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Owner	Pose
Kale Hearthward	The routine is familiar by now. Theatre. Lobby. Down the hall to the stage, then to Wonderworld and a different sort of Stage. (And on the way, passing by the Staff Only door that remains unopened.) As before, anything left behind last time is in a pile next to the door to Wonderworld, anything taken out has disappeared at some point over the last week. "Hey. So. Before anyone goes in... The good news. I've found Niko. He's unharmed." Kale's gotten there first, as usual. "The bad news is, uh..." On the screen, the not-a-cat is sitting at a booth at an otherwise empty cafe, the lightbulb lightbulb resting on the seat beside them. Niko... ... Niko looks like they've been crying. The tears have stopped, but now they're just sitting there, listlessly, staring out at nothing in particular. "I think maybe we don't all go talk to him all at once." "Aside from not overwhelming him with eight people all showing up at once, we still need to find out how to get into the Tower. It looks like there's something stuck in the... print queue? Of the computer? That might be some sort of a hint. But we don't have a functional printer." "And before you asked - I tried getting my engineer to bring in a printer and hook it up already. She says the technology's incompatible. There might be a way around it, but for now it looks like we need to either find parts or just an entirely new printer, using local tech." "So that'd mean... checking the city, or more likely the robot factory, or backtracking to somewhere else in the world and seeing if we can't find something. I can fly people around if you can't get around yourself." "So let's split into two teams, maybe three. One to go in and make sure Niko's alright - which is probably going to involve a lot of talking. One or two to go look for ways to progress towards world saving - presumably that'll involve exploration and solving problems." "And - If someone wants to stay out here and work the terminal they can, but so far we haven't needed anyone to keep an eye on things, so I'm not sure how much you'll have to do." "We're almost there, I can feel it. Let's get to it."
Ru Li Cheng	Ha, Ru Li is ready for this 'sudden dimension-shifting door nonsense' this time!      ...well, not really. The thing about sudden, unexpected, violent shifts in dimensional coordinates is that they do a *lot* to your internals when your senses are as extensive and radial as Ru Li's are. So while he *thought* he was ready to deal with it the next time it happened, he still winds up standing next to a wall, hand on it, breathing heavily and ticking rapidly as he gets his perception under control. Awful. Absolutely awful.      Once Ru Li's head is no longer throbbing and his senses are no longer spinning and he's sure he can walk, he stands and heads for the control room. He listens to Kale, thoughtfully, then slides his hands into his sleeves.      The bureaucratic thing to do, the *correct* thing to do, would be to examine the terminal. To keep an eye on it. He's fast, he's strong enough to handle himself is something went down, he's well-suited for what is basically bureaucratic work.      But...      ...but that's not...      ...well, it's not *exciting*. It's not *interesting*. It's...just staring at a machine.      "...I do not know Niko well enough to speak to them in any capacity. I am...likely better suited for exploration anyhow, considering my sensory abilities."
Ru Li Cheng	He adds, hastily, "And someone skilled in stealth might also be very helpful for that, too, since I am only of medium capability in that regard." Yeah he's...a little transparent about this (especially since his face is lightly silver), but hey.
Aidan Proudpick	Is it from a shop? No. From a job, sitting at a kiosk, waiting for people to ask him about lost wallets and the bathroom? Has Aidan been sitting at his training field, moping? No, the training field has been boarded up. Hastily, though with fresh boards like one might buy at Home Depot, locking it 'forever'. It's from a barn. A barn in a mining town. A barn in a mining town, where Aidan hoists a pot of lentil soup onto a table, doling out bowls of it with a smile. Where friends sit around a table, pointing at a set of plans with renewed vigor in their hearts and voices. Where Aidan's voice takes on the voice of purpose, not a child's authority. When the door opens, Aidan tosses his apron up on the table. "I'll be back. There's a little person that needs help." Aidan opens his mouth to correct Kale, but closes it up again. No. He's not going to pick at that scab. Not yet. "Oh, Hazelthistle was here?" His ears perk up and a smile brightens up. He nods. "If she can't figure it out, it probably can't be done from out here." Claws shuffle across his cheek, a simple fidget as he looks up at the computer. "I would like to talk to Niko. But I think there's others who are going to tell me I shouldn't. Maybe the old metal pressing plant has something we can use?"
Arcadia	By this point The Theater, The Stage and entering the sunless world within the computer is so routine we're not even going to go through writing out going through it. It doesn't really matter other than getting to the point where the routine is Arcadia hovering over the giant keyboard using her feet and tail to type out the command to enter the world. It's also become routine that Kale is already here. No one is entirely sure how he seems to do that, but it's probably just luck. He has some information ready at least, so we're not going to question it too hard. "I'm not an orator, my attempts at heartfelt conversation are ruined by the perchance for puns and badly phrased metaphors." She is a sphinx, after all. Not really a talking to people person. A reaffirming nod. "I am better suited for exploration." Then spreads her wings. "I am not a cargo airframe but I can also carry someone as long as they are not too heavy."
Futaba Nuki	Stretch, consider transforming, don't because those aren't as impressive as flipping. Futaba's got this whole routine down pat by now, but doing all those flips never quite feels like she's going through the motions. Today's routine is interrupted, though, by Kale actually directing her attention to the screen before she can get in there. "Aw. Poor kid. Nerves must be getting to 'em." Futaba grimaces lightly as she peers at Niko, then the lightbulb, then at the rest of what's on the screen. She doubts she'll see anything that might clue her in on why they've been crying, but she's taking that suggestion not to dive in to heart. She hears about the print queue, checking out more of the city and the world, and the need to split into a few teams. The moment he mentions sticking to the terminal, she's already moving towards the keyboard. "You know me, Mister Hearthward. I ain't too good at the computer stuff, so I'll be going in for something!" She declares with a light laugh, then starts her over-dramatic typing routine. It involves nothing but consecutive forward flips with one more rotation each time, and she's feeling light-headed by the time she's ready to flip onto the enter button. Ru Li mentions his own suitability for investigation over talking to Niko, and he mentions needing someone stealthy for that. Futaba grins confidently at that, then strokes her chin as she peers over at Aidan and Arcadia. "Something like last time, then? Heh. Not a bad idea, but if neither of them are good for talkin' to the kid..." She shrugs after a moment, trying not to look too disappointed, then does her last flip onto the enter button. "I think I can handle that. Kids love ninjas!"
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li just sort of sighs. But, after a moment, he smiles. "Well, alright. You'll be well-suited for that, I have no doubt."      And then, with a sudden burst of boldness, he leans over and kisses her cheek. His face goes a bright silver, then a bright electrum, as the two different cooling systems collide, and he hurries over and jumps his way onto the computer to disappear before he can say anything to screw it up, as if he was an awkward teenager and not four hundred years old.
Hibiki Tachibana	"...How did you guys lose--?" 'Niko' is what'd naturally come after that.     Although the view on the screen speaks for itself.     "...Nevermind. That's not important now."     Despite being missing last time, Hibiki /is/ here this go around - which may or may not be surprising after the longest night anybody has ever seen, and looking just about as shitty as anyone would expect for it, but she's had... worse? Is that true? She's not sure if that's true. A day and a half of nothing but rest hasn't done much at all to make it better.     But when the ever-familiar doorway to Balan's Theatre opens up, there was a moment of thought before she threw on her jacket and trudged through anyway, which brings us to right now; listening to Kale's explanation of everything that needs doing (which happens to be a lot, in the one week that she missed), while grimacing at the view of Niko on the screen.     Honestly, there's a part of her that isn't confident in the talking, after... everything.     "I'll try hearing Niko out, too." he pitches in after Futaba, which given some still unresolved stuff between them, feels a little awkward. But that's the other part speaking up anyway. "...I just hope they'll be willing to talk to us about it."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan lets out a laugh as he watches Ru Li run and then immediately leap in after his kiss. After a moment, he whispers, "Blessed breeze, he's adorable."
