Carmilla & Sypha, Temple of Meridia

"Hmm... Interesting," Carmilla scanned over who the HUD said was apparently Alduin, and gave her a thumbs up and deciding to be completely honest with her. "Got to admit... I love the look, Alduin!"

"What had transformed Alduin and Paarthurnax seems to be similar to what happened to a knight, his horse and a couple of bandits we encountered," Sypha turned to Tiki to explain. "The knight was giant-sized, his horse was this rainbow-colored pegasus, and the bandits had been turned to sentient bears."

"However, all of them retained their otherwise normal traits and, from what you've said, so does Alduin," Sypha continued by repeating what Gwenpool had told them. "Alduin the World Eater is the biggest, baddest dragon here... Tough, powerful, and completely immortal."

"Personally, I think you should get Alduin to a tavern so she can have sweetrolls and milk!" Carmilla gave her own solution to 'defeating' Alduin.

Tetra (Temple of Meridia) - Speaking Her Language

Gravitating towards Carmilla and Sypha, Tetra overheard Sypha in particular suggest they take Alduin to a tavern, at which point she spoke up with a grin on her face, eyes glinting with mischief.

"Oh trust me, we're definitely going there. But if the big bad dragon is gonna be having MILK, I'm out a challenger for drinking, so her spot has just opened up." Tetra then looked at both Sypha and Carmilla, not so subtly throwing down the gauntlet.

Very few were the instances in which Azura had actually succeeded in enjoying a hot cup of tea. Most of the time some inane interruption ruined the experience by delaying her long enough that the tea would grow cold. But that only made her appreciate those few successes so much more. Between that and the bath, the songstress was in rather high spirits. Not even the sight of that green abomination carrying a live pig into the kitchen was enough to sour her mood.

Okay, it did sour it a little. A little lot. A little awful lot. But she was still feeling quite positive. Overall. Probably.

Which was in part why Corrin was not immediately rejected when she showed up out of seemingly nowhere requesting headpat privileges. Under normal circumstances, the sociopathic songstress would have simply told the puppy-eyed girl to just go pat her good counterpart, but the fact that they were not clinging onto each other for dear life like they had done until then seemed to imply something else was going on. Perhaps the other Azura was still in the holowhatever.

In any case, it was probably worth figuring out what was happening. It could come in handy later on. But would it be worth all the touching and patting and stroking and hugging?

"...fine, just for a bit," Azura (the bad one) finally conceded, taking a considerably long sip of her miraculously still hot tea. "What's bothering you so much anyway?"

Lancelot - Temple of Meridia

The black knight fell back a bit and whispered to Paar, deciding it was better to inform her rather than keep her in the dark.

“The game told us to kill you as the next step in our quest. We’ve refused to, so we’re trying to just figure out something else to do. Personally I just didn’t want to say it because I didn’t want you to think one of us would try to do it.”

Edited by Bcom on Mar 8th 2019 at 11:32:07 AM

Noire- Gungeon Team Martial Arts

Pocketing (or taking into inventory) her key, it seems like the next round is an example of dazzling gunplay. While she may not be the better sister in regards to "gunplay", she can certainly dazzle an audience, right?

Maybe those pageants wouldn't so bad after all... Though did Ramna suddenly get a little more muscular, or was it just her?

And why do those blocks have faces? What game are they playing? And why does it need a spike pit?

"Yeah, I'd like to know how the heck this works..."

She did, even if she didn't like where this could be going.

Oh, wow, that kid with the servant in black has got... spunk, she supposed. She almost felt bad for the poor delusional maniac. Almost. The giant was the kind of delicious overkill to pull her back, though.

"... I guess suffering is a rich source of comedy, after all."

It did seem that her servant has gotten another letter, from their informant/competitor/cheese holder. One down, Two to go.

"Oh, a party? How fun. If I was still unnoticeable, this would be a clinch."

So hit it without getting hit? Solid advice, if she ever heard it. With that and a new spell, she switched out her hat for a ladybug headband, switching out one button for another. Afterwards, she chased down her two fellow flying, faster compatriots.

Although, once she got to her destination, quite a bit after the other two, she was a little taken aback by the... not dragon the dragon was. And then the how not dragon the other dragon was. Oh, there seemed to be other alternates here, judging by their reactions, armaments, and attire

"My, this is... a situation..." Not the weirdest, maybe, but it was quite up there. She looked to a companion near her.

