Sekani has recovered, thankfully, and now he and Amiel are sharing a "moment". They look so smitten now, which means Dilia's chances of having a little "fun" with the giant bird are dwindling. She still holds out hope for a menage a trois however~

Neither of them realize the extent of the Queen's majickal influence, do they Besileyz? Love is so blinding, so dangerous. Don't you agree?

Before Amiel jumped on him, Sekani mentioned an AMULET in the communications building that he saw through his link with Iiji. She really seems to hate it, so it may be the key to her defeat.

What do you think, Besil? Should they figure out a way to bring him in his weakened state, or should they ask him to describe the trinket especially well?

...What is a Besileyz?

Sekani is going to need to be on top of his game when we actually do face Iiji! He should stay here and rest, and give us a reeeeally good description of this trinkety thing.

Fake edit: Actually, I'll let Dilia tell us!

> Describe the trinket especially well. Helping Sekani is ideal, but what if the trinket is seen along the way and is missed? Why, that would be a dreadful turn of events with needless backtracking!

...Is this a vote to bring him along or to leave him here?

>Hug Sekani

>What or Who is Besileyz?

Having a bit of Amnesia? That's you, silly! Ever since Dilia's memory was reset, you were there by her side helping her relearn who she is. Apparently you had been "BFFs" for a few years beforehand. You... passed on a while back, but you live on as a part of Dilia.



>Hug Sekani

After they end their embrace, Dilia goes to hug Sekani!




....

Dilia doesn't have the means to hug anybody. Sekani thanks her for trying.



>Sekani is going to need to be on top of his game when we actually do face Iiji! He should stay here and rest, and give us a reeeeally good description of this trinkety thing.

Dilia's queen draws a picture of the trinket. She... thinks it's supposed to be a necklace. His transformation has not been kind to his drawing ability.

Sekani can't really stand yet, so if they want to bring him along it would likely be up to her to carry him, not that she'd mind~

Either way, they'll go ahead and make their way to the COMMUNICATION BUILDING if there's nothing else to do here.

> I vote we leave him behind to let him rest up and Amiel and Dilia go look for the trinket together!


IT'LL BE LIKE A BUDDY-COP SITCOM WITH HILARIOUS ANTICS

> THIS
Jiniki should stay and tell Sekani stories so he can relax. Stories about beautiful princesses.

<Be Tayza.

<Engage in girl talk with Amiel whilst looking for the trinket.

>Leave Sekani behind to let him rest up and Amiel and Dilia go look for the trinket together!
>Jiniki should stay and tell Sekani stories so he can relax. Stories about beautiful princesses.

They decide it'd be best to let Sekani recuperate while they seek out the AMULET.

Amiel waves. "We'll be back soon. Don't strain yourself, okay?"

"Be careful out there. I don't want either of you to get hurt," Sekani says.

"Don't worry! I'll watch over mister birdie and tell him stories about princesses~"

It's fitting, isn't it, Besil? Sekani is the Queen, Dilia is also the Queen, and little Jiniki is a princess. Could Amiel be the third Queen, or would that ruin the whole dynamic? Hmm.



>Engage in girl talk with Amiel whilst looking for the trinket.

"So you can hear me now, huh? Now we can have some girl talk~"

"Um... I'm not sure what that means."

A pause.

"So, you love Sekani?"

"I... maybe. I mean, we're going out and all..."

"Of course..."

Another pause.

"Okay, I don't really do 'girl talk'. But since you reminded me of it, there's one thing I've been wondering about you. How do you handle 'that time of the season'?"

"Oh, we stop having those once we become Ki-jaara. We have babies using majicka instead. At least, that's how Iiji claimed it worked~"


"Really? I guess turning into a Majibeast has some perks after all!"

There are many perks to being a Ki-jaara, but Dilia wasn't going to push the point. Amiel will come around on her own~

They enter the COMMUNICATION BUILDING.



This place looks pretty broken up, just as Dilia remembers it. The way forward is still blocked by one of those painful anti-majicka cloths. There's some DESTROYED FURNITURE REMAINS in the corner, a non-functional UHIKI'SHA, a KLIS-KHAR CORPSE, and a couple of holes in the wall.

Well, since Dilia can't obviously touch the cloth, let's get Amiel to remove it so we can get forward.

Dilia can peek in the holes in the walls and see if there's anything interesting visible.

Yeah!

> INSPECT HOLES




> NOT JUST THE ONES ON THE WALL

>Ask Amiel to remove Cloth
>INSPECT HOLES

Amiel begins tugging on the PAINFUL CLOTH while Dilia looks into the holes in the walls. Hmm. Nothing is in here, but Dilia can kind of make out something on the other side. It looks like some pieces of wood were hastily hammered on the other side to form some kind of blockade.

"Ugh... This is on there really well."



Dilia doesn't see much in here either. The way these walls were torn look a little bit like Tayza's doing.

"I...can't...get it down!"


>Helpful Inventory Check that is actually up to date unlike last time!

Dilia has no inventory slots, so she asks Amiel to tell her what she has. Something in here might be useful for opening the way forward.

> Use them wire cutters on that thar fabric!

> Wield saw in mouth.

>Use them wire cutters on that thar fabric!
>Wield saw in mouth.

Dilia isn't sure what she's supposed to accomplish by doing this. You have some strange ideas, Besil.

It takes Amiel about 10 minutes to cut the cloth away from the nails.




"Phew! A job well done! Too bad the door's locked."

"Phe meph epipha eeephe!"

"...You don't actually talk, Dilia."

"Oh, right~"

>ZAP THE DOOR OPEN

> WITH LIGHTNING!!

>Reshape PAINFUL CLOTH into A CHILL, FUN TOP
>Or, less, stupidly, some sort of cloak

>Reshape PAINFUL CLOTH into A CHILL, FUN TOP
>Or, less, stupidly, some sort of cloak

Dilia isn't all that fond of doing things that would cause her a lot of pain, sweety~

This could be a useful tactic if it didn't cause damage to the wearer.


>ZAP THE DOOR OPEN
>WITH LIGHTNING!!

Dilia lets the door have it!

"Whoa!!!"



"H-have you been doing this the entire time!?"

Hmm. There's a barricade behind the door. Someone really didn't want anyone going in there. Dilia probably doesn't have the power to knock this down with electricity alone.

Geeez.

Tell Amiel to take the saw to the hole beside the door. Probably easier to get through that than that friggin' thing.

ZIlia?

>Ask Amiel to see how sturdy the barricade is. If it's weak enough... LIGHTNING HORSE RAM ATTACK
>If not, have AMiel go through the side to see if she can clear it from the other side.

Oh, right, indirect characters are not the player.

>Give due consideration to the fine art of ramming things
>Note that that saw could probably be used pretty easily on the barricade

>Tell Amiel that the PAINFUL CLOTH would make an awesome cape. Also Kijaara-proof.

(You succeeded in getting to the next room, but I don't want to rush the next background because of how important it is, so bear with me.)

>Upgrade graphics card

Done.

> Get a snack while the room loads.

Done

Well played.

>Note that that saw could probably be used pretty easily on the barricade
>Tell Amiel to take the saw to the hole beside the door. Probably easier to get through that than that friggin' thing.
>Ask Amiel to see how sturdy the barricade is.

There's something blocking the way through the wall, and it doesn't look like it can be sawed through. Amiel notes the barricade would take way too long to saw completely through. Dilia asks her to just weaken it a bit. She has something awesome planned.

This takes Amiel about 20 minutes.


>Give due consideration to the fine art of ramming things

"Go, Dilia! Ram that sucker!"

RAMMING SPEED!

*CRASH!*



The way has been made clear.



>Tell Amiel that the PAINFUL CLOTH would make an awesome cape. Also Kijaara-proof.

Amiel dons the PAINFUL CLOTH as a cape. She now has a means of defense against majicka.

"Just don't go hugging Sekani while wearing that, unless you like your bird roasted."

"Well, actually-- O-of course not! I wouldn't eat Sekani!"

Sometimes it takes Dilia a lot of effort to restrain herself from making the obvious joke.

>Check for signs of the COOL DOODADS having electricity. Please do not donate any if they don't
>Ask Amiel to use her FACT THAT SHE HAS HANDS to investigate the COOL DOODADS

Ooh! There's a lever! Fiddle with the lever!

Also see what's under those boards in the corner.

> HOMG THERE ARE BODIES IN HERE! Gasp in appropriate shock and horror.
> Inspect bodies.

>Ask Amiel if she's hungry and suggest making her a snack from the bodies.
>Smile big and say "Just Kidding"

>HOMG THERE ARE BODIES IN HERE! Gasp in appropriate shock and horror.



