it's a good idea to let Aria get some sleep, but have people take turns in watching her.
The paramedics take the woman who lay on the ground out of the room, carrying her in a stretcher.
Al shoots a dagger look at Makoto. He hangs his head and slumps forward in fear, and says, "Whether Chiharu is here or not, I have no plans of doing that. You do it yourself."
Raine glances at you, visibly irritated. "You know you can just call the police and call it a night, right? Actually, I'm going to do it, right no--"
Al snatches Raine's phone off her hand, and shows you the screen. "She wasn't even calling the police, she was calling a contact named 'Blackmoon Boss'."
"How would you know that my boss at Blackmoon couldn't be part of the police, too?"
"For subjective and objective reasons, I think it's better for us to call the Pina Park Police Department. Their number should be here, somewhere." Al walks closer to the table in between two queen-sized beds and picks up the handset from the telephone's base, quickly dialling a number.
As she waits on the line, Makoto looks at you and says "We'll carry her at the count of 1…"
"Hello?" "2…"
"Is this the Pina Park Police Department?"
"3!"
You grunt as you lift up Aria, who is surprisingly heavier than she looks. As soon as both of you drop her on the bed, she puffs a breath from her mouth, and seemingly passes out. Locks of her hair dangle from the edge of the bed closer to the wall, swaying like branches of a tree blown by the wind.
"We found Aria Serosa, the escaped serial killer."
"You tie her up. This was her idea and yours, after all.", Makoto groans.
You look for something you can use to bind Aria to the legs of the bed -- ribbon, tape, anything -- around the room. Tissue from the bathroom is your last resort, but you figure that it would tear easily.
"Heart of the Moon Hotel, close to the lake."
You enter the room and notice that the bathrobes hanging close to the bathtub have removable drawstrings. You take them out of the robes and run back outside to find Aria laying down in the same position that you left her. You tie each of her ankles to a leg of the bed, and look for extra bathrobes in the closet.
"She just killed another person. Vieno Haber-Weiss, 30 years old, female, wife to Erhard Haber-Weiss."
You find two extra robes and take their drawstrings off, using them to tie both of her arms together by the wrist. It's not the best solution, but it was the quickest.
"Wow, she's out like a lightbulb." By the tone of her voice, Raine seems to be mildly amused.
You notice the rise and fall of Aria's chest as she lay in bed, not making any sound. Just then, you hear Al loudly replace the handset of the phone onto its base.
1B
Asking to be tied to a bed so brazenly is a weird way to get out of being held down at the limbs by two different people. Considering how odd Aria is, this shouldn't really come as a surprise. Giving in to her request might actually led to Aria getting something out of it, so you try to keep her down with all of your strength.The paramedics take the woman who lay on the ground out of the room, carrying her in a stretcher.
"I said let go, I said let go, I said let go, I said let go, I said let go, go, go, go, go-go-go…" You could swear that you can hear a faint whirring noise as Aria violently shakes her head from side to side. Makoto bends forward and stabilises her flailing arms.
"Go-go-go-go-go-go-go-gooOOOOOooooOooOoo…" That last syllable fades in the same way that a vacuum cleaners's suction dies out as you switch it off.
You stare at Makoto, then look at Al, who is standing from a distance. You move closer to Aria's face as Al rushes close to the top of her head, and pulls her eyelids on one eye away from each other. She takes a penlight from her pocket and shines it into Aria's eye. She repeats the same process in her other eye.
Makoto lets go of her arms. "She suddenly turned cold." You place a hand over her neck, and notice that she is cool to the touch.
Al places two of her fingers on a slanted angle over one side of Aria's neck, and does the same to the other side. "She doesn't have a pulse. Don't tell me she's dead, too." She positions herself to perform CPR on Aria, but after a single compression, she shakes both of her hands by the wrist and winces in pain.
Makoto takes Al's hands in his, asking her if she's okay.
"Her chest is unusually hard." "Are you sure you weren't hesitating to give her chest compressions?" "Mack, I know what I'm doing. Did you see what happened earlier? I pressed directly above her sternum, but her chest did not even move by a centimetre!"
Makoto pushes a hand against Aria's chest, his neutral expression turning into a frown.
"You're right. What are her bones made of? Steel?"
2A
While you were too occupied with tying Aria to the bed, you lost track of her conversation with the police. You ask her what they told her.
"They're on the way." Al glances at Aria, who hasn't moved by even a centimetre in bed. "Good work tying her up. I was afraid that she might have something up her sleeve.", she says as she turns to look at you.
"She's such a beautiful lady. What a shame that she ended up killing all those people." Raine walks to Aria's side and strokes her hair gently.
"Stop that.", you hear Makoto say, visibly creeped out.
"Stop what?" Raine rolls her eyes, but her sardonic expression turns into a look of surprise as she catches a lock of Aria's hair. She rolls it between two of her fingers.
"Uh…", she mutters hesitantly. You move closer to Raine and continue to watch her play with Aria's hair. "There's something weird about Aria…" Raine gestures for you to move closer to her. She then sets the lock of hair she was holding on your palm. It feels… rubbery? It doesn't seem to be hair at all!
2B
While you were too occupied with tying Aria to the bed, Al called the police. Why? You know that Aria is a wanted serial killer, but you can't quite trust the police here in Atebus. Even if you're willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, Makoto might still need to investigate her. How sure are you that this woman is really Aria?"Why wouldn't we call the police?" Makoto walks to your side. "We found a murderer who escaped from prison. It would be such a wasted if we wait until tomorrow and run the risk of Aria escaping again!"
He looks at Al, who seems to be lost in her own thoughts. He stands beside her and rubs her shoulder as he asks, "Hey, are you okay?"
Al rests her back against the wall and closes her eyes. "I'm just a bit sleepy, but I must hold out." She covers her mouth as a yawn comes out of her mouth.
"She's such a beautiful lady. What a shame that she ended up killing all those people." Raine walks to Aria's side and strokes her hair gently.
"Stop that.", you hear Makoto say, visibly creeped out.
"Stop what?" Raine rolls her eyes, but her sardonic expression turns into a look of surprise as she catches a lock of Aria's hair. She rolls it between two of her fingers.
"Uh…", she mutters hesitantly. You move closer to Raine and continue to watch her play with Aria's hair. "There's something weird about Aria…" Raine gestures for you to move closer to her. She then sets the lock of hair she was holding on your palm. It feels… rubbery? It doesn't seem to be hair at all!