"Erm... is the plan more or less have a tea party with the world-ending dragon?"

Weren't they supposed to be getting their soul? Well, if the World Eater is satisfied, it would technically be counted as pacified and they could skip the combat and soul-eating part... but... er... it's probably not what was intended was, but...

She looked back to the other confused dragon girl, Paarthurnax, sympathetic even if she didn't quite understand... at least, until Lancelot mentioned what it was, at which she frowned.

"Yeah...I'm in a similar place to him myself." She addressed the dragirl (is that a proper term? She'll have to look it up). "Well, we were just told to deal with the "dragon problem", specifically. I'm just too confused to really try to do anything drastic at this point."

Edited by Boomer75 on Mar 8th 2019 at 2:26:38 PM

"Well..." Hesitating to give the reason as she made her way towards the remaining Azura with alarming swiftness of feet and reaching of hand, it wasn't all that long before the royal woman was rubbing the top of the bluenette's head with alarming familiarity. With her face growing more rosy and hale the longer she performed such intimate actions, the burdened ruler soon found herself more at ease as she continued her petting and stroking actions.

"The other Azura disappeared... and quite frankly I haven't much hope that the others in this vehicle are able to perform all that well under pressure should push come to shove. Already they are fragmented and violently at odds with each other... Unity though not impossible is quite improbable as of this current point in time from my view."

Sighing and getting the burdens off of her chest, the dragonblooded royal looked much better as she confided her fears for the future as well as the sorrow of a disappeared friend though there was still some frustration on her part. "I could have never made it where I was now without the aid of trusted friend and family... and I am without any here save for you, old friend. Even then... you're... not the one I know... not exactly... Please give me your wise counsel. If anything, that is what Azuras are known for... and I am in need of such direction in this sea of turbulent doubt I find myself in."

Blinking as pieces of the puzzle made themselves known and her mental acuity started putting such fragments together to slowly paint a more clear picture, Android 21 slowly floated down to personally see Alduin at eye level with a rather clear look of empathy on her face at the seeming fact that here too was a monster that held terrible world ending power and appetite but didn't wish to do so.

"Well, I can't exactly create pure milk but the sweetrolls are easy enough at the least." Picking up a random fist sized piece of rock and pointing a finger at it, the object soon morphed into that of a freshly baked good with frosting laid about its topmost area. "Here's a preview of what you are looking for?" Holding her palm out so that the dragon girl could take it, the motherly woman began her work at spoiling the World Eater with parental feelings surging quite strongly.

Edited by Makaioh on Mar 8th 2019 at 10:30:04 AM

Carmilla & Sypha, Temple of Meridia

"Oh ho! Our young pirate girl wants to have a drinking contest!" Carmilla laughed in response to this challenge. "I suppose if Alduin still wants her milk, we'll have no choice but to accept."

Carmilla turned to her fellow vampire, "You okay with that, Sypha?"

"Of course, Carmilla!" Sypha smirked back at the vampiress before turning back to Tetra. "I'll warn you... We were allies with someone who could drink practically anything."

Lady turned to look at....whatever the fuck was now on the back of her shirt. She'd probably be more annoyed if this had been her actual shirt, and not some weird alternate outfit she never remembered even owning. As it was, Gwen was trying to get her to see the good side, but Lady shook her head.

"Ok but, can I ask a question? Honest, legitimate question?"

She led Gwen a bit farther away from the group, at least far enough to where the NP Cs would not hear her.

"What's the point? Honestly? This is all fake anyway. A video game, something someone made for bored people to play to amuse themselves. I'm not trying to insult you or the things you like, I can tell this is something you're passionate about, and I get it, this is something for normal people to do. But I'm not a normal person. I live to slay the demonic hoards who prey on humans and kill people. Actual people, and actual demons. Not some made up demon lord in some broken mess of a game that hardly even seems to be functioning sometimes. It feels like I'm wasting my time here, when I could be outside, in the real world, trying to do something. Even if it's as simple as weapon maintenance or target practice, since I'm not sure if the van's at the next location yet.

Edited by Meanken on Mar 9th 2019 at 4:34:24 AM

Rachel, Gungeon

Ha!

-The tiny one was easy, at least. While Tira was keeping the other one busy, I started circling around to shoot it.-

Tenko's words might have had a little more impact, if not for the fact that the Canadian had already been sprinting from the room as she had been talking. The lizard still firmly nestled away somewhere on his person where it had fled during the struggle.