>Inspect bodies.

They haven't been killed, unlike every other body in this facility. At least, not brutally. Their shells are undamaged. they weren't killed, poor things likely died from starvation if not by suicide.


>Ask Amiel if she's hungry and suggest making her a snack from the bodies.
>Smile big and say "Just Kidding"

"This is hardly something to be joking about, Dilia."

Amiel's really bad at taking a joke. She's a lot like you, Besil.

She changes the subject by mentioning that there's a note being clutched onto by one of the bodies. She picks it up and reads it aloud.



The Queen wasn't wounded? Dilia isn't quite sure what this is talking about.



"Mercy of Lisandi, does this mean the Queen caused this mess?"

"What?"

"The Queen came here on the same day this place was destroyed. There's no way it's a coincidence!"

Dilia wonders if she should head on back to ask Jiniki about this, or if she should try and convince Amiel to hold off so they can explore a little further.

>Ask Amiel to check the computer. You'd do it yourself, but... no hands.
>Meanwhile, investigate everything else.

> Find that trinket first but keep the note in mind

> What's a Lisandi? Can you eat it?

>Find that trinket first but keep the note in mind
>What's a Lisandi? Can you eat it?

"She's the first Lian queen. Most of us believe that she had a special power that helped her bring the tribes together to form a nation. She was so awesome that she refused to die, so instead she became a goddess."

"She didn't die? Really?"

"Yeah. There's actually a lot of rumors about her, like... Lisandi doesn't die, she becomes a goddess.

"One time, a rebel threw a spear at her and it bounced harmlessly off her breast.

"She doesn't sneeze, the wind flees from her nose in fear."

"You creatures have a nose?"

Amiel doesn't pause. "One time she patted a slow child on the head, and he went on to become the inventor of electricity."

"She sounds really... impressive~"

"I could go on for hours. But we really need to go see Jiniki! She mentioned being there when all of this happened, so she's might know something about this!"

Dilia eventually manages to convince her to be patient. That girl really loves to rush things, doesn't she?


>Ask Amiel to check the computer. You'd do it yourself, but... no hands.

Amiel sees a lot of options and a couple of folders in the DIRECTORY LISTING.

"Um, any suggestions on where I should start?"

"I've no idea, sweety. Go ahead and mess with it for a bit while I check out the rest of the room, okay~?"


>Investigate everything else.

This must be what they used to communicate with... someone. Dilia doesn't know much about this place's history.

>Suggest looking on the /quest/ directory!
>Command Bob to hug Sapphire

> ./logplay.exec
> vim finwil.text

> SO MUCH NOT FOUND. Can't we just zap things?
> Or play with the level I guess until the satellite signal is found. :(

Amiel: Execute solita.exec while you're at it.

Dilia, move those boards around a bit.

>Suggest looking on the /quest/ directory!

Amiel finds something strange. Dilia isn't sure what any of this is, but it looks like a huge waste of time for all parties involved.


>Amiel: Execute solita.exec while you're at it.

Dilia goes to ask Amiel to try solita.exec, but she has already opened it!

She says she put it on "child sketch" mode because it's cute. She also has to play it on easy mode, where you only draw one card, because she's not very good at it.


>Dilia, move those boards around a bit.

Dilia moves the boards, taking care not to disturb how neatly they've been stacked. A tidy pony is a happy pony~

She doesn't find anything of note underneath them.


>./logplay.exec

"The Majibeasts-- I mean, the Ki-jaara went nuts shortly after the queen and her daughter came here. Did Iiji take control at this point?"

"I was not around then, so I'm not too sure."


>vim finwil.text

They were trapped in here until they died. That's much worse than your fate was, Besil. You're probably grateful for that, hmm~?


>SO MUCH NOT FOUND. Can't we just zap things?
Dilia has been bypassing a whole lot of puzzles with brute strength and electricity! She can't let her senses be completely dulled, can she?


>Or play with the level I guess until the satellite signal is found. :(

Dilia messes with the lever, but doesn't manage to find a signal. There's probably some exact number she has to input or something equally lame.

>Search under bed for trap door
>If not there, tap the floor constantly until you find a follow spot.

INPUT 42

Orrrr get Amiel to examine those four odd marks on the floor over by the desk with the computer.

>What's up with that smudge under the console?
>The coordinates are obviously 27K45JA9. What do you mean that's not a number?

SHENANIGANS and a headache prevent me from completing the next update tonight. I'll finish it tomorrow. I was going to put half of it up now, but it only leaves one obvious command and I prefer to take those myself.

>Search under bed for trap door

Damn. That was the first place she'd put a trap door!


>INPUT 42

That didn't lead to finding a signal, but at least they have a better idea of what they're looking for now.

>What's up with that smudge under the console?
Seems to be an old stain. Dilia isn't sure what kind of liquid created it.


>The coordinates are obviously 27K45JA9. What do you mean that's not a number?
It errors.


>Get Amiel to examine those four odd marks on the floor over by the desk with the computer.

Aha! There's the trap door! It was pretty well hidden. There is a ladder down, which Dilia can't use. Amiel volunteers to climb on down and check it out.




"What do you see?"

"Not much. It's really dark down here."

I didn't even see those.

>"Don't you have a light for these kinds of situations?"

> Offer lightning.
> Smile.

Examine boxes! And peek down that second hole.

>Offer lightning.
>Smile.

"Want me to shoot some lightning down there?

"...So you can see~?"

"You're smiling creepily, aren't you."

"Yes~"



"You should stop smiling like that! It really freaks me out!"

"Smiling is fun. You should try it sometime~"

"What! I smile all the time!"

"Do you? Why not show me that you're capable of smiling, sweety~"



"Nyeeee! LOOK. I'M SMILING. I AM SO HAPPY."

"Oh my~ I think I've been bested in the field of creepy smiles~"

"GOOD. FANTASTIC. Wait, what?"


>"Don't you have a light for these kinds of situations?"

Amiel uses the BIC to increase the available lighting. There are several BOXES full of JUNK, WATER CONTAINERS, and OLD ITEMS OF AFFECTION. There's a hole with a rope leading down, a STRANGE SYMBOL leading to a light, a CAN OPENER, and several empty CANS. Also, there's a HEATING ELEMENT connected to the STRANGE SYMBOL.

"Looks like a majicka symbol. They have a limited amount of majicka, kind of like a battery. It might be able to power that light if you care~"

"GREAT. I LOVE LIGHT."


>Examine boxes! And peek down that second hole.

One box contains an EMPTY CAN and some EMPTY WATER CONTAINERS. The other box contains some PICTURES and a STUFFED ANIMAL wearing a simple necklace.

Down the hole... Amiel says she hears water. It's probably a well that had to be dug once their water supplies ran out.

> Hit the light
> Try to pull up the rope

Aww. Take the stuffed aminal. You can give it to Jini later, I'm sure she'd like it.

Ditto on the rope.

>Check that stuffed animal, especially the necklace

>Hit the light

"Agh! W-warn me before doing that!"

"Teehee~"




The MAJICKA SYMBOL activates.

Heehee, poor Amiel's trying to hold a smile. She really needs to relax more~


>Try to pull up the rope

Looks like there's a bucket on the end of the rope. It was most likely used to get water from the makeshift well.


>Take the stuffed aminal. You can give it to Jini later, I'm sure she'd like it.
>Ditto on the rope.

Amiel puts the ROPE next to the OTHER ROPE already in the toolbox, and adds the STUFFED ANIMAL to the BIC.

>Examine all

> Request Amiel take the pendant from the stuffed animal and hold it above her head.
> Sing a little chime, something like "da na na na~"

>Ask Amiel to try and open the necklace; that looks like a hinge.

You can never have too much rope!

Say, doesn't that pendant bear something of a resemblance to a drawing that a certain feathery friend made?

>Request Amiel take the pendant from the stuffed animal and hold it above her head.
>Sing a little chime, something like "da na na na~"

Amiel has obtained a Pendant of Immense Power! With this in hand, they surely have the power to defeat the Queen Insect!



>Ask Amiel to try and open the necklace; that looks like a hinge.

"Of course! I'm happy to oblige! So very hap--"






Jiniki...?

>Curse the makers for making the final boss weak against the power of wuv.
>Dilia: Wear the necklace for safe-keeping

> Squint and tilt your head just so

> Realize the older woman looks EXACTLY LIKE IIJI (but only if you do this)

Mission: accomplished! Let's go back to the other folks~

>Squint and tilt your head just so
>Realize the older woman looks EXACTLY LIKE IIJI (but only if you do this)

Not...really? Iiji is a really huge insect, and the lady in this picture is a regular run-of-the-mill Klis-Khar. And yet, there's something...

