#jusenkyocursed

[witchoftrinity]

"If I knew someone else was out here I would've came around to seeing them a lot sooner."

Of course Mika knew that probably wasn't the complete truth in today's case. It might've been a gut feeling or a false flag but for someone that checked their phone so compulsively every morning Mika felt she would've noticed at least one familiar name through the contact list. Still it was only something small, especially considering she was already passing the hot cup of liquid right over to the individual sitting across from them.

"So you have to tell me about yourself Ranma!" Mika said, almost as if she was completely oblivious to the mere idea they weren't an actual student to begin with. "Do you have any hobbies? Oh, what clubs are you part of?! Anyone you have some secrets about?"

@jusenkyocursed

[isolaradiale]

i'd like to drop both ranma saotome (ranma 1/2 | 105) and changli (wuthering waves | 402). thank you!

They'll be dropped for you!

– mod solaris

[deathreversed]

Ranma's too kind. Everyone back home wanted something from her, they never did anything to just be nice. And if she couldn't repay, then they simply wouldn't do anything. It wasn't like that for Corrie, they'd do things for her without even being asked. Wasn't fair. Never fair.

Her processes idling, Nier realizes where the pit in her gut comes from. She doesn't feel bad about what she did, she feels guilty about giving in. Why is she even scavenging? She can just buy synthetic oil directly from the store.

No, she knows why. It tastes better. That makes her feel worse.

It takes Nier a few moments to realize Ranma is there, and her eyes widen for a moment as she looks up. "O-oh, um, thank you. I'm sorry, I was just... thinking about some things."

Oil doesn't come out easily, but a strong soap and a steady hand do well enough. Nier doesn't offer any explanation, instead just taking the cleaning items and getting to work. Her body is crisscrossed with small surface scratches her repair functions hadn't noticed and the remnants of old oil stains, and she scrubs at the more obvious ones with a soapy rag. It's a sloppy job, but she can't be bothered to be more thorough right now.

"You don't have to stay here. I know this isn't very interesting," she says, looking up at Ranma. She gives her a small, tired smile, eyes flicking to her fluffy ears for a moment. Her own, false ears sit atop her oil-flecked hair, and she feels another pang of guilt for having ruined them.

Nier goes back to scrubbing, eyes downcast as tears well in her visor. "But thank you again... We haven't known each other for long, but you... You're very kind. I'm..." She swallows the next words, not wanting to talk about things any further. Her head lilts a few times, but she pushes off her system's request for sleep mode until she's done.

🔴 What was it about Nier that made it difficult for Ranma to leave her alone? She pondered as much to herself as she led the drone to her bathroom. The two twins that she lived with were pretty clean, but they'd probably understand if she explained the circumstances. "Bucket... Rags... Detergent..." She nodded along with the special requests, unsure of what they'd be used for exactly. She had the impulse to look away when Nier began to disrobe. Even if she was a robot, she was still a person.

It had been beaten into her head enough that she had to give girls their privacy. Literally.

"And clothes..." Though Ranma cocked an eyebrow when Nier regressed into apologies and offers of making it up to her. She once again defaulted to flicking the drone on the forehead, careful not to look at the rest of her body. "Oi, Nier. Friends help each other out, right? This isn't an "owe me" type deal. I'm helping because I care about you, this ain't a give and take." Why was she always much more comfortable expressing these more personal feelings when she was a girl?

She gave a handwave as she moved out of the bathroom and in search of the things Nier needed.

Only to return minutes later, setting them down beside her. Nier already had her head in her hands at that point, and Ranma just stood beside her with her arms crossed for a moment. When it seemed like she just wasn't going to realize Ranma was there, she finally placed a hand on her shoulder.

Nothing was said. It was just the silent reassurance that she wasn't alone.

[isolaradiale]

on prior reserve, here is my application for ranma saotome from ranma 1/2! you can find his application under the third sidebar link!

Welcome to scenic Isola Radiale, Ranma!

You will be housed in HOUSE 105.

You will retain your curse that will be able to be activated up to five times daily.

– mod pleiades.

