Too Many Cooks Spoil The Multiverse: This Is (Not) A Joke

The stranger's eyes seemed to...contract, their red lights briefly growing smaller in response to the question. Maybe whoever it was behind the hood didn't expect this level of...well, missing the point, perhaps. The gun lowered no more than a degree before raising itself again.

"Negative. Negative. Insufficient information," it stated with no passion as one, solid block of answers. "I will continue with my previously-stated routine. You have vocalized. You have revoked any right to not be harmed."

The machine then rushed forward, seemingly on a jet of air, and tried to grab Andradite by the head with a large, metal hand. If it succeeded, it would place its gun directly against her head and started to lightly raise itself in the air.

"Hold still. Any further action will endanger you directly."

Elliot, Zone 4.

Well...it a little quiet. Small talk was nice but Elliot seemed to idly check through the messenger bag and his backpack. Everything important was still there, but...

Had he really forgotten to bring snacks with him today? Somewhat frustrating but he bounced back. The business district would at least give him an excuse to grab some food on the way. Sure, that...tavern place in Zone 6 was an option, but that'd be back-tracking as he glanced over at Neraida and Mit-eum.

"I don't know the two of you may have planned for the rest of the day, but...we could go grab something to eat. Oh! Or I could go get some and bring it back if you'd rather stay here, it'd only take me a few minutes to get to Zone 1 or 6 or wherever and back!"

Zone 4

Mit-eum nodded a bit. "Sure! I don't have any plans at the moment, so I'm fine with either."

Zone 4 - Konohana Park

"A wise idea," Neraida said quickly, almost tripping over her own words. She must have lost track of time - the others would need to eat, of course, she had forgotten that. "I would not wish to place a burden on anyone, and this conversation is quite pleasant otherwise. Shall we all go together and there continue?"

A small smirk crossed Johanna's tired features as Bondrewd commented on her selection of texts she was carrying at the moment. It was a fair point, she wasn't usually one for flights of fancy, but she had her reasons beyond just staving off boredom. She was working on a theory of how so many individuals from different worlds came be brought together into a different world, but still be able to use their magic and abilities. All of them had their own rules enforced by their worlds of origin, but this 'ship' seemed to accommodate them all. She wanted to understand more about the rules that govern other worlds, and even in trashy novels theres going to be a grain of truth within them.

She held off on sharing her theory for now though, as Bondrewd went to deal with one of his men and a situation developing around a typewriter. She didn't have to wait long before she heard her name being called out, turning to hear where it was coming from. She saw that it came from an acquaintance she knew through the Draughtsmen, one she never would have pictured talking to before coming to Concordia.

She raised a hand in greeting to Donkey Kong and shrugged her shoulders a little at the talking gorilla's comment. "Hello, Mr. Kong. I've never been one for places that are so...public. A habit from my home world. Nothing to worry about. I was drawn by the smell of coffee."

Faust let out a soft sigh as he invited her to brunch. She was aware of her own bad habits when it came to taking care of herself. In this place, apparently there were busybodies who have taken it upon themselves to force the issue at times. She knew it came from a place of kindness, which is what made refusing very hard. DK was just the latest in a long line of individuals, and his simple friendliness was a powerful weapon. The dashing tie was also helping him.

With a soft chuckle and a shrug of her shoulders she nodded her head. "Very well then. Reading can wait for a little while. Plus I've always been a bit curious how you Draughtsmen work."

To say Greed was confused by Kayne completely missing the point was the understatement of the century. As the doctor went on and on and on, the homunculus' expression shifted from annoyance to downright worry. Jeez... Greed thought to himself, his claws still poised to strike, though now his lips had drooped from a grin to a frown. ... how dumb is this person? I feel kinda bad threatening them...

"That's not what I'm talking about, moron!" Greed interjected, placing his claws right against Kayne's neck. "What's with dumb doctors and me today?" He hissed under his breath before returning to his threat. "My goons are my property. They go to my doctors, people who owe me favors. You... I've never seen you before. And I'm pretty sure you don't have the brains to ask for a favor. Which means you disobeyed me and treated one of my goons without my permission!"

One finger-claw outstretched, the grin finally returned to Greed's face. "Now... how's about an apology from you, eh, doc?"

