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

[otomechapilot]

...and you were magnificent. You saved dozens of lives. As a literal monster.

I don't think I got your name. I'm Sara, without the I.

[maximumest]

Sara, no I. .. Hm.

[He almost liked the sound of Sarai more. But she seemed pretty stressed out already so why mention it and make things worse?]

I am Broly. It's very nice to have thumbs again, and no fleas or ticks. ... It was the right thing, right? Even for a monster?

[otomechapilot]

Are you kidding, Broly? You fought the end of the world with us and we won.

Sarai, (she chuckles, nervous) and I had this much in common - we both thought anyone could try to be a hero. If anyone deserves it this Jaunt you deserve it as much.

You helped people. You saved lives. That's absolutely doing the right thing.

[maximumest]

.. Good. I don't want to be a monster. It's good you got out of all of it okay. That is ... the way where you're along for the ride during a Jaunt, instead of being you? I thought it sounded unsettling. I guess it was.

[otomechapilot]

(She takes a deep breath, and the intent behind that act rings clear across the telepathic connection. She needed to center herself before answering.)

Along for the ride is... when you're along for a ride you can look out the windows.

This was more like the way that other people talk about dreaming.

[maximumest]

If it's upsetting I won't ask. I owe you for not trying to stab me.

[otomechapilot]

(Broly? Have the sound, and emotions, of a teenage girl having an explosive gigglefit across the network.)

Don't worry about it. I can't speak for anyone else I might turn into, but I do my best to only stab bad guys.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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.)