Act 4: Renewal
Chapter 10: Moment By Moment
Year 0, Month 0, Day 10
Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
Following suit after the "Infinity Corridor" event had passed on by, the newer trio of Ptolemaic members and the 'siblings' (in a loose sense) of Oneryx ended up joining the Residence to bring much more faces to see around the place...
...Of course, one particular face had a very interesting time when they became active again. That one being the one and only, Mira, given that Simon and Achetto (or 'Skye' and 'Ariana' respectfully now), didn't trust her at all and felt tense being around her…
...However, as it soon became apparent that the 'Mira' they were seeing and briefly listening to was NOT the same one from their memories. In fact, the 'Mira' they were with now had no recollection of the duo's previous identities at all.
This still didn't sit well with Skye or Ariana, and especially Azaresh and Zondrys as the two beings helped the former two with their recovery due to the aftermath of their magic strings being 'cut'.
And beyond that with Oneryx also training with his 'siblings' whenever they could…
...Things just stayed somewhat normal in the weird world, at least for the time.
Rec Room, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
As the Residence enjoyed the clear weather and a decently mild temperature kind of day thus far, the Rec Room started to get a bit active as a trio were in the midst of a game in progress.
Sitting in front of the TV as it was showing an old console game in action was Gespenst, Gene, and M3 as the first two were handing the controller they were using over to each other every now and then, while the latter watched from nearby on the couch.
"So how are you holding up over there, Gene?" M3 briefly asked, once Gespenst had a turn to play the video game.
"Doing fine, boss. Body's still a bit sore in some areas…" Gene noted back, as Gespenst started to get a bit irritated at the game.
"And how is Gespenst doing with learning English? I recall Lindsey mentioning that the little fella is doing well as of late…" M3 asked back, as he noted how Gespenst was acting.
"I'm doing really well… ...Lindsey said I may… ...need another week of learning." Gespenst ended up replying before Gene could respond.
"Yeah… ...Gespenst is doing very well… ...And-" Gene said as a followup before having to stop to grab the controller as the ghost started getting really irate.
"Calm down there, little buddy. This is a difficult level to play…" Gene calmly said over to the Boo, as the ghost took a moment to calm down.
And after that, the white-haired male focused on the game and got to work on completing the level by getting past the obstacles and-
-And into the goal, as the character onscreen took off into the sky to get to the next level.
"This next level is not that bad….So if you want, you can try it first." Gene said over to the ghost in a friendly manner.
The Boo took a moment to smile back briefly before accepting the controller and getting started on playing the level. But as that went on, some noise coming from elsewhere managed to get M3's attention to look away from the TV and-
-Towards Triple-R, who was carrying a lot of folders and papers in his hands and looked to be in a bit of a rush.
"Hey, what's going on with you?" M3 called over to his counterpart, which got him to stop for a moment and adjust his grip with the stuff he was carrying.
"...Trying to figure out plans to add onto the Residence with the budget I have. Thankfully, since I started charging some form of rent.. … It means I may have the option to make two new floors to the building…" Triple-R replied back, as he quickly double checked one of the papers he had on top of his folder collection.
"Sounds good to hear… ...But did you tell this to Ice or Nexus yet?" M3 noted over in response.
"No, not yet…" Triple-R quickly replied back, before having to roll his eyes for a moment.
"So besides that, how are you going to get the floors handled? Going to build them yourself or hire others to do it?" M3 asked back, as he already started forming an idea in his head.
"The latter… ...And I'll ask around later on when I got things worked out if anyone wants to chip in to help. Other than that...I really gotta get going…" Triple-R said back, before having to adjust his grip yet again and start heading off to his room.
And once he was fully gone, M3 turned back to the TV to see Gespenst clearing a very difficult level by itself before getting ready for the next level...
Foyer, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
Keeping the papers and folders organized, Triple-R made his way into the foyer as he started to head towards the staircase…
...Only to get stopped thanks to Bubbles blocking the way as it laid across in front of the stairs.
