thenashira | July II Event Log

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July II Event Log

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!

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To say Nova Pastos was undertaking this mission with some kind of attitude would be an extreme understatement. Which isn't to say his attitude is one of reluctance. Very much the opposite. That's at least half of the problem. He's wound up so tight with raw anticipation and drive that if he was a dog, he'd be biting the first person to touch him because he's so over threshold and can't control his arousal.

Thankfully, he is not a dog and no one is trying to touch him, because that would be weird. And also he is not actually going to bite anyone. That would also be pretty weird, although the way he presses his jaw back, his teeth locked together and muscles taut with unexpression tension, doesn't make it seem like it's completely off the table.

For once, he doesn't want to talk, not to Nautis and not to anyone else; it's not until she sends him up--or out, depending on how one calculates trajectory from Earth--that he finds something worth saying. He stands completely still, looking at the lights in the darkness, which reflect off the surface of his sick-ass anime shades.

He's taking in the metal panelling, the shapes and the engineering. There's a sense of gravitas to it all; the cold utilitarianism doesn't deter him in the slightest.

"This is actually really cool."

It's quiet, uttered somewhere between the gentleness of a murmur and the harshness of a mutter.

One hand rests lightly on the hilt of his sword. The other supports Cal--which is completely unnecessary, because Cal's arms are wrapped securely around his neck as usual--but he's still doing it. In a sense, he's armed with the puppet as much as he is his blade. Both of them support him in equal measure.

Well, maybe not equal. Lil Cal is special.

"Like actually."

When Cynthia had invited Natalia over for a study session two days after the smoothie incident, she had expected to adjourn to lavish appointments, much like the Captain's place immediately after the smoothie incident: wide spaces, with other people tending the garden, and a place so large it demanded several servants (who Natalia suspected she would have been more comfortable talking to than the rest of the rich kids who thought of the Captain's place as 'comfortable').

She had been surprised, but perhaps not unpleasantly so, to learn that instead of this, Cynthia's apartment was a tenement building an intersection or less from Natalia's own little suite with her family.

That day, Cynthia had learned many things, not least of which is that the Enclave District thought the world of Natalia, and that she was very much a polyglot, able to talk with most people of the Enclave district in their own languages. What they were talking about may have been a mystery to Cynthia, but the gratitude was obvious.

But now, it is a month later, and once more they are walking the Enclave district, with Cynthia's apartment building in sight.

"A haunted rental store..." Natalia says, pondering. Really, they seem to disperse their forces a lot. She's not sure it's the greatest idea, but there are so many little fires to put out... "It's an intriguing tale. Wish we could have gone."

It's usually Cynthia that dictates how they walk down the road since that day, and Natalia largely lets her; a little bit of embarrassment is worth it, for her.

Edited 2025-10-18 21:20 (UTC)

a. in time you'll see that i'm your only friend [pizza]

Nothing huge has happened yet, not since the horrible failed mission to capture the Three Sisters. But still, they don't think they can go to the hideout alone. The Midnight Diner isn't open. So what exactly are they supposed to do? Nowhere feels safe; nowhere feels good. Nova Pandora is just... sitting in the back corner of a pizzeria near the hideout. They've slid into a booth and they have a large pizza sitting on the table between them and the empty other side of the booth, and they're looking down at their phone.

They'd DMed a couple people from the Nova Knight group chat, people they expect they'll be on better terms with right now, and now they were just waiting for their response. And hopefully their arrival to the address they'd given.

Hey, it's Pandora
Listen, I just wanted to talk to somebody on the team who doesn't totally hate my guts right now
I could use some advice
If you're free and up for it, could you come here?

And I have pizza

If nothing else, they know that they can ply people with cheese on sauce on bread. They put their elbow on the table, rest their head in their hand, and glance up at the TV mounted on the wall, playing some sci-fi movie they watched the last time they went to see their mom. They sigh. Things used to be easier, like, four months ago.

b. everything i've yet to break is surely bending [school]

Everwave Academy might be winding down as summer break approaches, but Hope (Mx. Carassia if you're a student) has... well, honestly, they've seen better days. When they are with their students, good ol' TA Wheely-Cart has been getting rolled out a little more often, which isn't fantastic teaching but also, like, screw it. They're maybe not a fantastic teacher after all.

