Status
Not open for further replies.
As the fight came to a climax, Nathan felt himself slip away- becoming unconscious from his injuries. As his eyes fluttered, he heard Claire state that things were over. He smiled slightly as things went black.

------------------------

The next few weeks moved quickly, for Nathan it was mostly resting and healing. Even though it wasn't his first time in the multiverse, it always felt surreal- and this was no exception, if anything it was more so. He was in a place he was never in, being taken care of, having a nice room. Just- existing.

He let out a deep exhale as he looked at himself in the mirror, fixing the collar on his black dress-shirt and adjusting his hair. He ran his fingers across his face, feeling the bandages; looking at the bruise under his eye. He gave a smirk at his reflection before cringing at the action- and walking out the door.

The party was a bit- fancier than Nathan was used to, but not as stiff as what he was used to dealing with his family. He took one of the wine glasses, chugging it to get some liquid courage; he was never a people person- though he was good at pretending. He watched Makoto's speech, raising another glass when the man finished.

"I'll drink to that," he said drinking another, some spilling onto to his deep red suit- to which the man simply shrugged. He placed that glass down and noticed as Elliot walked towards him, the man sporting a different dress-shirt than usual. He looked good. Nathan gave a small wave as the other man approached him, sliding in next to Nathan effortlessly and giving him a smile. Nathan felt heat in his cheeks-

Was it the alcohol?

When he asked to go somewhere a bit quieter, Nathan nodded and started moving, Elliot holding his wrist as they moved through the crowd until they reached the back of the building.

"Hey, what's up?" Nathan asked, his voice hushed.

@Atomic Knight
 
Elliot allowed Nathan to lead him through the crowd by the wrist without comment, watching the other young man intently. In all the chaos of what had occurred a month ago, the both of them had seen the worst of each other. Tired, haggard, battle worn... it was definitely a stark contrast to how Nathan looked, cleaned up and dressed in attire that Elliot might have even called fancy for Nathan. They had seen so little of each other in the last month, being able to look upon Nathan as he was now made Elliot... happy.

"I was just feeling a little uncomfortable," Elliot admitted once they were alone. He retracted his wrist from Nathan's grasp and clasped his hands together awkwardly. "I'm just really not used to people. And of the people at this party seem to know of... a not-so-great version of me."

Elliot cleared his throat. He didn't like thinking about that.

@Space_Candy
 
Nathan leaned up against the wall of the building, listening to Elliot as he spoke, debating pulling out a cigarette- but ultimately decided against it. He looked up at the other man, nodding as he expressed his feelings.

"I get that, I'm not really used to parties anymore, and I think from our Blackwell visit- there was an even worse version of me," he let out a scoff and a smirk at Elliot. He gave him a slow look, before closing his eyes and sighing.

@Atomic Knight
 
"Well... that one doesn't matter," Elliot said, looking back into Nathan's eyes. "I think this Nathan is pretty great. You've had to put up with a lot even though you're just this... normal guy. You fought along with everyone else. That makes you incredibly brave."

Elliot had been thinking that for a while now. Nathan honestly impressed him. He was kind of incredible and Elliot suspected Nathan had no idea. Whatever happened from here, Elliot felt kind of desperate to keep Nathan by his side for as long as possible.

Elliot closed the distance between them and reached out to grab Nathan's hand. It felt familiar. He gave it a light squeeze and smiled.

@Space_Candy
 
Nathan let out a small laugh as Elliot spoke, the word 'normal' feeling foreign at this point. He caved to his impulse and pulled out a cigarette that was stashed in his suit pocket, moving to light it- but stopped when he felt Elliot grab his hand. He looked at the other man, who gave him a sheepish smile- to which Nathan replied with a smirk before turning his head and looking at the street lights and roads ahead.

"What's up with you tonight?" He let out a small laugh, moving his hand away to rake it through his hair.

@Atomic Knight
 
"First of all, sir, I've barely seen you at all in the last few weeks." Elliot squeezed even harder now, happy to be this close with Nathan. This feeling was entirely new to Elliot, both intoxicating and exciting. He couldn't place the feeling no matter how much he thought about it. The only thing close to it in the books he'd read growing up that seemed to have the protagonist caught up in the throes of passion. Was that how this felt for real? "And honestly I would really rather you spent all your time with me."

What more was there to say? Elliot quietly reached up and took Nathan's other hand. With their hands clasped together, Elliot leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. "Please stay with me," he whispered.

@Space_Candy
 
Nathan chuckled and pulled away his hands, flush was barely noticeable on his cheeks. Elliot was being, different than he used to. He fiddled with the cigarette awkwardly, not knowing how to react fully.

"Wow El, you got sappy" he laughed before placing a hand on his shoulder. When Elliot looked at him, his eyes held something Nathan couldn't read. He looked back at him, and dropped his demeanor for a moment.

"I'm not in a rush to go anywhere."


@Atomic Knight
 
"Do you mean that?" Elliot asked. He still had his forehead pressed against Nathan's, though his brow creased when Nathan pulled away his hands. Elliot felt a heat across his face that rushed through his body, filling his chest and settling deep in his stomach. This feeling was completely new to him but he found he liked it. Or at least, he thought so. His thoughts were mostly becoming a blurred mess at this point.

Elliot moved on instinct at this point. With Nathan freeing his hands, Elliot found himself reaching to touch the other young man's chest. One settled there while Elliot's other hand snaked down Nathan's side. Elliot had the distant thought that maybe he was being inappropriate but he found he didn't care. Something within him, probably that heat pooling deep inside, pushed him to close the distance between their faces. It felt to Elliot like the world suddenly stopped as his mouth gently pressed against Nathan's own.

Oh.

Yes.


@Space_Candy
 
Nathan felt heat rush to his face instantly, as Elliot put his hand on Nathan's hip.

Then.

It happened.

As Elliot's lips met his Nathan's eyes shot open, his heart pounding. He pulled away for a moment in awe, seeing the forlorn look on the other man's face bringing him to reality. In mere seconds Nathan grabbed Elliot by his blouse and pulled him in roughly for a kiss- moving his hands to cup the sides of his face.

Huh. Guess they're a thing.
 
Before

CRACK!

Shnk!!


Dagran had stumbled, slightly, and hadn't had the time to move from Grell's attack. He was rather calm, despite having a chainsaw sticking out of him. His own sword was pressed against Ethan's shoulder. Just a bit more at a slightly different angle and he probably would of gotten him in the heart or a lung at the very least.

"I figured as much would happen one way or another, given the path I walked and the people I've left behind to do so." He chuckled dryly as his gaze flicked down at Grell's death scythe, before he grit his teeth and pushed against Ethan with his forearm, blade removed from the man just so he could have room to pull himself forward, blade sticking into the ground so he could lean against it once off of Grell's death scythe.

He sat, slowly, mark on his hand flaring red and chains sprouting from it like before for a second as his back rested against the flat of his blade that stayed stuck in the earth. A streak of red painted the blade, but that didn't stop him from leaning his head back against it. At this point he didn't give much of a shit, it'd seem.

"Figured it'd either end...in death...or imprisonment if I lost...guess this is more fitting...then having Zael put me down or send me off to some cell..." He grunted. If he had gone a little further, let the power at his fingertips consume him completely, he was sure he'd have tried to rip the head from the body of whoever stood in his way with his bare hands.

Hm, maybe that was more so the Gurak's Outsider talking than anything else.

"He promised to give my...my family something better. You won, but I still have to...to fix a mistake I…"

His eyes drifted closed, the light from his hand faded and all together stopped. For a moment there was a red light from his chest, a part of his soul that remained due to his want to fix whatever mistake he deemed he made.

The light flickered once, and then was gone by the time of Revan's defeat.

---​

Lindel blinked, then gave the Servant a slightly surprised look having been somewhat caught off guard.

"Hm, there's someone else that already has my affections, you see, but I might still take you up on that offer, simply if it means another ally and less unnecessary bloodshed." The mage replied, tilting his head and regarding Meadb quietly. He didn't know what a contract really entailed, but Meadb did offer and he was willing to compromise if he didn't have to waste time fighting. If she didn't wish to compromise then it didn't matter much how things turned out afterwards.


Inside the Star Forge, once everything was said and done, Azura quietly approached the young man she spotted almost immediately, and he turned once she approached.

"Mother?" He asked, surprised, before the Songstress pulled him into a tight hug.

"Shigure, I'm so so proud of you." She murmured, teary eyed and relieved. Both mother and son didn't say anything else, at least not now.

Lindel perked up at seeing Libra, as well as Chise, and gave a wave.

"Even if you finished your question, I'm not sure I could even explain it old friend." He chuckled.

"How come you never told me you were involved in mutliversal...stuff." Chise spoke up, gesturing lightly at those around them, only to yelp and cover her forehead after getting flicked by Lindel in response.

"There was far too much happening at the time. I didn't even know you were involved in it too. Oh well, we both know now hm?" The older mage rose his brows as he spoke.


---​

After

"I'd also like to offer my services to ODMA, if and when I'm needed, anyway." Came the voice of Lindel as he sidled up beside Libra, cloak forgotten and much more comfortable and informal clothes worn this time around.

Meanwhile Chise wasn't used to parties, and it probably showed in how she awkwardly stood around more so towards the sidelines.

Azura stood off to the side as the festivities were underway, taking a moment to let it all soak in as she sipped at the first drink she grabbed. Shigure had went off somewhere, as far as she knew, likely to find something to eat.

