~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
Weekly Writing Challenge Thread 2 - The Morning After (Deadline December 31st)
Bardiche:
Theme: Reporter (clearly talking about Cirno)
She said she was strong
confidence before falling -
the world wept for her
FinnKaenbyou:
It?s a little known fact that kappa can?t hold their liquor.
Ever wondered why they?re so into that cucumber beer crap? It?s not the taste, before you ask. Talk to any kappa on the street and they?ll tell you cucumber beer tastes like someone pissed in your water. I?ve tried it myself, and I can second that claim.
The reason they still drink it is because the alcohol content is close to zero. For any other youkai it?d be unnoticeable, and for a human it?d take a dozen mugs before you started feeling tipsy. But the kappa start chuckling and falling over by the second glass, so it?s the safest way for them to get drunk.
Safest, in my opinion, also means ?least interesting?. So I decided to engage in a little experiment today.
?I told you, Marisa, I can?t drink this.?
Nitori gives me that look as I slide a shot glass over to her. It?s the look she gives me when she?s talking about upgrades or maintenance - when she feels like the main authority on the topic of discussion. Most of the time she?s right about that. I?m a pilot, not a mechanic.
But this isn?t one of those times. I?m not willing to nod along with her explanations today. I nudge the drink into her hand, clasping her fingers around it.
?Nitori, your folks would be ashamed. What sort of youkai would ever turn down a free drink??
I ask the question just loud enough for some of the patrons to turn in Nitori?s direction. Being a teetotaler is not something to be proud of in youkai society, and she?s already getting some unwelcome glares. A seat at the bar should be reserved for people who?ll use it properly, in their opinion.
Nitori eyes the crowd, then the shot glass. It?s small, but the drink is pretty potent. They call it Nine Lives, because they claim it?s strong enough to kill a human eight times over. With a reputation like that, there?s no way I can turn this opportunity down.
?C?mon, brainiac.? I nudge at her with my elbow. ?Don?t disappoint your audience.?
Nitori takes a moment to glare at me. She?s short and puny, but she?s capable of some nasty looks when she tries. She snatches at the shot glass, brings it to her lips, and downs it in one shot. Her lips pucker up as if she?s just swallowed a lemon. There?s a small round of applause from the other patrons.
I give her a pat on the back. ?So how?s it feel to drink grown-up alcohol??
Nitori looks about ready to erupt. ?You?re a...? She points a finger at me, accusation dripping from her words, but halfway through the sentence she stops. She looks away, trying to pull the last word out of the air. ?You?re a...a...?
Her eyes glaze over as she falls headfirst onto the bar. Raucous laughter floods the room before the other youkai get back to her own drinks. For a moment I?m scared that she?s just dropped dead, but as I move closer I can hear her snoring.
That experiment came to an end shorter than I?d expected. The results were conclusive, but I wouldn?t have minded playing around with it a bit longer. Maybe I?ll try it again with something lighter to try and test just how much Nitori can take.
I order myself a whiskey. If there?s anything good that came from the border collapsing, it?s all the new drinks it brought into Gensokyo. Sake gets old after so long, so it?s nice to have a change.
I?m halfway through my second drink when the door opens. Everyone in the room - myself included - turns to look towards the newcomer. I?m the only one who recognises her, and I beckon her over to the free chair on my right.
?Take a seat, Ran.?
Ran Yakumo nods as she comes close. She really doesn?t blend in well with the seedy nature of the bar. The snappy business suit she?s wearing contributes a lot to that. She wipes at the seat with a handkerchief before she sits on it, her nine bushy tails waving around behind her back. Half the youkai in the room are looking at her, and one or two of them are probably considering trying to stroke one of those tails.
I saw her hospitalise the last oni who tried that.
?You?re a hard woman to find, Kirisame.? Ran orders a gin and tonic. Just light enough for her to enjoy on the job. She?s normally a lot less upfront than this, but we?ve seen a lot of each other in the last few months.
?Well, y?know. Gotta hide from all my loving fans.? I sip at the whiskey, letting it swirl around in my mouth for a bit before I swallow. ?How?s my favourite diplomat??
?Overworked, as usual.? Her glass arrives, and she stares down into the drink for a while before taking a sip. Her shoulders loosen up as the stress seeps out of her. Without her daily dose of alcohol, I bet she?d drop dead from all the work Yukari puts her through.
?Any new alliances??