In between lessons and steering well clear of the art room for whatever reason, they've been trying to pretend they have it together. They've been bringing their guitar to school and spending time in the music practice rooms after hours, like they had only a handful of months ago, and they actually feel like they're getting better. They're spending time in the library, helping with keeping the stacks organized and doing minor tech troubleshooting when they can. It's enough to make them feel productive. Like they aren't losing their mind.

If you're not the kind to encounter them in the middle of the school day, then as they finish one particularly haggard school day, they feel about ready to fall down where they stand. They leave the building, then right next to the door, lean back against the wall and wipe their brow with an audible 'whew'. And then their eyes open, and wider than they thought, because they have been fully caught. "Hey," they say, trying to keep it casual. "Sorry, I just needed to rest for a second, it's been... one of those days!" they say, trying to keep it breezy. "I'll get out of the way in one second, okay?"

c. every choice you'll fail to make [wildcard]

((anything else? hit me up in the discord!!))

Why Nova Pandora actively insisted on getting a pizza and sitting down with it before anyone showed up is anyone's guess, but Natalia isn't about to complain about free food. So she found a quiet place, transformed, and felt incredibly awkward as she walked in to a pizza parlor. At least it was bright.

... She missed Pierogi.

Still, the booth is... a bit awkard to sit down in, if you have inch-thick armor covering your top half, even if you're as tall as Nova Neos.

It. takes her a try or two, before she carefully hauls up her armor and slips in, letting it hit the table with a clack. "Very well. Speak."

Edited (whoops starter title) 2025-10-19 03:10 (UTC)

Pandora sits up straighter when they see Neos enter, and they're torn between laughing at the situation and wanting to sink into the floor for a moment.

"Sorry. I forgot that some people actually wear stuff that's good in a fight when they transform." They decide to let that be the last thing they say about it, because—just as they always appreciate with Neos—it looks like they're getting down to business.

"So... I don't know how much you know about how bad it all is with me, Pastos, and Mortis." Shouldn't be too hard to piece together. They are down a Constellation, after all. "But I think I need to find some way to make peace with them if we're going to be a team. And I just..." They hear the echo of their mom's words. You have to ask people for help, and you have to actually let them do it. "I want your advice on how to patch stuff up."

Neos shrugs and says, "This is simply how I view a knight. I am sure it shall change as time goes on."

She slowly slices up the pizza and hands Pandora one. "However, I will admit, I am as frustrated about Nova Pastos as you are. He is... Simultaneously fragile and belligerent, and reminds me, unpleasantly, of tutors past."

The fact that she says this, largely, without changing her tone or expression is... Something.

"As for Mortis..." She pauses. "Mortis... Has undergone some changes, recently, hasn't she?"

Edited 2025-10-19 04:45 (UTC)

They take the slice with a smile. Next time, they shouldn't do this kind of thing on an empty stomach.

And it shouldn't be this much of a relief to know that they're not the only one struggling with Pastos. It means that, at least this time, it isn't only them being the problem. They still are, and they still want to fix it, but it's not... as insurmountable.

"I really have no idea what's happening with Mortis." They decide to tackle that first. "She changed, like, completely while we were doing the Constellation thing. I'm kind of glad for it because at least she's stopped acting the way she did when I saw her in the Abyss, but... it's still strange." They take a bite, finally, and let their stomach be satisfied for the moment. "I bet your tutors never called you too much of a screw-up to even die properly, though," they add, not half as sure of that as they wish they were.

"I am certain that if my martial arts trainer said that to me, it would have been with an eye to correct the situation, yes." Even if she was sure Danno was a terrible shot with either pistol or nerve gas. "My chess and maths teachers were far more tactical in their degradation."

She takes a slice for herself, though she turns with an eye to the door. Would someone else be coming? "... I am more worried about Mortis, because I... Well. You were there when I, uh..."

