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SEARCH: chüto-doki
Chüto-doki (n): Slang term meaning an offspring of a System-generated human and a biological human. Can be shortened to calling them the vernacular "Chara" but this is usually considered a deeply racist connotation and as such is not considered appropriate in RMIN dialog. Contrast with Shin-doki which is a biological human without system-created parentage.
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99s (n): The name of a terrorist organization stationed in Palisade Town created under the expressed purpose of liberating the Terracotta from their human creators. Their methods involve horrific acts of violence, political strong-arming, intimidation, extortion, etc. Have taken credit for events such as the Night of Fire, the Deep Harbor Bombings, and the "Libitina" Incident. Humans in Town Council also believe the 99s may have had a hand in what they called the Second Week Phenomena. Approach with extreme caution.
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mrgnjhxnhjxhnlbnkvlbm[og,zoz,sg;mhdhnxnxilmkflgzhnzdfhonkbdninidnbkilfmbk;nmbknbxdnbdigndifbnkibnibknifbnfibiheioivzdmvipd[vmzopv[zrioghrguiophdiofibkozfmviofvjiodfgnidfobnidfobndfio[bnzdfiobzdioghzdigo[mfiv[zmfvioznfbizfnbizodnbibb
"You Gotta Love These Family Moments." Day 5: Noon (Parallel Perspective: 07F3)
Project Transfer Complete
Sarah gave a small smile as she saw those words popup on her computer screen. Her 3 day debugging adventure was finally out of her hands and she couldn't be anymore content about it. "Ok Jimmy, I sent it," She announced quietly to the other person in the room.
"Let's hope that'll be enough to get Lisbon off our tails," replied a tall man with platinum blond hair as he pulled his head through a baby-blue colored button-up shirt.
"I'm still a little pissed about it," Sarah commented closing the laptop and rising from her chair. "Where does he get off pushing his work onto me at a time like this?"
"I can't answer that in good faith," Jimmy shook his head. He then turned his gentle brown eyes to the messed up burgundy blanket and comforter of the hotel bed. The memories of last night and earlier that morning still fresh on his mind. His partner went around him to enter the bathroom inadvertently touching his back causing him to wince.
"You don't have to act so diplomatic all the time. I can tell it chaffed your hide as well," Sarah remarked as she started brushing her hair.
"O-of course it did, but then again I don't know programming so I have ignorance to soften the blow," Jimmy resolved briefly glancing at the bathroom's waste bin. Silently cursing to himself when he realized he could see the red splotches on the tissues inside. He decided to turn away and change the subject. "Well, since you have free time now. Are you going to try to fight Dr. Abe again today?"
Sarah sighed. "I don't really want to do the whole chase. Why, what's up?"
"I was kind of wanting to go to that shop you went to the other day," Jimmy continued to straighten the bed up. "It might help to get a few books to continue my metaphysical work. Would you want to come with? We can turn it into a date."
"Ok, sounds like fun," Sarah agreed with a smile. "Just let me do one more thing then we'll go." When she passed Jimmy again she pulled him into a deep kiss. Jimmy responded by pressing her closer to him with an arm around her waist. He then lightly groped her firm panty-clad rear with his free hand before bringing it down to the back of her knee. Sarah voiced her delight as Jimmy rose her leg up to his waist and lightly laid her back on the bed. A few minutes later and the two broke their entanglement to breathe.
"You keep doing that and we'll never get anything done," Jimmy teased as he gazed down at the giggling woman in his arms.
"You didn't freeze," Sarah grinned as Jimmy allowed her to sit up. "Eddy will be so proud of you."
The memories of surprise make-out sessions Eddy playfully subjugated him to gave the blond man a very embarrassed blush. "I-I haven't froze in years," Jimmy defended.
"I remember when that wasn't true," Sarah teased as she went to grab a pair of her shorts. "It was cute watching you stumble your words when he did it the first couple of times."
"I'm glad my past struggles with my sexuality were enjoyable for you," Jimmy deadpanned.
"I wouldn't say it was enjoyable, more like it took a big weight off my shoulders," Sarah explained as she tightened a white belt around her waist. "It was nice knowing I wasn't the only one that had desires for both sides."
