July II Event Log

[nashiramods]

Who: Everyone! (That's right, even you)
What: The Nova Knights close in on the newest energy harvesting scandal, but this time, the Harbingers are expecting them.
When: July 25 - July 31
Where: Chalra City and the Dark Ocean

Event Results
🎶 Recommended Listening: Wii Sports (Remix) - VGR ♪
july ii event log
EPISODE 6: Game Over or New Game+? Dive into the Dark Ocean!
July 25 - July 31
TIMELINE
7/25-7/31 Go Fish
7/25-7/29 Lab Cleanup
7/26 Investigate: The Wonder Junction Two-Day Video Game Rental
7/27-7/29 Mystery Plot
7/30 Showdown: Ludoreticula
7/31 Recon: The Dark Ocean

The second half of July is a little more challenging for our heroes. Losing a Constellation to the Harbingers was among one of their worst case scenarios, and morale has taken a serious blow. They still know so little about the Harbingers' magic that it's hard to strategize a recovery.

Fishing also seems to be challenging, but in all fairness, those carnival games are hard! A few Nova Knights managed to capture some enchanting looking goldfish, though, and now that the Aquarium finally has some inhabitants, even if a little sparse, it feels like the place is finally coming to life for the first time in countless millennia.

Midsummer on the Promenade is still going on over at the Smoketree Promenade, too! There have been local bands playing live music on small outdoor stage in the evenings, and even if carnival fishing isn't your game, there are plenty of others, as well as lots of tasty street food and sweets. A lot of locals are selling handmade goods along the street — what better souvenir for the summer? The chick seller is among them, delivering impassioned sales pitches for his hatchlings.

Cleaning up the Lab takes up most of the week, and it's looking a lot better in here! Sure, some of the arcane and mysterious equipment was damaged and even Nautis isn't sure how repairable it is, but hey! They've dusted everything pretty neatly and it looks like it's in respectable condition. Unlike the other rooms they've unlocked, though, this one isn't any good for just...hanging out. Maomao, however, seems to have her own plans for the Lab, even if she is visibly unhappy about the damage to the equipment. She's moved the hydroponic garden to the Lab for the meantime — both in the hopes of discouraging anyone touching her precious garden and for proximity to devices she apparently intends to learn how to use. Just imagine what kind of magical remedies Maomao might be able to cook up...she'll probably need test subjects volunteers once she's finished testing things on herself.

Business is still booming at the Wonder Junction Two-Day Video Game Rental, and on the 26th, Hope and Mabel make their way through the crowds to do a little Nova Knight snooping to considerable success. They rent the recently released games Gentleman Thief Escape: The Seven of Hearts and Shinebow All-Stars Grand Prix for research purposes.

Between the 27th and 29th, some Nova Knights take a crack at the video games, only to be sucked into the game worlds, trapped there until they can beat the game! Cynthia and Natalia successfully conquer the final stage of Grand Prix and escape on a note of triumph, but Harley and Kalim struggle to get through Gentleman Thief Escape and need a brute-force magical rescue from Nautis. The two of them aren't doing so good these days. To add insult to injury, the Nova Knights might be looking at some late fees, too...

On the 30th, Maya, Mutsumi and Jamil head to the Wonder Junction Two-Day Video Game Rental to face off against Ludoreticula and cleanse the shop of Abyssal influence. But this, too, is a trap — once inside the pocket dimension, Ludoreticula seals them inside and the harvested energy is whisked back via magic subspace to wherever the Harbingers are storing it. Their plan to have Ludoreticula capture and deliver them fails, however, when the three of them absolutely kick some video game monster butt.

On the 31st, Nautis warps Dirk and Reese to what she's pretty sure is the Harbingers' hideout...and she was right! It turns out that the Harbingers' base of operations is a starship floating in Earth's orbit, and they've been keeping their captive Constellation in the ship's engine room. While this information makes it back to Nautis, the Nova Knights themselves do not — it's into the Abyss for them!

Comments

[fibrillate]

"Oh, even better. You can just go along with it, then, if she's the one holding the reins right now." Not a great sentiment, but it's the kind of relief that Hope usually looks for, which is something else that they'll have to unpack soon, no doubt.

"But yeah, I mean... like, that's what happens on vacations, right? You go to the beach, you hang out, you have fun." They don't have much experience in the field, honestly. Being a known entity and having a bunch of weird gender hangups both don't often mean that they're getting down into a swimsuit and spending time at the beach. "And it sounds like a lot of us could end up needing one of those. Just some... break from all of this."

[theriflespiral]

"The real trouble is going to be finding something suitable for swimming that fits. I am..." oh god how does she put this in a way that doesn't sound like bragging with humility?

"Mother has trouble finding things as well, it's why she does what she does."

[fibrillate]

Huh. There's a few things Natalia could mean by that, but it's rude to assume anything. Probably better to just ask outright, and then imply very strongly that Valorous might want to help her go shopping later on. "I know a little about how hard it is to find swimsuits that work for me, too. So what's your mom do in that situation?"

[theriflespiral]

"She's sent me and Sergey to the beach before, so I know she knows what it is," Natalia says. "But mostly she makes bespoke underwear. I imagine she could probably make something if she had three weeks' run-up."

"Other than that, things that have the, eh, the long ties."

[fibrillate]

Bespoke clothing is an amazing idea that, it doesn't look like, has ever crossed Hope's mind before. Their eyebrows go up and they mouth the word "wow" as they lean back a little. "That's smart," they say.

"I don't really know any tailors or I'd offer to track one down for you. I don't really... like showing too much of myself. Even this outfit is too much sometimes, you know?" Which begs the question why they keep going places as Pandora. "If I ever go down to the beach, I don't get in the water. It's just easier to not invite questions."

[theriflespiral]

"Well. Mother is always glad of the business. Perhaps we can work something out?"

[fibrillate]

"I... hm." They don't really know what to say about that. There's more things than just the obvious preventing them from wanting to wear a swimsuit publicly, but that's... really a very kind offer.

"You mean it?" they ask, not sure what else to say. "I mean. I never really thought about it even, like, as an option I could have. It wouldn't be too much trouble for her?"

[theriflespiral]

"I don't see any reason why it would be. As long as you're making things to order, it doesn't really matter one way or the other-- you're making things to the body of the commissioner anyway." Not that Neos knows or even particularly cares what Pandora has under the costume except in the vaguely abstract idea of everyone getting together to--

let's not think about that right now. It's not important, compared to her friends having something nice. "Might take an extra couple days."

[fibrillate]

It's hard to decide how to react to this. They've never... well, this isn't really going to be a gift, but they've very rarely actually received gifts before from people outside their family, people who aren't obligated to dote on them. There's this swell of relief inside their chest, and they decide to push it all out with a big sigh through their nose.

"You have no idea how much that means to me." There's still, again, more complications for them to untangle on their own, but this is... this is more than a gift. This is stripping away an excuse. They won't be able to use "I'm too obvious" as something they can tell themself anymore to avoid doing something that, damn it, they may end up actually liking.

"Should I go see your mom to get measurements taken or... how does that part work?"

[theriflespiral]

"How it works is, I call mother from the flip phone and I get you an appointment for measurement." Neos casually holds out a hand and summons--

The book. The big, illuminated manuscript that her phone becomes when she's in Supernova. ".... Later. Later I call mother and get you an appointment."

[fibrillate]

Pandora almost barks out a laugh, but manages to suppress it to something quieter so as not to draw attention. Well, more attention than a massive tome hitting the table would draw. "Sometimes," they say, "I think Nautis is playing a big joke on us. And sometimes it's actually funny."

They lean back in their seat and sigh, a satisfied look on their face. "You're really a good friend. I hope you know that. I'm not the best at showing that kind of thing but I wanna make sure you know."

[theriflespiral]

"I-- I am simply using my resources and connections in an efficient manner," Neos says, turning red from the ears first. "My family needs to make rent, too."

... You know, considering she lives in a tenement block in the Enclave District, the rent cannot be high enough to require a fishing captain, a modestly successful lingerie seamstress, and whatever part-time job Natalia's doing just to make rent every month.

Add in that she's obviously a scholarship girl...

[fibrillate]

"Yeah," says Pandora, in the voice of someone who's never had to worry about their own rent in their life. They're not sure if they believe Natalia, but they know so little about the way that other people live—and it's only by the grace of having known her before all this started that they can make some kind of assumption—that it's hard to get a gauge on things.

