*In the last Author's Note*
"I'm just glad I'm not constantly getting shot at anymore."
*And now, the continuation!*
Gigi: *bugeyes*
...come again?
I am completely shocked by the totally unforeseen revelation!
Mississippi stared at the trio dumbly. She counted off, "I'm a space marine wearing badass, Lightish Red super armor, you found me in a crater outside, and I almost killed you guy before Dolly here-"
Gigi: *enunicates* Qi-qi!
"-whatever!" she snapped, "The point is that I would have pulverized you all if the plushie hadn't stepped in; given those facts, how is it hard to believe I could have been in combat before I ended up here?"
...well when you put it like that, we do seem a little dense for not thinking of it.
Gigi: *nods slowly yet assuredly*
...I already knew that.
So anyway, we shared our backstory with you, wanna tell us why you nearly made us into street pizza?
It's the least you could do, in light of that, prompts the Still Sore and Miffed Magical Neo.
"Maybe some other time," she breathed, "but right now, I just wanna do something relaxing. Whada you guys do for fun around here?"
Good question...well, we haven't been to El Pizza Bandito's in a while, anyone up for a slice?
Gigi: Qi!
Sure.
"Pizza...actually sounds great right about now."
Great! Let's head over there now! *turns to readers* Enjoy the chapter in the mean time!
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"...so how far ahead are we skipping?"
"Not far," Monty replied, "just to the commencement ceremonies. By now you've all made your way to the main building, where-"
He was interrupted when the gym doors opened and Jen walked back in, a couple grocery bags slung over her arm.
"Sorry for taking so long," she apologized, setting the bags on the table, "I figured you'd all like some snacks, since we might be here for a while. What'd I miss?"
"Not much," Miles supplied, "stuff happened and we're gonna listen to a boring speech. What's up with your friend?"
"She's on her way, but she got a little turned around and I had to give her detailed directions. She's...she can be a bit scatterbrained, though she means well."
"She sounds fun," Barb said.
"She sounds like she'll be disruptive," Kara countered. "Let's just get on with the game, OK?"
"Whatever," Monty shrugged. While he found his place again Jen sat down and began distributing the snacks. "Now, like I was saying, by this point you've all assembled in the School's auditorium, along with everyone else from the ships. While a large room in and of itself, the sheer amount of people inside make it more than a little crowded. It- Thanks, Jen. -it's sort of hard to move through the massive volume of people."
"I want to remain unseen," Arryn said. "Is that a basic action or a Stunt because of the huge crowd?"
"I'm going to say...Stunt, in this case. Roll for Stunt."
Clatter. "16."
"OK. And..." Clatter. "...you remain inconspicuous and no one pays you any special mind." He turned to everyone else, "And that includes you guys too, unless anyone wants to try looking for her."
"Do I see my sister?" Lindsey asked.
Monty shook his head, "Not unless she was deliberately trying to get your attention, the crowds are pretty dense."
"I do that then," Barb piped up, "I feel kinda bad about having my character abandon hers, especially with how unfriendly Kara and Arryn are being."
"I was going for 'aloof and mysterious'," Arryn explained indignantly, while Kara merely huffed, taking a sip from a bottle of flavored water Jen handed her.
"Whatever, I'm rolling." Clatter. "8."
"Barb, please wait for me to say what to roll," Monty admonished, muttering under his breath "It must be a family thing...Anyway, I'm counting that as your Observation roll so we can move on. Roll for basic action."
Barb rolled her d12 again. "9 this time."
"You spot Lindsey in the crowd and wave to get her attention. Roll for Observation, Lindsey."
Clatter. "8 too. As in, 'also'."
"I got it. You see Barb waving from the crowd."
"'I saved you a spot!' I call to her," Barb said.
"I say bye to miles and head over to where Barb is."
"And I allow it so I can dig into my grub," said Miles, popping open another grape soda. The sisters then started roleplaying.
"'Sup Linds, how's School life treating you?'"
"'Well, after you abandoned me I crashed into a luggage cart, got yelled at by a crabby chic, and she shook some Dust in my face, and I exploded, and I think she did too, and then she yelled at me some more, and I just wanna go home!'"
"'Geez Linds...if I'd have known you'd get such crappy rolls I would have stayed with you.'"