@Atomic Knight @Ver @Yun Lee @Gummi Bunnies @Space_Candy @Lucky @Josh @Capri @Everyone and anyone that I might have missed
 
"Death, Deceit, Despair, and Hope"

Among the rows of stone monuments to the many fallen in the Mist Gardens stood Makoto Naegi, his eyes scanning the stone surface rapidly for one name in particular. He practically knew, or at least knew of, every name he read along the way. Byakuya Togami. Bolin. Genji Shimada. Jill Valentine. Jennifer. Too many names. Too many with a connection to Makoto.

There. Right there. Makoto let out a sigh as he saw the name Kieran. He reached up and touched the dark stone indent, running his hand along the edges of the name. A pang of guilt spread throughout his body, making his legs feel weak. Makoto and Kieran had both been leaders of the Coalition at one point in time and a few poor decisions had forced Kieran to resign. Since then, Makoto had no opportunity to tell Kieran how sorry he was for how everything went down.

Now, Kieran was dead, killed saving lives on the field of battle. A battle that Makoto had been only able to watch from afar. The man was dead, with Makoto never having been able to speak to him since everything had gone so terribly.

He stood like that for a long moment, transfixed, until the presence of another caused Makoto to jump slightly. He turned to find a tall, well-built soldier looking at him. It took Makoto a moment to place his name… Ike.

6ixOk3u.png


“You’re Kieran’s friend from his home world, right?” Makoto asked.

2vDp7ep.png


“His commander, once,” Ike responded, eyeing Kieran’s name. “He was a more honorable man than I.”

It seemed to Makoto there was a weight behind Ike’s words. He watched as the blue-haired man wandered a couple steps along the monuments, coming across another name down the line. Makoto followed Ike’s gaze and saw the name Naoki Kashima, one of the few casualties of the Eden Incident.

Ah, hold on… Ike was involved in that too, wasn’t he?

“My victim,” Ike said, looking stone-faced. “When I felt I had no other choice. An entirely fruitless action, in the end. I had been used and manipulated.”

“Hey, that wasn’t your fault,” Makoto said. “You were in an impossible situation. You had been tricked.”

“Yes, and I saw the one responsible at your celebration,” Ike said, looking at Makoto. A silent moment passed between them and Makoto’s mind scrambled for an acceptable explanation. “He seemed different, however. Changed. I understand how this all works. If he was welcomed, I am sure there was a good reason for it.”

“Well, yes--”

Makoto flinched, looking back at the name on the monument. Elliot had been used and manipulated as well. So many lives lost to pain and fear.

“All these lives lost. Ever since the walls between worlds started failing, death, deceit, and despair have reigned supreme. I feel a lot of the time that we would have been better off naive.”

“Hmm.” Makoto turned to see Ike crossing his arms and looking deep in thought. “Perhaps. But you also would not have met all those people at that celebration, who laughed, clapped, and cheered for your success. These monuments remind us of the pain, but wandering this city, I see many more monuments, large and wonderful, made with the cooperation of many across all of our worlds. You, your organization, this entire city, all represent hope.”

yMe7liW.png


Makoto smiled slightly. “Hope, huh…”

“Every name on these walls pushes us to move ahead of the pain. We must continue to fight for the beauty of these worlds and minimize the ugliness.”

“I… You’re right. I think I have been looking at things the wrong way for a while now.”

Ike let out a deep breath. “Truly, I have had to think long and hard on these matters. I have burned that name into mine, as well as the names of the friends I have lost. I need them for myself to keep going.”

Ike turned then and began to walk away. Makoto smiled as he went. “Thank you for talking with me, Ike. I’ll not forget this conversation.”

“Neither will I.” Ike continued for a moment but suddenly paused. He looked at Makoto over his shoulder. “I almost forgot. Before Kieran perished, he wanted me to tell you he was sorry. Share that with your friend for me, will you?”

Makoto nodded, watching Ike leave. Of course Kieran had been sorry, Makoto thought. Perhaps in the end, Kieran had known that Makoto too had been sorry. All that mattered now was that Kieran’s sacrifice was not lost in vain.

Despite all the death, deceit, and despair… the future was looking bright.

Hopeful.​
 
"Heart in Hand"
Co-written with @Ver

For Makoto Naegi, the rest of the festivities had been a somber affair. He had become used to putting on a happy face for others even when internally he could not bear to celebrate. The disbanding of the Coaltiion had been a difficult decision but ultimate for the best considering their losses and all they had been through. Paladin Danse had taken the news well, signing up as a leader in Avalon's forces in days as well as cleanly splitting up the Brotherhood to tackle the multiversal criminals pupping up in their home world. As for Morrigan, she had been unsurprisingly nonplussed. Though Makoto was not privy to her plans, he suspected she would have plans for her coven in the days to come.

Now that it was all over and things were finally settling, where did that leave Makoto and Kyoko? They had only just begun to repair their relationship when the Revanchist war erupted and Makoto had been afraid that the stress of the operation would have permanently ruined things between them. To his surprise, Kyoko eventually came to follow up on that dinner offer she had made what felt like ages ago.

With the pair now settling in Avalon, Makoto took the initiative to try a place his little sister had suggested. She had said that even Toko had seemed to like it, so Makoto figured it had to have been pretty good.

To Makoto's surprise, it was a Prinny who seated them and took their order. He guessed that with the Grand Hotel shutting down, the little lost penguins had to find odd jobs around Avalon.

"This is really weird," Makoto eventually said as they waited for their food. "It's been... a really long time that anything felt normal."

nO0ffNq.png


"Yes, that is true. Though, did normal ever really suit us? If we were so ordinary, we never would have met all those years ago at Hope's Peak, after all," Kyoko said with an out of place levity in her voice as she sat across her closest friend, who had stuck by her side through thick and thin. And certainly, the times were thick indeed, as both of them could attest.

"It's funny though, isn't it? Once we get truly settled in Avalon, that'll be our standard of normal, stationed in a completely different world from where we came from. I must admit, this certainly wasn't the place I'd expected to be when I dreamt of the future as a teenager," the Ultimate Detective said with a light breath. Some might have said a smile didn't entirely fit Kyoko's features, but the way she looked at Makoto, she could only say it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Resting her arms upon the table, the young woman earnestly looked at her dear friend, truly looking at him in a way that she hadn't since the Coalition Civil War. "But as long as you stay with me, I think I could really come to call Avalon home from here on out. Do you think you're up for the challenge?" She asked wryly.

Makoto let out a brief chuckle, his smile matching Kyoko's. "I don't know, I still think I'm one of the more ordinary people around here..." He scratched the side of his face, feeling a bit awkward all things considered. Kyoko still gave him butterflies in his stomach even after all these years. Makoto figured perhaps that feeling would never go away.

When she mentioned her teenage expectations, Makoto's nodded quickly, feeling the same way. A part of him felt just a bit bad, though he knew Kyoko didn't really mean it in a bad way. "Oh, yeah, of course!" he said, reaching forward to lightly place his fingers on one of Kyoko's arms.

WG5ybaf.png


"I'm up for any challenge! As long as I have you, Kyoko! And we could go anywhere, really. But I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and see how this all turns out."

Kyoko nodded affirmatively, squeezing his hand with her other hand sincerely. Maintaining her gentle smile, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Makoto's, as though reaching a genuine, mutual understanding with him for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Agreed. There's still a brave new multiverse out there for us to explore, but for now... Let's just settle down and see if we can't make a home out of this world," she only said softly, feeling at absolute peace with him now.

Home was where the heart was, after all, and so her heart was wherever Makoto was. This was true of the old Coalition base, of Knowhere, and now, of Avalon.​
 
"Gone, but not Forgotten"

It had been one of the Coalition’s final priorities to ensure that Rita Mordio had the monument she deserved in the Mist Gardens. Though her body had been finally delivered to Terca Lumireis for a proper resting place, the members of Brave Vesperia made a point to see how the organization honored their friend after, in their opinion, dishonoring her for so long.

Karol, of course, cried openly, though he really hated doing that in front of everybody. Everyone understood how he felt. Repede even let out a low howl to join Karol. Raven, Judith, and Yuri, their moods somber, said a few words each, though they had all made peace with Rita’s passing a long time ago now.

“Flynn’s going to escort Estelle to see it when she can finally pull herself away,” Yuri said to the others. They already knew Patty had been by before them.

xJWrhRD.png


“I feel bad just leaving this here,” Karol said. He had managed to calm down. “I mean, we’re the only ones in this entire city who knew her! Er, I mean I think so…”

“Yeah, you never know, kid,” Raven said, his hands clasped behind his head.

“We can come back and visit,” Yuri said.

“Yeah, but they are really strict about coming and going around here!” Karol exclaimed. “They’re only giving us special treatment right now because they feel bad for us…”

“Then it is serendipitous I did not have a lapse of memory and forgot this,” a female voice said. The group turned to see Rose Lalonde, holding some kind of orb in her hand. She smirked and handed it off to Yuri, who examined it intently.

“Looks like a blastia,” Yuri said.

Raven raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Kid, hate to tell you this, but all our blastia technology went kaput.”

“I am aware,” Rose said bluntly. “However, you must recall that your late friend produced some means to travel dimensions? She simply managed to modify an old piece of your technology.”

“Huh,” Yuri said with a laugh.

“A genius indeed,” Judith said, looking amused.

NvzU0tF.png


“My specialties these days lie in the metaphysical, but I did possess some level of technological know-how in my pre-teens. I have managed to fix what she created, allowing for your free use. Do keep in mind I think it is locked to this world in particular.”

