« 014 ⇢ EVENT014.EXE »

[reparator]

Who: Cerealia natives & you
When: ooc: 05/21-05/23; ic: 01/08
Where: A local photography studio
What: Intro log
Rating/Warning: PG-13 | possibly nsfw (please let us know if you need this rating changed, or you are welcome to continue any naughty shenanigans in a private log)

//event013.EXE WE'RE YOUR BIGGEST FANS WE'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE US (L̻̣̖̯̰ͣ̒̓̆̃̈́̈͜͞O̱̞̞̝̤͋̆ͭV̵̨̖̘͉͖̤͇̞̺ͫ̾̇̚͝Ę͐̇̓ͪͨ̇͠͏̰̼͍͍̪̙̰͍̪ ̸̫̆ͨͨ̕͝Ȕ̘̼ͬ͋ͮ̂͋Ś̑̒͗҉̧̤͚ ̪̯̰̮̘̔ͬ͂ͫͫ́͝L̠͍͔̯͔͈͆̄̉ͤ͢͝ͅO̳̰͔͙̱̹̦͌̓V͍̗͖̙̬̰ͫ̆̆ͤ́E̡̤̤̟̩̟̅̃͢ͅ ̦̙̲̮͖͙͓̄ͩͥ̇̎̈ͫ́̀͢U̶͚͔ͯ͌͘S̡̛͈̺̹̯͎̓̐̄̿͝ ̷̌̑ͮ̒̂̓҉̰̦͕͓̝L̤͍͍̝̯̙̈̓ͮͬͧ͡͠Ô̢̲̗̻̱̜͔̺̗̦ͩ̒͊̄̌̒͊V͎̬̺͇͖̮̻̚͜Ĕ̱̺͓̩̯̫ͅ ̖̫͙̞̜͇͖̹͗̿ͨͧ̄͑̕͝U͎͔̼̒̂́̽͑͆ͨͯ͟ͅS̢͔̳ͣ̊̃̇ͣ̐̀͞ͅ ̲̣̳̾ͩ͑ͦ̈́ͩ̉͗̕͞L̗̩̰͈̜͔͍͈̓͢O̫͈̝̭̠͈͕̻̎̏ͣ̚͘͠V̸͔̲̻͚̭͂͆̎̈ͨ̐̏̑́͢È̪̖̟̞̗͎̰̻̱̈́ͩ͂ͩ̓ͩ ̵͎̘̺̋̐̉ͦ͂ͧ̐ͬU͇̫̪̬ͣ͢S̰͓͂̿͂͗̐̓ ̶͌̇̂͗ͧ̓҉̤͎̫͈L̺̦͓̏̏͌͢O̷̗̥̭ͣ̐ͯ̚͢Vͮ͌ͦ͏͇̖̗̟͈E̱͉̥̋ͥ̏ͣ͘ ̧͙ͧ̃̒̓͘͠U̘̺͎͌̊͡S̸̛͇̠̭̹̞̘ͨ̓ͧ̌͋̍̊ ̬̭͋͐͗̈͒̅L̡̢̗̙͈̲͉̼̳̆͛O̶̵̗̼̺͓ͮ̓̉̕V̢͒ͫ̌͛ͣͣ̀̕҉̟̖̹̤̞ͅE̵̘͈͋ͣ̈̋ ̧̛̙͛́͂ͣ̀̍ͫỤ̧̩̞͉̰̠̉͒̓̓̓̊͟͟S̵̠͕͍̼̠̺͔ͣ͛͂̒͛͌ L̡͑̀͟͏̪͎̲͖͉̖̣ͅỌ̸͙̅̂̔ͥͭ͌̾͟͟V̝ͫ̽̂̐ͬͥͭ͒̌Ẻ̷̇ͨ̇͛̒́̿҉͓̤ ̹̺̫͇̠̰̐ͤ͋̃̉͝Ȕ̻̪̪̰̰͙͆̈̐S̷̫̻̗̜͔̜̲͆͒̓͛ͬ) CERES itself has been notably quiet lately as they run their usual code recovery protocols, but the colony locals, who totally ripped off the company's name to put on CERESCON, are more than willing to step up their game. They've got something great planned for old friends, newbies who attended the convention, and even newer arrivals who only experienced the usual arrival: a massive group photoshoot with the intention of creating photobooks, calendars, and various other merchandise that can be sold. After all, regardless of what the you all think of CERES and vice versa, the locals love you guys! ...maybe a little too much. The newest arrivals will be ushered onto a bus shortly after emerging from their powerpoint presentation and driven around the city so that they can see the sights and be joined by those who have been in the colony for longer (and those who just arrived but are retaining test drive memories). The bus will make stops at various residences and places of employment in the effort to round up as many people as possible, and they will use any means necessary to get you to join in on the fun, from bribery (did they mention that you'll get a free lunch before the shoot, a free dinner after the shoot, and royalties from the sale of merchandise your face appears on?!) to outright kidnapping for the more stubborn. If you really don't want to take part, escape is possible, but expect to be tailed by amateur photographers trying to snap candid photos of you for the rest of the day. Upon arriving, everyone taking part will be treated to a delicious buffet-style lunch! Nothing too heavy, because they don't want anyone getting sick during the shoot, but they'll certainly make sure you're comfortable. This is a good chance to mingle with the new arrivals and meet people who have been in the colony that you haven't yet crossed paths with yet, so why not take a day off from work and have some fun? After all... CERES has nothing to do with this... right? What's the worst that could happen? "LOOK THIS WAY, MY PRETTY! AH YES, THAT'S YOUR GOOD SIDE... AGAIN, AGAIN! HOLD THAT POSE... GOTCHA! YOU'RE REALLY MAKING MY BLOOD RUSH NOW, NYA! NOW LOOK RIIIIGHT INTO MY CAMERA... JUST A LIIIIITLE MORE... Ȧ͊͗̿Ṋ̪͍̲ͮͤ̔̎D̜̻͕̼ ̍͂͂͋̊̚N̴̙̯̦͆̏̐͊ͯ́̓O̸̗̫̎W̗̲̰ͮ̇̏͛ͮ͑́ ̯̩̜̰̯̿́̅̂͌ͤ̉ͅY̶͍̜̤̎ͮO̫̺̫̬͍̹͘U͏̮̦̘̩̻̠̻'̬̹́͒R̬̩̙̻̙͚̳͟Ě̞̬̬ͩͧͯ̂̈́̚ ̫̞̺͆ͥM̛̌͑I̩̺̲̗̤̍̚ṈͭͅE͚̣͎ THIS IS A GREAT SHOT! YOU'RE SENDING SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE! I'LL NEVER LET THIS PICTURE GO..."