"I should apologize for losing myself back then. You were the first person I blew up at..."

"Oh, please," they reply, nearly calling Neos by her real name as they wave their hand. "You don't have anything to apologize for. You were in a place so dark that your armor changed."

It's a risk of a joke that they hope Neos can actually laugh at. And really, that's the difference between Neos and Pandora. Pandora's never been that bad, though they sure as hell have felt close to it. Somehow they've managed to keep themself away from the brink. Maybe it's because of whatever kept them safe in the Abyss. Maybe it's something else entirely. Luck, probably.

"I don't blame you for anything. I mean it." They're just glad that Neos is willing to still be friends. "And Mortis... I don't know. If anything, it feels like she's coming out of something like that? She was definitely a little more locked in, but it felt like she hadn't done it in a long time." They glance over towards the door, hoping that Mortis won't spontaneously appear there even though she didn't get an invite. "Like she hadn't been in control of herself for a long time."

Edited 2025-10-19 16:45 (UTC)

Neos's laugh would be a scoff on anyone else. "And you were in a place so lost we have a name for it."

The faint smile fades as Pandora continues.

"It's true she's more confident, to the point she announced she wanted to go to the festival. I thought that accepting her invitation was for the best, and so I did." She didn't expect to have to visit the festival three times in the same two-week period but she was not going to complain about that. "I... Don't know. Most of the time confidence and strength like that does not happen like throwing a switch. At least, not for me."

"Not for me either," they agree. If only it were that easy. If only they could just flick some switch in their brain to make everything work properly. They hold back a sigh, but they can't hide their dejected look as the thoughts flow into their head.

"Every time I try to talk to her, it feels like I'm just doing everything wrong." Might as well try to stay on topic, in case the only thing they get out of this is a full stomach. "And I feel that way with Pastos a lot, too, but like, he's doing it on purpose, you know? Like, he and I got into..." They trail off, and they reconsider the way they're framing it. "I freaked out at him, and he just kept talking back at me in the absolute meanest way possible." Which still isn't accurate, but it's closer. "And like, I want to apologize to him because I'm the one who screwed up the Sisters thing, even if he thinks I'm full of shit about ever wanting to own up to a mistake," they say, sneering while they glance off to the side, and that break in their own speech gets them to realize that they're the one straying from the topic at hand.

"I guess, like. Do you have any experience with him where he isn't just being a huge dick?"

Edited 2025-10-20 00:19 (UTC)

"He does seem to have been..." Natalia pondered. "I can say that his taste in music does well enough. And if you interact with him purely on a mission basis, for the most part he's... Efficient. He's like Justicar in that way. But..."

Sigh. "Yes. While I am slowly teasing together a theory of how he operates, I tend to find him difficult to be around. I can say this: No matter how much he tries to put it off, the longer he talks, the more he cares."

"Efficient," they say softly after Neos says it, and the way their lips upturn doesn't reach their eyes.

"He really must care a lot, then," they start in earnest, glad for someone else's perspective about this guy. "Because I have gotten into... so many shouting matches with him. Like, two," they correct, "But they were big. I ran into him in the Midnight Diner after I got out of the Abyss, and I was just in that same awful place I've been in, and I tried to just talk with him and I ended up dumping my whole shit on him all at once, and he started yelling back at me that I was just too much of a coward and that I loved quitting from things the second they get hard and, like..."

They flash back again to having discussed this with their mom, and they puff air out. "And he's not wrong, and that's the thing that pisses me off the most about it. It's like him and that stupid puppet are taking their hands and just nngh—" And they jab their hand forward like a knife into the air.

Natalia does not lean back. She knows Pandora hasn't committed to the attack and so, there is no need to defend. She blinks once, and then gamely continues. "He cares a lot for winning an argument. What winning is can take many forms. He will swallow small victories and lose sight of the larger picture. Were I to face him in chess, the best option would be a piece sacrifice laid away from the main attack."

She bites her pizza like she didn't just ruin the man from first principles. "It might be best to work with his short-sightedness. Even a weakness can be an advantage."

