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The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
Omake: Unaccountably Peckish or You Are What You Eat
by Desty Nova
On the shore of Lake Mitune near the former city of Taetuorim in Nesetimtuto (about 2,000 kilometres from Tariko Katabarbe's cabin), Yizibajohei date and time: Dusk on Lo'odu-pali, Ram-lelu, Merimdulo'oto-teri (Earth date: First Thursday in June, 2012)...
Gazing upon the small fishing town on the southern shore of the glacial lake not a thousand kilometres from Yiziba's north pole, the two twenty-something men were experiencing a few problems.
Problems more difficult to handle than if they employed their usual means of dealing with same.
First issue: They were both very hungry and thirsty.
That was thanks to their usual place of getting food and water was now in the hands of some rather hostile types of metahumans more than willing to make some VERY unreasonable demands. Atop that, both men's PAAs were malfunctioning at this time, so they couldn't teleport to more habitable locations to seek out new provisions. True, they could use their mid-level FISS capabilities to run or fly to a new location...
Try doing that on an empty stomach in the midst of a rather unseasonable heat wave, though!
Second issue: How to actually SOLVE the problems they now faced.
What would they have to do and would it be worth doing it?
Na'ato Nottemse'e and his often rival/sometimes ally Tihem Notogumasogu were now skulking on the outskirts of an unnamed fishing town whose most noticeable features were food production facilities and technical repair shops. Both men came to this place to take advantage of those locations before heading way out into the country on one of their endless fight scenes, battles of strength that more often than not annoyed many bystanders who gained considerable migraines when Na'ato's and Tihem's telekinetic attacks went quite wide, such often literally crushing another person's head to the consistency of a flat pancake!
After a couple days of figuratively and almost literally bashing heads together to determine their best plot path, both men were dirty, tired, hungry and thirsty. Not to mention laughing as only two "friendly enemies" could.
Finally, they headed into the village...
...only to discover that there was no place to sleep OR eat.
Considering that, Na'ato found himself vowing a good revenge scene against Gisito Hosemku and his crew while he patted the scorched areas of his jumpsuit. The suave master of pyrotechnics who was the latest of his long family line to assume the mantle of the Burning Privateer of the Five Great Seas, Hosemku-kaera ("Captain Flint") led his hovercraft squadron full of heel-types into the village, beating down any would-be faces defending the place before seizing the food production and technical repair facilities set out by the first incarnation of the Circle of Thought in many convenient locations in the lead up to Premier Day over two thousand seasons before.
Because of the presence of a considerable crowd of both Named and Nameless answering to the blue-eyed blond pirate within the village, no sane person on Yiziba would dare start a fight scene close to those facilities without risking their destruction; any sort of major rebuilding of such locations only occurred once per season before the end of the year. Thus, whoever remained of the village's considerable population — those who hadn't or couldn't flee from Gisito's fighters in time — simply submitted to the metahuman pirate's control until he either got tired of doing such things and moved on or until someone who had the power/knowledge to throw him out without causing massive destruction would come along to pitch the arrogant fool out on his ass.
Neither Na'ato nor Tihem considered themselves anywhere CLOSE to being qualified to do that; the injuries they sustained when Gisito's people chased them from town demonstrated that well. As FISS-types came, they were at the low end of the scale; they hadn't stood up to the Nameless youths serving the Burning Privateer that led the charge in removing the pair from their "home base". Neither man's telekinetic grappling powers — such having given their first incarnations the tag lines and battle names they possessed; Na'ato was the Crusher of Isose-dumlu, Lobomrae ("Headcrusher"), while Tihem was the Compressor of Hi-rutor'be, Dimkronano ("Facepincher") — helped either; Gisito had his own crew of psychokinetics who were more than capable of keeping their people out of the healer's cockpit, much less facing death scenes if things got totally out of hand.
"So..." Tihem finally spoke as he gazed on the other man. "You have ANY other plans than staring at that town?" As his frenemy gazed at him, the Compressor added, "I mean, if you've developed some kind of energy-projection power from your eyes, maybe we CAN do something about our current predicament."
An annoyed look answered him...even if it seemed comical given the current cracked state of Na'ato's protective goggles. He didn't need such lenses but had long insisted that such fit him quite well, having often tried various styles since his Gifting. "No," the Crusher breathed out. "I'm just trying to think up of what we can do here."
"Think harder! Think faster!" the other man said while trying to smooth down his thin moustache; doing that made him realize part of it got burned off by one of the Burning Privateer's flamethrowers. He then held up a warning finger as he added, "Sitting out here in the sand doing nothing but thinking only makes us hungrier and more thirsty. There IS a limit even for us before we need a meal, you know!"
"I know, I know," Na'ato said, holding out his hands to stop the oncoming rant before he allowed his forehead to rest in his palms. "Gisito and his crew have everything! I TRIED to do that hunting scene those forestry types do, but how in the Forge's Name was I supposed to know those fuzzy creatures were so damned FRAGILE?!"
His frenemy winced as he recalled what happened the previous episode. They had lucked out when they travelled through a forest south of here on spotting a nice-sized herd of wild suto. Of course, trying to CATCH said suto so they could enjoy some fresh wood-cooked r'betameto didn't turn out so well. Who in the Name of the Great Forge knew that those hoofed herbivores could RUN so damned fast!
It got to the point where Na'ato lost his temper, lashing out too hard with his telekinesis.
Result: One bloody smear in the grass.
On seeing that, both men realized they didn't even know how to COOK!
"Well, unless either of us can learn fast how to live off the land, we have to do SOMETHING!" Tihem warned before a hum escaped him. "Maybe we should try asking to join Gisito's crew for a while."