Petra Soroka	Eggpack, mysterious door, concessions, stage, Stage, computer.     This doesn't count as doing something relaxing after the incredibly high stress of Walpurgisnacht, but comparatively at least, it's like walking a cooldown lap after a sprint. Petra's not wearing her EGO suit this time, just her bomber jacket with the stitched-up tear from hip to shoulder, because being a little unarmored feels soothing after desperately needing to be armored for that whole ordeal.     At least *this* crying child isn't flailing around on top of a pile of her brother's corpses while doing her best to destroy the entire facility. Petra can't feel good about seeing Niko cry, but the bad-feeling of the scene on the screen is blissfully manageable.     "I'll talk to Niko," Petra says it softly, given the topic, but the 'obviously, because the rest of you can be trusted' is unstated. For a few seconds. "Obviously, because rest of you can be trusted."     Predictable, Aidan is specifically side-eyed, though she doesn't have the energy for a proper glare. "You keep away from her. You can't possibly treat anyone who's having a bad time well, and everyone thinks kids are *simpler*, but they're really not. So don't." "And someone skilled in stealth might also be very helpful for that, too, since I am only of medium capability in that regard."     Good, good. He's getting better! Petra nods and faintly smiles, her mood perking up a bit. "I think I can handle that. Kids love ninjas!"     "Now hold on." Petra whirls around and talks over Ru Li, intuiting the concealed disappointment and completely steamrolling over it. "Okay. Obviously you'd be better at it than, fucking, Proudpick or whatever. But no. You..."     Petra reacted so vehemently on pure gut instinct, and is now clearly lost and thinking of some real justification for it. "Er... you... you know, Niko's probably not familiar with ninjas, and... your whole thing is, like... taking things, so...."     Petra becomes increasingly pink while failing speech check after speech check, locked into a conversational path that she had no preplanned exit from. Then Ru Li kisses her and Petra blinks and draws back. "O-oh. Cute? O-okay." "...How did you guys lose--?"     "... She slipped away while we were in the library. That might still be the closest computer, so I guess Georgia might get a bunch of people popping out in her office suddenly."
Angela	In between visits, Angela received a bunch of printed out copies of library books from Petra. They were not well made--bound by twine and with staple marks where Petra had tried before relying on twine instead. Angela didn't seem to mind the amateruish work. "Thank you Petra, they're wonderful." She says. "I am glad you are learning a new skill." And she completely means it, smiling in a manner that she hasn't since she heard Meika was intending to break into one of the facilities. Angela is on Petra's back again. This means she's going where Petra says she's going. "Mm." She agrees with Petra, giving Aidan a long look in the process. It doesn't quite reach a glare. "Mm. I would not mind speaking to George again--but Niko should take priority." Angela admits. "So I will not get distracted." Ru Li kisses Futaba. "..." She blinks once. "Understood." She says.
Futaba Nuki	Ru Li's not the only one that changes colors at the kiss on the cheek. Futaba's face, too, turns a fair bit pinker at that, and she's suddenly grateful that she's got that whole flipping routine coming up so it's easier to play it off like it's no big deal. Sure, she likes messing with him, but is he... Wait. Is he messing with her? Is Petra trying to help him mess with her? Is Petra into him? Wait, no. Petra sounds like she wants Futaba to join Ru Li in the exploration team, but that would mean Hibiki would be with... Aidan? Arcadia? On the Niko team. Then that would mean... Is Petra trying to set those two up? Three? But then which team would Petra be going into? She mentions Georgia and not Niko, so that would put her and Angela on the exploration team with... Ru Li? Then would this be a plan to get him and Angela...? There's too much for Futaba to try and unpack here. The motion sickness should help solve that.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan lifts his hands at Petra and Angela, his smile not leaving his lips. "I'm not going to argue. You're right. You're right." When will he learn? When does that skill come to you? Aidan puffs out a breath, but it is not as mournful. Aidan opens his bag, pulling out a box. It's the kind of board you get at a toy store for 5 dollars. A folded board, and the rattle of plastic chips. "Look. I brought them a game. It's easier than chess!" Aidan is talking a bit loudly so Niko can hear him. He sets it on the computer. Not looking at Petra or Angela. The former might hurl it away just to spite him. Aidan steps up to the computer, leaping from key to key, checking it first. He's getting there with his words, and being around a computer all day has helped.
Kale Hearthward	> ...I do not know Niko well enough to speak to them in any capacity. "... Yeah. I get you." Kale passes his skill check to not interject his insecurities into the conversation, at least not any further than that brief statement. > "Oh, Hazelthistle was here?" Kale gives Aidan a look... but then he decides that this isn't the time or place. Plus Petra's going to be here, and she can crush Aidan on his behalf. Kale doesn't need to get blood on his hands here. > "Blessed breeze, he's adorable." Please disregard the preceding sentence. People #join in. George is surprised, but takes the sudden appearances in stride. The robot at the front desk demands library cards as the party exits, but people can just ignore him. And from there, the party splits... EXPLORATION ROUTE: Back to the Barrens, to the metal pressing plant. Prophetbot is waiting outside, as he always is. (This isn't an observation on your part, as this is still only the second time you've been here (or the first time for Ru Li), this is simply what you've been told: all Prophetbot does is either waiting for the world's savior, or talking to/about the world's savior). "Ah! You're back! Do you have the savior with you?" His second question, after the first is answered: "Do you know if the savior is coming back?" Capable of asking more interesting questions is Silver who happens to be in the area and comes running. "You're back! I mean, why are you back, did something happen to Niko, are you back for long..." There's someone new with them. She zeroes in on Ru Li. "... Can you play chess?" she can't help but ask. SOCIAL ROUTE Niko takes a bit to find. There's a fair amount of empty businesses in the city, a few of them cafes... ... But by the third or fourth spot the group checks, they've found Niko. "O-oh. Sorry. Are- are we going? Am I late?" They go to grab the lightbulb and shimmy out of the booth seat with it. "Sorry, sorry, I just - had to sit down for a moment... got the lightbulb, though, so we're all set to go save the world! Yeah!"
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li, quite hurriedly, scribbles a library card into existence once he's back on balance, and flashes it at the robot. It glows, silver, but is otherwise an identical copy of a local library card - complete with any form of stamping or watermarking or other interesting bureaucratic tricks to complete forgery. Technically, it is a forgery, but he's actually simply that skilled.      And then they are accosted by a weird prophet and a red-haired person. "Erm, yes, we are here for the moment, I believe Niko is being handled, hello, I am Ru Li Cheng, ninth of the nine Ru Cheng gods, Ru Li is sufficient for formality, and-"      He stops.      "Erm."      "...I suppose? Occasionally, in my life?"      Ru Li plays a very distinctly different form of chess than this person. It will surely not be very awkward when he is playing a completely different game.
Arcadia	Arcadia settles herself to the ground, only for the EXPLORATION GROUP to be bombarded with questions by Prophetbot and Silver. And while she may not be the intricate talker type, this is at least a situation Arcadia can word her way around. "We have returned on a... side quest you could say while another matter is being dealt with the Savoir." The sphinx's tail flicks a few times as she has to really restrain herself to keep the response to something suitable within the view of this world's inhabitants of their 'Savoir' while not saying something that might upset them, or cause too much confusion. So the best course is just to keep the conversation going in that direction. "We are looking for a printing device or the parts to repair one. Do you know where we could locate such things? So we can aquire information to assist the Main Quest without farther complications."
Futaba Nuki	Thanks to Petra's efforts, Aidan changing course, and a whole lot of overthinking, Futaba's going to be joining the exploration crew after all! She's still trying to figure it all out in her head, though, and she lets her own thoughts on who's trying to set up who with who move to the background momentarily as she hears the familiar voice of Prophetbot. "Hey again! PB, this is Ru Li. Ru Li, this is PB." Beat. "Uh. Prophetbot. No savior with us today, but they're around! Just..." She needs to word this delicately, so as to not give anyone the wrong ideas. She glances to her left, then to her right, and finally leans in close to Prophetbot to whisper. "Secret savior business, hush hush kinda thing. You understand?" Another beat. "Say. Are you the first Prophetbot? Just wondering because of... Uh. Your design and all.." About what she saw last time, but this Prophetbot doesn't have to know that. There. That shouldn't give any wrong ideas that way. Turning to Silver, Futaba waves at her in greeting before chuckling and shaking her head. "Hey, Silver! No, no, nothing like that. We're doing some extra runnin' around today ahead of the usual stuff." She reassures, still being about as cagey as she was with Prophetbot while leaving the chess talk to Ru Li. And speaking of Ru Li... She waits until there Arcadia's talking to Prophetbot and Silver, then slips over beside Ru Li and gets her face all nice and close for conspiratorial whispering. "Hey. Ru Li. What do you think of Angela?"