Jimmy's further recollection around Sarah's statement caused him to smile. "I'm going to get him back one of these days."
"I look forward to it Big Guy," Sarah replied offhandedly. She straightened out her pink shirt. "Ok, ready when you are."
The couple left the hotel room onto the second-story veranda. It was a pristine cloudless day with a gentle cool breeze. Looking to the shoreline Sarah's eyes caught a strange sight. She was quick to point it out. "Hey Jimmy, what are those rocks out there?"
"Hmm?" Jimmy stopped and turned to where his partner was pointing. Out in the ocean near the horizon stood a massive line of spires jutting out of the water. The spires were made of dark-gray stone carved into standing rectangles with only a few miles of separation between each one. The prominent feature the stones displayed were glowing symbols in the shape of eyes pointing inland. "Well those- certainly look ominous."
"We should probably get a photo," Sarah proposed. "Maybe it's got something to do with this "awareness" you talked about the other day."
Jimmy rubbed his chin in thought. Eldritch nightmares to some could be just regular Tuesday affair for others. That being said, he didn't survive this long just by making assumptions. "Yeah, good idea," he agreed as he pulled out his phone. A quick aim and a beep later the two of them looked at the screen.
The image was of an empty ocean landscape.
"Well, talk about having a topic falling into my lap," Jimmy commented as he put his phone away.
"No kidding," Sarah shook of her head. "This place is so weird."
So, in an effort to aesthetically enjoy the beautiful vista of the Eastern Strand, and professionally keep an eye on their new discovery the couple chose to walk to the shop. As they wandered the streets Jimmy started noticing strange occurrences. First, it was a cursory glances from the nearby shopkeepers, then it turned to curious staring that ended as soon as Jimmy turned his eye to the perpetrator. And when they moved past the cafes and small markets the whispering started, with the most fervent being the non-human residents of the Strand. Due to the rapid exchange of information Jimmy was only able to use his enhanced perception to pick up the topic: they were talking about Sarah.
"There it is," She spoke suddenly, pulling Jimmy away from his focus. He followed where his girlfriend was pointing to a small storefront tucked in the side of a large commerce building. Just from the looks alone Jimmy could tell the owners where eccentric. From wall to wall there were many different items ranging from crystals, beauty products, dream-catchers, small obelisks, Buddha and animal statues, and countless jars of glowing red, pink, and purple orbs. Above the opening was kanji that when translated said: "Lady Matsumoto's Den: Curiosities, Cores, and More".
"Mmm, patchouli," Jimmy hummed approvingly after a few sniffs of the store interior.
"I know right?" Sarah smiled. She then grabbed Jimmy's hand. "C'mon, I'll show you where the books are."
Jimmy and Sarah walked briskly through the entrance to the shop, blissfully unaware to a nearby man in a black business suit slowing down his walk and turning his head to the shop. Wherever he was going or what plans he had before just became irrelevant.
If what his now-red hued iris's could be led to believe.
The inside of the shop was more cluttered than what was seen from the outside. The walls were packed to the nines with antiques seemly thrown together with really no plan in mind. Besides this, it was apparent to Jimmy that the store took almost all the ground space of the commerce building, which in itself spanned a solid thousand square meters. The store (if Jimmy could really call it that anymore) had a central aisle that led to a center nexus that branched out to other wings of the building. Along these line were kiosks that sold many different wares and food.
"Sarah this is a flea market," Jimmy squeaked as he weaved through the crowd. He already felt his anxiety start to set in. "Why did you say this was a store?"
"That's because the whole thing is a single store silly. There's just lots of vendors that set up here because of the large space," Sarah clarified.
"Sarah," Jimmy frowned. Once again the casual glossing of details his lovers are notorious for reared its ugly head again.
"I'll stay close the whole time we're in here," Sarah cooed hugging Jimmy's arm. "You don't need to worry about linking today, I promise."
"But if I don't use it how would I be able to tell if someone's after you?" Jimmy fretted throwing a cursory glance across the menagerie of shoppers around them.
"It'll be alright. My Instinct is active," Sarah replied as she tried and failed to get a kink out of her shoulder. "You're relying on Big Brother too much anyway. It's not good for your health."
