one: in a robot world, management decisions, technical provisions [Ah. Mosley finally grew a pair, Chibi thinks. He rolls over, fully intending to go back to bed and check it out later...]
[But the minute he plops his CEREvice back on its dock, the bed lurches, then slams upright. It's enough to launch the Eliatrope a short way, just clear of the wall - and, more importantly, to mess up all his blankets. It wakes him up pretty well, though, which might have been the idea.]
What in the fuck--!! [Well, the neighbors probably heard that.]
[They probably also heard Chibi slamming the window open, and if they peek their heads out, they might see him bouncing through portals to make it safely onto the roof. He's got an eye out, though, for any poor souls who might need rescue. If you need a portal lift, it might be a good idea to lean out that window and yell!]
three-a: a mechanical ballet of slow deliberation [Chibi finds, around this time, that his portals aren't really working. They dump him into the wrong spot a few times, leaving him soaking with water from the fountains, and they]
[--But he tries it just once more, trying to get out of the way of a malfunctioning robot, and the portal turns from its normal blue to a brilliant purple. In the blink of an eye, it explodes, leaving a smoking little crater in the asphalt. Chibi gives the spot a look, absolutely bewildered.]
[A voice comes from Chibi's hat, high-pitched and chatty and not CERES-made:] Ooooh, that's not good. That's super not good.
[Chibi responds to it, with his teeth gritted:] No, it is not.
three-b: taking a position of their own volition [One might also find Chibi with his hat glitched off entirely, revealing the bright blue wings sprouting from his head. (Anyone spiritually adept might notice they're entirely made from life force.) Normally, he'd be mortified - his culture dictates that there are some things you just do not show in public, and these are one of those things - but he doesn't even seem to notice.]
[Someone may want to tell him that his head isn't covered anymore.]
four: sad robot world, machinery is sighing [Ah... This is a little sad. Chibi can't help feeling a little empty when he sees all these lifeless robots around; it's lonely, like the life has been stripped from Cerealia. They were living, too, in a way.]
[Well, it wouldn't be the first life Mosley's taken, he thinks. Ha.]
[Chibi is in the pleasure district now, surveying the flood damage, when he comes across a particularly pathetic-looking one slumped on the sidewalk. Its eyes are dark; its fingers hang limp. He kneels by its side for a moment, turns its darkened face to examine it, then declares:]
Alright, you are coming with me. Let's see if we can fix you up, yes? [And Chibi just takes it. He just steals the robot. Great!]
bonus: i thought i heard one crying [The fortunate part of Chibi's lover being around was that Chibi was discouraged from doing anything too stupid. As such, the unfortunate part of Chibi's lover being gone is that he's lost a sense of self-preservation. Really, what better time to get a sense of ViViD's internal workings than to go into it while it malfunctions? Sure, his code might be damaged, but it could as easily be damaged by anything else malfunctioning.]
[(It's annoying to wait for the system to boot, sure, but he can wait. He's old. He knows patience.)]
[Energy gain. Energy loss. Something clicks in the back of Chibi's brain, then rockets to the forefront. If you're accompanying him, or even if you're just looking on, you might be privy to his eureka moment: the horns on his hat shoot up, and he stops what he's doing to stand there, eyebrows raised and saying aloud:]
Energy. So that's how CERES... [How CERES produces energy to sell.]
no subject
[Ah. Mosley finally grew a pair, Chibi thinks. He rolls over, fully intending to go back to bed and check it out later...]
[But the minute he plops his CEREvice back on its dock, the bed lurches, then slams upright. It's enough to launch the Eliatrope a short way, just clear of the wall - and, more importantly, to mess up all his blankets. It wakes him up pretty well, though, which might have been the idea.]
What in the fuck--!! [Well, the neighbors probably heard that.]
[They probably also heard Chibi slamming the window open, and if they peek their heads out, they might see him bouncing through portals to make it safely onto the roof. He's got an eye out, though, for any poor souls who might need rescue. If you need a portal lift, it might be a good idea to lean out that window and yell!]
three-a: a mechanical ballet of slow deliberation
[Chibi finds, around this time, that his portals aren't really working. They dump him into the wrong spot a few times, leaving him soaking with water from the fountains, and they]
[--But he tries it just once more, trying to get out of the way of a malfunctioning robot, and the portal turns from its normal blue to a brilliant purple. In the blink of an eye, it explodes, leaving a smoking little crater in the asphalt. Chibi gives the spot a look, absolutely bewildered.]
[A voice comes from Chibi's hat, high-pitched and chatty and not CERES-made:] Ooooh, that's not good. That's super not good.
[Chibi responds to it, with his teeth gritted:] No, it is not.
three-b: taking a position of their own volition
[One might also find Chibi with his hat glitched off entirely, revealing the bright blue wings sprouting from his head. (Anyone spiritually adept might notice they're entirely made from life force.) Normally, he'd be mortified - his culture dictates that there are some things you just do not show in public, and these are one of those things - but he doesn't even seem to notice.]
[Someone may want to tell him that his head isn't covered anymore.]
four: sad robot world, machinery is sighing
[Ah... This is a little sad. Chibi can't help feeling a little empty when he sees all these lifeless robots around; it's lonely, like the life has been stripped from Cerealia. They were living, too, in a way.]
[Well, it wouldn't be the first life Mosley's taken, he thinks. Ha.]
[Chibi is in the pleasure district now, surveying the flood damage, when he comes across a particularly pathetic-looking one slumped on the sidewalk. Its eyes are dark; its fingers hang limp. He kneels by its side for a moment, turns its darkened face to examine it, then declares:]
Alright, you are coming with me. Let's see if we can fix you up, yes? [And Chibi just takes it. He just steals the robot. Great!]
bonus: i thought i heard one crying
[The fortunate part of Chibi's lover being around was that Chibi was discouraged from doing anything too stupid. As such, the unfortunate part of Chibi's lover being gone is that he's lost a sense of self-preservation. Really, what better time to get a sense of ViViD's internal workings than to go into it while it malfunctions? Sure, his code might be damaged, but it could as easily be damaged by anything else malfunctioning.]
[(It's annoying to wait for the system to boot, sure, but he can wait. He's old. He knows patience.)]
[Energy gain. Energy loss. Something clicks in the back of Chibi's brain, then rockets to the forefront. If you're accompanying him, or even if you're just looking on, you might be privy to his eureka moment: the horns on his hat shoot up, and he stops what he's doing to stand there, eyebrows raised and saying aloud:]
Energy. So that's how CERES... [How CERES produces energy to sell.]
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[HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT]