A Game of Gods Season 3: Renaissance

Carlos, the Not Date

"Places like this usually have all the sauce you could want — sold separately and on their own menu, that is. Gotta ask for the good stuff~" He chirped in a sing-song voice while glancing it over. After a bit he shrugged and called up the waiter. "Hey, we're in the middle of a space station aren't we? Don't tell me we only have Earth based food for supply here — tell your chief to give me the most exotic thing on the menu!"

...

Which is how he wound up in his current situation.

"Well...It's noodles of a sort, when you think about it." He poked at the rather ominous plate of bizarre tentacles, odd colored cheeses that looked like they were milked straight out of a green alien and sauce that seemed to move around his fork entirely on its own, as if it was insulted by the mere idea of Carlos getting to taste it. "No thanks, our divinely chica", he responded while never taking his eyes off of the suspicious plate, "Wouldn't want to challenge the chief's...vision...before the first bite."

Putting that adventure off for a bit, he leaned back cheerfully shrugged. "Hope you're enjoying yourselves, we can bounce to anywhere else in this city if not!"

He glanced around, idly observing the location around them. "Surprisingly homely for an intergalactic station, don't you think? I wonder how they manage to keep a consistent theme going around here — it's almost tailor made for people like us."

The fact that his dish wanted to eat him aside that is.

"Well I suppose it's pretty damn different from your home, huh?" He glanced at Tira and waved a hand over table. "Sorry, your old home I meant. This a good replacement for now?" He directed the question at both Or all three, Schrodinger's Amaterasu of them. His gaze became a tad bit more serious, running a hand across his chin. "It's a bit much to get used to, for me. But I guess you all are already used to the nomad lifestyle by now, ey?"

The young red-head sat on her own for probably longer than she meant to. It was easy to lose track of time when you were contemplating your position in the newly expanded multiverse you were experiencing. Plus, it wasn't really easy to keep track of the time of day when you were going from one artificial environment to another. With a low sigh, Puru picked herself off of the ground, dusting some dirt off of her shorts.

It was then she noticed that she hadn't really changed her outfit much the past couple of days. Things were too hectic to care about something like that. Now that they had actual time off, maybe this was something that needed taking care of. Taking a moment to make sure she was heading in the right direction, the young newtype headed towards the shopping district, hoping that currency was not a big deal here.

The jingle on the door rang as Puru made her way into the store. In all honesty, she had very little experience shopping for clothing on her own. Everything was usually provided by her superior officer for her. Now that she had to make a choice for herself, it was a little intimidating. Luckily, as soon as she stepped into the store she noticed a few people she recognized from the van. With a half-hearted wave, she said "Hey there, wasn't expecting recognizing anyone."

Edited by Oni-Lord on Apr 12th 2020 at 2:01:45 AM

Zima - Svalinn Public Library

After a brief, but very quiet, confrontation with a librarian, Zima was eventually bargained into checking her axe into the library's weapon-and-cloak room in exchange for a library card. Stuffing the freshly-printed plastic rectangle into her pocket, she had set out to explore the library, or at least it's search computers.

A little while later, the bear girl had found one of the library's numerous and colourful plush chairs and flopped down, setting a stack of books on the floor beside her^* (Including "Memoirs of a timeskip captain", a stack of local Svalinn magazines, and a thick volume titled "Nomad's War - Accounts of trans-dimensional campaigns through history"). Reclining with one leg crossed over the other, she pulled out the topmost book - a paperback entitled "A Knight's Gambit"^*  (with a cover featuring a very hard-boiled-looking woman with horse ears and a military uniform) and started to read.

Tenko Chabashira - Boutique Le Wow

Tenko turned around when she heard a familiar voice. She welcomed the younger girl with a warm smile. "Oh, hi! Puru, wasn't it? You also want to go shopping?"

Maki checked her own crossbow into the library's storage room and walked around, not really knowing what she'd like to read. She hadn't much experience with free time. Eventually, she took out a romance novel about an ordinary girl and began to read it.

Svalinn Public Library (Lillie, Zima, Maki, Lady, Maria) ~ Heaven

Upon stepping into the library and taking a look around, it didn't take Lillie long before a big smile crossed her face.

"Oh, this looks better than I expected...." she said, "I wonder where they keep the books on old legends? All the old stories of...everywhere must be amazing!"

She didn't waste time asking the attendant on hand about just that, and within minutes she was off in that section of the library rapidly assembling a stack of books that would probably be taller than she was before too long.