“Well… wow!” Karol gave Rose a thumbs up. “Thanks, Rose! But, uh… what are you doing here anyway? Just giving us this?”

“Ah, no.” Rose shook her head. “I was hoping to catch you all before I absconded back to my home dimension. Witnessing my mother’s death a second time over has only solidified my fears that I have been running from responsibility. Thankfully, knowing that there exists a reality outside the space and paradox space my friends and I knew has renewed the metaphorical fire within me. I… hope one day they can meet you all as well.”

“Ha, well you know…” Yuri held out his hand to Rose. “We’ll be waiting.”

Rose gratefully took Yuri’s hand. She smiled at him and the others before going on her way. As they watched her go, a thought occurred to Judith.

“You know, Karol, even with that new blastia, perhaps we don’t have to keep moving back and forth.” When Karol gave her a look of confusion, she shrugged. “You know, Brave Vesperia could operate here for a bit.”

Karol let out a sudden laugh. It seemed he really liked the idea. He pumped his fist into the air at the thought. “Oh, yeah! We totally could! You know what… we should totally open up a new guild chapter, here in Avalon!”

Yuri just laughed. Didn’t really matter to him what they did. The kid was the boss, after all.



"..."

1ZEnpBA.gif


Julius Kresnik stood in silence as he watched over the memorial to his brother, situated near the many other memorials to the fallen across the multiverse. He was not alone, for nearby were memorials to Jude Mathis and Rowen Ilbert. Though Julius had not known Jude or his friends well, he had invited them to at least say a few words, though he himself realized he could not find the words to express what the loss of his brother meant to him.

"I just can't believe it," said Leia Rolando. Her eyes were red and puffy. She couldn't believe how many tears she had shed in the last few weeks. "Growing up alongside Jude... I couldn't imagine we'd end up like this..."

"It's too bad Driselle couldn't be here..." Elize Lutus said quietly, her voice and tried.

A long silence followed, interrupted eventually by Alvin, who let out an angry grunt. "This is ridiculous," he snapped. "So many worlds out there. So many version of us. Why do they get to continue on like nothing's wrong while we have to lose our friends? Milla..." He turned on the woman angrily. "Can't you do something? Make the new Great Spirits... change this!"

Milla didn't respond to Alvin at first, instead staring at Jude's memorial. She took his anger in calmly. If anyone, it was Muzét who snapped back at Alvin for his outburst against Milla, the other Great Spirit floating over toward him almost menacingly.

"Now, don't you take it out on Milla! Jude wasn't just your friend, you know!" The Great Spirit, usually wise and whimsical by the standards of humans, exclaimed in an almost petulant manner toward the bearded man.

Just as quickly though, her momentary anger quickly subsided to sadness once more as the will to even argue, to yell at anyone or anything, evaporating like mist. "... Sorry. We shouldn't be arguing like this."

"You know she can't do that," Gaius said. He had somehow made the time to be here, despite still working with the UN and having his duties as a king. "In fact, with the losses our worlds have suffered, those that might have returned to the living can not now. We fought so that those worlds who get to go on like nothing has happened get to even exist at all."

Alvin already knew Gaius was right, though still he shook his head and looked away in anger.

pjBLwz4.png


"Oh, Jude... If only I could have talked to you one last time," Muzét sighed pensively. "Not just him, but Rowen too. I... never did get to show them how much I'd changed since the last time we met..." She shook her head somberly, before cupping the side of her head in her palm.

"I suppose it's up to us to make sure their sacrifices aren't in vain. After all, they didn't give their lives for nothing, right? Their lives and their deaths had meaning, and we owe it to them to make sure it stays that way!"

Gaius closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Muzét is right. We owe it to them to continue living the best that we can. We are all uniquely able to create change in the world around us."

"The people of Avalon still need me," Leia said quietly. Elize nodded at this.

"Well, I'm gonna be seeing what ODMA can do for me," Alvin said briskly. He avoided everyone's gaze, staring down at his palms intently. "Can't let something like this happen again."

Milla breathed in deeply, collecting herself and her thoughts. "Just as this world, all worlds, will carry their pain with them moving forward, so too will we." She turned her head, looking Alvin in the eyes as he lifted his head at her words. "Perhaps it is unfair that it is us who must struggle and not any number of those who share our names and likenesses. However, we also have the benefit of knowing the true effects of all we do. I promise you, Alvin, I will never stop working to realize the world that Jude, Rowen, and Ludger envisioned."

In the moment of silence that followed, Alvin nodded his head just once.

Julius let out a long sigh. "... I just wish... I could enjoy his pasta margherita one last time."
 
Last edited:
"Grease"
Co-written with @Josh

After facing an unprecedented level of hardship following the Revanchist's assault on the city, Avalon was now facing a new age of prosperity. The looming monolith that had been the Grand Hotel was no more and many of the refugees from Ash brought to Avalon fresh perspectives. Many new businesses popped up around the city, one in particular started by a former Coalition member that Junko had found a growing fondness for.

Ellis' shop (or more particularly, Ellis' and Nick's Shop) opened up in the heart of Avalon, ready to take on the city's growing interest in mechanical operation. Junko had no real interest in this kind of business, but the idea of a rugged mechanics garage was sort of... intriguing.

LZuoBvi.png


"Ellis, please tell me you have an actual name for this place."

Ellis turned toward Junko with his brows raised. He had grease down his arms just from moving a couple of parts around. He and Nick were still moving in the process of moving in.

"Well, no. Not yet, Anyway. Nick and I have been workshoppin' some names, but nothing official yet. I gotta say, really like Nick. I mean, we just vibe and like eachother. He's kind of the talented one here. I'm... what's the word? I'm the face, i guess. I have run a shop before, so i know what I'm doin'"

Smiling at the girl, Ellis moved to take a seat on a stool.

"I mean, ya know? You got any ideas?"

"Hmm..." Junko cupped her chin, as if in thought. "I'm trying to decide if you or Nick's face would be better on the front."

She gave Ellis a sly look. "Unless Nick would be okay with naming it after me, then I have no ideas."

"I meant I'm more the face metaphorically speakin', but honest to the good Lord, Nick has a very pretty face, no shame in admitting that. Also? His tattoo is sick."

Smirking, Ellis shook his head.

"I don't think we can afford the rights to your image and likeness, miss. Unless you're planning in staying and runnin' the register? I mean, we could put you in a poodle skirt, classic 50s look, set the place up with a vintage feel. It'd be sweet!"

"I'm not entirely opposed to that idea..."

Junko took a few steps around the garage, doing a light spin to take it all in. She smiled to herself, feeling for once in a very long time that she was somewhere where she belonged.

"Unfortunately, those ODMA guys are still studying me. Took some convincing to even let me out to see you. But my powers are more stable every day, so like, I should be out soon!"

"Ellis?"

It was then that Claire Redfield walked in from the open garage door, followed closely behind by Aqua. Junko flashed the pair a big grin.

Oe4ALJ3.png


"Aqua and I were just taking in the city. Didn't expect to see here. Do you own this place?"

"That he does!" Junko said. "He's like, a more cool Ultimate Mechanic. You'd believe me if you met the other one."

"Right." Claire crossed her arms and smiled. "Might have to bring you in my motorcycle. Got it cheap. My last one turned out to be an illusion and it disappeared. So weird that doesn't seem abnormal to me."

spW8cjO.jpg


Aqua chuckled. "It's good to see you both are doing well," she said in regards to both Junko and Ellis.

Ellis couldn't stop smirking as his eye darted away from Junko. Happy to see Claire and Aqua, Ellis listened closely.

"Miss Junko is givin' me too much credit. I mean, I'm pretty amazing and all, but Nick's the real talent here. I'm just really good at talkin' and bein' friendly."

On the subject of Claire's bike, Ellis thought hard for a minute before writing a few ideas down.

Now do you have a budget in mind?

Claire placed her hands on her hips, eyeing Ellis' shop up and down. "Well, it's either you or a talking duck who seems to own half of downtown, so..."

Junko found herself laughing at this. "Well, what have you two cuties been up to?" she asked, giving them a patented fashionista wink.

Claire exchanged a glance with Aqua, who just seemed amused by the question. "We finally found Aqua's friends," Claire eventually answered. "Gives us time to finally relax."

"Oh!" Junko pumped her fist. "If you guys stay in Avalon, I might be able to visit you sometimes! Fuck yeah!"

Claire let out a nervous chuckle. It occurred to her that Junko really was not much different from when they first met all that time ago. "We'll... have to see about that."

"I don't know..." Aqua smiled and looped her arm around Claire's to take hold of her hand. "I don't think it's such a bad idea?"

Claire grinned, turning her head to speak into Aqua's ear. Junko couldn't hear what she said but watched them eagerly. Aqua eventually laughed and Claire gently placed her head against Aqua's for a moment.

"Anyway..." Claire turned back to Ellis, who seemed to be trying to look everywhere but the two of them at the moment. "We should get going, didn't mean to stop in for too long. I'll come talk to you about the biker later, Ellis!"

The two women walked away arm-in-arm with Ellis waving goodbye. Junko let out a long sigh and tilted her head like she as swooning. "Oh... I'm so jealous of them!" she said.

Ellis laughed and walked over toward Junko. She saw him open his arms and her eyes went wide in fear. "Ellis, no...! You're all--!" As Ellis wrapped his arms around her, Junko let out a pained noise. "Don't get your grease in my large, voluptuous hair!"

Junko was snaking out of Ellis' grasp when an idea occurred to him. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Junko. "I got a name! The Greasy Gear! Ya like it?"

"..."

Junko shook her head. "If you say so, Ellis..."
 
View attachment 8621

"Nothin' much to show as far as I'm concerned, but for you, darlin'? Anything," Ethan smiled as he let himself be strung along by Grell, stepping close to her. In the weeks that had came and went ever since his sudden appearance at the edge of the multiverse, Ethan spent a good amount of time mulling over the nature of reality as he understood it, and how it all connected back to the incidents in which he'd met Grell at all. It was a bit overwhelming initially for the old-fashioned man, taken from a time in which he couldn't even get around without a horse, but a month was plenty of time for someone who was used to counting his days.

Avalon was a different place than he'd really known before. London was a pretty dreary place, even on its best days, and even beyond that, it only reminded him of the past. Though he had no ill will toward Sir Malcolm or Victor, there was frankly nothing for him back in London but the memory of Vanessa, of Sembene. And yet, the place of his birth was not one he was keen to return to either, between Kaetenay and his father. There was nothing for him back there. But here, it truly seemed like -- in every sense of the phrase -- he had stepped into a different dimension. A sunnier, brighter place, to the point that it was hard to see sometimes. With days abound where the clouds were parted more often than they were seen covering up the entire sky, it truly felt like he could start anew, and find new purpose in life.

As he awkwardly danced with Grell, the man's feet not much for dancing as it was for running, Ethan held Grell's hands tightly as he breathed softly. His eyes took a hazed look for a second as though he were in pensive thought, before just as quickly focusing onto Grell's delicate features again.

"Y'know... This seems like a nice place to settle down. Tell ya the truth, I've been runnin' for so long, from my past, from where I came from, I forgot what it was like to just... be able to settle down," he uttered thoughtfully. He was done being a victim, especially when he finally found something worth living for once more.

"This world would make a nice home. A place where I could really live my life, the way I'd always wanted to. Only thing missing would be... someone to spend that life with," Ethan said with a wry smile as he gazed deeply into Grell's eyes. "Know any willing takers?"


View attachment 8618

"You're telling me. I'd almost be tempted to stay here forever if I could," Touma laughed softly as Severa sat down next to him. Considering how slow his world's time axis was compared to others -- or so the others had told him -- it really felt like his world was in stasis while he was able to stay here and help rebuild this world that was not his for a whole month, but he felt that he owed that much to everyone. Sure, he did a lot of good with his clenched fist to destroy the delusions of the diabolical and the disillusioned alike, but sometimes, it took an open hand and some time to mend wounds.

Seeing Severa show up with her chocolates though, the boy couldn't help but let out another amused breath. "More chocolates? You really don't get sick of eating that stuff, do you?" He quipped, recalling their little misadventure in Morioh Town. It was funny; the Othinus Incident was barely more than a month ago, but Touma felt like he'd aged a million years since then. Hell, he was surprised he hadn't grown any gray hairs since then, but hey, the day was still young.


View attachment 8622

"No need to be so formal. Believe it or not, I'm probably the least strict of the ODMA administration, at least with Ms. Lalonde dearly departed now. And that's even without the two--" Ritsuko Akagi, co-administrator of ODMA, began to say in response to Libra and Lindel before cutting herself off, gulping down another glass of what looked like champagne, before continuing again, "--three drinks already in me at this point," she said with a small laugh. It might have seemed insensitive, the way she was talking about Mom Lalonde, but one could say her indulging in drink was in equal parts celebratory for the victory of the Revanchist War and in other part pouring out a drink of remembrance for the other woman. Whatever was the case, the good doctor let herself go for just this one occasion, which was just as well, considering her last interaction with some of the other multiversal leaders didn't entirely go so well, but she was able to just forget all that here.

"Don't worry about any strenuous paperwork or the like. Consider your time in the Coalition as the winning point in your résumé. I'll do everything in my power to make your transition into ODMA as smooth as possible," Ritsuko laughed softly, before suddenly handing two more glasses of champagne to Libra and Lindel as she spoke. "I'll take care of you after the party. For now, care to indulge in the spoils of victory?"

@Yun Lee @Takumi
 
"Great Spirits: Next Class"

In the plane of reality that existed in-between dimensions stood one Milla Maxwell, the still active Lord of Spirits. Though she had died at Revan’s hands, Billy’s actions had reversed time to the point just before her demise, thankfully. She knew that the multiverse worked passively to fix damage to itself and the Great Spirits, though the entire matter with Revan had been wholly unprecedented. She only now truly understood the power of those forces even beyond her purview.

She had the Demiurge, Billy’s future incarnation, to thank. She did not quite understand how a being from the future could have any presence or impact on their present. Billy himself must have been incredibly powerful considering that alone. Though the Demiurge technically did not exist yet, he worked through Billy in the time being. Beyond creating the seal around the Dark Place and saving the multiverse from Revan, the actions of the Demiurge were completely unknown, so not even Milla could say if he had further plans for the present.

Milla had suspected that new Great Spirits would come into power and was thankful to see that her hunch was true. Though she had no hand in their creation, she knew they would come to her in time. It was a surprise to her that not all were spirits like her, but some were even human. Quite a few new ones had already been chosen, two of which she had invited to this realm for the time being. The first arrived in a flash of light, looking a little sick as he did so.

ZA2kOZY.png


“I’m never going to get used to that,” Sorey said, looking down at his hands. He seemed to be glowing. It was Milla’s understanding that the boy was something beyond human now. She supposed that was natural for one chosen as the new Great Spirit of Light.

wO52iMH.jpg


“Travel between dimensions used to be impossible without the right conditions,” Milla said with a smile. “Of course, that was before the multiverse became aware of itself. We should of course be careful with our movements. The Great Spirits thought themselves invincible, but they were deathly wrong, as was I. We may yet again be targeted in the future.”

Sorey nodded, now looking determined. “Of course. I understand. Although…” He shook his head. “I can barely believe it. Me, a Great Spirit? First the Shepherd, now…”

“Geez, you’re telling me,” said the second guest, flashing in with blue light. It was none other than the Demiurge’s conduit, Billy Kaplan himself.

u8DrrqT.png


“I feel like I have to get re-used to the extent of my powers every new year or something. Though, I guess it could be the Demiurge who is the Great Spirit of Heart and not myself, right?”

Milla placed a hand on her hip and gave Billy a no-nonsense look. “Whether it is you or him is irrelevant. Your duties are the same.”

“Man, Heart, though? That’s like a really lame power you’d see on Saturday morning edutainment.”

“Heart is the balancer. It takes in malevolence, working in tandem with Shadow and Sorey to maintain the levels across the multiverse. The old Great Spirit was housed here at the heart of the multiverse for this role.”

Billy held up his hands. “I’m sorry, but that’s out of the question. My world needs me. Teddy needs me.”

Milla smiled. “I know. Thankfully, due to your… unique circumstances, you do not have to be anywhere in particular. In fact, I would presume that targeting you would not matter if the Demiurge is the true Great Spirit. You can passively go about your business. If something requires your attention, I will inform you.”

“So we work together in a way?” Sorey asked. “I grant beings the power to banish malevolence.”

“You do, though it is a power you must give sparingly and in the right circumstances. Balance, Sorey.”

“I get that,” Sorey said. “Still, kind of... weird to grant people that power knowing I work alongside Shadow who generates malevolence. And, after Mikleo was taken by malevolence...”

“It is just the nature of the multiverse.”

“We’re kind of like… gods in a way then?” Billy asked. “Would really love to see what Thor thinks of that.”

“We are not gods in any way that I understand gods,” Milla said. “We are capable of grievous harm. We are infallible. From what I have read, in human myths, gods are usually creators of life or sources of infinite power. Those do not apply to us.”

Billy scoffed. “W-Well I knew that. I was just saying, you know?”

“I don’t.” Milla stared at Billy, who looked away awkwardly. Her face softened upon seeing his discomfort, realizing she was probably just misunderstanding him. Humans were so confusing sometimes.

“In fact, you may not realize this, but our multiverse is just one of many. They likely have their own Great Spirits, though I can’t say for sure. We are not wholly unique. We exist on one plane of existence and there yet exists others. Realities that we do not touch, where conditions such as malevolence have no bearing.”

“Uh…” Sorey exchanged glances between Milla and Billy, looking confused. “Other planes of existence?”

“Oh, like, the fourth dimension or something?” Billy guessed.

“I am no expert on the matter,” Milla admitted. “And this is just what I have gathered from observing the multiverse. As of recently, since the resets we have suffered, I have felt forces upon the multiverse I have never felt before, their ramifications stretching across time. I have consulted with the new Great Spirit of Time, but even she can not understand what may be happening, though that may be due to how new she is to the position.”

“That sounds… kind of bad,” Billy said.

“I have not yet determined if it is so,” Milla said. “But ultimately I am unable to get a sense of these new entities. This has led me to believe that these beings might be outside my purview and observation. The other planes.”

“Uh, well science was not my best subject in school, but if pop culture has taught me anything, beings from higher planes of existence would be pretty alien to us. Like, their very essence would be unknowable. Their presence alone would have an impact on us on this plane… like, you know, gods.”

“Wow!” Sorey slammed his fist into his palm, looking determined. “We gotta mount an expedition to these planes and do some exploring.”

“I’m afraid that is impossible, Sorey,” Milla said. “And while I do not exactly understand your reasoning, Billy, I believe you may be on to something. Regardless, what we should be doing now is focusing on our duties as the Great Spirits. I’ll be counting on both of you from here on out.”