Nah. Just because their names are supposedly similar doesn't mean they're the same person, right?


>Curse the makers for making the final boss weak against the power of wuv.
It doesn't make sense, does it? Iiji's no stranger to love. In fact, all of her followers loved her before a certain little bird came along and started stealing hearts.


>Mission: accomplished! Let's go back to the other folks~
They head back.


"This can't be right," Sekani says, "Iiji hates this necklace? Why?"

"I haven't seen my mommy in a long long time. This makes me miss her."

"Maybe I'm remembering wrong. Were there any other necklaces?"

Dilia confirms that this was the only one they could find. A silence follows. Jiniki shakes a little.

Amiel speaks up. "Wait. Wasn't there another necklace?"

"I... maybe? I don't really remember."

>Wonder when the sprite on the locket got flipped
>Grudgingly agree to go back and search more; is Sekani feeling any better to tag along?

Meta gaaaaaaaame!

The only other necklace we saw was on the body we found in the water heater. It, uh. It stopped existing at one point. A wizard did it.

>Ask Sekani why he ate the necklace. :(

>GO to nearest TERMinal
>GO to [url=http://slinkoboy.livejournal.com/tag/quest]http://slinkoboy.livejournal.com/tag/quest[/url]
>READ everything and look for something about a necklace that we might have forgotten about

"Wait! I remember now! You found a necklace from the dead Diuban you found in the water heater, right?"

What!?




"Oh right. I left it and the gun with Grasshopper for safekeeping. What'd you end up doing with them?"

"I_PUT_THEM_SOMEWHERE_VERY_SAFE."

A necklace? Why is that so... familiar? That's not important now-- Dilia needs to change the subject quickly!

>"Why'd you make Jini cry? =("

>Dilia, explain to Besileyz why it's so important we change the subject.

>"Why'd you make Jini cry? =("

Amiel removes her cloak and drops to her knees to offer Jiniki a hug.

"Hey, hey... it's okay."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to be a crybaby but seeing that picture... I..."

"It's okay to cry. Let it all out."

"I'm sorry. I miss my mommy... I'm sorry."

"Shh... it's fine. I'm used to people crying, believe me."






>Dilia, explain to Besileyz why it's so important we change the subject.

You know why! You were bad. You had to be punished. Iiji commanded it. You had taken something very important away from Dilia. She can't quite remember what, but... she had no other choice.

> This is important, Dilia. This could help everyone. Did Besileyz take away a person who was important to Dilia?
> Was this person female?

Busy busy! This next update will take a bit!

And by bit I mean while.

C'mon, Dilia. I thought we were over that whole "Iiji knows anything about anything" kick.

>Make up a scary story about how that spooooky necklace has a curse on it!

>This is important, Dilia. This could help everyone. Did Besileyz take away a person who was important to Dilia?
>Was this person female?

A person? Maybe. Dilia can't quite remember, but she was pretty upset about it. It... no. It wasn't a female. The only female Dilia knew before being reborn was...

It was you, Basileyz.



"OBJECT_RETRIEVED."

Grasshopper lifts up the Amulet he obtained from the cabinet. Wait-- that pendant...



[Animated]



WAIT! THAT PENDANT! No! It-- it's Dilia's! He gave it to her. What was his name--



Ifles!

Oh, Ifles. How could Dilia forget him? They were so close. She loved him so much. How could she forget!?

They were going to be mated, but before they could even plan the ceremony, he was killed. Killed by...



"BESILEYZ! You killed him! That's why you had to be punished! Get out! Get out of my head!"


Control of Dilia has been lost.


"What? Besileyz? Dilia, are you okay?"

"That body you found... she's named Besileyz, and I killed her!"

"What!? But how? The door was locked!"



"I didn't need the code! I flew to his side, but-- but I couldn't save him! I couldn't--

"I can't take this, Sekani. It's too much. Help me."

"I-I don't know what's..."



"Please, Sekani. I beg you!"

"Huh!?"

Dilia tackles Sekani, taking him completely by surprise.



"I don't want to remember him. I can't. It hurts too much. Make me forget. Please. Take these memories away."



"Love me until it doesn't hurt anymore, Sekani. I beg you.""

Sekani isn't sure what to do. His antennae once again betray his desires.

Hello again, Sekani. We missed you!

>Glance over at Amiel. Did she sprout wings in the last coupla moments, too?
...
>DOSE WINGS

>"Let's be awesome monsters together!"

> AMIEL: Ease Dilia's pain.

>JINIKI: Ease Amiel's pain.

[07:22] The next steps are Grasshopper, then Tayza, Iiji, and finally Firepunch.
[07:22] Thus completes the circle of life.

WAY TO RUIN MY ATTEMPTS AT A SERIOUS PLOTPOINT GUYS

What's that?

> Ruin Slinkoboy's attempts at a serious plotpoint

Also

> SEKANI: Help Amiel ease Dilia's pain


> COMFORT MODUS: LOVE DOUBLETEAM

> Remind Dilia that we still have the ~light blue solution~ if things are getting too uncomfortable for her to handle.

> Continue ruining all attempts at a serious plot point and tell Dilia her wings are very pretty.

83

>DOSE WINGS
>Tell Dilia her wings are very pretty.

Yep. They're really hot now, no denying that. Oh golly she's licking him now this feels kind of nice he's not going to win this battle is he.




"Dilia, you're in a lot of pain now, I guess, but this isn't the best way to handle it. I'm sure most people would agree that--"


>AMIEL: Ease Dilia's pain.
>SEKANI: Help Amiel ease Dilia's pain
>Continue ruining all attempts at a serious plot point

WHAT. Not a single one of you is objecting to this!?




Sekani isn't even struggling anymore! At this rate he'll just give in and let her...

And then they'll...



...um...

No, this isn't right. She couldn't just--

Sekani's her--

Oh gosh they're really into it.


>COMFORT MODUS: LOVE DOUBLETEAM

It wouldn't be so wrong, would it? She's just politely taking Dilia up on her offer to share. It doesn't have to mean anything. She's just taking what's hers, that's all.

She'll let go this one time...



Okay, now Jiniki is super confused.

HI JINIKI 8DDD

> JINIKI: Wonder where babies come from

[...Aaahahaha, I admit I didn't expect that. UM.]

> Mentally call Tayza and ask how it's going on her end.

Ahahaha :D;; BLAME GUINDO AND BAHU I AM 100% INNOCENT IN THIS.

For a guy who was adverse to FA initially because of what may lurk behind the filters, you suuuure do put your characters into awkward situations. =O

ONLY I GET TO POINT OUT IRONIES LIKE THAT

A-AND I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY DRAWN ANYTHING


I guess I just got tired of censoring myself thinking the world would explode if I let a character (or three) actually have an intimate moment.

Tezakia Quest: Breaking new boundaries and failing to be a horror since 2009.

ooc: 2009???!!! IT'S 2/13/2010 WHAT ROCK HAVE U BEEN UNDER????!!!! DUDE REALLY!!!!!
END OOC AND RAGE.

>JINIKI:put ear to door and listen.
>JINIKI:ponder possible things to do next.

...Failing to be a horror since the quest started in (I think) november of 2009. That was the joke.

also it's 2/13/2010 here cuz I'M NOT IN THE LIVE JOURNAL TIME ZONE ITS CENTRAL TIME USA.

> Implying LJ has its own time zone

lol

err im implying live journal is like in a British timezone o maybe European or Australia.hm new thing to ponder where is the lj timezone actually at...maybe Greenwich time...nah.

LJ is hosted in like San Francisco, actually. But it defaults time zone settings to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

OOC: tip on makeing this a horror add zombies, ghosts, weird noises,random eerie communications,blood,gore,creepy hallways,AND THE FAMOUS WEIRD BUT FUNNY HAUNTED HOUSE TRICKS LIKE DOORS SLAMMING WHEN U WALK IN THE ROOM.

>JINIKI: Wonder where babies come from

From eggs~!


>Mentally call Tayza and ask how it's going on her end.

"Do you hear me, Tayza?"

"Yes. What's up?"

"Hi! Have you hunted Iiji yet?"

"Not yet. I can't find a way into the PORTAL BUILDING. She's locked it up tight in there. Where are you now?"

"I'm in the COMMAND CENTER~ The others are here too but they got naked and told me to wait out here for 30 minutes."

"...Right. If you're in the COMMAND CENTER BUILDING, you might be able to open the door to the PORTAL BUILDING. Why don't you try looking around while the others are wasting time?"

>JINIKI:go into room marked command center.
>JINIKI:use computer in room to find a way to UNLOCK portal building.