Ozma quickly changed back into the clothing she had before, feeling quite stupid that she'd left her longsword in the changing room unattended, before going about to return the clothing she'd picked out for the impromptu contest to their original spots. Well, most of the clothing; she kept the boots with her.

She returned to the rest of the group just in time to hear Hana talk about something called "karaoke."

"Oh, are we getting ready to move on?" she asked, "I suppose that means I should hurry up in picking out a new outfit."

In the time it took for her to change back to her original clothes the group had been joined by a newcomer. She looked to be on the younger side, but Ozma wasn't one to judge on age alone.

"Greetings. I don't believe we've met," she said with a smile, before offering her usual curtsy. "My name is Princess Ozma. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

Hana (Boutique Le Wow)

Hearing someone new come in, Hana turned to see the woman from before, Puru, and gave her a wave. She'd also been about to shout out to her, but then Ozma returned and asked for her name, so she figured she could do this a little more tactfully.

"Ozma, this is Puru. Puru, this is Princess Ozma like she said, and we've also got Ranma Saotome here with us. And yes, we were just about to head out, if you'd like to come join us, or you can meet up with us after you're done here. Trust me, when you hear us, you'll know it." Hana giggled, before headed for the door, beckoning the gang to follow along.

"It was no one. Nothing." Scott turned away suddenly, sounding equal parts nervous and exaggeratedly chipper. "Who do you mean? There was no one here but us! Hahaha. So, uh, friends! Right?"

It was obvious the man was wound up tight like a spring, his hands clenched into tight fists as they shook slightly. Though whether it was out of anger or something else, there was no real way to tell at that moment.

The door jingled once more, and a certain pink-haired dragonwoman entered the store; Pausing in surprise as she noticed the assortment of familiar faces within already. Her lips quirked up in a small smile as she said, "Oh! Well hello there, it seems we all had a similar idea."

A captain, huh? Elesis hadn't expected to find another one in the group, although in hindsight she probably should have. Since they had all been picked randomly, it was only natural that sooner or later one would be brought along for the ride. In any case, it was good to have a like-minded companion among the vast myriad of constantly fluctuating personalities in the group.

"I can't really say I've been hiding. I've just been... a bit too idle lately. But I figured since we're at a new place, maybe I could get something to drink at a proper bar for once, and then maybe take a look around."

"Anyway, I don't think there's anything I'd not find during our journey," she answered to Max, albeit rather late... but hey, better late than never. "I like to think I'd be able to roll with anything that gets thrown my way... although I might be wrong. Still, if we do end up bumping into something I'd rather not deal with, I'll make sure to let you all know."

Lucina - Penthouse Garden

Slowly, as if trying not to startle a frightened animal, Lucina let the half-drawn Falchion slip back into its sheath, never taking her eyes off Scott as she turned the last few minutes over in her mind.

Something was wrong. That much was obvious. The second Scott had not been a hallucination or an illusion - or, at least, if it was, it was one detailed enough to fool a taguel's senses and instincts. Perhaps a second instance of Scott from an outrealm, somehow intruding into this world? Was it a side-effect of the faulty summoning device? If so, could everyone be at risk of seeing their doubles? Part of her wanted to grab Scott by the lapels and demand a straight answer.

On the other hand, she could see how tightly wound he was, and if she pressed him on the subject, he seemed liable to explode, or flee.

"That's right, we're fiends." She replied, still keeping a sharp eye on the man. "And friends reach out to eachother when they're suffering, yes? If something is... if something was wrong, you could always tell me. I'll never turn away a comrade in need."

Tetra (Aegis Hotel Bar)

"I wouldn't worry about running into something you can't handle, Elesis. You look like you're made of pretty stern stuff to me." Tetra piped up, still just pleased in general that there was another woman of the sea to talk to.

Hana (Boutique Le Wow)

Seeing Elizabeth again made Hana remember that conversation she'd had earlier...but given that it had turned out pretty well, she didn't bear any hard feelings towards the pinkette, and she waved to her.

"Yo! We're on our way to see the sights if you wanna tag along!"

Gotta Get Back, Back to the Flashback

Amaterasu nodded in understanding at Kreyuz, then shrugged. It seems there is no point, then, if We will return to just as soon as We left, she wrote on her scroll, Sending a message now will only serve to worry Our people with something that they cannot control and that will be negated soon after, or worse, will solidify an alternate timeline in which We do not return.

The solar deity rolled up her parchment, smiled and bowed in thanks, and went to join Susan, the girl with two souls, and her newest friend.