Sorey nodded eagerly, ready for the challenge. Billy sighed as he nodded before letting out a dry laugh.

“Sure. Like I needed more pressure in my life.”
 
Last edited:
"Within Dark Shadows"

In a pocket of space that was rapidly crumbling away, two entities appeared from dark portals. One stretched casually, taking in the crumbling of reality around him.

6S9GCOc.jpg


“Huh, as expected.”

The other entity squared his gaze on him.

oyT9HdZ.jpg


“I did not expect you to have a similar back-up plan as I,” he said.

Xigbar turned to Luxord and laughed. “Oh, man. You don’t seem pleased at all that I’m still here. Did you want to be the sole survivor or something?”

Luxord continued to stare. “I have to wonder, even as the goals before us shifted rapidly, why you still seemed so fixated.” Perhaps as a way to busy his hands, he began to pull out cards from his sleeves, shuffling them. “To continue seeking something so unknown after all that had changed... perhaps it was not so unknown to you after all. Hmm. If only guessing the answer wasn’t so meaningless.”

“Hrm.” Xigbar shook his head. “You’ve been watching me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. It’s simple reasoning. It’s in my nature to read into my opponent’s strategy. See, since joining the Revanchist crusade, the contents of some box couldn’t possibly matter to Xehanort. Perhaps Xemnas, however...”

Xigbar placed his hands on his hips, eyeing Luxord. “You asked him then?”

“What were your intentions, Xigbar?”

“Doesn’t really matter now, does it? The Organization is done. The Revanchist are over. It’s just you and me, Luxord, here at the end of days.”

“Then I may as well ask you: Xigbar, who are you really?”

Xigbar was silent for a long moment. “Are you enjoying yourself? Like I said… doesn’t really matter now.”

“And yet you refuse to answer still.” Luxord put away his cards. “No matter. It’s all the same. Perhaps I will see you later, Xigbar. Our world is no doubt compromised now, broken open like a cracked egg. The rules of the game have changed, meaning I must rethink my strategy. I suppose you will be doing the same.”

Luxord turned away and disappeared into a dark portal. Xigbar was left alone as the last of reality faded away. His were the last words spoken before reality reset anew.

“The real question is, who are you, Luxord?”



The Batman of Laughs seemed mighty pleased with himself as he entered the conference room. Though who could tell with that rictus grin permanently stuck on his face? "The poor little Sith has fallen." The room had a red tint from the red sun shining inside making everything seem eerie.

"Already?" a man replied to the villainous Batman. "Well, I don't know what I expected really. Despite all his splendor and bluster... he was just a man... and a poorly dressed on at that. Did you see that helmet of his? Gauche."

The Batman who Laughs walked up to the window and looked at the hellish landscape outside.

Hehehe...

"Immortus is crippled with fear and doubt now that everything I told him has happened. Keeping him veeeery busy for the foreseeable future."


"Then," the other man replied, "all we need is to start the second phase of the plan. How is the procuring of materials coming along?"

"Dealt with," The Batman Who Laughs turned towards the man. "I've established a very lucrative business venture. Now if you can keep your end of the bargain." He seemed to be talking directly into the shadows.

There was a chuckling from the shadows as another entity appeared from the room. The form of a young masked man appeared before the mysterious beings. He shrugged casually at the claim laid before him.

sXMq53t.png


"It'll be easy," he said, sounding amused. "Don't worry. Those multiverse resets are gonna leave reality feeling pretty raw. It'll make what I have to do feel like child's play. And your end goals... well, we really should be thanking that group for going through all the trouble."

"I'll remember to send them a fruit basket," the mystery man remarked with a smirk. "It is all coming along nicely isn't it?"

The Batman Who Laughs chuckled. "Of course! It's all through my design after all! Just as soon as we get the materials we can start... the infection."

"Oh I actually have a cheeky little idea about how we'll get that started," the man remarked. "Have I ever told you about the man in the little blue box?"
 
Last edited:
"Time and a Half"
Co-written with @Ver

A division of ODMA, now officially known as the "Time Squad" had seen a massive overhaul as of late. After their first mission had been met with some difficulties, as well as the loss of one of their lead researchers, the group had its work cut out for it. Junko Enoshima was still in their custody, though she had come a long way in controlling her wayward abilities.

"I just got Ilona to bed," Lena Oxton, otherwise known as Tracer, said as she walked back into the meeting room. "Poor thing's exhausted. Guess that mission really did her in."

The room was pretty empty, aside from the new sole leader of the group, Ritsuko Akagi, and their newest recruit, a girl named Phi. It took Lena a moment to notice Mikoto Misaka, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed. She seemed to only be listening, giving Lena the briefest of nods at her arrival.

7jbejis.png


"That's one of the girls who were jumping across time?" Phi asked, having already heard the gist of what the group was about.

Lena let out a small laugh. "Well yes, but can't you do that as well, Phi?"

The other girl shook her head. "It's not like that at all. It's switching my consciousness with another version of me in another alternate dimension. It's fundamentally different than most established practices of time travel."

"What if two versions of you existed in the same dimension then?" Lena asked.

Phi seemed to hesitate. "... I suppose that might technically count. Either way, if for example, I did not exist in the 1500s, I could not travel to that time period. It is different mostly in that way."

"It doesn't help that the correlation between space and time isn't linear," Ritsuko Akagi, co-administrator of ODMA, piped in, nonchalantly lighting a cigarette as she stepped into the room.

"Within that kind of dimension, for instance, time flows at a much faster rate than others, so it'd be an arduous task for those like us, mere outside observers, to identify any problem and intervene in a timely manner. In the time it's taken us to even talk about this, entire days could have already passed for them like seconds for us."

"My ability, the power to SHIFT, would only be a solution then if I happened to have been involved in the event in question," Phi said. "It is something that a few could learn... but not a solution to that problem."

"I hear ODMA is working on better analysis software," Lena interjected. "To predict these kinds of things before they happen."

"As interlocked as space and time are, we've really only been able to figure out the mechanics of space as itself. However, with the help of the new Great Spirits, we may yet be on the verge of pinning down time as well," the blonde woman shrugged, taking a swig of her cigarette, maintaining a cool and cold exterior as she always did.

"However, we've got a lot of other things on our mind as well. Between the Othinus Incident and Zero Hour, it's like the multiverse has been shattered with a hammer and pieced back together with glue two times over. Even though they managed to piece it back together, there's still some cracks in the multiverse," Ritsuko continued, giving the other women present a pointed look. "In other words, we may have avoided complete calamity, but we still have our work cut out for us. Manipulating reality, as it turns out, has consequences. Aftershocks in the form of energy that we're only now observing, but... that's another story for now."

Suddenly, Mikoto spoke up. "Can I go now?"

Lena turned to her. "What?"

Mikoto shook her head. "Can I go? Now that you guys have Enoshima, there's no real reason for me to be here now. I have lots I have to do back home..."

Ritsuko let out a soft breath that almost sounded like a stifled laugh. Her expression remained as it was initially, but as she began to speak again, the air around her grew lighter as she looked at Mikoto. "Yes, you may. You've been an essential help to our operation, and for that, I'd like to... reward you for your hard work."

An uncharacteristic, wry smirk tugged at the older woman's lips as she spoke, though she seemed to neglect to elaborate on what she meant. "A certain someone will be waiting for you as you make your way out. Trust me, you'll thank me," she said with a wink.

Ritsuko wasn't normally in the business of playing matchmaker for kids, but she figured she'd had enough experience working with them to know what they wanted, better than even they knew themselves.

Mikoto's bored expression at Ritsuko's "reward" was in stark contrast to the sudden worry she was feeling inside. She couldn't mean... him could she? Mikoto hoped not as she politely excused herself and left the three women to their chat.

As she left their respective wing, Mikoto entered a reception room, only to find that her hopes that someone like Ruiko was waiting for her to be dashed. It was none other than him, the boy she couldn't seem to escape from... even from within her own thoughts!

"Y-You..." She took a few steps toward Touma Kamijou, though quickly stopped and looked away. She crossed her arms in front of her. "I don't know why she thought to bring you all the way here for me."

x20Xh4e.png


"Hi to you too," Touma replied to Misaka with a smile, more than used to her manner of greeting at this point. With one hand pocketed, the boy had been casually leaning against the wall waiting for Misaka, for once given a moment to breathe and relax where he was. To say that the past few days had been hectic for him was an understatement of his understatement, after all.

The boy wasn't so well-versed in the greater workings of these multiversal organizations; he barely knew about any other organization beyond the Coalition even during the Revanchist War, so it was a bit of a surprise when Ritsuko Akagi had approached him out of the blue when he was ready to return to his home world, to meet with Misaka of all things. The very same alternate Misaka he'd become acquainted with in the past. Small multiverse.

In response to Misaka's words though, Touma raised a brow slightly. "That Akagi lady told me you wanted to tell me something, so I dunno what to tell ya here," he shuffled with a slight shrug, before standing in awkward silence for a second. In these rare moments where there wasn't a pressing emergency, Touma didn't quite know what to do with himself, much less with other people. In a way, the boy had come to realize somewhere down the line that he was connected to this Misaka of another world than he was with his own world's Misaka, even though they were so similar.

Speaking of, he could imagine Misaka felt the same way. He was fond of his own world's Misaka in his own way, and to that end...

"You know... Earlier, I ran into Princess Carissa during the Revanchist War," he said, a mischievous smirk tugging at his previously good-natured smile, "Was real surprised to hear you even know who she was. Told me you made some cookies for Alternate Me when he was in the hospital. What was up with that?"

