Arrives late with ice cream and coffee

[okanetendo]

Hey.

This is Nabiki. I'm back.

And I've missed a hell of a lot, between the Mars timeskip and... bailing out somewhere around the yokai college.

So this is the last one, huh? Could someone fill me in?

Comments

[thornsofmalkav]

Oh. Um. Hi, Nabiki.

[Gosh is there anything more awkward than the person you had a short affair with back when you time traveled, who probably doesn't remember it anyway because Moebius?]

Yeah, uh, a lot of shit happened since the college Jaunt. And I think you might have missed basically every other time we went to Questing Country or Space.

[okanetendo]

Hey, Thorne.

[THERE'S A REASON SHE AVOIDED THIS CONVERSATION UNTIL SHE GOT CALLED ON IT.]

Space. We're going to space.

Like, realistic space, or suiting up in our mecha and axing the Earthnoids a question space? Cause I... remember snatches of Mars.

[good thing she's not livestreaming this otherwise her expression would. be obvious.]

[thornsofmalkav]

... technically we won't be in space unless we're Infiltrating, because we're actually going to a world of dreams. But, uh, a lot of the people who are dreaming in that world of dreams are definitely living in Outer Space and also a lot of them are aliens.

The first time I ended up in Questing Country I was a rock person.

[okanetendo]

...you know what, maybe you should give me the full rundown in private. If I'm going to wind up suddenly being a rock I want to know what to expect.

Even if I won't exactly be myself.

Let's face it, if I'm not, I'll be shady as hell and you have permission to... pump me for information.

[merciful Gods please kill her.]

[thornsofmalkav]

... yeah. We should probably do that.

[She really needs a top-level, doesn't she...]

[breakaleginhalf]

Well shit, look who's back. You've been gone for a while.

We went to fair folk bullshit uni, fifties movie world, Purgatory, modern Arthurian England, surgical chimera Big Brother, mermaids and pirates, Gundam Genesis Evangelion, and Moebius redo post apocalypse.

Also Tower got killed and Star got revived, so you know. The usual bullshit.

[okanetendo]

...okay, so I got the order wrong! I may have been Christina Waverly! Not my finest hour. At least I managed to get my sister and her... main squeeze enough cash to flee for less star-studded hills.

Literal Purgatory, wow. I think I did pirates once, it was... vague. I understood half of the reference and that was the Gundam part, what, was that also a Christian thing?

...I have no idea how to feel about our ability to kill and say psyche about killing Arcana. At least I know why they've been so goddamn chipper.

Wheeler sounded real happy to send us off, and she's losing. How much must she be raking in on side bets?

[breakaleginhalf]

Right, yeah - she did a runner during that one, didn't she? Good job.

I mean, from what I've heard they were two completely independent expeditions, but that's about all I know for sure. All the cards seem very happy to have their hope back. Must be easier for Fortune to play on people's biases if they're optimistic again.

[okanetendo]

Someone got shot. I don't like my schemes getting that messy. Might have a bit to do with my spending some time on Walkabout.

...you call that a Dungeon now. Right.

I mean, fair. Having their hope back must feel nice, one supposes.

[breakaleginhalf]

Good to hear you're consistently a blatant schemer. I was wondering after Mars, seemed like a very pertinent character trait.

Wouldn't know. [But there's a very wry tone to his words.] I've always been under the impression being clever's more important.

[okanetendo]

What can I say? Had to hustle since Dad checked out of his job, not that I entirely blame him. I roll my own luck, and you can put that in your pipe and smoke it.

I think that's part of why Wheeler likes me. That, and my straight-up asking for a job with her.

[breakaleginhalf]

Hey, I'm not faulting you for making your way like that, doll. Props on knowing exactly what you need to do to get by.

I arrived here after they stopped asking nicely. Magician got her bedazzled hands on me without any input on my part.

[okanetendo]

Oh, I wasn't exactly handed a golden ticket and invited onto this train, but I take your meaning. I had the luxury of choosing my tattoo artist. That's a memory I have clear as day. And aren't we the charmer?

I suppose things could be worse. Five bucks says the old pervert would have gotten snapped up by Old Scratch - and my sister and her fiance by the warhorse.

[breakaleginhalf]

Oh, don't get me wrong - I just like making sure my own hustling's up to par. I'm very much spoken for.

[Hey, might as well be honest.]

Huh. I never really thought about what my own back-home friends might get chosen for.

[okanetendo]

Sad to say that just makes you safe to practice on, Gil-baby.

Who said mine were back home?

[breakaleginhalf]

Well, I played myself. Fair's fair.

That's what we call an assumption - I only had a small circle before I got here, and the only one who ever showed up was in a weird alternate universe version.

okay Xian P'u is me furiously headcanoning a name that makes any sense at all

[okanetendo]

At least it's a nice ass of you and me that assumption made.

You should feel lucky none of them got caught up in this bullshit, but I wouldn't go so far as to make a donation to Benten unless it's to raid Wheeler's soft drink gatca machine. Most of who I knew back home got caught up in this mess. Most went Walkabout, the old kind, the Dungeon kind.

...Big Sis would have been Mei's favorite, I think. Lil' Sis one of Strength's, and Ranma would have hated Emperor; here's to Chariot for... them... instead.

Xian P'u deserves Abbadon's tender mercies. Or Satan's. Either way.

[breakaleginhalf]

Hah. Sounds like there's no love lost between you and Xian P'u. I don't have many people I'd wish on the Devil.

[okanetendo]

Bitch tried to brainwash and kill my sister.

Tower doesn't deserve her, but the Devil sure does.