2748/In The Aftermath: A Girl's Heart Needs Fixing

In The Aftermath: A Girl's Heart Needs Fixing
Date of Scene:	06 August 2015
Location:	Ar Tonelico
Synopsis:	Another Dive. But something's not quite fixed yet.
Cast of Characters:	253, 415, Riva Banari, Reiji Arisu, 707, 757

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Misha (757) has posed:
    By now the Dive Shop is probably a familiar setting for this particular crew, save Kazusa. But the attendants have everything ready and set up for a multiple party Dive into one Reyvateil- something they still kind of goggle at a bit, but don't question anymore when it comes to a Beta Type like Misha.
    She's already here of course, in a much more casual outfit of light purple robes, rather than her black dress as she waits for everyone to arrive, seated on the edge of her pod.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Yo Misha. You have summoned and I have answered," Psyber says in a casual tone. He was polite enough to snuff out his cigarette outside the Dive Shop and toss it in a trash can, "I could use the distraction, anyway," He adds, thinking about the latest reason he hasn't wanted to be around the office as much after Monday.m He smiles at the Reyvateil and gives her faint wave.

    "Here's hoping we can fix some stuff, maybe get you a new song."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Up until she walks into the Dive Shop, Xiaomu's attention appears to be roughly divided between paying attention to where she's going ... and her Nintendo 3DS.

Fortunately, the first of those is getting enough attention that she stops and closes her game system before stepping inside. "Hey Misha, hi Psyber!" the sage fox greets those who arrived before her - and she's lingering to hold the door open for whomever was behind her. "So, any idea if we'll hit any particular points of interest this time out?"

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Another day, another dive. Reiji doesn't like leaving business unfinished, especially considering this business is someone else's psyche. He strolls in not long after Psyber's arrival, dressed as he always is, with the minor absence of his usual assortment of weapons. "Hey," he nods to the Reyvateil, "I heard there was going to be another one of these trips. Figured we should probably come help."

Also because having all these people show up in her head might give Hama fits.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    The 'everything' that is 'ready and set up' seems to have attracted a tourist. "Hooooo... what's /this/?"

    With her usual purse over her shoulder, Kazusa is flitting from this screen to that device to the other pod, harassing the attendants and poking and prodding and inspecting anything she can get away with.

    At least until she spots the fox with the gaming system. Then Xiaomu has a sudden audience. "Ooooh, what're you playing?"

Riva Banari has posed:
"Miisha!" Riva calls as she rushes into the Dive Shop. At the moment she's munching on a lollipop, and she offers Misha her pick from a handful of candy like usual. It's like nothing's changed with Riva. "So, we're going to jump right in again, huh?" She asks. "I hope everything works out this time too! I'm looking forward to meeting that little cutie cat again. We're going to see her again, right?"

Misha (757) has posed:
    This looks like everyone that's going to show up. All familiar faces, and people Misha is fairly certain she can trust, earning something of a sheepish smile from the dark-haired Reyvateil. The poor attendants are trying their best to explain things to Kazusa in as layman a way they can, but the best decision in the end is usually a 'see for yourself when you get in there'. Because Misha is already swinging her legs into her pod. "Mm, thanks for coming. This is ah... Mostly just a check up. I want you guys to make sure everything is alright in there." She answers Psyber and Reiji rather honestly. "Anything else is kind of just a bonus."
    "And yes, you'll probably see Hama." Added as an afterthought with a small giggle.
    So right about now everyone should be getting into their pods, the last checks are performed, and then the massive machines hiss closed, enveloping each person in darkness. It lasts for maybe a moment before bright characters in Hymmnos float through the blackness, streaming along in a cascade of code, before everyone is set standing in the center of Stone Henge. Aptly named due to its sanding circle of cut stone in myriad shapes and sizes.
    Njorun Station is visible slightly in the distance, much more lit than last time, but the lighting is still dim, not enough to reach the upper branches though, where the monstrous silhouette of something massive and menacing looms down, peering down right at the group with a baleful blue eye, until--
    "WHY ARE THERE FIVE OF YOU AGAIN?!"
    For those who don't know her, Hama is a catgirl. A tiny catgirl hugging onto a floating ocarina, flashing her fangs, hackles up as she shakes a fist.
    "HAVEN'T YOU NUTJOBS DONE ENOUGH TROMPING AROUND ALREADY?!"
    Cute as a button.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Reiji may not have brought his weapon rack, but Xiaomu DOES have her staff like usual. "Just practicing Pac-Man," she grins to Kazusa. "Wonder if I ought to plug it in to recharge while we're Diving ..." She looks to Misha, then to one of the Dive Shop attendants. "There an outlet I can borrow to do that? I brought my adapter cord, just need to plug it in for a couple hours. I can pay for using power, too, if that helps?" The status LED *is* red rather than blue, albeit solid rather than blinking. For now.