3A
You get yourself in position, placing one hand over the middle of Aria's chest, and push downward. Instead the pressure you exert against her chest with your hand displacing it, you feel more resistance than you expected from a torso. It's not just bone. It feels more like… metal?
With a frown on her face, Al asks, "It's hard to push her, no?"
You nod and…
3B
Her robotic eyes, her unusually stiff arm, and now, her chest that does not recoil to pressure. It all makes sense now.Could Aria be a robot?
"Check her eyes again! I remember something about Aria's eyes being artificial!" Makoto points at Aria's face.
"Now that you put it that way, that might be why her chest was as hard as rock.", Chiharu says as she looks at him. "What if she's one of those cyborgs Blackmoon was allegedly working on?" She takes out a small pack of cotton balls from her bag, moves to Aria's side, and holds one of her lower eyelids down. She gently presses the cotton ball to Aria's sclera. Neither does Aria blink her eye, nor does she move.
"This manoeuvre usually works on unconscious persons.", Chiharu tells you.
It seems more and more of a no-brainer at this point. You muster the courage to say, "I think she's a robot."
Makoto and Al gasp. Raine, on the other hand, seems to be unfazed.
4A
Running the rubbery, tube-like "lock" of "hair" between your fingers, you lightly tug on it and watch Aria's face for her reaction. As she appears to still be sleeping soundly, you may not have pulled hard enough.
You pull on the tube a bit more. The amount of force you used is sure to send someone who is flying in dreamland straight back to Atebus.
Nonetheless, Aria doesn't respond.
Maybe the third time's the charm. You pull on her hair as hard as you can, and hear something hit the wall, close to the bed. You check under the bed if something fell. All you can see is an electrical plug connected to a black cord. Nothing special.
The lamp on the bedside table can't be it, since it's still lit.
4B
You play with the slippery, tube-like "lock" of Aria's "hair" and slowly inch your fingers down its course. It leads your hand to the area behind the bed frame, where many locks of her hair dangle. You follow it further down, leading you to a part of the tube hitting the ground before looping back up.To your surprise, it's connected to a plug.
4C
You yank the tube at the plug, and watch Aria's reaction. Seeing her lie completely still, her chest not rising and falling as she breathes, is quite unsettling. You place your hand close to her nostrils, and feel for the ingress and egress of the air she breathes through her nose. You feel neither the hairs of your skin move, nor a breeze against your hand.You pull the plug as far as you can, and find it halted by something heavy. You observe the lamp and other fixtures as you apply more force. None of them move.
Inching your fingers up the tube to see where it ends on the other side, it leads to… Aria's head?
[spoiler=5A]Judging from her response to your consideration that Aria may be a robot, Raine's nonchalance is jarring. Could she know something that none of the rest of you do? You confront her about it.
"Considering that Old Man Vernon has a robot for one of his sons, a serial killer being something similar doesn't come as a surprise." Raine folds her arms across her chest and shrugs her shoulders. The puzzled look on her face belies her unsurprised demeanor.
Makoto scoffs. "Could it be that you're just bluffing?"
"You don't know anything about Atebus History. What else to expect from someone who barely spent a year in Blackmoon Corp and fashions himself as some kind of private investigator?"
"I'll take it as a bluff unless you tell me what you know." Makoto folds his arms across his chest.
"Blackmoon has been in the business of… acquiring surveillance technology. Haven't you seen how much spy tech Lower Ziara has? I'm not privy to the higher echelons of the company, but from the company that created Endeavors and Cadogres, it's not a stretch, no? I wouldn't be surprised if the Monitors that were all the rage shortly before Melman stopped asking people to fetch him some items." A crazed smile forms on Raine's face. "What do they have in common?"
"They're mass-produced.", Al remarks.
"Correct. Blackmoon has been quiet as of late, but I suspect that they're just gearing up for something. Waiting for the right timing. In the meantime, they're working to make their technology less… sinister-looking." Raine leans closer to you as Al and Fuyuka move to your side.
"I used to work for one of the companies subcontracted by Blackmoon. Our task was to infiltrate the tech black market in Lower Ziara by producing goods that looked similar to the local tech. Take those Simulife chips launched one Masquerade ago." She looks to the side and sits on the edge of bed, close to Aria's feet. "My boss had his own plans. He modified the Simulife chips against Blackmoon's specifications and used them to detect non-Subetan genetic material from its wearers. If it detected that someone is an "alien", the chip would broadcast the wearer's location to him. The modified chips have a mechanism in place to drain energy from any "alien" who wears it."
Bella's hands fading in and out of reality, Grace's energy being sucked out of him. That's right! Raine worked with Wayne.
"So that's what happened to Bella and Grace…", Al mutters. You look at her with a blank face.
"Well, I guess I slipped. Since this 'Aria' seems to be a bot, after all, I'm going to surrender her to Blackmoon." Raine walks by the side of the bed, and lifts Aria, letting go after a second. "Ugh, she's heavier than I thought."
The door behind you slams loudly. An armed police force surges inward.
"Freeze!", yells one of the officers. You all raise your hands above your head. You watch them as the walk closer to the bed where Aria lays.
A scowl on his face, one of the uniformed
he/him / 31 / EST |  | My best friend is |
ooh can't wait to see! Posting this so you can post again
You look behind you, and discreetly gesture at Bella and Grace to approach the door cautiously. You take a few steps back as Ron follows after the two and waits for them to finish looking through the peephole.
You hear a few more knocks against the door. "Lili? Aya? You in there?", yells the lady outside.
It's Ron's turn to look at the person separated from him through a locked door. He covers his mouth as soon as he peeks through the hole. His limbs trembling, you hear him say, "Chae...". Grace cautiously opens the door, and the woman enters the room. Ron walks back a few steps, avoids your stares, and leaves through the window.
"What are you guys doing here?" The stranger looks at the open window. "And what's that guy's deal?"
"We should be asking you that question." Bella intimidatingly glares at her.
She nearly loses her composure. "Ah-I'm Anna. Where are Lili and Aya?"
1A
Anna doesn't look like the kind of person who could harm Lili and Aya. After all, she seems to be concerned for both of them. You tell her that Lili is in the police station, and Aya probably followed after her.
"Police? What are they doing there?!" Anna gets ready to leave the room, when Grace grabs her by the wrist.
His forehead furrows, bringing his eyebrows closer to each other. "Where do you think you're going? You haven't told us what you want from Lili and Aya."
"The police is exactly where I don't want them to be! I took them away from their own good.", passionately declares Anna.