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ xxxx ] So you've all just been dropped off at the venue and now it's time to get some food in you. After all, as any of Cerealia's professional models will be able to tell you, standing under the lights and looking pretty is a whole lot harder than it looks! You're definitely going to want to keep your strength up. But don't worry about paying, because this meal is on the house. Eat as much as you like. It's buffet-style, and anything that runs low will be refilled by friendly robots in a timely fashion. Also on the house is treatment from the colony's various appearance professionals. Makeup artists and hairdressers will have their time to shine as they primp and polish 'til you glow with pride, and representatives from various boutiques and clothing stores, as well as professional fashion designers, will be on hand to ensure that you look your best! Don't be surprised if, while you're waiting to get started, a dark-clad figure in a hood sidles up to you and dumps a letter or two in your lap! These are letters from your adoring public (yes, even the new arrivals have quite a devoted fanbase), and they range from cute to creepy. ...how did that messenger even get in, anyway? Maybe the way they seem to melt into the crowd and disappear when you blink has something to do with it. PHASE II [ xxxx ] Now it's time to get down to business! Business, of course, being getting your picture taken by these overly-enthusiastic photographers. ...do some of them look like cats? That's got to be your imagination. Blink and they'll look normal, promise. The photographers are interested in catching as many shots of the various visitors to the colony as they can possibly get, so don't be surprised if they pair you up with people you don't even know just because they think you look cute together. The poses they'll put you in will range from normal to outright risqué, so here's hoping you and your new buddy don't feel awkward together! Midway through the shoot, one of the volunteers will run into the room very excitedly, wheeling a cart full of animal carriers behind him. Some of the things he's brought along are harmless CYBuddies, because what photoshoot isn't made cuter by including adorable animals, but some of the others are... let's just say CERES probably won't be too happy once they hear that someone's brought alien life forms into the colony. In all fairness, some of them are actually quite cute, like the aquatic creature that manages to float itself around in a sphere of water and the multi-tailed fox with glowing purple eyes, as well as the... Well, no one's really sure what this thing is, not even the person who brought it, but it's cute enough. Others, on the other hand, are just entirely bizarre, but to each their own. Feel free to chat up the others while you're waiting for your turn, to play with the animals, or to try and escape. Those who try and duck out the back will eventually be tracked down by a volunteer or a robot that will try to either bribe or kidnap them into continuing with the shoot, though! Maybe you and a friend can team up to figure out a way past them? Or you could just be on good behavior and let them take your picture. ...a word of caution, however. No matter how often the photographers urge you to do so, do not look directly into the camera. Characters who do will be rendered unconscious (those with spiritual sensitivity will actually be able to tell that they've been rendered soulless, though characters that already lack souls to begin with will still be rendered unconscious) for five minutes in the first instance and five minutes plus one minute for every instance thereafter (six minutes for a second time, seven for a third, and so on). Should they reach the point where they would be knocked out for a period of ten minutes, the photographer will try to leave the building. You will want to stop them. If you don't, your character will remain unconscious until the dawn of the next day and will be transported to the CERES medical center. If other characters manage to keep the photographer from leaving, your character will wake up after ten minutes as normal. Feel free to NPC these encounters yourselves if it comes to it; the mods will not be doing so. It's up to you whether the photographer escapes or not. PHASE III [ xxxx ] Uuuuuuh-oh. Whoever thought it was a great idea to bring in all those alien creatures is probably going to get fired, because one thing has led to another and now they're on the loose. What's more, those of them that can do so have taken on decidedly more threatening appearances, and more than a few of them seem to be out for blood. In the chaos brought on by their outbreak, a second wave of photographers will make their way into the building. They're more aggressive in their attempts to have the characters look right at them when they take their pictures, and will