If the answer on charging her 3DS is 'no,' Xiaomu just flips the system back open (and if Kazusa is fast enough to look, she'd see Xiaomu's making good progress - up to one of the stages with a Galaxian ship for a 'bonus fruit,' at least - before the sage fox exits out of the game, trusting the autosave to record her progress. And either way, once Xiaomu's dealt with her game system, she settles into one of the 'guest' pods, leaning her staff against the wall next to the pod so that it won't abruptly fall over while we're in the middle of Diving. (Or, if laying it on the floor is better for that, that's what she does.)

And on the inside of the Dive, Xiaomu grins ruefully at Hama. "Well, if we HAD finished, Misha wouldn't have asked us to come back, would she?" She checks her pockets, trying to will a can of tuna into her inventory so she can give the catgirl something to mollify her.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Pac-Man has an autosave? That's... a thing.

    This is still only the second time Reiji's ever been in a Dive Pod, and it's... Still a very, very odd sensation. It fades soon enough, though, and Reiji emerges into Misha's mental world alongside all the others. He stares up, briefly, at the massive shadow looming like some kind of squatting gargoyle on the very top of Njorun Station. He makes a low, curious noise at its lone, baleful eye when...

A HAMA HAS APPEARED.

HAMA IS FREAKING OUT. It's about what Reiji expected.

    "Hello again, Hama," The exorcist says, perhaps unwisely reaching a hand out to pat the ocarina-cat's head. If he gets bitten, that's okay! His hands are crazy calloused from all that swordplay anyway. "I see you're as high-strung as ever. This is mostly just a check-up though. Has there been any significant changes since we were here last, aside from the power coming back online?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Okay, so Hama. Hama. I understand you're upset. But, if you'll let me offer a serious and responsible counterpoin to you," Psyber notes to her as he holds up a hand defensively to Hama as if saying 'Wait just a second'. He takes a small steel cylinder about the size of a bullet out of his coat.

    When he squeezes said cylinder, a small red dot appears on the ground below and in front of where Hama is floating, "What's that? What's that, Hama? Hey... hey what's that. You should get it."

Riva Banari has posed:
LOAD ON UP.

"Mmmmm, cherry flavor-" ZORT.

Riva doesn't seem to be paying attention to the massive Inevitable Huge Boss fight up on the tree, instead looking around at the Stonehenge intently, as if looking for something. Or someone.

And then when Hama appears, Riva claps her hands, managing to refrain from squealing at the cuteness. "You know we wouldn't be here if Misha didn't want us to~" Riva replies to Hama. From her coat, she withdraws a little duckie plushie. It has a tophat and monocle. "I brought you a gift, Hama! Here, meet Mr. Ducksworth McQuackington the Third, Esquire."

She squeezes the duck, it makes squeaky noises.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    It's like a virtual reality trip! A trip into Misha's subconscious, apparently.

    "...Why does Misha have Njorun Station in her subconscious? ...wait, have we been going there all this time and I just didn't know?! Is Misha secretly the Goddess of Njorun and we've all got our base inside her mind because it's the last place anyone would look and the Confederacy will have no idea? Oh my gosh, this is amazing, I-"

    Catgirl.

    "..."

    /Tiny catgirl/.

    "...It's..."

    Lunge.

    "It's so /CUTE/! Oh my gosh, come here, you're adorable, I need to hug youuuuuu! I have never seen you before and I don't know anything about tromping around but oh my gosh if you let me hug you I'll stay right here and not do any tromping around anywhere!"