?Gensokyo doesn?t deal in alliances. We?re just pushing for ceasefires right now, but I don?t need to tell you how well the media have been painting us.?
She doesn?t. Ever since the border came apart I?ve been hearing stories about how the rest of the world sees Gensokyo. A nation of ravenous monsters disguised as humans, possessing magical powers beyond mortal ken. It?s the sort of stereotype no professional journalist could turn down.
I finish the last few drops of whiskey. ?So if you?re calling on me, I?m guessing there?s another duel to be fought.?
Ran nods. ?You know the drill by now. You?ve got 24 hours to make any preparations you need.? She pulls out a small PDA and types furiously for a few seconds. I hear a beep at my waist as my own PDA receives the message. ?Those are the co-ordinates. Any questions??
I only have one question. It?s the same one I ask every time. ?So how much do I stand to make off of this??
?The fight purse is standing at two million yen right now.? Ran?s eyebrows lower, her golden eyes glistening in the dim light of the bar. ?But you know how much is at stake here.?
?Right, right. I get it.?
I call the bartender over and pay my tab. I nudge Nitori by the shoulder, trying not to touch the puddle of drool she?s left on the bar.
?...no-good, double-crossing, back-stabbing...? She murmurs to herself as she starts to wake up. ?Foul-mouthed, two-timing sellout harlot!? She jerks upright, finishing the insult she?d been saving up since before she fell asleep.
?Eh? What happened? And why is my face so wet?? Sadly, she?s forgotten why she was insulting me to begin with. I give her a hand out of the chair as I lead her to the door.
?No time, Nitori. We?ve got work to do.?
?Work? What? When?? The kappa is stumbling left and right, still far from sober. Hopefully she?ll be fine by the time we get back to base.
?Another duel. We?ve got a day to get ready for it.? I wrap an arm around her to support her as we head out the door. ?Seriously, how am I gonna win when my top mechanic falls asleep on the job??
-----
Preparing for a fight is a difficult job for both the pilot and their mechanic. Nitori has to make sure the Black Star is in working order and that none of the limbs are going to fall off halfway through the battle. I have to be ready for anything the opponent throws at me: that means being physically and mentally fit, as well as knowing what I?m up against.
We?re better prepared on that front than most teams. Nitori?s put together a simulator that?ll let me get some practice shots in. Most of the big nations have well-known duelists, so it?s not hard to train with your opponent in mind.
I take a seat in the simulator?s cockpit, built to match my machine?s perfectly. I?m properly dressed in what Nitori calls the Hubsuit - a skintight suit with ports and wires running down its spine. It?s more than a fashion statement - which is unsurprising, because making the appropriate links between the ports and my nervous system is a painful and lengthy experience.
?So who?s the challenger this time?? I ask as I take a seat in the cockpit. Gensokyo is on poor terms with so many countries I don?t even try to keep track anymore.
Nitori?s face flickers onto a screen at my side. Thankfully she?s sobered up by now. ?You?re going to be fighting Gawain Alexander tomorrow.?
?Alexander? The Green Knight?? I take a deep breath. This I definitely didn?t expect. ?I thought the Brits were on good terms with us.?
?There was an election in the last few weeks, and they?ve got a majorly conservative government now.? Nitori fiddles with a keyboard as she speaks, feeding the simulator the relevant data. ?There?s a lot of underlying youkai hatred there.?
I snort. Sounds like every other nation beyond the border, honestly. They had enough trouble dealing with fellow humans, but when Gensokyo showed up they all found a common enemy to turn on. It?s a relief these rules are here to keep every nation from storming us at once.
The simulator begins to load up, and the cockpit locks in. A belt clips around my waist as I lean forward towards the controls. As usual, the sheer number of levers and buttons to select from is overwhelming. Thankfully, I don?t have to do most of the thinking myself.
As the chair slides forward, I feel a jolt of pain as the machine?s wires jab into the ports on my back. The neural connections take a few seconds to fire up, but soon I?m looking at these controls as if I?ve known them all my life. Another handy little invention Nitori came up with; it?s so good, it almost feels like cheating.
Not that playing fair is a big thing for me.
?So remind me, Nitori. What happens if I lose??
Nitori?s head drops as she answers, typing in the last few variables. ?You know what?ll happen, Marisa. The Brits are trying to claim ownership of the waters around Gensokyo. If you lose, they?ll expect Yukari to hand it over...?
