Ydra, Violence Averted - Convention Room, Mall of America

With Klint withdrawing his cannons and Talitha stating her intentions, Ydra's tentacles receded back, letting go of the old summoner who brought them here (but not before returning his glare with her own) and disappearing into her exposed spine. "Good, so you can listen," she snipped at Octavius before throwing another glance at the old man. Obviously he would be the one most knowledgeable about the present reality they were in but given how much she antagonized him, Ydra was doubtful he'd be forthcoming with information, at least if she was the one asking. Best to leave diplomacy with the diplomats.

Instead, Ydra took a step back to look at the rest of the group gathered here... and noticed a conspicuous difference between herself and the others before anything else.

...am the only one undressed? Probably another whim of my writer... if I ever meet him, I'll need to strangle him. Ydra sighed and rubbed her forehead as she considered her existence with frustration. In both the Doylist and Watsonian sense, Ydra wasn't built to have shame, but given that everyone else had at least some semblance of clothing and that she was lacking in the firepower necessary to be able to outright ignore social norms without consequence (like she would normally have done), acquiescing to this standard was probably the most prudent course of action.

And so Ydra's eight tentacles all sprouted at once before wrapping around her body, flattening their textures and forming a dress of ribbons. She grumbled at the confinement and went back to observation.

Briya

Ok Clara is the one who is providing alcohol. Might as well heal the cartoon boy.

She focuses and 5 small light green orbs circle around herself before transforming into a beam of the same color as the orbs that hits paperboy. This beam begins to heal his injured head, but not his drunken state.

"Lets see if healing works the way I think it does in this world. Because this is the best time to test it."

... It's hard to tell if Paperboy is healing given that he looks cartoony, but time will tell.

"Then again, I am honestly not sure if this works on cartoons."

She looks at Talitha.

"If my healing measures fail, you can try. I am assuming a lot after all."

Edited by sci300768 on Dec 20th 2022 at 9:17:33 AM

I have no idea what to put here, oh well!

Yi Min

Once it was clear that the books were no longer in danger, the clone Yi Min faded into sparkles. The real Yi Min followed Akari over to grab a drink.

"Huh. I don't think I've heard that much negativity about America in my world. Though the Immortals don't talk about mortal politics that much." She shrugged, before hooking her tail through the mug's handle and snatching it for a quick gulp. "Ah, there's a bit of a burn to it. Western liquor is stronger, I guess? Not bad, though."

Yi Min bowed to Clara even as her tail passed the mug back to Akari. "Thank you for the drink, Miss Sayre. I am Sun Yi Min. A pleasure to meet you."

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Clara Sayre

Clara giggled a bit upon seeing Yi Min steal Akari's mug to drink it and then returned it.

"Pff, that wasn't for you but I'll let it slide. Anyone who's old enough does need the opportunity to drink, so you're welcome, Yi Min."

Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."

Supersonic 2: Catching up at Superspeed

Supersonic 2 had been a little distracted. He barely had noticed the mysterious mermaid talking when he saw that she had been picked up by one of the several others. All the madness had even made the young boy miss the fact that someone was pointing a gun at the ceiling! Normally he or one of his family would be the first to counter something like that! In the blink of an eye he would have solved it easily. Now that all the madness was a bit calmer, he decided it might be a good time to listen to these people. He saw the mysterious monkey girl, the one who apparently wasn't a member of the beastmaster army. How bizarre this world was, everyone was dressed in costumes though. Was this some kind of convention?

He very quickly ran up to the monkey martial artist, and apparently someone new, an oddly dressed girl who looked like she came from the one of those silent pictures, he had never seen one but his aunt and uncle liked movies. Very quickly he asked Clara what the deal was, and did not care that he was interrupting.

"Heya, I'm too young for whiskey, but you two ladies know where I can get a radical coffee around here?"

METAL GEAR!?

Clara Sayre

The boy in the flashy jumpsuit suddenly approached her. She vaguely recalled seeing him until she realized he was trying to punch Badd while she was trying to flirt with him. She sneered at that.

