Where we last left our heroines...
"... You... sincerely suppose that it's... one of the Felons? But what would they...?"
Nepgeo played with the orange-haired-girl necklace, half paying attention to the brewing discussion, as the wearer of massive gloves matter-of-factly answered the flat-chested vigilante. "No doubt; Gust is certain! But... highly doubtful Trick acting alone. Would take more than one person or monster to seize Basilicom with four Candidates."
"Wh-Who is he working with, then?! I-It can't be... Brave, and ESPECIALLY can not be Judge! That I know to be a fact!" Sh-She's... s-sticking up for...!
... L-Let's hear what Gust is about to say, o-okay?! "No... Well, Gust can't say one way or another. But, someone else, for sure..." Hmm? For a second, but ONLY a second, a look resembling... sadness sparkled in the alchemist's irises. In fact, the instantaneous shine must've finally snatched Nepgeo's attention, for she looked up just in time for the dramatic continuation.
"G-Gusty...?"
"... Underling."
And now, back to our (ir)regularly-scheduled program.
...
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
Three... Two... One... "L-LINDY?!" The two 'N' chicks shouted in unison... though the heroine blushed the second she realized she used the nickname.
The unconventional businesswoman nodded, allowing herself to frown. "Yes... Underling gets letter to revive Magic. Sounds like crock, but she goes anyway. To Lowee. In no time flat, Basilicom is captured by another ASIC member."
"B-But... L-Lindy would never... N-No!" "Underling has no reason to...!" Geez, their timing is completely synchronized!
Should the short girl... *say* it? Well... sometimes, the truth hurts. "I don't like it anymore than you, but... Underling is former villain. Maybe reason isn't evil, but... it's hard to let go of past sometimes. Especially if she's desperate to revive former ally."
"But that can't..." 'Be true?' Yeah, Nepgeo couldn't finish that thought. Ever since the news broke, the purple-haired impostor knew that her girlfriend was somehow connected to the Lowee situation. It all seemed too well-timed to be nothing but a coincidence! "... I-I believe in her, though! L-Lindy HAS to know what she's doing! She... She knows she's not a baddy anymore!"
Nisa nodded, seemingly more frantic than the fake Nepgear, oddly enough. "I-I concur! Underlingy has traded in her villainous cowl, I know she has!"
The alchemist opened her mouth... but stuffed her retort as soon as she saw the sheer sadness in the heroine's eyes. Try as she might, Gust couldn't... resist that image. "... Sure hope so..."
Silence fell on this side of the ship as the three companions thought of their past year with Linda. The girl was stubborn as ever, nearly encroaching on 'Noire' levels at times... but she was their friend. No, more than that: she was FAMILY!
"... Huh," Nepgeo suddenly began, drawing the other two's attentions, "but that does raise a good question either way."
"Wh-What does, humble Nepgeo?" Haha... I can't get enough of the 'titles' she keeps giving her friends. What do you think she'd... preface my name with if she were locked in here with me? Huh...
"Lindy got a letter from... er, CFW Judge, right?" I hear that's still so way up in the air, you'll die of asphyxiation before anything. "Somehow, goin' to Lowee will get CFW Magic back... or as she mutters in her sleep, 'Magic ma'am'!"
Gust's eyebrows cocked, inching up her face like money-hungry caterpillars. "Pervert good at recapping, great."
"S-Sidekick, don't be so rude!"
"Gust not sidekick!"
Quivering fingers twirled the necklace. The anime girl looked up with innocent eyes, free from a world filled with cruel uncertainty and rebellion-inspired danger. Nepgeo could only feel envious. "Well... I don't really know how it works, but... isn't Magic still a part of good ol' Arfy?"
Nisa's head cocked far to one side like a rubber boy contemplating how to blow up like a balloon. "I suppose so... What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, uh... nothin' really. Just, uh, if she's a part of her... Yikes, how would someone actually break her free?"
"Well," the heroine began, gripping her chin like a child detective contemplating a knife covered in ice water, "it's been... done. You wouldn't remember this, Gusty, and... well, you were nearly possessed, fair Nepgeo, if memory serves me correctly... but when Arfoire trapped us within that high-school world—" AH?! Oh, sorry, I'm still always surprised when they actually start talking about that mind-screw. That'll never change. "—CFW Brave was struggling to break free. You know, in that... er, white void of nothingness."
Gust blew her hat back up an inch. "Sounds like pervert's head."
"Arfoire was using Brave as a, hmm, fake narrator, since she couldn't do it herself. However, since she was using his form... we were able to sever the link and release him entirely! We... couldn't do the same for that Gino fellow, but he was a clone; not a part of her soul. So, different rules? She synchronized with him outright, but merely used Brave's form... right?" Don't look at me, I don't know!
The flirt blinked, blinked, blinked, blinked. Blinked. She blinked. "A-Ah, yeah... I, uh... remember... that?" Woo, shake that hair! Man, she has a lot, now that I'm getting a good look at her... W-Wow, that all sounded wrong, I apologize! "So, like, what does that... Um, how does that help us?"
