New Meridian, Poorman's Apartment
March 8th, 12:45pm
"Help Wanted: Wulfamania Returns! Get ready for the ultimate comeback of Canopy's greatest hero, Beowulf!" The Player reads aloud from the pamphlet he was holding while lazing about on the couch. "Funny, I thought Canopy's greatest hero would've been me. Y'know, since I'm the 'chosen one' and all."
"Kiss your own ass much?" Samson remarked as Filia was cleaning the kitchen window counter.
"What? No. I mean, I don't think so. But I AM 'the Player,' right?"
"The fact that we still don't know your real name pisses me off. What kind of dipshit goes around using a codename like that? And enough of that 'chosen one' nonsense. You're no hero."
"You think 'Beowulf' is this guy's real name? He uses a codename and people love him. And don't discredit me! I've saved people before."
"Who? Filia? You saved Filia out of guilt when we first met, not from the kindness in your heart." Samson flatly debunked the Player's heroism and caught him off guard making the Player silent for a moment.
After dwelling on it for a second the Player sat upright on the couch. "That's not true!" He exclaimed defensively. "I didn't mean to leave you guys the way I did. It was that mutant nun! Who wouldn't run from a shapeshifting monster that turns itself inside out from the mouth?!"
"Filia. And she's only 15."
"16, Samson." Filia flatly corrected her Parasite. "And I'll be 17 next week! Yay!" She giggles.
Squigly brought her hands together and smiles gleefully after hearing the news. "Really? That's great, Filia! Wow. I can't believe I forgot to ask when your birthday was."
"Speaking of forgetting, how do you remember your birthday?" The Player asked, looking lost. "I thought you lost your memory."
"I did lose my memory. I just kinda remember certain things."
"...Like what?"
"Uuuuh. Oh! My mom."
This news brought great confusion, the Player just sat there in numb disbelief, made worse by the way she was being so casual about it.
"...How in the-? You had memories of- How long have you-?" He couldn't even form a question, it was like his brain was table flipping cohesive thoughts. There was so much going on in his head that he gave up trying to make sense of it. "…Filia, sweetie, that's not how amnesia works. And why did you keep that from me for so long?!"
"I'm…sorry? I didn't think it mattered, we had that whole 'the past doesn't matter' moment and all."
"You should've told me regardless! That's crucial information!" The Player squints his eyes, now focusing on Samson. "…Samson, did you know?"
"Know what?" Samson asked in an irksome tone.
"About Filia's memory of her mom?"
"No. Why would I? We don't share memories."
Leviathan shared the Player's skepticism and gestures a similar squint of disbelief. "Why am I not convinced you're telling the truth?" Leviathan joined, siding with the Player.
"Now you're getting in on this? Piss off, Leviathan."
"Look!" Filia raised her voice to get attention on herself. "It doesn't matter. I don't even remember anything outside of a vague image of what she looks like."
"Yeah? What did she look like?" The Player asked.
"Kind of like me, I guess."
"That's not helpful." Samson rebuttals.
The Player crossed his arms and reflected on her words to help paint a picture of Mrs. Medici. "Soooo she was thick?" He literally just imagined a taller version of Filia and not much else, same body proportions and all, if not a bit thicker.
"Not…particularly, no."
"Huh. I guess thunder thighs don't run in the genes."
An instant cutaway sees Filia applying a camel clutch hold on the Player, he couldn't even tap out due to his arms being restrained by her legs.
The camel clutch itself was a wrestling hold that involved Filia sitting on the Player's back, placing both his arms across her thighs and holding his forearm in the crook of her knee.
Using her hands she cups them together to interlock her fingers against him in a chinlock. Filia leans back, pulling on his chin and thus applying pressure to his back.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The Player cried out in pain.
"This is what happens." Filia was merciless with a calm delivery to her taunt. "This is what happens when you don't know how to talk to a lady."
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"
"Not good enough."
"Yes! Whoop his ass!" Samson cheered for Filia like a delinquent child encouraging a schoolyard fight.
Squigly and Leviathan watch as Filia subjected the Player to this torture, but Samson was loving every second of it.
Meanwhile Butterscotch was barking at Filia's roughhousing, his tail wagging indicating he was in a playful mood, unable to detect the Player's pain.
"PLEEEEEASE! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
"I don't care. I told you what would happen if you talked about my thighs months ago." She pulled back, painfully angling him on an incline.
"GAAAHH!"
She was pulling so much it became difficult for the Player to speak. He desperately tried tapping out, but his hands were just out of floor reach. Seeing that he wasn't able to take much more Filia let loose, giving him some slack, but she kept him in that pose a little longer as punishment before finally releasing him.
The Player fell flat on his face, buried in the carpeted floor.
Filia got up and brushed her hands for a job well done — reminding the Player of what happens when fat thigh talk was on the table.
"Um. Is he going to be okay?" Squigly asked once she saw he wasn't moving. Breathing, but not moving.
"He'll be fine." Filia assured. "Besides, with the job he's about to consider this was nothing short of an education for him."
This side of Filia was a completely different persona. She was much more assertive and dominating, having no remorse for her actions, but of course she wasn't deliberately trying to bring actual harm to her friend, she was just playfully teaching him a lesson with tough love.
"...Not…cool…" The Player murmured into the carpet.
He looks up and sees Butterscotch assuming the play bow stance at his face; crouched forward with his elbows on the ground and rear end in the air, wagging tail and all.
"...And you just let it happen, huh?"
Butterscotch, being the adorable pup that he was, pounces forward and assaults the Player's face with a barrage of affectionate licks.
1:05pm
The Player left the house once his back recovered.
Caring for Squigly after her traumatic experience warranted a bigger paycheck, and fast food wasn't going to get them by. Not only that but he had to pay for the busted window in the girl's room, which set him back a few hundred Bones.
All together the Player had to take care of rent, the girls, property damage, a pet, and himself.
Prior his beating at Filia's hand he was answering to a flyer seeking new wrestling talent to help bring the hype for the returning star, Beowulf.
Following the directions to the NMO Arena the Player found himself in South Meridian. The area was a big contrast to the busy streets of downtown, it was mostly an industrial area highlighted by run-down buildings, shops, and warehouses. Though not as busy as the city center, crowds were still drawn to South Meridian thanks to the NMO Arena and the highway access.