"... ...Bubbles, you mind moving real quick so I can get by?" Triple-R asked nicely, as he had to shift around his arms for a moment.
The Caragor just laid there, resting.
"... ...Alright, I guess I have to break out that' trick' again…" Triple-R ended up saying to the Caragor, before taking a moment to set the papers and folders aside nearby.
Once his hands were empty, the young man quickly looked over how Bubbles was resting a bit more with an keen eye before then taking a moment to produce a small artificial feather from one of his pockets…
...And then following it up with, "Bubbles, if you can hear me, I need to get to my room...And if you make some room for me to get by, I'll play with you later today, okay?"
The Caragor woke up, looked up, and after yawning, move, before laying back down, out of the way.
"Thanks, Bubbles…" Triple-R noted back quietly, before leaving the artificial feather near Bubbles before working back to pick up the paper and folders and then getting up the stairs...
...And once up there, Triple-R headed over to his room, hoping to not get interrupted any further so he could get to work on figuring things out. But as he crossed by Nexus' room and got a brief glance of him at work as his desktop…
...Triple-R moved on quickly before sighing and hopping into his room fully and closing the door behind him. And after a few minutes looking things over at his desk, plus a strong nagging feeling going on in his head…
...Triple-R gathered up the most important papers before heading out of his room and swinging back around to Nexus' room to tell him, "... ...Hey, you got a few minutes to help me out on something important?"
Nexus sighed, before turning to him. "What is it?"
"I got… ...the budget plans for constructing new additions to the Residence and I wanted to go over them with you because we are going to be adding at least two new floors..." Triple-R paused mis-start, before continuing with the important parts pertaining to the plan.
"You...do recall how much I'd been wanting a basement...right?" Nexus reminded.
"Yes, I do… ...But just because you 'want' it, doesn't mean you'll be-" Triple-R replied back calmly, before trying to let Nexus down gently-
"If you're just in here to tell me that you're just gonna ignore the thing I'd been asking for, for ages, I'm not interested!" Nexus snapped, before turning back to his work.
"... ...That's not the only part, Nexus. As Co-Owner, you need to help review things and sign off for this work for the Residence…Otherwise, we aren't going to get this started anytime soon..." Triple-R said back, taking a chance to roll his eyes for a moment as he addressed the bigger issue at hand.
Nexus looked down and clenched his hands. "...So...you're coming to me...to sign off on renovations...while telling me the one I'd been asking for, for ages, is not on the list?" He turned back to Triple-R with a rather furious expression. "THAT is just a good way of pissing me off, you know that?!"
"... ...Did I explicitly say, "There is no way there is going to be a basement?" to you? Because I was trying to say, "Just because you want it, doesn't mean you'll be able to get it." Otherwise, it's still possible given that the stuff I have here shows a good sign on what our budget can be used on…" Triple-R paused at first, before calmly explaining what was still on the table at the moment.
Nexus's eyes began twitching. "...Then why the HELL did you word it like you did?!" Nexus snapped at him.
"Because we can't devote the entire budget to making a very large basement and an equally large third floor to the main building without accounting for everything. So whatever specific layout or design you have for the basement is probably not going to be the exact way you want, given how expensive this renovating stuff is..." Triple-R explained back more succinctly, while still keeping to a calm voice.
Nexus took a breath, trying to calm down. "... … ...At least it's getting done…" he muttered, before saying aloud, "Then just prepare some of the rooms I want; that way we can just add onto it later on…"
"Give me a moment, I'd rather have you jot down what you can of your requirements…" Triple-R said back, before getting one of the folders a specific paper and a pen that was with it over to Nexus...
...Before the two spent the next few minutes working on that paper...
Year 0, Month 1, Day 10
Renovation Area 1, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
...And as the shovels scraped against the ground, the three workers took a second to catch their breath as their break kicked in according to the timers they had on them. M3 and Gene immediately focused on dusting themselves off before heading off to talk about something between the two when-
"-Excuse me, Triple-R?" A female voice, sounding a bit (strangely) innocent in tone got into Triple-R's ear, getting him to look over to the entrance to the area to find-
-Mira, who was currently garbed in a hybrid of her old robe and some newer clothing (namely, a dark purple blouse and black pants), looking at him with something clearly on her mind.
