"Whaddya mean 'no money, no service?!' Haven't you ever heard of the magic charity fairy that gives free games to people who do stuff for free?!"
Neptune looked about ready to kick someone angrily in the shin, just barely being held back by the combined efforts of Noire and Blanc.
Vert gave a nervous chuckle and made her most elegant bow, putting on what Blanc often called the 'damage control' smile. "Ah. Please excuse us. We were unaware that this was not a celebration of giving freely unto others, as the good grace of the Goddess wills."
The man blocking the entrance to one of several designated festivity-filled fairgrounds in the city crossed his meaty arms, a bored look on his face. "Yeah, yeah. Buncha freeloaders, what else is new? Get a job."
Something about those last words stung each of the CPUs to the core – Neptune even ceased in her struggling and allowed herself to be unhanded.
"Hey, if you don't mind, there are others with money lookin' to get in. So move it."
Vert made another hasty bow, giving her sincerest apologies before the group of goddesses hurried away, the line behind them resuming its normal flow.
A groan came from Neptune once they had gotten out of earshot of the bouncer-sized man. "Bawwwww. Stupid fathead meanie, and a bunch of other words I can't say in front of kids!" She kicked at the sidewalk, her shoe catching against the rough surface and causing her to fall to a knee. "Bawwwwwww!"
"Good grief, Neptune," Noire said as she helped the girl to her feet. "Some might say that you haven't grown a bit in all these years."
Neptune suddenly spun around, giving a wink and a thumbs up. "Hey! I can't help it if Planeptune knows that small is justice!"
A sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if that's the only reason you have any followers. But, then again, they'd all be in Lowee, if that was the case."
"Care to say that last part a little louder?" Blanc asked, her tone a little more menacing than usual.
Before Noire could reply, Neptune's laughter filled the air. "Oh, come on, Blanny Blanc! The flat club's got way cooler fans than all the others!"
"If you say so."
Silence fell over the party as they continued down the sidewalk. There was no destination in mind, but inaction seemed somehow inappropriate. Surely they would stumble upon an event marker, right? At least, that was Neptune's line of thought – she had no idea what the others were thinking, their gazes contemplating their shoes or staring ahead at nothing in particular. The sights of the city met their eyes, a maze of streets, storefronts, and towering complexes in varying states of upkeep, but they paid the world little mind. Leanbox's capital was a teeming metropolis filled with modern marvels of architecture and a thousand wonderful secrets to discover – to those who belonged in it.
Get a job.
The irony of it hurt the worst.
('o≧д≦)o Neptune, you need to learn how to be a proper goddess! Neptune, PLEASE try to do at least a little work today! Neptune, Nepgear tells me that you made her do all of the chores and all of the paperwork for last week! Neptune! NEPTUNE!
Okay, so maybe it wasn't too off the mark. But, still…
"Say, Neptune…" Blanc began.
She was interrupted by Noire. "Sh! Do you hear that?"
"…Aw, man! Is every game store in the city shut down?" The voice came from a group ahead.
"This is stupid. We missed the start of the Festival because of this crap."
"Yeah. We've been looking for hours, Jake. Let's go back to the hotel already."
"Nuh-uh! I'm not quitting until I've got a legit copy of Hyperdevotion Noire Re;Birth HD Remaster: Ultra Devotion Edition in my hands! I know Leanbox is supposed to have all kinds of super rare games still in stock!"
Loitering by a storefront could be found an ordinary group of teenagers. The sign over top read "SUPER GAME RINBOKKUSU WORLD" in an eye-catching font, although the words were no longer lit with color as they should have been. Indeed, the store appeared to be more than just closed – while an array of game-related products and advertisements were still on display, the shadowy interior consisted of row upon row of empty shelves. A few bits of graffiti were present on the shop's windows, which stood in odd contrast to the otherwise respectable commercial district it was within.
G00d r1ddanc31! L3anb0x 43v3r!11!
Tunnel Snakes Rule! ASIC Drools!
THROWING OUT THE TRASH
gg no re
"Wait a second. That's the game that comes with one of those pillow things, isn't it? Gross."
As the rest of the group erupted into laughs, Jake attempted to refute the girl's comment. "Y-You don't understand! It's the last game they made about her! Ever!"
"What a loser," said one of the other boys. "You gonna make sweet love to your virtual girlfriend, nerd?"
Jake hands were clenching into fists by this point, his face a seething red. "She's not virtual! I know she was real! You gotta believe me!"
"Funny. That girl over there sure does look a lot like her. I wonder how much they paid her to dress up for losers like you."
The party turned to view the person in question, who seemed to be imitating a deer in headlights. The girls standing next to her all had amused expressions on their faces.