?...and the populace won?t agree with that.? I finish the sentence for her.
?Right. Most countries wouldn?t go to war over it. That?s what the Duels are for, honestly. But youkai really don?t like people stepping on their turf...?
?No pressure, then.? I knew all of that, but I just felt like being reminded. It?s good to keep in mind what I?m fighting for, and how much is at stake. Though the payout that President Yakumo is offering is a nice little bonus.
?OK, you?re good to go,? Nitori says as the screen bursts to life in front of me. It renders a 3d scene of one of Gensokyo?s open plains, in a half-mile square. The textures and details are far from perfect, but it?s enough to give me a vague concept of immersion.
Across from me is a giant green frame, carrying a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. While most duelists opt for long distance warfare, the Green Knight mech is built for close range combat. The shield - as tall as the machine itself - is built to withstand any blow thrown at it. There?s a reason Gawain Alexander is considered one of the world?s greatest duelists. I?m going to need to make the most of this session.
?You?ve got about six hours of practice time before we need to make the trip to the combat zone. Good luck, Marisa.? The picture of Nitori flickers and dies, letting me focus my attention solely on my training. She?s probably away giving the real Black Star some fine tuning right now.
[READY?] The machine blurts at me. I reach out to the control panel. My hands stop naturally on two of the seven levers, and my feet land on two of the four pedals. It?s thanks to Nitori?s neural interface - my thoughts get passed through the wiring and sent back into my nervous system to move the appropriate limbs. It translates ?move left? to ?grab that lever and push that button? without me needing to memorise a 400-page instruction manual.
The knight points his sword in my direction, taking a step forward and leveling a tree as he does so. I know plenty about how he fights, and I doubt I?ll see anything from him in these six hours that isn?t public knowledge. What I need to learn is how to deal with it.
[FIGHT!]
On the machine?s command, the fight starts. Without fear or hesitation, the Green Knight charges forward. It raises its blade while the shield protects its body. Instantly I break away, the entire cockpit spinning as the virtual Black Star rolls across the ground.
This is a bad fight for me. The Green Knight is designed to take on as any projectile I throw at it. The Black Star uses nothing but projectiles - a sensible call against any other opponent, but not with Gawain Alexander. His mech is faster than it looks, taking long strides across the clearing to catch up to me. I try to fire a shot to slow it down, but the machine blocks with its shield and barges onward without losing any momentum.
As the blade slams into the Black Star?s neck, I?m struck by another jolt of pain. This was one of Nitori?s less pleasant additions to the system - the same cords connecting me to the machine also allow me to feel any sort of injury inflicted upon the machine, though admittedly dampened to non-fatal levels. In her words, it?s an incentive to stop me screwing around during training sessions.
She?s lucky that she?s the best in the business, or I?d have hired someone else.
[DEFEAT. RECORD 0:1. REMATCH?]
The machine is polite enough to record my loss as the screen fades to static. The general rule is any blow that would kill a human is considered to ?kill? a duelist?s machine, and a sword through the neck is pretty fatal. I let the momentary pain fade as I lean backwards into the chair.
?Rematch.?
A few seconds later, the scenario has reloaded. The Green Knight?s on the other side of the field, ready to charge. This time when the fight starts I try another tactic, leaping upwards into the air. Gawain?s first swipe hits nothing as I hang above him. For a second I think I?ve got the advantage.
Then he throws his sword into the air, and it slices through the Black Star with ease.
?Nnngh-!?
Imagine someone drawing a line down your chest with a scalpel. That?s more or less how that defeat feels for me. At least Nitori hasn?t made it simulate the resulting fall as well.
[DEFEAT. RECORD 0:2. REMATCH?]
I?m beginning to see a disturbing pattern here. Gawain is fast, and he?s prepared to fight in three dimensions. Most other nations wouldn?t have a chance to practice fighting him, and they?d go down in seconds like I have.
But I can practice. As soon as the pain has passed, I?m ready to go again.
?Rematch.?
The scenario starts again. All I have to do is try everything and see what does and doesn?t work. This simulation is a compilation of all of Gawain Alexander?s match data. If the simulation isn?t ready for it, Gawain won?t be either.
Besides, I have six hours. I can figure out a strategy by then, right?
-----
?You lost HOW many times??
Nitori looks like she can barely contain her anger. Luckily the hovercraft is high enough that there?s no risk of her crashing into anything as she swerves to one side.
