Boy do I ever wish I could post pictures for these updates like I could on the site I've been writing for! The lack of spoilers and strikethrough already is painful...
You͞ bac̨k͜p͝ed̢al to҉ ̴the pil̕lars͞, d͞ra͝g͞gi͞ng ̕Hour̷ai a͡lon͟g҉ wi͟t̨h́ y͝o͢u͟.
As she's longer than you are tall, there's a quiet chorus of wood bouncing on stone.
It sounds a bit like irritation, somehow.
Before you know it, you find yourself standing beside the s̕exy,͟ ̨s̸exy̴ trio of architectural features.
You think you may have a problem, but ignore it.
You look to the three, wondering what you should ask.
"So, you three come here often?"
The silence is deafening, as you feel their quiet, eyeless gazes on you.
Although, you have the strangest feeling one is looking at you incredulously.
"I like your perfume. It smells like moss."
Possibly because it's moss.
You think you hear a tiny snicker, so you decide to focus on that particular one.
You slam your palm against the wall as you loom over the taller, curvier column.
You've never felt so attracted to architecture!
"So… how do you feel about the way infrastructures let people walk all over them?"
The snickering gets louder. You think it a good thing, and so continue.
Looking to the very top of the column, you say, "You look pretty independent; don't have anyone weighing you down!"
That one gets a groan from the lacking pole, while the well endowed column begins giggling, before losing its shape and turning into a woman of oddly similar shape to the column.
A spooky woman.
You think she may be a ghost, due to her holding her sides while floating.
It has nothing to do with the face she's making, or how you can see right through her. Nope!
You stare at the ghostly bluenette. Hourai stares up at you from your chest, tiling her little head. You stare down at the centipede-like doll.
You're picking up far too many fetishes, you feel. First masochistic tendencies that gravitate towards thorns and otherwise barbed spikes, and now a lack of anything distinctly sexually defining.
Yes, the secondary sex characteristics are there, and yes both have considerable size in comparison to you — after all, zero is a lot smaller than even one — but you find yourself attracted.
That smooth, featureless chest. Though without anything exciting, it's as if it hides hidden secrets. It's like a box of jellybeans; imagining what they would taste like is usually more pleasing than actually taking a bite, as they all taste like earwax.
Still, Hourai is only a B at best, though you lean towards A. The ghosty, though… A C, or maybe even a D…
And the sight of that featureless genital region is even more exciting. It's like how clothes can be sexier than nudity! The smoothness is hardly all there is, after all. While it lacks features, it does have a certain- wait, since when do your eyes have a zoom function?!
Merlin Lv1 999/25/0/50
You'll bet your attacks would go right through her.
As she stares at you, her grin turns manic, and a trumpet comes to bear.
"I like your anatomically incorrectness." The spirit blinks, her trumpet drooping. "It's very sexy."
You find Hourai staring at you a moment, before covering herself in shame.
Covering every single pair of breasts along her underbelly.
Next thing you know, Merlin fades away.
Aww, she ran awa- OHH GOD!
You get a big, wet, horribly chilling kiss on the cheek from the suddenly rematerialized ghost.
But your underurn absorbs the chill for you!
Sadly, now it's colder instead.
-1DT
You're left with cheeks ablaze and cheeks uncomfortably cold.
Her voice is a deathly quiet whisper. "I like you." The spirit fades awa-
You get a blast of sound from behind, sending you flying with a yelp.
Lv1
HP7/20
DT10/15.8
Chilly Urn: -1DT/turn
-1DT
What a pretty girl… And she's wearing clothes! "I like your outfit." Normally clothes are pretty normal, but between Merlin, Flowey and Hourai, only half the people you've met aren't naked here.
And ohh god, all that non-distinct flesh.
And ohh god, Flowey has such a big, uhh… stamen?
You're trying.
...Wait, does that mean nudity is acceptable here?! That has implications that redden your cheeks.
Of course, the blonde looks displeased, drawing a bow.
As in a violin bow.
Who brings a violin to a battle? Not that you want to fight, but… a spear would be more pleasant for sure.
Although, the world's smallest violin can cut pretty deep, you suppose.
-1DT
"Nice bow."
The spirit is given pause, and fades away. Dang it, she ran awa- Aha!
...Okay, she didn't appea- Ahh!
She appears in your face, her smoldering yellow eyes and smoky black features looking disconcertingly not okay as black tears drip down her face.
In a hissed whisper, she says, "It hass sseen better dayss…"
Your heckles are raised. "N-no, it looks just fine!"
She leans forward, her dark eyes lidded. Are they lidded? It's hard to te-
And then, she too pecks your cheek. It's not nearly as bad as a wet one, as you're worried over what ghostly fluids might do, but it still breaks your train of thought. Thankfully your handy dandy urn absorbs it, though.
Sadly, it's also freaking cold. Your butt may just freeze over if you aren't careful.