Into the next room, Scott slowed slightly to look about; Wary of any enemies or traps. Finding nothing, and no signs of loot either, he set his focus on the only thing of note in the room. The giant ominous door. He stared for a moment, before flinging his arms up. "Aw yeah, Boss Room!"

He ran straight for it, intent of heading right inside.

Umu, Why Fancy Parties Are Great, Still At Markath

"Unnoticeable? Perish the thought, my peach-skinned Maestro!" Nero seemed almost indignant that Magilou would consciously choose to remain secretive and hidden. Even if their hosts were reportedly an unpleasant sort - given the behavior of this Ondolemar, there was some precedence - it wouldn't do to show up ill-clothed. "The three of you shall dazzle the audience, the way only those blessed by an Emperor's hand can, umu!" Caster proclaimed proudly, not mentioning herself in the run-up.

Presumably she dazzled by default. "For me 'tis but a trifle to fix you outfits worthy of your stations! Like resplendent angels of Venus shall you make these elfenkind want you, and like triumphant stations of Jupiter, forever shall you be out of their reach, umu!" Nero nodded, looking pleased with herself.

The man in a top hat smiled, snapping his fingers. Four guns - ornate, golden masterpieces, more for display than for a fight - appeared out of thin air and gently floated into the hands of the Gungeoneers. "Each of these contains a single bullet. You break the targets, you win the prize." He explained, snapping his fingers again. Four targets shaped like grotesque parodies of his face appeared over the pit, floating in place. "The prize being able to take on a second round, naturally."

"And the second round is what is keeping you from descending to the next chamber of the Gungeon." The man gestured at the red line right at the edge of the pit. "Aim true from here, hotshots." A couple of these targets seemed quite impossible to hit, unless the bullets hidden in these golden guns could pierce through the blocks. Who could say?

"Are we interrupting something kinky or what?" The bioandroid deadpanned from his spot near the food replicator when the talk about headpats reached his ears. He still had to decide what to give that lil' poogie... "When in doubt, punch what offends you. Or kick it, or blow it up with ki." He shrugged, returning his attention to the food selection.

Gwen - Fictional Realism; Slightly Away From The Group, Temple of Meridia

"Just because they're fictional doesn't mean they're not real." Gwen said with a small smile, before realizing how insane that sounded. "This universe might be ones and zeros when you look really closely, but that doesn't make it any less real to the people inside it."

Gwen took a moment to debate whether or not she should tell Lady this, because everyone besides Doctor Strange had basically brushed her off as insane. She liked Lady, but Lady was pretty narrow-minded, very straight-laced. She might jump to the same conclusion, but unlike most of Gwen's friends, see this as a reason to sever the friendship.

It was worth a shot, in any case.

"What I'm trying to say is... this whole thing? The Van? It's not my first time traveling to a different universe. About nine months ago, I ended up getting transported out of my own universe. I left Earth-TRN 565 and ended up in Earth-616."

"My original world... didn't have superheros. It didn't have magic, or aliens, or mutant, or robots or anything cool like that. Except in fiction. Books and movies and games... and comics. Earth-616 has all of that, and more. Because Earth-616 is the world of Marvel Comics. I ended up in the same universe as all my favourite superheroes."

"And not just a world that had all that, but acted normally. I ended up in a world controlled by comicbook writers, where everything played out on comicbook logic. Because I knew the rules, I was able to abuse them. I put on a costume because that meant I had less chance of randomly dying in the background. I tried to sell a weapon to a terrorist group because I thought the Avengers, a superhero team, would end up dealing with it. I took a job as a mercenary because I thought I could kill random people because they didn't matter, they were invented for the comic and would stop existing after it."

"But the universe itself is smart. And it kept trying to teach me that, even if it was fictional world, my actions mattered just as much as it would in a world that no-one ever wrote stories about. Putting on a costume might protect me, but it endangered people around me. When I went to sell that weapon, suddenly the Avengers had to go to space and couldn't fix my bad deed. And if I kept assigning worth to people based on how much they mattered to me? One day, I would lose someone that mattered more than anything else. And when nothing in the world mattered anymore, I'd be able to burn it all down."

"That last one I know because one of my favourite heroes came back in time to kill me, so that the evil future version of me didn't get his entire family killed." She stared down at her wrist, where she wore the webshooter. "Some version of me was bad enough to break him."

