i just realized that hasnt been making paragraph breaks like i wanted to
gimme a while while i fix it
The sun shines through a window into Blanc's eyes, but not so harshly, which gives her an easy and calm awakening. The serene silence also makes no effort to wake her, either. "Mmh…" Opening her eyes, she is met with a faraway ceiling. It takes her a minute or so to fully gather that she's in her room, but, again, the motionlessness and silence of her surroundings entices her to stay there in bed.
While laying there, it doesn't take long for her to remember what happened last night. "Falcom…" She really did bring her home, huh? She even tucked her into bed, though looking under the sheets, she's now in her indoor clothes, which seems odd to her. Nevertheless, she really should thank her the next time she sees her. Also, didn't the two of them agree to find C-sha sometime later? And what time is it? Are Neptune and her friends here? She really should get up soon; so much stuff to do today!
The silence is actually less silent than Blanc thought; she didn't notice the low periodic rumbling-like noise earlier. It actually seems really close, so she turns to her left, only to find C-sha leaning on the bed! Kneeling on the floor with disheveled clothes and beret taken off, she's using her arms as a pillow, and there's a considerable stain on the bedsheets under her mouth. "Blanny…"
That's one loose end tied. But should Blanc wake her up? Clearly, her friend was kind enough to not do the same and instead waited, so she should do the same. But, what about Falcom and Neptune and everyone else? It probably wouldn't hurt to at least take a quick look around before C-sha wakes up.
Carefully, Blanc gets out without disturbing her. Though, now standing up, she can't help but think about how uncomfortable her friend is in that pose. Maybe she should help her; it's the least she can do after all of her mistakes. She takes a minute to figure out the best way to move her on the bed. Pulling her by the hands will involve having to stand on the bed, and that might disturb C-sha. Same with pushing from behind, which is also just in general embarrassing...lifting her from the sides might be the best option here. Just as she's about to do so…
Knock knock! Such a sudden sound startles Blanc and almost makes her yelp out in startledness, but she fortunately catches herself. "Phew…" What made that sound in the first place?
Blanc looks around and finds that it came from the window, where her purple-haired equally short friend is watching her, smiling and giving a small wave when she finally notices her.
She waves back, looking confused at how Neptune got there.
Spending a moment to continuously wave at each other, Neptune then points at the window doors.
Lowee's CPU nods when she understands Neptune's gesture and, still aware of C-sha, silently walks over and opens the window.
"Hiya, Blanny-"
"Shhh!" Blanc waves her arms in an attempt to warn Neptune about the sleeping C-sha.
"Huh?" It takes a while for her to actually spot C-sha. "Ohh…"
Blanc whispers, "Um...what are you doing here, outside the window?"
"Don't ya remember? We were planning to have a big day today!" She whispers back.
"I know, but why are you…'here'?" Blanc tries to indicate the whole window business.
"Oh! Well...y'know, while you were snoozin' and we were waitin' and talkin' to Falcom, Rom and Ram wanted to play some sports ball outside, and they got their ball stuck on the windowsill, so…"
"'Stuck on the windowsill'? What do you…?" Looking over the window, she finally realizes that they're on the second floor. "Whoa, that's dangerous, Neptune!" She warns in a normal non-whispering voice.
"Shhh! Watch out for C-sha!" Neptune teasingly responds, showing a satisfied smile when Blanc turns her reddened face away in flusteredness. Neptune definitely understands what Vert sees in this kind of teasing. "Lemme just…" She slowly brings one leg, then the other, over the window and into Blanc's room. "There. Now let's get ya to the party!" Neptune runs as silently as she can out the door.
"Party?" Once Blanc follows her out of the room and out of C-sha's earshot, she stops Neptune. "Wait!"
She looks back in slight surprise. "Hm? Somethin' shaking ya, Blanny?"
"So, um…if Falcom told you what happened, did she tell you about..."
"About…?"
"..." The two stare at each other in silence. It seems like Falcom didn't explain everything to them, so maybe it isn't necessary to bring up anything embarrassing after all. "Never mind, err, what I meant to ask was shouldn't we wait for C-sha?"
"I dunno...Falcom told us that she was like a zombie when she came in here, like, four hours ago. She's not gonna wake up until it stops snowing in Lowee!"
