Battleworld 2.0

Velvet Room

"I must decline, Arisato-san," Homura replied. "I have many things to take care of. Tomoe-san and Miki-san can stay if they wish, though."

Wait, "wish"? That's right. Homura's eyes glanced at Mami for a moment - or rather the glass jar she was holding in her hands containing her soul. She needed to address that with The Cure, now that she's gotten another one of his wishes. The simple path was just to wish for her Soul Gem to be restored, but with how powerful The Cure's wishes have proven to be, could more be gotten, like not putting Mami in this Magical Girl garbage in the first place? It would certainly forestall any chance of Candeloro being a threat. But that would mean losing Mami's considerable fighting prowess as well.

Sayaka, at least, was distracted from Homura's conundrum by something else. "I mean, if you're offering, I could go for a celebratory breakfast," Sayaka replied. "Hard to beat free food." Wait, "food"? "Oh, crap — we should let Kyoko and Madoka know we're OK!"

Mami, however, did notice the look of ponderment on Homura's face. For the moment she was silent, trying to figure out what her fellow Magical Girl was thinking.

Velvet Room

For someone as astute at reading other people as Minako, it was pretty simple to piece together what Homura's glance at Mami's soul jar meant when combined with her recent use of the word "wish" - not least because The Fool was thinking of exactly the same possible wish.

"Well, before you go, Homura-chan..." the ponytailed girl began, then turned to Mami, "Homura-chan and I have just earned another wish each from The Cure. That bottle you have is pretty inconvenient to carry around, so I was thinking one of us could wish for a new, smaller container for your soul, or... we could wish for your soul to return to your body."

Reaching forward, she cupped her hands around Mami's own as the blonde clutched the bottle holding her very being, and smiled faintly at her twin-tailed friend. "Mami-chan... Do you want to keep being a Magical Girl, given what you know about it now? Even if what Kyuubey did was sinister, you've done a lot of good protecting people with your powers until now, right? But at the same time, I don't think anyone would blame you for wanting to walk away from that, considering what could happen if you all are ever pulled back to your home universe. And of course, even if you return to being a normal girl, we would all still be your friends! But whatever you choose, I think the important thing is that it's your choice!"

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 21st 2021 at 6:48:24 AM

Velvet Room: Oddly Appropriate

Link turned his head towards the familiar face, only for him to once again turn his eyes to the floor. Guess the fact he and Tatl were now homeless was a bit of an open secret.

"We were staying with a guild of wizards called Fairy Tail." Tatl explained to Yukari. "But if Mirajane's gone, it's a safe bet that the whole guild hall's gone, too. Least those pockets on my partner's belt fit a lot more than they should—we don't need to try and pick up our stuff."

< ...Yukari? > While it'd be clear who he was "speaking" to thanks to Kyubey's telepathy, that didn't mean the boy had raised his eyes to meet the Persona user...not until he suddenly nested his fingers to plead, then shot her a pout and the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could muster.

< Can Epona stay here, too?! I promise to take care of her and feed her and brush her and clean out her room and she won't be any trouble cross my heart so can she stay here too please oh please oh pleeeeeeeeeease?! >

Tatl couldn't object fast enough. "Absolutely not! What does this place look like to you, a barn?! You can't house a horse in a place like this! It's fit for a king for cryin' out loud!"

< Mavis let her stay in Fairy Tail! > the little hero frowned at his partner.

"There was already a decent place for your foal when we found Fairy Tail. Besides: compared to this fancy place, the guild might as well have been a barn."

< She can stay in my room with me! Yukari already said I can spend nights here! >

"Yes. You. Not your horse. I have to duck under your hat when we're around most people, so trust me when I say that you smell bad enough as it is."

< So what's your big idea, then? > by now Link was back on his feet, staring his partner (presumably) eye-to-eye.

"The mask doesn't look like it's using that meadow. Why not keep her there?"

< Because she doesn't like it there! She thinks it's creepy! >

"Seeing how she doesn't let anyone but you close to her, I think your horse is scared of more than just an empty meadow."

< I don't want to leave her there! >

"Well..." no one needed to see the fairy's expression to tell she was getting tired of this stupid (yet persistent) argument. From her view, there honestly couldn't be a better solution: that 'Heart of the Moon' place had lots of open space, plenty of grass to graze, was completely uninhabited, and best of all: its presence on Battleworld was directly tied with theirs. If for whatever reason they all wound up back in Termina, at least the skittish beast wouldn't be hard to find. Could the same be said if she was left somewhere like Fairy Tail? Where the home would vanish but she'd still remain?

But she didn't have the words for that just yet. All she had to offer was her own frustration, bursting into the air with two words:

"TOO BAD! My part of our agreement is to guide you and keep you safe—I'm not responsible for making you happy! You want to keep your horse? Keep her somewhere she can stay out of people's way! That'll keep you BOTH safe! Got it?"

Perhaps Link had discovered a way to turn off the telepathic broadcast from his end; perhaps Kyubey was attentive enough to recognize when some thoughts shouldn't be shared; perhaps the scolding temporary blocked the little hero from fabricating anything coherent—judging by the way he slumped his shoulders and quivered his lower lip at Tatl's raised voice, he didn't seem eager to start up a new shouting match.

The fairy let out a heated sigh, then turned her wings to face the door. "C'mon. Let's go get your horse before she panics and kicks someone. You can eat once she's safe and sound."

On that point, at least, Link could agree. He followed the fairy out of the Velvet Room.

Common Room: Reunited For the Third Freaking Time

It took half a trip through Philemon's Hall for the duo to realize they'd become a trio: a long catlike creature had decided to accompany Tatl and Link, trailing a few feet behind the little hero. If Tatl had any questions for Kyubey, she didn't ask them. Link certainly didn't think ill of his newfound companion, and thought nothing of it besides a new friend coming to use this think-talk powers to help him out. After all, it sure beat writing everything he wanted to say, and there were no opportunities for anyone to mock or correct his spelling!

So with his friendly fluffy telepath trotting behind, the little hero followed his fairy out of the Commons Corridor to the mouth of the big white room.

With a fiery argument bursting to life between 3 (then 5, then 7, then 8) people, some passersby might be forgiven for ignoring another peculiar sight in the immaculate space: a foal with blue eyes, chestnut hair, and an off white mane and forehead.◊ Anyone who tried to approach the creature would find her more than a little wary of strangers, and anyone who assumed she was part of a petting zoo would find her a little too eager to retaliate. Thank goodness for the pacification field.

But there was one figure entering the room who was unfazed by the foal's anxious and aggressive behavior. Far from it: the boy rushed towards the beast with watery eyes, and once she spotted him, the horse walked to meet him partway. When he was close enough, the boy gave his missing steed a grateful hug, and rushed a hand over her mane with gentle coos and shushing...though a case could be made that he was trying to calm himself down as much as the foal.

Should Kyubey decide to share the thoughts going through the boy's mind, they'd be what one might expect given the scare he'd gone through not ten minutes ago: calming words, light jokes, and genuine praise for the gods that Epona wasn't hurt. Though the ferret-like creature would soon find use for his telepathic talent, as an icy-eyed (and skinned) girl approached the hero and his steed.

< Hiya! > the archer would hear from...in her head. Judging by the eye contact and the great big smile on his face (red nose and eyes notwithstanding), it'd seem clear to Taia that the "speaker"^note "thinker?" was the boy she had approached.

< My name's Link! > chirped the child's sourceless voice. < Over there's Kyubey, and this is my friend Epona! What's your name? >

No doubt Kyubey noticed that the boy didn't introduce his fairy companion; no doubt because the fairy had ducked under her partner's cap to stay out of sight for now.

< Hey, you hungry? > Evidently this strange kid wasn't keen on waiting for answers. < My friends and me were gonna eat some breakfast. We just got back from a big crazy adventure and I. AM. HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNGRY!!! You should come with us! It's just down this—ow. >

Even as he winced at some unseen pinch, the boy pointed down the hallway connected to the Common Room, then hopped aboard his foal and beckoned the stranger to follow.

< I just gotta bring Epona somewhere...ugh, safe, and then we can go get some food! > The word sounded exceptionally strange out-of-context, but if Taia had any experience with children at all, she might gather that he wasn't bringing his steed someplace "safe" because he wanted to. His tone was seeped in the exaggerated reluctance of a kid being ordered to clean their room.

The detour didn't last long, and should Kyubey or Taia choose to peer inside, they'd realize that the door labeled "Majora and the Heart of the Moon" didn't exactly lead to...well, a room. Instead, it opened up to a beautiful field with blue skies, the sounds of chirping birds, and a massive tree atop a rolling hill.◊ The boy dismounted and gave his steed one last embrace before turning to leave. To her great credit, Epona did not seem frightened by the disturbingly empty space this time around; perhaps she felt encouraged by the boy's promise that he'd soon be back to see her—perhaps she was glad to hear him "speak" for the first time.

When they were all back in the Commons Corridor, the little hero adjusted his belt and smiled. < Alrighty then—onward! >

He started running down the hall towards a different door, and rushed inside.

< TO BREAKFAAAAAAAAST! >

Velvet Room

By this point Kyubey had decided to skedaddle and follow Link out to wherever his little pony had been placed, leaving Mami only able to look between Homura and Minako as the decision was laid out for her. A silence fell over the group as the spotlight fell on her, the metaphorical heat stepping up notch by notch with each wordless second. Finally she spoke: "I...are you sure? I, well...thank you, first of all, for offering this wish for me. I..." She shifted in her seat, the jar holding her Soul wobbling a bit in her lap as she did so. "Undoing my wish...redoing my wish..."

That brought a realization to Homura. <Tomoe-san, do you want to discuss this in private?> she asked via telepathy, with only Minako privy to it.

Mami turned to face Homura. <You know what I'm talking about,> she stated more as a matter of fact than a question.

<Even I know this isn't something you'd talk about freely in public.> Homura turned to Minako. "Is there a side room we can talk privately in?" Her eyes shifted to her right towards the other SEES members and Sayaka whose view of what was happening were unobstructed.

"What's going on?" Sayaka asked.

<Remember what Tomoe-san wished for when she became a Magical Girl?> The reply to Sayaka was private, the crestfallen face of realization on Sayaka's face was public.

Common Room

Kyubey had sensed that his presence in the Velvet Room was becoming a problem; that combined with curiosity about the young boy who was able to reverse the Witchification process with a song was enough for him to tag along with Link and explore what had changed on BattleWorld since his last visit. He stayed quiet for the most part, seemingly content to allowing himself to be a living LAN network for the apparently mute boy's thoughts.

The only real deviance from this background behavior was when Link first encoutered the young woman Taia, his unblinking gaze seemingly focusing in on her for longer than usual compared to the other new people found in the Common Room before sprinting off to keep up with Link.

Velvet Room -> Minako's Room

"Sure! We don't have, like, a conference room, but we can use my room! Follow me!" Minako nodded quickly, then led the way up the stairs and down the blue hall to the room adorned with her name, wiggled her fingers to summon a blue key, and unlocked the blue door, ushering the Magical Girls inside.

Inside was surprisingly not a blue room, but rather a pastel pink one, from the wallpaper to the drapes to the bedspread and carpet. There was a desk with chair on one side, and a bed in the opposite corner, away from the door, a dresser, a closet, and a door that presumably led to a bathroom. That was about it.

"Sorry, I don't have that many places to sit..." the head of SEES apologized, plopping down on the edge of her bed, patting the space beside her and motioning for Mami to join her. "Now, where to begin... I guess I should ask what your wish from Kyuubey and the circumstances in which you made it were, Mami-chan?"

Velvet Room

Mami and Homura would follow close behind Minako, leaving Sayaka as the lone Magical Girl among the rest of SEES. "Imma...gonna call Kyoko and Madoka, let them know we're OK."

Minako's Room

Mami sat down next to Minako at the edge of the bed while Homura stood near the door. The blonde took a deep breath to collect herself before she began: “Do you remember when you mentioned that your parents died in a car accident when you were little? That has stuck with me because...We were coming back from a vacation in Niigata and the car...it was shuddering right before we went through the guard rail around a curve and down a cliff." She paused. "I guess it was adrenaline that dulled the pain. I couldn't feel my legs, and one of my arms felt weird. My head was woozy, I could barely make out the outline of...Kyubey, out the window against the sunlight. He offered me the contract to become a Magical Girl in exchange for a wish. So I made it." She took a deep breath. "I wished to live, to not die right there when the ambulance would have taken so long to find us. When the feeling returned to my body and the pain went away, I was so relieved to have survived...that I had forgotten for a moment I wasn't the only one in the car. I had...completely forgotten about my parents. I...I could have wished for them to be alright as well."

Mami would fall into a somber silence, the yellow spark in the jar she held swirling noticeably more than usual. Homura said nothing to break it, letting Mami finish in her own words: "The doctors said later it was a miracle that I had even lived, much less come out of it uninjured. But my parents, they...they said my father probably died instantly, but my mother might have been alive for a few minutes. Not long enough for any ambulance to arrive and save her, because we were in a remote area. And since I don't have any other relatives available, I've lived alone the past year or two."

Another pause, before Mami sniffed as tears began to well in her eyes. "I miss them..."

Edited by megarockman on Dec 23rd 2021 at 11:30:22 AM

Common Room (Angel)

Listening to the explanation given, and heeding the advice, the Angel blinked twice, then faced the large man and slowly nodded.

"Understood." He said in a quiet tone. PANDORA sounded...troubling, to put it lightly. These Contractors, whatever they had done, didn't seem like they deserved to be extinguished down to the last man. But Kobayashi was correct, he would definitely need to speak to the Cure, sooner rather than later. And so, the Angel took his leave, going off in search of answers.

Common Room (Taia)

Upon hearing the voice in her head, and connecting it to the young child in front of her, Taia smiled warmly. "My name's Taia. And I would love food." Following after the boy as he took care of seeing to his companion, the girl took a peek inside of the room...and her smile froze as her expression locked into place.

If the ground and the tree had snow and ice present, it would almost be like where she'd spent her days with Frost. Even if she knew he was currently at rest in the Sky Palace, the blue girl instinctively looked up at the sky in the room, as if expecting to see her friend soaring there.

Eventually, however, Taia snapped out of it, and followed after Link in search of food.

Flashback, Shadow F.E.A.S.T.

Seeing that Mami was getting distracted again, Minako cupped the blonde's face with her hands and moved her so they were exactly eye-to-eye. "Listen to me, Mami! Listen! Ignore what the Shadow is saying and focus on the sound of my voice! People close to me hid the truth from me as well! I was drafted into protecting humanity from monsters with hardly any say, and the truth behind why the monsters I was fighting existed wasn't what I thought it was! But they had their reasons for hiding it, and I had a reason for fighting: to protect ordinary people from horrors they don't even know about, just like you do!"

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and continued: "When I was seven, my parents and my twin brother died in a car crash, while I was with them. There was no rhyme or reason to it. It was cruel, and senseless. I watched my mother burn alive, but she died smiling, and the last thing she said to me before the fire consumed her was, 'Live.' I blamed myself for their deaths for ten long years. I didn't understand why she said that, or why I had been left behind when they had died; I thought I should have died instead! I was shuffled through the orphanage system, moved from place to place, and never formed any lasting attachments. I was so lonely, Mami; I couldn't bear it! Then I moved to a new highschool, where I fought my first Shadow, and joined SEES. Mitsuru made me field leader, and it was so much pressure, but I pushed onward because I had a selfish reason for fighting, too, other than saving humanity: I finally had friends, and I was afaird of losing them! Because when I was with them, the empty hole in my heart where my family used to be was a little less empty, and hurt a little less, and I was so, so happy to have friends!"

"So maybe I don't completely understand your situation, but I understand a little, and I'm going to be here for you however I can be! Because I'm your friend Mami Tomoe, and I always will be! So you have to live, Mami, okay?! You have to get through this and you have to live!"

Minako's Room

Minako listened quietly to Mami's explanation, then nodded as the blonde concluded, then reached over to wrap her arm around her friend's shoulder in a side-hug. "I guess I should tell you that when I said my family died in a car crash, that was me operating off of incomplete memories. What I remember actually happened now was that as we were driving across a suspension bridge, with no other cars on the road, there was a commotion up ahead. It was Aigis, fighting an incredibly powerful Shadow that had broken free when the Kirijou Group's secret research lab was sabotaged. A stray explosive attack hit our car, and I was flung out the side window... When I managed to pick myself up, the entire car was on fire. My papa and twin were already dead, but I could see my mama through the shattered passenger side window. She was still alive, and she spotted me..."

"I think I told you this already, but she only said one word before the flames washed over her and took her from me... She said: 'Live.'" Minako leaned over to rest her head on Mami's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Mami-chan, at least a little bit. I miss my family, too. But if she could have spoken to you in her last moments, or if she had made the wish instead of you, I'm sure your mama would have wished for the same thing you did: for her daughter to live, because that's what mamas do. It's not your fault that you couldn't think of anything over than living at the time. You were an injured and dying child! It's only natural that your first wish was to live!"

"So don't blame yourself, okay? What happened that day wasn't your fault, just like what happened to me wasn't my fault! ...But that's how you became a Magical Girl, huh? I guess I'll repeat my question from earlier: do you want to keep being a Magical Girl, given what you know about it now? Whatever you choose is okay!"

Velvet Room, Hallway => Velvet Room, Dining Room

As Link and Taia entered the door labelled "Minako Arisato and the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad", they were met with the sight of a grand hallway, large enough for even one of the most massive of Battleworld's former giant robot residents to stand comfortably. It was a vast space completely lined by huge Roman columns of blue-white marble, a black-and-white checkered tile floor, and an arched roof of gleaming gold. There were no torches or evident sources of light to be found, yet there was an ambient, dreamlike sort of brightness there that rendered the entire hall as clear to the naked eye as if the sun had been streaming in through the top. It was also a place of eerie, or perhaps tranquil, silence except for the faintly echoing sounds of their own movement and speech. In spite of all this, however, it was hardly an exhaustively long corridor. If the group continued apace, they would reach the glowing blue rectangle on the opposite end of the room that was clearly their destination in just a few minutes of walking (or perhaps a minute of running, in Link's case.

Hovering by the far door was a luminous blue butterfly, which as soon as Link was near, flapped over to land briefly on the boy, then moved on to Taia and landed on her as well. As it touched them, each of their minds would be filled with a sense of tranquility and positivity as their most cherished good memories and the knowledge of the good they had done for others were brought to the forefront of their minds, though the effect that would fade to a background sensation as the butterfly left them. More importantly, neither of them would be able to open the interior door or pass through it until after the insect touched them.

What awaited them on the other side of the door was a rather posh and cozy-looking, yet very deep blue (in the sense that almost every surface was covered in the tone), two-story establishment. The first floor, lit by a large, elegant chandelier and a series of small table-lamps, appeared to be a plushly carpeted, velvet-cushioned lounge filled with alphabet-shaped couches that were in turn lined by circular, tastefully spaced glass tables. Immediately to the right was a glossy bar being, currently unmanned, a vast array of different drinks shelved behind the counter. About halfway down the right wall, an open doorway led into a generous dining space with a table long enough to seat perhaps eighteen, where the five members of SEES minus Minako - but plus Sayaka and whoever else of the Nyarly Hunters had deigned to stay for breakfast - were sitting and a short-haired, oddly-pigmented woman◊ was standing, evidently their waitress. The corner of the same part of the main room passed into a top-of-the-line, though far from industrial, kitchen, where a man◊ and a woman◊ dressed similarly to the waitress were hard at work.

At the far left of the initial entryway stood a glassy spiral staircase allowing access to the second floor and an elaborately railed balcony with two chairs and a table that jutted out a little into the air of the main room. Past this sight, a hallway was slightly visible, although that was all that could really be seen of the other floor from below. Following the bottom of the balcony itself into the wall took the eyes to a storage room full of boxes, racks, shelves, and all manner of knickknacks.

At center and near the far wall of the main room sat a bizarre, hunched little man◊ with a gigantic nose that emerged far past his hands steepled on the cloth-covered table in front of him. As the pair entered, he looked up and greeted them with a wizened, "Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear guests! My name is Igor. I have already met young Link here, but it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Taia. The blue-clad woman in the dining room is Elizabeth, and the man and woman in the kitchen are Theodore and Margaret, all attendants who exist to serve the needs of our guests. This room exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... Under normal circumstances, only those who have signed the contract can enter this place. Of course, you yourselves have done no such thing, so you are technically only temporary guests at present. That being said, we provide precisely the same services to temporary guests as we do regular ones. Do feel free to stay as long as you like, but please bear in mind that when you leave, you will be unable to reenter without first being allowed back in."

Assuming the two approached the dining room, they would overhear the redhead with drill-hair's conversation with the pink-pajama'd girl:

"It's truly unfortunate that Luna Nova disappeared, however," Mitsuru lamented after a sip of her tea, "At least they're back where they belong now."

"I know, right?! I was so looking forward to learning magic, and now we can't!" Yukari grumbled, then caught sight of Link and Taia. "Hey, Link, over here! Have a seat, and tell Liz here what you want for breakfast! Oh, who's your new friend, by the way?" She quirked an eyebrow at the latter.

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 25th 2021 at 2:32:55 PM

Velvet Room: Intros, Magic, and Breakfast!

As the little butterfly fluttered to greet the new arrivals, Link went out of it way to stop to meet it. He pointed towards the secret deity to offer the insect a perch, and giggled as it rested for a few moments.

< Hiya, Philemon! Sorry I don't have a flower for you yet. I know I promised to get you one, but if I picked any of the flowers in my room it'd just die. And you deserve something to rest your wings on! >

Either there was something very special about this bug, or there was something very strange about this boy. And while the warm fuzzies that sprung from making contact with the butterfly might be evidence of Point 1, Point 2 wasn't about to be disproven.

Speaking of Taia's newfound guide, the farther along they moved, the more Link winced and sucked air in through his teeth, like he was dealing with a sharp pain. It wasn't until after Igor's introduction were over that the little hero decided he'd finally had enough. Without warning, Link reached for his cap and yanked it off his head, revealing the small yellow light with wings latched within it.

< Quit it, Tatl! If you keep pulling my hair like that, you're gonna rip it out! >

"Are you crazy?!" the light retorted—evidently her size didn't limit the volume of her voice. "What were you thinking, inviting a complete stranger to someone else's home? That's not just rude, it's beyond stupid!"

The lightbulb flapped her wings in fury, and quickly zoomed up to the boy's face. "You don't know this person! She could be anyone, and could want anything! We're on a planet called Battleworld, you big dummy! What if she'd decided to attack you on your way here? What then, huh?!"

In response (and in contrast), the little hero simply crossed his arms and looked up idly at the second floor's railings. < I dunno. If I remember right, it's somebody else's responsibility to guide me and keep me safe. If only that someone was watching my back instead of hiding in my cap, which must've been sooo gross because I smell SOOOOOOOO bad. >

Taken off guard by her partner's first ever comeback, Tatl willed herself to lower her voice to a reasonable level. "You really don't know what it's like to be something like me, do you? If someone saw me out of the blue, they'd—"

< They'd what? Call you a bug again? >

The fairy didn't respond right away; probably because she was focusing all her energy/rage into flapping her wings at near hummingbird speeds. Instead, she simply muttered "This isn't over." to her partner before zooming up to Taia's eye-level, albeit just out of arm's reach.

"And you: no funny business. Pretty much everyone in this place could knock you into next week, so don't even think about starting something."

With that, Tatl returned by her partner's side, who turned back towards Taia to point a thumb at the fairy.

< Don't worry about her. Tatl might seem a little prickly at first, but she's a good friend who means well. Most of the time. >

"I heard that." the fairy growled.

Ignoring the warning, Link reached for Taia's hand to guide her towards the dining hall. From there, he'd walk around the table with his newfound friend, telepathically introducing her to the few veterans of the Nyarly Realm battle who had decided to stay for breakfast.