Misha (757) has posed:
    High strung? Reiji gets an immediate Evil Eye, but he has a valid question, so the feline Mind Guardian scoffs, "For your information, installing that Hymnn Crystal was -COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY JARRING-." Snapped testily, but then between Psyber, Riva, and Kazusa, she has her tiny hands very very full.
    There's an instant, a brief, struggling, instant where she looks like she really wants to go after the laser dot, and she nearly does. It takes a concerted effort of will to not lunge at it, as she squarely locks gaze with the Half-Angel.
    "... I hate you more than that blonde boy bimbo that used to come here."
    It is only because Riva distracts her with the plushie that Kazusa actually gets hands on her; earning, at first a completely baffled stare at the plush, before squeals. Flailing and mewling, and then--
    HAMF!
    Tiny fangs on schoolgirl thumb.
    Fast forward five minutes, Hama is floating on her ocarina, looking completely casual in the very same manner as a cat that was just completely and thoroughly embarassed and wholly pretending it never happened.
    "H-HMPH. If you're going to look around then get on with it, just don't BREAK anything."

    In an instant the world is in a top-down view, displaying everything like a world map in an RPG-game, with places of note labelled and hilited.

    *Misha's Apartment
    *Local Bar: The Sad Song
    *&@$@&#QQQ?

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber grins at Hama, "No you don't," He says defiantly as he starts to walking around. His first direction to look is obvious: Up. He wants to check for that monster he saw before, because that thing was worrying and it had to be investigated.

    After that, and assuming it returns no results, Psyber will consider heading towards '&@$@&#QQQ?', which seems like an obvious place to investigate. Or a location they had Hama name on accident with a keyboard.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Sobsob. Kazusa's poor thumb. T_T

    There is probably some rather comical bandaging wrapped around the nerdy girl's thumb now, and the look she gives Hama is a completely pitiful 'y u do dis'.

    But now they have to decide where to go! "Ooh, I don't know where that garbled place is, but I have a good feeling about it! Let's go there."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Probably bettter not go to the garbled place until we've had a chance to explore the other areas," Xiaomu remarks as she gives up digging for tuna. (She'll just have to bring something for real next time.) "That kind of garbage data usually means *really* bad things - anything from impossible boss fights to terminal data corruption, and I do NOT want to see what happens to Misha's head if we screw up the save data ..."

Yes, she is apparently assuming that there's at least something akin to saved games here. Not that she intends to find out by trying to reload from a prior save; she isn't THAT entrenched in viewing the world as an RPG. Even this one.

"We should go to the bar first," the sage fox suggests. "Bars are always a good place to go for information, and we *did* get some useful tips there the last time, didn't we Reiji? If nothing else, we could probably figure out what that third spot is, if only by process of elimination."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
How did Reiji become the least offensive-to-cats in this entire bunch!? IT'S A MYSTERY.

Or maybe it's because he's not tossing cat toys at her like it was going out of style.

    "Seems as though she made it through better for it, though," the exorcist says with a shrug. "Misha seemed pretty glad to be back at her proper age," which he can't really blame her for at all. He'd be miffed too, if he was stuck at like... twelve.

But it seems like the usual Selection Of Places To Go has popped up again, which means it's time for Reiji to...

    HIT THE BAR!! And it looks like Xiaomu has the right idea. "Yeah, let's head over. With any luck, we'll run into Misha there again." Brain Misha, that is. The one who's a lounge singer in the black cocktail dress. All proper noir mysteries start with that kind of thing, don't they?

He can check out that cat-keyboard-place later.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva wasn't wiling to bleed to huge the catte, which is why she's trying to resort to friendly bribery. Clearly, it takes a lot to break through the crunchy candy shell of a Mind Guardian. Orr they wouldn't be doing their jobs.

They move on to the World Map segment, however, and Riva leaves Ducksworth McQuackington the Third, Esquire behind for Hama to play with when no one is watching her. "Hrmmmm... Where should I go." Riva ponders aloud.

Finally, she decides to go check out how Misha's apartment might have changed in the interim. "I'll catch up with you guys in a bit!" She calls, and gets her hustle on.

Misha (757) has posed:
    Thusly the group splits!

    Walking through the streets of Njorun and its branches, everything is under half power after the last Dive, the power plant must not be running at full capacity, considering the empty city is running on brownout level dim lighting, the shadow on up above seeming much more pronounced as perts of whatever is atop the great tree shifting as it clearly follows a warey gaze on the intruders.

    The bar has some dime lighting, and a pair of glasses are already set out on the counter, the white-haired bar-tender is present again, and it looks like she remembers Reiji's beer and is about ready to pour something of Xiaomu's choice as well. "Mmm? You're back." Spica murmurs. "I'd give you a cheerier welcome but my songbird's flown the coop."