"Yes, 'Miss Curalia'?" Triple-R responded back with a polite tone towards her.
"... ...You can just call me Curalia…" Mira noted back a bit nervously before then saying, "... …I came by to ask something of a request…"
"Okay, what is it?" Triple-R asked back simply.
"... ...I want to… … ...Sorry, I-I-I… ...Never mind, I'll just-"
"-Its okay if you got flustered, just take your time." Triple-R lightly interrupted, as he took a moment to move over to where Mira was in a slow pace.
The former witch remained silent for a while as Triple-R noticed her demeanor as well, before eventually saying, "... ...I'm getting these… ...dreams that… ...keep me up at night. Is… ...Is there anything you or anyone…else who can help me out with managing them?"
"... ...I mean, I could try thinking up some stuff on my end. But I hear that another one of our Residents may be in a similar situation to you. If you want, I can get them to meet with you if you want to try asking for their help." Triple-R noted back in response, before recalling some details he learned about a while ago.
"I… ...I'll look forward to meeting with them then. And… ...I appreciate your offer of help as well." Mira noted back, sounding a bit better with her voice now.
"No problem, Curalia…" Triple-R quickly said back, before giving a quick friendly smile as well.
And not so long after that, the timer on Triple-R went off. Leaving the two to head off to handle other things, with Triple-R getting back to work and Mira…
...Returning to her room in the Residence, to try to get some rest yet again.
Rec Room, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
Towa was currently sitting on the sofa, watching TV, taking a break after doing some work on her mech. As she watched the show that was currently on, she was thinking about the events that led up to her and her group being here…
"Oh, hey…" Towa turned and saw one of the owners of this place, 'Nexus', standing there. "...Sorry, didn't mean to intrude-"
"No, it's alright," Towa spoke up, "I was...actually wanting to talk to you…"
Nexus blinked. "Really? Alright…" he nervously replied, before sitting down on the sofa. "...So...what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Towa took a breath, before replying, "...It's about that magic stuff you used when fighting the Boars…I'm grateful for you saving me, but...my friend Caro is...nervous...about it...Albeit she remembers how Mira used it before...what happened...but...where does your's come from? You look rather… … ...normal…"
Nexus smirked. "...Well...my magic comes from an...outside source…" he replied, "...Namely, it came from an Elven Wraith from another universe, that made a pact with me when an incident occurred that made us working together necessary…"
"So you're possessed or something?" Towa asked, immediately nervous.
Nexus smirked and shook his head. "No: Ilsaon has no control over my actions, although only certain individuals can see him…"
"...That's a little unsettling…" Towa replied.
"Don't worry, he's of no threat…" Nexus replied.
"...Is there anything else you can tell me about your abilities?" Towa asked.
Nexus chuckled and sat back. "Where to begin… ... …"
Year 0, Month 2, Day 15
Garage, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
Noise came from the Garage, some distance away from the entrance as the white-haired young man and the orange-haired mechanic were working on a small project at a makeshift workstation.
The project was a device that would help in scanning over the environment inside the now-earth vacant basement, to help check and account for future potential expansions.
And as Gene was working on cutting the wires to connect with the circuity…
"...Hey Gene, how come you know your way around software and coding so well?" Caroline ended up asking all of a sudden after she started assembling the device's controller cover.
"Well, it may have to do with the fact I used to specialize in computer development back when I had my first job…" Gene simply replied back, breaking a small smile as he thought about back then.
"Huh… ...So what else can you do?" Caroline then asked, once she finished with the cover and started working on making the control buttons and switches.
"Depends… ...I got a bit of a knack for making scanners and other devices, though two specific devices I have in my room were 'theoretical' prototypes a while ago…" Gene replied back as a follow up, as his mind started to recall some other things from memory.