But back to his question.

She had absolutely no idea where the coffee is.

"I'm sorry, but I don’t know where the coffee is. I suppose you have to go on a journey to find it here."

Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."

Talitha, Austere Traveller

"I can likely synthesize a beverage for thee," Talitha informed Supersonic upon hearing his request, casting a sigil into the air and causing a pot and a cup to summon into her hands. She set it down on the table, before summoning around a dozen more cups in addition after a moment's consideration. "For all of you, too. Though, I'm unfamiliar with coffee. Either I can prepare some of the drinks I know, or thou couldst inform me of how to make this coffee."

It was a strange turn of events for the cloaked woman to just spontaneously offer to make everyone a cocktail, but she seemed happy enough to try it out.

"I know of drinks made using tea leaves. Is coffee similar to that?" Talitha asked Supersonic.

bork

"Whoa! Where did you come from?" The impulsive boy was somehow surprised about seeing the nearby woman, clad in, what was that? Fantasy clothing? Was this girl some kind of elf or something like that? But whatever, she offered to make him tea. That was probably the best this place was going to get at least if they didn't have a radical coffee or some neu-tec electric flavored energy drink here. He was a bit surprised by her offer but he decided to go with.

"Sure thing mam, some tea wouldn't hurt. So are you a witch or something? I've known some good witches, and some bad witches."

METAL GEAR!?

Clara Sayre

This peculiar woman in a hood caught Clara off guard. It's like she appeared out of nowhere! Clara became awed when she saw her manifest a magic looking abstract symbol and when she said she could create drinks, Clara was intrigued.

"Say, Madame, can you create some good alcohol? Like beer, wine, whiskey, champagne, ale and so on?" She asked the woman.

Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."

Talitha, Austere Traveller

"I am a holatavist, which is a practice most closely tied to alchemy. I am by no means a dedicated magic practitioner; I know just enough to get by. Think of me not as a witch, and more as a spellsword," Talitha answered Supersonic, proceeding to summon a bowl and several ingredients which she proceeded to crush and mix together. "Tea it is, then. As for startling thee, excuse me. I am used to blending in, for my own well-being."

Clara's inquiry caused Talitha to hum with thought, even as she finished mixing the crushed ingredients and placed them all into the pot. After shaking it a little, she cast another sigil and caused some of the water vapour above the pot to coalesce into a steady trickle; pouring into the pot from seemingly thin air. One last sigil, and she placed her hands on either side of the pot, and its sides began to glow red from magical heat. She was quite literally warming it with her hands, though in this case until it boiled.

"My hands have been toughened from abuse such as heat. So do not be alarmed," she explained, before turning her head towards Clara to answer her finally. "Also, yes, I can create most alcoholic beverages, though the process is longer. Accelerating fermentation is more difficult than drawing out the water from the atmosphere, or heating it until it boils. Altering the behaviour of yeast is an entirely different matter, as thou canst imagine. So it is better for me to begin the process with an existing supply. Which, unfortunately, I do not have in storage at this time."

She gave Clara an apologetic smile.

"I do not mean to disappoint thee. Should I find a supply, however, I can create whatever is thy wish to drink. Now... friend, your drink..."

The tea had finished boiling, and she poured it out into a cup before passing it over to Supersonic. It was a moderately strong mixture, but delicious, and didn't resemble any kind of tea from anyplace else.

"If anyone else wishes to drink of this, you are allowed," Talitha added to the room at large.

Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 20th 2022 at 6:08:05 PM

bork

Clara Sayre

Clara smiled as she watched Talitha create the tea and listened to her explain how it'll take longer for her to make alcohol.

"A magical moonshiner," Clara whispered as she nodded. "And that’s fine dear. We can find a speakeasy together where you can make it safe and sound. By way, I'm Clara Sayre. You?"

Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."