"How can you ever justify abducting two vulnerable people like that? Do you realise how much trouble you've caused?" As she keeps her arms on her sides, Bella clenches her fists. "You probably mean well, but I don't care what explanation you have for this. It's traumatising! There are other ways you could have done this!"
"Look," Anna looks at Bella intently. "Someone was planning to release nerve gas in the festival. It would have affected everyone except for Lili and Aya. Of course they're going to be blamed for it if it's found out that they're the last people standing. I can't have that." She frowns as she hangs her head.
1B
The last time someone introduced herself as Anna, it turned out that she was also called Bree, Jackie, Dianne, Ellie, and Finella. You decide to just play it safe and feign ignorance of their whereabouts."You haven't seen two girls wearing sailor-inspired dresses? I need to find them." Anna gets ready to leave the room, when Bella rests her hand against her shoulder, and asks, "What do you need from Lili and Aya?"
"They're going to be in trouble if I don't find them!" A look of panicked terror spreads on Anna's face.
Bella's forehead furrows "What do you mean?"
"The police is going to run after them. Someone was planning to release nerve gas in the festival. It would have affected everyone except for Lili and Aya. Of course they're going to be blamed for it if it's found out that they're the last people standing. I can't have that." She frowns as she hangs her head.
2A
You don't think you can trust this woman. The last time you met someone named Anna, she turned out to have introduced herself with different names to different people. You tell her that you're not buying her alibi.
Anna closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, extending one of her arms backward, resting a palm against the door. "You don't have to believe me, but never come back to me in the future, telling me that I was right all along."
"Nerve gas?", you hear Bella mutter to herself.
"Actually, she might be right.", says Grace. You feel Anna's despondence ease up a bit. "It was a possibility at the periphery of my vision. I wasn't sure it would ever happen, so I never told you about it." He looks at Bella.
"But why?"
Anna places her hands over her chest, and narrates, as though in declamation, "The sky rains the tears of the saints. A miasma spreads across the land! Whence did an automaton become a father, six feet underground? For a covenant broken, she plants the seed of blight."
"So poetic." You catch Grace attempt to stifle his laughter.
"If that man did not have the sense to call for an evacuation, you'd all be dead by now!", Anna yells.
"You're saying E knew about this?" Bella appears startled.
"What would cause more panic, knowing that someone was about to be murdered, or someone finding bags containing nerve gas in the festival grounds?" "Both of them are equally terrifying!"
2B
You decide to accept her odd story for what it is. Now that you think of it, an attempted murder can distract people from finding the source of the nerve gas due to the panic that would ensue. Who would think of poisoning the festival goers is the real question."It's someone working for Blackmoon Corp, Raine Santos. She's after a serial killer who escaped from prison, named Aria Serosa, because she worked on the revival of a technology called PAPABOT." Anna intertwines her fingers against each other. "Only two of those bots were ever made in Shadowglen, but their production was discontinued due to events from a few years back. Blackmoon is trying to work a contract with the Ziara Police Department once the first of these new bots are made."
"What are they like?" Bella cups her cheek with her hand. You see a faint sparkle in her eyes, as though her curiosity is piqued. "Raine?" Grace looks at Anna in disbelief. "I knew that woman was strange, working for her ex-boyfriend like that."
You consider asking Anna a question when she extends both of her arms to her sides, holding her palms close to your faces. "One. At. A. Time!" After hesitating for a moment, she adds, "Please."
3A
Whose side is she on? You ask Anna if she might be one of Makoto's colleagues.
"Makoto? I know a Makoto, but he's… I haven't spoken to him in years." Anna shrugs. "I'm just a concerned citizen. You know how things are in Ziara. It's overflowing with gossip, even when it isn't the Revolution Masquerade."
You don't buy it. She seems to know a little too much.
3B
You ask Anna where she got all her information and why. It's possible that she's just regurgitating gossip she heard in Ziara or the Lower City. Who knows what kind of pro- and anti-Blackmoon propaganda wars occur in the moon colony."Well," she takes something from her pocket, showing a wallet with a worn-out police ID, "I used to be with the ZPD. A lot of these are rumours I've heard from lurking around Upper City restaurants, but if these are true, I suspect a cover-up of sorts."
"What do you mean?", asks Bella.
"The Aria who has been running around is not the real Aria." She walks to the bed and sits down on its edge, clasping her hands so that her fingers lock with each other. "We're looking for a PAPABOT, and not Aria herself."
"We?" Grace raises his eyebrow.
"Aren't your lot looking for Aria, as well?"
Bella and Grace look at each other, and respond in unison, "Not really."
"There are a lot of people running after her right now. The ZPD, a bunch of private investigators, and other people seeking that sweet, sweet bounty." A wide grin forms on Anna's face. "Myself included. Then there's Raine, too. If that PAPABOT is running around somewhere, it won't be affected, either."
"Why did she gave to go this far?" Grace rubs his chin. "If only I can find out right now…"
Anna chuckles. "I've heard it's her revenge for a breach of contract. See, that tech is supposed to belong to Blackmoon, but instead, Aria didn't hand over the prototype to them. I don't trust Blackmoon like most homeworlders, but a contract is a contract…"
4A
You ask her what her thoughts are regarding what should be done to Aria once she's found, leading her towards the sentiment of punishing Aria.
"I think Aria should get the punishment that she deserves, and no more than that.", she responds directly.
You catch smiles forming on Grace and Bella's faces. Confused, you ask them why they're happy.
"We share the same thoughts." Grace places his arm over Bella's shoulders. Bella bites her lip and bows her head.
"So, what kind of punishment does she deserve, in your opinion?" Grace folds his arms across his chest, grinning.
"She may have killed all those people, but just killing her outright is not punishment enough. Life imprisonment without parole, however…" Anna trails off as she uneasily glances at Bella. "What if she's psychologically unstable? If she's insane, that's--" Her eyes widen. "A robotics engineer developing a reconstruction of a very sophisticated robot being insane? What does that make me?" Anna points at herself.
"Says the person claiming to abduct two innocent performers to prevent them from being blamed for a nerve gas attack." Making air quotes to emphasise certain words, Grace rolls his eyes.
4B
You ask Anna what her thoughts are regarding Aria, leading her towards giving her some sympathy."You know, I've entertained the possibility that she's mentally unstable. There just seems to be so much conflict within her."
Bella nods and looks at Anna intently.