"...Huh?" Does it stop snowing in Lowee?
"Err, what I mean is that I had this whole day planned out, so I'm not entirely hyped on waiting for C-sha, y'know?" After all, a certain Oracle wouldn't be so pleased if Neptune spends too much time away from her work.
"Oh...okay. Sorry…"
Neptune flashes a big smile. "Nah, it's all no problem, Blanny! Let's just get to the gang, okay?"
"Um, right." The two resume walking to the foyer of the Basilicom.
(-)
Peking around the hallway, Neptune shouts, "Alrighty, everyone, here's Blanny!" She eagerly signals her fellow CPU to come out.
"I don't need an introduction like that…" she mutters as she walks out to see Nepgear, Vert, and her sisters standing next to the front door. She is a bit daunted when they all turn to look at her.
"Jeez, why do you have to sleep for so long, Blanny?" Ram is the first to "greet" her older sister, mockingly stressing her nickname.
"Oh! Um…" Blanc startledly sputters. Is Ram mad at her?
"Ram, don't say that! You're scaring her." Her other younger sister is quick to correct her.
"Aww, but it's fun teasing her like that, don't ya think?"
"Indeed, little Ram. You're learning quickly," Vert kiddingly adds.
"C'mon, guys, you already know she doesn't like that…" Nepgear sides with Rom and her disapproval.
Something tells Blanc that she's going to have to get used to this. "So...wait, um, where's Falcom?"
"She left about an hour ago. Did you need her for something?" Vert asks.
"Yeah. I never got a chance to properly thank her…" That's one more person she's indebted to.
"Well, before she left, she did say she didn't need any thanks, or something heroic like that, so I think you're alright," points out Neptune. Before Blanc can interject, she then adds, "But on to today's agenda! I've been keeping it a secret to everyone just for this moment." She obnoxiously clears her throat, even though everyone was already looking at her. "...We're going to Ultra Dimension!"
"Yay! Another Ultra Dimension trip!" The twins are first to react, raising their arms in excitement.
"Ultra...Dimension?" The others mentioned something about another dimension, but what does that exactly mean? As long as her sisters are happy, though, Blanc can be hopeful for what's to come.
Nepgear is much more worried by the reveal. "Neptune, what do you mean by that?!"
"It means we're going to Ultra Dimension!" Her bluntness is very apparently blatant.
"I assume we're going to the other Lowee, yes?" Vert fills in for Nepgear's confusion.
Neptune eagerly grins at Vert with a thumbs up while ignoring a silently curious Blanc. "Bingo, right on the money! Vert gets extra points for that answe-"
"That doesn't outweigh the negatives of doing so. Not only do Lowee's goddesses have little to do with the Lowee over there, but we'll most likely confuse Blanc much more than what is necessary," refutes Vert.
"There's another Lowee?! How does that work?" What does it mean for there to be two copies of the same country? Does she have to look over that one, too?
"Goodness, it's already starting…" worries Nepgear. "Um, Blanc, I think it's better to save the questions until we get there. Err, if we decide to go there…"
"Oh, okay…" Blanc has enough trust in everyone else to decide today for her.
"Ahh, c'mon, Nep Jr.! We're not gonna do anything that super risky or dangerous. Besides, it's not like we have any other ideas, right?"
"Of course we do. For example…" Despite normally having a thorough backup for Neptune's antics, her performance last night convinced Vert and everyone else to put complete faith in Neptune's planning skills. "...Well, didn't we mention doing something here, in this Lowee?"
"Yeah, like what?" Neptune smugly asks. After a second of no response, she brandishes a folded piece of flimsy lined paper. "You may think I'm a fool, but I don't think fools spend thirty minutes writing schedules! We're gonna meet up with the other CPUs and then have them get buddy-buddy again and then have a nice picnic lunch and then…" Neptune seems particularly keen in not spoiling the "surprise reveal" that everyone but Blanc anticipates.
While listing her itinerary, Ram impatiently interjects, "Aw, come on, let's just go. It'll be fine, and Rom and I can handle all the normal Lowee touring stuff by ourselves, right, Rom?"
"Mmhm, yeah! If we're all here, we should do something fun."
With a sigh, Nepgear mentions to Vert, "Well, if Neptune already put this much effort and we have no other plans, I guess we have no other choice."