?I told you, I was experimenting. Can?t blame a girl for trying stuff out, can you??
?Your job is to figure out how to win, not figure out every way to lose.? She grips the wheel so tightly it looks ready to snap. The Black Star?s already been moved to the battlefield for us, so we just have to get there ourselves.
?I tried, alright? But at least now I know some things that won?t work.?
?Like pointing on the horizon and asking him to turn away.?
?It was worth a shot, wasn?t it??
She doesn?t answer. She has every reason to be mad. I?ve never had a simulation session this poor. I kept fighting for the whole six hours, but I didn?t achieve a single victory in all that time. All I found was hundreds of ways for Gawain to break through my defenses or stop me from escaping him. To say the situation is bleak would be a pretty big understatement.
But that doesn?t mean I?m out of ideas. There was one lingering thought I considered throughout the training that I couldn?t test properly thanks to a few inaccuracies in the simulation. It?s a really out-there idea, but it?s all I can think of that stands a chance. And with all the training I went through, I should be able to survive long enough to give it a try.
And if it doesn?t work? Well, there?s always emigration to look into...
-----
The fight is taking place on a plain very similar to the one I saw in the simulation - or at least, it was similar to the simulation at some point. Gensokyo has only one or two areas wide and flat enough to work as suitable arenas, and they?ve been seeing a lot of use recently. Most of the foliage and greenery was either burnt or crushed in the combat, so it?s a massive grey patch in Gensokyo?s otherwise luscious environment. It?s an ugly sight, but a necessary sacrifice - if we didn?t go through the duels, all of Gensokyo would look like this.
The mechs have both been prepared. On one end of the field is my magnum opus, the Black Star. Nitori went all out with preparing it, even going so far as to give the plates a polish before sending it out. It?s a good fifty-feet tall, built with sleek plates of reinforced steel and armed to the teeth with every explosive Gensokyo knows how to make. Nitori had to do some intensive research to figure out how to fit all that stopping power into the machine without making it tip over.
Across from it is the daunting form of the Green Knight. Its plates have been tweaked to resemble a medieval suit of armour, and even when it?s inactive it holds its sword and shield at the ready. It?s a few feet taller than my mech, and I know from experience it?s at least as fast. Even seeing it from a distance, I can?t help but get a little concerned.
Before the fight can start, there?s a formal meeting between the competitors in the center of the arena. As Nitori lands the craft, I see our opponent has already arrived with his own team. I step out to approach him as we come to a stop.
?Good morning, miss Kirisame.? Gawain Alexander bows towards me with exquisite chivalry. He speaks in a language I don?t understand, but there?s a chip at the back of my neck that works as an on-the-go translator. It?s almost a necessity for a serious duelist.
Even Gawain himself is intimidating. His suit doesn?t have the same ports mine does, but it?s been fitted to resemble armour like his mech. He stands six inches above me, his bright blue eyes shimmering with the wisdom of a veteran. This is a man who?s seen more duels than I can count, and I feel the gap between us more and more by the second.
To his sides are a sniveling man in a labcoat - probably his head engineer - and a stern looking man in a suit. The last of these is probably his ?diplomat?, though I?m using the word loosely. The suit gives Nitori a vile glare while Gawain and I talk.
?I must say, your track record made for some entertaining reading,? Gawain says with a smile. ?You?ve been rather overworked, haven?t you??
?What can I say?? I shrug. ?Gensokyo isn?t very popular nowadays.?
?So I?ve heard.? Gawain frowns. He looks ready to say something, but he looks to the pudgy man in the suit and abruptly stops. Can?t go against the party line, it seems. ?Let?s hope for an interesting bout, then.? He offers me his hand.
?Interesting is nice, but I prefer to win.? I return the gesture. His hand is twice the size of mine, and he jerks it up and down in a firm handshake. I haven?t been tugged around this much since the time I challenged an oni to an arm wrestle.
With the formalities out of the way, we each return to our respective crafts and head to our mechs. Nitori is bleeding nerves as she brings the vehicle into the air.
?Marisa...you do know what you?re doing, right??
Of course she?s worried. Gensokyo is her home, and its continued existence depends on me. She can?t just run off to some other nation like I can - the rest of the world still considers youkai lesser citizens, if they qualify as ?humans? at all.