absolutely try and gang up on them to hold them down and turn their heads to force them into having their pictures taken over and over again. These shots will have the same effect as being directly photographed during the photoshoot, but fighting back against them is okay - in fact, the volunteers and photographers who organized the shoot will actually do their best to help you fight the paparazzi off. This sort of aggression is not condoned by the locals who love you, after all. Should your character be rendered unconscious for ten minutes, anyone who attempts to stop the paparazzi from absconding with their soul will be assisted by the official volunteers for the photoshoot. ...of course, if your character is managing to hold their own, they'll just hang back and photograph the fight. Why waste a good opportunity for candid shots? After all, you're the people who are going to be restoring your own worlds and subsequently protecting theirs from the Flamines! Why wouldn't they want to document it every step of the way? PHASE IV [ xxxx ] The paparazzi has been successfully expelled, the photoshoot has been finished up, and as if by magic (okay, no, it's just technology), they've actually managed to produce the prototypes for the various merchandise that will be sold around the colony. Isn't that exciting? You've all done a great thing here today, the volunteers will tell you. Now just sit back, relax, and let them make up for all the trouble. Admire the calendars, books, and prints you're all appearing in! Or, you know, you can also wonder why ghostly images of people who aren't even there are showing up in some of the pictures you've taken. If you took a picture with just one other person, you might see a third person there, posed perfectly to go along with you! It's almost like the photographers were able to see them all along, but that's not possible, right? They won't always be there, either. You can see it and someone else can see it, but if you look away for too long and then look back, the picture will look just the way it should have based on how you took it. Huh. Weird. Anyway, enjoy the lavish banquet the volunteers have prepared to thank you for all your hard work! You've done a fantastic job and they really want to express their gratitude. If there's any particular food you like, chances are it will be there. (Don't ask how they knew what you like.) While you're eating, another black-clad messenger might appear and give you even more fanmail than you might have received before the shoot - apparently people have been watching, and this has really boosted your popularity! You're developing quite the fanbase. The dinner crowd's fanmail definitely ranges more along the "creepy" side of things, though some of the notes actually will be cute and innocent expressions of admiration. The security has been stepped up considerably for the meal, so the paparazzi won't be able to get in (though you can certainly hear them trying). At the end of the night, the volunteers will offer to escort you home, and should you take them up on their offer you'll make it home safely and be unbothered by the paparazzi at your place of residence. Try and go home alone, though, and the paparazzi will stalk you until sunrise, even going so far as to try to break into your room. BONUS [ whyo'clock ] It seems like your devoted fanbase has gotten a little out of hand! At any point during the log - even during the chaos surrounding the animal outbreak and paparazzi attack - you might just be approached by a robot. A robot that loves you so much, it's going to take you away from all of this. This robot will wax poetic about its undying love for you and how it's going to make sure that the two of you can be together forever and no one will ever be able to take you away from them. It will then proceed to do its best to kidnap you. Maybe there's some kind of a glitch in its program, because it's not gentle about it at all! And if you try and escape, it'll definitely get violent. Try to run away and it might just have to break your legs so you can never leave it behind. Try and fight it off, and it'll do its best to incapacitate you so it can drag you off, put you on display, and take super good care of you. These robots are incredibly sturdy, but the more technologically-inclined may be able to reprogram them into being less creepy and more helpful if they can get to the control panel on its back. Fight hard enough, or avoid it for long enough, and eventually its battery will wear down and you'll be safe. If you can't fight or run, you'd better hope someone who can will come along and help you...! [ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's latest intro post For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's usual arrival experience and feel free to consult the FAQ if needed. Please leave any lingering questions right here, and we'll answer them as soon as we can.