"That does seem to be the situation," Vert agrees with a frown. "At least let me see the schedule, please," she asks while holding her hand out.
"Sure thingy, buddy!" Neptune happily complies.
Vert immediately hands it back upon taking one glance at the handwriting that could be described as "interesting." "I'm placing a lot of trust in you, Neptune, okay?"
"Don't worry; you should know I always pull through! Now, if there aren't any other objections..." She stuffs her schedule into her pocket and flicks one finger outward towards the door. "Let's go forth!"
"Yeah!" Both Rom and Ram exclaim, running ahead of Neptune. "C'mon, Blanc, today's gonna be super fun!"
"Uh, um..." C-sha is still on her mind, but now with three people egging her to take this trip, it's hard to refuse. "...Okay!"
"Goodness, this might be a hectic day…" says Nepgear.
"Definitely hectic, but I'm sure that with the six of us, it'll be fine," assures Vert as they join the other four.
(-)
Once outside of the Basilicom, Blanc notices that everyone else has stopped walking. "So, um...where is the Lowee in this 'Ultra Dimension'?"
"Well, we gotta go through this portal, and the portal's all the way near Planeptune, so…" Without warning, a pillar of light surrounds Neptune.
"Whoa!" Such spontaneity startles Blanc, who almost falls backwards as her eyes are glued on the light.
When it fades, it reveals Planeptune's well-known transformed CPU, Purple Heart. "In this state, we can just simply fly to Planeptune in no time."
As Blanc is bewildered just by how different Neptune looks and sounds, her friends and sisters then follow suit, stunning Blanc further as she tries to look at everyone.
"Yep! Pretty cool, huh?" White Sister Ram adds as she finishes her transformation. "You sure you can't do this yet?"
"Um…" Once more, she concentrates the same way she did last night, this time with a clear image of what it's supposed to look like, but still failing. "Aww…"
"Don't be sad, Blanc! We can carry you," White Sister Rom chimes in while starting to float and extending an arm to her older sister.
"Are you sure…?" She still remembers the time she accidentally overpowered Rom. While hesitating, she doesn't notice Ram already carrying her up, holding her by the wrist. "Wha-"
"Of course we can! That's what you can do when you're like this! Let's go, Rom!"
"Right!" The two somewhat hastily lift Blanc off of her feet.
"Um…" The unfamiliar feeling of not having the ground anywhere below her quickly unnerves her. The higher up the three go, the more shaky Blanc gets. "T-This is…" By the time Rom and Ram reach their usual flying height, their older sister is almost at risk of falling just by her arms vibrating out of their grip.
"How about this, then?" From below them, Green Heart flies under them. "I'll catch you if you fall, Blanny."
"I can help, too!" Purple Sister joins alongside her.
"It wouldn't hurt to help as well," Purple Heart is last to tag in.
From Blanc's perspective the far distance between her and the ground is still daunting, but her friends provide an ample safety net that calms her a bit. "Thank you, everyone!"
"Always ready to help, Blanny. Now, everyone, let's accelerate slowly, especially you, Rom and Ram…" Planeptune's CPU takes the lead of the group.
"Yeah, yeah, we know…" Fortunately, they're not as reckless as usual and take her advice, easing Blanc steadily to cruising speed so as not to startle her.
As they start moving, Blanc is able to see more of Lowee. She only has been at her Basilicom, one field, and a forest, so seeing her capital city filled with colorful and unique houses and buildings from a clear birds-eye view amazes her. "Wow, this is…"
"It's Lowee. Isn't it pretty?" says Rom.
Blanc doesn't respond after that, too occupied by trying to look at every single detail below. Why are they going to this "Ultra Dimension" place if Lowee is already so fantastic-looking?
After they pass the city, letting her take in all of the sights, Purple Heart looks up and asks, "By the way, Blanny, what did happen last night before you met Falcom? Was there something dangerous going on that we missed?"
It takes a while to realize she's being spoken to. "...Huh? Oh, um…" Still not the most eager to share every blunder, she takes a moment to find the right words. "I couldn't sleep, and C-sha was around and said we should go and beat up monsters."
"...And then you fell down that cliff by accident? Wow, that's really rough..."says Nepgear.