-1DT
A violin emerges from thin air, and you have to admit, it has seen better days; every string is rusty and most are broken, not to mention there are holes throughout the instrument. The neck is also broken, which may be the cause of the strings breaking.
She brings the violin to her shoulder, the two pieces moving as if connected.
The urn seems to be humming gently, making you fidget just a bit.
Lv1
HP7/20
DT7/15.8
Frigid Urn: -2DT/turn
-2DT
She begins to play a broken song on broken strings, and you feel the sound of a broken heart within a broken body.
It makes you feel like you too are broken in that many ways and more as you feel you begin to feel blue.
You feel your determination waning as tears begin to flow like a river, as if you are hearing what tales might have led to her current state. They drip down your face, and no matter how often you wipe them away, they just won't stop.
-1DT
But you endure, just like the cold. Just like the wounds from all this.
You're bleeding all over, now that you're paying attention. Still, you think to what caused that pain; what caused that agonizing pain that even now has parts of your clothes frosty.
You take a deep breath.
You let out a frosty breath. Did the urn just get warmer? Or did you get colder?
This confused feeling of warmth fills you with Determination!
+2DT
-1DT
Your chest feels cold and warm at once.
You look forward with tear stained cheeks, and find the ghost looking to you expectantly.
You choke, of course. "You are the hottest violin in the world"
She opens her mouth.
She just kind of lets it hang open as black whatever drips out. You think they may be tears.
And then she closes her mouth.
-1DT
The ghost stares at you in confusion, gauging your next move.
You take a step forward.
She floats back a step.
You take two steps forward.
She floats back three.
You step back one, motioning her closer.
She blinks. Or, so you assume. The black smokey eyesockets narrowed, and the yellow lights went out, so you can only guess.
She nears, slowly inching closer. The closer she becomes, the faster she nears, and by the time she's upon you, she was moving at the blinding speed of 1mph.
With her a yard away, you motion her closer.
Two feet.
Closer.
One foot.
Closer.
This causes her to blush horribly, but she only moves half a foot closer.
You smile at her as she eyes your dolly friend. It's actually pretty chilly at this range.
Hourai seems to be feeling a bit shy, and so crawls off to the side, leaving the blushing ghost alone with you.
"What do you want…" Her voice is smoother, though still sounds like a snake has been crying. She is also averting your eyes.
"I had an idea, and I was wondering if you'd help me with it."
This gives the ghost pause. "You… want my help." You nod. "My help?" You nod. "Not Merlin." You nod. "Not Lyrica." You nod once more, assuming that's the third pillar. "...Me…?"
You smile. "I'm asking you, aren't I?"
The ghost doesn't seem to know what to say.
But she nods anyways.
"Then pucker up."
Lv1
HP7/20
DT4/15.8
Frigid Urn: -1DT/turn
-1DT
You suddenly try to wrap your arms around herHOLYCRAPISSHECOLDyou stop trying to hold her in your arms. Well, that went worse than expected.
You kinda… went through her.
Your failure fills you with Determination!
+1DT
You have the strangest urge to french kiss her through her cheek, but you ignore it.
For now.
Her face seems to practically be on fire now, so you decide it time to begin trying to kiss her. As touching her without permission didn't work, you wink, opening your arms to her.
She stares with a red face, her gloopy black tears welling up. She's cute in the strangest, spookiest way.
But then, the same could be said of Hourai.
Or Satori, even.
Heck, everyone has been kind of unsettlingHOLYCRUDTHATISFREAKINGCOLDyou hug her backOHHMYGODI'MGONNADIEIFTHISKEEPSUPshe smiles. Its nondistinct black blobby holeness seems a bit less so... nondistinct and blobby. It still has no lips, but… it'll doWHYGODWHYIT'SSOCOLDyou find yourself surprisingly on the defensive as the black gaping hole connects with your own less black, less gaping mouth. It's…
It's nice.
It's also extremely cold, and it's making you possibly slowly lose your soul, but it's nice. Her lips are pleasantly sticky, like freezing, runny tar.
-1HP
Like kissing a tar lake in winter.
-1HP
Yes. Definitely exactly like that.
-1HP
You decide to up the ante, and place your hand on herFREEZINGCOLDBOTTOMOHHGODPLEASELETITENDand smile as you let your eyes shut.
-1HP
Gradually the cold grows more and more bearable. Or is that your life slipping away? Or maybe just your consciousness?
-1HP
It's nice.
-1HP
Whatever this is, it's definitely nice.
-1HP
As the cold fades, as you fade, you feel the cold in your rear begin to build.
+1HP
You feel it build, and build, growing stronger and stronger while slowly you begin to feel cold again.
+2HP
You begin to feel like you're frenching a flagpole in winter in the most satisfying of ways. Feeling a second wind coming, you put your soul into your kiss, and really give it to her. Her arms are like wet noodles in strength, and they do go through you a bit, but theyOHHGODHERHANDISINYOURLIVERHERHANDISINYOURLIVERare also comfortable in the way they squeeze you against her.
