Moderator

The hint of an invitation was all it took, and before Amity could really redirect her intention properly, the shark woman that had been assigned to her company clasped on with both hands at once, shaking with enthusiasm and a happy smile that showed far too many serrated teeth. Despite that, her eyes practically sparkled with the joy of making a new friend.

“Amity! That's a really cute name! It's so easy to say! Amity. Amity! I like it!” She was still shaking Amy's hand as she indicated the dripping water, though the motion slowed to stillness as Reti looked down, following her attention. “Hmm...? Oh! Oh, don't worry, it all gets cleaned up right away. I think. It's always dry again by the time I come back anyway.” Reti herself had mostly stopped dripping by now, though she was still clearly damp from being outside. As she chattered, a prim cough and clear of throat came from where the scientist was still waiting for them to leave and Reti jumped.

“Right Aunty! Sorry Aunty!” Her attention came back to Amy with a sheepish grin. “Come on, I'll show you the really cool stuff!” This was immediately followed by her moving back towards the door and attempting to drag Amity along with her. It opened with a hiss and admitted the two out into a sort, arched hallway, floored with metal grating and with the upper half constructed of thick glass that looked out over the reef on all sides. Reti seemed to relax as the door hissed shut behind them, and she turned to Amy with a small giggle, walking down the hall at a slower pace.

“Don't worry about Aunty, she's all strict and mean on the surface, but she's really nice most of the time!” There wasn't too much to see in the corridor itself; about halfway down, there looked to be some kind of access hatch in the ceiling that looked ass though it led directly out into the sea outside, and if she looked up and back, Amy could see a similar glass shaft climbing above the lab they had just left, towards the upper dome. Similar to this one, the vertical shaft also had an exit hatch about halfway up, much easier to see form this angle, and from here she could also see that the upper dome, as much as it looked like some kind of master bedroom suit, was slightly subdivided, with the main room cut off form where the staircase presumably ended. Reti was still chattering away as she walked.

“Anyway, it's really cool living here. I get to swim around the reef, and chase the fishies sometimes, and sometimes, when I have a day off, I can swim all the way out to the shore and play on the beach! Have you ever been to a beach? Sand is so weird when it's dry! But it's so fun too have a visitor! We almost never get any visitors down here! And you're so cute, too! And you have really cute name! And... Oh! Oh, I forgot! You told me your name! I'm...” Here, her words paused and the shark woman slowed to a standstill as she frowned, clearly focusing on something that made other actions, like walking, more difficult.

“...Sigh-lee-oh-rye-nus Ret-E-fur.” She sounded her name out slowly, as though following a personal mnemonic, then smiled at Amy. “But you can call me Reti! Or Silly! Gigi calls me that sometimes, and it makes me laugh.” As though to punctuate this, she giggled to herself. “I only get called my full name by Aunty, when I've done something silly. She should call me Silly when I do that, that would be more fun! But I suppose it's not supposed to be funny when I do things wrong...” she pouted for a moment, but brightened again a moment later as she found another topic too jump to. It seemed like Amy had a good opportunity to ask any questions she might have; it seemed that her guide would be more than happy to answer – the only question would be how well she could do so. Eventually, however, the corridor came to an end at another airlock door, this one with a security panel on one side.

“So the show room is through here! It's really cool! You can look at all the different plants and fishies that live in the whole network, and there's lots of really neat things about them that Aunty tells me sometimes, and it's all in the terminals and on little information boards, but really, it's more fun just to watch them swim about and look at all the pretty colours anyway!” Reti turned to carefully input a numbered code on the door panel, taking her time to be sure of each digit in the combination – and not really doing anything to hide the combination from Amy as she worked, of she was inclined to watch it.

Stepping away from the stairs led to several of the feathery feelers extending from the nearby coral to lift up follow her motions in a delicate, whimsical way. The scratching of the stylus across the page, at the central desk continued. Bubbles rose from several of the many observation tanks in the room and made soft, familiar sounds as they broke the surface.

“Hmm...? Well, that's a new voice.” The feminine voice echoed through the lab again as Amy spoke up. The large tank that seemed too hold the central mass of the black coral bubbled and a pair of long-lashed eyes opened – appeared, really – on the main body of the coral. “Oh... a visitor. One moment.” There was a brief visual distortion as the mass of black coral shifted, then extended; it changed as it grew up out of the tank and over to the floor, taking an increasingly humanoid shape as it did.

