Stars of the Nashira Mods (
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Game Update: May II 2377
πΆ Recommended Listening: Transformers Prime Main Theme - Brian Tyler βͺ
may ii 2377
EPISODE 2: Bathhouse Blitz! Save the Black Cat and the Golden Butterfly!
May 17 - May 24
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 72Β°F/22Β°C, with lows around 50Β°F/10Β°C.
Star Suite: The Library has been unlocked! Every Nova Knight will also recover a memory from their past life. More details in the post below.
Recap: In Episode 1, you successfully investigated and foiled your very first plot by the enemy! After Nautis identified the high-end complicated-patterns fashion craze around the Dan Flashes boutique as originating from the Harbingers, the Nova Knights did some thorough investigating and then, in their first serious battle since the night at Lucky Stars, defeated Dan Flashes himself. You can find the previous month's event log here.
You can see what the Harbingers themselves are up to in the aftermath of the event in the Episode 1 Harbingers Gaiden! Mostly a lot of bickering, but they're now aware of the threat posed by the Nova Knights, and they're already making plans to eliminate them.
BY DAYLIGHT
βοΈ Now that Dan Flashes is out of business, a new business has taken over the space β so quickly, in fact, that it doesn't seem like it was ever vacant at all. There's now a frozen yogurt joint in its place called FroYo Better Believe It!. The only thing Nautis finds suspicious about it is the fact that people like frozen yogurt at all.
βοΈ Shelley Lustre, art teacher at Everwave Academy, has announced that he'll be holding an art contest for the students. The theme: hidden beauty. Given his already very polarizing personality and deep fondness for seashell-studded sculpture, this promises to be a very...divisive competition.
βοΈ Public bathhouses are a staple in Chalra City, and they're no exception to the march toward modernization. Newer public baths are bigger and boast much more amenities than their more traditional counterparts, which is precisely why the historic Golden Butterfly Bathhouse is at risk of going out of business! Run by Granny Chocho, whose family has been operating this bathhouse for the last two hundred years, the Golden Butterfly is located right around where the red-light district and the most historic part of the city intersect. But what the Golden Butterfly lacks in fancy amenities, it makes up for with its historic charm, attentive service, and hard-scrubbed cleanliness β which is exactly what its faithful regulars have been trying to spread the word about.
If you pass through that part of town this week, you might meet some customers and even Granny Chocho herself handing out flyers to try and recruit new customers β and if you bring the flyer with you, you get 50% off your entry fee. Not a bad deal, especially if you like quiet and simple! It might be worth checking out, though you'd have to enter as a civilian.
At the end of the week, though, the flyers are a little different β now they're offering a discount on the new scented bath salts the Golden Butterfly is selling! You're not familiar with the brand β a pearl in a stylized oyster shell, bearing the text Seaside Lustre β but they're being advertised as being great for both relaxation and rejuvenation. Apparently, you can have it all!
BY STARLIGHT
βοΈ Recovered Memory: In the couple of days following the Dan Flashes fight, everyone will recover a memory from their past life β specifically, their final moments in the fight against the Abyss. More than just the dying wish, this is a full memory of whatever last conversation, fight, or whatever they had before dying in the final battle aboard the Nashira. You're not required to, but you're welcome to detail the contents of your character's memory in the thread for recovered memories below. You can also keep track of your character's past life memories with our handy-dandy info page template!
βοΈ Hideout Status: As a result of everyone's tidying efforts earlier in the month, it's actually pretty nice in here now! There's a big sectional couch for lounging around, at the very least. It's even starting to feel kind of homey.
Another fruit of your labor is that a new part of the crashed ship has become available: you can now access the Library, a modest-sized room with floor-to-ceiling shelves, every last one of them packed with books. Magic books! Much like a modern tablet but with actual pages, these individual books can hold a wealth of magically-stored information and recall what you wish to learn on its pages. Naturally, none of these books are in the local language, but in standard Hassalean. That's not a problem for you guys, though β perhaps due to your recently recovered memories, you all discover that you also have the ability to speak and read Hassalean, as though you simply downloaded the knowledge into your brain. Neat!