>SLINKOBOY:Stop ignoring anonymous comments and commands

LOL!

> So, Jiniki. Know of any cool secret places around here?

Put the pretty pendant on, Jiniki!

>Put the pretty pendant on, Jiniki!

Jiniki feels so pretty~

She also feels a little better. It's kind of nice having a memory of her mommy so close to her heart.


>So, Jiniki. Know of any cool secret places around here?

Jiniki has managed to squeeze into the vents before, but it was kind of scary. She also kind of remembers something in the hallway, but it's been too long to remember what.


>Go to the COMMAND CENTER room.
>Use computer in room to find a way to UNLOCK portal building.

Jiniki sort of remembers these things... This one's been offline for ages, but now that it's online she might be able to open the way forward.

...Maybe she could also find out once and for all what exactly happened when her mommy disappeared that day.

>Engage plotdump!

> Access camera footage from "that day"! Check all the rooms until you find the one Mommy was in. Unless you remember.

>Engage plotdump!

Jiniki searches for "plotdump", but finds no results. She should have known there'd be no plot around here.

She kind of remembers where it was... it was this very building if she remembers correctly.


>Access camera footage from "that day"! Check all the rooms until you find the one Mommy was in. Unless you remember.

She accesses the logs for "that day" and plays them all. Most of it is boring, but then she and her mommy show up...








*Beep*

> Everyone reading the quest: "BUT SLINK WE KNEW THAT LIKE FIVE CHAPTERS AGO"

SHH I WAS HOPING DENYING IT HARD ENOUGH WOULD MAKE UP FOR YOU GUYS CALLING ME OUT WITHIN SECONDS

... Oh.
I kind of thought it was one of those things we were supposed to know from the start. 8D;

>(!!!

THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T MAKE YOUR VILLIAN'S NICKNAME THE SAME NAME AS HER REAL NAME MINUS LIKE TWO LETTERS AND NOT SCRAMBLED OR SOMETHING :D

THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE. ISHIJI HAS TWO HOLE LETTERS.

...And in those letter holes, are two WHOLE letters.

IF YOU HADN'T PUT HOLES IN YOUR LETTERS, maybe they would have blocked our view from the name similarity and WE'D NEVER HAVE NOTICED!

WELL

YOU

UM

YEAH!!!!!!

> Cheer up, Jiniki! Something very bad happened to Mommy, and Mommy needs help now. You have friends who want to help Mommy now, too. You can give Mommy the BLUE SOLUTION and help Mommy remember.

Oh, Jiniki, it's not your fault your mommy's gone bonkers.

What's in the other two logfiles, anything important?

>Cheer up, Jiniki! Something very bad happened to Mommy, and Mommy needs help now. You have friends who want to help Mommy now, too. You can give Mommy the BLUE SOLUTION and help Mommy remember.

Yeah, you're right. Jiniki should...

Yeah. It'll be okay. Jiniki has friends. They have the BLUE SOLUTION. This is fine. This is okay. She just needs to regain her composure and continue on.


>Oh, Jiniki, it's not your fault your mommy's gone bonkers.
>What's in the other two logfiles, anything important?

She isn't sure how to feel about this yet.

Jiniki was separated from her mommy after that point, and then a lot of people died to the Ki-jaara. Jiniki has to see more. She has to know. She searches for the next log file containing her mother.

*Beep*







"The majicka is cascading out of control! Quickly, take the green solution!"

"I don't think so. I rather like this feeling~ In thanks for giving me this power, I'll let you join me as the first of many~"

"Ahhh!" *thunk! *crash!* *Ssssss...*



This is too much. She should never have looked. This really is all her fault. Why, mommy? why?

"Oops, you're letting your guard down~"

Jiniki doesn't care.

>Realize that if funny-colored solutions started this mess, they can be used to finish it, though you may need a lot to help something as big as Iiji is. >Didn't Grasshopper say he could make more useful solutions if he got some stuff from the labs?

> Oh Jiniki, you do care. You're only sad because you love Mommy. It's better you know now; now you can fix this. Now you have something to look forward to when this is all over-- being a family again!
> Don't listen to Mommy right now though. She's still sick.

>Oh hey, and if it's any consolation, it looks like you really are a beautiful princess! Hooray!

>Oh Jiniki, you do care. You're only sad because you love Mommy. It's better you know now; now you can fix this. Now you have something to look forward to when this is all over-- being a family again!

A... a family? Really?

Her mommy sacrificed herself for Jiniki. Why? Was she ashamed of Jiniki because she's ugly?

No, that can't be it. It had to be because she...

She didn't want Jiniki to be sad anymore.



A lot of bad things happened because of it, but she only took that shot so Jiniki would be happy. That means her mommy did love her! And...



And Jiniki loves mommy! She's going to make her better because she loves her!

"J...Jiniki? W-what are you...?"

"I still love you, mommy! I'm going to make you better!"

"I... fine! Do whatever you want! It won't work!"

Mommy goes silent. For the moment, Jiniki doesn't have to use energy blocking her.



...Jiniki loves mommy~


>Realize that if funny-colored solutions started this mess, they can be used to finish it, though you may need a lot to help something as big as Iiji is.
Yes. Amiel will help because she's super nice! And mister birdie will help because he's kind of whipped. And Dilia will help because mister birdie is helping! All they need to do is give mommy the BLUE SOLUTION, right?


>Didn't Grasshopper say he could make more useful solutions if he got some stuff from the labs?
That's right, didn't he need a centrifuge? Or whatever it was? And like, some vials and stuff.

Jiniki kind of remembers the layout of the LABORATORY BUILDING. She can head directly to any room containing items Grasshopper might need.


>Oh hey, and if it's any consolation, it looks like you really are a beautiful princess! Hooray!
Teehee~

>As awesome as your new regal glowyness is, you still need to be polite to those around you. Knock very carefully on the door.

>By which I mean the door to medical. We do need their help carrying stuff, after all.

Are you strong enough with your Majicka to get one of the centrifuges over to Grasshopper, Jini? If you are, well, time to get packing~

>As awesome as your new regal glowyness is, you still need to be polite to those around you. Knock very carefully on the door to the MEDICAL ROOM.

Jiniki isn't sure what happened. She just felt really determined and started glowing gold. She wonders if she should keep this color, or go back to glowing purple.

She isn't sure if it's been 30 minutes or not yet. She still doesn't know why she has to wait that long. What are they doing in there?

She knocks quietly, but the only response is a very strange chirp from mister birdie.


>Are you strong enough with your Majicka to get one of the centrifuges over to Grasshopper, Jini? If you are, well, time to get packing~

Of course! Jiniki is super strong! She flexes like Amiel, but her CARAPACE doesn't show any sign of muscle. But that's okay, she has majicka!

She can lift about 100kg with her majicka. The heavier something is, the faster it tires her out.

Jiniki can wait for them, or go ahead and head directly to the labs containing the parts the robot needs. What if they're playing hide and seek? Maybe Jiniki should be hiding? Amiel must be counting to like, a thousand.

>100 kg? Okay, don't worry about getting help with this. Head on over, and start gathering everything that looks sciency. They'll be done by the time you get back.

> Consider a prismatic glow. Well... but the gold is awfully lovely.

>100 kg? Okay, don't worry about getting help with this. Head on over, and start gathering everything that looks sciency. They'll be done by the time you get back.
>Consider a prismatic glow. Well... but the gold is awfully lovely.

Jiniki gets a strange feeling someone wouldn't appreciate having to color a prismatic glow. She'll stick with gold for now~

She heads into the MAJICKA RESEARCH BUILDING. She's going to grab everything that looks important and then return to the robot so it can hopefully make some more SOLUTIONS. Maybe even combine existing ones? Sounds kind of complicated!


She heads into the building. Meanwhile...




Well, that was fun. It didn't make Dilia feel much better, though. All it did was take her mind off of things for a while. In the silence that followed, Dilia's had some time to think to herself.

Sekani and Amiel really seem fond of each other. Where does that leave Dilia? Is this how Besil felt?

Things were so much simpler an hour ago. She had no worries, no memories. Now she can't think of anything other than her past. Ifles... why did it have to be this way?

Dilia isn't even sure what she wants anymore. Maybe she wants Sekani to herself, to help her forget it all again. Maybe she just wants to run away...


What would you do, Besileyz? You'd probably do whatever it took to get Dilia alone, huh? Heh heh...

> No, Dilia, you want a Menage a trois >=( It is the best and only answer.

> You're too good for those two. You deserve to be involved in something you're sure of!