On another alley, in another time, a green-skinned creature was currently traversing through the ship, carrying under their arm a pouch filled with juicy meat for that night's dinner. Miso the Vortigaunt- or just Miso/Vorty, as he liked to be called- was ready for what he believed would be a joyous feast, where he would not only dine upon a delicious recipe, but also meet his fellow Vortigaunt brethren whom he hadn't seen in so long.

Instead, he soon found himself a few feet away from a crystalline creature being accosted by a robotic ruffian.

A strange green-ish wisp appeared before the robot, stopping it from getting too close to Andy. The Vortigaunt made himself known, the same wisps floating around his long wiry fingers, a clear sign that he was behind the interruption. "What is the meaning of this attack?" He asked out loud, not too angry, but also not too calm. In other words, his voice was right in the middle. "Nach ha-mah..." He whispered, waving his hand around to try and push the robot back as he turned to Andy. "Is the victim safe? Or have I misjudged the current... situation?"

Zone Six, Helena at Egress

“Heh,” Helena just laughed it off, used to being on the receiving end of pranks from working with Jester by this point. “Well, I’m glad you had fun. I did too! And I didn’t even throw a table at anyone this time! Which… would’ve been fun, but I don’t think the barkeep would like that very much. Wait, what are you- wha!”

Without warning and not alert enough to put up much of a fight anyways, Helena was grabbed and sent flying towards Jester and Everett. It was like a giant feathery missile being sent directly at this heartfelt, emotional moment.

Zone One, Areum at Kothys

I nodded as Maia explained the situation.

“Guns, huh? Yeah, sounds like a convo with Jengbish alright.”

I like violence as much as the next girl, but I don’t get gun nerds. I can hurt people by screaming at them, and a gun just isn’t as exciting by comparison!

To Leo, I nodded in the affirmative.

“Hell yeah I am! Sure, my job in the Diet is quite important, though I’m sure a hip young man like yourself already knows all about my contributions to Concordia. Especially the arts!”

“Still, sometimes I like to come by and help you guys out. Generous, I know. You guys are like my little kittens, and when someone messes with my kittens, I kick them in the balls until they fall over screaming. That’s how much I care~”

I playfully rustled his hair a little bit because I think that’s how you’re supposed to talk to short people. That’s one of those questions I’ve never really been certain of, like what’s behind Bondrewd’s face mask. I wonder if his face is scarred because he was mauled by a bear or something. A bear once tried to attack me after it escaped from the zoo, and let’s just say that hairy motherfucker will never make that mistake again. Anyways, back to the issue at hand… after my extremely touching display of friendly affection, my attention is drawn to Moko, who has brought out my meal.

“Thank you, darling! You really are a treasure, you know that?”

I begin eating my sweetmeats with more grace and poise than anyone who has ever lived. Oh my gods, these are so good! Then I see Donkey Kong approach, but I’m pretty distracted by the food so I just nod at him.

Zone Six: Rum-Eyed Rufus’s

Jester’s laughter eventually pattered out like the condensation suddenly growing in the air, and the blue tiefling spent a curious moment with her brow furrowed and her hand outstretched palm-first in front of her to check for rain before abruptly remembering that they were, in fact, inside. Shrugging it off, Jester then glanced down at her suddenly-sodden outfit with a frown, before looking back up at Everett with a fresh set of giggles. “Wowee Everett, I’ve never known someone to sweat that much while dancing before! You don’t have to be nervous, two left feet still equal a right one, or something like that.” She held out her hand once more, a cheery grin lighting up her features. “In fact, I still feel like I could dance all night!”

At that exact moment, Jester was promptly bowled over by eight feet of angelic medic, sending the horned cleric sprawling onto the dancefloor. By the time the feathers had finished fluttering and Helena’s bulk had settled, the only thing of Jester’s poking out from underneath the larger doctor were her horns and an arm with just a single, upstretched finger. “On the other hand, maybe that’s enough dancing for tonight.” Jester let out in a muffled groan, before pushing her head up and out from underneath Helena. After taking a moment to gag in disgust at the cleanliness of the bar’s floor, Jester reared her head up and flashed the others a sunny smile. “C’mon, I know where we can go to sober up. Bartender! A hot chocolate for the road! And make it fully loaded~!”

Zone Six: The Angel’s Flophouse

About fifteen minutes away, those who chose to follow would find themselves lead to a rather unimpressive one-story building, slung long, flat, and low. While now, the doors and windows stood mostly empty, the dirt about the entrances spoke to the occasional long line filled with impatient, shuffling feet from those suffering all manner of ailments. Inside was clean, but worn, a space that was frequently sanitized but saw so much use that all of that rubbing couldn’t help but take the sheen off of everything. From a small waiting room in the front, Jester would lead those not as familiar with the space to the back, where there were several rooms filled with orderly series of beds, for those who needed treatment in this, the most solemn of spaces.

It was on one of these solemn beds that Jester was currently jumping up and down, having immediately climbed onto one upon entering the room before beginning to joyously leap off of the thin springs, her words peppered by the natural interference of gravity. “There’s plenty, of, stuff, to drink, if you want, or, you could just, lay, down, too.” Jester said, before tucking her legs in and hitting the bed in a seated position, gently bouncing one last time before coming to a stand-still. “But you know what’s really crazy about this place? Most places, you go in, and they charge you an arm and a leg. But here—” Jester said, before cracking up at her unsaid joke too much to speak, settling for rattling around in her space for a few moments before leaning over to Helena, and insistently prodding her in the side with her elbow before nodding her head in Everett’s direction, her eyebrows flexing in the elaborate tiefling language of ‘Tell Him About Your Super-Cool Regenerative Powers, Dummy.’

Setsuna — Zone 6, Angel's Flophouse

With not much else to do and filled with plenty of big oni energy, Setsuna followed the others to the Flophouse. She'd begun to sober up on the way over, but being what she was, she wasn't too worried about a hangover or anything. Getting wasted and living to tell the tale was sort of her thing.

And yet, she wasn't ready to let the happy hour end just yet. As soon as she saw the beds, she leaped towards them like a little kid, bouncing up and down and up and down and—

"WHOAFUKKINGNELLY!"

—and then she crashed through the bed and fell through the floorboards like a big red anvil.

Woops.

By the time she came to, she found herself flat on her oni ass, looking up at the shimmering light poking through the gaping hole in the first floor. She rubbed her head, growling as she rubbed the back of her skull. If she wasn't already sober, she sure was now.

Either way, it was dark as sin. The hole in the floor was the only source of light poking through, and it barely illuminated her surroundings. She could maybe make out some medical equipment, a few stretchers or syringes, but not much more than that. She looked back up, calling out to anyone in earshot.

"Uh, guys? Little help here? like, I've fallen and I can't get back up! Literally! Like, um, some more light or something would be nice? Maybe? Just throwing it out there..."

Peering pack through the darkness, she managed to make out an old stuffed rabbit sitting on a half-broken stretcher. Suddenly forgetting about her predicament, she reached out and snatched it, squeezing it tight as she hugged it like a big fluffy teddy. "Who's a good little bun-bun? Yes you are! Yes you are! Yes you are!

Suddenly in better spirits, she called back up. "Still waiting down here! Like, seriously, you guys don't help me, me and Bunbunb are gonna kick all your asses, 'kay? No joke!"

Edited by kkhohoho on Jan 25th 2021 at 10:49:06 AM

Kayné Ainsel—Zone Six, Industrial District, Outside Egress Eternal

"Oh, my mistake!" Kayne laughed awkwardly and as casually as she could with a claw to her throat. "So it's a business thing, not a love thing! Could have fooled me, but that's not really my place to judge. Don't really see many gang bosses going around with that mentality. Well, at least your people will be loyal to you."

"You have my apology," she continued, suddenly serious. She stared into Greed's eyes with the utmost stillness. "With the caveat that unless one of your people is dying right in front of me and I can help, I will not touch any member of your Horde again. Scavenger's honor. May the sun burn out what's left of my eyes if I ever break this pact."

"Aside from that, do you want my card or anything?" Kayne asked, cocking her head and shucking off her previous solemn attitude like a lizard would its skin. "Having to ask all of my patients whether they're one of yours is going to be a real hassle. Thinking about that, I'd rather be added to the system directly. Enough people are taking advantage of my free services and all that, and I can keep an eye on the one-eyed beefcake over there. Nothing much would change for me, as I'm making enough marks as a Master Draughtsman anyhow. I'd appreciate having some infrastructure to back me up, honestly."

"I guess we can draft an official document of partnership or certificate of marriage or whatever later, but that's the extent of my desires for now," she said, shrugging lightly in the face of possible death. "Mostly I just want to keep performing my services without hassle. Is this amenable to you?"