First up was a man with white hair and a long red coat, sporting an intimidating sword on his back. < That's Mr. Peetzuh. He's super tough. I once watched him take a magic pebble straight to the face and he didn't even flinch! >

Next up was a woman with short black hair and mismatched eyes—the Human Arsenal herself. < And that's the Lady! We rescued her on that big adventure I was telling you about! >

Moving along, Link pointed to a woman with orange hair dressed in blue robes. < That's Sypha. She's a witch, but one of the good ones! I know that they're not all like that. She knows lots of cool magic. >

Turning to the man near Sypha, Taia might spot a spark light shining behind Link's eyes. < And that's Mr. Belmont—he fights monsters. He's super strong and super smart and super cool and I'm gonna be just like him when I grow up! >

Turning in another direction, Link pointed to what seemed like a young woman with blonde hair and striking blue eyes—she only seemed like a young woman because all four of her ball-in-socket joints revealed the complex machinery at work beneath the surface. < This is Aigis. She's a...uhm...shoot, what did Team JNPR's friend call it again? A...Arty Fish Hull person. Don't have a clue what that means, but she's really nice! >

After Aigis came another Persona-user: this one a young lady with light hair and sporting a pink jacket and a big red bow. < And this is Yukari—the very first friend I made on Battleworld! She and Aigis live here, and she's letting me stay nights here since Tatl and I don't really have a place to sleep. So that makes her super duper nice! >

Seeing as how Homura, Mami, and Minako were elsewhere, Link was now left with introducing Taia to the rest of the people sitting down for breakfast. Presumably: Mitsuru, Junpei, and Akihiko.

< Aaaand...that's all I really know. Haven't really talked to these guys, yet. > Seeing as there was no time like the present, the little hero then made a short round introducing himself to the other Persona-users with a chipper (albeit telepathic) < Hiya! I'm Link! What's your name? >

Once introductions were fully out of the way, the little hero took a seat beside Yukari, facing Mitsuru. When Liz came by to take his order, Link looked her straight in the eye and requested one thing:

< I want meat. Lots and lots and lots of meat! I'm like a owl or a wolf! A carb...a carri—one of those animals that only eats other animals! >

Recognizing history daring to repeat itself, Tatl chimed in to swiftly uphold her promise to keep her partner safe. "Wait! But NO chickens. No chicken meat, no chicken egg, nothing that even comes close to a chicken. I know that'll probably sound weird, but it's extremely important!"

Realizing what his partner just saved him from, the little hero's face grew a shade paler. < Your chick-inns look and act a lot like our cuccos, but nobody would ever dream of trying to eat a cucco back home. > There was terror behind the boy's eyes as he monotonously relayed: < They're unstoppable killers that feed on breadcrumbs and fear. >

With that peculiar order on the way, Link snapped back to the conversation between Mitsuru and Yukari.

< You wanna learn magic? > the boy asked as he idly swung his feet under the table. < I can teach you some if you want! The magic of the Great Fairies isn't something I can give to someone else, but I can teach you some songs if you want. There's magic in music, y'know—that's the reason why the words sound alike! >

Link turned his eyes to the ceiling as he scratched his chin. < But where to start...I could teach you the first song I learned, but that one's awfully important to someone, and I don't wanna share it without her permission. Some of the handier songs could be dangerous on this planet, or they could be useless because the gods can't hear it from so far away. So it should be a safer-ish song that I know works here... >

The little hero grinned as he suddenly slammed his palms on the table. < I've got it! I'll teach you the Song of Healing! It's a super strong melody that heals wounded souls and banishes evil spirits—and I know it works on Battleworld because it's what I used to save Mami and the Lady! So wadduya say? Interested? >

Common Room

Alucard seemed to have gotten close to the fight between various factions of Hell's Gate Tokyo, ultimately overhearing what Kobayashi was saying to the newcomer cherub.

At about this time, Grant Danasty exited through the Castlevania Portal. Apparently, his journey to leave the Zone had him go through Castlevania and it was just a quick trip through its portal. He glared back at the portal giving it... a rather rude gesture with his fingers before wandering over to Alucard.

"Hey," Grant waved to Alucard. "Trevor and Sypha back?"

"I believe they are back, but they have chosen to remain in the Velvet Room at the moment," Alucard noted to Grant.

Meanwhile, Carmilla who had ended up sleeping in the Common Room for two days in a row stayed under the table in the middle to overhear the conversation between Alucard and Grant.

Velvet Room

While Morrigan left the Velvet Room, Trevor & Sypha had decided to stay for breakfast but kept out of the conversation between SEES and Mitakihara's Magical Girls. That was not really their business to involve themselves with. It did look like Link left and later brought a friend, a blue-skinned woman with pointed ears like Link. Her resemblance to a Frozen Shade was uncanny, although she wasn't a spirit and had pointed ears.

Sypha gave Link a look of annoyance at calling her one of the good ones and then gave Trevor a look of annoyance after Link's praise. Trevor knew from that look that he wasn't getting beer with this meal.

"It is nice to meet you," Sypha nodded to Taia, as Trevor tried to order the biggest Pot Roast ever from Elisabeth.

Dracula, Castlevania

Dracula rolled his eyes at the posturing between Ganondorf and Majora, "I've seen no Princess, no Sages, and no sword in his possession that meets your description."

"As far as I know, only Link and his fairy companion were brought in alongside him," Dracula points to Majora. "He has acquired new allies here, but that's a problem... Like the Princess you describe, Link's allies here are not pushovers."

Edited by GameGuruGG on Jan 24th 2022 at 4:33:53 AM

Taia (Velvet Room)

As she was led into the expansive area, one that reminded her of what had become her new home, Taia's eyes had widened in wonder as she looked around, an open-mouth smile forming on her face. That is, until Link's companion got right up in her face and proceeded to nag her in a manner that made her think of the Angel.

Thankfully, she was able to brush it off, and as she took her seat and watched Link place his order, Taia spoke up next. "My name is Taia, it's nice to meet everybody. I would like fish and bread, and a bowl of soup." Vague? Maybe. But she wasn't sure what they had, and she didn't want to be rude.

The Cure had taken a moment to consider what to say next to Misaki. He was used to people resenting him at this point, so he wasen't really taking it personally. And he'd decided she deserved a proper explanation. And so he'd been about to explain to her exactly what was worth what he did, why, truly, he'd formed this patchwork world. Then some other fools from her world showed up and she got distracted by them, turning away from The Cure. And the moment passed. Perhaps he'd explain later. Perhaps not.

Out of the Common Room hallway came a trio of people, Vergil, Nero, and some other woman who no one had seen before walking behind them, looking around. The woman in the back looked impressed

"Well shit. Interior decorating could use some......anything, really, but is that a holographic globe there?"

Nero nods

"Shit. And wow, he really did call it Battleworld, like we're on some dumb TV show."

Nero points over at The Cure. "Over there's the guy, demon, thing, whatever you wanna call him, who's responsible."

"Huh. Looks a little.....less impressive then I expected."

Vergil shakes his head "I don't advise wasting your breath on him."

Then he notices Misaki standing in the room and motions to Nero, who looks over and speaks

"Oh great. That'll save us some time, really diden't want to hunt her down."

And so the trio walk over to her.

"Hey, got a few minutes. We need to talk about some unresolved business."

He motions toward Vergil

"Maybe in one of the private rooms?"

Dante wags a finger at Link as he makes his introductions

"Hey hey hey, no Mr, kid! Makes me feels old."

"And it's just Lady, no need for a the before it."

Then the two look at each other as the horror of chickens is explained

"Ok......" Dante says as he scratches his head

"So......demons in your world are chickens?" Lady asks, confused as all heck.

Meanwhile, Joker, having noticed Maki seemingly standing around alone, and after a few pointed questions made it clear Maki had no current plans, invited him back to Leblanc. And so they make their way out of the Velvet room, and he walks over to his own chunkless door, opening it. Everyone else is already inside, and look up as he walks in. Ryuji is the first to speak.

"Joker! There you are!"

Makoto nods "I'm glad you're back. We were just discussing whenever or not we needed to start planning a rescue operation."

"And who's this behind you?" Ann asked

"This is Maki." He says, stepping aside so he could get a proper look at the room and the people in it. "I invited him over for some breakfast."

And so a round of introductions is made, and Maki's offered a seat. Ryuji coughs.

"So? Did you finish the job?"

Joker nods "We won't need to worry about that thing anymore."

"For now." Makoto says. "But it sounded like that thing was from our world. And based on what information we gathered about him, I imagine he might hold a grudge."

"We'll keep that in mind, but let's focus on the problems we have now. Something you all need to know."

Maki gets asked what he wants for food, if anything, while Joker explains the whole rubber band effect that they'd been told about. Once he's finished, Ann shakes her head.

"And you believe him? What if he's wrong? Or lying?"

"The Cure more or less confirmed what he said when we got back. I don't see why he'd do that if it was incorrect."

Makoto leans back, considering. "It makes a certain amount of sense I suppose, although that's mostly guesswork, multiversal physics is not exactly a field that.....even exists back home, outside of science fiction movies. Did he says anything else? Whenever time moves at the same rate back home as it does here, for example?"

"No."

"......I'll have to make plans for multiple contingencies then. But he did say we'll end up sent back at some point, whenever or not The Cure likes it or not?"

Joker nods, then turns to look at Maki

"Anything else you need? A phone, to contact someone? Maybe a ride back home when you're done?"

Edited by Meanken on Dec 29th 2021 at 12:39:32 PM

Common Room: We REALLY Need to Talk

Misaki's part in the standoff was disrupted by a young gentleman in one of the most...conspicuous, outfits she'd seen in the past few days. Even if BK-201 was fond of masks, he at least wore a shirt and pants.

The subtle expressions of alarm were only heightened when the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man called her out by name. Cure-appointed delegate or not, she didn't expect a total stranger to know who she was. She shook the superhero's hand, albeit with a hint of surprise in her sharp brown eyes.

"Uhmm...yes, I received something from someone with that name. Haven't had a chance to look it over, though. Things have been...busy."

As if to highlight that understatement, the webslinger proceeded to whisper about the elephant in the room. It was a misinterpretation of course, so Misaki couldn't get too mad at him for it, but the idea that someone might mistake those murderers as part of the city's government was enough to twist her surprise into anger.

"The government is fine." she corrected with a razor sharp tone...even if she was blushing a bit at being caught up in such a dramatic confrontation. "Those three and their leader have nothing to do with the government. They're criminals."

"Terrorists, to be precise." The new speaker was the blonde Englishman standing beside the Section Chief. "They bombed the Tokyo H Qs of the CIA, MI 6, and Chinese Intelligence presumably in an attempt to start another World War. When that failed, they took credit for the attacks and started spreading their manifesto about Contractor civil rights. Using extreme violence to promote a political platform and sway the powers-that-be through fear—the Evening Primrose may be one of the most dangerous cells to date, but they fit the textbook definition of 'terrorism' like a glove."

The man turned from the standoff towards the web-slinger, and offered a hand to shake. Like Spider-Man's, it would be solid, friendly, and not overly firm.

"November 11, MI 6—but feel free to call me 'Jack.' Silver Sablinova mentioned you when she came knocking about the bridge incident; either she's not your biggest fan, or the lady doth protest too much."

"I suggest you steer clear of them, Spider-Man." One of the three figures on the other end of the standoff had broken the unspoken line, and approached the superhero. "They'll only bring trouble."

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black." November smirked at the large redhaired man, before raising an eyebrow at Spider-Man. "Friend of yours?"

"Amber knew of an alternate version of Spider-Man from Genosha's world." Amagiri answered on the web-slinger's behalf. "Apparently he's some Hollywood bigshot in another dimension."

This time, both eyebrows raised. "Is that so? Guess I should get an autograph while I have the chance."

It was about this time when three figures began to approach the Section Chief: one she didn't know, one who didn't exactly like her, and one who she really, really didn't like. While she kept her cool because they were willing to talk, Misaki was acutely aware that she wasn't the only person witnessing this request to speak in private. She glanced over Vergil's right shoulder to stare at the surveillance Specter by the table.

Perhaps this was a chance to use this annoying fly on the wall to her side's advantage. Mr. Kobayashi was right: Nishijima cared less about his enemies making alliances and more that it looked like they were—it was the difference between needing a reason to strike and needing an excuse to. And if this cop killer was going out of his way to make it look like he wanted to parlay...well, who was Misaki to refuse?