>You realize, of course, that he thinks you're more attractive, but still stays with her. Things would work out a lot simpler if she wasn't in the way, or if he didn't want her for some reason...
>Didn't Grasshopper say that he could make some neat things if he had equipment from the labs? Maybe he can help you if you help him.

>No, Dilia, you want a Menage a trois >=( It is the best and only answer.

"Are you awake, Sekani?"

"Y-yes."

"Do you love Amiel?"

"I... I think so."

"What about me~?"

"I don't know. I'm really fond of both of you, but it's kind of different. It's hard to explain."

"Maybe the three of us could be a couple. You two do all the lovey stuff, and I come in and spice things up a little~"

"I don't know. Maybe. I'm not sure what I want. It's all happening so fast."


>You deserve to be involved in something you're sure of!

"Still, that was quite a lot of fun, huh? I'm definitely sure of that~"

"Y-yes. I kind of enjoyed it. I mean--"

"Yeah. Me too. We could just keep doing this, you know. You and me, making love without any worries. We'd be much lower maintenance than certain lians~"

"What are you saying?"


>You realize, of course, that he thinks you're more attractive, but still stays with her. Things would work out a lot simpler if she wasn't in the way, or if he didn't want her for some reason...

"It's pretty obvious. You're more attracted to me, aren't you~?"

"W-well, your wings are really hot. It's just-- Amiel makes me feel something deeper."

"I kind of doubt that~"

Sekani is silent.

"If she wasn't around, you and I would both be a lot less confused, right~?"

Maybe Dilia was over-thinking things. All she has to do is remove a piece that doesn't fit, and the puzzle practically solves itself.

"I don't want to think of her not being here..."

"She'll be fine. Just lay her safely on the ground for a bit and we can forget all about her. Don't you want to have another go~?"

"I... O-okay. Just for a little bit..."


EMERGENCY PLOT CHANGE!!!




Jiniki got all kinds of science things! She's the best girl!

"Just... tell me. Why are you doing this? Do they mean that much to you?"

>"That's silly. I'm doing this for you, Mommy!"

>"That's silly. I'm doing this for you, Mommy!"

"I'm going to heal you because I love you, mommy~"

Mommy is silent for a moment.



"...Behind the poster."

"Behind the poster? What's behind the poster?"


There is no response. She sounded different just then...

> Well, look behind the poster, man!

Sekani, stop being so manipulatable, especially when I'm asleep and can't rescue you from relationship screwups!

Which poster?

>Your, um, hands are full. Promise to come check it when you're done here. Hopefully with friends.

>Well, look behind the poster, man!

Jiniki looks behind the poster. Aww, there's nothing there. She wonders if the sign near the entrance counts as a poster or not. Maybe mommy should have been more specific, like "A poster that would be in this location" or "Not the one right behind you silly that's a map."


>Sekani, stop being so manipulatable, especially when I'm asleep and can't rescue you from relationship screwups!

Sekani is sorry. He's still kind of weak, isn't he...

He feels like he's betraying Amiel. But this rush of power and emotions just feels so good...


>Your, um, hands are full. Promise to come check it when you're done here. Hopefully with friends.

Oh, okay! Is there anything else to take care of before heading back to the MEDICAL ROOM?

>Glance inside that door directly behind you, then head on back to Medical.

>Glance inside that door directly behind you, then head on back to Medical.

It's the BREAK ROOM of the MAJICKA RESEARCH BUILDING. Jiniki passed through here on her way out of the building.



Hmm. The shower's running.

> CHECK BEHIND THAT POSTER

>As awesome as your new regal glowyness is, you still need to be polite to those around you. Knock very carefully on the door to the showers.

>CHECK BEHIND THAT POSTER

Hmm? A piece of paper has been taped to the wall here. Jiniki takes it, then puts the poster back like a good girl.



What's this...? Jiniki adds it to her... item pile.


>As awesome as your new regal glowyness is, you still need to be polite to those around you. Knock very carefully on the door to the showers.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?"

Silence.

"Um, I'm going to come in, okay?"

No response. Jiniki heads inside.




"Aaah! Amiel!"

"...help..."

O___O;

> HELP HER

more specifically

> See how badly she's hurt

> Call Tayza and request help with healing.

>Check how much of that is her blood, and how much is because she tried to take a hot shower

Eeep.

See if you can prod out of her WTF happened.

>See how badly she's hurt

There are some really deep wounds! She doesn't seem capable of moving.


>Check how much of that is her blood, and how much is because she tried to take a hot shower
What?


>Call Tayza and request help with healing.

"Tayza! Tayza!!!"

"What? What is it?"

"Amiel's dying! Please come to the COMMAND CENTER BUILDING super fast!"

"What? Okay, just hold on. I'll be there in a bit."


>See if you can prod out of her WTF happened.

"help..."

She's too weak to talk. W-what if she doesn't make it long enough for Tayza to show up? T-there has to be more Jiniki can do for her!

"Please don't die! You said you didn't want to!"

She doesn't respond. Her breathing is very rapid and shallow.

>Use TELEKINETIC POWER to keep Amiel from losing any more blood; hold the wounds closed or otherwise staunch any bleeding. Can she be safely moved without making her move much/any?
>Get Amiel over to Grasshopper. There's a medkit in the BIC, if you can find it.

Call to Sekani and Dilia and get them to come help. Or at least Sekani, anyways - he has hands still.

>Use TELEKINETIC POWER to keep Amiel from losing any more blood; hold the wounds closed or otherwise staunch any bleeding. Can she be safely moved without making her move much/any?

This is a completely new field for Jiniki. She thinks she's managing to hold in the blood, but this is tiring her out pretty fast. Amiel has closed her eyes. She's still breathing weakly.


>Get Amiel over to Grasshopper. There's a medkit in the BIC, if you can find it.
Jiniki thinks mister birdie has the BIC. She... might be able to make it to the medical room she thinks, but it will drain a whole lot of majicka to lift Amiel while holding her blood in. Should she try anyways?


>Call to Sekani and Dilia and get them to come help. Or at least Sekani, anyways - he has hands still.
Sekani doesn't respond. They never taught him how to communicate with majicka.

Dilia responds.

"What? Amiel's been wounded? That's not good, is it? Did you call Tayza?"

"Y-yes, it was the first thing I did."

"I see. Well, hopefully she'll get there in time~ I wish I could help, but I don't have hands. Good luck~"

That was not as helpful as Jiniki had hoped.

GODDAMNIT DILIA YOU BITCH. D:

Well, damn, we might as well try to get her over to Grasshopper, then, 'cause it's no good to just leave her to bleed out here. Lift her verrrrry carefully!

>Very carefully lift Amiel and bring her to Grasshopper.

Urgh! Controlling majicka with such a high level of finesse is extremely draining. Jiniki lifts Amiel while maintaining a hold on all of her wounds.



Jiniki devotes every ounce of her majicka to holding Amiel steady. Not a single drop more of blood will leave Amiel's body! Jiniki won't let it!

Amiel didn't pity Jiniki for her cracked carapace. She was the first person who made Jiniki feel pretty. She helped Jiniki like herself for who she is.



She was...



...Jiniki's first friend!











That was painfully close.


Control has changed to Tayza.

Yikes. D: Hi, Tayza!

Looks like you've already got healing underway. (And if you haven't, well, start!) Let's get Amiel over to the recovery room first of all and get her stabilized.

>Get Amiel to MEDICAL. There's a comfy bed there.
>Check to make sure Jiniki is okay

>Be amazing and heal Amiel perfectly using the exact wording as one who has outstanding mastery of her stupendous powers should.

>Be amazing and heal Amiel perfectly using the exact wording as one who has outstanding mastery of her stupendous powers should.

What? Tayza's majicka doesn't need specific wording to be used. That'd be freaking retarded.


>Get Amiel to MEDICAL. There's a comfy bed there.
>Let's get Amiel over to the recovery room first of all and get her stabilized.

Right, right.

The MEDICAL ROBOT examines the Lian. Tayza's going to assume she's Amiel since that's who Jiniki said was dying. Kind of a boring name for a Lian.

The robot examines her, and displays amazement that Tayza's majicka has made such a large impact on her wounds. As if that was surprising. It hooks her up to some wires and a weird mask, and takes a closer look at her head wound. Apparently the wound came very close to penetrating her skull and causing severe brain damage. Amiel is damned lucky that whatever attacked her didn't put any extra pressure on that particular blow.

"Could you like, look after her? I need to tend to Jiniki and the fact that the bird and Dilia were starting some drama over something or other while I was sneaking past."

The robot doesn't respond. Can it not hear majicka?

"Uh... I 'ill dee dack lader, okay?"
That didn't go so well.

"I_WILL_TEND_TO_THE_LIAN. SHE_IS_STABLE_FOR_NOW."

