The Carnival

[Belle Hibiki]

Shopping for clothes took longer than Kaden would have liked. Belle seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to pick out even the simplest of things, and every time Kaden broached the possibility of hurrying, the boy-turned-girl got extremely upset. Kaden had never thought of Belle as a diva, so he assumed that the reaction had less to do with himself, and more so to do with the bizarre transformation. Belle seemed to be on the razor's edge of a mental breakdown, and Kaden felt as if he were obligated, given their past history, not to abandon him/her.

His patience was tested, however, when Belle finally went get dressed. The door to the changing room had not fully closed before Belle burst out, babbling like a madman (woman?) about 'not anything being there.' Or something along those lines; it was honestly hard to parse out the tumbling mass of words spilling from her lips.

"You're going to have to help get me dressed," 'Bella' suddenly declared, grabbing his wrist and starting to drag him toward the changing room.

"Wait, what?" Kaden stiffened. Despite the physical change, Bella seemed just as strong her her male counterpart, and her grip, though soft, was like iron. "Why do I have to - ?"

"Because I can't see when I'm in there!"

Kaden blinked. "Is the light out?"

"Of course not!" Bella snapped. "There's a mirror in there, so I have to close my eyes."

Kaden considered pointing out the fact that Belle didn't need to be scared considering it was her body, but experience with the hybrid suggested to him that insinuating anything feminine belonged to Bella would be a bad idea. He attempted to slow his travel by digging the heels of his sneakers into the ground, but was only able to halt them for a half a second before Belle yanked him forward. "If you feel that way, we can get one of the store keeper's to help," he suggested.

Belle shot a look in the direction of the cashier's desk; a woman stood behind it. "No way," she growled.

"We could find a guy - "

"I don't want some random fucking stranger looking at me when I'm naked!"

Using her free hand, Belle yanked open the door and shoved Kaden inside, stepped in, and closed the screen behind them.

What followed was probably the most awkward ten minutes of Kaden's entire life. Bella apparently refused to even touch herself beyond the barest of minimums, avoiding anything that might even remotely remind her of what had happened to her body. Kaden felt as if he were dressing a child - an extremely fidgety child that violently protested at even the barest of touches. Add super-powered strength on top of that, and Kaden counted himself lucky that a flailing elbow didn't knock him through a wall.

What Bella had eventually chosen was, as Kaden had suspected, something unisex - a variation on a Chinese tunic, loose without the potential for obscenity that the demi-saiyan's tank top had had. The pants were almost identical to the girl's previous one's, though smaller. The chest issue was something that caused a bit of a fuss: unsurprisingly, Bella point blank refused to wear a bra, but it was clear that she needed some kind of support. Kaden eventually managed to procure some binding tape from the storekeeper, and that seemed to satisfy the girl, though it looked uncomfortable to Kaden.

~+~+~+~+~

Belle managed the final tie of her shirt by herself, but her fingers trembled so bad that nearly took her a minute to get the knot right. When she was done, she felt as if she had accomplished something significant.

She looked to Kaden, who was very intently staring at a point on the ceiling. She supposed she should thank him. "Thank you," she said, trying to lower her voice to sound manly, as if Kaden wouldn't understand who it was coming from normally, or might doubt the truth of her words if they sounded feminine..

"No problem," Kaden answered, giving another vague sort of smile as he looked down. He didn't comment on the clothes - perhaps he remembered the punch that Belle had given him after the suggestion of the dress.

"This is so... stupid! Why would he do this?!" Belle demanded of no one in particular.

"Who, Gamer?"

"Duh. Who else would I be talking about?" Belle glowered. "Who else could do something like this?"

"I don't know," Kaden shrugged. He paused, lips parted, but shook his head. "I guess he just wants to see you squirm."

"I'm going to kill him," Belle growled. "I'm going to kill that little fucker."

"Well, at least you sound like yourself," Kaden sighed, pushing open the door. He stood aside to let Belle out - ladies first and all that - but at a look from the saiyan he seemed to change his mind and exited before her.

The initial panic had passed, leaving in its wake a cold, gnawing dread. She didn't think the change was permanent - this was all just a dream in a machine, after all - but logic wasn't high on her list of priorities. "What about you?" she asked, trying to keep her thoughts from straying too far down that road.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you've been acting weird."

Kaden looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I mean apart from what we were doing in there," Belle elaborated, irritated at the vaguely smuglike look in the courier's eyes. "You seem quieter than you usually are."

"How do you know how I usually am?" Kaden asked. "We haven't exactly spent a lot of time together."

"I've seen you fighting - that's usually enough for me to pick up on shit like that," she said. "It's like a kind of ... intuition."

"Women's intuition?"

Belle bristled. "Kaden--" she warned.

He raised a hand to stop her. "Sorry; just joking." He looked off across the racks of clothes, and Belle followed his gaze. There were so many garments, some tame, others wild, a few exotic, and quite a number of the mundane.

They were ways of expressing things, or so people claimed. To Belle, so many of them were nothing but costumes designed to hide the reality of the person behind them.

Kaden took a deep breath, let it out, and explained what had happened between him and Sophia, though Belle got the feeling that he was leaving something important out.

"Well, I can't say I don't see where she gets that idea," Belle admitted.

Kaden grimaced. "Oh?"

Belle shrugged. "You just... You act like you want to take charge at times, right? Like when we were fightin' in Central City; you always seemed like you had some kind of plan, or at least acted like you did, but you gave off this vibe like you really didn't care whether you succeeded or not - like you were just along for the ride. And then there was the fight we had a bit ago..." She ran her fingers through her hair, bangs flicking against her brow.

Kaden waited. "Yes?" he prompted again.

"I don't know," Belle sighed. "I mean, I wasn't in your game, so I don't know about what happened that round. Knowing you, you probably did the right thing, but you're always so..." She searched for the word. "Detached, I guess. I don't think I've ever seen you scream, or get really angry, or cry, or do anything like that. You say you care about her, but I think girls need something more than just words, you know?"

"Ah," Kaden trailed off, looking pensive, then asked: "Personal experience?"

Belle shrugged again. "Sayana's that way. Makes sense, too; words are just words. What have you done for Sophia that would make her think you care more about her than anyone else here?"

The courier frowned slightly. Belle sighed. "Sorry," she muttered. "I'm not really good at this whole 'giving advice' thing."

"It's fine," Kaden assured her.

"Do you want to go look for her?"

Kaden nodded and turned to go, and Belle fell into step beside him. Together, they made their way out of the shop and into the carnival's many lanes.

[Victoria]

It had been something to distract her, make her happy for only that short time. She had lost track of that time, and had gotten not one more snow cone, but two. She ate the things like a fish in water; she couldn’t ignore something that was free. During her respite she considered the entire fiasco. Free food and entertainment were not something to complain about. All Gamer wanted was equal entertainment, if only he didn’t include death with failure. She had to shine every time, otherwise she would be done, and that was a thought that scared her. She licked the icy granules, happy for this one thing.

Children screamed, adults chatted, and the rides rumbled. It was all blocked out; the only thing that mattered was the icy treat in her hands. She took another slurp of the red delicacy and remained doing so even as a man appeared in her peripheral vision. He spoke to her, and she looked up slightly. He was a man, that was for sure, but the glowing ring above his head meant something else. She thought back, trying to remember what it could have been.

“You have a halo,” she stated, eyeing the floating ring. “Why is that?”

She skirted the question, trying to get to the source of what was in her hands. Victoria smiled lightly, remembering how Alura had been in their first meeting. The lizard girl had fought her before offering up any conversation. Everyone here had a different way of socializing. Vic was a social virgin, she didn’t understand why people acted the way they did, she just had to know things. She avoided his questions, and would answer them if he answered hers. He did not act like the digital men and women here, he had to be another player.

The man sighed heavily, “Fine. I'm dead. Now-"

Victoria was taken aback. He’s dead? She couldn’t understand how a man could be dead, and not dead. Is it like the snow cone? She wondered, suddenly very interested. He had been brought back to life, although, not completely. The halo meant that he had to go back to death if he got out of here, she didn’t fully understand, but she wanted to know more.

She answered his question, and balked at his thought of her eating flesh. What would make a man think that? She wondered and looked him over. He moved away suddenly, having gotten what he wanted, sated his curiosity. She called out to him, not ready to let such an anomaly get away. To Victoria’s surprise, he turned around and considered her, before coming back. It had taken a fight to convince Alura to open up to her, and this man just had to be asked once. Despite his almost brute-like behavior, she felt excited to have someone to talk to.

"I'm Orion," he gave his name and sat next to her. "So, you'd like to know what it's like to be dead?"

“Yes, tell me what happens when you die,” she asked and proceeded to down the last of her snow cone. “Oh and how you died, and what it’s like where you go when you die.” She asked excitedly. The man looked at her quizzically.

“You know nothing of the afterlife?” he asked her, confirming his own suspicions.

“I wish I did, I don’t know a lot of things.” She replied, shaking her head. “I live a very sheltered life, and although I came here against my will, I’m starting to think this was a good thing for me.” She threaded a hand through her hair and smiled lightly. “I met an alien just before the last event.” She excitedly confided. "Before this place I had only just found out about Saiyans, it's so amazing, isn't it?"

“An alien? Was it a changeling?” He quickly asked in a hard voice. She tilted her head slightly and pondered what a changeling could be.

“Did he have a tail?” he replied, seeing her confused face.

“He? No, she didn’t, I don’t think.” She answered. “What’s a changeling?” Vic asked quickly.

“You have a lot of questions, girl.” He looked at her disgruntled. “Let me answer your first question.” He retraced, holding up a hand slightly.

Victoria didn’t mind which question he answered. She could tell by the faint lines in his face, and his rough demeanor that he had seen a lot of things. She looked down at her smooth hands; she could not measure up to his stories, surely. He started to explain what death was, and this meant a lot to her. It scared her, death was something unknown, but this man was proof that death was not nothingness, and he had come back.

“It’s just like living, but you have to go through many trials and otherworldly challenges to even get out of Heaven.” He explained.

“Heaven? Is that what it’s called?” She leaned forward, completely taken in by his experience. “Do you come back like this, with a halo?” she looked at the shiny ring around his head.

“Yes, there is Heaven and Hell and another place,” he waved a hand at her questions. “I will come back alive, not like this.” He gestured to the halo.

“I had no idea…” she looked away. “I’m learning so many things, it’s strange, but I like it.” She leaned back and smiled. “How did you die?” she asked.

He seemed happy to answer that question, and he answered with vigor. He had Vic nearly off her seat with his story. She stared at him in bafflement. “I could never imagine doing any of those things.” She replied, in her eyes, he was the ultimate warrior. “The Company would kill to have you.” She said.

She looked at him differently now, not only was he a warrior, but he was not human either. Although his story had been enthralling, his mention that he was a Saiyan had gotten her even more excited. He was not half human, either, he was a real Saiyan. She couldn’t wait to tell Joal, of all the things she had wanted to find out, this was one of them. She had more questions about what a Saiyan was, but she didn’t ask, not yet.

“The Company?” he asked, looking at her curiously. Victoria cleared her thoughts at the sound of his voice.

“It’s where I live, and work. I’ve been there for seven years, and I only go outside of the compound when I have to deal with a bounty.” She explained, realizing that this would be the second person she had confided in.

“You’re a bounty hunter?” he asked, showing some amusement.

“Does that surprise you?” She asked, raising her brows.

“Considering how foolish you look with that red dye all over your face, yes, I do.” He nodded at her and she shot a hand to her face in sudden embarrassment.

“I-I didn’t realize, it had been so good,” she looked away and looked around for a source of water to clean her face.

[Orion]

Orion chuckled lightly as Victoria stood, all too aware of her red stained lips. Her eyes scanned for a water fountain to remove the dyed discolouration, but her saiyan companion reached into an inside pocket of his robe and retrieved a plastic bottle. He handed it to her, immediately placating her wild, roving behaviour.

"Thank you," she said, pouring a small quantity into a cupped hand and splashing it against her face.

Orion watched on in puzzled curiosity as this "bounty hunter" patted away the red on her face. Her demeanor was mismatched to the stereotype that was usually produced by the mercenary way of life. Eating a snow cone, enjoying a carnival, ... these things were characteristic of a teenage human girl, not a cold blooded killer. How could she even claim to be part of the profession if she hadn't heard of the saiyan race, or other aliens for that fact? Had all her contracts weighed her down here? Was there no assignments she had completed off-world?

Describing her life as a shut-in only sparsely broken up by leaving some building owned by The Company shed some light on her behaviour. Orion had heard of cases like her; found as a child and capable of remarkable feats from an early age, they trained her to become an efficient tool of their dastardly vision yet only use her when it's appropriate. Her actions conveyed a sense of social immaturity, as if her non-business rendezvous even inside The Company were limited and unstimulating. In that sense, he pitied her; if she was indeed an expendable mercenary programmed to follow orders to the T and she hadn't a choice in the matter, that would be a sad state of affairs.

If that was the case, however, her lack of interaction with others hadn't dampened the child like wonder that she still retained. Hell, she was enthralled by a snow cone. Orion pondered how deep the young aspects of her personality ran; was it a separate entity from her bounty hunter persona, activated by The Company when they desired? Or was there a true distinction between her identities, and her lack of life experience lent credence that she could be both people without cognitive dissonance? Or a third option; was this all an act? Orion had bumped into contract killers who were as talented with the tongue as they were with the blade.

"What are you thinking about?" Victoria suddenly asked, noticing the saiyan staring into space.

"What? Oh, nothing," he replied, clearing his throat. "So you say that you're a bounty hunter?"

"Yes, that's right."

There must have been something special to this girl if she was a bounty hunter but retained so much naivety. "Do you have any distinguishable skills?"

"I'm good with guns," she mentioned.

"Lots of mercs are," Orion replied dryly. "If they're not, they end up dead. Is there anything else?"

"Oh!" the android exclaimed, surprised that she didn't think of it sooner. "Yes! I can do this!"

Victoria lifted her open hands, palms facing each other. A bright spark of light jumped from finger tip to finger tip, bridging the distance between her hands with a writhing strand of electricity.

Orion's eye widened for a moment. "That's not something you see every day."

The candy haired bounty hunter smiled proudly. "I'm still learning how it all works, but it's fun."

"So you can manipulate electricity? Create it?"

"Yeah, all of those things. Like I said, it's all pretty new to me. I hope to get better at it as time goes on."

An innocent human woman having dominion over lightning? How curious, he mused internally. An idea formed. "Feel free to decline, but I would appreciate it if you could display your power."

Victoria frowned. "How do you mean?"

Tense anticipation built in Orion's chest. "I would like to spar you. I would like to see your powers in use."

"Really?" she replied. Why was everyone that she met so eager to fight her?

"Yes," Orion responded, cloaking his excitement. He had never fought against a sapient who could command electricity that wasn't a mindless jellyfish-like life form. If this Victoria was a mercenary as she said she was, her combat skills would prove an entertaining challenge. "So how about it?"

[Victoria]

A fight, it didn’t surprise her. She had fought Joal, and from that spar they had grown closer as friends. She had fought against Alura, and after some time, they had formed a friendship. Even Piper had fought her, from a misunderstanding, but now they were very much aware of each other’s existence. She didn’t mind fighting; she actually liked the opportunity to train against other people. She hadn’t taken enough chances before, always living by the rules, but Joal had changed all of that. She smiled eagerly and held up a clenched fist. “You’re on.” She glanced around at the concession stands quickly and then motioned for Orion to follow her lead.

Between the concession and the arcade lay a trampled area, a few patches of green grass sprouted from the dry dirt, but from constant use a trail tore through the open area. It would suffice for their spar; she knew already that sparring in the middle of a crowd did not bode well. The last thing she wanted was to make the digital consumers angry.

Orion looked at her nonchalantly, “Ladies first.” He said, waving a hand at her.

Victoria shifted her body slightly, raising her fists. “What do I get if I win?” She asked, smirking slightly.

“Win? Well, you’ll have to win first, because I don’t intend on losing.” He replied. “Just show me what you’ve got.” His reasons behind this spar were unknown to her, but he didn’t seem concerned by what she might be able to do. Victoria eyed him for a moment and shot off the ground towards him.

His arm came up and blocked her attack, although he found himself sliding back slightly. Victoria pushed off of his body and returned quickly, throwing her fists forward and into his arms. He watched her movements, the way she fought, and she attempted to break through his defenses. She had an ace up her sleeve, because with each punch that landed on his strong arms she laid a latent charge. Her body began to spark slightly; little forks sprang from her flesh and caused a unique glow around her form. Her strikes began to stack the charge on him, synced with her own electric energy, it would come in useful.

“Nice affect,” he commented and pushed her back. She stumbled with her footing, and a smile crept onto her lips. “Is that all?”

“Not quite, I’m only getting started.” She launched at him again, but feinted to the left. He missed the block and her fist nailed him in the gut. He shifted from the attack, leaning forward. Victoria shuffled around and he turned to follow her movements. “You ready for the pain, Saiyan?” She coaxed and hopped back as he stepped closer. She was quick on her feet, but with each attack he garnered information on her sporadic fighting style. Victoria jumped forward again, her fists cocked back. He reached upwards just as she made to strike, gripping her small fist in his hand.

Victoria pulled back, but he held her, and he looked amused while he did it. “Fancy,” she remarked and slapped him hard across the face. Although he seemed stunned, he didn’t let her go. Victoria lifted herself up, placed her feet onto his stomach and pushed off of him forcing his hand to let go. She landed in a crouch and turned to face him. Little did Orion know, she had placed her Static Symbiosis charge on him with her nasty slap. His cheek turned red and blotchy. Victoria laughed at him, and took a quick step back.

“Do you slap everyone you fight?” He asked, taking on the offensive. He moved in fluidly, his shaggy raven hair moving with the wind. Victoria threw up her arms in defense, and his hard jabs made her teeth clench. He had power behind his hits; she was not fighting an amature. She lost her footing and he grabbed her by the collar of her vest and pulled her forward before she could fall. He buried his fist into her gut, and she gasped for air. Vicky pushed away from him, trying to regain her composure.

“No,” she coughed, and held up a hand. “I do whatever I need to, and a slap seemed like the best course of action.” She ran towards the Saiyan then, attempting to catch him off guard. However, she didn’t run into him, she ran past him. He turned sharply to see her stop a few feet away at the sign that pointed in the two directions Arcade and Concession. She tapped the post, and turned towards him; she set her hands on her hips and gave him a cocky look. “You’re slow, old man.” She taunted, and tapped her foot.

Orion’s lips curled into a smirk at her taunt before he shot towards her with all the speed he possessed. She jumped out of the way, and he slammed into the sign. A sudden explosion of static electricity erupted from his face, and Victoria excitedly clapped her hands causing electricity to fork from her hands. She watched him straighten, touching his red face. Victoria raised a hand and pointed her middle and index finger at him like a gun.

Orion chuckled at the girl, thinking her daft. “Pow,” she said, and her hand flared with electric force that formed into a shot that slammed into his chest. His body was taken over by another attack of static energy as the shot triggered her Static Striking ability. She hopped on the spot, watching him.

“Pretty,” she remarked, and he fought to regain his composure by trying to lean on the singed sign.

“Impressive,” he surmised, shaking his tingling hands.

“What can you do?” She asked, sliding into her stance once again. “You didn’t tell me about your abilities.” She waited for him, watching him carefully. “Someone as seasoned as you should know a thing or two, not just have the ability to fight.” She smirked, hoping to see what he might be able to bring to the table.

[Orion]

It had been quite a while since Orion had felt electricity coursing through his veins. It didn't feel particularly painful, but perhaps Victoria was reigning her full power. It was a spar, after all. However, the lightning that arched from her fingers left a tingling sensation; it wasn't quite numb though. It was as if she struck a potent form of pins and needles into his skin. Her ability to wield it was more advanced than he gave her credit for. She knew how to mold it not just into the predictable bolts of electricity, but to imbue her physical techniques with a weaker configuration of it that applied strategic effects if the right criteria was met.

He hadn't let his guard down, but admittedly hadn't given Victoria the respect she deserved on the battlefield. For a sheltered mercenary, her skills were impressive; she knew how to fight and she was nimbler on her feet than he was. He had to step up his game a little. Regardless, Orion was enjoying the spar. Watching the candy haired android weave her own bio-electricity to her advantage was spectacular. Such a rare ability, she utilised it to great effect, and the saiyan couldn't help but wonder what else she could do with it.

“What can you do?" Victoria inquired. “You didn’t tell me about your abilities. Someone as seasoned as you should know a thing or two, not just have the ability to fight.”

"What can I do?" Orion mimicked, thinking for a moment. "My energy attacks are some of the strongest you'll ever see in the galaxy."

Victoria's eyes lit up. "Oh, really?"

"This isn't an appropriate venue to showcase that, unfortunately," he continued. "I have some other techniques that are sure to impress, however."

"Don't keep me waiting!" she said hurriedly. "Show me something!"

Orion smirked. Most of his eye catching feats were that of raw power. In a friendly spar, they were no use. Massive energy waves and morphing into a fifty foot were ape weren't options here. Energy Reserve was rendered void, since what was the use of stashing ki if it wasn't for an apocalyptic blast?

Orion's navy aura engulfed his body, buffeting his garish robe. "How about I show you the fruits of my labour from my training in Heaven?"

Before the feminine android could respond, the one eyed saiyan darted forward, leaving a trail of light in his wake. He came to a grinding halt a few inches from her, staring her down.

"Take a swing," he prompted. "Go on."

Victoria knew it was a trick, but her ardent desire to witness the experienced soldier's techniques won out. She thrust her fist out as fast as she could, only to hit a thin hologram of the saiyan. She spun about, spotting Orion behind her. With a subtle grin, he swung his foot towards her head, but she rose a hooked arm in time to catch the force against her forearm. Perceiving a break in his defense, Victoria swept her foot towards him. Again, she connected with nothing but air, her fierce kick sailing through a dematerialising image of Orion.

"Impressive?"

Victoria took a startled jump back, spinning to see her opponent. "But you're so slow!"

"A trick I picked up from the god of speed," Orion mentioned. "I might be sluggish compared to you, but I can increase my agility in short bursts to the point where I leave behind an after-image of myself."

"What do you call it?"

"Call it? I don't know. Super-speed?"

"Cool, what else?" she prodded.

"Let's continue the battle. The rest will unfold." Orion beckoned her to attack.

Victoria leapt forward, releasing a flurry of melee strikes. Where the saiyan could, he weaved away from the furious limbs, although in close quarters it was the android who had the speed advantage. In times where the attacks were faster than he was, he blocked them or parried, trying to create a soft target in which to plough his fist into.

"Come on!" the magenta haired mercenary baited. "Let's see what you've got!"

Almost on cue, a bulbous barrier of cyan energy expanded from Orion's core and flooded outwards, launching Victoria back with unstoppable force. She flew into the sky, momentarily stunned from the Shockwave detonation. Orion's body popped out of thin air above her. With a satisfied smirk, he slammed his foot into her stomach, rocketing her towards the parched soil.

Victoria righted herself before her collision with the ground, hovering millimetres above it. Orion descended back down, alighting softly. He was proud of his surprise power.

"That's Shockwave," he informed. "Great for keeping enemies at a distance."

His training partner seemed more enraptured with another ability he inadvertently displayed. "Can you fly?"

Orion cocked an eyebrow. "Yes. Can't you?"

"How do you fly without wings?" she inquired, unable to understand.

"Obviously not," he remarked to himself. "It's a simple manipulation of ki. I assumed you knew how, judging by your affinity for electricity."

Suddenly, a rock hard fist crashed into Orion's face. He stumbled backwards, shaking off the shock from the unexpected blow. Victoria stood with her fist outstretched. She looked pleased with herself.

Orion shook his head. "Well done. That's a great demonstration of what to do when your opponent loses focus. I won't let it happen again, however, so be prepared!"

Victoria giggled. "Bring it on!"

The two mercenaries rushed to meet each other, colliding in the centre of the makeshift arena. The bubblegum haired android launched a kick at Orion's midsection, but he was ready. He caught the offending limb and spun her around, using the moment of her own attack, before tossing her across the field. Vicky regained her composure just as the saiyan zipped beside her. He attempted a punch, but she almost expected him to use the after-image technique again. She evaded the attack and took a long hop backwards to reassess the situation.

Orion charged like an angry bull, fist primed for his next strike. Victoria preemptively dodged as he brought down his punch, but the attack fizzled out as Orion's image sailed through her like a ghost. She knew what was about to happen next, and hoped she could react in time.

A hard kick to the face confirmed her suspicion. Orion predicted that she would expect a desist to his after-image ability after it failed; after all, it made sense not to overuse it. Thankfully, she fell for that ploy, allowing his next speed shift to land the disorienting blow. He followed up with a grinding fist to her abdomen, doubling her over. Happy with the damage, Orion strafed backwards, conjuring a ball of ki in his hands. He aimed at her feet, and the blast hit true.

The explosion knocked Victoria off her feet. Her hearing rung for a moment, but it quickly faded as she made it back to her a footing.

"That was a little rough!" she cried out, jostling a finger in her ear.

Orion rubbed the blotchy patch of skin on his cheek. "Your lightning wasn't exactly a pillow to the face, either." He smirked.

Victoria chuckled. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I thought that was apparent," he returned friendly, dropping into a fighting stance. "Aren't you?"

[Victoria]

It was the thrill of a good fight, not one that involved death, but one where the combatants showed what they had in them. How they survived time and again, it made them who they were.

Victoria had only just learned about the joy of meeting new people, and that there were men and women like her, or more powerful. It was exhilarating, and scary, but she absorbed it like a sponge. Her innate curiosity, born from her altered body, made her crave more. These people, aliens and undead, she wanted to know everything about them. People, who could fly, summon energy in waves, or teleport were anomalies to her. She could do it too, but Jeremy explained it all to her. She was not human, she was more, and she was a fighter born from other powerful beings. She may have been altered at birth, given the enhancements that would consider her a cyborg, but she would embrace both of her qualities. Human, and machine, a monster.

Orion’s fist barely missed her face, and she stumbled to one side. “Careful, I might aim better next time.” He remarked and jabbed again at her face. Victoria raised her arm to block, and returned the blow, but he blocked it with equal vigor.

“I quite enjoy exchanging attacks, and getting all sweaty and dirty, it’s the greatest thing,” she explained as they fought, moving about their little battlefield. “Can you think of any other way to pass the time?” she asked, jumping back to avoid his attack.

“No, fighting is what I do best.” He answered, smirking at her.

“In Zone 5 that’s all I do, I train. Until I killed my partner…and then there was Richard,” her mind went out of focus, remembering suddenly the events that had taken her to this moment. Orion didn’t know, and didn’t care, he unleashed a beam of energy into her torso and had her flying with such force that she slammed into a wooden fence that surrounded the Concession grounds. He arrogantly followed where her body had landed, and made ready to explain the importance of focus during battle, when his face fell in shock.

Victoria had hit the wooden fence, it crumbled with the impact, but she had landed on one of the splintered boards in an unfortunate manner. The wooden stake had gone straight through her upper right arm; blood flowered down her pale skin and upon the ground.

“I didn’t mean…” he reached out, suddenly aware that he had gone too far. The girl got to her feet and shook her head at him.

“It’s ok,” she winced and looked at the wood, wondering just how she would pull it out.

“It’s not ok, you’re bleeding, and we need to bandage it.” He said sternly, eyeing the nasty wound.

“No, you don’t, really.” She replied and gripped the wood with her other hand. She pulled it out quickly, gasping at the pain. Blood spurted outward, almost hitting the Saiyan where he stood. She threw the wood onto the ground and wiped her hand on her vest. “Where were we?”

“You would think of fighting when you’re severely wounded?” He looked at her incredulously. To him she was a human, but it had never occurred to him that she would fight with such passion, with a wound that would hinder her. There was more to Victoria than she let on.

“Of course, wouldn’t you?” She asked, and leapt out of the broken debris. She swung a fist at him, missing him, but he continued to look at her in disbelief.

“I would, I’m a Saiyan warrior.” He answered.

“And I’m a human, well, a human something. I wouldn’t call myself a warrior yet.” She jostled him in the chest, making him stumble. Despite her injury, she would have him losing this spar if he didn’t accept her will to fight. Orion fought back, regaining his footing and retaliating against her attacks.

Vicky jumped away, and dodged around his body. She threw up her hands and began firing electric bullets at the Saiyan. He jumped as the energy blasts hit the ground throwing up chunks of dirt and grass. “Zap!” She yelled and a blue bullet slammed into his right hand, immediately causing the appendage to numb and tingle. He shook it, finding it harder to control the digits and form a fist.

“Another technique? You’re full of them, it would seem.” He looked up and dashed towards her. He used his left hand to attack. He disappeared and came at her from the side, confusing her again with his own ability. He slammed into her side, making her fall. She looked up, stricken, and rolled before his boot could connect with her stomach. He attacked again, but she shimmed downward and sweep-kicked him to the ground.

“For such a strong warrior, you aren’t doing very well!” she exclaimed and hoisted herself up from the grass. She quickly slammed a foot down on his chest and looked down at him with hands on her hips.

“I’m not the one bleeding, am I?” he retorted, grabbing her by the ankle and twisting. She twirled with the motion and fell once again. He wrapped his arms around her and shot into the sky, despite her struggling, she could already tell what was to come next. He disappeared and she fell from the sky, plummeting towards a hard fall. She landed not on the ground, but right onto his upraised knee, and responded by coughing out a mixture of blood and saliva. Vic hit the ground on her knees and held her stomach.

“Submit!” He smirked coyly at her, and waited for the girl to admit defeat. Victoria smiled to herself, and then looked up at him.

“I’m not a quitter.” She replied and shot her fist into his stomach. That had been her plan, however, he had seen the attack coming. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled so that she was forced onto her back, knees bent. “Sheesh, you really are good.” She painfully replied.

“Your arm,” Orion let her go, suddenly stunned by what had happened to her arm. The bloody wound had closed, where a hole had been earlier. The skin had nearly renewed, leaving only what appeared to be the size of a bullet hole. “How did you do that?” He looked at her face; she had straightened up again but remained on her knees.

“I told you not to worry about it, didn’t I?” she said, smiling despite her wrist throbbing. “I can’t be hurt, not extensively. I can regenerate.” She elucidated and started to get to her feet. “You’re pretty good at reading me, though; I thought I’d get you that time for sure.” She looked away sheepishly.

“I thought you were aiming elsewhere, but yes, I knew it was coming.” He coughed slightly and crossed his arms.

Victoria had never met a man like him, Joal and Jeremy were different. They were not experienced like this Saiyan, he knew how people fought. As random as she was, he could sense what direction she would favor when attacking. It must be because he is a Saiyan. She decided, but she wouldn’t know for sure, unless she decided to ask.

[Orion]

That's a pretty handy technique, Orion thought to himself. Seeing Victoria's wounded arm miraculously healed like that was not something he thought a human could be capable of. Such regenerative tissue he thought only existed on namekians, but obviously the self preserving ability wasn't limited to the green skinned agrarians.

Victoria sprung forward to continue the spar, but Orion raised his hand. "That's enough."

"Already? I was just starting to have fun," she complained.

"I intend to engage you in combat at a later date," the saiyan explained. "You have some unique abilities and are a good fighter. The only way to honour our names as warriors is to have a full powered, no holes barred battle. We won't have that luxury while we're the puppets of the Gamer."

The candy haired bounty hunter thought on the proposition for a moment before agreeing. "You're right. This really was more of a warm up. I've got lots more power in me to show you yet."

"Exactly," Orion affirmed. "Besides, I got a chance to see your lightning ki. Quite entertaining."

The two mercenaries left the barren patch of dirt and back into the bustling carnvial. The crowds still hadn't died down; lines of humans strolled leisurely like a colony of ants. Orion grunted as he rudely barged through them. His stomach abruptly growled. The lively spar required a great deal of energy, and now he needed to replenish it.

"What do humans eat at a carnival?" Orion asked Victoria as they sauntered along.

"I had a snow cone before. You could have one of those," she suggested.

"No, I need more than flavoured ice." The saiyan's eye glimpsed a food vendor with large cartoon images depicting the food for sale. None of it looked appetizing, but Orion wasn't picky.

"What has meat in it here?"

"You could try ... a hot dog!" Victoria stated.

Orion spoke with the attendant and came back holding the snack that his mercenary companion recommended. It was a simple log of processed meat resting in a bun covered in tomato sauce and mustard.

"You've never had one before?" the android asked, purchasing another cherry snow cone for herself.

"I've never been to Earth before," Orion stated, eyeing the supposed edible item. "I've never seen something so repulsive."

"Just give it a bite!" Victoria nudged. They returned to the bench where Orion originally ran into her before he finally attempted to consume it. Taking a bite, he let the flavours saturate his palette.

"I'm surprised humans eat this," Orion commented with his mouth full.

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"The taste is fine. But if I'm correct, this 'hot dog' is composed of meat left overs. It's been liquidised and forced into this unusual shape. Why would humans eat this?" Despite his complains, Orion finished it, emitting a hearty burp afterwards.

"So ... " Victoria started, looking at her cherry snow cone, "how did you know how I was going to attack?"

"Years of experience," Orion stated, leaning back in the bench. "When you've seen as much battle as I have, you learn how to perceive patterns in the way people move."

"Really? What was my pattern?"

"Yours? You're an intelligent fighter, but you expected me to follow a set of actions. You already discerned how I fought before I took my first swing. You never expected me to use my after-image technique as often as I did, because you pegged me as a heavy hitter but a slow mover. You lowered a specific part of your defense that would have dealt with my rapid attacks, because you felt you didn't need it."

"Oh," Victoria answered, mulling over his words. "So what do you suggest I do?"

"Loosen up," he counseled. "There are as many different fighting styles as there are stars in the galaxy. Never pigeon-hole an opponent unless you know them well. Since most fights are with strangers, it's wise to constantly assess their technique. Do they attack quickly, or powerfully? Do they rely on energy attacks? Is there a pattern to their combos? Do they give away a tell before they rush in to attack? It's simple in theory, but the only way to master it is to practice it."

"I see," the android said. She smirked. "You didn't do too well against my static powers, though."

Orion nodded. "That proves my point. I didn't know how your lightning mastery operated, therefore I could only make rough estimates about how you would use it. I couldn't commit to anything until I witnessed one of the attacks, but even then you didn't overuse any particular ability."

Victoria took a lick of her snow cone, processing the saiyan mercenary's advice. "I never thought about fighting that way."

"I haven't stopped learning yet," Orion added. "I'm still being trained in Heaven right now, discovering new strategies, techniques, ways of thinking. It's a never ending journey, and it never gets boring."

He would never admit it, but Orion was unexpectedly enjoying his time with Victoria. In spite of her race, she was an excellent warrior with abilities that stood her heads and shoulders above any human he had ever met. She even savoured the excitement of battle like a true saiyan. He entertained the thought that she could be one of those wretched human/saiyan hybrids, although the saiyan blood ran hotter than that of which diluted it.

"I've got a question for you," Orion remarked. "Your healing. Have you always been able to do that?"

[Victoria]

The fight was over before she could really take him down, but in truth, she wasn’t sure if that would be possible. He didn’t mess around, behind all of his words and attitude was a real warrior, and she didn’t want to look like a failure yet. She took his rain check for another fight, by then she would surpass his skill and really give him a show. She smiled to herself, knowing that their end of the spar really saved her the humiliation. As it was Orion was impressed by what she had done, and she liked that.