The Player was so focused on the map he barely watched where he was going, occasionally looking up for street signs. "…Um, okay, so go down 8th street…make a left on Strawberry and then- Uuuuh. Where the hell is Auburn Street? Wait, didn't I pass it?" His lack of awareness ended with him walking into someone from behind, he bumps into them and takes a step back.
The person he bumped into was a rather tall woman, standing about 5'11 thanks to her heels, she was probably 5'9 without them.
She was wearing what appeared to be Egyptian styled clothing including a black dress coat that had the front skirt cut away, baring her legs, however the rear dress was designed with a rather large tail section to cover her backside down to her ankles.
Her most prominent fashion choice was the large golden ribbon in the shape of an ankh wrapped around her body, as well as a beautiful pearl headpiece that was essentially a crown.
She had this regal vibe going for her, even the color scheme of her clothes was royal — consisting of gold, purple, and blue.
After recovering from the collision the Player immediately looks to the woman.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am. I didn't watch where I was going." The Player jumped right at the chance to apologize, but was soon met with a masculine hand that pushed him away.
Two beefed up ferals dressed in fancy suits now stood between the Player and the woman. They resembled the Egyptian deities Anubis and Horace.
"Aye! Watch where you're walkin', pal!" The canine feral was quick to go on the defensive.
"Have you no manners? There is more than enough sidewalk for you to occupy." The avian feral followed up.
Seeing their bulging muscles made the Player take a precautionary step back, but he kept his cool and was careful not to elevate the situation by overreacting.
"I didn't mean to. I said I was-"
The canine feral stepped forward. "I'm thinkin' he's some kinda pickpocket or somethin'. No one could be so blind as to walk into the boss like that." He smacked his fist into his hand and began cracking his knuckles.
"Someone would dare try to rob our lady of her valuables?" The avian then steps up with the intent of fighting. "I think it's time we dish out the riffraff."
"Are you two even listening to what I'm saying?! It was an accident! Acc-id-dent." The Player was figuratively being backed into a corner, and compared to their exaggerated body proportions there was nothing he could do in terms of fighting them, not with his inferior human physique.
Nothing the Player said swayed the muscle clad ferals and they continue approaching him, ready to deliver a good old fashion beat down.
Before they could deal a physical assault the woman held out her hand to the men.
"Albus, Horace. That's enough. Stand down." She calmly commands.
The two bodyguards, whose names were now revealed, were gently moved aside to make way for the regal woman.
"Uh, boss, y'sure? This guy might've been-"
"It's all right, Albus. He means us no harm." She takes the lead and approaches the Player to ease his worries of being jumped. "Forgive them, they can be a bit rough around the edges, but they're sweethearts once you get to know them."
"With Albus? I'm not so sure." The avian, Horace, made a not so subtle snide comment.
Hearing him, Albus turned a spiteful fist to his partner. "You got somethin' to say to me, birdbrain?!"
"I doubt your tiny little mind could comprehend half of what I have to say."
"Why I oughta-!"
"Boys." The woman raised her hand as a signal for them to stop, which they both see and immediately cease their exchange in favor of standing straight and assuming the body guard stance, which was essentially just standing like a statue and looking intimidating. "Sorry about that." She turns back to the Player with a smile.
…There was something about this woman. Something the Player couldn't exactly put his finger on, but just being in her presence made the air around him feel tense, heavy even.
The way she smiled, the way she spoke, the way she looked, it was all just…heavy.
The Player tried not to stare and snapped out of his trance by smiling back at her.
"It's fine. I wasn't intentionally trying to walk into you. I got lost trying to find the NMO Arena. I'm not familiar with this part of the city and all I have to go on are these bad directions written on this flyer."
"Oh? Not to worry, darling. I can point you in the right direction. I've had my fair share of visits at the arena, charity blood drives and the sort."
"Really? That sounds nice."
His simple reaction made the woman's mouth droop out of sheer disappointment. She corrects her reaction with a staged chuckle meant to convey she was unbothered by it.
"Surely you've heard of me. Most people would be thrilled to be in my presence."
"…Um. I don't think so? I'm new here."
She maintained an encouraged smile, trying to distract herself from his answer. "I see." She responds with a sassy smack of the teeth despite his honesty. The woman extends her hand out to him anyway. "My name is Eliza. It's a pleasure."
The Player, nearly missing the cue, looks down to her hand and reaches out to reciprocate the gesture.
"Oh! Right. It's nice to meet you. I'm-"
"The Player." Eliza states with her eyes closed, smile held.
"Yeah, I'm- Wait. You know me?"
"Of course I know you. I know everyone. Well…everyone important."
Before he could question her any further Eliza placed her hand on his back and walks him along, guiding him to her personal limo.
"Albus, we're taking him to the New Meridian Order Arena."
"You got it boss." Albus walks around the limo to take the driver seat.
Horace opens the backdoor for Eliza and her guest. "Please, watch your step."
The bodyguards were like two different people considering they were gonna pulverize the Player for bumping into Eliza thinking he had some ill intent. It was quite jarring.
Although he was initially reluctant to go along, the Player found it difficult to deny Eliza's generous offer since he was lost. He entered the limo and sat in the left seat.
Eliza gets in after her guest and sat on his immediate right.
Once the two were in Horace closed the door and got in the passenger seat. Albus then drives off.
Several Minutes Later
The ride was an awkward one, at least for the Player - some random woman he never met before offered a ride with claims of knowing him for the sake of knowing 'important' people in Canopy. He tried his best to keep himself from making any form of eye contact with Eliza to keep things from being even more awkward, he instead focused his attention out the window.
Eliza, on the other hand, hadn't the slightest change in emotion, in fact she didn't even bother trying to invoke conversation, she just sat there with an eerily graceful and beautiful smile, that is until she eventually picked up on the Player going out of his way to keep his eyes off of her, she could sense his unease.
"So," Eliza spoke to get the Player's attention "how have you been adjusting to the kingdom? You been here long?"
"Huh? Oh. I've been adjusting okay. I mean...the first couple days were rough, but I think I'm doing pretty well now."
"That's wonderful. I can only imagine the headache the Skullgirl must've caused you, and all the drama surrounding her."
"Heh... Heh, heh. Uh...yeah. That was a pretty scary experience."
"Have you Synchronized with any of the Fates?" Eliza casually asked.
The Player froze, sitting in mute shock, uncertain how to respond to the question as Eliza just smiles at him. "...Uuuuh. I'm...I'm sorry. W-What...?" He stampers a bit and his eyes flutter once his mind resurfaced.
Eliza giggles at his reaction, almost teasing him about it. "It's okay, darling. You don't have to keep secrets from me and we don't have to discuss it if you're not comfortable. It's a heavy subject, I know. The responsibility you carry can be overwhelming. However, I want you to know, if you ever need it, I'm always here for you." She reaches her hand out and placed a gentle touch upon the Player's knee.
"Watch and learn!"
"Gaze into the face of your death!"
"Your cells shall betray you!"
"This is your latest host?"
"You are a childish parody of the divine!"
"...Your kingdom will be in good hands."
"My reign and your fall are long overdue!"
"After so long, I thought you'd have a change of heart."
"Help me teach these cattle who their gods are again."
"We grace them with our power as their champions, and they call us Parasites."
The moment she made contact with the Player a wave of distant memories wash over him and flood his mind.
The voice in his head was a distorted blur, yet oddly familiar. He becomes still and doesn't move an inch until he felt a spark - a connection. He motions his knee away from Eliza's hand and the sensation stops abruptly. He looks at her with a motionless gaze.
"Everything all right, dear?" Eliza asked.
"...Yeah. I just...zoned out a bit. Sorry. I'm not sure where my mind is today."
"No need to apologize. You must have a lot on your mind, and I certainly don't want to pry."
The Player briefly stares, a slight chill crawls up his spine the deeper he looked into her eyes, but he finds it in himself to smile, albeit uneasy, in an effort to convince Eliza nothing was wrong.
Aside from the casual back and forth between Albus and Horace, who were free to their own bickering thanks to the privacy window splitting the driver and passenger compartments, the rest of the ride it was a quiet trip through the city, neither the Player nor Eliza spoke a word to one another, and while it was pretty awkward for the Player the enduring smile on Eliza's face suggested she was pleased just having him in her company.
Outside the NMO Stadium
1:24pm
The limousine pulls up to a vacant spot in the parking lot and comes to a halt.
"Here we are." Eliza said, looking out the window to the massive stadium that was visible on her side of the car.
The Player lowers his head just enough to get a peak from the right hand side. "Wow. I was way off. I wouldn't have made it on time by walking. I'm already late, but considering how big this event is supposed to be I should be able to slip in without a problem. Ms. Eliza, again, thank you so much for the help."
"No need to thank me, dear. And please, just Eliza is fine. Is there anything else I could help you with?"
"No. I should be good from here. I appreciate the offer though."
"All right, hon. Albus!" She calls out to the driver compartment.
The privacy glass drops and Albus looks over his shoulder. "Yeah, boss?"
"Would you please get the door for the Player?"
"That's okay. I can just-" The Player grabs the door handle, good and ready to let himself out.
"Nonsense." Eliza gestures him to remove his hand. "Albus, if you would."
The Player reluctantly moves his hand since he was more than capable of opening the door himself, but he sat and waited for Albus as per Eliza's request. Once the door opened the Player gives Albus a smile of awkward gratitude and steps out of the car.
"Good luck." Eliza wishes him the best with a supportive smile.
"I've got this." The Player nods at her assuredly.
Albus closed the door and faced the Player. "Enjoy the rest of ya day." That professional turnaround was still present, no hostility whatsoever.
"You too. Uh. See ya." The Player gives a single wave to the limousine and makes his way up the stairs to the arena.
Eliza watches the Player depart with a keen eye, still smiling. Albus returns to the driver seat and together the trio watch until the Player entered the building.
"So, that's really the guy?" Albus asked.
"Yep. It's him." Eliza confirms.
"I must say...he doesn't look like much." Horace added.
"Yeah. Especially after all that promise you spoke of him, boss."
Albus and Horace's doubt prompted Eliza to don a slight toothy grin. She faced forward, crossing one leg over the other. "It doesn't matter what he looks like. What matters is what he brings out of me, and from what I've felt he'll bring out the absolute best. I could feel the Primordial Theonite swelling up, ready to burst with just a single touch."
Albus and Horace look at one another and chuckle. "Yeah? Heh. Well, from the sound of it, things are sure to be more lively around here. It'll be just like old times." Albus comments with a look of content.
"Besides...looks can be deceiving." Eliza calmly states. "You boys should know that better than anyone." One of her eyes shifts in color; her sclera completely blackens and her iris lightens into a brilliant royal yellow.
NMO Arena Wrestling Stadium
1:27pm
'The hero that did the impossible; the man that defeated a monster. He rallied a nation at war. There was a time when everyone could say, "I know Beowulf." During the Grand War, the people of the Canopy Kingdom were gripped with a terrible fear of the race of savage giants known as Gigans. They were unstoppable. Then came Beowulf.
He defeated the brutal Gigan warrior Grendel in a no-holds-barred exhibition match as the nation watched. Seeing her son defeated, Grendel's mother was consumed by rage and lashed out, but our hero didn't flinch. The hag went down. That day, Beowulf became a legend. It wasn't long before Wulfamania was running wild! Beowulf, the champion of a nation — a natural entertainer, remembered for his "Wulfpack" of fans, and for action figures the Canopy Kingdom's little boys couldn't live without.
But when the war ended, the patriotic spirit that fueled that adoration for Beowulf began to fade. After he left the ring, he was stuck with bit parts in cheap action flicks, game shows, and even infomercials. He didn't go out with a growl, but with a whimper, as the Bad Wolf Man on the popular kids' show Annie of the Stars.'
The story that detailed the old legend Beowulf suddenly freezes as a pause symbol appears beside Beowulf dressed in his cheap villainous Wolf Man costume.
Panning out from the scene reveals it was all recorded footage being displayed on a vintage TV set, modern for the Canopy Kingdom anyway, the recording was being presented by Beowulf to a blonde male wearing shades.
"Bro, you hearing this? This is what I'm talking about!" Beowulf held his arms out in front of the TV that was paused on his humiliating freeze frame from the show. "How're they gonna disregard me like that when I was everybody's favorite hero? Not cool!"
"Forget about it, big guy. That's old news. Nobody watches Celebrity Crash-Out reports anymore. It's all hearsay." The blonde assured with a confident smile. "Besides, we're bringing the walk while they talk the talk. Once you're back in the spotlight New Meridian will have its famous howl back."
"You're right, bro! Man! Just thinking about it is getting me hype! I can't tell you how good it is to have you back by my side, man. I never imagined we'd be kicking it together again."