"Oh man!" Jake ran off toward her at top speed, practically leaving a cloud of dust behind. "LADY NOIRE!"
The group of girls regarded him with curiosity as he approached. The spiky-haired one let out a giggle. "Looks like you've got a convert already, Noire."
Jake was panting heavily when he came to a stop, but he simply couldn't wait until he had enough air to form coherent sentences. "Lady Noire…I'm like…totally your biggest fan…so if you could just…sign my Lastation Anima…I'd be so happy holy crap."
The one dressed in Noire's favorite royal attire gave him a confident smile and took both the handheld console and pen from his trembling hands. "Well, I do like to make my fans happy." She took a moment to sign the limited edition device's white exterior with an exaggerated flourish. "Here you go."
Jake nearly dropped the now-priceless console as it was handed back to him. "Um…um…um…thank you!" He then sprinted away to his gathered friends, screaming his joy at the top of his lungs. "WOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOOO!"
The CPU of Lastation heard a sniffle come from beside her. "He…he didn't even give the time of day to little ol' Nep…"
Noire laughed at her pouting. "Face it, Neptune – when it comes to popularity, I'm number one."
"Most popular in the doujinshi section, anyway," Blanc added with a snicker.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Noire snapped.
"Oh. My apologies," said Blanc. "I thought you liked to make your fans happy."
"Well, I…" Noire trailed off, her eyes casting to the side. She grumbled something unintelligible beneath her breath before stomping away, her cheeks having turned a little red. "Whatever. Let's go."
Neptune charged ahead of Noire's lead, having suddenly rebounded from her fanboy-induced depression. "Onward!"
"I'm tired."
The words had come from Neptune.
"And hungry."
Noire's brow clenched. It occurred to her that she wasn't even sure if CPUs needed to eat to survive. The pangs coming from her own stomach seemed to provide an answer – she'd been doing her best to ignore them for a while now. At the very least, they did a decent job of distracting her from the thoughts that were starting to cloud her mind.
"Can we stop yet, Nowa?"
It took effort for Noire to not snap at the girl. Where had this sudden anger come from? She halted mid-stride, spinning around on one heel to face the rest of the group. Her other foot stepped down with a sharp click. "Stop where, Neptune?"
"Um…I dunno. A hotel, I guess."
"Right. And how do you expect us to pay for our stay this time?"
"Mmm…" Neptune gave a shrug. "Bison Bucks?"
"It does appear that our funds are rather limited at the moment," said Vert. "We find ourselves in quite the unfortunate situation." A chuckle came from her. "Ah, but I am sure that we will find our way out just as quickly. After all, many an adventurer has found themselves in the same predicament, yes?"
"It's not that easy, Vert." Blanc's words were barely audible. They left the party in silence.
Noire let her gaze meet each of the others' in turn – Vert's uncomfortable aside glance, Neptune's heavy, weary eyes, and Blanc's unreadable wall. They had spent the last several hours doing…what, exactly? Searching for clues? Surveying the city? Planning their next move?
No. It was nothing so glamorous.
"We're lost, aren't we?"
Vert's eyes lit up as she replied, "But we know we are within Leanbox, do we not?"
"That's not what I mean, and you know it."
Silence. Again. Noire waited for another response, finding that her breaths were coming with difficulty, her gaze continuing its manic search for answers. There were none to be found among the faces before her. The goddess let out a long sigh – but before she could speak her mind, Blanc said it for her.
"We don't have anywhere to stay." There it was. They were penniless. Directionless. Hopeless. There would be no answers this night. No progress toward a lofty goal. No games, no fun – not even a blanket to warm them. "We'll have to find shelter."
Noire half-expected someone to protest this statement, but when no further words came, she managed to force her throat to swallow before nodding. "Alright. A night under the stars, it is, then."
But no stars are to be found on this long, long night.
Soon enough, they had managed to put their heads together to get some idea of what they were looking for. Vert's memory of her hometown proved to be nearly useless in this strange new Leanbox, yet Blanc seemed to practically possess a map in her head. Neptune even managed to regain some of her enthusiasm as their wandering began anew, reigniting the spark within their weary hearts. Noire found herself glad to finally have a real goal to pursue – and, she admitted to herself, eager to run away from the tension in the group as fast as possible.
But none of them noticed the fifth shadow trailing behind them, of course. Not even †Green Heart† could pass a spot check when preoccupied by the onset of starvation.
"Ah…reduced to such dire straits, we are!" Vert pressed the back of a hand to her forehead in a melodramatic gesture. "However shall we cope without the luxury of a room full of limited edition figurines to keep us company through the night?"