And also manage to recruit the personification of the universe into a Neo-Nazi terrorist group, and start a third superhero Civil War, and probably kill most of the magical heroes in the universe... Evil Gwen was bad news.

"That's when I knew that, while I had an outsider's perspective, my actions had consequences. That I couldn't treat the world as my playground. It was where real people lived and died every day, even if it ran on some crazy rules no-one ever acknowledged. That I couldn't just put real people in danger, and brush it off by telling myself they were fictional."

"You can think I'm crazy if you want. Most people back home do." She admitted with a wince. "And you can go back to the Van, and do something you think matters. But trust me when I tell you that even if this world is fictional, even if it's entirely inside a computer... that doesn't make it any less real than the worlds outside the Van."

Edited by GeekCodeRed on Mar 12th 2019 at 10:15:22 AM

Well.....that.....was a thing.

Unsurprisingly, Lady took a long moment to give Gwen the sort of open mouthed stare she was no doubt used to whenever she told this story. Lady took a long moment to consider this. There was way too much detail involved in this story for it to have been an on the top invention off the top of Gwen's head to try to make something up that would convince her to stay in the game. And the idea of traveling between universes was hardly new to Lady, given....her current position. This left two clear possibilities. Gwen was 100% telling the truth and this insane sounding story was completely true. Or Gwen was completely insane. Lady didn't think she was nuts, didn't come off to her that way, and she had been correct about.....some things in this game. And frankly it seemed so broken that she wasn't shocked other things weren't working as expected.

She leaned back on a nearby rock. ".....I want to believe you, because the alternative is you're completely insane. But.....you understand the issue, right? That's.....a lot to just take at face value. But....I may have an idea, maybe you can prove it. You recognized this game, right? You've played it before? Just like you read these comics before you were.....somehow dragged into them?"

She waited long enough for confirmation, some kind of head nod. "I've been here pretty long now. I was in the first group of people they dragged here, and there's been a lot of turnover since then. Meanwhile, you're pretty new. So....."

She scratched her head, feeling a little nuts herself for even suggesting what she was about to.

"Do you know any of the other people in the van? In the same way you knew these comics, or this game? Because if you have.....I could throw out some names. Names of people I've dealt with, who left the van completely long before you got here. It may not help a lot, I get it, some names are going to sound more generic then others, but.....if you can somehow describe even a couple of the people I name without even having met them, the more detail the better....that might prove your story beyond any reasonable doubt I can come up with."

Or she could just be a mind reader, but she'd try to mitigate that by not lingering on any major thoughts of the people she named.

"Or.....if you happen to.....know me, that might work too."

That was a weird thought that she wasn't sure how she felt about, and her face was currently betraying how silly and stupid she felt for even uttering those words.

The battle had started at Puru found herself on the rough end of a very unique problem. "Fire!... Shoot!... Go? Oh, come on!" she complained to her gun hand as she back-pedaled away from the one-eyed monsters firing at the group. The problem with having a gun over your hand is that there are no instructions on the side telling you how to fire it. There was no trigger visible on the outside.

She shook her hand around as she dodged incoming fire, desperate to figure this thing out. She could still feel her hand inside of the virtual chaingun, but couldn't feel any sort of interior to this thing. It was like it was imposed over the space her hand was. She tried wiggling her fingers around to try and catch on anything. By chance, the gun fired a bullet, surprising the young Newtype.

Taking a moment, once the Beholster was distracted, Puru ran through her head what it was that just did that. Moving her fingers, she curled her fingers as if she were holding a gun. Then her pulled her index finger in as if firing and the Machine Fist fired once again. Puru paused to realize just how dumb that was and how dumb she was for not figuring that out sooner.

Turning to the Beholster that was facing Tira, Puru held up her Fist and opened fire on it, running in a strafing motion around it as her Wingman rotated around her and occasionally fired off rockets at her target.

Tetra (Temple of Meridia) - How to Dragon Shout 101

Feeling thrilled at the two vampiresses agreeing to her challenge, Tetra caught the gist of what Sypha was saying...before smirking in turn. "He could. Doesn't mean you can." Turning her eyes to look at Alduin, the supposed World Eater...who was now the Sweet Roll Eater, Tetra thought briefly on how to get her attention, before shrugging and opening her mouth to holler in Alduin's, and anyone else's, direction.

"HEY! DRAGON LADY! WHERE'S THE BAR AT?!"