A few moments later, the figure standing in front of the tank looked in Amy's direction. She was tall and slender, with coal black skin and vibrant orange hair. Thee woman was wearing a long, slim-fit dress that looked more at home at a formal gathering than a research lab – it was designed as a series of descending ruffles that went all the way to the ground – black fabric and orange frills, that complimented the woman's natural attributes. She walked forward with precise, measured steps and a business-like stride, though it was clear that this form was still connected to the original coral mass behind her by the same black coral growth that spread its way through the rest of the lab. To one side, the feathery orange feelers are the desk were still writing a report. The woman stopped a few feet from Amity and smiled towards her.

“We don't get visitors here often... I am Antipatharia, head of research here. A pleasure. Do not touch anything. Please.” It was definitely a command and not a request, despite her smile. “And you are...” She paused briefly, as though noticing something. “Without your guide... Please wait here. Do not touch anything.” Her expression didn't change and she made no obvious movements, but somewhere distantly a faint chime sounded. Seconds passed without the other woman speaking, until, in a sudden flurry of movement, the door opposite where Amy had entered from slid open with a hiss and another figure rushed in.

“I'm here, Aunty! Aunty! I'm here!” The voice was bright, perky and excited, and spoke of an enthusiastic and sunny disposition. It was attached to what looked more or less like the shark guard that Amy had seen earlier – had the same mottled, tawny brown skin with black patterning across it, the same long brown hair and the same small fin part way down her back. What was different was that, now inside, the figure had a more fully humanoid form from the hips down as well, with normal human-like legs replacing her previous tail. As well as dripping fresh sea water all over the floor, she was still dressed only in the slim chest band that covered the modesty of her top half, and Amy would notice Aunty wince, and put her face in one hand, pinching the bridge of her nose with an exasperated sight. The awkwardly necessary word echoed through the lab.

“Pants, Reti. Legs means pants, remember?”

The shark woman blinked and looked down at herself, then, after another moment, understood. A pair of grey swimsuit bottoms that matched her chest wear materialised a moment later as she looked up again.

“Oh! Right! Sorry Aunty! I forgot!” If she was embarrassed by the situation, it didn't show – rather she seemed apologetic for forgetting a rule, more than anything else. Aunty shook her head and gave a small tight smile towards Amity.

“I apologise for that. ScyliorhinusRetifer is not particularly bright, or skilled at remembering basic social expectations.” A quick “Sorry Aunty!” accompanied the comment from Reti, which the coral woman mostly ignored. “Reti will be more than happy to show you around our little research facility here. If you have any questions, she... will not be able to answer them, but...” here her eyes turned back to Reti and her tone increased in volume slightly. “She will remember to show our guest to any of the relevant information terminals if they are interested.” There was a pause and a raised eyebrow. “Yes, Aunty!” “Good.” Her attention returned to Amy.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, and I hope you enjoy your visit to our little home here, but please stay with your guide. Now...” She raised one hand and gestured towards the far door – the one which the shark woman had emerged from. “If you'll excuse me, there is research to be done and I've experiments to run... at least...” her eyes glanced briefly across to several of the observation tanks around the room. “On the ones that are still alive... Enjoy your visit.” She smiled again, still with one hand gesturing towards the door, and seemed to be waiting for Amity and Reti to leave before returning fully to her coral form. The shark woman, meanwhile, had bounded up to stand beside Amity with a bright happy smile and a spray off still-dripping sea water. She was peering at Amy with obvious curiosity, but was also making small motions as though to take her hand and tug her from the room, without actually attempting to touch her uninvited.

As he may have anticipated, reaching out to Lyntael had once again become a static-filled experience for Eternalis, but as much as it was a clear sign that the girl had bounced right back from her earlier crash Lyntael herself wasn't focused on monitoring her state. She started, briefly, at the gentle touch from behind, but relaxed again and relented, rolling her head to one side as Eternalis suggested waiting longer. Aurora did seem to be upset by something at least – it was a level of hesitation and uncertainty that she had never seen where fighting and combat were concerned; was there something more going on there? The thought played through her mind and found its way into a small frown and a furrowed brow as the other woman seemed to have some initial trouble making proper eye contact.

The real reason for their hesitation showed itself a moment later, however and as Eternalis continued speaking, Lyntael felt a spike of more immediate agitation cut through everything else. It didn't matter how much they talked her up, they still didn't really think she could handle things on their level. With a tug, she pulled her shoulder away from him and took a couple of steps to clear the space. Unconsciously her arms folded across her chest as she turned away.

“I'm fine. I know I'm still learning, and I need help sometimes, but I can keep up, okay? I'm fine! I'm not a child!” The words were clipped and terse, but a thought whispered underneath, in her mind, that that wasn't really what he'd said. It was hard not to hear it though. Aurora was the one who needed time, so why was he turning it back on her? This wasn't how it was meant to be! Why was she fighting with her friends?

After another second she unfolded her arms, bringing them up to her head briefly and running them through her hair with a harsh, frustrated sigh. She put one hand up, palm out and fingers spread just to ask the pair to wait for a moment and hopefully give her a chance to breath.

“Sorry. That's not... Not what I meant. Not what I wanted to say. I just...” the words weren't there to properly shape the problem. She didn't even understand what it was, just that it was there, and it made everything else that much more annoying. She took a few more breaths, then turned back and moved to sit down again, crossing her legs opposite Aurora. She didn't know what was bothering the other woman, but at least asking about it might give her time to work out how to talk about everything else without shouting.

“Okay... I'm sorry. What's up, Aurora? I... I didn't mean to shout. Everything's just... wrong... and I don't know why... and I... I've felt like shouting, a lot, recently. I didn't mean it, but... I said something that upset you. What's wrong?” Even now, in the back of her mind, a thought murmured that she shouldn't have to ask... It was happening here too; she just didn't understand what was upsetting the other woman, and she should have, and she couldn't tell why. Hopefully words would work.

Moving through the cluttered lab space as quickly as she could, Amity was treated to the false stillness of a lab where much was going on, everywhere, even though no-one seemed to be present, and nothing was actually happening – the small sounds of creatures shifting in tanks, and of bubbles releasing intermittently as water was filtered. The black-veined coral plant seemed to have spread to the point of having its feelers in every station and every observation tank, so one might really question how scientific and controlled the studies could really be.

Halfway across the room, one of the subtle background sounds stood out enough to draw her attention; a rustle of paper from the largest desk on one side of the lab. The bright orange, feathery feelers of the coral strands had shifted one page to the side, and now others were manipulating a stylus across the page in long, flowing script that made the kind of quiet writing scratch that felt loud enough to fill the room.

As Amity reached the base of the staircase, and had to notice again the way in which the black coral had climbed its way all the way up the hand rail, creeping in spiralling growths up the stairs ahead of her, a clinical, imperious voice echoed through the lab; it was feminine, and quiet, but carried an expectant authority to it.

“Is someone there...? Reti, I've told you before, you aren't to disturb me while I'm working. You're not supposed to come inside at all until break time. What is it?” The voice was quiet for several long seconds – it was hard to place where it came from, specifically.

“Reti...? ScyliorhinusRetifer, if you are playing games with me while I'm busy, I will not be pleased.” The voice sounded impatient... but it also didn't sound like its owner had 'seen' Amity yet, even though it knew someone was present.

Prose bounced to her feet alongside DragonierMan, flitting from restive relaxing to eager and full of energy again without hesitation. Her immediate response was delayed by a brief focus on sucking the tips of her fingers to clean them of the remaining melted chocolate.

“No need to wait for me! If you guys want to keep exploring we can walk and talk.” The bunny-girl bent for a moment to scoop up her basket of gifts and looped it over one arm again. “Ready when you are!” She bounced on her toes, still grinning and eager to be off. The peculiar little creature hadn't shown any sign of being flight capable like the dragoniers were, but the thought hadn't seemed to faze her so far, and she hadn't had any trouble keeping up with them earlier. “I can tag along for a little longer, but there's been a bit of an upsurge in forest dragons here lately, pushing them to show up where they shouldn't be... so there's a chance I might get called away to sort that out sooner or later.” Prose rolled her eyes, though she was still smiling. “They'd have me working forty hours a day in three locations if they could... The present giving is my 'break' work, sort of.”

Ass they got under way, Prose stayed close enough to call back and forth with the group, though depending on how quickly they decided to walk or fly, there were times where her diminutive form was a mostly white blur of motion darting through the branches of the enclosed forest and bouncing from trunk to trunk like an almost playful pinball.

“So... when you said you and your operator wanted to make a safe place for navigators, were you meaning like some of the small sanctuaries, or are you going for something bigger than that?” Her voice came to each of them clearly enough, in a soft, conversational tone now, though there was something more to it as she chattered on. “It's a noble goal... but I hope you're not aiming to clear the net of viruses entirely...” It was accompanied by a soft giggle, though the sound tapered into something a little more reserved. “That never goes well for any navigator that tries it.” A few moments later she spoke up again, her tone switching track quickly.

“Oh, hey, heads up boys and girls... Yeah, it's another one. See what I mean about the dragons? On your right...” it was another few moments before the passage through the trees gave way to a run down-looking building, faced right onto the surrounding trees without any real exclusion zone. It was low and flat-topped, with several elements sticking up in a few places – the block of an air conditioning system, the rounded dome of a raised skylight, and several mangled antenna broke up the rectangular roof, while the building itself bore windows covered in security mesh, the glass in them long since broken of cracked.

