voidtreckerexpress | Open - Egret and Fiddlesticks catchall

Entry tags:

Open - Egret and Fiddlesticks catchall

Who: Lightning and YOU
Where: 1. Dining Car | 2. Dressing Car | 3. Gym Car | 4. Wildcard
When: Egret + Fiddlesticks (backdating fine, she was on autopilot for most of Egret)
What: 1. colouring books and chill | 2. light fails at makeup | 3. know what this train needs? a 10' magical robot | 4. wildcard
Warnings: N/A

1. colouring books and chill
[ The long table of the dining car is often cluttered with half-finished projects, bowls of snacks, forgotten mugs of coffee... And, sometimes, Light, and whatever she's picked to occupy her free time today. It took her a few months to realise that training and sleeping and training some more was a stupid use of her time - or rather, a few months and a day where she's pretty sure she passed out on more than one person, even if everyone involved is either too polite or too intimidated to mention it.

The point is, she still feels a little silly tucked against the table, her 'colouring book for adults' quote unquote open to a meadow of unfamiliar wildflowers. It's not something she's done since... she doesn't actually remember when she had the time to do something as pointless as colouring. When she was four, maybe, before her parents would let her help with Serah and she had nothing better to do.

So it's with some self-consciousness that she squints down at the pencils that came with it, trying to work out which colour she should start with. ]

2. light fails at makeup
This month was apparently the month for catching up with things that she never had the time or the motivation to look into before now, because when Lightning woke up and, stretching, remembered that the gym was booked up today for some kind of informal (but deeply meaningful) sports tournament involving webshooters, she only cast around for a minute or so before the unassuming tote bag caught her eye.

She'd bought it as an experiment, really. Thea and Misa had reminded her that it was probably going to come up sooner or later; they couldn't rely on missions having a convenient 'kill 'em all' section for Red team every time. Eventually, they were going to have something with a social aspect. Plus, the fact that it was something she didn't know how to do rankled a bit.

Easy to fix, though.

Or, easy in theory. Fifteen minutes later, she and a spider were perfectly amiably ignoring each other on opposite sides of the dressing carriage, and she had a layer of red nail varnish drying on one hand. One nail was already smudged, and her SCA now had a fetching smear of red along one corner.

"How long's this meant to take?"

3. know what this train needs? a 10' magical robot
[ She's picked a relatively quiet time of day for this, and the furthest section of the gym. See, watching the shades gather in the sky made her realise, amongst other things, that she'd let herself get complacent. The missions were challenging, but she didn't think she'd ever felt inadequate, or ill-equipped. Until that moment, that is, when suddenly having the service of a mystical being gifted unto her by the goddess Etro would have been useful.

The thing is, Lightning genuinely isn't sure how the Eidolons work, theologically and physically speaking. A l'Cie has a crisis of faith, and the goddess sends them from the world beyond, right? But, is the world beyond a real place, or just a hokey explanation for a phenomenon fueled by fal'Cie smoke and mirrors? Does the Eidolon live within the l'Cie? The glowing crystal rose that glimmers and sparks in her hand, that until seconds ago was a nebulous feeling of warmth in her chest, indicates yes. (A small part of her, cynical and afraid, wonders how much it will hurt, if she calls and he doesn't answer.)

(That part is crushed down remorselessly.)

Nothing for it. She's cleared the area, warned people that she's going to try something and she'll answer questions afterwards. The crystal goes spinning into the air, and as it begins to fall back down, she jumps up and smashes it with one blow of her knife. No shards fall - they explode outwards into a blinding circle of pink magic. By grace of Etro, let thunder herald your arrival. Come forth, sunderer of falsehood, spins around one petal-like section, and, A name in blood, a pact of truth. Odin shall rise, his bond eternal and unyielding spins widdershins against it. ]

Come forth, Odin!

[ There's a moment of stillness, as she catches her breath and stomps down further on the fear, and then the circle is a flower, spiralling upwards, and the end of the gym car is suddenly filled with both deep pink rose petals, and a robot, armour still gleaming with the residual power of the summoning. He drops to one knee, knightly, and still towers over Lightning.

She exhales, shakily, and gives the 'all clear' signal to the rest of the carriage. And brushes the petals out of her hair. ]

Long time, no see, big guy.