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 27th 2021 at 12:08:19 PM

Donkey Kong- Kothys- Zone One

DK's grin grew as Johanna accepted his invitation to Brunch. Alright! Then, something she said registered. "Johanna no be in meeting before?" DK asked, tilting his head. That kinda surprised DK. Sure, he'd never actually seen her at a meeting before But she'd been here longer than he had, and for as close as Johanna tended to work with the draughtsmen studying the artifacts they found and brought back, he would've thought she'd at least sit in on one meeting before, if only for curiosity's sake. Maybe it had to do with her not liking public places, like she'd said? Hm. Well, DK hoped Kothys was cozy enough to overcome that. "Well, c'mon! Meeting start soon!" With that clumsily said, DK led the way into the coffee shop.

Passing through the doorway, DK let's the smell of good coffee overcome him, giving a deep sigh of satisfaction. Nothing like a good cup of Joe for the hip Kong on the go. Once he and Johanna were fully inside, they were immediately greeted by Moko, the ever polite and friendly proprietor. Part of the reason DK liked this place so much, besides the stellar food and drink, was the attentive top-hat man who ran the place. Moko always seemed to know just what it was DK wanted. Plus there was also something about his accent that DK found soothing, but he could never place what. "Banana Split perfect for DK, Moko," DK replied. "Also coffee, sweet. Can recommend something for Johanna?" 

Noticing his fellow Draughtsmen already here, DK starts approaching their tables. With the exception of Areum-who was totally focused on a plate of sweets (DK could understand. He returned her nod)-they all seemed to be looking at a... gun, DK guessed? It had a grip and a gun barrel, anyways. In a city like this you found all sorts of weirdly designed stuff, and this gun definitely counted. Jengbish always tended to show off any unusual finds of his before a meeting. "Yo! What Jengbish find this time?" DK asked in way of greeting to the group, before adding "Also, DK invite Johanna to join for brunch."

Edited by Dezmo on Jan 26th 2021 at 3:30:47 AM

Zone 6: Angel's Flophouse

Amaterasu had followed Jester and company to their hospital. Partially to make sure Setsuna would be alright, given how much she'd had, and partially because she was interested in seeing a place of healing.

Before leaving, she'd had Waka surreptitiously pay off the tabs of those in her group who hadn't paid yet. She'd also asked him to find Kayne, at some point, and slip her some marks for her trouble. The girl was strong, but even she needed help from time to time, and Amaterasu had little use for wealth.

For now, though, he'd followed her to the 'Flophouse', as he apparently had nothing better to do. The place was old, worn, but clearly cared for. Waka tapped his thigh, next to where his flute dangled from his belt. "Bit drab, but then, form is more important than function for a place like this."

"I can spruce it up a bit, if you'd-" Amaterasu began, and then Setsuna crashed through the floor. "-like."

Amaterasu huffed in amusement, jumping down after the oni. Finding herself in a darkened room - presumably the basement, Amaterasu swished her tail, painting a circle on the wall. It became a solid red, an image of the sun, which glowed with light and warmth, illuminating the dark room. "Are you alright, my child?"

Above them, Waka peered down into the hole Setsuna had made. "You certainly make interesting friends, ma chérie." He mused, more to himself than anything.

Setsuna — Zone 6, Angel's Flophouse

"Oh, um, I'm fine! Thank you, glorious Ameratsu!" She nearly bowed again, but she remembered Ammy didn't want her doing that, so she settled for folding her hands together and giving a quick bow of the head. She stared at the painted sun in awe. Ammy's creations were always marvellous, but she'd never seen such a work of wonder so close. She reached out to touch it, taking a careful step forward as her fingers came an inch away from touching the sun. Only to pull it away in shame.

Wasn't like she deserved to, did she?

"Sorry about that. Guess I couldn't help myself. But, um, can I ask you a question, Ameratsu? Like, I know you can make near anything that pops in your head, right? I guess I wanna ask... how? I mean, I don't think I could ever do anything like that. All I'm good for is smashing things to bits. And maybe making clothes and plushies. But, uh, I don't know if I could make anything so... beautiful. Ya know?

Zone Six, Industrial District [Egress Eternal]

You expected Jester to have some kind of negative reaction here. Anger, embarrassment, maybe just telling you to get lost or to pay for the damages. But no. She just shrugs off the mess you made of her clothes and invites you to keep dancing.

Well, maybe not completely shrugged off, since you did notice the frown she made a second ago. But she seems more happy than upset. You can't help but wonder if there's something wrong with her for getting over this so easily. Maybe there's something wrong with you, for thinking that in the first place.

But as she holds out her hand, you find yourself thinking. If this is wrong, maybe, just for once, you don't want to be right.

You reach out to take her hand—

And suddenly there is only empty air in the spot where she was standing. Empty air, and a few scattered feathers.

You blink. You track one of these feathers as it drifts to the floor. You see Helena, sprawled there, with a pair of horns and an arm sticking out from under her.

You blink again. "…What just happened?"

Zone Six [Angel's Flophouse]

Fifteen minutes later, you don't really have an answer to that question. You do, however, find yourself in the backroom of a hospital.

You've tried to avoid going to this particular place in the past, given who works here. But you did say you were willing to try hanging out with Helena, so perhaps this is as good a time as any to start.

But how to start? It's been a long time since you had anything like a normal conversation with another person. Hell, you've probably spoken more words to some of these people in the last hour than you have in all the years you've been living in this city. And you weren't much of a conversationalist even before…

Before.

Your shoulder itches. Belatedly, you realize that your hand slipped under your cape to scratch at the stump of what used to be your right arm. You grimace, willing it to stop and lie still. Now isn't the time to get lost in those thoughts—

And conveniently, you get distracted from them by a deafening crash. You spin toward it and see a jagged hole in the floor where you're pretty sure that a bed used to be. You rush over and look down, but it's dark as shit. You can't see anything down there. Inheriting a god's powers gave you many things, but night vision wasn't one of them.

You hear Setsuna's voice wafting up from the dark. From the sound of things, she's fine. Annoyed, but fine. Amaterasu jumps down the hole to give her a hand. You don't really have any way to help, so you straighten up and decide to wait. You turn in place in search of something to do or someone to speak with.

Your gaze falls on the blonde guy you saw back at the Egress Eternal. A complete stranger to you, but he's the only other guy in this little group of yours, so maybe you'll have better luck with him. You open your mouth, close it, and glance around, trying to think of something to talk about.

"Soooo…" A long pause. You smack your lips—no mean feat, given the split it in the lower one. "Erm…" You gesture at the hole in the floor. "You and her?"

Zone Six, Angel's Flophouse

Amaterasu was quiet a moment, walking up to Setsuna and nuzzling one big red hand, inviting the oni to pet her. "Anyone can create something beautiful. Because, to use a cliché, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Anyone can create things, and anything can be beautiful."

She turned, lifting her tail and drawing it across Setsuna's hand, leaving a small dab of ink. "The ink that flows from my tail comes from the praise of those who believe in me. I can only paint the sun because of those who believe it will rise tomorrow."

Amaterasu smiled. "Including you. As long as you believe in yourself, you can create things just as beautiful as my sun, Setsuna."

Above them, Waka turned away to look at the one-armed man. Waka was, in many ways, his opposite. Everett was outwardly grotesque, but clearly honest and compassionate. Waka radiated beauty like the moon, but would readily admit that he was manipulative. Though he'd argue his manipulations were for the best, Ammy had questioned him more than once.

Still, Waka smiled. "Old friends." He explained. "Amaterasu and I came to this place together, back when it was nothing but twisted darkness. But even then, I'd already known her for centuries. Ah, but where are my manners."

He gave a deep, overdramatic bow, before striking a pose. For a moment he seemed to sparkle, small motes of light twinkling around him. "I am Waka, the gods' gift to man. Bonjour!"

As the sparkles faded, he extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you, O god of rain."

Zone Six, Helena at Angel’s Flophouse

“...You can REGAIN an arm and a leg!”

Helena finished Jester’s sentence with a grin.

“My angelic powers can mend pretty much any injury, even severed limbs! Pretty neat, huh?”

She awkwardly brushes away a feather that ended up stuck in her dress from her previous fall.

“Jester’s a real handful most of the time, but I really like the work we do together! It feels like the two of us are really making a positive difference here, which is great!”

She takes a seat so that she doesn’t have to gaze down at the Everett and Jester.

“Speaking of which… would you want me to do that for you? Heal your arm, I mean. It’s not instantaneous or anything, but give me about a week or so and I’ll have it back good as new! If that’s ok with you, of course.”

As she waited for his answer, she nodded hello to Waka.

“Hey Waka! I know it’s not super impressive looking, but welcome to our abode!”

Zone 4, Elliot. To Zone 1!

"Very well~! Then let's be on our way!" Elliot cheerfully remarked.

And after quickly double-checking that everything was in his backpack and messenger back, he got ready to run off...only to quickly remember he'd probably leave behind before slowing down to a quick stroll. Elliot definitely seemed to know where was going, though, taking certain streets or pathways to get to the center of the city faster.

"Okay, let's see, I know there's a coffee shop, a bakery..."

Setsuna

Setsuna gazed at her hand, wiggling her fingers as she held it up against Ammy's sun. The ink sparkled in the sunlight, almost coming to life in its radiance. Even if it was a mere pen stroke, it was enough to make her swear never to wash her hand again.

But she wasn't sure her words were as radiant as her creations. She knew Ammy was trying her best to help her. And that if she said it, it must be true. She could tell her the world was flat and x-rays gave you cancer and she'd believe it, common sense be damned. But even so, could she believe in herself? Was it that easy?

But... she had to, didn't she? It's what Ammy said! She believed in her! So the least she could do was believe in herself too.

"Um, if you want me to, Lord Amateratsu, then I will! Imma give it 200%! And that's a promise!" Filled with confidence, she glanced back at the sun, bursting with newfound inspiration.

And some pretty swanky ideas for a new jacket pattern.

Just because she worshipped Ammy didn't mean she couldn't profit at her expense, could she?

Moloch "Moko" Kothys—Zone One, Central Business District, Corner of Seventh & Ninth Street

"Alright, a banana split for you, DK, and..." Moko mused, eyeing Johanna with a critical look on his face. "...pancakes for you, Johanna. Can't go wrong with pancakes, scholarly types seem to love them. Especially my dear Kayne back home..."

After a while, he went into the kitchen, and scooped out several generous portions of his own ice-cream—all freshly churned himself, of course—from the freezer, and topped it with banana slices and sprinkles. It was promptly delivered to DK's table, after which he fried up some perfect fluffy pancakes with carefully banked hellfire in a jiffy. The pancakes were then deposited with a flourish onto Johanna's place setting in the same way as the banana split.

"Do enjoy," Moko said, beaming with pride and joy. "And remember to eat slowly, DK, or else you'll get brain freeze. Don't want you to end up like last time, do we? Now tuck in, tuck in, and do call me if you want to order anything else."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 27th 2021 at 6:59:41 AM

Zone Six [Angel's Flophouse]

There's a part of you that misses the days when people would bow to you like this. A small part, much smaller than the parts of you which say you don't deserve it or find it cringeworthy, but it's there just the same.

There was also a time when hearing a Japanese man throw out French terms and seeing him sparkle might have thrown you for a loop. But you've seen and heard much weirder shit since long before you wound up here, so you don't even bat an eye—though you're not sure that Waka could see you see you bat an eye even if you did, what with how your goggles throw your eyes into shadow.

You decide it doesn't matter. You put on a smile—tight, as always—and take his hand in your own. "Pleasure's all mine. And please, call me Everett."

As you shake his hand, you catch what Helena and Jester have been saying. The implications sink in, and as they do, your smile disappears. You turn to look at Helena, who has sat down, considering her offer. A moment passes before you respond.

"Well… I'd be lying if I said I don't miss my right arm." You let go of Waka, your hand disappearing under your cape to clutch at your shoulder. You avert your gaze and smack your lips again. Then you close your eyes, exhale through your nose, and open them again as you meet the angel's gaze. "We can try, but I'll be honest with you, I'm not sure it'll work. Not that I doubt your skills," you add quickly, "it's just that this is… well."

You trail off, unsure how to articulate what you want to say. How do you explain what happened to you when you don't fully understand it yourself?

Andradite - Behind Egress Eternal

"Uhhh... are you sure? This feels like a mugging. How about I go get you some leftovers inste-eehhh?!"

Perhaps if Andy hadn't been thinking about how to secure a hungry mugger some dinner before Addward ate all the leftovers, he might have seen that claw grab coming, being the highly trained anti-lunarian combatant that he was!

On the other giant robotic hand, he had spent a lot of training days watching the jellyfish. That might have had something to do with it. The gem only managed to duck back in time because a mysterious whispy green energy thing interceded on his behalf, his braids clinking as they flopped around with the sudden motion.

"Wah! Hey! This is what we call antisocial behavior!"

