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Elan had been with your during the attack, and yet you just kind of left him on his own after the first night. You know he had family and nurses he was familiar with, but you can't help but instinctively think of it as a dick move. While you're at work, you check hospital visiting hours on your phone. Closes at nine, alright, that gives you an hour and a half if you actually leave work on time today.

Saying your goodbyes to Sana, you walk a flew blocks down and meet ST at an intersection, whereupon he takes you to the hospital.

St. Yanna's Youth Hospital was a little building that stuck out of the greater Y'Miir University of Health on the third floor. With the sun going down, the normal white bulwark of the walls was giving way to the yellow glow of the lights inside.

The receptionist looks up as you walk through the sliding glass doors and smiles. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Yeah, uh, I'm looking for Elan? Er, Elan Hukak?"

"You a friend of his?"

You nod. "Yeah. I'm Tiiris Elson."

She looked through a small list taped to the desk. "He's in... 143, that's ah, down this hall and take a right." She points to the hall on your left.

"Thanks." You smile and walk down. Looking into some of the open doors as you pass by, you see bald heads, missing limbs, a few bedridden kids and... a guy in a bunch of casts. Glancing up at the name plate, you see- yep, 'Elan Hukak'. Knocking on the open door, you take a cautious step in. "Elan?"

He lolls his head over from the television, then raises his eyebrows. "Why, who's this? Do you dare venture into the jaws of death itself?"

"Shut up." You smile and fish a chair out from the corner. "Sorry I didn't come see you earlier."

"Eeeh, I can get why you didn't." Elan leans his head back. "I'll admit, not how I thought my weekend was going to go."

"Yeah, uh..." You wince. "Sorry about breaking your back, there." Your eyes move over the rest of his casts. "And your... everything."

"Bah, I barely use the damn thing anyway." He cracked a grin. "In all seriousness, though. How are you? Everything okay physically?"

"Only a little bruised, and that's faded." You rub your arm self-consciously. "It was really light bruising."

Elan nods, his expression more somber. His expression wandered for a second, opening his mouth as if to launch into another of his rants, but his closes it. "...so, are we going to talk about the zombie?"

Your mouth closes. Right. That.

>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.
>>[Sub-Option] You'll tell him, just not right now, in the hospital.
>Don't tell him the whole truth, give him a sanitized version that leaves our your... Valkan...ness.
>What zombie? You have no idea what he's talking about.
>[Write-In]

>>3852457
>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.
>>[Sub-Option] You'll tell him, just not right now, in the hospital.

>>3852477
This I guess. If he isn't dumb he would have made the guess by now anyway what with all the zombie said.

>>3852457
>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.
It's a private room. Just close the door. Bone fractures can take weeks or even months to heal. It wouldn't be right to leave him in the dark for that long.

>>3852536
Actually, changing to this from >>3852500 but also
>send a text to Easy to make sure nobody is listening

>>3852457
>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.

Tell easy to check the room for bugs or holes before we begin

>>3852457
>Don't tell him the whole truth, give him a sanitized version that leaves our your... Valkan...ness.

So are the video games full vr, like in Sword art online and ready player one? If so do the skulls carry over into real life?

>>3852457
>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.
The cat is already out of the bag.

Tell him to sit down first, just to see the look on his face.

>>3852457
>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.
I second what other anons say about making sure no one's listening

>>3852457
>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.
>>[Sub-Option] You'll tell him, just not right now, in the hospital.

>Tell him everything. He was there, he deserves to know what the hell happened.
>Ask Easy to check the room for bugs.
Writing.

Slipping a hand into your pocket, you pull out your phone and text to Easy:

>T: Are we being listened to?

"Tiiris?" Elan looks at you with an odd expression. "Hello?"

"Sorry, just checking something." You glance up from your phone, trying to ignore the signature of Easy moving around the room. "You might want to sit down for this."

Elan's expression turned flat, and you smiled slightly, before standing up and shutting the door.

>EZ: No listening devices detected, and external CCTVs have been placed on loop.
>T: Thanks.

"Okay..." You say, unsure of where to begin. "So... the skeleton."

"Yeah." Elan grimaced. "Did you hear all that crazy shit about, uh-"

"The Unworthy." You prompt. "And about protecting the children of the empire or whatever?"

Elan nods, thinking it over. "That one stuck with me. And I've been thinking... who there did they protect first?"

"What?" You ask, taken aback slightly.

"Well... that wasn't the only one there, right? There were others it was, er, talking to? If they're like robots, wouldn't they haven't intervened until one of these kids they were supposed to protect was directly in danger?"

You open your mouth, then close it. That was a good point. While the explosion had buffeted you and Elan, the soldiers had shown up before they'd even shot anyone. Who was the Valkan in danger, then? Did just being near the explosion count enough for you to invoke it? Actually, they must have come to the mall from somewhere- not like there's a graveyard in one of the department stores. Could they tell the future, somehow?

Shaking your head to clear it of the sudden questions, you try to get back on track. "I-I don't know, but, um, the thing is..."

"You're Valkan?"

"...Yeah." You grimace. "Through my Mom, apparently. I, uh, didn't think I was before, but I've been... enlightened as to otherwise."

"Enlightened? Enlightened how?" Elan started to lean forward, then realized his arms were still in casts, and relaxed back into the bed.

"I've been having visions." You try to act flippant, acutely aware of how insane it must sound. "Er, that is, I can sort of see this Valkan stuff and, er..." You sigh. "Okay, in the interest of not sounding insane, I basically met some Valkan machines that told me outright that I am..."

"What if they were lying?" Elan immediately asked, skipping over the revelation that intelligent AI existed.

You stop. The possibility hadn't escaped you. "...honestly, all of them could kill me, so I want to believe they wouldn't lie to me." Easy's signature suddenly swivels to look directly at you, tilting at you with an emotion you almost register as offense. "You seem to be taking this rather well."

"I didn't take it well the first few days I was in here." Elan shrugs. "I've gone through an entire existential crisis in the past little bit."

>>3854823
"Right." You nod. "Either way, I've been doing some more digging and... it turns out a lot of Valkans had kids? Not just my Mom? So there could be other people out there like me."

"What is 'like' you - blind?"

"I got the vibe that it has something to do with genetic modification. And that mixing it with our genes is... causing weirdness."

"How weird?"

"Kind of shitty weird? I'm blind as a bat and ugly, so..."

He rolls his eyes. "You're not ugly."

"I sure as hell don't have any tits..." You mumble, then clear your throat. "That's basically the overview. Valkans are still around, and their stuff can think for itself."

"...And what about the skeletons, then? Was that just some weird machine?"

"Oh. Right. Necromancy and magic might also be real?"

"...Necromancy." Elan had a flat look on his face.

"Look, I didn't become an expert in the past few days, okay?" You protest defensively. "That's why I'm looking for a teacher?"

"A teacher?" Elan asks.

"A Valkan who can tell me what the hell is going on."

"How do you plan on finding one?"

"...I was just going to ask some of the machines, really." You protest weakly.

"If I were you, I'd look for places that have had a lot of weird shit happen, then look in the area for Valkans, instead of basically putting out an ad for them."

"Wouldn't the ones who don't answer want to be left alone?" You ask.

"Yes, but those are also the ones who don't cause any trouble." Elan points out. "Think about it, if there was a real Valkan - or the kid of one, like you - connected to death cultists, wouldn't they leap on a new Valkan person popping up? I don't know if you've noticed, but they kind of bombed us."

"Oh." That was a good point, actually. "But then I have to go through an entire planet's worth of spooky stuff and separate out real Valkan stuff from fake shit. How am I supposed to do that?"

"Do Valkans have monks or shit like that?"

"Monks?"

"I don't know!" Elan throws his casts up. "People who study the magic! Don't monks live in holy places and shit?"

"I mean, our monks do, but these are aliens." You pause. "Someone did mention 'knights'..."

"See? It's a place to start- look, my point is, if you can figure out places Valkans - monks, knights, whatever - would like to live, that narrows the starting area, right?"

"I suppose..." You mumble. "Thanks, Elan."

"Hey, so we're square for you saving my life, right? I don't have to be your slave now?" Elan cracks a grin.

You roll your eyes. "I did not save your life."

"Nah, you totally wheeled me out of there." He frowns, and looks at his casts. "Wish I hadn't cracked so much stuff, though."

>>3854825
Looking at them, you grimace. You know Elan wasn't literally as fragile as glass - he could stand without his wheelchair just fine, it was the possibility of falling that kept him in it. If only he didn't have to be stuck in here for a month or however... wait. Your hand went to your neck. Your injuries hadn't been that bad, but they healed really quickly, maybe Elan would benefit from your pendant more than you...

>Give it to him. A few days without it is nothing compared to a month in the hospital.
>Keep it for yourself. You need it more than him.
>Keep it for yourself. What if they noticed something was weird and it came back to you?
>[Write-In]

>>3854826
>Keep it for yourself. What if they noticed something was weird and it came back to you?
Maybe give it to him for a short time.

>>3854826
>Give it to him. A few days without it is nothing compared to a month in the hospital.
Let's just see what happens first. If the pendant has no effect on him then we'll just take it back.

>>3854826
>Give it to him. A few days without it is nothing compared to a month in the hospital.

>>3854826
>Give it to him. A few days without it is nothing compared to a month in the hospital.
Was going to suggest this anyway.

>>3854826
We should ask Easy what it even is first before we go putting it on people

>Give it to him. A few days without it is nothing compared to a month in the hospital.
Writing.

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Loosening your uniform tie and undoing the first few buttons, you reach into your shirt and grab the pendant.

"I'm sorry, Tiiris, but I value you more as a friend..." Elan began, drawling the words out.

"Wh- oh, shut up." You roll your eyes and pull the pendant out from around your neck. "I found this thing and... well, it accelerates healing... I think." You lean forward and slip it around his neck. "Hopefully this'll help you get out of here quicker."

"What is it, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"I doubt even Valkan stuff will just randomly heal people, so it's gotta be designed to do that, right?"

"...Oh." You rub your arm, glancing slightly at Easy, waiting for him to jump in with a clarification, but he remains silent. You think back to the image you saw in the journal. "I'm... not sure? Apparently everyone had one?"

"Everyone? You mean the Valkans?"

"Yeah, I found this book, and it turns out it was, like, written by a Valkan or something... in all of their photos, they have one." You fumble with your bag and pull it out.

"Like a memory journal?"

"A what?" You tilt your head.

"It's a journal, but you draw instead." Elan tilts his head. "You know? Like one drawing a day and stuff?"

You frown and flip through it. "Couldn't be. Some of this stuff is clearly from their ships..."

"Who said it had to start after the war? What's at the end?"

You flip to the very back. "I dunno, looks like... a few bushes? A sea serpent? The sky?"

"Sounds like what someone who just arrived on the planet would draw." Elan suggested. "Any idea if the person who made it is still alive?"

"I dunno." You say, flipping through the last few images. "Why?"

"If they're still around, maybe you could get in touch with them. Just a thought." He shrugs lightly.

"...thanks for the help, Elan." You smile slightly, closing the book and waving it thoughtfully. "Get better, okay?"

"Your spooky shit better work." He looks down, with effort. "I want to use my limbs again sometime this century."

You hold up your hands in mock surrender and smile. A slight jerking motion from Easy's silhouette gets your attention. He floats up to the clock on the wall. What's the big deal, it's only nine o' cloooaah wait.

A knock on the door makes you flinch, as a nurse opens it up. "Hey Elan, time fo- oh, hello there." She smiles at you. "Are you a friend of his?"

"Yeah, we go to school together." You fake a nervous smile, hoping that she hadn't been eavesdropp- no, that's fucking stupid to think.

"Well, I need to feed Elan and... other things." The nurse smiles. "Visiting hours just ended, do you need to call anyone?"

"Oh, uh, no, I live straight down from here." You smile, grabbing your coat and trying to make as smooth of an exit as you can, under the circumstances. "Uh, bye Elan, see you... you know."

"Have a good one, Tiiris."

>>3856345
You catch the nurse giving Elan a look you can't quite place as you back out, hurrying out the front door with all your imagined dignity intact. Dammit, you were normally more put together than this, but all of the secret stuff was fraying your nerves.

ST pulled up to the curb as soon as you stepped outside, and you got in gratefully. Having a personal chauffeur and... personal combat vehicle is nice. You remember Kara and Taylor crowing about getting their licenses earlier in the year, and showing off their newfound freedom, which you thought would always be beyond you and your eyes. Now you were the first of your friends to own a car, though. Not sure if how you got it was cheating or not.

Dad isn't home when you stumble in, followed shortly by Easy gliding to the kitchen. A text you missed says he's running by the university. The sounds of cooking soon emanate from the kitchen, and Easy sets down food in front of you shortly thereafter.

You run Elan's advice through your head as you eat. He was right- you had to start your search somewhere. The two possibilities he set down were simple enough - avoid Valkans just randomly broadcasting, and look for odd events that could be Valkan in origin. But where to start...?

"Hey, Easy?" You speak up. "Can you..."

>"...look into unsolved murders?"
>"...search for weird news about the shipbreaking yards?"
>"...track down who owned this website I saved?"
>"...tell me if Valkans are offering to teach others?"
>[Write-In]

>>3856345
>Loosening your uniform tie and undoing the first few buttons, you reach into your shirt and grab the pendant.
>"I'm sorry, Tiiris, but I value you more as a friend..." Elan began, drawling the words out.
Wew he really thought we're going to damage his bones permanently huh

>>3856346
>"...tell me if Valkans are offering to teach others?"
Maybe being straightforward is the way
>"...track down who owned this website I saved?"
But since that's not going to happen

>>3856346
>"...search for weird news about the shipbreaking yards?"

>>3856346
>>3856353
Supporting this anon. Start by doing the easiest thing then first.

>>3856346
>"...track down who owned this website I saved?"
That seems like a good lead.
The bit we found was part of a story posted to a blog, so it was definitely someone willing to share their knowledge of... mythology or something.

>You catch the nurse giving Elan a look you can't quite place as you back out,
i-i-its not like that! i was just trying to heal him with alien magitech! no, really!

>>3856346
>>"...search for weird news about the shipbreaking yards?"

Nothing happened at all b-baka

>>3856346
>"Shed any light on this?" (Tell him how we got that book)
What if the weird light we saw that left us the book was a Valkan drone? If that's the case, then somebody's drones know we can see them even when they're cloaking, and they know we have the book.

Oh by the way, OOC, was the old guy's car we passed on a couple (?) days ago just Five-O in disguise?

>"...track down who owned this website I saved?"
Writing.

>>3857250
I believe Five-O directly said he was just sitting in that junkyard for twenty years.

>>3857216
You may be on to something there. http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3722252/
>Something white flashes at the edge of your vision, and you swivel your head to the front of the alley, eyes still closed. Skulking around the edge of the alley, illuminating the two walls that frame the slice of the street beyond was... something round. It was white and almost blobby in shape, or maybe that was your vision. In the center orbited six black orbs that slid around each other as it peered around the alley at you.
It turned out to be empty space, but then afterward:
>While you ring him up, you notice a car pull up outside the store's windows. It was some kind of beater, looked like it hadn't run in ten years. What's more, the windshield glared with the light of the sun as the ran ate away the normal cloud cover. Six dots seemed to swim on it, as your vision distorts and swims in front of you.
Six dots, both times. Something car sized, capable of cloaking itself.
The hallucination in the bookstore was freaky, though. We reached out and grabbed it at the end; it reads almost like the book itself may be a type of transforming drone. One the car may have been searching for?

>>3857543
Hmmmmmmmm
Or the car and the six orbs one were different drones? But this is intriguing.

"...take a look at this website I have here?" You stand up and go into your room, coming out with your laptop in hand. "I saved it a while ago. It seemed kind of Valkan?"

Easy floats over from the stove, a salt shaker still somehow held in front of him and makes a brief stuttering noise. "That's because it is. This is a brief excerpt from the Book of Reborn Soldiers, chapter six. It is a Valkan religious text."

"Valkans have a religion?" You ask in surprise.

"Do Tagarans not?"

"...point." You look back at the webpage. "Anyway, can you find out who wrote it?"

"Searching public directories now." Easy floated back over to the stove, shaking it's technomagickally-held salt shaker over the potatoes in the pan. "It appears to belong to a Tagan Aran, local resident of Kana. She registered the domain eighteen years ago, and let it lapse a year later."

"...Tagan Aran." You pause. "What an innocent sounding name. Do you know where?"

"The service provider does not retain records that far back. One moment..." Easy served the food with a fluid shake of the pan, setting it down in front of you but a moment later, with it still steaming. "I cannot provide an exact location, but other websites have records of such an address being registered in the town of Big Circle."

"Do you know if she's still alive?"

"No death certificates exist for such a name." Easy pours you a glass of water. "However, she could have easily falsified electronic records, if she was indeed Valkan."

"Right." You turn the thought over. Kana was... a long way from here. Across the ocean, at least. That would be a huge trip to undertake, especially with a bunch of Valkan robots traveling with you. "Do you think it's possible to get in contact with her?"

"Not without performing an open broadcast."

You nod. "...keep looking, I'll sleep on it."

"As you wish, miss."

Turning back to your plate, you spear one of the sliced potatoes on the end of your fork and put it in your mouth, before sighing happily. Easy was a much better cook than you or Dad ever were. Which was good, since after today - or maybe just without your pendant - you could feel yourself beginning to shut down for the night from exhaustion.

---

Isle of Illiir, Northern Sea
23rd of 4th, 1173. 9:00PM.

A woman sat cross-legged on a rock overlooking the sea. Her skin was dark and her face gaunt with both age and wear, although she bore herself in the manner of a girl many years younger than her. Casually lain across her lap was a long rifle, with a plain bayonet of black metal that she occasionally fingered as she thought.

The air was thick with pelting water that rained down on the black sand of the beach around her - a finely ground basalt, from her first examinations. The thought that, somewhere in the galaxy, there existed a world with this much water on it still baffled her, in a way. It was nothing like the place she had grown up, or the place she used to call home.

>>3858301
Behind her, a drone glided to a stop a respectful distance away. It's casing was painted a crisp white, with no identifying marks of it's own. "Master, the storm front is moving in. We need seek shelter."

"There'll be time yet." She murmured.

"Master, I must insist."

The woman was silent for a few more seconds, then sighed. Reaching to her neck, she pressed a switch attached to the harness of her armor, shutting off the transmission from her armor with a sharp click. Standing up, she hefted her rifle and started walking deeper into the island, idly turning a small wrench in the fittings of her rifle. "Odd, I thought we'd find someone by now."

"Ah, yes. Plenty of prospective students on an uninhabited island." The drone snarked.

She smiled. "Only the crazy or desperate would come here. Exactly my kind of student."

"I feel as if we could find both of those in civilization easily enough."

"Just trust me, Level."

"I'm not capable of distrusting you, master."

"Good robot." She smirked slightly, then sighed. "I'll never die... not until I find them..."

---

Miir City-State Academy
24th of 4th, 1173. 8:30AM.

Man, Kara looked like hell today. Bedraggled, with disheveled clothes and deep circles under her eyes, she barely responds as she slumps down next to you, barely looking at you. The bell ringing shortly after prevents you from saying anything, but you steal enough glances at her to know that something's wrong. Easy floats outside of the window, lingering just a second before moving on without texting you anything. Good, you don't need his interjection right now.

Part of you debates saying something before your first class. She looks like she should be home sleeping, not in class, but you've also had bad days yourself, and the last thing you've wanted those days is someone poking at you.

>Say something.
>Leave her in peace until she's recovered a bit.
>[Write-In]

>>3858305
>Say something

>>3858305
>Say something.

>>3858305
>Say something.
If she isn't in the mood to talk, just a general expression of support is good. "Let me know if you need anything," or the like.

>Reaching to her neck, she pressed a switch attached to the harness of her armor, shutting off the transmission from her armor with a sharp click.
>She smiled. "Only the crazy or desperate would come here. Exactly my kind of student."
Hah! Suddenly feeling like we dodged a bullet deciding NOT to look for open Wanted: Apprentice Valkan ads.

>Say something.
Writing.

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"You okay?" You say as the bell rings.

Kara makes a sharp sound of pain, then groans. "I'm tiiiired."

"Did you not get any sleep last night?" You ask as you pack up your bag.

"Pulled an all-nighter." She mumbles.

"...for what?" You raise your voice slightly before Kara winces in pain. "Er, sorry."

"'s fine. Just couldn't sleep." She mumbles. "Managed to get a little shut-eye yesterday, though, so I showed up today..."

"Did you try anything to help you sleep?" You ask, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

"Can't take 'em..."

"Why not?"

"Conflicts with my... um, I just can't take them..." Kara sighed, and rubbed at her freckles. "Look, can we talk about something other than my issues?"

"Sure." You smile, thinking for a second. "How about I tell you how Elan's doing?"

"Why's he gone, anyway?"

"Oh, he uh, took a bad fall and broke a bunch of bones. He's in the hospital."

"...wait, what?" Kara shook her head and looked up at you in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Yep. Gotta do the whole full-body cast thing, though. Until he gets better." You stand up.

"I don't... how the hell, though?" Kara hurriedly picked up your bag as the crowd swept out of the classroom.

"That's... private?" You hazard, realizing the minefield you've just walked into. "I dunno if he wants it getting spread around."

"I would never blab anything embarrassing about Elan." Kara frowns. "Seriously, did someone hurt him, was he-" Her face turns flat, the sudden shock of realization crossing it. "Oh fuck, was he in the bombing?!"