After eating a Hot Dog for the first time, and berating the very idea of the Hot Dog, he conversed with her again. She ate her snow cone delicately, careful not to get the red liquid all over her lips and face. Guilty as she was, she felt like such a kid in this carnival. During the events she had to put on her game face, but away from all of that, she just wanted to be happy. She had to make lemons from lemonade, or something like that.

“I’ve always been able to do this.” She looked at the wound on her arm, it was gone, but the blood still caked her skin. “I didn’t even notice it until I fought someone and they impaled me with an antenna.” She chuckled lightly at the memory.

“Well, surviving that must have been a shock.” He replied. Victoria could only wonder if maybe the Saiyan were jealous, perhaps if he had been given such a gift he never would have died.

“Yes, it was, so I asked my supervisor, Jeremy, about it.” She looked down for a moment. “He took me into The Company, and knew everything about my past.”

“You don’t know your own past?” He asked curiously.

“I knew what my adopted father told me, at the time I thought he was my real father but that was all a lie. I believed everything he told me, but I was nothing more than the property of The Company.” She replied vehemently. “This ability, it’s a curse in disguise."

“How could such power be a curse? You’re lucky to have it.” He was baffled, but she couldn’t blame him for not understanding.

“I’m not just a human,” she replied. “I’m…I don’t know, it was all his doing, my adopted father,” she tried to explain. “Jeremy told me that because of my regenerative cells, my father developed a means to adapt advanced organic technology with my body.” She held a clenched hand to her chest. “I was a baby, and he just opened me up and…” she trailed off, near to tears, but she had to stop before it was too late. She didn’t want him to see her cry, she was not weak.

“Anyway,” she interjected before he could speak. “He developed a drug for The Company, and used it on me. The drug had blood from my mother, which was what made it work. It made me stronger and better. I developed the ability to harness electricity. I’m not sure if the drug did it to me, I’ll never know. However, he only made enough of it for me, and because of that The Company took me away when I was thirteen, because I belonged to them.” She said this calmly, as if she had been reciting the information for years. She had only found out within the last few weeks.

“He used a drug on you as a child?” He asked, shocked at such a thing.

“It made me who I am today, at least that’s what I’m told.” She looked at the Saiyan helplessly. “The drug that The Company developed is hardly the same. They use it on recruits that aren’t Supers.”

“Supers?” Orion asked.

“People like you or me,” she shrugged slightly. “They’re strong, but not strong enough, so they get that drug. It’s all they could come up with but it’s got bad side effects. It makes a recruit more primal. They are susceptible to anger, lust, and hunger. The Company has rules to deal with the drug, recruits are encouraged to socialize in a way that will meet those needs…” she trailed off.

“I don’t understand,” Orion furrowed his brow. “They are primal…like Saiyans?” he inquired.

“That’s what Joal said, he’s half Saiyan, so he didn’t need the drug.” She smiled. “He was my first friend. Until I met him a few weeks ago I never really left my room, only to eat and train. I would do missions every chance that I could get. The men on Zone 5 are crude…they see me as nothing but a tool for their own lust and desires.”

“There are other women, though?” He asked.

“Yes and almost all of them are also on the drug. It works fine for them, they both get what they want, but because I keep to myself they target me…one of them attacked me and I shocked him before he could do anything.” She blushed slightly, but remained cool.

“Barbaric,” he stated, “I didn’t think humans could be so inhumane.” He shook his head.

“It’s all I know, I have nothing else. I found out here that there are other planets, though.” She looked up excitedly. “I want to go to one sometime, see what it’s like.” She looked away, her face shifting for a moment sadly. Dragging up memories never sat well with her, but in time they would become forgotten, and her life would be greater than them. She looked at the Saiyan and flashed him a smile, for all it was worth; his company would be included in the new and happy memories.

[Juno]

“Because I love you!”

The words rang through the water park, cascading as beautiful sound waves over the chlorinated pools. The pair exchanged just a few more brief words, culminating in a rather anticlimactic parting of ways. The girl in the blue dress - Sophia - immediately stormed away, leaving a bewildered Kaden standing next to a red-haired girl, who he was soon led to believe was, in fact, Belle Hibiki, transformed into a female. Hibiki’s intrusion into the courier’s encounter with the priestess was an apt distraction, giving Sophia just enough time to slip from the courier’s radar and disappear from his sight, wandering quickly to the entrance - or exit, depending on your perspective - of the water park.

She followed Kaden’s directions to the letter, eventually reaching the head of the water park, where a good-sized crowd of people meandered through the carnival, playing games, shopping in Shop Town, or heading off to ride some of the carnival rides. She felt the need to do none of that.

Meanwhile, Juno sat idly on a bench just outside of the arcade, examining the PAGER device he’d been miraculously given. He searched the people on the list - it was a good list, from what he saw, with plenty of impressive names, some of which he remembered quite clearly from Friend or Foe; Sophia, of course, and Kaden, as well as Sage, but also Xenia - whom he’d shared his last event with - and Piper Juunanagou. And Ashe; the bubblegum-pink haired girl in the picture looked distinctly familiar, and it didn’t take the rescue worker too long to remember that she had been with Sage in the middle of the town square when they’d rescued them from Balrog.

Looking at these familiar people was… unsettling, at best. It reminded Juno of how disconnected he’d been from the outside world over the past few months, moving back into the light only just a week or so ago, when he’d joined up with the Galactic Rescue Agency, looking to help those who he might’ve had a hand in hurting. It reminded him, most of all, of the distinct loss he felt for himself - he remembered Sophia and Kaden, Kaden and Piper, and Sage and Ashe, all clearly forming close bonds with one another, that of a true friendship. He was missing that.

He couldn’t let that bother him too much, though. He knew these people quite well - specifically Sophia, Kaden, and Sage - and he wasn’t about to let them just escape from his life. Even if he did dislike Kaden, you needed people to knock your ego down a peg, to get in a fight with. No life was complete without an argument. Sophia was a friend, the only person he’d ever truly trusted. He respected her, and he really liked her as a person; he hoped that same friendship that they had quickly struck up during Friend or Foe remained. And Sage; well, Sage was an intriguing story. He felt protective of her, for one reason or another, though he had tried to push back any romantic inklings he may have had.

But Sage wasn’t here anymore; well, she was here, in the game, just not in the carnival. For one reason or another, Gamer had decided that she wasn’t being entertaining enough, and had eliminated her.

And Kaden - well, he couldn’t just randomly walk up to Kaden and start talking to him, he didn’t think. It wouldn’t have been the best idea. Kaden was nice, yeah, but he could be… overbearing, and based on their previous experience with one another, which had been acidic and all but absolutely hostile, he wasn’t sure if the courier would take too kindly to his presence. Kaden was the type of guy that Juno would work with in a tight spot, and probably do well with (if he could keep Kaden’s mind off of pointless things, such as morals) but he wouldn’t want to just strike up a conversation with him out of nowhere.

He and Kaden could never be bar buddies, to say the least.

But his problems or lack thereof with other people were not his primary concern right now, and he knew it, so why did he persist in thinking of this lackluster subject? Did it bother him that much that he didn’t really have that many friends to speak of? Maybe. But whether it did or not, he couldn’t focus on that right now - he had a game to win, after all.

Gamer. He was enigmatic, at best, but based upon what he’d seen of Kill Town so far, Juno could chalk up his maturity level to about as far as he could throw a stick. He supposed the guy might’ve been somewhere around his age - maybe younger - due to his distinct obsession with videogames. There was bright side, however. While the kid was obviously a technological genius, he seemed to be pretty stupid when it came to everything else. At least, at first glance - Juno couldn’t be too sure. After all, “Age of Wyrms” was totally not the name of the game. “Dragon Age.”

Nevertheless, Age of Wyrms had gone surprisingly well for the hybrid. He’d had the accent that made him sound exceedingly more feminine, sure, but he’d gotten over it. And he’d met some very interesting people, reconnecting with others, as well.

His conversation with Xenia had been the most notable moment of the ride for him personally, with Kazuya’s demon revelation coming in at a close second. But the blonde bombshell had almost trusted him, he thought. He had seen that look in her eye when she’d asked him that - that slight sliver of hope that he wasn’t just being the hormonal jerk that he had probably been chalked up to back in Friend or Foe.

“You really care about her, don’t you?”

Yes. Yes, he did care about Sage. She was a friend, and as a friend, he knew he had to be there for her, for her to have someone to rely on. It didn’t even matter to him anymore whether or not he could get her to be interested in him romantically. He just wanted to be there for her whenever she needed to. Above all things, he had her back, he wanted to protect her.

A noise rung out from the water park, but it wasn’t loud enough for Juno to make out anything it said. It distracted him enough from his thoughts, though, that he finally had to reconnect himself. He stood and glanced at the middle-finger badge, chuckling inwardly at the slight sense of humor Kaden had, and then he walked.

Wandering aimlessly through a carnival might not have seemed like the ideal recreational activity, but when you had little to no choice in the matter, it didn’t seem so bad. Then, there were all of the intriguing people you could run into - so, it slowly became a more attractive proposition the longer Juno was stuck here. Oftentimes, however, the onyx-haired hybrid and his fellow Kill Town contestants were too enthralled by their own thoughts to notice others. For example, under normal circumstances, Juno would’ve immediately zeroed in on the blonde-haired priestess. As it were, he was too busy basking in his own glory.

The game had begun, and it felt… good. He let his fingers trace the edges of the vulgar badge he’d Coveted from Kaden, and smirked victoriously. The blonde courier probably hadn’t even known he was at the carnival prior to this moment, and now, he had announced his presence in one of the boldest ways he knew possible - letting the delivery boy know he wasn’t the only one playing the game.

That wasn’t to say, though, that he was here solely for the purpose of playing the game; no, his main objective had been, and continued to be, getting out of here alive. If he had to step on some toes along the way to do that, however, the obvious choice was Kaden. Sure, Kaden was a good guy, morally; but he could be bigheaded, arrogant, and rash. And maybe Juno was a bit bitter - after all, he and the red-jacket sporting man hadn’t been on the best of terms. And Juno always felt like he was fighting Kaden for Sophia’s attention - no matter how much of a losing battle that may have been. He had known it from the moment he had seen them together - perhaps the spark hadn’t been as bright back during Friend or Foe, but it was still there, and Juno was adept at figuring those things out.

Kaden…

He paused for a second. That word rung in his head, but it wasn’t his thought. He turned on his heel - the voice that had spoken the word was obvious enough. It was Sophia’s voice, he knew, but it hadn’t come from any one place, but rather, from all directions. Something was going on; her voice sounded distinctly on edge.

He craned his head from one shoulder to another, surveying his surroundings like a radar looking for a miniscule blip as he searched for the priestess, whom he originally thought would be dressed in her traditional white robes, blonde hair neck-length and flowing down her cheeks. No white-garbed priestess was to be found, unfortunately, no matter where he looked - whether it be Shop Town or the hotel, the Ferris wheel or the log ride. His eyes drifted to the entrance of the water park, but an instant recognition of Sophia did not greet him.

Abruptly, his eyes focused upon the only blonde woman in sight, standing under the sign that advertised the water park. She wore a shapely blue dress, and had long, blonde hair, much more flowing than Sophia’s had been at their last meeting. As she gazed into the water park introspectively, there was nothing on her that denoted her as the priestess he searched for. But when the turned her head towards him, her face was unmistakably that of Sophia.

She stood at the water park’s entrance, arms crossed defensively in front of her chest as she urgently searched her surroundings. Something was troubling her, and she seemed to be looking for an escape route, however conspicuous she might’ve been. Juno paused for a minute, and watched as her eyes glazed over him - she didn’t notice him, thankfully; or, perhaps she forced herself not to notice him. It did seem as if she wanted to be alone; she didn’t seem to be that pleased. Which, suicidal as the onyx-haired boy was, only made him want to pester her with a polite greeting all the more - so he took a few steps toward the water park, and then stopped suddenly, reevaluating his motives.

What did he want from this encounter? Did he just want the satisfaction of knowing that he knew someone here? Was he going to start flirting with her again? No, he knew he couldn’t do that - he couldn’t just waltz up after she’d been dead for almost a year and start courting her. Besides, she was clearly more interested in Kaden than in him. Friendship seemed the best course of action - if she’d even go for that.

“Sophia,” he muttered to himself, convinced that his motivations were genuine and that he really, truly just was happy to see her alive, and wanted her to know that he still cared about her, in a strictly platonic fashion, of course. He quickened his stride, letting it become more and more powerful as it carried him to one of the only people in the North Quadrant that he felt he could consider a friend.

He had often asked himself what would’ve become of him if he hadn’t forgiven Sophia after she had given into the darker aspects of her personality in Rosemary’s Game. He probably wouldn’t be in this mess nearly as thick as he was, first things first. When you knew somebody who was on the inside of all of this world-saving stuff, it usually ended up sucking you in as well, and Sophia had been his vehicle to being introduced to Kaden and Piper, king and queen of the world-saving business. Besides; how could he not forgive her? He respected her for what she had done; even if he had felt a little dejected at first, she proved herself not nearly as mentally weak as Kaden had.

“Sophia!” he called out to her, slipping his badge in his pocket. He broke into a run, attempting to catch up with the priestess as she quickened her pace.

Leave me alone, he heard faintly, once again Sophia’s voice, but once again from all directions, as before. Just leave me alone, all of you… It was pleading, not to him, or to anyone in particular, but to the hostile world around her. She wasn’t a very happy person at this moment, and that made Juno all the more curious to figure out what was wrong so that he could help her. That was what friends did, right? They helped each other?

“Sophia!” he yelled again, and finally reached the blonde, placing a hand on her shoulder. She spun on her heel and clutched his wrist, bringing up a clenched fist and letting her eyes do the talking. The fist began to fly towards him, but for a moment, the hybrid’s agility didn’t fail him - he caught her fist just before it reached his cheek, quickly spouting: “Sophia, calm down, it’s me!”

“J-Juno?” she stammered, and her grip on his wrist loosened until her hand dropped. The hybrid released her fist as she began to forcefully wrench herself free of his hold, and she stepped back away from him, slightly in shock that the onyx-haired boy was here but more so still reeling from whatever personal thing had just occurred. She bit her lip, frustrated, and started to turn away. “Leave me alone,” she said simply, beginning to walk quickly away.

“Sophia, what’s up with you?” Juno asked genuinely, concerned for her as he supposed a friend would be. She ignored him, continuing to walk, though not as quickly as she had before their encounter. His mind raced - he couldn’t just let her walk away like this! “What happened with Kaden?” he offered.

The girl stopped in her tracks, her crossed arms slowly unfolding and falling to her side. She placed herself facing him once again, walked up boldly with her back straight and her head held high, and she slapped him - hard - on the cheek. He flinched, grasping the spot of impact. He cursed his Foresight mentally for not seeing that coming beforehand like it had her earlier punch, because he was quite sure that that hurt just as much as the punch would’ve. “Hey, what was that for?!” he sputtered, and she merely scowled.

“Reading my mind,” she spat coldly.

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Juno apologized, “I’m not sure how to control it just yet, Sophia.” She loosened her rigid stance, but folded her arms once again to make sure he didn’t get any false impressions. This conversation wasn’t going to last very long, at least not if she got her way. The hybrid knew that no matter what, he could win this battle of wills, and Sophia would not get her way.

“You had better learn how to get out of my head, and quickly,” she replied, tightening her crossed arms. She looked him up and down, fidgeting slightly from the frustration boiling inside of her. “Oh, and my argument with Kaden,” she continued, annoyed, “It’s none of your business.”

“Whether it’s my business or not,” Juno interjected, “I’m not going to let you just walk away, Sophia.”

“That’s exactly what you’re going to do,” she muttered dejectedly, a low rasp in her voice signaling that she meant what she said. Juno refused to give in.

“No,” he stated matter-of-factly, grasping her upper arm as she turned away from him. She jerked her arm away after a brief pause, and turned to face the hybrid, content to entertain one last plea from him. But she refused to look him in the eye. “Come on, Sophia,” he pleaded, but she continued to stare towards the cobblestone ground, “Friend or foe?”

Her eyes flitted up, meeting his briefly. She struggled with herself; it was against her better nature, to give into this. She scowled and turned away from him, though she didn’t break into a full-on speed walking contest like she had before. Rather, she sauntered lazily, and hesitantly, to a nearby bench, sitting down with her back to where Juno would, eventually, sit. The hybrid was smarter than that, though, and he remained standing, moving to where she had to look at him. There was an awkward silence for a moment. Sophia broke it.

“No matter how much you try, I’m not going to tell you,” she said, sadness echoing in her vocal cords, making her voice crack occasionally. She was a strong woman, and Juno respected her greatly for it.

“I know,” he said. Another silence lingered over the pair as they surveyed each other, Sophia finally looking at the boy for an extended period of time. They were each dressed differently than before; heck, they both were built differently. While Juno had found himself slightly more well-versed in the world than he had almost a year ago during Friend or Foe, and he looked it, Sophia only looked more impressive. Her features were more well defined, he noticed upon another glance, though not enough to take away from her feminine qualities. The lines on her face, however, bore the signs of time and hard work, as if she’d been through Hell and back, and to be honest, the hybrid couldn’t convince himself she hadn’t. Her blonde hair was longer, cascading a little ways down her back. The blue dress, however, was the most obvious change; it was very pretty, and it fit her form nicely.

“Nice dress,” Juno complimented her, breking the silence. Sophia’s gaze turned from his coat to his face. “You look pretty hot for someone who… well, someone who just came back to life, and all.”