"Zane's always got your back, babe." The man affirms while adjusting his shades, revealing both his name and apparent friendship with the old champ. "Trust me when I say nothing is stopping us from getting back on top. It's all up hill from here."
Beowulf grabs his coffee and salutes it into the air, using it to express goodwill for their partnership. Zane meets him halfway and together the boys toast and sip.
In the middle of their drink the arena door opens with a loud echo in the empty stadium, the sudden break of silence instantly catches the duo's attention.
"Um, hi, I'm here for the job?" The Player entered with the flyer in hand.
Before Beowulf could greet him, Zane, who was apparently astonished with the new applicant, is so shocked that the coffee he was in the middle of drinking shoots out of his nose and onto his buttoned shirt. Zane gags uncontrollably and coughs hysterically.
"OH SWEET MOTHER OF TRINITY! UGH!" He sat the cup down on the judges table and faces the other direction.
"Whoa. Bro, you good?" Beowulf tries to consult him with a tissue.
"I'm fine! I'm fine…I'm fine…" Despite Zane's insistence he continuously gagged between words.
The Player saw his reaction and wasn't sure what to make of it, but he stopped in his tracks just as he was approaching and was on the verge of backing away. "Uuum. Am I…too late for the wrestling interview, or-?"
Beowulf gave Zane a handful of tissues before giving the Player his undivided attention. "Not at all! You're actually the first in line!" He said with an enthusiastic smile.
"I am? Could've sworn I was gonna be late." He looks down to the flyer to check the information. "It says here; interviews begin at 10am. My roommate forgot to show me the flyer and by the time I came outside it was already noon. I figure being late was going to be okay in the event there would be a long line or something considering the pay was looking promising."
"Yeeeeeah, nobody really answered the call." Beowulf answered, scratching the back of his head with a conflicted look in his eyes. "We've been here for hours and the only other person who came through was the janitor. Heh. Can't blame 'em. Everybody is probably gearing up for the return of Wulfamania!"
"Wulfamania?" The Player questioned awkwardly. "Wow. That was for real? I thought it was a typo. I kept thinking it was supposed to be 'WrestleMania,' as it should be."
"WrestleMania? That sounds lame. Wulfamania is where it's at! Man. Just saying the name takes me back. Is it still the greatest source of entertainment on television?"
"It never was." The Player bluntly answered much to Beowulf's visible reluctance to believe him. He did watch one re-run episode of Wulfamania with Cerebella, who was an avid fan, a few months back and he never watched it again. Between the cheesy drama and one-liners the whole appeal of Wulfamania wasn't for him.
"Then we'll just have to make it the best thing on television! Oh yeah! Aren't you getting pumped?!" Beowulf was never short of optimism and it showed.
"For what? I don't have the job."
"C'mon, bro. You're the only one who showed up. The gig is pretty much yours."
"What?" | "WHAT?!" Both the Player and Zane respond simultaneously.
"Look, it's easy," Beowulf assured as he wrapped his muscular arm around the Player's neck and guides his attention over to the wrestling ring "our boy Zane will organize our fights and then we bring the pain!"
Zane cuts in between Beowulf and the Player, frantically pushing Beowulf away from him.
"H-Hey, are you sure you don't want to wait for more candidates to show up? New Meridian is crawling with real talent! Maybe if we just wait a few more hours we could-"
"Zane, bro, chill out. We've got nothing to worry about. I got a good feeling about this guy." Beowulf grabbed Zane's hands and lowered them from his shoulders.
"Are you kidding me? Look at him, he's so scrawny!" Zane's tone was all but subtle.
"…You know I can hear you, right?" The Player was standing directly behind Zane and Beowulf.
Zane lowered his head at the Player's response, but he kept focus on Beowulf.
"Look, the crowd won't be excited seeing you rolling with small fry. We have to make it BIG. The opposite of him."
"I can still hear you." Yes, the Player was still there, hearing everything that was going on, however it wasn't getting him any attention from the older men leaving him to sulk.
Beowulf didn't understand where all this newfound doubt and worry was coming from. He had multiple ideas on how to break in new talent, whether they were big or small, he had years to prepare for this.
"It's all about keeping character, bro. The Wulfpack is going to go wild once they hear Beowulf has taken on a sidekick!"
'There is no way around this fool's stupidity…' Zane thought to himself, caressing his temples with his middle and ring fingers as a stress relief.
Beowulf returns to the Player now that Zane was aside. "How about it, kid? You think you can handle being the sidekick of Canopy's greatest hero?" He was actually being boastful with the latter half of his question.
"Sure." The Player answered flatly, not caring enough to pay his characteristics any mind. "Can we talk about pay? How much will I be making?"
"Eager to get started, huh?"
"Actually I have bills to pay and 2 girls to take care of."
"Kind of young to be a dad, arent'cha?"
"They're my roommates."
"Ah. Relatives? Little sisters perhaps?"
"Friends. Because of...reasons they're not allowed to work so I'm the bread winner and fast food wasn't really cutting it. I have another friend who's always willing to help out, but I don't want to bother her by constantly asking for financial aid."
"Man. Sounds like you got a lot on your plate."
"Like you wouldn't believe." The Player snickered, meanwhile Zane scoffs irately in the background.
"I respect a guy who goes the extra mile for his friends, massive props to ya. And don't worry about a thing, kid. We'll be getting paid after every match and Zane promised a big turn out come the 1st of April. This entire stadium will be full of adoring little Wulves eager to see their pack leader make his big comeback! And you're going to be a big part in making that happen."
"I've never been in showbiz before, so it'll be a new experience for me. What do I have to do?"
"Just make yourself appeal to the crowd. Get them hype! What can you tell me about your Wulfamania persona?"
"Wulfamania persona? I...didn't get the chance to make one."
Zane gives the Player a discrediting look with his arms folded. "How do you come to a wrestling interview and not be ready to show us your character? It's part of the interview process." He continued his dismissive attitude toward the new hire.
"It wasn't exactly on the flier. Try having enough competence to be clear on the requirements." The Player retorts in a bitter tone, growing tired of Zane's attitude.
"Zane, chill. He's got time," Beowulf intervenes to ease the tension "Wulfamania doesn't start for another 2 weeks."
For some reason Zane continued being negative in relation to the Player's involvement, but now that things were already set against his wishes, especially after such a poor turnout, there was no point in complaining.