"May I ask what those are, if you don't mind?" Caroline replied back, taking the time to stop and look at Gene for a moment with curiosity in her eyes.
"It'd be better if I had them right here with me, but I can give you the names of the devices for now. The first one is actually designated under the name of a 'Fizzle Caster' and the second one is called the 'Tension Generator'..." Gene replied over once he made sure to set the wiring tools he had down nearby to focus more on the conversation.
"... ...And why are they called that?" Caroline asked, after taking a moment to mentally jot down the names.
"I'll tell you later…" Gene noted back, as it took a moment for him to refocus back on the work he was supposed to be doing. "... ...Oh, by the way, I almost got the wires done, so I can hook them up to the circuit…"
"And once the circuit is ready, I'll get inside this cover…" Caroline noted back as well, with some energy and pride sneaking into the voice...
...Before the two briefly exchanged wordless glances for a moment and then fully went back to work with a new topic they started to shift into discussing with each other.
IceBite's and Alma's Room, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
In the engaged couple's room, Alma was taking a nap while IceBite did some work on the computer, namely writing something. IceBite was specifically working on ideas for the story that his 'native' counterpart was trying to write…
As he was thinking, however, something disturbed his train of thought. He turned towards Alma, where the disturbance came from...and saw that she was apparently having a nightmare, tossing, turning, and whimpering.
IceBite quickly got up from the desk, and walked over to Alma's bed, before sitting beside her on it. He quickly put a hand on her shoulder, in a supportive manner. This wasn't the first time he'd done this: put his hand on her shoulder while she's having a nightmare in the middle of a nap. It took a few minutes, but eventually, Alma settled down.
IceBite gave a small smile, before standing back up and walking back over to the desk. However, while his back was turned, Alma's eyes fluttered open. Seeing IceBite return to his computer, but guessing what he did, Alma smiled, feeling safe in spite of the horrifying nightmare she had. Her eyes closed again shortly after, before IceBite turned to look at her again, before going back to work
Alma didn't have another nightmare during this nap, as she remembered IceBite was there, and felt safe…
Year 0, Month 3, Day 20
Exterior Grounds, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
With the weather clearing up from the previous day full of heavy wind, the feeling in the air was that it was going to be a good day. And to take advantage of that, a certain couple was spending the time out there by themselves…
...Well, as far as being by themselves count with the D-GU off in the distance in a deactivate state. But it still was something they appreciated alongside just listening to the sounds of the wind flowing by…
"So any updates to share on how your Zoo is going?" M3 took a moment to ask Lindsey, once he felt like trying to start a conversation.
"Just made some progress on the final adjustments I'll need to work on. Though once that's done, I'll be looking into what animals and creatures to add…" Lindsey replied back as she seemed a bit contemplated on the matter.
"... ...Maybe when you get that first part done, we should celebrate the occasion. And give me a tour as well due to being your boyfriend." M3 noted over with a sincere tone at first, before swapping to a joking tone afterward.
Lindsey took a moment to look away as her face blushed a little, before she replied back with, "And I take it you have something in mind for the celebration?"
"Not exactly… ...But we could… … … ...Yeah, that would probably work out…" Connor answered back as he thought about what to do, before getting a certain idea.
"What are you thinking over there?" Lindsey asked back, as she felt something internally going off in her mind.
"Oh, it's just something simple. We take a vacation to get away from the Residence and spend a trip together elsewhere…" Connor made sure to share over to Lindsey, as his voice sounded a bit excited on the idea.
"...Is that it? And you do recall I've-" Lindsey took a second to respond as that feeling in her mind quickly started going away-
"-Yeah, but I have to remind you that you'll be spending it with me. And even if it's nothing special at first to 'you', the memories 'you' will have afterwards will say otherwise…" Connor lightly interrupted, before picking his words carefully as he tried to be convincing on the idea.
"... ...So in other words, you want me to take a vacation… ...from the vacation I'm already having?" Lindsey responded back with a smile on her face as she looked at Connor.