4. wildcard

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She hums back, not taking offence. She does, however, think it over before replying. Her silence is punctuated by soft beeps as she absently scrolls through the VR menu with one gloved hand over and over. ]

Back at the start, we were all struggling to work out what was going on. So when Tony decided we needed organisation, it was a step forward. Something we could control. It's based on... how his world works. I think he was some kind of authority figure, or celebrity. Someone who everyone recognised, no questions asked. Here, he's just one more guy, and I don't think he knew what to do with that.

[ She shrugs, finally, and reaches out to snag Tidus a headset and control glove. ] I hope they'll open it up. But that's up to them, and if they keep it closed I guess we just do what we want and leave 'em to it.

We'll just start our own council, [ he proposes jovially, a single beat all it takes for the joke to come in a short laugh, the ends of a smile pushing into his cheeks. Tidus takes both pieces of the gaming set once Light offers them, looking at each with an interest that excludes any bewilderment. There's fondness even, turning over the glove and headset, slipping on the former.

Just like home. ]

What do you want to do? In or out a council. Anything? You think there's anything we could be focusing on while we're stuck here?

[ It's a vague question, one asked airily, but Tidus is curious all the same. Just sit and play games? Read? Start a programme? There's plenty he doesn't know about Lightning and how her mind works, and he wants to know.

He tests the functions of his own glove, fingers twitching, the control of the menu switching over to him. Ah, there we go. ]

[ That suggestion gets a wry laugh out of her, once she's looked up to confirm that he's joking.

She passes control of the menu over to his set, the cursor currently blinking on Knight Quest, a little 2P beside it. ]

I don't have a cut-and-dry answer to that. ... I guess, no one likes to feel powerless, or like they can't control where they're going... But hell if I know how to get power back into our hands. Last train I was forced to ride, I derailed it.

[ He gives the glove another whirl, taking his cursor down to the same game. Headset settled onto his bed of hair, but the blindness from the real world doesn't stop him from nudging his head towards her, slightly. ]

Literally?

[ Tidus waits for her to select the game before doing the same and getting it started. ]

Very literally.

[ She settles her 'set over her eyes, and as it boots up, Tidus appears again beside her as a floating 1P icon. But, it's 'looking' at her, so her own icon bobs up and down in relation to the tilt of her head in reality. ]

No missile launchers lying around here, more's the pity.

Hah! That doesn't sound safe.

[ Not under that context. Tidus toggles his icon, wiggling from left to right in place, a scoff escaping under his breath. ]

These are some old graphics. [ But the mechanics are plenty the same that after a moment, a sword poofs into existence to hover by him. He gives a tilt of his wrist, watching as the sword complies with the motion. ]

What were you even doing? Was someone after you?

I wasn't going for safe. They were taking my sister.

[ A loading bar pops up, and they're facing their individual character design screen. CHOOSE YOUR APPEARANCE, it cheerily commands them. SELECT PLAYER ONE? She begins to flick through the options. ]

You wanna be the hero?

[ Sister snatching! That's no good. But the character screen stops him from asking anything more, the question presented to him.

Well, is there any doubt of what he'd pick? ]

I'm no amateur, [ he scoffs. ] I can handle it!

...

Do I design my character first, then select Player One?

[ Basic game questions do not speak against how much he is going to own this game. ]

I'll do that bit, you design your character. Just make it like you, or it's gonna feel weird when you move.

[ She hits 2P and picks one of the other roles without a qualm, a Princess with a giant crossbow and balanced magic. It's a role she's seen other trekkers play to great effect, and she's interested in how it translates. Her character she just picks quickly, a hair colour and body shape similar to hers. She flicks through outfits, and eventually just hits random when she hears his menu ping. ]

[ Alright then, no problem with him. Tidus goes for a sword, 'cause why not go with what he's familiar, blond hair and the stylish kind of fantasy protag that'd be on the front cover of any JRPG. Stats in the speed and physical, leaving his magic lousy, but who cares if he's focusing on attack? ]

You get your sister back? [ He asks as he does this, deciding last to put in his name. ]

We found her, yeah. Then she turned to crystal. It's a long story.

[ She just enters her own name, and loads in. Tidus... looks like Tidus. Or, no, he looks like Tidus trying to dress himself up as the Warrior of Light. She blinks at him, bemused, but the eye movement doesn't carry through to her avatar. ]

[ Long story. Got it. ...well, he can't exactly say he's eager to talk about his own family, either.

But please, like she's going to get away saying nothing when they load in. Tidus's avatar swings his head around to take in the environment, but then zones in on Lightning when he sees her, testing the controls to walk his character toward her. ]

You look ready to kick butt and have a fancy night out! [ And saying that, he turns his avatar impossibly on the spot. ]

How about me? I look like a guy who's gonna save the world?

You look like you're about to call me something old-fashioned and then order me to stay behind you. [ Some of the Cosmos warriors had Ideas. ] So, yeah. I guess you look like a guy who's gonna save the world.

[ Her avatar looks down as she goes through a quick load/reload tutorial for the crossbow, motions not quite overlapping with the animated mechanisms. ]

Get moving, hero.

Okay, okay. Just stick behind me!

[ Because of course he had to.

No matter how Tidus might be pushing his luck, he leads the way into the main chamber from the corridor they've loaded into, a long walk along a strawberry red carpet to stand before the king's throne. The story is thus: The queen and their daughter have been put into a deep sleep by an evil wizard, and they must help find the cure, and capture the once loyal subject of the kingdom.

Tidus fiddles with his avatar the entire time, checking out his inventory and what motion does what. He can take out his sword to no reaction by the king or his guards, but he isn't so twitchy to start wandering, toying with the NPCs or anything like that. But luckily, the king's orders are brief, and the way forward is presented by a magical mirror portal, a constant spiral twisting in its centre. A woman stands beside it in flowing robes, eyes closed, the picture of grace.

But whatever she had to say Tidus skips when reaching out to poke the portal like a kid might a jelly, sending him into the next loading screen.

He finds himself at the entrance of a dark wood, behind him a rocky beach that leads into a turbulent sea. Waiting for Lightning, he's slashing his sword in the varied ways it allows, and even once she appears. ]

So, you know how long this game is?

[ *slash slash, slash, slash slash, slash* ]

[ The fact that he doesn't immediately get a crossbow bolt to the back is a testament to their burgeoning friendship. She still scoffs, though, and files into the throne room behind him.

She's a little less restrained, having already tried the game out and heard the opening narration. Behind one of the guards is a vase that she remembers holds some kind of potion, so she's standing in a circle of pottery shards when Tidus touches the portal and yanks them both through.

The moment it takes her to get her bearings is long enough for him to complete several more slashes. At least heavy training with a grav-con means motion sickness doesn't really apply any more. ]

Dunno. I think some of the kids finished it the week we got the carriage... if that tells you anything.

[ When they don't immediately start moving, a bright yellow arrow starts to flash further down the path. She ignores it. ]

Yeah? Alright, [ he says, just as the yellow arrow appears. He huffs. ]

Yeesh, gimme time to breath, game!

[ But for that complaint, Tidus swings his avatar into following its direction, each side of the path a tangle of overgrowth for a short walk and trees that loom up high. It doesn't stop the spattering of rain that creeps in through the gaps of the canopies. Sometimes, it hits them with an effect closer to wearing a visor, but it's too far and few inbetween to be a detriment in their gameplay.

They come soon upon a split in the path: continuing up ahead where the trees seem to thicken (deeper into the wood), or down to the side, which slopes into a quiet and an unhinting path (right into a swamp).

But there's also a pocket to the left of them, hiding another item that Tidus isn't bothering to pick out with his eyes on the bigger prizes. He inches towards the sloping slabbed ground. ]

Oh hey. Bet there's something interesting down this way.

[ She lopes after him, or rather, tilts herself into a relatively fast movement in the indicated direction, to make her avatar do the loping. The last time, she headed up into the deep woods, and had managed about three encounters with goblins and feral, red-eyed animals before she'd gotten bored and ended her game session.

So the slope down to the swamp is fine with her, is what she's saying. ]

Can't stick behind you if you don't keep moving.

[ It's almost an agreement. ]

Less talking, more walking? Where's your sense of immersion.