“Nice of you to say so,” she spat sarcastically, glaring at him. Obviously, this wasn’t the best time for flirting, even if it was only in jest. “Don’t try anything,” she warned him calmly. She seemed to have regained some composure, but was still shaking slightly from whatever had occurred between her and the courier. Strong girl, he reminded himself once again.

“You don’t have to stay here and talk to me if you don’t want to,” Juno told her, sensing the tension.

“I don’t want to,” she said curtly, standing up and beginning to walk away without another word. Juno smirked a bit, chuckling. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder, “What’s so funny?”

“I’m just wondering if you’ve got anyone else to talk to,” Juno muttered, “Without Kaden or Sage, you’re pretty much high and dry. Except for me.”

“And what makes you think I need to talk to anyone?”

“I know you, Sophia,” he told her, “You might not think you do. You’re stubborn, and independent, and I respect those qualities, really, I do. You don’t need anyone to help you when you’re down. But I want to be your friend right now, because like or not, you need one. So, I‘m asking: friend or foe?”

There was a silence as they stared at one another for a moment. Sophia’s blue dress billowed in the wind, and Juno stuck his hands into his coat pockets, smiling at her. Her scowl didn’t move; he obviously hadn’t been able to comfort her much, but at least now she wasn’t being openly acidic or hostile. She had calmed herself enough, he hoped, to speak cordially to him. She turned back toward him, and offered up her hand.

“Friend,” she said, forcing herself to smile a bit before sinking back into a frown, “Just don’t test me, alright, Juno?”

“I wouldn’t even think of it,” he nodded, taking her hand and shaking it. “I’m guessing you’re still not going to tell me what’s wrong, though?” he laughed, releasing his hold on the priestess’s grip.

“Not a chance.”

[Kazuya]

Night was a dark, digital blanket across the confinements of the Carnival. It was the only thing here in this digital world, and the hotel at its southeastern edge had a view that encompassed its entirety. Outside of her fifth floor window, she saw it all in its neon splendor. Before this, she’d never been this close to modern technology and its workings, although she knew that it had been out at least a hundred years or so already. Once again, she was reminded of just how archaic she was, just how misplaced she was amongst the world. Her time had come and gone, but she wasn’t blessed with death as the rest of her family had been. She’d been suffered to live an eternity, provided she took care of herself, as long as this demon lived within her. And demons, she understood, lived a very, very long time. Hell, she might even live long enough to see the end of her entire species, and quite possibly the rise of a new one.

Sighing, the warrior closed the blinds and turned to face her bed. It was a large piece of furniture, even more comfortable than the one Gabriel had offered her. Pillows were stacked high at the head, a big fluffy blue comforter hugging across its entirety. The fabric was glossy, like a high shined silk, and just as soft. Of all the trappings of the modern world, this was definitely one she could get used to.

As a drifter, there were many things that she’d passed up on, or was just too stubborn to let into her life. She was a very traditional person, preferring things the way she had become accustomed to in her youth, very much like most other people. Generation after generation, she’d seen them forsake the old, and embrace the new. It was a perpetuating cycle that would end only when humanity did. Or maybe not. If she was the last of her kind, would it be on her to teach Earth’s successors the old ways, or would they evolve to make new? Would there even be a succeeding generation?

A knock at the door shook her from her deepening thoughts, and just like that, Kazuya had lost track of almost an hour, just standing there staring at the bed. It had to say something about just how fragile her state of mind was, especially over what had happened such a short time ago. She had been manipulated, not intentionally, but something had happened that forced her to reveal a secret that had been buried for centuries. It made her hate her situation, and the reason why she was in it in the first place.
Gamer. If she ever got out of here, his life would belong to her, but it would be a slow, painful demise. One she would enjoy dragging out as long as possible.

Another knock, and she finally answered. “Coming.”

Grabbing a robe off the hook near the bathroom, she slipped it on before answering the door. As it creaked open, a sprightly, youthful face greeted her with a smile. A tall young brunette female, a little too perfect to be real, smiled up at her, a row of perfect white teeth taking up a good portion of her comely face. And, damn was she tall.

“Hi, I’m Mixie!”

Kazuya was silent, staring at the girl with the skin tight blue bodysuit, wondering silently to herself if the girl had any modesty whatsoever. She’d never understand this fashion trend, nor did she approve of it. “What do you want, Mixie?” Her lukewarm tone didn’t bother the girl in the least, not the reception she was looking for.

“I am here to make sure all the players of Kill Town are comfortable,” the scrawny brunette replied cheerfully. “Is everything okay, Ms. Uzumaki?”

“Peachy.” Kazuya barely even hinted at a smile, completely unmoved by Mixie’s kindness. “I don’t think that’s why you’re here. What the hell do you want?” The younger woman frowned, such a misplaced emotion and so sudden, it caught the older woman by surprise. That got her damned attention, Kazuya thought smugly.

“About the last scenario…” Mixie started tentatively, her voice knocked down a few levels as she approached the topic carefully. “The crew was not previously aware you would have such a…negative reaction to the story. Perhaps you could inform me of anything else that would make this experience less unpleasant, so I may make note and send it to the programmers?”

“How about this, Mixie, ‘FUCK. OFF.’ How’s that for a note?” Kazuya’s lips twisted in a feral smirk. “You tell that motherfucker as soon as this game is over and I’m outta here, I’m going to make it my personal mission to hunt him down and flay his flesh from his body. He will suffer for what he’s done to me, and every motherfucker in this game.”

Mixie’s eyebrows furrowed together with worry, not liking the response at all. “Well, I don’t know if I can-“

“You can, and you will;” Kazuya spat. “Or so help me, I’ll find a way to get out of here and-“

“Ms. Uzumaki, that would be impossible.”

“Yeah? How so? I’m sure there’s gotta be a way out of here somehow…”

“You aren’t real.” Mixie replied, voice completely matter-of-fact. “What you feel, what you see is a projection. An avatar. Your body is in sedation in a separate compound, where it will remain until Gamer is finished.”

Kazuya was silent for several long, uncomfortable moments, thinking, and failing, of something to say; something that didn’t sound stupid, or futile. “Lies,” was all she could come up with.

Mixie chuckled softly. “No, I’m afraid it’s quite true, in fact, here, let me show you something.” The petite female’s fingers danced across the screen of the device she held in one arm, a faint beep! elicited from a tiny speaker somewhere on the black slate, and the woman smiled. “Look over there, in that mirror.”

The ex-samurai shook her head. “Smoke and illusion,” Kazuya snorted. Her feet, however, moved on their own accord, over towards the aforementioned mirror. She was greeted by a pair of big blue eyes, long, purple hair, and skin a few shades lighter than her normal almond. She was garbed in dark denim pants that hugged her curves, emphasizing the delicate and feminine shape of her body. A black tank fit snugly around her chest, her ample chest defined perfectly beneath the cotton fabric. The face was familiar, the expression definitely one of her own.

It hit her suddenly that she almost stumbled. She was her great granddaughter, that Violet woman she met at the hospital not too long ago. “A very convincing lie,” Kazuya said bitterly, her face turning towards her guest. “I am not one for magics, Mixie. I cannot quite explain how you’ve done this, but I applaud you for your effort.”

“It’s not magics, Kazuya, it is as I’ve said: you’re not real. What you feel, what you see, everything in this world is just a part of the program, and when you wake up, you will be back in the real world. All of this will be gone.”

“But Gamer will still exist.”

Mixie hesitated before nodding. “Correct.”

“And he’ll be within reach.” Kazuya felt the smile spreading across her face.

“Not…exactly.”

Kaz quirked a purple brow, frowning. “Oh?”

“The grounds are protected by various technologies, animals especially trained to keep intruders away, and other things that I am not at liberty to speak of. I can say with utmost certainty, your chances of a successful intrusion are very unlikely, if not impossible.”

“We’ll just see, won’t we, Mixie?” the smile returned, a dark warmth suddenly swimming through her body. She had ways, Kazuya thought smugly. If what this woman said was true, that she was just an avatar, and her body lay somewhere else, then upon her awakening, Gamer would be dead by the end of the first day, or she would really test how far her immortality really stretched. Either way, life was not going to be very pleasant for this asshole, that was a guarantee the Japanese female stood by.

[Tamsin]

"Um, excuse me...." a soft voice suddenly interrupted the exchange the two adult women were having, originating from the hallway in front of the hotel room. Turning their heads, they immediatelly recognised the girl standing near them to be none other then Tamsin, her orange uniform and silver hair strongly standing out.

"Oh, Suzaku-chan!" replied Kazuya. This prompted a bewildering response from the blue-eyed female, who did not recognise the person that adressed her. Uzumaki was quick to realise what the problem was and added with slight frustration: "This.....woman wanted to show me that our bodies are actually not here, so she turned me into my great granddaughter."

"I can confirm this to be true. Oh and miss Suzaku, I just wanted to let you know that Gamer considered your actions in the previous round to be incredible," the AI guide further added to the conversation, smiling widely at the maid. Of course, since she was programmed to be upmost polite, she conveniently left out the part that Gamer considered her actions to be incredibly foolish. But it did not matter either way as the maid just kept staring at Mixie questioningly, the beaming smile coming from the beautiful brunette being all but comforting: "Well, I best be on my way. Enjoy your stay!"

"Wait! Aren't you going to change me ba-?!" the now purple-haired Japanese woman attempted to intervene. However, with a blue flash of light, the tanned assistant had vanished into thin air. Uzumaki sighed heavily at the thought that she was now stuck in her successor's body....and somehow, she had the feeling Gamer would not change her back any time soon out of sheer amusement.

With Mixie and her cheeriness gone, an akward silence fell between the two remaining females. This was not only the result of Kazuya's sudden body change, but also the suprising amount of mateship the two had expressed towards one another. As such, both of them were lost for words, unsure what to say to one another. The samurai woman broke the pause first: "Sooooo....what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I......I was looking for you, Uzumaki-sama," the servant replied slowly, carefully choosing her words. "You.....you entrusted me with an important secret and.....and I promise to keep it to myself. But I wanted to....repay your trust by......telling you a secret."

"A....secret?" the adult woman questioned, raising one of her thin eyebrows.

"Yes, a secret.....of my own," started Tamsin. "You see, I......I have a hidden power. I....I do not know what it is exactly. But....for some reason....when I am angry or scared....I am able to move certain objects without....touching them."

"I see....." was the response that came as Kazuya was unsure what to say to that.

"Yes and....there is something else......" added the silver-haired girl, glancing at the floor beneath her as it became increasingly more difficult to for her to speak her mind.

"Yes?" came the prompt from Uzumaki, but the response was not immediate. Suddenly, the maid started to twiddle her thumbs.

"Em....if we ever get out of here.......I....I would like to see you again......and help you.....with......" she started, but she could not speak further. "Em.....on second though, nevermind. We....we can talk about it some other time. Good night, Uzumaki-sama."

With a deep bow, the maid sped off somewhere, leaving the perplexed Kazuya standing at the door of her room as she wondered what the adolescent was about to say.

[Victoria]

The ball slammed into the metal figure, causing it to bend backwards permanently, or at least until the game reset. She gripped another ball in her hand, feeling it in her palm. She cocked her arm back and whipped the baseball forward again, aiming for another target. The metal cut-out slammed backwards just like the others, and the ball rolled across the ground.

“My, my, you have a good arm.” The carnie remarked and leaned on his side of the counter. “All the targets so far, and you still have plenty of balls left.”

“I sure do,” Victoria looked at the small cubby that held all the baseballs she had been given. She grabbed another and did a wind up, much like a pitcher, and got the next target down.

“One more and you win, missy.” The man looked at her and then at the last target. Each metal board had been placed on scenery, and had to be knocked over. From what she could guess, it was that of a farm. There was a cow, a couple chickens, and some people. Her last target was an apple tree, in all reality it was just a crudely painted sheet metal cutout but it was the last obstacle standing in her way.

The ball flew towards her target, but miraculously curved and hit the side of the game display. Vicky stared in shock at the carnival lackey. He shrugged at her, and said nothing. She picked up another ball, and licked her lips. She tossed it towards the tree, and again, the ball flew off towards the side just before hitting her target.

“Now wait just a gosh damn minuet!” She declared. “You pull one over on me?” Vic cocked her head slightly and planted a hand on her hip.

“Me? I wouldn’t dare!” The man held a hand to his chest, and looked at her stricken. “My game is 100% not rigged, look over there,” he pointed towards a little girl and what could be her parents. Beside her sat a massive teddy bear that she simply gushed over. “She won that bear just before you came by.” He crossed his arms proudly.

The hunter bit her tongue and grabbed another ball. She tossed it again, but to no avail; it stopped and fell just before hitting the target. “That’s bullshit! My ball stopped in mid air and dropped. That’s not even possible.” She yelled at the man.

“Don’t look at me kid; you must have bad luck or something.” He shook his head at her sadly. “Happens to the best of us.”

She had two balls left, but she could see what was happening. “What happens if I don’t get that target?” She asked.

“You don’t get anything. You have to hit them all.” He grinned.

Victoria whipped her ball at the man; he ducked suddenly and looked at her in shock. “I want a damn prize you robot!” She demanded, and snatched the other ball. “Stop fucking around, or I’ll slam this thing into one of your orifices and it won’t be pretty.” She gripped the ball in her hand, clenching so hard that it began to squish under the hold.

“Alright, alright!” He held up his hands.

Victoria shot the ball spinning so fast that it hit the tree and smashed through the back of the stand, leaving a splintered hole. Lights lit up and a trumpeting sound came forth as a plushy sheep floated out of seemingly nowhere and settled before her. “Congratulations, you’ve won FarmVille!” The robot clapped hastily and forced a smile.

“Damn straight I did,” she replied and picked up the sheep, although it came up to her hips it was substantially light. Victoria wandered away from the game and went on the hunt for food, Sheepy in tow.

[Ander]

The end of the event happened so fast Ander couldn’t even remember it all. One moment, he was preparing to fire his laser, and the next few seconds passed him by in a blur as a familiar blue portal deposited him safely back into the confines of the Kill Town carnival. He landed on his feet, thankfully, somewhere very high up. The thief surmised it as a building, given the general layout of the floor and the stone fence preventing anyone from simply walking or falling off the edge. From his general location, he guessed the cosmic doorway teleported him on top of the hotel. Funny how it seemed to never be able to pinpoint exactly where it took them from and take them back to that spot.

Ander sighed and hopped onto the safety guard and sat down, letting his feet dangle over the side of the monstrously tall structure. He didn’t fear heights, as he had honed his ability to fall from great distances and not only survive, but also touch down completely gracefully, almost like a cat that could never land on anything but its feet. If you had that, why did you need to bother to learn to fly? The thief gazed out into the theme park, oddly seeing nothing beyond its borders, just that same hazy darkness, as if Kill Town fell under eternal nightfall. He contemplated his next move while he watched the others scurry around below, little ants moving this way and that in their different purposes and functions. He squinted one eye and moved his thumb along each one he could pick out individually, as if some god able to snuff out their insignificant lives like so many insects. He certainly didn’t believe himself a god, or even a particularly powerful mortal being, but it amused him nonetheless while considering his fate and life in general.

Then, he lifted his eyes up, staring straight ahead, and the corners of his lips perked up.

“Looks like I finally caught you,” he said, not bothering to turn around.

“Oh darn, and I was on such a roll, too,” Mixie giggled.

“I think I know the rules well enough by now. What is it you have for me this time?” Ander asked.

“I didn’t think it was a crime to check on your well-being. Everyone should be kept company during this carnival after all, and I wanted to make sure you weren’t getting lonely all the way up here by yourself,” the brunette explained compassionately.

And how exactly do you always know where I am?

He turned around, seeing her smiling face and elegantly curved posture. “Listen, I know you’re only being nice to me because your boss tells you to. You don’t have to keep up the act. It’s exhausting, I know.”

She seemed to balk at the statement, but quickly recovered, responding with a mixture of cheerfulness and mock offense. “I don’t think that is for you to decide. I have feelings just like everyone else. I am dedicated to my duty, but I’m not heartless, you know.”

Ander studied her expression for a moment. “Are you stuck here, too? Are you trapped in this game just like us?”

The woman considered her response carefully, still playing at their clever little back and forth, still letting Ander think he had all the right answers when he was completely in the dark about the true nature of Keith Summer’s charade, and she knew it. She knew he was probably the only one left who hadn’t figured it out. Mixie could almost choke on the irony, given that her database informed her of his inquisitive and suspicious nature. But, after all, why would he suspect he wasn’t real, that his current body was only a virtual simulation? He had no reason or experience to draw such an otherwise completely outlandish conclusion. Mixie gave him all the answers he needed, but not the keys with which to interpret them. All of her words carried a double meaning.

“I’m here because of my duty. It’s why I exist, really,” she finally answered.

“But you have free will. You have a mind of your own. Why anchor yourself to one person and do their bidding? Why not just look out for yourself?”

Mixie shrugged. “I’m just not made that way.”

Ander laughed. “That’s too bad I guess.” He retained the lightheartedness, although his next question stumbled into darker territory. “Tell me, what happens when somebody loses a game?”

The blue-suited beauty replied with her typical sunny disposition. “They enter a bonus round, of course, a special one designed just for them, with much higher stakes: all or nothing!”

“I see,” Ander concluded, unconsciously lowering his head.

The woman leaned down, tilting her chin upwards to meet his gaze with a smile. “Still looking for someone, I take it?”

Ander shrugged noncommittally, bringing his face level, and hers followed.

“You’ll be just fine,” Mixie stated with a single nod.

The thief chortled again. “That’s never a question. I’m always fine.” A word popped onto the tip of his tongue, one just recently heard, and Ander decided to steal it and take it for a test drive. “In fact, I’d even venture to say I’m aces.”

“Ooh, better be careful with that turn of phrase,” Mixie winked coyly.