Comments

iii

[psycholawgy]

[ Those are totally cool thoughts, Leon. And it's perfectly all right to have cool thoughts while hell is breaking loose. In fact, all Athena is thinking about while she's fending off these weirdass creatures on her side of the studio, is how she'll be busting these moves again in ViViD. It's going to be so exciting, and she'll definitely level up and get more treasure in the near future.

And in the midst of thinking of video games, she totally forgets that there are other people around her. When she throws a six-foot tall dinosaur-like creature... it's a bit too late to warn anybody that it's coming their way. Oops?

It's better to try, anyway. ]

H- Hey, watch out! Monster coming your way!

[ Yeah, she threw it right at Leon. Sorry... ]

[babermetrics]

[He's facing away--of course he would be! He just had to be distracted by whatever that cat-thing is a few feet away. Who could blame him, with so much going on? Athena's not the only one feeling like she's in a video game or something right now; this is getting so insane so fast that it's pretty hard to reconcile it with reality.

In other words, his brain's kind of on autopilot right now, and when he hears he words coming your way, the rest of the sentence doesn't even filter in: he turns around automatically and lifts his right hand, like he's going to catch whatever's coming for him in it. You know, like it's the size of a baseball, maybe. Just a for instance.

Buuuut it's not.]

--Ghhh, gy, ahhhh!

[Baseball skill number 2: running a few steps, hitting the ground, and sliding. He's always hated this one, even more than the rest, but right now it's his first instinct, and it's a good thing, too. He skids fast across the tile and juuust manages to clear the impact of the body hitting the ground.

Safe!]

What the hell, man?!

[psycholawgy]

[ That thing should be out for a while! Athena grabs a lengthy ribbon and tries to tie it up... Have you ever seen somebody try to tie up a human-sized dinosaur? Now's your chance!

Because... you know. Tying monsters up while they're unconscious is totally a thing. She just can't impale anyone or anything. It might have seemed like a game, but this is real life! She can't stab things here. It would be terribly wrong.

Once that's done, she gives Leon a lookover. ]

You're okay, right?

[babermetrics]

Uh, yeah, 's fine . . . what're you doin'?

[Man, she's got this; he's a little embarrassed that he had to scramble like that, and here she is roping the thing up! It's like she's used to this or something! Is that what happens to people here, they get used to this insane crap?]

Watch out next time, damn! Or better yet, maybe there won't be a next time? Right?