"If you look at it that way… ...Yes. But still, it is for just the both of us and we could use some fun outside of the ruckus that goes on around these parts…" Connor sighed at first, before sticking back to supporting the idea regardless.
"... ...I'll take some time to consider it then and get back to you on it." Lindsey replied back, as she looked up into the sky for a moment.
"Okay then…" Connor simply responded back, before he looked into the sky as well to see what Lindsey was looking at.
It turned out to be a cloud that looked vaguely like a lump of white cotton candy...
..And after a moment or two watching it drift on by, the two switched over to a new topic as the weather remained docile in its own accord.
Year 0, Month 4, Day 10
Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
While the renovations were still under way, at least now at a stage where the basement was almost 3/4ths done…
...Part of the work started to shift towards working on the third floor, albeit more so to make sure the added weight didn't compromise the basement's integrity. And beyond that, there was not much going on with the Residents inside the property.
In fact, the only thing that was going on of note (beyond some heat waves and cold storms), was when a strange wooden crate showed up on the front door. When it got found, everyone remained cautious as it got scanned over a few times…
...Only for things to settle down as it was confirmed that the only thing of note to the crate was just a strange bunch of items that were inside. Namely that it held a custom guitar, a bound metallic whip, some sort of dart gun device, and an equally confusing looking baton device.
There was, sadly, no documentation to go along with it to confirm where it came from…
...But given that no one really wanted any of the items in particular, Triple-M decided to hold onto them for the time being in case they had some utility. Though at the moment if one were to look into his room…
...They would find the items carefully arranged to add to making the room feel a bit more unique. Other than that, the only thing else that happened that day was the heat wave finally ending as the cool night winds brought down the temperature.
Year 0, Month 5, Day 5
Exterior Grounds, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
Keeping a steady pace, the Venusian Shapeshifter moved across the ground as part of his daily run around the Residence property. Though given the cold air and the white powder dropping from the sky…
...Nowan also had to contend with the snow building up along the path he was taking. Besides that, the only thing else taking up his attention was the music he was listening to via the headphones placed around on his head.
The headphones were playing through a playlist of songs from video games, semi-modern music bands, and even some classics from the past. And just as the current song was going to finish playing…
...A much louder noise in the sky got Nowan to halt in his tracks, while also shutting off his music. Once done, he looked upwards towards the direction of the noise…
...And what looked like an organic sack was falling from the sky, to somewhere to the south, but still near the Residence...
Keeping in mind the general direction it landed, Nowan looked back to the Residence's Front Door and then the Front Gate…
...Before taking a moment to focus as his body compressed inward to a floating purple sphere like form and eventually had a part extend out…
...That made a full copy of Nowan that stepped onto the snow, with the real one reforming out of the sphere and landing back on the ground.
"Go tell the others to be on guard and meet me outside the gate…" Nowan 'A' relayed over to Nowan 'B', who simply nodded back before taking off in a rush towards the Front Door…
...While Nowan 'A' then rushed off towards the gate and got it opened before rushing out into the snowy dirt road to head to the landing zone.
Nearby Landing Zone, Outside Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
It wasn't too long after Nowan left the gate that the copy he sent out brought along the other members of the quickly formed 'Search Party'. It mainly consisted of M3, Ice, Alma, Lindsey, and Triple-R, with everyone else on standby or on the defensive at the Residence just in case…
...So one the two Nowans meet with each other, the two quickly merged back into one before Nowan himself quickly started helping directing where he saw the organic sac land.
Some time short passed, until the group stopped in their tracks as they saw-
"-Alright, anyone here have an idea on what that is?" Triple-R called out, as he had his electric baton and armor on standby.
...It was IceBite and Lindsey that recognized it. "...That looks like the Primal Queen of Blades Chrysalis from StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm…" IceBite replied. Said object looked like a cross between a slimy egg and a closed flower, with petals made of chitin.
"...And I sense a Hybrid Primal Zerg/Swarm Zerg biosignature inside…" Lindsey replied.