"If she could have gotten help, this murderous rampage wouldn't happen. There's got to be something that triggered her to do this." Anna looks out of the window. "Psychologically incapacitated or not, she has to serve some time behind bars. Life imprisonment is probably greater punishment than taking her life in a perverted attempt at mutual exchange."
Grace walks to Anna's side and pats her shoulder. "I have objections against capital punishment, myself, but it's not our place to decide what's just."
"Hey! Don't act like we're close!" Anna withdraws from Grace.
"You're the one talking to us like we're old friends. Is this the confidence trick you used to abduct Lili and Aya?"
Anna is taken aback by his words. "You really don't… remember me?", she mournfully asks.
5
Before the three bicker with each other, you suggest to Bella and Grace to check the CCTV footage, so that you can clear or castigate Anna, once and for all. Bella agrees with your suggestion, while Grace appears to have his reservations.
Anna lowers her head and tries to hide her smile. You ask Grace if something's wrong.
"I have mixed feelings about this."
Bella rests her hands against his shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"It's Ron. I'm worried about him."
Image: Grace with eye glow
Bella runs to your side and covers your eyes. You can see a bright flash of light flood through the gaps between Bella's fingers. She pulls her hand away from your eyes after a moment, revealing Grace sporting dark pink hair and similarly coloured wings.
Image: Orama
Grace walks to the door and holds it open for you, leaving the room only after everyone else. He heads to the reception desk, and asks where the security office is. As your group makes its way to the office, you see Ron pass by. Anna ignores him, despite her initial curiosity about him. You then see a lady with greying hair and wearing Vetan clothes pass by your group.
"What happened? Why do you have to go to the security office?", she frantically asks. "We're just investigating something." Grace treads forward. "By Shinwa! Is there some costume party I'm not invited to?" "Well, you're already in costume…", snidely remarks Anna. "No, really! What's going on? My precious inn has been host to weird things ever since your lot set up that festival!" "Care to elaborate?"
"Hey, don't harass Martha like that! She's so generous to let us all stay here for free!" Bella clings to the woman.
"You're such a sweetie, Bella. You're welcome here any time." A warm smile spreads on Martha's face.
Grace enters a door with a "security office" sign outside. Martha, Bella, and Anna follow after him. Martha gestures for you to enter the office, where there is a single screen with different cameras.
"What's the use of a security office if you don't have anyone manning it?", asks Anna.
"I just had these cameras installed recently! Crime has been at an all-time high ever since more people from Lower Ziara have been moving to Pina Park. Heck, this is the first time I have to use the DVR for anything." Martha takes a seat in front of the screen and slumps on the table. She scratches her head, visibly frustrated.
Grace moves closer to Martha and rewinds the feeds at tenfold speed, and stops where Anna and Aya are visible. He replays the recording, where Anna and Aya are seen carrying Lili in the hallway of the inn, opening one of the doors. You look for the feed pertaining to that room, and see them set Lili on the bed as soon as they enter the room. Lili wakes up, and seems to argue with Anna. She then digs in Aya's pocket and picks up a knife. She slashes Anna, wounding her. As Anna struggles to regain her footing, Lili smashes Anna's head to the wall, knocking her unconscious. Lili and Aya drag Anna's body to the window. Aya opens the window, and drops Anna's body outside.
"… And that's what happened." Anna shrugs.
"Shh!!" Bella and Grace say in unison, with matching gestures.
Aya closes the window as Lili starts to scratch her arms. Aya holds Lili and embraces her. Though the recording has no sound, Lili appears to scream. A few moments later, you can see yourself and the rest of the group in the feed. It's by then that you notice Grace's hand phasing through the screen. He turns to Anna.
"I'm sorry for doubting you." He pulls his hand off the screen, and runs it against his hair. "You did not seem to have any bad intentions, even if the one possibility I saw--"
"I can't believe you've treated me with suspicion as though my exile is not atonement enough for everything I've done!" Tears fall from Anna's eyes.
"Exile? Atonement? What are you talking about?", asks Bella.
"I'm not the witch you used to know, if either of you even remember me." Anna wipes tears from her face. "Who am I kidding? You're angels of Rakha's Court! The very ones who cursed the man I love to roam the world! But if the Court never did that, we would have never met."
Bella stomps her foot, startling you. "Chae!", she yells. She looks at Anna for a moment, then runs to her and hugs her tightly. "I thought you didn't survive! Sky has been looking for you!"
"With your powers, none of you even noticed that I'm here? Really?"
"That we are in Atebus and not in Seneria is an aberration on its own. Because it is not what the Court wanted, my abilities have been narrowed severely." Grace hangs his head. "Enough of that, didn't you see Ron outside earlier? He has to know that it's you!"
[spoiler=6]You leave the cramped office, but not before thanking Martha for allowing you to take a look at the CCTV recordings. As soon as you reach the lobby, you find Ron sitting all alone, reading a book. He looks up from the pages of "Atebus History" tentatively. You realise that Anna did n
he/him / 31 / EST | | My best friend is |
Tell her that they're in the police station. Express your doubts Ask her why she knows all of this Ask her if she has sympathy for Aria Proceed to "Suggest to check the CCTV" Proceed to "Go back to the lobby"
As always very intriguing Anon. Great reading. Thank you so much for the gifts.
Going Fishing!!! 🐟
I just want to say thank you to this beautiful artist for this whole aventure, it's been awesome but I'm not really that active anymore, so to spare your work you can leave me out of the list from now on <3 Hope you read this lol
art by YURA
"Keep her down" (1B) "Suggest that Aria could be a robot" (3B) "Ask Raine if she knows something" (5A)
1A 2A 3B 4B (Proceed to "Suggest to check the CCTV" (5).) (Proceed to "Go back to the lobby" (6).)
Thank you anon for continuing to take us through this wonderful adventure. hugs
RIP Mom, I love & miss you more than you know. Tell Dede hi.
Ocean Conservation Namibia on YouTube... they do good work! https://www.ocnamibia.org
My choices:
Keep her down 1B Suggest that Aria could be a robot 3B Ask Raine if she knows something 5A
thanks anon! boy oh boy this is so complex. everyone has so many names, i think i need a character glossary lol ><
i was looking through the peephole. i chose: 1B 2B 3A then 3B 4B 5 then 6
lovely art by
"grey would be the colour if i had a heart" ~nin ❤️
Ooh, two gift boxes! Thank you for the beautiful hair!
Going through box , continuation to Aria's arm squeeze...
1B - Keep her down 3B - Suggest that Aria could be a robot 5A - Ask Raine if she knows something
Going through box , continuation to seeing a woman through the peephole at the inn...