Jimmy tensed up. "I- only use it because I want to keep you safe. That's part of my job after all."
"Just like keeping you from getting comatose because of a perceptive loop is part of my job," Sarah lectured, her eyes reflecting the concern behind her words. "Jimmy, I'm not- going to try and say what your abilities can do. You know that way more than I ever could. And- I appreciate you wanting to keep me protected. But that won't mean anything if you push yourself too hard and- I have to explain to Eddy why- you're not here."
"Sarah," Jimmy spoke softly as he watched her wipe a rouge tear away from the corner of her eye. "You don't ever have to worry about that happening. I would never do that to you."
"Then- why do you keep flinching whenever I touch you?" Sarah asked somberly.
Jimmy mentally cursed his non-verbal communication skills before he sighed. "That was a result of me trying to use Big Brother on Eddy."
"Huh?" Sarah chirped. "You could of told me that before I wandered around town, crying and carrying on like a crazy person the other day."
"It- didn't really work well when I tried," Jimmy scratched the back off his head uncomfortably. "I had the baseline minimum to make a mental link but the connection was chaotic. No location, no health readings, I couldn't even get a word in before my head was filled with fragmented images and noises. I thought it was because Eddy was afraid. So- as an attempt to show that I was friendly- I- may of- kinda- whistled."
"Whistled?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.
Jimmy responded with a smile of a man committing himself to a firing squad. "Y-yeah, I- I whistled the tune that he makes with Ed and Double d during the first days of Endless Summer."
Sarah angrily furrowed her brows in response. "Why did you do that? You know that's one of his triggers."
"I know- I panicked," Jimmy stammered. "I was dealing with too much stimulus at once, and I did the first thing I thought of to try and stop it. It was a mistake that I regretted it immediately. Honest."
"How did you even connect with him anyway? There are hundreds of people in this building alone," Sarah pointed out, placing a hand on her hip. Her glare was still prominent.
"W-well for some reason or another, I'm only able to connect with 7 people here," Jimmy chuckled nervously.
"7?" Sarah repeated. "You mean- 7 in this building? In this town? What?"
"N-no, 7 people- in the whole world," Jimmy confessed. "Well 8, including you of course."
Sarah blanched for a moment. She then shook her head again. "L-like I said, you know more about your ability than I do. How did you know 1 of them was Eddy?"
"I- really didn't at first," Jimmy replied silently happy that his partner easily dismissed his train of thought. He didn't want her staying up all night racking her brain about the implications as well. "I ended up trying to connect with all of them. N-not to pry or start a conversation or anything like that, but just to have an idea of what made them different from everyone else."
"And what did you find out?" Sarah asked lightening her scowl.
"From those seven: 1 was in a coma, 3 I couldn't enter without suffering a very bad migraine after a few minutes, and 1 just kicked me out as soon as I connected," Jimmy listed using his fingers. "Eddy just ended up being the next one in the list."
"So your experimenting messed with your nerves?" Sarah theorized. Her face now softened to a cursory frown.
Jimmy shifted uncomfortably. There was no going back now. "A-actually the flinching is because of what happened after I whistled in Eddy's perspective. I whistled a few notes of his song and the last thing I knew I- woke up to this," Jimmy lifted one of his sleeves and slid his other hand down his forearm. As he did, a blueish light illuminated where he rubbed.
Sarah gasped wide-eyed as the light revealed a macabre network of crisscrossing red, pink, and black slash marks covering his arm all the way down to the wrist. Seeing the full display of the damage made Sarah cover her mouth and start to tremble. Jimmy felt his heart twinge and immediately sat to covering the mutilation site with his sleeve again. "They're all over my other arm and my back as well," Jimmy added shamefully.
"Jimmy," Sarah stated softly drawing her lover close. "You should of told me, I could of dropped what I was doing."
"I'm so sorry Sarah, I didn't know this was going to happen when I started," Jimmy whispered. "I was scared, you were already upset about the whole Eddy thing and- I didn't want to add more to your stress by having to deal with me getting hurt like I always do." His perception picked up the sensation of eyes focusing on their embrace. His anxiety was already at a heightened point, and the last thing he and Sarah needed now was a hive-mind of drama-addicted pedestrians whispering fantasy about them. He noticed Sarah turning her head toward the crowd.