"Remind me on what Zerg are? Because I get a feeling I shouldn't be excited to meet one of them anytime soon…" Nowan asked back, vaguely recalling hearing the name before.
"They're a race of swarming creatures," Lindsey replied, "There's vague similarities between the Zerg and Venusians...Vague being the operative term…"
"Still, being an ex-member of the latter's society… ...I'm going to be cautious either way… …" Nowan replied back, as he got his arms on standby to change into weapons if need be.
"... ...So… ...what's the plan of action if this Zerg here ain't friendly?" Triple-R asked cautiously, given what he knew about Zerg already.
"... … ...Call for backup?" IceBite replied, shrugging.
"I think he meant besides that...But still…" M3 quickly commoneted, as he remained distant from the Chrysalis.
"Make sure every ounce of Zerg matter here gets vaporized and scorched…" Lindsey answered.
Silence soon followed after that, as everyone remained on edge and on standby till-
A squelching sound sounded, and the carapace of the chrysalis receded, to reveal the softer, thinner membrane underneath, and while hard to see through, the membrane was translucent enough to see the silhouette of what appeared to be a human young woman within, slightly-curled, and floating in the fluid inside the chrysalis.
The slimy membrane, however, was quickly drying and hardening...
"... ...Zerg don't normally look like humans, I take it?" Nowan asked, as keeping track of the visual information thus far led to some confusing thoughts.
"Not normally, but there've been exceptions...although the mainly-known exceptions are Infested Terrans...that said, I don't 'feel' that's the situation here…" Lindsey explained, "This one feels like a Zerg custom-designed to be Human-like in appearance…"
"... ...So wait, then what's the point of that if they went through all of that work to make that so far?" Triple-M asked in reply, as watching the silhouette started giving him an odd feeling building up inside of him.
"...I guess we'll find out soon," Lindsey replied, "Look again…"
The group did so...and...found that the membrane had completely hardened, akin to the shell of an egg...and something was trying to break out, as glowing-purple cracks began to appear…
...And the 'shell' burst open, revealing, knelt on the 'base' of the chrysalis, was a young woman, with what looked like a leather cloak draped over her. She had short cyan hair and pink eyes, and seemed a bit...jittery. Her ears had a strange point to them.
She seemed to look around for a moment, before her gaze fell upon IceBite.
She stared at him for a moment, before sighing, and shaking her head, looking away.
...Alma was a little irked, but she wisely bit her tongue...
"... … ...Excuse me, but… ...If you can answer, who are you?" Triple-R cautiously called out, as he seemed to get a weird idea based on reading the mysterious female's demeanor.
The young woman turned to him, her eyes seemingly boring into him...before she replied, "T-T-Talma...C-Cereb-... … ...O-O-Overmind o-of th-th-the Z-Zerg…" she replied.
Lindsey noticed the slip. "...What do you mean? It sounds like you identified as a Cerebrate, but you swapped to Overmind…"
"...I-I w-w-was j-just e-e-evolving i-into a-a-an O-O-Overmind l-level Z-Z-Zerg B-Bioform...M-My c-c-c-creator a-and b-b-brother m-made m-me a-as a C-Cerebrate...b-b-but a-as h-his s-swarm w-w-was b-being w-w-wiped o-out...h-he sh-shot m-me i-i-into s-space, a-and h-had m-m-me e-evolve t-to t-t-take h-his p-p-place…" Talma replied.
"... ...Forgive me if I'm rude for asking.. … ...But who was your brother?" Nowan asked in reply, as he partly started to lower his guard.
"H-He c-c-called h-himself D-Daniel M-Mitchell…"
The group was shocked to hear that...it wasn't their first 'Daniel Mitchell duplicate', but the coincidence of encountering something, or someone made by ANOTHER such duplicate, was astronomical...and THAT was being generous…
Alma, a bit more sharply than she intended, asked, "Is that why you stared at Da...IceBite...for a moment?"