"I, uh-" You open and close your mouth a few times, looking for your response.

>"He was in the bombing, yeah."
>>[Sub-Option] "...and so was I."
>"Kara, relax! Jeez, he just took a bad fall."
>"Do you want to visit him later?"
>[Write-In]

>>3859540
>>"He was in the bombing, yeah."
>>>[Sub-Option] "...and so was I."
>>"Do you want to visit him later?"

>>3859540
>>"He was in the bombing, yeah."
>>>[Sub-Option] "...and so was I."

>>3859591
+1

>>3859540
>"He was in the bombing, yeah."

>>3859591
support

>"He was in the bombing, yeah."
>>[Sub-Option] "...and so was I."
>"Do you want to visit him later?"
Writing.

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"Actually..." You hesitate for a moment. "...he was. In the bombing, that is."

Kara's expression grew horrified. "Is he going to die?!"

"No, Kara." You put a hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be fine."

"I just..." Kara's expression of shock suddenly twisted into guilt. "I was just so wrapped up in my own shit, I didn't even think..."

"Do you want to visit him later?" You ask. "I have work after school, and I know you have to work at your Dad's place, but maybe do you want to...?"

"Dad's letting me off the hook for most of my shifts until..." Kara breathed. "Yeah, that'd be great..."

"Um..." You stop just outside of the classroom door, scuffing your shoe slightly and thinking. "I have something to tell you, too..."

"Is it another revelation that I've been a huge bitch and ignoring my friends recently?" Kara pushed her bangs back and rubbed her head.

"...I was with him. In the bombing." You have to force the words out.

Kara turns to stare at you for a long moment, blinking rapidly.

"...sorry for not telling you before." You shrug to yourself.

"Screw classes." Kara mutters to herself. "I need a goddamn smoke." Turning on her heel, she immediately turned in the opposite direction of her first class, making a beeline straight for the stairs to the roof. "You coming or what?"

"Uh..." You need to break into a slight trot to follow after her. "Are you sure?"

"My nerves are shot all to hell right now." Kara sighed heavily. "I could use the nicotine." She took the stairs two at a time, forcing you to hammer your feet up the steps.

Throwing the door to the roof open, she crosses to the corner of the room, fumbling with a crisp pack and a lighter. Managing to light it, she takes a few deep drafts, rapidly burning the cigarette halfway down- sighing heavily and breathing out smoke.

"...are you okay, Kara? You're really on edge today." You eye the pack in her hand. Kara had a smoking habit, you know, but it wasn't usually bad enough for a brand new pack that was... half empty?

She took a few deep breaths, light vapors of smoke billowing out of her mouth before responding. "Not really, no, but enough about me." She turned to you. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

You shrug. "I had no idea how I was supposed to bring it up! It was really messed up and I didn't want to talk about it just yet!"

"...okay, yeah, that's fair." Kara sighs, before taking another draft. "Don't want to make you relive it or anything, but... I'm here, I guess? That sounds lame..." She mumbles.

"I appreciate it." You smile lightly. "But really, I'm more worried about Elan. I walked away just fine, not even injured."

"What, and you don't even care about what happened?" Kara alternates between conflicted and aghast. "I don't know if I'd be able to keep it together after something like that..."

>>3861727
"I'm surprised too, if it helps." You linger for a moment on the thought that it could be a result of your Valkan-ness before moving on. "I dunno, it was scary, and there were crazy people everywhere, but I got distracted by..." You trail off, unsure of how to politely phrase it.

"I understand." Kara is quick to reassure you. "But still..." She takes another draft. "Dammit, I'm such an idiot!"

"Don't say that. You've clearly had your own thing going on these past few days."

"A bit before the bombing, yeah, but it's all that anyone's thinking about, so talking about it just seems shallow in comparison. That and..." She mumbles. "It's just that- er, that is to say..." She shakes her head. "Nope, I can't do it. Can't spit it out; Even after four years."

"Spit what out?" You tilt your head.

"It's just... goddammit, how do I say it...?"

"You're gay?" You offer.

"...what? No!" Kara looks at you funny. "No, it's not about whether I like girls or guys or whatever- no, it's about something way more important than that!"

"...more important than you being gay?"

"I'm not gay!"

"Uhuh."

"I'm trying to be serious, Tiiris." Kara smiles a little.

"So am I." You smile back. "But, okay, serious mode, then."

>"If you can't spit it out, maybe I can share something with you as well?"
>>[Sub-Option] "...I actually do have something I want to tell you. It's related to the bombing."
>"Just spit it out, I won't judge you."
>"I've noticed you've been really tired and on edge recently. Sometimes you kind of freak out a bit when I'm nearby. Is this related?"
>[Write-In]

>>3861729
>"Just spit it out, I won't judge you."

>>3861729
>"Just spit it out, I won't judge you."

>>3861729
>"Just spit it out, I won't judge you."
Four years, huh. That how long she's had her problem, or how long she's known Tiiris?

>"Just spit it out, I won't judge you."
Writing.

>>3862009
You've known Kara for four years, now. Since you were twelve.

"Just spit it out, Kara." You cross your arms. "I won't judge."

"Okay... okay!" Kara paces back and forth, mouthing things to herself, amping herself up. "The truth is that I, uh, I..." She stutters. "H-have- dammit, this isn't helping convince you that I'm not nuts!"

"Nuts?" You ask.

"No! Yes! Agh!" She shakes her head. "The truth is- that I have schizophrenia." She threw her hands up. "There! I finally said it!"

You think back to the article on paratroline you read a few days ago. "Schizophrenia?" You try to sound more surprised than you really are.

"Yeah, uh... I hear voices sometimes." Kara starts mumbling. "I take something to control it, but it's just been really bad the past few days... sometimes they get so loud I can't sleep, or the constant noise gives me headaches."

"What do the voices say?" You pause. "Wait, is that why you started smoking?"

"What? Oh, yeah..." She rubs her arms. "They don't tell me to kill people or anything, it's just a bunch of nonsense, honestly. I'm pretty sure it's just a bunch of nonsense I heard earlier? Stupid stuff like you hear on the news- orbits, casualty reports, maintenance... something?" She shrugs lightly. "It's this big jumble."

"Is that what your doctor says?"

"Of course it isn't." She rolls her eyes. "But I like to think it's true..."

"Yeah..." You trail off, unsure of how to react. "...did it feel good to get it off of your chest?"

Kara nods, then takes a final drag of her cigarette before flicking it over the roof. "Yeah, it did..."

"Do you want to talk about it more or...?"

"Not even a little."

"Good, because I have no idea how to help." You slowly lower yourself towards the ground, adjusting your skirt so you're sitting on top of it. "Okay, so we've established those facts." You smile a little and nudge Kara. "Hey, I just realized, you can join me and Elan in the disability club, now!"

Kara pouts slightly, rolling her eyes. "Way to make me feel better. Sounds like a great club."

"Disabled parking." You say simply. "Course, I don't get to use it-" At least, not before. "-but..."

"...oh." The gears visibly turn in Kara's mind. "Okay, yeah. I could get down with that."

You nod with a smile. "See? Plus, free bus fair."

"Why take the bus when the elevators are free, though?"

"...how the hell should I know?"

Kara laughs, some of the tension easing from her shoulders. "So, uh, is this the part where I try to make you feel better about your thing?"

"I'm feeling pretty good about it, actually." The words slip out without you thinking.

"Good?" Kara gives you a funny look. "You were the victim of a terrorist attack and you feel good about it?"

>>3862906
Your lips flap for a second. "Oh, um- well, not in that way. I feel good because I got out alive and unharmed, you know? Elan got busted up, but that's just from the explosions and I'm not making this sound any better am I." You shut your mouth and debate if you should say any more. Digging yourself into a pit making excuses would be very easy, but at the same time, you can't really tell Kara. Can you? She has her own problems, and unlike Elan, she wasn't involved at all. Kara doesn't need to know if you don't want to tell her.

>Confide in her everything. She's one of your closest friends.
>>[Sub-Option] Maybe Valkan medical tech can fix her head?
>No, you don't trust Kara enough to tell her.
>After the revelations about her mental state, you don't think you can trust her anymore.
>It's not that you don't trust Kara, but she's obviously got her own problems. You don't need to pile on.
>Fib a problem to get her of your back. Don't tell anyone you don't have to.
>You'll tell her... just much later, when you're in a more secure place yourself.
>>[Sub-Option] Resolve to tell her when you visit Elan together.
>[Write-In]

>>3862908
>You'll tell her... just much later, when you're in a more secure place yourself.
>[Sub-Option] Resolve to tell her when you visit Elan together.
CHOICE PARALYSIS AAAH.
While she's smoking with headache and stress is a bad time to drop this particular revelation, but Kara is a close friend and doesn't seem untrustworthy. She did come clean, herself. So... later.
Not sure about resolving to do it while visiting Elan, but better to decide ahead of time to do it instead of leaving it up in the air and chickening out at every opportunity.
Plus, Elan is reassuringly analytical. Explaining would definitely be easier with him there.

>>3862908
Ask more about her condition and what the voices say.

>>3862934
That would be pretty rude after she just said she doesn't want to talk about it any further.
>"Do you want to talk about it more or...?"
>"Not even a little."

>>3862908
>>You'll tell her... just much later, when you're in a more secure place yourself.
>>>[Sub-Option] Resolve to tell her when you visit Elan together.

>>3862941
She may be Valkan too. Possibly some kind of device?

>>3862908
>You'll tell her... just much later, when you're in a more secure place yourself.
>[Sub-Option] Resolve to tell her when you visit Elan together.

>>3862908
>Confide in her everything. She's one of your closest friends.

>>3862908
>You'll tell her... just much later, when you're in a more secure place yourself.

The machines can tell if she is Valkan, right?

>>3862908
I was trying to think of ways to subtly deflect the conversation and all I could come up with was
>That car was totally haunted, you know
sssssmoooooth

>You'll tell her... just much later, when you're in a more secure place yourself.
>>[Sub-Option] Resolve to tell her when you visit Elan together.
Writing.

"That's really it..." You mutter, hoping she'll buy it. "I really didn't see anything so..." You feel guilty lying to Kara, but you're just not sure who you can trust right now. Truth is, you're vulnerable, and you've been feeling it moreso lately. It's not that you don't trust her, but... the logical side of your brain says not to pile onto her problems.

"...uhuh." Kara seems unsure of herself, but thankfully lets the topic slip. "Either way..." Her shoulders slump slightly, and she sighs before reaching for her pack again.

"Maybe don't overdose on the nicotine, Kara."

She pauses, then withdraws her hand with a sigh. "Lame."

"Your lungs will thank me in thirty years."

"If I live that long..." Kara snorts.

"Not if you keep..." You realize something near your bag is buzzing. "...smoking? Sorry..." Fishing in it, you pull out your phone and check the messages on it. A stream of texts from Easy, a missed call and...