“Right,” Ander agreed in good humor. He gave her a little wave. “Well, I suppose it’s time for me to go harass somebody now. I’ll catch ya later, Mixie.”

Then he leaned backwards and plummeted off the edge, his clothes – normal desert garb once again – flapping wildly in the wind with his body locked into a freefall battle against gravity. As the ground loomed up before him, he twisted his body around so he dropped stylishly into a perfect crouch with both hands supporting… a cat that couldn’t land on anything but its feet.

He rose to his full height, and jammed his hands into his pockets like nothing at all happened, betrayed only by the cool, self-assured smile on his face. Ander jaunted along, mostly aimlessly, passing the time before the next round. In the midst of his meandering, he suspected that perhaps the reason Mixie found him so easily was because of a tracking device in his pager-like apparatus. After all, it made sense. How else was Gamer locking on to their positions for the portals? How else could the brunette keep sneaking up on him? Ander figured it would probably be best to play it dumb and act like he hadn’t made the connection, to see if perhaps he could use this to his advantage later.

“Hey!”

“Hmm?” Ander murmured, turning his head at the sound of the voice. He saw a girl with familiar pink hair waving and making her way towards him. Not the poised femme fatale he had associated with, but the slightly nervous, somewhat energetic teenager of before. Hmph! Well I’ll be damned. Looks like my approach worked after all.

Ashe stopped in front of him, suddenly at a loss for what to say. Instead, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Um, hi! You’re that guy who wanted to take me for a ride, right?”

Ander’s eyebrows shot skyward.

“Not like that!” she quickly amended. She rubbed her arm nervously. “I mean, like, on the Ferris wheel or something.”

An expression of mock sympathy quickly replaced his initial surprise. “Well, I don’t know. I mean, you kind of hurt my feelings running off the first time, and I didn’t even get an answer the second time. I don’t think I could bear being rejected three times in a row.”

“Oh. Um, I’m sorry? If you don’t want to go, I understand. I just thought…”

The thief didn’t wait for her to finish, putting on a happy face and grabbing her by the wrist. “Okay, you talked me into it!”

“Wha-? Hey!” Ashe protested meekly.

He dragged her around – with Ashe muttering half-hearted and monosyllabic resistances – until they stood in line for the biggest, baddest rollercoaster in sight. He didn’t dare release her, pulling the teenager all the way through the crowd of people until the staff ushered them into the front car. Ander shot her a triumphant grin as the safety harnesses lowered against them, snugly locking them in. He raised his hands over his head, and nudged her good-naturedly with an elbow.

“Don’t forget to hold your arms up and scream real loud,” he smiled, and then turned straight ahead, as if defiantly laughing in the face of death.

Ashe shook her head and obediently raised her arms, visibly excited and nervous at the same time. The machine hummed to life, and the coaster rolled forward at a sluggish place. The brackets clicked into place on the chain, and they were lifted up into the anticipatory incline, ready to helplessly plummet at any suspenseful second. As they reached the climax of their ascent, the rollercoaster dipped forward at a frightening pace, and Ander wildly let out an ecstatic whoop as the linked cars rocketed along the dips and corkscrews and loop-de-loops of the track. It wasn’t nearly as fun as blasting at breakneck speeds in a starship fighter, but he allowed himself enjoyment nonetheless. He could hear Ashe screaming right next to him, equally entertained. Their respective black and pink hair flew everywhere, loose strands flapping against their faces. At last, the joyous ride halted as the coaster rested in its starting place, the safety harnesses releasing. Ander climbed out of the car first, and courteously – or smoothly, if he didn’t say so himself – offered his hand as she followed. She took it, possibly thinking nothing of it, as she let go once on her feet and straightened up her outfit.

Ander kept a respectable yet noticeably close distance as they descended the stairway back into the carnival grounds.

“Whoo, what a rush. See? I’m not such a bad guy, am I?” the thief smiled, brushing his raven locks out of his face with one hand.

“I don’t know. I think you’re still on probation,” she teased.

“Then how about some ice cream? Will that change your mind?”

“It might, but I’m not sure,” Ashe replied, somewhat reluctantly.

“Nonsense! Every girl loves ice cream. It’s genetic, scientific fact,” Ander insisted.

Despite initial reservations, Ashe tagged along, and they sauntered silently towards the concession stands. Ander located an ice cream booth, and got them a position in line.

“So? What flavor do you like?” the thief asked. He put a hand to his chin, pretending to think deeply and contemplatively, and stared pointedly at her hair. “I’m guessing… strawberry.”

“Is that a stereotype, Mr. Ander? Let me guess: yours is chocolate,” the girl retorted.

“Touché, touché,” the nomad nodded, putting up his hands in surrender. As they neared the front of the line, however, he realized he’d forgotten something. “Uhhh… wait right here, I’ll be right back!”

“Wait a sec! Where are you going?” Ashe asked, confused. He asks her out for ice cream and then disappears?

The dune dweller slipped away, determined to find an opportunity that presented itself. He strolled along the cobblestone path, as if holding not a care in the world. Eventually, his sharp blue eyes spied a cluster of friends distractedly talking about their latest Kill Town adventure. Ander put his head down, feigning inattentiveness of his general direction, and “accidentally” bumped into them. He stumbled a bit before righting himself with an embarrassed laugh.

“Whoops, sorry there guys,” Ander said.

“Watch where you’re going,” one of them replied while the others looked on in generalized offense.

“Sure thing. I’m really sorry about that. Have a good one, guys!” the thief emphasized.

They walked away, not bothering to listen to the remainder of his carefully constructed apology. With their backs turned, Ander’s embarrassed expression quickly melted away, and he nonchalantly jaunted off, producing a black leather billfold he’d quickly stashed into his pocket during the brief physical contact. Too easy. It vividly reminded him of his last carnival trip, when pickpocketing was still a new trick in his rapidly burgeoning repertoire of criminal activities. The gentleman wouldn’t be too happy when he inevitably discovered his missing wallet, but Ander rationalized in a somewhat self-deluding fashion that the stranger wasn’t a very nice person anyway.

The black-haired bandit thumbed through the neatly placed bills, guesstimating in his head how far he could stretch them. He almost regretted his decision to ask Ashe for ice cream. Where others saw delectable goodies, he saw calories, saturated fat, simple sugars, sodium, and cholesterol. Ander sighed inwardly, realizing he couldn’t think of any other way to retain her interest. Oddly enough, he wasn’t terribly hungry or thirsty, but he probably needed to keep up his energy and metabolism levels anyway. He slipped the wallet back in his pocket and returned to Ashe, who was standing with her arms crossed.

“Sorry, I needed to find a bathroom,” he lied.

“I saw that, you know,” Ashe said.

“Saw what?” Ander asked innocently.

She punched him on the shoulder, although it was more playful than aggressive. “Ugh, what if that guy needed that money?”

Ander laughed, scratching the back of his head. “Well, serves me right for trying to fool you. Shameless, I know, but, I wanted to treat you to something.”

Ashe, of course, suspected the virtual reality of the game and that only ones who could be “hurt” were real people, and despite her obvious dislike of the dirty act, had a little more wiggle room to her conscience, and unlike most other people, for whatever reason was going to let him slide on it. “At least get a double scoop, then.”

The answer surprised him, although he didn’t show it. “Anything for you.”

Their turn approached, and they ordered their ice cream, locating a comfortable booth to sit down while they maintained their frozen treats. Ander nearly winced at the first lick as he felt the saccharine sweetness assault his tongue unpleasantly, but he managed to keep his reaction completely in check. Having actively avoided sugar, it tasted a thousand times more powerful – diabetic, even – than to somebody who consumed it only a daily basis. He promised to buy himself a ridiculously overpriced water bottle to compensate.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Ander prompted. He’d shelled out an activity, a pickpocket, and some ice cream for this deal. It was time to get the goods; he wanted his return on the investment (and brief humiliation), the information she had that might be valuable to player weaknesses or game strategy.

“Why is a stranger like you so curious?” Ashe deflected.

“Do I need a reason to talk to a pretty girl like you?” the thief smoothed over flatteringly.

His baited compliment scored hook, line, and sinker as her cheeks blushed slightly. He waited patiently to see if it paid off.

[Juno]

The artificial yellow light created by the central control core of the Kill Cluster began to expand as the hybrid leaned lazily against the railing. It had been seconds, perhaps, since he had lodged his TIE-fighter into the energy release shaft. He couldn’t be sure, however, because moments later, he landed back in the Carnival, with little to no memory of the event’s last minutes after his last-ditch effort to stop the ‘Insurgents’ Coalition.’ As if it would make a difference—Ander, Victoria, and Szar all seemed leagues more skilled with their vehicles than Juno, Kazuya, and Alex ever would be.

As the familiar scents of buttered popcorn and other, more greasy foods began to waft towards him, however, he was soon reminded that he had new things to worry about—he’d gotten out of that event, no matter how it’d turned out, and he couldn’t sit around pondering past mistakes. That game was over and done, it was time to move on to the next event, which he knew would be making an appearance sooner rather than later.

His attention, however, was soon drawn away from the task at hand as he noticed the shiny, middle-finger sporting badge he’d stolen earlier flopping onto the ground ahead of him. He sighed; it must’ve fallen out when he had hit the ground. With a grunt, the hybrid pushed against the dirt and slowly rose to his feet, grasping his head as it began to ache. He’d probably just stood up too fast, he reasoned, slowly walking over to Kaden’s badge and picking it up off of the ground.

Sliding the accessory into his coat pocket, the black-haired boy stretched, lifting his arms high above his head and cracking his knuckles as he loosened the muscles in his arms. Being trapped in that cramped cockpit had made him rather tense.

As the life slowly came back to his tendons, he also felt that certain spark once again, thankful that his ki had been restored after he’d been deprived of it during the last round. He brought his hands down and looked cautiously at his palm as he focused his energy there. Violet ki began to circulate in his hand, eventually materializing an orb of lavender energy. With a smile he brushed his hand through the orb, effectively neutralizing it.

Slowly but surely, Juno was regaining his strength. He had been at the top of his game after Friend or Foe, but the revolution had taken a sheer toll on his abilities, and when he found himself lazing away, ‘resting,’ he was really slowly letting his powers slip away from him. Only recently, in fact, had he been able to access some of his old abilities—the ones that allowed him to use ki to invade the minds of others. He recalled briefly the soldier on the Kill Cluster that he had effectively Blocked; of course, the technique had been used rather spontaneously. It could’ve just been the luck of the draw. That settled it, then. Until the next event, the hybrid planned to spend his time practicing his abilities, seeing which ones worked and which ones he’d have to gain back.

Footsteps echoed from the other side of the tent, and taking the opportunity, Juno quickly pressed his back to the big top, listening as the footsteps got closer and closer. He readied himself, bringing up the palm of his right hand—all he’d have to do was turn the corner, put his hand to the man’s forehead, and things should fall into place.

He mentally prepared himself, letting the ki slowly flow into his fingers, and then stepped out with one foot, letting his entire body follow suit. The semi-Saiyan seer spun around into view of the target, hand held at the ready and coat billowing from the artificial wind the movement had produced. He began to push his palm toward the man’s forehead when his eyes suddenly caught wind of who he was about to Block.

“…Kaden?”

“Whoa,” the blonde courier muttered, stepping back and holding up his hands, “What the hell are you trying to do?” The hybrid pulled his hand back quickly, embarrassed. He scoffed inwardly at the notion—why didn’t he just do it? It wasn’t as if this delivery boy meant anything to him. Granted, the man was probably stronger than he, so the technique might not have worked in the first place, anyhow. He supposed it was better that he had stopped short. “Wait a sec,” he muttered, eyeing the boy, “You’re Juno, right? Sophia’s friend?”

“Yeah,” the half-Saiyan muttered, half-surprised that Kaden had remembered his name. In the seer’s eyes, the courier was arrogant and self-righteous; he hadn’t even remembered the hybrid the last time they’d met. Juno had been just a flash in his memory, even though they’d spent an afternoon working to stop an evil force. In close company, he might venture to add to that statement.

After Juno had assumed a disarming stance, Kaden, too, relaxed a little, but an awkward silence settled in for a few seconds as the two men observed their partners, standing clumsily across from one another, searching for something to say. Juno’s eyes narrowed every time he looked at Kaden’s face. He wanted to… to hurt him, not only for what he had done to the half-Saiyan, but even more so for whatever unknown thing he’d done to Sophia. Juno supposed that was the good side in him coming out—he wanted to protect his friend, to avenge her for whatever this guy had done to upset her. Yet he couldn’t find it in himself to hurt Kaden. He attempted to muster up something to say, maybe get out of the conversation before it began. “So…” He straightened up as he said this, and began to walk towards the other side of the courier.

“Hey, Juno,” the blonde started, turning to face the boy. The hybrid glanced over his shoulder, but the expression on the face of the courier When you were in a place like this, being alone meant you were not in good company. Kaden mustered the least awkward thing he could find: “You hungry?”

Fond memories of food began to set in at the same time that the Saiyan hunger did, and the seer couldn’t find it within himself to resist an invitation to eat, as much as he was sure he would hate spending more time with the ki specialist. “Sure,” he muttered against his better judgment, and he and Kaden began to walk—silently—towards a small diner that sat just off from the rest of the carnival, next to a larger building, the hotel. The hybrid scolded himself—why was he disarming himself in front of him? He had spent countless thoughts on the reasons why he hated the courier, and now he had just agreed—just like that—to get something to eat with him?

It baffled his mind; whatever forces were at work in this carnival, the black-haired halfling was not himself. It just… wasn’t possible. He convinced himself that he wouldn’t have agreed to a meal like this under normal circumstances, but at the same time, he couldn’t be sure. There was some aura about Kaden that made the fortuneteller curious. And it sucked.

They sat in a booth near the door. It was a joint choice, as they both would’ve liked to be as close to the exit as possible in case their conversation got sour. The blonde made an attempt to sit closest to the front door, but Juno quickly made sure that he had gotten that seat. A pretty waitress came up and took their drink order, and the hybrid visibly flirted with her. Kaden seemed to have something else on his mind—and that intrigued Juno. If the blonde courier was as upset over what had occurred as Sophia was, then, well… this was going to be an interesting conversation.

“So,” Juno muttered, being bold enough to initiate speech, “…how’s life?”

A pathetic ice breaker, but Kaden answered nonetheless: “Life is… good, I guess,” he muttered, but the rescue worker knew that the red-jacket sporting hero was lying through his teeth. He didn’t push the matter, though.

“I saw Sophia,” the hybrid spoke, and Kaden’s ruby-red eyes flitted up, meeting eyes with the seer. “She’s alive again, you know,” he continued, knowing full and well that the courier knew exactly what he was talking about.

Kaden simply nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, “It’s… something I’ve got to get used to.” Juno’s interest was piqued—that last statement had been bleeding subtext and the pseudo-psychoanalyst that he was soon becoming as this conversation went on brooded for more. Eventually, noticing that the half-Saiyan had no intention of kicking the talk any further, Kaden reluctantly continued. “We didn’t exactly get started on the right foot.”

“Is that so?” Juno asked, fully aware.

“I’d… rather not talk about it,” Kaden closed the door. The hybrid inwardly cursed himself for not having something more forceful in his playbook. Surprisingly, however, Kaden hadn’t let go of the subject either. “Juno,” he began hesitantly, not all too sure that he could trust the testimony of the boy who had tried to kill him on a rooftop, but finding no other options to answer his question, “Do you think that I don’t have my priorities straight? Because I’ve been getting that a lot, lately.”

“Absolutely,” Juno replied swiftly and honestly. Kaden, not expecting this, sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“People who have little else to believe in believe in you, Kaden, and whether you know it or not, you’re sitting there basking in your own glory. Everyone does it, you just have the advantage of being... likeable.” Kaden was slightly struck at this—Sophia had told him as much before, but the hybrid wasn’t quite sure he was ready to take it without a second opinion, even if that second opinion was a bit unreliable. Whether or not he had listened to the priestess, he was listening now. Or, at least, Juno hoped so.

Finally, he replied. “…thanks for your honesty, I guess.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Juno spat without thinking. He shouted a ton of expletives in his mind, not daring to reveal his frustration out loud. What the hell was he thinking? Friends with Kaden? As if. He felt lightheaded all of a sudden, and leaned on the table, clutching his forehead, saying, “But… uh… t-that’s enough about you, I think.”

“Yeah,” Kaden muttered, watching the hybrid carefully, “…are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Juno responded, “I’m just a bit… sick… and I’m getting a little bit of a… headache.”

What the hell was happening? He’d been fine ever since he’d gotten here, and now, all of a sudden, Gamer decided to flip the switch and turn off the healing powers of Kill Town? How was he supposed to compete now? He bit his lip and felt a bead of sweat forming on his brow. He looked up at Kaden and smiled, trying to hide the pain he felt in his ribs. The courier eyed him curiously—he was well aware that there was something Juno wasn’t telling him, but like the hybrid had planned to not press the Sophia issue before, it was obvious that Kaden didn’t want to pester him if it really was nothing. Though Juno had to admit—he was kind of shocked that there was genuine concern in Kaden’s eyes. For the longest time, the black-haired boy had felt as if he and Kaden were as far apart as the poles of the Earth.

All of a sudden, his ribs were in pain once again, the hurt raging even more furiously than before, and he sat back, attempting to hide his torture as a single thought was echoing throughout his mind: What the hell is happening to me?!

[Kaden]

The good thing about having a nice little distraction like a high-speed race through a virtual city was that it let all the bothersome thoughts get pushed to the back of the mind; the bad thing about such a distraction was that they seemed to come rushing back, with renewed vigor no less, once it was over. This mental backlash had been the plaguing Kaden since he had returned to Kill Town. Instead of dealing with it like a rational human being capable of dealing with their emotions, he went in search of another distraction.