Good enough.


>Check to make sure Jiniki is okay

Jiniki is sobbing quietly to herself. Tayza is taken aback. She's never seen Jiniki cry before. Without all the glowing, she looks really helpless and vulnerable right now.

She looks otherwise okay, but she's probably too exhausted to move. Not surprising-- majicka is a very important part of their existence.

Poke at Jiniki and tell her to get up, there's shit to get done.

Also yell at Dilia for going off and leaving you here with this mess.

>Get Jiniki over to Amiel. Reassure that they'll both be just fine.
>Drama? That sounds like fun. Eavesdropping time!

>Contact Dilia, ask what happened

> Pat Jiniki on the head and tell her everything is going to be okay. Carry her off to leave her to rest by Amiel.
> Seconding eavesdropping on ~drama~.

>Poke at Jiniki and tell her to get up, there's shit to get done.

"...Hey, I saved your girlfriend. Now get up already. We have to go beat the crap out of bird and Dilia until they stop being stupid."

Jiniki doesn't respond. Guess she doesn't have enough majicka left to communicate.


>Get Jiniki over to Amiel. Reassure that they'll both be just fine.

Yeah, all right.

"You better be glad I don't believe in hunting wounded prey. Come on, I'll get you to Amiel. You'll both be fine, so don't be so upset."

Jiniki squirms a little. She probably liked hearing that news. Tayza's glad she's not one of those wimpy types who get grossed out by giant squirming insects.



There. Nice and cozy.

"IS_SHE_IN_NEED_OF_MEDICAL_ASSISTANCE"

"She is 'ine. Jusd needs resd"

"UNDERSTOOD. I_WILL_WATCH_OVER_THEM_BOTH."


>Also yell at Dilia for going off and leaving you here with this mess.
>Contact Dilia, ask what happened

"Okay, Dilia. What the fuck's going on around here?"

"Hello, Tayza~ I'm a little busy at the moment."

Goddammit.


>Drama? That sounds like fun. Eavesdropping time!

Oh man. Tayza can't wait to get in on this pointless drama. She decides to head for the roof.




"Damn it! Amiel's in trouble! let me through!"

They should probably teach the bird to speak with majicka. 'They' being someone besides her.

"Why are you so upset~? I solved the puzzle for us~ Now it's just youuu and meee~"

Tayza rolls her eyes. He's just a freaking bird, Dilia.

Are those true colours, Diliaaaa?

Pounce on Dilia. Submission from above!

"Yoohoo, dorks. The Lian was attacked by something or other and damn near bled out, and Jiniki exhausted herself trying to help. This is taking away from happyfun hunting times.
What the hell?"

>Healpunch Dilia. Teach her there's a time and a place for flirting, and this isn't it.
>After bringing Dilia to her senses, explain the current situation, and that the bird OWES you one. Two, actually, since you saved Jini too.

>Yell something about paying attention to your surroundings, then dive-tackle Dilia. Her smug face deserves to be punched.

>Yell something about paying attention to your surroundings, then dive-tackle Dilia. Her smug face deserves to be punched.
>Pounce on Dilia. Submission from above!

"The prey should be more observant of its surroundings!"

"Huh?"



>After bringing Dilia to her senses...

Oops. Dilia's down for the count.


>"Yoohoo, dorks. The Lian was attacked by something or other and damn near bled out, and Jiniki exhausted herself trying to help. This is taking away from happyfun hunting times. What the hell?"
>explain the current situation, and that the bird OWES you one. Two, actually, since you saved Jini too.

"Seriously, all I wanted to do was hunt the ultimate prey and now I have to deal with all this bullshit? What the hell, man? You freaking owe me one-- TWO. First you destroy my hunting grounds, then you make me save Jiniki because you're too damn busy with your 'oooh woe is me I don't know who to love! boohoo!' shit. You're coming with me and we're getting this solved right now."

Yeah, Jiniki told her about their stupid little love triangle. Apparently "Hey I guess I owe you one so come to me if you need healing" translates into "Hi I'm here to listen to all your goddamn problems". Though Tayza supposes she doesn't mind it that much, thinking about it. The alpha has to maintain a rapport with her pack, after all. No wonder Iiji went insane.

ilu Tayza

> Drag Dilia and Sekani back by their tails and throw them into the medical room.

>Grumble the entire time while doing so.
>If they struggle, remind them that since you can heal them, you can also beat him to within an inch of his life and repeat the process as many times as necessary to get the point across.

>Do this, but in a more hardboiled manner.

>Drag Dilia and Sekani back by their tails and throw them into the medical room.
>Do this, but in a more hardboiled manner.
Tayza slaps Dilia awake and drags them to the MEDICAL ROOM.


"Bad touch! Bad touch!!!"

"Ow! Ow!!"

Stupid freaking relationship drama mumble grumble this isn't highschool.



"What are you doing. Why are you covering yourself."

"Because! I'm naked!"




....


Okay, let's get this solved like a proper leader. How should she start?

>Dammit, Tayza, we're disembodied voices, not doctors! I thought you said this didn't work on verbal commands.
>Fine, fine. Just focus on something simple, like a star
>"Let's begin the operation!"

>Fill her full of mint-flavored healing. Seems pretty straightforward, unless you have some weird trick we aren't aware of.

> Ask just how Amiel got hurt anyway.

>Dammit, Tayza, we're disembodied voices, not doctors! I thought you said this didn't work on verbal commands.
>Fine, fine. Just focus on something simple, like a star
>"Let's begin the operation!"
>Fill her full of mint-flavored healing. Seems pretty straightforward, unless you have some weird trick we aren't aware of.

What the hell are you talking about? Amie or whatever her name is just needs rest at this point.

As far as Tayza can tell, Dilia tried to kill the Lian because she's stupid. Amie is trying to get the bird to love her because she's stupid. And the bird is just stupid in general.

Tayza's goal here is to handle Dilia's actions-- they can't just be ignored-- and maybe force the goddamn pigeon to pick someone so they can kiss or fuck or whatever and then everyone can focus on the important goal of beating the old alpha.

...Yeah, Tayza realized she needs their help, but like hell she's going to admit it to any of them.

>"All three of you suck. Dilia, you can't even finish someone off properly. Amiel, you can't fend off something that doesn't even have HANDS. Bird, you can't even decide between a wimpy version of myself and some stupid electric pony."
>"I need all THREE of you, plus Jiniki, if we're going to go take down Iiji. You can fight to the death after that, okay? Dilia, learn to finish what you start. Amiel, go grow some combat skills. Bird, make up your damned mind; do you want a coward or a failure?"

Clearly only one person has really fucking screwed up here - you don't just go killing packmates. Or trying to kill them and failing miserably. You know, whatever.

Let's teach Dilia some goddamn manners, shall we?

Punishing her with the LIGHT BLUE SOLUTION seems like it might be the wisest thing to do at this point for everyone.

This update is super duper huge (and nearly done), so I'm going to have to request you re-post this command at the next update ok ;_;

>Wait.... where'd Jini go?

She's cuddled against Amiel, providing half of her required modesty.

> QUESTION DILIA. EXPLAIN YOURSELF, LIGHTNING PONY. It's bad enough you used unnecessary violence for a birdman who doesn't seem to even want to give the effort to meet you halfway, but the fact you somehow didn't even manage to kill Amiel just does not compute.
> Does this sudden onset of stupid have anything to do with the wing growth witnessed earlier?

>"All three of you suck. Dilia, you can't even finish someone off properly. Amiel, you can't fend off something that doesn't even have HANDS. Bird, you can't even decide between a wimpy version of myself and some stupid electric pony."

"Excuse me!? I was in the shower naked! I didn't exactly have my DEADLY WEAPON with me!"

Tayza throws her arms up. "Well you COULD have used your poison spines!"

"I tried to! Dilia paralyzed me!"

"She was PARALYZED and you STILL failed to kill her!?" Tayza yells.

"Look, okay, these horns were NOT made for stabbing! I couldn't just SHOCK her, that would have made it too obvious who killed her!"

"Everyone, please stop this fighting..."

"Well you did a FANTASTIC job of hiding that little fact, didn't you!? What were you going to do, anyway? 'oh no your girlfriend is dead fuck me bird!'"

"That's not-- I wasn't going to phrase it like that! And I'm the one he wants, anyway! I have wings!"

"Well you're not the one he said he loved, now are you!?" Amiel demands.

"Would everyone please just--"

"You're both pissing me off!" Tayza shouts. "Screw it, I'll fuck you!"

"You don't even have tits!"

"What's wrong with not having tits!?" Dilia yells.



"Shut up, all of you!"