If you'd like to have your character peruse the library, you can reply to the thread below to have the mod roll for what they find.
There's also a small hydroponic garden along one corner, though nothing is currently planted in it.
βοΈ The Rewards page has been updated with the next Star Suite upgrade: the next room to unlock is the Aquarium, and the reward will be a Silver-level Star Suite power. Save up those SP!
βοΈ Intel: Thanks to the missions earlier in May, you all know quite a lot more than you started! To recap: you now know that one of the Harbingers is named Prince Shellustria, and his magic is of the Glamour domain.
You also learned that the data Nautis needs to locate the Star Map fragments was stored in the soul of the ship's mascot, a black cat named Niangniang with whom Nautis does not seem to have been on good terms. Nevertheless, she's definitely been reincarnated on Earth too, so you'll need to find this cat so Nautis can retrieve the necessary data. Apparently recovering data from someone's soul is a perfectly safe, painless process, but the way she emphasizes these points makes you feel like maybe she hopes something bad happens to this cat. Anyway, she's working on a means of tracking down this elusive mascot, so she'll get back to you with more info later!
βοΈ The Fate of Nova Zenith: Late at night on May 17, everyone receives an uncharacteristically subdued update from Nautis. Apparently Nova Zenith read through some books in the library about what was known to the Hassaleans about the Abyss and decided to investigate on his own β and ran afoul of Prince Shellustria himself. Unfortunately, Nova Zenith was outmatched on his own, and before Nautis could summon any backup, he was overpowered by Shellustria and claimed by the Abyss. He isn't dead, but captive, and he can be saved if they defeat the Abyss β but all the same, the loss of the oldest member of their group will doubtless rock the rest of the Nova Knights.
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Hope hasn't been at school in a couple days. As a substitute teacher, this isn't too unusual, but anyone who had gotten used to seeing them around might notice that they just aren't. And, well, the people around the net café that they used to frequent before getting this job might notice that they seem to be spending way more time behind a PC screen, pointing and clicking in whatever the first person shooter du jour is.
(They're not focused. They know they aren't focused. How can they distract themself when their own incompetence got somebody killed? Erased from existence? If they'd just been a better Nova Knight then they could have saved Zenith's life. They could have stopped the Abyss like they were supposed to do and things would be okay. Maybe they deserved to die like they remember they did. Maybe they should just—)
They get fragged by the same person for the fourth time in a row and alt+F4 the game. Shoving the keyboard out of the way with their elbows, they put their head down in their hands and make a frustrated grunt that they're suppressing too hard. It makes them want to cry. Everything makes them want to cry. Their throat hurts. They get up and walk to the back of the café, near the vending machines, and they just slump down into an empty corner and put their head in their hands again. "Can I get one break?" they ask nobody in particular.
b. bleeding hands from holding on too long [hideout]
It's hard to be a Nova Knight right now. They know that the hideout is growing, that it's a nice place to spend time, that it's safe for everyone (not anymore), but even going Supernova feels like it's admitting that they're a complete failure. Feels like it's a stain on their soul instead of the freedom it was supposed to be.
They're sitting on the couch, not even able to pick up a controller like they'd planned to do, and they're hiding their face in their big stupid scarf. Out of nowhere, they pull the scarf down and sit upright. "We have to stop Shellustria and bring Zenith back." It's a simple statement, but their throat's hoarse even through the fake determination they're scrounging up from the dregs at the bottom of their emotional barrel. "Now."
c. slowly coursing through my veins [for mutsumi]
Sure. Okay. Fine. Everything's going miserably enough already. They might as well just show up at school with this crappy little guitar of theirs and—no. No, Hope, breathe. You said you were going to have a good time with Mutsumi. Even if you're not on the clock, even if it's the first time you've shown your face at school in a couple days, even if you can't play. Sigh. Breathe. Breathe, okay, you've got this.