Talitha, Austere Traveller

"Talitha is my name. Talitha of Hulegg, though that means very little now. Consider me a humble traveller," she bowed her head to Clara, even giving her a small curtsy in formal greeting. "I would be pleased to spend time with thee to make drinks, should we get the opportunity. It would be an honour to put my knowledge to good use, in fact... in any case, it is a delight to meet thee, Clara."

bork

Doctor Badd; Or, "Doctor Is My First Name"

Aha! The triumph of science prevailed! Well, he had some help from others - it seemed this room did feature people with a brain other than himself - but for now the pirate was dealt with. Meanwhile, one of the people here who didn't look like they dressed up by doing sommersaults in a wardrobe full of theater costumes asked him to see to the strange child with strange properties.

Unfortunately, others were already tending to Paperboy, but this was still a good opportunity to see just what these other "fictional" characters were up to. Briya's display of magic - apparently alcohol was involved? - had him stroke his mustache in thought. He was no stranger to the supernatural, both among his dubious allies and his do-gooding enemies (even if the latter called it "faith" and "prayer" and other such nonsensical terms).

This... looked surprisingly involved. He liked what he saw; actual thought process, components, the works - not just waving hands like you were trying to chase off a mosquito. "I would rather have a shot at it first. If magic doesn't work the first time, then perhaps we should sprinkle it up with modern science next before we reach for it." He posited, hoping to cut in between Talitha's turn.

Speaking of science, that miscreant in blue spandex was looking for coffee. "And you, child, I can fetch you the best of blends - if you promise not to try and kick me like a football again." He told Supersonic with a furrowed brow.

How do lizards fly?

Akari

"Thanks, babe! Name's Akari and don't you forget it. Bottoms up!"

Akari made to take a swing, but half a second later and the mug was snatched from her steel mitts. "HEY!" The mug back in her hands, she guzzled it down, slamming it down on the nearest table. "Lousy fuzzball! We were in the slums, they'd kill you for that crap! Bet you've got fleas or rabies or something..."

Her vitriol was partly in jest. She took another sip, draining the mug until it was empty. She slammed it again, rubbing her filthy mouth with her sleeve. "Damn, that's good!" It was the best booze she'd ever tasted, but she was starting to feel warm. Maybe it was the furnace, but they needed to crank down the heat.

"Hey, is it me or is it starting to feel hot in here?" She shrugged off her jacket, rolling it down to her elbows. A minute ago she would have been more self conscious, but after half a mug of booze, it seemed like a good idea.

"Whew! That is so much better!" She breathed a sigh of relief, plopping herself down, fanning herself as she slid into her chair. "You okay, fuzzball? All that fur's gotta be killer..."

Doctor Who — Long Way Around: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13536044/1/Doctor-Who-Long-Way-Around

Supersonic and the Badd Doctor make peace?

"Oh, not a witch but a holatavist? I've never heard of that before. But you sound good, and seem to be making tea for all of us. So I"ll trust you. Betraying his taste buds but not wanting to look rude to his host he sips the tea, finding it tasting a bit bitter. This wasn't exactly a cola, or a radical coffee from neu tech, but his bro always told him the way to become an athlete was to eat and drink stuff that was good for you. Still though, he was glad his feet was super fast and so was his throat, maybe then she wouldn't realize it shouldn't take him a whole minute to down a drink. Talitha began to speak to the others so he looked around the room, seeing the swarm of people in his way and around this mall. Why was this place so big? It looked a lot less modern, with a lot of symbols he recognized, but without a lot of brands he would expect in a mall like this. Where was the Starbricks? The Burger Crown, Radical Coffee, and what kind of mall is complete without a holoarcade?

After a minute, that weird doctor looked rather ponderous at him and began to speak. Offering him coffee with a furrowed brow but rather condescendingly noticing his age. "Sure thing old man. I promise as long as it isn't poison. If it is, I'll find out before it can effect me"

METAL GEAR!?