>EZ: Proximity warning, unknown on roof.
>EZ: Proximity warning, unknown on roof.
>EZ: Proximity warning, unknown on roof.

And a stream of identical texts one after another, with the phone call also being from Easy's number. "...hang on a sec." You stand up, scratching your head at the messages. Unknown? The roof was almost entirely empty space, not even a fence to keep people in, since nobody was really supposed to be up here. The only structure was the small building that covered the top of the stairwell, which you and Kara had been on the far side of this entire time. So...

Rapidly walking over to the little hut, you turn the corner and see a dark-skinned girl sitting against the wall. Laying in front of her is an open lunch bag, and while she quickly turns back to the sandwich in her hand, it was clear that her head was turned towards you.

There was someone else on the roof with you. You were two seconds away from admitting to Kara that you were a Valkan, and there was someone sitting right next to you two, clearly listening in. Your mouth flaps wordlessly a few time, before you manage. "Who are you?"

"...skipping class?" She offers.

"There's someone there?" Kara stops, then swears to herself quietly, standing up and rounding the corner as well.

"Hey." The girl echoes, lazily waving a hand. "You won't tell anyone I was up here, right?"

"I should- uh, yeah." You nod, dumbfounded. "As long as you- you know, same thing in return."

"Cool." The girl nods, then takes another bite out of her sandwich. There's an awkward pause, while the thought runs through your head of exactly how much she overheard, before she opens her mouth and asks. "So are you really a schizo?"

Kara sputters for a second before finally managing. "N-no?"

"Oh." She takes another bite. "I was about to say, my aunt's a schizo. Love her to death, but she's bugfuck nuts."

Kara deflates a little bit, glancing back and forth with a glower. "Good to know..."

>>3864119
"No, she's cool. Just has her moments." She fishes around in her bag, pulling out a small container of black fruit before putting one in her mouth. Thinking better of what she's doing, she turns to you and holds one out. "Paradian?"

"Um, no thanks..." Kara says.

"Aight." She pops it into her mouth. "My name's Netana, by the way."

"...Hi. I'm Tiiris." You manage.

"Like the moon?" Netana says with interest.

"I guess?"

"There's a good karma or something associated with that." Netana nods. "At least I think that's how it goes."

"I need another smoke..." Kara mutters to herself, fumbling with the pack and wandering back over to the corner of the roof.

Netana leaned out to watch her move back to the corner of the roof with interest. "She seems like she needs to relax."

"...I don't think you helped that."

She shrugs. "I'm not telling anyone." She turns away, then turns back, tilting her head. "Hey, I... have we met?"

"No?" You ask, taken aback. "I don't think so."

"Weird. I swear I know you..." Netana shrugs, then turns back to her lunch. "Weird."

Taking a step back, you debate whether to say anything else.

>HAVE you met? You'd remember someone as weird as her.
>Check whether Kara is okay or not, then go back to class.
>Your brain has already left this building. Just leave for the day.
>>[Sub-Option] Get Kara to bail with you.
>[Write-In]

>>3864123
>Check whether Kara is okay or not, then go back to class.

>>3864123
>Check whether Kara is okay or not, then go back to class.

Phew! That could have been bad

>>3864123
>Check whether Kara is okay or not, then go back to class.

>>3864123
>>Your brain has already left this building. Just leave for the day.
>>>[Sub-Option] Get Kara to bail with you.

That girl is weird

>>3864123
>Your brain has already left this building. Just leave for the day.
>>[Sub-Option] Get Kara to bail with you.

>>3864123
>HAVE you met? You'd remember someone as weird as her.
What did Easy mean by "proximity warning, unknown on roof"? Unknown what?

>Check whether Kara is okay or not, then go back to class.
Writing.

Shaking your head slightly, you step away from Netana, heading back over to the corner of the roof where Kara is. She's busy taking deep drafts of her cigarette, hanging a good distance back from the edge of the roof so she won't be seen from the ground.

"You gonna be okay?"

"I knew I should have invited you back home or something." She muttered to herself. "No impulse control, that's what got me into this mess."

"She's not going to tell anyone." You try to reassure her. "And if she does, nobody'll believe her."

"Says you." Kara mutters.

"Says me, yes." You roll your eyes. "You going to be good if I head back to class?"

"...yeah, yeah I think so." Kara rubs her forehead. "I can't wait for the weekend..."

"Well, it's in, like..." You check your watch. "Two hours. So... I'm going to get back to class so I don't get in trouble, okay?"

Kara waves you away. "Have fun."

"With bio? Please." You shoulder your bag and trudge back down the stairs into the school again. When you stick your head into your science class, you have to mumble an excuse about the bathroom before sitting down. Surreptitiously checking your phone while you do so, you send a message to Easy.

>T: A little bit more warning next time would be great.
>T: Bob up and down, get my attention visually if I'm not answering my phone.
>EZ: Apologies, I did not wish to disturb your companion.
>T: She's already pretty disturbed.
>T: What do you mean by 'unknown' anyway?
>T: She was just another person.
>EZ: A combat term for unidentified personnel. I could not determine if she was a soldier or not.

Why the hell would there be a soldi- nevermind. You slip your phone back into your bag and try to concentrate on the remaining lessons of the day as much as possible. These aren't your best subjects, though, so with your distracted state, you barely take in any of it.

Kara doesn't appear again until after your final class has let out, and you see her with the throng of other students leaving the art room. Waving to her as you walk up to her locker, you ask. "So, you still up to visit Elan?"

She nods. "What about your job, though? Should I meet up with you later or...?"

"I... might skip it, actually." You fish in your pocket and pull out your phone, debating about whether to text Sana or not. "I already kind of bailed on it once this week, though..." It would be kind of shitty for you to skip work twice in a week. You're sure that Sana would say yes if you told her you were visiting a friend in the hospital, but...

"If you still go, I'll just head home and try to take a bit of a nap." Kara shrugs. "Doc gave me this stuff that makes me really drowsy, which helps..."

>Screw it, Sana will live without your constant help. Head to Elan's early.
>Go to work. Come on, it's only a few hours.
>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.
>[Write-In]

>>3865146
>Go to work. Come on, it's only a few hours.

>>3865146
>Go to work. Come on, it's only a few hours.

>>3865146
>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.

>>3865146
>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.

>>3865146
>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.

>>3865146
>Go to work. Come on, it's only a few hours.

>>3865146
>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.
Good compromise. Some work done, a longer visit at the end, and Kara gets her nap (hopefully).

>>3865146
>>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.

>>3865146
>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.
We'll need time to break the news that we're Valkan to her and to see if the pendant is making Elan feel better.

>Go to work, but leave early so you have more visiting time than last night.
Writing.

File: mike-chassagne-dxmd-timem(...).jpg (834 KB, 1431x1920)

834 KB JPG

"Hey, Sana?" You call as you push the side door open. "You here?"

A muffled voice calls from the back room. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering if I..." You stop when you see Sana standing with someone else. A man about her age, with brown hair that was slicked back, presumably to cover a bald spot. "Oh, sorry."

"It's fine, Tiiris." Sana gives you a smile, then glances at the man before gesturing to him. "This is my brother Jacob, I don't know if you've met before."

"I don't think we've spoken?" The man holds out a hand.

"No, but I think I saw you once or twice." You nod, taking it and wincing slightly at the firm handshake. He had a strong, powerful grip that made you think of businessmen. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He smiles, then turns to look at Sana.

She looks at you and asks. "I don't think there are any new arrivals today, so you can just man the counter for now- um." She blinks. "What were you about to ask me, by the way?"

"Oh, um, a friend of mine is in the hospital from the..." You glance at Jacob and flounder. "Thing that happened. Would it be okay if I left early today to visit him?"

"Oh! Of course." Sana smiles and nods.

"Thanks." You mumble, before making as graceful of an exit as you can.

A short while later, Sana and Jacob come out from the backroom, still talking as she walks him to the door. She waves him out the door as he exits into the rainy evening, getting into a car waiting on the curb. Huh, someone was there to open the door for him? The man was dressed in fatigues, too, so not a private chauffeur- well, yes, a chauffeur, but not one he paid for himself. Wonder who he was...

Wrapping up early just as the weekend starts is great. At six thirty, you walk straight out of the store and down a few blocks to where ST was parked, pulling out your phone as you do. Oh, a text from Kara...

>K: Hey, do you want to meet up at your job and walk over together or something?

Your immediate first thought is to just give her a ride, but- right, she'd ask how the hell you got a car without anyone realizing it. She could just meet you at the hospital, though. No reason to raise too many questions. Although, you could meet her at her house and then walk with her. It was in the commercial district here, too.

>Meet Kara at the hospital. Not your fault she doesn't have her own car.
>Walk over with her. Let's not raise any suspicious flags.
>Give her a ride. You're about to tell her the truth anyway, so why not?
>[Write-In]

>>3866479
>Walk over with her. Let's not raise any suspicious flags.

>>3866479
>Give her a ride. You're about to tell her the truth anyway, so why not?

>>3866479
>Walk over with her. Let's not raise any suspicious flags.

>>3866479
>>Walk over with her. Let's not raise any suspicious flags.

>Walk over with her. Let's not raise any suspicious flags.
Writing.

As much as you'd like to excise your personal chauffeur robot privileges, it would make a lot more sense for you to just meet Kara in person. Walking a bit fast, you catch sight of her leaving the little rental shop sandwiched between a grocery store and a pottery store just in time for her to hear you call out her name.

She gives a tired smile as you trot to a stop beside her. "Weren't we going to meet at the hospital?"

"I figured we'd walk over together." You smile. "Besides, do you have any idea where he actually is?"

"I... good point." Kara nods.

You point down the road. "C'mon, it's just up the sector over."

Kara smiles. "Okay."

The two of you start walking, an awkward silence settling in. Normally you would have chattered about old movies, forum drama or something else, but the events of the past week weighed on your mind. There just wasn't much you could share with her. Not yet. Thinking some more, you eventually open with. "So I finally managed to fix my Mom's old watch."

"What, really?" Kara perked up a bit at the fairly normal topic. "You've been fiddling with the damn thing for years, what changed?"

"I don't actually know." You shrug, avoiding the subject of the repair drone. "But it's running again. Not sure if it'll stand up to daily use, but... well, there you go."

Kara bobs her head. "Yeah, but still. That's an achievement."

With the ice finally broken, you're able to settle into an easy conversation the rest of the way to the hospital. Knowing the right way this time, you stop at the front desk for just a moment to check in before heading down the hall again. Knocking on the door, you open it to see Elan, still lying on the bed. His body was still fully covered in casts, although you note that his right shoulder was no longer immobilized, even if the arm itself was still in a cast.

Kara breathed in sharply at the sight of him, to which Elan rolled his head over and said. "Would it kill you to send a text next time? The place is such a mess." He jerked his head gently at a bouquet of flowers on the windowsill, then smiled easily. "Come now, it's not that freaky, is it?"