?Relax, I?ve got this.? I give her a little pat on the back. ?If I mess up, you can force shots of Nine Lives down my throat until my liver blows up.?
Her expression lightens. ?I?ll hold you to that.? She looks at me with a small smirk, just subdued enough that I?m not sure whether she means what she says. I?d better play it safe and win today.
The craft comes to a stop at the Black Star?s chest, right in front of where the machine?s ?heart? should be. Now that I think about it, this is probably the only part of the machine that wasn?t torn to pieces during the simulation. Normally fatalities are frowned upon, but considered unavoidable; yet Gawain didn?t strike at the cockpit once.
I place my hand into a small indent on the frame, and the breastplate opens up. A small walkway into the machine emerges from within, and I let myself out of the craft to step onto it. At the end of the walkway is the same cockpit I?ve been doing all of my training in.
The idea from earlier is still wavering around in my head. Calling it a battle plan would be exaggerating - it?s a vague idea which might work if the planets align and the gods smile upon me. Still, the alternative is watching the Black Star get cut in half, so I?ll take it.
I take my seat in the cockpit. The chair slides forwards as the machine interfaces with me. A dozen wires stabbing into your spine is a great way to keep yourself on your toes. I?m fully ready for battle by the time the monitor flickers to life.
?Are you ready, miss Kirisame?? Gawain?s voice comes through the speaker to my side as the Green Knight comes to life across from me. The machine lowers itself into a battle stance, sword at the ready.
?You can drop the whole ?miss? thing. Just call me Marisa.?
Gawain doesn?t answer, but I hear him stutter a little through the speaker. Maybe he?s not used to someone questioning his manners like that.
[READY?]
The same message jumps onto both our monitors. The two technicians are watching over the fight from a safe distance, working together as a neutral third party. Of course that also means Nitori won?t be able to yell advice into my ear whenever she wants, so I?m pretty much alone.
I grab at the controls. The Green Knight prepares to break into a dash.
[FIGHT!]
Just as the simulation predicted, the Knight charges head-on. Dodging left or right won?t work - he?ll cut me down before I can recover. Dodging up doesn?t work either. The only option is forward.
?Haah!?
At the last moment I send the Black Star into a charge of its own. Gawain brings the sword across in a horizontal swipe.
I fall to the earth with a slide tackle, knocking him off his feet. There?s a mighty crash as twenty tons of British handiwork falls to the ground.
That?s my first opening. As I bring the Black Star upright, I turn to face Gawain. I pull the machine?s arm forward, firing the first of its many missile salvos. The Green Knight pulls up its shield before they can hit, and the attacks bounce off of it harmlessly. Of course it wasn?t going to be that easy.
I buy myself a few seconds of running time as Gawain gets to his feet. I launch off another stream of missiles with one hand, and fire a laser out of the other. Gawain tilts the shield to block both attacks at once as he comes forward again.
Now that I have momentum it?s easier to keep my distance. I focus fire at the space between his sword and shield, and as he blocks it Gawain is forced to stop his swing. All the while I?m on the move, taking the occasional shot at his feet to make sure he can?t speed up again. I circle around him, making him turn as he continues to block the barrage. He can barely move, and whenever he makes progress I simply step back.
Of course, this is only a temporary measure. The Black Star is loaded with missiles, rockets, lasers, mines, and every other explosive known to man, but it does still have a limited ammo supply. The only difference is that the limit is much larger than any other machine in circulation.
As the missiles run out, I switch to mines. They fire out of the palms like most of my weaponry, but rather than aiming for the ground I fire them straight at Gawain. They clamp to the shield, detonating in waves of five at a time. The green frame shakes beneath the impact, but there?s no sign of surrender.
?You expect me to submit to this barrage?!? Gawain yells into the speaker. He?s a lot less polite on the battlefield, apparently.
I don?t answer. Honestly, I don?t expect this to be enough to take him down. In the simulation I emptied all of my reserves in this attack without any sort of progress. But the simulation made one very large assumption on that count.
Namely, that the shield was unbreakable.
As yet another wave of mines explodes, I can see the first few cracks beginning to form in the shield?s plating. It?s strong enough to take on the arsenals of other, less prepared machines, but the Black Star is on another level. As I try to finish the attack off, I look at the dwindling ammo counts all across my HUD.
Finally I reach my last wave of mines. I fire all six of them at once, all focusing on the cracks on the shield. Gawain seems unaware of his mech?s damage, holding off each blow with the same vigor.