Sera

Sera relaxed as the eldritch flames died down and the cannons faded from existence, only to blink as she realized that the scythe she was holding did not belong to her. It was Oblivione. Her brother's power-negating scythe.

Her brother was holding it a few minutes ago. What was it doing in her Dimensional Storage space?

Sera banished the scythe back into the Dimensional Storage Space within her gauntlets and took stock of her inventory. Everything seemed normal at first glance, but a closer inspection revealed two weapons that shouldn't be there.

Oblivione and Memento, the weapons Sera's brother and husband wield, respectively. How the hell did they-

Sera's head hurt when she tried to recall how the weapons came to be in her possession. Conflicting images rushed through her head.

She lay on the floor, dying as Hubert and Reynard begged her to hold on even as her lifeblood spilled onto the floor.

She was kneeling and crying over Hubert's corpse, bisected by the Demon King's final desperate strike.

She was cold, her heart consumed by fury as Reynard's head rolled on the floor. She was going to kill Isengrim if it was the last thing she-

Fuck. Sera was suddenly back in the present, the memories were foggy again, but she had the distinct impression of someone being dead.

"What the hell?" Sera breathed deep breaths, getting up to a standing position, and she had apparently fallen into a kneeling position when the visions began.

Sera remembered what Ouroboros said about Hubert's scythe, how it could fuck with people's heads if they held onto it for too long. But still, she's seen Hubert hold onto that thing for days without repercussion instead of the seconds she just used. Was her tolerance for it that low?

Edited by drearyArchon on Dec 24th 2022 at 12:04:31 AM

Everyone's just doing the best that they can.

Convention Room

Suddenly, the doors creaked open. A large head poked through, shaggy black wig hanging over their brow. They took a quick peak, scanning the ceiling before looking down, staring at the group of weirdos.

"Well, what do you know? Thought I heard something in here!"

They opened the doors, stepping into the room. They were dressed in a green catsuit, similar to Akari's jacket but not as snug. Their arms and legs were covered in plastic, fake cybernetics on the cheap. Their proportions were more measured, but they had about as much cleavage.

Akari took another sip, spraying it onto the floor. "S-Sato?!" She couldn't believe it. She thought she was the only one here! If Sato was here, then maybe she was still back home. Maybe the old man was crazy.

But something was wrong. She knew Sato didn't have a wig. That long ponytail was one hundred percent natural. And her boobs weren't nearly so small! If this were Sato, they'd be as big as basketballs. She didn't know what their deal was, but something was fishy.

Whoever they were, they seemed flattered. "That's me! Didn't think I was that convincing. But you're not so bad yourself. That costume is perfect!" She glanced at her rear. "Seriously, it looks great! Must have stuffed those things with cotton. Anyone would think your butt was that big..."

Akari didn't have the chance to fume. A small crowd of people burst in, flooding the room in a stampede. They were almost as strange as the group, but none were as authentic. Some of them were dressed as their family and friends, others as bargain-bin copies. There was a girl with hair taped to her cheeks, almost a monkey if you'd squint. There was someone in green paint and plastic wrap, a redhead with a green cloak and hood, another dressed as Sato. Others were strangers, but they were all pale imitations. They began laughing and shouting, taking turns in a deafening chorus.

"Wow, is that real fur? Bet it didn't come cheap. Great mask!"

"Hey, it's Luke Shooty! Haven't seen him in ten years! Talk about those abs!"

"Ohmigawd, that Talitha is super! Did you see the last episode? Loved that kiss!"

But not everyone was amused. An old lady stood at the back, dressed in an old-fashioned shawl and long skirt. She was an amateur sleuth, purse in one hand, magnifying glass in the other. She glared at Akari and her assets, pulling out her phone as she marched off. The old man noticed. He tapped the group on the shoulder, hoping to get their attention.

"Don't want to bother you, but we've got trouble."

He gestured towards the old lady. She was in the back of the crowd, but stayed in their line of sight, just on the periphery. She whispered into the phone, but anyone close enough or with exceptional hearing would be able to hear.