"S-sorry." Kara mutters, awkwardly standing with not much idea of what to do.

You cross the room and drag the extra chair over to the one that's customarily placed by the bed. "What's with the flowers?"

"Hm? Oh, Tina brought 'em in. Something about the place depressing her."

"That was... nice of her to say." You feel your eyebrows raise slightly.

"Bah, she meant well." Elan craned his head around. "And I try to ignore it, but... well, have you seen this place?"

"I wasn't gonna say anything..." Kara mutters, making a slight grimace. "But as long as you're bringing it up, could they have picked a worse white than this? Looks like pus."

"It's ambiance." Elan snickers a little bit as the two of you sit down.

"Your shoulder better?" You ask as you get settled.

>>3867863
"Hm? Oh, yeah, it was just a microfracture, there. Didn't need to be immobilized but doc wanted to be sure. All gone now, so I get my shoulder back." He held his arm up and wiggled the fingers poking out slightly. "I can feed myself again. Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"I can't use a fork, but I can kinda finagle an extra-long straw into my mouth. You know, amuse myself." He put his arm down carefully. "Got the cast off a lot quicker than I thought I would. Doc thought it'd take a while longer at least, but the fracture closed up real quick. Thanks for that, by the way." He gestured at you.

"Thanks?" You ask in surprise. "What did I..." Oh no Elan wai-

"For the..."

>Well, you guess this is happening now.
>Interrupt him and try not to sound too panicked.
>Chicken out and deny everything he's about to say.
>[Write-In]

>>3867864
>Well, you guess this is happening now.

>>3867864
>Interrupt him and try not to sound too panicked.

>>3867864
>Well, you guess this is happening now.

>>3867864
>Well, you guess this is happening now.

>>3867864
>Interrupt him and try not to sound too panicked.

>>3867864
>Well, you guess this is happening now.
"...wizard shit."
And then Tiiris was a wizard.

>Well, you guess this is happening now.
Writing.

File: kara makagan.jpg (152 KB, 1028x1565)

152 KB JPG

"...necklace, I think it might really be helping."

"Necklace?" Kara raised her eyebrows and looked at you. "What, like some mumbo jumbo crystal healing bullshit?"

"No!" Your face turns red, caught off guard as you are. "It's not mumbo jumbo..."

Elan's mouth snaps shut, realizing he said too much. "It's just, ah..."

Kara glances between the two of you, then her expression suddenly turns conspiratorial. "...no." A grin appears on her face, and she glances at Elan - who is holding a very odd look on his face - then back at you. "Are you...?"

"Uh... well, that is to say..." You stammer, balking slightly at having to suddenly explain yourself.

"Er..." Elan glances sidelong at you, before closing his mouth pointedly and looking to Kara.

"Oh my god, you are?" Kara leans forward, beaming. "Is that why you were at the mall together? The two of you are..."

Elan grins.

"Just give me a minute to-"

"Dating?"

You sputter. "What? No!"

Elan suddenly breaks out in wheezes, smothering his hand slightly with his cast.

Kara looks at him, her smile slowly fading. "And why's he laughing?"

"Because we're not dating!" You exclaim, waving your hands. "It's way more important than that!"

"More important than you finally getting laid?"

"Yes!" You protest. "Gah, now I don't know how to explain it..."

"Explain what?" Kara asks.

"My- uh, well, you see I wanted to tell you about- you see, in the bombing we found out... um..."

Kara's expression turns more somber at the mention of the bombing. "Tiiris?"

"This stuff happened and..." You wince, and turn to Elan. "...help?"

Elan thought for a moment. "Did you know that Tiiris is actually a space alien?"

Kara snorts. "I don't think that's what they're referring to when they say 'four eyes'."

"I'm not an alien!" You protest. "I'm more... half?"

"Oh, really." Kara says, deadpan. "Half what?"

"...Valkan?" You answer tentatively.

"Uhuh..." Kara smiles, then blinks. She sits back in her chair a little, then looks at you sharply. "That's not funny, Tiiris." She says softly.

"I wish I was joking." You answer honestly. "But, uh... I'm not."

Kara folds her arms. "Okay, this ties into the mall how, though?"

"Well." You begin tentatively. "You know how the attack was carried out by death cultists?"

She frowns and nods. "Yes?"

"We were... a bit more in the middle of it than I said."

Elan spoke up. "A death cultist tried to stab us is more like it."

"I thought she was pointing a gun at us?"

"I'd just broken my back, I don't remember it all that clearly."

Kara's expression was slowly growing more horrified as the two of you spoke more, her mouth slowly hanging down a little. She bundled up the hoodie she had changed out her uniform blazer for and shivered. "I can't imagine..."

"It gets weirder." You take a breath. "We were saved by a Valkan... thing?"

"A drone?"

File: elan hukak 2.jpg (595 KB, 1414x1000)

595 KB JPG

>>3869907
"No, no- that would have been too normal. This was a... undead soldier, thing. Risen from the dead. Jumped right in and saved us, then guided us out. Apparently a bunch of other ones stopped the shooting before the police got there."

"And this makes you Valkan... how?" Kara looked dubious.

"Because it said it only acts to protect Valkan children."

"You sure the two of you weren't... hallucinating? Winded?" Kara looked between the both of you with an odd expression. "It may have just been a guy dressed funny."

"It seemed pretty real, although Tiiris is the one who did most of the digging afterward." Elan shifted slightly, then glanced at you.

You cowered just a little. "It was definitely real. There's no way I could have hallucinated all of that."

"Soldiers see all sorts of crazy stuff when they're stressed." Kara pointed out. "Are you sure you..."

You shake your head. "No, I can prove it. Here..."

>Pull out the repair bot.
>Ask Easy to show himself.
>Ask OH4875 to show itself.
>Take Kara to see ST0504. Not like you can just break Elan out of the hospital...
>Take the necklace from Elan and demonstrate it's healing capabilities. Relay the stuff you've found so far.
>[Write-In]

Whoops. That formatting tag didn't have a slash.

>>3869911
>>Take Kara to see ST0504. Not like you can just break Elan out of the hospital...

>>3869911
>Pull out the repair bot.
Obviously Valkan without being an intimidating flying invisible thing.
That said, gradual escalation to larger and more outlandish drones would be pretty funny.

>>3869913
QM rite-of-passage! Lucky you, you didn't turn 90% of your post VERY BOLD.

>>3869911
>>Pull out the repair bot.

>>3869911
>Pull out the repair bot.
Because >>3870003 has it right
>gradual escalation to larger and more outlandish drones would be pretty funny

>>3869911
>Ask Easy to show himself.

>Pull out the repair bot.
Calling vote, but update will be severely delayed, as I have a big errand to run.

Artificial intelligence might be a bit much for them right now, so...

You get your bag on your lap, dig through it and pull out the collapsed cylinder form of the repair bot. Putting on the bed between you and Kara, you reach out and carefully bop it. Immediately, the legs snap out, and the drone flips itself upright, balancing itself on it's stubby little legs and turning around carefully. After a moment, it tilts it's body back to 'look' at you - Kara jumps back a little bit - and you give a little wave. "Hey, there, little guy."

Elan was leaning as far forward as his casts would allow him, while Kara still looked wary - and slightly irritated. "It looks like kind of a cheap toy."

"No, it's way smarter than that." You look around, frowning slightly as you realize there isn't much that's normally broken in a hospital room. "It fixes stuff, you see- but, um..." You trail off, unsure. Then a thought occurs to you, and you look at the robot. "Can you think of anything?"

The drone pauses for a moment, then turns and advances up the bed, crawling up Elan who blinks and raises his arm slightly in surprise. Perching on his shoulder, it sticks an arm down the neck of his hospital gown and pulls out the chain of your necklace. Quickly pulling the chain around, it finds the places where the chain has been locked in place since you found it. With a careful motion and a small shower of sparks, it begins steadily righting them, until the links flow smoothly through it's small mechanical arms. After confirming it's handiwork, it suddenly leaps off Elan's shoulder before suckering to the ceiling, wandering over to a small tile that was slightly stained on the corner with water and beginning to work on it.

"It's called a scarab." You find yourself explaining. "Apparently it's a sort of universal repair guy... robot. Thing."

"Oh..." Kara says, her eyes fixed on the small robot on the ceiling.

"Well, uh, apparently this one doesn't talk. Or- well, it thinks, but it can't speak in anything that isn't robot." You shrug. "Just the one I had on me."

Kara's head comes back down, and she looks to you with a confused look on her face. "What? It's talking though."

"...what?" You look at her with a confused look. "No it doesn't?"

"You don't hear that?" Kara asked. "'Switching repair task, repair routine blah blah'?"

"No?" You blink rapidly. "Wait, you can hear it?"

"Yeah?" Kara suddenly retreats on herself, turning slightly pale and knotting up her hands in her jeans. "...can't you?"

"Will it do what you say?" Elan looked up, somewhat entranced by it. "Hey, robot, can you fly?"

Somewhat predictably, it didn't respond.

"I don't think it responds to anyone but me." You respond. "I'm it's... 'owner' now, or something? Come here." You speak up to the drone, which promptly drops from the ceiling, landing in your outstretched hands with a thunk. "Do you think Kara understands you?" You address the robot.

It turns to you, and mimes a nod.

>>3871656
Your eyes slowly slide over to Kara. Hearing voices, could that mean... you shake your head, unsure of whether you want to push the topic with her.

Elan clears his throat. "Well, I for one believe you. This combined with what I saw... yeah."

"Supposedly Valkans can develop magic powers." You mumbled. "There's all this nonsense in their legends. I'm not sure if it's really magic or just... super advanced tech. But whatever it is, I might be able to use it to fix my eyes."

"Wish I had something like that." Elan murmured. "Fix my bones."

"Fix my head." Kara muttered to herself. "At least you can get your bones augmented when you're twenty or something, right Elan?"

"Yeah, but that's, like... a decade away." He shrugs. "And it's a bunch of surgeries, too. One for every bone."

"Right..." You murmur, suddenly sad. How'd you wind up with a circle of friends that all had weird disabilities? You all normally tried to avoid this topic, but it seems to have found you on it's own. Now you were in a depressing roundabout. Time to change the subject...

>So, I'm thinking about doing something crazy this weekend related to all this. Kara, do you want to come?
>After I get my bearings, Elan, I'll see if I can't do something about your bones.
>Try and answer a specific question. (Write-In Questions)
>[Write-In]

There will be no update today, as I have to have cameras shoved in my mouth.

>>3871657
>>So, I'm thinking about doing something crazy this weekend related to all this. Kara, do you want to come?

>>3871658
Well. While we wait, what should inevitable sexy Tiiris look like? DISCUSS.

>>3871657
>So, I'm thinking about doing something crazy this weekend related to all this. Kara, do you want to come?
>After I get my bearings, Elan, I'll see if I can't do something about your bones.