They sit down in the vacant music room a little bit after last bell and take their crappy little trainer guitar out of the case. It didn't cost more than a hundred dollars and it doesn't have a single frill on it with its orange sunburst finish and five-way switch (that they don't know how to use) and knobs cranked to 10 haphazardly. The pick feels uncomfortable between their fingers. It's not in tune, so they start working on that, first trying to do it by ear before fidgeting inside the guitar case to pull out a clip-on tuner instead.
When someone enters, they lift their head. It might be strange for Mutsumi to see Hope wearing a black t-shirt (with an edgy skull wearing headphones captioned with "CAN'T HEAR YOU, I'M GAMING") and jeans torn at the knee instead of the nicer clothing they tended to wear as a substitute, but at least they both know their faces by now. "Hey," they say, smiling despite everything. "I'm glad we could finally do this."
d. like the beating of a heart [wildcard]
((anything else? hit me up in the discord server!!))
b
She's fine about Zenith. She's fine. Nothing's wrong.
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She takes a breath. "Zenith should have informed us."
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They glare in the direction of Nautis. "I have to do something."
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But then there's Pandora's response of having to do something and she takes in a breath. She's calm about this. Zenith did so much wrong. There was so much danger in his actions. "We have records. We know where he was when he was taken. That does not mean we know where Shellustria went, or is going. You're right, in that, if we had been told where and what he was investigating, we might have saved him.
"But we weren't."
Her eyes grow distant and unfocused. "Wasn't the first time for me. Won't be the last."
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They don't remember when they stood up or when tears started to roll down their cheeks. It feels awful. Their heart hurts. They haven't cried in public since they got the news. They are such an embarrassment.
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~ ~ ~
Then, she is standing, at the launch dock, before the advancing swarm. They crash against the Furies as she takes one step forward. Two. There are so many with her. There are so few Nova Knights left.
in her hands, the last, most precious relic of all. Of course it would fall to her to use it. Of course it would fall to her, like all the other responsibilities.
As she steps off the dock, and the others follow her into the starry void, the swarm becomes a miasma that seeps in to her consecrated ground.
The chant begins. Her effort is courageous and mighty. Her breath is strong. Her heart pulses with fury and sorrow, just as it does now.
It is not enough. Most of them barely choke out the last words of their part, the chorus slowly becoming quieter, and quieter. She can do nothing. She can do nothing. It's all she could do to keep them alive this long, long enough for this last, desperate plan.
She raises the last relic, glowing with the light of so many stars. So so many stars. She makes the chant, even as her feet begin to sink into the Abyss.
She speaks a wish, a wish born of her long-held isolation.
~ ~ ~
"NO!"
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But even when angry at themself, they can't just let it sit. "Are you okay?" they ask urgently, and there they are closing the distance again. Their hand hovers above Neos' shoulder, and they don't know whether it's okay to touch her or... anything, right now. "What happened?"
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I THOUGHT I TAGGED THIS WHAT THE HECKY
She's not really sure what else to do, so she just starts strumming the chords to an Afterglow song that's been pretty popular lately.
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"Oh my god, is that 'Scarlet Sky'?" they ask, feeling some yearning in their chest pull them a little closer to the light again. "Afterglow? Ran is the reason I even thought I could pick this thing up!" Their fingers are already fumbling for whatever chords they half-remember, but Mutsumi's much better at... all of it. That's to be expected, though. They count themself lucky to remember how to do a barre chord in the first place.
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They mumble their way through the lyrics idly while they're playing, and if they didn't have to coordinate their brain with their mouth and both their hands, they might have a decent singing voice under it all. All that matters to them in the end, though, is that they're having fun. For the first time in what feels like forever.
"I told you you're really good," they say once the last chord rings out, feeling a little swept up in all of it. "How long have you been playing?"
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It's hard to tell if she was enjoying herself β her expression is about the same. It's only the way she holds her guitar, the intent and focus with which she picks out every note, that speaks to how much she cares. Unsure what else to do, she just starts playing another song; sorry if you don't know this one, Hope, but this is kind of the only way she knows how to connect with anyone right now.