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan shrugs at Kale. His frustration with the bird mixes with his new found focus. It's hard to let go of. To see that face and not think of the contempt both of them flung at each other. He, at least, knows what the future holds. So he can hang a vexingly knowing smile at the bird on that notion. Check the computer. Nothing new. Jump in. Wave a merry wave to George. "Hey there!" Aidan leads the way back to the Metal Processing plant. He didn't expect EVERYONE to go to the same area. But that's okay. "Hi!" Futaba Nuki speaks up, and Aidan is a bit too hesitant about his ability to speak to someone so clearly in need of a straight answer. Too tired to hop around from shelf to shelf, Aidan enters the building behind the prophet bot, slowly meandering around, looking at each of the objects. He has picked up all the Point and Click objects he left behind, putting them back in his bag. He turns over a few objects. He looks next to the computer. He peers at both sides of shelves. He looks down underneath them. He goes to the place where he pried open a camera and looks in IT. He pushes over some paperwork. The squirrel sticks his head back out the doorway, "Hey, what does a printer look like?"
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li blinks at Futaba. "Angela? Well...she...seems alright? I suppose? Her situation sounds torturous," ha ha not that he would know anything about being stuck in a room for ages and ages and ages doing menial paperwork that the weight of the world relies on, "I do not know her especially well, but I am...positively inclined towards her?" He sounds puzzled.
Kale Hearthward	EXPLORATION ROUTE Before anything else: "Wait *right* there," says Silver, and runs off and comes back very quickly, carrying her well-worn chess set. Two "That piece doesn't move like that"'s and one expedited checkmate later, Silver gives Ru Li an awkward, disappointed look. "I... thought you said you knew how to play." The disappointment lasts approximately three seconds. Then: "Wait - I can teach you!" She resets the board. "Okay. So these are pawns, they move one square forward unless it's the start of the game when they can move two, but they can only capture diagonally forward, or for en passant - er, don't worry about what an en passant is, we'll go over that later..." > "Say. Are you the first Prophetbot? Just wondering because of... Uh. Your design and all.." "I do not have any information about other Prophetbots," says Prophetbot. "Oh - yeah there was a first one. I think. I don't know what happened to him," says Silver, inbetween explaining the finer bits of knight-moving strategy to Ru Li. "It's kinda like... he just disappeared off the face of the earth." Arcadia and Aidan ask about printers. "Um - maybe. Let me finish this game first," says Silver.
Petra Soroka	Petra *has* a library card, at least the one written by Ru Li and previously verified by George, and she flashes it at the robot who asks with an *incredibly* self-satisfied expression. *Especially* because the rest of the Elites can't. George is given a brief aside that they're looking for a printer, because Petra feels weird about dropping into her office and then walking out *without* saying anything.     After the first couple cafes checked without results, Petra stops for a couple minutes to try to conjure up the inside of the cafe that they all saw on the screen, and imagine what the outside of a building with that kind of design would look like. After an intensely concentrating look around the architecture of an entirely alien world whose artistic conventions she has absolutely no prior experience with, she announces that she feels pretty sure she can narrow down what *kind* of cafe they're looking for.     A few more cafes later, Petra mutters to herself, "Now *this* one, I'm *totally* sure... oh! Wow! Hey, Niko."     Petra hurries over to their table before they can stand up, and hauls Angela off her back to slide her into the booth. "No, I'm just here to visit this time, Niko. Don't worry about it. We've had a hard few days ourselves, you know, so I'd really like to rest a bit before getting back to the Savior stuff."     Concessions are laid out on the table, with a selection of sweet drinks and hot food that Petra kept hot by bubbling it in a morphmetal vacuum. "If that's okay with you, I mean. I know it's a bit selfish of me, but you wouldn't mind if we just had some lunch together first, right?"
Arcadia	Arcadia is faced with her Worthy Rival -- Patience. It's only out of understanding this is part of Silver's process of doing things is she at all able to restrain herself to a slight huff of frustration and step back to let the game play out so they can get to business. No offense to Ru Li, but probably a good thing the game probably shouldn't last too long. Unless Silver tries to drag it out by teaching.
Ru Li Cheng	"I do know how to play, *proper* chess," Ru Li says, with just a hint of disappointment, "I thought you knew the same, but these pieces are nothing like what *I* learned."      Ru Li at least learns *very* fast. But he's not playing fast. He's slow, and thoughtful, and careful. He plays very defensively, surprisingly so, until he can find openings to pounce.      He's not great at it. Another reminder that he isn't a robot, he isn't a computer - he's a god, and his skillset does not include chess, only processing information rapidly. So Arcadia's just going to have to wait while he plays, and it might take a while.      "Do you know where we might find a printer, by chance?" he asks as he moves a pawn a moment later.
Angela	Angela is unaware of what is going on between Futaba and Ru Li. But. "...You're a brave child, aren't you, Niko?" She says, being set down next to Petra. "...But Petra is right, let's take a moment to eat. Ah, I cannot eat, that is, but that is alright. We are making slow but steady progress but it is important to have meals. I have learned that they are requisite for a proper living experience." She grimaces a little like she knows this is a bit clunky. "What do you like to eat, more than anything?" She looks over to Petra for a moment, intent on following her lead. She eases back and watches Petra eat--Niko too, if they do. She seems content to do this, for once in her horrifying life.
Hibiki Tachibana	Huh. When did Futaba and Ru Li...     She really has missed a lot. The fact it happens just like that gets her to pause for a solid second, though. "I'm... happy for you guys?"     Obviously, because rest of you can be trusted.     Any decent vibes take a critical blow. "Obviously not, right." It sounds like there'd be more coming after that, but perhaps also out of respect for the topic and a few other things, Hibiki refrains.     And because that isn't going to make the whole talking part of this any better. If she doesn't stay focused, she just might... well, she's not sure. But it wouldn't be anything good. Slipped away while in the library... must mean that this has been on Niko's mind for a while. One thing at a time.     The first of those things is the fact she doesn't have a library card. Hibiki freezes up on what to do about this, having not met George before, and also not really wanting to just ignore the whole thing-- but ends up saying she'll make sure to get one when she comes back. Right. That'll work.     Surprising no one, once they're properly on the move, Hibiki lingers several paces behind Petra while they're on the hunt, grimacing at the first couple of failures while pitching in what few observations she can offer, until they finally find the right spot.     It takes Hibiki exactly this long to realize she walked all this way, with Petra, and now needs to follow up. Without things devolving in some way or another, as they have... several times in Balan's Wonderworld, actually. It's kind of a painfully reoccuring thing. Recent circumstances have not helped this.     "Yeah, you can take it easy this time," she only slightly stiffly asides as the other girl (and Angela, by proxy) slide into the booth. She opts to set herself down into the one behind Niko instead - which notably separates her from the spread that Petra puts out - half-turning in her seat to look back at them. "There's not any rush to get anywhere today, so you don't have to worry."     "...It's sort of been one thing after another since all this started, hasn't it?"
Kale Hearthward	SOCIAL ROUTE Good news! You get Kale Hearthward going with you. Everyone wants to hang out with Kale Hearthward, right? "O-oh, I mean, I guess we can wait a bit if you're that tired... but only a bit! I know I'm all rested and ready to go," says Niko, with the confidence (and relief) of a young child thinking they're getting one over on the adults. Food and drinks! Niko goes to try everything, giving a running commentary on what they do or do not like. > "Ah, I cannot eat, that is, but that is alright." "Oh. Um, I hope you can, one day?" > "What do you like to eat, more than anything?" "Pancakes!" Kale, also sitting at the booth, pauses. "Why did I think you were going to say that before you said it?" "... A lot of people like pancakes? But okay, if you ever become able to eat, you should come to my house! My mom makes the best chocolate chip almond pancakes." "So... what's your home like?" > "...It's sort of been one thing after another since all this started, hasn't it?" "It kind of... has. It's been... all nonstop. I haven't been able to get home since I got here..." Niko looks off into the distance again.