Nisa's right eyebrow rose up to whisper sweet nothings to her forehead. "Aha, that... I am still working on. But, I guess the best idea I have right now is... if she ever uses, say, Magic's form to move around, THAT would be our best moment to... strike, I... reckon. Hmm... Did that sound too simple? Too obvious?"
Obvious? Maybe... But, an interesting concept, nonetheless. If Arfoire—or perhaps any other malevolent force in the universe—were to physically walk Gamindustri using the likeness of someone under her/their possession... they'd be able to affect the world instead of being spirits or ghosts, naturally... but they'd also be open to attack. One wrong move, one slight miscalculation... and someone could defeat their temporary physical form, and possibly wrest the person/entity free from the malevolent control altogether!
... However, we've seen that Arfoire has at least some witch-like form that she prefers to use over CFW Magic or any other... so this hypothesis can't exactly be tested too easy... but isn't it something nifty to hold on to? Er, unless you're absolutely gob-smacked with my horrible explanation, but hopefully re-reading it about 23 more times will clear it up a bit. Maybe it could apply to other people, and not just that 'lovable' Deity!
... Hmm, now, did you understand that? Alright, now here's another question: do you suppose Nepgeo had a chance in Hell to consider all of that? "... Huh..." Insert witty snark of your choosing. "... I-I just hope Lindy's okay... Whatever she has to do, or thinks she has to do... I wanna be there with her. Even if she's getting into trouble, I..."
"... I know how you feel... but do not lose heart. We will... find out everything in due time. Lowee's not even an hour away!"
"Gust... has confidence Underling is too stupid to do something supremely evil. Would be impressed to find out otherwise."
"... Thanks Nisey. Thanks Gusty..." And with that, we finally fade away from these troubled three, and journey back to the other bench for one more quick lit— "H-Hey, wait a minute! Where's the rat?!" E-Eh?
The upholder of all that is righteous nearly leapt out of her seat, her boots leaving the ground but her bottom remaining planted. "W-Woah, that is a great question! Wh-Where could he...?"
Hmm, now I'M curious!
Where Pirachu is...
"Compa, my love! At last, we are now free to travel the blue skies together!" the ASIC rat mused as he beheld the medic's beautiful backside from a mere few scant feet away! "Now, my flawless angel," he continued, before LEAPING off the airship's cold metal floor towards the angel, "let me hear your voice's sweet nectar, chump!"
With an audible *plop!*, the talking mouse landed on the girl's left shoulder... and behold, she doth speak! "... Hm? Sup."
"... Eh?" The nurse's head turned around... and it was not Compa's eyes Pirachu looked into. No, this was someone much more... masculine. Well, in an anime sort of way... So a dude who may as well be a woman. "Wh-Who are you?!"
"Name's D-Bag. They're payin' me to dress like this."
Another man across the way, dressed like IF, snorted as he looked at a fake phone. "We're headed to Planeptune's Basilicom as mascots to reinvigorate the people. Whole ton of soldiers from all nations comin' too. None of them are chicks, though, so that sucks."
"..." This was the single worst moment of Pirachu's life. In fact, it was so terrible that he'd probably change his name to Warechu just to cope! Oh wait, nah; that'd be stupid. "... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Chump.
Heh, left out of another story...
NOW we can finally fade away from these troubled three, and journey back to the other bench for one more quick little scene...
...
Kei sighed as her phone went back to sleep. "Just what we need: a blizzard is in the forecast for your capital early tomorrow. It's always something."
"You could say that again..." By now, the Oracle and the CPU had snuck in their arbitrary hand-holding, sneaking their joined palms behind their backs so no one could see. A bit unnecessary, since Nisa's group had nearly forgotten they existed. "... Dammit, there's not a part of today that doesn't suck."
"... Say, Blanc?"
"Huh, yeah? What's up, babe?"
"When this is over... what do you want for lunch?"
"... Lunch? There's skulls that need to be cracked still. If something goes wrong, lunch is the last frickin' thing I want to think about! Thunder Tits nearly died today; what if we screw up and lose the fight?!"
"Yes, I know: 'if something goes wrong' or 'if we lose'... My question still stands."
"... You're unbelievable sometimes."
"Only 'sometimes', Blanc?"
"Feh. Just for that, we're getting street-vendor fish."
Run, run, run, run, run... Hurdle! Leap! Land... Dammit, another stumble! Must move more... fluidly. Run, leap, land!
"Cave! Target ambush, three o'clock!"
"Yes sir!" Can't let down the unit commander! Okay, reach for the hilt.. Training pistol, quick! To the right, and there, look! Five 'blue dragon' training dummies! Child's play! Bang! Bang! BANG!
... No, it's not over yet! Get back to running, fool! Idiot! Failure! One last hurdle... No, c-crap, foot... CAUGHT! O-Oomph!