"Are you KIDDING me?!" Na'ato demanded. "We'd be doing what they always do! I don't want to spend the next season or more being a major heel, you know!"
His rival/ally shrugged. "We HAVE gone heel before, haven't we?!" he reminded the other man. "I mean, we've squeezed faces, heels and neutrals with our powers since we got Gifted. We've certainly done our part in loads of urban renewal wherever we've gone, too! What's the difference?!
A roll of the eyes responded. "You call THAT being a heel?!" he sarcastically asked. "What was that saying again we learned from Tariko when we bumped into her in Kabe-koli after she went to Earth to do her casting drive a couple seasons back? 'We don't kick dogs, we just poke poodles' or something like that?! Have anyone in your line ever blackmailed a whole VILLAGE by stealing their food, Tihem?!"
"Not anyone in my line, no. Still, even if we are heels, some face is going to put Gisito and his people down. Maybe one of those first-gen battle dolls Tariko's littlest sister Hinako keeps helping get Gifted on Earth from the living spirit of the sea warships that were sunk in their second worldwide fight scene! Once that happens, things will look up. It's either that or we'll have to make tree bark soup! Are you wanting to try THAT?!"
A scowl crossed Na'ato's face as he started to fume while Kaeyu's brilliant blue-white mass settled in the distant horizon. Finally, the Crusher blinked before he proposed, "How about we go back up the coast towards Bamkuo Hutobo? I know a place where we could get something to eat."
"Huh?! You know someone or some place that can help?"
"That dock a few dozen se back? A hovercraft that can take us to the Shining Palace that stops there."
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
Then...
"You CAN'T be serious!" a pale Tihem demanded.
"I am!" his rival/ally assured before holding up a hand. "Yes, I know the Palace is a creep place! But there, we can get a meal and a bed, plus get our PAAs fixed, no questions asked."
The Compressor of Hi-rutor'be bolted up. "What in Kaeyu's Name do you mean?! 'No questions asked'?! There are ALWAYS questions, Na'ato! You know that, don't you?! 'What can you give us?' 'You don't mind doing this unspecified favour?!' You know what happens when you waltz into a strange place!"
"Of course they'd want something, Tihem! Doing something in return makes sense!"
The other man threw up his hands. "Well, unless you've got a sack of nisielu that you can access when your PAA's finally fixed, you only have favours to offer. They won't tell you what that favour is until it's time for them to collect. You remember Etoi Uokame, don't you?! The last version of Saerutogim?! He got in WAY too deep with them...and LOOK what happened to the poor guy, huh!"
A wince responded. Indeed, Na'ato DID remember the electrokinetic face from the eastern equatorial continent who had a habit of visiting the Palace since he had been effectively declared memtar'byuovo from the claimed territory of the Masters of the Bazaar controlling Habitation One and its environs. Because of this, the Sparking Electric, Saerutogim ("Thundershock"), would seek out the Palace for meals, gladly doing whatever was requested of him. That would see him eventually face his death scene a dozen seasons or so later; Etoi turned heel for some reason, then began attacking the Masters' claimed strip of land, eventually being dealt with directly by the Swift Rakehell of the Night, Memu Tene ("Mister Veils"), himself!
"Yes, yes, I heard about Etoi! I honestly never got the whole reveal scene about that! Still, we've really got no choice, Tihem! I only want to do this until things get better in these parts!" Seeing his frenemy continue to shake his head, the Crusher of Isose-dumlu reached over to grasp the other man's arm. "C'mon, Tihem! We can watch each other's backs while we're there, then we get out quick!"
The arm was pulled away. "Sorry," Tihem breathed out. "I'd gladly have your back for certain...but in comparison to the Palace, joining up with Gisito is way LESS risky!" He held up his hand in reassurance. "I'm not stopping you if want to go, but for Kaeyu's sake, be careful, Na'ato!"
Na'ato blinked before he glanced towards the pirate-occupied village for a moment, then looked back east towards the de facto "world capital" of the Free Planetary State of Yiziba. Finally, an understanding nod twitched his chin. "Alright. I'll watch myself." He grasped the hand of his rival/ally. "May the fight scene go your way, Dimkronano Tene. Don't get in too deep with Hosemku-kaera."
"May the fight scene go your way as well, Lobomrae Tene."
Na'ato remained in place as Tihem headed towards the nearby village. After a glance towards the home star of the World of the Forge — which was now halfway towards setting — he turned and raced off to the east...
To Be Continued...
WRITER'S NOTES
This omake is set about two weeks prior to the side story The Deadliest Woman Alive.
Translation list (all terms noted here are Yizibajohei): Mitune — Literally "cat tail", this lake is the local analogue of Lake Erie; Taetuorim — Literally "river of the water strait", name used for both the analogues of the city of Detroit and the river the city was named after; Suto — Deer; R'betameto — Venison; Se — Yizibajohei version of a mile, equal to 3.927 kilometres/2.44 miles; Nisielu — Potato; Memtar'byuovo — Persona non grata.
The dating system on Yiziba is presented in the Western order of day/month/year. Lo'odu-pali literally means "fifteenth episode"; an episode (pali) is equal to a Terran day. Ram-lelu literally means "third storyline"; a storyline (lelu'uli, shortened to lelu here) is equal to 36-37 Terran days and is roughly equivalent to a month. Merimdulo'oto-teri literally means "2059th Season"; a season (terikeli, shortened to teri here) is equal to a Terran year of approximately 365.25 days. Because of this, Yizibajohei storylines are divided unevenly; odd numbered storylines get 37 days and even numbered storylines get 36 days. The equivalent of Terran leap years come every fourth season and are added to the end of the last storyline, just before R'byuim-pali or "Premier Day". On Earth, R'byuim-pali normally falls around the first day of April in the Gregorian calendar.