Why not both? But definitely first one first

>>3871657
>So, I'm thinking about doing something crazy this weekend related to all this. Kara, do you want to come?

>>3871657
>After I get my bearings, Elan, I'll see if I can't do something about your bones.
Both sound good. Maybe Kara could still use some time to come to grips with the idea of the voices in her head not being "just" hallucinations though.

Last thread we also promised Taylor a day off to hang out this weekend. So whatever "doing something crazy" might mean, it can't be a long two-day thing unless we're brushing her off entirely.

>>3871657
>So, I'm thinking about doing something crazy this weekend related to all this. Kara, do you want to come?
>>3871658
I wonder which celebrity you are?

>>3871884
>>3871746
This
Also disclose how we can see the valkan drones through walls and stuff, like they glow. Maybe it'll help plant the seed for Kara without us pushing too much onto her at once. Don't wanna freak her out, maybe we can bring it up if she says yes to coming with us. But definitely don't wanna brush off Taylor.

File: 1563634088438.jpg (30 KB, 495x432)

30 KB JPG

>>3871931
The kind that needs a root canal.

>>3871667
Big blonde bombshell

>>3871667
Cute and smol blonde girl

>So, I'm thinking about doing something crazy this weekend related to all this. Kara, do you want to come?
Writing.

File: shinkai.png (1.45 MB, 1536x864)

1.45 MB PNG

"...well." You think. "This weekend, I wanted to do some searching for something..."

"What? Valkan stuff?"

"Er- kinda?" You hesitate. "I was going to try and find a Valkan. A friendly one."

"...a friendly Valkan." Kara said flatly.

"They didn't all want to kill us. Apparently that's why their ships blew up. I was hoping to find one, see if she could teach me." You pause for a second. "Or he." Actually, had you heard of a male Valkan yet? There had to be some at least...

"So what's your point?"

"Do you want to come with me?" You fidget. "I agreed to do something on Saturday, but afterwards... we could make a sort of day out of it?"

"How could I help?" Kara shrugged. "I can barely take care of myself."

"Might take your mind off things?" You suggest.

"Are there really any Valkans in the city, though?" Elan asked dubiously.

"...there stuff is here, but... I wasn't actually thinking... in the city. I think I'll have to go further." You rub your shoulder a bit nervously, feeling ridiculous now that you're saying it out loud. "My only lead is really in... Kana."

"Kana?" Elan balks slightly. "That's not even on the same continent. How are you going to get across the ocean?"

"I have a ride..."

"Does it fly?"

"...maybe?" You shrug. "I have a car I can... borrow, at least."

"Since when?" Kara asked in surprised.

"A few days ago?" You hazard. "Look, point is, I have a ride. Do you want to look for Valkans this weekend?"

"...maybe?" Kara says, rubbing her shoulder. "I'm... I'm not sure how much of all this I buy, and to just go running out of the city... what if we get delayed? My Dad will kill me if I just disappear..."

"It's not a problem if you don't want to..."

Kara frowns, then shakes her head. "No, sorry, just thinking out loud. I'll come."

"You sure?" You can't help but sound a little surprised.

Kara nods. "I'm sure. Just let me known when we leave."

"Okay..."

"I wish I could come with you." Elan frowns and lifts his disabled limbs a little. "But..."

"You'll get better eventually." You force a smile. Part of you wonders if Valkan medical technology could fix him. That's gotta be possible for them, right? All this talk of augmentations and cybernetics from them, and it was within Tagaran reach to fix his bones... eventually. You don't want to get his hopes up, though. "Don't worry."

"I know, it's just frustrating." Elan leans back in the bed.

The rest of the visit passes in a haze of forced conversation on Kara's part, and Elan's endless whiplash between obscure topics and bad jokes, with you in the corner trying to contribute - while avoiding the hidden looks the two of them were giving you. Both of them seemed to be taking the revelations pretty well, considering you'd told them you were a space alien.

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5.97 MB PNG

>>3874822
Kara had settled into a state of unsure acceptance. You're not sure she really believes you yet, considering all you showed her was a tiny robot. Maybe meeting some of your other robots would help convince her. Elan on the other hand, was rolling with it like he did everything else. The gravity of what you've discovered seems to be lost on him, though. He keeps lapsing into jokes instead of discussing it more seriously like he did at the very beginning. That may just be his own way of dealing with it, though.

You and Kara eventually say goodbye to Elan, leaving the hospital together before they can kick you out. Things are silent between the two of you for the first stretch back, Kara seemingly lost in thought, looking down at her feet instead of you until the point where the two of you would split and head your separate ways.

"Tiiris." She stops and looks at you. "Do you think I might be Valkan, too?"

It takes you a second to respond. "I don't know."

"Is there a way to tell, or..." She puts on a brave face, but the slight whine to her voice betrays her stress.

"Uh... well, I first noticed because I can... sort of 'see' them."

"Can't everyone?"

"Er- yes, but... I can see them through walls. They sort of 'glow' to me. Even when my eyes aren't working."

"And I can hear them, I guess." Kara rubs her eyes. "But... how? Did they implant something in me to make that happen, or...?"

"Magic?" You offer.

Kara scowled. "I doubt it."

You crack a little smile. "I've seen some crazy shit this week. Magic being real isn't that far off."

---

Pushing the door to your apartment open, you take a sniff and immediately cough slightly from the burning sensation. "I'm ho- Damn, what's that smell?"

"Your robot friends have been doing a... 'deep clean'." Dad's voice calls from the living room. The TV is on, streaming reruns of an old comedy show. He rolls over and rubs his eyes as he looks up at you from the couch. "You get used to it after a minute."

You cough a little more. "I hope so."

Easy coasts through your bedroom door at that moment, darting it and taking your bag from you before you can toss it to the side. "Good evening, miss."

"Hi- wait, weren't you with me earlier?"

"I move faster than most humans do." Easy replied smoothly. "Do you need to eat?"

"Uh, no, I'm good for the moment." You say as Easy takes your coat. "Is... there anything you need?"

"In fact, miss, there is." Easy hangs up your coat for you, gliding back to your room with the bag. "Me and ST0504 have completed a search of personnel manifests and public traffic in the area, and I believe we have a large enough list of possible Valkans trained in the Arts for your consideration."

"Really?" You ask in surprise. "How many?"

"Five, globally." Easy replies. "Some were more difficult to locate than others."

"Who were they?" You follow him back to your room, sliding off your uniform jacket as you do so.

>>3874824
"We expanded upon our search of Tagan Aran. Her real name is Auvartii aust Pallas, and she is the daughter of the philosopher-engineer Yanodix aust Pallas, born slightly before our defeat."

"Should either of those mean anything to me?" You ask.

"Yanodix was noted by his contemporaries. One of the greatest philosopher-engineers of our time. Doubtless she is skilled as well, if he passed on anything to her."

"But he might not have?"

"She is skilled enough to cover some of her electronic tracks." Easy replied. "That implies a level of competence. According to her last tax payments under the pseudonym, her current residence is outside of Reese."

"That's quite a drive from here... but not over the ocean, either. What about the other four?"

"We have less information on three of the remaining individuals. Two appear to be Valkans or their descendants, living in Tanis. They appear to have training in the Art, but are likely of subpar quality for teachers. The third has obfuscated his identity well, but our surveillance of him indicates that he is possibly Shipmaster Alich himself, living in Kana."

"Shipmaster?"

"A Valkan military rank, similar to that of an Admiral. Alich was responsible for the Tagaran offensive."

"He must be... pleasant, then." Your mouth twists slightly into a grimace. "So a no on him, right?"

"Not necessarily. Alich was known to be a generous man, loyal to the Valkan cause above anything else. We deemed it likely that he would teach you and assist you, regardless of his past."

"I'm not sure I'm..."

"You did not specify a moral qualification for a teacher. Would you like us to revise our search?"

"...I'll think about it." You mumble. "What about the last one?"

Easy actually paused for a moment before speaking. "I would like to preface this by stating that both I and ST0504 believe this to be a trap."

"...Well, now I'm listening."

"We detected a beacon broadcasting from a small island in the Northen Sea. Illiir, we believe the name is. It is a repeating audio transmission, broadcast each night for two hours before ceasing. The sender identifies herself as Kathari aust Kharak, the warlock."

"'The'?"

"True warlocks are extremely few in number. Additionally, many left the fleet before the Tagaran offensive. It is doubtful that whoever broadcast this message is speaking truthfully."

"And the message is...?"

Easy made a clicking sound, and a woman's voice began playing through it. "My name is Kathari. If you can hear this message, you have discovered your ancestry, and are likely burning with questions. Seek me out, and I shall instruct you in the ways of your real people. Blessed be the people of Valka." Then it clicked off.

"...weird message. So what even is a warlock, then?"

>>3874826
"A philosopher-engineer that has been trained for war. They are the greatest masters of the Abyss in existence, but they rarely accept students for instruction. Even during the Valkan Empire, they would only instruct the public in the fundamentals. For one to be publicly advertising for a student is..."

"Very modern." You say sardonically.

"Non-traditional. This is likely someone attempting to lure Valkans to a remote location."

"...For what purpose?"

"The Tagaran government may be attempting to acquire Valkans for their own purposes. A Valkan may be using gullible half-Valkans to gather parts. I'm sure you would agree, the message seems odd, fundamentally."

"I suppose..." You rub your shoulder. One of those was very close, but the rest were quite far away. Several days trip, at least, which meant blowing off school for a bit. Not having all of the information possible irked you, but if you wanted to get anything done this weekend, you may have to act without knowing everything.

Who would you prefer to focus on?

>Auvartii aust Pallas. Someone local, who grew up on Tagara, like you. That's much more reassuring than mysterious Valkans living among you. Plus, she's close.
>Shipmaster Alich. Generous is good, especially if he'd see you as one of his own. The only question is how you get to Kana...
>Focus on the two you don't know about. Tanith is quite a ways away from here, but if the two turn out to be even better options to approach than the other three, well...
>Kathari aust Kharak. Funny, that name sounds almost familiar, but you're not sure how. There's something subtly wrong with it, you agree, but it's too enticing to not check out.

>>3874827
>Auvartii aust Pallas. Someone local, who grew up on Tagara, like you. That's much more reassuring than mysterious Valkans living among you. Plus, she's close.

>>3874827
Ask easy if kara ha valkan ancestry as well.
Kara
aust Kharak

>>3874827
>Shipmaster Alich. Generous is good, especially if he'd see you as one of his own. The only question is how you get to Kana...
>>3874847
This as well.

>>3874847
This

>>3874827
>>Auvartii aust Pallas. Someone local, who grew up on Tagara, like you. That's much more reassuring than mysterious Valkans living among you. Plus, she's close.
>>Shipmaster Alich. Generous is good, especially if he'd see you as one of his own. The only question is how you get to Kana...
Would it be possible for us to meet the closest one first and then go out and meet the other?

>>3874897
Of course, but you have no way of knowing if circumstances will change once you meet one of these people.