A Gastronomy of Gods

With one hand, the Sun Goddess nabbed a couple vegetables with the lacquered red chopsticks she had brought along in her bag as a matter of course, and, after blowing on them a bit to cool the steaming morsels, brought them to her mouth. Then, while she delicately chewed, made some approving mhm-mmm sounds, and loaded up her chopsticks again - this time with the pasta of her fettuccine primavera - she lifted up her scroll that had been resting on the table with her other hand.

Actually, We have been with this group for only a week or so, she corrected Carlos' assumption, but We are used to moving from place to place quite often in Nippon. Our journey took Us across the full length and breadth of the land, and even to the kingdom below the sea's waves. This city is certainly unlike anything in Nippon, however. Though We have yet to see Our accommodations, We are sure they will be adequate. We would be just fine sleeping outside if We had to, to be honest. Where are you from, Carlos?

"I like to think I'm pretty sturdy, yeah..." the corsair admitted. "Still, better not to chance it if we can help it."

Fortunately, Elesis' next drink arrived almost immediately, but this time she actually took the time to enjoy it.

"I mean, I'm sure some probably don't see it this way..."

Somewhere in the bay area, a sunbathing Azura sneezed abruptly.

"...but from what I've seen so far, it's good to know that we can rely on each other if things get tough. That kind of thing isn't easy to find, y'know."

Something crossed Scott's face for a moment at those words, twisting it up into a sour expression before it was gone almost as quickly as it appeared. Instead that same smile returned and he laughed in a friendly way. "Yeah, of course. I totally get what you mean, Lucina. It's alright, you can tell me what's wrong whenever you want. I'll be an open ear!"

Elizabeth smiled at the younger girl, idly wondering how her conversation with the other girl went, and nodded. "Sights? Sure, shopping can be done later so taking a look around should be fun."

After letting the group of people go off and do their own thing for what felt like a strangely long and inordinate amount of time, the intercom system would ring out to politely ask for the people to come back to the command bridge area (neatly labeled on the various holographic maps that popped up with simple easy to read instructions located at every corner) for their actual first SVALINN endorsed mission courtesy of the deep and polite words used by Commander Kreyuz.

Let's just say that everyone had a couple of days to do whatever they wanted to get themselves accustomed to the base on hand as well as each other so that in universe there would be no complaints that everyone got yoinked back to work after such a short spell.

Once people actually got to the area requested in question, it would be the standard set that one would see in most science fiction shows with several people typing on keyboards with Kreyuz himself seated on the center arraigned seat to watch over everything. The current view that took of the majority of the displayed holographic screen meanwhile would be that of a cyberpunk city that had a very Japanese bent to it◊ (so par for the course of the genre).

"I hope you all had a good bit of rest and relaxation for now it is time to get down to business. Still, it might be a good time for those of you have cabin fever to stretch your legs." Making a slight joke here to show that he wasn't all that much of a stickler for protocol when it wasn't needed, Kreyuz then leaned over one of the technicians tapping away to quietly ask them something before getting a slight nod and a muttered reply back.

Over the Past Two Days

Amaterasu had spent much of her time since the meal with Carlos, Susan, and Tira out in the agricultural district, getting to know the farmers and their families. Like a good Goddess of the Harvest, she also set about tending to their fields, feeding their adorable animals, seeding and watering their rows, and making the bountiful products of their labor grow and mature early with the power of her Celestial Brush. It was only after helping that she explained to them she was looking to buy some land and build a shrine and that she would be grateful for whatever donations they were willing to give.

Command Bridge

As soon as the sun goddess entered the room and saw what was on the screen, her mouth turned round, she let out a surprised "Ooooooh!" sound, and her tail began wagging furiously! Holding up her scroll, she tapped the words on it several times excitedly:

Clifford, are we going to a Nippon of the future?!

Fiore Forvedge - Command Bridge

The days went by uneventfully enough for the Forvedge heir. Despite the absurd situation she found herself being thrust into, the young girl had grown accustomed, or at the very least tried to get comfortable, to her quarters and to the city in general. Such was her aptitude that she could still remain calm even in this scenario.

Still, being an accidental tourist and actually getting into one of these multiverse-saving mission was another matter entirely, a fact that she steeled herself when the announcement came that the rest should arrange themselves at the command bridge.

At the commander making a small joke once they all came, she oblige him in good humour by letting out a small chuckle. "In that case, you don't have to worry about me on that front~" True enough, she was still in her wheelbound-chair even as she made her self-depreciating joke. An adjustment had been made onto it when she visited Svalinn's local medical center to allow it to stand up a tad, but sadly none that could reverse her condition without severely affecting her ability as a mage.