[deathreversed]

"Nice..." A small smile plays on Nier's lips when she hears it. Ranma may not be able to understand just how much even these small gestures mean to Nier, but for some reason, she has a good feeling about her. Maybe she reminds her of the Captain to a degree; brave, kind-hearted, generous- or is she just imagining what she'd like to see?

She accepts the offer with another smile, nodding her head. She'd got more than enough dust, but if she insists, Nier won't say no. To be looked at, thought of, treated like this, is all a dream come true. Already, the seed of something is germinating in Nier's chest.

Trotting alongside Ranma, Nier's smile widens. Helping someone like this, having them look at you, having them acknowledge you, having them rely on you is...

"Don't worry, Ranma. If you need help, I'll do what I can. I promise. Anything you need, you can just ask me..."

Ranma couldn't understand what she really meant by that, of course. Very few people did. But Nier's heart swells all the same; what bliss it is to be known, to be seen, to be loved. She'll make as many promises as she needs to to keep it that way.

🔴 "Sky-Strewn... Oh, so it's probably that place, huh?" Ranma nodded up at the land that was floating above the city. She'd been wondering about it. Guess it was a place she could go if she wanted to, then. Upon mentioning what was clearly referencing the cellphone, she fished around in her pocket for a moment before pulling it out.

The case was half blue and half red. Someone had a sense of humour. "You're talking about this thing, right? We had phones back where I came from, but they weren't this flat and had to be plugged into a wall. No idea how it works, though." Ranma was an 80s and early 90s kid. Phones weren't that advanced.

She was surprised by Nier's reaction to her invitation though. "Huh? Why wouldn't I be sure? You seem nice enough to me." Aside from her reaction in the beginning, but Ranma had dealt with worse. "C'mon." It didn't take long for Nier to catch up though.

"I'll even treat. I gotta figure out how to earn more money though, or it's gonna be a little rough in the long run..."

[kleinstar]

" Mm. I'm not talking about friendly matches here... " Eiden sighs.

" But eh, don't get me wrong I' m not running after anyone to stop fighting or anything. I have bunch of friends that enjoy sparring and all that stuff. "

He's more concerned over his own peace rather than playing peacekeeping.

" You arrived here pretty recently anyway I gather ? So I think the place will show what I mean eventually. "

🔵 "I guess you have a point, but at the same time there's probably more people out there that don't care about hurting someone over nothing, too." He liked to believe that he'd learned his martial arts for the good of others. If the weak needed protecting then he'd protect them. That was just how Ranma's mind worked.

"If you don't keep that in mind, then one day someone like that is gonna do some damage before you even know what hits ya."

Ranma shrugged. Was he being too dismissive? He wasn't the kind of guy that worried about that kind of stuff. Much to his dismay when he'd eventually lose. "Not like I'm gonna live in fear or whatever. If someone challenges me then I'm not gonna run away."

[deathreversed]

Nier's ears flick as a few droplets of water land on her hair, but she can't suppress her giggle. Ranma just seems to have bad luck with this kind of thing, and her frustration alleviates some of the stress in Nier's own heart. Anything to lighten the mood a little.

But of course it can't last. Talking about the drone-Nier- Because it's not her, it's not, it's not- is stressful. "That's what makes it so confusing..." sighs Nier. "I can... Remember what it was like to be her. She thought it had been her in this city the whole time, and I know the things that happened to her before she came. The things that happened were..."

They weren't so different from what happened to her, to the real Nier. That was just another thing that bothered her about it so much, it was like someone's approximation of her own life. The big difference is that Nier had found Gran, while that girl had no one. If she'd never met the Captain, then-

She shakes her head. "She... Ate people, Ranma. Other machines, but to her it was the same thing. And she tried to hurt people, I don't... I-I haven't done..."

Tears begin to well in her eyes as she recalls how the drone-Nier had felt when Mika rejected her. She wouldn't have reacted the same way, right? Right?

There's a clatter to her right, and Nier turns to see a young man trying to toss a ring over a glass bottle. He's not having much luck, but watching the shape travel through the air keeps her mind from wandering to painful topics. She doesn't speak, her eyes just tracing lines through space as she watches.