"C'mon, let's take this conversation somewhere less packed," Sarah offered giving the crowd a dark glare. "Maybe find someone with healing magic."
Jimmy agreed and the two briskly walked deeper into the "shop", leaving behind the whispers of the crowd that have already formed a small ring among themselves. They had enough of a fix to form a Mill. Because of this, the red-eyed salaryman had to take part as well. The couple passed two guards with violet wrappings around their eyes. And the salaryman was not going anywhere near them. His puppeteer knew what happened if the enforcers of the Matsumoto Clan "saw" him acting peculiar.
…
As luck would have it, the bazaar did have a clinic on a lower level. However the serendipity of finding the clinic didn't translate to Jimmy's treatment. "(I'm sorry Mr. Albright,)" cawed a small raven-like monster in a white coat as it lightly grazed a glowing wing across the length of Jimmy's arm. Flinching as the arm shot out red sparks as the feathers crossed the cuts. "(It seems you have somehow came in contact with Happy Thoughts. There's no way I can heal through it.)"
"Happy Thoughts?" Sarah inquired still reeling from the fact that she could understand the squawking of a bird that reached her collarbone in height. She was at Jimmy's side, caressing his hand in an attempt to calm his nerves. It only did so much, Jimmy was as white as a sheet.
"It's a very bad curse," Jimmy stated. He had a belief this was the reason he couldn't heal the cuts himself. Because of a long string of Stat allocations over a good few years, Eddy was the only one who could actually remove curses in the group.
"(Yes, yes, a dangerous display of Color magic I'm afraid,)" The crow doctor answered as it raised Jimmy's shirt to look at his back. "(Remove your illusion please.)"
"But we weren't even near a Color, how could he get cursed this badly?" Sarah asked shivering at the sight of the thatchwork of cuts digging across her lover's torso.
"(Sometimes Happy Thoughts can jump between people,)" The crow hummed. "(Were you in contact with someone during a manifestation?)"
Jimmy and Sarah looked at each other quickly before just muttering it was a long story. That seemed enough for the sentient bird as it finished it's observation. "(Well Mr. Albright, the best I can do is numb the pain from the prominent cuts and provide a set of fresh dressing for the affected areas. Sorry about that.)"
"That's alright, do what you can," Jimmy acknowledged. Though in the back of his head he decided the entire visit was a waste. Sarah could of wrapped him up herself without all the song and dance. Sarah shook her head with a frustrated sigh, thinking the same. Just then a loud cacophony of hollers and cheering erupted from outside the clinic. The abruptness of the noise startled the occupants of the room.
"What the hell was that?" Sarah asked over the noise.
The bird took a brief glance at the clock then grumbled. "(That's from the betting parlor across the aisle. The Arena is having its High Noon Bout now.)"
At this Sarah perked up, "What's the Arena?"
The bird picked up a spool of wrapping. "(The founding families of Palisade own a place specifically designed for sports, entertainment, and gladiator-style fighting in the Onsen District north of here. A good source of SP if you're not interested in the Task Manifest.)"
"Urg, more town slang," Sarah complained quietly. Jimmy rubbed her hand sympathetically. It was slang all the way up when it came to figuring out the Rumor Mill. The bird began administering the bandages quickly.
After a few minutes Jimmy noticed that the enthusiasm of the crowd outside didn't seem to dissipate. "I guess this, "High Noon Bout" is a big deal?" He asked the crow.
"(Eh, it's usually just the biggest fight of the day. The parlor only really gets this rowdy if the combatants are going against big names like Abe-san,)" The crow theorized finishing up Jimmy's arm.
"Abe-san," Sarah repeated a few moments of stunned silence later. "You mean, Yoshitake Abe, Abe-san?"
"(Yes, yes, he's the gatekeeper of both the 5th bracket and the top-most bracket. He was then made the Lord of The Mountain (the final combatant before total Arena victory), a year ago after the previous title holder's untimely passing,)" The crow explained with high reverence. It then placed a wing over its heart. "(Delta rest her soul.)"