At least she doesn't have to talk about the battle with the Child Whale in detail. "Yeah…"
"Rather unfortunate, though it's always dangerous to fight mobs, er, monsters, at night," reminds Green Heart. "C-sha's recklessness to drag Blanny into such an activity has proven to be almost fatal."
"That can't be right. C-sha is always super reliable and smart, like when we were fighting her," argues Rom.
"Yeah! Maybe something scary or unexpected happened that C-sha couldn't see," suggests her sister.
"Uh…" They might be getting on to her. Everyone's looking at her, silently expecting her to provide an explanation. She was willing to admit her faults to C-sha to apologize to her, but what about everyone else? "...I...don't know what else to say...Yeah, I can't remember. Sorry…"
"It's alright, Blanny. Though, remind us to discuss that with C-sha when we return," says Purple Heart.
Is she fine deflecting the blame to her like that? Well, Blanc does admit that her friend's decision was...interesting, but she still has a nagging feeling about intentionally hiding information like that. Maybe she can discuss this with C-sha in private before they start pestering her with interrogations.
"Huh, why did everything below turn green?" As they cross Lowee's borders, reaching the midway point between there and Planeptune, the sea of forests and green plains abruptly cuts off the snowy fields.
"What do you mean, Blanny? Trees are usually green, dummy," answers Ram.
"But the trees in Lowee are white."
Her twin sisters couldn't help but burst out in laughter at that. Blanc could even hear the others snicker a bit, leaving her looking away in embarrassment, even if she doesn't completely understand what's so funny. "Um…"
Once the laughter subsides, Nepgear says, "Goodness, this amnesia is worse than I thought."
"I suppose so, though there is one thing that leaves me curious," mentions Green Heart. "This affliction is...rather selective about which memories are lost. While forgetting what trees look like is amusing, she still remembers some things like her name, how to speak, or...when to be embarrassed."
"Well, you did mention how Blanny is like how she was when you first met her, right? I'm betting that she really did somehow revert to a much earlier version of herself!" hypothesizes Purple Heart.
"Hm. I didn't put too much thought on that earlier observation, but it is worth noting, Neptune...Yes, I think the very few times I've seen Blanny as a Candidate, she was like how she is now."
"Whoa, Blanc wasn't always Blanc?" says Rom.
"Indeed, little Rom. Though, I'm afraid to disappoint you two, but there is not much else I can remember, just that she was rather...not Blanc-like like she is now."
The phrase "not Blanc-like" catches Blanc's attention. Falcom didn't mention anything like that in her own description of herself. "...Am I really that different?"
"Well, err, yes…but, don't think that being different is a bad thing!" assures Purple Heart. "Rom, Ram, do you think Blanny is worse than before?"
"Well, she is a bit too much like Rom, and I'm already starting to miss the old Blanny...but she's already so much more fun and much easier to tease!"
"Uh huh, uh huh!"
"Um…" Certainly not the most comforting thing her sisters could've said.
"If Blanc had the idea of trees always being white when she was born, does that mean you also thought the same at one point, Rom and Ram?" interjects Nepgear.
"What?! No way! Do you think we're that stupid?" Ram defensively barks.
"Um…" Rom is less inclined to agree with her twin.
She can't help but laugh a little at that reaction. "I wasn't trying to be mean or anything like that, you two. We all know how we made silly mistakes back then."
Didn't Falcom tell her something like that? Such a reminder sends Blanc into silent thought, considering again if she should confess what happened. At least, until...
(-)
"That's Planeptune?!" The five goddesses are almost at their destination, currently above the capital city of said nation.
"Indeed, Blanny. Do you like it?" Purple Heart smugly asks.
"Of course! You made all of this?" She manages to ask while entranced by all of the large pristine skyscrapers.
"Well, she has people who build a lot of it, and I also did some of the directing," says Nepgear.
"Yeah, yeah, it's alright and all," Ram annoyedly adds. "But c'mon, don't you think Lowee is better?"
From Blanc's perspective, it really is an apples to oranges comparison. "Um…" Looking up at Ram, she's completely invested in what Blanc has to say. "They're both good...maybe we can have a little of what makes Planeptune look so great in Lowee?"
"It won't look any good if you mish-mash them," responds Rom.
"But why not?" Blanc naively asks.