As three dragoniers got a better view, they could also see shapes that were not parts of the structure – two sniper turrets had settled on opposite corners of the roof, while an advanced gabyoall spun back and forth in a distracted meander between different protrusions, banging into them every now and then. There was also strong-looking magneaker variant scouting at one edge of the roof, half inspecting the overgrowth around one window from above, its wings flickering in a continuous, twitchy manner... but more importantly, a dragon pot was wedged into the metal grill frame of the air conditioning block, and it was clearly occupied by a very much active dragon. As they approached the scene, Prose darted in close for a moment, glancing towards DragonierMan directly.

“You've got these. Bet you can clear them out in one go. I, ah... It's better if I don't engage or get involved. I'm really not meant to, especially around navigators.” She shrugged softly, with an apologetic smile.

-=Viruses=-
SniperSniper (Gunner)

Gunners attack every action, if able. They don't bother attacking enemies they can't hit or enemies they can't damage, but they can select Objects as targets. Their accuracy with the machinegun attack is bad because it scatters everywhere. They are aware of this. They are also aware of the fact that their Vulcan attack pierces objects.

Area: SciLab, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 210
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 25 Null + Spay Fire x 9 Shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: E
Primary Attack Description: Targets an enemy and sprays the area with twin machineguns.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 25 Null + Spread1 x 3 Shots
Secondary Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Description: Targets and enemy and attacks with Vulcan.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Vulcan3, MachineGun3, Zenny
Special: Immobile. A: 210Hp [Metal]
SniperSniper (Gunner)

Gunners attack every action, if able. They don't bother attacking enemies they can't hit or enemies they can't damage, but they can select Objects as targets. Their accuracy with the machinegun attack is bad because it scatters everywhere. They are aware of this. They are also aware of the fact that their Vulcan attack pierces objects.

Area: SciLab, Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 210
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 25 Null + Spay Fire x 9 Shots
Primary Attack Accuracy: E
Primary Attack Description: Targets an enemy and sprays the area with twin machineguns.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 25 Null + Spread1 x 3 Shots
Secondary Attack Accuracy: A
Secondary Attack Description: Targets and enemy and attacks with Vulcan.
Element: None
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): Vulcan3, MachineGun3, Zenny
Special: Immobile. B: 210Hp [Metal]
MagnoidMagnoid (Magneaker)

Magneaker viruses move and dodge slowly. Magneakers attack by launching MagBombs by default. When there is a stunned enemy on the field, however, they will instead charge at the stunned opponent with surprising speed. They are quick to react to the presence of stunned enemies, and execute this attack with very little delay. The DashAttack counts as a dodge against opponents attacking from any angle except dead-on or from directly behind the Magneaker. Magneakers do not charge at un-stunned enemies, unless there is a stunned target in-line with them. Magneakers have Omnishoes while executing a charge attack.

Area: Electown, Dentech, SciLab

HP: 240
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 75 Elec + Stun 1 + Blast 2
Primary Attack Accuracy: D
Primary Attack Description: Fires an EMP bomb that stuns the enemy.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 50 Elec + Impact + Piercing + Stopped by Object
Secondary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: When an enemy on the field is stunned, this virus will spin around to face them, and immediately fly at them at high speed for an opportunistic body-slam attack.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): MagBomb3, Zenny
Special: Stopped by Object: Attack ceases execution when blocked by an Object. Attacks with this attribute also do not damage objects.: 240Hp [Metal]
Gabyoall3Gabyoall3 (Gabyoall)

Gabyoall move and attack by spinning forward in whatever direction they choose. They can dodge as well as anything, but due to their confidence in their defense, they rarely do. Their sides are reinforced to protect against damage, though it's vulnerable to Impact, and it offers no protection from above. They can, however, assault enemies trying to exploit the latter by spinning and creating whirlwinds, or if there's just too many enemies near it for its own tastes.

Area: Kotobuki Town, Dentech

HP: 210
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 70 Null + Impact + Movement + Ground Attack
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Rams into an enemy.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 50 Null + Slashing + Knockback + Wind Attack + Nova 2
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C
Secondary Attack Description: Spins with great speed to create a wind wave that sends enemies away.
Element: Null
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): UnderGuard3, AirSpin3 (Rare), Zenny
Special: Damage Reduction 50 when not attacked from above.
Special: ShadowShoes
Special: Can use the PanelReturn BattleChip twice as a free action.: 210Hp [Metal]
ForestDragon3ForestDragon3 (ForestDragon)

This high tier virus is only encountered after battle 5. A PotDragon's pot is stationary during battle, as it remains above the panel the virus appeared on until battle is over or the virus is deleted, and will not fall even if the panel below it should be destroyed. PotDragons have two main attacks, each geared towards either ground or aerial targets. When executed, the pot tilts or falls over, and the dragon charges at the enemy before looping back and returning to the pot. When threatened, they will duck into the pot, which is both indestructible and capable of shielding them from all damage and effects except those that manage to fly into the mouth of the pot. Even Beam Attacks and Blast damage won't leave a mark.