Turning his sudden lean backwards into an incongrously graceful flip back to his feet, he shot his robotic assailant a disapproving frown over the shoulder of his triple-armed rescuer.

"No, I think you judged it pretty well, Mister Alien!"

Zone Six: Angel’s Flophouse

Jester’s expression of mischievous anticipation grew, confident that her master plan of Have-Everett-Leave-With-One-More-Arm-Than-He-Came-In-With was about to come to fruition, until that same expression collapsed in time with the floor behind her, sucking her mouth in to a fine, pursed point as her eyes widened to the size of dinner saucers. She looked over her shoulder, past Helena’s bulk to where a perfectly-bouncy bed used to be, before noticing that the big, red, angry demon lady that’d followed them was also nowhere to be found. She scurried over to the edge of the pit, before peering over the edge of the hole into the abyss with her hands clutching the sides of her head as if to stem her sudden panic. “Ohmygosh ohmygosh, are you okay?! At least nobody else—doggy, no!” Jester shrieked, the situation promptly going into Code Red as the precious snow-white doggo from earlier bounded in after her.

“Hold on, hold on! I’ll go and get some rope!” Jester said with a nod, before getting up and turning around with the determination that nothing and no one would distract her—just in time to get hit full-on with Waka’s display of bishie sparkles, coming face-to-face with the full force of this specimen of a moon-man’s charm. Her disaster response abruptly degraded into the sudden onslaught of a rising and falling giggle-fit, punctuated by her grabbing ahold of her tail by its midsection and playfully twirling the tip around while her expression steadily turned a deepening shade of purple, completely ignorant to Everett and Helena's conversation at the same moment. “Hiiiiiiiii.”

Edited by Uncandescent on Jan 28th 2021 at 12:26:33 PM

Angel's flop house

Helena beams at Everett’s response.

"Excellent! Well, I can't guarantee this will work, but I'm going to do my best!"

She puts her hands near Everett’s arm stump, and both of them begin to glow. He might begin to feel a regenerative tingle... or perhaps not. Depends on if it works.

Zone Six, Angel's Flophouse

"Ah, of course." Waka agreed. "Ma chérie isn't fond of formalities either. Just thought I'd show off, you know?"

He flicked his gaze over to Helena, as she went about attempting to regrow Everett's missing arm. A potent magic, to be sure, if it can restore flesh so easily.

Yet Waka's attention was quickly taken by Jester, and her girlish giggles. An expression he's seen many times before, of course. But Jester interests him more than most women; she is demon-blooded, and has desecrated Amaterasu's shrine in the past.

Which is why Waka, masterfully hiding his internal amusement, decided to have a bit of fun. He flipped his silky blond hair over his shoulder, in a clearly unnecessary manner, and gave Jester a wink and a smile. "Hello there. I don't believe we were properly introduced. I am Waka, as I'm sure you heard. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Below, Amaterasu's smile widened at Setsuna's newfound resolve. "I'm glad. Now, shall we return to the others? I'm sure Waka's already up to no good."

The last part was said only half-jokingly, as she headed for the room's door. As an afterthought, she swished her tail, painting in the hole Setsuna had made, and in an instant the floor was whole again. Even the bed that had sat atop it was restored to pristine condition. The only indication of damage and replacement was how that one bed looked newer than every other.

Another dab with her tail restored the old rabbit doll that Setsuna had found, making it new again, and clean of any dust.

Setsuna — Zone 6, Angel's Flophouse

"Probably is. I mean, if he isn't, then he wouldn't be Waka, ya know?"

She hummed as she skipped towards the steps, only stopping when she saw Ammy repair her stuffed rabbit. She was gonna patch it up herself, but she wasn't complaining. "Oh wow! Thanks, Lord Amaterasu!" She gave another quick nod before hopping up the steps and squeezing Mr.Bunbun tight, spinning it around as she giggled up a storm.

She pranced down the hall and towards the room, flinging the door open with gusto. "Hey guys! Sorry about the hole. Guess I should've been more careful, huh? But lookit!" She held up Mr.Bunbun for all to see, waving him around like a little kid playing with dollies.

"Ain't he cute? Found him on a bust-up stretcher. Poor little guy was all alone down there. I mean, seriously, do you shove all your old dollies and stuff in the corner or what? Cuz if ya do, imma gonna punch something, just telling ya now."

Edited by kkhohoho on Jan 29th 2021 at 10:31:35 AM