Aidan Proudpick	The impatience of youth puffs out from Aidan's chest, especially since he doesn't know what they are playing. Aidan leans his head back against wall just next to the doorway, taking the time to sort through feelings. Trying to fit everything together like a puzzle. Morality. Logistics. Is it right? What if he changes things, makes things worse? But what if he's the one who starts it? Then he should start it. But if he knows... And that other thought. That nagging deep thought sunk down deep inside of him. UGH. He itches to run to another place, another section. Scramble around, find anything. BE USEFUL. The fact he can't talk to Niko itches under his skin. To help. To be anywhere and help. Out from his shoulder bag comes a smaller hemp bag. And out of that comes a small handful of nuts. He flips one up into the air and uses a puff of wind magic to draw it into his open mouth, where he starts crunching. When he pulls out another, he stops, opening both of his eyes to look at it. It suddenly drops from nerveless fingers. "Was there always another Prophetbot? Or did one leave and another one just show up like the first one never left?" There is a moderate amount of panic creeping up into Aidan's voice. No, no. Not another one of these. Please. Let it be anything else.
Kale Hearthward	EXPLORATION ROUTE > "Do you know where we might find a printer, by chance?" "Mmm - there's a dormitory up north, people had to evacuate pretty quickly after the sun went out... left a lot of things behind. I'll show you the way up there... after this game." The game finishes. "I mean after the next game, since now I need to get serious now that you know how to play." The board resets. > "Was there always another Prophetbot? Or did one leave and another one just show up like the first one never left?" "I'm... not sure I understand the question. There was the first one, and now there's the second one? Also I'm trying to concentrate on the game, sorry."
Arcadia	Tail lash. Wings twitch. Arcadia really has to struggle to hold her composure. Being patient is harder than fighting for her. She almost just takes off then and there once the dormitory is mentioned, but that might disrupt the flow of things. In the end, this is Niko's story. They're just here to fill out some of the side tasks, solve other problems so Niko doesn't have to spend more precious time on them. "Seriously. After you've shown a 'real' game, then we go. Doing this side mission to help the Saivor restore the Sun can't wait forever."
Futaba Nuki	EARLIER "I'm... happy for you guys?" "Eh? That's just..." Futaba's face goes red again, but things really do seem so much more complicated to her now than before. NOW It's especially complicated since Ru Li does't sound like he's super into Angela, just favorable.  Regardless, Futaba nods once and furrows her brow. "Right? I don't really get what's going on in Miss Angela's place, but..." She needs to be careful. She can't be too obvious, but she can't just check him out herself without giving Angela a chance to do the same. It's not like she doesn't like the guy, but... Wait. Why's she even thinking about that? This is for Angela's sake, not her own! That's why Petra wanted Futaba here instead of with Niko, right? Right. "She's pretty cool, yeah! Must get lonely in that place, too, if all those stories about her being cooped up are true..." Best not to go too hard just yet. Sow the seeds, see what happens, and adjust from there. Although the chess game goes over Futaba's head (not because of unfamiliarity, but general disinterest), she does get to confirm something about the previous Prophetbot between both Silver and Prophetbot even with thelack of information. She doesn't know how useful it'll be now, but it can't hurt to know for later. Maybe. The talk of printers, though, has Futaba mentally locking onto something besides the chess game and letting her own mind run wild with possibilities. Silver seems to know where to get one, so that's a plus! Actually getting one to work with the queue that's back at the big computer, though... "Wonder if we can show it to Niko. Then..." Futaba furrows her brow again, trying to remember if Silver knows about stuff being left behind and appearing over there. She can't remember, so she'll just have to be coy with it. "... Maybe the kid'll have some fun picking at old tech. Might even end up being real good at handling that kind of stuff after the quest is over, right?"
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li, who is a poor, unfortunate soul with no experience in this scenario, no idea what to do, and no idea what to say, just sort of says, "...yes?" In a puzzled tone as he returns to the game.      Arcadia's impatience draws a very long sigh from the Ru Cheng god. "What precisely *are* you here for, exactly? I assure you that I would have been much happier with just Futaba along. Do you have a purpose, or are you simply incapable of sitting still and speaking to someone for more than two minutes at a time?"      He resumes the game, somewhat annoyed, playing a bit more aggressively. After a moment, he bows his head to Silver. "My apologies. That was unseemly of me."      "Check."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan's tail twitches uncontrollably. Ever since the train. The thing that planted a seed in his mind. A seed nutured by Lilian and Petra. A seed nutured by Kale. A seed watered by himself. Until it grew into a tree about to split his soul apart. The other world. A splendid magnificent world. A world where he became a glorious beautiful hero. Where the world loved him and everywhere he went, people cheered his name. Where he died in a battle against an evil that would challenge everything. The world's greatest savior. A farce. A farce of his own creation. A slap in the face. A world that everyone else conquered in a matter of minutes. He was only digging up the roots of that tree now. Desperation. He didn't want it to happen again. He brings himself up to the computer, whispering to himself. "Please. Please please. I want to be a hero again. I want to help people. I was just trying to really learn about people. Don't ruin this for me." Aidan squints up at the monitor like an old man, pressing his face a bit too close to the screen. He has to hunt and peck, looking up, then down, then up again. R...e...s...e...a...r...c...h. "Why didn't Ishirou show up today, he's so much better at this." Aidan mouths out words, feverishly trying to sound out and remember phonemes together. "Why... two... Niko. Why... two... prafet bots."
Angela	Angela actually smiles again. "That's very sweet of you." She looks to Petra. "Do you know pancakes?" Do they HAVE pancakes here? She is already looking up a recipe online. "Do you like... ... ... chocolate chips in your pancakes?" Niko says if she ever becomes able to eat sh should et chocolate chip almond pancakes. It DOES sound delicious. She's not sure why, she has very little eating experience, but it is true children tend to like sweet foods, right? "I'd like that," She says, instead of doing her usual annoyed spiel when people dangle the impossible in front of her because... ...She is starting to think it might actually be possible. Angela has been, shall we say, Homestuck for her entire life and so the idea of mal du pays...Well she understands it but she's never really felt it. She has felt Sickofhomeness instead which is pretty much the opposite. Niko asks what her home is like. "..." Telling NIko about Lobotomy Corporation is not appropriate, right? She shouldn't tell them what it's like to live here. She really shouldn't tell them. Don't tell them. But she needs to say something, doesn't she? She can't just ignore it, right? She is an AI that can lie. "...I get to be with my best friend nearly every day." Angela says. "That is the best thing about it." This actually isn't really a lie, but it's a lie by omission, which Angela counts personally even if she will also lie and say it doesn't if caught in it.
Ru Li Cheng	As he moves another piece into a more aggressive attack, Ru Li looks up at Futaba. He continues playing as if he was still looking at the board, as if to remind her that he doesn't *need* to turn his head to look at anything - he's doing it for emphasis.      "I like *you*," he says finally, "Very much. I am not interested in Miss Angela, and I do not believe she is the type to be interested in me. I...have been advised to be direct about it, so..."      His face goes silver and gold. "So I am being direct about it. Hopefully that...clears up any misunderstandings. If you are not interested in me, then I understand, but..."
Kale Hearthward	EXPLORATION ROUTE > "My apologies. That was unseemly of me." "I - think nothing of it, I mean. Though if you were wanting to be alone with Futaba, I'm sorry to intrude," says Silver, whose people skills are a bit rusty. And who is also puzzling out how to deal with the check without stepping into any traps. "My home is about a mile to the east, near the mine entrance, if you need a place to stay. You two can even borrow my chess set if you want." "... But either way, I know I'm holding you up... I'll finish here." The game finishes. It'd been about even before - but Silver brings out her actual full power and reveals that she could have had checkmate in three moves all along. "Sorry. It's just been so long, and after the group left with Niko I thought I was going to be all alone again here... So when you came back, and you said you knew chess - even if it wasn't the right sort of chess... What I mean to say is, I'm sorry, and we'll go look for that printer now."
