#lyra greaves

[sveasauvageon]

Ziben ziben ilulu {Kyiv 2017}

☾♔; March 27, 2018 ☾♔; sotd: Higher Ground by Rasmussen ☾♔; comedian otd: Samantha MF-ing Bee ☾♔; EUROVISION PARTY   ☾♔; {G} https://goo.gl/XSTtMc ☾♔; mod(s): @themadmonarchist @.maybones et moi

yeah, yeah, I should be working on opening up Svea for GW plotting, but I'm feeling super meh and needed some cheering up and how better to do that than with eurovision?

inspired by @.maybones, @themadmonarchist, and @.ghostpastey's single event, coherent social media stories, made a gallery of pictures from Eurovision Grand final viewing party from the last eurovision song contest.

There's drinks, dancing, food, screaming in rage at the screen when your fave doesn't get douze point. Because Svea's most obsessed with eurovision at the school, it was definitely hosted by her and in the slytherin common room. Someone definitely ended up magically looking like Verka. how they managed to get some of her hair for the polyjuice potion, I do not know.

Featured not-mine oc's in the set - @.themadmonarchist: Theo and Eloise - @.maybones: Minah and Tyler - @.natasha-maree13: Damien and Lyra - @.lady-stoneheart: Hank - @.ghost-pastey: Syn

others, obviously, would've come too, namely Hvitty (I'm sorry gryffindor buddy), and obvs Julien, Adonis, and etc, but there's only so many placeholders.

[katieskarlette]

Shadows Rising: A Reaction Post

Short, mostly non-spoilery version:  I liked it overall.  I give it a solid B, maybe a B+.

I was disappointed in how little Nathanos and/or Sylvanas content there was, but I think proclamations of the ship’s doom are premature.  

I’m intrigued by the first rumblings of new character development for certain characters, especially Anduin, Alleria and Turalyon.

I was rooting for Talanji so much.  She’s great. Zekhan is a cinnamon roll too pure for this world.  Sira was kind of boring. Fairshaw is so darn heartwarming I can’t stand it. I like Bwonsamdi more now. The lack of Wrathion is unsurprising but unfortunate. Nothing new with Tyrande but she’s already poised for major development in Shadowlands.

Much longer, spoilery version below.

This ended up being more of a ramble than an essay, but there’s a lot of disjointed thoughts pinging around in my head, so let’s dive in.

Overall, I enjoyed Shadows Rising.  Was it the best book ever?  No.  Not even the best Warcraft book ever.  But it was an enjoyable read.  It’s always a treat to get into the heads of characters we mostly know in passing from in-game events.  There are internal, emotional beats that cannot easily be explored in the game, and the books are a way to build the world and the characters in a more introspective, slow-paced manner.  I like that.  (That’s not to say there are no action scenes, because there definitely are.)

Talanji, Jaina, Zekhan, and Anduin were all written well and sympathetically.  Maiev’s only in a couple scenes, but she felt off to me.  Nathanos was very in-character, in all his snide, sour glory.   Flynn and Mathias are great together.

The pacing was fine.  The descriptions were good, and it all felt grounded in the game world (i.e. landmarks, ambiance, the ridiculous amount of stairs in Daz’alor...)  Each of the Horde leaders got a moment or two in the spotlight.  Despite a fair amount of chapters about Anduin, Alleria, Turalyon, and Jaina, it still felt like a Horde-centric book to me.  Not that that’s a bad thing.

Prologue:  Gayness detected on page 8!  And it’s even something I kind of inadvertently predicted.  In my reaction post for Before the Storm I wrote, “ In this book alone, it would have been so easy to have that blacksmith bringing a helmet as a gift to his long-lost Forsaken husband instead of friend.”  That’s basically what we have here.  I don’t know if they were married, and neither were blacksmiths, but the Westfall moonshiner describes one of the Forsaken slain in Arathi as “the best man I ever knew and loved.”  Tada!  See how easy it was?  Add Jago x Wilmer to the growing list of LGBT rep in Azeroth.  (Even if they’re super minor characters in the long run, it’s still great to see.)

There might be some kind of parallel to be drawn between Alleria failing Anduin (by not finding/killing Sylvanas) and Nathanos failing Sylvanas (by not killing Bwonsamdi) but my brain is too overloaded from binge-reading to articulate it right now.  Both failed their king or queen, but both were also given nearly impossible tasks. 

Alleria and Turalyon are definitely being set up as antagonists.  We are clearly supposed to side with Jaina on this, and be uncomfortable (if not outright horrified) at their torture methods.  It’s especially disturbing how they use their respective void and light powers to accomplish their goals.  I mean, on one hand it’s great that both sides of the great cosmic divide can work together, and their marriage seems stronger than it was for awhile there, but yeesh...can you not torture people?  I know, ends justify the means, slippery slope, greater evil, blah blah, but still...that’s not okay.  It’s yet another sign that the Light is not necessarily good (or the void necessarily evil).

I welcome conflict within the Alliance, though.  That’s been the Horde’s thing for long enough.  Time to see how the blue side deals with its rifts.

In chapter 2 Nathanos is annoyed when a dreadtick flies by his head.  What, was it too similar to a bird for his liking?  Heh. 

All that time in Nazmir, and we didn’t get to see a single crawg!  Harumph.

It took three chapters and 39 pages to finally get something from Nathanos' perspective, and he was much more scarce going forward than I had hoped.  The bits we did get from his perspective were great and in-character, but I wanted to get into his head more.  Most of his scenes were from the POV of Sira or the troll villain instead, and while Apari was a good character I find Sira to be pretty one-dimensional. 

I kind of got paternal vibes from Nathanos toward Sira, though.  He was like, “I’ve been undead a lot longer than you; I know how to handle the bloodlust and such.  Get it out of your system at appropriate times but learn to control yourself.  There’s more to (un)life than slaughtering people.”  She herself, though, was just “Rawr, I hate everything and want to kill anything that moves.”  I mean, I get that she’s been through some traumatic stuff, but I didn’t find myself invested in her at all.

Page 42, as a bunch of trolls are about to be slaughtered:  "Hungry birds circled, expectant of a big meal, and Nathanos so hated to disappoint."  WHAT?  Nathanos wanted to do something nice for BIRDS?  I know, the phrasing fits with his dry, sarcastic sense of humor, but considering the running joke about him hating birds, it still made me go, “Huh?”

Chapter 5 (and later on, as it turns out):  Zekhan having a soft spot for kids is too precious for this world.

Page 51:  Thalyssra's eyes were "sparkling as she gazed across the room at Lor'themar."  Awwwwwww.   There was a surprising amount of ship fodder in this book overall, with Lor’themar x Thalyssra, Turalyon x Alleria, Fairshaw, and Zehkhan x Talanji all getting a moment or two (or more.) 

Chapter 6:  Anduin says, "Turalyon, take Alleria Windrunner and investigate these deaths."  You know, Alleria...YOUR WIFE?  I don't think you need to say her last name there, genius. 

While I’m being snarky about the editing, there were at least two times where the word “grieves” was used instead of “greaves.”  I spotted a couple other little things that a better editor (or one with more time, maybe it was rushed, I don’t know) would have caught.

Chapter 7:  More matter-of-fact LGBT inclusion for minor characters, this time a lesbian troll couple who want to marry.  Yes, thank you Blizzard, keep it up.

Chapter 8:  If you’re going to make the “Zappy Boy” nickname for Zekhan canon, having Bwonsamdi be the one to wink at the camera and use it was a great decision.  I can totally imagine him saying it.

We learn the name of Varok’s wife/Dranosh’s mother:  Remda.  Although I read elsewhere that the vision Zekhan saw of the Saurfang family in the afterlife was just Bwonsamdi’s B.S., it was still cool.

Chapter 13:  Nathanos wearing cologne?  Love it.  And it’s not even to cover up the rotting smell, because apparently his new body doesn’t stink like some undead; it just doesn’t smell like a living person, either, and some find it unnerving.  So he wears cologne.  That’s such a delightful little detail, and surprisingly considerate of him.

Sira complaining about bugs:  "We'll be eaten alive."  Uh no, you'd have to BE ALIVE for that to happen. Tsk.

Nathanos being called "the pale rider" makes me think of old cowboy movies.  Like, “You greenhorns better clear out; the Pale Rider is comin’ to town and there’s gonna be trouble.  Go wake up the sheriff.”  

Sira says that while on the voyage to Zandalar the dark rangers liked to tell the tale of how Nathanos was promoted to Ranger Lord by Sylvanas.  I'm surprised he lets them gossip like that!  His quests in vanilla made it seem he wanted to keep those parts of his past on the down-low, at least from the player.

Chapter 14:  Thrall's second kid is Rehze.  *blink*  Reh-zee?  Rez?  Ruh-zay?  I guess she’s not named after anyone.  After he named his son Durak (sort of after Durotan) I assumed he’d continue the pattern with kid #2.  Maybe she’s named after one of Aggra’s relatives.  (Later I read on Wowpedia that the author actually said she dislikes the “fan service” trend of naming children after other characters so she just picked a random orcish name.  I don’t think it’s fan service, because lots of real-life people do it, but okay.  Fair enough.)

Speaking of orcish names, there’s an orc page helping out the council named Gunk.  Like, what you clean out from under your fingernails after gardening.  Gunk.  LOL

Aww, that’s no fun...Maiev's wearing a cape trimmed in white fur, not daggers.  What happened to her impeccable/deadly fashion sense?

Chapter 16:  Zekhan starting to clap at Talanji's speech and then stopping and shrinking back when he realized no one else was applauding was so freaking adorable.

Chapter 17:  Fairshaw, full steam ahead!!!  Their chemistry is everything I hoped it would be.  Learning a little about Flynn’s tragic past was both fascinating and heartbreaking.  (We learned his mom’s name: Lyra Fairwind.  R.I.P.)

Chapter 18:  Proodmoore keep has a gallery with floor to ceiling oil paintings of the Proudmoore family, extended family, and beloved friends.  It now includes Anduin.  I can’t help thinking that, in a different timeline, Arthas’ portrait would have been there.

Will wonders never case?  Ji Firepaw actually gets to do stuff!!!  GASP!

"Thrall understood that to other humans Wrynn was said to be pleasing-looking, but to the orc, Anduin simply looked like a small, pink boy swallowed by clunky armor."  So it’s canon that Anduin is good-looking in-universe.  But LMAO at Thrall’s description.

Chapter 22:  From Shaw’s POV, "These odds ranked pretty low...  Maybe just above the time he had relied completely on a shoddy network of spies embedded in a cheese business."  OMG leave Elling Trias alone!  He did his best!  LOL

Shaw wanting to hang out in a mountain meadow and whittle bird calls (perhaps even with a special someone) was so touchingly normal.  That’s the kind of characterization that the books are so much better at than the game.

I actually like Bwonsamdi more after reading this.  Not that I disliked him before, but I didn’t have a strong sense of him due to not playing Horde as much in BFA.  He’s a well-done gray character:  not good, not evil, insightful but a smartass, part of the great cycle, out for himself but also taking his duties seriously (saving troll souls from the Maw.) 

I’m not entirely sure that we needed as much from Thrall’s POV as we got.  I mean, sure, he’s a familiar character with ties to a lot of others, so it was easy to drop him into situations, and his ties to Jaina made cross-faction communication easier, but he didn’t seem as relevant to the lore of Zandalar and the Shadowlands as some other characters.

Maiev seemed OOC, especially in the Stockades scene.  I know one of the themes of the book was “people change,” and I suppose I should be happy that she has a more moderate viewpoint nowadays, dialing back the Lust For Vengeance Meter from eleven to maybe a five or a six, but it didn’t feel like Maiev.  Especially because her message of “maybe don’t go overboard with this vengeance thing” was aimed at Tyrande, of all people, someone who Maiev has had quite legitimate reasons to dislike for a very, very long time.  I could see her maybe mellowing out a little in front of fellow Wardens, but Tyrande?  Eh, it didn’t feel right to me.

No surprises from Tyrande in this.  She’s still steely cold, vengeance-obsessed, consumed by anger.  Not that I blame her, but it’s not healthy.  I know we’ll be exploring her situation more in Shadowlands, so this was more of a reminder/reinforcement of where she is right now.  It was kind of funny how Thrall, Baine and Calia tried to talk to her and she just gave them the stink eye and the silent treatment, though.

I’m fine with Anduin exploring his dark side a bit more, as long as they don’t go overboard with it.  I like him as an earnest, good-hearted character.  It’s only natural to test your limits, though, especially in times of crisis.  Power corrupts, and he’s got plenty of it, both politically and magically, so I can understand Jaina and Mathias being a bit uneasy.  Add to that the increasing themes about the Light not being as benevolent as we originally assumed, and there’s potential for interesting plot there.  In the end I want Anduin to stay firmly on the side of good, empathy, compassion, etc., but a deviation into the shadows along the way isn’t a bad thing for the story.

I imagine every single person who read about Anduin sneaking off to the Lion’s Pride Inn in Goldshire smirked about that place’s reputation on certain RP realms.  I was surprised he didn’t find scantily-clad elves and draenei dancing on the furniture.  And then it turns out Jaina was there, too.  Awkward!

Why, oh why couldn’t we have had a scene with Anduin and Wrathion hanging out (incognito, of course) in a tavern?  That was their thing in MoP, and now with Anduin desperately wanting to get away from his duties for awhile and soak up some tavern ambiance it would have been perfect.  Let Anduin show off the best taverns Stormwind has to offer.  Even though Wrathion was as much a guest at the Tavern in the Mists as Anduin was, he acted like he owned the place and Anduin was his guest, so let them turn the tables and have Anduin play host.  There could be jokes about how he better not punch Wrathion again or they’ll get kicked out for starting a bar fight.  They could have still seen the young recruits, ran into Jaina, etc.  But Anduin really needs a buddy to hang out with right now.  

And you can’t tell me after Nya’lotha fell Wrathion just disappeared again and never at least visited Stormwind to tell grandiose tales about how he stabbed an Old God, it was so heroic, and he wasn’t scared at all, and those mean adventurers were so quick to believe he’d been corrupted, but he hadn’t, and did you know Azshara was there?  And then N’Zoth almost won but KERPOW LAZERS and oh Anduin you should have seen it, etc. etc. etc.

I should be used to being disappointed about Wrathion’s absence by now, but there are SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!

Sigh.  Moving on.

Being exposed to spoilers meant I wasn’t fooled by it, but it was still a deft bit of writing to have the dark rangers drink poison when cornered by Horde soldiers, then mention Nathanos having a vial in his coat, which he drinks when defeated--making the unspoiled reader assume he’s killing himself--only for it to be a kind of liquid hearthstone attuned to Sylvanas.  Had I not known that he survived the book I would have freaked out there.

So, like, was Bolvar just sitting there on the ground awkwardly eavesdropping while Sylvanas and Nathanos talked/argued?  Or did he use that time to sneak away unnoticed?  LOL

Which brings us to the epilogue that’s caused so much hand wringing and wailing from my fellow Blightrunner shippers.  It wasn’t the openly sentimental interaction between them that I had hoped for, but I honestly didn’t read it as the doom of the ship.  A bump, at worst.

[If you’re not interested in the relationship between Nathanos and Sylvanas, or if you’re one of those people who simply hate his character, you can skip the rest of this post.]

First of all, Sylvanas had just broken the Helm of Domination.  That was a hugely significant thing to do, both for her personally and in the cosmic scheme of things.  Her state of mind at that moment had to have been in a turmoil.  So if she was a little distracted and tense, I think that’s quite understandable.

Second, I saw other fans being upset that she threatened/wanted to strike him.  That’s not how I read it at all.  “Sylvanas could strike him, scream and hollow out his soul, but it would not correct the failing.”  She’s not saying she wants to do that, just that she could.  The instinct to lash out in violence is ingrained in all the undead; death knights have to do it or they go mad.  So for her mind to go there in a moment of high emotion seems natural to me.  She doesn’t actually attack him or verbally/physically threaten him.  People say things like “I could have killed my brother for eating the last slice of cake” or “I could’ve strangled my co-worker when she spoiled the ending of the movie” and it’s not literal.

Third, she doesn’t say “go away, I never want to see you again.”  She says “Go where you will, Nathanos, but do not be idle” and “I expect you will return to me with means to prevent [Bwonsamdi’s] meddling.”  So essentially she’s saying, “Fine, go home, regroup, come up with Plan B, and if it’s not possible to destroy Bwonsamdi at least concentrate on countering him.”  Also note that she still considers the operation to be theirs, not just hers:  “This was a blow, but one she felt sure they could overcome.”  That tells me she expects to work with him in the future.