+3HP
And then you hear a rip and the shatter of glass.
+4HP
Dear lord does it hurt having glass shards explode into your rear.
-1HP
You look behind yourself, finding a huge chunk of ice. As you are about to raise a brow, it begins to crack, and that crack spreads into five directions. From the center it heads diagonally left, diagonally right, straight down, and down at the other two angles.
With a great cracking not unlike broken bone, the five parts separate, leaving a floating inner core between them as they form shoulder pads, a head and thighs.
This feels kinda like one of those old mecha anime.
The shoulders curve downwards, a second segment of the upper arm extending.
The chunky thighs split in half, and fold down into proper legs.
Yes, definitely old anime. You think it started with a V. Something about fisting cats?
Suddenly the face of the head splits open, and her eyes flash.
This is kind of dum-
A sonic wave rips through the air as it begins to scream, ice falling from its body by the second, exposing far more human flesh in the places laid bare.
It causes you to bleed from your ears, which somehow continue to function.
-9DT
Six glowing wings rise from the back of the girl, and you realize you're dealing with something not terribly unlike a phoenix.
Lovely.
...Did you just raise the dead through making out?
That fills you with Determination!
Lunasa blinks as you smile at her regardless of all that just transpired.
She then vanishes with a blush, the tears vanishing with her. And you were just getting used to chewing on her tear... tar… whatever it is.
Oddly, she seems to have left some money.
Is that... freaking gold?
0Exp and 100Gold gained!
"Oi!"
You pocket the bag of ancient legal tender and look to the block of- Ohh.
Ohh, she's naked.
...Well, uhh…
Apparently anatomically correctness isn't a thing around here.
Or something.
...If her form weren't so childish, that might be hot.
Instead, it's just kinda cool. "Hi?"
She begins to point at you, before pausing in surprise.
You frown. "It's rude to point, you know…"
Her pause turns into a grin, which turns into laughter.
The sound of a child laughing has never been so unsettling. Maybe it has to do with how it's echoing oddly. Or maybe it's the way that frostiness is leaking from her... everything.
Shaking your head, you ask, "What…?"
"You've got good eyes..."
Either she's a murderess, or your sex appeal just went through the roof.
You hope it's option two, though you aren't sure if you want that either. How would you even handle small children coming onto you?
Lv1
HP9/20
DT15/15.8
Cirno the Strong -9/-9/9/9
Wasn't she stronger before?
"You're, uhh… you're pretty cool."
Cirno stares at you like you're an idiot. "Seriously…?"
You scratch your cheek. "Yes, I'd like to chill with you some time."
She gives you a flat look.
You blush at her reaction. No backing down, now, though. "Don't give me the cold shoulder."
She furrows her icy brow. "Idiot."
"Maybe you should be coronated, because you're a real ice queen."
She snickers a bit at that one. "Okay, that one was better." You smil- "Still gonna kill you, though."
...Well, that could have gone better.
The ice by her side lengthens, and an icy fire builds up in her eyes as she rips a spear of ice from the ground covered in icy ice.
...She's still naked, mind you.
Ohh god, she's throwing it!
Lv1
HP9/20
DT15/15.8
100G
Knowing you can't move too well, you just kind of decide to fall over as the spear slams into the wall behind you. "Man, that was the lamest way to avoid my attack. You should feel ashamed of yourself, making my spear suffer through that! Freaking wimpy humans..."
"Man, that was cold…"
She stares at you. "...I'm not sure if you made another bad joke, or if you're cold…"
You just shrug, as both are kind of true.
You know, you aren't sure when you started liking puns, but people around here seem to like them, so you suppose you'll use them too.
And then a half dozen smaller spears rise from the ground.
Very small.
Tiny, even.
"...Those are pretty small."
"It's not the size…" They break off, floating into the air. They then point at you. "But how you use them!" With a roar, they all fly at you in rapid succession.
"Yourepidermisisshowing!"
They stop, the first inches from your face.
She looks down, before blushing blue. "Sh-shut up!"
She throws her hand forward, only for you to start rolling to the side, leaving behind a trail of nine needles of pain.
"Why do you-" You roll out of the way of another nine. "-want to-" And again. "-kill me?!"
"Because you saw me naked!"
"You have nothing to see!"
"And you killed me!"
"By accident!"
"And you're an idiot!" The rest of the ice rises into the air. "And idiots should just die already!" It moves like water, sharpening to many points.
And then it shatters into…
That's… a cloud of icicles, isn't it?
"Ice Sign: Icicle Fall ~Easy~"
Hoo boy...
They may not be aimed at you, but, well... That is a lot of death waiting for you with gleaming, icy teeth.
-5DT
Lv1
HP9/20
DT10/15.8
100G
Low Morale -1DT/turn
You feel the sense of dread as you begin to limp rapidly towards the fairy, hundreds if not thousands of small shards of ice. Her face becomes darker the closer you get, and… the ice isn't hitting you? "Kid."