Talma nodded. "I-I th-th-thought h-he w-was th-th-the s-same, b-but r-r-realized h-he w-w-w-asn't…"
"... ...Well, to quickly forewarn you, this 'Daniel' here is… ...not the only one around these parts. But I have a solid feeling that the other 'one' is also not the 'Daniel' you know as well either… …" Triple-R ended up saying, as he kept track of a lot of things in his mind.
Talma just nodded in reply. "I-I d-d-don't s-sense m-my D-D-Daniel h-here s-s-so I-I kn-know…"
"... … ...So what are you going to do now, Talma?" Triple-M asked, after taking a moment to pause and think.
Talma stared at him, before looking down and shaking her head. "... … ...I-I d-d-don't kn-know… … …"
"...We could potentially ask the owners of the residence we live at to let you live there…" IceBite offered.
"...I-I k-k-kind o-of w-w-want a-a p-p-place t-to p-place m-m-my f-f-first H-H-Hive C-Cluster…"
"That… ...yeah, that's going to be an issue…" Triple-R had to note back with some discomfort to his voice.
Lindsey, however, spoke up. "...Hmmm...not exactly…"
"... ...You got something in mind, Lindsey?" Triple-M noted over in reply, as his tone sounded curious.
Lindsey nodded to Triple-M, before turning back to Talma. "Tell me, Talma, I don't think our hosts'll mind you personally living with us, but...do you mind having Terrans or other sapients watching your Zerg like a Zoo Attraction?"
"... ...Hmm.. ...That's certainly something that could be done…" Triple-R replied aloud after hearing that, while Triple-M remained quiet on his end.
Talma replied, "N-N-Not r-really...I-I d-d-don't m-mind t-t-too m-much…"
Lindsey clapped her hands together. "Splendid: I needed a Zerg Attraction for my Interdimensional Zoo, so I provide the land, you provide the attraction, we split the profits 50/50, and you get to start your new swarm. Deal?"
Talma thought it over, before replying, "Th-Th-That w-works…D-D-Deal..."
Lindsey nodded. "...Now, though, we need to know if our hosts WOULD mind having you live with us…" she replied, turning towards Triple-R, as though silently asking.
"Just to ask, Talma, but are there any concerns or issues you have involving living with others?" Triple-R asked carefully and calmly towards Talma.
Talma shook her head. "N-Not th-th-that I-I c-c-can th-think o-o-of...b-b-beyond n-needing t-t-to o-occasionally v-v-visit m-my H-Hive C-C-Cluster, anyways… … ...A-A-Although I-I m-m-might w-want a-a Z-Z-Zerg O-O-Organism w-with m-m-me, th-though..."
"... ...Just needs to be any Zerg Organism, or do you have a specific one in mind you want to accompany you?" Triple-R asked as a follow up.
"C-C-Can b-be a-a-any...d-debating o-o-on a-a B-B-Broodmother o-or a-a-a Z-Zergling…" Talma replied.
"Well, as long as they are able to live with everyone else well enough, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about." Triple-R noted back in reply.
Talma nodded, a grateful expression on her face…
"... ...Of course, the small snag is that I'm only one of the Owners, so we'd need to talk to them soon…"
IceBite shrugged. "If Nexus is anything like me...and since he's another me, he SHOULD be...he'd probably be excited at the prospect of a Zerg living with us…"
"You also haven't lived with Nexus as long as I have, Ice.… ...And even then, if there's one thing I learned from M3, is that you and him don't like when we assume you'll think the same way. So for now, I'm going to find it unlikely that he'd say-"
Foyer, Triple-R & Nexus Property, Earth, Sol System, Terran Sector, Orion Arm
"-I love every part of this idea," Nexus replied, his tone neutral, but with a twinge of excitement that suggests that he was speaking truthfully.
"Guess that means we don't need to come up with a backup idea then…" Triple-R commented in reply, albeit in a very deadpan tone.
Talma just looked relieved.
"So with that, is there-" Triple-R then started to say before-
-A certain little ghost accompanied by the Studio Assistant entered the Foyer, with the former immediately looking at Talma before saying, "What is going on and… ...who are you?"