"Whaaat?!" Mikoto said dramatically. "I don't know how that's relevant to... to... anything!"

Her face had turned a bright shade of red, perhaps even brighter than usual for her.

SSLRsYj.png


"I mean, with everything that's happened, I barely remember any of that at all!" She crossed her arms and seemed satisfied with that answer. "And as for something I'm supposed to tell you..." She went quiet on that, thinking. "I-I don't even--"

Mikoto stopped herself, deciding to quickly change the subject. "Well, how have you been?! You were caught up in all of that business more than I was, right? So, I-I guess... Are you okay?"

uJvK2Tp.png


"Hah, nothing that a few days of relaxation couldn't fix," Touma said. Of course, the healing process after everything his body had suffered from the Othinus Incident all the way into the end of the Zero Hour was a bit longer than he was accustomed to, since back in his home world, he'd had Heaven Canceler to... well, cancel his premature trip to the afterlife, but after running into Pucci, the boy had seen enough of "Heaven" to last a lifetime.

It felt odd to say he had been taking this rare opportunity to enjoy a vacation away from home, but hey, considering how slow the flow of time his world seemed to go compared to others according to what Dr. Akagi had told him, he'd be able to come back home before he'd be missed by Index and others too much, hopefully.

Beyond all that though, if there was one thing even more strange feeling than taking a vacation away from home, it was just... being able to stand around and exchange pleasantries -- as pleasant as they could possibly be, at least -- with Misaka. Every time they'd met, there was something urgent going on that drove everything they did in that moment, so when they were finally allowed respite, the boy didn't quite know what to do with himself. A pause speared through the air as Touma didn't entirely know what else to say; if Misaka didn't know what to say to him, then what was Dr. Akagi talking about? Was this some sort of prank? Old people sure did have a weird sense of humor, but whatever. May as well enjoy the chance to chat while he could.

"Uh... What about you? I guess with all this multiverse business over with, you'll just go on back to your home world then. A place like this doesn't really suit you if you ask me," he chuckled casually. "Still, you're almost as good as running into trouble as I am, looks like! Guess you and I have more in common than we realized in the end!"

"Tsk...!" A flash of annoyance went across Mikoto's face. Perhaps Touma might not realize it but it came off to her like he was downplaying everything he'd went through. Why did he think she bothered to ask? That was so typical of him!

"Y-You..." She let out a long sigh. "Yeah, guess we do. So much so that it's hard to... think of you as not from my world..." Ugh, what was she saying? She had more to worry about than if there was multiple of anyone running around. Once she was back home, she could forget about all this, couldn't she?

"I... don't plan on getting caught up in this stuff anymore. If it wasn't for that Enoshima girl...!" A spark of electricity circled around Mikoto's fist as she thought about it. "I guess I was just wondering what you're gonna be doing from here... you know?"

Touma blinked slightly, as though finding Misaka's question rather strange. Not that the question in of itself was weird, nor was asking it really. The boy may have been dense, but even he was on the cusp of realizing there might have been an ulterior motive to it.

QIEi4C2.png


"Hmm? Uh... I was just gonna go back to my home world. With the Revanchist and GREMLIN pretty much disbanded, there's still Thor on the loose. Ollerus and Othinus guessed that he'll have returned back home, so we'll have to go after him once we get back," he said matter of factly, idly scratching his temple as he spoke, before an endearing smile crept up on his features.

"Though, 'course, even if that weren't the case, home's home. And you should know as well as I do, there's always something going on in Academy City. Can't leave it alone for too long, right?" Touma said with a soft laugh, though he wondered if this was truly the best way to go out. After all, short of a freak coincidence again, this would be the last time he'd see this version of Misaka, right? This different version of Biri-Biri that was just like his own, but... not.

There was just something special about her that set her apart from all the others, that must definitely have been the case.

Awkwardly kicking at the ground upon realizing this, Touma's casual demeanor seemed to stiffen just a bit as he pocketed his hands. "... So, I guess this is it, huh? For real this time..."

"This, it... I-It doesn't have to be it," Mikoto stammered out, her voice going low and breathy. She was unable to meet Touma's gaze. "F-For all your hard work, I could at least, maybe... let you take me somewhere, once." Mikoto's brain, at this point, had essentially emptied itself.

"... Just the once!"

...

A pregnant pause permeated the air following Misaka's words. Touma froze up, as though needing to take a moment to register her words, his face stuck in his casual smile before the boy suddenly blinked after a while, eyes widening as he finally processed it. And so, he said something really intelligent.

VWVeF9D.png


"H-Huh?!"

A pink flush invaded his features as the boy found himself stammering and stuttering unintelligibly in response to Misaka's declaration. The boy had faced down entities who declared themselves the ultimate power in the whole multiverse, and yet the one thing that gave him pause was a girl asking him out?!

This continued for a few more seconds, until Touma finally saw the look in Misaka's eyes, finding a strange earnestness that he'd never seen from her before, or even her other incarnation that he knew. Looked like Alternate Misaka was pretty different from his own world's Misaka in certain ways after all! His gaze gradually relaxed as he let out a deep breath, composing himself before letting out a soft chuckle, as though suddenly finding the situation funny, if not farcical entirely.

"Ahaha... That'd be nice. I'd really like that, I think," he said softly, smiling at Misaka. "Y'know, I've known my own world's Misaka for longer than I've known you, and she never came close to asking me out like that. I guess you're even gutsier than she is in that regard!" He exclaimed.

With a sheepish chuckle, the boy scratched his cheek briefly, in equal parts flushed yet also finding Misaka... cute, in this moment. In a way he'd never really looked at her before.

ESI4I6t.png


"S-So, uh, going out with the Railgun herself, huh? It's a shame I can't tell anyone else about it back home. Just my luck, huh?" He teased swiftly, though his words only served to offset his own embarrassment. "Did you... have somewhere in mind? I'll bet you've hopped through so many worlds, you probably know a thing or two about fine multiversal cuisine!" Touma exclaimed half-jokingly.

tlOnlyN.png


"A-Asking you out?!" Mikoto practically screamed. "You have to be out of your mind to think that's what that was! That other Misaka, she-- I-- We just have common sense! You better believe you can't tell anyone back home, or else it wouldn't be her you'd have to worry about, it'd be me!"

The air grew heavy as unconscious static electricity built up around Mikoto. She was glaring at Touma, red-cheeked and mortified, but not seeming like she was about to lash out like he was likely so used to from her. It took her a moment, but eventually Mikoto calmed down slightly and gathered herself.

"Hmph. Well, this isn't what you think it is. And besides, I said you could take me somewhere, so it should be on you to find a nice place for us! I've been too busy cooped up in this insufferable lab!"

"Y-Yes, yes, whatever you say!" Touma exclaimed, his face a strange mix of fear yet amusement in the face of Misaka's power manifesting itself before him as she initially threatened him. Hell hath no fury like a Railgun scorned, after all, but it was... familiar to him. Nice, even. A return to the normal world that he'd fought so hard to preserve, even when it seemed nothing else remained.

Still, after all this time, Touma could no longer deny... Misaka always did look seriously cute like that. It wasn't his fault she was easy to tease! Even if the downsides were, for one, it could end with a barrage of zaps that not even Imagine Breaker by itself could protect him entirely from, and two, Touma found that his own inexperience with girls meant that pushing too far could result in an embarrassing situation for himself as well.

But hey, such was youth. Maybe it was time he earned a break from saving the world, and just let himself be a normal, high school boy.

With a genuine smile and a light breath, Touma wrapped his arm around Misaka's shoulder and pulled her next to him, beginning to walk with her in tow. "Fine, fine. I'll try and think of someplace. It'll be so great, not even Alternate Me would ever be able to top that!"

...

"If you ever ask him out too, that is. Never thought I'd think about being in competition with myself..."

Electricity flared up around Mikoto, threatening to explode around her. "What... did I just tell you...?!"

As a power surge erupted around ODMA headquarters for a moment, those stationed inside could only wonder what was the cause...
 
"Comings and Goings"
Co-written with @Jeremi

A termite is simply an oblivious cog in a tremendous machine programmed by millions of years of termite DNA. It is doubtful an individual termite has any idea what its contributions are helping to create. But a human does. We can appreciate the elegant forms of their alien cathedrals... We can see the simple beauty of their perfect functionality... We can understand the splendid planning of their structure... In other words, only an intelligence of a higher order can understand the beauty of what a termite builds.

Now consider humans. Why are we alive? Why do we love, and give birth? Why do we create? From where do our cultures spring? There are many theories, but no one knows the truth. We are oblivious cogs in a tremendous machine programmed by millions of years of human DNA.

We trudge through our lives with no greater understanding of our ultimate goal. You might say we don't understand what we're building. Only an intelligence of a higher order than ours can understand what we're doing. Imagine how we might look to such an intelligence. We may be building some structure so perfect and elegant we can't even perceive it. Whatever it is, we've likely been building it on a dimension just above the ones we know since time immemorial. If we are like the termites, then what we've been building is almost certainly something of tremendous beauty.


The day Doctor Sigma Klim learned of the greater multiverse, he knew how accurate his termite allegory truly was. Their reality was built upon an infinite amount of inter-dimensional and biological layers that no mortal being could possibly grasp in full. Reality was a magnificent and beautiful self-sustaining ecosystem of unknowable depth.

