thenashira | Game Update: May I 2377

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Game Update: May I 2377

Weather & Recap ⭐︎ By Daylight ⭐︎ By Starlight
🎶 Recommended Listening: Smile.dk - Future Girls ♪
may i 2377
EPISODE 1: Flash Fashion? Couture Craze in Chalra City!
May 1 - May 9

Weather: Chalra City is enjoying a balmy and sunny late spring with some light rain here and there. The inland breeze from the nearby beaches brings a cool touch and the promise of summer, and flowering forsythia adds splashes of bright yellow to many parts of the city. The highs for the month average around 72°F/22°C, with lows around 50°F/10°C.

Recap: Episode 0: Nova Knights, Awaken!
At some point in the latter half of April, you awakened to your destiny as a Nova Knight, and last week, you and your fellow Nova Knights assembled for the first time. With Nautis's help, you're here to fight for a common cause — saving the Earth from the Abyss, the evil entity that destroyed your home planet in a past life. Whether or not you've revealed your true identity to any of your fellow Nova Knights, though...

Nautis has asked that you all lay low for a bit while she analyzes some data to try and pinpoint the enemy's next move. In the meantime, you can still keep an eye out for the occasional low-level monster terrorizing innocent bystanders, but maybe you're taking this opportunity just to let it all sink in. Maybe it doesn't even feel real yet, despite the big battle last week. After all, finding out that you have a special destiny because you're a reincarnated space alien can be a lot to take in.

BY DAYLIGHT
⭐︎ The new school year is underway at the Everwave Academy for Distinguished Youths, and after a month, students and faculty alike have settled back into the familiar school day rhythm. There's a new teacher in the art department, Shelly Lustre, whose highly critical approach has already made him a polarizing figure among students.

⭐︎ Chalra City is always changing with the times, and fashion is no exception! The new hot thing is in and it is Dan Flashes, a high-end boutique that recently opened in the downtown shopping district. Shoppers are turning out in droves to snatch up their latest pieces, especially their signature line of shirts with a variety of elaborate patterns despite the designer prices, which seem...to be based on how complicated the patterns are...? Huh?? Their items are, uh, pretty unique, but maybe the exclusivity is the main draw. Surely no one would actually buy these because they think they look it looks good, let alone wear them, right?

And yet the craze has taken hold of the city! Even if you can’t afford to shell out $800 for a shirt that looks like a screensaver threw up on an upholstered bus seat, you can still show your brand loyalty by wearing one of their signature pins. They’re practically giving them away, and it seems like just about everyone is wearing one these days. If you want to be in right now, Dan Flashes branded pins are all the rage in pop couture.

BY STARLIGHT
Hideout: Part of the Nova Knights package is the secret hideout beneath Lucky Stars Arcade, made of the remnants of a part of the Nashira that crash landed on Earth hundreds of years before Chalra City's founding. Right now all that's accessible is the console room that houses Nautis's core and the briefing room, which serves as a kind of lounge, but aside from shelves built into the walls, the only furniture there is an ancient table bolted to the floor, and anything that hasn't been recently touched is covered in a thick coat of dust. Who knows what you might find in there?

Still, if you want to just hang with your fellow Knights while in supernova (you know, in case you're concealing your identity), this is the place to be! All of the Nova Knights have been granted the power to warp themselves to the hideout while in supernova, but there's also the secret entrance behind the Bleat Fighter 3 cabinet that can be accessed by inputting a special button combo.

Intel: As Nautis mentioned in Episode 0, much of the data she needs to track the enemy's movements still needs to be decrypted from her databanks. She's getting some funky readings, and while she doesn't know exactly what they mean yet, it could be trouble...but soon she might have some information about those behind the arcade kerfuffle — the Harbingers of the Abyss!

⭐︎
Welcome to the grand opening for Stars of the Nashira! 🎊 Feel free to post your own logs, or you can use this as an open log for first half of the month. If you have any questions about the game update, you can drop them in the comment thread below.

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Kalim does start to nod -- but it really doesn't make any sense. Jamil is so cool, and so tough, and blisteringly competent, but the monstrous Not Meryl Streep towering over the cinema seats in her dungarees is a far cry from the kind of hired thugs and gunmen Kalim has seen him deal with before. He can't even begin to imagine what Jamil is planning to do about this.

"Jamil, you can't fight this thing!" he protests, anxiously gripping the railing. But it's too late -- Jamil still isn't getting out of here with everyone else, and that massive taloned hand is slamming down towards him --

And then it seems to slow down. Everything seems to slow down. The fleeing crowd, the monster's claws; it's like they're all moving through molasses.

I wish he could have been mine.

It's his own voice, but it wasn't his own thoughts, and he's never sounded so... so anguished? But he doesn't have time to try to figure it out. There's a flash of light, a blaze of heat. He feels like his ears are going to pop. And then there's something in his hand. Somehow he knows what he's supposed to do with it.

"The clouds part! Endless summer...! Sun's light, shine on!"