Mostly they just know how much their own mom's rent is. It's not something they're going to dwell on, but it's living in the back of their head for now all the same. "Well, hey. If I like what she makes, who knows? Maybe I'll start going there for all my clothes." A smile. "Or at least the ones that I want to look a little better. You know, for if I ever feel like presenting femme at the net café or... wherever people go to present femme?" they finish, unsure. "I used to have someone to help me with this kind of thing growing up, but I just... fell out of the habit, I guess."

[theriflespiral]

"I know a place, but... mn. I'd rather not spend my paychecks there." She pauses, and huffs. "As we have already stated, I am not a good baseline to determine where it is good an not good to present femmes."

There was a hint of an urge, Neos discovered, to have a motorbike; this she filed away under 'intrusive background radiation' and ignored.

[fibrillate]

"Oh yeah," they say, thinking they know where Nat's going with that and agreeing already. It's a nice enough place, but it's not really for them. "Well, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to present full femme instantly or anything. I mostly just don't want to get embarrassed at the beach. For everyday stuff, I could go a totally different way. You know, biker jacket, some boots that actually fit me, a cool cowboy hat."

They tip an imaginary hat and laugh at the mental image. It wouldn't be a good look on them, they don't think... but. "You know, you could probably pull off that vibe if you wanted. Do you have a leather jacket?"

[theriflespiral]

There's a moment where Natalia looks in shock. It's. Pretty much the first time anyone's read her this hard outside of Danno giving her the work.

But, soon enough, it fades, as she thinks about her wardrobe.

"Ah. No. I have only been here a very limited amount of time. And with everything else..." She hums. "Well, maybe, but I also do like the custom outfit mother made to show off her lacing and embroidery."

She was going to wear that on a date someday, she had decided, to watch her interlocutor squirm. But... hm. Maybe that getup would be better...? "Still, I should go looking for the kind of look you mean."

[fibrillate]

"We can go clothes shopping together if you want," they suggest, like they've ever really done anything like that with another person. "It'll be just like in the movies. I can sit outside the dressing room ready to give you a bunch of dramatic thumbs-downs until we finally find the perfect outfit."

It's a dumb mental image, one that sets Hope almost to giggling, which is not something they think they've done in a long time. "It might be fun, is all I'm saying. Whether or not we do the dumb movie montage."

[theriflespiral]

"I... I would like that. Though... I'm not sure how I would come up with the money for it." She does not seem to understand just HOW MUCH money Hope has.

[fibrillate]

"Oh, yeah, uh." Well, they don't have to outright admit anything, but any sort of reaction that isn't just a lie is going to give away more information than they'd hoped. It's... fine. They don't have to be specific, at least. That's a better option.

They gnaw at their lip. "Don't worry about that. I can treat my friends to things."

[theriflespiral]

"You... You mean that." She's surprised. That's quite a lot of money passing Pandora's hands. Was that what they meant by 'being from a strange family'?

"If... you're sure it won't put you to any trouble. I know I get by with help from those I aid, but an entire outfit is another order of help. Thank you."

[fibrillate]

"I mean it." They're more sincere than they've been in a bit, seeing how much that matters to Natalia. Maybe their dad's money can do some good in the world after all, even if he might not let them go out and demonstrate directly or anything. Maybe this won't be awful.

"Come on, you deserve good stuff. You gotta look your best for your first date with Valorous anyway, don't you?"

[theriflespiral]

Good god her face lights up immediately at the thought of that. "I... I do already have an outfit for a date, but..."

maybe. This wouldn't be so bad?

[fibrillate]

"Then something for the second date. Or a lot of somethings for a lot of dates, if it goes well enough," they say, egging on the embarrassment for no other reason than it's a little funny. "I might not be a matchmaker, but I can at least make sure you're happy with the way you look when you go out with her."

[theriflespiral]

"I. I don't think that planning as if victory is assured is. I mean. I don't even know if." She sets her hands carefully on the table and tries to examine the dueling excitement, fear, anticipation, something else, something she hasn't felt in ages, an emotion she cannot name and has never understood

And

Whose namesake is across the table, not that Neos understands that.

"I shall worry about more dates when I have one."