Is she… not trying to hit you? "Where did you learn to do that?"
You limp closer and closer, the ice whizzing past your head now and then, and you seem to… just be left alone the whole way through. You limp on, when suddenly you find yourself in a safe area. No ice, just… the girl that threw it. In the eye of the storm.
She's looking at you.
Her eyes are very pretty. The way they shine.
Her eyes are... angry, too. The way they burn.
Her eyes are very angry. They don't match her face, the hate in them.
She can't be a child.
"I'm s-"
She cuts you off. "You've done this before, haven't you…"
Suddenly you feel like a giant popgun slams into you from the side with force enough to snap a few ribs on impact. Thankfully nothing is punctured, but where'd it come from…?
-9HP
Looking to the source as your waning determination is all that keeps you conscious, you find Hourai having tackled you out of the way of...
...All the ice that missed you, coming from behind.
And it… It unevenly bisected her, turning a good third of her body into swiss cheese, which is rapidly being smashed to bits by the force of the ice.
She should be fine in theory, but… she was sheared in two, losing most of her body right before your eyes, so imagining her being fine is difficult.
And with that, you go tumbling across the ground with what's left of her coiled around you as you move just as fast as she was when she body slammed you, before finally slamming into the wall with enough force to break more than bone.
You hear a heavy crunch.
It wasn't you.
-3DT
Lv1
HP0/20
DT12/15.8
100G
-1DT/turn
-1DT
You're sitting there in stunned silence in the ruined doll's coils. You don't know what to say. You don't know what to do.
Tears begin to build up in your eyes as you begin to realize what happens.
Someone saved you.
...Someone saved you at great personal cost...
Your voice is a hushed whisper. "Hourai…?" She's still. Her little eyes aren't full of pseudo life as they once were. They don't move one bit, cracks running up her cheek and tears running out the lifeless eyes.
-1DT
You pull her into a tight hug, sniffling. Why did she have to do that? She was your…
Ally? ...Friend?
Maybe just an acquaintance you had grown close to, but still, she was your acquaintance you had grown close to.
One of her arms hugs you with its surprising strength, causing you to grin with relief, squeezing her tightly, but not so tightly as to pop her apart.
The signs of life in the doll fill you with Determination!
+1DT
Sadly, she falls to pieces of her own accord, a smile in her eyes. She gives you one last, weaker hug as she does so.
You find yourself now surrounded by disassembled doll parts, oddly not being attacked, even as exposed as you are.
You hesitate at looking at Cirno, knowing what's likely to happen any moment.
You don't want to die.
You don't want Hourai's sacrifice to be wasted, either. She didn't have to die.
Surprisingly, three spirits stand in her way.
The black love intere- sobbing ghost hisses, "You will not take thisss one…"
The horribly grinning pink ghost , her eyes burning within as she whispers, "You heard sis; you aren't killing anyone else…"
The one you had assumed was in the third pillar has an angry fire in her eyes and a scowl on her face as her mouth drips ooze that corrodes the ground. "We'll stop you from killing anyone else!" You jump at the volume of her voice.
Grinning, ice materializes in her hand, lengthening into a spear again. It glows brightly as it slowly smooths out. "Yeah, yeah, you say this every time. I'll just kill you again, kill her, and be on my wa-"
And then she explodes into snow for the second time of the day.
Satori is behind her, her hand covered in rapidly melting blue blood. "I will tolerate your kind no longer, fairy." Her expression is a pained one as she closes her eyes, sighing. "To torture such a poor, innocent…" She looks to you. "...Well, a poor, helpless youth, at the very least."
You feel vaguely insulted, though you're mostly relieved that fluff mom showed up.
Satori scratches her fluffy cheek with a claw, and you think she's blushing under all that fluff. "I suppose I have had worse names…" She sighs, before smiling. "Still, let us get you something to eat. Sadly I had to stop baking, so poultry will have to tide you over untill I can finish the pie.
She picks you up, smiling down at you. She seems oddly happy about something, but you aren't sure what, earning a chuckle.
When you look to the ghosts, you find they have left, the pillars having vanished with them.
Is that a button on the wall behind where one of the pillars were?
Oddly, she just walks past it. That just makes you even more curious.
Lv1
HP0/20
DT11/15.8
100G
-1DT/turn
-1DT
You decide to rest as she carries y- "That isn't a button I recommend pressing, little one." ...Well, now you want to. Unless she means in her shirt. "You will meet your end, I'm afraid."
Leaning into the big, fuzzy wampa, you decide to multitask. "Why not just say what is down there…?"
You round a bend, turning down a path that runs parallel to the path full of death you were treading only minutes ago. Well, from your fuzzy vantage point.
Sighing, she replies, "The ones that come here are always Determined to go, should I." You sigh. Changing topics, then.