[Right? There has to be some small possibility that this kind of thing isn't the standard for this place!

Still, he watches with mixed fascination and discontent. He totally could have done that, definitely.]

[psycholawgy]

I hate to break it to you, but there definitely will be a next time.

[ After what happened during Christmas, and then this? It would be impossible not to think that everybody is safe. Those glitches in the system are definitely back, and they're likely going to keep wreaking havoc in the colony. Thankfully, these alien things aren't so bad compared to Santa and his awful elves. ]

Things here used to be quiet, but now it's trouble almost all the time.

[ She glances at the alien creature, then at Leon. ]

I can't kill them, so I just tied them up for now. The others can take care of it.

[babermetrics]

What others? Why can't you?

[He feels like he's been dropped into the middle of a movie scene or something, and he's the only one who doesn't know his lines; it's really not a cool feeling. He stares blankly at the alien for a long moment, then looks back up at Athena, finally taking her in properly for the first time.

Okay, she'd never make a good action hero in that outfit, but cute all the same. But he can't even focus on that too hard right now, which says a lot about how messed up this whole situation is.]

Shit, I got no idea what's goin' on! Should we be runnin' or taking these things down? Is everyone just totally used to alien invasions by now or what?!

[psycholawgy]

I— [ Okay, this is a bit difficult to say out loud. ] I can't... kill? Things? [ Or anything. Or anyone. If she were playing a game, it would be a different story, though. She shakes her head and slaps both her cheeks with her palms. Now's not the time to freak out! ]

I actually have no idea what's going on either, sorry. I woke up and suddenly everybody's fighting. It's weird!

[babermetrics]

Yeah, no friggin' kidding!

[But actually, it's comforting to not be the only one with no idea what's going on; he'd been starting to think everyone else was way beyond the point of thinking this was abnormal, and that's not the kind of crowd he wants to hang out with, for more than one reason. He relaxes just a little, finally smiling at her.]

You wanna stick with me and try an' get outta here to somewhere sane? I can't believe you threw that thing like that! That was badass! 'cept for almost takin' me down with him. So I guess what I'm sayin' is, I'd definitely rather have you on my side!

[Even if she can't kill things. It might be a little more questionable, in fact, if she could, though there's a train of thought about himself that he'd rather not follow just now too.]

[psycholawgy]

Oh! [ Is she being mistaken for a newbie, too? She laughs and waves a hand dismissively, thinking that he thinks of her that way. ] I actually haven't seen you around before, so it might be better if you stayed by my side instead of the other way around.

[ There's still a lot of things that need to be answered about this whole event, not to mention, the colony, but Athena's learned a lot these past two months to be able to piece certain things together. As she said, she still has no idea what's going on here, but she's fully aware that it isn't safe. This isn't the first time aliens (or monsters. Alien monsters?) attacked them, after all. And compared to what happened before, this one isn't so bad. ]

I had to learn Judo while I was still in school, so I can fight! Sort of.

[ Compared to the other people in this place, she definitely doesn't seem like a fighter. She knows none of those magic stuff, and she doesn't even properly wield a weapon. All she has is her tenacity and knowledge of self-defense. But she hopes that what she'll be able to apply what she's been learning in ViViD in real life some time. ]

[babermetrics]

Whoa, another martial artist chick . . . no wonder you threw that thing like that.

[And she's way cuter than the last one of those he'd known, too!

It's not exactly ideal to go around with a girl protecting him, but it's better than striking out on his own, so he nods, taking another quick scan around the room.]

I could probably use a weapon or somethin' if we can find one. Even if it's just a board or whatever . . . I never did Judo or nothin', but I know how to crush balls with a bat!

[Ha ha, see, maybe that talent of his will come in handy after all--

Wait.]

. . . Uh, baseballs, I meant baseballs, look, just forget I even said that and help me find a mop or somethin'?

[That hadn't come out the way he'd meant it to.]

[psycholawgy]

[ Aren't you glad she's not Sakura, Leon?

She laughs when she's called a "martial artist chick", since nobody really calls her that. Self-defense was just something she learned while studying in Europe; it isn't something that she allots a lot of time to now. She did get a job at the gym as a martial arts instructor, but she recently left that job. ]

I think you can crush regular balls with a bat.