    Misha's apartment is... Locked. Properly locked, but the lights are on, so someone is home. All it takes is a knock and Riva's let in to a very VERY tidy apartment. Like... Stupidly clean. The issue is, Misha's still looking cute. And tiny. The young Star Singer busily dusting at a shelf that really doesn't need it. "Oh hey Riva! I wasn't expecting visitors today, what's up?"

    That just leaves the third locale... It's a section of the tree that leads up into the branches above. Though standing at the base is a figure in white armor, with a flowing cape. And familiar blonde hair. "Ahhhhh geeeze..." Lyner Barsett mutters, rubbing the back of his neck as he eyes the path upwards into the murk and gloom.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    With Kazusa coming with him to Garbled-Town, nothing could go wrong. NOTHING. Except for the fact that Lyner is here, "Yoooo, what's up? Why aren't you running in headlong towards whatever's up in the creepy tree? The Treepy, if you will." Psyber asks to Lyner as he walks by the man.

    He's only pausing briefly, though. A short stop to ask why he's not going ahead before Psyber adds, "I'm going ahead, though. So like... keep up. Or don't. I dunno."

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva chuckles as Misha opens the door and looks around, her eyes shining. "I'm just full of surprises~... Woooooow. This place is insanely clean, Misha. I could probably eat off those shelves!" With a sudden movement, she gives Misha a big hug. "It's so good to see you again! Have you been doing anything since we last stopped in? How are you and Blondie holding up?"

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Reiji and Xiaomu reach the bar, only to find out that... Misha is nowhere to be found!! That's not entirely too unusual- after all, she can go where she likes in her own head. But at least Spica has drinks out and waiting for their arrival.

    "So I see. Looks like you don't have the generator running anymore though, so I'm guessing the power situation's been resolved," Reiji says, moseying into his 'usual' seat at the bar. "Is Misha taking a night off or something, though? We were hoping to ask about what's been going on lately."

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Psyber makes for a pretty easy person to follow! That's a thankful thing. Kazusa is more than equal to the task of keeping up with him, sore thumb aside, and the unbearable cruelty of the adorable cat guardian is fairly soon forgotten. They're up in the Njorun-tree! Sort of. And apparently headed up into the dark, with... some new guy who was already here?

    Kazusa blinks, and leans in close to Psyber to murmur, "Hey, you know him?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"We'll let her know you said hi," Xiaomu replies with a friendly grin before she turns her attention to the menu ... unless of course Spica's already got the right bottle (or whatever) in hand. Huangjiu sounds about right, and the sage fox isn't overly concerned about getting tipsy.

Reiji's own analysis gets a quirked eyebrow from his partner, and Xiaomu looks to Spica again. "By 'flown the coop,' I'm guessing you mean she hasn't been here since ... oh, shortly after our last visit? Not just 'taking the night off'?"

Misha (757) has posed:
    "You can actually!" Eat off the shelves. That's how clean they are. "But you won't because that's just going to get them dirty again." Noted immediately after. The CHAINED FRIDGE is still in the kitchen, thumping and moaning a little, but she seems to ignore it. "Me and Lyner? We're still very far apart." The answer is quite candid. "I never know where he is at any given time, but it's okay, I really don't mind. I know he'll find his way back sooner or later." Replied conversationally.
    It's kind of painful, watching how she struggles with hefting a step ladder so she can get to higher spots to keep cleaning. "Mostly I've been hiding."

    Whatever she could mean by hiding is up for debate, but back at the bar, Spica's eyes dance as she answers. "She said she'd be taking a few days off, but I'm a biiiiit worried." Replied in that cattish 'I know more but am not telling YET' manner. "Ever since that new girl showed up in town and got kidnapped by the beast right after, anyway."
    Bar tenders always know the best rumors don't they?