Not the most polite of attention grabbers, perhaps, but time was clearly of the essence here. There was a pint with her name on it.

Meridia's Shrine

"Fuwaaaaa... really!? You don't think it's too... joor?" Alduin blushed at Carmilla's praise. She ran a hand through her hair and tossed it back, sparkles and particle lighting illuminating the "I haven't even had a chance to do my hair you're too much stop it teehee."

"Wait you mean you saw the legendary Rainbo- I mean, uh.... Y-yeah, I'm the coolest!" she added when the vampires finished up their spiels to the others. Then the lady in the weird coat said some stuff that she wasn't quite following, but then a random rock turned into a sweetroll that she had picked up.

So naturally, Alduin jumped at it and snatched it into her hands, smashing her face into it with tremendous speed and chewing like there was no tomorrow as she devoured the thing. In moments it was gone, her cheeks and nose splashed with white frosting that she hadn't noticed, and a few crumbs lining her face around her lips.

"More! Gimme more!" she demanded, about to spend a good long time begging, but someone shouted before she could get her train of thought out of the station.

"WHA! HA! WHO? WHERE- oh, you," she frantically flailed her arms around when she heard some shouting, only to see it was the girl demanding to know thing. Demanding that she tell her something. "Alduin, the World-Eater, doing things at the request of a child? Ha! That'll be the day.... But... I do want to go there. But not because you're asking! I was just... going there anyway. To Solitude. That's where all the joor are, they have to have all this stuff there, right?"

She looked lost in thought, but only for a moment.

"And what's wrong with milk?" she pouted. "That's what I hear the stupid joor talking about all the time. Milk-drinker this, sweetroll that, so they have to be pretty good don't they? If it's anything like that sweetroll was, that sounds good to me."

"This may be a game but I'm still stuck in this blasted place each time it gets turned off and on, remembering everything when it gets started and ended and restarted countless times over the endless years," Meridia's voice boomed to Gwen and Lady. "So I would rather appreciate it if you could listen to Gwen here and figure things out before Molag Bal ruins this whole place and gets us killed."

Paarthurnax listened in as Lancelot whispered, attentive and thoughtful as she waited for him to finish speaking. Then she leaned back, looked ahead so intently it seemed as if she were going cross-eyed, and nodded.

"It wanted you to WHAT me!?" Paarthurnax shouted at Lancelot. "But I'm essential, you can't even do that. And- and... and...." She gestured over at Alduin, then leaned back in and spoke softly. "Why me and not her?"

She shuffled closer to Hat Girl, putting her hands on her shoulder and looking her in the eyes.

"There is a dragon problem, but I'm a good dragon," she pleaded. "I've spent thousands of years helping out humans, I've been trying to make up for all the sins we committed in the wars long ago, atrocities we did at the command of Alduin. I'd understand if you wanted to slay the bad dragons, because they're hurting humans and you need to defend yourself, but we're not all bad dragons. I'm not a bad dragon."

Then, she started to cry, and gave the Hat Woman a good old-fashioned deathgrip of a hug.

"I'm a good dragon," she wheezed out between crying fits. "I'm a good girl, you don't need to hurt me!"

Tiki - Also There

"What?" Tiki exclaimed, turning to look at the shouting. Oh, it was just Tetra. And the 'dragon-lady' she was shouting at was Alduin, not her. That was somewhat of a relief, since her tone sounded somewhat upset, and she just couldn't bear the thought of the girl being upset with her.

Lady suddenly turned and glared at the sky.

"This is a private conversation between A and B." Lady said as she pointed at herself and Gwen in turn. "Kindly C your way out of it!"

Neptuneman - Gungeon VR (Team Martial Arts)

The rules seemed rather simple for Neptuneman. A simple firing game, huh? Neptuneman will try his best to follow these rules, brother! Neptuneman got into position and gestured at his comrades to join.

"Ready, guys?"

The saint took the hug and endured it. Not in the usual "uuu~ I don't like it but it's okay when you hug me, Tessa-chan~" form that anime leads you to believe is the natural way of dealing with these kinds of things. Instead, she had a look on her face like when you're about a week into owning a cute puppy and he just can't stop expelling every single ounce of bodily waste right onto the carpet. That kind of endurance, born from necessity and acceptance.

She'd let her continue with that hug for a while, only stating "That's enough, Master," and not yelling it once Nero had finished her reading.

"It's a unique request, but it can't be difficult. I know that every soul enjoys receiving presents at parties. For what I lack in candor, Nero, I will make for it in generosity."