"'Cause then you have all this cool fantasy fairytale buildings and then tacky blocky stuff right next to it, and then everyone will hate it!" Ram choppily explains.
"But, the blocky buildings aren't tacky; I think they look nice. In a way, it reminds me of..." It almost felt like she subconsciously led herself to a part of her memories she lost.
After some thought, Green Heart perks up when she realizes what Blanc was trying to say. "Does it remind you of...Lowee? Or rather, the Lowee before you became a CPU?"
The question creates curious looks from everyone. Everyone except Rom and Ram, who seem to be looking elsewhere. "What are you saying, Vert? How's she supposed to know that?" asks a clearly befuddled Nepgear.
"If I can recall correctly from my very fuzzy memory back then, Lowee had a very...blocky look to it before Blanc was inaugurated. And not like urban buildings such as here or even in Leanbox; a fair share of buildings were perfectly cube-shaped. Your older sister certainly had a unique take on architecture..."
"Really? You seem to know a lot about Lowee, Vert." While an innocent observation, everyone else is also sharing a similar thought but with more suspicion.
"We were contemporaries, that's all; I don't know more about Lowee's past than I do the other nations'," Green Heart explains.
"Hmm...I knew you were a CPU before me, but..." How long has Vert been around Leanbox? "...Anyways, what was Blanny's older sister like?"
"Well, on top of being so long ago, I've only met her in her CPU form as bitter rivals, but if there's one thing I can remember about her…" Green Heart quickly frowns upon reminding herself about this ex-CPU. "...she was obnoxiously extroverted. I think Rom and Ram would know more about her. You two showed up a little before she stepped down, right? Surely you remember more than I do."
The two share an uneasy look between each other before they spot something below. "Hey hey, that's the portal!" Ram points at an unassuming clearing in Virtua Forest before the two suddenly blast off in that direction.
"Aah!" The sudden lurch creates an uneasy feeling in her heart, yet the only thing she can really do is swing her body around in an effort to tell her sisters to slow down.
"Rom! Ram! What are you doing?!" Purple Heart yells before catching up with them.
"That was weird; why would they do that?" wonders Nepgear.
"Indeed, why would they…" Trying to recover more memories of long ago, Green Heart might have a better idea, but she's not so certain about that. They soon catch up to Purple Heart as they arrive at the portal to Ultra Dimension.
(-)
"Alright, let's take a quick stop here." Shortly after arriving in this dimension, Purple Heart stops at the balcony of this Planeptune's Basilicom before disengaging her transformation.
"Now hold on, Neptune," interjects an already un-transformed Vert, who was being carried by Nepgear and her sister. "If we're picking up Plutia, then flying to Lowee, that would mean Blanc would have to encounter...her."
Neptune waves her off. "Aww, it won't be that bad. Besides, I'm sure normal Plutie would be stoked to meet this new Blanc!" She starts walking inside, already ready to wake her up from her midday nap.
"What?! No way! You're not going to let that scary lady anywhere near Blanc!" Still in HDD form, the twins still have their grip on Blanc.
"Neppy? Is that you?" It seems that just their arrival has woken up Plutia. Or, though a very rare occurrence, perhaps she was already awake.
Too late. "Oh, hey! Plutie!" Neptune runs inside, immediately finds her friend, and drags her out. "Blanny, check this out!"
Blanc is more inclined to believe Rom's and Ram's interpretation of this Plutie character, so she's still aloof when she sees the slow-moving sleepy girl. "Um…"
"Hm? What's everyone doing here? Neppy, and Neppy Jr., and Rom and Ram, and Vert, and Blanny...oh, Vert and Blanny from Neppy's dimension! Hello everyone!" She greets with a yawn.
"Hello, Plutia," Vert greets back with some worry.
"Um...hello...Plutia." Wait, did she hear the last thing she said correctly?
"Yep, the whole gang's here! Err, a good chunk of the gang's here…" Does Noire still think Blanc was playing a prank? "Anyways, we're all gonna hang out in Lowee, wanna join? P-ko can join in, too!"
"Hm, well...Peashy is taking a nap right now..." Plutia takes a rather extended amount of time to think this over. "But I think Histy and Iffy and Compa can watch over her. Sure, why not? I wanna go!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"
As Neptune is about to turn HDD back on, she notices that behind Nepgear and Vert, Lowee's CPUs are gone. "What the-?" Hmm, what are those three shrinking dots in the sky?