-1DT
"As for the ghosts, they were killed whilst looking for their sister, whom had gone missing. Sadly, their Determination waned in the face of that fairy, leading to the death of the middle child. The oldest wept, while the smallest crept. Unlike before, the middle "slept", and the fairy was no more. For a time. However, the next time she came, her power was more potent still, and she easily vanquished them, as sad as it is."
She sighs. "Or, that is my best guess. In truth, the fairy has no mind to read, and the ghosts have minds far too tortured to get more than fragments. Whatever happened was not pleasant, though it is hardly the least pleasant death to be had yet." She looks over her shoulder to the doll remains as she continues to walk, shaking her head.
-1DT
You find yourself curious, only to be answered before you can ask. "As for the doll, it isn't the most simple task for me to converse with those without minds. It is as if she is but a puppet whose strings are tugged. All the information I have learned is simply that she is of ghostly origins, and that was simply by asking." You open your mout- "As I said, there was nothing to read; I know not more than assumptions based on your vision. All I have learned was with pen and ink. ...Her handwriting is quite fancy for what it's worth, however. If not for my power, I would be unable to read it, as I learn what others know through copying it."
You open your m- "Well, I suppose I might be able to copy it to others, yes. However, I…" She sighs. "No, never mind. Still, you wish to know about one last things, yes? I know not her exact current motivations, but you could say she is a ghost of her former self. If you are Determined to kill her, she too will slowly chase after your Determination. Your grandmother knows more, however. Perhaps you should try calling her some time; the signal does reach."
...How does she know that it reaches?
You open y- "Well, I- ...My apologies, little one. I… I do not deal with stress terribly well, and, quite frankly, I can't stand the sight of you right now. When I'm stressed, I respond before others speak. I will try to be better, alright?"
You find yourself carried down a corridor as long as the last, the smell of grilled meat getting more powerful as you approach another door
Lv1
HP0/20
DT8/15/10.8
100G
-1DT/turn
-1DT
"...Thanks, Mom."
Sensing your want for a hug, she pulls you close. "It is fine to want these things, little one." She plucks you hat and pecks your scalp, before placing it back down. "You need not arbitrarily punish yourself over this. Do you think Hourai hated that part of you? If she did, would she have done as such?"
Her words fill you with Determination!
+1DT
You smiles, feeling slightly better. "Thanks, Mom."
She smiles. "You remind me a bit of my Orin…" She sighs. "Though she was odd, she was also sweet at heart, and did everything in her power to make everyone happy."
...Was?
"She is… not with us anymore." She pauses, before adding, "Sometimes, to make everyone happy, you need to make one person sad. ...She chose the needs of the many over myself."
You aren't sure what to do, so you just hug her. She seems to need it.
She smiles in response. "...Thank you, Renko."
You smile back as you now reach what seems to be a yakiniku stand.
Mokou's
Well, at least you know who the owner is.
You wish you knew slightly more, though.
Looking down, you see a tiny bird on the counter.
The sight of this tiny bird sticking it to the man by manning a shop all on its lonesome fills you with Determination! It selling bird meat fills you with curiosity!
-1DT
"...Are you Mokou?" The bird tweets. "I don't know… You really don't look like her." Tweet. "True, I suppose I don't know what she looks li- Wait, how do you know that?"
Satori offers, "It might be best to place your order while you… have your chat." She chuckles.
"Got buns?" Satori bites her cheek to keep a straight face during your mental image. The bird nods, sadly not seeing the results of your imagination. "I'd like a grilled chicken burger, then." You smile. She tweets. Because, obviously, she must be a she; it's like designating a gender to a pet turtle. You aren't about to check; prying things open would be like Russian roulette.
She tweets again. "Alright. Thanks, Miss." As you watch the small bird skillfully carry what seems to be a poultry steak in its beak, you think up another question. "What kind of-"
Satori answers in her stead, "A sparrow. They're the only ones small enough to easily fit."
You raise a brow. "Fit?"
"Yes, there is a mouse hole."
"Ahh, I see." Wait. "What about the mouse?
"They are peaceful enough."
The sparrow looks relieved, though you know not why. It doesn't particularly have facial features, though it did relax a bit. "So, how did you build the stand?" You receive a hesitant chirp. "Holy crap, that's amazing!"
The bird looks to Satori, but she simply chuckles. The bird sighs in return, shaking her head. You watch the bird try to mount the crank handle, flapping her wings for balance.
Lv1
HP0/20
DT7/15/Base:10.8
100G
-1DT/turn
-1DT
You almost reach for the crank to do it for her, but you stop. Satori smiles at the sight of your consideration, and pats your head. "Good girl, Renko."
You blush, as you haven't been praised like that in a long time.
You also consider just leaning back and relaxing, but you feel that's not something you can really do while waiting for food. Waiting for food is a time of flirting, and if there's one thing you can do well…
"Erm… Miss Bird, I was wondering if you need help cranking that?"
She looks to you. She then twitches her head towards Satori, who chuckles in response. Eventually she flutters off of the crank her tiny body was having trouble getting leverage with.