"Hahaha, yeah, that's...that's..."

The sound of someone being entirely serious when they consider running face first into another person to really work that well. Susan knew that, bound by this form, she was out of her league and element. "Well, just make sure to let go of me or give me a warning if you wanna do that, alright? It'd mean a lot," she replied.

Now in the presence of some other members of their travelling group, she felt just that much safer and also quite a bit confused when 21 started to interrogate one of the newbies. It only made sense when, of course, this person turned out to be one of the dragons. It was just baffling how many things in the universe were creatures that turned out to be good-looking women.

Without really understanding it, Susan watched from the air as the situation...deteriorated. The dragons were changed into this, everyone was invited to a drinking contest with them, and now one of them was crying, for heaven's sake. She didn't want to start sticking her claws in her face, but a facepalm sounded good right now.

"Hey, 21," she whispered to the android, "We're supposed to kill them. Do you think we should get around to that part before everyone falls for those tears?"

"Hmmm..."

Azura listened patiently while Corrin explained her predicaments, which were not insignificant. The other Azura's disappearance was convenient, albeit not absolutely certain. Roughly ninety percent of that van's inhabitants were unaccounted for, and most of them were most likely inside that unsurprisingly faulty chamber, and while the fact that the other songstress was not currently attached to her cousin like an affection-starved leech meant that the odds of her being gone altogether were rather high, they were not absolute. Nonetheless, being the only songstress around meant she could get to work more efficiently without the other one butting in and causing costly misunderstandings.

The peaceful coexistence issue, however, was a tricky one. It was true, that group was a disaster waiting to happen, and the fact that the horrible green thing with the equally horrible voice suggested violence was in equal amounts unsurprising, unhelpful, and annoying to hear. However, there was one thing that would certainly prove crucial when infighting inevitably broke out. But first...

"It's a pig," the sociopathic songstress informed Cell. "Pigs will eat literally anything. Just grab something and get it over with." Her minor exasperation outburst dealt with, she turned her attention back to the troubled ruler. "As for your concerns... there is very little that can actually be done. Keep in mind this isn't like back home, where everyone is related to everyone else or works for everyone else. We're all pretty much strangers to each other and the only thing we all share in common is the goal of not dying horrible deaths by fucking this up and having reality inevitably collapse around us. Once they're all on the same page on that front, the group is going to unite on its own. Just give it time, and when violence starts in the group, stop them and remind them what's at stake."

With her guidance over, the bluenette took a final sip from her teacup... and then made a small addendum to her statement.

"But if that doesn't work, we can always just tie the troublemakers to the front of the vehicle, and let them work things out from there."

There would be no room for spoiled children in her van.

Noire- Gungeon Team Martial Arts

"So, one bullet, one target... What kind of bullets are we firing? piercing? spread? What are we talking here? Or is it one of those 'We'll find out when we do it' games?"

She took a bullet and stepped up to the line, though she was waiting for a response before firing.

"Well, of course, when I want to be noticed, I'm the life of the party! However, being the center of attention would make pranking hard... unless... what kind of party is it?"

The gears turned in the witches head, as she looked through her outfits. Most of them were conspicuous, quirky, and fitting for the one who adorned them.

... So this is what it's like on the receiving end.

... It was weird. Surreal, even. And very cramped.

"I-uh-um... Well, it's not like I exactly like who asked anyways... and, well, I guess we just need to pacify the issue, no death needed...don't worry, I don't think I have to hurt you..."

Being hugged by something you were supposed to take down, she concluded, was a bit awkward. She looked to the group she came with, eyes screaming "help".

Gwen - Thankfully Lady Wasn't In Marvel Vs Capcom; Down The Path, Temple of Meridia

Honestly, Lady was taking it better than most. Most brushed her off as crazy, no matter how right she'd been. Even her friends who accepted the whole thing still thought she was crazy, just a type of crazy that worked.

The big exception was Doctor Strange, and he was already a multiversal traveller. And he approved of Benedict Cumberbatch.

But after Gwen mumbled a “yeah”, fearing the direction Lady was going, she ended up being incredibly relieved. People, in Gwen's experience, tended not to react well when you knew everything about them without ever meeting them before.

It took her nearly being pasted by freaking Mjolnir to learn not to blurt people's secret identities out in the middle of fights.

So Lady asking for people who'd come before her made sense and prevented awkward moments.

