Reviews :
Burgie : Aww, that's so sweet. Thank you friend!
chuckiboo : lol most definitely. You'll learn a little bit more about Mara and her share of User powers a little later. She's definitely a being after Ace's own heart, for sure.
Song Listened To :
NASA by Ariana Grande
*Chapter 102*
"And THEN she had the balls to call me 'your highness'. YOUR HIGHNESS!" Berri shouted in elevated anger, her bare feet pounded on Gunner's glossy, white wooden floors.
"...That'll be a yikes, from me," Gunner muttered, he sat sagged in one of his billowy recliners, he tucked his red hoodies' hood farther over his forehead, as if to shield from Berri's impending rage. Gunner bravely spoke up, though he nervously darted his eyes to Bedgy, who sat adjacent to him on one of his three lovely grey couches, "I-Isn't that supposed to show respect, though? With you as her princess?"
"NO! I don't like being called 'your highness' unless it's from strangers, only my mother and father enjoy the whole 'title' usage," Berri stabbed, her long blue hair was straightened like silk and cascaded in near chaos over the ripples of her billowy, comfy grey hoodie. Her blue eyes almost looked as if they were turning glassy with tears, she shook her head at Gunner and pressed about five feet closer, within their dozen foot gap, "She's my niece, for crying out loud. She knows, full well, to call me AUNT BERRI. I don't care if she has powers far greater than mine, she had no right to just be a whole entire bitch for no reason!"
"Berri," Gunner soothed, Bedgy puffed her feathers and shot Gunner a nervous look; as the two caught eyes, Berri huffed a soft noise, covered her face and began to slowly saunter away from the two in now teary frustration. Bedgy tightened her look and silently unfurled her grey wing, she gestured in Berri's direction, as if to beg Gunner to step in and comfort her. Gunner immediately unraveled his legs from said billowy chair, eased his bare feet to the floor underneath him and did everything he could to now press in Berri's direction. He furrowed his eyebrows, at Berri's last statement, and finally came within her gravity, "Babe... I'm sure she's just... Going through something you don't know about. Hurt people hurt people, y'know?"
"What could she possibly be going through?" Berri begged as she finally removed her sleeve-covered hands from her face, revealing now glassy eyes, wet cheeks and a stuffed-up nose, "Sh-she has every single thing she could ever want. She doesn't have to go to Academy, she gets to just stay at the palace all day, she has everything handed to her on a silver platter, how the hell could she be possibly going through something?"
"...Berri, that sounds like a miserable life, seriously," Gunner blurt a small chuckle and was floored to see Berri soften. Gunner shrugged, looked out his large span of gorgeous bay windows and eased a small smile to the lovely view of the beach, far below the cliffside. It was a stormy day in EZ Living, though the easiness of the sprinkles of rain made for a cozy, easy day indoors, "I can't imagine just... Being cooped up in HERE for all of my days. Y'know?"
"I guess so," Berri sighed and also peered out to the windows the two were stationed in front of, she shook her head and lulled her eyes shut in a small sting of impending regret, the sheer idea that she had now subtly revealed to Gunner that she was related to Users. She nervously peered to Gunner and was glad to catch eyes with him, a swathe of honey-warmth he radiated, "I just... Tried to be so nice and so sweet to her, really turn the situation around. We've never really gotten along and I have absolutely no idea why."
"Well... Why don't you ask her?" Gunner pressed sweetly, and with a slow amount of success, he reached his arm out and warmly began to tug Berri into a loving hug. She finally gave in, heaved a nasally sigh and sagged her body into Gunner's much taller figure. She buried her face into the broad of Gunner's chest and gripped her arms about her center, and like a warm cloak of love, Gunner eased his arms tightly around Berri's shoulders and upper back. He warmly pressed his face and nose into the top of Berri's head, and as bravely and sweetly as he could, he pressed a few innocent kisses to the crown of her head and beautiful blue hair. He finally sighed and rested the side of his face to the top of Berri's head, though upon looking out to his great room and connected kitchen, he flinched in surprise to see that Bedgy had left the room, to give the two privacy. Gunner smiled in pin-prickled, sweet delight and lulled his eyes closed to carry on, accompanied by a sigh of contentment, "There's no harm in sitting her down and gently wondering just why you two got off on the wrong foot, right?"