Nepgear turns around to see what's stunning Neptune. "Goodness…" Turning back to Plutia, she adds with an uneasy chuckle, "Ehm, looks like those three are eager to get to Lowee…"
"Aw jeez…C'mon, Plutie, let's get going!" Transforming back to Purple Heart, she immediately launches off carrying Vert with Nepgear.
"Oh, that's weird…" After her own transformation, Iris Heart says to herself before following them, "Perhaps they're hiding a little secret…"
(-)
Leaving behind the others, Rom, Ram, and Blanc are already on their way to Lowee. "She doesn't seem that bad..." wonders the older sister. "Did we really have to do that?"
"You know how Neptune sounds and acts all different when she transforms?" Rom tries to explain.
"Uh huh...why is that?"
"I dunno...but Plutia goes from really calm to really evil and scary. Please, just trust us on that…"
"Okay…" Blanc still isn't completely sure that leaving them like that was the right decision.
"Don't worry; they'll just follow us anyways. We already know what Neptune wants to do today, so we'll do all the important things and leave out the annoying stuff," says Ram.
"Really? Did she tell you already what we're going to do?" She would also like to know, too.
"Well, no, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what that dummy Neptune is thinking," she explains, trying to appear as confident as possible. "We're just here to go around the Lowee here."
"There's some friends there that we can hang out with, and it'll be fun!" Both Rom and Ram have caught on to keeping the "surprise" hidden to Blanc.
Sounds somewhat simple for something that takes this much flying. "Well, if it's going to be fun...then I look forward to it!"
"Yay!" Now that it's just the three of them, the twins feel a bit more relieved that they have more control over Blanc's day trip. It's not like they hate Vert for bringing up topics they hate talking about or Neptune for shoving Sadie into the mix, but it certainly feels less stressful now. Besides, this trip is supposed to be for Blanc, so her little sisters should know what's best for her, right?
(-)
"Alrighty, we're here!" Now at the foot of the main bridge to this orange and red Lowee, Rom and Ram slowly let their sister down and disengage HDD.
"Wow…" Just like before, Blanc has to stop to admire the perpetual autumn beauty of this Lowee. "We've visited so many stunning places today…"
"Yep! Rom and I go here all the time." Well, at least when they're not busy. "And we know that this place is super big and confusing, so you gotta stick with us, okay?"
"Of course!" She wouldn't want to be lost in a different dimension, would she?
Rom quietly giggles Blanc's response. "Let's go to the Basilicom first! There's someone super cool over there." The two start to cross the busy bridge, mindful of other pedestrians.
"Um, right!" Blanc makes sure to stay at near-contact range to her sisters. At first, she thought that the crowd was going to be an obstructing problem, but they seem to silently part wherever she's walking when they see her, creating a clear path to wherever Rom and Ram are going. She swears that she can hear some of them greeting her, even though she's never met anyone here. How odd...
Near that same bridge, a girl with brown-blonde hair in red notices Blanc walking in with two unknown figures next to her. "Rather suspicious seeing her here...I must investigate."
i am finally free from the hell called finals week
"Shhh! Watch out for C-sha!" Neptune teasingly responds, showing a satisfied smile when Blanc turns her reddened face away in flusteredness. Neptune definitely understands what Vert sees in this kind of teasing. "Lemme just…" She slowly brings one leg...
The bedroom door opens, revealing Noire. "Eh-?! NEPTUNE!"
"Superintendent, I was just...eh...stretching my calves on the windowsill! Isometric exercise, care to join me?"
"Why is there smoke coming out of C-sha, Neptune?"
"Smoke...? What the-" Blanc immediately tries to clear the smoke.
"Uhm...ooh! That isn't smoke! It's steam! Steam from the steamed clams we're having. Mmm, steamed clams."
Noire silently glares at her before leaving.
"Phew!" Neptune immediately goes back outside before falling off of the second-floor bedroom. From below, she yells "Worth!"
"'Worth'? Wait, C-sha?!" Instead of paying attention to Neptune, Blanc is more focused on more frivolous things like C-sha smoking.