1A - Tell her that they're in the police station 2B - Accept her odd story 3B - Ask her why she knows all of this 4A - Ask her if she thinks Aria should be punished 5 - Suggest to check the CCTV 6 - Go back to the lobby
My response: Continuation of squeezing Aria's arm, keep her down, Suggest that Aria could be a robot, Ask Raine if she knows something.
Ahh so the deal with the simulife chips is explained... This story is insanely fleshed out, anon should write a book. And aaahh thank you sooo much for the hair, I'm so so excited!! :D
he/him / 31 / EST | | My best friend is |
thank you for the beautiful gift <3 i love these story messages in my inbox. always make me grin
I chose: This is the continuation to seeing squeezing Aria's arm. 1A Tie her to the bed 2A Ask Al what the police said 4B Trace where Aria's "hair" leads 4C Proceed to "Pull the plug" 6A Suggest that Aria might be a robot 7B Chase after the police
Thank you for the gift as always anon! This story is sooo fleshed out it's amazing. I have to agree with you really should write a book! I'm glad things are being better explained now. Also, sorry for taking quite a bit to respond to this one x.x;; have had a lot going on lately!
Proud Gamer | My best friend is
I'm totally a month behind (blame RL) but still enjoy reading. I actually went back and read the last one again before reading these to make sure I could keep up. Thankfully I can go back and see them all now that we can see past gifts in the gift center ^_^
Thanks for the continued story anon. I agree with , you should use this material for NaNoWriMo in November to write a novella! :P
This is the continuation to considering that Aria might be a robot.))
"Anjy?" Chiharu drops her phone. She dashes out of the room. Makoto picks her phone up, chases after her, and yells, "Haru, wait!"
Ask if you're really going to leave Aria.
"Guys?", you raise your hand as you ask, "are we really going to leave Aria behind?" Fuyuka, who was on her way to the door, stops to look at you, and shrugs her shoulders. Makoto and Al similarly stop and look back, when Raine reassures you that Aria won't be able to get out since she's not plugged-in.
You can't help but be wary of Raine's confidence, but decide to play it by ear.
Run after Al and Makoto.
As soon as you see Fuyuka make a mad dash for the door, you follow suit and run after Al and Makoto.Wow, you've been doing a lot of chasing as of late. You look behind you and notice that Raine is nowhere to be found. At least someone will watch over Aria and make sure she can't escape.
"Where are we going?" Makoto asks Al as he scrolls through a list on Al's phone and calls one contact, who you presume to be Anjy. He finally catches up to her pace as he holds the phone to his ear.
Al replies, "I don't even have the slightest clue where to find her!"
[spoiler=1A]You suggest that Anjy might be in one of the other inns. As soon as you say that, the idea that she wouldn't be reported as missing if she were with other displaced festival-goers comes to mind.
Makoto returns Al's phone. "She's not answering."
"Uh, if I may?", Fuyuka says as soon as you reach the elevators, "If she's in one of the other inns, she wouldn't be missing, right?"
"Right." You realise that nobody pressed the down button on the panel between the two lifts, and decide to do so, amidst the awkward silence. The display panel showing the current floor of the cab lights up to life, revealing its current location as the lobby.
"No, I think it's a good idea." Makoto looks at you and gives you a reassuring smile. Whether it's because he thinks your suggestion makes sense or he just wants to make you feel better, you appreciate the sentiment. "We can split up so that we can cover more ground."
You hear a ding overhead. The doors of one elevator slide open.
Just then, you hear rushed footsteps coming from behind. You look for its source to find Raine, resting one hand against the wall and panting heavily.
1B
You jog your memory for places where someone could hide, or have been hidden by someone else. Lower Ziara? Coda Caves? The Galaxan Wastelands? You're just naming Ziaran landmarks at this point. Without a lead to Anjy's location, you suggest splitting up to make your search more efficient.Makoto returns Al's phone. "She's not answering."
"So, where do we go?", asks Fuyuka as soon as you reach the elevators. "Where do we start?"
"Go to the first place that comes to mind." Al pushes the down button on the panel between the two lifts. The display panel showing the current floor of the cab lights up to life, revealing its current location as the lobby. "We should all search for any clues. Anjy cosplays frequently and parties in Lower Ziara often. She's known for that, so I'm certain police may have already checked there."
You hear a ding overhead. The doors of one elevator slide open.
Just then, you hear rushed footsteps coming from behind. You look for its source to find Raine, resting one hand against the wall and panting heavily.
2A
As you enter the elevator with everyone else, you tell Raine that you're going with her.
"Wait, where are we going?", she asks.
"We're splitting up to look for Anjy. Can you ask Julianna to help us out?" Al looks at Raine. "We left her in the security office, right?"
"Yeah, I can do that."
The letter "G" flashes on the display panel, and with a loud ding, and the elevator doors part. You see Makoto run to the left, while Al and Fuyuka head to the right. Raine holds her hand out in front of you, and pushes the B button. She draws out a long sigh and closes her eyes as the lift makes its descent to the basement.
"Are you okay?", you ask.
She firmly taps the left side of her chest with her hand, the impact making a resonant noise. "A little nervous, but yeah, I'm fine."
The doors open, revealing the basement parking area, still as dark and musty as the first time you got here. The few vehicles that remain are dispersed throughout rows of parking lots. You follow Raine to the left, and stop in front of the door with the worn-out "SECURITY OFFICE" placard.
"I should really get this sign changed when I have time.", Raine mutters to herself.
"You're cooped up in that office all the time, huh?"
"I pretty much live here." She shrugs and knocks at the door. Raine stifles a sneeze as she opens the door to find Julianna slouched on the chair. She swivels the chair around to face you, a look of boredom on her face.
"Man, I can't imagine working in security. Must be boring on a slow day." You notice Julianna munching on something. A shiny piece of foil is by her side, which she slides backward.
"Did you eat my chips?" Raine folds her arms across her chest, tapping her foot on the ground. "I was hungry--" "Don't act all buddy-buddy with me just because we were co-workers at some point." "Says the person who calls me Juliebear."
You break up their petty argument by standing in between them and telling them to stop.
Raine squints her eyes as she glares at Julianna. "You better replace my crisps next time."
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Julianna then looks at you. "Have you found the culprit?" "It's Aria. We kept her bound to the bed. We're looking for a certain Anjy Miles right now." As you look at the screen, Raine leans closer to the keyboard and switches the active view to the lobby by pressing one button on the desk. A set of lobby feeds enlarge to fit the entire screen.