Dirt, covering eyes and seeping in between separated lips... The dirt tastes as it always does: like the eternal union with defeat.
Two heavy boots to the left... Maybe with a crushing stomp, they'll end this sad day for good. "Cave! Stand UP, soldier!"
"Y-Yes!" No time to dust off; just stand back up like a warrior and face the music! "I-I... apologize for... such a sloppy... run... I will restart the course from the beginn—"
"Cave! Do you want to be a member of the SMD?"
"I-I... Y-Yes, sir, more than... anything...!"
"Well, then... Are you a soldier, or are you just TRASH?"
"Wh-Wh...?!... I-I'm a..."
"A soldier, or TRASH? Which is it, Cave?!"
"A-A—" Trash. "—soldier, sir!" Stop lying. A soldier protects people. A soldier has purpose. A soldier isn't a weak fool, desperately clawing at any excuse to keep on living. "I'm a..." Fraud.
XXXXXXXXXX
"You Leanbox military freaks are all the same! What about those lives lost over in Lastation, huh?! Bet that's how you guys train! Will we be trainin' dummies next?!"
Ugh... Just another batch of protesters. The "Leanbox Glourious Basterds Troupe" scandal resurfaced in the media yet again, and now several loud citizens from across Gamindustri are marching right outside the SMD's headquarters. The idiots don't even realize that the SMD and LGBT divisions are completely unrelated, and the one in question no longer EXISTS!
Have to get out to the field; some monsters need slaying in the plains. Just have to... wade through... the... throngs of troublesome... people...!
"You! You're from the SMD! Murderer!" "All your kind are good for is slaughter!" "Damn you! War-mongers!"
Same old crap, different day... Nothing that hasn't been heard before...
... Though, the more one hears something... the more the mind starts to perceive it as fact. If the world at large thinks something of you... who are you to refute it?
XXXXXXXXXX
"M-Monster! Y-You're not human!" "She's the devil!" "She'll kill us all! Hell, I bet she'll enjoy every second too." "Bitches like you don't deserve anything!" "It's no use; a beast like her doesn't give a shit about us."
The villagers... Mere peasants... The *FEAR* in their eyes. Just trying to help... Why can't they see that?!
Cave, the eternal loner who can do no right; that's all YOU are. Cave, the monster.
XXXXXXXXXX
Lady Vert, dropping like a sack of dirt. Just like that, you've failed... How far have you come, really? Anywhere at all? No; you're still a scared little girl, too frightened of the future to learn to be anything befitting the world you are cursed to tread. Your ONE mission, the SOLE purpose you have to exist... is to keep Green Heart safe. It was only by a stroke of GOD that she still stands... You are not almighty, that much has always been certain. But... what ARE you?
XXXXXXXXXX
"I-I'm going with YOU, L-Lady Vert! C-Compa and Lyree too! We gotta—"
"Fear not, IF; Cave and Chika will watch over me, and I do believe Histoire and Mina are to make company with us as well... but I am feeling better than ever, so it is merely an overly-dramatic precaution. Thank you for your concern, though. You are a... true friend."
"Lady Vert..."
Look at the goddess—YOUR goddess—talking with IF as if she was the most important woman in the world! Lady Vert... cares about that perfect brunette more than herself, doesn't she? EVERYONE cares about IF more than themselves...
... Why did Lyrica have to? Why couldn't... she look at you with those flawless eyes; feel her heart skip a beat every waking moment she thought of your form? Why could she... live without YOU, but not IF? Ohoho, no, never that! If you didn't exist, things wouldn't change one bit. YOU were forever expendable. But IF? Dearest 'Iffy'?! The world would simply forget how to breathe if something ever happened to HER!
... Who do you have? Damn it... W-Well, you at least have your Lady, right?
L-Look, here she comes now! "My Lady... Once again, I... am relieved you are safe. Are you feeling well?"
"Hm? Oh, yes Cave, I'm fine. Come, let us not waste anymore time in this dreadful place."
"... Yes, my Lady."
She has novels to whisper into the brunette's ear... but you're just a side character as far as she's concerned.
No one... You have no one. A monster with no friends. A monster with no allies. A monster with no hom—"
"Yo, you alright, Cave? Your shoes don't look any different than usual, so I know you're not meaning to look at them."
"... Hm?" The redhead was torn from her inner thoughts by a surprise voice. She promptly lifted her head as quick as a suspicious teenager... and oh, it's Chika! "Y-Yes, sorry Chika... I was just—"
"Thinking? Big shock. Never heard that one from you before!" Carelessly, the greenette hopped over from one side of the aisle and plopped down beside her dirt-covered best friend. She miscalculated just a tad and ended up with most of her legs on the SMD warrior's lap, but she opted against correcting herself. "I don't know what's rattling around your brain this time, but whatever it is—" Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn! The Oracle's mouth widened and, unbefitting a classy lady of high stature, she made no effort to cover the dramatic maw. "—just let it go and RELAX! The battle's over; don't go picking a fight with yourself now! At least give it a day or two!"
The SMD warrior rolled her eyes, scoffing at the inflicted dig. "What makes you so confident I am beating myself up?"
"I said 'picking a fight'! You just added the 'beating' part yourself!" Tongue digging into her left cheek, the Oracle nudged her eyebrows knowingly. Hmm... How much do you wanna bet she's desperately resisting the built-in desire to poke her fellow Leanboxian's nose? "And PLEASE! You can't fool me with such half-hearted lies! You look like you just watched the director's cut of Tamao and the Giant Tomato again."
"... Teh, don't remind me." What an... idiot! They had just served time in an actual REBELLION... and she was already bringing up terrible film edits! So... stupid... which is why it confused the soldier so much about why she felt like grinning. "I forget, did Tamao ever get her flower back? The original version left it ambiguous but, if I'm not mistaken, that crummy re-release seemed to hint that she had never LOST it!"
"Wah, that's what I'VE been asking all over the dark web, but no one has a clue! Still, guess it makes as much sense as the ending to The Coruscating."
"Yes, but The Coruscating is a great horror movie. Tamao and the Giant Tomato isn't really on the same... tier."
"Tell that to my folks!" Playfully pushing her childhood friend, the mint-haired girl took one more look at the slumbering CPU of her dreams... and sighed. "... We always end up talking about movies, don't we? Verty is always 'games this, naked butlers that!' whenever we have downtime... I wonder why I go to films first?"
Cave nodded her head in thought and readied to flex her speaking muscles, but not before finally grabbing the scantily-clad woman's legs and lightly pushing them off her lap. "It makes sense to me: no matter how inseparable you two are, you're both different people. You are terribly-inefficient with a spear, after all; can't be her exact copy in every regard!"
This elicited quite the puffed cheek! If the two hadn't been close since forever, you'd be forgiven for thinking the stylish shooter had crossed a line. "I-I'm not THAT bad with a spear! I just... haven't been GOOD with it yet!" She shook her head, strands of long hair whacking the stoic woman in the face. "But yeah, I hear ya. I just... hmm, don't know sometimes. You think I try too hard to impress her?"
"... Is that a serious question?"
"Is that a... yes?"
As a hearty endeavor at a clever response, Cave shot the Oracle a death glare. That's pretty much the... best she could scrounge up.
"Y-Yipe, okay, okay! But still..." In a rare show, a shine of uncertainty took over the carefree girl's eyes as she looked up. The airship's silver roof reminded her of the tinsel on a Christmas tree. Man, if only it could be that time of year again. "Verty hasn't been her full self lately, I know she hasn't! But, she doesn't open up to me... Does she not trust me? I dunno, I just always feel like... maybe I don't do enough for her. To be a good 'sister'... To make her happy."
What the...?! Little Miss Sty-Lish was gobsmacked! "And you're accusing ME of worrying over everything... You are fine, Chika, trust me. Lady Vert loves you more than... I'd consider healthy. Likewise, I can't think of someone with a bigger heart than you. For better or worse."
"I hope so... I'm just worried that, neh... maybe I'm too, ya know, *different* from her. I'm not what she... thinks I am. Or what she wants me to be."
Where the heck's all this coming from? For the time being, Cave had forgotten all about her own personal demons due to her pal's concerning tone. She... shouldn't be able to talk about herself like this. Chika should be... permanently upbeat, shouldn't she?! How could the redhead turn this around? "Well... Opposites attract, do they not? So what if one person is... heh, crazy, while the other is a bit more mellow... or mature, if you will? Alright, maybe 'laid-back' is a more apt term...?" She is talking about good 'ol Greeny Beany, right? "But honestly, Chika, you two are... pardon my expression, 'peas in a pod'... so I think even 'opposites' is a bit strong."
Had it... worked? The loyal soldier couldn't be sure, but the mint-haired lady at least seemed to be suppressing a giggle. No response, though; these things take time.
Well... maybe it'd be good to cap the whole thing off with a Chika-esque sentence! "... If it helps, we could... talk about video games, before we land of course. Hmm... How about 'Amalgamation Agitation'?"
Buahah, the Oracle's eyes are widening! Cave is quite the sharpshooter; she NEVER misses her mark! "Yipe, ANYTHING but that! I concede, Cavey; you win!"
The two ladies of the Land of Green Pastures chuckled quietly, not wanting to disturb their CPU's rest or Mina's and Histoire's tome-studying or even Almaz's and Rei's private panic attacks.
Huh... Y'know, the soft whirring of the ship was sort of soothing, in a way. Try as she might to resist it, the enervated soldier felt her eyelids growing heavy. Maybe... it would be nice to join... her Lady in sweet slumber... before... the... next... sto—
"... Hey, um, Cavey? What... do you think we'd be talking about if... if..."
W-Woah, huh?! The drowsy redette tried blinking herself back to full alertness, tilting her neck curiously. A built-in habit from dealing with this goofball for years and years and years. "Yes, Chika?"