"Distract him with something small so he doesn't mess with the bigger things... it's not bad," they agree. It's probably a lot more useful than considering this other human person to be just some internet troll who doesn't have a motivator beyond being an asshole who gets the last word in every argument.

Sheesh, is that where they'd gone with him? It made more sense in the moment, probably.

"I mean, I don't know how to do that, exactly, but it's a good idea. Everything just feels like it's the big stuff right now." They think, for a second, how funny it is that they, a grown adult, are asking for serious life advice from a kid. But it's not the first time and it won't be the last time, and Neos... Natalia has maybe lived more life than most kids. "It's been that way ever since I got back. Don't know how to shake it."

"It's Nautis. She loves assigning missions like they're the end of the world and acting like everything has to be perfect. But! We have recovered before. You standing here is proof of this. Not just that, but..."

She hums. "The Abyss is not unknowable. Nor is Pastos, nor is Mortis. I cannot say, for certain, where my surety comes from, but if there's any way for us to save this world, it will lie in finding our kindness and our passions."

Things haven't been going the greatest for Nova Mortis lately, she'll admit. She's still catching up on a massive sleep debt, and the attempted capture of that Constellation last month had gone really badly...but it wasn't like they could just stop and fold there. That'd be a complete waste of everything she's done up to now.

So she's ready to get back out there, ready to take on another fight. Not a fight with that jerk Prince Shellustria — even if she wouldn't readily admit to being afraid of him — but it's still Nova Knight stuff. As long as she's fighting bad guy monsters, she's protecting the Nova Knights, and that's all that really matters.

So when Mortis meets up with Crescent and Glimmer outside the train station on the evening of the 30th, she's all but bouncing on her heels. The lace mask she's been resolutely wearing since April is nowhere to be seen, and neither is her guitar; instead, she's cradling a plush doll that looks just like her, supernova outfit and all, and she waves with a bright smile once she sees them approach.

They grin. "Glimmer's got you watching Steel Samurai too, huh?" And yet, like, it's a really good sentiment. It's something that they should work on internalizing, and they almost are. They just need to get past this, which is at least a different roadblock, and one that might be easier? One that people understand better, probably.

"You know I'm practicing guitar more?" they say, thinking it qualifies for the passion part of things. "I think I finally hit the point where I'm tired of being frustrated at myself and I just need to do something about it." A pause, and they smile just a little. "It took Pastos yelling at me to get me there. So I think I also have to thank him."

"Not... just that," Natalia says. "We had superheroes too, back in the Old Country."

She continues to dig into the pizza while Pandora talks, listening closely and covering up her own feelings of awkwardness. "Well. what do you want to do with the guitar?"

It made better conversation than her own obvious impasse and complications regarding participating in the world martial arts scene.

Edited 2025-10-21 05:22 (UTC)

"What do I want to do?" they repeat like they'd never considered it before—largely because, well, they hadn't. "Uhh." Okay, just eat some pizza and think through your answer, and even if it's underwhelming then Neos is probably gonna understand. You don't have to impress everyone, Hope. You don't have to be the best.

They swallow their latest bite, already down to the crust, and continue. "I mean, I don't think I want to do anything with it. I got into it in the first place because I saw Afterglow performing and I wanted to be like Ran, but now that I'm a little older I think I just want to have it as something I can do. Like, for fun," they finish, and that's the part that makes them wince inside. Everything needs to be for something these days, doesn't it? Or maybe that's just their fake dad talking.

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July II Event Log

INVESTIGATE: THE WONDER JUNCTION TWO-DAY VIDEO GAME RENTAL

RECON: THE DARK OCEAN

MYSTERY PLOT A: GENTLEMAN THIEF ESCAPE

MYSTERY PLOT B: SHINEBOW ALL-STARS GRAND PRIX

SHOWDOWN: LUDORETICULA

Local dog trainer writes a tag, explains his character like he's a dog

Re: MYSTERY PLOT B: SHINEBOW ALL-STARS GRAND PRIX

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[A]n awkward meeting

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Re: SHOWDOWN: LUDORETICULA

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