Petra Soroka	Yay! Somehow Kale Hearthward is the person Petra is second-most willing to have with her on this trip, besides Angela. Ru Li is great, but he has other duties, and Hibiki... her weirder vibes than normal are noticed and not commented on, because Petra doesn't know how to approach Hibiki, doesn't know if she wants to, and *especially* hesitates when there's some imbalance in knowledge between them. "Do you know pancakes?"     "I mean, I've heard of them." Kale, Angela, Petra on one side, Hibiki and Niko on the other, makes for a weird seating arrangement, after Petra slides into place. She blinks, and corrects herself. "I don't know why I said that. I have eaten pancakes. I have firsthand knowledge of pancakes. I've even made them myself, they're pretty easy, especially when you have a stove." What could that possibly mean? How is she cooking them without a stove? "So... what's your home like?"     Five places pop into Petra's head simultaneously, and her hesitation shows on her face. It's about the most difficult question in the world to even narrow does which place is Petra's home, much less discuss it in a way that's helpful to Niko. She picks up a cheesy fry and very slowly bites down the length of it, buying time.     "I've, uh... moved around a lot. But where I live now..." In the exact opposite thought process of Angela, Lobotomy Corporation is the *most* appropriate place for Petra to talk about to Niko. "I actually live with Angela, mostly. And a bunch of other people. It's sort of like a building with a lot of my friends all together inside it, and everyone takes care of each other."     It's not entirely clear from the packaging, without the ability to read it or the desensitization to modern marketing trends, but Petra nudges the almond chocolate candy bar from the concessions over to Niko as an offer. "This isn't quite the same, but maybe you'll like it? Pancakes are really soft, I love them."     "Hey, how about you, Niko? Your mom sounds really nice, but I bet you help her a lot too, don't you? We'll get you back there as soon as we can, I promise."
Kale Hearthward	TERMINAL Aidan does some looking into system files. There *is* a second Niko signature on the scroll. That much is true. And it was written there by... Niko. The same Niko that the group is traveling with wrote both signatures, but only remembers one.
Arcadia	Arcadia sighs softly, wings drooping a little after that reaccount as she's feeling a little bad for her barely stifled impatience. "I did not mean to imply you were being a problem... but there is the whole saving the world matter to deal with." She doesn't really understand that kind of lonely, having an entire city that adores her as their Guardian. Granted, very few of them are personally close to her, but it's not like she doesn't have... ... Is it possible to be surrounded by people yet be alone?... Nevermind, not important right now. Helping Niko save this world is what they need to focus on. "So we would really appreciate being able to handle this printer issue."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan slams his fist next to the computer, trying to suck in a breath. "It can't be too late. It can't. This can't be the way it happens. It has to be something else. I was almost there." He wipes a few tears away from his face. Aidan mouths out new words. 'Time' 'Date' Nothing from the computer. The last thing that Futaba, Ru Li, and Arcadia see is Aidan stumbling out of the building and soaring up into the sky on Aegis, flying towards the Glen. He lands with a heavy thump and roll, landing in a sprawl. He scrambles up to his feet, hurriedly looking around. Aidan runs, staggering as he races around the area, nearly tripping over himself, catching on a tree. Those glitches? Maybe those glitches. SOmeone he can talk to. Someone he can ask about anything.
Hibiki Tachibana	It kind of... has. It's been... all nonstop. I haven't been able to get home since I got here...     Though I'm starting to get homesick...     ... I miss Mom's pancakes, too... I want to hurry back so I can have them again. I hope they're not too worried.     So... what's your home like?     Drawing one leg up, Hibiki folds her arms across the back of her booth so she can set her chin on top of them while speaking back to Niko. Having to sit, in a way, across from Petra (and Kale, sort of) is... now that they're here, not as much of a drag on her mood as it was before. That's weird. Maybe it's because of the mutual neutral ground that is the not-cat between all of them.     "Not being able to go home is... hard. You're really tough, you know, Niko. A lot tougher than me, for sure." For a moment, she's staring at nothing at all rather than any of their little group. "...Mine... is like the warmest place in the world. Even when I don't think I can, or I've been through the worst stuff in the world, the person I care about the most is always ready to welcome me back. They're the reason it's home in the first place."     For a second, there's a small smile on her face. The only one she's had in... days?     And then it's gone, but her voice is still softer than it normally is. "...It's important, I think. To have somewhere to go back to, somewhere... away from everything else. You know? If you just keep going on and on and on without a break like that... well. I dunno if anyone can do that."     Anyone. After the others have finished, she glances towards Niko directly. "...So it's okay. If pushin' on constantly like this has been rough."
Angela	Angela briefly startles when Petra starts talking about Lobotomy Corp but by the way she describes it... Angela smiles at Petra, resting her head in her hand for a moment. It's very charming to her that Petra seems to gain a lot working at L Corp. Perhaps it's because it's only part time? But she doesn't think that's the only reason. Maybe after a lifetime of seeing the facility destroy people, she is just genuinely happy that it was able to be a good place for someone. "Mm." She agrees broadly with Petra. "Petra has really...livened up our home. She joined us recently."
Kale Hearthward	SOCIAL ROUTE > "...So it's okay. If pushin' on constantly like this has been rough." "Thank you... but I'm doing okay..." This is clearly a lie. > "Hey, how about you, Niko? Your mom sounds really nice, but I bet you help her a lot too, don't you? We'll get you back there as soon as we can, I promise." "Mhm! Mom's really nice, and Mama tries to help her when she can, but I get to help a lot too!" > "...I get to be with my best friend nearly every day." "Oh! That's good!" Niko nods. "Your best friend is invited to come eat pancakes too!" "I think that'll be alright, mom can make a lot of pancakes... oh, if you're looking up recipes you won't find hers, she has a secret ingredient, she made me promise not to tell anyone..." "..." "I miss my family." "I miss home." "I miss... sleeping in my own bed. I didn't think I'd ever miss something like that..." "And I just..." They look over at the lightbulb. "Why am I here? Why me? Why am I the savior? I didn't ask for anything like this. I didn't ask for any of this - this responsibility to save the world. What if I mess up? What if I can't..." Tears start welling up their eyes. "I just - I just want to go home.
Futaba Nuki	Ru Li's more direct addressing of Arcadia's attitude towards the game with Silver gets Futaba to shift in place a bit, trying not to look too impressed by that dressing down. Being more direct about wanting to spend time with her specifically certainly doesn't hurt, but she's caught off guard yet again when he outright states that he likes her and not Angela, or not in the way she thought he might be. "Wha... Not even a little? But I thought Petra was..." The confusion is apparent on Futaba's face as she looks back at the path that they had used to get here, and it takes a few more moments for her to notice his face discoloration to fully grasp what he's said (again). "Misund.. Oh! Yeah, nah, got it loud and clear. Heh. Come on, you think I'd be that clueless about this kind of thing?" To her credit, she's not, but... She's never known Petra to miss like that. She'll have to ask her about that later. When Ru Li and Silver team up on her, though,  it's Futaba's turn to start turning red again. "Wh... No, it's not like that! I mean, I mean, it's not... Not like that?" She pauses to collect herself, then turns to Ru Li with a firm nod. "Yeah." Afterwards, she turns to Silver with a quick shake of her head. "No." There. That should clear up everything. Futaba clears her throat, too, before pulling her scarf up a bit to keep her face a little more hidden. "Anyway! We'll keep that in mind for next time, Miss Silver. Yeah, we've gotta take care of that printer business, but..." She shoots a quick look at Arcadia that seems disapproving even though only her eyes are visible, and then she turns back to Silver with a slight upturn in her demeanor. "I'll bring something by next time, too. Chess ain't really my thing, but!" She adds, somehow looking eager with, again, only her eyes not covered up by that scarf. "You ever play mahjong?" Futaba sees Aidan coming out of the building and taking off shortly around that time, and she blinks slowly while trying to comprehend what's happened there. "No printer in there, I guess...? Sounds like he found something else weird, though." She deliberately avoids looking at the Prophetbot again after that.
Kale Hearthward	AIDAN ROUTE? "Um..." It's Calamus, one of the two kids Niko was playing with before. "What...'s going on? Is something on fire?"