    "Haa haaaaah... Yeahhhh heyyyy. You're Psyber right? And I'm guessing you're Kazusa. Hama was telling me all about you!"
    "I WANT THEM TO DIE."
    Hama pokes out from behind Lyner's shoulder glowering. But the armored blonde youth sets his hands on his hips. "Well I kind of don't have a sword to hit it with." That's pretty logical. "Thing is, that thing up there captured a princess just as she got into town, and Misha and I are still kind of too far apart to work together. If you're gonna go up there, try and bring a Reyvateil with you! Oh and a sword." Pause. "Are you a Reyvateil?" That's to Kazusa.
    There's nothing to stop Psyber going ahead except the climb. It looks like it won't be an easy or a pleasant one, but it's doable. There are just a lot of extremely thorny branches in the way, each thorn as sharp and big as a blade.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "His name is Lyner. He's kind of an idiot, but he means well and Misha likes him a lot," Psyber comments to Kazusa, smiling at the girl. His naturally protective instincts mean he's putting himself between her and the thorns even while he's looking over at Hama and the blonde knight, "Well. I think it's best you do this on your own with Misha, bro."

    "But in the meantime," Since Hama is back, Psyber takes out the laser pointer again and shines it at the ground in front of Hama. Hopefully, with less people around to direct her rage at, it will be harder to resist the call of the dot.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"A few days .... hmm." Xiaomu takes a small but thoughtful sip of her drink. "'New girl' ... a princess, by any chance? Or is that a little more than you know?"

If it is, well, it's another rumor that Spica can discuss with patrons, if she's so inclined. Information for information; fair trade, right?

"Did Misha say anything about what she'd be doing with her time off?" she inquires further.

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    Something Hama said earlier comes to mind as Reiji takes a draw from his Mug O' Beer. Based on Spica's reply to Xiaomu, he's betting that this is a more recent thing. "That girl," he says, inclining his head a bit. "The new one, I mean. You're saying Misha's been gone ever since she showed up and got kidnapped, right?"

    "When did that happen, exactly? A few weeks ago, maybe?" Coincidentally, around when they installed that Hymmn Crystal into Misha's body and got her back up to size.

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    Hama gets the saddest look from Kazusa. /SAD/. T_T

    But in answer to Lyner's question, Kazusa replies with a cheerful, "No, I'm Japanese!" It takes her all of about three seconds to realize how painfully bad that joke was, and then she bows her head. "I'm sorry. That won't happen again." Standing up straight again, she adds, "I'm not a Reyvateil, but I can sort of be one for a little while! I have a copy of Misha's powers stored on one of my cards."

    Knowing who Lyner is (sort of) makes things a little easier to understand. And in the meantime, while they wait for Misha, she gets to watch Hama try and resist the dot.

Riva Banari has posed:
Misha's behavior causes Riva to rub her chin. The thump of the fridge causes Riva to jump and she looks over at it, glaring for a moment. "You know, one day you're going to have to deal with that fridge of sealed Doom. Is that what you're hiding from?"

She shakes her head. "Anyway, I've got a great idea." She reaches out and puts a hand on the stepladder, holding it in place while Misha tries to move it. You can almost /hear/ her mentally bitching about Fassad as she does so. "The place is super sparkly clean, you don't need to go so overboard. You look like you need to relax, so how about we go out for a walk, huh? This is a nice world, you can't live life and just let it pass you by."

Misha (757) has posed:
    "My my, I'm the bartender here, not you." Spica teases the skunk-head and the sagefox with a wry quirk of her lips. "What's the point in knowing every bit of gossip in this ghost town if you're going to tell it back to me before I can slowly exposit?" That verbal jab aside she flashes a thin grin. "It was a few weeks ago. She sailed in on an airship. The airship pads here had been closed for years years. It was pretty surprising."

    Riva gets a look from Misha that might not have been expected, when that suggestion is dropped. "What? But I'm safe here. If I go out I could get kidnapped too. I don't want to get dragged up there, I'll die." The Reyvateil snaps rather hastily with a visible shudder. "... I... Can try. But you have to promise not to let it get me."

    Hama tries her best. She really, really does. And she holds out for a good five seconds before the Mind Guardian's will finally cracks. "N-nya!"
    It's like watching a fly chase a gnat, the ocarina zooming for the red dot, the tiny kitten mounted atop the instrument holding on for dear life with one hand, the other snatching at the laser repeatedly, while Lyner sighs. "I'd like that, really." His smile is kind of sad. "But I don't think it will until we're really together again."