"Anjy, that cosplayer from Lower Ziara, huh?"
"What now?", asks Raine.
"Wait a sec. We don't even know what Anjy should have worn today. How are we going to find her?", Julianna laments.
"That's the trouble with looking for a literal master of disguise. You never know what hair or what costume we'll see her in today."
Raine rewinds the feed, showing the groups of people congregating around the reception area, just like the time you were searching for Aria. The crowd in the lobby thins as the recording backtracks to the time before droves of displaced festival attendees arrived in the hotel. All of a sudden, Julianna reaches forward and pauses the feed, zooming-in on someone with a buzzcut.
"There's our girl.", she says.
"Who's that?" You point at the person on the screen.
"Who else? That's how Anjy looks without the make-up."
"Why is she… bald?" You wonder if it would be out of line to ask, but it doesn't hurt to be curious. You know your intentions for your inquiry.
Raine shrugs. "I imagine it makes wearing wigs much less uncomfortable."
"We know that she left the hotel, but how do we find out where she went?"
Julianna appears deep in thought. You suggest to…
2B
As you enter the elevator with everyone else, you tell Makoto that you're going with him.Al's eyebrows furrow as she worriedly glances at Makoto.
Makoto looks at her and reassuringly says, "I'll be careful. Haru, please go with Fuyuka." Al nods.
"Wait, where are we going?", Raine asks.
"We're splitting up to look for Anjy. Can you ask Julianna to help us out?" Al looks at Raine. "We left her in the security office, right?"
"Yeah, I can do that."
The letter "G" flashes on the display panel, and with a loud ding, and the elevator doors part. You follow Makoto as he runs to the left, while Al and Fuyuka head to the right. For someone his age, Makoto seems to be quite agile. He looks behind to face you and asks, "Do you know where the other people who attended the festival are staying?"
If you had any friends attending the festival, you're pretty sure you would have found out about it sooner. There are larger and more well-known events in Centropolis and the rest of the Western continent, so you figure more people participated in those, instead. You do remember seeing shuttles in the festival venue headed to different inns. You suggest checking the hostels and inns around the lake by Pina Park.
"Let's check them together." Makoto chuckles. His countenance then turns stern. "Not for my sake, but I am worried about your safety."
As soon as you reach the exit, Makoto calls for a taxi. Both of you are ready to board when a security guard blocks your way.
"Your name and destination, please." He points to a wooden podium, where a logbook of sorts is placed over the inclined platform.
2C
As you enter the elevator with everyone else, you tell Al that you're going with her.Al's eyebrows furrow as she worriedly glances at Fuyuka. "Fuu, dear, can you go with Makoto for now?"
Fuyuka looks at her and pouts as she asks, "Will you be okay?"
"Wait, where are we going?", Raine asks.
"We're splitting up to look for Anjy. Can you ask Julianna to help us out?" Al looks at Raine. "We left her in the security office, right?"
"Yeah, I can do that."
The letter "G" flashes on the display panel, and with a loud ding, and the elevator doors part. You follow Al as she runs to the right, while Makoto and Fuyuka head to the left.
"Where could Anjy be…", you hear Al say under her breath, as she slows down to a more leisurely pace. She leads you to the bar on the back of the lobby, where loud music can be heard from the entrance. You never noticed it before, but Al appears to have rather muscular arms.
"That girl likes to party a lot. I never understood if she never went to social gatherings when she was a student or if she's really just a social butterfly."
You look at the door to the bar, which has a large sign that reads, "Ages 21 and up only", then glance at Al. "You think she's in there?" If Anjy were in this hotel, police wouldn't have marked her as missing.
"There's always that possibility. She's a master of disguise, with her cosplay and all." Al comes close to pushing the door, when she hesitates at the last moment. "No. The Anjy I know loves Lower Ziara too much to associate with people from the upper city. It's a wonder that she agreed to perform in the festival at all."
She walks away from the bar, and heads to the exit. You follow her outside, where vehicles are queued on a taxi bay. Al calls for a taxi. Both of you are ready to board when a security guard blocks your way.
"Your name and destination, please." He points to a wooden podium, where a logbook of sorts is placed over the inclined platform. You take the logbook and write your name, but leave the destination blank. Where will you go?
2D
As you enter the elevator with everyone else, you tell Fuyuka that you're going with her."E-eehh?" Her lips tremble and her eyes widen as she looks at you.
Al's eyebrows furrow as she worriedly glances at Makoto. "You're not going alone, are you?"
"I can't leave you alone." Makoto then looks at you. "I'm worried about Fuu, but I know she'll be fine with you."
Whatever you did to earn his trust, you feel that it's an honour for him to allow his daughter from another world to go with a stranger.
"Wait, where are we going?", Raine asks.
"We're splitting up to look for Anjy. Can you ask Julianna to help us out?" Al looks at Raine. "We left her in the security office, right?"
"Yeah, I can do that."
The letter "G" flashes on the display panel, and with a loud ding, and the elevator doors part. Al and Makoto run to the right, while Fuyuka heads to the left. You follow after her, and find that she's going to the restroom.
She boxes you into a corner, and looks behind and around her suspiciously. She intently gazes at you with wild eyes.
"You can't tell anyone, but I have an idea where Anjy could be."
You're not sure whether to feel irritated that she kept quiet this whole time, or relieved that you probably wouldn't be looking far and wide. Nonetheless, you ask her to spill the beans.
"She spends a lot of time alone in the Galaxan Wastelands. Something about building a minion zoo?" Fuyuka undoes the tie on her waist she made out of her jacket, and puts on a cap which she hid inside her pocket. "Now, let's roll… uh, leave like nothing happened."
Despite what she just said, Fuyuka leads you to a dimly-lit corridor right next to an off-limits area. By the looks of workers carrying crates passing by you, it seems to be a service entrance of sorts. You make your way out of the passage to find yourself in a parking area filled with utility trucks. The stench of exhaust and refuse fills the air. To your side is a conveyor belt loading food waste into a designated container. Someone takes a filled container to its side, and loads it into a truck. "Triple Ace Food Services" is printed in large text on its side, with two lines in smaller text reading "Route: Galaxan Wastelands to Pina Park" and "Not for Hire".
Fuyuka points to the truck. "If we're going to the Galaxan Wastelands, we're going to load some of the excess food from those conveyor belts into this truck."
You're doubtful that you can pull it off without being caught, but you're even more suspicious as to how Fuyuka even knows about this place.