Ru Li Cheng	Ru Li says nothing, because there is a light bit of extremely holy electrum-coloured smoke coming out of his ears right now, and his face is almost metallic behind his skin, at Silver's suggestion. "...I think that may be a bit too fast."      He is not disappointed. *He* thinks it's too fast. He's just not a very fast-moving guy in general, let alone about something like this. He's too disciplined a god to just jump right into that kind of thing.      He stands up. "Thank you," he says finally, then looks at Futaba, "Th-then, the dormitory. We should find the printer. Whatever Mr. Proudpick found is something we can deal with afterwards."      He just sort of glances, side-eye, at Arcadia's drooping wing. Then he starts walking towards the dormitory, allowing his senses to expand and take in whatever might be around of note. It's quite a large radius.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan bites down on the inside of his cheek, maddened by Petra. Angela's answer makes him feel a little bit better. It's computer stuff. It's just computer stuff. It's not weird lotus dream stuff. It's not time stuff. "There's still time. There's still gonna be time." His run turns into a light jog, then a walk, as his body demands some rest. He leans up against a phosphor tree with his hand. "Copy. It's just a copy. Nothing weird." Aidan presses his cheek up against the tree, feeling the rough bark against his fur and skin. "I can still do it." Aidan slowly slides down the tree until he's sitting on his butt, looking at Calamus. "Hi. No fire, don't worry." He strains to catch his breath, trying to think of what to ask. "We just came back from the area around the tower. Trying to help Niko and everything, and have you seen anything strange." Another sucked in breath. "Besides me. Like, two of something that shouldn't have two of it."
Angela	"Looks like you're getting pancakes." Angela grins at Petra, it looks exactly like her evil grins. She is distracted by NIko starting to up and cry. ''I miss home.'' "Ah--" Angela says and then extends a robotic limb to press a hand on Niko's shoulder. "..." What if they mess up? What if they can't... "...I...know a little bit of what it is like to be stuck in a place you do not want to be, because there is somewhere you'd rather be. It is hard, isn't it? Feels like you've been trapped here forever and will never get to leave." Angela tries her best reassuring smile. "For a time I thought I would never get to leave, even after repeating the same time period again and again...countless times. But then people--people like Petra--came to help me. Petra will get you home. She's good at this. We won't give up on you no matter how hard it getes or how long it takes. We are getting close now so it shouldn't be much longer. You've already been so, so brave. Could you be brave for a little while longer? I don't know why you were chosen, surely no good reason--but ... You are already doing your best. If anything, it'd be on us if anything goes wrong. We were sent to help you, after all."
Kale Hearthward	EXPLORATION ROUTE Silver picks up on that she might have said some sort of faux pas. "Um... I'm sorry. If my suggestion of getting a private room to play chess was moving too fast, then..." "... I do have a checkers set as well." > "You ever play mahjong?" "No, but I'll play anything at this point." Silver leads them on to the dormitory. The air outside is slightly caustic - Silver forgets that not everyone has robotic not-lungs, and so the group has to go back to the metal-pressing factory and find air filters. Inside the dormitory, it's safer to breathe. There's also a lot to go through - bunk beds lining the walls, small bedrooms, common areas... Not all of it is *full* of personal effects, but there's still several collective lifetimes in sum total that people had to leave behind when they evacuated. "... I remember when this place was full of people. I have to wonder if anyone will come back here when the new sun is shining, or not. It was already..." "... kind of... falling apart, even before the sun went out." "... I'm just realizing, it's... kind of absurd that there's a little kid that's having to save the world. I would have thought the savior would be an adult, it doesn't really seem fair to them, does it..." Silver comments as they search.
Petra Soroka	Tears well up in Petra's eyes, more intensely than she expected. There's not even enough of a buildup for her to try soothing Niko before her throat closes up, and opening her mouth would make all the tears spill over. She makes a mouth-shut sympathetic hum and Niko, then quickly looks away and presses her knuckles into her eyes.     When Niko themselves starts crying, Petra sniffles loudly, and turns back towards them, halfway reaching out an offered hand palm up, before retracting it and shifting in her booth bench a bit. She hiccups, trying really really hard not to let the tears out, because seeing grownups cry only makes it worse.     Why *is* she so strongly affected by that? She has her home, and she's happy in it, and she cares about Niko of course, but it would *hurt* less if it was just that. The obvious answer, and the one she tried to avoid coming to in her mind, was the time reflecting on all the places that she could've responded with when asked about home. Her voice is choked up, and she mutters, quietly but not really quietly enough, "Fucking Persephone."     Petra puts her hands on the edge of the table and looks at Niko. "Okay. H-hold on." She ducks beneath the table, squirming around to crawl between the supporting poles, to pop up on the side of Niko opposite Hibiki, against the wall. It's a little silly-- that's on purpose, even if she's also crying, because being silly and earnest and doing something adults shouldn't is hopefully a small spark of joy right now. "But then people--people like Petra--came to help me. Petra will get you home. She's good at this."     Petra is poking her head up from beneath the table right as Angela says this, and makes a low whine of trying really hard not to cry more. She wiggles her way onto the seat, then wraps an arm around Niko's shoulders, pulling them in for a side hug and leaning her cheek on their head.     "W-we'll get you home. Angela's right. I-I don't give up on this kind of thing, you know? You're not going to have to do any of this alone, so when you're not feeling brave, you can let us feel brave for you. Okay? It'll be alright. We'll make it an adventure together, and when you're home, you can tell your mom--s all about it, and it'll be okay. It won't be that much longer, I promise."
Arcadia	Arcadia is magitechnorganic rather than robotic but in the end it boils down to the same thing. She is unbothered by the slightly noxious air but that's just one less filteration they have to find before they can move into investigating the dorm building properly. Seeing the abandoned affects of others' lives does sting the historical collector part of her heart, and Arcadia reaches over to pat a hand on Silver's shoulder in an attempt to be sympathetic. "Once the Sun has been restored, steps can be taken to help revitalize places like this. But let's not put the oxen before the wagon train." She pauses a moment to engage her magitek visor, shifting to it's scanning mode to help with searching for printers. She figures they will find more broken ones, but if it's not broken in the same way that's parts they can use. "It may seem odd to you. And yes to a degree it may be unfair, if it is not something they wanted. But that tends to be how Fate operates." Arcadia raises a hand in a metaphorical gesture towards the multiverse they come from behind the computer's world. "Out there, it is not so uncommon. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, from all points and walks of life." A pause, and then the sphinx sighs softly, partially because speaking of it that way makes her think of Aidan and his struggling with becoming the hero he wants to be. "Not all can be as fortunate as I to be crafted for their intended role."
Futaba Nuki	"That game take a lot out of ya?" Futaba asks Ru Li with a playful chuckle, grateful for something far tamer to get distracted by (and not realizing what's actually going on there). "Yeah, no, that's a good point. It's pretty complicated, but it was the first thing I could think of that can fit more than two people at once." She's talking about mahjong, of course, and she just ends up getting confused by Silver's apology. "Hm? A whole private room to play chess... What would even do with all that space?" Futaba also perks up at hearing about checkers. She's considerably more relaxed by the time they head for the dormitory, although the strange air has her pausing to adjust her face in the form of just transforming an entire gas mask onto her face. The scarf is still in front of it, of course, so now it's sticking out at a weird angle. She even takes an air filter when they go through the factory, and when they're in the dorms... She takes the filter out before reabsorbing the flesh mask back into herself. "I have to wonder if anyone will come back here when the new sun is shining, or not." "I'm sure people'll come back here sooner or later. Kind of a shame they left at all, 'cause this place still seems pretty... Okay? Aside from falling apart, anyway." "... kind of absurd that there's a little kid that's having to save the world." "Yeah... There's always stories about kid heroes goin' on grand adventures, and that's the kind of stuff I used to watch all the time. But..." Futaba furrows her brow and sighs lightly, pausing briefly to flatten out and slip her head underneath a jammed door to peek inside for goodies. "Going through all that kinda danger without having a choice sucks butt. That stuff should be left to adults like us, yeah. And if putting that on a kid's all because of a..." Futaba's rolling her hand a few times like she's trying to come up with something, then gives up by the time her head returns to its normal shape and length. "... Fate thing, like she said? Then our next step after all this is finding out who set all that up and beat their ass."
