intentional ridge
Chapter 01: Brilliant Green Liquid (Eunie/Shania)
Chapter 02: Lost Memory Synthesizer (Shion/Lora)
Chapter 03: Mega Muscle Builder (Brighid/Pandoria)
Chapter 04: Spherical EM Motor (Lin/Maria)
Chapter 05: Curio Garter (Fiora/Tyrea)
"I switched, y'know."
Shania was expert at dismissing most attempts at polite conversation, shooting them down with almost-sniper-like precision without a second thought. Sometimes her retorts were a little blunt, however, causing the wound to smear.
Most of Ouroboros had left her alone, not trying to buddy up like Sena had. But now the great and powerful Eunie was going to condescend. Foul-mouthed, was what she was, just like Ghondor.
"Used to be an Attacker. Same gun, different bullets."
"If you're trying to relate to me, you might as well give it up. You're Ouroboros. You don't know me."
"It was random, though, innit? Least, being Noah's friend was. So I'm no more elite than you are, or aren't."
If she were any less elite, she'd have died in her second term like all the rest.
But Eunie persisted: "I'm just doin' a job. Someone's gotta be the healer. For us, it's all we know."
Fatally irritated, Shania spat and turned away. "If I could be doing something else, I would be. I'm not that stupid."
"Never said you were. I'm just sayin' I'm sorry."
Pity. Of course.
"Seems like maybe the City's not all it's cracked up to be."
"I usually find ghosts in churches, and places like that," Shion joked. "Don't you have to have something to haunt?"
Lora smiled. "It's probably true, but I couldn't be caught dead in a place like that. Literally!"
The woods seemed to echo with the force of Lora's grin, pleased with the irony of her own situation.
"I've always had a terrible fear of authority, official places. Things I can't control."
And now the forest chilled, slowed. Was everything so attuned to Lora's moods, to her somberness just as much as her joy? Shion half expected a helpful squirrel to appear, bushy-tailed, and produce a nut to eat in companionship with the lonely spirit.
But the idea itself wasn't so strange. Maybe some people felt at home in the structures of all the world's industries, companies, organizations. But Shion jumped between those as soon as she could see fit to do it, and leave selfish people behind.
"Tell me about it...I'm so stubborn I think robots can become real. Real people, that is."
A branch crackled by way of inquisitive wind. "Can't they? Do these robots have memories, a consciousness? Can they speak to you?"
"Yes...they're real to me."
No Blade knew being sweatless and pristine as well as did Brighid, the Jewel of the Empire. Thanks to his implant of part of Pandoria's Core Crystal, Zeke had some of that superhuman flash, too, no matter how quickly he moved. But both of the Tantalese expatriates still gave their all for each physical endeavor, with every associated contortion of the face.
"Your skin's always so perfect, Brighid. What's your secret?"
Brighid could answer "good rearing" or "a lack of unnecessary sudden stress" or a few other choice remarks, but as she was also the queen of a furrowed brow, she chose not to gatekeep. "Cleo's Cosmetics in Goldmouth sells an Elastifying Tonic. I apply it every morning."
A "secret" indeed, since nothing in particular that Pandoria had a habit of doing would lead to saggy skin. In fact, Brighid was the one prone to exposure to Mor Ardain's hot sun, surrounded by the smoky air. She stayed in the palace as much as possible, but refused to don a visor like Mòrag did - obviously it would completely ruin her iconic hairstyle.
"Aw, man, and you think you're too young for anti-aging treatments..."
"Pandy, dear, you are. I'm just vain."
"So he runs off of, like...ectoplasm?"
Maria couldn't bring herself to encourage that train of thought, simply replying, "Yeah, I suppose so. He still takes fuel, though."
Seibzehn wasn't nearly as bog-normal as Maria had thought when first reading a copy of the manual found the remnants of her father's personal lab, though. It stated that "no matter the responses of the pilot, because he is human there will always be a slowdown in the commands to the Gear." Of course, she assumed the human "he" was the spirit within the Gear - and if that were so, how much faster did other Gears operate?!
But it was just an old manual that assumed the pilot would be a man. Meanwhile, two of the top Skell mechanics in NLA were women.
No, not two of, the two top mechanics. Lin was an absolute wealth of engineering knowledge.
"Do you think they'll ever implement a system like that with Skells?"
Lin, thinking guiltily of mimeosomes, and the fact that she still hadn't explained them to her guest, waved it off with a, "Yeah, maybe! How cool would that be? Safer, too, if you could just control them remotely. Talk about Brainjack..."
"You're expecting me to be like Melia." And if Tyrea intended to show herself manifestly different than her sister, she wasn't proving it with this statement, delivered with at least a little bit of lilting amusement.
Shot back Fiora, "I think you're expecting me to be like her, too. But I'm not quite as patient. Nor as ladylike!"
Tyrea rolled her eyes; apparently she thought that obvious.
"Actually, I'm not even as ladylike as you."
"That's hardly the most important attribute for anyone to have."
Stifling a giggle, Fiora pointed to Tyrea's thighs (which was hardly the most wise place to point on anyone). "I mean your thigh-highs! You and Melia keep them up with...I dunno, High Entia magic. Mine's more like a garter belt."
One worn on the outside of her skirt, but a garter belt nonetheless. Tyrea supposed it was fitting, for a Homs who'd been turned into a robot and back again, having all her straps and seams on display for anyone to see.
"It's sturdy, then, is it?"
Fiora feigned an innocent face. "Not sure. I suppose you could test it out for yourself!"
The Homs girl was right. Nowhere near as demure as Melia.