>>3874897
Yeah, and checking out the warlock closer too

>Auvartii aust Pallas. Someone local, who grew up on Tagara, like you. That's much more reassuring than mysterious Valkans living among you. Plus, she's close.
>Ask Easy about Kara.
Writing.

"You know where Auvartii lives?" You ask.

"We have an address that was current as of the last tax season."

"Okay..." You glance at the living room. "How long do you think it would take to get to Reese and back?"

"We have no way of knowing the duration of any visit with Auvartii. Simply speaking, it is an eight hour drive my land routes, or a two hour flight. Flying would necessitate securing a covert take off and landing area, however."

"Right..." You muse a little. "I don't suppose there's any other way but that."

"Technically speaking, there is."

"...what, you mean a boat or something?"

"Yes. Twelve hours by sea, but submerging is an effective way to avoid most surveillance." Easy replied.

"Can ST go underwater?"

"Of course."

"...Valkan vehicles really are something, aren't they." You start pulling on your pajamas. "They live in space, but prepare their vehicles for underwater travel."

"Not exactly." Easy follows you out to the living room. "But many functions can serve multiple purposes. Electric turbines can move water in addition to air. Jovian hulls can repel sea water."

"I see."

"You will learn to do the same, in time. Will you require a shower tonight?"

"I'm good. Think I'm going to get to bed on time, for once."

"Good night, miss."

You poke your head into the living room. "I'm gonna head to bed, Dad."

"Okay." He reached up and kissed your cheek before laying back down. "You planning on doing anything this weekend?"

"I'm going to hang out with Taylor a little tomorrow. I might have... Valkan stuff tomorrow? I'm not sure."

Dad frowns slightly, but nods. "Just let me know what you're doing."

"I will, night."

---

St. Yanna's Youth Hospital, Miir
24th of 4th, 1173. Same time.

One of the advantages of being in and out of hospitals your entire life is you get used to the beds. People always complained about how uncomfortable or itchy they were. Or that they were lumpy and restrictive. All of that was true, but Elan had been in them enough times that he didn't care anymore. He lay with his head back on the pillow, sleeping quietly, listening to the small sounds of brooms echoing from the front office, and of doctor's speaking to each other two floors up.

His idle dreams were of mundane things- games, characters and his friends online with nary a thought spared for Valkans or the revelations of the day. Just for a second, in his dream, he'd get an idle urge to get up and do something - and in the gap between that thought occurring and his sleeping mind terminating the command to his body, his skin shifted slightly, compressing on itself for the barest second before rebounding to it's normal dimensions.

---

>>3876199
You wake up around noon, blinking your eyes against the afternoon sun streaming into your room. Sitting up, you stretch and yawn in your pajamas, sitting still for a few minutes as you try to regain your bearings. Stumbling out into the kitchen, you have a glass of water while you blink unintelligibly at Easy's blurry outline hovering nearby. "Mornin'."

"Good morning, miss." With a metallic thunk, two pieces of toast pop out of the toaster on the counter in front of you. "Butter's on the table."

"Thanks." You mumble, snatching the pair out and fumbling with the hot pieces for a moment. Sitting down, you start to blearily butter them - mostly by feel, without your glasses. As your brain starts to get going, you search for a conversation topic, before speaking up. "Easy, what's with the 'aust' in Valkan names?"

"Valkans take the last name of their birthplace for their common name." Easy replied. "Pallas was the name of one of our carriers- the ship you refer to as Hull IV."

"So which ship was named Kharak?" You tilt your head a little, frowning at the name.

"None. Kharak is the name of a planet. The lifeship Kharki - Hull XV - was named for it."

"A planet?" You frown a little. "I thought Valkans lived in space."

"Kharak was lost to the Valkans some one thousand years ago."

"Ah, I se-" You stop dead. "Wait, this woman- Kathari was born one thousand years ago then?"

"Longer, actually. Warlocks live for a very long time."

You stare at Easy for a long while. "Is that... normal? For Valkans, I mean."

"Valkans typically live an extended period of time, yes. Provided they have proper access to healthcare. Masters of the Abyss live for even longer."

"Oh." You echo, stuffing some of the toast in your mouth. Swallowing, you ask. "So, over-under on Kara being a Valkan descendant?"

"Possible. She does not bear any recognizable markers in her biology. Her claims of hearing Valkan communications point to a malfunctioning biological augmentation, affecting the same region of the brain as your own."

"But I see things."

"Yes, but you are not receiving the information through your eyes. Valkans did not use biological ocular augmentations. That you perceive Valkan communications visually is likely a bug or mutation."

"I'm no stranger to stuff being wrong with my brain, at least." You mumble. "Any way you can check about Kara?"

"We can analyze her family records, look for possible Valkan ancestry. One moment." Easy lapses into a brief silence as you eat the rest of your toast. "Excuse me, miss, but is Kara a nickname?"

"I don't think so, why?"

"I am failing to find any relevant birth records for 'Kara Makagan'. What is her father's name?"

"Adan, I think. Adan Makagan."

Easy lapsed into silence again. "Ah, Kara is in fact a nickname."

You furrow your brow. "Wait, really?"

"Yes. It is short for 'Kharak'."

Your eyebrows immediately go up, and you blink a few times.

>>3876200
"A highly improbable coincidence. The word does not occur in Tagaran culture, to my understanding."

"No, it doesn't." You shake your head. "She's named after a Valkan planet?"

"This is not entirely surprising." Easy replied. "Female Valkans were typically named after planets."

"Bit of a weird name, though." You shake your head.

"How many Tagarans are named 'Tiiris'?"

"...okay, point." You grumble a little, before pushing back from the table. "That's something to talk about with her later..." Calling back to Easy, you say. "Where's Dad, by the way?"

"Grocery shopping." There was a slight clatter of dishes from the kitchen, before Easy glided into your room. "You are meeting with a friend today, correct?"

"Yep." You open your closet, grabbing one of your many similar pairs of pants and shirts. "Dunno what we're going to do yet."

"You could possibly update your wardrobe. You lack any real formal wear."

"I have a nice dress." You frown a bit in bemusement and gesture to the back of your closet. "It's but it still fits."

"Childish fashion does not become you." Easy gently flipped through your clothes a few times. "Perhaps I will have to endure until we gain access to a manufactorum."

"Maybe you will." You stand up and hold out your hand. "Okay, I have no idea where you hid my bag, where is it?"

---

You arrive ahead of Taylor, checking your phone to make sure she hadn't texted you that she's waiting somewhere. On your way over, the two of you had texted back and forth about things you could do today, but eventually you settled on going to...

>The arcade. You can't afford to do the home gaming thing, but that doesn't mean you had no interest!
>The commercial district. There were all sorts of weird places to window shop here.
>A movie. The quiet suited you and Taylor's conversation style a lot more.

>>3876201
>The arcade. You can't afford to do the home gaming thing, but that doesn't mean you had no interest!

>>3876201
>The arcade. You can't afford to do the home gaming thing, but that doesn't mean you had no interest!

>"Kharak was lost to the Valkans some one thousand years ago."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJvYZXUT5Bk

File: flashbacks to kharak.gif (1.89 MB, 329x319)

1.89 MB GIF

>>3876241
I can still hear the singing...

>>3876241
My thoughts exactly

>>3876201
>The commercial district. There were all sorts of weird places to window shop here.

>The arcade. You can't afford to do the home gaming thing, but that doesn't mean you had no interest!
Writing.

"Isn't this like... the third time 16-bit has made a comeback?" Taylor asked, idly rolling another ball up the slope.

"Fourth, I think." You answer, idly watching as her shots continued to miss the central landing zone within the machine. "It was last big before the war, right? So a generation passes, then it's huge again."

"Which means that the games of our adulthood will be the hardcore escapist stuff that was popular during the war... not sure how I feel about that."

"It might be hardcore sim stuff instead. Like what Elan plays except... well, you know. Popular?" You shrug, tapping your plastic ticket card against the skee ball machine next to Taylor's. A mechanical thunk heralded three white balls rolling out onto the ramp.

"Not sure how I feel about that, either."

You crack a little smile and take careful aim with one of the balls, before giving it a firm roll down the track. With a quick zip, it flew up the ramp and landed square in the bullseye. You take your time between shots, in contrast to Taylor's quick and frenetic slings, almost throwing them at the ramp. "You'd think that someone who plays such a precise instrument would roll with a bit more deliberation." Another bullseye.

"I spend all day being calm and precise. That's hardly the sort of thing I want to do to relax."

"Fair enough, I suppose." You miss slightly this time, landing your ball in the outer bullseye. "How'd the concert go?"

"Fine." Taylor shrugs. "Exactly like practice, really. Just with more parents and stage fright."

"Sounds great..." You mutter sarcastically.

"Don't I know it." Taylor rolls her eyes, taking aim with her final ball. Solidly chucking it, she manages to send it over all of the holes to smack the top of the machine with a loud metallic crack before it fell back down into the lowest scoring pit. "Well. Skee ball is bullshit, let's find something else."

You take your remaining ball and toss it down the ramp carelessly, sending it flying into one of the middle rings and making the marquee above it flash with your score. "Any preference?"

"We'll wander until we find something." Taylor shrugged.

As the two of you walk, you notice Taylor occasionally looking out of the corner of her eye at you, an appraising look on her face. You try to ignore it, looking over the glowing sea of arcade displays in front of you, each one flashing with different graphical styles and modes of play. Some had VR headsets on a tether, others had physical props and others still had basically a glorified keyboard for the upscaled PC games they were running. They ran the gamut of eras, from old vector games with their wireframes to sprites and polygons. One row of machines showcased fleets of naval ships with odd controls, while another had a VR headset dangling down in front of a panel of buttons and levers. There were blues and whites and black and yellows and Valkan signatures and wait what-

>>3877854
Your gaze snaps back to where you thought you glimpsed something, but there was only a trash can there. No signature of any kind.

"So what's been bothering you, anyway?" Taylor's inquisitive voice snaps you out of your reverie.

"What?" You glance over at her, startled.

"You're terrible at hiding your emotions." Taylor grins a little bit. "You keep getting this really zoned out look before coming back to Earth."

"Oh- uh, well..." Shit, was it that obvious? You'd come here today to try and take your mind of Valkan stuff, but-

"There it is again." Taylor notes dryly. She had this odd, piercing quality to her eyes, mostly in that they didn't move much. They just... stare. Unmoving. "C'mon, spill the beans."

You flap your lips a few times, struggling to figure out how to respond.

>Talk about something else in your life to cover it up- Kara and her head, Elan and his bones, so on.
>Fib a little bit and scrub out most of the details.
>Rope yet another person into your growing conspiracy.
>Just dance around the subject.
>[Optional] That had to be a signature, you're sure of it. Go hunting around for it.
>[Write-In]

>>3877856
>Talk about something else in your life to cover it up- Kara and her head, Elan and his bones, so on.