🟣 The way Ranma saw it? There weren't a lot of teenagers around the city. He'd see one here and there, but the population seemed to largely skew towards people in their twenties. He didn't really care about that, but it meant to him that it would probably be for the best to get along with people his own age. Plus, that way, if Akane or anyone from home came along to the city... he wouldn't have to say he'd made no friends. That would be embarrassing.

"Heheh! You're curious, huh? Well be prepared for- ACK!?" Ranma really did have the worst luck. They'd been passing one of those booths with the goldfish catching games and was unintentionally splashed by a kid who'd gotten way too into it. Ranma didn't seem to be too amused by that, of course. But even she wasn't about to yell at a kid. "It's fine! I can still beat any of the games here easily!"

And if any of them involved speed then she'd be even better off!

Her hands were shaking a little as she tried to wipe some of the quickly freezing water out of her hair and off of her face. This was always way worse in the summer, but at least it didn't rain. She was left to tilt her head at Nier's question about the drone anyways,

"Huh? Well... You weren't really yourself, right?" She shrugged lightly, still clearly cold. "Even if she said her name was Nier, what makes you you isn't your appearance or personality. Our memories are what shapes who we are, right?" Oddly sage words for a girl that always struggled with her own identity. Maybe she needed to take her own words to heart?

[rosaictus]

"ha! i'm not a mere child, in fact i am much older than i look, so make sure you treat me with respect." her damn appearance yet again has gotten her mistaken for a child, why couldn't she be summoned when she was in her thirties? "alright then, ranma. i am called nero claudius, seeing as spirale has many people from different worlds...i won't assume you know who i am."

taking a good look at the boy, huh he doesn't seem sturdy and one slash to hin could easily put the boy down. the last thing nero needs is a child's blood on her hands.

nero materializes her weapon and points it at him, "are you sure? this isn't a toy, i could do some serious harm you...unless you have anything else to spar with?"

🔵 "Child? Aren't you younger than me though?" Ranma might have made an incorrect assumption there. She was shorter than him and had a cute face, so he'd been assuming she was at least around his age, but he'd dinged her a little younger. He quickly tried to move past that by introducing himself as requested. "Name's Ranma Saotome. I'm a student of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts."

So she was a weapon user? Well, that wasn't really an issue. Swords, giant spatulas... he could deal with melee weapons well enough.

"I fight with my fists, but I can use a weapon if I gotta." He was pretty good at impromptu weapon usage when he had to. "But I'm built of tougher stuff than I look."

[ostentumm]

Oliver grins, he begins bouncing at the balls of his feet, warming up as he begins stretching out his limbs. "Keh, I was gonna say the exact same to you! I don't want you crying to me about how I beat ya," he says with a smirk. Ranma is confident. Oliver can tell his confidence isn't misplaced. This guy really knows how to fight!

"Oh, we should make some rules huh?" DAMMIT, dar'khol! Whatever, Oliver gladly tosses his twin daggers off to the side, "No weapons! We can fight however way we want, but no weapons and we can't hit the face!"

🔵 "Huh, really?" Ranma rubbed at the back of his head. Anything Goes Martial Arts was kind of like that. His style was just whatever style was necessary to win even if it meant fighting dirty. It was also possible that Oliver wasn't trained. He could be self taught.

"Well, don't complain when I beat ya. Name's Ranma Saotome, of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! I'll let you make the first move, Oliver!" He was talking big for someone with physical capabilities that were limited to what was essentially normal human physical condition.

[punisheye]

Just his luck after everything else that's been going on in his damn life lately. All he was doing was trying to head home from the shooting range, taking the usual shortcuts to get home faster, when he had taken notice of someone trying to follow him.

It was easy to pretend he didn't see them, and he had other things to worry about.

Until they appeared from hiding and tried cornering him in an attempt to rob him. Wolfwood had remained completely unperturbed as he had a gun waved around in his face, letting the would-be robber put on his tough guy act even when he realized Wolfwood was a lot bigger up close.

He was just about to wind his fist back and knock the fucker out after about a minute of being bored when someone falls out of the damn sky and right on top of the robber's head. Wolfwood blinks. The gun clatters to the ground and Wolfwood crouches down to pick it up.

