33rd Magic Bullet

[drank_the_milk]

[Well, the cat's out of the bag.  Yuna's heard all about the revelation that everyone in Mayfield is just a clone of the original.  No one was ripped from anywhere at all.  And while part of her is comforted by that thought - at least she doesn't have to worry about Negi or any of her friends from home - an even bigger part of her feels like it died when she heard the news.  She isn't the real Yuna Akashi.  She doesn't have a father.  She never had a mother.  She doesn't have friends.  Everything she remembers from home is just part of a computer program, along with her entire personality.  Yuna managed to hold it together on the phone with Luke Triton before, but as she's been stewing and thinking it over, the thought of it all has just made her progressively more sick to her stomach.]

[Action; 2237 Stevens Road]

[Yuna skipped class today - what's the point, anyway - and has been spending most of her time sitting in her bedroom looking over her various regains.  A picture of her family from when she was young.  A used-up tube of Nuru Nuru X.  Her pactio card.  The magic guns she got from the Mages vs. Martians game.  A training wand.  Her school uniform.  Her basketball uniform.  A nekomimi maid outfit.  The dress she wore to the ball in Megalomesembria.  None of it means anything anymore.  It doesn't even belong to her.]

Guess I should throw this stuff away...

[Action; around town]

[Well, it looks like Yuna's decided to wait to toss her basketball uniform, at least.  One last jog around town in a desperate attempt to clear her head.  She's got her basketball with her, pausing sometimes to bounce it in place before proceeding to dribble it down the sidewalk again.  She'll be running all over town until she's too exhausted to move anymore before heading home, so anyone in town will be able to catch her in pretty much any location.  For the moment, she's pretending that nothing is wrong and doing a pretty decent job of it, but close CR should be able to recognize that something is not entirely okay.]

Comments

Action - Stevens

[real_juujitsu]

That's defeatist talk.

[And there's a Makie who had bullied her way into the house, making her way towards Yuna and was leaning on her door.]

[drank_the_milk]

What the--?

Makie, how did you get in here?

[real_juujitsu]

Bullied my way in. I was going to come through the window but I might not fit.

[Makie sat down, placing an arm around her shoulder and rubbed Yuna's hair.] C'mon, cry on my breast.

[drank_the_milk]

Makie...

[Yeah, that's really all it takes. Yuna might be pretty good at hiding her sadness, but Makie's been her best friend for a long time, and she's not afraid to show a little vulnerability in front of her. Or a lot of vulnerability in this case, as she collapses forward into her friend's arms, hugging her tightly and sobbing onto her shoulder.]

[real_juujitsu]

[Rubbing her shoulders, Makie smiled.] There you go, just let it all out, Yuna.

[She knew her best friend well, and even if Makie wasn't too disturbed by this prospect, she was also a real-juus. Which meant she was content anywhere she went.]

[Action; 2237 Stevens Road]

[captainofthe10th]

No you shouldn't.

[ Someone stands in the doorway. Her not father. Or her father. Or just another computer program. It doesn't matter. His voice is quiet, as the unarmored but still bulky giant hunches to cross to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. ]

It still means something.

[drank_the_milk]

What? What does it mean? This stuff isn't mine! This belongs to Yuna Akashi.

[captainofthe10th]

What are we if not the ones whose names we bear, Yuna? Are we only what we are that which we were in this town? I called you Yuna, you knew me as Garviel.

In the end that is enough. [ His face is solemn, his eyes unreadable as always while looking down at her. ]

[drank_the_milk]

We're just computer programs! Lines of code! They treated our lives like they were all just a game, and they were! They were just a stupid game the whole time!

[captainofthe10th]

That doesn't make the pain we felt, the battles we fought... the bonds we forged meaningless. We were exactly who we were out there in the real. This is reality to us, what we've been given, what we can live with. In the end, how we define ourselves here now in the gloaming of this town, as things wind down, will be our legacy.

[ His jaw clenches, but not in anger. ]

I intend to honor who I was, who you were, who we are. I won't let go, and I won't despair. I'll hold you in my hearts, as I hold all who I loved, and when darkness finally falls those names will be on my lips and engraved in my armor.

[roadroller]

[A lot has happened in the last few days. Now that the dust has settled, Rin thinks she should give Yuna a call.... will she answer?]

[drank_the_milk]

[Of course she will! Yuna always has time for one of her best biffles.]

Hello?

[roadroller]

Hey, Yuna! It's Rin! It's good to hear your voice... I didn't see you when the zombies were around. ♪

[drank_the_milk]

Yeah... I was laying low for most of that. Are you okay?

[roadroller]

I'm fine. I managed to outrun them with a car. Until they disappeared... Zemekis said their data is gone. ♪

[which is bittersweet. No more drones... it's a good thing she said goodbye to "Len" when she had the chance. She can't say the same for the rest of her little family though.]

action;

[gandere]

At least trade them in for something else if you're going to get rid of it.

[ "Thrifty" not mom here to tell you what to do aw yes. ]

action;

[drank_the_milk]

What would be the point? I'd just be trading it for more stuff that doesn't belong to me in the first place.

[gandere]

You're too picky when it comes to this stuff. When you earn something in a transaction, it's yours. That's the end of it.

[drank_the_milk]

But it doesn't feel right.

[gandere]

It's felt passable for the past few months, hasn't it? Just because we're copies or whatever doesn't make the memories any less true. It's just us experiencing a different life than who we used to be.

A lot of people would kill for this opportunity, you know.

around town, why not?

[nohardfeelings]

[ Once Yuna stops to catch her breath, a hand suddenly reaches forth and gently pats Yuna on the bum. ]

Heh heh -- guess who~?

[drank_the_milk]

[Wow, she is never going to get used to that. Yuna jumps in place before turning around, covering her butt with her hands.]

Seiko-!

[nohardfeelings]

You're a sight for sore eyes! Neh, have you been keeping dat ass in shape for me, hmm?

[ Yes, she finds all of this to be very amusing! ]

[drank_the_milk]

Yeah, running every day, just like always...

[She laughs a little, rubbing at the back of her neck.]

[nohardfeelings]

[ Seiko's smile wains just a tad. ]

Heh, well. I haven't really been out and about lately. So it's good that you're still doing fine.