Though, what was a “mortal” being? The people of his world were on the verge of unprecedented metamorphosis, on the cusp of evolving beyond the individual and becoming a collective consciousness. Klim had been surprised to find the ability to SHIFT, or the ability to jump his consciousness into other instances of himself across time, was not shared by any number of those within ODMA, nor by a large majority of beings he had learned about across the multiverse. Klim could not be sure at all what mortal truly meant when the conditions for humanity varied so vastly across dimensions.

The “Great Spirits” certainly seemed the closest to deities that existed within the multiverse, or at least that is what seemed to be the case before Zero Hour. The fact that they could so easily be dispatched of, only to be replaced by mere circumstance, certainly made one hesitate to call them gods. In fact, they functioned more as the multiverse’s custodians, if Klim had to think of the most brutally simple analogy.

If the Great Spirits were more akin to mortals than gods, then what of all the many “gods” across the multiverse? Countless universes meant for countless origin stories and many of these universes came with their very own gods. Strangely enough, even if a god had given birth to a particular universe, it did not seem such beings had such powers outside of these universes. The multiverse countered such beings, rendering them moot and inert under the right circumstances. Thus, no being could single-handedly topple the multiverse. Even Revan, who had come so very close, had met his end at the behest of the multiverse.

Klim often wondered what it meant to anthropomorphize the multiverse in such a way. Either the multiverse itself was an organism that repaired itself on instinct, or it was a tangible entity with its own ability to ascertain threats to it. If the multiverse existed on this level, then certainly it was a god, was it not? According to ODMA records, such anthropomorphic manifestations of lesser clusters of universes did exist in some dimensions, so it was entirely possible such an entity existed in theory.

Perhaps then, if the multiverse acted upon itself so aggressively, it might be to blame for the sudden strange activity present across the reaches of known reality. No one truly expected peace to last long after Revan, but random universes blinking out across the multiverse was on a scale more grander than ever before. There was no known cause. No known entity to put on trial for yet another disturbance to the multiverse’s peace. Even more mysteriously, many of these worlds had reappeared as quickly as they had gone missing.

Visiting these worlds had only resulted in further confusion. ODMA learned quickly of some entity known as the Goddess, which had been initially passed off by them as yet another deity of the multiverse with no real power. However, things did not seem business as usual. Rumors began flying faster than ODMA could anticipate, as if somewhere, events were transpiring outside of time itself. Talk of gods and goddesses proliferated the space ports and hamlets of the multiverse’s hot spots, as if someone knew something that ODMA did not.

One large hitch in their modus operandi had been made quite obvious to ODMA throughout their active years. It had only been a minor problem before, but had turned into an outright emergency when yet another horrid death game occurred, this one focusing on a number of poor young souls across the multiverse. Hours had only passed in most universes in the time it took for months and months to pass in this death game. A couple survivors had since been in contact with the Coalition and ODMA, revealing the details of the event, but the Coalition’s old method of infiltrating such events was becoming an increasingly harder task.

It was all fine to ruminate on such matters, though Klim realized he really needed to focus on practical matters. Thoughts of the death game reminded him of what his closest confidantes were up to and it was practically serendipitous that news of these plans were about to reach him.

***

The door to Doctor Klim’s office suddenly opened. That was usually something Klim reprimanded people for, but he had given an exception when it came to news of a few personal matters.

The door to Doctor Klim’s office suddenly opened. That was usually something Klim reprimanded people for, but he had given an exception when it came to news of a few personal matters. Klim turned from his desk, focusing his eye on the man at the door.

FUdkxWq.png


"Asmodean, you have news for me?"

A tall and handsome man with dark deep-set eyes and dark hair stepped into Klim's office.

Rjj83mi.jpg


"News delivered in, what I've understood for this world, a pedestrian way."

Out of his red coat, Asmodean removed two letters that he placed on Klim's desk. "I thought when I was liberated from my situation that I was needed for a higher cause... yet here I am," he said with noticeable snark, though he had been grateful. If he was a success story only time would tell, but he had been another of ODMA's recruits that were snatched just before their death and brought to their HQ to become one of their agents.

There had been nothing left in his world, and given the chance to escape the Dark One? Asmodean had readily accepted the offer. Perhaps his real talents could be put to better use here?

Klim looked at the letters thoughtfully for a moment before giving Asmodean his attention again. He would definitely not tell the man that using physical letters was far less a security risk, all things considered.

"In this organization, I have found that few actions are for little cause," Klim said to the man. For whatever reason, ODMA was in the habit of rescuing those who would be dead otherwise. Perhaps it made it easier to ask for one's dedication if they truly had little to go back to.

"Most of our resources have been busy with research and scientific development. We have no real public face, not like that United Nations and the late Coalition. I hear you've been hired to do something about that?"

Asmodean smirked before nodding. "That's right, or that's as much as Jihl Nahbaat told me during my 'debriefing.' I've understood they are still shopping for my official title still but Head of Public Relations seems to be the one with the most appeal among the higher-ups. An organization on the rise, and the scope of it. Obviously they--" He chuckled. "I suppose we, have to put our good foot forward."

A question occurred to Klim and it took him only a moment of hesitation before voicing it.

"... And how has the transition been from your world? I understand things are quite different where you are from."

Another chuckle from Asmodean. "Quite different, yes. I believe from tomorrow onward I'll be part of a course to get a better understanding of the technology in use. My first lesson, I've heard from a reliable source, is to get more acquainted with something called a 'computer.'"

Some other things he was familiar. Like the elevator, something that existed in his past, but everything else... the "television" alone had left him perplexed for quite some time. "It's just something I have to learn in my new post. And all of these instruments. I'm very much looking forward to trying my hand on some of them."

Klim took a moment to let out a long breath. He supposed if this man was trusted to go through the training, why not? "Computers are... simple enough, after a while." His gaze wandered to his desk and the two letters. "I suppose I should be getting back to what I was doing. All the work we're doing is vital, after all."

"Well, isn't what's important to know up to me now?" The smile was sinister but perhaps it has been a while since Asmodean had given a genuine smile to someone? "If you are busy then I will leave you alone. I have after all done what I was asked to do." He gave Klim a curt nod before heading towards the door.

Klim watched him go for a moment before turning quickly to his desk. He eagerly opened up the first letter and took out the plain white paper inside. The letter was in code for obvious reasons, meaning only Klim and his confidants could read it. He scanned it quickly, seeing that this one was from Kyle. He and Lagomorph had looked into the group known as the "Daimitsuyo" and found no evidence they were any longer active. However, the nature of the "Time Gears" that were present throughout the Anankos Incident were still being investigated, though Klim suspected they were akin to anchors in time, much like the "Time Gates" ODMA had observed in a few universes. Regardless, that research was going to be handed off to the Time Squad for now.

After their initial investigation, Kyle and Lagomorph switched gears and looked into the deaths involved in that awful death game that had slipped under everyone's radar. Kyle suspected that other forces were at play, as the location of Arcade's death game, as well as the man himself, largely eluded them. ODMA at least knew the world in question, but recovering the dead bodies, if there were any to recover, was unfortunately ongoing. However, thanks to statements given by the likes of Billy Batson and Jianyu, ODMA at least knew who had died. Thanks to some fancy ingenuity and some DNA manipulation, a couple complete replicas had been made and returned to their homes, though the process had drained the last of the Fuse supplies, leaving some incomplete.

If there was a balance of life and death, Klim wondered if the production of Fuse going dry was the multiverse's way of fixing that matter. Perhaps Revan had seen the signs and that is why he abandoned the old Fuse Facility just before his war began. It was unfortunate, for although Klim knew of a number reliable cloning methods, none were quite so complete as the Replica Technology powered by Fuse. Klim had to wonder then if the status of an individual's soul was a factor there, needing Fuse for the soul itself to stay intact. After all, the Replica Technology had been made with some level of magic, though magic was just science one had yet to understand and the matter of one's soul was ultimately still just speculation.

Putting that though aside, Klim put the first letter away and revealed the second, eager to see what Akane had been up to. She had only mentioned her mission involving the Revanchist agents briefly, saying it was a success before moving on to the matter of the melded universe. What a complete disaster scenario that was. Worlds had disappeared and reappeared in a matter of seconds, forming into one giant amalgamation that defied anything anyone knew about the multiverse. It had been an event those affected called the Melding, an unprecedented event that had terrible implications for the multiverse as a whole. The trajectory of hundreds of universes changed in an instant and not a single thing was able to be done, at least for now. Though only discovered after months had passed in the melded universe, ODMA had put a strict ban on anyone trying to travel there. Not that it was easy to get there, for quantum signatures of the original universes involved had become entirely scrambled. Still, ODMA did not need any unforeseen consequences and for now, only a select few had been permitted to enter.

There was little movement on that front. Akane was working with Luna and Jihl for the time being and all anyone could do was wait and see how things proceeded. Such was the nature of the multiverse, it seemed. For every problem solved, another two seemed to pop up in its place. It was truly exhausting, though Klim felt his time as better spent here than anywhere else.

With a long sigh, Klim stood up moved to hide the letters away. It was a bit risky, as his office was not the most secure, and considering the amount of data breaches the Coalition had suffered, no one at ODMA could be too careful. When he was done with that matter, he turned to find his reflection in his office mirror. He observed himself intently. He looked old and tired. Perhaps he was past his prime, though Klim knew he still had some fight left in him. The multiverse, no matter how self-sufficient it was, would always need people like Sigma Klim to fight for it.

