He's gonna change her like a remix, then he'll raise her like a phoenix

[otomechapilot]

(For a second, there's a certain gathering tension in the network. Both bewilderment and fear. It comes to a head in a single, piercing telepathic cry, not quite a scream, over the network.)

Oh my GOD, what did I DO!?

Oh my god I nearly killed Hebe! Is - was Hebe one of ours?! Was Atlas? Athena? Nike?! Kallias!? The manticore!? Doctor whatsisname was definitely one of ours but I just -

Oh god oh god please tell me I didn't kill any of ours.

Comments

[maximumest]

[He is... NEVER getting used to this! Happily she's nowhere nearby to see him frizz up a bit in surprise.]

That's good. More importantly it's over and you're you and I can actually use hands again. I didn't get to the big meet, it didn't seem a good place for a cat to go. Did you? Is everything going to be normal now?

[otomechapilot]

I went with Nike. The Titans and the Gods figured out a treaty, another twelve Gods, and the Titans also agreed to punish themselves for nearly destroying the world as long as Zeus also got punished.

Sarai suggested Athena, the god of... being clever and strategy I guess? She liked her a lot... as the queen of the Old Gods, and Prometheus was going to be the Titan King. And Prince Kosmas became King of the New Gods, the Human Gods.

It must have worked. If it didn't and Tower won stuff would be exploding. Instead there's wooden horse rides, like... like at a fair.

[maximumest]

I hope someone spoke for the ones who aren't human.

[All of this is processed at his usual careful rate. The thing he concludes is:]

So if Tower wins, things are more exciting afterward?

[otomechapilot]

They talked a bit about that. A god of Wood Spirits brought it up and they mentioned catguys specifically, 'therianthropes.' I... Sarai didn't say anything because she didn't know about them or what they'd need.

(...okay Sara has picked up very little Arcana Deets, but that sounds wrong to her)

Just explosions. Not actual exciting fights. Tower's about stuff breaking. The one who won is more about fights.

...oh my god that explains so much about why this was so... everything. It was literally Fights versus Breaking Stuff.

[maximumest]

That's a big word. A species maybe? Therianthrope. At least someone did. That's important.

Sometimes stuff needs to get broken in order to put something new there. That was going on a lot too, before we even got there. Stuff already was broke. Maybe not breaking things but.. ... Hn, what happens later? Leaving it broken or making a new thing?

[fridgeninja]

That's right.

At least, not until our next visit.

[otomechapilot]

I mean I'm not an expert, you're gonna want to find Souji or Kanji or Naoki.

But, uh, from what I understand, Chariot is about going forward, fighting what you need to, and getting up after you get knocked down?

And Tower is just about the breaking stuff. It's not about what happens afterwards. Just... stuff falling apart. If you actually see it in a deck it means "your stuff's gonna fall apart get it together," but...

[maximumest]

There's a deck? Like with cards?

[otomechapilot]

Yeah. Tarot cards.

...there were like two people into them back home and I learned from people here, but these guys are definitely based on tarot cards, or tarot cards are based on them.

[maximumest]

... So if you know about this deck you know all about the Arcana? Is there a guidebook??

[otomechapilot]

I mean I don't, but I've been talking to people who do, and probably?

Like I said, ask Souji or Kanji or Naoki.

[otomechapilot]

Very funny, mister.

(...it was a joke, right? Sara hopes so, anyway.)

[maximumest]

I don't know them.

[otomechapilot]

If it means only the right things blowing up, they probably won't care. Tell them you've never heard of the Tarot and want to know what you're up against.

They told me.

Or do you mean "what do they look like?"

[maximumest]

Anything about them except their names now. And that they might not care if things blow up.

[truerevelation]

Ssh. You're okay... rattled your brain, did it? Yeah. I feel you there. I'm - uh, I was, dammit - Kallias. Or Kanji, here.

[otomechapilot]

...I'll point them out to you and no more than any fighter that can make things explode.

(And later, she will, in fact, sensory livestream herself with the people in question. After getting permission, of course.)

Locked via Psychic Protection I

[otomechapilot]

I was more weirded out by how much like me she was, for being a... kind of bloodthirsty Spartan. Or that I'm that bloodthirsty without being a Spartan. Maybe.

Yeah I - Naoki told me earlier. I met him back in the Trojan Horse, he started telling me about the Arcana. Looks like Chariot won, with all the robot horses letting us ride them.

I hope his telling me was okay. I mean I... locked it the way I locked this.

Psy Protection 1 lock back

[truerevelation]

I get what you mean. They say there's always some kind of ... resonance between us and them? Something big we have in common or we couldn't end up living their lives. With Kallias, he's like ... I dunno. Like if I'd never had to fight and stand up for myself. But maybe he will now. Hope so. He's got stuff to fight for.

And yeah, that's fine, ain't like it's some big secret... If you ever want more Arcana talk stuff, hit me up, it's cool.

Locked until further notice

[otomechapilot]

Honestly I think food that's not just meat and bad bread, and drinks that aren't booze, are a bigger deal right now. God, she drunk SO MUCH wine. My brother would kill me if he was Travelling.

But I'm taking you up on Tarot Talk later and there's a friend who might want to sit in too.

[truerevelation]

No kidding. Man, remembering liking that stuff is almost as weird as anything else. Swing by my place sometime for somethin' to eat... uh, Aiya, the restaurant? I'm doin' a sushi platter. And anything people can suggest, I guess...

Any time. For anyone who needs it. [And isn't going to use it for ulterior motives, but she doesn't seem like the sort? From what he can tell?]

[otomechapilot]

Sure, i'll try it. (She... thinks that's Flavored Rice With Stuff On It?)

Honestly Chinese food reminds me of home in a good way. Wing Commander grew up with Taiwanese stuff and, uh, taught our quartermaster.

Sure thing. I remember what Brother's deck looked like but never really asked him about it. Learned more from Naoki in a day than I learned at home.

(Ulterior motives happen to people who aren't picked by Fool. She wears her heart on her sleeve.)

[truerevelation]

[He won't correct that geographical slip up...] Yeah, it's the Chinese restaurant in my old town. Our gang's old hang out. I try 'n copy some of the menu sometimes...

Your bro had a deck? That's cool. I get that most folks ain't really gonna know the symbolism from home, so I'm just glad to help. The crew from my old world 'n its other versions... we just kinda had to find it out 'cause of stuff that was going on there.

[otomechapilot]

And the sushi is more stuff from home than stuff from Aiya? (Wasn't a mistake - she's just eaten Chinese at Aiya's.)

He was kind of obsessed with Jung and synchronicity and symbolism. If he wasn't he never would have managed to make the ANIMa I don't think. Wouldn't have named it that, anyway.

[reallymean]

My real name is Allura, not Nike, but I am a Traveler.

If you did kill any of us, they will have come back by now, and you can apologize for what you did while you weren't yourself. It's one of the more unfortunate side effects of Infiltrating - you don't know who's actually an ally.