With the twitch of a smile (something that might betray the spike of rage she felt seeing this mass murderer at point blank range), the Section Chief nodded to Nero. "Lead the way."

Manhattan, F.E.A.S.T.: Food, Glorious Food!

Miffed by the sudden surge of attention in the area, the redhaired woman hunched her shoulders and gave the attendant a fake date of birth. Though with the growing crowd in the entryway, she panicked and gave her real name without much thought.

"Carmine. C-Carmine Kuznetsov."

Meanwhile, the sudden spike in popularity was turning Zelda's face as red as Miss Kuznetsov's hair. She stuttered through responses to the questions coming from all directions:

"Oh, i-it was a misunderstanding, really. My knight can think a bit too much with his stomach."

"No, we're j-just visiting again."

"You most certainly do have a fine city! I don't think 'fine' comes close to how wondrous I find it!"

"My...dress? Oh, that's back in our living quarters. It can be a challenge to keep such formalwear clean, especially on expeditions. And please, Miss, not to worry—I would be lying if I claimed I've never heard questions like that before; it's a sign of passionate curiosity in my eyes."

Then the leader of the shelter arrived, and like Moses parting the Red Sea, May Parker cut through the crowd to speak with the princess face-to-face. At first, Zelda didn't really know what to say. While she shook the older woman's hand she rushed through possible ways to politely excuse herself and Link from the invitation. This was a homeless shelter, after all—she didn't want to take food away from someone without a roof over their head! Though on the other hand, she had read about the mass production of food products on the unimaginably vast well of wonder and knowledge known as the Internet; perhaps there was more food than she'd expect to find in Hyrule. Besides, this was an intriguing opportunity to get a look at a side of society she'd barely had glimpses of in her own world, let alone any others.

As if to settle the debate, Link's stomach roared like a Lynel at the word "breakfast." Zelda raised both hands to shield her bashful face—as well as to hide the blooming smile. After taking a moment to compose herself, the princess lowered her hands and gave Miss Parker a polite smile.

"So long as we are not intruding, or taking a seta or a meal from the needy. It would be a pleasure, Mrs. Parker."

With that, the two Hylians would follow May to the kitchen, or wherever else they could sit down for a meal with newfound friends.

Castlevania, Castle Keep: One of the Shortest Thread Posts I've Ever Written

At the mention of the Hero of Time's allies, Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at the Count's exhausted tone.

   "My lord seems quite familiar with the friends of my enemy. Have you any knowledge to bestow upon me?"   

Leblanc, Dining Area: The Problem with the Rubber Band Dilemma

The Phantom Thieves would find their new guest was a boy of apparently few words. He kept his eyes low, to the point some of the Persona Users might not even spot that his right eye was green while his left one was red. While he spoke softly, it was with a clear, even, and overly formal tone. When his host asked what he wanted to eat, the boy simply asked for something hot to drink; strange enough, he gave Joker a minimum temperature, which was easily hot enough to scald if it were drunk right away.

Maki didn't want to go through introductions. He didn't want to know who these people were, or what they liked, or what was so special about them that they'd wind up on a planet like this. He was growing tired of having to start these exhausting rituals from scratch every time he met someone new. So if they asked him anything about himself, he'd pause to calculate the shortest route, and give the briefest answer possible; usually nothing more than a word or two. He knew Amber would chastise him for this rude behavior, but right now he couldn't muster the will to care. Everything just felt tiring, now.

There was a word for his expressions, though Maki himself didn't know it: sullen.

He was fortunate that the discussion could be carried without him, and he could sit in one of the bar stools with a steaming cup of decaf beside him. When the group's attention was finally drawn back towards him, Maki sighed, turned his mismatched eyes to the tile, and uttered the words he had been thinking for almost a full day now:

"I don't have a home to go back to anymore. My friends disappeared soon after we rushed into that portal. They've been gone for a full twenty-four hours by now; that gym bag I'm carrying's all I've got left."

The Contractor flexed his fingertips along his knees. Without really meaning to say it out loud, he added:

"...I'm worried about what happened to them."

Perhaps some of the Phantom Thieves could be forgiven for thinking Maki had simply not heard the good news; he was clearly wrapped up in his own problems, after all. So should one of the Persona Users decide to repeat the obvious and bring up the "Rubber Band" situation^note lookin' at you, Ryuji, the young Contractor would groan and fix his eyes on the speaker.

"That's the problem. The Hunters shouldn't go back to the place they were taken from—it was a warzone. A massacre. Beacon had been invaded by some incredibly powerful enemies, and the Hunters' side had lost in almost every way they could. The city was in ruins, the school was overrun with enemies, the mechanical troops were hacked and turned against Beacon, Ruby's friend Penny was ripped to pieces on live TV, Blake was nearly captured and Yang lost an arm rescuing her, the headmaster was killed, the Maiden's power was stolen...the only reason why I even knew Pyrrha's because she was wished back to life on this planet—she died at Beacon! And now they're all back in that hellhole! As weird as it sounds, my friends were a million percent safer on Battleworld than they were back on Remnant!"

The boy took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. He didn't cry, though at this point that was probably because that was too tiring as well.

"I'm scared that going home's more of a curse than a blessing for them. I just hope they can find someplace to run and hide."

With that full confession, Maki swiveled in his chair and proceeded to take his first sip of the coffee. The drink was obviously too hot at the moment—even someone at one of the booths might notice the wisps of steam rising from the cup—but the boy drank anyways, and painfully swallowed the first sip with a gasp.

Edited by TheodoreHastings on Dec 30th 2021 at 6:54:53 AM

Common Room

"I didn't mean them, I meant—" Spider-Man held up his hands defensively, then sighed as someone else approached with business with Misaki. "Nevermind..." he sighed, "Just wanted to make sure you got the invitation, since I heard certain things, and we were worried it might have been, uh, misplaced by someone in transit. I'll let you get to your business with Vergil here." Giving the Son of Sparda a nod of acknowledgement, the least he could do for a comrade in the latest battle against a cosmic evil, Spidey turned to look between Jack Simon and Amagiri, and crossed his arms.

"So... you're a secret agent, and you're a terrorist," he began, pointing to the respective men in turn, "Forgive me for being a little peeved, but those aren't exactly the impressions you left when you met Silver and me earlier. What's next? The fourteen-year-old with green hair is the terrorists' leader? I guess you and Amber aren't as good buddies as I thought you were, huh, Amagiri, given you're telling me exactly the opposite of what she told me the day I arrived. Remember? She said Misaki Kirihara was 'one of the good ones', but I didn't exactly hear you protesting at the time. And now you tell me I should steer clear of her? I can't even if I wanted to - she's in the same boat as me, a representative appointed by The Cure. Can't exactly fulfill my responsibility to my city if I ignore her. And speaking of being a representative..."

Our hero turned and cupped a hand to his mouth, calling over to their giant red overlord, "Hey Cure, not ignoring you or anything! I'm gonna keep that wish in reserve for later, though! Okay? Thanks!"

"Now," he returned to addressing Amagiri, "did you and your group really bomb a bunch of intelligence agencies in an attempt to start a new World War? Or is he lying?" The wallcrawler jerked a thumb to indicate November.

Common Room: Oh Goody, A Prophecy!

Two other Contractors began approaching the group as Misaki departed: one the web-slinger would recall as Luca, the other a blonde woman he'd never met. As Spider-Man made his rhetorical guess, the dark-haired Contractor clapped her hands in congratulations. "Hit it in one! You're a pretty good detective, y'know that?"

Amagiri opened his shut eye to leer at the web-slinger. "Back then I didn't realize she was working with the Syndicate. She might not be a threat, but she has some very powerful friends who are out for blood."

"Not to state the obvious," the blonde woman smirked, "but when someone describes others as 'one of the good ones,' it's implied that the subject's an exception rather than the rule."

"Ooh, this here's Brita, Spider-Guy." Luca chimed in as an aside. "She's something like the third-in-command in our group, under Amber and Amagiri."

Upon demanding a confession, Amagiri's left eye closed once again. "A World War was not the intent—we simply needed the Syndicate's attention, and striking the world's intelligence agencies was the most efficient way of doing it. That's what Amber foresaw, and that's what she told us."

"Now one mystery to me is why your leader doesn't consider me a threat." November mused with a shrug. "After all, I have a greater reason to hate her than most. Amber—or Agent February, back when she worked with us—ruined the UK's lead on Gate research when she stole our findings. She stabbed us in the back and calls me friendly?"

"You will join us someday soon." Amagiri answered. "Amber foresaw it back on our planet; that's why Maki and I didn't kill you when we had the chance."

"Yes, 'Amber Knows All,' you already mentioned that." November rolled his eyes. "Not to worry: you definitely don't sound like you're part of a cult. Though speaking of which..." he turned to Mr. Kobayashi, "Care to explain what on Earth you were quoting earlier?"

"It was a passage from the Mitaka Documents." the frowning man replied. "They're a collection of predictions that found their way on the desks of the world's most powerful individuals approximately fifty years ago. At first they were brushed off as poetic nonsense, but as time passed the predictions started coming true, with the most alarming event being the emergence of the two Gates and the subsequent changes to the planet: namely the disappearance of the night sky and the birth of Doll and Contractor kind. Needless to say, predictions of such accuracy started to cause great alarm among the powers-that-be, so they quickly used their influence to create an organization powerful enough to prevent the final prophecy from coming true."

Brita crossed her arms. "And that final prediction being...?"

"Nothing short of the end of the world. The death of every living creature on Earth; their souls sapped from their bodies by a Gate-altered being called 'Izanami.'"

A silence fell on the group, only broken by November as he hesitantly asked: "...is this the part where you tell us the Apocalypse is scheduled for next Wednesday?"

"The date, means, and perpetrators of this event are not clear, but I believe the events will begin to unfurl within one to five years, before the next sun spot cycle. Incidentally, the disappearance of Heaven's Gate was not predicted in the Mitaka Documents; I suspect that the author did not intend for the Syndicate to try to save the world through an act of genocide, so she was forced to take matters into her own hands to prevent the extinction of Contractor kind."

"Wait a minute..." Luca blinked in befuddlement. "So you think Amber wrote this thing?"

"Of course." the frowning man replied. "Do you know of any other Contractors who can bend time to their will?"

"Wonderful." November sighed, and gestured to the three Contractors and one human in the group. "Least now we know you're all part of the same cult."

The Velvet Room: Lady—First of Her Name

While Link talked to the Persona users, Tatl took a moment to fly over to the two demon hunters.

"No, demons are beings that are only a little weaker than the gods; they're usually locked away somewhere dumb mortals can't be tricked to let them out. Cuccos are harmless so long as you don't hurt them, but if some idiot dares to pick a fight with one, that poor fool's going to be swarmed by an unstoppable force of feathery rage! When that happens there's really only one thing to do, and that's to head for the hills until the cuccos calm down. Otherwise all that's gonna be left of them is a body pecked and clawed beyond recognition!

Sadly, since Tatl never said the word "Nyarlathotep," the Velvet Room did not appropriately shake in terror.

"Just Lady, huh? Okay." the fairy stopped speaking for a beat, but didn't leave the demon hunters. Evidently she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to go about it.

Eventually she just spat it out. "So what're you a Lady of, if you don't mind me asking? I know Princesses are Princesses to a kingdom, and I know that Lady is some kind of royal title, I just don't really know how high up the royalty scale 'Lady' is. And where are your fiery arms? That guy in the smiling mask said you had fiery arms, but I'm only about a foot away and I'm not sensing any heat at all."

Common Room

"Thanks," Spidey replied tersely at Luca's aside, not sure how to feel about the friendly woman now that he knew she was a terrorist. The revelation that Maki was a terrorist too had him curling his fist in rage, though he stayed quiet to allow the others to finish expositing. Then, however, came Goro's bombshells.

"Prophecies and time-travel?!" Our Hero held up his hands as if to ward off an evil influence, voice pitching up an octave. "Oh no, no, no! No! Do you have any idea how fucking convoluted and crazy things get when you throw time-travel into the mix?! Because I do! Let me put it this way: I've seen what killed the dinosaurs up-close and personal, and it wasn't the Ice Age! No sir, I'm not touching that with a ten-million foot pole! Good God! No wonder the situation you all are in sounded like such a clusterfuck!"