"Hey!" Kara shouted, "No breaking the forth wall!"
"Well excuse me, princess!" Barb scoffed, "Forgive me for actually having fun!"
"Well, try to have fun without breaking immersion," the platinum blonde consented. She turned to Monty, "I want to go over to them and give them a piece of my mind."
"Roll for Observation."
Clatter. "7."
"You notice them to the side of you and walk..." Clatter. "...behind them."
"I tell Lindsey 'You're lucky it was only a small amount of Dust that exploded, otherwise we could have been blow right off the cliff!"
"Wait, was there even a cliff?" Lindsey asked.
"Monty's notes say that the Academy is build on top of a cliff side, with the courtyard we were in just next to the landing pad, which, obviously, is suspended over the side of the cliff."
Lindsey turned to Monty for conformation.
"...Essentially."
"Oh. Well, I try to apologize for exploding us before, even though she was the reason it happened at all!" Kara glared at her. "Um...that last part wasn't in character?" she explained sheepishly.
"Roll basic action," Monty said.
Clatter. "5. ...is that bad?"
"Only if Kara gets a higher Save roll. Kara?"
Clatter. "4."
"Lindsey, you try to make Kara understand that it was only an accident. Kara gets the gist of what you're saying, but hands you a pamphlet entitled 'The IDIOTS Guide to Dust' and tells you to read it and not speak to her again if you want to make things right."
Lindsey shot Kara a glare. "Hey!"
"Blame Monty, I didn't tell him any of that!"
"That's just the way the dice fall, ladies. Now-"
"I lean in and say 'Can't we all just get along?'" Barb interrupted.
"Do you actually say that?" a disbelieving Arryn asked.
"I do, actually, to try and lighten the mood. Then I say, 'Look, clearly you guys got off on the wrong foot, so how about you try starting over?'"
"Ooh, good idea!" Lindsey praised before turning to Kara. "'Sorry for exploding us, do you think we can still be friends? Maybe hang out sometime? Shop for school surprise?'"
"'And we could paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!'" Kara said in a mocking imitation of a Valley Girl voice. "'Like...anyone other than Miles.'"
"Hey!"
"Are you serious?" Lindsey asked. "I'm asking this both in and out of character."
"Neither I or my character is serious," Kara said in a condescending manner, "Try to keep up, OK?"
"Ladies...," Monty warned. "So before this escalates any further, the Headmaster steps onto a podium and taps the microphone to get everyone's attention. 'I'll keep this brief,' he says, clearing his throat. 'You've all come here to learn stuff and do better than you're currently doing, but all I see is wasted energy. You all think that you'll get answers for free, but wait a week and see how far that thinking gets you.'"
"...So you know that thing I said about the Good Witch's speech?" asked Arryn, "Yeah, the exact opposite applies for this one."
"Work in progress!?" Monty reminded her, flipping through something behind his screen. "Now it looks like nothing much else happens until the next morning, let's skip right to the next day, OK?"
Everyone nodded their consent.
Before they could continue, the gym doors opened and a girl with fuzzy, ginger hair strutted in, loudly announcing "What's up, party people? 'Samish' is in da house!"
"'Samish'?" Lindsey wondered.
"Her 'street name'," Jen explained, making air quotes. "She's..." she tried to continue, unable to come up with an explanation that didn't paint her friend in a derogatory light.
"An annoying white girl poser?" Kara supplied bluntly.
"Yo," Sam said to Kara, "don't be hatin', K-fizzle-"
"Never call me that again."
"-It's not my fault I'm just so naturally fly!"
"There's a spot over here," Monty said, gesturing to a spot at the table next to him; he could tell right away that Kara and Sam's personalities were not compatible with each other. "Why don't we take a short break while I get Sam here up to speed?"
"Sound's good to me," said Miles. "I need to take a leak."
"How much soda did you drink?" Lindsey asked.
"Not much, maybe three...four cans or so?"
Barb tapped her sister on the shoulder, "Hey Linds, got a minute?"
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"What's wrong?" Lindsey asked as Barb lead her over to the bleachers. She didn't really have good experiences on the bleachers, which was usually where she ended up during free periods. While the other kids would chat by the lockers, or check in with their clubs, or sneak off to an empty classroom to make out, she usually found her way to the gym and would wait for next period playing Pokemon or catching up on her comic books. Not that she didn't try (sometimes...) to hang out with other people, but she either couldn't work up the courage to talk to the interesting ones, and the "cool" ones always shot her down.