Fourth, and granted this is before she learns of his failure, but she’s clearly happy to have him there when he first arrives.  “’My champion,’ Sylvanas purred.  ‘Your timing could not be better.  Tell me of your victory as we take these first steps together.’”  She wanted to cross into the Shadowlands with him at her side.  Hell, that’s bridal imagery...crossing the threshold together, and all that.  The only reason she tells him to go is because his work isn’t done and she still needs him on Azeroth.  But she explicitly says “I expect you will return to me.” 

Fifth, in the line from her POV about how “the unjust ladder of their lives must be dismantled,” the “they” she’s referring to is all of the denizens of Azeroth, true, but I think there’s also a tinge of bitterness there as she looks back on her own life, and her life with Nathanos.  Destiny has not been kind to either of them.

Sixth, she says “My path lies ahead” as she prepares to cross into the Shadowlands.  It’s a reminder of the scale of the forces she is trying to manipulate.  When faced with the potential fates of all the souls in the universe, her own regrets are insignificant.  She can’t stay on Azeroth any longer, even if some part of her does want to just chill out on a beach somewhere with Nathanos and watch his blighthounds chase seagulls.  She thinks “It would not be easy, but then, her mission required great sacrifice.”  Like leaving him behind.

Even this part can be interpreted different ways:  “She heard the note of hope in his voice, fragile as a fledgling dropped from the next.”  Putting aside the humor of comparing bird-hating Nathanos to a fledgling, we don’t get a value judgment about the comparison.  Sylvanas doesn’t think about him sympathetically, wanting to protect him in a vulnerable moment, but she also doesn’t think, “Geez, what a pathetic weakling.”  It goes back to that bit in Warbringers about how she can’t kill hope.  And she can’t.  Here, again, no matter how bleak things are, no matter how displeased she is at his failure, he still has hope.  And she needs that, whether she believes it or not.

When she “flicked her fingers, as if ridding herself of a speck of muck” that can be interpreted as her thinking of him in a derogatory way, but she was also talking about Bwonsamdi in the same breath so I can choose to believe that’s who she was being dismissive of.

I don’t know.  I get that some of the language is discouraging.  She describes him as having “blubbering lips” and she’s definitely not happy with him.  But these two have been through a lot, and their bond has remained strong.  I’m sure this isn’t their first fight, or the first time he’s disappointed her.  This isn’t the end for them.  Just another bump on a very long highway they’ve traveled together.

...

OMG this has turned into a monster of a post, rambling all over the place.  I hope it’s coherent enough to follow.  I’m just in lore overload at the moment (and enjoying every second.)  I know I’m forgetting things I wanted to talk about, too, but I’m going to go ahead and post it as it is.

[isolaradiale]

hello! without prior reserve, I'd like to app mercury black from rwby. the application can be found under /app or the last icon on the nav bar to the right of the posts can take you to the appropriate link. thanks!

Welcome!

You’ll be staying in HOUSE 109!

You’ll be able to shield yourself using your aura, but it will only take 5 strong hits a day!

You’ll be given plastic greaves!

Enjoy your stay!

--Mod Lyra

[silveryinkystar]

On the subject of this week’s episode, which really set me straight on how much I will cry in season 2, I really adored the details on Iorek’s and Iofur’s armour.

I’ve already spoken about the Svalbard bears’ armour in this post but I wanted to point out a few more things:

Firstly: The Helmets.

[Note: screenshots not mine]

Iorek’s helmet was clearly made after he was kicked out from Svalbard. The book (I think) goes a bit more into the significance of the armour which also answers Lyra’s question in the latest episode, “How can bears make their souls?”

More importantly, it tells the audience that Iorek had to make entirely new armour for himself after he was kicked out, and the way his helmet is crafted is a fine way of showing it. It’s rusty, dented and scratched, clearly put together from pieces of sky-iron that he found. It also fits perfectly around his head and is incredibly durable, so points to Iorek for resourcefulness and expertise.

Iofur’s helmet, meanwhile, is incredibly elaborate. The picture doesn’t fully show it, but there’s a metal plate in the shape of a plume, in a very familiar Roman style. It also covers Iofur’s face more fully, with eye holes and protection over the jaw (in the shape of a snarling maw with fangs!). It’s very fancy (dare I say impractical) and so very human.

Which, in the end, is the point. Iofur wants to be human so bad, he starts incorporating it into the way his armour is made. The helmet itself speaks volumes.

Another detail I liked was how the sentry bears in Svalbard don’t have this much detail on their helmets. Their armour seems more practical than Iofur’s (image below).

Second: The rest of the armour

(Apologies for the quality, also the last image is not mine)

There are a few similarities in both Iorek’s and the sentry bear’s armours: the layered plating, what I’m going to call the breastplate. This makes a lot of sense given the way they move - they’d need the armour to move with them, not hinder them.

The shoulder pads and greaves, though, are missing on Iorek’s armour. One could assume that he didn’t have enough metal to make them all, but the engravings on the greave in the last picture make me wonder whether they were even originally part of the armour. Greaves and gauntlets are a very human thing in armour. Bears, who use their paws all the time, would probably not immediately think of them as necessary components of armour. Also, why would they even need shoulder pads? Those would only restrict movement (considering that they’re bears).

However, what interests me most about the differences is whether the panserbjorne already had armour that looked this smooth and well-made, or was it Iofur who brought in these changes? I can kind of guess on the helmet ‘plume’ and extravagant engravings on Iofur’s own, but the rest seems vague enough.

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Shooting Star Sonia 3

Chapter 37

Geo and Sonia Noise Changed, triggering short bursts of light in the distance of the server.  Geo engaged Cancer Crown Noise, while Sonia activated Libra Crown, her dress turning into thick green armor with gold streaks on the sides.  Her greaves became massive gold boots shaped like the body of Libra Scales, her shoulders were encased in bulbous green ornaments, her scarf turned green, and the nodes on her orange helmet sharpened into golden spikes. Her arms remained unarmored, changing to green and gold; her guitar was a ghastly shade of white, with the body shaped to resemble a cartoonish skull.  As Jack hovered right above Tia, Sonia readied her guitar.

“Please, listen!” Sonia said.

Flames engulfed Jack’s hands.  “Sis said shut up!”

A flurry of fire bolts shot out at random, blanketing the platform to make approaching the pair as difficult as possible.  Laplace dematerialized to insure Solo’s barrier protected him, while Geo stepped in front of Sonia with his shield, both looking at her as they held the line.

“Alright…I think our best bet is to surround them,” Sonia said, playing a few notes.  “I’ll draw their attention as best I can!”

Three orb-shaped spirits appeared at her side: one made of fire, one made of water, and one made of electricity, each wielding a different weapon.  Geo and Solo broke formation, the latter calmly closing in on the siblings as he circled to one side.  Jack continued to firebomb the area, while Tia tilted her staff forward—a burst of rain fell down on Solo, but it too was repelled, and he calmly walked closer.  As Sonia dodged fire, she played to issue commands to her minions, the flame spirit launching arrows from its crossbow as they advanced.  The shots all disappeared into Tia’s shield, each prompting a small burst of water to shoot out on contact; however, the numerous jets managed to obscure Tia’s view of the battlefield, and she lost track of Solo.

“Sis, on your left!” Jack said.

Tia turned to see Solo leaping up over her barrier, brushing off fire bolts to kick Jack in the face.  She raised her staff, but before she could attack, Geo appeared behind her with a Break Sabre, slashing right through her shield and using Crown Noise’s ability to render her blind.  Jack swung at Solo, but he dropped down inside Tia’s shield.  Geo leapt up at Jack, connecting with a Freeze Knuckle, and then smacked him down with a Great Axe while Solo hit Tia with a string of blows. Sonia’s spirits had reached their foes: the one made of water swung its hammer down, the shockwaves from the impact dispelling Tia’s water veil so that Sonia could blast her with notes.

“Take that!” Lyra said.  “I’ll put you in your place yet, Virgo!”

Sonia felt like she should say something, but the thought was gone in an instant.  She realized she was feeling frustrated for some reason.

“Hey, this isn’t the way this is supposed to go!” Virgo said.  “Get your butt in gear, Tia!  We can’t let them win again!”

Tia managed to block one of Solo’s punches with her staff.  Pushing back, she called up another swirl of water to sweep him and the spirits back, finishing by sending a water dragon after Sonia.  She did her best to look calm as she scanned her surroundings, but they could all see the glint of anger lighting her eyes.

Nearby, Jack go to this feet, calling, “Hold on Sis!”

He lunged at Geo with his talons—the boy raised his shield, but right before he hit it, Jack pulled his arms back and turned one wing into a sharp blade, curving it around the shield to stab Geo in the shoulder.  Geo flinched as he dropped his guard, and Jack pushed him back with a short barrage of fire bolts.  He hung back as Geo recovered, watching carefully to see what he would do, but to his surprise, Geo turned around and loaded a Battle Card; a few dozen coins appeared above Tia and fell down on her head.  Jack charged, but he was so focused on Geo he didn’t see Solo until the Murian warrior was already in front of him.  Solo sent him reeling, the flames of his fist flaring up as he made contact, and then stopped and grabbed his wrist for a moment before pressing his advantage.

Tia busied herself repelling attacks from Geo and Sonia, attempting counterattacks whenever she thought she could.  The stalemate dragged on, and with a harsh sigh, Sonia said, “Tia, you’ve got to see reason!  You can’t seriously believe this is going to work!”

Tia simply attacked her.  Sonia grunted as she dodged, but as she angrily raised her guitar, she paused.  Wait…why am I so on edge?

Geo avoided another attack and jumped in front of Tia, driving a Drill Arm through her barrier.  He exchanged glances with Sonia, and she realized he too looked unusually angry. Before she had time to piece things together, Tia spun her staff over her head before slamming it back down, conjuring three water dragons beneath her: one chased after Sonia, the other pursued Geo, and the third spiraled upward with Tia on its head, silently observing her foes.  Suddenly, a barrage of fist-shaped projectiles came her way—she directed the dragon through the onslaught, glaring down at Solo.

A shout caught Geo’s attention as he narrowly dodged the dragon.  Turning, he was greeted by Jack colliding with him head-on, feeling the boy cut into his arm before giving him a chance to roll to his feet.  A shadow appeared over Jack, so he dodged back.  A large speaker resembling one of Libra’s weights dropped onto the road and caught him in a sound pulse; seizing the opportunity, Geo vaulted over the device and brought a massive hammer down on Jack.  He then lifted the weapon and brought it down again, then a third time, and then finally formed a cannon he aimed at his stunned opponent.

“Damn, kid,” Mega said.  “You’re really going to town on him.”

Geo stopped.  Looking at Jack, he muttered, “I…uh…”

He backed up, letting Jack stand.  Sonia had the head of her guitar pointed in their direction.

“Get him!” Lyra said.  “If we can take him out, we’ll have an easier time dismantling Virgo!”

Sonia slid her foot forward, then stopped.  “…Lyra…do you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

“It’s the same as before.  When Joker was overloading us with Noise…and when the OOParts tried to take control of us…”

Lyra huffed.  “…Drat. I believe you’re right.  We were told that being inside a super-dense Noise environment would pose a serious risk of corruption.”

Geo stared at Jack for a moment.  Then, Jack said, “You’re gonna regret that!”

He punched Geo in the face, flames wreathing the blow.  As Geo was knocked back, Solo charged Jack from behind, but Jack spun in mid-air to avoid him and retaliate.  Solo quickly drew a glyph as Jack’s wing connected, disappearing in a puff of smoke only to reappear higher up and hurl shuriken down at him.  Jack shot the projectiles down with fire bolts before taking aim at Solo.  Behind him, Tia dropped down, her armor glowing, and called down pillars of light to batter Geo as he tried to get up.  When she landed, Geo threw a vicious uppercut that pierced her barrier and stunned her briefly.  He drew back his fist, let out a long breath, and backed up.

“You hear what Sonia said, kid?” Mega asked.

“Yeah,” Geo said.  “Guess we need to be careful not to let the Noise overwhelm us as we fight…but as we fight, we generate more and more.  This could be rough.”

Jack slashed Solo’s back and took off, peppering Geo and Sonia with flames as he did.  Sonia rolled aside and blasted notes at him.  Geo dodged an attack from Tia, and then fired an arrow up at Jack, clipping his wing and making him rapidly lose altitude.  He had to act fast to evade Tia again, and noticed Solo drawing a glyph—he then ran his hand through it, generating four duplicates, and then waved outward, sending them flying out to surround Tia.  With a crackle, each glyph hurled a powerful bolt of purple lightning at Tia’s barrier, causing it erupt from five sides at once and leaving very little water left to shield her.  Seeing this, Geo rushed forward with a sword, just as Solo swung Laplace from the other side. They successfully broke through. Tia was swift to strike back, but still missed as they retreated.

Sonia tried to keep her mind clear as she played for her spirits, directing their attacks in an attempt to box Jack in.  Even on the ground, he was still extremely agile, and managed to surprise her with a fire bolt that hit her leg.  Sonia knelt, feeling a swell of fury, but pushed it away.  It bounced right back when Jack came forward to kick her in the face.

“You mighta got lucky last time,” Corvus said, “but Virgo and I are unstoppable together!  You’re done for this time, Harp Note!”

“Give up already,” Jack said.  “With your wave body, you could just leave, find some other planet to hide out on. If you keep fighting, you’re just going to die!”

Sonia clenched her teeth as she worked to get a handle on her emotions. Looking up at Jack, she said, “And leave Earth?  Let all those other people die?  Never!”

“Why do they matter to you?!  What have they done that makes you think they deserve to live?”

Jack swiped.  Sonia jumped away, fought off the urge to strike back, and said, “Nothing!  It’s not something anyone needs to earn, Jack! Everyone’s life has value—everyone will be missed by someone when they’re gone!”

“Even all the rotten bastards?”

“Everyone can change!  It’s something we all have the capacity to do, and something I refuse to deny anyone!”

Jack continued swiping, Sonia dancing away from each one.  “You think King will change?  Did Joker change?!  Your crumby ideals have their limits, Sonia!”

A surprise wing attack knocked Sonia to the ground.  She came right back up, barely getting around Jack, and managed to snare him in strings.

“I know!” she said.  “…I know. Even if everyone can change, not everyone does.  I understand that better than ever now.”

“Then why bother?” Jack asked, twisting around.  “You can’t change everyone, so why keep trying?”

A red aura formed around Sonia.  “Because some people will change!  Maybe not everyone, maybe not even that many, but as long as I can convince even one person to change their ways, I’m going to keep doing everything I can to see that they do!”

Jack struggled free and attacked Sonia.  However, Noise was now wrapping around her, shielding her from the blow. Far above, in the shell of Crimson that surrounded the entire area, intricate pathways lit up and shifted, as data streamed between them rapidly.

“So what if my ideals have limits?  That doesn’t make them worthless!  I’ll still hold onto them, still do as much good as I possibly can with them!  Maybe I can’t change the whole world…but I won’t know for sure unless I try!  And that’s absolutely worth the risk!”

The pathways converged above Sonia, firing a beam of light directly down upon her. Her aura grew denser, folding into a spherical shape, and when it all fell away, Sonia was in her Red Joker form once again, staring at Jack with a focus that stunned him momentarily.

“...H-Hey,” Corvus said, “so what?  The fight’s not over!  Keep up the pressure, Jack!”

Hesitantly, Jack rushed forward and slashed with his wing.  Sonia raised one arm, catching the blow on her armor, and then turned her head.

“Geo!” she shouted.  “Try Finalizing!  With that level of control over Noise, it’s not able to corrupt you at all!”

She swung her arm, repelling Jack.  Expecting a follow-up, he braced himself, but Sonia just stood there. Jack launched fire bolts as he flew over Sonia, but she blocked them with her guitar.  Growling in frustration, Jack lit his claws and continued his attack, growing more and more relentless with every swing.

Geo and Solo backed away as Tia called down more light pillars.  Glancing at his Hunter arm, Geo said, “Finalize…are we ready for that?”

“We’re gonna have to give it our best shot!” Mega said.  “I might be able to handle the extra aggression this Noise is causing, but seeing you going wild is actually freaking me out.”

Tia sent a water dragon after Geo, but Solo launched a glyph at it: the dragon was teleported to the side, instead hitting Jack as he kept futilely trying to hurt Sonia.  A look of terror filled Tia’s eyes as she watched to see if he was alright.

“Do it now, kid!” Mega said.

Nodding, Geo breathed deeply, focusing on the Ace Program and the Noise that was flooding into it.  A red aura formed, and Solo rushed at Tia to keep her distracted.  He launched a kick straight through her barrier, sending her reeling, and then slammed Laplace down to engulf her in a bright blaze of purple. As he waited for the smoke to clear, he was already forming more glyphs.

Tia looked back at Jack—he was up—and then whirled on Solo.  “What stake do you even have in this?!  You’ve no reason to care for this world!  Why should it grieve you to see it end?”

“I never said it would,” Solo said.  “I’m just here to push the limits of Murian power.”

A water dragon coiled around Tia, who shouted, “And for what?!  Do you hope to avenge your fallen culture?  Do you think battling in darkness will show anyone the supposed splendor of your people? What reason do you have to continue to fight, Rogue?!”

The flames on Solo’s hand flared suddenly, reaching all the way up his arm. He winced, but finished the last glyph he was making—and then a brilliant light covered his blade.  Hefting Laplace, he paused, and then gave a smirk.

“I suppose I just enjoy it,” he answered.

He swung.  At first, the attack seemed ineffective.  But then, Tia’s barrier burst into droplets, and a massive cut appeared on her armor, purple smoke seeping out of it.  Her knees buckled, dropping her to the road.  The dragon, however, rose higher.

“You…reckless…child…!” Tia groaned.

She raised her staff.  A single light pillar shot down, hitting the head of the dragon; the light was refracted through the water, splitting the attack into dozens of beams that sliced out in random directions.  Solo dodged what he could, Laplace blocking all but one of the rest.  Jack had seen the attack coming, and so had gotten out of the way in time, and Sonia seemed unfazed.  Geo, however, took several of the beams directly.  Everyone looked to him as he wobbled back and forth, barely staying upright.  He locked eyes on Tia.

“…You look worried,” he murmured.

Tia slowly pushed herself up.  “…Nonsense.”

“Ms. Tia—“

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped.  “I’m no teacher!  That pitiful life was a ruse, all for this!  It was all for the sake of this wish! Don’t you understand?  We must finish this!  Are you really so cruel as to deny us the one solace we’ve chased all these years?!”

Geo stood tall.  “…Yes…and no.”

His aura grew deeper.

“I won’t let Meteor G collide with Earth.  I won’t let you ‘eradicate technology’, and kill innocent people. But now, I think I know the reason why you’re doing this…the real wish you think this plan will fulfill.  And you’re right: to deny you that true wish—for you and Jack to finally be safe and happy—would be cruel.  So I’ll have to prove to you that those two things are separate.”

A spark caught Tia’s eye.  Down below, on the opposite side of the Noise shell, pathways were lighting up once again.

“You see,” Geo said, “I have a wish of my own, one that I’ve been holding onto for a few years now.  That wish…is to have my father back home.  And for the first time, that’s in my grasp.  So while there’s a contradiction in your motivation…mine…is perfectly clear!”

A beam of light rose from the Noise, connecting it to Geo as Crimson consumed him.  Soon, the distortion passed, and Geo’s transformation was revealed: sleek black and grey armor covered him, looking almost like a second skin save for where it rounded over his chest and shoulders, with bright green lines bordering each individual segment of the design.  His helmet was similarly aerodynamic, with lengthy fins on either side of his face and a single flat horn that sprouted up from the center of his forehead before arcing gracefully back.  Floating behind him were long, narrow strips of black metal, arranged into the shape of two wings and held together by a thin, constantly shifting film of reddish-pink Noise.

Geo lifted off the Wave Road, clenching and unclenching his fists as he took stock of the power he now possessed.  “…Black Ace Mega Man.”

He lifted his buster.  Tia immediately raised her shield, but in the fraction of a second it took to form, half a dozen blasts connected with her.  She looked down at herself in shock, and then back up to see Geo right in front of her with a sword.  The blade sliced through her shield in an instant, lopping the end off of her staff; Tia willed a shockwave to emerge from it, but Geo was behind her before the attack commenced.

“Father…” Jack said.  “Wait. That guy with King is your father?”

Geo turned sharply.  “W…What? You saw my dad?  King’s with him?!”

Jack looked up the slope, Geo following his gaze.  He paused a moment, but then shook his head, turning back to the fight.

“Geo,” Sonia said.  When he looked up, she smiled, continuing, “Go.  We can handle this.”

Geo gave a nod, and then in the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving only a wake of Noise trailing uphill.  Jack turned to see Sonia smiling at him now, and he gritted his teeth in response.

“Wipe that stupid grin off your face!” Jack said.  “What do I care if it’s his dad?  I just wanted him out of the way so we can pick you two off even more easily!”

Jack and Tia regrouped, so Sonia and Solo did the same.  Sonia said, “Sorry, hope you don’t mind.”

“Why would I?” Solo said.

“Hehe, thanks.”  Her eyes were drawn to his still-burning arm.  “…I haven’t seen it do that before.”

Solo turned towards her slightly, but then faced their foes again.  “It’s nothing.  Don’t let it distract you.”

“You okay Sis?” Jack asked, hovering above the opening in Tia’s barrier.

“…Fine,” she said, dropping her broken staff.  “Jack.  We need to make the most of this opportunity.”

“O-Of course!  Let’s get this over with, then!”

The flame atop Jack’s helmet began to burn brighter, reaching up as he spread his arms wide.  As he did, Tia brought her hands together, and the waters guarding her began to churn wildly, sprouting water dragons in rapid succession.  Seven serpent heads encircled Tia, while dozens of purple flames hovered in the air around Jack.  Solo adjusted his stance, but to his surprise, Sonia stepped in front of him.

“My armor can take anything they can throw,” Sonia said.  “Let me hold their attack off, while you come up with some way to defeat them.”

Solo scowled.  “What, are you worried about me?  I told you—“

“That’s not it.  I’m just doing what I think will end this the quickest.”

Reluctantly, Solo took a few short steps back.  Sonia summoned her two towering speakers as she braced herself.

“Jack!  Tia!  This is the final track!  So open your hearts…and listen!”

She began to play as the siblings executed their assault.  Powerful Noise exploded out of the speakers, forming a barrier around Sonia that easily held off the fire bolts that tried to arc around her to hit Solo.  Most of the rest were blasted apart by the sound waves that intercepted them, and the few that did make it through bounced harmlessly off of Sonia’s armor.  Amidst this downpour of flames, the water dragons took turns lunging forward to crash against Sonia; the first few shook her up a little, but she adjusted quickly, standing her ground as they continued. There was a small pause in Jack’s barrage: the seven dragons all shot out at once, each coming at Sonia from a different angle.  Sonia jumped back, angled her guitar, and just as they were all upon her, she fired a wide beam of Noise, shredding all the constructs apart at once.  As they burst, however, she became aware of two enormous claws made of purple flame that hung in the air above her.  Faster than she could react, they plummeted, catching her shoulders just right that they caught her arms and forced her down on one knee.

“Got you now!” Jack said.  “Let’s see if you’re as durable as you think!”

Tia’s armor shone brilliantly, and she held one open palm forward.  Sonia mentally prepared as focused light lanced out in her direction.  However, the beam never hit her.  Solo, surrounded by at least twenty floating glyphs, appeared in front of her, using Laplace’s barrier to hold back the oncoming torrent of light.

“Hmph,” he grunted.  “What made you think I would let you win?”

He ran forward, keeping one hand against the barrier as the beam was split apart by his advance.  Jack shouted, but there was nothing he could do—Solo’s fist connected with Tia, purple light shooting out from the point of impact, and she was hurled to the very edge of the platform.  As Jack began to move, Solo threw aside his other hand: Laplace emerged from his shoulder, passing through one of the glyphs as they did, and split into two identical Wizards who flanked Jack and transformed into swords.  The twin blades arced up, crossing as they cut Jack, and then returned to their Wizard forms just above him to smack him down into Solo’s grasp.  He threw Jack to his sister’s side, and the claws holding Sonia down dissipated.

“Awesome!” Sonia said as she came forward.  The two Laplaces merged back into one as the glyphs faded, and she watched Jack and Tia struggle to their feet.  “I told you, this fight is over.  No encores.”

“No…” Tia croaked.  “We…will not…be stopped!  I’ve given up too much for this!  I have…to make sure…Jack is safe…!”

Beside her, Jack said, “Sis…what should we do?”

Tia glared at Sonia.  Before she could act, however, a sudden pressure was exerted on her, and both she and Jack were dragged back down to the platform.  Able to raise her head for just a moment, she spotted Geo floating back down the ramp, holding an orb of black energy in his outstretched hand.

“Seems you guys did just fine,” Geo said.  “I know it’s kind of late now, but I hope you’ll let me pitch in a little more.”

“What are you doing back here?” Sonia asked.  “What about your dad?”

Geo shook his head.  “I can’t get to him.  He and King are behind a Crimson barrier, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t break through.  I shouted, but they couldn’t even hear me…we’re going to need to figure out some way to disable it before we can go forward.”

“Don’t…talk like you’ve won!” Tia said.  “We’re not through yet!”

Jack looked to her, then to Geo, then at the road.  Ultimately, he let out a heavy sigh, and he said, “No, Sis…I think we are.”

Giving him a horrified look, she said, “What?  No, Jack!  You can’t lose hope!”

“It’s okay, Sis.  We lost…and, maybe…it’s for the best.”

He reached out, just barely able to take hold of Tia’s hand.

“I’ve been thinking…maybe they’re right.  Maybe we really would just be repeating the same mistakes that ruined our lives.  I…I don’t want to put more kids through the hell we went through.  And I know you don’t really want to either.”

Tia bit her lip as tears started to well in her eyes.

“I know this was what kept us going.  But…maybe it’s enough just that it got us this far.  We’re finally free from King’s control.  We have what we needed…so maybe it’s okay to find a different wish now.”  After a pause, he added, “Can we?”

Silence stretched on.  Then, with a gentle sob, Tia squeezed her brother’s hand, nodded, and said, “Okay, Jack…I…I just want you to be happy.  I-I thought this was the only thing that could do that, but…if you really think this is the way…then okay.”

Jack smiled at her.  “Thanks, Sis. I’m positive: we’re both gonna be a lot happier this way.”

Suddenly, the pressure was gone.  Jack and Tia looked to Geo, who said, “I’m glad.  Like we said, we’ll do whatever we can to help you.  We’ve still got a job to do here, but for now, why don’t you two get some rest?”

“Right,” Jack said.  “…H-Hey, Geo.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll get it if you say no, but…do you think, eventually…we could all become friends again?  I…I’d really like that…”

Geo chuckled.  “Of course! I’m happy to hear you want to stay friends, Jack!”

Jack nodded, and then turned back to Tia.  Quietly, Mega said, “Seems like a happy ending…but, there’s still one thing I’m worried about.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Corvus shouted as he materialized next to Jack.  “What is this crap?!  You’re seriously just gonna give up?”

Virgo materialized as well, saying, “No no no no!  You can’t quit now!  I still have to kill these guys!  We were gonna kill so many people—how can you pass up a chance like that?!”

“Come on,” Jack said, “let it go already.  We’ve already decided.”

Tia closed her eyes, saying, “I’m tired of fighting…I’m ready to stop.”

Virgo waved her fists around as she whined, while Corvus floated there grinding his teeth together.  Sonia said, “You two should stand down.  We don’t want to hurt you.  Earth and Planet FM are allies now, so we can—“

“Shut up!” Corvus said.  “I’m sick of hearing that!  The FM King goes to destroy Earth, and then suddenly he wants to change our whole planet to be all goody-goody?  Where do you get off telling us the way we operate is wrong?!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Virgo chimed in.  “We hate your preachy shtick!  That’s the whole reason we joined Scorpio’s movement—the whole reason we came to Earth to try to kill you!”

Sonia prepared to ask, but Mega cut her off: “We gotta bag ‘em.  They ain’t gonna listen to reason, and they’re too dangerous to set loose.  ‘Sides, if Wolf found out Corvus got away, he’d be in the worst mood of his life.”

“I’m in agreement with Mega,” Lyra said.  “Virgo has never understood the consequences of her actions—you can’t expect her to start thinking things through now.”

“What are you talking about?” Virgo asked.  “Do you seriously know me somehow?  What’s your beef with me?”

Lyra materialized, glaring daggers at the other FM-ian.  “My ‘beef’?  I just explained: you never understood the consequences of what you did!  We never met, but I knew you, Virgo…I looked up to you. Planet FM is a world dominated by males, but you overcame that!  You, a female FM-ian, were one of the king’s elite warriors!  You inspired so many of us—finally, proof that we could still achieve the things we’d dreamed of but never felt able to do!  You made us think things were going to change…and because of you, they did.  They became even worse.”

Virgo scratched her head.  “Huh? How?”

“When in your boredom you defected to a life of murder, your example became a weapon to be used against us!  Now even those who might’ve considered giving female FM-ians a chance would not, justifying it by saying they didn’t want to risk another Virgo!  I didn’t let it stop me…but because of you, climbing the ladder was more hellish than I ever dreamed!  It ate away at my soul to such a degree, I shudder to think of what I’d have become without Sonia’s influence!”  Lyra stopped to breathe.  “You’re hardly the only person to blame for the hardships faced by me, by Ophiuca, by every other female…but you had a choice in the matter, and chose to contribute rather than to repair.  And even now that I’ve laid it all out for you, you still don’t understand, do you, Virgo?”

Rolling her eyes, Virgo said, “Look, I don’t really get what you’re so upset. You want power or something?  You’ve got plenty of it!  Now shut up and wait patiently until I come over there to murder you!”

Lyra shook her head.  Turning back around, she moved to dematerialize, but Sonia set a hand on her shoulder to stop her.  The girl smiled at her.  It was a moment before she felt up to it, but Lyra was able to genuinely return the gesture.

“So…what are we going to do with them?” Geo asked.  “We’d better hurry up: we’re running out of time.”

Corvus looked to Virgo.  They both nodded.  In a flash, Jack and Tia’s Wave Changes were undone, and before they realized what had happened, the two FM-ians swung at their former partners.  A blur streaked past them, and they swung through empty space. Jack, Tia, and Geo now stood on the other side of the platform, with Sonia generating a barrier in front of them. The criminals turned to renew their attack, but that was when Solo punched the ground, causing geysers of purple to spew up from beneath them.  Solo winced as he executed the attack.  When it had settled, Virgo and Corvus remained covered in flames, shouting as the corruptive energy slowly broke down their bodies.  Sonia barely had time to process what was happening, and then it was over.  She stared at Solo’s back as he stood.

“…That was unintentional,” Solo said.  “I only wanted to subdue them.”

Sonia let out a long breath.  Lowering the barrier, she turned and said, “Is everyone okay?”

“I think so,” Jack said.  “But, uh…”

“Our Noise Blockers were installed in them,” Tia said.  “We need to get out of here, fast.”

“Oh, right!” Sonia said.  “Do you think they’ll be safe back in the rocket?”

“I hope so,” Geo said.  “We’ll need to help them back through the Noise Wave to make sure no viruses get them, but we also need to find a way to disable that barrier up ahead.”

“We should probably split up,” Sonia said.  “Let’s see…”

“I’ll take them,” Solo said.

The others turned toward him.

“My Darklight Harvester…is at its limit,” he went on, raising the bracelet. “The Noise here is so dense that it’s simply too much for the device, and so its energy is beginning to run wild.”

Nodding slowly, Sonia said, “Oh, that’s why you couldn’t hold back your attack…”

“I can’t do any more good here.  Harp Note, Mega Man, you’ll have to handle King and the core without me. I’ll take these two back to the rocket and wait for you to wrap up.”

“Thank you, Solo.  We’ll try not to be too long.”

Solo walked over to Jack and Tia.  He paused as if to say something, but then resumed walking, so the siblings moved quickly to avoid being left behind.  Geo and Sonia prepared to move forward, when suddenly, data pathways all around the space began lighting up.

“What now?” Geo asked.

Light flashed on the Wave Road, directly in Solo’s path.  He jumped back, immediately entering a battle stance, and sized up the new arrival: he was an EM being, one that looked remarkably human-like, exuding some eerie presence as he scanned the group.  He wore an oddly-fashioned black coat with a ring-shaped emblem on the chest and a red stripe down the front, and his legs were covered in the same material.  His face was thin, with very simple features that made it seem to disappear into his red skin, and from beneath his silver and red cap fell a sheet of straight black hair that reached his shoulders.

“W…who are you?” Sonia said.

The newcomer looked to Jack and Tia.  As he raised his hand, Solo moved in front of them; a second later, the siblings were each surrounded by a small orb of translucent blue light.  The stranger nodded.

“Those Noise Barriers will preserve you,” he said, his voice soft but clear. “Forgive the intrusion.  I thought it best to speak with you in person, Solo.”

Solo took a step to the side.  “…And why is that?”

“I have much to explain,” he said, looking back over everyone.  “I should start by introducing myself.  I am Blitzar of Planet XM, former Administrator of the Meteor Server.”

[silveryinkystar]

Okay, before I start my armour-inspired rant, here’s a huge SPOILER WARNING for those who haven’t read the books

I really like the detailing, specifically in comparison with Iorek’s - the whole armour, really, is well taken care of. The folds of metal on their backs look smooth and oiled, and it’s all carved with designs - very opulent, kind of what you would expect in a king’s court.

Then you come to the shoulder pads and metal ‘plume’, which are a nice, subtle way of referencing Iofur’s desire to be more like humans (hence the plating, pads and plume reference Roman and Greek styles, which I think were at least part of the inspiration for the design). 

Meanwhile, looking at Iorek’s own armour:

The layered plates form the general shape of the armour in the Svalbard pictures, but the helmet has no plume. This makes sense as Iorek mentions in the book that he made his own armour, and it was incredibly rusty after a long period of disuse.

What fascinates me is the shape of his helmet (ignoring the lack of plume). While the other bears have a beautifully rounded metal plate, Iorek’s seems to be a lot sturdier, with ridges allowing for the metal to bend in the way the Svalbard armour would have been forged. (Again, makes sense - he’d have had to work with what he had, so the same amount of grandeur can’t have been expected despite his obvious talent).

It also reflects his hardiness - this is probably the armour in which he fought with Lee in the Tunguska Campaign (and probably many other times). He was cast out well before he ended up in the village where he met Lyra & Co., so this was the armour he would have had to repair when it was damaged, and if he didn’t have a ready resource as in Svalbard, he very obviously would have taken precautions to ensure that it wouldn’t easily give.

He doesn’t have those greaves (gauntlets??) that the other bears are wearing, so I wonder whether those are for ornamentation of part of some kind of uniform.

All in all, I really hope they use the ‘fancy armour vs. hardy armour’ part of the fight between Iorek and Iofur as much in the show as they did in the book!

LOOK AT THEM!! LOOK AT HOW MAJESTIC

[youcannotsuppressme]

The entire Council of Iysen was upon the Iyserian Flagship, Noctis Victa, the pride of the fleet. The viewing room was a special, encased portion of the ship that showed a 360 degree view around the vessel, as if one was standing in space themselves. And so standing in an ocean of stars, surrounded by the entire Iyserian Fleet, were the Council Members gathered. Meros was standing in the front, hands clasped behind her back as she gazed down at the world of Cotrim IV.

The planet desecrated by their greatest fear; The Ravaged.

The world was dying, and it could be seen from orbit. Fires raged around the urban centers, where millions were slaughtered or turned into the feral, corrupted beings that continued to ravage and consume the planet. Shuttles raced into orbit carrying soldiers and civilians alike, quick to escape the bloodbath below. Men, women and children went from prosperous citizens under the Iyserian Empire, to refugees within a matter of days.

Madivisia stood in an ivory Margrave’s coat, her attire a blend of a military uniform and that of a regional governor. Alistair stood to her left, his battered form scorched and bloodied from the fighting on the surface. It was a surprise the Warlock could even stand with his current wounds, and there was no Lucia at the moment to treat him. The others were silent, merely observing their Empress visibly shake with a volcanic wrath.

It was Lord Marshall Pentecost that broke the silence, stepping forward with heavy infantryman greaves as he opened a fleet-wide comms channel. A thousand ships listened to the leader of the Iyserian army, as he alone was responsible for executing the most rare, and unforgiving order within the Iyserian Empire.

“We have arrived, and it is now we perform our charge. In fealty of the God-Empress, our undying lady, and by the grace of the Storm Throne…” He faltered. For the first time in the Lord Marshall’s life, he hesitated. It made sense to Madivisia, who raised a single dark brow at the back of the High General. He was born upon this world. He defended this world, on the ground, against the Zakuul invaders. The Lord Marshall lost good men, friends and family on this holy world.

Pentecost quickly recovered, any vestige of the man beneath the armour entirely murdered as he continued his agonizing decree. “...I declare Exterminatus upon the Imperial world of Cotrim IV. I hereby sign the death warrant of an entire world, and cosign a billion souls to oblivion. May Iyserian justice account in all balance. The Empress protects.”

A hum of power coursed through the ship, the display screens vibrating beneath the feet of the council members. Every single ship within the Iyserian Navy trembled with fearsome power, as their mighty guns began to shell the Iyserian planet. Over a thousand ships began to bombard the planet from high orbit, rays of superheated plasma boiling the seas and scorching the world. Virus bombs designed by Lucia Nox began to strip the organic life in a merciful death, denying the Ravaged any chance of spreading beyond their original numbers.

Meros stood, hands clenched into fists tightly as they shook with a deep set rage. She watched her people die, they died from something she promised to protect them from. Already the green in the world became cracked with red and orange flames as the surface was broken from the temperate paradise it knew. A fearsome sight, to see every gun turned on her own people, in order to protect them.

Director Talcora, the Minister of Technology and Design, stepped forward with his metal staff for support. His face was shrouded  by his hood, and metal rubes ran from beneath it, to various augmented parts of his body. The director was more machine than man, and it disgusted Madivisia to no end. But he did his job, and the Empress favours him. “It is human nature to seek culpability in a time of tragedy. It is a sign of strength to cry out against fate, rather than bow one’s head and….succumb.”

Talcora hissed a sound of a filtered breath, adjusting a dial upon his breastplate before he continued. “Inevitably, many shall fault the hands upon the sword that fell upon Cotrim, the Council of Iysen. But the Council merely performs the duties of its charge. To further fear them is redundant. To hate them, heretical. Those more sensible will place responsibility with those who forced the hands of the Council. With some fortune, they may foster this hatred into purpose, and further rule their fate by coming to the Empress’ service.”

Meros turned around at the end of Talcora’s Address, her helmet removed and exposing her furious, war-painted visage. Her voice was, however, terrifyingly even and reserved, a tone that all knew in the room knew was wise to fear her, when she spoke like this. “The Ravaged have two fleets. One of them is heading to the station that Lucia Nox is being held at. Nerinah. Alistair. Corvus, and Pentecost. You will all go there, under terms of a temporary peace, and bring me back my Chief Apothicarium. You will defeat the Ravaged and not let them take the system. Take the IYSO Wraiths, and the Shock Corps.”

Meros turned around, looking down at the dying world with her silvery-grey eyes. A deep breath was taken, before she slowly shook her head. “I will take Lyra and the Storm Guard to meet a Monarch. It’s time the traitors did something useful, and contributed to their homeworld’s defense.”

[knightsims]

Week 20 of Crystal Valley BACC is finally over, so here’s a summary of everything that happened (warning: it’s really freaking long).

Somerset:

Leliana gave birth to their fourth child, Cassandra, who turned into a toddler later in the week.

Malavai moved to Eris University.

Josephine turned into a teenager and entered a relationship with Austin Jones. 

Thane turned into a child.

Charleston:

Michael finally died after a couple of days of defying Grimmy.

John almost froze to death by sleeping on a bench in the snow.

Piper met and befriended a vampire, and was turned into one herself.

They adopted a kitten called Ally, who then turned into a full-grown cat.

Devlin turned into a child.

Hall II:

Elena gave birth to their first child, Sinead, who turned into a toddler later in the week.

Connor went on an outing with some friends, where he saw his sort-of cousin, Orion Hansen. 

Danny, the Halls’ dog, died.

Elena became pregnant for a second time.

Elena got into a fight with a townie.

Grimmy and the Hula Zombies came for Donovan.

Elena gave birth to their second daughter, Natalya.

Somerset II:

Aurora had twins, Brienne and Carlisle, who turned into toddlers later in the week.

Bean, the cat, got into a fight with a stray.

They adopted a second cat, Alice.

They purchased the services of a maid.

Aurora became pregnant again.

James went into aspiration failure due to changing diapers. 

Leonard:

They moved into a new home due to the old one being buggy.

Taliesin turned into a toddler and then a child.

ACR struck again, leaving Patricia with her third unplanned pregnancy, to which she eventually gave birth to Thomas.

Cressida became friends with Abigail Jasper.

The twins turned into teenagers, with Cressida becoming a Family/Fortune sim and Raphael becoming a Knowledge/Pleasure.

Asher turned into an elder.

The children got into private school.

Thomas turned into a toddler.

Hall III:

Heaven Sellwood, a close friend of Gwendolyn’s, moved in due to the ROS roll requiring a new roommate.

ACR struck, resulting in Gwendolyn falling pregnant with triplets, Athena, Persephone and Ares.

The triplets turned into toddlers.

Peterson:

Due to his abduction the week before, Christian gave birth to alien-baby Lyra, who turned into a toddler later in the week.

Emilia, also pregnant at the same time, gave birth to baby Kaleb, who also turned into a toddler later in the week.

Alecto and Blaine, the twins, turned into toddlers and then children later in the week.

Mills:

Elizabeth used the genie lamp and wished for money, and then promptly used it as she set half the kitchen on fire and had to replace some things.

Elizabeth gave birth to Aidan.

They adopted a puppy called Lemon.

Hansen:

Orion and Kea moved back to Crystal Valley from Eris University.

Kea befriended an alpha wolf and was bitten, turning her into a werewolf.

Grimmy and the Hula Zombies came for Charlie.

Leigh:

The ROS roll stated that Pepper Leigh and Malcolm Fraser would be getting a roommate or two, so both Adrian Campbell and Verity Amundson, Pepper and Malcolm’s respective partners, moved in.

They adopted a male cat, Sweets, in hopes that he and Biddy would have kittens.

Malcolm and Verity moved out at the end of the week.

Chin: 

The ROS roll meant that they lost over 70% of their money.

Caitlin Terry stole the newspaper.

They adopted an adult cat, Heidi.

William died while painting outside (I think it was due to catching a cold and not resting), but Gretchen beat Grimmy and brought him back to life.

Baxter:

They went on a family outing to the new park in front of their house.

Austin Jones, Brandi Reeve, and Yusef Xander came over for a sleepover.

The quadruplets moved to Eris University, leaving Emily and Morgan alone at home.

Morgan was abducted by aliens, but as he’s an elder, he didn’t come back with a ‘gift’.

Black:

Logan turned into an elder.

Ava and Anthony got into private school.

Ariel gave birth to a single puppy, Dana.

Logan got abducted by aliens, with Marissa watching without care.

Anthony turned into a teenager and became a Knowledge/Fortune sim.

The family received a genie lamp.

Ava moved to Eris University.

Jones:

Olivia set the study on fire by attempting to repair the broken computer.

The repoman came and stole some cookbooks from the kitchen.

Megan moved to Eris University, with Austin moving too at the end of the week.

Warren turned into a teenager and became a Family/Pleasure sim.

Austin asked Josephine Somerset to be his girlfriend.

Ezra turned into a child.

The boys had a ‘sleepover’ and slept on mattresses in the lounge.

They adopted a small dog named Dakota, who immediately became Warren’s best friend.

Terry:

Emmy continued to sell cars to townies at her car lot.

Lightning set the telescope on fire.

Emmy and Jacob turned into elders.

Emmy became an evil witch, and summoned a familiar called Midnight.

Caitlin set the kitchen on fire.

Caitlin moved to Eris University.

Jacob summoned the genie and wished for Peace of Mind.

Leonard II:

They moved to a new house because the previous one wasn’t big enough.

Emmaline restored a car.

The headmaster was impressed and all the children got into private school.

Darian and Joanna turned into children.

They received a genie lamp from the matchmaker.

Reuben was electrocuted while trying to fix the tv.

Kea Hansen turned Katherine into a werewolf.

Springsteen:

Travis turned into a teenager and became a Pleasure/Family sim.

Honour’s brother, Hunter Mills, was given Leo, while Aaron Somerset was given Mac, leaving the family with three dogs instead of the original five.

Honour summoned the genie and wished for money.

Honour went on an outing with some townie friends.

Max and Honour got engaged.

Max went on a midnight hike and was chased home by bees.

Both Honour and Max turned into elders.

Travis moved to Eris University.

Kane:

Tara summoned a familiar named Umbra.

They adopted a proper cat named Goddess to fulfill the ROS event of a large pet adoption.

Jamison turned into a toddler and then a child later in the week.

Hayden befriended Blaine Alistair.

Hayden turned into a teenager and became a Popularity/Romance sim.

Tara went on an outing with some of her townie friends.

Flynn and Tara got married.

Hayden started a ‘relationship’ with a townie named Rose.

Torres:

Eva (and Isobel) entered a polyamorous relationship with Erin, a previous townie, as the ROS roll required a pregnancy.

Erin befriended a stray dog.

Jasper:

Due to the ROS roll, both Aveline and Mathias lost their jobs and became bankrupt, meaning the family had to move into a tiny apartment building and start over.

Mathias found a new job as the postman, like his father before him.

Abigail befriended Jamison Kane.

Aveline gave birth to baby Margot, who turned into a toddler later in the week.

Abigail turned into a teenager and became a Romance/Knowledge sim.

Wheeler:

Henry and Rebekah turned into toddlers.

Kal, Ryan’s alien son, turned into a teenager and became a Fortune/Romance sim.

Sasha and Sammy tried for puppies, which resulted in Xena, Andy and Muppet.

Ryan and Adelaide got engaged and then threw a wedding party.

Isobel Peterson, Adelaide’s sister, was sprayed by a skunk at the wedding.

Adelaide had another fight with her townie enemy.

Dean:

After throwing Reagan Mills out after she cheated on him, Anton stayed in their old home.

Reagan came over at least three times a day to kick over the trash can.

Anton befriended Piper Charleston, who turned him into a vampire.

Having moved on from Reagan, Anton started a relationship with townie Ivy Scott.

Mills II:

Reagan moved into her own place after being caught cheating by her ex-boyfriend, Anton Dean, and thrown out.

She was abducted by aliens as per the ROS roll, and came back with a little ‘gift’.

Reagan, the Romance sim that she is, started sleeping with townies all over the place.

She had a small party and invited over her two siblings, Honour and Hunter Mills.

She gave birth to alien-baby Altair.

Graham:

Marina bought Demi’s, the restaurant once owned (and named after) the late Demi Hall.

Joseph went into aspiration failure.

Marina became pregnant and gave birth to baby Seth.

Lilly turned into a teenager and became a Fortune/Popularity sim.

Matthew turned into a child.

Joseph turned into an elder.

Hughes:

Lisette, already pregnant from the week before, gave birth to twins, Griffin and Keiran, who then turned into toddlers later in the week.

Lisette continued to run her bakery.

Uni II:

Claire and Harrison entered a relationship, while Carmen entered a relationship with a dormie named Zaltrarrio Jeffries.

Everyone graduated with honours and returned to Crystal Valley.

Uni III:

The Baxter quadruplets, along with their respective significant others, moved into a dorm in Eris University.

The llama and cow mascots got into constant fights in the dorm, much to the horror of Skye.

Skye turned out to be much better at the ElectroDance Sphere than any of her brothers.

Alton finds a girlfriend in dormie Regina Greaves.

Each quadruplet then moved into separate student housing with their respective partners.

Uni IV:

Malavai Somerset moved to Eris University and into his own private student house.

He found a girlfriend in Heidi Ebadi, who then moved in.

He had a fight with the cow mascot after he insulted Heidi and made her cry.

Lightning set the garden on fire.

Uni V:

Travis Springsteen and Caitlin Terry moved into a dorm together.

Caitlin was constantly rejected by pretty dormies, while Travis impressed, and consequently woohooed with, every single one.

Travis made an enemy in one of the other dormies who was also vying for the attention of the ladies.

Travis had a number of aspiration failures.

Travis (and a number of the dormies) kept passing out in the sun.

Caitlin befriended a professor over constant mutual drinking at the bar.

Uni VI:

Megan Jones and Ava Black moved into a private student house together, as they were quite good friends as teenagers.

Megan became an evil witch.

The ROS roll determined that they were to have another roommate so Stacy Andersen moved in.

Ava started flirting with a professor, who Stacy then had a fight with.

Many things happened over the course of Week 20 and I applaud you for a) reading this far down and b) sticking with me as I posted the hundreds of screenshots. Thanks for reading, and be prepared for Week 21 because some shit goes down that even I wasn’t anticipating <3

[sveasauvageon]

HSWW ROUND I STORY

I never gave it a neat title, oops.  Svea Year I + Pre-Seventh Year Midsummer Celebrations {HSWW}

─═Featured HSWW/Polyvore Era not-mein oc’s═─

Eloise Avery | @.themadmonarchist

(also mentioned Lord and Lady Avery, but they don't appear)

Syn Lothbrok | @.ghostpastey

Hvitty Lothbrok | @.ghostpastey

Entire Lothbrok Family (too many to name individually)

Damien Greaves | @.natasha-maree13

Tyler Lee | @.maybones (lol, I originally typed @minahbones)

Minah Kwon Delacroix | @.maybones

Tara Lee (I couldn't leave out Little T from this nutty dance) | @.maybones

Theo Nott | @.themadmonarchist

Moses Park Jr | @.koby

Lyra Greaves | @.natasha-maree13

Oberon Greaves | @.natasha-maree13

Henry Clark | @.lady-stoneheart

Xander Carlyle (I think I've been listing him as clark all this time, whoops) | @.lady-stoneheart

Sungjae Lee | @.chrissykinz

Loralei Expura | @.thespian-at-large

Lyrae Mino | @.skyfalll

──════𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀════──

Up in the northwest quarters of the Sauvageon Estate, Svea was braiding her young sister's hair with little bells and complex knots. Khalessi style? Yes, obviously. The show is garbage, but is visually stunning. Also the music. Back to point, as the elder heir wove in the little bells, Lili enthusiastically recounted her first year at Koldovstoretz; her classes, teachers, friends, and her first Russian Quidditch game where they play on entire uprooted trees instead of brooms (A/N: true fact, look it up on the wikia).

Her ardor and excitement made Svea nostalgic of her own first year. Her letter had arrived at the Prince Manor in Cornwall, where she had been staying for a year. The darkest year in her life she may add. The arrival of the letter was nothing special or shocking, there certainly wasn't any doubt about her having magic after she had set the manor on fire. Though, she did note a mild expression of relief on her grandfather's face, presumably he was pleased she'd be out of his house soon. And she was pleased about that too, the Prince Manor was dark, dreary, and drab, and they refused to allow Aunt Brigitta to remodel it after the fire. Svea never understood why they insisted it be restored as it was, the poor interiors were what she called "discount gothic", it was nothing like the true majesty of actual gothic architecture.

Anyway, decidedly pleased her time with the Prince's was nearing its end, Svea was positively beaming when she went to King's Cross Station on September the first. She was accompanied by her aunt and step-mother, the later of whom had apparated to London the day before, much to the displeasure of Svea's mother, who also accompanied them to King's Cross. Svea questioned her mother's instructions of walking into a wall, part of her believing that it may just be some kind of trick to humiliate the "foreigners", as she so often called Svea and her paternal family. However, the Prince simply huffed in annoyance, glaring at the odd silvery-gold colour Iliana had died the little girl's hair, before briskly walking through the wall first herself, with Svea, Iliana, and Brigitta quickly following thereafter. 

Svea had barely a moment to admire the victorian vibe of the station before her mother pulled her aside. "Richelle, ensure that you're sorted into Slytherin, and try not to do anything to disgrace the Prince name." she commanded, disappearing with a loud crack before Svea could retort. Sighing to herself, she made a mental note to send a howler reminding her mother that her name is Svea Sauvageon, not Richelle Prince, before reuniting with her aunt and step-mother, who were overseeing the loading of her luggage.

She spotted Eloise Avery looking out a window on the train, but she was looking in another direction and didn't notice Svea, not that she wanted to catch her attention when her grandparents were around. If they were around that is, one short playdate and tales of admiration from her own grandfather was enough to cement a cold and unloving image in Svea's head. She shuddered at the memory, she was grateful beyond word that her grandparents were nothing like that. Well, her Sauvageon grandparents. It's a safe bet that all Grandfather Marcius aspires to be is a slightly less rich and more grumbling version of the "great and powerful" Lady Avery.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Svea hugged Iliana and Aunt Brigitta goodbye, promising to write and look after herself, before quickly boarding the train to find an empty compartment to save for herself, Syn, and Hvitty. The Lothbroks were amongst their closest wizarding friends in Scandinavia and practically family to Svea, she was pleased beyond measure to have her best friend at this far away school too. She'd always been fairly independent, but having familiar faces at Hogwarts would be a great comfort too, and endless fun. No one knows how to enjoy things like a Lothbrok. Okay, like Syn. No one knows how to party like Syn. Even at 11, she was more fun and energetic than anyone you could think of.

She waited by the window until she spotted them getting on, before rushing to the corridor to call them over. The subsequent assault (as she would put it, they might just call it a hug) nearly took Svea's head off. Grinning at being reunited, they chatted throughout the train ride, and purchased ridiculous amounts of British Wizarding Treats when the Trolley lady stopped by. They also met some other first years as well, some of whom, Svea noted, were less than pleased to be in such a rowdy compartment.

Once they neared the school (or as Svea's alarms warned her they were), she changed into her school robes, dragging along Syn to do the same who complained that they were "nowhere near there yet". However, exactly as her alarm warned her, they were at Hogsmeade station within 30 minutes. ("hah! Told you so Tamsyn", she screamed internally and definitely not with every fibre of her being). Seperating from the others, Svea, Syn, and Hvitty disembarked from the train together, where they and the other first years were greeted by a staff member from Hogwarts who led them to a number of boats. Grabbing a boat upfront, they were joined by Henry Clark, whom they had met on the train and whom Syn had immediately given the nickname "Hank", which he seemed to vehemently dislike. Once they had all boarded, the boat seemed to propel themselves as they all sailed across the vast lake. The Black Lake, she recalled it was called. Her cousin Viggo often talked about visiting it one day.

"Vig told me that there's a colony of merpeople living in the lake." Svea excitedly mentioned to Syn and Hvitty as they crossed, gazing down into the murky water to try to spot one.

"Fishman would know." replied Syn, joining Svea to look over the edge of the boat.

"He's not a Fishman."

"As always, you're right." said Syn, nodding solemnly before adding, "He's a half-fishman."

"Well, you're not wrong there," Svea conceded.

Syn grinned triumphantly as Svea dipped her fingers into the water. It was cold, just as Vig told her it would be, but it wasn't as cold as the water in Lake Mälaren.

Despite having been raised in marble coated mansions, even Svea was awestruck when they neared Hogwarts Castle. Whilst Sauvageon Slott was certainly brighter, the large stone structure was absolutely stunning, and far more inviting than her father and family's descriptions of Durmstrang. As much as she loathed her mother's family, she was glad just this once at their persistence of doing things the "English" way. The little boats they were in soon passed through an ivy curtain and carried them along a dark tunnel, which seemed to run beneath the castle itself, and eventually docked by some rocks at what seemed to be an underground harbour of sorts. 

Once all the students were out of the boats they were led to a small room (the Chamber of Reception, she later learned it was called), where they were greeted by a tall, red haired woman. She introduced herself as Professor Hester Weasley, Deputy Headmistress. She ushered them into the Great Hall and began reading their names out one by one in alphabetical order. Once called, they were to sit on a stool facing the other students and had a dingy old hat placed on their head which would announce what house they're to join after thinking about it for a bit. It might be a magic, talking, singing hat, but the whole process seemed unnecessarily drawn out and somewhat silly to Svea. She was fairly certain it was thought up by someone forest crazy (Swedish phrase, equivalent to "raging mad").

Svea's was amongst the last few names to be called. Hvitty went off to Gryffindor, and Syn to Hufflepuff. Eloise went to Slytherin, whilst Hank (*wink-wink* @.ghostpastey) went to Gryffindor. She noted that the hat had barely gotten within a foot of Damien Greaves' head before it screamed Slytherin. When the Headmistress finally said her name, Svea tottered up to the little stool, starving by that point and eager to get on with dinner and classes in the morning.

"Impatient, aren't we?" said a voice in her head once the hat was on, 'causing Svea to nearly jump out of her skin. She didn't realize it was talking during those minutes in-between the hat being worn and shouting the student's house.

"I'm hungry," she replied, well, thought, once she had brought her spikes down (Swedish phrase effectively meaning to "chill" -shrug emoji- Sweden is weird, also, awesome). "Any recommendations on what's good?"

The hat chucked in her ear, mind's ear. "Try the steak and yorkshire pudding," her mouth began watering at steak, she needed it now. "I'll try to be quick then. Swedish I see, muggle friends, oh dear, the ministry won't be happy about that breach of secrecy," the hat muttered as it rummaged through her mind.

Svea shrugged. "Not my ministry. Can you hurry it up, I don't really care, but I would prefer not Slytherin."

"Not Slytherin, eh? And why is that?"

"To infuriate my mother."

"But I see you also have the desire to be in Slytherin to outshine her and your grandfather, quite petty, no?"

"Yes, but I am only 10."

"Then would you prefer to be petty? I see great things for you in Ravenclaw, where those of wit and learning find their own kind. You have a great thirst for knowledge."

Svea shrugged again. "Whatever magic hat, isn't it your job to figure that out?"

The sorting hat sighed. "SLYTHERIN!" it shouted aloud, applause erupting on the table to her far right. The hat was barely off her head before she practically bounded over. She was so hungry and there were only a handful of students left to be sorted before she could finally eat. She ended up next to a third year and the speedily sorted boy from earlier. 

"Svea," she said, introducing herself with a smile as another students sorting began. 

"Damien," he gruffly replied.

"You shouldn't look so murderous, you're 11." She chided, impatiently tapping her foot whilst the last children were finally being sorted.

Damien rolled his eyes. "What if I am one?"

"Then you shouldn't be broadcasting that desire to everyone. Isn’t a killer best served if their intentions are secretive?" before he could retort, however, Svea's attention turned elsewhere. Specifically, their table. "OH YES! FINALLY FOOD! Hey, can you grab me some steak please!" she asked of the boy in front of them. "I'm Svea, by the way. You want one too Damien?"

"I can get it myself, thanks," muttered the British boy, looking quite irritated.

"Seyong Lee, but you can call me Tyler." answered the other one, placing a steak on Svea's plate as well as Damien's.

Once the feast was over (the hat was right about that Steak and Yorkshire Pudding), the Headmistress said a few words, mostly about forbidden places, Svea could feel none of those warnings making it into Syn's ears, and led the school in a rendition of the school song. She noticed some seven years really giving the song their all, and nearly toppled over with laughter. After the song finally ended, Svea and the other first year Slytherins were instructed to follow one of their House Prefects. Svea couldn't remember their name, but recalled them being one of those English Scared 28 people. They followed the prefect back out to the Entrance Hall, and through a door on the right, were led down to the dungeons. When they reached a bare stretch of stonewall, the prefect uttered a phrase and it revealed a passageway which led to the Slytherin common room. The password that month, if she recalled correctly, was "cantankerus".

Svea was less in love with the common room than most of her fellow first years, it was nice enough, but rather dark and dreary, much like the Prince Manor she noted. It had similar colourings of dark shades of green and serpentine décor everywhere (if it were up to her, she'd decorate it with dragons). She did, however, adore the large glass windows, and the water behind it, rushing up to it in excitement when a large squid went swishing by. The prefect explained that they were under the Black Lake and sometimes they saw creatures more interesting than the Giant Squid swim by the windows. 

The first night would've ended without incident, but her future bestie just had to be dramatic and get into a physical fight with a seventh year.

"Well, that was dramatic," she commented once the seventh year fell to the floor. "Anyway, where's our stuff and where do we sleep?" Looking back, it was probably impressive that an 11 year old could easily defeat a 17 year old, but meh. She was tired, and she really needed her phone. How can you expect someone to sleep without the honey smooth voices of Eurovision performers?

The year went by quite quickly. Her hair only remained valyrian silver for about a month, before reverting back to her natural gold, and as expected, she ended all her classes with top marks. She enjoyed History of Magic and Potions the most in her first year. Whilst mostly a positive year, she did make some pureblood fervent enemies, but she is not going allow such idioticy to stand in her house. Slytherins are intelligent and cunning, not backwards morons. She recalled Syn dropping out of the sky at point to defend her from a pureblood's oh so hurtful words. But as they say, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words from an idiot do nothing. It was also the first year she celebrated her birthday without her biological family (not including either of the Princes'), she did, however, still have Syn and Hvitty, and a whole new bunch of friends.

Speaking of said friends, time to pull out of memory lane and jump back into the present. With Lili's hair done, and hers' also, once again, done up in Khalessi style (also dyed silver again, she would've dyed Lili's hair too, but the little Swede-Ruski said no), anyway, with their hair finally done, the two siblings went down into the courtyard. The entire Sauvageon estate was decorated in greenery as they were celebrating Midsummer, and before the traditional Sauvageon ball in the evening, they had invited a bunch of friends (mainly Svea's and some of Lili's new friends) to participate in the traditional maypole dance. The Lothbroks, of course, always came along, Norway celebrated Midsummer too, though with a bonfire instead of dancing around a maypole, so weird (that's sarcastic, Sweden is obvs the weirdo here). Minah, and Eloise, and Damien, of course, came along, well, the latter two of whom had to be somewhat dragged along, Eloise on the excuse of "observing" the activities of "lesser" beings. And where went M and E, always came T and T, aka Tyler and Theo or as Svea called the three of them, very much without their permission, zaldrīzes raqiror (translation: dragon friends). Moses and Lyrae had also come, and so had Henry, of course, what kind of awful girlfriend would forget to invite her "paramour" (as Svea preferred labelling him). Numerous adorable siblings had come along as well, Xander Carlyle (who would like to clarify he's Henry's cousin, not brother), Tara Lee, forever shipping Minah with the wrong person; it’s Minah and Tyler forever, not Minah and Sungjae (sorry buddy), whom, by the way, was also invited and showed up. Even Lyra and Oberon Greaves had come along, though they were decidedly less comfortable around Svea and Damien. Also somewhat uncomfortable was Loralei Expura, but as Svea explained, in Sweden, you just eat good food, hold hands, and dance in a circle around a weird pole for some reason. 

---Post-credit scene with the zaldrīzes raqiror---

Theo: *leaning up against a tree* I'm not doing that.

Tyler: come on, it looks fun.

Theo: I don't remember asking for your opinion.

Tyler: you're lucky to have been graced with it.

Svea: *suddenly apparates to where they are* Just shut up and hold hands already, you're killing the vibe!

[sveasauvageon]

Mit Trauer und Entscheidung im Herzen zeigen wir den Willen weiterzugehen || HSWW

☾♔; March 16, 2018 ☾♔; sotd: Dracarys by Ramin Djawadi ☾♔; comedian otd: Trevor Noah ☾♔; Round I ☾♔; {G} https://goo.gl/PnjH23 ☾♔; {C} https://goo.gl/AJ2kZs ☾♔; Mod(s): @.miky94

Title: lyrics from Vogel im Käfig, translate to; "With sorrow and decision in our hearts we show the will to move on"

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry OC Battle Group Round I: Sorting Ceremony

𝙎𝙀𝙏 𝙍𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙍𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎 : [x] Use in the set at least two photos of your character (+15) [x] Use in the set a photo of the Great Hall in Hogwarts (+5) [x] Use in the set a picture/art of the Sorting Hat (+5) [x] Use in the set the symbol of your character's House (+10) [x] Show me an outfit your character would wear outside Hogwarts (+15) [x] Use in the set at least one item of your character's favourite colour and tell me what it is (+5) the picture of alexander rybak (guy with the violin) and purple [x] Tag me: @.miky94 and use the hashtag #hogwartsschoolround1 (+5) ➤ TOTAL: 60/60 points

𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑪𝑹𝑰𝑷𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑹𝑬𝑸𝑼𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑺 : [x] OC Name: Svea Sauvageon [x] Faceclaim: Cara Delevingne [x] Year at Hogwarts: 7 [x] House: Slytherin ➤ TOTAL: 10/10 points

𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑸𝑼𝑰𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑺 : [x] Describe the first year at Hogwarts of your character: how they felt when they received the letter? (+10) [x] Describe how the Sorting Ceremony was: does the hat choose the House your character hoped? Was he/she happy about the choice? (+10) [x] Use in the story at least one teacher (you can find the teachers here: https://www.polyvore.com/cgi/collection?.locale=it&id=7491092) (+10) [x] Use in the story at least another character (+10) ➤ TOTAL: 40/40 points

──════𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑹𝒀════──

Link: https://goo.gl/XLPnL4

Soundtrack: Vogel im Käfig https://goo.gl/4Gs753 (literally has nothing to do with the story, but it inspired me so meh)

**inspiration credit to all my friends, who motivated me to get this done. Namely; @.themadmonarchist, @.maybones, @.ghostpastey, and @.natasha-maree13. I love you guys. I'll have my PM send maple syrup and poutine to your countries, because that's like the only good stuff we have.**

Mentioned not-mine OC's: (listed in order of first appearance) - Eloise Avery | @.themadmonarchist (also mentioned Lord and Lady Avery, but they don't appear) - Syn Lothbrok | @.ghostpastey - Hvitty Lothbrok | @.ghostpastey - Damien Greaves | @.natasha-maree13 - Tyler Lee | @,maybones (lol, I originally typed @minahbones) - Entire Lothbrok Family (too many to name individually) | @.ghostpastey - Minah Kwon Delacroix | @.maybones - Tara Lee (I couldn't leave out Little T from this nutty dance) | @.maybones - Theo Nott | @.themadmonarchist - Moses Park Jr | @.koby - Lyra Greaves | @.natasha-maree13 - Oberon Greaves | @.natasha-maree13 - Henry Clark | @.lady-stoneheart - Xander Carlyle (I think I've been listing him as clark all this time, whoops) | @.lady-stoneheart - Sungjae Lee | @.chrissykinz - Loralei Expura | @.thespian-at-large - Lyrae Mino | @.skyfalll

**lemme know if I got any of your bbys super wrong so that I can fix it asap**

──════════──

𝑩𝑶𝑵𝑼𝑺 : [x] Use in the set a photo of one of the teachers (+5) [x] Use a drawing filler (+5)

➤ TOTAL: 10/10 points

➤ SET TOTAL: 120/120 points

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Shooting Star Sonia 3

Chapter 1

Luna scowled up at the sky as gray clouds rolled over Vista Point.  Tapping a finger against the umbrella hanging on the railing, she thought, It had better hold out a little longer…

She set the matter aside for the moment and looked back at the device in her hands.  The terminal, dubbed the Hunter-VG, was the newly-released replacement of the Star Carrier, and was being advertised as so upgrade-friendly that there would never need to be another new terminal again.  If she was being honest, Luna didn’t think it looked particularly revolutionary: it was little more than a thick disk with a narrow tray sticking out of one side, though the holographic interface it projected had worked very smoothly thus far.  As she examined it, her eyes sought out the clock on their own.

“What’s keeping her?” she huffed.

In a flash of bluish-white, Ophiuca appeared on the other side of the railing. “She did say that she was unsure how long the meeting would take exactly.  Though, by now, I’m sure she’s on her way if nothing else.”

Luna tensed a little in surprise.  “Huh…I’m still getting used to being able to see you.”

Looking down at herself, Ophiuca said, “Yes, this Real Wave body will definitely require some adjustment, but it is exquisitely-made.  What gives me more pause is this new classification of EM beings…I’m not truly sure I like the sound of ‘Wizard’.”

“Well they had to pick something easy to remember.  You’re going to have to get used to it.”

Ophiuca dramatically raised her arm over her face.  “My, how dreadful…but, if I must.”  She vanished, only to reappear on the Hunter’s screen.  “You know, I have a hunch that Sonia wouldn’t mind terribly if we were to move the rendezvous point.”

Luna puffed out her cheeks.  “Really, where is she?  She knows I don’t appreciate being kept waiting!”

A flash from behind the deck caught her attention.  A familiar voice followed with, “Sorry, sorry, I know I’m late.”

“I’ll say!” Luna replied.  She deactivated the Hunter’s screen and pocketed the device, and then walked over to the corner of the deck.  “I hope you have a good explanation for…”

She stopped as Sonia stepped into view and began to climb the stairs.  She was still Wave Changed, but the form looked slightly different: her golden bracelets were thinner than they used to be, and on each greave were two vertical white stripes like the ones on her dress.  Her sleeves were totally different, with white patches on her shoulders that each spawned a single vertical line down the front of her arm and another down the back, dividing the pink on the outer side from the black that colored the inner sleeve and the area around her collarbone.  There was also something coming off of the bottom edge of her helmet—a headset mic, by the look of it.

Sonia reached the top stair and paused for a moment.  Averting her gaze just a little, she asked, “Um…does it look good?”

Realizing she was staring, Luna blushed and said, “O-Oh, yeah.  You look great.  But, what…”

Hearing Luna’s answer, Sonia brightened up.  “This is what Mr. Boreal wanted to see us about.”

“I thought he was just adding Hunter functions to your guitar?”

“He did, but apparently the Hunter-VG has a function for streamlining Wave Changes to enhance them.  They wanted to see how it turned out, which is why he wanted Bud and Geo to come too.”

Lyra materialized beside her, adding, “I must say, I feel more energized than I’ve felt in a long time!  The humans have really outdone themselves.”

“So that’s why you look different,” Luna said.  “Wait, where is your guitar?”

“Oh, right!” Sonia said, raising her left hand.  Luna realized that the bracelet on that wrist was pale blue with a heart decoration on it.  A second later, it returned to the familiar gold, and Sonia’s guitar appeared in her hands. The instrument had also gotten a minor change, with the face and microphone at the head being replaced by a large heart with pink light shining in its center, a light which flowed in a single line down the length of the neck before splitting and encircling the main body.  There were also a few knobs added at the point where the body was at its widest. Striking a pose, she said, “So, what do you think?”

Luna placed her hands over her heart and smiled wide.  “Amazing!”

Sonia blushed, scratching her head.  “Heheh…well, I guess that’s enough showing off for now…”

As Sonia undid her Wave Change, Ophiuca asked, “Then this affects every Wave Change?  We should expect something different as well?”

“Oh, let’s try it out!” Luna said, reaching for her Hunter.  “The Wavehole’s over there, right?”

“Actually, we don’t need Waveholes anymore!  You can Wave Change wherever you want.”

With a nod, Luna initiated the transformation, and Sonia stepped forward to take a look at her.  The new Queen Ophiuca wore a triangular black breastplate over her torso, and her shoulder armor was much smaller, now looking like the heads of two purple snakes clamping down on her arms.

“Wow, you look great!”  Pointing, Sonia added, “Your…’hair’ is different.”

Luna touched her helmet.  “Really?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t come out as much, and it’s more flat.  Actually, it sort of makes you look like a cobra.  It’s neat!”

Satisfied, Luna returned to normal, and then took a look at her Hunter.  The screen came up and displayed some sort of notification, a window that looked like a gray card with the Satella Police emblem on it.  “What’s this…Transcode 007: Queen Ophiuca?”

“Ah, I forgot!” Sonia said.  “NAZA is…er, no, WAZA, is going to be keeping a registry of everyone who can Wave Change.  Mr. Boreal said it’s part collecting data and part public safety. I’m 004, Geo’s 003, Bud’s 005…” After a moment, she muttered, “Wait, who’s 006, then?”

Turning to her, Luna asked, “You don’t know?”

Sonia shrugged.  “I’ll have to ask next time I see Mr. Boreal, I guess.”

“Wait, what about 001 and 002?”

She thought she saw a slight shift in Sonia’s expression, but she didn’t quite know what to call it.  “001 is registered to a new Satella Officer testing a Battle Wizard made with Wave Change capabilities.  I’ve met him a few times—I keep meaning to introduce you, we just haven’t gotten the chance yet.  002…they said I’d meet him soon, and kind of pushed me on to the next topic.  I’m not sure what that was about.”

Luna waited a moment before saying, “A Battle Wizard made to Wave Change, huh? I didn’t know WAZA had that technology.”

“He’s still experimental,” Sonia said.  “They decided to base him on data they collected from Mega, since his lock-on works so well with Battle Cards and the Satella Police are already so used to using those.  The two of them look like brothers, almost.”

“You can imagine how thrilled he was to learn that,” Lyra said.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Ophiuca laughed.  “Now I want to meet him all the more!”

Luna was about to say something when she felt a drop fall on her. Holding out her hand, she began to feel more, and realized the rain had finally started.  “Oh shoot…”

She went back for her umbrella and quickly opened it, and then turned back around to see Sonia frantically pulling her hood up while hunching over her guitar.

“…You don’t have an umbrella, do you?”

Flashing an embarrassed grin, Sonia said, “You know I can never remember.”

Luna sighed.  As she walked over, she said, “If you’d gotten here sooner, we could’ve been gone before this started.”

Sonia stepped underneath Luna’s umbrella, defending herself with, “Hey, we had a lot to cover!  I did say the timing was more of an estimate.”

“You still should’ve tried harder to make the time you decided on!”

“Yeah…”

They walked side by side, staying close as they could so neither would get wet, and slowly made their way back into Echo Ridge.  At one particularly long wait for a crossing signal, Luna glanced tentatively at Sonia—she was leaned up against her with a look of pure contentment.

“…It’s been a while since we shared an umbrella, hasn’t it?” Luna mumbled as she tried not to blush.

Sonia giggled softly.  “A little while, yeah.”

Luna could feel her heart pounding.  C-Calm down!  There’s no reason to make a big deal out of this.  It’s only natural we’d share an umbrella, since we’re…w-we’re…

“Hey,” Sonia said, “would you…be mad at me if I said I took a little longer getting back because…I was hoping we could do this?”

The blush became too strong for Luna to hold off.  “I…well, I guess that’s okay…”

“Hmhm…”

“Wait a minute, is that why you never remember your own umbrella in the first place?”

“No, that’s just honest forgetfulness.”  She paused, and then: “Darn, I should’ve thought of that.”

“Geez!”

The light finally changed, so they continued on.

“So, have you started preparing for the election yet?” Sonia asked.  “Well, I guess I should ask if you’ve started on your victory speech yet, huh?”

When she didn’t get a quick response, Sonia lifted her head off Luna’s shoulder and looked at her.  Luna stared ahead with a solemn expression, and soon mumbled, “I’m…actually wondering if I should…”

“Huh?!”

“It’s just…I’ve been Class President every year, and each time fewer and fewer people run against me.”

Not sure what she was getting at, Sonia grasped for something to say. “People probably just figure you’re going to win again, so…”

“Exactly.  I’m pretty much unstoppable at this point.”

“…Um, is that bad…?”

Luna’s footsteps slowed, so Sonia slowed down to match her.

“Shouldn’t I let someone else have a chance?” Luna asked, turning slightly. “If I just keep taking charge, then no one else has much opportunity to do what they can to help the student body. I’m…”  She paused to wring her hands around the umbrella handle.  “I guess I’m worried I’m pushing everyone else out of the way to do what I want.”

“Oh,” Sonia said.  She thought a moment, and then smiled and wrapped her arms around Luna.  “Come on, don’t overthink it so much.”

Luna stumbled a bit.  “Wha…?”

“Quick: why do you like being president?”

“Well, I get to help improve conditions for the students and get their voices heard, so—“

“There you go.”

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’?  You want to be president because you want to help your classmates out.  So, it’s not that you’re being pushy, you just want what’s best for the students and think you can provide that.  Right?”

Luna looked up as she considered this.  “…Well, yes.  But I don’t necessarily need to be in charge to do those sorts of things.”

“I think the reason everyone keeps voting for you is because they think you’re very good at being in charge.  No one knows how to motivate and organize people like you do, and you’ll never back down from something once you’ve made up your mind.  They love having someone like that fighting for them.”  She returned her head to Luna’s shoulder as she finished, “I know I love having you on my side.”

For a while, Luna watched the raindrops fall without saying anything. Then, she smiled, and she said, “Hmph. Well, if I’m worried I’m blocking good ideas, then I should be looking for better ways to take in the class’s opinion rather than just stepping aside.  I’ll have to pay attention to what pieces of my opponents’ platforms get the most support—after the election I can approach them to negotiate implementing their plans.”  She glanced at Sonia.  “…Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it!”

They both looked up as they approached the building Luna lived in. Sonia started to reach for her guitar screen, saying, “Guess I should get going.  I’d love to call you later—what time would be good?”

Luna stared at the building for a few seconds.  “U-Um…you know, we really didn’t get to spend much time together…”

“Yeah, I know, I was late.”

“What I mean is…for you to go so soon…”

Sonia tilted her head.

“…Well…why don’t you come inside for a while?  I-I mean, if you want to…”

It took Sonia a minute to absorb this.  When she did, her eyes went wide in surprise, and she blushed slightly. “Oh…really?  Yeah, I’d love to!  It’s no problem?”

“Of course not!”  They both stood there nervously for a moment before Luna cleared her throat.  “Come on, then.  I’ll make us some tea.”

The apartment Luna lived in was near the top floor of the building, and each room was stocked with expensive furniture and lavish decorations.  Luna immediately went to the kitchen to prepare the tea, Ophiuca following to assist her, meanwhile Sonia and Lyra wandered down the hall marveling at the place.

“Woah…”

Luna craned her neck, barely hearing the distant remark.  “What is it?”

“All these trophies…”

“Oh,” Luna muttered, remembering the case at the end of the hall.  “Y-You don’t have to pay attention to those, they’re just—“

Sonia poked her head around the corner, a bewildered look in her eyes. Luna stopped what she was doing and waited.

“…You play the piano?” Sonia finally asked.

“That’s what…” Luna sighed and returned to making tea.  “I’ve told you that before, haven’t I?”

“Hm, have you?” Ophiuca mumbled as she set a cup down next to Luna.  She playfully ignored the glance Luna gave her.

“You definitely haven’t!” Sonia said, walking into the room.  “How has that not come up in all this time?!”

Luna grunted as she grabbed the cup.  “Well, come on, what sort of person brags about putting on piano recitals when talking to an actual award-winning idol?  It’s nothing.”

Sonia leaned to one side in disbelief, and then turned around. “Lyra, how many of those trophies are for piano competitions? “

Lyra could be heard muttering, “Let’s see, everything on this shelf, that one too…quite a lot of them, actually.”

Leaning back towards Luna, Sonia said, “It hardly sounds like nothing!  Let’s play something together!”

Luna nearly lost her grip.  “Huh?!”

“Come on, it’s perfect!  Getting to play music with you, it’d just…”  She trailed off.  Latching onto Luna’s arm, she bat her eyes and quietly asked, “Please?”

Luna thought about it for a moment, but then closed her eyes and pushed a cup towards Sonia.  “For now, let’s just drink tea.  I need to warm up after being out in the rain.”

Sonia slumped against Luna, moaning, “Aww…”

But, she took the cup she was offered, and sulked after Luna as she headed out into the living room.  Lyra soon reappeared, and she and Ophiuca came to rest just inside the room as Luna and Sonia sat down on the massive sofa.

“Anyway,” Luna said, “how’s your drama going?  You said you were starting to film the season finale, right?”

Sonia took a sip and nodded.  “Mm-hm. We’ve got most of it done.  Next week is the final scene and wrap party—I was actually going to see if you and everyone else wanted to come.”

“Really?  I’d love to!”

“Great!  I’ll talk to the studio about getting some passes, and then I’ll let you know the exact details.”

After pausing to take a drink, Luna asked, “So?”

Sonia turned to her.

“When you first agreed to do the show, you weren’t entirely sure, and you said you’d try it for a season before deciding if you were going to continue or not. So, how do you feel about it now?”

Sonia looked up at the ceiling, resting her teacup in her lap as she thought. “Hmmmm…I don’t know that my feelings have really changed all that much.  I still think there are some benefits—people can relate to some of the show’s events, so I can try to inspire more people this way.  We’ve gotten a lot of support, and I’m really thankful for all of it, and I don’t want to let anyone down.”

Leaning towards her, Luna said, “If you don’t enjoy it, you shouldn’t keep at it just to please other people.”

“It’s not…” Sonia started, but then stopped.  “…I know.  I know, I’m not going to be able to please everyone.  But I don’t mean to sound like I hate working on the show.  It can be a lot of fun, and they’ve given me tons of creative freedom.”  She sighed and took a drink.  “I guess I’m kind of indifferent.  It’s weird, you’d think I’d have a better idea by now, right?”

“Maybe.  I don’t know, it could just be a relative thing.  You seem to enjoy it, but not as much as you enjoy music.  Comparing the two, the drama must come up short.”

“Huh, maybe that’s it…”  She shrugged. “Whatever it is, I actually haven’t decided if I want to do a second season yet.  I’d like to give them an answer before we finish production, but…”

Luna watched as Sonia rotated the cup in her hands, staring at the tea as it swirled around.  Reaching out, she tugged on the sleeve of her hoodie and said, “Don’t let them rush you into any decision.  If you need a little more time to know for sure, then you take it, alright?”

“I’d hate to keep them waiting.”

“If they have to wait, they have to wait!  A little hiatus never hurt anyone.  You’ll have an answer for them when you’re good and ready.  That’s all there is to it!”  Shifting her attention to Lyra, she added, “Make sure she remembers, okay?”

Lyra nodded.  “You can count on me, dear.”

A smile slowly broke across Sonia’s face.  Looking between the both of them, she said, “Thanks.”

Luna let go and took another drink.  “Well of course.”

“Either way, I was thinking I’d like to go on tour soon,” Sonia said. “It feels like it’s been forever since I put on a show someplace new.  I already picked out a few possible cities, actually.”

“Oh…um, so…” Luna started, hiding her mouth behind her cup.  “H-How far were you thinking of going?”

“At this point, I almost feel like a world tour, buuuut maybe that’s going overboard.”  After thinking a moment, she turned sharply and added, “Uh, so I probably won’t be going too far.  And even if I do, we can just use the Wave Roads to get back and forth in a snap, so it’ll be like I never even left in a sense!”

“Ah, that’s right,” Luna mumbled.

“Heck, considering that, you could come and see me anywhere and get back home in no time.  I’ve always got a ticket with your name on it, you know.”

A small smile could be seen behind Luna’s glass.  “Heh.  I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sonia giggled.  Finishing her cup, she said, “The tea’s delicious, by the way!”

She set the glassware on the coffee table and then grabbed her guitar, taking a moment to tune it and verify it hadn’t been damaged in the rain.  Once she was satisfied with the instrument’s condition, Sonia thought for a moment, and then started to play slowly, while Luna watched intently and she pretended not to notice.  Lyra and Ophiuca floated quietly on the other side of the room. Sonia’s music lazily wove around them all, set against the faint roaring of the rain hitting the roof.

Luna stared, mesmerized by the gentle melody coming from Sonia’s guitar. She moved from one note to the next so fluidly, like it was happening on its own, like she could produce such expert sound without even needing to put conscious thought into it.  Luna’s eyes wandered over Sonia’s face, her expression neutral but still having a cheery air about it.  She thought she saw her eyes move her way, just a little, but wasn’t sure—the hypnotic sound gave everything a dreamlike quality.  Luna wanted to move closer to Sonia, but all she could do was shift slightly before she froze up.

What’s holding me back?

She wanted to be closer, but when she tried, a nervous shock swept through her, rudely waking her from the dream.  So Luna stayed where she was, and she listened.  After some time there was a flash at the window—headlights, she assumed, and they reflected off of the trophy case for a brief moment. Remembering Sonia’s request, Luna decided to try something else and downed the remainder of her tea.

“Hey,” she whispered, almost feeling wrong for ending the tranquility of the moment.  Sonia immediately stopped playing and faced her.  “Let’s…I-I mean, if you still want to…we could play together…”

Light filled Sonia’s face.  Eagerly, she leapt to the edge of her seat and near-shouted, “I’d love to!”

They both blushed a little.  Luna cleared her throat as she stood, and then headed down the hall to her room. Sonia followed, while Lyra and Ophiuca decided it best to stay put.  Rounding the corner, Luna reached through the doorway and flicked on the lightswitch, and then stepped over to the piano and carefully lifted the cover off the keys. Sonia sat down on the bench next to her, facing the opposite direction so that she could hold her guitar without it poking Luna in the face.

Luna ran her hand down the keys, and they each sounded off.  “I, um, I’m not really used to being part of a duo, you know.  So…what should we play?”

Sonia tapped her finger against the neck of the guitar.  “How about…”

She started playing a simple tune.  Luna listened for a few bars, and then began to mimic the notes on the piano. The two instruments strived to match each other, but the timing didn’t exactly match up, so the sound came out wrong.

“Hold on,” Luna said.  They both stopped, and after a few seconds, she motioned to start again.

The two of them began playing at the same time, and were able to keep pace with each other much better.  This time, rather than playing the exact same notes, Luna adjusted her playing to produce a slightly different sound that rose and fell just the same, and the resulting fusion sounded much better than their previous attempt.

“Great job,” Sonia said as they finished.

“I think I’ve got the hang of it now,” Luna said.  “Let’s try something else.”

“Okay.  You want to start this time?”

Luna nodded.  When she had an idea, she played a piece of it for Sonia to listen to.  It was more complex than the first tune, but nothing especially difficult; Sonia joined her when she restarted it, her guitar lining up perfectly with the piano and strengthening it with their harmony. They exchanged a glance, and then Luna altered the notes just a bit.  Sonia matched her.  They returned to the basic form for a short time, and then Sonia took her turn to improvise, and Luna followed her lead.  They continued going back and forth like this for a while—neither was sure how long, but they enjoyed it so much they didn’t entirely care about the time.

Eventually, they wrapped up the performance and let the instruments grow silent.  Sonia laughed, and said, “You really are incredible, Luna.”

Luna closed her eyes and straightened her back.  “Hm.  Well, it takes someone incredible to notice.”

She turned slightly, her eyes locking with Sonia’s.  As they held their gaze, rain continued to pound against the roof above, though Luna could swear the pounding of her heart soon overtook it. Unconsciously, she just barely leaned towards Sonia.  Sonia slowly came to meet her.  Mere inches separated them.  Luna felt herself freeze up again, and seeing this, Sonia stopped where she was as well.

No, I…

She wanted to keep moving.  Reaching within herself, Luna searched for the power to move her body those last few inches.  Her concentration was broken by a sudden sound from the piano—her hands were shaking, and they had hit one of the keys by accident.  Both of them recoiled in surprise.  Luna pulled her hand close and clenched it into a fist, grabbing the wrist with her other hand, while Sonia looked down and awkwardly fumbled with her guitar.

“I-I’m sorry,” Sonia said, “I shouldn’t have—“

“N-No,” Luna interrupted, “you have nothing to apologize for, I’m the one—“

“No, no, it’s fine!”

“It’s not that I—I just—“

“It’s okay, really.  It’s…it’s okay.”

They stared off in opposite directions, a deadly wave of embarrassment washing over both of them.  The pounding of the rain sounded deafening.

What’s wrong with me?

***

The door groaned gently as it swung open.  A tall, slender woman slipped into the room, scanning her surroundings with a narrow glance from beneath the pink hair that framed her pale face.  Her shoulders and arms were covered in gleaming white sleeves, while the rest of her dress was a deep reddish-brown sporting a faint argyle pattern, each piece of the design housing one of the four suite symbols found on playing cards.  Her fingerless gloves were the same color, though her boots were a much lighter shade of red, and from her neck hung a massive piece of jewelry, made of blood-red gemstones encased in gold.

Heartless barely made a sound as she strode purposefully across the green-carpeted floor, moving past the enlarged poker chip decorations on the wall and setting her sights on the vault at the other end of the room.  There was someone waiting at its door, a middle-aged man with thinning black hair slicked back in neat rows and a long, spindly mustache sprouting from just above his mouth.  He wore a high-collared dress suit that was a very dark shade of blue, accented by gold buttons and ornaments, and beneath that there was a comparatively plain white shirt topped by a red ascot.  White gloves sheathed his hands, and over his eyes was a mask made of thin metal that curved upward into two sharp points just beneath his hairline.  He sat encased in a floating chair made of black and gold metal, its front coming up to his waist before flattening into a desk that projected a series of holographic screens before him.  When he saw her approaching, he spread his arms out welcomingly.

“Ah, my dearest Heartless!” he greeted.  “Thank you ever so much for responding so quickly to my summons.”

Heartless bowed slightly.  “Of course, Mr. King.  What can I help you with?”

King moved his hands to either end of the row of screens before him, and then moved one towards the other in a single sweeping motion.  The screens moved at his command, shrinking so that they all fell into a single stack in his palm, and then he swiped his fingertip across the top of the deck to send one screen flying out towards his associate. It came to a stop a few feet in front of her and grew into a full display once more.  The image she saw was of a field of stars, and in one corner was an ominous blot of red light.

“This image was captured about an hour ago,” King said, shuffling the screens in his hand absent-mindedly.  “It’s close now—almost close enough.”

Heartless grinned.  “What wonderful news.  It would seem you were able to lure it successfully, as we all expected.”

“Naturally,” King said with a flourish of his hand.  “However, the plan is still far from complete.  We have only a fraction of the Crimson we need. Therefore, I believe it is time to escalate our efforts.”

“A very wise decision, Mr. King.”

“Ha ha ha!  Heartless, gather the children, if you would be so kind.  It’s high time we had a family meeting.”  As she turned to leave, King drew the top screen of the deck he held and smiled at it.  “You should prepare your wager, WAZA.  True, I may no longer have an ace up my sleeve, but now we’ll be playing by my rules.  And here, the house always wins!  Ha ha ha ha!”

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Shooting Star Sonia 3

Chapter 6

Lightning bolts shot down in sequence, obliterating a line of viruses immediately.  A song carried through the air, directing when and where the bolts fell, and in the midst of the dazzling display danced Sonia.  She was Wave Changed, of course, but her appearance was different even compared to how it had been a few days ago: the pink on her dress and armor had been replaced by a medium shade of green, the jumpsuit beneath had taken on an ashy gray color, and her greaves had turned golden.  Instead of a scarf, she wore a large green coat that hung loosely from her shoulders, and round, blinking lights lined its edges.  Her mostly orange helmet had a more angular look with rounded horizontal ridges, with three vertical bands of gold spaced along it evenly.  Her guitar was a ghastly shade of white, with the body shaped to resemble a cartoon-like skull, and rather than the head forming a heart, it was now ornamented with a roughly trapezoid-shaped crown symbol.

With one final note, she called down a wall of lightning and spun her guitar around.  “Thank you,” she declared with a boisterous laugh, “you’ve been a wonderful audience!”

She bowed, and then rotated as she stood.  Luna, Wave Changed as well, was watching from a safe distance and looking rather impressed.  “You’re having a lot of fun out there, aren’t you?”

Sonia scratched the side of her face, chuckling.  “Well…I kind of do miss Crown and Couronne.”

She walked over to the edge of the Wave Road, sitting down next to Luna. Lyra appeared on her opposite side, saying, “They were bizarre, and an exhausting chore to interact with.”

“But still, they were a lot of fun.”

Lyra rolled her eyes.  Ophiuca joined them next, and said, “I never got the chance to meet them, but…this is most curious.  Are all the Noise Change files based on the abilities of FM-ians?”

Her expression turning serious, Lyra answered, “The ones that we’ve been able to access, at least.  Admittedly, it’s…quite strange.  I’ve spent a great deal of time wondering how data from our species ended up in this Noise Server when we’ve never even heard of it.”

“Are you sure that’s really what it is?” Luna asked.  “Maybe the actual data is more generalized, but the Control Program shapes it into something you’re more familiar with?”

Lyra shook her head.  She called up a screen and pointed.  “The data’s labeled ‘Crown_Noise.noi’, so that can’t be it.  I thought perhaps it was simply because I resonated with the FM-ian data, but Mega’s finding all the same files with not an AM-ian-derived Noise in sight.  It’s as if this Server has some sort of fascination with us…”

“Did you ask anyone at WAZA?” Luna suggested.

“We did ask Ace,” Sonia said.  “Apparently, the first generation Control Programs access a different set of files, so Acid has never used these Noise Changes.”

“Huh…well, then maybe that’s why.  If the doctors built the second generation programs to access different files, then they could have picked the FM-ian set because they thought it’d be a good fit.”

Sonia looked up at the sky.  “Hm, maybe. I guess I’ll need to ask them.” She rolled back and lay down, and started to pick at her guitar strings absent-mindedly.

“Not terribly concerned, I see?” Lyra asked.

Leaning up a little, Sonia said, “Uh, sorry, I…”

Lyra smiled, dismissing the screen.  “Well, it’s possible I could just be getting worked up over nothing. No point in fretting right now.”

As Sonia resumed playing, Luna said, “Oh yeah, what was that you were playing when you fought the viruses?  I couldn’t recognize the tune.”

Sonia stopped to think.  “Hm, remind me again what I was playing?  I got a little caught up in the moment.”  Luna hummed a few notes, and Sonia’s eyes shot wide.  “Oh!  Hah, I didn’t even realize…that’s, um, actually something new I’ve been working on! Here…”

She started playing the song, and Luna sat quietly and listened.  A minute or so in, she asked, “It sounds pretty polished—what more do you need to do?”

“Honestly it’s just the lyrics that are giving me trouble.”

“Really?  Why’s that?”

Sonia set the guitar on the Road next to her.  “Tough to say.  I keep trying to think of ideas, but nothing really feels right for some reason.  I guess…I haven’t really decided what this song is about yet?  Or more like, I was feeling something really specific when I came up with those notes, and I haven’t figured out how to put that feeling into words yet.  You know what I mean?”

Luna’s gaze drifted.  “…Yeah, I think I do.”

No one really had anything else to say, so the conversation ended on its own. Lyra and Ophiuca dematerialized soon after—they had found that using their Real Wave bodies while also Wave Changed for too long would gradually turn uncomfortable.  Sonia and Luna didn’t move much at all, simply sitting on the edge of the Wave Road and watching the clouds go by as they silently enjoyed each other’s company.  Eventually, Luna looked over at Sonia: she lay perfectly still.  Slowly, she leaned over to see if her eyes were shut (they were), but in the process, the veil that covered her face slipped out and brushed against Sonia’s, causing her to wince in surprise.

Blinking, Sonia jokingly said, “Hey, careful.”

“Sorry,” Luna said, pulling back the fabric.  “You looked like you were falling asleep.”

“No, I’m still awake.”

“I was just checking.  I mean, if you fell out of Wave Change, you’d probably go right through the Wave Road, and…”

Sonia smiled.  “It’s fine. Thanks for checking.”

Luna giggled.  “I still worry too much, don’t I?”

“I don’t really mind so much,” Sonia replied, shaking her head.  “It’s just that this got in the way.”

She took the veil in her fingers and gently pulled it up and over Luna’s head. The two of them locked eyes, and suddenly the air of the situation felt very different for them both.  Their faces flushed, and they stayed frozen where they were, unsure of exactly what to do.  Sonia’s grip on her guitar tightened.

…I want to let her know…that I…

Sonia took a deep breath.  “Luna…there’s something I’ve been meaning to…”

It was slight, but she could feel Luna pull away just a little.  That was enough to make her panic.

Oh no.  No, no I shouldn’t have!  This is still too fast for her!  No, no I didn’t mean to…

She quickly retraced her arm.  The veil fell back over Luna’s face as she pulled back further, saying, “I-I’m sorry, I—“

A nearby sound cut her off.  Turning, they saw that a new group of viruses was approaching, and so Sonia leapt to her feet.

“J-Just hang back,” Sonia said, trying to sound normal.  “I can take care of ‘em no problem!”

She played a chord; the musical notes that appeared in front of her wavered like they were made of flames, and at the core of each was a skull-like face that sprouted two stubby arms.  The notes danced towards their targets, boxing them in so that Sonia could call down more lightning to catch them off-guard.

Stupid, stupid!  What was I thinking?  All I did was upset her—darn it, I didn’t want to upset her!  Stupid!

***

“Just a little more…”

“You still got it?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Almost, and…”

Zack stepped back tentatively, making sure the rocket wasn’t going to fall. When it stayed standing, he grinned, and turned to the others.  “Nice job, everyone!  Now everything’s in place!”