The Webslinger massaged his temples for a moment, then sighed and continued, "Okay, so... How much of this is known to the public, and how much of what isn't known to the public do you want to be known to the public? I need to know what I can blab about without making more enemies."

Manhattan, Chinatown F.E.A.S.T.

As it happened, the Hyrulean's neighbors at the breakfast table were an old, gray-haired man◊ and... an ancient bald man who covered his lack of hair with a blue flight cap. The former was dressed in simple bluejeans and yellow shirt, with a forest green coat thrown over the top, and the latter was also in jeans, but with a white undershirt and classic G-1 bomber jacket. The older of the two was very wrinkled, but had powerful laugh-lines creasing his face. By contrast, the younger of the two looked like he had never smiled a day in his life.

"Good morning, Your Highness and Sir Knight!" the bald one greeted, beaming at the two, "First day here, huh? Don't worry! You get used to it! Ain't that right, Ern? Come on, say hello!"

"Mornin'," Ern grunted uncharitably.

"I'm John, and this here's Ernie! Don't mind his grump," John added in a stage whisper, "Our Ern's a bit of a sourpuss! Ha ha ha ha!" Ernie scowled.

"But I tell ya," the older man continued, "you're gonna love Aunt May's wheatcakes! They're pancakes, but with oats, see? Delicious and nutritious! And the way she makes 'em, oh, they're heavenly! Just melt in your mouth! Ain't that right, Ern?"

"We just had this exact same conversation yesterday, with the exact same words," Ernie grumbled.

"Ern's not a morning person, as you can see! So, we've all heard your story on the evening news, but what brings you to our fair city this fine morning? You two lookin' for someplace to eat breakfast and come here by accident? Not that this place ain't a luxury restaurant! Ha ha ha ha!"

While he was talking, the four already seated were joined by Shelly and her mother on one side, and the sunglass'd man in the red button-down on the other, the former guiding the latter over by the arm and a polite, "Here you are, just to your left, Mr. Murdock."

"Thank you, Miss," he said as he settled into his seat.

Edited by darksidevoid on Jan 8th 2022 at 6:44:17 AM

Velvet Room

Off in a corner, Sayaka was on the phone sending a text message: Sorry, just got out of big battle. We won, everyone is OK. Not two seconds after it was sent did her phone's ringtone go off. “Hello? Yes, we're OK now. I dunno, it didn't seem like we were gone that long honestly — maybe it was an adrenaline thing. Yeah, the SEES guys are offering breakfa-"

Sayaka suddenly had to pull her phone away from her ear as Kyoko's voice could be heard quite loudly despite not being on loudspeaker: "You're having free food?! And I'm not there?!!"

Sayaka brought the phone back to her ear. "They offered, and-...look, I can bring some back for you to make up for disappearing, how's that? OK? We'll only be a couple more hours — I'll see you back at Mami-san's place, OK? See you then." She hung before turning to the nearest attendant: "Hey, uh, you don't mind if I ask for some of this to go, right? I kinda need an apology gift."

Sayaka eventually ended up starting to snack on some of the easier-to-hold-in-one's-hands foods and had found herself near Lady and Tatl when the latter started asking questions. Recalling that Homura had previously given her some weapons that she had previously borrowed, Sayaka's eyes moved to the floating glowing tennis ball. "He said firearms, as in guns and other weapons that shoot bullets. Transfer Student uses them alot."

Minako's Room

"I...I don't know," Mami said finally once she was able to calm down — Minako's embrace seemed to help a good deal in that regard. "On one hand, even without knowing who the Witches I've fought so many times really were, there's always been that risk that a Magical Girl could die in any given fight. And even though I've been able to survive this long, I've seen more than a few who...weren't as fortunate. On the other hand...wouldn't it be selfish of me to just leave the others like that? Especially when there are only a few of us who can fight to protect Mitakihara from all kinds of threats – not just Witches but also so many others since we’ve been brought to BattleWorld." She let out a sigh, slightly shaking if one were to listen to it closely. "And that's not even getting into...everything with my mother and father." She let out a heavy sigh. "Some days I wonder what if they were still here."

"That's enough, Tomoe-san." The words from Homura were curt as usual, though not as sharp. "We still need to talk about the other parts of our world's magic. It might be best to wait until after that before you make any decision.”

“Ah, that’s right. You had promised.”

“I did. And I don’t break those.”

“Where and when will it be?”

“My apartment would be the best choice. I want to have Madoka and Sakura-san there as well, so that I won't have to repeat anything. As for what time...this evening, 7:30. As I said, I have other matters to take care of first, but that should allow enough time for everyone to have dinner."

"What about Minako-san and the others?" Mami glanced from Homura to Minako. "Should they be present as well, seeing as how we're going to be hosting them now?"

Homura's gaze followed Mami's to the SEES' leader, hers much more scrutinizing as she weighed the pros and cons inside her head.

Common Room: The Comedy Central Roast of Spider-Man

While they all said different things, the message Spider-Man would get from the group would amount to the same idea: he should keep his mouth shut.

"Nothing we have discussed is common knowledge." Mr. Kobayashi frowned. "We have disclosed varying amounts of this information to a precious few outside our world, but for the overall wellbeing of the public everything we have said here should remain strictly confidential...at least for now."

"Yes, mum is very much the word." November hummed. "Not that I joined it voluntarily, but the Syndicate's general secrecy is something we really don't want to lose. The masses panic enough at imaginary Boogeymen." He paused, glanced at Kobayashi's disapproving frown, and raised his palms in submission. "I'm kidding, of course. We're not Boogeymen."

"Three of us here are wanted criminals, the other two are part of a worldwide puppet master organization." Amagiri stated. "Leaking information about any of us will not help us. And I can promise that it won't help you."

"The fact you even have to ask is just insulting." Brita scoffed.

"Are superheroes even allowed to say the F-word?" Luca asked, her priorities clear as always. "And I thought it was an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, not the Ice Age. Oooh! Did your world have that thing where cavemen rode dinosaurs? I read a comic book that had that in it, and it was sick!"

In a serendipitous gesture of unity, both foreboding leaders cleared their throats at the outburst. Luca's mood deflated like a balloon.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kobayashi addressed the web-slinger for one final piece of bad news. Lucky him!

"While you were away, PANDORA made its first move of aggression against a neighboring power. Your Washington Bridge was occupied halfway by Nishijima's Synth forces, without negotiating with your city's Mayor Osborn. This incident was resolved by our camp allying with Mayor Osborn and Sable International, forcing the Synths to back down to be replaced with Tokyo's PD in an agreeable compromise. I understand that your position as a vigilante places you in an unsettling gray-area within your city and without, but know this Spider-Man:

"I knew Eric Nishijima before he replaced his father among the Syndicate's higher ranks. He is proud and ambitious, but his drive goes beyond that of a powerful man still in his prime—he revels in his selfishness, as if it were an act of virtue. He ascribes to the philosophies of Radical Capitalist from the twentieth century, who claimed that one owes nothing to anyone but oneself; had you similar wretched hypocrites in your world's histories, then I presume you know the sort. As a young man who strives to single-handedly protect his city at the risk of his own life, you surely comprehend what I mean when I warn you: no matter what you may think of us, Eric Nishijima is no friend to Manhattan."

Manhattan, F.E.A.S.T. Dining Hall: Communal Meals, What A Novelty!

Zelda's eyes drank in everything. The precise angles and level of the "tiled" gray carpet beneath her boots, the massive windows giving her a complete view of the dining hall and the floor above the kitchen^note though she seamlessly switched sides with her Champion to block his view of what must be the large advanced-tech kitchen. No need to tempt him to cause another scene!, the thin lights, the metal tables and benches, even the chrome pipes snaking along the ceiling seemed utterly dazzling!

As the Hylians sat down for a meal, Link insisted on sitting next to the fouler of the two elders. Even without saying it Zelda knew he was concerned that Erl would do something to insult her, but since that placed her food-fixated Champion's back to the kitchen, she didn't object.

"We're back in Manhattan because there was not nearly enough time to see the city—sorry, 'Borough'—in one night. As for why we are here, exactly, that was...a bit more spontaneous. Link can be a bit of a glutton, sometimes; he saw the name of this shelter and got..." she cleared her throat to try and distract from her reddening face. "Overexcited."

Should either seniors (or any of the others joining the table, minus Mr. Murdock) need evidence of Zelda's claim, they need only look to the Champion's face as John described the wheat cakes; the smile in his eyes was only out-expressed by the drool running down his chin.

"I admit, this is quite the novelty." Zelda smiled, perhaps pushing the conversation a little too forcefully away from Link. "I can't remember the last time I sat down with so many for a meal."

Even as she spoke the words, a hint of realization flickered in the Princess' eyes; she misspoke. A statement like that could be taken the wrong way, make her seem like she was too good to eat with others, like the pampered damsels she'd learned about on the Internet—what the people of Manhattan expected when they heard the word "Princess."

So she quickly rushed to recover. "The fight against the Great Calamity did not afford us the luxury to sit and eat. Even now that he's sealed away for another cycle, there is so much work to do I rarely find time to, uhmmm...well, stop and enjoy a meal with others."

She smiled nervously in the silence (however brief it would be), as she thought back on what she had told Mr. Robertson the day before. Words that—miraculous as it may sound—her present audience might know as well as she did...

(Flashback) Common Room: A Royal Interview—Conclusion

"I suppose the Hyrulean dynasty's claim sounds far-fetched—in truth, Mr. Robertson, it could not be possible without thousands of new editions painstakingly documenting every generation...but such records serve a vital purpose."

The princess paused for a moment—perhaps not long enough to build suspense, but long enough to take a deeper breath. She didn't want to talk about him, but to ignore him would leave out so much information that almost anyone would detect that she was withholding the full truth. It'd cripple her first impression to the people of Manhattan, and possibly hurt Mr. Robertson's reputation as well. She could possibly live with the former, but she refused to risk the latter.

So ignoring the pit in her stomach, Zelda began:

"The history of Hyrule is also the history of Calamity Ganon: a monster of unfathomable malice and power who invades the kingdom time and time again, in the hopes that he may someday plunge it into eternal darkness. He...I'm sorry, perhaps 'monster' is the wrong word. It's too simple, too straightforward. The Great Calamity is closer to a demon, or a deity who...imagine a sentient storm: a devastating force of nature capable of changing its course at will. A hurricane that targets cities, towns, and villages for the sole purpose of killing everyone residing there. Now imagine that the storm is not only a storm, but also a general: one who commands legions of terrifying creatures. Some of these creatures are small, some are the size of buildings, while others are such infamous killers none but the most skilled warriors stand a chance to fell them. Calamity Ganon not only commands this army, but holds the power of life and death over them; at the peak of each blood moon, every monster who had been killed is revived, making a military victory over this army utterly impossible. To make matters worse, the Great Calamity cannot die, he can only be sealed away...at which point the kingdom earns a long-lasting peace until he can break free of his prison, and the cycle repeats all over again.

"The only reason the Great Calamity can be sealed away is because of my bloodline. Legends speak of how the Matron Goddess of Hyrule chose a mortal life, and founded the Hyrulean dynasty as the kingdom's first queen. Hylia's magic is a hereditary trait passed from mother to daughter, and while there are other sources and forms of magic in Hyrule, there is no substitute for the goddess' power. With that in mind, perhaps the dedication to documenting every generation makes a little more sense. It's not because we are perfect rulers—though I believe most of my ancestors were just and benevolent—but because we know what lies in wait should the bloodline ever be snuffed out."

Zelda paused again, involuntarily shifting her gaze directly to the camera before snapping back to her interviewer. "Forgive me, Mr. Robertson. I doubt your viewers wish to hear about something this tragic, so after this one uplifting note I will happily change the subject: in case you were wondering what would qualify me as someone our captor might deem 'entertaining,' it is because I sealed the Great Calamity away not one month ago. Considering how the previous gap between his invasions lasted at least ten-thousand years, I trust that the kingdom will manage until I find a way home."

She desperately hoped that joke would land.

"My favorite era? That would be the Golden Age of Sheikah Technology, without a doubt. The Sheikah Clan has served as protectors of the royal family for millennia, far surpassing the records of royal lineage. Around ten thousand years ago—perhaps a few centuries before the last return of the Great Calamity—the Sheikah somehow found a way to harness energy itself. They built incredibly intricate machines that could walk, communicate, and even think on their own. The engines powering these machines were capable of turning any material—any solid or liquid matter—into pure energy, allowing them to function almost anywhere without falling into much disrepair. In fact, these machines are so durable that they exist even to this day, ten thousand years later! Although we only rediscovered these machines within the past twenty years, we have managed to get hundreds of them operational. Among those hundreds are four titanic machines that dwarf all the rest; we have come to call them the Divine Beasts, and each is capable of feats that almost defy logic. Vah Ruta can bring rain to droughted fields, Vah Rudania can calm Death Mountain, Vah Nabooris can safely generate a storm's worth of electricity, and Vah Medoh can soar through the heavens—despite the fact it's the size of a village! If I had not studied each Divine Beast in intense detail, I would swear they truly were created by the gods!

"Though what I love most about this Golden Age is that we have only scratched the surface of what it was truly like! All we have are relics and components, and almost all of those were discovered underground. If we keep exploring, there's no telling what we'll find, and what our ancestors have to teach us. Improvements to agriculture, architecture, infrastructure, transportation, communication, medicine, entertainment, the culinary arts, academics...our fundamental understanding of the world might very well be flipped on its head! I get light-headed just thinking of the possibilities!"

Zelda suddenly realized just how flustered she must look, and took a few moments to regain her composure.

"...as you can see, Mr. Robertson," she sheepishly replied as her face reddened, "I have a passion for archeology, technology, and science in general. It's one of the reasons I find your Manhattan so fascinating; from my perspective, your world resembles that mysterious Golden Age, in the best of ways."

Judging by Robbie's expression, it seemed that he also wanted to steer clear of the Great Calamity subject. His small fidgets at the description proved that Zelda painted a truly horrific picture of the beast; just as she had hoped.

In contrast, the editor seemed quite bemused as the princess showed some of her true colors. "Well, we're working hard on making Artificial Intelligence a reality, but we’re nowhere near the levels of tech that your world's Sheikah have accomplished. If you've only uncovered these machines recently, does that mean Hyrule has been running without industrial innovations?"

Robbie paused, but quickly spoke up to elaborate: "In our world's history, there was a big shift in technology starting about two-hundred years ago. This 'Industrial Revolution,' as it was later called, brought about massive changes in manufacturing. Where you'd once need tailors, smiths, and other craftsmen in every town, you could now buy all those goods from a store supplied by a factory. Mass production made a lot of things affordable for a lot of people, and eventually improved the quality of life for much of the planet."

The princess shook her head. "I'm afraid the kingdom has yet to reach a similar point. We still rely heavily on craftsmanship from the various guilds, though tailoring and needlework is a very common practice for Hylian women. As a matter of fact, I stitched this garment myself, as well as the sky blue attire of the five Champions."

Robbie glanced at the silent hero outside the camera's scope, but chose a broader topic for now. "You mentioned these Champions prior to the interview: who are they, and what makes them so special?"

"The Champions were the strongest warriors in the kingdom: each representing the five sentient races of Hyrule. Apart from being masters of combat, they were also charged with piloting one of the Divine Beasts. Together, it was their duty to provide support during the battle against Calamity Ganon.

"The Great Daruk was the leader of the Gorons. His weapon of choice was a massive stone club he called the Boulder Breaker, though given the way he could swing it with ease, you might be forgiven for thinking it weighed less than a few pounds. Setting aside his unmatched raw strength, he could also cast a powerful shield around himself and others—'Daruk’s Protection,' he called it, and what a fitting ability for someone so dedicated to protecting others. Daruk was one of the most jovial people I've ever met; his laugh could shake your chest cavity, but it came from such a kind and honest soul you couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Rivali is something of an outlier among the Champions. As the son of hunters, he was born a commoner, and raised without much of a proper education. Instead, he was born with an outright supernatural talent for archery and magic. Through diligence and tireless training, he mastered a technique that allowed him to create a powerful updraft at will. Rivali could be a bit of a braggart, but in my opinion he had the right to boast of his skill; after all, he was the first Rito to break free from the limits of his race, and could truly soar.

"I've known Urbosa, the Chief of the Gerudo, my entire life. She was a dear and close friend of my mother's...she even used the pet name my mother called me when she was still alive. Since I knew her since I was very young, it took a long time for me to realize that 'Auntie Urbosa' was a truly incredible warrior. The way she wields her shield and scimitar, the way she moves so nimbly and confidently...it’s almost like a dance. Though I suppose calling it a 'dance' is misleading—dances are harmless, but Urbosa could call down lightning with just the snap of her fingers.

"Mipha was princess of the Zora, and as such one might mistake us for contemporaries. However, by the time I was born Mipha was already in her forties—that's awfully young for the long-living Zora, but still. Her specialty lay in healing magic, but she was a masterful spearman, especially with her trusted Lightscale Trident. I had the opportunity to watch her swim up a waterfall, a popular Zora pastime. The way she pushed herself against such force...the only word that comes to mind is 'breathtaking.'"

Robbie leaned back in his seat, politely waiting for the princess to finish before addressing the elephant in the room:

"You describe these four in the past tense. I assume that's because they're...?"

Zelda nodded sadly. "They fought valiantly against Ganon's forces, but yes. We lost...much, to the Calamity. Daruk and Vah Rudania, Rivali and Vah Medoh, Urbosa and Vah Nabooris, Mipha and Vah Rudah, my father and the royal guard, Castle Town and the castle itself, thousands of lives and thousands more homes and livelihoods. What we went through could hardly be called a war, it was so one-sided for so long."

The editor glanced at the princess' protector. "If my count's correct, one Champion survived, right?"

"I almost lost him, too." Zelda said to the floor.

Realizing that they were breaking the princess' request to avoid this subject, Robbie cleared his throat and smiled.

"That’s probably enough talk about the past—let's talk about the future! So, Your Highness: now that you're on Battleworld, what do you plan to do?"

Eager to change the subject, Zelda smiled as she replied: "The first step is to learn as much as I can about the different peoples and cultures on this planet. After that...well, I want to try to serve as a sort of diplomat. I do not have much in terms of real-world experience, but political strategy was part of my education growing up—I would love to use that knowledge to the benefit of all.

"Though speaking of diplomacy..." The princess' emerald eyes seemed to sharpen for a moment. "Would you happen to know who—or what—Manhattan's 'Spider-Man' is, Mr. Robertson?"

Surprised by the question, the editor blinked. "You mean his secret identity? No clue. Doubt there's more than a handful of people who know."

Now it was Zelda's turn to be surprised. "Secret identity?"

"Oh, I'm sorry; you probably don't have anything like him in Hyrule. Spider-Man is what our world calls a 'Superhero.' He swings around the city in a costume fighting criminals, using some kind of artificial webbing and his inhuman strength to help others. He's very approachable far as superheroes go, but since he never takes off his mask, nobody knows who he really is."

The princess furled her brow, befuddled. "If he is a civil servant, why the anonymity?"

"Nobody knows the exact reason, but we can make a few guesses. The first is that what he's doing is technically not legal: vigilantism is generally frowned upon in our world because it's all about taking the law into your own hands. Then there's the fact he's been successful in stopping some very powerful people, so he's likely trying to protect the people closest to him. After all, he might be a superhero, but that doesn't mean that all of his friends and family are."

"How does New York City view him?"

"Well, he's got a few critics—and some awfully loud ones at that—but for the most part the city loves him. To give credit where credit's due, he's really clinched the 'Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' brand he's built over the years."

"And despite being so approachable as you say, virtually no one knows who he is behind the mask?"

The editor nodded, which only further furled the princess' brow. "Fascinating. Whomever he is, he is very wise: if he has managed to keep his identity a secret for so long, that must mean he intended to stop these powerful criminals from the very beginning. He planned to be in the situation he's in right now, which helps explain how he has been able to stay in the public's good graces, despite his technically illegal practices."

Robbie raised an eyebrow. "Is that a critique, Your Highness?"

The princess shook her head. "Not in the slightest—it’s actually very admirable. Your Spider-Man is quite the strategist; I would very much like to meet him someday."

"Well, if you're ever in Manhattan I'm sure you'll get your chance. I hear he's a big fan of the Daily Bugle!"

It was a bluff and a rather shameless plug, but still.

"While we are on the subject of visits to strange lands," the princess continued, "what do the people of Manhattan know of the lands beyond their borders?"

The editor felt a sudden urge to rub the nape of his neck, though he suppressed it like a professional. "That's a...tricky question. Some people obviously know more than others, but the Daily Bugle's own Mary Jane Watson has reported on this Common Room and some passersby: a man called Alucard from Castlevania, a team of armored soldiers, the leader of the Azur Lane. That last one's probably the most important, since Azur Lane's one of Manhattan's offshore neighbors. I'm sure there's been some talks with Mitakihara and Hell's Gate Tokyo, but those were more likely behind closed doors. Which is a bit of a shame, since they’re bound to be the most familiar to us."

The princess blinked. "If you know little about those states, Mr. Robertson, what makes you believe they would be familiar?"

"Oh I never said that we didn't know much about them." the editor chuckled. "Just that we haven't heard much about any agreements yet. Tokyo's the capital of Japan, and Mitakihara also appears to be Japanese, though unfortunately I doubt I could pin it on a map."

Zelda leaned forward as her puzzlement made a sharp turn into intrigue. "Are you saying that these three cities came from the same planet?"

Another tricky question, and this time the urge to rub the nape of his neck was a bit too strong. After all, he was venturing into a subject he knew very little about.

"Well...yes and no. There is a nation of Japan on planet Earth, but I strongly doubt it's the same one that Mitakihara or Hell's Gate Tokyo came from. On our planet there's this idea called 'The Multiverse Theory' that's been growing in popularity for a few decades—in fiction, at least. I'm not an expert on the subject, but from what I gather it's about there being an infinite number of realities existing all at once, independent of one another. Some are nearly identical, and others couldn't be more different if they tried. The point is that somewhere in this infinite bundle of realities, every possibility exists."

"So you believe these other cities are from..." she paused to translate the thought into words she fully understood, "some nearly identical Realm?"

"A parallel universe—sorry, two parallel universes, unless I'm missing something. But that's just my best guess; it's the only way I can even start to make sense of this crazy planet."

"Are there any other cities on the planet that seem familiar?" asked Zelda.

Robbie glanced at the globe, and sadly shook his head. "There might've been some at some point, but none of the other names on the globe look familiar. Oh, but there have been a few small groups that seem to be from other Earths. Folks who didn't arrive on Battleworld with a territory of their own, like yourself. From what I gather, a few of them seem to be Japanese. Might even come from a completely different version of Tokyo."

"Would you say that uncanny resemblances are a common phenomenon here?"

The editor hesitated. "I’m...not sure I understand the question."

"Among the old legends, there are tales of intangible Realms that exist alongside Hyrule—like a sort of distorted reflection. In several stories, a Hero of Old would travel between these Realms to rid them of an incarnation of the Great Calamity. Sometimes the Realm was created by Ganon's hands, and the creatures residing in it were monsters animated by his Malice; sometimes the Realm was simply another victim, and her inhabitants proved to be powerful allies to the Hero. Whether these are different tales or just interpretations of the same legend, the concept of unseen worlds much like or far different from our own is not exactly preposterous to Hyrulean ears.

"With that in mind, I'm curious if there's a chance I might come across residents of an alternate Hyrule. A Dark World, a Twilight Realm, or the like."

"A Low-rule, perhaps?" Robbie smirked.

The princess laughed, and nodded.

"Well, I can't say I've seen many pointy-eared people running around, but I wouldn't count it out. According to some of our sources, there's been all sorts of beings that have come and gone. If people from one Hyrule have shown up on Battleworld, why not two?"

Zelda gave a studious wince at the use of past tense, though Mr. Robertson had a point: the chances of two groups from Hyrule being present simultaneously was much less likely than one coming after the other. Then again, if there could be so many models of Manhattan’s planet here at once, why not others? There was no monopoly on parallel Realms, was there?

"Let’s say for the sake of argument that there are Hylians on Battleworld right now: what would you say to them?"

"My apologies Mr. Robertson, but for the sake of inclusivity I wish to correct a common misconception. 'Hylians' and 'Hyruleans' are distinct categorizations: the first is a race, the second is a nationality. And should I find either Hylians or Hyruleans on this planet..."

The princess paused. What could she say to someone like that? A person who might not even recognize the Royal Family as a figure of authority, let alone her. Though even if they did come from her Hyrule, chances that they'd recognize her as anyone worth listening to was still quite low. Not that she could blame them.

"...I would want to listen to them. To learn their story, and understand their Realm of origin. Then I would want to aid them in any way I can; not as a Princess, but as a fellow Hyrulean. As someone who has witnessed a dying light survive through immeasurable darkness, and—against all conceivable odds—triumph over it."

The editor gave Zelda a small, but sincere smile. "Well, I'm sure there's bound to be plenty of people who need to hear a message like that. Especially on a planet like this."

"Planet like this indeed." echoed the princess. She frowned slightly as her eyebrows dropped, and with a pinch of her chin it seemed clear she was contemplating a riddle. "Prior to this interview, I heard several accounts of the phenomena that occurs when a city is removed from Battleworld. The term repeatedly used was 'disappear,' as opposed to something far more dire and unambiguous, such as 'obliterated' or 'cast into the void.' While I certainly do not prefer such fatalist language, I do find it curious that our host-and-captor has not encouraged a bleaker depiction of our fate."

"You mentioned this earlier." Robbie hummed. "Is there something you would like to share?"

"Only that I find the Cure to be a most peculiar puzzle. He abducts entire metropolises from their homes and commands us to fight for his amusement, yet appears satisfied with combat on a small scale. He refuses to return anyone to their homeworlds, yet seems to have little interest in distilling any fear of banishment. The masses are left to their own devices, with only a single delegate presumably worth the Cure's attention—and this delegate does not even need to be any official authoritative figure, if Manhattan’s Spider-Man is any indicator.

"...are we certain that the Cure is only interested in watching us fight?"

The editor blinked, then shrugged. "Hard to say. That's just the premise we've all been given."

"If spectating combat is his sole objective, then he is not doing himself any favors. The fact that this massive room is virtually empty suggests that there is little foot traffic between cities or collectives. And since—according to you, Mr. Robertson—there have been few public talks between cities that at least share a resemblance to each other's histories, it would seem that the various lands of Battleworld are fond of relative isolationism. Small skirmishes might come and go, but the largest military forces are standing idle; not that they have many opportunities to start a war, if the planet's geography alters as dramatically as it did less than an hour ago. This evidence leads me to believe there is more to this Battleworld than what is told at face-value, though I highly doubt I'm the first person to draw that conclusion."

The princess turned her head to the side, towards the empty black throne on the far side of the room. "Should the Cure return here tomorrow, I would like to ask him some questions."

"And what would you want to learn from him?"

Zelda's expression shifted without her realizing; the large emerald eyes narrowed into a studious glare, the usually smiling lips flattened into a determined frown, and with a colder tone than she intended, the scholarly princess answered the editor with three words:

"Whatever I can."

On that note, Robbie glanced at the recording time of the laptop, and decided it was time to wrap things up.

"Well we're almost out of time here, Your Highness. Before we go: is there anything you would like to say to the people of Manhattan?" The editor gestured to the laptop, suggesting Zelda speak directly to it this time.

The determined expression broke as soon as Robbie raised his voice, and with just a little bit of confusion, Zelda stared at her reflection...only to blush slightly when Robbie pointed to the tiny light to show the princess where she was supposed to look.

"Well...I'm not certain what I can say specifically just yet—other than your city sounds like a dream come true and I simply cannot wait to visit." she tittered, and nested her fingers on her lap. Feeling a little bit more comfortable speaking to countless people through a...little light, Zelda adopted a gentler tone:

"Mr. Robertson mentioned that you only arrived on this planet yesterday, so I imagine you're all still going through the same emotions I'm feeling right now: confusion, terror, denial, resentment, despair...but also curiosity, and wonder, and even a hint of excitement. I never imagined a place like this could possibly exist, and while the thought of its apparent premise turns my blood to ice, the fact that I can speak to you all from this seat, through this fascinating device...to be honest, it puts butterflies in my stomach! There is so much to see in this strange new world, and while I hold no doubts that it is free of dangers I am deeply eager to explore it.

"So as someone who is facing this new reality just like all of you, I will attempt to offer a small kernel of truth I've learned through...well, considerably dire experiences: you are each other's hope. Horrific as this situation may be, we are all experiencing it together; no one is alone here, and thus no one has to face it alone. So the next time you feel overwhelmed by..." she weakly gestured to her surroundings, "think about the people close to you; not just emotionally, but geographically as well. And if you feel you need it, or even simply want it—reach out to them. Calamity has a bittersweet habit of bringing people together, supporting each other, and becoming the inspiration for others even when one's inner drive feels like it has lost all strength. You are each other's hope—and you are mine.

"May the Goddess smile upon you."

And with a final outro, the little light died, and the interview was over.

Edited by TheodoreHastings on Jan 13th 2022 at 7:08:58 AM

Velvet Room, Minako's Room

"Well, Mitsuru-senpai is probably going to be there anyway at that point, right?" Minako pointed out, still resting her head against Mami's shoulder, "Although, of the members of SEES, I'm the one who currently knows the most about your kind of magic, so maybe I should be there as well! That's a lot of people to have over to your apartment, though... Are you gonna have enough room?"

Common Room

"Ugh! Don't tell me, he's an Objectivist, isn't he?!" The disgust was clear to hear in Spidey's voice. "You know, I actually read some Ayn Rand in college. Spent an entire week thinking I was, like, the new John Galt. Yelled at some protestors that they should get jobs. Fun times." Our hero briefly covered his eyes with his hands and muttered, "God, I hate myself."

Sighing, he re-composed himself and nodded to Goro. "Well, thanks for the warning, in any case. He doesn't sound like the sort of man I want to cross... or cross paths with, at least at this point. Anyway, that invitation I was talking about earlier might be a good avenue for your, uh... faction to win friends and influence people, as Carnegie would say, so make sure to take a look at it later! Just do me a solid and don't bring that Nishijima guy with you if you come, 'kay?"

"As for you all..." The Wallcrawler turned to the members of the Evening Primrose, and crossed his arms. "Look, I get that your situation is a little complicated, ethically speaking. You were trying to prevent the extinction of your entire, for lack of a better word, species. But I have a duty, a responsibility, beyond just fighting crime now: to represent my city on the world stage. And that means I can't allow myself to even seem to be, as a certain propaganda network would put it back home, paling around with terrorists. Not to mention, I can't quite process the fact that you recruited Maki, a child, into your terrorism. So basically, although it's not like we have an extradition agreement with Tokyo right now, I'm going to strongly request that you not make things more complicated for Manhattan at this point, and look for someplace else to shelter your people for the time being. Alright?"

"And yes, we're allowed to curse if we want... just have to remember not to do it in front of little kids, y'know," he added to Luca, holding up a finger, "And yes, it was an asteroid, and it was terrifying. And there were some early hominids, but I don't recall them riding dinos. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an invitation to deliver."

Turning on his heel, the Webslinger moved over to the Angel of Light. "Hey, um... Mister(?) Angel," he greeted, a little uncertain at talking to what looked like the Renaissance's idea of a heavenly being as he stuck out his hand for a handshake, "I'm Spider-Man; I represent the city of Manhattan. Sorry, I know this is all probably pretty overwhelming and everything, but if you'd like a good chance to get to know your fellow representatives and other leaders from other factions, we're holding a diplomatic gathering in Manhattan later today. There'll be food, of course, and even live music! Each territory, or 'chunk', like yours that's invited gets a reservation for their Cure-appointed representative and up to two guests. But we need to know whether you'll attend and who you'll take with you first, so we can prepare properly. So, whaddaya say?"

Manhattan, Chinatown F.E.A.S.T.

Zelda would be shaken out of her musing by the sensation of John gently patting her arm. He gave her a big smile, eyes shining with sympathy. "I understand what you mean, Your Highness, at least after a fashion," he explained with a nod, "Y'see, when I was a young man-"

"Oh boy, here we go!" Ernie groaned.

"When I was a young man, we came under attack from the Japanese on December 7th, 1941, at Pearl Harbor - that day which our great President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said would live in infamy - and though we'd been neutral beforehand, by God you better believe we were at war with the Axis Powers the very next day! Like any patriot of age, I wanted to serve my country and defend the freedoms my forefathers had given their lives to establish and protect, and in fact I was already in the Navy, and wouldn't you know, they sent me sailing across the sea to fight not the Nazis in Europe, but the very Japanese Empire that had attacked us! Now since I was experienced in bombing and had certain qualities they looked for in leaders at the time, they made me Commander of the bombing squadron, and... ah..." John paused for a long moment, looking a bit unfocused, then looked to Ern. "Now, where was I?"

"You were getting back from the war," Ernie helpfully lied.

"Oh, of course! So we got back from the war after we'd won the war, and I married my highschool sweetheart and we had two wonderful little children, a boy and a girl. Now, the government had offered to pay for the education of we veterans, since we'd served our country, and I went to college and got me a degree in Naval Engineering! Now, after I graduated, I went into business with a good friend of mine, who I'd have trusted with my life. But the sunnova bitch swindled me and walked away with my life savings, and with not one thing I could do about it! And what's worse, he made me out to be the villain and managed to get me blacklisted from the industry, so I couldn't find work! After that, my wife left me, and took the kids with her."

"Eventually, I lost my house, since I couldn't keep up paying for it. In this state, there was eventually a legal requirement that all homeless people be entitled to have a place in a shelter, but of course homelessness was rampant, and there weren't enough shelters to house everybody, so some people got left out, and I was one'a 'em and wound up living on the streets of this part of town. By the time I ended up there, I cursed the world, and spent every day hating it and everything in it. After a while of living there, I noticed the area was used by shady characters to do business. I never had a chance to relax. One night, as I was going to get a drink of water, a smuggler began to beat me with terrible violence. I couldn't fight back. What was there to do?" John looked into the palm of his hand, as if recalling his own powerlessness. "I thought that might be a fitting death for me and was about to give up, when a man who happened to be passing by saved me! When I was a stranger, he fought for me, asked if I was hurt, and stayed with me until medics arrived..."

"His said his name was Spider-Man!" The old man closed his fingers into a loose fist and looked back up at Zelda. "That night was the night I learned there was still good within people's hearts. That encounter made me take a long, hard look at myself. After that, I swore to help others from then on. I helped clean up the streets, looked after my neighbors when they were sick, and soon enough, the world I'd hated had become a wonderful place! After I started helping others, they also began to help me. It was the first time in so many years I'd experienced such happiness..."

"And eventually, a great, kind man named Martin Li saw the need in our community, used his fortune to buy several properties around the city, including this one, and turned them into the shelters that we now know as F.E.A.S.T.!" he concluded, returning to sending the princess a full, beaming smile, "So, sorry for takin' so long to get to the point, but that's my story! So, y'know, I sorta get what you meant about how nice it is to be able to sit down with others for a meal like this one."

Edited by darksidevoid on Jan 15th 2022 at 6:59:04 AM

Minako's Room

Homura took a moment to mentally count the guest list. "If we keep it to that size it should be fine. I can adjust to make sure it doesn't feel too crowded."

Mami turned her attention away from Minako on her shoulder to Homura at the door. "...ah," she said finally, like she just realized what Homura was talking about. "You could do that, yes."

Homura looked at the other two girls for a moment longer before straightening up. "I need to go address some things while I'm near the Common Room. Though...incidentally, Arisato-san, do you know of a girl named Amber?"

Minako's Room

"Amber...?" Minako paused to recall for a moment. "Well, she was Tokyo's second representative before she deserted them for Genosha, and she leads a group of superhuman Contractors from the Tokyo chunk, though I don't think they're all from Tokyo originally, and the current Tokyo rep calls them terrorists, but depending on your viewpoint they might've been justified, since last I heard the Tokyo people had been secretly trying to genocide all Contractors. I don't remember how much you already know about Contractors at this point, but Hei - the guy in the white mask that broke during that last fight - is an example. They have superpowers that they get a blue aura when using, and they all have an associated cost that they have to pay after using their powers... Come to think of it, I never figured out what Hei's 'price' was."

"Anyway, the governments of their home Earth and criminal organizations wasted no time in exploiting them to do dirty, covert jobs like assassination. They claimed it was because the Contractors had some kind of chemical imbalance that made them psychopaths, but I don't buy it. In any case, they were a secret until the other day, when I blew the lid off of things by revealing their existence to Ikebukuro in an effort to tamp down on the panic that Nyarly had stirred up over there... I miss Ikebukuro..."

"But getting back to the point, Amber is apparently a lot older than she seems at first glance, because the 'price' for her Contractor power is to age backwards. So although she looks our age, she says she's actually soon to be 96 years old. ...I never did ask her what her actual power was, though. I think... she might've said it had been sealed by The Cure? I don't know what kind of power that would have been, but it must have been really strong, if he completely took it away from her. ...I feel like I knew more about this at some point but forgot. Philemon probably knew all about it, but I don't know what he knows anymore. Sorry, Homura-chan..." Minako sighed into Mami's shoulder, somewhat frustrated.

Edited by darksidevoid on Jan 15th 2022 at 3:04:49 PM

Minako's Room

For the sharp-eyed, Homura's own eyebrow would raise slightly when Minako relayed Amber's claimed age. Ninety-six? Really? And her power had been sealed away by the Cure as well? Hei had been with her and Kyubey at the morgue where her own story had been on display for the others to interpret. If he was from the same universe as Amber, and had pieced together Homura's own story from their confrontation with the imitation Kreimhild Gretchen...

"That's alright, Arisato-san," Homura replied as Mami took the opportunity to repay the favor by gently hugging Minako as the SEES leader rested on her shoulder. "Do you know where she might be now?" The sooner she could track her down, the sooner she could see if this lead could lead somewhere useful...

...and whether letting the other two talk more would be a good move.

Common Room: Yeah...A Little Late to Say Manhattan's Off-Limits...

As the web-slinger described the philosophy and author by name, Kobayashi's frown began to sag.

"It is truly a shame that such drivel is not isolated to one reality. What a cancerous contribution to humanity; I am pleased you outgrew it. Rest assured, we have no intentions of inviting Eric to this summit of Mayor Osborn's."

"Doubt we could bring him even if we wanted to." smiled November. "After yesterday's fiasco on the bridge, Miss Sablinova isn't his biggest fan."

In contrast to the Syndicate members' (admittedly tepid) approval of Spider-Man, the three Contractors were...less than pleased by the superhero's finger-wagging.

"You talk as if we're asking to be your friends." Brita replied, her words seemed with disgust. "As if I'd be caught dead 'palling around' with a grown-man running around in long underwear."

"Maki is a Contractor first and a child second." Amagiri plainly replied. "His age does not change the fact that he has an unusually powerful ability; one that has been put to great use in our organization."

"Plus he's got this HUUUUUUGE crush on the boss." Luca chuckled. "It'd be cute if it wasn't so creepy. Cuz, y'know, the whole 'Contractors equals Superpowered Sociopaths' thing?"

As the web-slinger turned to invite a literal Cherub to the summit, Spidey would hear Luca's chipper voice wishing him the best of luck, followed by a rather unfortunate request:

"Say hi to Anna for us! Big fur coat, dinner party dress, has a real classy look with a less-than-classy attitude, really hard to miss. She's probably still in Manhattan. Call me if you need anything, Spider-Guy!"

Several heads slowly turned to the chipper Contractor.

"You...have his phone number." The words fell heavy from Brita's lips.

"Yep!" Luca grinned. "Helped him figure out where his portal-thing wound up when he first arrived. That was around the time Anna stormed into Manhattan with the Doll she rescued from Ol' Sourpuss here."

She thumbed to Kobayashi, not that anyone needed the hint.

Manhattan, F.E.A.S.T. Dining Hall: Getting to Know You

Zelda listened intently to the veteran's story, albeit with a handful of glances towards the child present when John's tale turned to curses or graphic imagery. When he finished, the princess placed a tender hand over John's loose fist.

"It sounds like you have lived a full life, John, despite it being filled with so much misfortune. I'm glad that Spider-Man and Mr. Li were here to remind you that there is light in the world, even when it feels like there's nothing but darkness."

The princess (rightly) assumed that Ernie would be much less interested in sharing his life story, so she turned her attention to the other strangers at the table.

"And what brings you to F.E.A.S.T., Mr...Murdock, was it? Your attire appears to be more professional than most of the residents here."

True enough, Matthew Murdock did seem to stand out, and not just because of his evident disability. Zelda had seen many different colors of formal shirts in her evening visit to the city, but she didn't recall spotting many red ones. Add that his shoes lacked much of the dirt and grime she'd noticed on the feet of the entryway's crowd, and there was definitely something about Mr. Murdock that didn't quite "fit."

"I imagine that there are many people in Manhattan who have been displaced due to the borough's abduction. They may have had homes back on your Earth, but they're essentially homeless on Battleworld. And if what John said about a universal housing edict is still true on this planet, I imagine that F.E.A.S.T. has been facing a massive increase in residents."

Common Room

After a discussion, if one could call it that, with the Cure that proved both enlightening and not at the same time, the Angel of Light found himself at an impasse on what to do next. He should try to go retrieve Taia so they could return to the Sky Palace, but he knew that she had a good enough head on her shoulders to return of her own volition in due time. Thus, he needed to find something else to occupy his time, and fortunately, that something else ended up finding him as a newcomer approached him.

"An invitation, you say..." The Angel mused, thinking this over, wondering who he ought to bring along (i.e. who would be the least likely to cause trouble and make life difficult for him). "I would be delighted to attend, 'Spider-Man'. Would you like me to bring my guests now, or shall it be better saved as a surprise upon our arrival to...Manhattan? Which I do hope you have directions to, by the way?"

Space Freighter Elsa von Brabant

Greetings. Right now, I am sure you have questions. What happened? Who is responsible for this? If you are outside or near a window, you may have already noticed the changes outside. Suffice it to say, you are no longer on your world. Now, you are in MY world. You are far from the only ones I have brought here, however. Should you wish answers, then you should enter the blue portal that now stands before you, or leave your current quarters and follow the hall. All questions you have shall be addressed there.

What do you think? KOS-MOS◊ asked her old friend◊, who called himself "chaos", across their telepathic link.

Well... I doubt it's a trap by Wilhelm, he replied as the rest of the party argued over why out of all of creation they were back sitting in the restaurant lounge of the Elsa, their spaceship, Zarathustra's control unit was in the next room, which is where he needed us to be for his plan to work, right? Unless... do you think this is some kind of ploy to confuse Shion?

It seems needlessly complex, if so.

I suppose you're right. I can't imagine how bringing us back to the Elsa or giving us that note could possibly result in her being swayed. Still... we should be cautious.

Yes.

"What's that in your hand, KOS-MOS?" Shion◊ asked, turning the whole room's attention to the blue-haired, blue-eyed gynoid.

"A piece of paper with writing. I believe it may be a hint as to the reason for our current situation, Shion," she answered.

"Paper?! No way!" Jr.◊ exclaimed, "Nobody uses paper anymore!"

"This coming from the guy who collects physical books," chaos teased with a smile.

"That's different! So anyway, what's it say?!"

KOS-MOS read it again, aloud this time.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! What the hell does it mean 'your world' and 'MY world'?!" Jr. groused, "It's not like Michtam was our planet in the first place!"

"Perhaps it means we're not in our universe anymore?" Ziggy◊ deduced, putting a hand to his chin, "May I see that paper, KOS-MOS?" She obliged.

"No way! That's impossible! Even local matter shifts and disappearance phenomena only move things within the known universe!" Allen◊ protested, slamming his hands on the table, then immediately wincing as the vibration reverberated through his still-wounded◊ body. "Owwwwww..."

"Oh, Allen..." Shion sighed, gently touching his arm, "Are you alright?"

"M-M-Me?! I'm fine!" he stammered, tensing up at the sudden phsyical contact with the woman he'd confessed his love to only minutes before, the caveman part of his brain ashamed at showing weakness.

"Suppose we are in another universe," Shion's brother Jin◊ pondered, taking a similar pose to Ziggy, "What sort of entity could possibly have brought us here, and what purpose could they possibly have had?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Jr. declared, pounding his fist into his palm and preparing to charge out the door.

"Jr., wait! Don't you think we should check around the Elsa first, just to make sure nothing's out of place?" MOMO◊ suggested, catching his sleeve.

"...Oh. Yeah, good point, MOMO!"

Most of their exploration of the ship was punctuated by Jr. yelling. They discovered the redhead's pet albino chihuahua was still in the women's quarters ("Alby! Here boy!" "Jr., wait, it could be a tra-" "Shut up, Old Man!"), that their E.S. mechs and the Zohar ("WHAAAAAAAAAAT?! The hell's that thing doing here?!) were in the hanger, that nobody else was present except the maintenance and server robots ("HEL-LOOOOOOOOO~! ANYONE?! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!"), and that their U.M.N. functionalities were still operating as normal. Finally, realizing that the hanger door was sealed and unopenable, they stood before the personnel door lit with the word "EXIT" above.

The most durable members of the party, KOS-MOS and Ziggy were the first two out into the long, white hallway, and after a few moments of looking this way and that, motioned for the others to join them. They formed up in two rows, their basic weapons out, with KOS-MOS, Ziggy, chaos and Jin in the vanguard, and Shion, MOMO, Jr. and Allen in the rear. As they proceeded down the hall toward the obviously more important double-doors at the end, they stopped to take a look at every other door and their associated nameplates, each of which Jr. couldn't resist commenting on.

KOS-MOS and the Seekers of Zarathustra

"Well, I guess that's us. It's not like we ever had an official name, so it fits..."

Zelda and the Champion of Hyrule

"Well, that doesn't exactly tell us much, but at least it's a normal name!"

Majora and the Heart of the Moon

"THE Moon?! Which Moon?!"

Albert Wesker and UMBRELLA

"Okay, that's obviously an acronym. Uhhhhhh... whaddaya think it stands for?"

Joker and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts

"So what, are they like, a pop band of 'hearbreakers'? What kinda parent names their kid after a playing card, anyway?"

Jedah Doma and the Darkstalkers

"Darkstalkers? Sounds like covert ops or something! Hey chaos, you were covert ops, right? Were there any units called 'Darkstalkers'?"

Minako Arisato and the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad

"Execution Squad, huh? But why extracurricular? They still in training, or something?"

Dante and Devil May Cry

"Now this is a name! I love me a reference to ancient authors! Hey, these guys sound way more badass than the other ones!"

Common Room

At last they were before the double-doors ("By the way, why do so many of these doors have handles? What door uses handles this century? Everything's automatic!"). Motioning to the rest of the party to hang back, KOS-MOS and Ziggy raised their legs, and in unison kicked open the doors, which slammed into the adjoining walls with such force you could believe they'd have come off of their hinges if they hadn't been made by an omnipotent demon god.

"HANDS UP! NOBODY MOVE!" Jr. roared, charging in and brandishing his pistols at the... room full of unarmed people? "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Heeeey, everybody! How's it going? Eheheh..." he chuckled sheepishly, then lowered his arms. His fellow party members followed suit after a few moments of uncertainty, returning their armaments to their U.M.N hyperspace pockets via phone or mental interface, respectively.

KOS-MOS, meanwhile, quickly scanned the room, finding inconclusive results inconsistent with the laws of physics. She examined the map with the name "Battleworld", located the chair with her name, and noted the presence of the big red lug on the throne. Still, she took no action yet, silently conversing with chaos via telepathy as she and the rest of the "Seekers of Zarathustra" stood around awkwardly and chattered with one another in hushed tones, waiting for the strangers in the room to make the first moves.

Edited by darksidevoid on Jan 24th 2022 at 1:59:00 PM