Area: Dentech, Yumland

HP: 300
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 150 Wood + Ground Attack + Medium Area Mud Terrain Change + Terrain Changer
Primary Attack Accuracy: C
Primary Attack Description: Charges from its pot at high speed to attack ground-based enemies whilst leaving a trail of Mud in its wake.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 150 Wood + Impact + Group Attack (Arc)
Secondary Attack Accuracy: C
Secondary Attack Description: Flies from its pot at high speed to attack airborne enemies.
Tertiary Attack Damage/Effect: Invulnerability to Non-Drop Attacks/attacks from above.
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: S
Tertiary Attack Description: PotDragons hide in their pots instead of dodging. Doing this protects them from attacks from every direction but up, which is where the opening of the pot is.
Element: Wood
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): WoodDragon3, Zenny: 300Hp [Metal]

-=Navis=-
Dragonierman.Exe: 600Hp [Normal]
Magistrate.SP: 150Hp [Normal]
Suzume.SP: 150Hp [Normal]
Aya.SP: 150Hp [Normal]

-=Others=-
Prosopopoeia.lapin: [Masked][Normal]

-=Ojects=-
Air Con Block: 160Hp [IronBody][Metal][Back Right of rooftop]
Skylight: 50Hp [Glass][Middle of rooftop]
Twisted Antenna: 40Hp [Metal][Near Middle of rooftop]
Warped Antenna: 40Hp [Metal][Back Middle of rooftop]

-=Terrain=-
10% Glass

• Slip Effect: -10% Accuracy, -10% Evasion to all.
• Non-Ice Aqua attacks causes it to be Wet, doubles slip effect for Non-Aqua Elementals for 1 turn. Wet can expire early with Fire attacks. Can cause slippage for poor RP or heavy impacts on Non-Aqua Elementals, 1-2 actions to recover.
• 200 Damage attacks: Change terrain hit to Broken. Damage threshold cut in half for Ground, Break, and Impact, to a minimum threshold of 25 when all 3 are present. Null 25 + Slashing + Nova 2 per panel broken, up to 200 (8 panels).
• Burrow: Change terrain to Broken, 50 Null + Slashing to burrower, Null 25 + Slashing + Nova2 to surroundings.
• PanelShot: Spread1.

[Large circular Skylight in centre of rooftop]
20% Magnet

• Non-Elec Elementals get -30% Evasion, and 50% (+/- 25% RP) chance to fail movement off the panel.
• Only Elec Elementals can burrow.
• Wood attacks: Change terrain hit to Normal.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Seeking.

[Magnetic patterning around Skylight]
50% Metal

• Cannot be Broken or Cracked except with Geddon/PanelShot, cannot be Burrowed into.
• Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
• 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Cracked.
• 100 Damage Fire attacks: Change terrain hit to Furnace.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Break.

[The rest of the rooftop]
20% Normal

• No effects.

[Treeline around the building]

-=Chaos Battle 4, Start!=-

Zenny: 49,040z + 18,000z = 67,040z

---

DragonierMan listened attentively as Prose laid out her deal, though keeping it vague enough for security sake. He nodded along, understanding the gist of the situation, but not planning on diving deeper than she was comfortable. He was just having a friendly conversation and wasn't here to interrogate her after all.

When she turned the conversation from herself to the dragoniers, Drago sat up a little. "As you are no doubt aware, we are members of the Neo-Shogunate faction. My Lord Operator wishes us to eventually create a stable and threat-free area for all Navis, operated or no, to be able to live in peace. Right now we are gathering resources to upgrade ourselves to be stronger for when the next mission comes. If our efforts here happen to remove future threats, than we get two birds with one stone."

He then swung his legs down from the log, stood up, and stretched a little. There was a little creak and pop from his back and he sighed in relief as he worked out the stress. The then turned to Prose. "Thank you for the gift and entertainment. Take a moment to rest while we guard you. Once you are ready to go on your way, we'll also head out."

The dragoniers would wait around, checking themselves and their equipment, and making any further small-talk with Prose, before heading out for more fighting. Assuming fighting didn't bring themselves to their corner of the woods.