The other Science Club members cheered and congratulated each other.  To have more space for the launch tomorrow, they had relocated the equipment to Vista Point, which had been a short hike but hadn’t been nearly as bad as they were expecting.  Of course, a big part of that was probably due to Bud stopping by to help them out.

“Is it really okay to leave it here overnight?” asked a student who was checking readings on their Hunter.  “I still think it might’ve been better to just come early tomorrow morning.”

“Stop worrying,” Zack said.  “We have one of the school’s security Wizards patrolling the grounds, and even if someone gets past them, we’ve still got our club mascot.  Right, Magnes?”

A flash of light signaled a Wizard exiting the rocket.  His thin body was blackish-gray with a large piece of curved white armor encasing his chest, and his hands were two oversized gloves—the right hand was red, while his left was blue.  His rectangular head had a plain gray face, a yellow visor, and a rounded white helmet with a red stripe down its center and two gray protrusions that covered his ears.

“Yup!” the Wizard said.  “I’ll make sure the rocket is well-protected!  Don’t you worry about a thing.”

After checking over everything one more time, the club members started to leave, until Zack and Bud were the only ones still hanging around.  Magnes had gone to attend to the Cyber Core of the rocket, while Taurus was resting in Bud’s Hunter.

“Thanks again for helping us move this,” Zack said.  “I don’t know how we would’ve made it otherwise.”

“No problem!” Bud said, pounding one fist against his chest.  “What are Brothers for, right?”

They turned at the sound of footsteps: Sonia appeared from behind the observation deck, waving to them.  “Hey guys.”

Magnes emerged from the rocket then, saying, “Who’s there?”

“It’s okay, Magnes,” Zack said.  “She’s our friend.”

“Oh?  Sorry miss, I guess I shouldn’t have been so jumpy.”  He bowed in apology.

“No, that’s fine,” Sonia said.  “I see you guys got it out of the lab easy enough.”

“Bud did most of the work, really,” Zack said.

“I couldn’t have lifted it by myself, though,” Bud said.

Sonia walked in a circle around the rocket, marveling at it.  “It’s so cool that you were able to build this!  How long are you planning to leave it in orbit?”

“We’re still debating the specifics,” Zack said.  “We want to leave it up for as long as possible, but we’re probably going to need to bring it back before winter break.  Still, even that’s a ways off.”

“Yup!” Magnes said.  “I’ll need to report in to the school board before classes are out, and I don’t want to just leave the rocket up there without a pilot.”

“You’re going to be in this when it launches?” Sonia asked.

“Yup!  The systems of the rocket are all set up so I can connect to them in a flash, and I even use my magnetic abilities as an integral part of the power cell.  They’ll probably help with repairs, too, but…hopefully I won’t need to put that to use!”

“Wow.  Are you excited?”

“Yup!  I’m honored to be entrusted with all the hard work these kids put in!  It’s been great working alongside them all this time, and seeing them all so happy to have completed their work is awesome.  I’m going to miss them while I’m up there, but I’m definitely going to make them proud!”

“We all know you’ll do a great job, Magnes,” Zack said.  “This is the result of all your work as well!”

“Thanks, Zack.”

Sonia turned to Zack.  “Do all the clubs in your school have Wizards?”

“Not all of them, no, but it’s something they’re in the process of implementing,” Zack said.  “Magnes was the first one they tested—since we’re working with some pretty dangerous materials, they wanted us to have some extra guidance as soon as possible.  When they saw how well he performed, the school started commissioning more specialized Wizards to serve as club mascots, and other schools have begun doing the same thing.  You left quite a first impression, Magnes!”

Magnes scratched his head.  “Ah, stop it, I’d blush if I was programmed to!”

They laughed, and then Magnes departed to check on something inside the rocket.  Approaching them, Bud asked, “So Sonia, you’ll be here for the launch, right?”

“I’ll be here, definitely,” Sonia said.  “Though, I’ll probably be hanging around the Wave Roads until the crowd disperses.  Sorry.”

“No, I completely understand,” Zack said.  “The school would be thrown into chaos if they knew you were here!  I’m just happy to know that you’ll be watching when we finally accomplish our goal!”  He paused to look up at the rocket.  “The entire club has been working so long for this…and tomorrow, it’s finally going to go up!  I’m so excited I can hardly wait!”

Bud lightly hit Zack’s back.  “It’s great to see you so pumped up, man!  You’ve seemed way happier ever since you joined the Science Club.”

Zack smiled.  “I guess so. It always sounded interesting, I just never felt like I could actually excel at it.  But now that I’ve given it a shot, I’ve found out I’m really, really fascinated with rocket science!”

“WAZA will be lucky to have you someday,” Sonia said.

“Oh, I hope so.  I actually have an idea of what I want to do now, and…well, it’s just a great feeling! Is that what it was like when you started singing?”

“Hm, I wasn’t really thinking about my future, to be honest.  But, if I do think about it, I guess it is nice to know I have something like a plan.”

“Maybe you should think of something too, Bud,” Taurus suggested.

With a shrug, Bud said, “Nah, I’ve still got time.  I’ll just wait for something to come to me, and if nothing does I can always become a professional eater.”

Zack laughed.  “Laid-back as ever!”

Magnes appeared once again, turning to Zack.  “Hey Zack, it’s starting to get kind of late.  You’d better get some rest before tomorrow.”

Checking his Hunter, Zack said, “Oh, you’re right!  Sorry, I need to get going—I’ll see you both tomorrow, and thanks again!”

Sonia and Bud waved as Zack ran off.  Magnes was gone again in an instant, and Bud decided he may as well head home too, leaving Sonia to wander off on her own.  Luckily, the streets of Echo Ridge were a bit empty and no one recognized her, so she was able to walk without being bothered, and found herself at the gates of the school before she knew it.  Crouching in front of the wall was Pat and a man with shaggy hair and a dirt-covered apron—none other than Wolfe—and not far away, Geo stood watching them with a smile.

“It’s too close to the last one,” Wolfe said, pointing vaguely.  “Move it over just a little.”

Holding a small bush, Pat slowly moved to the side and asked, “Here?”

“Perfect.”

Pat set the plant down and picked up a tool, starting to fill the space around it with dirt that he packed in to make sure it would hold.  When it was stable, he leaned back and gave the tree a once-over, before pulling out a pair of shears and clipping a branch.

“I was wondering when you’d catch that,” Wolfe said.  “Nice work, Pat.”

The boy wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned, saying, “Thanks for letting me help out, Mr. Wolfe!  Is there anything else that needs done?”

Wolfe stood and started to remove his gloves.  “If I keep you much longer, the teachers are going to say I’m cutting into your homework time.  Come see me tomorrow if you have the chance and you can help me work on the soccer field.”

Pat nodded.  Getting to his feet, he turned back to Geo and said, “You didn’t have to wait the whole time.”

Geo kissed him and said, “You looked like you were enjoying yourself. It’s hard to turn away when you’re smiling so much.”

Wolfe finally noticed Sonia.  Putting away his gloves, he said, “Well, look who it is!”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt,” Sonia said.  “How’ve you been, Mr. Wolfe?”

He smiled, showing his sharp teeth.  “Can’t complain.  This job’s been pretty good to me, especially since I have this eager kid willing to do so much of my work for me.”

Pat shrugged, not looking especially apologetic.

“What about you?  I hear you’ve been doing a TV show?”

“I have!  We just finished recording the season, though there are still a few more weeks in the broadcast schedule.”

“Guess you’ll need something else to occupy yourself with.”

Sonia deflated a bit.  “Well, something’s…turned up to do just that.”

Wolfe’s Hunter flashed, and the FM-ian Wolf emerged from it.  “Hang on.  Between that and how dodgy Mega’s being, I’m starting to get the idea that something serious is going on.”

“Don’t worry about it, old-timer,” Mega said as he materialized.  “You just kick back and enjoy your retirement.  Let us take care of whatever nuisance pops up.”

“Who said anything about retirement?  I’m still more than capable enough for a battle—got one of those fancy new Transcodes and everything!”

Mega leaned forward, saying, “Butt out!  You’re a civilian, so mind your own business!”

“Oh yeah?” Wolf snarled.  “Maybe it’s time I get back to causing trouble of my own, then, if being a boring ol’ civilian is the role you want me to play.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Wolfe said.  “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

Wolf glanced at him for a moment, and then turned back to Mega.  “We’re not done.”

Mega faced the other direction, saying, “Pfft, sure.”

At first Wolf growled at him, but when Wolfe started walking he reluctantly returned to the gardener’s Hunter.  Taking his place, Lyra said, “It could just be the criminal history, but for some reason, I feel as though you really shouldn’t provoke him, Mega.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.”

“Further, Wolf Woods could potentially be a very useful ally.”

“Maybe,” Geo said, “but I don’t want to ask them if we don’t absolutely need to.  After they spent so much time learning to calm down and control themselves, I’d hate to ask them to start fighting.”

“We’ve got it covered!” Mega said.  “Far as we can tell, this Dealer group is just a few shady card game fanatics. How much muscle will we really need to take them down?”

“I hate it when you tempt fate like that.”

Sonia laughed.  “Your optimism is inspiring if nothing else, Mega.”

Geo sighed.  Pat put an arm around him, and then asked, “So what brings you out here, Sonia?”

“I wanted to check out the rocket, now that they’ve moved it.  Zack’s already gone home, so I figured I’d come see if anyone else I knew was still about.  Seems like you’re really learning a lot from Mr. Wolfe.”

“Yeah, it’s been great!  At first it was just a way to pass the time until my bus got here, but I’ve started to really enjoy gardening.”

“I figured it’d be a good fit since you like nature so much,” Geo said.  “I’m glad you’ve found something you love to do, Pat.”

“Heheh.  It’s hard not to enjoy myself when I’ve got you cheering me on the whole way.”  Pat leaned over and kissed Geo on the cheek. Sonia smiled, though she felt a familiar pain tug at her heart.

It wasn’t much longer before Pat’s bus finally showed up.  Sonia ducked behind the school wall to avoid the risk of being spotted, and after Geo saw his boyfriend off, he waited for her to return and they started walking.

“How’s your work with the Joker Program going?” Geo asked.

“Fine.  Starting to wonder just how many Noise Changes there are, but I’m finding that the basics aren’t too varied.”

“Same here.  It certainly helps that I’ve got a point of reference for these abilities, either from seeing them in action or talking to Mega.”

“Yeah.”

They passed an empty park, and Sonia slowed down.  Geo noticed and stopped to look at her.

“Hey, Geo,” Sonia said quietly.  “Can I talk to you something?”

“Of course.  What did you want to talk about?”

Sonia hesitated, looking across the street at nothing in particular for a few seconds.  “Me and Luna.”

Geo inclined his head.  “Oh.”

Lyra beckoned to Mega, saying, “Mega dear, would you come this way for a moment?”

Mega complied without much fuss, and Geo and Sonia ambled into the park and sat down on a bench.  Sonia looked down, not sure where to start, and began fidgeting nervously.

“Since you brought it up,” Geo said, “it kind of seems like you two…haven’t really made much progress for a little while.  Not that that’s bad, it just seemed a little weird because of where you were, I guess.”

Reluctance swelled within her one more time, but she pushed through it. “Yeah.  We, um…things have kind of stalled, yeah.  I mean, we’ve always moved a little slow, but I didn’t mind that—it felt like we were moving at about the same pace, like we had a decent understanding of each other’s feelings.”

“When do you think it changed?”

“I don’t know exactly.  Sometime after I destroyed Mu.  Right after that was the first time I kissed her on the cheek, and I thought things were going to keep moving from there, but…they really haven’t.  She kissed me on the cheek at the Christmas party, but other than that…”

Geo shifted.  “We’re a lot closer to next Christmas than last Christmas.”

Sonia chuckled a little.  “Exactly. Like I said, it feels like we aren’t really moving forward now, and I…well, I…”  She clenched her fists, and felt as if her entire body was contracting. “…I really want to.”

“But you don’t think Luna does?”

After a short pause, Sonia said, “I’m not sure what Luna’s feeling.”

“I see.”

“The other day, I thought that maybe things were going to change.  At the studio, after the temperature swing in my room—she stayed with me, and she promised she’d never let me face anything alone again.  That made me so happy.  It felt like maybe we could finally cross this distance I’ve been feeling, but…” She started to shake a little. “…Yesterday, I…I was going to tell her how I feel, but…she just looked terrified.”

Geo leaned forward, saying, “I’m sure she wasn’t terrified.”

“I’m so frustrated with myself.  I want to move on—I really, desperately want that, but I can see how she reacts, and I just feel like I’m…like if I tried, I’d just be…pressuring her into something she isn’t ready for.  And that’s the last thing I want to do!”

“I know you’d never do that.”

“I don’t want to upset her.  I love Luna, and I just want to tell her that!  I want…”  She covered her face with her hand.  “…I want to hear her say she loves me.  I don’t know why, I just feel like I really need to hear that.  I want to push forward.  And when I think about that, I feel like I’m being so selfish, when what I should be doing is thinking more about what Luna feels and needs.  I know she has her reasons for being afraid to let people in, and I want to respect that. If that’s the problem, then I need to focus on doing everything I can to make her comfortable with me, right?”

She turned to Geo.  He thought for a moment, and then said, “Well, does it hurt to feel like she isn’t already comfortable around you?  You two have been through a lot, and you have grown really close, and from your point of view it’s just one more step.  It must be difficult to wrap your head around how she can see the situation so differently even if you have an idea as to why.”

“…Yeah,” Sonia mumbled, hanging her head.  “It hurts…but that’s no excuse for me to hurt Luna.”

“You didn’t mean to hurt her, though.”

“But I did.  I am hurting her, because I keep wanting to push forward.  And now, I’m just at a loss.  I feel like I’ve failed her.  But, despite that, I…” She looked Geo in the eye.  “I don’t want to just give up.  Luna’s really important to me, and I don’t want to lose her.  I want to keep trying, but I know I need to stop pushing…and I’m not sure where the balance is.”

Geo glanced over the park as he collected his thoughts.  “It’s a pretty simple suggestion, but I really think you should talk to Luna about this.”

Looking away, Sonia said, “I’d feel like I was pressuring her.”

“Telling her that you’re concerned about where the two of you are isn’t pressuring her.  She’ll get to voice her concerns too, and hearing what she’s actually thinking will go a long way towards helping you figure out what steps to take next.  She needs to feel secure, and you need to know she’s committed—the only way you’re really going to address those is by talking about it.”

Sonia just fidgeted.

“This sort of thing doesn’t have to be as scary as it looks.  There was a point where I was nervous to move things with Pat along, too.”

She turned sharply.  “Really?!”

Geo nodded.  “It was pretty early on.  Since he was still working on accepting his condition, I was worried that if I kept pushing our relationship it might distract him, or get in the way or something. I thought maybe I should give him more space.  But, by hanging back I was starting to make Pat feel like maybe I was giving up on him. So, we talked about our concerns, and figured out how we wanted to proceed, and now…”  He smiled.  “Now, we’re really happy together.”

Sonia looked ahead.  “…What if I get carried away?  I’m so eager to move on, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold myself back enough to talk things over rationally.”

“Spend some time thinking about what it is you want to say.  Just having some time to prepare yourself can work wonders. And if you need someone to bounce ideas off of, just give me a call.”

Sonia breathed deeply.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”  He nudged her with his elbow.  “This is just a temporary thing.  You two will work it out, definitely.  You’re a natural at talking things out.”

Sonia turned and hugged him.  “Thank you, Geo.  I really am lucky to have a Brother like you!”

***

Magnes emerged from the rocket.  The sun had set long ago, and lighting at Vista Point was rather scarce, but he could definitely make out a figure approaching.

“Who’s there?” he called.

The figure stopped.  “You’re the Wizard connected to the systems of this rocket, correct?”

Magnes backed up.  “How did you know that?  And how did you get past the guard?”

“Hm.  I doubt we needed to program such strong repression, but after what happened with the Diamond we do need to be more careful.”

“What are you talking about?”

Something struck him.  Intense pain washed over him an instant, and electricity burst out of his body to form an image of a stylized Spade in front of him.

“Not yet,” the figure ordered.

Suddenly, Magnes vanished.

“Sleep for now.  Tomorrow, when they come to launch the rocket, awaken and use the power of the Spade card to run amok.  Then, fight Harp Note and her friends, and generate as much Crimson as you can.”

They turned to leave then, muttering to themselves, “We need to move much more quickly if we’re to get our wish.”