imeeji_frontstage | Endgame: ViewScream

Who: spacefaring idols and friends
Where: Game Tower
When: Day 130, evening

[ And then, you’re back in the central room of THEMiS, alive if rather unceremoniously deposited on the ground. Next to you, folded neatly, are the unit clothes you probably changed out of earlier.

Your injuries, if you had any, have already healed, but it may take you a moment to realize that because none of the pain of them has disappeared; it’s just as awful as when it was happening—and faint scarring remains as a lingering reminder. Think of it as a space souvenir!

Speaking of souvenirs!

Everyone seems to have a little enamel pin secured to their shirt or jacket: black with silver writing, how classy!

Pep!pep!, Taisho Roman Revolution, future is now, WILD CITY, ☆ZRAEL, Heart Soldier Senshi, AlcheME!, avante en garde, and BARiTONES have ones that read, “I Survived THEMiS!”
LiliS, sensitIV, and BAD END=DEAD END instead receive the highly coveted rare collectible “DIED IN SPACE” pin.

AlcheME!, Taisho Roman Revolution, and pep!pep! have been stuck with silver holographic star stickers reading WINNER—and indeed members of those units will find 800 points have been added to their accounts.
...Avante en garde members also have cute little pastel star stickers that cheerily proclaim, “A for Effort!”

...As for your host, she spins around in her captain’s chair to face you all again, tossing a handful of gold and silver glitter. ]

Wasn’t that just incredible? The passion you all displayed! The daring escapes! The tragic deaths!

[ a happy sigh ]
It was truly such a joy to be your host today.

Ciao! ♡

[ And with that, she disappears in a cloud of smoke that leaves a lingering smell of incense and honey. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Eventually hobbles over to her at some point]

How many?

...We got everything we needed. Just avante's cannon was broken.

And you...?

Same. One dud.

...

Everything okay with ZRAEL?

[He had to intercept Man Eater leaving]

No. Not at all.

[Sighs heavily, and then winces when that drives a spike of pain through her]

[Puts a hand on her arm]

Do you need to get that taken care of?

...I'm not sure there's anything to do about it. It looks like it's healed over, it just... doesn't feel like it.

[Nods]

I see.

Man Eater seems...

[Tilts his head. He's actually not really sure what Man Eater seems besides very decidedly not okay]

I'm going to take him back to Future is Now.

...Doodle was acting like no one cared about protecting pep!pep!, and said we were definitely going to let them die and die ourselves too. He even said helping pep!pep! was more important than protecting ZRAEL.

Man Eater... took that about as badly as you could expect.

Basically the whole unit ended up yelling about how we were going to die or hiding in a corner, really.

Has he seemed off to you at all? Since Red's graduation.

...He seemed, maybe... anxious? Even before that. I haven't talked to him in depth, since.

But I wasn't sure if that was actually different than usual, or if he was just being more open about it with me.

I see. So even before then.

...

What are you going to do?

...

[silent for a few long moments]

I don't know. I know... at least some of why he's upset, because I'm also upset. I was just too busy trying to negotiate things for the game to do anything about it.

Now I'm... tired, and frustrated. I don't think I should try to talk to any of ZRAEL about their feelings at the moment, because I'd just make things worse. You can help Man Eater better than I can... I'm probably at least some of the problem there too.

[A long slow blink]

I assumed you handled the negotiation with Heart Soldier to get what ZRAEL needed.

Why would he be mad at you?

I did. Or, well, technically Heart Soldier got us something from Baritones, when I'd already gotten what we needed from AlcheME. But I wanted to make a deal that let us help you, so... I had to cancel the deal with AlcheME. And then I had to work something out to get what we needed from avante... I also made sure Wild City was covering pep!pep!... and eventually I also talked to LiLiS, when John decided he wanted us to give what Doodle promised him to someone else.

[she in fact sounds very tired. she sighs and moves on]

...I don't mean he's mad at me. Being angry probably isn't his only problem. It's probably something like... feeling like ZRAEL isn't actually thinking about each other's feelings—or at least, not his. That there's no one there for him. And then, probably, being mad that he even wants someone to be there for him.

[Maki. It sounds like you--- you had quite a time in that game. For someone who probably would rather not handle inter-unit negotiations.

Also, this is why feelings are the worst.

And while all of that make sense... Maybe 3 not!SOs is too much to juggle. Really he should have paid more attention to Maki's dissonance back in the day]

So should I catch up with you tomorrow?

Edited 2019-06-24 01:07 (UTC)

...Yeah. I guess.

[Though she doesn't sound HAPPY about that.]

[No. No she certainly doesn't]

Do you not have anywhere to go? Heart Soldier? Or AlcheME! maybe?

...Hiryuu banned me from Heart Soldier after my live. I can just head back to ☆ZRAEL.

[So X is a no go then? (Not that Intensity knows he's been briefly transferred.) A, too?

Leans over to kiss her on the cheek]

I'll be over tomorrow. Do some angry baking or something.

Mm. I will.

[She makes an effort to seem less sullen and rises on her toes to give him a return kiss.]

[Keeps her close for just a second]

Well played. I'm glad you were there to make your unit didn't kick the bucket. Vested interest and all that.

[She slumps slightly against him as some tension abruptly goes out of her]

Thanks. I'm also glad... it worked out.

They'll eventually be appreciative.

If not, you'll give them hell.

So it all evens out.

...

[frowning again]

That doesn't sound very even, actually.

Don't turn this into a serious conversation.

Take your levity and go.

(no subject)

rollplayinghouse - 2019-06-24 03:28 (UTC) - Expand