Beowulf guides the Player over to the judges panel to continue discussing the matter at hand. He picks out an application and business card to give his new partner. "Don't mind Zane. He's just looking out for Wulfamania's best interest. We have a long history and a lot of fond memories running this thing back in the day, so I can see why he's being so overprotective. It is our big return after all." He extends the application and business card out to the Player.
"That doesn't excuse his attitude." The Player takes the papers and looks them over to see what they entail.
"He'll grow on you. Trust me."
"I guess we'll see, huh? Anyway, so this persona, it can be whatever I want?"
"Yep. You have total creative freedom, but, if you want to do me a favor, have it be 'Wulf' themed. We're meant to be partners after all."
"Uuh, okay. Shouldn't be any problem with that."
"Perfect! Now you get on home and let your creativity run wild! Woo! I am so PUMPED! Zane, bro, aren't you pumped?!"
"Sure." Zane had zero enthusiasm.
"We are SO pumped!"
March 9th
Episode 70: MANIA INFLAMED SPECIAL
"What'd you say to me, Beowulf?! You think you can step up to me?!" The rival wrestler, Rad Rolf, steps into the center ring with a microphone to the sounds of the roaring crowd in the background.
Beowulf, who was also equipped with a mic, meets Rad Rolf halfway and they meet center stage. "I've never backed down before, so why start now? You think you can come in here and take from me? Tell me what I'm gonna do like you run things? It don't work like that around here. You come here, talk bad about the Wulfpack and you think I'm gonna let you get away with that?! You're trash Rolf." Beowulf turns his back against the wrestler, crossing his arms with a proud smirk to the overwhelming applause and cheers of the audience.
"Trash? That's not what your momma thought." Rad Rolf replied, the audience gasp aloud.
Beowulf's expression grows cold. He slowly turns back and faces Rad Rolf with a glare. "What'd you say about my momma?" He squints, daring him to repeat himself.
"I said: That's not what your momma-"
Rad Rolf was cut short by the intervening swing of Beowulf's fist, bringing him down in an instant. The once silent crowd bursts into cheer as the rival wrestler was taken down by the patriotic hero.
A competently observant eye could see the punch looked staged, but for some reason it made the crowd go nuts.
Filia and Squigly sat together in the living room watching the old episode of Wulfamania to get a sample of what the sport/performance art was all about.
"Oh my. This is quite violent." Squigly observed with a look of surprise.
"Yeah. Why would someone sleep with their ex-friend's mom?" Filia asked in disgust.
"It depends. Is she hot? If she was hot I would." Samson answered Filia's question.
"Samson, please."
"What? I'm just being honest."
Filia sighs in disappointment. "What am I going to do with you? That aside though, if this is what the Player's in for I don't think I want him doing this."
"What are you? His mom?" Samson teased.
"No. I'm just concerned. He could really get hurt."
"You realize none of this garbage is real right?"
"It's not?" Squigly questioned with genuine curiosity. "That assault looked real."
"Of course it's not real. You can clearly see how bad the acting is, it's like they're reading lines off a teleprompter for the first time."
"Still, there's a lot of dangerous activity involved." Filia continued to debate. "Chairs being thrown, people getting punched, kicked and slammed into the ground. He could really get hurt."
"I think Filia's right." Squigly agreed. "Even if it's not real there's still a chance something bad could happen."
"Ugh. You can't always believe what you see on TV. What's next? You guys think porn is real too."
"Eeeh. Not all the time." Squigly casually replied.
Before Filia, Samson, or Leviathan could respond to Squigly's comment, beyond looking surprised, the Player comes downstairs from the bathroom and enters the living room in costume - a wrestling singlet that tightly hugged his body. He came in pinching the crease from between the outline of his buttocks. It was a bit small, but it worked.
"Okay, guys. This is it. This is my costume."
Hearing his voice the group turn to him and see everything. Samson's eyes bulge in horror.
Filia immediately assumed an unmoving smile that essentially paralyzed her face with great satisfaction.
Squigly tucked her lips in to keep herself composed, she was trying her best not to explode in girly laughter from seeing a boy, who happened to be one of her best friends at that, in such a revealing outfit.
Leviathan was the most neutral of the bunch, confused, but neutral. "That's it?" Leviathan wondered, clearly underwhelmed.
"Uuuh. Yeah. I'm not getting a custom made outfit like the one Beowulf has, that stuff costs a fortune. This was affordable and easy to fit into. Kinda. It was between this or a wrestling speedo."
"A speedo?" Filia questioned, sounding pleased.
"Yeah. But there's no way I was going out in public wearing that. This is more practical...if not a bit tight. Rides up in the crotch area."
Filia's eyes drop like an anchor, but she quickly reels them back to eye level. "You look great!" She compliments. "Great. Um. How about a little spin? Let's see the whole thing."
"Sure...?" As requested the Player does a little presenting spin for the group, giving them a full look of his suit.
Squigly turned herself away, placing her hand over her mouth, still surprised, and unable to keep herself from laughing like a dork.
Filia's eyes glimmer as though she just dug up gold. She grins brightly as a long trail of blood slides down her nose.
The Player turns back to his friends and read their expression as a negative. "Is it bad?" He wondered based on their reactions.
Filia, with her hand over her nose, and Squigly, with one hand over her mouth, both give him a thumbs up. "Nope. You're good." They answer simultaneously.
Samson was retching uncontrollably at the sight. "I-I think I'm gonna...!" His cheeks swell up and he quickly assumes his bipedal form, running to the kitchen trashcan where he vomits violently.
"You're cleaning that out." Leviathan calls out to him in the middle of his vomiting frenzy.
"UUUGAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Was all Samson could muster for a response followed by the sound of a sloppy splatter at the bottom of the bin.
Suddenly, a knock at the door alarmed the group.
"...Who could that be?" Leviathan asked.
"The landlord?" Squigly suggested.
"Can't be. Rent's not due until the end of the month." The Player replied. "You guys gotta hide. Get in the closet."
Leviathan quickly buries himself into Squigly's head and she hurries to the living room closet to hide.
The Player power walks to the kitchen. "Samson, you gotta go back to normal. Somebody's at the door."
"Ugh. Dude, I just-" Samson looks over his shoulder and sees the Player in the singlet. He threw his face back into the trash. "UUUGAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A second round of knocking came to the door.
"Uuuuh. Who is it?!" The Player called out to the door.
"Cerebella, dude." The voice answered. "How long are you going to keep me waiting out here?"
"Cerebella? Oh snap. It's Cerebella." Panic ceased the moment the Player realized their guest was a friend. He goes to open the door and greets her. "Well, well. Look who it is."