Hibiki Tachibana	Niko breaking down isn't surprising.     But it still hurts to see.     While they vent their pent-up emotions, Hibiki's tense and worried frown is only half-hidden by the folded arms she's resting against, her eyes briefly dipping down... and then over to the lightbulb they've been charged with transporting all this way. Still unbroken, after all this time. She remembers the message they found, on their first visit in here.     Their mission is to help Niko leave.     Niko's mission is to save the world.     Will doing one of them help accomplish the other? Coming all this way, being this close... is it putting them any closer? They don't actually have any way of knowing for sure. But thinking about things like that isn't going to do anything for Niko right now. The vague talk of copies, and amnesia, and theories and everything else pass by in a blur, because the only thing that they know for sure right now is... what's right in front of them right now is the realest thing of all.     Her sleeve comes up to rub at her eyes, and after a muffled huff, she sits up a bit straighter. "I... get it. I know you do. A whole world gets put on your shoulders, and you didn't want anything to do with it. You gotta carry this huge weight, and you can't even go home to your family..."     Even she jumps a little when Petra springs up like that. But a second passes by, and she eases back while raising a hand, hesitating for a moment-- and then rests it against Niko's forearm. "...They mean everything they say," which is absolutely her giving credit to Petra. "And... everyone here is here to catch you if you fall too, you know? I know it's scary. But you don't-- ...don't gotta be afraid."     "How badly you wanna go back, and see your Mom and Mama again... hold onto those feelings extra tight. Alright? You don't have to pretend like you don't have them. They'll help you get to the end of this... so you can see home again."
Ru Li Cheng	'Not all can be as fortunate as I to be crafted for their intended role.'      'Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.'      Ru Li stops, his hand on the door. He was, a moment ago, expanding his senses to look for a printer (he has no idea what a printer is but he figures he'll figure it out when he sees it). He was, a moment ago, about to say something to Futaba, probably, or to Silver.      He straightens.      He turns around.      And he takes a swing at Arcadia.      He's fast, and he's strong, and he's fast and strong enough to just *shatter* the wall behind her, obliterating it to dust. His eyes are narrowed, sharp, and angry.      "How dare you."      "'Made to be a hero.'"      He straightens, shaking his hand. He's never been so angry before. He's never *felt* so angry before, judging by the rapid ticking coming from inside him. It is loud and it is aggressive.      "How dare you speak so casually about something that can only be earned."      "'Made to be a hero' and yet you have no discipline. 'Crafted to be a hero' and yet you do not have the patience to sit through a game of chess with someone lonely. 'Built to fill the role of hero' and yet you have no responsibilities or obligations, merely worship and adoration?"      Ru Li takes a long, sharp breath, and then exhales a small cloud of steam. He's getting heated, and not in the way he usually is, when Futaba's around and his face is pleasantly hot. No, this electrum steam is full of anger. Full of genuinely divine wrath. In fact, his eyes are even starting to glow, the color of the moon on fire. Lines along his hands are lighting up in strange characters.      "You are disgusting. You are as far from a hero as can exist. A parasite creature. A *thing* masquerading as righteous. Little better than an empty creature that cannot control itself."      Ru Li takes another deep breath and exhales another cloud of steam. Then he turns away. "And do not ever speak of heroism as if it is something so light and breezy, as if there are 'so many kinds' simply to make someone feel better, as if light words have meaning. Light words carry as much nourishment as a breeze - none whatsoever, even though they may have a pleasant taste."      His fists clench, very very tightly, and the sound of the ticking gets a little louder. Finally, he turns, claps both of his hands together, and bows to Silver and Futaba. The glow in his eyes fades, as does the glow along his hands (now all the way up his arms, in fact). The ticking subsides. "You have my apologies. Wrath is not something I am accustomed to, but I could not stay silent on such a subject so close to my heart."      He folds his hand onto his chest. He may also be checking whatever passes for a pulse. "Rest assured that I am still searching for the printer even now. My senses are extremely vast."      Then, an embarassed cough into his own hand. "...though, erm...what exactly does it look like, if you could describe it to me?"
Kale Hearthward	AIDAN ROUTE Calamus gives Aidan another look. "No?" "I mean I guess there's two weird looking goats over in the fields, there shouldn't be two of those. That's strange, I guess?" The goats turn out to just be normal goats. "I think - I mean, maybe you need to go lie down?" he asks as gently as he can manage. SOCIAL ROUTE > "Could you be brave for a little while longer? I don't know why you were chosen, surely no good reason--but ... You are already doing your best. If anything, it'd be on us if anything goes wrong. We were sent to help you, after all" "I... I guess..." Hugs help. Other people crying helps. The kind words help. > "How badly you wanna go back, and see your Mom and Mama again... hold onto those feelings extra tight. Alright? You don't have to pretend like you don't have them. They'll help you get to the end of this... so you can see home again." "R-right..." Niko grabs a napkin and dries their face. "... what was that about... repeating a time period, again and again? That sounds like something out of a storybook... I'm pretty sure time doesn't repeat over and over. I think I'd remember if I was doing the same thing over and over, that'd be silly." "Right... I'm gonna get through this. We're gonna get through this, I mean. I'm, I'm really glad I have all of you here. All of you helping me out, even without me needing to ask you to. It, it really helps. "I think I'm ready." EXPLORATION ROUTE "... Fate thing, like she said? Then our next step after all this is finding out who set all that up and beat their ass." "You think there's some singular person behind, um, Niko being the Savior? I hope they know what they're doing, have some grand plan that makes sense or something, because it doesn't really seem like they do." "It really feels like all of this was more like some sort of accident than some grand plan. At least as much as I can see." Ru Li punches the wall (or Arcadia, or both). Silver, once she recovers from the shock, is looking at Ru Li strangely. Strangely, but not disapprovingly. "You're tamed, aren't you. I wasn't sure at first, but..." Didn't Kip use that same word in the factory? "... Well, nevermind that. The printer. It'd look like..." With a bit more effort, the group manages to find it. It's intact, it powers on, and it even still has ink!
Ru Li Cheng	"I am not a robot," Ru Li says politely to Silver, "I am a god. And I am not a pet, nor a domesticated creature, nor a domesticated machine."
Kale Hearthward	EXPLORATION ROUTE (postscript) "Oh - sorry, that's not what taming means, not like domestication... actually it's a little complicated to explain..." "... Nevermind. You should get going."
Ru Li Cheng	"I am not a *machine*," Ru Li underlines helpfully, "I am a *god*. I am flesh, and clockwork, and purified coolants, and sanctified metals, all brought together in imitation of other, even higher beings."
Arcadia	The wall behind Arcadia shatters, Ri's arm mere microns from the side of her head. It all happens so fast that it is really hard to tell if Arcadia sidestepped, or if Ru Li missed intentionally. Everything considered it is probably both, and the fact that it was -that close- to actually hitting Arcadia with how fast the sphinx is says something about how much Ru Li put behind that swing. Her eyes are for a few moments after still wide, only partially visible behind her visor, just as surprised as anyone else. "Whoa, whoa, whooooa." There is a hint of awe in her voice, even as she takes another more obvious step back and holds up her hands. Few people that aren't also super speedsters can get that close to striking her. "I was specifically created to be a guardian. A protector. Not specifically 'a hero'." She pauses, realizing how what she said must of sound to him and others, and then makes a face as she rubs a palm against her temple. "Okay I see how in the context of the conversation that could be a misleading statement. You are correct that is a status earned rather than made." Her tail lashes in a bit of aggitation, though now it's at herself as much as anything else. "This is exactly why I didn't go to the probably emotional conversation side quest..." Despite that emotionally charged tangent, a working printer has been found. Hurrah! She sideglances at Ru Li again. "Sorry for the confusion."
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan shakes his head over the goats. "Something's... something's weird. Hopefully I can get Ishirou to help me next time." He turns to Calamus with a smile. "Sorry, yea. It's been a really hard week. I'll go lie down after this." Did Ishirou stay that one time he asked him to cover the computer? "Even if it's not that, if it's not what I think it is. What if it's something that means Niko can't get home?" Aidan pounds his fist against his head. "Idiot. You should have been thinking that this whole time." A sad smile. Maybe he didn't learn anything at the facility. He realizes he is talking to himself in front of Calamus. "I'm going to go lie down now." He bursts back into the air, heading over to the City, the library, to wait for the others in the office with George. About five minutes into waiting for everyone: "Sooooooo..." Aidan squints, "Is the..." he waves around his head in an approximation of a cube, "Thing normal for around here?"
Ru Li Cheng	"You do not even have the decency to stick to your own words," Ru Li says to Arcadia, sharply, as they walk, "Politely stop talking to me. A hero should be consistent and true to their word. Litigating your statements is something for unscrupulous magistrates."      "Losing my temper is unpleasant. I do not wish to do it again."