Nodding to himself, Klim moved to ready a status report.​
 
Last edited:
Epilogue: Riesbyfe Stridberg and Little My - Brave New World
Co-written with @Capri

View attachment 8649

"So, the Coalition is finally disbanding, eh? At least it's on good terms, now that the multiverse is finally at peace," Riesbyfe said, a hand casually resting upon her hip as she spoke with Doppo Kunikida, former administrator of the Coalition. At least, before it was announced to disband.

The month following the Revanchist War and the so-called Zero Hour was an interesting one to be sure. Hunting down Revanchist remnants, collecting the testimonies of this Zero Hour, it was all... an ordeal, to put it lightly. But with the threat of multiversal destruction averted -- at least for now -- it seemed like they could all finally sit down and breathe without having to worry about what came next. At least, Riesbyfe did. After all, it'd been a long time since she had any place in her home world, where she was long thought dead anyway. In between her work as an M.E.U. operative, the former Holy Knight had mostly retired to Avalon after all.

"So, with that said, what will you be doing now?"

View attachment 8650

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure," Doppo shrugged, crossing his arms as standoffishly as usual. Even in these peaceful times, the man still kept on a stern exterior like the end of the world was about to come any second now. Those from his own home world, like Akiko Yosano of the Coalition Medical Team, could attest that he was quite simply just like that all the time. One could imagine by the time he was in his 30s, he'd already have grey hairs. After all, who could believe he was only 22 years old?

"As much as someone would believe a break might do me good, I simply need a routine to keep myself busy. If I do stay in Avalon, I might consider my own hand at the Round Table, or some other way to keep things running here. Then again, I could also migrate over to ODMA while they're accepting Coalition members en masse," he mused. "The Revanchist's head might be severed, but we've still got the remnants to worry about. We had a mole that's still on the run, Revolver Ocelot. Been in hiding ever since the Coalition Civil War, and surprisingly he never did rear his face during the Revanchist War. Wherever he is though, we'll find him, and he'll be brought to justice soon enough."

"And what of the other? The one that killed that poor Jude boy?" Riesbyfe inquired, the tragedies of the Revanchist War still fresh in her mind even after all these weeks.

"Thor. Yes, we haven't been able to make heads or tails of him," Doppo shrugged. "Loath as I am to let matters like these be, Ollerus and Othinus posited to Kirigiri and I that, with all of his connections and resources gone, he'll have no choice but to return to their home world... which is just as well, Ollerus insisted that this was a matter best left to him."

"Well, I surely hope they catch him, even if he won't be going anywhere else again," the silver-haired woman sighed, before clearing her throat. "Apologies. I didn't mean to put a damper on the spirits. This is meant to be a joyous occasion after all, even after all that we've all went through."

"Think nothing of it. It's about time I'd checked in with Kirigiri and my other associates anyway. I'd like to see what my own colleagues intend on doing from here on out," the blonde man said with a wave. "Good day to you, Ms. Stridberg."

"And to you, Mr. Kunikida."

With that, Doppo walked off, leaving Riesbyfe by herself in that moment...

...but not for long.

A small pair of feet scurry nearby her, excitedly pushing their way through the crowd.

“Ries!” Little My called out, perching herself on the knight’s shoulder like she used to.

Little My was bery exited to see Riesbyfe, but with all that excitement came a problem. She didn’t know what to say.

So, all that came out of her mouth was...

“...Hi!”

"Ah, hello to you too. Long time no see, hmm?" Riesbyfe greeted Little My as she perched herself atop the knight's shoulder, the woman raising her other arm to lightly poke at Little My with her index finger. "Admittedly, I certainly didn't expect to you see here on Avalon, but it is just as well," she mused.

"What say we catch up over something to drink? Some juice, perhaps?" She posited, beginning to walk forward with her attention focused on her reunited friend. "And what might you have been to ever since everything that happened?"

Little My would have normally gotten mad at Ries for poking her, but truth be told she had missed Ries so much that she didn't care about it too much, however, she did smile.

"I could go for juice," she agreed, sitting down on the knight's shoulder.

At the question of what she had been up to, Little My had to ponder for a little bit. Ries wouldn't know about half of the stuff in Moominvalley, especially since she lived in such an advanced world with flying ships and all that, but she really wants to start yammering away about what had happened while they were apart.

Although, since what happened with Hope and Lalonde she had kinda kept her mouth shut.

"Nothing too exciting," she spoke, "like the whole Windowless Building fiasco, or that fight with the greasy dude with the cross necklace,"

She paused, thinking about her fight with the priest named Kirei Kotomine.

"That fight with the cross necklace guy was weird though. I remember it, but it's like... it didn't happen? Does that make sense?"

She looked at Ries.

View attachment 8651

"What about you? Anything exciting happen?"

As Riesbyfe continued walking while Little My spoke, the former knight could only shrug in response. "The power of the Great Spirits and those that hold dominion over reality admittedly fly over my head a bit. I couldn't tell you one way or the other what really happened at the end of it all. I suppose that's only for those who were there to witness the Zero Hour," she said briskly.

"As for me, nothing interesting has happened ever since then. I've just been helping to rebuild Avalon after the Revanchist tried to destroy it all. It's my new home, after all. It may be tedious work, but it is honest work," Riesbyfe went on in response to the inquiry about her own activities. "I suppose I should be thankful that things have been quiet. Feels like we can't go a whole month without trouble brew--" She began to say, before...

Bump!

"Oof!"

As Riesbyfe had her attention fixed upon Little My as she spoke, she'd neglected to notice the person right in front of her, bumping the lavender-haired young woman into her, causing her to stumble forward a little bit.

"Ah, my apologies!" Riesbyfe exclaimed with a soft gasp. "I didn't rough you up too much, did I?"

"N-No, I'm okay. I--" The girl began to respond, before turning around and stopping mid-sentence as she looked upon Riesbyfe's face, eyes widening in surprise as though she'd seen a ghost.

View attachment 8652

"Y-You!" She gasped in awe, to which Riesbyfe's eyes widened as well, seeming to recognize the other girl. The other girl known as Sion Eltnam Atlasia.

"Sion...?" The knight blinked in surprise, just as petrified in disbelief as Sion was in turn.

Sion paused for a brief moment, before her eyes shifted slightly to see Little My perched atop Riesbyfe's shoulder. Her brow went from being raised in shock to narrowing into a display of irritation as she pointed a stiff finger at Little My.

"You!" She only exclaimed.

"Her?" Riesbyfe blinked in confusion, before glancing down at Little My. "Do you know her, little one?"

“Erp!”

Little My tumbled off of Ries’s shoulder as Sion bumped into the two, but quickly regained her spot enough to recognize who it was.

She was even more shocked that Ries knew who she wa

“Well, yeah... she was with us during our trip to that windowless building but uh...”

She sucked in air between her teeth.

“Ikindaalmosterasedherfromhistory”

She exhaled, bracing herself for the worst from both sides.

"..."

"..."

A pregnant pause only followed Little My's hushed confession, with Sion glaring on with anticipation while Riesbyfe remained reticent for a good while, her face remaining blank before eventually managing to produce a response.

Pursing her lips slightly, Riesbyfe only poked her finger at Little My. "Well, at least you weren't successful. At least we can be happy about that. It would have been another story entirely if you really did wipe my dear old friend from history," she said in a surprisingly lackadaisical manner.

View attachment 8653

"R-Riesbyfe! Are you being serious right now?! I can still hardly believe you're even here at all, let alone that you're friends with that little gremlin!" Sion exclaimed, her emotions a mess of confusion as she had much to process.

"I'll have you know, her name is Little My," Riesbyfe was quick to correct, before curling her lips into a smile as she let out a soft chuckle. "But yes, I'm sure this must be a lot for you to process, just as it frankly is for me," she said in an almost comically flat manner.

Indeed, the silver-haired woman might have been more strict on Little My if this was during the midst of the Revanchist War, but enough time had passed now that she'd let herself mellow out and cool off with the worst of the war behind her now. It had certainly been enough time that she'd made peace with never coming back to her home world again, and yet here Sion was, a remaining piece of her old life standing right in front of her, in this unfamiliar world by pure happenstance.

Maintaining her light-hearted mien, Riesbyfe spoke again, gesturing toward Little My. "I suppose I should get you formally introduced, dear. This is my good friend from back home. Her name is Sion. Why don't you say hello, and we can get to work on not just starting fresh again, but also catching up with each other?"

Sion meanwhile only pouted quietly, crossing her arms as she stared coldly at Little My.

“Hello, Sion!”

Little My waved to Sion, a smile on her face that not only reads as nice to meet you again, but also undeniable relief at her friend not berating her.

But the silence once again returned, Little My not knowing how to proceed

“...Wanna join us for some juice?”

Sion only pursed her lips in response, before sighing in an exasperated manner and pinching the bridge of her nose, as though she needed to take another moment, before shaking her head slightly and speaking again. "All's well that ends well... Now that's a kind of carefree attitude I never expected from you, Riesbyfe..." She sighed, to which the other woman chuckled a bit. Indeed, perhaps she did change quite a bit since the last time they'd met, but maybe for the better ultimately.

"Haha, I think you'll find I'm not entirely the same as back then, but we've got all the time in the multiverse now," the Holy Knight said, using a free hand to reach forward and grab Sion's hand eagerly, eliciting a surprised yelp from her. "Now, let's go! I'm certainly going to need a drink when I tell you all about what's happened since then!"

With Sion in one hand and Little My perched on her other side, Riesbyfe marched forward without looking back, eager to look to the next day of this brave new multiverse.​
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top