The Oracle trained her eyes on Lady Green Heart's chest, watching it charmingly rise and fall as she slumbered. "It all happened so fast... V-Verty dropped so... *quickly*... God, I can still see it..."
"..." Uh oh... It wasn't a shock this was coming up, but the SMD warrior just knew that nothing good would come from her normally-cheerful friend going down the ruminating road to madness. Don't need two people doing that. "You're not alone... My mouth never went so dry. Still is..." Gah, how the heck do people comfort their closest companions during times of need?! Dammit, why couldn't Cave have been born with social skills worth a hoot?! "... But she's alive, alright? And nothing's ever going to come close to... taking her again." She could only hope...
Chika scrunched her lips, catching the other woman's words but not quite processing them. "H-Haha, i-it's... kinda funny, y'know? So many movies and games and people will talk about having your life flash before your eyes... but I've never really cared about that kinda stuff before. Not that I don't believe them, but..."
"... Teh, I know what you mean. Hard to imagine being in such a situation."
"Yeah, something-or-other. But, uh... I finally... HAD an experience. Saw my whole life play from the beginning like an old film projector—it was grainy and everything—and suddenly all those stories made sense. I thought it was just a stupid cliche trope, but... heh, guess tropes aren't always bad."
Before Cave could intrude with a question, the Oracle let out a breath as she turned to look at the resting Lady Green Heart.
"But there's one thing those stories don't seem to say. In pretty much all cases I can think of, their lives flashed before their eyes when THEY were in danger. Makes sense, right? But, uh, I relived my entire life when Verty fell and... stopped moving." The redette noticed the scantily-clad professional's hands subtly shivering... and acting out against the shy screaming voice deep inside her own head, she reached out her own pale palms and rested them atop of her dear companion's knuckles. "I guess we technically were all in danger... but I didn't care about that. Heck, I didn't even NOTICE! All I could think about was Verty... never standing up again. And then... I thought about everyone else never... you know. Verty, Fivey, IF... and you. Only one I didn't imagine was myself."
"Chika..."
"Losing... any of you guys would be a fate worse than death. Sure, me dying would suck, no bones about it... but what use is sticking around if everyone I care about isn't so lucky?" A shake of the head. "So, um, not too sure where I'm goin' with all that, but..."
"... You have nothing to fear, Chika." A smile; not the most common sight in the world. "You can count on me, okay? As long as I draw breath—"
"—you'll keep my booty and everyone else's safe. Heh, you're so predictable; always have been... But thanks, Cave. Though don't think I won't be doing the same!"
Wow... Wait, was Cave actually... beaming?! "Teh, I'm holding you to that!" Thus, the stern-and-stoic SMD elite and the carefree-and-wild Oracle of Leanbox giggled like little schoolgirls again... before the long-haired member of the unlikely duo declared the redhead's shoulder her home. Cave had no complaints, save one: she couldn't strike away the awkward nerves that prevented her from wrapping her arm around this woman's waist. Oh well, pseudo-cuddling like this would have to do for now.
... Hey, um, so... Is she actually freakin' HAPPY?! Not... obsessing over Lyrica or moping about how she feels alone? Worried about talks of 'monsters' and 'failures' and just... well, everything I'VE been feeli— er, nothing.
She's... Dear lord, Cave is RELAXED! Well, in her own special way, but that's more than I've ever known was possible!
... Somehow, Chika had done this to her. Geez, is that even possible?! Someone made the stoic enforcer forget about the pop idol of her dreams, as well as enough angst to sink a clown's mood... Never thought I'd live to see the day.
Speaking of people acting oddly...
Back on the 'Nepstation' ship, Compa and Lyrica had both fallen asleep, crowding IF's shoulders in a manner both amazing and uncomfortable, and the battle-hardened veteran decided to close her own eyes to get some good relaxin' done for the time being. Best rest now before she regrets it later!
Noire, likewise, had tipped her head downwards, poorly hiding her own attempts at slumber. Hopefully that allows her to get Uni off her mind for a little bit.
Thus, only two people in this 'important' section of the 'Nepstation' airship were awake... and one was despairingly attempting to get some response, ANY response, out of the other.
"Aidrey... Please talk to me!" Ah, yes, Neptune's still trying to get anything out of the insane scumbag. "Come on, this isn't COOL! Like, just... Hey, answer me, bucko!"
But alas, the twisted brown-haired young man continued looking past the CPU and out the small window, apparently not hearing a single word.
"Aidrey? Aidrey!" The purple-haired ditz stroked her imaginary beard. "... O-ho-ho-kay, I SEE what this is... You want the silent treatment, eh? Wehe-ell, just ask Noire: I'm a PRO at keeping quiet!" Proclaiming those words to live by, Neptune crossed her arms and puffed her cheek... and all sound inside the airship went away like enthusiasm for an over-hyped first-person shooter.
Well... since the scene is muted, might as well use this time to wax philosophical or something. Like, do electric sheeps count robots? Do we have free will, or does free will have us? If a tree falls down in a forest, and no one's around to hear it, how do we know it fell? Oh, and that reminds m—
"BAH! SAY SOMETHING!" W-Wow, that didn't last nearly as long as I expected! Foolish me. "Aidrey, why do you think I'm a bad CPU, HUH?! And how did you get all those people to... ya know, think the same thing?"
"..."
The ditz's cheeks flared red with frustration, like the time a horsebird snuck into the fridge and stole her reserved pudding cup. The jerk. "Why did you do all that... really crummy stuff? Just to... get me? And not even in, like, a perverted way from harem doujins; to teach me... a lesson?"
"..."
"... Did you want to kill me? Nah, I mean, kill US?"
"..."
"*DO* you want to kill me?"
"..."
The troubled goddess, not used to feeling this peeved or perplexed, sighed along with the slumping of her shoulders. Ew, the taste of the exhalation actually reminded her of eggplant; she NEVER wanted to sigh again! "... You know that you... might be goin' to prison for... a long time, don't ya? I don't think Verty-Berty's gonna take too kindly to you blowing her mind like a firecracker."
"..." A blink, but more due to biological necessity than any reactionary display.
"... What if you're locked away for *good*? Like, forever-forever! Why...? Do you really... hate me that much?"
But even then, as Neptune's bottom lip began to quiver, Arfoire's (clone) son ignored her heartfelt intrigue. Whatever answer she was hoping for, she clearly wasn't going to get.
Not today, at least.
...
Vert's face. Vert's transformed face.
Vert's closed eyes, hiding behind pale lids. Vert's mouth, set in a natural soft frown as she slept.
Vert's face. Vert's transformed face.
Histoire couldn't stop staring at Vert's transformed face.
"Morf lacisyhp?" "Lessev a deen tsuj ew won." "Uoy m'i, em er'uoy. Eriotsih, uoy s'ti."
"What are you trying to...?"
".yruf etinifni ,yruf ehT .su fo lla ,reverof depparT ...emot eht ,emot eht ,emot eht ,emot ehT..."
No, it's getting away! Too much interference is disrupting the energy, making it harder to piece together! Concentrate... Concentrate...
"Yruf eht htiw gniwolfrevo er'yeht, yruf eht. Detniat era sesseddog eht lla. Tsrif eht tsuj s'ehs..."
"Who are you? Please, try your best to tell me!"
"...lessev a deen tsuj ew woN !esrevinu nwonk eht tuo gnipiw yletelpmoc morf ti pots nac ew tub ,retsasid siht morf revocer ot yaw on si erehT !deniatnoc eb nac ti ...ebyam neht ,esac eht s'taht fI ...?mrof lacisyhp a ni flesti detsefinam ytitne sihT"
"I-I don't... understand!"
"meht pots meht pots meht pots meht pots meht pots MEHT POTS"
"G-Gh!" P-Pain! S-So much... pain! S-So much... ghastly suffering...
T-Too many voices, all at once! Histoire covered her ears as the sounds intensified, a thousand different people talking, speaking, crying, yelling, SHOUTING, SCREAMING! Screaming for help! Screaming for release!
Screaming... to warn her. To stop her from... joining them. The voices.
"Histoire?" Hmm? The tome fairy felt an uplifting hand upon her tiny shoulder... and she knew right away that it belonged to Mina. Ha, not everyone needs to dramatically turn their heads! But yes, it seems the scholarly Oracle had finally taken a transient break from studying the cheat code book!
The flying girl, perspiration on her forehead giving off the glow of an underwater volcano, half-turned her neck so that her left eye could address her best friend. "Mina..."
"Yes? Histoire, you look most ill! How are you feeli—"
"Mina, once we arrive, I must study the other CPUs at once. I... need to confirm something to myself."
The bespectacled woman bugged out her own left eye. When in doubt, go left. "Con...firm? Is this about the tome?"
"... I fear so."
...
Finally, in the far end of this same airship, the two meek 'prisoners' continued to sit together, separated from the other duos.
"... S-So," Almaz began, watching Cave push Chika's shoulder after the long-haired girl must've told a raunchy joke, "we're... L-Leanbox soldiers now, huh? Do you... think we'll be okay?"
Rei Ryghts, as always, was a shaking alarm clock as she responded. "IIIIII... don't know... b-but, i-it's... I-It has to be better than... w-well, you know, rrrrrrright?"
"H-Haha...ha... Y-Yeah, I-I think so too! W-Well, I hope so, at least..."
"..."
"..."
"...H-Hey, Almaz?"
"Y-Yes, Rei?"
"I... I..." The former rebel closed her eyes tight... and her fingers gripped the bench like she was preparing to launch to an orbiting space station. "I-I'm afraid of flying!"
"E-Eh?! W-Woah! I-If you admit that, I'll... be afraid too!"
... Yeah, I have as much words as you do. Good luck, Lady Vert...
Nah, who am I kidding: Cave and Chika will be the ones in charge of their training, I'm sure of it! These two are *their* problem!