Silence.

"I'm tired of this! I'm tired of being pushed around and fought over! This is insane-- this is stupid! I'm just a Tezakian! I just wanted to complete an easy scouting mission and go home! I didn't want any of this!"




"Dilia-- murder!? Really!? You nearly killed Amiel just so I would be closer to you!? Even if she did die, I would never have wanted you after what you did! I trusted you! Amiel trusted you! But now I can never forgive you for trying to murder Amiel! I love her, damn it!"

"i... sekani... but i..."

The bird turns to Amiel as he continues.





"I love her. Amiel, I admit when we first met I was scared of you. Even when we got close, I was a little afraid. But you made me feel proud. You made me feel good. I stopped being afraid and felt happy for the first time in years. I know we're not the same species, but I think maybe we can make it work anyway... if you're willing to love me despite me being a monster--"





Amiel removes her mask and kisses Sekani. Good thing she didn't need it.



The bird kisses her back. Gross. After a few seconds, they pull away.

"Of course I love you too, you dork. I don't care what you look like. You're mine now."

"I'm yours..."



Good. Great. Fantastic. Tayza hopes they have a million mutant half-ling babies together. They better not start having sex right here and now. Tayza would have to rush Jiniki out of here, rush back in here, and stab them both.

Whatever. As long as everyone's happy.




Oh for fuck's sake. Fine, she'll deal with Dilia too.


>Clearly only one person has really fucking screwed up here - you don't just go killing packmates. Or trying to kill them and failing miserably. You know, whatever.
>It's bad enough you used unnecessary violence for a birdman who doesn't seem to even want to give the effort to meet you halfway, but the fact you somehow didn't even manage to kill Amiel just does not compute.
"First of all, turning on your pack-mates is the lowest, most pathetic thing you could ever do. You never turn on the pack. They are your family. Second of all, what the fuck. Seriously. You used to be creepily happy and nothing ever bugged you. You used to be fiercely loyal to your friends. What the hell turned you into this conniving crybaby?"

"i remembered everything
"loving him made it hurt less
"but he kept focusing on amiel
"and i couldn't take it all of a sudden"

Mercy of Lisandi. How should Tayza handle this mess?

> Tell her that's no fucking excuse and she should be ashamed of herself for stooping so low and then not even succeeding.

>Great. She's on the rebound. We're all stuck in this crappy little facility, and she gets stir-crazy because she's lonely. Fine.
>Remind Dilia that there are millions of other people out there to meet and fall in love with, and at least SOME of them have to like electric ponies

>...Also remind her that if they don't like ponies, we can probably do something with the solutions to fix that.

>But first we have to DEAL WITH MORE IMPORTANT IIJIS

> Oh Dilia, you just tried to do what was done to you. GOOD JOB. That doesn't even make sense.
> Forget this. Lightning or no lightning, a sane, stable pack mate is much more useful than a physically powerful one who's lost it. USE LIGHT BLUE SOLUTION.

[The fact that Tayza wouldn't know to use it unless Jini mentioned it is not important to me right now. 8D]

[I feel sick. I may not be able to update today... If not, I will continue TOMORROW.]

(Wait, is that code for Slink got into the Starcraft 2 beta with me?) ;D

I wish :C

>SLINK: Consume ORANGE LIQUID to recover health

>Forget this. Lightning or no lightning, a sane, stable pack mate is much more useful than a physically powerful one who's lost it. USE LIGHT BLUE SOLUTION.
Huh? What's a LIGHT BLUE SOLUTION?


>Tell her that's no fucking excuse and she should be ashamed of herself for stooping so low and then not even succeeding.
>Remind Dilia that there are millions of other people out there to meet and fall in love with, and at least SOME of them have to like electric ponies

"Boohoo, your heart hurts. We've all been there. I didn't go trying to kill people when Delkin turned into an asshole, did I? No. That's because I'm not stupid. You had no excuse. It's not like he's the only bird in the world. There's a whole race of the damn things."

"Hh Hh Hh..."




"He he he!"

What.




"He he he ha ha ha ha!"

"You're right, Besileyz! We can still fix this! All we have to do is complete the job we failed to finish, and then it'll all come into place! That's why you're mad, right Tayza~? If I succeed in killing Amiel, I wouldn't have let the prey get away, right~? And then Sekani and I can be together forever and ever~!"




"And now there's no reason not to just electrocute her~!"

"He he he he he he!"




*Thock*




"Try shocking her without any majicka!"

Is he seriously striking a pose.

"Bravo. You saved the girl. Too bad I saved her first. What is that stuff, anyway?"

The bird doesn't get a chance to answer.




"Aahisihijireasij!"

Whoa. Dilia is apparently discharging all of her majicka. Tayza sees seven bolts and quickly hears six cracks as they hit various parts of the room. She should probably do something about this.

> Tell Grasshopper to duck 8(((( It's made of metal, that last bolt's gonna hit it!

> Tell everyone to get down. Shove Grasshopper in that corner behind the counter and hope the bolts go for the sink and the doorknob.
> ... Unless your Healing Majika comes with a shield bubble you can lock Dilia in.

>Don't die.

...yeah, I got nothing.

>Tell Grasshopper to duck 8(((( It's made of metal, that last bolt's gonna hit it!
>Tell everyone to get down. Shove Grasshopper in that corner behind the counter and hope the bolts go for the sink and the doorknob.
There isn't time to react!



Tayza hears a "thunk".

"STABILITY_ERROR."

The lightning quickly dies down.




"wHat iS haPpininG to Me..."

Tayza can only watch as Dilia's body begins to convulse and mutate. What the hell did the bird inject her with?

After a few moments, her mutation stops. Dilia drops to her hands and knees, her once powerful body reduced to a weak, helpless form.




"I...

What have I done..."

Tayza wonders if it would be a bad time to decide what Dilia's punishment should be.

[You lost all motivational consistency, Dilia. That's what you've done. :|]

> Throw your arms up in the air in exasperation.
> Tell Dilia that if she'll drop the idiot ball she's holding, we can all punch Iiji in the face. Dilia will have to work hard to make up for this and shall begin by helping Tayza make the necessary preparations while Amiel recovers. Let's go!

>punch Dilia in the snout to establish superiority

>glower menacingly, tap foot, and ask "we we done being melodramtic? Can we get back to the issue at hand?"
>Make sure everyone's okay. As alpha, pack safety is #1

"Besil started telling me how much easier things would be with Amiel gone, and everything started to sink in. What I lost-- what I did-- was just too much to handle. I gave up. I lost the will to fight Besileyz's suggestions. She killed my love, and I nearly did the same thing to you. I was okay with that. I'm a monster."

She continues, "I know it doesn't mean anything, but my mind is clear now. You probably can't ever forgive me, but I'm... I'm so sorry, Sekani. I'm so sorry."

The bird sighs deeply. "I just. I don't know. I need time, okay? Give me some time."



>Throw your arms up in the air in exasperation.
>Tell Dilia that if she'll drop the idiot ball she's holding, we can all punch Iiji in the face. Dilia will have to work hard to make up for this and shall begin by helping Tayza make the necessary preparations while Amiel recovers. Let's go!
>Ask "are we we done being melodramatic? Can we get back to the issue at hand?"

"Argh! It's good that you're apparently done being insane, but we have shit to do."

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever. We have YET to open the way to the PORTAL BUILDING, and it's already dark. Dunno why the lights are still on, but whatever. We need to get the way open, let Amie and Jiniki rest and recover overnight, and then embark on the ultimate hunt that should have been DONE by now."

"You might as well kill me. I can't be trusted."

"Enough with the goddamn killing. You're coming with me."

"Okay..."


>glower menacingly, tap foot

"Okay. Bird. What was that stuff you shot Dilia up with?"

The bird stutters annoyingly as he explains the nature of the SOLUTIONS. Tayza's recent binge of being angry is probably not helping the fact that the bird is afraid of her. Good.

"I think we still have enough to cure Iiji, but I guess I gave up my own chance at turning back to normal..."

"Yeah, yeah. Bird, help the medical robot set up the equipment so you can mix SOLUTIONS. Dilia and I will take care of the doorway."

Anything else before they head out?

>Ask if they can do anything with the solutions to beef you up in preparation for the fight. Iiji may be old, but an edge's an edge.

"By the way, Tayza, um... thanks for saving Amiel's life."

"No problem, but that makes it three you owe me."

>Ask if they can do anything with the solutions to beef you up in preparation for the fight. Iiji may be old, but an edge's an edge.
"So, we'll be able to combine solutions, right? Any ideas how to make something that might increase our abilities?"

Grasshopper doesn't respond.