[ ATHENA NO... Still, her interest is piqued! ]

I'm sure we can find a baseball bat among the props from the pictorials. C'mon! [ She even points to a cart a few feet away. She remembers the photographers throwing random props at people while they were taking pictures. Sports uniforms are always a common costume in parties, so surely, there's something that they could use there. ]

[babermetrics]

[He cracks up when she makes the balls joke; who doesn't like a good balls joke? Except a lot of girls, but that just makes this one even more rare! This girl's definitely okay in his book, even if she stole the spotlight a little with her badass Judo stuff. I mean, better than that getting taken down by an alien, anyway.]

Ha ha, yeah, no kidding! So in other words, I got this! I dunno if these things even have balls, though, and I ain't gonna go outta my way t'find out.

[He heads for the cart of props when she points it out, reaching out to grab the edge of it and drag it over so he can dig through it. He hadn't even thought about looking through them, even though--]

They probably brought all that stuff, huh . . . actually, that's my job, is modelin' baseball stuff, so I shoulda figured they'd drag out the shitty props for this too. I mean, that's supposedly my job, but I'm workin' on that . . .

[He's distracted going through the cart while he talks. Actually, most of this appears to be frilly maid costumes and accessories.]

[psycholawgy]

[ She walks over to the cart to see what kind of things are in it. All she can remember are the HATS. Very large hats! While he's rummaging through the props, she takes a peek. Nope, those are definitely NOT HELPFUL. ]

Hey! These are the stuff from the cafe!

[ Or they're very identical to them, anyway. She pulls out a frilly apron and holds it up high to get a better look at it.

Then she offers it to Leon. ]

Okay, get in gear! This is your official battle costume.

[ Leon probably said something about modeling or something, but Athena? Athena wasn't listening. ]

[babermetrics]

H, hey, stop screwin' around, I ain't puttin' that thing on!

[His case is probably not helped by the feather duster in his hand. Look, he was just pulling it out of the cart to see if there was anything better under it! Holding it for a friend. He looks down at it and grimaces, because he knows exactly what it looks like, and flings the thing off into the crowd, smacking a photographer right in the face with the wooden handle.

. . . Okay, maybe it was useful after all, but--]

You're the one who's supposed to wear stuff like that, not me! What am I gonna do, make 'em drop dead from laughin' in my face? No thanks!

1/2

[psycholawgy]

[ It's true... He has a point. It would be really funny, but Athena's trying her best to maintain a poker face. ]

...

... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ...

[psycholawgy]

[ But she breaks out of character after a few good seconds and starts sobbing. ]

Wh- What?! This is a totally respectable piece of clothing! [ SNIFF. ] I- I think you'd look good in it, too!

[ Her gross and loud crying is even attracting an audience. People around them are now whispering rather loudly "Wow, he made her cry? She's so cute, too!" and stuff like "I bet he's a pervert!", amongst other things. ]

[babermetrics]

Wha, uh, what--heeey, don't cry!

[Fuck! Leon's always been bad with girls crying; how many times has his cousin gotten under his skin by bursting into tears? But at least he's had years of experience in standing up to her. He just met this girl! Wait, she'd been totally badass just a minute ago, she can't be friggin' sobbing now!

Is she screwing with him? Either way, they've got the attention of a crowd now, right when Leon wants it least.]

I-I didn't do anythin'! Hey, back off, there's nothin' to see here, she just--I-I found her like this?

[He addresses the crowd, holding up his hands to chest-level, innocently.]

--Don't call me a pervert, she's the one talkin' about putting me in an apron! That was a hundred percent her!

[psycholawgy]

[ Would you look at that. The guy isn't budging! When Athena tries to manipulate somebody like that, it usually works. But this time, it didn't. Gotta chalk it up to Leon for not giving into pressure. It does disappoint Athena, though.

She wipes her tears away by rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm. It wasn't absolutely sad or anything, so she's able to calm down right away. And once she does, it's like she never even cried. ]

I guess there's nothing helpful in this cart. [ It's like she wasn't even joking around earlier, either! ] But I don't see anybody else fighting anymore. I think we're fine now.