Time passed, and time passed again... until finally, as afternoon left its apex behind, Lowee's Basilicom sat within eyesight on the horizon! Sure, the fog was... problematic when it came to landing so many airships, most of which contained faceless, nameless soldiers, but that's weather for you. Oh yeah, and the CPUs' bodyguards exist too, who... strangely did not travel with the goddesses directly, but then again, there's only so much 'guarding' you can do miles in the sky.
A collection of dirty snow twirled about as the ships touched ground, and with a WHOOSH and a THUD... the doors opened, allowing all who dwelled within to take in the cool crisp wintry air! Well, technically it's Spring, but Lowee is as wintry as it gets.
The first people to dash out were the Oracles, followed by the CPUs themselves! Must've coordinated that when we weren't looking or something. Slowly, hundreds of people filed out, seeking to rendezvous now that their next mission was a visual goal rather than a mental one.
Neptune still felt like frowning, but she put on her best exaggerated ditz grin as she waved for her Oracle friend. Maybe... Maybe acting as 'overly-Nep' as possible would... get this negativity out of her head. "... Yo, Histy, hey! You didn't get airsick again, did you? I worry 'bout ya, girl!"
The tome jerked towards the familiar voice, and immediately flew over with a bit more zest than typical. "I never get airsick, Neptune," she zinged out on pure instinct, before placing her warm hand on the purple-haired girl's forehead. Neptune just smiled blankly, a bit confused on why she was being treated like a cat... but ultimately not minding the gesture. "Ah... S-Sorry, I was just... c-checking your temperature. It would be remiss of me to neglect my CPU's health, even in the most trying of times!" Hmm... It's never pretty when she tries to lie.
"Daw, thanks Histy! Should I check yours too?"
"That will be unnecessary, but thank you regardless Neptune! Now if you'll excuse me... where is Noire? If there is even a slight chance we will face another combat encounter, I must check with her and Blanc as well."
"Oh, uh—" The ditz stuck her thumb in her mouth, hummed, aaaaaaaaaaaand POPPED it back out! "—over there! Talking to Kei-Bae! Maybe stroke her twintails for me, would ya? She's major tense over our l'il sisses. Me, though? N-Nope, nadda worry in me!" Crap, now that she thinks about it, Nepgear's in danger... and most likely because of whatever Adrian was accusing the CPUs of! He claimed Neptune was a bad goddess, and HDD was wasted on her... and now her own little sis was paying the price. N-No... "N-Nep Jr. is... fine, I, um, know it! Uh, yeah!"
Histoire, in a recurring theme today, didn't quite catch the silent cry for help, and instead nodded before hovering off to her next destination.
"Um, see ya Histy!" Neptune waved... before turning back for one last sneak peak of the 'Nepstation' airship, where already a few ground troops were boarding to lift off and zoom straight to Leanbox. All but Adrian had exited the vessel... and Leanbox was where he would stay. For good. "... Couldn't we, like, have been friends, Aidrey? Why'd ya have to go and... be all evil? I'm not so bad... am I?" And so, the CPU who routinely had nothing on her ingenuous mind... suddenly felt the burden of the world—one she had habitually treated as virtually weightless—fall squarely on her shoulders.
...
The black-haired tsundere clawed through the army crowd, standing on her tip-toes and holding her hand flat above her eyes; anything to get a better look at the woman she was looking for. "Darn it, so many people... H-Hey, watch the hands, buddy!" Strangers, strangers, that Nat Hail girl, the meek boy who looks like that Adrian creep, guards, sentries... "Aha, found you! Kei!"
The boyish Oracle, separated from her secret lover and, fittingly enough, currently searching for her CPU instantly located the voice's origin. "Ah, there you are," was her simple stoic response.
The twintailed chick squeezed through one last group of sweaty men and shot her close business partner an acknowledging nod. She opted against making any small talk and, possibly for us readers' convenience, instead jumped straight into the serious matters. "So what's the plan, Kei? I refuse to let Uni and the others stay with these creeps for even a second longer!"
The short-haired woman nodded so subtly, you'd be excused for not... noticing... Hmm, I'm sorry, but have I said this before at any point? Am I repeating myse— "Well, it'll be more than a second, but I'm not planning to leave them waiting much longer."
"So how do we proceed?"
"I've given it some considerable thought—" Meaning she was too busy looking at and thinking about Blanc the whole time on the airship to think of anything to help the terrorist situation. "—and I believe that it would be in our best interests..."
"Yes...?"
"... to storm the Basilicom head-on."
Noire's facial expression SCREAMED 'Eh?'. "Eh?" He shoots, he scores!
Kei pulled out her 'work' phone and opened up her messages, taking the goddess's confusion in stride. "We have not received any demands from the assailants inside. Indeed, we only caught on to any suspicious activity at all ironically because we've heard NOTHING. Furthermore, Sneak was not compromised... in the conventional sense, at least. These may be terrorists... but that doesn't mean they're strategical masterminds. They may not even be expecting us; as far as we know, they may think we're still on the mountain."
"Heh... It almost sounds like you're getting cocky, Kei."
"Perhaps a tad bit..." See, only she can snark without changing her visible demeanor.
But there was still something... important that needed to be discussed before the main cast could 'storm the Basilicom head-on'. Lady Black Heart, remembering her 'encounters' just seconds ago, jabbed her thumb towards one throng of random bobs. "What about all the troops? I honestly didn't think there'd be... so many soldiers here; I thought we sent them all to check in with the other Basilicoms? Things will get crowded fast... and most of us work better alone." Well, in parties of three or four, but you get the gist.
Lastation's government figurehead opened her mou— "Noire, great to see you!" Histoire?! Hey, don't interrupt m— "You look as ready and able as ever, so I know this mission will be a great success!" The tome fairy, smiling up a storm, snatched the surprised Noire's right hand and shook vigorously. The... size difference made the 'shaking' resemble a tiny gentle wind more than anything, but she'd be damned if she wasn't putting all her energy into it! No, wait, Histy's USING her energy to... scan the CPU's? "... Alright, must check in with Blanc next! Best of luck, we're all counting on your tremendous skills!" Uhhh, there she goes, just like that.
"..." The tsundere's mouth slowly fell open to one side, not too sure what just happened. Should she be... concerned? Alarmed? Hell, should she feel SAFER now? She had no idea what to think... so enough of that! Back to the mission! "... Anyway."
Phew, at least Kei's blank face charade sort of cracked; she probably doesn't even realize her right eyebrow is arched! "... Yes... A lot of troops have gone to the other three Basilicoms, but the rest are here more as an... insurance policy, if you will. They will surround the Basilicom on all sides... but from a safe distance. While a few will follow us the whole way, it will be up to our... 'usual suspects' to handle the situation inside... From there, it's business as usual, correct? You all handled ASIC, you can handle this. With exceptional ease, I predict."
"Hmph, alright. Maybe it's because I've been locked in a metal tomb with Neptune for hours, but that sounds like a decent-enough plan."
Our CPUs, everyone: settling for 'decent-enough' instead of using their otherworldly strength to actively change the world for the better! Haha... Wait, what were those Yellow Bandanas fighting for again?
Either way, as Planeptune's Oracle gave herself some bad news while talking to Lady White Heart in the background, Lastation's gave some possible bad news to the entire cast! "Well, in that case, why waste time?..." Kei began, before clearing her throat. Then, at the top of her lungs, she shouted "EVERYONE! Form up... and MOVE OUT!"
...
The way through the fog was... eerily quiet, with not even a creature or monster spawn scurrying by. Our heroines, the Bodyguards, and a decent-sized squad of other individuals marched forward, but no one said much of anything. The scene resembled the trek down the mountainside earlier in the day... only this time, things were much more uncertain yet not as... hmm, nerve-wracking. Perhaps it really was hubris, but no one seemed too concerned for the CPU Candidates' safety.
"These shittin' assholes are going to pay!" Well, Blanc's still none-too thrilled...
Behind the foul-mouthed goddess, Mina and Histoire followed closely behind... and the tome fairy looked like she just finished a game with a story so pretentious and nonsensical, she'd rather play a glitchy one about a poorly-rendered motorcycle-riding murderer.
The scholarly Oracle, 'Crucial Codes' in a sack tied to her waist, couldn't stay in the dark any longer! "Histoire, what did you... find? Have you figured out anything?"
"..." Oh boy, this is gonna hurt... Okay, now I'm DEFINITELY repeating myself! What now, something's going to interrupt the tiny woman before she can give us all a definitive answer? "Mina, I have reason to believe tha—"
"-lp!" N-Neh?!
An echoing voice reached our dear main characters' ears... and here is where you're probably thinking that I'm about to waste more of your time by saying how everyone looked around in confusion, the voice resounded again, more hysteria, yadda yadda...
... Well, I already did that technically, but no! For you see... the screamer in question was freakin' SPRINTING towards the mob, so they didn't have long to wait at all!
"H-HELP! F-Fiends... in the Basilicom!"
IF and Chika were the first two whose ears perked up once the words became clear. They... recognized the voice; a voice that could only ever enrage them for the rest of time.
Hummmm... and oddly enough, Compa, too, seemed to somewhat recognize the voice... but she couldn't quite piece it together. Just like earlier while speaking with her childhood friend, something about the vocal octaves filled her with unease. Almost as if something in the back of her head was trying to... warn her. Something in her head that was whacked into a misshapen form, never to be remembered easily again. Something like a karate chop to the neck. Compa's neck.
Jade's karate chop.
Jade. Jade was running for the group, screaming bloody murder. A scraped up, bruised, panting Jade.
"I-It's terrible! Th-They got the Candidates locked in one of White Heart's rooms! All my men left me, a-and I barely made it out alive... P-Please, we have to stop them!"