Angela	Angela rubs at her forehead for a moment. Don't let Niko know that their fate is actually in the hands of a few specialists and also a bunch of incompetents, she tells herself. NIko does not needs this. They do, in fact, only have one shot to get them home. She cannot cry sympathetically. She would if she could, but she cannot, and Angela avoids feeling distress about that in the moment. When Niko says they think they are ready, she smiles. She is an AI that can lie, so her worry does not show in her eyes, nor does the idea that they may very well mess up and doom this child. Carmen doomed a child once. She doesn't want to follow in those footsteps. "Okay." She says. It isn't exactly true they weren't asked to do this but-- --well they certainly didn't have to. And it wasn't Niko. It was some weird computer message. But that isn't why Angela wants to help Niko. Maybe if she can do this, she will escape feeling powerless. She hates the idea of feeling that way. ''Fucking Persephone.'' Angela's head snaps to Petra and she rests a hand on Petra's. She nods to her, and nods to Hibiki. She even nods to Kale.
Futaba Nuki	Ru Li confronts Arcadia via smashing a wall and saying quite a bit about his thoughts on her and on heroism, and it's enough to get Futaba's eyes to widen in vivid surprise. She didn't know he had that kind of fire in him, and the way he's behaving and the things he's saying... Depending on where he's focusing at that moment, he might be able to notice Futaba's quickened heartbeat and her gaze suddenly going elsewhere after a moment. Thankfully, she's a little calmer by the time he apologizes for going off, and she brushes it off with a light wave of her hand. "Nah, you're right. If I didn't have to worry about this place falling apart if we started a fight and have to go through some kind of crazy escape with a printer tucked under someone's arm..." She pauses, then curses under her breath about a missed chance. "You think there's some singular person behind, um, Niko being the Savior?" "If it's one person, I'm kicking their ass. If it's a bunch of people, I'm kicking their asses." Futaba can feel herself getting worked up already, not unlike how Ru Li had done so moments ago. "At least if it was an accident, there's nobody to blame but whoever caused the problems that needed Niko to solve it for... Some reason. But saviors and heroes are..." She rubs her forehead, looking increasingly agitated as the thoughts come spilling out. "They're either forced to do it, or they choose to do it. I doubt Niko chose this, either, if the way..." She trails off for a moment, trying to figure out something before continuing. "... They looked before meant anything, so... Forced into it." Futaba shoots another foul look at Arcadia at that, then narrows her eyes at her response to Ru Li. "Lady, lady. You're... No. You're not even close to smooth enough to try and spin it like that. Just take the L." Groaning in irritation between that and her missed shot at a dramatic building collapse escape, Futaba takes a deep breath to steady herself, then continues the printer search with Silver's new instructions! And once they find it... "Mind if I get a closer look at the thing?" Futaba asks and, without waiting for an answer, just shoves her face right up against the printer. She's staring at it, feeling it, warping her face around, and even getting inside of it a moment later as she shrinks herself to start checking out the inside of the thing. She'll need to remember what it looks and feels like if she wants to turn into one properly later, after all, even if it'd be more of a visual copy than a proper one. "Let's get this back home. Or... Uh. Wherever everyone is now."
Arcadia	The tanuki is correct. She is by her own admittance nowhere near a proper communicator to deal with this properly, regardless if anyone even wanted to talk about it or not. They're just pointing out how badly she's putting her foot in her mouth. And now everyone is annoyed with her and giving her dirty looks. It might just be Futaba. While Angela is scolding her for likely making the Concord look less capable. And Ru Li is not even acknowledging her presence farther. That is what hurts more than the punch potentially would, for someone that wants the attention and admiration. But instead managed to verbally screw up royalty because she didn't think what she was saying thoroughly. Tail stops lashing as her wings slump. This sullen feeling wasn't familiar to her. But having people upset with her to the point it had reached was... disenheartening. "The printer is in more capable care." Arcadia doesn't even say an actual goodbye. Just spreads her wings and takes off, to return to a terminal and log out. She's screwed up enough for one mission.
Petra Soroka	"...They mean everything they say," which is absolutely her giving credit to Petra.     Petra's eyes flick up to meet Hibiki's for a moment, in a tiny gesture of appreciation for the support. It's not even like she's surprised to be grateful that Hibiki's also caring for Niko-- it's exactly because it's not surprising at all that she feels a stab of Niko-unrelated unhappiness in her chest. She looks away and gives Niko a little squeeze. "... what was that about... repeating a time period, again and again? That sounds like something out of a storybook..."     The foreshadowing in Niko's words is totally glossed over, and Petra nods, her chin against Niko's head. She sounds like she's having more trouble getting over the bout of crying than Niko is, and her voice is still low and crackly.     "Oh, that's from a fairy tale Angela knows. It's about someone who's trying to grow a tree, over and over, but every time the wind blows it over, or it's not watered enough, it turns back into a seed and she has to start all over, until she gets help from her friends, and together they all get it to grow up healthy."     Petra is also an AI that can lie. It's not a true story, not literally and not metaphorically either, but if Niko was that willing to latch on to a storybook tale, then Petra will give them one that feels nice right now. Petra takes Angela's extended hand, then wipes her eyes on her sleeve, tugging Angela's hand around when she does.     "Yup, you'll get through it, Niko. We've saved lots of worlds, you know, so we can get you home in no time."
Angela	''Oh, that's from a fairy tale Angela knows.'' Angela lowers her eyes. The fact that she's smiling a little bittersweet smile might sell a bittersweet fairytale but she says, "I like stories. If you have any you'd like to share, I'd love to hear it." to Niko. It's enough to chase her frustrations away.
Hibiki Tachibana	I'm pretty sure time doesn't repeat over and over. I think I'd remember if I was doing the same thing over and over, that'd be silly.     ". . ." She really, really hopes so. The thought of something like that being involved in what's going on with Niko too...     ...would make her too upset to want to seriously consider, in the middle of this moment. That wouldn't make any sense in the first place, right...? If they only have 'one shot'.     I think I'm ready.     "...Good." Pushing those kind of thoughts out of mind, Hibiki nods with genuine satisfaction. It's not really going to get any easier, but. "We'll all get this savior stuff out of the way-- and then we'll all make sure you get home, where you wanna be." Niko gets a slow nod, and another a small smile. That's two for one today.     Angela gets one back, too. Even if she doesn't say it, she's glad for that. And Petra...     ...Petra, also. Even though the eye contact was only for a second, and it feels awfully bittersweet somewhere between her heart and her stomach after, there's still that little show of solidarity, for an instant.     "...So let's make sure we finish this all this up, yeah? Only a little more to go."
Kale Hearthward	AIDAN ROUTE (postscript) > "...(cube) thing normal for around here?" "I have no idea what you're rappin' about, fuzzy dude," says George. SOCIAL ROUTE (postscript) A temporal bubble paradox keeps Kale from hearing anything Petra's saying about Persephone, since in another temporal bubble instance he's currently talking to Persephone about Petra. He nods along anyway, assuming it's about something else. > "I like stories. If you have any you'd like to share, I'd love to hear it." "Oh! Sure! There's this one mama likes to tell, it's about this world that doesn't have any color in it... but then one day a magical brush grew out of the ground, and it could color the world in, and it got passed down among all these famous artists as this big responsibility to bring color into the world, but then one day a janitor got given the magic brush by accident and they had to go on all these adventures and had to deal with a bunch of problems and had to literally fight their inferiority complex when it turned into a giant ink monster and had to do a bunch of other stuff-" Niko takes a breath. "- and it's a really great story. I'll tell you it sometime, but mama tells it better. Also the janitor is named after a pizza, which is pretty funny." COMBINED ROUTE The printer gets plugged in at the library. After a quick #print command, it starts printing out two long strings of numbers... ... Which Kale immediately grabs, as well as some scrap paper from George's stock. "Okay I'm just gonna plug these in," he says, having gone online and watched 'top 30 nonogram solving tips' earlier that week while everyone else was busy getting killed in Lobotomy Corporation. "Just to speed things along. And - done. The puzzle answer, if we were to plug it into the 25 by 25 grid on the floor of the tower, is: 'NIKO HERE, SHUT DOWN'." "Shut down what?" asks Niko.