"Nope. Never seen him before," he replies as he goes about flipping the safety on and detaching the mag. He sets the now-empty gun back on the ground. The guy is still conscious, but looks a little dazed. "Was actually just about to leave. You might wanna get outta here, too."

@punisheye

🔴 The cloud was still overcast from a freshly fallen autumn rain, and while the rain had stopped, Ranma had unfortunately gotten caught up in it. Which meant her curse had activated, fortunately not in front of anyone. Whatever she'd been planning to do beforehand, those plans had changed as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Thankfully the buildings around here were pretty low.

She'd gotten a little too cocky and had leaped without looking at one point, and ended up landing on the top of someone's head with enough force to slam them down onto their knees.

"Uh..." Whoops. Ranma looked concerned, but she was still balancing on the stranger's head while looking dead on at another man. One with sunglasses and a big cross. Her landing had knocked a gun out of the hand of the man she'd landed on too. "This isn't your buddy, is it?"

[ostentumm]

"I've never fished in my entire life." Aaaand that's why he's looking into breaking a hole with his FIST. Luckily though, he stops when Ranma mentions a hole.

"Oh, like the one over there?" He gestures at a few holes about. "They look a little small. How are we going to pull out a massive one? What if it gets stuck? THEN what? The hole is too small."

@ostentumm 🔵 SOMETHING SEEMS ICE-FISHY

🔵 When Oliver had invited Ranma out, he hadn't expected to go ice fishing of all things. Fundamentally it shouldn't have been an issue. The water was frozen, and he knew how to fish. But he hadn't explained his curse to Oliver yet, so if he got even a little bit wet then it was probably game over.

It was fine. He'd just avoid getting wet!

"Uh... Do you even know how to ice fish? I think we need to find a hole or something." With his hands in his coat pockets, he was on super duper high alert.

[witchoftrinity]

"O-Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare at all."

The only reason Mika was uncharacteristically keeping her eyes on the individual was because something about them seemed familiar. She couldn't quite put a finger on it considering she was pretty sure they had never met. But maybe her mind was playing tricks on her yet again.

"Y-You just remind me of a friend I met here awhile back. Ranma was their name." Maybe they went to the same school back in their own world? Their red jacket was pretty indistinguishable from a crowd.

"Do you know them? They have bright pink hair just like me."

@witchoftrinity 🔵 AN UPLIFTING WINTER FAIR

🔵 Ranma hadn't been expecting this to happen, but maybe it should have been expected with his luck. He'd headed up to the winter fair on the floating isles all on his own. Just to scope things out, see what all of the fuss was about? He hadn't expected to bump into Mika. Who didn't know about his curse at all.

But she was staring at him. She was definitely staring at him, and had been for a while now.

"C-Can I help you? Did I do something wrong?" Did she have a hunch?

[deathreversed]

Most drones don't even have repair functions like Nier does. Most drones aren't like her. That's probably for the best. She limps along after Ranma, though after a while full function returns and she's able to keep up with her. And when she speaks, her answers are short, because her mind is preoccupied. She only looks up when Ranma announces their arrival, and she removes her shoes so as not to track any oil inside her home. "Th-thank you," she mumbles, still distracted.

"A shower... N-no, I don't want to stain anything," says Nier, shaking her head as she steps inside. She's never been inside one of the Fibonacci houses before. "Worker drones are rated for rainfall so it would be safe, but..."

There's a lot of cleanup ahead, too much for a simple shower. Nier sighs, and finally looks back up at Ranma. "Honestly... Do you have a bucket? A-and maybe some rags and detergent? And just a bag for these..."

Heading for what she's pretty sure is the bathroom, she begins to disrobe, because it's not like her clothes actually cover anything important. "I'd really appreciate something to wear in the meantime, too... I-I'm sorry to be asking so much of you, even after I made you come all the way out here... I-I promise I'll make it up to you, somehow..."

She doesn't feel upset anymore, she feels kind of... empty. Not of oil, her HUD indicates those levels are fine, but of something else, something she can't place. Nothing in her diagnostics indicates anything is off, and yet...