Sufficed to say, she wasn't looking forward to this.
"Nothing's wrong," Barb said, "I just wanted to know how you're doing. You know, since you kinda tried to make like Road Runner and dash out of here before."
Lindsey shrugged, "I'm doing OK."
"Cool, cool. You uh...you think you might want to hang out with any of these guys after this?"
"I don't know. I mean, I don't not like any of them, but I don't think they'll like me very much..."
"What! Why would you think that?" she asked.
"Because no one ever wants to hang out with me! I'm the geeky girl with hand-me-down clothes who's always reading comic books and playing Gameboy while laughing at weird moments; I wouldn't want to hang out with me if I saw me."
Barb was taken aback by Lindsey's answer. She knew her sister had a hard time every since her mother passed away, but she normally seemed chipper and happy!
Then again, sometimes Barb could be a little oblivious when it came to how her sister was feeling when things weren't explicitly spelled out for her.
"Besides," Lindsey continued, "I already have friends online that I talk to, I don't need any new ones complicating things. So, could you please stop forcing me to go to parties and stuff?"
Barb sighed. "OK, I guess I can stop pushing you so hard to meet people...but you have to promise me that you'll make an actually, on your own, to make some friends. It'll give me some piece of mind."
"...alright," the fifteen year old relented. Then a mischievous smirk crept its way onto her face, "So...Kara's kind of a bitch, huh?"
Barb squeaked in shock; her sister and swearing normally went together like peanut butter and rocks. "Where'd you hear that?!" she demanded.
"From you, when you were watching the Superbowl last year, among other words."
"*ahem!*"
Barb and Lindsey turned to see Kara standing there, looking rather irate.
"Who's a bitch?" she asked.
"Um...the newslady?" Lindsey said, hoping it only felt like she was sweating.
"On the 8:00 news," Barb added seamlessly, "If you ask me, she always goes out of her way to antagonize minorities, what with how she tends to-"
"Save it." Kara put her hand up, silencing the blonde. "Monty's done explaining things to MC Sam-a-lot and we're going to get on with the game, if that's alright with the two of you?"
Both girls nodded, "'Kay, we'll be right there."
to be concluded!
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
"Uh muh gub!" Mississippi exclaimed, shoveling the faux Italian treat into her mouth like there was no tomorrow, "Dif if duh beft piffa I'f efver had!"
Gigi: Qiqi qiqiqiqiqi qii...
So uncivilized..., Her Ladyship sneers, huffily popping an olive from her salad into her sensuous mouth.
Yeah, I've always liked El Pizza Bandito's pizza the best too! Not to say that other pizza places aren't good, but there's just something about this pizza that just speaks to me on a personal level. Though the owner reminds me of that guy from the Achieve Men.
Gigi: Qi qiqii qi?
No, the fat one of the beard.
Mississippi swallowed and cleared her throat, "Uh, guys? The other customers are all staring at me, do you think I should have changed out of my power armor before we came here?"
Ah, don't worry about it! Last week the owner spent an entire day dressed as a polar bear while he served food, so this kind of thing isn't out of the ordinary.
"Actually," she said, something dawning on her, "that doesn't sound too different from what Secretary of Intelligence Caboose did for Secretary of Violence Sarge's birthday party..."
This "Caboose" person sounds like an idiot, deduces the Astute and Cunning Magical Neo.
"Hey!" the space marine shouted, "He's a war hero and without him and his friends the galaxy would have been doomed!"
Oh? Her Ladyship counters, Then why was he wearing a bear costume?
"It was actually a fish costume," she corrected the Lightish Red themed girl, blushing slightly, "and he only did it because he somehow confused 'the help' with 'the halibut'..."
Um...why don't we all go for desert now? Because I could sure go for some of Neo's patented "eb ton dluohs that gnihT ehT" ice cream right about now!
Gigi: Qi qiiqi qiqiqiqiqi.
"Dorito Daoloth Dynamite" does sound interesting, but I'ma stick with my staple.
I'm still waiting for some feedback on "Nutty Nyarlothep Crunch".
Then to Neopolitan's we go!
also to be concluded!