---

Status
DragonierMan.EXE: 600/600 HP [Null/Speed: High Gear/Overclock; OmniShoes/Millions/Undershirt.]
Magistrate.SP: 150/150 HP [Null/Team: Tag Along/All for One; Fly/Second Chance/Chip Preset: BreakSwordDamage: 100 + Break + Slashing + Wide Attack
Accuracy: C
Description: Creates a sturdy but heavy blade that can cut through armor and shielding.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 2 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: C #1.]
Suzume.SP: 150/150 HP [Null/Team: Tag Along/All for One; Fly/Second Chance/Chip Preset: BreakSwordDamage: 100 + Break + Slashing + Wide Attack
Accuracy: C
Description: Creates a sturdy but heavy blade that can cut through armor and shielding.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 2 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: C #2.]
Aya.SP: 150/150 HP [Null/Team: Tag Along/All for One; Fly/Second Chance/Chip Preset: BreakSwordDamage: 100 + Break + Slashing + Wide Attack
Accuracy: C
Description: Creates a sturdy but heavy blade that can cut through armor and shielding.
Duration: Until Overridden/Broken. Breaks automatically after 2 swings.
Element: Null
Trader Rank: C #3.]

[Bounty: ForestDragon3 (ForestDragon): 4 Kills.]

[Requesting Battle 4.]

---

At the light tousling of her hair, Lyntael grinned and pushed her head back into the gesture for a moment, but shook her head as her smile turned slightly rueful. Aurora might have her limits, in the situation she was in with Eternalis now, but the other woman still had far more experience and competence than her, and Lyntael knew she'd give one for the other in a heartbeat.

“Maybe, but power's no good if I can't control it, or if it kills me first.” She shrugged. “I think it helped, but I don't really know. I'm going on instinct for most of this still, you know...”

Once the conversation moved onto her other news, though, Lyntael didn't quite break out of the pensive body language she'd fallen into as Eternalis questioned her about the latest development. She reached back to rub and pat at Sparky's mid-section one more time, then pushed herself to her feat in a single smooth motion, beginning to move slowly around their impromptu camp.

“Yeah... I guess there was. It's weird though...” How much should she really tell them, one set of thoughts pondered. The last thing she wanted was for them to... She pushed the worry away; these were her friends. She frowned again and looked across to Eternalis, then down to Aurora, rubbing a the back of her neck with one hand. Her steps carried her out to the edge of the wreckage and back again while her eyes played absently over the tortured metal and stone that surrounded them. Her hands fidgeted, plucking at her vest and skirt, linking behind her back, stretching above her head and lacing fingers behind it in turn, before she continued.

“So... After... after the fight we had, about what he did... it took a while, but we made up again, and he told me all about...” She paused, then shrugged to herself and went on. “The work he really does, for who, and against who... and why. It's pretty heavy. It took me some time to... you know...” Without thinking, her hands made a gesture in front of herself while she walked; there was no obvious meaning to it, other than something difficult. “Just, process it, I guess. I remember thinking that I've been in a lot more danger than he ever let on.” She paused and shook her head. “But that's not true, no. I remember feeling that, but that's silly. Not like there's something 'worse' than getting killed, and I knew that was possible. I don't know why I felt like that.” She tried to wave the thought away, brushing it aside with a hand in the air as she ordered her thoughts and resumed her pacing.

“Rogan's investigating a group, and under all the legal and normal covers they're doing some really messed up stuff. They want navigators, as one part of it. It's not the only thing, but it's part of it... and the more advanced, the more custom, the more unusual, the better. They're doing things that they can't legally do to sentient navis. It's bad...” Her steps turned and she paced back in the other direction, turning her head to look up at the sky instead.

“But the people he's working for... The ones he's being paid by, to investigate this... that's... that's Sharo. Sharo Family, and that's what I meant when I told you that his work could get him killed on more than one side. He's trying to walk this tightrope down the middle, and keep his freedom from them, and the only thing between him and falling off that rope is how well he can smile and make them believe he's worth it! That mask that he wears, that I hate... it's the only thing keeping him alive sometimes! And now... now...!” Her hair snapped quietly as her voice rose in frustration at the situation. Her fists clenched by her sides and after a moment she realised she needed to take the conscious thought to unclench her jaw. Now he was having trouble functioning at all, and she didn't really even understand why. Why couldn't she read him like she always could? What was different? She kept the angry questions to herself. Instead, she shook her head and ran fingers through her hair with a sigh, scattering sparks to the ground with a flick of her wrists.

“Doesn't matter. Anyway... after we made up, he took a job, a real important one. Dangerous. Off in Yumland, where they have some off-charter research facilities. It went...” Her thoughts skittered at the fuzzy edges of the things she couldn't remember and she shook her head again. “Badly...” She didn't want to think about it; it didn't really matter anyway. What mattered came after. After the fight with Eric. That was when the looks started, and the stares, and the change. Her agitated pacing stopped again in the middle of the area and she took a long breath.