Jamil is so preoccupied with not getting laid open by Giant Not Meryl Streep's horrible claws that he misses the first part of Kalim's awakening entirely. When he feels the pulse of magic that erupts from Kalim's incantation, as his attention snaps back to Kalim he can't quite keep the furious horror from showing on his face.

You've got to be fucking kidding him. Of course Kalim can't let him have even this to himself.

Unfortunately, there's too many things going on right now for Jamil to be wasting time having an inferiority complex crisis, especially when he has yet to activate any of his magic. GNMS catches him on her next downswing, knocking him against the aisle wall and dazing him for a few seconds. With at least some progress made, this gives GNMS enough confidence try and step fully out of the screen, her charmingly down-home overalls now ending in huge, gleaming talons.

"Jamil!"

Nova Sunbeam is moments too late to stop Giant Not Meryl Streep from sending Jamil flying, but he's not going to let it happen again. He's across the theatre in seconds, putting himself between this inexplicable monster and his friend. He doesn't know what's happening, he barely knows what he's doing, but he doesn't have the time to question it. Jamil can't fight that thing. But somehow, Kalim can. He can protect him. That's all that's important.

More unfamiliar words come to him, and he seizes on them without hesitation. "Heat it up! Mirage flare!"

The air-conditioned darkness of the theatre is suddenly like noon on a hot summer day. The heat makes the air shimmer, and as Nova Sunbeam holds aloft the staff he suddenly has in his hands, that shimmer intensifies to an improbable degree. GNMS bellows in melodic confusion, lost in the heat haze, and Nova Sunbeam seizes the opportunity to run to Jamil's side, crouching to help him up.

"Jamil! You gotta go, now!"

Unfortunately nobody has had the opportunity to explain to him about secret identities!

The combination of being stunned, the cacophony of GNMS warbling and stumbling around the theater in pain, and the shock of Kalim's own magic awakening mean that Jamil loses composure completely when Nova Sunbeam helps to bring him to his feet. He wrenches his arm out of Kalim's grip violently, rounding on him like he's the real threat here. "What are you doing?!"

Unfortunately Kalim really hadn't quite finished her off, and as GNMS gets her balance back underneath her, Jamil realizes he needs to make a decision now: reveal himself in front of Nova Sunbeam, destroying the one sanctuary he thought he'd had, or run and leave Kalim to fight this alone.

GNMS emits an earsplitting, slightly flat (bless her) high A, shattering the light fixtures and raining shards of glass onto the ruined seats. Jamil freezes in place, his phone charm still hidden in his fist, unable to commit to either decision.

"Huh? I –" But Nova Sunbeam is spared trying to reply to that by that high note and a scattering of broken glass landing on his bare shoulder. He jerks back around to face GNMS, frightened but resolute. Mirage Flare is all he has, and it can't really damage this opponent, only confuse her and obscure him and Jamil from her sight. But...

Is it just him, or does she look kind of faded...?

He glances back at the projection box. Kalim isn't any kind of expert on this sort of thing, but there are a couple of home cinemas at his family's estate. He remembers asking his dad once, when he was a little kid, why they couldn't have the lights on while they watched a movie together, and getting an explanation he didn't fully understand but which amounted to the idea that it would drown out the light of the projection.

He grips his staff. Jamil still isn't moving. He has to try.

"Mirage flare!"

The sunlight in the theatre intensifies, almost blinding, from everywhere and nowhere at once. It becomes impossible to see the image on the screen – and, ridiculously, that does GNMS in. The monster possessing the actress's image can't maintain its presence without something to tether to, apparently. Half-obscured by the shimmer of the mirage, she fades from view with a musical wail.

Nova Sunbeam exhales. With a shimmer of light, Kalim is back to his normal self, and the harsh sunlight that filled the theatre disappears. His arms fall to his sides as he stares, overwhelmed, at the empty screen.

Then the sprinklers come on.

This is just the cherry on top of his day. Jamil stands there next to Kalim as the sprinklers drench them both, trying to wrestle his emotions into check. Kalim managed to take care of things without Jamil ever needing to transform (literally unbelievable), which means Jamil still has a cover to blow. And it does matter to him, absurdly, to maintain it.

It takes a few long moments, but by the time Jamil finally speaks he's back to his typical stolid self.

"We should get out of here before authorities come to investigate. The last thing we need is your involvement here being known to the public. Let's go." Wow, he sure adjusted fast!

"Ah, right...!"

Kalim hurries to Jamil's side.

"I don't know what that was," he admits in a stage whisper as they pick their way out over the broken glass and spilled drinks. "I mean, it's never happened before! You saw everything, right?? It's like I was a superhero or something–"

"Quiet, Kalim." Jamil actually does need him to be quiet, though the chatter is also annoying. They're trying to sneak out before anybody realizes they stayed behind with the giant monster, after all.

Though as they emerge from the ruined theater into the cineplex proper, it's pretty clear Jamil doesn't have much to worry about; this place is evacuated as hell. Still, Jamil takes them through the employee areas and out the back-alley entrance, far from where anyone might happen to wander through. They're only lucky they didn't run into anyone on a smoke break who didn't hear any of the commotion. From there, it's only a block or so until the nearest Courier storefront where they can take shelter.

Jamil neglects to tell Kalim when he can talk again. Sue him for appreciating the silence so he can let his anger simmer properly.

Kalim does as he's told and stays quiet as they walk, but he's fidgety and keyed up, sticking close to Jamil's shoulder and glancing anxiously around as if another weird monster might pop out at any moment – although, if one did, it occurs to him that he's the one who'd have to do something about it. Jamil wouldn't be able to protect him.

It should just be scary to think that. It is pretty scary, honestly. Jamil has always protected him. But... it's kind of exciting, too, to think that he could step up. To be able to return the favour.

All the same, when they step into the store, he relaxes significantly. He gives his usual cheerful wave to the owner, who is definitely 100% glad to see them and nothing else. She lets them go hang out in her break room for a bit without asking any questions, and gives them each a juice box like they're ten.

Kalim slumps bodily against Jamil's shoulder while they're still standing up.

"Can I talk now?" he says, muffled by Jamil's hoodie.

Jamil closes his eyes and silently counts to three, giving himself time to ensure his face and voice are as calm and smooth as always. If he's really going to do this--and he is, the idea of having to share this utterly unconscionable--then he needs to be convincing. Less so for Kalim, who is an idiot, but it wouldn't do to be sloppy.

At last, he turns to Kalim with a small, reassuring smile. "Of course. I apologize for being short with you earlier. I've never experienced anything like that before."

Kalim is visibly reassured.

"It was kind of scary!" he admits. "But it was like I just knew what to do? I mean, I didn't know if it was going to work, but – I just knew the words and everything. Amazing, right?"

Jamil's expression flickers just slightly. Maybe pretending this doesn't piss him off is going to be harder than he thought.

Maybe he can use that. Can't hurt to try, right?

"I suppose," Jamil says, making an effort to look worried. "But Kalim, whatever this power is, I can't help but think it would be better if you didn't use it. I'm supposed to be keeping you safe, not letting you run into danger on purpose."

Kalim looks extremely disappointed, but not very surprised.

"But if I hadn't used it, what would've happened back at the theatre? I couldn't just let you get hurt!"

Jamil grimaces, because he really doesn't have a good answer for that and has to rely on Kalim's tendency to believe everything Jamil says.

"I would have figured something out, because it's my job to." Never mind how absurd THAT is. "I just don't want you getting hurt, Kalim."

"Jamil! It's not your job to deal with stuff like that," Kalim protests. "And, and anyway, I didn't get hurt! It was fine, I won!"

"But what about the next time?" Jamil counters. "And what if--what if whatever power that is itself is bad for you? It's too risky. I think we should just forget any of that ever happened."

Or, you know. Kalim should and Jamil will carry on doing as he likes.

Kalim frowns.

"I don't think it is," he says. "It didn't feel like something bad. It felt – I don't know. It felt like it was always supposed to be there."

It does feel like that. Jamil knows it does, because that's what it felt like for him. Simply asking Kalim not to do it isn't realistic. That's why this is so unfair.

"I just don't like the idea of you getting involved in something like this while I sit on the sidelines. What if you aren't so lucky the next time and I can't do anything about it?"

"Jamil..."

Kalim sighs. He knows Jamil just wants what's best for him. But... what Jamil is describing is what it's always like for him. Kalim always has to sit on the sidelines, unable to do anything about whatever happens to Jamil. The unfairness of it tangles in his chest, but he can't manage to articulate it all the way, out loud or in his head – that would mean acknowledging more about their respective positions than he can bring himself to. Instead it's just a nameless, sour feeling that makes something about what Jamil is saying feel wrong.

"Don't... don't you think it's better if I can protect myself too?" he tries. "That way, if something like that happens to us again... then even if you can't stop it, I'll still be okay."

Jamil closes his eyes, pained, and accepts that this isn't an argument he is going to win, which means he now has to decide how to proceed. Does he come clean that he can do the same thing? There's no reason not to, and every reason in favor. There's no point, no advantage to continuing to lie about this, and he knows Kalim wouldn't even be that upset to learn he'd done so in the first place if it meant they got to experience all this together.

Actually, it's picturing Kalim's excitement that makes the decision for him. Jamil's gut churns with dread at the idea.

"Fine," he says, like he's conceding Kalim's argument and not pointlessly committing to a double life. "Can you just make sure not to do anything without telling me about it? Please?"

Kalim beams in relief. "Of course!" he says eagerly, clasping Jamil's hands. "I promise!"

Of course, what Jamil doesn't yet realise is he's just signed up for involved reports on all of Kalim's Nova Knight activities... And, of course, after Kalim hears from Nautis later that evening, there's going to be absolutely no dissuading him from any of this Important Mission. Buckle up, Jamil!

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Game Update: May I 2377

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