When the mines explode, the shield shatters into half a dozen pieces. I wish I could see the look on his face right now.
?Wha-?
All I get is a stuttered gasp from his end of the speaker. His main defense is down at last. This is my cue to finish him.
Or at least it would be if I had anything left to finish him with.
I give the arsenal another look-over. No missiles, no rockets, no mines. The lasers are out of power, and the propulsion system can?t maintain this speed any more. In no more than two minutes I?ve unloaded the Black Star?s entire weapon supply.
There?s only one weapon left, and it?s the biggest risk of all. But I?m totally out of alternatives here, so I have to go for it. I press a large red button on the side of the control panel.
[NMS PROTOCOL INITIATED
NOW CHARGING...........]
The entire cockpit hums as non-essential power is redirected to the engine. The legs of the machine lock in place, and I can barely move the top half of the machine on command. A hole opens on the Black Star?s navel, and a cannon emerges from it.
The monitor clicks and blinks as it catches the Green Knight in its reticule. The sound of it locking onto its target is enough to pull Gawain out of his daze. He breaks to the side to avoid the upcoming blast, but the Black Star?s waist swivels around to follow him.
[CHARGING 40% COMPLETE]
I hear him gasp. He knows he can?t avoid the attack. All he can do is interrupt it. The Green Knight begins another charge. Even without the shield, he still has that ruthless blade of his.
I look at the Green Knight, then at the charge meter. It?s not hard to tell what?ll finish first. Gawain blitzes towards me, raising his sword to slice the Black Star in half.
I have one idea. If it works, I win. If it doesn?t...I lose more than just the match.
[CHARGING 80% COMPLETE]
He?s on top of me now, ready to swing downward with a few seconds to spare. The attack is ready to slice clean down the centre of the frame.
I lean the machine to the side so that the sword is right above the cockpit instead.
?NO!? Gawain screams.
The sword digs into the Black Star?s shoulder, burying itself a foot into the framework. The entire machine rumbles, almost knocking me out of my chair. Even with Gawain holding back, the attack is devastating.
But most importantly, it?s not a killing blow.
[CHARGING 100% COMPLETE]
This, on the other hand, will be.
As Gawain pulls his sword out of the Black Star?s shoulder, the frame looks down at the cannon. A pale blue light is emanating from its tip, aimed straight at the Green Knight?s waist.
I win.
?Neo Master Spark, FIRE!?
The cannon explodes, sending a devastating ray of light across the battlefield. It cuts a hole in the stomach of the Green Knight, tearing through layer upon layer of metal as if it was paper. The entire machine hangs in place, sword held above its head as it freezes.
As the laser dies down, Gawain Alexander and his machine topple backwards onto the ground.
[VICTORY!]
I swear, that word has never been so satisfying to read. I melt into my chair as the neural interface begins to break the links between me and the machine. The Black Star goes into shutdown, taking a well-earned rest of its own.
The speaker flickers back to life, this time accompanied by a small picture of Gawain?s face. The man is as pale as a ghost.
?...In all my years as a duelist, you?re the first person I?ve ever seen lean into the swing.?
Of course he?s shocked. By all accounts, he should have ended the fight with that last attack. But at the last moment, he held back.
?I figured you were a decent guy,? I tell him. ?You don?t wanna kill anyone, do you??
He?s silent, but his ashen face says more than words ever could.
?What if I hadn?t stopped?? he asks. I?m not sure if he?s talking to me or to himself. ?If I?d kept going, I?d have killed you in an instant.?
I shrug. ?Well, yeah. But that didn?t happen, so it doesn?t matter.?
Gawain struggles to find the words he?s looking for. I?m surprised when he starts to laugh instead.
?You...you love this country, don?t you??
I tilt my head. ?Come again??
His face starts to brighten, as if the whole fight was a joke to him.
?At the critical moment, you chose to risk your life for the safety of Gensokyo. That sort of courage doesn?t come from a desire for money, power or fame. You were ready to die to keep this country from falling apart.?
Now it?s my turn to fall silent. Gawain?s grin is almost cheeky.
?I?ve struck a nerve, haven?t I? You?re one of those anti-heroes who cares more than she wants to admit.?
?Maybe,? I mutter. Dammit, why do I feel like I?m the one who lost here?
Gawain chuckles. ?Worry not. Your secret is safe with me.?