Talma became a little nervous and tensed a bit. "T-Talma…" she nervously replied.
"Talma? Your name isn't that far off from 'Alma'... …" Gespenst said back in reply, albeit in an amused tone that got the little fellow to smile afterwards.
The named individual muttered something, to which IceBite just whispered to her, "Be nice…" Alma turned to IceBite, the two making eye contact, before Alma looked away and sighed.
"But it is nice to meet you. I'm called Gespenst…" The Boo then ended up saying towards Talma, trying to be a bit more friendly and cheery with its voice.
"U-U-Uhm...N-Nice t-t-to m-meet y-y-you…" Talma replied.
"... ...Pardon, is… ...there something going on with your voice?" Gespenst took a second to ask, tilting itself for a moment as it looked a bit confusing at Talma.
"I-It's a-a-an i-issue I-I-I a-always h-h-had...A-A T-T-Terran a-a-ally o-of m-m-my b-b-brother c-c-called i-it a-a S-S-Speech I-Impediment…" Talma explained.
Nexus suppressed a chuckle...A Zerg, something that's supposed to be the apex of evolution...has a Speech Impediment…
"In other words, Gespenst, Talma has a 'Stutter'. But there's really nothing more to it than that, and even then, she talks just as well as anyone else…" Gene quickly and carefully noted over to Gespenst, before taking a moment to make a telling glance towards Talma.
The Ghost took a moment to mull it over, before looking back to Gene to quickly nod back. And once that was done, the Boo ended up saying, "Again, nice to meet you, Talma. And I need to head back to my room, so see you later…"
Talma just nodded in reply.
And with that, the ghost quickly floated over to the stairs before heading upstairs…
...Giving a chance for Gene to make a brief 'ahem' before saying to Talma, "Sorry if the little fellow bugged you in any way, Talma. The little guy likes to know who will be living with us, given what seems to be going on at the moment.
"O-Okay…" Talma replied.
"And before I forget any further, my name is Gene Clarkson… …" Gene quickly followed up in response.
Talma nodded. "Alright…"
"So… ...Just to ask since I didn't meet you earlier with them, what is your story, Talma?" Gene asked over to Talma, albeit in a genuine curious tone.
Talma, still a bit jittery, recited the story she told the others to him.
"... ...I'm sorry to hear about what became of you, but you got a community here that'll be glad to welcome you in. And… ...well, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask if we talk again some time later…" Gene replied back with a sympathetic tone, before also taking a moment to make a small request towards Talma.
"...U-Uhm...w-w-why?" Talma asked, still a bit nervous.
"Something about your story reminded me of a friend I knew of before I ended up in this world…And well, I…kinda...know what it is like for what you went through…" Gene tried to explain, but also make his intentions more clearer.
"... … ...I-I'll...c-c-consider i-it…" Talma replied.
"Thank you. And I better get going to let you finish settling in…" Gene replied back, before heading off to the Garage...
"... ...Speaking of that for a moment, do you want to go get your room sorted out, Talma? Or do you want to do something else first?" Triple-R started talking, after a moment passed with some silence in the air.
"...L-Let's t-t-take c-care o-o-of th-the r-r-room f-first…" Talma replied.
"Well, I'll show you where to go… ...And for everyone else, feel free to get back to whatever you got going on…" Triple-R made sure to say over to Talma, before then swapping over to everyone else nearby afterwards.
With that, Triple-M, Lindsey, and Nowan headed off to the Rec Room, while IceBite and Alma went to their room, and Nexus, after seeing whether or not he'd be needed, went off to go talk to Towa.
"So just a quick question to help while figuring out where your room is… ...Are you a light or heavy sleeper?" Triple-R asked as the two started to move over towards the staircase.
"O-Oh, I-I-I'm Z-Zerg: I-I-I d-don't s-s-sleep..." Talma replied.
"In that case, what else don't you need to worry about then?" Connor asked as a follow up, once the two got on the stairs...
Talma began thinking, before beginning to list off what she could think of...
End Chapter 10.