Thus, Fiore Forvedge had made herself known and sufficiently prepared, looking over to the unfamiliar, futuristic land of the Far East.

Edited by JustSomeGuy732 on Jul 21st 2020 at 5:39:55 PM

Rachel, Meeting Room

-I looked at the hologram of the city. It looked very dense and crowded, far more than any city we'd ever gone to. Although according to Tobias, pigeons would probably blend right in, even if he'd have difficulty forgiving us for morphing pigeons.-

Lady was standing somewhere near a corner. She'd tried her best to relax during the last 2 days, but frankly, by now she was getting skittish. She wasen't used to sitting still.....not shooting things, usually demons, so she wasen't unhappy when the mission call came.

"Finally, somewhere that's not a bunch of ruins or somewhere where they haven't invented indoor pluming."

Bathrooms are overrated anyway!

Lady looks over to see a smiling Tira, hanging upside down from the ceiling, where she was using her grappling hook to hang from with her legs around the wire. They just.....kinda stare at each other for a moment.

".......Why are you hanging from the ceiling?"

The better question is, why am I the only one hanging from it!?

Lady is thus defeated, and rendered speechless. Tira continues, unabated.

I just kinda got bored, thought the meeting would be more fun if it was upside down. So we're going to Japan? They better not have ninjas!

"Do I even want to-"

Ninjas are dirty cheaters, if you ever meet a ninja, don't trust a word they say!

Her upside down face says she will hear no argument on this topic.

Carmilla & Sypha, Command Bridge (I went to Medieval Times and all I got was this T-Shirt!)

"I wonder if this Japan's restaurants are more accurate in representing its past than restaurants here at representing my time period," Carmilla appeared with a snide remark about her first visit to a restaurant here.

"Oh, come on... Medieval Times was fun," Sypha retorted to her. "It had amazing food we would have never had back home. It had games, swordfights and jousting, and there was even a trained falcon!"

"You have to at least admit that the restaurant put their effort into their show," Sypha smile and nodded to Carmilla.

Carmilla nodded slightly, halfheartedly agreeing with Sypha.

Command deck

Lucina had reported to the bridge as promptly as ever. For once, she had set aside her usual navy tunic and leather vest for something more modern, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail away from her ears. While someone had convinced her to try a more casual wardrobe, she had yet to forsake her weapon, her sword belt hanging somewhat incongruously over her shoulder.

Over the last few days, she taken it upon herself to explore at least some of their new home, and caught up with as many of the warband as she could, making sure everyone was resting and recuperating. She had spent much of her own free time mulling over her conversation with Scott, writing out a report that she intended for Ser Kreyuz, but had not yet sent. Part of her wanted to keep her troubled comrade under observation for a little longer, unsure what the scholars at Svallin would be able to do with simply her testimony...

Putting the thought aside once again, the taguel leaned her hands on a railing that encircled part of the bridge and peered up at the viewscreen with interest. It was amazing to her that, just a few weeks into this quest, such an enourmous city of towers and lights could feel almost familiar.

"The rest has been more than welcome, but I'm afraid that idleness has never sat easily with me." She admitted with a bashful smile, clasping her hands behind her back as she straightened up. "It will be good to return to the field."

—

Towards the back of the bridge, near Lady's brooding corner, Zima stood with her back against the wall, arms crossed and head slightly bowed, looking like she was napping even as the bridge filled up with people. A hot-pink earbud cord snaked down from one rounded ear, the other dangling and emitting the faint tinny notes of a song - mostly just the heavy baseline.

Tapping one finger against her elbow in time with the music, she glanced up at the screen as well. The place they were being deployed looked kind of like Lungmen, with all the neon lights and tightly-packed skyscrapers. Some of the other operators were crowding around excitedly, but Zima just rolled her eyes slightly and let her chin drop again. Some of these guys really were country bumpkins.

Tetra (Command Bridge)

Having spent her free time taking Tiki's advice and relaxing instead of drinking her sorrows away, getting to see the sights and take it easy, Tetra came to the command bridge looking refreshed and ready to go. Her attention falling on the city being displayed, her eyebrows rose, and she let out an impressed whistle.

Hana (Command Bridge)

As for Hana, she had spent her free time hanging out with her new friends and introducing them to the wide world of technology and all the fun you could have with it; it felt good to be a regular teenager again. But now it was time to get back to work, so she had gotten dressed back up in her usual attire, and was now entering the bridge. Taking notice of the city as well, Hana clearly approved of how futuristic and sleek it looked...and she also approved of Lucina's new outfit.