The wisps of bright pink hair that flitted through his field of vision, luckily, seemed like it would provide a very adequate distraction. Slowly making his way towards Ashe, Kaden let out a long, slow sigh when he saw who she was with. Of course Ander would be hanging around. Why not? Everything else had been working out so well for the courier. He planned on simply walking away and leaving the two of them be, but swayed himself. There was no reason the appearance of the black-haired bandit couldn’t be used to accomplish the goal he had in mind. He slowly made his way towards the bench they were sitting on, careful to approach from behind.

“Do I need a reason to a pretty girl like you?” he heard Ander’s voice.

It was all Kaden could do to keep himself from scoffing while he rolled his eyes. Before Ashe could respond, though, he leaned over the back of their bench.

“No, but you probably have one,” the courier spoke up. As Ander and Ashe both twisted in their seats, Kaden smiled and held up a hand to the thief before he could get a word out. “Don’t worry, I’m just passing through.” He then lowered his hand and turned his gaze to Ashe. “Unfortunately.”

“No please,” Ander spoke with a smile that probably looked genuine to most people. “Stay.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Kaden couldn’t help but let the annoyance. “No no, I’ll let you kids have your fun.” Leaning back, as though prepared to leave, Kaden surveyed the two as though for the first. “Odd, though. I figured you’d want Sage hanging all over you.” With a shrug, the courier dismissed the thought. “Catch ya later, Ashe. We should hop on a ride at some point when this is all over.”

Without waiting for a response from either of them, Kaden waved and continued on his way, not really having a clear purpose in aimless meandering. Fortunately, purpose almost literally smacked him in the face as he rounded the backside of a tent. Practically leaping in front of the courier was Juno. As the rescue worker initiated their meeting, the courier’s sixth sense went wild, causing him to almost leap backwards and prepare for a less-than-friendly encounter. Luckily it hadn’t come to that.

After the awkwardness of their “reunion” faded, Kaden offered to grab a bite with the hybrid. The dark-haired halfling seemed to have missed the sarcasm in the courier’s voice as he accepted the offer. After a quick decision to simply run with it, the courier led them to the nearest restaurant he could find. The brief conversation they had as the waitress brought their food seemed to die down fairly quickly.

Normally, Kaden wouldn’t really have cared about the opinions of someone who, at their last meeting, had swooped him off to a rooftop and then proudly proclaimed he would be “taking care of” the courier. Though he didn’t like the blatant conceit weaved through his thoughts, Kaden knew he had bested Juno before and had only gained more power since then. He seemed infinitely less threatening – physically, verbally, and emotionally – when viewed in that light. It made asking otherwise difficult questions much easier.

When the ex-fortune teller seemed to keel over onto their table in pain, the courier found himself at a loss. From what he could tell, there didn’t seem to be any external reason for the hybrid’s pain. Their waitress reappeared at the side of their table, asking if there was anything she could get the dark-haired youth. Juno waved her off, telling her she was fine, and Kaden simply shrugged. He couldn’t even guess at what the problem was. After a few minutes, though, Juno seemed to regain his composure.

Leaning back in his chair once again, Kaden crossed his arms and quickly found himself lost in thought. He tried to piece together what he had heard from Belle, Sophia, and Juno. Looking at his past exploits under the light of Belle’s brief analysis, Kaden could definitely understand the detachment he had been talking about, and even Sophia’s words – or at least what Kaden determined to be the most accurate interpretation – seemed to support such a view at least partially.

If that had been it, the courier wouldn’t have wasted too much thought on it. Juno’s words, however, didn’t seem to make any sense at all, despite the fact that Kaden partially agreed with him. Why would people follow someone who seemed so obviously detached from everything going on around him? Apparently even the plans and suggestions he came up with didn’t seem invested in. Why would anyone believe in someone like that? Kaden probably wouldn’t. Which, of course, led him to question how much faith he actually had in his own abilities. The whole thing was very irritating.

At the very least, the courier took solace in the clearest reaction he had to Juno’s words. He definitely wasn’t basking anything. Basking meant he would have been taking some enjoyment or satisfaction out of anything in his life. If he actually had any glory to bask in, he wasn’t aware of it. His life had basically been an endless cavalcade of shit. There were less fortunate people out there, sure, but not a whole lot of them.

“Or maybe I’m just too ‘detached’ to see it,” he mumbled to himself.

It was at that point that Kaden realized Juno had been talking while he had been absorbed in his own thoughts. The hybrid, unable to hear what Kaden had said, asked him to repeat it. The courier simply shrugged.

“Nothing, really. Just thinking out loud, I guess.” A long sigh escaped the courier’s lips. Just sitting around thinking wouldn’t really help anything. Neither would sitting around talking to Juno. “You’re right, Juno,” the courier suddenly began. “I need to get my priorities straight.” Kaden hopped up from their table.

“Right now?” the hybrid responded, obviously having not expected that sudden turn of events.

“If someone says something to you that keeps bugging you, you should probably go talk to them about it, right?”

“I… yeah. That makes sense.”

“Unfortunately, that girl’s about as easy to track down as a dragonball.”

“Who are you—wait what? A dragon…” Juno let his voice trail off, convinced he had misheard the courier.

“Oh. Hahaha, yeah,” Kaden rushed through a fake laugh. “I did that too, actually. A dragonball. They’re these…” the courier hesitated, trying to think of the least insane way to explain as quickly as possible. “Artifacts, I guess. Apparently getting seven of them grants you a wish.”

Despite his willingness to distract Juno with tales of mystical artifacts, the courier had no intention of revealing that he had both hunted them down and witnessed a giant glowing dragon grant someone’s wish. Hopefully he’d pass the courier’s words off as some kind of colloquial expression. Either way, Kaden didn’t really care. With a short wave, Kaden exited the restaurant, thanking the hybrid for picking up the bill as the door closed behind him.

Not really sure where to begin his impromptu search for the priestess, the courier decided to head towards the rides section of the carnival. It had seemed to be the most populated in the past and, even if he didn’t find Sophia, he might come across someone who had seen her. It seemed like as good a lead as he was going to get. And, fortunately, it seemed to pay off rather quickly.

Wandering aimlessly, as sound a strategy as it was, didn’t seem like the best way to go about things. Instead, Kaden decided to spend most of his energy scanning the various lines that had formed outside rides. Sophia was definitely the type that would explore a curious-looking thrill ride, Kaden figured. It made about as much sense as anything else.

As he passed an otherwise empty ride labeled “Little Planet,” a flash of long blonde hair pulled the courier’s attention. Unfortunately, the owner had disappeared inside the doorway to the ride itself. Quickly doubling back, he rushed into the ride, hoping to find her before the ride actually started. A familiar voice greeted him as he crossed the threshold.

“Kaden! Want to go for a ride?”

“Piper?”

In spite of the fact that it was not who Kaden had been looking for, there was no disappointment in the courier’s voice. Piper stood with one foot on a boarding ramp and the other inside a small roller-coaster car. A shallow layer of water kept the tracks of the ride just out of view, and only one car seemed to move along it at a time; the car was big enough for two people to ride together. Though he wanted to find Sophia and, hopefully, put his chaotic thoughts to rest as quickly as possible, Piper’s offer during their race still hung in the back of his mind.

“Yeah, I suppose I could spare a few minutes.”

“Well don’t do me any favors,” the soldier teased as she hopped into the car and shifted over to make room for the courier.

“Oh come on. Like there’s any favor I wouldn’t do for you.” Kaden climbed into the car and tried to make himself as comfortable as the hard plastic bench would allow. “Still carrying that thing around, eh?” Kaden indicated the gauntlet on Piper’s hand.


“It’s a souvenir,” the specialist explained.

“Ha! You actually want something to remember all this crap?”

The car jerked beneath them as it began its slow course through a poorly-lit tunnel. The courier realized that he had no idea what kind of ride was in store for him, and questioned whether or not Piper did. Just about anything would be preferable over the ferris wheel she and Szar had dragged him on earlier. That much he was sure of.

“It could definitely be worse,” Piper responded as she cast a glance at the fairly nondescript surroundings. Whatever the ride had it store, it was off to a slow start. “At least we’re fighting off giant scorpions in a desert or hunting through a forest for some stupid bunker.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

“So, how’s things?” the blonde-haired woman asked, obviously lending the courier a helping hand.

Before could reply, though, a large set of double-doors, that had previously been obscured by the darkness of the runnel, swung open to reveal row upon row of little robotic children, all wearing some kind of unique costume or bearing a flag or other item iconic to a particular region. While that would have been fine on its own, as soon as Piper and Kaden passed through the open double-door, they began singing about their little, little planet. The words didn’t actually seem to fit the melody they were being crammed into.

“Really, Piper?” Kaden shot an accusing glance at his car-mate.

“Yeah… this isn’t really what I was expecting.”

“Anyway,” Kaden returned to the subject that actually mattered. “Things are ok, I guess. I’ve just been… I dunno. Out of sorts, I guess.”


“This place can do that to you,” Piper agreed.

“Nah, it’s not the place. I guess it’s the people.” Running a hand through his hair, Kaden shook his head. “Or maybe it’s just me. I don’t know.”

“C’mon. Something’s bugging you.” Piper nudged the courier with her elbow.

“You remember Friend or Foe. That was easily one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. I think some other people would agree with that, too. But… it’s weird. Afterwards, I felt like if I had been able to get through that alive, I should be able to handle most stuff, right? I mean... killing off gigantic zombie monsters and fighting off soldiers in a ghost town… we had to have done something right to get through all that, y’know? And now, after talking to people, I feel li—“

As their car rounded a soft corner, Kaden suddenly found his upper body drenched in water. Having been shifted in the car to face Piper as best as he could, the courier whipped around see the offending party. A small child-bot sat of a fake pier the stretched over the shallow water of the Little Planet ride. His feet were dangling over the pier’s edge, kicking “playfully” in the water. As his feet swung back and forth in time with the song that was playing overhead, water was kicked up into the path of the cars. Before he realized what he was doing, Kaden illuminated the his surroundings in a flash of bright blue light. Where the mechanical boy, and his pier, had once sat was nothing. Ashes drifted through the shallow water in the wake of their car.

“As reasonable a reaction as that was, we could always go find another ride…” Piper offered after the courier’s outburst.

“I… wow. Sorry about that.” Kaden seemed to shrink down in his seat as he looked at his hand. Wisps of smoke slowly wafted into the air where the energy had escaped.

When the courier failed to speak for several moments, Piper reached over and placed her hand upon his, interrupting his line-of-sight as directly as possible. She achieved the desired result when Kaden looked to her, still blatantly unsure of what he was going to say.

“Something’s really bugging you, Kaden.”

“Yeah. I guess so,” the courier replied, confusion still in his voice. “It just seems so stupid. I keep thinking back on things that have already happened and it… it makes me feel so… I don’t know. Unsure, I guess. Even the times when I’ve been able to help people… was it really me or was I just in the right place at the right time. Am I someone you believe in, Piper?”

Taken aback by the suddenness of the courier’s question, the woman considered it a minute, leaning back against the bench and staring at the ceiling as she did. After several moments of enduring the ride’s awful song, she leveled her gaze at the courier and gave him a soft smile.

“You were talking about Friend or Foe earlier. The things that happened, the things that we managed to live through, I don’t think that would have happened if we hadn’t believed in each other. Fact was, we were in one life-or-death situation after another and usually only had each other to rely on. There were times where it felt like I believed in you more than I believed in myself.”

As Kaden listened to the woman’s words, he found it suddenly uncomfortable to look her directly in the eye. Instead, he let his gaze drift down to her hand, still gently settled atop his. He clenched his fists as he turned her words over in his mind. Finally, he spoke.

“You know. My father used to be a cop. I used to try and get him to tell me stories about it all of the time. I was so… amazed by it. He said he didn’t like to because the stories weren’t… nice, I think he called it. But dad, I would always say, you’re catching bad people who had done bad things. To me, that meant he was doing a nice thing for everyone else.” Kaden stopped and shook his head, a weary smile on his face. “Whenever I said that, though, he would tell me that there were no bad people. Everyone was good inside, but not everyone got the chance to show it. That’s what a cop did, he would say, find the people who hadn’t been given a chance.”

“That’s…” Piper searched for the right word.

“Ridiculous,” Kaden finished. “Of course there are bad people in the world. There are horrible, awful people in the world. Even as a kid I knew that, but my father… he believed in that so strongly, even after the things he had seen and the things he had done. Even now, I’m not sure how he did it. I wish, more than anything else, that I could have the kind of complete, total, and unshakable belief in something. Anything.”

“Tell you what. You believe in me, and I’ll believe in you.”

“Yeah…” Exhaled a sigh of something as close to relief as he was going to get. “I think I can do that.”

As the two exchanged a warm smile, the ride’s preposterous song slowly faded away and a second set of double-doors opened up, allowing sunlight to pour into the ride. A very rude design decision. The more Kaden thought about his frustrations – thought about them reasonably – the more ridiculous it seemed. Yes, when someone tells you something important, it should be processed, but it should not be used as a device to measure every event of one’s life. If there were things in the courier’s past that he didn’t like, all he could do was remember them and try to do things differently in the future. No amount of thinking of hand-wringing was going to change things that had already happened.

If nothing else, Juno was right in saying that were people who believed in Kaden. Whatever their reasons were, they seemed to think he was someone to look to… or at… or up to… or whatever it was they did. Shying away from it, or turning a blind eye towards it, wouldn’t help anything. He couldn’t stop being himself, and if that’s what people put faith in, he felt he owed it to them to make himself… better.

Offering Piper his hand, Kaden helped the woman climbed out of the ride. She indulged the courier, though they both knew she needed no assistance. Looking around once more, Kaden let the sights, sounds, and smells of the carnival wash over him, taking them in as though for the first time. While he certainly felt more at ease than he had been, there were still people that needed to be found and things that needed to be said.

“Piper. Thanks. It’s… well, I don’t usually get the chance to just talk. I’ve been told I should do it more often.”

“No problem,” the soldier replied.

“I definitely need to get going, though. I need to find someone before Gamer has me falling through more portals.” The courier turned to leave, but stopped. “If you ever need to… y’know… whatever, you’ve got my number.”

Despite the fact that the courier had actually said basically nothing, Piper smiled and nodded. Giving one more quick wave, Kaden set off into the carnival once more. In his seemingly endless introspection, the courier really hadn’t figured out what he was going to say to Sophia, or guessed at what else she might have to say to him, but the very last thing he wanted was something that continued to hang between them.

“She’s gotta be around here somewhere…”

[Jesper]

Upon her utter failure in the eve of her last event, Sophia found herself wandering aimlessly through the carnival. She hated feeling the way she felt at that point, feeling so…helpless, like that lost, useless woman she used to be when she fled her temple so long ago. Kaiousama had once told her that she had made great strides towards maturity—both as a person and a fighter—she couldn’t help but feel as though she was moving backwards. It was difficult for her to keep holding onto what she had learned before, but at the same time, without what she had previously believed, she wouldn’t have even known how to talk and react to other people.

“Because I love you…” Sophia repeated to herself in a voice barely more audible than a whisper. She stared at her reflection in the pool of water in front of her. Her could hardly recognize her features as her own—of course due in part to the alterations that Gamer had made, but the expression that she wore seemed…foreign to her. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she seemed to be stuck in a grimace as she examined her face. Scoffing, she moved her fingers through the cool fluid, distorting her reflection before she tore her sight away. “How stupid am I, anyway?”

Sighing, she turned around and sat the edge of the fountain, looking up at the night sky. It was odd, but she hadn’t noticed the darkness until that moment—they seemed to be stuck inside of a perpetual twilight, but she had failed to notice in the mist of her own thoughts and emotions. She had Kaden right where she wanted him—in a place where she could finally let him know how she felt. In retrospect, she didn’t even know how he would react to such a bold statement. Frankly, she hadn’t thought about it. She shook her head as she recalled his expression. It was definitely shock that he felt, but she saw little else in his visage.

You heard me…right? I love you. she thought, as if the message would somehow make it to him, wherever it was that he stood. If you took anything away from what I said…please, god, let it be that.

But, as those things usually went with the healer, she had definitely said the wrong things, or at the very least the right things in the wrong order. The weight of recent events began to ever-so-slightly chip away at her bones, and despite what she said, she needed Kaden more at that time than she had ever needed him before. Unfortunately, her emotions got the best of her, and before she could back peddle, they had parted ways on a less-than-cordial note. The few hours that ensued were some of the roughest of her existence.

Sophia sighed and closed her eyes, letting a soft breeze roll across her face. Her body tensed—not by any supernatural means, but by a faint click on the concrete only a few feet away from her. Without opening her eyelids, she began to speak. “What do you want?”

“I’m just checking up on you,” Mixie’s voice reached her ears as she took a seat next to the healer. “You’ve been one of our quieter contestants.”

“Have I?” Sophia exhaled and glanced at the woman. “I guess I’m just not into it.”

“There seems to be a lot of that going around,” the brunette giggled. “You haven’t even spent any of your monies yet.”

“My, uh…my what?” the healer arched an eyebrow. “You mean money.”

“No, I mean monies. That’s the currency we use here,” the program reaffirmed. “And so far, you have yet to spend any of it.”

“Is that so?” Sophia shrugged. “I’m not interested in anything that you have for me to buy.”

“Now, now, you won’t get anywhere with that attitude,” Mixie poked the healer in the arm playfully. “After all, how do you expect to win?”

“I don’t,” Sophia said simply. She began to laugh as she continued her train of thought. “It’s a strange thought, but I really don’t care at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t fancy the idea of dying, but…there are more pressing matters at hand, at least for me. I suppose you wouldn’t understand, though.”