Sarah shook her head in bewilderment. "I- I'm sorry but I just don't believe what you just said. I talked to him just the other day. He didn't remotely come off as strong, it just seemed to me like he was just an elderly man who laughs a lot."
The crow laughed. However it didn't seem to be in humor. "(Miss Winters, looks can be deceiving. Someone as experienced as you could probably count the times that adage applied.)"
"What- do you mean by that?" Jimmy asked before Sarah could.
"(Which part of my statement do you mean? The fact that you two don't belong here? Or the reason I know that is because you two are hundreds of years old when such a feat isn't possible normally?)" The crow asked coldly.
The two humans tensed up. It was agreed between them not to advertise that fact to anyone just as a principle that came with their occupation. So to have a sentient crow pick up that truth after only an hour was a major shock to their system. Jimmy's mind raced to find what may have tipped the bird off, for what reason he didn't really grasp. He didn't notice Sarah shake her head in embarrassment. "You can see our souls," she answered pulling the blond out of his thoughts.
"(I checked them as soon as I began my diagnosis,)" The crow cawed, it then applied tape to the wrappings on Jimmy's back. Effectively finishing the process. "(You can let go of your shirt now Mr. Albright.)"
"So- what are you going to do with the fact we- don't belong here?" Sarah asked her face calmly hiding the fact she was watching for signs of aggression.
"(Nothing. I merely told you this because I wanted what I'm about to say to have more context,)" The bird walked in between the two humans and the door. "(For the last couple of days there have been a massive flurry of questions and misinformation through the human circles about a woman who just appeared in town at the beginning of the week. The woman didn't come from the Ikigami as people are well-known to come here from, and she bares a striking resemblance to a well-known and very well-liked politician. Now this flurry, this fun little distraction has a tendency to grab the attention of people that may in theory, want to do harm to people that are "like" that woman.)"
"So what you're saying is, I'm being targeted?" Sarah asked.
"(I wouldn't say that. I'm just telling a story,)" The bird answered coyly. Making a gesture with its head toward the door. The two noticed a shadow creeping under the door. The crow then slowly made its way backwards. "(Now, to the woman's benefit her appearance was so like the politician that it conveniently gave credence to another little distraction the human circles had. One that seemed to just take on a life on its own. A-HA!)"
The bird slammed the door open only to see a woman in a black kimono with long violet hair and a matching cloth over her eyes. The woman jumped in surprise. "Ah, Forgive me Dr. Oobleck. I didn't know you were with someone," the woman stammered, bowing incessantly.
"(Akari you know why I keep the sign up. What is it?)"
"Yakumo-sama needs you, she's done punishing Yuri-chan," The woman reported before turning to the two other occupants. She then bowed again. "Sorry for bothering you. Hope you get better."
The bird watched the woman leave and sighed heavily. It then pulled out a scratchpad and a pen. "(You two can leave Town right?)" The bird asked as it started jotting down a few lines on the pad.
Sarah and Jimmy looked at each other in confusion. Jimmy looked back to the doctor and nodded.
"(Good, if you are interested in a less bare-bones story, head to this address and ask for Asgore. He'll get you in the know better than I can here,)" The bird then ripped off the paper it was writing on and gave it to Sarah. It then began to leave.
"Wait, what about payment?" Jimmy asked quickly.
The bird turned back. "(Don't worry about that, you have enough problems as it is.)" The bird then left the couple to marinate on the crow's words. Sarah gave the paper to Jimmy. Who then made a brief read-over the contents.
"Why do I feel like we're being funneled?" Jimmy asked.
"Beats me," Sarah commented. "But, I'm in if you are."
"Sarah you would go even if I didn't want to," Jimmy deadpanned. Sarah just smirked.
With that the two left the clinic to follow the carrot laid out in front of them. The spires weren't exactly going anywhere Jimmy thought. He could follow this tangent for the rest of the day.
Only because he wanted to know who this politician was, and why Sarah was becoming more enthusiastic about this lead the closer they got to their vehicles.
-PERSPECTIVE ENDED BY USER-