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva blinks. "So that's what the deal is? I heard a princess was kidnapped, and..." She nods again. "All right. I'll protect you while we're out there." She smiles. "I got a hot tip too. There's someone else out there who's trying to help fix the problem. Maybe he wants to make it safer for you. You might know him. Blond, super tough, dumb as a brick..." She chuckles. "Let's meet up with him so everyone can do what they need to do, all right?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"How'd the airship land if the pads had been closed?" Xiaomu wonders. "Or did they manage to open the pads in time for the airship to touch down and dock properly?"

... hey, it's the obvious question, right? Although that leads the sage fox to look at her partner, "Maybe we should check out the airship pads for clues?"

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    "Of course. I had no intention of intruding upon the Barkeeper's Right of Gossip," Reiji says with a chuckle as he returns to imbibing yet more amber drink. "But if what you're saying is true, then it would coincide with certain other events." Wasn't Misha relieved to have her body back? Does she feel she doesn't deserve it?

...Did she want Lyner to be there to see her becoming herself again?

"...So, what happened then?" He asks, leaning forward slightly on his stool. "Was she kidnapped straight away?"

    Reiji glances over to his partner, then shrugs. "I'm not sure we can even get there, with how this place is laid out. Seems like it's not as important as what's up in the tree, though. Might be worth snooping around, but... Let's here this out to the end first, huh?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is mostly going to be holding down the fort and having Hama chase after the dot while he flicks it back and forth along the ground or any nearby walls to get Hama really chasing after it while Lyner and Kazusa talk. Despite this very silly thing he's doing, he gives Lyner a serious look, "Dude, I know you're not the real Lyner, but do you have any idea how badly you've fucked her up by leaving however many times? I'm amazed she even manages to make it through the day. Betrayal from within is so much more painful than from external sources."

Misha (757) has posed:
    "That's not really important. It doesn't even have a spot on the map screen." Spica replies to Xiaomu while wiping down a glass, but then shrugs her shoulders. "The ship arrived. She was the only person to step off. And as soon as she started wandering town, it reached down and snatched her up into the branches above. That's about all I know~." Spica is awfully casual about all this despite the grim subject matter.

    Lyner however heaves a sigh, flashing that big goofy grin of his. "Heeeeehh... Well I am the real Lyner. I'm Lyner how Misha sees Lyner." He says, folding arms across his chest with a sigh. "And because of that, there's a wall between us. I want to reach her. And I know she wants to reach me, but." But was he standing two steps to the left a moment ago? No, he wasn't, but like two same sides of a magnet, as Riva and Misha arrive, Lyner seems to be getting shoved away by the very forces of physics themselves. "Buuuuut I guess I'm going this way now!" Well he's awfully cheery as the force slides him clean off a branch, flailing and yelping to a lower part of Njorun in a suitable cartoonish manner.

    So Riva and Misha arrive where Psyber is making Hama hate everything with a laser pointer. "... You really want to go up there? Is that what this is about?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Click.

    Psyber puts the laser pointer back into his jacket after shutting it off, "Actually, Misha. I'm curious why you would want to force yourself up there," Psyber says in a sort of curious tone, "And... why you seem to think you can Lyner can't be close, despite his absence."

    He takes a long moment and then finally opens up about something, "We're a lot alike, Misha. I have a friend like Lyner too, someone I'm close to, but I can't ever really keep around as much as I'd like," He's trying to distract Misha, or rather to obliquely allow Riva to do her half of the plan by prodding at the underlying mechanics, "And so, because you worry they're going to leave you, you try to create distance artificially, but that hurts too," He looks up at the gloomy path, "In many different ways," He frowns.

    "But just because that person isn't with you, doesn't mean they abandoned you. They're still your close friend, even if there's distance between you or they're not with you right now," Psyber notes, taking a cigarette out of his jacket and lighting it. He thinks for a few moments, "I'm not... good at speeches, really. I'm no Nathan Hall, but. Even friends hurt eachother. That doesn't make them not friends, and that doesn't mean they can't be close."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    "Mmn, well it helped confirm a few suspicions," Reiji says with a nod. He digs around in the pockets of his coat for a moment, before sliding a few bills across the table. "Thanks for the drinks, as usual. I think it's about high time we went and dealt with that huge thing up on the tree."

Or at least, saw about what was up with it.

    "We'll drop in again next time," because apparently Reiji is now a Regular at Misha's Head-bar. He pushes off his seat and begins making for the door, "Xiaomu, let's head out. We should probably join the others."