“More than you know…” Mixie sighed. Sophia frowned at her sudden, albeit brief, change in attitude. It was a look of doubt that she hadn’t seen in the woman before. “I suppose I don’t blame you. The game doesn’t look especially fun to me. But I’m just the host, right? It’s not my place to say.”

“That’s an odd thing for someone like you to be saying,” the healer pointed out.

“Just forget I said anything,” she replied with a smile. “Well, it doesn’t seem like any of the other players need my help yet, so I guess I have a bit of time…you need to talk about something?”

“Why do you care?” Sophia shook her head. She almost followed it up with a well-timed “it’s none of your business” comment, but she didn’t have the time.

“Are you kidding? I never get to have girl talk!” Mixie laughed, her bubbly personality surfacing again. “Besides, I don’t like to see my guests with such long faces.”

“Heh, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…” Sophia took a deep breath, “…there’s this guy.”

“Ooooh~!” the woman apparently had the valley girl persona down pat.

“…yeah. So…I’ve known him for a while, but I never really see him unless we’re…you know, in the middle of some life-threatening disaster zone. Kind of like this, actually,” the blonde began to explain. “He’s saved my life so many times that I’ve lost count, and every time he’s done something like that for me, the feelings…compounded, you know?”

“Sounds like quite the hero,” Mixie inserted, smiling attentively.

“Yeah…yeah, I know,” Sophia sighed. “But I think that’s the problem. He’s like that for everyone. He is a hero, even if he doesn’t quite realize it. And…I don’t know…sometimes I wish I got that kind of attention exclusively. I know that probably sounds stupid…”

“No, not at all. A girl likes to feel special,” said Mixie. “But at the same time, don’t you think you’re being kind of selfish?”

“What!? How am I being selfish? He doesn’t…he isn’t…” Sophia trailed off more and more as she began to consider that statement more thoroughly.

“I mean, I don’t know him really well, but it seems like he’s trying his best,” Mixie explained further.

Sophia turned her stare towards the ground. “…you’re right. He is trying. I guess I’m just jealous. But why can’t he think of me at least a little? I mean, every time he even looks at me, it’s hard for me to breathe. I can’t stop thinking about him when he’s away. I guess I just want him to understand that.”

“Something tells me that he does,” Mixie giggled.

“What makes you say that?”

“I’ll just leave you two alone,” the woman shoved an index finger past Sophia, pointing it towards the courier before she stood up and scampered off. Her heart sunk and tried to leap out of her throat at once as the woman slowly turned her head to meet her gaze with his.

“There you are,” Kaden belted an uneven laugh, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “You’re impossible to find, you know that?”

“How long were you…I can’t believe I didn’t…oh my god,” Sophia’s face burned as she tried to shrink away, as if she could hide when she was so plainly in sight. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“I would be too,” the courier grinned. “But, look…I’m just glad that I found you. We should, uh…talk. That’s what we should do, right?”

“Um…uh…y-yeah, that would be…nice,” Sophia fumbled through her wrecked train of thought. “I mean, uh, yeah we should.”

The healer began to stand up to walk over to him, but Kaden motioned for her to stay where she was. Taking the seat that had previously been occupied by Mixie, the blonde man took a deep breath, almost in tune with Sophia’s. “Look, I should...”

“Hey, um…sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt you, but can I go first?” she looked up into his eyes. He blinked, but eventually conceded. “Thanks. Um…I guess I just…well, first let me expand on what I told you earlier. What you didn’t do on that ship, what you did do, none of that really matters to me. I mean, yeah, I was upset, but I was also being unreasonable.”

“That’s…certainly a relief,” Kaden said.

“Don’t get me wrong, though,” Sophia continued. “I don’t know if you realize this or not, but…you’re my best friend. I trust you implicitly.”

“But…why?” the courier shook his head. “Why put that kind of trust into me, of all people?”

“That’s a question that’s difficult to qualify,” the healer said. “That’s what I’ve been thinking about since we last spoke. No matter what reasons I could come up with to not trust you, my mind always went to my experiences at the temple. You’ve been there, right? I worked there, day and night, for twenty-odd years. My entire childhood and teenage years, I catered to the weak, the strong, the rich, the poor, anyone who thought that they needed our assistance. Looking back on it, we did nothing to teach anybody anything. We didn’t spread the word about our god, we just made someone feel better about themselves for a reasonable fee. Because of it, we got some of the worst people imaginable.”

“I can imagine.”

“I can clearly remember the first time I saw a drug. A man whom we took in had a bag of it and was selling out of it to some of our guards. Or the first time I caught one of the other priestess’ sleeping with a…client. Of course, then there was the…attack. My father’s own best friend killed him for his title and a paltry sum. It was so stupid, ” Sophia closed her eyes as she struck her own nerve. “These were people I knew, people whom I trusted. I was only a kid, but I thought they were people I could look up to. They could stand on a corner somewhere and preach forever on the merits of acting the name of good or justice or whatever you want to call it, but they failed to put it into practice. Kaden, you’ve done nothing but practice what you preach, and it amazes me. No matter what kind of situation is thrown at you, you always do what you think is right. There’s worth in that.”

“You knew those people a hell of a lot longer than you’ve known me,” the courier reminded her. “As much as I hate bringing this up, how can you be sure that I won’t betray you the same way?”

“You won’t,” Sophia smiled, suddenly too embarrassed to maintain eye contact.

“But how do you know?”

“Well…I suppose it’s just time for me to believe in something again,” Sophia looked up into his eyes again. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah…I guess so,” the courier returned her smile.

“Having said that,” her statement was accompanied by a slight giggle. “I want to apologize. Like I said before, I was being unreasonable. In a world filled with people who absolutely can’t be trusted, you’re someone who I can place all my hopes and fears into and feel safe that it’ll all turn out right. You’re a hero in my book, Kaden, even if you don’t think so. But…it was wrong of me to place so many expectations on you. You’re not my own personal knight in shining armor, although I…well, I guess I’ll just say that you have to keep everyone in mind, and I can’t expect you to come to my rescue exclusively when there are people who need you more. I hope that makes sense.”

“It does,” Kaden nodded. “And…well, people have been telling me that I’m too…detached, I guess. I had more that I wanted to say to you, but for now, I’ll just leave it at this: I really do care about…y’know. You.”

“It means a lot to hear you say that,” Sophia broke eye contact once more. “And…hey, let’s just forget about the past few outbursts I’ve had, alright? You’ve always been there for me, and I want to be there for you too. I realize that it’s kind of hard to rely on me when I’m so…uh…”

“Hormonal?” Kaden offered with a smirk.

Sophia couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that.” The pair of friends shared a laugh. For the first time in a while, it was from legitimate joy—in the middle of such a perilous position like Kill Town, they had found something to be, for once, happy about. When it subsided, however, it was replaced by an awkward silence that made Sophia want to scream. Smiling weakly, “Anyway…I’m going to take a walk, or something. I think we have a bit of time before we have our next event.”

“You want me to go with you?” the courier offered.

“Thanks, but you don’t have to,” the healer beamed at him. “You look kind of tired, actually. You should take a nap, or something.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Kaden stuffed his hands in his pockets with a grin. “Go ahead, then. If you need me, just holler. If it’s loud enough, I’ll come running, alright?”

“Right back at’cha,” Sophia winked. As she turned to part ways, she widened her eyes as soon as she was satisfied that the courier couldn’t see her look of panic. Somehow, she avoided talking about the romantic side of her feelings, and although she was positive that it would have to be talked about at some point, she was relieved that she had managed to side step that landmine. She walked down the path, making turns at random, barely watching where she was going as she pondered the conversation which she had just taken part of.

She suddenly thought to look up, but it was too late. She walked headfirst into a woman, who was beaming over an apparent victory of some sort.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” Sophia gasped, grabbing onto the girl’s arm just as much to maintain her own balance as it was to catch hers. Looking up to examine who this person was, the healer’s eyes shined with realization. “Oh, it’s you. Victoria, right?” she looked down at the stuffed object that she had been carrying and blinked. “Nice sheep.”

[Juno]

“…or maybe I’m just too ‘detached’ to see it.”

“…what?” Juno asked the courier, sweat forming in increasingly heavy beads on his forehead. The blonde looked up, seemingly having removed himself from the world. It was at this very moment that the ex-fortune teller longed to say something along the lines of, ‘I told you so’ - but he bit his tongue.

“Nothing, really. Just thinking out loud,” Kaden smiled awkwardly, fiddling with the straw of his cola. Thinking about something completely unrelated from what we were talking about, the hybrid thought to himself, but to be honest, he couldn’t really remember what he had been rambling on about. He’d mostly been using it as a defense mechanism, the continued railing of words helping to ease the growing pains in his abdomen. As if that first out loud thought had spurred an army of more, Kaden suddenly glanced out the window, eyes filled with purpose. “You’re right, Juno. I’ve got to get my priorities straight.”

“Right now?” the seer responded instinctively, though his inner self was telling him not to fight Kaden’s sudden conclusion of this conversation. Some inner force - some putrid, evil incarnate inner force - tugged at him, however, urging him to continue this conversation, telling him that Kaden wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought he was. But how could someone so good truly be so good?

“If someone says something that keeps bugging you, you should probably talk to them about it, right?”

“I…” the hybrid stuttered, knowing full well that the courier was talking about Sophia. Did he really care about this? He could probably have talked Kaden into a different approach. The hybrid was quite sure, after all, that he had… been with more women than the blonde, but something told him that this wasn’t his battle anymore. That whatever Kaden and Sophia had, they deserved it, and he shouldn’t sit there trying to stop it. “…yeah. That makes sense.”

He leaned back in his seat, the physical pain subsided for just a moment by the emotional wound he’d just inflicted upon himself. This was so… out of character for him. Why was he letting it happen? Why was he letting Kaden get the girl?

He could only suppose that he somehow let his feelings for Sophia guide him. It was the lesson that tragic romantic heroes always learned: if you truly care for her, let her have what she wants, don’t try to force yourself on her. You’ll come out better in the end for it. And if Kaden was what she wanted, she deserved every last inch of him, by that logic.

“Unfortunately, that girl’s about as easy to track down as a dragon ball.”

Juno’s attention was captured. “Wait, what?” he looked to the courier, confused as to what in God’s name a dragon ball could be.

Kaden stumbled a bit for an explanation before he finally found one: “They’re these… artifacts, I guess. Apparently getting seven of them grants you a wish.” With no more than a quick wave and a thank-you to Juno for paying for their burgers, the man left, shutting the door abruptly as he did so. The hybrid frowned as he watched Kaden leave, a vague sense of purpose leaving him now that he had effectively given up the pursuit of Sophia for good. Sure, he’d convinced himself it had ended before, but this was the moment, this was the moment when he became fully committed to her truly, with no ulterior motives, nothing to hope for but to be the best friend he could be to the priestess. He hoped that she’d accept that much from him. If he hadn’t done anything else, something he’d said had spurred the courier to go find her.

He imagined, for a moment that would prove to be the last torturous thought of this escapade, what this conversation would be like; the one that would, undoubtedly, take place soon enough between Kaden and Sophia. He imagined that unless Kaden said something utterly stupid - which the hybrid had full confidence was possible - he would, indeed, attain victory once again. He would not just gain his friend back, but Sophia would gain hers.

And like he’d known beforehand, that was all he wanted, for the priestess to be happy. He took this moment, this thought, as the first true affirmation that he truly cared for Sophia. Before, he’d thought of it maybe as an infatuation. He’d thought he’d loved the idea of her. He had thought that just perhaps, he had tagged along behind the blonde-headed spitfire simply because he needed something to tag along to. Well, if any of those reasons had first initiated contact with the girl, they didn’t matter now, but all the same, he was thankful for them. Because they had gained him a friend - perhaps the only person Juno could count as a true friend.

While Sophia sat there wondering about his motivations, the hybrid knew that he cared for her more than he cared for anyone else, but now, no matter how deeply he searched, he could find no ulterior motives - romantic or otherwise. His friendship with her, at least on his end, was true, and now he just had to prove himself to her. She had thought, he knew, that he meant to court her when he’d first showed up at the water park. Now he hoped she realized that wasn’t what he intended at all. He just wanted someone to be there for him, like he felt he could be there for her. Maybe, just maybe, she’d understand that someday. For now, though, it was time for her to be with Kaden. She could save him for later.

“Go get her, tiger,” Juno muttered to himself, feeling completely stupid when he did it but feeling that the cheesiness of the phrase was the perfect period to the end of this chapter of his life.

As one book closes, another one opens, and so too did another problem, as the hybrid was once again stung with pain in his abdomen. Sliding a bit of zeni onto the diner’s table, he slid out of the booth and made his way shakily out the door, struggling to keep himself standing. It didn’t work for long - he got out of the diner and tripped over himself, falling face first into the dirt.

“Damn it,” he sputtered, spitting out a bit of dirt that had slid between his lips. He pushed into a sitting position, clutching his ribs with one hand and holding his torso aloft with another. He closed his eyes and bit his lip - this pain was burning into him. It was as if, all of a sudden, Gamer had decided to push every torture device ever created straight into his ribcage.

Slowly but surely, the burning sensation finally subsided. The hybrid pulled himself to his feet, with his chest and stomach feeling a bit heated. He limped loosely across the clearing to another solid building that stood next to the diner, the rest room. Entering the men’s room, he quickly leaned over the sink and stared at his pale reflection. He unbuttoned his coat and tossed it to the floor, then lifted up his shirt and pulled it off, tossing it onto the coat, forming a small pile of clothing just feet away. He looked at his bare chest, observing the redness that slowly crept about. What the hell was happening to him?

His stomach churned, and he vomited violently into the sink, stumbling away from the mirror and grasping the long-sleeve shirt but leaving the heavy coat behind; he didn’t have need for any more heat. He pulled on the shirt and walked as quickly as he was able out of the restroom, looking around the clearing and hoping to find somewhere that he could get help, maybe, hopefully - the pain was subsiding now, he wasn’t hurting, but there was something making him grow tired, lethargic, and weak. He felt himself slowly falling to the ground.

“Whoa, kid,” a voice spoke, catching him mid-fall.

Juno looked up at the cycloptic man and caught sight of him briefly, seeing the man’s concerned expression and shoulder-length brown hair, studying him briefly, getting in a couple of first impressions before he began to black out.

“Kid, come on,” the man said, “Listen, I’m Orion. What’s your name, kid?”

He bit his lip. “J-Juno,” he mumbled, slowly slipping into darkness.

[Orion]

It wasn't a habit of Orion's to catch fainting strangers. Most of the time, if someone was a stranger, then that marked them as a prime candidate vying for the saiyan's execution. A little paranoid perhaps, but it was the mantra he had adopted in order to survive. People he thought he could trust were in fact wolves in sheep's clothing, therefore anyone who wasn't even on Orion's radar was labelled as an enemy until they could demonstrate otherwise. Guilty until proven innocent, he always said.

Yet, at the same time, as this feverish young man collapsed in the middle of the fair without any company, Orion couldn't help but assist. Sure, maybe a shred of his former self would have shown this level of compassion to a total unknown, but the situation was different. Everyone here was just as much a prisoner of Gamer's sick virtual reality as he was. No one was here of their own volition if they had been "persuaded" in the same manner as Orion. Therefore, anyone wandering the carnival, except for that filth encrusted lizard Szar, was a potential innocent victim of the nerdy ringmaster.

Maybe his chance meeting with Victoria loosened him up, as well as his final strike on the monster truck. Launching the dual missiles into the black beast's grill was tantamount to tossing the last energy blast of the battle that decimated an entire army's worth of opponents. It was satisfying. Even the nefarious intent of CAL, the motorcycle's AI program, couldn't thwart the decades of honed skill that Orion displayed in the victory.

Whatever the reason, he had chosen to help him. His skin was pale and his steps jagged and unrefined before he lost connection to the ground. Something was wrong with him. Perhaps he received some sort of viral infection from the last event he partook in? He wouldn't know until he was conscious again, which could have been any time.

Orion carried the torpid youngster away from the deserted field and back towards civilisation. He located an unused bench and plopped Juno onto it. The black haired youth's head slumped over the headrest of the chair, his mouth ajar. Several passers-by shot curious stares at the unconscious man but Orion ignored them. No one rushed to their aid or attempted to stand in and interfere with the situation, which was good. Orion didn't know what he would say to any questions.

"Hey, kid," Orion said, looking him over. "Hey, wake up!"

No response. The one eyed saiyan clapped his hands right next to Juno's ear, hoping for movement. Still nothing.

Orion grunted. Maybe this kid was in worse condition than he thought. He left the bench only for a minute to search for a liquid to douse over him. A nearby food stall provided soft drinks in varying arrays of size. Orion ordered the largest container that was available and returned to Juno. He was still out like a light, dead to the world. No one had investigated the unconscious youth since he departed.

With little hesitation, Orion hurled the contents of the soda cup into Juno's face. The raven haired youth startled awake, spraying cola from his lips and coughing wildly. He leaned over in an attempt to calm the fit.

"Oh come on," Orion moaned. "It wasn't that bad."

Juno recovered and looked up at the soda throwing antagonist. "What the hell was that for?!"

Orion cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm just trying to help you out here, kid!"

"Some help!" he rebutted, sponging the sticky soft drink from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Why don't you throw a hot dog down my pants next?"

"You better watch your tone, kid," Orion seethed. "You collapsed out there and I dragged you back here to wake you up again. If not for me, you'd probably be dying out there."

Juno calmed himself long enough to recall what happened previously. "You're ... you're that guy who caught me."

Orion crossed his arms. "You're welcome."

"Th-thank you," Juno replied. "I'm feeling a lot better now." His brow raised as he tenderly poked his abdomen. "The pain's gone now." He attempted to stand up but instantly felt a swoon, dropping back into the bench. "I think walking's out of the question right now."