“Hey, Aurora, how're you doing? You must be feeling better by now, right? Want to go find that dark knight virus and punch it up?” Without realising it she'd paused with her hands on what passed for her slender hips, leaning forward slightly to check on how her friend was doing, unaware of the drastically avoidant shift in her tone.

((PMD: 18000z))

While the ever long-suffering Magistrate took care of the actual business of collection, Prose hesitated for a moment as she watched the data crystal safely unpack into a large quantity of zenny. She wavered, rocking side to side slightly as her hips and shoulders swayed in indecision, then shrugged and let a small smirk creep back over her features.

“I can stay for a little break, hehe... You guys did finish that up very quickly.” Rather than sitting properly, Prose ambled back to the place where Drago had settled on resting and dropped onto the felled log in a cross-legged position, basket to one side as she fixed her skirt. As she settled, the tiny woman stretched and gave an exaggerated yawn, then leaned back on her hands, looking to Drago with a grin and a mildly coy expression.

“If you've met someone else with my skill set, I'd be very surprised...” She briefly let a small, thoughtful pout cross her features. “Ah, well, no, I probably wouldn't be, but I'd sure have some questions...” The frown became a fresh giggle and she winked at Drago, tilting her head to the side as she watched him. “Not the GNA, no... though I shouldn't say it. I'm supposed to give you the easy by-line.... I'm an ester bunny... a netiday elf... a hallows spook, or whatever festive gift-giver of the season fits. It's a bit more complex than that...” She paused for a moment, then shifted to lie out on the log instead, hands behind her head and with one leg dangling off the edge to brush back and forth against a small patch of grass by her toes. She looked up at the sky, between the trees.

“I guess what matters is that there's folks out there who want to support navis like you, who put themselves at risk to keep the net in balance. I'm just the delivery girl, really, and I'm not meant to spend very long around individual navigators, but I do get to meet all sorts of interesting people, at least briefly... and sometimes I can stretch the rules a little.” Prose let her eyes close for a moment, and her grin became a more relaxed, soft smile for a second or two. “Heh... I've even got a date next week. A real one. Usually all I can manage is a bit of quick skinship with agreeable navis, here and there between work, and I shouldn't even do that... They'd get mad if they knew I had a real actual date.” She seemed to realise that her dialogue had rambled and she blinked a few times; a faint pink blush crested her cheeks where the fur was thinnest. The bunny-girl sat up and crossed her legs again, this time sitting across the log to face Drago directly with her hands in her lap.

“Sorry, that's probably more than I should be saying...” Her eyes flicked around to Aya and Suzume, and past them to Magistrate, and her voice became a lower murmur, accompanied by a playful wink. “And I guess you probably don't want to hear about someone like me playing those sorts of games, anyway... not when you've got plenty of other pretty girls about, right?” She leaned back from the conspiratorial whisper and brightened again.

“But enough about me! There's only so much I can really answer anyway. Rules, you know? What about you guys? Any big goals with the busting and hunting viruses, or are you just out here for the cash and meeting cute bunny-girls?” As she asked, Prose leaned to one side and snagged a small chocolate egg from somewhere in her basket and began unwrapping it for herself.

Bugfrags: 156 BF + 37 BF = 193 BF
Faction Points: 90 FP
Zenny: 40,040z + 9,000z = 49,040z
Bounty:ForestDragon3 (ForestDragon) - 3 Kills + 1 Kills = 4 Kills
Receive Battlechip: GigaEnergyBombDamage: 80 x 3 + Blast1
Accuracy: C
Description: A powerful bomb that hits three times
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Trader Rank: B.
---
Bugfrags: 193 BF
Faction Points: 90 FP
Zenny: 49,040z
Bounty:ForestDragon3 (ForestDragon) - 4 Kills
Battlechip: GigaEnergyBombDamage: 80 x 3 + Blast1
Accuracy: C
Description: A powerful bomb that hits three times
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Trader Rank: B.

---

As Prose commented on DragonierMan's interior nice-guyness under his not-nice-guyness exterior, he snorted a cloud of steam from his nostrils. He also stood a little taller and puffed out his chest. Clearly he was just trying to keep up the act. The big softy.

The gang watched as Prose hopped around and "fed" the various viruses Easter treats. The fact that she seemed to know where she was cramming those treats was a little disconcerting. Not only that, but her fear of the viruses, even this deep, was almost non-existent. She was also able to "cloak" Mystery Datas. It just raised further questions about where she came from and who she was working for. GNA probably.