"For the love of-- bird, talk to the robot for me."

The bird repeats Tayza's question, and Grasshopper replies that it isn't sure. It says that it will have to do more analysis with the new pieces of equipment before it can make any real progress in understanding the truth nature of the formulas. It will do so while they sleep tonight.



>Make sure everyone's okay. As alpha, pack safety is #1

"So Dilia, how are you holding up with your new-- old body?"

"I'm having trouble standing up on two legs. I feel so... soft and squishy. I'm not used to this at all anymore."

Amie pipes up. "I'd loan you some clothing or support, but I don't think they'd fit you. Also, you tried to kill me."

"I... I'll be okay. I just need to get used to this."

Everyone else should be fine. Jiniki's majicka will return to her with a night's rest, and Amie's wounds should be pretty much healed thanks to Tayza being awesome. She just needs a little rest to recover from the stress and bloodloss.




"Alright. Let's get moving. This shouldn't take too long, but you can never tell with this damn pla--"

Tayza feels something on her leg.




"t-thank you, Tayza. Thank you."




"...It's my pleasure."


Tayza and Dilia head to the COMMAND CENTER. This is it. Nothing's going to stand in their way this time. The way to Iiji will be opened once and for all. Tayza will hunt the ultimate prey, and she will let nothing stop her from coming back successful.

>Ask Jiniki about any passwords she may have seen lying around, say behind a poster or something

>Swordfish

> Gnaw on the console to express anger.

>Ask Jiniki about any passwords she may have seen lying around, say behind a poster or something
>Gnaw on the console to express anger.

"I-I'll go see if the others found anything that could be a password, if you can trus--"

"Go. Just Go."

>Swordfish
No dice.

Dilia returns after a minute with a piece of paper. She begins reading it while Tayza calmly enters the series of letters and numbers on the keyboard.





J. k. 2. 5. L. FUCKING-7.

"Password accepted. Doors unlocked."




FUCK THIS PIECE OF SHI-




"That worked? Seriously?"

Dilia nods fervently.

"Good. Okay. let's head back."




"We got the equipment set up. Amiel and I are going to wash the blood off her, and then we're going to head to the BUNKER ROOM for the night."

"Wait-- my clothes!"

"You won't need them~"

"Oh right~"

What is this feeling...? No, Don't give in, Tayza. You're stronger than that.

Do not vomit all over the goddamn floor.

She's going to have to find somewhere for her and Dilia to sleep. Somewhere far away from that room.

"I'll go sleep with them too~"

...And she has to convince Jiniki not to go with them.

>Tell Jiniki that you have a SUPER SECRET MISSION that needs her expertise

>...Figure out something boring for her to do that'll make her pass out in a few minutes.

Uh, sleeping. Far away from the bunker.

...Is there any comfy-ish place over in the rec centre area?

>Remind the bird and the other one that there's still a JOB TO DO and they should sleep, not waste more freaking time doing stupid, useless stuff.

>Keep everyone in the same room, PACK SAFETY. Those two will just have to deal with containing their stupid urges in check for the night.

>Organize a watch system, no telling WHAT Iiji might do. Bird first since he's so freaking active, then you, then Dilia, then Jini. Amiel's still hurt so she doesn't have to get a watch.

>If they protest, show them why you're the alpha.

> MISSION. FOCUS. SAFETY IN NUMBERS. WE ARE ALL SLEEPING IN THE BUNKER.
> No one will be making any inappropriate noises while we all sleep in the bunker so that everyone can rest properly!
> Didn't you guys already go at it with Dilia a lot anyway? SAVE YOUR ENERGY.

>Tell Jiniki that you have a SUPER SECRET MISSION that needs her expertise
>Figure out something boring for her to do that'll make her pass out in a few minutes.

Tayza would rather not resort to deceiving the child. She's always been an honest person.



>MISSION. FOCUS. SAFETY IN NUMBERS. WE ARE ALL SLEEPING IN THE BUNKER.
>Keep everyone in the same room, PACK SAFETY.
Wait. Was she seriously letting that stupid chicken have his way?

"WHY AM I ACCOMMODATING THE BIRD DAMN IT NOW HE OWES ME FIVE."

Tayza was so distracted by feeling sick to her stomach that she almost did something nice for him! He should be accommodating her!



>No one will be making any inappropriate noises while we all sleep in the bunker so that everyone can rest properly!
>Those two will just have to deal with containing their stupid urges in check for the night.

No way in hell is Tayza letting them fuck all night! They'll keep everyone up and whine about how tired they are from all the sex they've had and she's not about to let that shit fly.

...Still, this might be their last night together if things do end up going horribly wrong. As sickening as it is, a kind and just alpha must understand the needs of her pack. She'll let them relieve a little stress, but she is not letting them jeopardize the hunt.

Besides, this way Amie owes her two.


>Didn't you guys already go at it with Dilia a lot anyway? SAVE YOUR ENERGY.
What.



>Is there any comfy-ish place over in the rec centre area?

There was, until the bird destroyed it.


>Organize a watch system, no telling WHAT Iiji might do. Bird first since he's so freaking active, then you, then Dilia, then Jini. Amiel's still hurt so she doesn't have to get a watch.
No need. Tayza's instincts are so awesome that she'll be awake and attacking Iiji the moment she even thinks of trying anything. Besides, everyone needs as much rest as they can get.

Okay, enough dilly-dallying. Time to lay down the law.




"Can you hear me, bird? Oh, right. You can't respond. You're so goddamn useless. Listen up. You can't have the BUNKER ROOM all to yourselves, you idiot. Jiniki needs to rest, and everyone needs to be at their best for tomorrow. You can't just expect us all to find somewhere else to go while you two have sex all night long."

"Speaking of which, going all night would leave you tired and even more useless. So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to move everyone to the BUNKER ROOM. Since we got done a little early, I'm going to give you two one hour to do whatever you want in the MEDICAL ROOM, but you better be in the bunker after that, and you better not start having sex once you get in there. Is that understood?"

"...I'm assuming yes, because otherwise I would have to show you why I'm the best candidate for Alpha."


Argh. Sekani doesn't think he likes Tayza very much. She's such a big meanie. And now she's a spoilsport too. She's like the ultimate queen bitch-lizard. With like, evil wings and fire breath, but not good fire like his. Evil fire.

Amiel's voice snaps him out of his daydream.



"I'm sorry."

"What? Why?"

"After Dilia attacked me, she taunted me. She told me you had chosen her, and that you found her way more attractive than me. While lying there unable to move, I thought about everything that had happened. What I did wrong, what I could have done better, and what she said to me that moment. That was the most powerless and vulnerable I had ever felt in my life. I called out to you, but you never came. I... I really thought you had forsaken me."



She sighs. "It sounds crazy, doesn't it? There I was, big tough Amiel, laying there helpless... calling out to a tezakian."

"I tried to come-- I wanted to come, but Dilia wouldn't let me by. I knew she could fry me in an instant, but I was ready to raise my arm and fight her so I could get to you."

"No, stop. I shouldn't feel this way. You shouldn't feel this way. We're not even the same species. Mercy of Lisandi, I don't even have any wings for you to be attracted to."

"But we do feel this way. Besides..."



"You do have wings, the most beautiful I've ever seen."

"What? don't be silly," Amiel says, trying to hide a smile.

"Nothing silly about it. There's nobody I'd rather be with right now than you. I don't care if we're not the same species, I know we'll make it work."

"That's so cheesy," she says, blushing. "You're way too cute for your own good."

Sekani chirps defensively as Amiel hugs him. "Okay, then. Let's make this work," she says.

"Oh, um, Tayza said we only have an hour."

"Oh. Better get to it, then!"



Time passes...




Amiel, Sekani, and Jiniki take one of the bunk beds. Tayza insists that Jiniki not be under the same covers as the bird and the lian, so she finds her a second blanket so she can sleep on top.




Everyone sleeps... except for Dilia. She knows now that Besileyz couldn't possibly have lived on in her mind, but she had grown so used to "talking" to her that it comforted her a little to do so.




Dilia thinks she understands a bit better why you killed Ifles. How can such a silly emotion like "love" cause so much trouble? Her heart still aches at losing not only Ifles, but Sekani too. For her, it's as if she lost two lovers in the span of an hour.

She wants to hate you for pushing her to do what she did, for ruining her life twice-over. But she knows that this time the only person she can blame is herself.

They all hate her now. She doesn't even know what to do with herself. She betrayed all of them. There's no way she can ask for their forgiveness, much less their friendship. She's completely alone, and it hurts more than she can stand.

All this because Sekani dared to love her, and she hurt him in the worst way for it. She deserves all of this.





There's no saving her now.