Orion slumped down beside him. "Juno, was it?"

"Yeah, that's right. You said your name was Orion?"

The veteran nodded before sighing and shaking his head. "Since when did a saiyan warrior perform the duties of a common nurse?"

Juno's eyes narrowed. "Saiyan? Did I hear that right?"

Orion met his gaze. "Yeah? What of it?"

"Well, I have saiyan blood in my veins, you know."

Orion whet his lips before replying. "I'll take it that you're a half-breed, judging by your answer."

"Yeah, I am," Juno informed. "I don't really know a lot about my heritage, though."

"Figures," Orion answered scornfully. "The dilution into human blood seems to have an amnesiac effect."

"What can you tell me? About the saiyans, I mean?" Juno pressed, becoming more alert.

"You don't know anything about them? Hmm. I suppose a brief lecture wouldn't hurt." Orion cleared his throat. "The saiyans are the mightiest race in the whole galaxy. Our very names make planets tremble in fear. There is no adversary we cannot defeat. I happen to be part of the elites, the strongest and best of the saiyan race."

Juno didn't know what to make of that, but he was enamoured. So far it sounded like Orion was tooting his own horn, but eventually he would get to the juicy parts, the parts that would cure his desire to delve into his roots.

[Szar]

Szar stepped out of the portal, a grin of victory once again pasted to his visage. That was twice now he'd emerged the winner in his events, thanks to impressive team cohesion. He doubted how well he'd do if he didn't have allies to work with, but so far that hadn't hampered him much. At the rate he was progressing, he would likely come out of this on top. Now it was a matter of finding something to do until the next event. Scanning the nearby booths for anything of interest, he jumped with surprise when a hand brushed the back of his neck. Wheeling around, he was taken aback by the presence of a beautiful woman. No, beautiful didn't begin to describe her. She was perfect, absolutely flawless. Szar felt uncharacteristically awkward around her. She didn't even mind that he had been staring, mouth agape, at her for several moments. She seemed to enjoy the attention, batting a wave of hair from her face.

"See something you like?" she teased, winking.

Iceman cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to a captivating patch of grass at his feet. She stepped towards him, gripping his chin with a slender hand she brought his gaze to match hers. "I've been watching you. You've been doing pretty well for yourself."

Szar reddened and he stepped back from her, trying to clear his mind of the lewd thoughts she provoked. She didn't seem to like that and she continued to approach, her chest grabbing at his attention and not letting go. "T-thanks, I guess."

"So it must make you pretty angry to know that someone's trying to take what you've earned."

Immediately all thoughts of perversion left him. "What are you talking about? And, while we're at it, who the hell are you?!"

Mixie frowned, biting at her lower lip. "Remember the boy from the last round? The one who tried to block the entry port with his ship?"

Szar thought back. He remembered him well enough, though his name escaped the clutches of Iceman's memory. "Yeah, what about him?"

"Check your badges." Mixie stated simply, pointing to the pouch at his waist.

"Okay...I don't see why I have to..." Szar gripped the bag in his hand, pulling it open. He counted them aloud to himself, "One...two...three..." He stopped suddenly. "Where the hell is my last badge?! I paid for four and I only have three!"

"Now check your pager. The Updates tab, to be precise." Mixie was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder. "No, you go here first. Ugh, let me see it." She held her hand out and Szar handed the device to her. A few clicks and she returned it. "That's what happened to your fourth badge."

Juno purchases a Covet, stealing a badge from current badge leader, Szar! Nice play, how will the Icer respond?[i]

Szar almost crushed the pager right then and there. Mixie stopped him, reminding him that he would need that for the remaining rounds.

"I'm going to kill him. Do you know where he is?" Szar spun to face Mixie, his face almost being buried in her bosom. Cursing his small stature, he stepped back a pace.

"I just might... I'll only tell you if you can beat me at a game!" She cradled her chin in her hand for a moment, lost in thought. Szar wanted to leave, to find Juno and take his badge back. However, the sheer scale of the Carnival made that unlikely unless he knew where to look, and this girl seemed to know where Juno was. Or maybe she didn't, and she was just leading the Changeling on. Either way, he decided to stick around; maybe a game or two with a beautiful girl wouldn't be so bad.

Mixie suddenly broke from her reverie, her eyes widening as she had an epiphany of sorts. "Come on, you'll like this one!" She clamped her hand around his wrist, dragging him towards one of the booths. Szar admired her from behind as she led him, hating that her backside was the only thing on his mind. They stopped in front of a brightly lit booth, and the man behind the counter set down the magazine he'd been reading.

"Hiya, Mixie. Who's your friend?"

She looked down at Szar then back to the worker. "Just one of Gamer's contestants. He has three badges, can you believe it?"

The man looked Iceman over, clearly unimpressed. "Must be beginner's luck, it won't last." Szar stared at the man, his eyes filled with anger. "I...you both playing, then?" he stuttered, changing the subject quickly.

Mixie beamed. "Yep!"

The man nodded, reaching beneath the counter he came back up with two toy rifles. He handed one to Mixie, and the other to Szar. "The goal," the man began, stepping to the side so the Icer could see the back of the booth. "Is to hit the target with your squirt gun. Then, that balloon you see there will fill with water. The first one to burst their balloon wins. Any questions?"

Mixie shook her head. Szar wanted to ask why the balloons looked like brains, but he decided against it. Putting the butt of the rifle against his shoulder Szar took aim, watching Mixie out of the corner of his eye as she did the same. Her form was good, surprisingly good. She didn't have the look of a marksman at all, but Szar was smart enough to not judge her based solely on appearance. The worker looked from Mixie to Szar, then back at the wall.

He casually took a cigarette from behind his ear, placed it in his mouth. Patting down his pockets for his lighter, he cursed frustratedly before finding that he'd left it on the counter. Flicking the Bic to life, he lit his cigarette, taking a long drag.

"You can start now." he said, blowing a big cloud of smoke in Szar's eyes.

While Szar tried to fan away the cancer-smoke, Mixie had already started shooting. She struck the center of the bulls-eye expertly, and her balloon-brain began to inflate. Not wanting to be outdone, Szar took aim and fired. His gun didn't do anything. Pulling the trigger repeatedly did nothing to fix it. Examining the hose that connected the gun to the tank of water beneath the booth, the Icer noticed it was broken. So this guy wanted Szar to lose so badly he would stack the odds in Mixie's favor, huh?

Down but not out, Szar raised his finger, pointing at the target. A thin stream of ki rocketed from the tip of his finger, striking the target dead center. His balloon, Szar was happy to find, began to inflate rapidly. Mixie was too busy concentrating to notice anything that had happened. The man behind the booth was clearly angry that Szar was still in the game, but he knew better than to step in front of the ki. So he just stood to the side, watching the balloons fill, puffing away on his cigarette. The balloons inflated more, Iceman trying his best to ignore that they resembled brains, and that the water they were filling with was blood red.

[i]Pop!

Szar sighed as he saw his victory snatched away from him. Mixie's balloon-brain exploded in a cloud of red mist. Screeching victoriously, she began to jump up and down in celebration. Certain parts of her anatomy bounced with her. Szar was entranced, unable to pull his eyes away.

Up and down. Up and down.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, turning to Szar, she embraced him in a hug. Szar was glad then that his species was asexual, otherwise it would have been rather embarassing. "That was so much fun!"

"Yeah...fun." Szar gasped. "You can...let go now."

Mixie finally relented, and the Changeling wriggled out of her grip. "Let's play another game! You still have to beat me if you want to find Juno!"

Before Szar could protest she was already dragging him through the crowd towards another game. The funny thing was, Szar didn't mind at all.

[Juno]

As he slowly drifted into unconsciousness, Juno never would have guessed that he would’ve been awoken by the stinging sensation of bitingly cold soft drink splashing into his face. He shot up, spitting up cola and progressing into a coughing fit as he leaned over the bench that he had been lain upon. “Oh, come on,” the cycloptic man standing above him moaned, “It wasn’t that bad.”

The half-blood shot his elder a vicious glare. For a moment, he had been completely removed from the world; the lively carnival around him served only as the mysterious void from whence this soft drink had come. Now, however, Orion stood before him, and it was quite clear to the hybrid that the veteran had indeed been the one to wake him from his slumber. He scowled as he glanced at the man, and then spat at him the only words he could possibly think of for this situation: “What the hell was that for?!”

“Hey, I’m just trying to help you out here, kid!” Orion shot back, but the half-Saiyan persisted in his protestations to the one-eyed man’s ‘assistance.’

“Some help,” he scoffed, leaning back against the side of the bench, “Why don’t you throw a hot dog down my pants next?” Orion’s one eye contorted quizzically, and Juno had to agree. He didn’t fully know what he had meant by the expression either, but it was too late now—he’d said it, so he had to stand behind it.

“You better watch your tone, kid,” the elder scolded, stepping closer and assuming an intimidating stance. For the first time since he could remember, the hybrid found himself fearing the results of this encounter, and decided that it was best to just assume a pacifistic philosophy. “You collapsed out there and I dragged you back here to wake you up again,” Orion told him calmly, “If not for me, you’d probably be dying out there.”

The hybrid bit his lip. “You’re… you’re the guy who caught me,” he realized dejectedly, and the eye-patch-sporting Saiyan nodded.

“You’re welcome,” Orion grimaced, crossing his arms. Juno knew he must’ve thought he was an ungrateful cretin, and if he hadn’t been knocked into his senses, he probably would’ve acted that way. Something told him, though, that this act deserved some merit—after all, he’d probably saved his life.

“Th-thank you,” the hybrid mumbled shamefully. He rubbed his abdomen; the pain was practically diminished. Whatever had happened to knock him unconscious, it had dispelled the pain for now. I suppose I have Gamer to thank for that, Juno smirked inwardly, and then looked up to his physical savior. “I’m feeling a lot better now. The pain’s… gone now.”

Ready to leave Orion with the notion that his charge had recovered, the hybrid slowly began to rise to his feet. He didn’t find pain to meet him, but rather simple exhaustion, and slipped up, falling loosely back onto the bench. He cursed under his breath.

“I… I think walking’s out of the question right now,” he swooned, putting a hand to his forehead. His temperature had dropped immensely, probably due in part to Orion’s interesting medical procedures.

“Juno, was it?” Orion asked.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he replied with a nod and a smile, happy that his name had been remembered more than once today, “You said your name was Orion?”

The veteran nodded, slumping onto the bench next to the black-clothed boy. He let out a heavy sigh, gazing up at the sky, which was perpetually locked in twilight. Juno’s eyes followed his elder’s gaze, intent on hearing his next words. There was something about this guy… something that fascinated him. As the hybrid followed his gaze, his eyes focused on something very strange. It was no disturbance in the sky, nothing about the area around them that puzzled him, but rather something on Orion’s own figure: a circular yellow ring floating idly above his head. A halo.

He’s dead, Juno realized, but he retracted the obvious questions he had, deciding to save them for a later time. He stared at the halo for a moment, knowing full well that was what it was—he’d seen pictures of Sophia during Dante’s Abyss, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t been alive very long. Dead people wore halos loosely above their heads.

They sat there for a moment, and the hybrid took care to avert his eyes when Orion looked down from his gaze toward the heavens… toward where he would have to return to after this game was over, whenever the game was over. Juno would have to admit that he was impressed with Gamer, garnering dead people to play this twisted game with them. He glanced down at his pager, as it was steadily buzzing, but quickly set it aside.

“Since when did a Saiyan warrior perform the duties of a common nurse?” Orion asked rhetorically, muttering it almost to himself. Juno’s attention was, once again, captured by Orion’s casual mention of something seemingly unimportant.

“Saiyan?” the hybrid asked, deciding to start with his living persona and ease into the questions about death, if he got to them at all, “Did I hear you right?”

“Yeah,” Orion replied, puzzled by the boy’s curiosity. Saiyan populated the galaxy; it was intriguing to have so many people be curious about his race in such a short span of time. “What of it?”

“Well, I have Saiyan blood in my veins, you know,” Juno said, a clearly recognizable sense of Saiyan pride reverberating in his voice. Maybe, too, he was just trying to impress this warrior, who looked distinctly more powerful than he. He sighed inwardly; no matter how much he grew, he would still search for the approval of those he thought better than he.

They exchanged a few words about the Saiyans—once learning of Juno’s half-blood status and distinct lack of knowledge about his people, Orion gladly opened up a few cultural doors for him.

“…I happen to be part of the elites,” he said with perhaps even more pride than Juno’s earlier comment had contained, “the strongest and best of the Saiyan race.”

Juno nodded, enthralled. He remembered vaguely the first years of his life, when he’d lived in the castle on Vegeta-sei, back when the first king Vegeta had ruled. His mother had been human, he knew, which meant that his father had been Saiyan, but he consistently put thoughts of the man to the back of his mind, not exactly caring to divulge any information about him; even to himself. He remembered his reptilian nurse, how she had cared for him in his early years because of his mother’s status as head servant at the castle.

He remembered just years later, when he wandered the streets pick-pocketing the rich, with their fancy airs. He remembered becoming a part of the family, and going professional with his criminal tendencies. And he remembered the circumstances that had forced him out. The circumstances that brought him to Mercy, which had brought him to Frost, which had brought him to Earth, which had brought him to Friend or Foe, which had brought him to become the person he was now.

He let himself grow distracted from Orion’s lecture for a moment, distracted by his own pointless thoughts of the life he’d once known. But this—this was the life he had now, and as much as he loved to think it was worse, as much as he loved to constantly consider himself and everyone around him a victim, he knew that that wasn’t true. He had to build this life from scratch, and so far, he thought he’d done a pretty good job of it. After all, building had never been his forté, so to come as far as he had in a year—it was good work.

“Hey, kid, you listening to me?”

“Huh?” the ‘kid’ replied. He normally would’ve been offended by that, but he knew that Orion was old—and, uh, dead—so he probably was a kid to him. So he suffered through the makeshift nickname.

“Thought not,” the one-eyed Saiyan smirked, leaning back over the bench, “Something bothering you, kid? Why’d you fall down, anyway?”

“I’m… not exactly sure,” Juno admitted, “They—the doctors—said I’ve got something, some disease. It’s debilitating me, I can hardly do anything. It had disappeared since I’d gotten here, but suddenly, while I was just sitting there, talking to a friend of mine—” there it was again, he was using that word for Kaden, friend, “—it just popped up, and five minutes later, I was sprawled across the dirt. And that’s where you come in, I guess.” Orion nodded, and Juno felt thankful that the one-eyed Saiyan had waked him. He supposed that he probably would’ve died, or could’ve died, if he’d been left there to rot. Maybe he did have a good bit to thank Orion for. It was at that moment that his pager began to beep.

“What is that incessantly annoying noise?” Orion muttered, irritated. Juno unclipped his pager from his belt and looked at the newest update Mixie had sent out. “What’s it say?” Orion asked, leaning over and glancing at the screen.

“Szar is now the badge leader, with four badges.”

“WHAT?!” Orion yelled, and Juno clutched his ears, dropping the pager on the ground. Orion’s volume was impressive. “I don’t know what the hell a badge is, but we’ve got to get them away from that lizard,” he steamed.

“Well, we could Covet one from him,” Juno said cautiously, “I mean, steal one, you know. For twenty monies.”

“Monies…? Whatever, it doesn’t matter, just do it,” Orion rattled off.

“Why me?” Juno asked, “Why don’t you do it yourself if you’re so concerned?”

“He’ll expect that,” Orion stated as if it was obvious.

“So you’d like to get me killed?” Juno laughed, quickly punching in the Covet and smiling as another badge popped out. He slid it into his pocket. That was two.

“Well, if you die, at least you’ll have someone to keep you company,” Orion smiled, gesturing to the halo. “Let’s hope you don’t, though. From Szar or that sickness of yours.”

“I noticed,” Juno said in reply to Orion’s first comment, nodding at the man’s halo. Then, he moved onto the second part of the man’s statement, suddenly remembering Kaden’s mention of the wish-granting ‘dragon balls.’ Seemed kind of farfetched to the ex-fortune teller, but he supposed it was worth a shot. “The friend that I was talking about,” he continued, “He said something about, like ‘dragon balls’ or something. They’re supposed to grant you a wish or something. I figured if I found these things, I could wish to be well again, since there isn’t much the docs can do for me. Trouble is… I’ve got no idea where to look.”

“Try Namek,” Orion laughed, Saiyan bias obviously filtering through, “Those antennae-heads are always making some mystical crap.”

“But… do you really think it’ll work?” the hybrid asked, more rhetorically than anything, but Orion replied anyhow.

“It’s worth a shot, kid,” the cycloptic soldier said, standing and offering his hand to Juno, “Here, let’s see if you can walk. It’s been a couple of minutes.”

“Alright,” Juno replied, grasping the much larger hand and pushing off the bench as Orion pulled him up. He got to his feet—barely—before stumbling into a shambled, almost zombified walk. Slowly, he got his footing, and stood up straight, turning around and thanking Orion for all his help. The Saiyan nodded.

“It’s nothing, kid,” Orion smiled.

“You know, Orion,” the hybrid said, using his name to address him for the first time, “If you really wanted, I could use the dragon balls to wish you back to life. I’m sure there’s someone out there I can pay to fix me up.”

“You’ve got a pretty certain chance of living if these things exist,” Orion said, sitting back on the bench, “You’re young. I’m old. Save your own damn life.”

They shared a chuckle, and then waved in passing as Juno stumbled away, into the dark depths of the Kill Town carnival. He thought on what Orion said and realized that everything he’d listed was true, and if they were real, which Juno couldn’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be, they were his only sure chance of survival. That meant, more than anything, that he had to get out of this place—he had to get out so that he could go to Namek and find these things, and heal himself. It was all he could do to restrain the newfound hope and optimism that was bubbling up inside him.