Not that they're probably going to do any giant-monster fighting just yet, but still.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu sips some more of her huangjiu, considering Spica's story. "Sounds like we need to head up, then," she remarks to her partner. "I hope the others are having better luck working out that glitch on the map."

She finishes her drink, pays for it plus a tip, and heads out with her partner. "See you next time we're in the area, Spica!"

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    'Not good at speeches'? "Not good at speeches?!"

    Look at Kazusa, Psyber. Look at her. She is totally moved by just those few words. "T-that was /beautiful/..." Sniffle. Then again, it might just be that laser pointer time is over. Alas. With Lyner gone on a magical journey with his best friend gravity, Kazusa sticks her hands in her pockets again and looks upward. "What in the heck is even up there, anyway? This is some kind of weird dreamscape, and usually in dreams you just kind of /know/ what stuff is, or at least what the dream feels like you need to know..."

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva arrives on site with Misha, smiling. "See? That wasn't so bad! Hey, is that..." She pauses, Did she just see Lyner? She looks around. Psyber SAID he was here, and then...

Psyber confirms what Riva throught she just saw: Lyner just fell off the tree! Riva looks over to Psyber, letting him take up the Cause as she shuffles off to one side and yells, "Wow, this is really cool-WHOA!"

She flails her hands and wobbles on the edge of the massive tree, and she looks back to Misha. "You know, if you wanted to see Blondie, you could have him close by anytime you wanted, you know. All you have to do is think about him and give him a call. He might be a lot closer than you think!"

At least, if she guesses Lyner's falling rate, he should be still close enough... Then again, this is Misha's mindscape so really he can be anywhere Misha wants. "Either way, it's really hard to solve all these problems yourself. You can do it, but it's a lot easier with good friends with you, even if some of them are dumb." She chuckles. "I like him, you have good taste."

Misha (757) has posed:
    The laser pointer goes away, and it's a breathless Hama that shoots a glare of daggers and murder as she flutters off panting and wheezing, slinking into a shadow to hide because, as a cat, this is horribly shameful and embarassing. Psyber has now earned Hama's forever lasting ire. Or at least until the Real Lyner returns and she can direct that at him.

    Lyner is falling- or was. He lants with a THUMP and a clear and distinct "Owwww geeeeze!" on a lower branch. Despite the fact that it's enough of a distance for the fall to kill a man, he looks relatively unhurt, and can probably be grabbed and hauled back up with a little work.

    Xiaomu and Reiji have nothing stopping them from arriving just in time for Psyber and Riva's pep-talks, and it's something that makes Misha tense. The small Reyvateil scuffs the ground with one foot. It's a long, long, long moment of contemplation...

    DIVE POINTS: PSYBER: -1000! RIVA: -500!

     PASS!

    "I... No it's not that... It... Okay, I guess it is that. I just always thought, because we keep getting separated..." The words aren't coming easy for her, it seems. "The distance isn't artificial. And that's why it's so hard. But... I'll try."
    That's where she halts. I nfact, Misha flinches as though Kazusa slapped her across the face with that very question. "It's something I made. I made it to try and show that I was strong, and useful. But because I was arrogant I made it too strong for me to control."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber waves a hand embarassedly at Kazusa, "Nooo, it's just me talking. I'm sure if Nate were here, he'd say the magical configuration of words that unlocks the secret ending and third options the whole event. I'm just... making due," He notes, trying to pass off Kazusa's comments while acting cool towards the compliments. He's embarassed, though, to some degree.

    "Emotional distance isn't the same as physical difference. I hardly ever get to see some people I know, but we're still close," He notes to Misha, hands going into his pockets. He looks up at the tree when she makes that comment, "Maybe you weren't ready when you made it, but if it's a part of you, you might be ready some day, I reckon."

Kazusa Ujikane (415) has posed:
    "Ah, I see, I see." And then Kazusa makes a flick of the wrist - someone's been practicing a bit of sleight-of-hand - and produces a card with lines of Hymnos written on it. Hopefully, at the very least, Misha recognizes her own name when she sees it. "Well, if one of you can't control it, then we'll just have to try two."