"I don't think so," Berri meeped in gentle agreeing, she shut her eyes and sagged into Gunner's warmth, her ear pressed firm into his heartbeat, she knew she would do absolutely anything to soak up every ounce of tender loving care she could get. She grimaced with her eyes shut and felt pain hit her heart, a further drag of nervousness she had brought upon herself, "Please don't tell anyone we had this conversation... I-I really don't know... What my mom and dad would think of it."
"... I have a feeling this goes beyond just a simple family feud," Gunner's voice gently dragged, he cocked an eyebrow and tenderly peeled his head away from Berri's, as did she, so the two could look at each other, "Y-You said she has powers far greater than yours... How does that measure up, though? Aren't everyone's arcade powers simply like... Apples and oranges? Each one so different from the other."
"No, this... This is next level," Berri's voice shook, they hovered in each other's arms, a nervous sag of Berri's eyes darting about Gunner's home, as if to wonder if there could potentially be wandering eyes and listening ears that shouldn't be, "I-It's not... Even really something I'm sure I can tell you, but..."
"You can tell me anything, Berri," Gunner soothed, though he didn't want to sound too prodding, "I'm sure whatever it is could help me understand the situation more. I just want to help you out, you... You seem really bent up, about this. Very unlike you."
Berri frowned and sagged her shoulders, she knew this was all underneath the surface, any shred of dignity she had left didn't hold a candle to the incredible powers her resident Users had. She was well aware that powers didn't make the gamer's heart, though somehow, she could still feel the cold bitterness from Mara's venomous words, as if said powers were something Mara was entirely ready to use against Berri, as if Mara had been waiting for this moment for her entire life. As Berri's eyes finally got lost in the red hoodie that Gunner wore, she felt comfort in the fact that Gunner desperately wanted to understand. How still he stood, the tender grip of his arms about Berri's shoulders, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, Berri lulled her eyes closed and allowed Gunner's still, patient presence to soak her rushing coding. Berri finally reopened her eyes and looked up to Gunner in mild desperation.
"It's not like super secret or anything, but... Please just let me say what I need to say," Berri instructed gently, she gave him a milder look of soft nervousness, "Please don't say anything to anyone, either, it'd... Make for some weird and scary headlines."
"You have my word," Gunner stated softly, though he gave Berri a look of now rising nervousness, potentially what she could reveal that had her so reserved and nervous, he wondered if he should likely jump on board said apprehension.
"My big brother, Ace, is a User," Berri stated tenderly, though Gunner's face finally washed flat and white, a soak of almost dreaded understanding, "H-He gave his swap mate said User powers, and... Their two twins, Beaux and Mara, are also Users."
Gunner finally scoffed a silent breath, bobbed a full nod of understanding, looked over the top of Berri's head and blurt a tender chuckle of now shaky certainty.
"W-wow, so... I-I thought your dad was scary, but looks like I have your big brother to look out for," Gunner's voice shook, his nervous smile was cutely playful, though he genuinely looked rocked from the face of Arcade.
"I don't know why Mara has to do this to me," Berri shut her eyes tight, shook her head and tapped her temples in whole frustration, "It doesn't make ANY sense... She wields Arcade's power and still has enough insecurity to torture me with it. Like she's dangling it over me... I'm perfectly secure with myself, I don't NEED User powers or anything like that. I have my own powers and I'm happy with them, hell, I'm royalty. I don't want scary, unlimited power, so why dangle it over me?"
"I mean, exactly... Maybe SHE doesn't want all that power, either, but... She's too scared to admit that to anyone," Gunner wisely pressed, he shrugged and looked off in a cute, boyish show of thought, "Maybe she's jealous of the tamer powers you have, you're en route to becoming a bit more famous than you already are, you have a boyfriend, you go to Academy... I don't know, you have everything she doesn't."
Berri sagged her shoulders and looked off and down to the side, although she likely has probably been told bits and pieces of said information, she reeled at just how firmly it hit her, from someone that was entirely an outside perspective. Berri finally peered up to Gunner with a bit more depth of understanding and felt her skin soften from the nasty sting Mara had previously delivered. She put herself in Mara's shoes and immediately hated it, a tidy life of being home schooled followed by unlimited powers and a band of boys she had previously grown up with, Berri began to feel guilt come over her. She heaved a sigh through her nose and shut her eyes, she began to wonder just how she could back track, just how she could attempt to heal this crevice of a wound.