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"I did it for a few weeks," they say, their tone somber but not quiet enough to sink into the background noise. "Then I gave up on it because I wasn't great at it. Silly, isn't it? No one starts out being great at something. I mean, you didn't, right?"
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"I practice. Every day."
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They didn't want to be this direct going into this conversation. This had all been for Mutsumi's benefit, right? That was what they'd wanted to begin with. But now they're here seeking... comfort, advice, whatever. From someone a decade younger than them. Pathetic.
"How do you find the motivation? How do you keep going for that long?"
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d-
There's other reasons for Maya's interest, though. She hasn't had many friends she could simply as, to hang out before. It's not an entirely selfless move when Maya contacts Hope— though Pandora's demeanor lately is a definite influence in why Maya chooses them to reach out to first.
No 'hi' or 'hello', apparently.
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When they kick themself back to the lobby, they pick up their phone and start typing out a reply.
Sure
I'm getting my butt kicked anyway
Did you have anywhere in mind
And then, after another moment.
I just have to stop thinking about it for a bit
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what do you like to do? if u don't pick i'll make you take me to a stage show insteadβ¨
oh, or maybe an action movie?
It's not like Maya thinks it's good— or okay, really— to not think about it forever. But getting out of the dwelling zone can be really tough. Sometimes funerary assistance had involved sitting with certain clients in their grief. Other times, especially when kids were around, it involved giving them a break from it.
If Maya can manage to give her new teammates— her new friends— anything, she's sure it's that.
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I'm already out so we can just meet up at the theater or whatever
They're being more curt than they'd like to be, especially when Maya is just trying to help them out. But everything just feels like... it's the only way they can react right now, which is miserable in its own right. They're already on the way out of the net café and hoping that they run into Maya fast so they can actually talk instead of flailing around inside their own head. They're not listening to anything in particular when they spin up their Walkman and block out the rest of the world with their big ear-covering headphones, but they just kind of look miserable.
Already on my way there
Thanks.
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Maya doesn't really mind the curtness. She's had to deal with worse things said in sweeter tones her whole life. At least Hope is pretty clear about their intent.
talk to you soon!
With that, Maya's off to the races. She throws on something fairly plain just because it's quick, a light-woven lavender sweater over a long, formless dress, like she's just going grocery shopping. Easier to avoid Morgan's interest that way, despite the bright orange socks she wears under the ensemble.
She walks the first block away from the Kurain House— and then picks up her skirt a bit, starting to jog the rest of the way. Still, by the time she's a block away from the theater, she slows back down to a walk.
Because Maya is cool, casual, and definitely didn't run here just to save money on taking any kind of transportation, though thanks to her efforts she's made it there well under that 20 minute timeline. She starts fishing out her phone to contact Hope, but looks around too, in case she can see them before calling.
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"Hey," they say, eloquently, as they walk towards Maya with the sounds of Afterglow bleeding through the speakers. They shove their hands back into the pockets of their jeans and give Maya the worst attempt at a smile that they think they've managed all week. (At this distance, it's clear their eyes are brown. Contact lenses are too much effort right now.) "Sorry about the way I was typing at you. I feel like..." A weak laugh. "Complete garbage. And I was on a losing streak, so that wasn't helping either."
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"Aw, thanks for looking out, but it's cool. That's why I'm here, anyway!"
All of a sudden, she puts on a coy smile, leaning forward, clearly teasing.
"See, I talked to the apothecary the other day and it turns out the best cure for the blues is to hang out with the one and only Maya Fey. Well, basically with any friend, but even better that it's me."
She doesn't... actually believe that, of course, but if making a joke of herself gives her the chance to maybe disarm someone, it's always worth the effort.
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They don't really have a clever way to follow that up, but it does make them feel a little less miserable, and that's kind of the goal, right? Besides, Maya is going to all these lengths to try to cheer them up in the first place. It would be rude to not show some kind of effort. (Fake it 'til you make it, right?)
"Well, I hope this movie's dumb enough to push everything out for a while. You like action movies?" they ask, realizing how little they know about Maya. "You kind of struck me as... either an artsier person or a die-hard comedy fan. Maybe both at once."