"Looking good, Lucina!"

Lucina

Turning at the sound of her name, Lucina gave Hana a slightly bashful smile and a nod in greeting, her ears perking up a little at the compliment.

"Oh, thank you, Hana! I thought, perhaps it would be best not to wear my wargear while trying to rest. To think, Svallin's outfitters even have clothes for Taguel!"

She glanced happily back over her own shoulder, to where her short hare-like tail was accommodated by a hood of fabric at the back of her jeans.

Tessa - Command Bridge

Tessa quietly adjusted her necktie while standing on the bridge with the others, sometimes giving a nervous nod to the people nearby. Since slightly winced when the two vampires started talking about Medieval Times. She wasn't quite as certain as they were about how fun of an experience it had been, given that they had to deal with the issues between Santa and company all while watching the performances and eating food of questionable historical accuracy. Though it wasn't awful, so it had that going for it.

"I guess it was... fun...." She agreed in a shy voice with the two of them.

Though if she was certain of one thing... it was that if she ever saw another corn on the cob again in her life, it was definitely going to be too soon.

She quickly shook her head to avoid thinking about that too long. Time to think pleasant thoughts. Like how they finally had something to do. Like how this was going to be their life for the foreseeable future. Like how Lucina looked a lot less like yet another Medieval Times performer when not covered in dirt and blood and zombie demons. Like how certain people just liked being upside down and talking about bathrooms for some reason.

She sighed, and with one last tug her tie was straight.

Wait, who was laughing at a time like this? She looked around until her eyes settled on the girl in the wheelchair. Their new boss had mentioned stretching... their legs..... Oh boy. She slightly winced in sympathy.

She was glad to finally have what sounded like a real mission coming up. Puru had been going stir crazy waiting for it. She was finding that trying to blend in to civilian life was a lot harder than it sounded. She had no idea what people did with free time. Instead she had tried to ingrain herself into the more military side of things, but usually found herself getting rebuffed with a "Let us handle it kid, you should just relax" or something equally infuriating.

Like Lucina, the young Newtype found herself a change of clothes. Despite her wishes, there was no chance of her getting a uniform just yet. Instead she found a long coat and matching hat that she hoped made her look at least a little more mature to the plebeian eye.

Once she had made her way to the forming group, she snapped into a salute for Kreyuz before taking a look at the holographic display of a pretty advanced looking city. Her eyes lit up at the sight of it, pretty excited that this time they wouldn't have to traipse some primitive desert. Maybe with any luck she could trick the others into letting her drive one of the flying cars she spotted in the display.

Edited by Oni-Lord on Jul 25th 2020 at 4:22:55 AM

Azura, Harley, and Morrigan’s return!—Command bridge

Azura, is seen wearing the dark variation of her clothes.

She, almost doesn’t recognize Lucina with her new modern clothes, but she still approaches her. “Excuse me lady Lucina, Have you seen Corrin?”

Meanwhile, Harley Quinn appears sitting in the ground wearing some handcuffs.

“Argh. Not again! Why do I always get kidnapped?” She rolls her eyes while looking up. “Waller is this you and that Suicide Squad thing again? She looks around the space station. “Wait... I thought that tv show was canceled. This isn’t that crossover word with chunks and questionable copyright infringement or that mercenary group that is a port but isn’t actually a port, right.

'Morrigan is seen wearing her strict full nun habit... Though her voluptuous figure and green hair make obvious it’s her.

“Children seem like I was taken away by the will of God. And his will brought me back,” she says to the other alternates.

“But no matter. Whoever wants to confess their sins their lewd thoughts, their hidden desires, and their unspeakable thoughts you can confess them all to me. “ She smirks all while looking at everyone with her eyes half-closed. “ And I will make sure you all get appropriate ... penance. With me supervising you of course.”

“Lady for a Succubus some guy somewhere is doubling your score... just saying,” Harley shrugs. “

Morrigan shrugs, “Even I have to be careful about the guardians that might be watching us from above....”

Harley then looks at Azura and Morrigan.” Speaking off isn’t it weird we never talked before, uh? It’s like we always ignore each other on purpose. Weird uh?”

Harley Quinn then jumps while waving her handcuffs. “ Fear not! For I the most popular character is here to save this game.”

“We are not in that dreadful tv show anymore, jester woman,” says Azura while facepalming.

Edited by FallenLegend on Jul 31st 2020 at 2:17:25 AM