"...police? Yes, I'm calling to report an act of gross indecency. Possibly prostitution..."

Doctor Who — Long Way Around: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13536044/1/Doctor-Who-Long-Way-Around

"Thanks, but are you sure this whatever-it-is will be sufficient?" He inquired

The boy was probably healed, but it seemed that his compatriots were determined to cause trouble in some other manner. Practically the very instant those two intractable women settled the matter of the posterior, and now the mechanical girl was being accused of prostitution. Joseph had, through sloth and perhaps a vague sense of decency, maintained himself as a respectable sort of man, and hence knew little of how they dressed or behaved, but he doubted that this automaton was a prostitute. He had never heard such a woman having tentacular lasers.

"We should leave. I doubt the police are going to hound us for such a minor disruption, but they might accost us if we stay here."

"You" He pointed at the elderly gentleman "do you have anywhere we might stay? You have dragged us from our own supposed realities after all."

Edited by bobbitwormhobbitwyrm on Dec 24th 2022 at 1:09:02 PM

The fast youth ran up between everybody, asking rapid fire questions a mile-a-minute while displaying his super powers. "Hey, who are you? Why do you look similar to a lot of people here? Cops? What cops? The teenage beat-em-up hero was surprised to not see anybody who looked like him. Maybe he wasn't fictional like everybody else? Either way, as he passed by and a small amount of wind followed a second after he left he went towards the martial artist lady and the weird Dr. Badd again.

"Hey, guys its okay. The police won't arrest anyone if it is a false alarm. They are just here to beat up bad gang members if us superheroes aren't around.

METAL GEAR!?

Doctor Badd; Or, Societal Awareness Of A Pile Of Damp Moss

"Poison you? Do I look like a Puritan colonist to you, boy?" Doctor Badd, whose last name was literally "bad", scoffed at the devilish idea. "If I wanted to deal with you, I would not debase myself with such pithy methods!"

Still, Supersonic would receive one cup of Wo-Ke (hopefully he wouldn't spill it as he ran around!); the cup detached off the doctor's prosthetic arm, and a new one grew in its place to replace his missing hand - and that was when the real challenge began (irrespective of a newcomer woman having a moment) and the... locals? A lot of them seemed to be recognizable to their group, but notably worse and more off. Pretenders, then? Right, they were supposed to be "fictional".

...thankfully for his blood pressure, he did not see anyone dumb enough to dress up as one of the do-gooders - or one of his dubious allies, for that matter. Doctor Badd remained on the sidelines, until their summoner pointed out the problem - someone was looking to snitch at them. Why, that was what villains did! (and heroes, under vague pretenses of "confessing") But... prostitution?! Was it the girl with a ginormous set of buttocks? Or the tentacled-one?

...well, this couldn't stand! Lies were a domain of self-respecting villains like himself, (and, hypocritically, do-gooding servants of the god claiming he made the world in merely seven days. Pah!) and not some... old woman! "You there!" Stomping over to the amateur snitch with a harrumph, Doctor Badd pointed an accusing golden prosthetic finger at her. "I heard that quite clearly. What agenda do you reply to, hounding people for no reason like that?! A do-gooding bible-dumber, no doubt! You will cease your report, and leave the police to their proper job of eating donuts and doing nothing!"

How do lizards fly?

Talitha, Austere Traveller

Ah. Hmm. Oh no. They had visitors in the room. Quite spontaneous ones, at that. They'd barely even knocked, and now Talitha found herself bearing witness to... poorly-dressed impersonators. Granted, some of them were actually quite good, but most of their clothes looked cheap and ill-fitting. It was rather surreal to see other people dressed as if they had just walked off of an amateur theatre production.

Speaking of them, Talitha pursed her lips as she saw her own counterpart. At the very least they'd gotten the cloak right, though such a plain ensemble was hard to replicate poorly. They even had red hair like her, which was a rare sight. Unless it was false hair, but Talitha decided not to criticise any further than that. She gave her... partisan a thin smile, and was about to express her greetings when said fanatic suddenly dropped that bombshell on her.