Before you can lean across the hot stove, Satori chides, "Renko. Need I remind you that there's a hot grill under you and that flipping over it will go considerably worse than you expect?" You pout. You never get to have any fun. Somehow, your thoughts bring a far more genuine smile to Satori's face.
Well, you think it's a smile; you've more been guessing than anythi- "Please stop ruining our moment." She chuckles regardless, reaching across and cranking it for you.
Unsurprisingly, her arms are far more capable of reaching.
You watch as Satori grinds the sparrow's meat, slowly but steadily making circles as she forces it deeper and closer to its loss of definition as meat. Before long, the deed is done, and meat becomes ground meat. Satori gives you a dry look.
...What? "I know what you're imagining. More importantly, why on Earth are you imagining it?" She licks her claws clean of blood. You're mildly concerned for her health.
"Well, so long as it's funny, it's not as bad. If it's serious, well… Besides, a girl is a girl, no matter what you attach."
The sparrow looks at you with alarm. Or maybe she's just looking at you. It's hard to tell. The sparrow begins moving the meat along, forming it into a patty with its beak and feet.
Thankfully you aren't a neat freak, but, well… Still a little gross.
Satori rolls her eyes. "You have worse things to worry about than hygiene. I know not of the specifics, but there are tragic ends for you around every corner. That dark chaos I've heard of late is concerning, but the kappa and ice fairy will be your greatest hurdles."
"What's wrong with kapp-" Ohh.
Ohhhhh.
...Eww.
"Quite."
You watch in silence as your meal cooks. "...If I don't make it… Love you, Mom."
The older woman looks taken aback a moment, before she closes her eyes, sighing. "Just don't lose hope and Determination. ...No matter what happens, remember that it will be infinitely worse should you do so." You raise a brow. Satori simply smiles. "Such an odd child; frisky as a rabbit, and yet sweet as chocolate." She smiles. "No matter what happens, you will always be my chocolate bunny, then."
You pull the brim of your hat down as you blush. You know she knows, but still. You've never really had a nickname before, let alone such a cute one.
You two settle into a comfortable silence until you hear clay on wood.
Looking down, you find that the bird seems to have airlifted a perfectly cooked burger using string. Normally you'd call it a pretty small burger, but the sight of it seems off.
You look closer.
Phoenix Burger Lv2 0/80/-20/5
Seems packed to the brim with love, and you'll bet it packs a punch with a name like that all for the low price of 20 gold. Never goes bad.
You look to Satori, who nods.
You take a big bite.
+4HP
-1DT
It's very spicy.
Lv1
HP4/20
DT5/15/Base:10.8
100G
Satori smiles. "Go ahead; eat all you like." Looking to the bird, she says, "You have unsold portions that need be taken care of, correct?"
You take another bite.
+4HP
-1DT
The bird nods.
Another bite. Boy does it burn.
+4HP
-1DT
"Sell them to me at a quarter the price and you don't need to worry about having to eat them."
Sweat drips down your face, mingling with the blood smeared here and there.. You're nearly at your limit.
+4HP
-1DT
The bird perks up, before nodding rapidly, bouncing off to a cabinet.
You stare at the last bite of the burger.
Satori smiles. "You can do it, little rabbit."
Mom's kind words fill you with Determination!
You wolf down the last bite, a bit red in the face from the heat, but are too Determined to disappoint her.
+4HP
-1DT
+5 Max DT
Your honest thoughts fill Satori's face with blood!
Satori places down 25g, picking up a box of what smells like chicken, though it doesn't smell freshly cooked, so the scent is faint even as close as you are. "Ohh, the oldest among them are months old. They simply do not go bad is all."
Lv1
HP20/20
DT1/20/Base:10.8
100G
You find yourself curious about the how, and your concern equals it in intensity. Is this the fabled mystery "meat" that keeps a concerning time, and is actually just a big lump of grease and gristle?
"No."
"Ohh." Well, okay then. If it was, you'd be surprised it was so good.
Still concerning and interesting, however.
You lick your fingers clean of the spicy juices that dripped from the meat, wiping them on your skirt, before pulling out your new-yet-ancient brick of a phone. Before you can punch in the number, Satori offers, "The other phone, Renko." Before you can ask why, she says, "As was said, phones normally cannot penetrate. However, she does possess one of Flowey's phones, even as early a model as it is. Partially, anyways."
Wait, if she has a phone reachable, why doesn't- "Because the phone was found destroyed. As it turns out, it blocked a spear, as far as I could make out." But then, why- "She removed the card." But then, why- "Because I haven't told her." Why not…? "Because, till yesterday, she didn't feel betrayed over losing her.
You wince. Well, that's going to be fun.
"The number is 0, by the by."
...Well, you hadn't even considered numbers below 1.
Shaking your head, you dial 0.
Ring… ring… ring… ring… "Who's this?!"
"Hi, Grandma!"
She pauses. "...Why are you calling this phone?" Well, she seems lucid, that's a good- "Dagnabbit, back in my day, we told people before we wound up in fantasy prison!"