I can tell he means it. He?s not the sort to lie. I sit up as the last wire pops out of my back.
?It?s been a pleasure fighting you,? Gawain says with a slight bow towards the camera. ?I?ll be looking forward to a rematch...Marisa.?
I return the gesture. ?Yeah. You too, Gawain.?
The monitor flickers out. I?m left alone, waiting for Nitori to pick me up. I?ll need to thank her when I get the chance. It?s thanks to her handy arsenal that I managed to take down Gawain?s shield in the first place.
A few minutes later the door opens, and my favourite kappa in the whole wide world steps in.
?So you did it.?
She?s acting stern, but I can see her whole body trembling. I bet she wants to hug me right now, but her pride won?t let her.
So I hug her instead.
?Did you ever doubt me??
Nitori goes bright red, squirming in my grip and trying to get away. ?W-Well, there was that moment at the end. But I don?t understand why Gawain didn?t finish you off.?
?Oh, there?s a story behind that.? I let go of her and let myself out, jumping into the passenger seat of the hovercraft. ?But it?s a story best told over a victory toast, in my opinion. Don?t worry, drinks are on me tonight.?
Nitori takes the wheel beside me. She sighs, but finally allows herself to smile as the craft?s engines warm up.
?Can I keep to cucumber beer this time??
I snatch the cap off her head, twirling it around with one finger. ?Sorry, can?t make any promises on that count...?
AnonymousPondScum:
Aaaand I just realized my haiku post was supposed to be SPELLCARD haiku.
Screw it, I'm too lazy to fix it. :V
Uhhhh may or may not have something tonight. May the common cold forever burn in the deepest pits of Hell. *snuffles*
Von Stein:
summary so zis is stori bout how i life got turned rite side down and u all sit right there, and im fresh prince yeah
narfuto rulz111!!!!!!!
so mima is totally the god of gensokyo and since she be back next game i figured i tel u just how Blasted awesome she is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111
imma tell you rite now so she roxxorz so hard its awesm!!!!!
so she fly over the shrine 1 day and ter wuz tha orkz
and tha orkz wanted to killz mima so they did moar dakka
and mima said cry moar and then the orkz wuz no more
it was so funneh with mima Amicably murdrin all the greenskinz
such a stron smoothy
but then the unpossbl happen
narfuto appear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and sht just got real mang, gots poses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
narfuto and mima look at each other
world roundem began Disintegrating as they scouted each others powers
wuz totally over 90000000999999000000000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but then the unpossbl happen
they hugged and kissed and then they began undr
mum said i shuldnt write stuff like that so i wont
wont take what i wrot of so
so after they went to bar and drank some beer
the Fermented hops was strong in zis one and they killed anakin and jar
btw since star wars referenc now
vader rulzzzz11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111one111111
but then the unpossbl happen
kyuubei appear and something else and then Illicit activites happen and naruto and mima became hero
i know its all weird byt its tru!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
y u no believe me??????????????22222222222two?
then moar unpossbl happen
sora appear and kill everybody but i heldim off
narfuto and mima now dead i cried moar
but then mima realized she was a ghost anyways and did bad things to sora with his keyblade
then mickey appear and approve
then food
the party at the end was a Culinary awesomnes and everybody wuz happy, even tha orkz
and then there was more dakka
by the way i am looking for some gurlz so if you wanna hook up sned me some pms
sora is burnin in hell btw
vaders awesome
and no i wont become an hero!!!!!!!!
seacrest out
I am so dead for writing this.
I am so dead.
Just in case somebody decides to be a smart about it, the subject is spelled out up there. :V
Seacrest out.
Stein out too.
PS: The preceding fic does not reflect my personal believes.
PPS: And my PM box better not be full with responses to this tomorrow. :V
LogosOfJ:
Since I'm running short on time,
Konpaku blade poems
Composed by Founder Youmu
Lessons through teaching
Blades do not suffice
Duality: dream and void
Cut! Into the world!
Reference within,
Example of Kirisame
Look where no-one leaps.
Cut, thrust, lunge, parry
Beauty shines in every move
Means nothing to death.
1, the start, unit
2, the fruit of the first cut,
void, the cut's substance
Forget fealty
Forget judgement from the hells
Forget argument
Win, over nature
Win, in battle, in choosing
Find such a method!
Beware what is here!
Improvement is possible!
Saying can distort.
strongly inspired by http://lesswrong.com/