But those questions could wait, as there was a battle to wage... after the viruses were ready that is.

~One Battle Later.~

The battle seemed like a sugar-crazy dream. The viruses were all gummed up and off their game as they were quickly, efficiently, and luckily swept aside in a matter of moments by the dragoniers' teamwork. As Prose came off her perch at the end to compliment on the battle, Aya tried to look aloof and cool. She swept a bang away from with her hand and smirked, then stretched out that hand, palm up, and leaned towards Prose to accept the chocolate reward. "Yeah, that was no big deal. We are professionals after all."

Suzume rolled her eyes and took the little chocolate rabbit in a fancy waistcoat. "Aww, how cute! He's all dressed up for the holidays. Be a shame to ruin such a handsome visage," she cooed over the chocolate figurine as she began to unwrap the foil with a hungry look in her eyes and a little drool coming out of the corner of her mouth.

Magistrate accepted the chocolate treat and immediately digitized the thing into a chip, which she stored up her sleeve. She had a "daughter" who might like it. Drago noticed this and handed his over to Magi. "For the kids." Magi nodded and stored the second one in her sleeves.

Drago then turned to Prose. "Stay and chat a little. Please. We don't get much interaction with Navis on the battlefield." He walked over to one of the nearby trees, drawing his big sword, and quickly struck the tree down with his blade. It fell into the clearing and crashed nearby where they stood, so they could go and sit on it.

"So, Prose was it? Do you work for the GNA or some other connected company? We don't see many people with your set of skills out here," he asked matter-of-factly as he took a seat on the felled log. As Suzume and Aya had their mouths full enjoying their snacks and were unable to comment. Magi sighed and produced a large rucksack to clean up the battlefield. She glided along silently as she placed the rewards in her bag, opening up the untrapped PMD.

[NC Program: Millions]: Mystery Data will only drop Zenny. Only works if MD is safe to open. If the MD is trapped, the trap will negate the activation of this NCP. This NCP will not Untrap any MDs.

---

As Aurora returned to her normal self, Lyntael felt a small knot of worry between her shoulders loosen again and she cast the other woman a relieved glance in between diverting Sparky's attention towards her. After another moment or two, though, the agreement to break for a rest made the temporarily massive dog's midsection seem ever more tempting She circled around and then dropped down on the other side, settling in next to Aurora with a gentle sigh and snuggled against the fur. With a grin she rested her head on the other woman's shoulder for a few extra moments.

“I'm glad you're okay. I felt... whatever it was you were doing, and I thought I could push a bit harder, but... Oh well. The flow from my wrists felt like...” her body tried to flinch as she thought about it, but she pushed the reaction away, looking for something to compare it to. “Oh... like I was telling you, when I was doing tests with DragonierMan and his allies? It was a bit like that. They had me test with a lightning rod at one point... I put my hands on it, and then when I started to channel the charge, it just raced, and I couldn't stop. It was hard to even pull my hands away, once it started – I think I only managed it because I melted the lightning rod.” She shook her head, looking out at the rubble and ruin around them, then resettled herself. “I still don't really understand why it happens. I have this... feeling... like it would really bad, if I did that with all four points. I don't know...”

She flexed her fingers, looking at them while her eyes passed over and away from the red burn marks at her wrists, then reached up above herself and back, scritching at Spark's side as she flexed the small of her back and pointed the toes of her shoes in a progressing full-body stretch. As she relaxed again, Lyntael grinned, summoning a smile back to her features for her companions.

“Oh, but hey, I had some better news than that!” Her eyes flicked briefly to Aurora then focused more on Eternalis, since he hadn't herd the news at all yet. “Rogan's finally given up on trying to tell himself that I'm not a person, and that I'm not real! That's good, right? That's like, the best thing I could have ever hoped for!” Already, as she shared the news, the thoughts running underneath it turned it more into a question, seeking reassurance. Without realising it, her gaze dropped and a pensive furrow creased her brow. It really was great, and she was so happy about it. Wasn't she? She was, but at the same time, it wasn't... right. It wasn't how it should be. She's had the circle of thoughts often since they got back from Eric's home. Rogan was still struggling with everything that had happened there, so that was probably the reason, but she didn't feel sure. Absently, one of her hands crept up to begin rubbing a small, slow circle around her emblem.

“Ever since we got back from our last visit to Eric's place... He's been treating my like I'm actually here. Worrying about me, even. I think.” She should be overjoyed by that. And she was; she was. It wouldn't do to complain. She glanced at her companions and grinned again, unconsciously seeking a better affirmation than her own thoughts were providing, from the ones she knew she could trust.