"Hey. I was- Whoa..." Almost immediately Cerebella took notice of the Player's outfit. She looks him up from head-to-toe and toe-to-head, once their eyes meet she gives him a long look of intrigue. "...Are you and Filia in the middle of something? I can come back when you're not so...busy." She playfully teased.
"Shut up and get in here." The Player moves aside and held the door open for her with a smile.
When Cerebella steps into the unit the first thing she sees is Samson puking in the trash while Filia casually leans against his back.
"Hi, Cerebella!" Filia happily waved.
"What's up, Filia. It's nice to see you. Uuuuum. Everything all right over there?"
"Oh yeah. Samson's just overreacting."
"To what?"
The Player walks ahead of Cerebella and returns to the living room. Once he passed her she looks down his backside, that singlet brought out the tone in all the right areas.
"...Huh. Not bad." Cerebella compliments.
"Right?" Filia agreed with Cerebella.
"Please...stop..." Samson begs the girls now that he just got done vomiting.
Cerebella moves along and follows the Player into the living room.
"Yo, Sienna. False alarm. You can come out." The Player grabs the closet's double door handles and opens them.
Having been pressed against the doors Squigly drops out the closet and falls flat on her face. The Player and Cerebella jump back to avoid her body hitting their feet.
"Oof!" Squigly yelps.
"Pfffffffhahahahaaaaa!" The Player laughed immediately.
"How was that funny?!" Squigly looks up at him with a squinted eye.
"What do you mean? You just dropped out of nowhere. Why were you pressed up against the doors like that?"
"It's full of coats and boxes!" She pointed to the overabundant storage. "We have too much junk."
"The only junk I see is the one in your trunk. Trying to force that big ol' thing in there. You knew you weren't going to fit."
"Trunk? I don't even own a trun-" Squigly paused. Her expression of revelation dulled to flat embarrassment.
The Player looks down to her with a smug smile.
"I'm about to start attacking you like Filia does when you bring up her thighs."
"Oh, come on. You know I'm just playing." The Player held out his hand to Squigly to help her up.
When she sees that he was offering assistance she smiles and takes his hand, allowing him to help her up. "I know, I am too, but I'll still do it." Squigly smirks and benignly nudges his side with her elbow. "Also you're the one who told me to hide there."
"...Hold on," Cerebella speaks up now that she had gotten a good look at Squigly "aren't you that girl we had that snowball fight with?"
Squigly looks at Cerebella, seeing her for the first time since she fell. "Yes, I believe I was. And you are... Oh! I remember you! You're the wielder of the Living Weapon."
"Yep. Man, I definitely remember you," Cerebella placed her hand over her stomach "that snowball to the gut was no joke. You've got quite the arm."
Squigly smiles at Cerebella's comment, but then she realized Samson was still trying to recover by the trash with no urgency from the Player or Filia to enact the usual drill for keeping their identities as hosts a secret. "I take it you and the Player are good friends?" Squigly inquired without the use of her mouth.
"I'm still on the fence about that." Cerebella answered with her hands on her hips, knowing her answer was going to get a reaction out of the Player.
"Must you always answer with that when people ask if we're friends?" And right on cue there was the Player reacting to and falling for Cerebella's blatant teasing. "Are you ashamed of me?"
"Very." She teased him even further.
"You know you are some piece of work, lady."
"And you are so easy to workup."
The Player and Cerebella's dynamic reminded Squigly of a brother and sister relationship which caused Squigly to smile warmly at their ongoing exchange. She found it cute and charming.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Squigly asked before the Player could further his argument against Cerebella.
"Huh?" The Player looks over to Squigly before realizing what she was referring to. "Ooooh, right. You two never properly met. That is so weird. Cerebella, this is Sienna. Sienna, this is Cerebella."
"Nice to meet you." Cerebella gives a welcoming nod of the head to Squigly.
"Likewise." Squigly performs a classy curtsy in response. "But, please, there's no need for formalities, you can call me Squigly."
"Yeah? If that's the case why are you being so formal with her name?" Cerebella turns her attention back to the Player having recollected that he was addressing her by name proper before he even introduced them.
"I just think it sounds cooler." He answers honestly.
"So that's why!" Squigly exclaims as though finally getting the answer to a question she never got the chance to ask.
"What? You never knew?" The Player asked, genuinely looking surprised.
"No. I always thought it was odd you were the only one of my friends calling me Sienna. I thought it was because you never fully accepted me into the group."
The Player slouches a bit at Squigly's assumption, he couldn't even bring himself to believe her. "You've got to be kidding me."
Squigly's first mind to his reaction was to smile and bashfully shrug her shoulders as a big 'oopsie' for the misconception.
Now that Samson was done vomiting into the trash, or at least they could hope - that bin was definitely getting thrown out later, Filia joins the group with Samson in a daze.
"Leviathan doesn't need to be shy around her either." Filia adds, having heard the entire conversation.
"Leviathan?" Cerebella questions.
"Her Parasite." Filia answers with a smile.
Before Cerebella could question Filia's reply, Leviathan pops out of Squigly's head. "And pleased to make your acquaintance."
Cerebella, surprised by Leviathan's sudden appearance, jolts briefly - having not anticipated a serpent popping out of the Squigly's head like it was nothing. "Whoa! What the-? You weren't joking. She really has a Parasite."
"Yep." The Player nods to confirm. "No need to worry though. He's a good friend. More than Samson."
"Bold of you to assume you and I are friends." Samson retorts on the side.
"Didn't mean to startle you." Leviathan speaks to Cerebella. "It's become trend with me, having to always be hidden until we're in the clear. It makes coming out to introduce myself quite the event."
Cerebella was still flabbergasted. She doesn't respond at first and just looks on, speechless. Once she finally starts wrapping her head around it she comes back to a neutral state of mind, turning to Filia with a smile. "Never a dull moment with you two. It's like you can make friends with anyone."
"They're not exactly easy to dislike." Squigly chuckles.
"HA!" Samson exerts his humor in the background.
Cerebella crossed her arms and thinks back on her first meeting with the Player. "Heh. That reminds me when we first met. We weren't off to a good start...but this knuckle head kept me from making a really bad decision." She nods her in the Player's direction in reference to him when speaking to Squigly.
"Huh. I'm actually curious, how did you two meet?" Squigly inquired.
"It's not important." The Player assures.