She lets out a nervous laugh. "I used to volunteer here. That food goes to the trapped minions in the Galaxan Wastelands. That's how I found out about Anjy visiting the place frequently."
You ask her why you can't go to Galaxan Wastelands in a less troublesome way. She didn't have to take you through a service hallway if you can just board a taxi on the lobby.
"If we leave the hotel normally, they're going to ask for our name and destination. If there's one thing I learned since studying here in Atebus, it's not to trust Blackmoon." She eyes a nearly-filled refuse crate, then glances at you. "Ready?"
[spoiler=3A]There are guards usually posted by the entrances to any establishment worth its salt. If you describe Anjy's appearance to one of them, maybe someone would recognise her.
Julianna pushes a button on the desk and tells you to stand by the printer. There, a copy of the stills showing Anjy exiting the lobby can be found, along with a still where her face is clearly seen. You take it from the printer tray, and notice Julianna prepare to leave as Raine takes her place in front of the screens.
Raine's hand drops as she says, "Don't worry about me. If my boss found out that I was away from the screens for too long, I wouldn't hear the end of it."
"Ha, you? You're only loyal to your own interests, Raine."
"Exactly. The less stress I have, the more peaceful my life is." Without looking at you or Julianna, she waves her hand, bidding you to leave.
You follow Juli
he/him / 31 / EST | | My best friend is |
Ask if you're really going to leave Aria "Suggest to split up" (1B) "Go with Fuyuka" (2D) (Load the crate into the truck (Go to 7).) (Arrive at the Galaxan Wastelands (Go to 10D).) (Investigate the figure (Go to 11).)
"Hold on to Bella's wing plates" (1B) (Proceed to "Investigate the figure" (2).)
Thanks as always anon, I have no idea how you have continued to do this, but I'm so glad you did. Hope you're having a wonderful August. :)
RIP Mom, I love & miss you more than you know. Tell Dede hi.
Ocean Conservation Namibia on YouTube... they do good work! https://www.ocnamibia.org
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ye7951Q.jpg[/IMG]
This is the continuation to Sky breaking down upon seeing Anna.))
"C-chae…" He holds an arm out to reach her, his hand shaking.
"I promised not to leave you." Anna's lips curl into a frown. "I'm sorry I'm late."
Great, so BOTH girls who introduced themselves to you as Anna lied about their names? This is probably going to give you some serious trust issues.
As Ron crawls to Anna, she sits down and holds him in a tight embrace.
"I tried to prevent those two from being together, because I thought you'd die if…", he says, sobbing.
Anna gingerly caresses Ron's face and shushes him. "No words, no tears… Just love."
Ron wipes the tears off his face and buries his head on Anna's bosom. She holds him closer to herself. "All your angst over not seeing me for so long must have taken its toll on you, huh? Since you stopped becoming the unbiased chronicler that you were, it must have made you believe your nightmares to be true."
Grace and Bella look at each other, a puzzled look on her faces.
Ron suddenly pushes Anna away from him. "T-this is wrong! If we get back together, what will happen to these two right here?" He points at Grace and Bella.
Anna crosses her arms over her chest, hurt. With wild eyes and passionate delivery, she looks at Grace and Bella as she yells, "What's wrong with love in itself? Why was it ever a crime to love someone different from you?"
Ron crawls to her side and tightly hugs her. "No, Chae, don't."
"Why does your stupid angelic court allow mortals to love each other but forbid its angels from loving whoever they choose? You suffer the same fate as us!" Anna rigidly points her finger at Grace. "Wasn't it that you were never supposed to marry, as the oh-so-incorruptible seer? What's this about Bella being your wife?"
Grace nervously lets out a chuckle. "You were keeping up with us the whole time?"
"Answer my question!", Anna hysterically yells. "How can you love each other with no repercussions when Sky can't even be with me just because his mother fell in love with a mortal? What kind of messed up court takes away an angel's wings for daring to love someone other than who they were assigned to marry?"
Bella runs to Anna's side and pats her back gently. "Calm down…"
"Tell me, will you stand up for us before them?" Anna's eyes turn into slits as she focuses on Grace. "Didn't you bring us here to Subeta to save Bella? How is it fair that I avoid the love of my life to save all your asses while you two get together unpunished?"
"Life's unfair like that." Grace shrugs.
"Why you… You really are getting on my nerves." Anna grits her teeth and clenches her fists. "And you wonder why nobody takes your kind seriously? You act so much like humans that you might as well be one of them! How would you like that, huh?"
"STOP IT!" Bella stands up in front of Anna and slaps her face. Ron glares at Bella as Anna immediately cups her injured cheek, seething with rage. Before she can speak, Bella shouts, "It's clear to me now. He didn't just save me, Chae. He did this to save BOTH OF YOU!"
"You liar. You only care about preserving yourselves. You didn't even recognise that I was alive until a few moments ago!" "If we didn't care as you say, will we go through the process of saving as many of you as possible and taking you to a new world? We would choose to only save our friends and leave everyone else behind, right? Have you considered that?" "Those are just incidental!" "My sister wouldn't leave herself in the core of our planet to rehabilitate and stabilise it if we didn't care about everyone else." "Why did you take me here? Doesn't the court hate my guts?"
"Stop. JUST STOP!" Bella covers her ears and stomps her foot on the ground when you hear a series of knocks on the door.
You look at the front door and see Martha running to that direction, a scowl on her face."Can't you read?", she asks as she opens the door, visibly irritated.
"Good evening, miss. We're looking for Anjy Miles.", says someone from outside. He sounds like Makoto..
Martha closes the door gently, and looks at the gaggle you've formed in the lounge as she asks, "Do any of you know an Anjy Miles?"
You look at your companions, all rendered silent, and follow suit as some of them shake their heads. Bella and Grace seem to want to say something, when Martha vigorously opens the door and yells, "We don't have a guest with that name. Please check a different inn." She pushes the door when you see a hand hold it open.
"I am Inspector Hiiragi from the Veritas Signal Agency. We are investigating the disappearance of Anjy Miles.", you hear from outside.
Martha's scowl turns into an uneasy smile. "Oh! Uh, I'm sorry, Inspector! Please come inside." She steps aside and opens the door wide, revealing the new guest to be Makoto and a stranger. No, stranger isn't the right word; you've probably seen them before.
"Now, girls," says Grace, as he pats Anna and Bella's heads with each of his hands, "behave." Neither of the two appear to be pleased.