[ But with that playful sass, Tidus is running -- his avatar that is, the sloping pathway curving round and making it hard to see where it leads until they make the final turn. ]

Woh-oh!

[ --or, at least Lightning will know that someone's run straight into danger by his need to verbalise, the sounds of loud wet smacking what she'll hear before she sees his character in the midst of slashing toad monsters. He's doing fine with those in front of him, but for those that haven't approached, they have a long distance range attack in the form of their tongue.

In the background, the swamp and its derelict bridges and future jumping puzzles sit, a heavy fog creeping in close. ]

[ His avatar gets further away, but he's standing right next to her, so she hears his yelp loud and clear. The sounds the sword makes when striking the frog are, she knows with excruciating experience fighting frogs, inaccurate.

Fortunately, the character she picked doesn't seem to care about petty things like 'range to target', because a reticule opens up on several of the more distant frogs.

The sounds crossbow bolts make are also inaccurate. ]

Fine, let's talk. What would you change around here?

Huh?

[ A frog flops onto its back as it goes down, fading after a few seconds before its brother joins it. ]

Me? What-- [ a scoff ] --like, the whole train? How we do things?

[ Tidus may have lost a few unnecessary hit points, but the frogs go down easy enough. ]

Gonna need more details than that to convince anyone.

[ She squints at the list of spells that pops up in the right-hand side of her vision, and selects one labelled Iron Wall. A basic magic circle in bright orange appears over herself and Tidus, and a small shield hologram of the same colour begins to rotate slowly over his head. Along with the small text DEF UP!.

Huh, less flashy than she expected. Underwhelmed, she goes back to firing her crossbow. ]

[ The slash of a sword. ] Sorry, didn't know I just got appointed leader!

[ There's one more monster there, which Tidus leaves for Lightning to get. Too distant for him to bother with, and they might as well get it with her long range. There's monsters that can still be seen in the swamp land, but too far for any bolts to reach.

And Tidus needs a second to think with the question posed, muttering once the immediate danger is over with: ] Let me think...

[ What does he know? ]

Well, I'd get everyone to come together and talk about what we think's important, first. See what other people think so we don't miss anything. We put together anything we find out about the train and its operation, and we try... putting together schedules, too. For when people can do things--you know, like Tobias's Fight Club, or any other activities people wanna run!

[ Basically: ] I'd get some clocks!

[ The lack of time awareness has been on his mind... ]

That a good start?

[ She nails it with a shooting ability that causes sparkles to dance around her avatar for a good few seconds. Waves the green and yellow flashes away irritably. Catches up. ]

You're the hero, aren't you? [ letting him think, she opens up her inventory to distract herself. Flicks around uselessly for a few seconds. ]

You gonna have one of those get-togethers every two weeks when we get twenty more people?

[ She's not asking in a confrontational manner, her frustration is directed to something beyond him. After all, she's used to having no clue what time it is from two different worlds, now. The rotating roster, however. ] That said, I like the idea of schedules. Unless you're setting something straight after you wake up or the second the windows go black, there's not much to go on.

What else?

[ This is pushing his brain, especially in the middle of the game. Which he isn't going to continue moving forward if he has to think about suddenly being Tony Stark, here. Though he does twitch his avatar in movement, going, with Tidus himself 'uhhh' under his breath a little. ]

What about...a meeting once a month? After the second lot of people have come on board. [ Ah- ] Near the end, once the second lot are settled! Once we start getting ideas, we wanna explore them, right? A meeting every two weeks... are we gonna need them so soon?

[ What else, what else? ]

We wanna do something to protect people on missions too, right? So... that's another area we can tackle. We don't know what the details will be 'till the day, but there's a pattern, isn't there? So we can, uh...

[ Thinking...hard...! ]

So, meetings once a month, with everyone involved who wants to be. Hard, but doable.

[ She starts walking, though the distance begins to stretch and a warning appears, ordering her to decrease her distance with player one. A glance back. ]

You mean like 'more healers', or 'better equipment', or what? [ She hums. ] I got a list of everyone's specialty a few months ago, in case something came up on a mission we needed something weird for. Might be time to update it.

Open - Egret and Fiddlesticks catchall

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