His comment came off as humorous for Cerebella, 'not important' when it was the basis of their friendship. She took it as a joke when the Player was genuinely against the idea of sharing.
"Oh please. Why are you being so secretive now?" Cerebella asked with a playful smile.
"I'm not. I just don't think it's...important to speak on."
"I agree." Filia steps up, siding with the Player. "There's a time and place for everything."
"We were partners working for the Medicis." Cerebella casually explained.
The Player reacts with irksome disbelief that Cerebella revealed the information against his wishes.
Squigly's face goes from enthusiastic curiosity to heartbroken horror. Silence befell the room, much to Cerebella's confusion.
"Is something the matter?" Cerebella wondered as she looks between the trio.
Squigly blankly stares at the Player who tried signaling it wasn't what she thought by shaking his head to suspend her suspicion. Filia clenched a dreaded fist up to her chest, worried a can of worms had been opened.
"No. Nothing's wrong." Squigly flatly denies, she then turns to Cerebella with a more neutral look, no longer welcoming or friendly. "You're a Medici?"
Cerebella nods proudly. "Yep. I'm surprised he didn't tell you that." She gently elbows the Player's side. "We both share a common enemy in the Black Egrets and it's one of the reasons why we trust each other enough to share this kind of stuff. You can trust me not to tell anybody your secret about being a host to a Parasite, just as I trust you won't tell anyone I'm Medici muscle." She was still under the impression they were on friendly terms and winks at Squigly.
Squigly doesn't respond at first, but this building sense of unease was washing over her to the point where it was beginning to feel uncomfortable. With what little acceptance she had left Squigly just smiles. "Of course." She simply replies.
It was easy to read that smile was a front for her friends, meanwhile Cerebella failed to tell the difference between her acting and sincerity.
The Player could feel Squigly's increasing resentment for Cerebella flaunting the fact that she was a Medici, his eyes were uncomfortably pacing between the two girls as their communication degrade into a stare exchange.
"Well, if we have introductions out of the way, I have to use the ladies room. Please excuse me." Squigly declares, now turning away and walking off.
The Player, Filia and Cerebella watch her off, uncomfortably for the former two. "She seems nice." Cerebella comments, facing her friends.
"She... She really is." Filia assures.
The Player lowers his head in shame now that Squigly knew he worked for the Medicis. He didn't want to blame Cerebella for speaking on it since she had no idea who Squigly was or the hatred she carried for the Medicis, but he at least wanted her to respect that he didn't want to talk about it in the first place.
"Hey," Filia puts her hand on the Player's back "you okay?"
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I was just spacing out. Um. I need to go see Sienna. I'll be right back."
The Player leaves the front room and makes his way upstairs. Filia and Cerebella watch as he leaves with Cerebella looking conflicted on his departure.
"Soooo, he's going to talk to her while she's in the bathroom?" Cerebella asked aloud while still looking ahead.
Upstairs the Player makes his way to the bedroom and knocks on the door. There was no reply so after giving it a second he opens the door and steps in to find Squigly sitting on the bedside.
"...Hey. How you holding up?" He greets her.
"You didn't tell me you used to work for the Medicis." Squigly spoke in a monotonous voice.
"I...I did, but it's not what you think. That was...that was just a stupid thing I got wrapped up in. It wasn't on my own accord. I would never willingly work for an organization like that. You know that. Right?"
"Of course we do." Leviathan finally speaks, answering for them with confidence though Squigly was still dismayed.
"...She mentioned you stopped her from making a bad decision." Squigly looks up to the Player with an unreadable eye. "What did she mean by that?"
It wasn't worth lying or trying to put the subject aside. The Player sighs, preferring not to worry Squigly after everything she's been through, but he knew she deserved the truth. "Okay. You remember Nadia? That feral on my team when we had that snowball fight? She...took something that belonged to the Medicis. I forgot what it was, but it was very valuable. When I first came to the kingdom, before we even met, one of the goons picked me up off the street. I was just going for a walk and he had me at gun point. There was no way for me to decline his request."
Squigly's fingers flex irately and ball up into vengeful fists in her lap as the Player explained that he was threatened.
"I got introduced to Cerebella, and we were forced into an uneasy partnership, but,overtime, we bonded and became friends, Filia included. After a while we found Nadia. Cerebella...was going to kill her. She was desperate. And then-"
Squigly stood up from the bed, visibly disturbed by the Player's willingness to accept her after nearly killing another friend. "How do you know she's not going to turn on you?!" The sudden volume in her voice took Leviathan and the Player off guard. She storms over to the Player and stands up to him. "You can't just bring anyone into your circle and expect them to have good intentions!"
"Sienna, keep it down!" The Player raised his voice just slightly in a desperate attempt to keep them from being heard.
"You said the Skullgirl scared them out of town! You gave me your word! You had one snooping around under our noses this entire time and you weren't going to tell me!"
"She's not like th-"
"No, she's exactly like them if she's willing to kill in their name!" Squigly's breathing was beginning to become noticeable the deeper her thoughts dived into irrationality.
"But she didn't. She's not a killer. That's why she said I stopped her from making a bad decision. She has never taken the life of another. She almost did once, yes, we can all admit that, but our time together helped her see that in doing so she would lose everything that made her so pure."
"Pure...?!" Squigly reacts in disgust. "Am I not proof enough of what they're capable of?!"
That cap on the bottle of fear she was carrying all this time was beginning to unseal itself. Squigly begins hyperventilating and clenched her chest, her eye widening in a terrifying realization. "If... If she's here...the Medicis...they're..."
The image of Black Dahlia flashes in Squigly's mind causing her to tremble. It was becoming hard to breathe.
"Black Dahlia... Black Dahlia..." Squigly repeats in terror.
Suddenly, during her episode, Squigly found herself in the comforting embrace of the Player and Leviathan, hands and tail wrapped around her as her face was welcomed into the Player's chest.
The Player's lips were tucked in and his eyes closed, it was hard seeing Squigly suffer from her emotional distress and knowing he was the trigger for this one made it all the more painful. His hug was tighter than usual, more protective. "...I know you're scared. I know it's hard," he speaks to her softly "but I swear to you, we won't let them hurt you. She's not like them. She never discriminated against Filia, and she knows what she did was wrong. There's never a moment she doesn't regret what she's done. But she's better now. She won't kill or bring harm to any of us."
There was a moment of silence. Squigly remained still her friends embrace, but, after a momentary delay, she lifts her arms and wraps them around the Player. "How do you know? How can you be certain? If I lost any of you...I...I don't think I could go on."