Bella's eyes widen as Makoto walks to your group. "What happened to Anjy?"
"The police reported her as missing. Do any of you know her?"
Grace steps forward. "She's a friend of ours. We went to the festival because she was supposed to perform, but we arrived quite late. Just five minutes after we got to Pina Park, everyone was asked to evacuate the place."
Bella adds, "We haven't seen her, but we did find the other two performers." She glances at the Anna, and smiles at her. "She transported them out of the festival before the evacuation."
"Why did you do that… Anna, was it?", Makoto asks Anna.
Anna hangs her head and avoids looking at Makoto. "Someone planted bags with nerve gas in the festival. It would have affected everyone except for Lili and Aya--"
"Nerve gas?" "It's this Blackmoon contractor named Raine." "How did you find out?" "Ever since her boss was imprisoned, she went rogue. I was an acquaintance of hers, and she told me about this, but I didn't want to say anything unless I had a way of knowing it was true." "You were afraid that it was a bomb joke and you'd be blamed for it?" "Yes, exactly."
Bella folds her arms across her chest and taps her foot on the ground. "This wouldn't be the first time you've lied just to get your hands close to some artefact. You better tell him the truth-"
"That's the only reason why I'm speaking up now!" Anna pauses to take a few deep breaths as she faces Makoto. "I know this guy. He's some vigilante turned investigator. Right motives, wrong means. I can relate to that. If there's a time I ought to tell the truth, it's now."
A heartfelt smile beams from Ron's face.
"I'm done with telling lies, I don't want to tell more lies.", Anna covers her face with her hands. "First of all, Inspector, there are two and a half angels in this room, and I am not one of them."
"HEY!", Ron yells.
"I have… a complicated relationship with them." Anna pushes the tips of her index fingers together. "Second, I pretended to be someone else in order to protect people I considered friends." She addresses Bella and Grace. "We've crossed paths here in Atebus before today. I pretended to be Raine and allowed Wayne to abduct me, to protect the real Raine, who did not return to her husband, despite what she promised."
Makoto nods. Bella and Grace are silent, but a look of disappointment grow on their faces.
"Third, I know where the real Aria is, and I never told anyone, because I fear that Raine would find out. She's after her, too, but her intentions are not good."
"Where is-" Grace covers Makoto's mouth. He rests his other hand on Anna's head, which momentarily phases through it before he pulls his arm back. Anna brings her hands up to her forehead and kneads it with her fingers.
Grace crouches down and spreads his wings. Bella runs and stays behind a pillar, and you soon see a few flashes of light come from the pole. A bolt of what appears to be lightning nearly hits you.
Ron hisses. "Way to rub it in my face, Orama."
"Come on, guys. Get on my back." Grace looks at Ron and winks at him. "That includes you, Sky." Bella comes out of hiding with a change in wardrobe and hair colour.
"E-eeh?!" Bella looks behind her. "My wings?!"
Grace stifles a giggle. "You're so cute. It's fine. You can probably accommodate the Inspector and his companion, right?"
"Okay." Bella crouches down, the plates making up her wings laying horizontal. "You… can sit here… But just hold on tight!"
1A
"Hold on to your butts!", gleefully shouts Grace. You scale up one of Grace's wings, finding it to be quite sturdy.
Before you can brace yourself, Grace flies upward, with you, Ron and Anna phasing through the ceiling with him. Sky and Anna cling onto Grace's other wing with dear life. A bubble forms around you, encasing you and your companions in flight.
"Are you sure this is safe?", you hear someone ask from behind.
Bella replies, "If I've transported a few hundred people across planets like this, Atebus to Subeta should be no big deal."
"Slow down, Bella!", yells Makoto. You watch as the glow of street lamps and lit windows transition into a stretch of ground illuminated only by the light of a distant star. Where are you going, anyway?
You hear Grace scream from ahead, "Cabin crew, prepare for landing!"
Grace propels himself downward, carefully making his descent until rocky formations become more apparent to you. As soon as you reach the ground, you feel slightly lightheaded. The bubble melts around you, from your head to your feet. From what you can take in through your eyes, you seem to be in the Galaxan Wastelands.
It's exactly the same as how you remember -- a no man's land inhabited by rows of minions encased in glass bubbles, waiting for a kind soul to feed them. How long has it been since these minions crash landed on the wastelands? Why hasn't Blackmoon, or anyone, for that matter, done something about these minions? While it's important to ensure that they are well-fed, it's about time that these minions are relocated and freed from years of imprisonment.
As you gain your footing and release your grip on Grace's wing, you see a figure in the distance, close to a cluster of trapped minions.
1B
"Hold on to your butts!", gleefully shouts Grace. You tightly cling onto one of the plates forming Bella's wings, finding them to be less slippery to the touch than they appear. If anything, it feels… squishy?Grace flies upward, Ron and Anna phasing through the ceiling with him. Bella pushes her hands against the ground forcefully, nearly making Makoto lose his balance, when she sends herself soaring skyward. Before you can brace yourself for impact with the ceiling, you pass through wood as though it were thin air. You see Grace's magenta wings, Sky and Anna's figures clinging onto them with dear life.
"Are you sure this is safe?", you ask Bella as the headwind blowing against your face feels more like razor blades.
"If I've transported a few hundred people across planets like this, Atebus to Subeta should be no big deal."
"Slow down, Bella!", yells Makoto. You notice the painful, cutting sensation on your cheeks vanish as a bubble wraps around you. You watch as the glow of street lamps and lit windows transition into a stretch of ground illuminated only by the light of a distant star. Are you really leaving Atebus?
You hear Grace scream from ahead, "Cabin crew, prepare for landing!"
Bella begins to make her descent, gracefully manoeuvring herself downward until rocky formations become more apparent to you. As soon as you reach the ground, you feel slightly lightheaded. The bubble melts around you, from your head to your feet. From what you can take in through your eyes, you seem to be in the Galaxan Wastelands.
It's exactly the same as how you remember -- a no man's land inhabited by rows of minions encased in glass bubbles, waiting for a kind soul to feed them. How long has it been since these minions crash landed on the wastelands? Why hasn't Blackmoon, or anyone, for that matter, done something about these minions? While it's important to ensure that they are well-fed, it's about time that these minions are relocated and freed from years of imprisonment.
As you gain your footing and release the plate of Bella's wing, you see a figure in the distance, close to a cluster of trapped minions.
2
You cautiously approach the figure, which seems to be someone searching for something amongst the minions.
he/him / 31 / EST | | My best friend is |