...Or not. Satori chimes in, "Actually, that's rather accurate, really."
Well, that's something that will need to be discussed later. "But Grandma, I didn't know!"
"Dammit, Billy-"
"I'm a girl, Grandma. We've been over this."
"Dammit, Debbie-"
"Renko" You sigh. "Look, I just wanted to tell you I'm okay."
"Right, right. Renko."
You think a moment. "Wait, who on Earth are-"
"Nobody important."
Shaking your head, you move on to the next topic. "Flowey's angry."
"Who?"
You stare incredulously at the phone.
"You know, the flower…?"
"I don't know any flowers!" She pauses. "On a personal level!" Another pause. "But I don't have any problems with flowers, though!"
"Black eyes as to onyx, practically sucking all light in?"
"Well, they all have black eyes, for the most part!" She pauses yet again. "Also, that poetry was too damned flowery!"
Beside you, Satori snickers, a fond smile on her face.
"Sharp thorns, all the better to hug you with?"
"That was a really jarring shift from poetry to fairy tales!"
"Isn't it a nursery rhyme, not- Wait, no, no, that's not important. How can you not know Flowey? She wants to kill you!"
"Ehh, loads of people wanna do that."
"...That's a concerning thought…" You sigh. "Anyways, seeing as she has a tank…"
There's a pause. "...Heh. So she lived…"
"Wait, she nearly died?"
"I wouldn't say so much 'nearly' as 'she did'. Or, at least, it looked that way."
Well, that's a concerning thought. "Wait, then if her name's not Flowey, what is it?"
"I'll leave that up to her to tell. Give her my regards." She takes on a solemn tone. "...Tell her I'm sorry for leaving her behind. If I knew she was alive, well..."
"Ohh, and she may or may not be my girlfriend. Not really sure if she feels the same way."
You hear laughter on the other end.
"Ohh… ohh, that was funny." The laughter slowly dies down.
And then it starts back up. "Kiddo, you… you're serious, aren't you? Heh… ...You really are my grand daughter." She pauses. "A flower?"
Your silence is deafening.
"Ahh, doing the ol' silent protagonist thing. Back in my day, words were expensive, so we used subtle body language, and dance-offs when that wasn't enough." The fond smile on Satori's face is both relieving and concerning. "Of course, the dance-off was a one time thing, but still." She chuckles. "The ratings were great."
"And, when that wasn't enough? The face." Satori shudders at… something. You're not sure what, as it's just a face. How could a face be so bad?
Your silence is the silence to end all silences.
"Still, we had some fun. Some bad jokes, bad laughs, bad deaths, bad friends..." ...Wait, what was that about deaths? "Learned a lot of things, like that time I killed Satori." There's a long silence. "Or that other time I killed Satori." A longer silence. "...Or that time I was forced to kill Satori…"
Satori sighs, plucking the phone. "It's alright. I already forgave the first and third time. ...Besides, it taught me much, learning of my death and the why of it. Furthermore, you did get it right after that third time, right?" Her smile fades just a bit. "The third time was the most informative of all…"
She listens a while. "I trust it wasn't by your hand?"
Satori sighs, looking to you after a bit. "You know not to say that name… I don't want a repeat of that tragedy."
Well, that was oddly ominous.
...Wait, how do you kill the same person multiple times?
Wait, Grandma killed Mom?!
Satori blushes a bit at you thinking that.
You stare at her. Silently.
Very silently.
Lv1
HP20/20
DT1/20
Base DT:10.8
100G
"You know…" You put on your best smile. "Would it get me a date?"
...You can hear me?
"Well, yeah. I mean, you've been shouting at me since I got here."
...And you aren't flipping your lid because?
"Well, you don't seem so bad."
While telling you those things.
"Yeah."
...Well, in that case I'll just be direct…
Want to set the world on fire?
"I just want to set a flame in in your heart."
A long silence reigns, the likely murderous potential love interest having seemingly been stricken mute.
Satori finally looks to you, extremely disturbed by something. What little skin you can see through the fur has gone bone white. Bleached bone, anyways. You need to work on these similes if you want to woo your new mother's presumed murderer.
...You know, when you think that aloud, that sounds a bit worse than you intended.
Satori frowns. "...Renko." Sighing, Satori awkwardly fumbles with the phone, getting concerningly close to scratching the screen with her sexy claws. A small smile touches her lips. "...Perhaps you have yet to fall quite so far. Never mind."
You're… an interesting kid.
So I'll accept your love, if you accept mine.
You find your words die in your mouth. Your tongue won't move; your mouth won't even budge. "Well, if that's your choice…" A grin spreads across your face. "I'll just have to show you what I mean…"
She draws your weapon.
She stares at your weapon.
She seems unimpressed by its size.
"...Your chest? Seriously? That's your weapon of choice?" You thought it would be a very good weapon. "Well, you're an idiot. Still, if it's a weapon… I just have to make it more lethal..."