    Putting it away, the card-user giggles a bit self-consciously. "I'm joking, I'm joking... but seriously, though." Her tone gets a bit more relaxed, perhaps, but also more contemplative. "No one's as strong alone as they are in a group. It's okay if you made something too strong to control alone, because you've got friends to help control it together. ...emotions are kinda like that too, come to think of it. It's always easier if you have someone to share it with." She looks up. "Maybe that's some big block of emotions or something? Or based on them, or... y'know. Stuff."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
    "This is your mind," Reiji says as the conversation dovetails towards the thing in the treetops. "The depths of your soul. If you created that thing up there, then it's not impossible that you might be able to control it, one of these days." He shrugs a bit, then. "Though that might be why it took that Princess not too long ago. Sort of like... A rebellion, almost."

If his hunch is right, and that 'princess' IS in fact the adult-Misha.

    "You're not weak that's for sure," he says firmly, moving over to crane his neck around where Hama vanished into the shadows. Poor cat. "If that thing up there is any sign, then you're far stronger than you give yourself credit for. But until you can reach that strength, you've got all of us, right?"

"Psyber," he inclines his head at the man, "Looks like you guys got things pretty much handled without us, huh?"

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva smiles as Misha begins to admint her problems instead of hide them. Progress! "Woohoo!" She pumps a fist, and gives Misha a hug. "Just keep working at it, Misha. That's all anyone can ask for, right? And we'll all be here for you... And Lyner, too, in his own special way."

And then she hears a thump, and blinks. "Wow, was that..." She looks to Psyber and the others quizzically before you can practically see a lightbulb go off over her head. "OH RIGHT! Lyner!"

She breaks from the hug and rushes over to the edge, looking down and yelling, "HANG ON LYNER, WE'RE GOING TO COME GET YOU!" She yells. She'll begin clambering around on the tree, trying to make her way down so she can work with the others to get Blondie back up to Misha.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Xiaomu doesn't have much to say at the moment; she's waiting to see if Lyner and Misha continue to repel each other, or if somebody figured out the right way to overcome that - whichever end (or both) was the cause of it.

Misha (757) has posed:
    Lyner is hanging. Not literally, though, he's just sort of chilling on the floor below. "Eheh! Alright I'll sit tight!" Called back up.

    Though Misha and Hama sort of stare at Psyber on mention of a third ending.

    "This is Misha's mind, not a dating sim!" Snapped irritably.

    A small huff, though, and Misha rubs lightly at her elbow, "I'm not sure I want to go up there just yet, though, two or three of me or even four of me." Admitted quietly. "... I understand we have to, but..."
    But not right this second as Lyner is hauled up. Whatever force was shoving him away before is gone now, allowing the youth to cross the distance with that big dumb grin of his, and something of a sheepish look from Misha as they clasp hands.
    There's just one problem.
    Stone Henge doesn't light up. Even after that hurdle is passed.
    Everything kind og hangs for an awkward moment.

    DIVE POINTS: -5000?!

FAIL!

    It's like a sudden pop up window that blips into appearance. There's no Paradigm Shift. Not this time as Hama zips to the forefront. "Alright that's it, all of you OUT!"
    She will proceed to smack people at full force with her ocarina, chasing and booting the Divers out with a not-too-gentle kick back to reality. Psyber probably gets ocarina'd the hardest for his laser shenanigans, as the world goes black, flashing scrolling Hymmnos code, before pods pop back open at the Dive Shop.
    Misha is already sitting up from hers. "That was... Kind of fast? Is everything alright in there-- don't tell me details just a yes or a no."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Owwwww ..." groans Xiaomu as she sits up, rubbing her forehead (which she wouldn't be surprised if there's an ocarina-shaped bruise). "I think 'no,' Misha ... sorry." She lets out a breath, rubbing her forehead some more.

She looks like she could use a drink. Or some fried tofu.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber takes an Ocarina to the face and oofs a bit before coming out the other end back in the real world, "Mmm... some progress, not enough to shift the world yet. I think you just... need to relax for a bit. And get used to all the changes you've had happen recently."

Riva Banari has posed:
NOT ENOUGH POWERRRRRR

Riva flails as Hama chases them all out.

"Buuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh." Is Misha's initial response from Riva as she sits up and flops out of her Dive Pod. "Uhhhh... Yeah, I'm gonna agree with Psyber on this one."

Reiji Arisu has posed:
Welp. That sure is an angry little ocarina-cat.

"Nngh," Reiji grunts, pulling himself out of the pod. He rubs tenderly at one of his temples, "Could have gone better. We made some progress, though. Next time, for sure."