"...I just...have an unnatural capacity to see the goodness in others. In a sense it's the same way others see it in me. Teh. Maybe that's where I got it from."
"...But...what if-?"
"I'll deal with it. If anything happens I'll deal with it. Don't you worry about it. You've been through enough." The Player lifts his hand to the back of Squigly's head and gently caresses her to provide more comfort.
Squigly blinks a tear out of her, finding solace in the Player's words, but she shakes her head at the thought of him fighting the Medicis alone now that she composed herself. "No. I'm not saying I want you to do it alone, I'll be there with you, I'm just...being cautious. I understand she's your friend, but not everyone can be trusted. I know you have your reasons, and I respect that you can still find it in yourself to call her a friend, but, and goddess forbid, if anything happens to you, or Filia, because of her, Player...I...I honestly don't know what I'm going to do."
He doesn't respond. He just settles into her words knowing that was essentially Squigly swearing that if anything happens to them she would hunt Cerebella down and kill her.
His silence did little in the way of assuring her Cerebella would always be someone they could trust. Her eye looking up to him, she remains held in his arms waiting for him to respond and yet it never came.
"Swear."
"...Huh?"
"I want you to swear to me that this Medici, Cerebella," she corrected "is everything you say she is."
The only thing he gave was silence again. Now he had the lives of both friends being weighed on the scale of his judgement and he realized that, now more than ever, he had to keep an unwavering resolve in his bonds between these two sides. Should he be wrong about Cerebella's development her sins would be paid for in blood, which would ultimately earn them the wrath of the Medicis.
"...I swear." The Player confirms his answer.
Now Squigly goes quiet and they just stand there, holding each other. Eventually Squigly nods in understanding and placed her faith in the Player's judgement despite her biased hatred.
Downstairs Filia introduced their Labrador puppy to Cerebella, holding him in her arms while Cerebella was scratching behind his ears.
"He's adorable, Filia. And the Player brought him for you on Christmas?"
"Mhm. It was such a big surprise too. My heart wouldn't stop racing when I first laid eyes on him. I'm surprised he even remembered I had a weakness for cuties like our little man here. It was a small detail I mentioned months ago."
"Jeez. You sure he's not into you? I'm surprised you two aren't dating."
"Oh, stop. It's not like that." Filia giggles with a blush.
"Yes. Stop that. I refuse to let that jackass get involved with my host." Samson disapproves of the idea.
Cerebella looks at Samson, she was having trouble believing the two boys really hated each other as much as they were letting on. "I guess it would be an 'interesting' dynamic with Samson and all."
"I...certainly wouldn't hear the end of it." Filia faintly chuckles, exasperated at the thought of their endless bickering being dialed to 11.
Before long the Player and Squigly came downstairs and returned to the living room. "We're back." The Player announced.
"Is everything good?" A hopeful Filia asked seeing that Squigly looked a lot better than when she last saw her.
With an honest smile Squigly confirms her renewed willingness to, at the very least, be accepting of the Player and Filia's relationship with Cerebella but actually putting enough trust to befriend her herself was an entirely different story, but for now...she was starting with just being accepting of what her friends had.
"Yeah. Everything's good." The Player vocally answered. "I remembered at the last second I had to get her some toilet paper."
"Charming." Squigly whispers over to him.
"What else was I supposed to say? You said you were going to the bathroom." The Player whispered back.
Filia was relieved to see that Squigly was able to find some peace in the situation that presented itself.
"Okay, okay. I have to ask-" Cerebella then steps in, pointing a curious finger at the Player "-Why are you dressed in that?"
The Player looks down to his wrestling singlet and then back at Cerebella. "This? It's for the new gig I got."
"Pfft. That's the uniform you have to wear? I wouldn't be caught dead wearing that, let alone applying for a job that would make me wear that. What was wrong with the burger joint?"
"It wasn't paying enough. We have three people living under this roof and I need to step my game up. We're trying to find some suitable work for Filia and Sienna, but in the meantime I'm still the primary breadwinner and flipping burgers and cleaning bathrooms wasn't cutting it when you have a house of 3."
"That makes sense. What's the new job?"
"Show business. I'm gonna be co-starring for this comeback Wulfamania is having. I just need to-"
"Wulfamania?! Wait! You're going to be working with Beowulf?!" Cerebella darts over to the Player and got good and close to his face in disbelief, it got to the point where he had to move his head back so that he had some form of personal space even if it was still limited from how close she was.
"Y-Yeah...! Can you please step ba-?"
Cerebella grabbed him by the shoulders and backed him into the wall. "WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME?! Oh my goddess! This is HUGE!"
"It's...really not that big a deal."
"Not that big a deal?! Have you lost your mind?! Wulfamania is the GREATEST! And Beowulf... Oooooh... Beowulf. Just saying the name makes me tingle."
'Jesus. I forgot how much of a fangirl she is.' The Player laments having told her the truth.
"Wait a second. You were going to go out into the ring looking like this...?"
"What's wrong with the way I'm dressed? It's typical wrestling attire."
"Everything. Everything is wrong with the way you're dressed." Samson replied with a light retch.
"Don't you start." Filia chastises her Parasite to keep him from having another vomiting frenzy.
Cerebella was still solely focused on the Player. "You're not going out into the ring looking like that on my watch." She grabs him by the wrist and drags him along.
"H-Hey! Whoa! Wait! Where are you taking me?"
"Downtown. We're going to get you fitted into something worthy of the greatest that is Wulfamania."
"I don't have the money for all that expensive stuff. This is fine."
"Which is why I'm paying for it. Now bring your tight butt on. We've got work to do!" Cerebella asserts herself by forcing the Player along, and if need be she was going to get Vice-Versa to manhandle him.
"What?! No! I'm not going out in public like this! Guys! HELP!"
Filia and Squigly watch as Cerebella dragged the Player out of the unit. At first Filia thought it was all fun and games, but she failed to realize the passion Cerebella had for the sport of wrestling.
"Cerebella! Wait! At least let the Player change first!" Filia hands Butterscotch off to Squigly and chases after them. "What if other girls see him?!"
"Is that what you're worried about?!" Samson exclaimed. "Hold up! We need to get me some cover if we're going ou-! Fil-!" Before they abruptly left the unit Samson quickly improvised a sharp grin that made him look like a headband. "SONABITCH!" He swears from beyond his clenched teeth.
To Be Continued