Nier sits down on a stool within the washroom. She removes her hair for a moment, then replaces it, because she actually does feel odd without that. Instead she just sits and slowly lowers her head into her hands. She doesn't say, or do, or think anything. She just sits, and waits for Ranma to return.

🔴 "Huh? I just figured it'd be fastest. Sorry." Maybe she'd gotten too used to carting the others around back home that she'd picked Nier up without thinking. She was actually a little heavier than Ranma had expected, but ended up chalking it up to the fact she was literally a robot. At least for the time being. The girl rubbed at the back of her own head awkwardly. She'd probably overstepped and was a little self-conscious about it now. "Sorry, don't really know how drones work..."

With the invitation accepted, Ranma hopped back up onto the fence and began to walk a little ways ahead of Nier. She kept her eyes trained over her shoulder at the drone as she walked, though.

She just kept to idle chitchat for most of the short walk, trying to keep her mind off of things until they reached House 105 and Ranma led her in. "I have two roommates but they aren't usually here when I am. Get comfy, uh... You want me to draw you a shower? Do drones shower?" If they were electric than maybe they didn't? "I probably have some clothes you could borrow too, but they're all backless."

[witchoftrinity]

"Ah don't worry about it. I...assumed as much and still appreciate the conversation nonetheless. Sometimes I'm perceptive on these things and other times they blow right over my head. But most people would've run away the moment they heard my name. Even if they didn't know what I did at all from my world..."

People just believed whatever was touted from the highest rooftop after all. Bonus points that many thought of Trinity as the school where very if not anything went wrong. It would honestly be a miracle if Nagisa and the others could keep the reputation afloat after the storm of comments and media presence people would spread.

"The Stars aren't exactly the nicest when it comes to just living our lives out. I-if it makes you feel any better Ranma I'd still love to hang out with you even when this all blows over! You seem caring even when all of this is going on. That takes a lot here, especially when there's memories or info in your mind that very much isn't yours."

🔴 "Yeah..." So was she ignorant to what was going on or not!? Ranma had been hoping to gleam some sort of clue about where she stood regarding the alternate selves thing, but she hadn't turned up anything of note. It was also becoming a little hard on her to hide her curse from people that seemed like good enough people. A thought she never would have had back home, but...

In this city everyone was at least a little weird. It was strange to say, but she was beginning to believe maybe hiding it here was unnecessary.

"Er... Well, I'm askin' because I woke up like... this. Like from your world? I'm not usually from there, I just have all those memories of living there. Sorry if it seems like I was trying to lie to you or something, I just don't really know what to do... But a lot of what I said was still true about the real me!"

[deathreversed]

How long has it been since someone cared about her? Before coming to this city, it had felt like years- it had been years. And now all these people were so nice and she still carried all that hurt within her and what were you supposed to do when people were kind to you and she was still so hungry and she felt ashamed of what she had to do and why was she trying so hard to hide this all and and and and and-

Nier's CPU stops for a split-second- a built-in precaution to stop her from frying her own circuits with worry. From the outside it would just look like her visor turned off for a moment, but when she comes to, none of those strings are overwhelming her anymore. Core temperature is normal. Everything is fine. She's fine. The oil helped, the crying helped. Ranma is helping.

Finally looking back up at the other girl, she feels the headband placed back onto her head. She still sags a bit, mouth hidden beneath the collar of her cloak, but it's less from fear and sadness than just pure embarrassment. "Y-yes... They're from another friend I made here, so I... T-thank you..."

She shrinks again, unable to look Ranma in the eyes. "I-it's just... On Copper 9, no one really... They all thought I was strange, so..."

The statement lingers, and Nier doesn't know how to finish it. Rather, she doesn't want to. They were all right, she was strange, and this is the proof. Other workers didn't have voices in their heads telling them to do things, they didn't thirst after the lifeblood of their fellows, they didn't have powers like this. Even though they didn't know all this when they ostracized her, they were right. And so Nier still isn't sure about how to handle other people caring about her.

And so she listens to Ranma talk, nodding along. Her desire to be known, to be understood, always leads to her saying something awkward, and so she remains silent. She even gives a small giggle when Ranma pokes her forehead, and it feels like a current washing over her. She doesn't know if she's being understood right now, but she's being seen, and that feels nice too.