Ignoring Meridia for now (not something they should do much more of, honestly), Gwen made her choice.

“Probably should go with the older people thing.” Gwen admitted. “Otherwise I could just be a mind reader.”

Lucina - Temple of Meridia

Lucina finally slipped Falchion back into its scabbard, shaking her head softly. Perhaps she shouldn't be so surprised, after everything this world had shown her so far, that the world-ending dragon could be plied with drink and sweet-cakes.

As talk of drinking contests and tavern visits, spread through the group - which had only grown larger as more alternates converged - the taguel climbed a few of the temple steps and turned, clearing her throat.

"Comrades, please. We entered this world with a purpose, a mission that may well have consequences even outside the confines of this game." She spoke firmly, sweeping one hand to encompass the forest around them, and shooting the alternates contemplating the tavern a reproachful look. "This world has many tempting diversions, but we mustn't loose sight of our ultimate mission."

—

Alicia - Team Military

Alicia paused, eyebrows rising as nostalgic-scented air rose from the barrel of her... tunic launcher? Laundry cannon? Whatever it was, its fire was surprisingly effective, and with a bemused sigh, she started picking off and pushing back the closest blobs with more carefully aimed washing.

"Are we sure it won't just - attack us if it snaps out of it?" She piped up between shots as the others discussed trying to enlist the unsteady bird. "I'd rather not get - pincered between these things!"

Seeing how one of the blobs had grown larger, shielding the ones behind it, Alicia paused for a moment before shifting her aim and firing another shot at it. Maybe she could take out several blobulons with one tunic.

Edited by LittleMako on Mar 18th 2019 at 5:38:26 AM

Lady leaned back, closing her eyes as she thought back to the beginning of this disaster of a trip, and remembering names of people who were no longer here, omiting any which might be too generic for use.

"Ok, so I'm just going to list them one at a time, giving nothing but a name, keeping in mind I'm probably not going to know most of their full names. You pick out what you can identify and tell me as much about them as you can."

"Spawn. Asuka. Tali. Reimu. Leah. Seija. Morrigan."

She paused for a moment.

"I can give you more names, but those are the ones I've dealt with the most, and therefore know a lot about, who are no longer around. I could give you more if you want, but hopefully that's enough for you?"

"I'll have to admit that I too am being greatly swayed by what is happening." Answering Lucina with a serious face even as she got in on the whole cuddle pile thing by inserting herself into the impromptu group hug to make Hat Woman feel even more awkward, 21 turned her head towards Susan with a sheepish smile.

"Well... I do hope there is an alternative to such... a mission if this is what we're dealing with. Oh great Eater of Worlds, is there a way to cut out the infection currently plaguing this world without quite... destroying everything? Do you know the source of such great changes that seem to be taking root in everything?" It was a long shot but given just how distracted the dragon girl was, gleaning information at the moment would be rather nice if only so she can put off what must be done or if lucky find another way to go about things.

"Indeed, such is the problem that I have with the current cast of characters that seem fit to turn things into a mummer's play." Sighing as she continued to plaster herself all over the songstress while stroking away, Corrin looked rather forlorn as of this current moment in time even as she engaged in petting therapy.

"Also no, I don't believe that the iron fist approach would work all that well. King Garon's copy ended up split in twain by Yato blade and Anankos' head punctured by same dragon's fang. Putting aside that I cannot do such an action against my character, alienating our... traveling companions will get us naught but a blade in the back. Or even from the front given how boisterously liberal they are with threats and violence."

Indeed, while the Hoshidan way of racist superiority was not the answer, Nohrian pragmatism too went too far but in different direction. "Mediating in conflicts however I will do. What you say is correct, the only way to get anywhere is to form bonds... even if the only fast way I can see this happening right now would be through trial by fire. Hardships and dangers great will we face, forcing lopsided distrust to eventually disappear even if by virtue of sheer practicality. Perhaps I should bake some goods for the others once they get back? They might be more amenable if they can find some measure of enjoyment in something no matter how small?" Corrin asked even as she was already formulating the various recipes she housed in her brain that would appeal to the most overall set of people.

"Eh, it'll be good enough training I guess. I'll just use my own ki since it's ranged. That'll work right?" Demonstrating by channeling her inner life energies so that a ghostly blue aura sparked to life around herself, Ranma then let an energy ball bloom in her hand and let it settled so she could fire it off once the okay was given towards the first target given.