"I didn't consider any of that," Berri admitted in sad defeat, she shook her head and eased a little deeper into Gunner's care, "I feel like such a brat, now... You think she'd be willing to talk to me?"
"There's no harm in trying," Gunner eased, though it was here did Berri become mildly frustrated at the fact that Gunner was strictly an outside source; she wished for a more educated answer from someone that knew Mara well, and it was here did she feel that weird, nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach every single time she was in Gunner's arms. She resisted the urge to ease away and pull out her phone, somehow the palace life always seemed to tap her on her shoulder and remind her just where she was needed, though as she finally broke through resisting and pulled out her phone, Gunner nervously pressed on, "C-Can't tell you exactly, though, I-I'm not sure I'd act like a man in front of Users... I-I can't believe it, really."
"Well, believe it, it'll now be used against me for the rest of my life," Berri muttered, she furrowed her eyebrows and cued her phone screen, though her pupils tightened at the message placed first on her notification screen.
Black : Hey you, I noticed you left the palace meeting almost immediately. Very unlike you. Is everything okay? I hope I didn't hurt your feelings, I know Libby and I potentially got carried away reminiscing about, well... Worse times lol. I noticed you and Mara talking, and then the next second you were just gone. Call me if you can, I'm worried about you.
Berri bit her lip and felt her heart do a dance, though she peered up to Gunner and continued to wallow in confusion. She finally glared back down at her phone and now almost hated that Turbo somehow had the inside scoop to just what her heart needed, a confusing mix of keep away and beckoning true love, Berri locked her phone, shoved it into her pocket and disregarded Turbo's message. She almost desperately peered up to Gunner and sagged her shoulders in now entire defeat, the stress marks on her temples began to lightly flare, something that Gunner noticed though did his absolute best not to point out. He heaved a shaky chuckle and warmly eased his hand to Berri's shoulder, and as he began to show interest in guiding her elsewhere, she peered down to her feet in a rise of confused sadness.
"C'mon... Let's maybe head to the theater room and watch a movie, or something," Gunner shrugged, he tilted his head and gave Berri an encouraging smile, "Y'know, I get all the latest movies... No need to go to the theater in town."
"...You get movies that JUST came to theaters?" Berri wondered in a rising spike of excitement, anything to distract her from the now multitudinous headaches that were waiting for her, back at the palace.
"I-It's a hefty price, but... I think it's worth it," Gunner waggled his eyebrows playfully, a scheming show of sly delight that had Berri finally smiling like normal. She breathed a giggle, to boot, as Gunner finally dropped the act and slipped his hand into hers, "C'mon, I'll show yah... It'll take your mind off of everything, y'know?"
"I can handle that," Berri muttered with a smile, though she cocked an eyebrow in confusion as Gunner gingerly slipped her phone from her back pocket and collected it, alongside his own phone.
In the gentle swoop of continued walking, they eased out of the great room and down a separate corridor that lead downstairs to a massive, basement-like theater room, though on the way, he set both of their phones down on a long, narrow hallway table they passed.
"No phones, no worries, just us," Gunner eased, to which Berri eagerly obliged, though as they rounded the corner and began to ease into the foyer of the theater room's stairwell, Berri lofted her gaze over her shoulder and gave her phone one last look of confused longing, the weird sensation of leaving Turbo on read, for User knows how long, had her heart sagging in conflicting dread.
A/N : Hey guys! I won't have internet, in my home, until maybe the middle of next week, but I'll be able to keep up with you guys.
ALSO, be sure to vote for what chapter you'd like to see put into comic form! I'll try and have the last two pages of chapter 46 up this weekend, but I'm starting to take polls for the next one!
One that's REALLY getting a hit of attention is the chapter where Berri runs into the deleter. I'm inclined to do that one, but that chapter has literally no dialog, so it'd be interesting on just how I'd portray that comic form. Could be a fun experiment, I just hope it wouldn't flop. You can continue to cast your votes, I'll probably choose a winning chapter within the next upload, or two! Remember, it can be ANY chapter between chapters 50-100. Thanks again guys! :D