"I'd... I'd still like to spend time together, if you don't mind. I don't want to be alone right now..." She casts her gaze at the fallen piles of scrap and the crumped robot behind her, and frowns. "But not here. I don't... I'd really like to leave."

And so she rises to her feet, a little unsteadily, and begins a shuffle back towards the fence where she'd entered.

🔴 Ranma just listened. Really, what else could she even do? At least she was good at it. The gods knew how often she'd just sat there and listened to Akane or Shampoo's problem. Sometimes she cared, sometimes she didn't. In this case it was hard not to. Not when the topic of conversation was so heavy. Whatever was eating the bot, it wasn't some silly teenaged nonsense.

When the pile of scrap was gestured to, she looked over at it and then back to Nier. So she'd destroyed them? Eaten whatever they'd been? Why was she apologizing? Critical context was missing, so Ranma was left to navigate things more or less on her gut. Nier was crying. She was sad. She seemed to think she'd done something terrible.

"H-Hey!?" Out of everything to prompt a reaction from the erune, the girl dropping her headband was the oddest. Ranma's lightning fast reflexes kicked in and she caught the headband on her toe after stumbling forward. She almost lost her balance, but managed to kick it up into the air so that she could catch it. Once she did? She placed the ears back on the bot's head. "These are important to you, right?"

Once that was done, she leaned forward and ducked in to meet Nier's gaze properly. "Do I look like you scared me? Am I leaving? Nope. Look, I still don't really get what's going on, but I'm not the kind of guy - girl - to leave a girl by herself when she's clearly upset." She reached up and poked the drone in the centre of her forehead with a playful smirk regardless of any oil.

"Some things don't need an apology, so don't be a dummy. I'll stay here until you're feeling better. And after if you still wanna hang out."

[deathreversed]

"It's called the Sky-Strewn Isles," she says, finishing her thoughts from earlier. "If you do end up wanting to go, then..."

Trailing off, she looks away. She wouldn't refuse an invitation, but she probably wouldn't offer one herself. Perhaps going with someone else might make it a little easier.

It seems as though this initial meeting is winding down, and Nier can't help but feel a little proud of herself. Nobody got weirded out or hurt, and even though there was that confusion about curses, surely the Captain would be happy that she managed to help someone. "O-of course, if you ever need anything else I'll do my best," she says with a small smile. "They have some technology that lets you contact people, I don't really understand it, but-"

She blinks in surprise, staring-wide eyed at Ranma. Had she misheard? No, this was real, this was an invitation.

"A-are you sure? If you really don't mind, then I suppose I..."

She racks her brain; she's certainly had food in the area, but why is it suddenly so hard to remember it? "W-well, um... There's a market not too far from here, I think... They've got a lot of stalls there so we can probably find something for both of us..."

Stepping closer to Ranma, her smile widens. "Ah, that's all to say... I-I'd really like that, thank you."

🔴 That was basically the long and short of it. Opinions would vary on pretty much anything, and Ranma had always seen her curse as just that. At first there hadn't been any benefit to being smaller and weaker, but she'd learned to understand its advantages with time. Little by little she'd been figuring out what it mean to be a "girl" all on her own, she just didn't realize that the world wasn't so black and white when it came to gender yet.

Ranma listened to what Nier had to explain patiently, though she did hope onto a nearby fence and stand on it crouched. She was just more comfortable in higher places, but she was still only a couple of feet away from Nier. She followed the girl's finger when she pointed to the supposed arena. "That so...? Well, maybe I'll head out there one day."

The mention of melancholy had her curious. Ranma could be insensitive, but she could also tell when someone was trying their best. Nier didn't seem like the type of person that would immediately bounce back if she accidentally said something insensitive like Akane or Shampoo, so she was being extra careful with her words.

She hopped off the fence and stood up straight with her arms behind her back. "Yeah! Good for you! I don't know a single thing about this place, so good thing I bumped into you. Thanks!" She turned to walk away, but stopped after a few steps and looked over her shoulder. "Know anywhere to eat that's closer? You wanna get a bite with me?"