Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Nanya01]

No, not the same person. The one who gave her the scarf was a living person.

[Tempy]

I~ was~ right~

Do I win something? :3

[shiroi mahotsukai]

You can either have the washer and dryer on my right, or the Mystery Box on the left.
Which will it be?

[Nanya01]

*Gives Tempy a cookie*

[Tiresias]

Well what do you know, it was the dead priest afterall

On a side note, during the prison scene I was curious on Sette's reaction, but judging by her character and the fact that she never knew her personally, I guess her reaction would be something like "..."

[Tempy]

Yaaay~!

Cookie~!

*dashes off to find milk*

Also, mystery box.

[Moczo]

"A washer and dryer is a washer and dryer, but the Mystery Box could be anything! It could even be a washer and dryer!"

Also, I see no reason why Due should get all the attention. Soooo...

Spoiler for 'Ready, Sette, Go!' Part 4:

As of 1100 Hours, Mid-standard time, I prepared to commence Operation: 'Live A Normal Life and Hopefully Eventually Chill Out and Stop Calling Everything an 'Operation'' (Operation name chosen by Wendi).

I, my sisters, and Ginga Nakajima would tour the surrounding city, allowing me to, in Cinque's words, 'get the lay of the land' and 'learn where the major day-to-day spots are'. I considered exploration of the local environment to determine appropriate sniping positions, ambush points, and convenient visual shields for aerial combat to be of major importance, so I quickly agreed to this plan. Cinque informed me that by day-to-day spots she had actually meant places to buy food and clothing, or acquire other civilian services. I thought this odd; certainly I wouldn't need to buy clothing everyday, or at least not so often as I would need to face pursuers in HSLA air combat (Hi-speed-low-altitude, a style of urban aerial combat that focuses on rapid pursuit and manuevering through the tight spaces of an obstacle-heavy environment i.e. a city or canyon, and thus can only be effectively managed by individuals capable of personal flight, allowing them to easily lose and ambush bulkier aerial vehicles. General Roculus Volvo's Tactical Training Manual, Chapter IV: 'Urban Warfare', and Chapter IX: 'Advanced Aerial Combat'. The first book I ever read.). Cinque informed me, somewhat nervously, that while living with them I would most likely not be engaging in combat regularly, or with luck, ever.

I assumed she meant 'with bad luck'; with no easy access to appropriately tuned simulators, live-fire combat was the only way to quickly regain the combat skills that had most likely atrophied during my incarceration. For some reason, the prison did not allow prisoners ready access to combat simulators. I had always been confused by this, as a substantial portion of the Penal Code... sections 100 through 500... covered prisoner interactions, and while prisoner/prisoner, prisoner/guard, and guard/guard combat were all forbidden except in cases of self-defense, combat simulation programs were not. They simply were not available, and all requests for access to a proper simulator denied, occasionally quite rudely. I was uncertain why the staff had a problem with me programming an exact duplicate of the prison structure to conduct a combat and structural analysis, and engage in hundreds of variable combat scenarios within it. It is not as though I could use this information to escape; that would have violated Penal Code 001-A.

A lack of opportunity to exercise my primary function notwithstanding, however, I could see the wisdom of knowing the most efficient places to gather supplies in the local area. Being aware of supply cache locations would allow me to raid them for food and medicine before they were ransacked by panicking civilians in the event of a crisis, so this was an appropriate objective. However, it was a civilian objective, and I had no civilian clothing. My sisters seemed to be under the impression that my customary armored bodysuit was inappropriate, and so I would have to borrow proper civilian dress until I could acquire my own. Fortunately, my body type was sufficiently similar to most of the other women in the house that I had a variety of clothing to choose from. I found no appropriate body armor, but my own Numbers armor would serve perfectly in that regard and I could activate it instantly. Still, most of the clothing available was unacceptable for other reasons.

Too flashy; it would draw attention to me if I needed to seek cover.

Too loose; it would snag on obstacles or shrapnel.

Too confining; I did not know why Wendi possessed a full bodysuit consisting entirely of shiny black leather, but it was far too tight for any reasonable person. It would make movement difficult and be extremely difficult to get in and out of quickly, requiring a full corset to keep the top on. The whip it came with would not even serve as an effective weapon, making it overall perhaps the most impractical piece of clothing I had ever seen.

Wendi made little sense to me.

Finally, however, I found an appropriate piece in Nove's closet. In terms of design, it was similar to a very efficient piece of clothing I had once seen and knew to be effective for high-speed high-agility combat; easy to move around in, form-fitting without being restricting, and in simple dark colors that would blend into the city well if I needed to hide. Actually, in that regard, it was superior to the original model. The original had been black, and most people did not realize that black was often not the best color for going unnoticed; it was too dark, darker than most natural surroundings. Dark grays and greens were better at blending with shadows in both urban and natural environments (General Roculus Volvo's Tactical Training Manual, Chapter XII: 'Basic Stealth Operations'), and this garment was in a very effective deep forest green that the human eye would most likely glaze over in sufficient darkness; I could take it off and use it as a hair cover after activating my armor to make me less visible overall. I donned this outfit and some footwear I found to be both comfortable and functional, and prepared to begin the mission.

Ginga Nakajima was the first to see me upon my descent, and she seemed somewhat confused. "I... I should ask, but I don't want to."

"Your statement is nonsensical. This mission has no classified details, so if you require any points clarified you should not hesitate to ask." I informed her. Accurate information flow was essential to any successful operation. Surely a soldier of her experience should know this?

"Um... okay. Why are you... wearing that?"

"This was the most efficient garment I could find. It is easy to move in, comfortable, leaves few openings to snare on obstacles or be grabbed by an attacker, and can be used to disguise my hair in the event of a stealth operation." I informed her. Should she not be aware of this from even simple observation? I knew from my last encounter with such a garment that Bureau training likely covered nearly everything I had mentioned, and her records indicated she was an exemplary soldier. Perhaps she was some kind of savant, only effective at direct combat with no understanding of other aspects of warfare. Not everyone could be as well-rounded as myself.

"... it's a bathing suit. And it is way too small for you, did you borrow that from Nove?! You know she's way shorter than you, right?" Ginga Nakajima said finally.

"It is based on the combat uniform of Fate Testarossa Harlaown." I said with some relief. Perhaps she did comprehend the usefullness of this outfit, then, if only on the most basic of levels. She was an inferior soldier, then, but trainable. "Having seen first-hand the versatility of the design, I can easily see it also being useful for aquatic missions, yes."

"No, I mean that is literally Nove's bathing suit. It's meant to be worn to the beach or the pool, not out shopping!"

"It has many uses." I agreed. Hadn't we already covered this? Perhaps she wasn't trainable after all.

Nove and Wendi chose that moment enter the room, the former saying, "Okay, Sette, you ready to..." before stopping, sighing loudly, and taking hold of my arm. "Come on, sweetie, we'll pick you out something that won't have half the street wondering if you're crazy and the other half staring at your ass...ets."

"My assets? I do not understand."

"... your legs."

"Ah. My legs are exposed and unencumbered." I said helpfully. "It helps limit restriction of motion."

"Classic Sette!" Wendi said, laughing joyfully. "Man, this was so worth the death of Mr. McGnome."

"Don't tell Subaru that. She's gonna be heartbroken." Ginga Nakajima said dryly.

"Eh, I never understood what she saw in that thing. Always sitting around below skirt-level, I bet he was a total pervert. And he was always smiling. Like he was all smug about his gnome magic, living in a garden in a hollowed-out stump and talking with the moles all day. You know what? That little bastard had it coming, the way he judged me all the time with his smirk and his probing eyes!" Wendi said. "You hear that, gnome? I'm glad Sette killed you, and you can rot in Hell!"

"Okay, first rule of acting like a normal person?" Nove said, pulling me upstairs to, for some reason, change me into far less efficient clothing. "Don't be like Wendi."


***

I found my new outfit to be acceptable, if painfully inferior to my original choice. The shirt was plain white and the jeans were blue, much less effective stealth colors, and they were slightly baggy which gave me a more vulnerable target silhouette and increased the danger of getting caught on a nearby obstacle. Still, if I was to successfully integrate into society I would eventually need to learn the (incomprehensible, pointless) customs, so I might as well begin now.

My sisters and Ginga Nakajima were quite enthusiastic in regards to showing me the local stores. Well, to be more specific, Wendi was extremely enthusiastic. Extremely.

"Oh, oh! Sette, look! This place has the best ice cream in the city, I'm not even kidding. Seriously, this ice cream is so good it would make you feel like you just got out of prison even if you hadn't just gotten out of prison!"

"Ooooh, Sette, look! Take a look at this belt, it would look just gorgeous on you! Cinque! We need to buy Sette this belt... what do you mean this is a skirt? I've seen handkerchiefs with more fabric than that, it wouldn't cover her legs at all... ... We should buy it anyway! I bet it would give our Prison-Sisters heart attacks if they saw you all dolled-up and sexy! Don't wear it around Sein, though."

"OOOOOOH, Sette, LOOK! Pet store, pet store! We should buy Sette a kitten! They always buy kittens for gorillas and stuff, and Sette's got sort of a gorilla vibe! ... No offense."

"OOOOOOOOH, Sette, look, look, look! Toys! They have the hot new game I've been wanting for the PlayBox 7, 'Psychedelic Disco Murderfest Rally 3: Revenge of the Rebloodinator'! We can all play some versus mode when we get home, and I totally call Sette for my team!"

It was... an exhausting day.

Still, I was able to achieve a viable mental map of the viable food and supply depots in the vicinity of the Nakajima household, and worked out a number of paths that would allow me to quickly reach them in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. I also spotted several possible sniper positions and informed Dieci of them as they came up. She seemed to take the news with a certain amount of emotion. I am not certain which emotion, though I assumed joy at the knowledge that I was helping her locate excellent vantage points from which to acquire a good view of the enemy army while remaining hidden herself.

***

We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant with the... dubious name of 'Pizza Explosion' (chosen by Wendi. I began to wonder what, exactly, was Cinque's reasoning for allowing Wendi to make so many decisions). The interior of the restaurant was... just as loud as the name suggests.

"Look, Sette!" Wendi said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Y'see, they have pizza, and that's awesome, but they have all kinds of games and stuff to do while you wait too! Let's let the boring girls handle the food, while you and I pick out the bloodiest shoot-em-up here and kill the crap out of some stuff! Y'see those machines with the plastic guns there? They're like a target shooting game, only the targets are zombies and monsters and stuff! You'll love it!"

"Oh." I said, pleasantly surprised. "A sort of combat simulator. I see... I misjudged you, Wendi. This was an excellent idea."

"This was a terrible idea!" Nove said. "We're trying not to make her think about that stuff!"

"Hey, look at it this way," Wendi said with a grin. "We're trying to make sure she doesn't think of herself as a weapon, right? But nothing we can do will erase her combat training, and we need to accept that. So we'll shift those aggressive instincts to a socially acceptable venue: shooting zombie heads off! Whoo-hoo!"

"This is acceptable." I said, my faith in Wendi restored. "If it is socially acceptable and will aid in keeping my reflexes honed, I approve. I would not wish my combat instincts to become as dull as Ginga Nakajima's after all."

"What?!" Ginga said. Ah... her instincts were so poor she didn't even realize how poor they were. Yes, I would have to take care to avoid degrading to her level.

"See, see?" Wendi asked cheerfully. "She wants to! Oh, what should we play, what should we play... 'Live-in Wickedness: The Parasol Stories'? 'Domicile of the Deceased'? 'Passed-on Getting Up'?"

"I would like..."

Wendi's finger shot out to point at something in the distance, her eyes wide with shock. "... 'Blood Zombies 2'! I didn't even know it was out yet! Sette, Sette, we have to play that one!" She squealed.

"Oh, Hell..." Nove muttered.

"Wendi, we all remember what happened with 'Blood Zombies 1'." Cinque said gently. "You remember the fines? The three-month ban? We can't let you play that."

"Eh, oh that won't happen again, I'm sure! I hear they got rid of those little spider guys!" Wendi said cheerfully. "Besides, Sette wants to play, don't you Sette?"

"I-" I began.

"See? She's chomping at the bit! Come on, let's go let's go let's GO!" Wendi... well, let us be perfectly honest, screamed, dragging me behind her as she sprinted toward the machine.

"We should have left Wendi at home." Nove said. Oddly, I did not hear anyone voice disagreement with this sentiment. They must have already finished their daily combat training.

[Nanya01]

*Laughs* that was crazy and awesome, Moczo. Just awesome.

Just one thing I need to point out...

Nove is shorter than anyone but Cinque. Even Hayate is a bit taller than she is. And that's when Nove's on roller blades...

Sette is taller than anyone in the show but maybe Zafira.

If Sette wore Nove's swimsuit, she'd probably suffer from a major wedgie. ... Which is something that someone should have commented on "we can't let you out there, since people will stare at your legs and then gawk at your butt."

Also...

Nove's finger shot out to point at something in the distance, her eyes wide with shock. "... 'Blood Zombies 2'! I didn't even know it was out yet! Sette, Sette, we have to play that one!" She squealed.

"Oh, Hell..." Nove muttered.

I think you mean Wendi's finger, right?

[Yasanagi]

No Highschool of the Dead video game? Wendi would have made for a great Rei. ^^

[shiroi mahotsukai]

Here’s a little thing I wrote during a break between English and French homework last night. It was preventing me from concentrating so I just had to write it to get it out of my head.

Spoiler for A Bit Too Far:

I stared out of the window, stared at a blood-red sky. The hospital room was dark, the only light coming from the sunset outside. The wind was picking up, black clouds raced along the edge of the horizon, threatening to overwhelm the light of the sun.

The weather outside matched my mood, my normally joyous and light-hearted demeanour was running parallel with black feelings of worry and guilt. I ran my fingers through my head of long brown hair and cast my eyes around the room for a mirror.

I looked awful; but I couldn’t bring myself to leave the side of the blond man lying on the bed by which I sat. His hair lay flat upon his head matted with sweat, his face twisted in a grimace of pain.

“Yuuno-kun.” the words were less than a murmur, not as loud as the wind, yet he stirred as if somehow, someway he’d heard me.

Two days he’d been like this, found unconscious in the infinity Library, head resting on his arms as though he were merely taking a nap. Until you saw his face that was, a sleeping person would never show a face like that one, not in the foulest nightmare.

Everyone had come to see what had happened to him, the room was flooded with visitors, literally from sunup to sundown making as much noise as at a house party and he hadn’t budged an inch.

We were still waiting, Hayate, Fate and I, for the results of the scans that had been performed on him after they brought him in. These scans would tell us how long ago he had been attacked, for it was obvious that this was an attack. It should also tell us who did it, that is provided the assault had been magical and the residues could be read.

We had been given special permission to stay by his side day and night, just in case the one who attacked him wasn’t satisfied and tried to come after him again.

I alone now sat by Yuuno’s bedside, everyone else had returned home, Hayate to complete her paperwork and Fate to look after Vivio – I didn’t want her to see Yuuno like this.

I knew that it wasn’t my fault that he was like this, yet for some reason I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe if I’d taken more time to visit him I might have been there to see what happened and prevent it.

The longer I sat there and the more I thought about it the more it seemed to me that it would have been so easy to go to the library that day after work, just like I’d intended to. I wonder if things would have been different if I had.

My eyes lingered on his face, I was sure I saw the corners of his mouth twitch, was he coming to? No, I guess I was seeing things; I haven’t slept since I first saw him. My body longs for rest, but I can’t sleep – not until I know for sure – once I know it will ease my heart.


The only thing we’ve confirmed about the incident is that Yuuno hit his head, hard on the back. The reason could have been anything from a fall to an assault so it’s not much, but it’s all we have to go on.

The door opened and I wearily got to my feet, only to sit down again as Hayate came through the doors.

“Has there been any change Nanoha-chan?” she asked me, her eyes full of worry. She took the chair next to me as I answered.

“No, none at all.”

“ Nothing?”

“I thought he moved once but it was probably my imagination.” My voice was dull with fatigue and Hayate looked as bad as I felt.

We continued to sit beside Yuuno’s bed as the sky darkened behind us. There was no clock in the room, so there was no way to find out what time it was, the best we could do was guess by the position of the moon…or we could have if it wasn’t covered by clouds.

My memory of that night is quite fuzzy, because I was so tired, but I’ll do my best to try and say exactly what happened. Around 11pm (I think) Hayate returned home saying that she needed to sleep. Truth was I also needed to sleep but I was beyond the point of trying because I knew it was an exercise in futility.

All through the night I sat there, my eyelids grew more leaden by the minute. I knew I couldn’t keep this up much longer, but we should be getting the results of the scans today and then I’ll know what happened and be able to sleep again.

I couldn’t tell you what time of the morning it was when I looked up at the sound of an opening door. I was relieved this time it was a member of the hospital staff, one of those who had seen to Yuuno when he was first brought in.

She crooked a finger at me and I wearily got to my feet and headed for the door. Outside she looked at me and I saw her face, really saw it. She didn’t look sad – so that meant no bad news right? It was more of a perplexed look, like someone trying to get their head around a difficult riddle.

“What is it?” I got straight to the point; I had no energy to be excruciatingly polite about it.

“There’s…something strange about this, you see…we did the tests for magic residue and we found some…”

“Then what was strange about it? Whose residue was it?”

“It was…the magical signal emitted by Yuuno Scrya.”

“You’re trying to tell me Yuuno attacked himself?” I exclaimed.

“That is…what the tests we did tell us.”

My mind was still fuzzy but something was getting through . Something’s wrong here, unless he, no way, he wouldn’t, unless, but I couldn’t think straight, it was like a fog was clouding my mind.

A loud sound made me turn around and stare at the empty bed where Yuuno had lain but a moment before, I also noticed that the ground floor window was open.

“He did, didn’t he?” I was shaking, all of this and for what, so he could– “YUUUUUNOOO-KUUUNN!!”

Several blocks over, the young archaeologist felt a chill run down his spine as he crouched behind the corner of a building. “Maybe trying to get more attention this way was a bad idea.”

Spoiler for Notes:

As for why I wrote this, well I heard this “joke” a while ago and got this idea into my head and couldn’t get it out. So here it is.

Spoiler for Joke (it's a little long):

A man is standing at a bus-stop when he is joined by a second man.
The second man says to the first “Do you want to see an amazing trick?”
With nothing better to do the first man says okay.
The second man takes out a hammer and says for the first man to hit him in the head with it.
The first man exclaims “No way, I can’t do that!” but the second man keeps insisting until he does.
After he’s been hit by the hammer the second man drops to the floor bleeding.
Panicking the first man calls an ambulance and waits for it to arrive.
He travels to the hospital with the other man and sits by his bedside.
The second man goes into a coma, while the first man waits by his bedside out of guilt.
As time passes and the second man doesn’t wake up the first man’s feeling of guilt grows.
He starts to drink excessively to drown his feelings.
His life starts spiralling down into disaster, he loses his job, and his girlfriend leaves him.
But he still stays by this man’s side.
Weeks later as he still sits there now beginning to contemplate suicide, the second man suddenly jumps out of bed performs an elaborate bow and cries “TA-DA”

What do you think? Awful isn’t it?

Are the any huge errors? I was quite tired when I wrote this, so I'd like to know.

@Tempy - Your mystery box is being sent to you by intergalactic airmail, we here at Prizes.ltd ask that you be patient as your package is travelling 112 lightyears from your nearest intergalactic post-office and we don't have faster than light travel yet.
PS: as for how this message got here, don't ask.

@Nanya - The ending to that story was so adorable, i thought i was going to cry.

@Moczo - It has already been said, awesome incarnate.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Moczo

"A washer and dryer is a washer and dryer, but the Mystery Box could be anything! It could even be a washer and dryer!"

Also, I see no reason why Due should get all the attention. Soooo...

Spoiler for 'Ready, Sette, Go!' Part 4:

As of 1100 Hours, Mid-standard time, I prepared to commence Operation: 'Live A Normal Life and Hopefully Eventually Chill Out and Stop Calling Everything an 'Operation'' (Operation name chosen by Wendi).

I, my sisters, and Ginga Nakajima would tour the surrounding city, allowing me to, in Cinque's words, 'get the lay of the land' and 'learn where the major day-to-day spots are'. I considered exploration of the local environment to determine appropriate sniping positions, ambush points, and convenient visual shields for aerial combat to be of major importance, so I quickly agreed to this plan. Cinque informed me that by day-to-day spots she had actually meant places to buy food and clothing, or acquire other civilian services. I thought this odd; certainly I wouldn't need to buy clothing everyday, or at least not so often as I would need to face pursuers in HSLA air combat (Hi-speed-low-altitude, a style of urban aerial combat that focuses on rapid pursuit and manuevering through the tight spaces of an obstacle-heavy environment i.e. a city or canyon, and thus can only be effectively managed by individuals capable of personal flight, allowing them to easily lose and ambush bulkier aerial vehicles. General Roculus Volvo's Tactical Training Manual, Chapter IV: 'Urban Warfare', and Chapter IX: 'Advanced Aerial Combat'. The first book I ever read.). Cinque informed me, somewhat nervously, that while living with them I would most likely not be engaging in combat regularly, or with luck, ever.

I assumed she meant 'with bad luck'; with no easy access to appropriately tuned simulators, live-fire combat was the only way to quickly regain the combat skills that had most likely atrophied during my incarceration. For some reason, the prison did not allow prisoners ready access to combat simulators. I had always been confused by this, as a substantial portion of the Penal Code... sections 100 through 500... covered prisoner interactions, and while prisoner/prisoner, prisoner/guard, and guard/guard combat were all forbidden except in cases of self-defense, combat simulation programs were not. They simply were not available, and all requests for access to a proper simulator denied, occasionally quite rudely. I was uncertain why the staff had a problem with me programming an exact duplicate of the prison structure to conduct a combat and structural analysis, and engage in hundreds of variable combat scenarios within it. It is not as though I could use this information to escape; that would have violated Penal Code 001-A.

A lack of opportunity to exercise my primary function notwithstanding, however, I could see the wisdom of knowing the most efficient places to gather supplies in the local area. Being aware of supply cache locations would allow me to raid them for food and medicine before they were ransacked by panicking civilians in the event of a crisis, so this was an appropriate objective. However, it was a civilian objective, and I had no civilian clothing. My sisters seemed to be under the impression that my customary armored bodysuit was inappropriate, and so I would have to borrow proper civilian dress until I could acquire my own. Fortunately, my body type was sufficiently similar to most of the other women in the house that I had a variety of clothing to choose from. I found no appropriate body armor, but my own Numbers armor would serve perfectly in that regard and I could activate it instantly. Still, most of the clothing available was unacceptable for other reasons.

Too flashy; it would draw attention to me if I needed to seek cover.

Too loose; it would snag on obstacles or shrapnel.

Too confining; I did not know why Wendi possessed a full bodysuit consisting entirely of shiny black leather, but it was far too tight for any reasonable person. It would make movement difficult and be extremely difficult to get in and out of quickly, requiring a full corset to keep the top on. The whip it came with would not even serve as an effective weapon, making it overall perhaps the most impractical piece of clothing I had ever seen.

Wendi made little sense to me.

Finally, however, I found an appropriate piece in Nove's closet. In terms of design, it was similar to a very efficient piece of clothing I had once seen and knew to be effective for high-speed high-agility combat; easy to move around in, form-fitting without being restricting, and in simple dark colors that would blend into the city well if I needed to hide. Actually, in that regard, it was superior to the original model. The original had been black, and most people did not realize that black was often not the best color for going unnoticed; it was too dark, darker than most natural surroundings. Dark grays and greens were better at blending with shadows in both urban and natural environments (General Roculus Volvo's Tactical Training Manual, Chapter XII: 'Basic Stealth Operations'), and this garment was in a very effective deep forest green that the human eye would most likely glaze over in sufficient darkness; I could take it off and use it as a hair cover after activating my armor to make me less visible overall. I donned this outfit and some footwear I found to be both comfortable and functional, and prepared to begin the mission.

Ginga Nakajima was the first to see me upon my descent, and she seemed somewhat confused. "I... I should ask, but I don't want to."

"Your statement is nonsensical. This mission has no classified details, so if you require any points clarified you should not hesitate to ask." I informed her. Accurate information flow was essential to any successful operation. Surely a soldier of her experience should know this?

"Um... okay. Why are you... wearing that?"

"This was the most efficient garment I could find. It is easy to move in, comfortable, leaves few openings to snare on obstacles or be grabbed by an attacker, and can be used to disguise my hair in the event of a stealth operation." I informed her. Should she not be aware of this from even simple observation? I knew from my last encounter with such a garment that Bureau training likely covered nearly everything I had mentioned, and her records indicated she was an exemplary soldier. Perhaps she was some kind of savant, only effective at direct combat with no understanding of other aspects of warfare. Not everyone could be as well-rounded as myself.

"... it's a bathing suit. And it is way too small for you, did you borrow that from Nove?! You know she's way shorter than you, right?" Ginga Nakajima said finally.

"It is based on the combat uniform of Fate Testarossa Harlaown." I said with some relief. Perhaps she did comprehend the usefullness of this outfit, then, if only on the most basic of levels. She was an inferior soldier, then, but trainable. "Having seen first-hand the versatility of the design, I can easily see it also being useful for aquatic missions, yes."

"No, I mean that is literally Nove's bathing suit. It's meant to be worn to the beach or the pool, not out shopping!"

"It has many uses." I agreed. Hadn't we already covered this? Perhaps she wasn't trainable after all.

Nove and Wendi chose that moment enter the room, the former saying, "Okay, Sette, you ready to..." before stopping, sighing loudly, and taking hold of my arm. "Come on, sweetie, we'll pick you out something that won't have half the street wondering if you're crazy and the other half staring at your ass...ets."

"My assets? I do not understand."

"... your legs."

"Ah. My legs are exposed and unencumbered." I said helpfully. "It helps limit restriction of motion."

"Classic Sette!" Wendi said, laughing joyfully. "Man, this was so worth the death of Mr. McGnome."

"Don't tell Subaru that. She's gonna be heartbroken." Ginga Nakajima said dryly.

"Eh, I never understood what she saw in that thing. Always sitting around below skirt-level, I bet he was a total pervert. And he was always smiling. Like he was all smug about his gnome magic, living in a garden in a hollowed-out stump and talking with the moles all day. You know what? That little bastard had it coming, the way he judged me all the time with his smirk and his probing eyes!" Wendi said. "You hear that, gnome? I'm glad Sette killed you, and you can rot in Hell!"

"Okay, first rule of acting like a normal person?" Nove said, pulling me upstairs to, for some reason, change me into far less efficient clothing. "Don't be like Wendi."


***

I found my new outfit to be acceptable, if painfully inferior to my original choice. The shirt was plain white and the jeans were blue, much less effective stealth colors, and they were slightly baggy which gave me a more vulnerable target silhouette and increased the danger of getting caught on a nearby obstacle. Still, if I was to successfully integrate into society I would eventually need to learn the (incomprehensible, pointless) customs, so I might as well begin now.

My sisters and Ginga Nakajima were quite enthusiastic in regards to showing me the local stores. Well, to be more specific, Wendi was extremely enthusiastic. Extremely.

"Oh, oh! Sette, look! This place has the best ice cream in the city, I'm not even kidding. Seriously, this ice cream is so good it would make you feel like you just got out of prison even if you hadn't just gotten out of prison!"

"Ooooh, Sette, look! Take a look at this belt, it would look just gorgeous on you! Cinque! We need to buy Sette this belt... what do you mean this is a skirt? I've seen handkerchiefs with more fabric than that, it wouldn't cover her legs at all... ... We should buy it anyway! I bet it would give our Prison-Sisters heart attacks if they saw you all dolled-up and sexy! Don't wear it around Sein, though."

"OOOOOOH, Sette, LOOK! Pet store, pet store! We should buy Sette a kitten! They always buy kittens for gorillas and stuff, and Sette's got sort of a gorilla vibe! ... No offense."

"OOOOOOOOH, Sette, look, look, look! Toys! They have the hot new game I've been wanting for the PlayBox 7, 'Psychedelic Disco Murderfest Rally 3: Revenge of the Rebloodinator'! We can all play some versus mode when we get home, and I totally call Sette for my team!"

It was... an exhausting day.

Still, I was able to achieve a viable mental map of the viable food and supply depots in the vicinity of the Nakajima household, and worked out a number of paths that would allow me to quickly reach them in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. I also spotted several possible sniper positions and informed Dieci of them as they came up. She seemed to take the news with a certain amount of emotion. I am not certain which emotion, though I assumed joy at the knowledge that I was helping her locate excellent vantage points from which to acquire a good view of the enemy army while remaining hidden herself.

***

We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant with the... dubious name of 'Pizza Explosion' (chosen by Wendi. I began to wonder what, exactly, was Cinque's reasoning for allowing Wendi to make so many decisions). The interior of the restaurant was... just as loud as the name suggests.

"Look, Sette!" Wendi said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Y'see, they have pizza, and that's awesome, but they have all kinds of games and stuff to do while you wait too! Let's let the boring girls handle the food, while you and I pick out the bloodiest shoot-em-up here and kill the crap out of some stuff! Y'see those machines with the plastic guns there? They're like a target shooting game, only the targets are zombies and monsters and stuff! You'll love it!"

"Oh." I said, pleasantly surprised. "A sort of combat simulator. I see... I misjudged you, Wendi. This was an excellent idea."

"This was a terrible idea!" Nove said. "We're trying not to make her think about that stuff!"

"Hey, look at it this way," Wendi said with a grin. "We're trying to make sure she doesn't think of herself as a weapon, right? But nothing we can do will erase her combat training, and we need to accept that. So we'll shift those aggressive instincts to a socially acceptable venue: shooting zombie heads off! Whoo-hoo!"

"This is acceptable." I said, my faith in Wendi restored. "If it is socially acceptable and will aid in keeping my reflexes honed, I approve. I would not wish my combat instincts to become as dull as Ginga Nakajima's after all."

"What?!" Ginga said. Ah... her instincts were so poor she didn't even realize how poor they were. Yes, I would have to take care to avoid degrading to her level.

"See, see?" Wendi asked cheerfully. "She wants to! Oh, what should we play, what should we play... 'Live-in Wickedness: The Parasol Stories'? 'Domicile of the Deceased'? 'Passed-on Getting Up'?"

"I would like..."

Wendi's finger shot out to point at something in the distance, her eyes wide with shock. "... 'Blood Zombies 2'! I didn't even know it was out yet! Sette, Sette, we have to play that one!" She squealed.

"Oh, Hell..." Nove muttered.

"Wendi, we all remember what happened with 'Blood Zombies 1'." Cinque said gently. "You remember the fines? The three-month ban? We can't let you play that."

"Eh, oh that won't happen again, I'm sure! I hear they got rid of those little spider guys!" Wendi said cheerfully. "Besides, Sette wants to play, don't you Sette?"

"I-" I began.

"See? She's chomping at the bit! Come on, let's go let's go let's GO!" Wendi... well, let us be perfectly honest, screamed, dragging me behind her as she sprinted toward the machine.

"We should have left Wendi at home." Nove said. Oddly, I did not hear anyone voice disagreement with this sentiment. They must have already finished their daily combat training.

You know, reading through this, I think it might be a good idea to keep Sette and Wendi separated for a little while as she gets settled into normal life. I know the girl means well, but she isn't exactly the best influence on Sette with her mindset at the moment. I vote leave her alone with Ginga! Torturing Ginga is always fun!

[Moczo]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

You know, reading through this, I think it might be a good idea to keep Sette and Wendi separated for a little while as she gets settled into normal life. I know the girl means well, but she isn't exactly the best influence on Sette with her mindset at the moment. I vote leave her alone with Ginga! Torturing Ginga is always fun!

But 'Blood Zombies 2'! That's the sequel to the renowned, award winning arcade smash hit from year 72 of the Mid Calendar, 'Blood Zombies'.

The plot is, there are zombies and you have to shoot them until they bleed. Without Wendi, how would Sette learn of such marvels?

[Megaolix]

Originally Posted by Moczo

"A washer and dryer is a washer and dryer, but the Mystery Box could be anything! It could even be a washer and dryer!"

Also, I see no reason why Due should get all the attention. Soooo...

Spoiler for 'Ready, Sette, Go!' Part 4:

As of 1100 Hours, Mid-standard time, I prepared to commence Operation: 'Live A Normal Life and Hopefully Eventually Chill Out and Stop Calling Everything an 'Operation'' (Operation name chosen by Wendi).

I, my sisters, and Ginga Nakajima would tour the surrounding city, allowing me to, in Cinque's words, 'get the lay of the land' and 'learn where the major day-to-day spots are'. I considered exploration of the local environment to determine appropriate sniping positions, ambush points, and convenient visual shields for aerial combat to be of major importance, so I quickly agreed to this plan. Cinque informed me that by day-to-day spots she had actually meant places to buy food and clothing, or acquire other civilian services. I thought this odd; certainly I wouldn't need to buy clothing everyday, or at least not so often as I would need to face pursuers in HSLA air combat (Hi-speed-low-altitude, a style of urban aerial combat that focuses on rapid pursuit and manuevering through the tight spaces of an obstacle-heavy environment i.e. a city or canyon, and thus can only be effectively managed by individuals capable of personal flight, allowing them to easily lose and ambush bulkier aerial vehicles. General Roculus Volvo's Tactical Training Manual, Chapter IV: 'Urban Warfare', and Chapter IX: 'Advanced Aerial Combat'. The first book I ever read.). Cinque informed me, somewhat nervously, that while living with them I would most likely not be engaging in combat regularly, or with luck, ever.

I assumed she meant 'with bad luck'; with no easy access to appropriately tuned simulators, live-fire combat was the only way to quickly regain the combat skills that had most likely atrophied during my incarceration. For some reason, the prison did not allow prisoners ready access to combat simulators. I had always been confused by this, as a substantial portion of the Penal Code... sections 100 through 500... covered prisoner interactions, and while prisoner/prisoner, prisoner/guard, and guard/guard combat were all forbidden except in cases of self-defense, combat simulation programs were not. They simply were not available, and all requests for access to a proper simulator denied, occasionally quite rudely. I was uncertain why the staff had a problem with me programming an exact duplicate of the prison structure to conduct a combat and structural analysis, and engage in hundreds of variable combat scenarios within it. It is not as though I could use this information to escape; that would have violated Penal Code 001-A.

A lack of opportunity to exercise my primary function notwithstanding, however, I could see the wisdom of knowing the most efficient places to gather supplies in the local area. Being aware of supply cache locations would allow me to raid them for food and medicine before they were ransacked by panicking civilians in the event of a crisis, so this was an appropriate objective. However, it was a civilian objective, and I had no civilian clothing. My sisters seemed to be under the impression that my customary armored bodysuit was inappropriate, and so I would have to borrow proper civilian dress until I could acquire my own. Fortunately, my body type was sufficiently similar to most of the other women in the house that I had a variety of clothing to choose from. I found no appropriate body armor, but my own Numbers armor would serve perfectly in that regard and I could activate it instantly. Still, most of the clothing available was unacceptable for other reasons.

Too flashy; it would draw attention to me if I needed to seek cover.

Too loose; it would snag on obstacles or shrapnel.

Too confining; I did not know why Wendi possessed a full bodysuit consisting entirely of shiny black leather, but it was far too tight for any reasonable person. It would make movement difficult and be extremely difficult to get in and out of quickly, requiring a full corset to keep the top on. The whip it came with would not even serve as an effective weapon, making it overall perhaps the most impractical piece of clothing I had ever seen.

Wendi made little sense to me.

Finally, however, I found an appropriate piece in Nove's closet. In terms of design, it was similar to a very efficient piece of clothing I had once seen and knew to be effective for high-speed high-agility combat; easy to move around in, form-fitting without being restricting, and in simple dark colors that would blend into the city well if I needed to hide. Actually, in that regard, it was superior to the original model. The original had been black, and most people did not realize that black was often not the best color for going unnoticed; it was too dark, darker than most natural surroundings. Dark grays and greens were better at blending with shadows in both urban and natural environments (General Roculus Volvo's Tactical Training Manual, Chapter XII: 'Basic Stealth Operations'), and this garment was in a very effective deep forest green that the human eye would most likely glaze over in sufficient darkness; I could take it off and use it as a hair cover after activating my armor to make me less visible overall. I donned this outfit and some footwear I found to be both comfortable and functional, and prepared to begin the mission.

Ginga Nakajima was the first to see me upon my descent, and she seemed somewhat confused. "I... I should ask, but I don't want to."

"Your statement is nonsensical. This mission has no classified details, so if you require any points clarified you should not hesitate to ask." I informed her. Accurate information flow was essential to any successful operation. Surely a soldier of her experience should know this?

"Um... okay. Why are you... wearing that?"

"This was the most efficient garment I could find. It is easy to move in, comfortable, leaves few openings to snare on obstacles or be grabbed by an attacker, and can be used to disguise my hair in the event of a stealth operation." I informed her. Should she not be aware of this from even simple observation? I knew from my last encounter with such a garment that Bureau training likely covered nearly everything I had mentioned, and her records indicated she was an exemplary soldier. Perhaps she was some kind of savant, only effective at direct combat with no understanding of other aspects of warfare. Not everyone could be as well-rounded as myself.

"... it's a bathing suit. And it is way too small for you, did you borrow that from Nove?! You know she's way shorter than you, right?" Ginga Nakajima said finally.

"It is based on the combat uniform of Fate Testarossa Harlaown." I said with some relief. Perhaps she did comprehend the usefullness of this outfit, then, if only on the most basic of levels. She was an inferior soldier, then, but trainable. "Having seen first-hand the versatility of the design, I can easily see it also being useful for aquatic missions, yes."

"No, I mean that is literally Nove's bathing suit. It's meant to be worn to the beach or the pool, not out shopping!"

"It has many uses." I agreed. Hadn't we already covered this? Perhaps she wasn't trainable after all.

Nove and Wendi chose that moment enter the room, the former saying, "Okay, Sette, you ready to..." before stopping, sighing loudly, and taking hold of my arm. "Come on, sweetie, we'll pick you out something that won't have half the street wondering if you're crazy and the other half staring at your ass...ets."

"My assets? I do not understand."

"... your legs."

"Ah. My legs are exposed and unencumbered." I said helpfully. "It helps limit restriction of motion."

"Classic Sette!" Wendi said, laughing joyfully. "Man, this was so worth the death of Mr. McGnome."

"Don't tell Subaru that. She's gonna be heartbroken." Ginga Nakajima said dryly.

"Eh, I never understood what she saw in that thing. Always sitting around below skirt-level, I bet he was a total pervert. And he was always smiling. Like he was all smug about his gnome magic, living in a garden in a hollowed-out stump and talking with the moles all day. You know what? That little bastard had it coming, the way he judged me all the time with his smirk and his probing eyes!" Wendi said. "You hear that, gnome? I'm glad Sette killed you, and you can rot in Hell!"

"Okay, first rule of acting like a normal person?" Nove said, pulling me upstairs to, for some reason, change me into far less efficient clothing. "Don't be like Wendi."


***

I found my new outfit to be acceptable, if painfully inferior to my original choice. The shirt was plain white and the jeans were blue, much less effective stealth colors, and they were slightly baggy which gave me a more vulnerable target silhouette and increased the danger of getting caught on a nearby obstacle. Still, if I was to successfully integrate into society I would eventually need to learn the (incomprehensible, pointless) customs, so I might as well begin now.

My sisters and Ginga Nakajima were quite enthusiastic in regards to showing me the local stores. Well, to be more specific, Wendi was extremely enthusiastic. Extremely.

"Oh, oh! Sette, look! This place has the best ice cream in the city, I'm not even kidding. Seriously, this ice cream is so good it would make you feel like you just got out of prison even if you hadn't just gotten out of prison!"

"Ooooh, Sette, look! Take a look at this belt, it would look just gorgeous on you! Cinque! We need to buy Sette this belt... what do you mean this is a skirt? I've seen handkerchiefs with more fabric than that, it wouldn't cover her legs at all... ... We should buy it anyway! I bet it would give our Prison-Sisters heart attacks if they saw you all dolled-up and sexy! Don't wear it around Sein, though."

"OOOOOOH, Sette, LOOK! Pet store, pet store! We should buy Sette a kitten! They always buy kittens for gorillas and stuff, and Sette's got sort of a gorilla vibe! ... No offense."

"OOOOOOOOH, Sette, look, look, look! Toys! They have the hot new game I've been wanting for the PlayBox 7, 'Psychedelic Disco Murderfest Rally 3: Revenge of the Rebloodinator'! We can all play some versus mode when we get home, and I totally call Sette for my team!"

It was... an exhausting day.

Still, I was able to achieve a viable mental map of the viable food and supply depots in the vicinity of the Nakajima household, and worked out a number of paths that would allow me to quickly reach them in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. I also spotted several possible sniper positions and informed Dieci of them as they came up. She seemed to take the news with a certain amount of emotion. I am not certain which emotion, though I assumed joy at the knowledge that I was helping her locate excellent vantage points from which to acquire a good view of the enemy army while remaining hidden herself.

***

We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant with the... dubious name of 'Pizza Explosion' (chosen by Wendi. I began to wonder what, exactly, was Cinque's reasoning for allowing Wendi to make so many decisions). The interior of the restaurant was... just as loud as the name suggests.

"Look, Sette!" Wendi said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Y'see, they have pizza, and that's awesome, but they have all kinds of games and stuff to do while you wait too! Let's let the boring girls handle the food, while you and I pick out the bloodiest shoot-em-up here and kill the crap out of some stuff! Y'see those machines with the plastic guns there? They're like a target shooting game, only the targets are zombies and monsters and stuff! You'll love it!"

"Oh." I said, pleasantly surprised. "A sort of combat simulator. I see... I misjudged you, Wendi. This was an excellent idea."

"This was a terrible idea!" Nove said. "We're trying not to make her think about that stuff!"

"Hey, look at it this way," Wendi said with a grin. "We're trying to make sure she doesn't think of herself as a weapon, right? But nothing we can do will erase her combat training, and we need to accept that. So we'll shift those aggressive instincts to a socially acceptable venue: shooting zombie heads off! Whoo-hoo!"

"This is acceptable." I said, my faith in Wendi restored. "If it is socially acceptable and will aid in keeping my reflexes honed, I approve. I would not wish my combat instincts to become as dull as Ginga Nakajima's after all."

"What?!" Ginga said. Ah... her instincts were so poor she didn't even realize how poor they were. Yes, I would have to take care to avoid degrading to her level.

"See, see?" Wendi asked cheerfully. "She wants to! Oh, what should we play, what should we play... 'Live-in Wickedness: The Parasol Stories'? 'Domicile of the Deceased'? 'Passed-on Getting Up'?"

"I would like..."

Wendi's finger shot out to point at something in the distance, her eyes wide with shock. "... 'Blood Zombies 2'! I didn't even know it was out yet! Sette, Sette, we have to play that one!" She squealed.

"Oh, Hell..." Nove muttered.

"Wendi, we all remember what happened with 'Blood Zombies 1'." Cinque said gently. "You remember the fines? The three-month ban? We can't let you play that."

"Eh, oh that won't happen again, I'm sure! I hear they got rid of those little spider guys!" Wendi said cheerfully. "Besides, Sette wants to play, don't you Sette?"

"I-" I began.

"See? She's chomping at the bit! Come on, let's go let's go let's GO!" Wendi... well, let us be perfectly honest, screamed, dragging me behind her as she sprinted toward the machine.

"We should have left Wendi at home." Nove said. Oddly, I did not hear anyone voice disagreement with this sentiment. They must have already finished their daily combat training.

I would call this sugar rush, but it's because Sette is here so I'll call this Sette rush. And Wendi's dose of Sette is way, way too high right now. Insanity will be the only outcome of that game.

And may God have pity on everyone else's mind if they learn the kind of outfit Wendi have. I can only imagine briefly the mental images they'll have.

[Moczo]

Sette's latest misadventures are up on FF.net right here. Enjoy!

[Tiresias]

Originally Posted by Moczo

Also, I see no reason why Due should get all the attention. Soooo...

Spoiler for Comment:

It is not as though I could use this information to escape; that would have violated Penal Code 001-A.

Y'know, this is why I thought that Quattro's idea of total obedience to be supremely misguided. To paraphrase Sun Wu: "The soldier on the field is not always bounded by by the orders of her commander". A "perfect" soldier should be able to operate by her own initiative even if it sometimes means disobeying an order so long as it wins the general objective. Hey, maybe someone can quote that to Sette

Too confining; I did not know why Wendi possessed a full bodysuit consisting entirely of shiny black leather, but it was far too tight for any reasonable person. It would make movement difficult and be extremely difficult to get in and out of quickly, requiring a full corset to keep the top on. The whip it came with would not even serve as an effective weapon, making it overall perhaps the most impractical piece of clothing I had ever seen.

Daddy Genya would have a fit if he knows what his adopted daughter does at night . And just who is her partner-in-crime?

[...]General Roculus Volvo[...]

Ah yes, MSLN's famous vehicle theme naming

"It is based on the combat uniform of Fate Testarossa Harlaown."

Hey now, where's the obligatory "sneeze when you're being talked about"?

"We should have left Wendi at home." Nove said. Oddly, I did not hear anyone voice disagreement with this sentiment. They must have already finished their daily combat training.

So I guess Wendy now joins Sein on the black list...

Spoiler for Suggestion:

[...]it would make movement difficult and be extremely difficult to get in and out of quickly,[...]

You might want to change this to something like "it would hamper movement and be extremely difficult to get in and out of quickly," to avoid word redundancy.

[Tabasco]

Originally Posted by Moczo

Sette's latest misadventures are up on FF.net right here. Enjoy!

Sweet. This is getting more fun by the minute.

Tiresias pretty well covered what I noticed but:

Spoiler for stuff:

I'm just waiting for Ginga to figure out Sette has zero respect for her skills, and hope that her comeuppance will be glorious.

[Gaunt88]

Originally Posted by Moczo

Sette's latest misadventures are up on FF.net right here. Enjoy!

The very first line had me grinning like an idiot. "I prepared to commence Operation: 'Live A Normal Life and Hopefully Eventually Chill Out and Stop Calling Everything an 'Operation'' (Operation name chosen by Wendi)."

Brilliant stuff.

[Nanya01]

A little saddened that Due's 2nd chapter on FF.Net got no reviews, but, oh well...

Due 3 is now up.

[SNobleJr]

Originally Posted by Nanya01

Well, you wanted to know, here you go.

Spoiler for Due Final:

-snip-

Spoiler for Notes:

Man, that's some forgiveness, huh?

First off... well, I have to admit, the part with the priest was a little too sappy for my tastes (although at least it gave us the "try not to kill any more priests" line, that was pretty funny). It didn't ruin the ending, no, but I still think the fic could have done without it; Due spending her first Christmas with her new family is already a sweet and happy way to finish the story.

That being said, I did enjoy the fic overall. On the surface, it's kiddified!Due acting cute and unintentionally worming her way into just about everyone's heart, and that's nicely rounded out by the serious implications of the psychological damage she suffered while homeless (which turns more hopeful as she slowly begins to heal). That, and her dramatic confrontation with the older Numbers in chapter 4; bloody hell, Quattro is quite the bitch - not that that's anything new, but her behavior was still quite the punch in the gut for poor Due and the reader alike.

So yeah, minor gripes about the finale aside, this was a fun read. Not to mention that it accomplished the impossible by making Due likable.

Side note on Tempy's alternate ending (or, well, alternate-finding-Due, at least): great little addition to the story. Actually, I kind of prefer this over the saved-by-the-priest deus ex machina; sure, Kevin being around at just the right time is a bit convenient, but it's still more plausible in my opinion. Also, the "crumbs everywhere" gag cracked me up.

Originally Posted by Moczo

"A washer and dryer is a washer and dryer, but the Mystery Box could be anything! It could even be a washer and dryer!"

Also, I see no reason why Due should get all the attention. Soooo...

Spoiler for 'Ready, Sette, Go!' Part 4:

-snip-

Oh, wow. Wendi, you dirty, dirty girl. (Should I hazard a guess that Nove is the other person in the household who's familiar with that certain outfit?)

You know, as much as Sette is still entertainingly clueless, I think Wendi steals the spotlight in this chapter. Her hyperactivity just overshadows everything else right from the operation name all the way to the arcade. Not that letting her take over occasionally is a problem; I nearly fell out of my chair laughing multiple times due to her antics.

[WarpObscura]

Chapter One of Reinforce Threshold

Chapter Two of Reinforce Threshold

Spoiler for Reinforce Threshold, Chapter Three (Part One?):

There were attempts to keep it quiet, of course. It was deemed that the news of a fairly well-equipped mage detachment being wiped out, taking a few well-known archaeologists with it, might cause undue panic.

A week later, it became a lost cause.

"This is Unic O. Charl with Wantree News, Channel 19," the reporter, a middle-aged man who could have passed for Chinese were he from Earth, said, his voice quavering. Behind him was a scene of destruction and ruin, the debris and rubble from severely damaged buildings prominently visible. Medical units were in attendance, with paramedics hurriedly attempting to evacuate casualties. There were pools of blood here and there, even the not-so-occasional torn-off limb. If one looked closely, policemen could be seen at the edges of the frame. "We're live at the APB building area, where unknown terrorists have caused destruction on a magnitude not seen since... since the White Castle House bombing 45 years ago. Right now, we've-" he paused and pressed his right index finger to what presumably was a hidden earpiece, then reached into his pocket for a smartphone and read something off it. "Sorry, we've just received news that someone calling himself the Tome of the Morning Sky has claimed responsibility for the attack and has..." He looked down at his device again and his face turned pale. "Word has just come in that the November Two Elmo Konsortium headquarters building has just been destroyed! This... Hang on... This Tome person has also claimed responsibility for this heinous slaugh-" He took a deep breath and visibly tried to calm down, "this act of terrorism. He... he is tauntin-" He took another deep breath, paused to look down at the smartphone again, then said, "He... He has a message for us." He pressed his hand to the earpiece again and seemed to listen to something, then said, "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we're putting him on the air. Playing now."

A rich baritone voice with a Belkan accent filled the air.

"People of Belka! Too long have you been oppressed by the grasp of the scavenger lords, this... Administrative Bureau they call themselves, pretenders to lordhood over time and space! See how they can do nothing in the face of true power, of our true power! It is time to show them that we will not tolerate this state of affairs any longer! Rise up and reclaim the lost glory of your forefathers, and know that I, as the last true remnant of our ancient power, will be at the forefront, fighting these usurpers wherever they seek to repress you! We shall return them to the dust they came from, thrown into the darkness outside that is their lot, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Deny no longer your heritage, hide no more from the evil ones, fight them as our Knights of old would have! Be not fooled by those who would pretend to be Knights and yet would serve these scavengers. They are not of us, but traitors, to be rewarded as such deserve! When we fight as one for such noble goals, none can stand in our way. I thank you!"

"That... That was the..."

"Cut feed," someone in the uniform of the Shaxroq City police force said as he rushed into the frame, thrusting his open hand forward to cover the camera lens.

(A/N: Credits to Avenged for some suggestions for improvement.

White Castle House is a reference to the 1965 MacDonald House bombing.)