Talitha's brain stopped functioning for a moment, and then she shook her head in confusion and stared at the girl like she'd grown a second head.

"...Kiss? Whatever dost thou... mean to imply...?"

The word 'episode', too. A strange one to use. Was it a play or a theatre production that was being referred to, then? A dramatic section where... there was a kiss? Talitha was somewhat at a loss as to what her devotee meant, but she was intelligent enough to piece together the implications. There were several mediums strewn about the room, the group she was with were apparently all from separate fictional works, and these people were...

Heavens, no.

"Dost thou intend to suggest that I... an actor playing my part osculated with someone in a production...?" she suddenly asked, though trailed off when she realised how long-winded she was being. She huffed, before covering her face and sitting down in a chair, pulling her hood up for a sense of privacy and security from prying eyes.

"...by all ye deceased gods, my reputation is being sullied by romance... may the realm of the dead swallow me whole, please..."

Edited by Enirboreh on Dec 29th 2022 at 5:11:56 PM

bork

Briya

She looked at paperboy. He's healed.

"It appears that my measures were enough to heal most of your injuries. But... I noticed that someone in the crowd has called someone. Who they called, I do not know."

She took one look at Akari... oh.

"I for one, think we need to get her clothes back on!"

She is glancing in the direction of Akari.

I have no idea what to put here, oh well!

Yi Min

Yi Min merely stuck her tongue out at Akari. "I'll have you know I haven't had fleas in months."

Then she stared as Akari pulled down her jacket. Her heart beat faster, and Yi Min seemed to suddenly realize how beautiful the other woman was. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what had her spellbound, but she was fortunately saved by a bunch of people suddenly filing into the room.

She spotted the girl with the monkey costume almost immediately, and casually jumped over the crowd to land next to her admirer. "Ah, this isn't a costume. I actually am Yi Min, the legendary hero. Look, see?" Yi Min held out one hand, and allowed a ball of qi to coalesce, hovering above her palm and shimmering brightly.

Absentmindedly she looked over to where someone was apparently calling the police, but she dismissed it as a concern. Unless the police here were super powerful, there wasn't much they could do to stop Yi Min.

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Things were going wrong again. Joseph could only agree with the gentleman's claim that these people were fictional, there was simply no chance they could have survived in the actual world. The most basic of common sense was lacking in them, no doubt by the hand of some vile simpleton with delusions of literary talent. The only exceptions to this rule were the two cloaked women, who seemed to have at least a shred of self-preservation.

At the current moment, the most dangerous and inscrutable of these buffoons was the man claiming to be a doctor, who had begun to berate the old woman. The ideological motives of the man were impossible to discern. He seemed to be driven by a strong sense of self-righteousness, but proudly declared himself an evil man. Perhaps he was an immigrant from a morality play of particularly low quality.

He approached the man, attempting to appeal to his worse, or perhaps better, nature. "Please doctor, there's only so much harm you can cause if you harass every old woman that crosses your path. You need to your battles more wisely. If you leave with the rest of us, there will be many more opportunities for scheming. The alternative is either a short stint in a jail cell or a long one in a psychiatric ward."

Clara Sayre

Clara watched Akari roll around drunk and removing her jacket in pure amusement. However, that amusement quickly went away as the cosplayers rushed into the room they were in which got suffocating quickly. As she tried to find an exit, she saw Yi Min create an energy ball and Mr. Badd confronting a flinchy old lady. This lead to Joseph trying to talk down Mr. Badd.

By then, Clara already found the exit.

"I gotta go folks!" She called out to the characters that were summoned into this room. "Unless it's a party, I can't stand dozens of people in the same room. I'll be off to find myself a speakeasy."

She dashed towards the exit.

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Jan 4th 2023 at 5:33:10 AM

Victor of HGS S320 | "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember."