Summer 2021, Week 3
Sunday midnight
Luna's Apartment, The Heights
Storyteller
Luna is dropped off on the roof of her apartment complex by Victory after the crazy day of training, upon her own request. They say their farewells and Luna runs inside the building, making her way to her apartment. It was only down a couple of floors from the top, but it was enough to suddenly strain her as she went; her physical strength was not totally depleted but it was drained, and her emotional strength was wavering as well. And so now the true test: hold fast or expire.
She reaches her door, quickly opens it, and rushes inside. She closes the door behind her and then finds her way to her room as everything plays back in her mind for possibly the hundredth time. She considers trying to stay awake, she was worried about Inko and the others but at the same time she couldn't stand to face the possibility. Regardless, there was something that had improved within her... whether she could feel it or not. Great adversity has a beauty — it is the fire that tempers the blade. It wasn't long before she was unconscious, but this day would teach her much for the days to come. When she next awoke in the morning, she held a clarity of mind that only hours upon hours of meditative rest could bring about.
Sunday morning
Luna | Mecha Loli
He was right, I'm doing this to help people. I want to do that regardless of the risk... Inko and the others, they know the risk too or they wouldn't offer their help either. she thinks as she rolls out of bed. She quickly runs over to what seems like a random spot before opening a portal just big enough to stick her head through it, which she promptly does. "Hey!"
[Type 1: x1 Normal, -3 EP (12/15)]
Alexia
The other side of the portal was a room consisting of metal walls and floors, with tables covered in tools of various shapes and sizes as well as strange mechanical parts. At one of the tables a girl nearly identical in appearance to Luna stands holding what seems to be a welding tool, sparks flying from the small metal device she seems to be modifying. As Luna calls out to her, she suddenly shuts off the tool and spins around as quickly as she can, pulling the welding mask off her face. "Luna!!" she calls out in a startled voice. "Where have you been!? Nero came back with burned wings and Inko came back crushed! What kind of training are you guys doing, are you insane?"
[Type 1: x2 Minor, -2 EP (13/15)]
Luna | Mecha Loli
"I wasn't expecting that!" she cries out in reply, a tinge of anger mixed with sadness coming through her voice. The anger was mostly directed at herself at this point, as she felt she should have expected that. "They didn't know they were more than just machines, and I didn't think they would do that... I... Is he okay...?" she asks, a tear forming in one eye."
Alexia
Setting the welding tool and mask on the table behind her Alexia then moves forward to approach her sister. She places a hand on her head, which from her perspective is just floating in the air. "Inko is fine, his core took no damage. I've got him all fixed up already." she says, patting the little floating head for just a moment. "But he was lucky, if whatever did that had just used a bit more force he would have been gone. You need to be more careful, Luna!"
Luna | Mecha Loli
"Yeah... but if things get out of hand in the city it's the risk we take, right?" Her voice was shaky, but the hints of her resolve were still there.
Alexia
The older sibling sighed. "Nothing I say is going to stop you, isn't that right? You are going to throw yourself at danger to try and be some kind of isekai protagonist, helping protect a world that you barely know no matter what I do to stop you... I just wish you'd be safe about it, you know? All the two of us really have left is each other, and I don't want to lose you too..."
Luna | Mecha Loli
The little girl steels herself after what her sister had to say, giving her sibling one of her signature grins in response as she put the cheery mask back on she had grown accustomed to in the past few years. "Exactly! We are like geniuses over here, and then on top of that I have my powers and I have you to back me up! How can I not try to help people? I'm being careful, Sis, promise. We just need a better way to stay in contact..."
Alexia
She smiles at the mention of staying in contact. "I've actually got an idea for that..." she says before running off back to the table she was working at to grab something, rushing back over to Luna with the small device. "I've been working on this all night on and off, I think it may be the most complicated thing I've ever built! Can you open a smaller portal near one of your outlets? Something just bigger than this." She holds the device out in front of her, a small ring-shaped collection of bluish colored metal parts and wires. The inner side of the ring was the most plain but the outer side was slightly concave, with a shallow indent going all the way around that contained several tiny apparatuses pointing outward.
Luna | Mecha Loli
Luna looks at the device curiously but quickly does as she's asked. She pulls her head out of the portal then runs over to an area near a wall outlet. At that point the portal she had been using closes and she begins to open a new one. The portal is small, just big enough to fit the small device inside as her sister asked. As soon as it opens wide enough, the small machine comes partway through from the other side, including a somewhat long cord with a plug on the end. Luna plugs the device into the wall instinctively and it starts to hum and whir. Then lights come out of the tiny apparatuses lining the outside of the ring, firing into the glowing border of the portal which begins to glow brighter.
[Type 1: x1 Minor, -1 EP (11/15)]
Alexia
"I think it's working!"
Luna | Mecha Loli
"What is this thing?" she asked. She had an idea, but she would rather be sure and hear her sister’s answer.
Alexia
"If it works it should keep the portal open, that way I can maintain contact with you over the internet. Then we don't have to worry about being unable to talk to each other just because you've overused your ability. Go ahead and stop focusing on it, let the portal try to close."
Luna | Mecha Loli
She lets go of her concentration on the portal which would normally make it quickly start to collapse, but instead the portal only closes in on the machine creating a snugger fit around it. The portal seems to rest in place after that, stabilized by the machine.
Alexia
"It's working! It's actually working! Yes!" she says happily after about a minute of the machine running seemingly fine.
Storyteller
Just at that very moment, as if on cue, the machine's hum suddenly skips and a loud screeching sounds out as the portal snaps shut, slicing the machine in half.
Luna | Mecha Loli
The half that remained on Luna's side fell to the floor, sparks flying out of the exposed internals until she pulls the plug. She quickly puts her hands out and opens another portal before grabbing the machine and passing it through the portal.
[Type 1: x1 Normal, -3 EP (8/15)]
Alexia
"I really thought it was going to work first try... Guess it's still got some kinks to work out." she says, grabbing the part from her sister before rushing off back to the table.
Luna | Mecha Loli
"Any way I can help?" she says, sticking her head back through the portal.
Alexia
"I think it may be partially due to a software error... I'll send you the code, think you can work your magic?"
Luna | Mecha Loli
"Of course!" she replies with a grin.
Alexia
"Good, because this is going to take me a few days to repair after a failure like that one..."
Storyteller
And so, Alexia dived headfirst into her work, while Luna began diligently modifying the files her sister sent to her. The two of them worked for hours throughout the day after that, and before they knew it the day had passed into the night. This failure would be nothing more than the first step to solving the puzzle, a venture to push the limits of science and their own abilities... And this expedition, at least, promises success.
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