>>3877856
Go to the nearest game and start playing, ignore her questions.

>>3877856
>Talk about something else in your life to cover it up- Kara and her head, Elan and his bones, so on.
>[Optional] That had to be a signature, you're sure of it. Go hunting around for it.

>>3877856
>Talk about something else in your life to cover it up- Kara and her head, Elan and his bones, so on

>>3877856
>Fib a little bit and scrub out most of the details.
"I was in a terrorist bombing and I really need to get better at lying about it because everyone keeps noticing I'm acting weird!"
'Everyone' in the teenage sense, that being exactly two friends so far. So literally everyone ever, forever.

Blabbing about Kara would be a jerk move, she only just revealed that secret to us.

>>3878002
+1

>Talk about something else in your life to cover it up- Kara and her head, Elan and his bones, so on.
Writing.

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600 KB PNG

"A-ah- well, you see, Kara-" Wait, no, how could you just betray Kara's trust like that? "Er- Elan broke some bones, he's in the hospital..."

"Yeah, I know." Taylor tilts her head, scrutinizing your face. "That's not it, though. Elan hurts himself all the time."

"I'm just worried about him!" You protest, unconvincingly. Why'd you have to get Dad's strength and his awful lying?

"Nah, he's not seriously hurt." Taylor reached up and brushed your hair a little bit. "Hair's still nice, too. You suddenly get a spa habit?"

"N-no..."

"Hm..." She suddenly leaned closer to your face. "Exfoliated, skin cleaned up..." She leaned back and - after a pause - pulled up one leg of your pants. "...and you're shaved. You're not acting blushy enough for it to be a boy, though..." A grin built on her face, slowly. "Someone special in your life? Dad get a girlfriend, maybe? Some kind of caretaker, like an aunt or guardian?"

You pointedly start walking towards one of the arcade machines. What's this one? A high speed management game? Sure, you don't know shit about strategy games, but- sure. Tapping your card, you start to play.

"Oh, I was close with that last one, wasn't I?" Taylor appears at your shoulder, her grin flashing in your peripheral vision as you try to focus. "You don't seem to be that moody, so probably not your Dad..."

"I wouldn't mind if Dad started dating again..." You mumble.

"Sure, sure." Taylor leaned against the machine, idly watch you try to make the right decision.

Every few seconds, it would pop up with a business decision, and you'd have to press one of two buttons, either to reject it or accept it. Each one cost you funds, which either grew or shrunk over time, depending on previous decisions. Predictably, your funds rapidly shrank to nothing, and you were forced to take out a loan from a shady source, only to be faced with loansharks at your door later.

A thought seemed to occur to Taylor at this. "Hey, seriously, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course." You glowered slightly, carefully trying to control your expression.

Taylor's grin faltered slightly, studying you with more naked intent than before. Just for a second, though. In an instant, she was all grins again, saying in a sing-song voice. "Keep it to yourself, then."

Rolling your eyes, you let go of the controls just as 'BANKRUPTCY' flashed onto the screen in front of you. Turning to her, you think before asking. "Want to get something to eat?"

"I could go for something." Taylor nods.

---

As extravagant as this arcade was in the gaming department, it's almost embarrassing how little it has to offer in the 'actual sustenance' department. Although perhaps that is integral to the arcade experience. Taylor was currently haggling with the cashier for a hot dog, while you debated between a traditional meat bun or a pretzel.

>>3879393
You feel slightly chilled for a moment. Reaching up a hand to your head, you notice that you've broken out in a cold sweat, your joints aching as you shiver in place. An ache quickly starts in your head again- not nausea, not exhaustion, but a sense of losing your place in space, your sense of where you are not quite tracking with where your body really is. Damn it, not again...

The slight signatures in the distance flare and contract rhythmically while you lean against the retaining bar for stability. You blink a few times and notice through the haze that there was in fact a signature in the building. Well, besides Easy, who you imagine was nearby. This one was bigger. Closer to the size of a person than anything else but- oh, your head...

"You know what you're- ah, shit, you feeling alright?" Taylor gets a worried expression when she walks up to you.

"No..." You mumble, taking off your glasses and rubbing your head. "Hot flash or something..."

"You're not going through menopause yet, Tiiris."

"Or something!" You snap.

"Do you want to sit down?"

The pain isn't honestly that bad, but it feels unpleasant as all hell. The ache is seemingly concentrated right at the bad of your skull, radiating through the rest of your head in time with the world distorting around you. You could probably push through it, but... bleh...

>Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, take a painkiller, see if it helps.
>>[Sub-Option] Use the excuse - and apparent temporary super-Valkan detecting powers - to check out that signature.
>Get something to eat and just sit down with Taylor for a bit.
>Ignore it.
>[Write-In]

>>3879395
>Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, take a painkiller, see if it helps.
>>[Sub-Option] Use the excuse - and apparent temporary super-Valkan detecting powers - to check out that signature.

>>3879395
>sit down and grab a bite.
And tell taylor we were on the bombing, and the aftermath has its toll on our sanity. And ssk her to keep an eye out for moving trashcans

>>3879395
>>Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, take a painkiller, see if it helps.
>>>[Sub-Option] Use the excuse - and apparent temporary super-Valkan detecting powers - to check out that signature.

>>3879395
>Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, take a painkiller, see if it helps.
>>>[Sub-Option] Use the excuse - and apparent temporary super-Valkan detecting powers - to check out that signature.
>text Easy to see if he noticed it

File: arcades are weird.jpg (359 KB, 960x676)

359 KB JPG

>>3879395
>Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, take a painkiller, see if it helps.
>[Sub-Option] Use the excuse - and apparent temporary super-Valkan detecting powers - to check out that signature.
Keep an eye out for any batshit insane arcade cabinets that seem like they must have been made on a whole different planet full of crazy people. They could be Valkan drones IN DISGUISE.

>>3879395

>Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, take a painkiller, see if it helps.
Page 10

>Go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, take a painkiller, see if it helps.
>>[Sub-Option] Use the excuse - and apparent temporary super-Valkan detecting powers - to check out that signature.
Writing and posting to new thread. Archived.

At the rate her relaxing day off from Valkan stuff is going, Tiiris is going to need a vacation from her day off.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick..." You mumble. "Just in case..."

"Okay..." Taylor nods. "Text me if you start blowing chunks."

"Gee, thanks." You force a smile before standing up.

Making sure to step deliberately, you slowly make your way over to the bathrooms, fumbling in your pockets for the little packet of painkillers you keep for your period. Popping one in your mouth, you take a drink from the water fountain and swallow it down, before pushing the door open to the women's restroom. Your skin almost feels like it's broken out in goosebumps. All of small hairs on your arm are standing on their ends, and your skin feels like it's tightened, almost. Less flexible and more firmly wrapped around your flesh. Finding a free stall, you step in and steady yourself against the tank, your head swimming from the effort of walking over there. You don't feel like you're going to throw up, but man do you not want to move...

Lowering the toilet seat down and sitting on the edge, you knead your head and groan slightly. Keeping your eyes closed seems to help with some of the headache, and also lets you focus on the signature. It's close by, just away from - you crack open your eye for a second to reorient yourself, before quickly closing it - yeah, the employee entrance to the left of the bathrooms. You saw it coming in. Looks... eh, bigger than Easy, you think? But not by much, probably closer to OH4875's size.

After a little bit, the painkiller seems to kick in, helping abate the headache somewhat and making it possible for you to open your eyes. Standing up experimentally, you sway a little back and forth to test your bearings. The nausea seems to have mostly abated, too, although you still feel... 'off'.

Exiting the bathroom, you poke your head out and look around a few times. Nobody really looking this way, employees mostly distracted by their duties, good of a chance as any. Putting a shoulder against the swiveling hinge, you push past it into the back rooms.

A hallway greets you, a fairly narrow, single-person passage that forks off and turns and odd angles, each route linking together all of the booths and kiosks that ringed the arcade floor. The busy sounds of the kitchen echo from the doorway to your right, so you skip past and look for the signature again. Looking to your left and right, you realize you can't see it- not until you look down and notice it seemingly moving under your feet. A basement level...

You have no idea where any of these doors go, so you just start moving from door to door. A broom closet, an employee lounge of some kind, a staircase- ahah! It was the building's redundant staircase, allowing access to the roof and whatever infrastructure was under the city plate it was built on without needing a ladder. Several of the more noisy and big classes were held in these same rooms under the school, although businesses would likely have their allotted sections sealed off from public access.

>>3881837
At the bottom of the stairwell was a single, larger door that pointed back into the space below the arcade. Just beyond it was the signature, moving around behind it. Turning the handle, you open it to find yourself in some kind of store room. Metal shelves were set up in neat rows, stocked with cleaning supplies- a small rack of brand-new, plastic wrapped brooms, large bottles of bleach and what you could guess were cleaners and soap. Instead of shelves in some places, there were old arcade cabinets with rings of metal keys taped to their screens. One shelf was cluttered with old coils of cables stacked haphazardly on each other.

Just as you're about to move a bit further into the shelves, something makes you stop. The hairs on the back on your neck suddenly stand up and you get a cold feeling. Then you just about leap out of your skin and the door behind you swings open. Whirling around, you see a surprised looking guy - maybe about in his mid-twenties, looking at you with surprise.

"Um, are you lost, ma'am?" He had on the same black polo shirt and slacks combo that the rest of the arcade employees wore, with a fairly impressive, closely trimmed beard on his face.

"Oh, ah, n- yes?" You try to feign ignorance. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't be here-" You step towards him, making to move past him back out into the stairwell.

"Are you feeling well?" He asks, squinting at your face a bit closely. It seems genuine, but something about the way he's looking at you makes you shiver. "If you want, you can lie down for a little bit..."

"No, that's fine, I..." You can't shake the feeling that something is very wrong, here. Pointedly stepping to his side, you try to grab at the door handle, but his hand reaches out and grabs your outstretched hand, pulling it back. "What the hell is wrong with-" Your headache picks that exact moment to sharpen, causing the distant signature you were looking at to sharpen and flare in intensity. Something's wrong with him- an odd, inky feeling that emanates from him and pulses beneath his skin. Almost like a signature. There's an electric chill in the air that you don't remember feeling before, and the confused, slightly nervous expression this guy had before has faded away to a sort of twisted confidence. His grip tightens on your arm.

>Overpower him and get the hell out of there.
>Make some excuses and get out of there.
>Pull back from him- run into the shelves, maybe. What the hell does he want?
>Start making noise, maybe someone will hear you.
>Get your phone and try to get someone on the line. (Write-In said person)
>Just punch him in the fucking face.
>[Write-In]

Thread lasted a lot longer than I thought, considering it's a saturday. So I guess I'm a liar on a new thread.

>>3881838
>Start making noise, maybe someone will hear you.
AHHH HELP HE'S GOING TO RAPE ME

>>3881838
>Make some excuses and get out of there.
If he doesn't let go, sock him