Suddenly large, ghostly breasts stick out your chest.
You aren't sure how to respond to this.
"See? Now that's a weapon."
They're kind of cold.
"Big baby."
Can we take things slower…? Maybe hurt someone instead of kill them? You don't want to, but if you have to, it'd be a step up...
This gives the spirit pause, the creepy smile on your face fading just a bit. "...You know, you're taking this oddly well." After a moment, she adds, "It's interesting…"
But n̕̕͞͠͡o̢͏̴̡ ̷̶͜͡òn҉͝͡e̸̵̕͞ came.
"You really thought that would wor-"
Suddenly a truck slams into you, sending you flying into a wall ten feet away.
Or was it a fist?
-5HP
You find your control has returned, and you look for the number of that bus, and find it has horns and fluff instead.
Who puts horns on a truck?
[b]Wampa Satori 80D/20MD/80A/25MA
The cuddly giant you've decided is your new mother.
She seems sad about something.[/s]
Satori sighs. "I will not allow you to do this again, Miss _. Not before my very eyes…"
You think you see ń̕͏͘͞ò͟͞t͏̛̛͢͜h̀͏í͏̴̧͠ņ̴̵̀́ǵ̶͞͞ behind Satori, but then it's gone.
Lv1
HP15/20
DT1/20/Base:10.8
100G
You let out a sigh of relief at your freedom. "Thanks, Mom…"
She blushes just a bit as she looks behind herself, finding ǹ̀̕͟͝o̢̕t͟҉͞ḩ̵̸͜i̷̴̛n҉̧̧g̨̡͡҉. "That is not her." Looking back to you, she smiles as she picks you back up. "Come, little bunny. We should get going."
You can't help but smile a bit as well at her words.
The little sparrow tweets a happy farewell.
Maybe.
You can't speak bird, so-
"She said, and I paraphrase so as to spare your ears, "Farewell Satori and cute little girl!"."
You blush a bit, peering over her shoulder at the bird, who seems to just be pecking at coins and seed. You hope she doesn't just eat them, but you're quickly learning to expect the unexpected. The coins, you mean.
Satori chuckles. "Yes, that is for the best. However, that's not so uncommon, sadly."
You also wonder what her exact wording was.
Satori sighs, but kisses your forehead, her smile returning a bit. "Can you please take little miss crazy out of here before something breaks? Ohh, and Flowey is calling."
"Wait, how does she know-"
ring ring ring.
"She doesn't; I do."
Well, then.
Lv1
HP15/20
DT1/20/Base:10.8
100G
You lean back into the comfortable embrace of your horny fluff mom. "...You know, I think I prefered wampa. It's less…" She takes a moment to consider her words. "...That."
Answering the phone, you say, "Hel-"
Flowey is having none of it. "If you killed Satori, I swear to the highest power you know, I will fu-" Satori clears her throat quite loudly. "-uuuuu… ...Uhh…"
You've decided to have the best of both worlds! Satori smiles at that, cheering up a bit. "Well, I don't think that's what I would call the best, but if you insist. However, I will only let you down if I feel confident in your ability to stand." She begins carrying you back down the hall, a container of what is both presumably and hopefully chicken. "Well, it's not chi-" Please don't destroy my hopes and dreams.
She sighs. "Very well, little bunny."
Flowey seems embarrassed, finally giving up on figuring out what to say.. "Guess, uhh… she's fine, huh…?"
You nod. "She helped kill her, the second time."
Satori chuckles lightly as she pads along the smooth stone floor. "I suppose bunny was more fitting than I thought. ...And I thought it fit quite well, indeed." She hesitates, eyeing your nose, before shaking her head. "...Please do not take too terribly much after your grandmother. I don't want you to lose something so precious to such a monster."
Something precious…? "That doesn't matter. So long as you listen to my words, you… don't need to worry about those small details." But- "No."
Your waning Determination isn't enough to press the issue.
Why not?
More than once.
"It would only trouble you in many ways. Just know that… your grandmother and mother were horrible people, and do not deserve forgiveness for what they've done."
That troubles you in many ways.
Your desire to learn more fills you with Determination!
+5DT
"No. Save that for when it matters." You pout. "Such as the puzzle." You droop. "I will solve it if it takes too long." You drooop. "My decision is final, Renko." Ohhhhhh. She used your naaaame. You think that means you're in troubleeeee.
She sighs. "It does not."
Wait… "Erm… Flowey, you didn't listen to the whole message, did you…?"
Flowey sounds confused. "Why would I, when you start off with something like that…? I guess I'll go do tha-"
"Wait, don-!" She hung up.
Satori chuckles. "She could use a bit more feeling. She has trouble with that anymore." But embarrassment isn't really that great… "Tell me, would you rather feel pain, or never feel again?"
You don't know what to say to that.
"Pray you never need learn, or worse yet, decide."
Lv1
HP15/20
DT6/20/Base:10.8
100G