Neptune, meanwhile, seemed to be slumped against a wall, bawling her eyes out. "Wahhhhhhhhh! Oh, Gear! I miss ya already, little sis!" She wiped away a tear with her sleeve before suddenly jumping to her feet. "Wait! I know! It's just like a camping trip, isn't it? Oh! Oh!" She started bouncing on her feet with renewed energy. "When can we start roasting marshmallows and sing a happy campfire song?!"
Vert gave a nervous little chuckle. "Unfortunately, it appears that marshmallows…or food in general…may be out of our reach at the present moment in time."
A silence came over the area, not counting the ever-present sounds of the city around them. After spending some time out in the wilderness of Leanbox, the lack of quiet within the capital was nearly maddening in comparison. Noire made a tiny sigh to herself, pulling her arms a little tighter around her knees to bring them to her chin. She knew she was utterly exhausted both from exertion and hunger – and she knew that sleep would become even more of a precious resource than it already was in the near future.
Is this what it's going to be like from now on?
She lifted her head – a task that nearly managed to demand too much energy – to bring her the sight of one of the brick walls that made up the crevice the CPUs now called home. Their claimed scrap of land was a roughly triangular area left undeveloped between several other buildings deep within the city. One exit was blocked by a chain link fence, appearing to lead out to a larger empty plot that lacked illumination of any sort. Another led to a street devoid of activity, a line of closed storefronts visible on the other side. The third ended several feet away at a locked door that seemed to be a fire exit. A single tree was planted within a grassy circle at the center of the area. This pleasantry was counterbalanced by a dumpster placed along one wall – an unpleasant smell occasionally made it to one's nose. Perhaps there would eventually be an awkward encounter with the owner of said dumpster, although Blanc had assured them that such a thing would not come to pass.
I can't believe this. What would the people of Gamindustri think if they saw their goddesses now?
Another question filled her mind, seemingly of its own accord. How could the world treat us like this? Long have I considered this question. There is no acceptable answer. But what, then, is the acceptable punishment for such transgressions against divinity?
Noire's eyes blinked instinctively when an irritating blurriness came to them. She blinked again, this time in surprise, when she reached up to feel a tear on her cheek. Her hand clenched into a shaky fist, her brow furrowing with a sudden fury. Such an emotion almost felt…alien. When had this budding hatred been planted within her? She had nothing against humankind as a whole, after all.
\(v_v*) Historical precedence demonstrates that a vengeful goddess will quickly find herself dwindling into nothingness as her followers turn away. It is the duty of a CPU to keep her followers happy, and in turn, receive the gift of their happiness. Remember! Shares are your lifeblood! I will be VERY disappointed in you if you manage to forget this basic fact once again!
Or so Histoire had told them – multiple times, in fact, typically after one of the CPUs managed to get into an argument with her Basilicom's Parliament.
Get it together, Noire. There's no use in feeling sorry for yourself. We got ourselves into this, and we can get out of it. Somehow. I just have to think…
But no solution sprung itself at her. What were they to do? She hadn't the faintest idea of how normal people – her subjects – managed to live day by day, let alone how to scrounge out an existence from the very bottom of society. She was left without her home, her daily schedule, her fleet of servants, her wardrobe, her sewing equipment…her sister…
Another tear rolled down onto her cheek, which she practically clawed at in frustration. The urge to scream and thrash about was a compelling one, but she could never let herself be reduced to such a state. No one wanted their nation to be ruled and protected by a crybaby.
"You should sleep."
Noire turned her head to see Blanc standing there, just barely visible in the shadowy clearing. The CPU of Lastation narrowed her eyes threateningly. "So should you."
Blanc's expression remained unchanging as a moment passed. Was she calculating the exact response to use? What was her angle here? The goddesses of Lastation and Lowee had no reason or desire to be on friendly terms, as it was. "If you don't sleep, you'll be useless. And you'll still be a mouth to feed regardless of whether you can pull your weight."
A definite sting was felt from that remark. Noire didn't let up her glare as she replied, "Fine."
Blanc continued to stare for another moment, but she said nothing else before stepping away to her bed, which was little more than a sheet of discarded cardboard retrieved in much the same way Neptune had originally found her favorite wooden katana.
Noire let out a breath, forcing herself to relax. Why had her first instinct been to react defensively? She didn't particularly dislike Blanc, although, really, the two had hardly even taken the time to speak until the CPUs had set upon this wayward journey. Her mind wandered to the discussion she'd had with Blanc in the garden in Harbor Oak – a sunlit paradise in comparison to the current locale.
Had that been the first real conversation I'd ever had with her?
The thought caused a shiver to go through Noire for reasons she couldn't quite explain.