[babermetrics]

[What the hell?! This girl can really turn it on and off! He'd wondered a little if she was faking, but that was completely shameless! At least she's not pushing it . . . honestly, a little more pressure and he might have caved. Might. Being watched by a gathering crowd exponentially reduced his chances of putting on anything embarrassing, seriously.]

I knew you were screwin' with me . . .

[But also, she's right; he glances up from where he's got one hand buried in the cart, looking for something useful, and would you look at that? He doesn't need it anymore. That's kind of a relief--

And kind of a disappointment, because what he comes up with finally is a heavy stick vacuum cleaner that probably would have done some damage if it connected with someone's head.

He just holds it up in his hand and looks around at the now-calm crowd, like he's not sure whether to start a brawl with it or maybe sweep some floors.]

Oh. They got rid o' those guys already?

[psycholawgy]

There's a lot of capable people here.

[ Never mind that there are also annoying paparazzi everywhere... it's best to just ignore them if you want to keep your sanity. ]

It's good to know that everything's settled down, though. We don't need any more monsters running around.

[ There will probably be more dangers to come, but Athena wants to focus on the present. Her own arrival didn't get dangerous, or so she thinks. So she was pretty lucky! That's why she doesn't want anybody to get here all confused. If she can help them settle down and gather their bearings, then it would feel like she's doing a good job. ]

You didn't get injured, did you?

[babermetrics]

[It's appreciated, Athena, weird apron suggestions aside. But honestly, there's so much else going on that he can shove that aside for a bit, other than the lingering knowledge that damn this girl's good at the fake tears. A guy's gotta keep that in mind . . . ]

Nah, 's all good, what about you? Judo girl's just fine, right? Ha ha . . . wait a sec, what d'you mean "more" monsters? Do I gotta watch my back in the streets too or what? You'd think someone would've mentioned that to me by now!

[No one better be slacking on warning him about human-sized dinosaurs roaming this place! He leans some weight onto the vacuum cleaner, which he's still got in his hand for no real reason, watching everyone else around them dust themselves off and settle after the brawl.]

[psycholawgy]

[ Rude, Leon!! They were REAL tears, except she's on an emotional rollercoaster of her own and she's never getting off... ]

You have to be careful no matter what! [ This is definitely the time to be serious, though. She lets out a huff before continuing. ] A few weeks ago, after Christmas, there was a blizzard. Monsters started attacking the colony then. The mall was filled with so many of them.

Then the next day, it was as if nothing happened. Everybody here is still recovering from it, but CERES hasn't said anything about it at all.

[babermetrics]

What the hell . . . I mean, I heard some stuff about Christmas gettin' ruined, but you mean it just--happened?

[He's not sure what he expected. It's not like it would be better or anything if CERES--what, set the whole thing up? If it was like nothing happened the next day, isn't that better?

But man, that feels bad to hear.]

So doesn't anyone know why this kinda stuff happens? I mean, someone'd do somethin' if they did, right?

[psycholawgy]

[ Since he just got here, Athena assumes that the whole powerpoint lecture is still fresh in his mind. ]

Remember at the lecture, they said we're codes. Whenever something dangerous happens, the CEO explains that glitches in the system happened.

[ She hesitates to say the rest, but she can't be biased when giving information. ] A lot of people here don't believe that we're currently made of data right now, though. So they don't believe in what the CEO says, either. Nobody has found out anything, though. CERES' security is really tight.

[babermetrics]

["Fresh" in his mind would have been generous even five minutes after the presentation; that thing made less sense than a chemistry class! It'd been all Leon could do not to fall asleep during the complicated parts (all parts. that had been all parts). But for once, he gets everything Athena says; it finally clicks with him in a way it hadn't even started to at the presentation. He glances around to make sure they still aren't attracting attention--they're not--and then focuses on her more thoughtfully.]

I dunno, like, what's weirder to believe? That we're all code or that that alien you just threw at me was a real alien? Ain't those both total science fiction? I dunno what to think! But--I don't feel like code. I don't even know what feelin' like code feels like, so how could I feel that way?