SJmun
Eggministrator 
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Apr 19, 2019 16:34:17 GMT -8
(Note: this is technically in the past, as this version of earth is aligned to a much later future year in the present. This timeframe is aligned to what date Niki was used to before the game, plus years spent elsewhere.)
April 19, 2019
Niki's house
Road's End, Oregon
Niki puts down the phone. her friend Thoren needs a great deal of marshmallow peeps to send to his other friend Mei. She doesn't have much else to do, so she accepts the mission.
Niki is about to climb into her driverless car when suddenly she remembers her sister took it with her to korous. She'll have to walk to the store. she would take her bike, but the hill on the way there is way too tall for her to climb. at least it's only a mile away.
Soon enough, she arrives at Safeway. she still remembers the phone number her father had used for his club card years and years ago. it has been proven to work in the past, oddly enough. she makes her way into the store and goes straight for the Easter candy section.
Considering the alternate history of this version of earth, it's somewhat of a surprise that Easter is even celebrated at all. then again, the red rift did remix quite a few things in terms of history.
Niki holds the written note in her hand. "10 boxes of peeps, NO CHOCOLATE!!"
Apparently chocolate is deadly to those from Hepi. she quickly piles the ten boxes of peeps into her basket, with a wide variety of shape and color. she looks out at the rest of the selection. standard fare, as far as Easter candy goes. She picks up a bag of jelly beans for good measure.
Niki stands in line, wondering how she's going to get these peeps to their destination. without her sister, faster than light travel is nary but a pipe dream, leaving her practically stranded on earth. usually she wouldn't mind, but considering her current mission, it's a bit of a problem.
Thoren insisted over the phone that he would take care of all the logistics, but the fact that her role essentially stops at the front door rubs her the wrong way.
And to be frank, it's been pretty darn lonely watching the house without her sister around.
Maybe once Thoren shows up she can talk him into taking her back over to Charcherry for a bit. She does have a house over there, after all.
Niki makes the long walk back down to her home, grocery bags full of peeps in hand. the ocean breeze is refreshing against her face, though as one may expect, the sky is quite gray and gloomy.
typical spring weather on the Oregon coast. cars zoom past her as she carefully walks alongside the road, narrowly avoiding traffic and roadside ditches.
you'd think someone would petition to build a sidewalk here.
a walk through the neighborhood later, Niki arrives back at her house on the hill. the one her father used to rent when he lived here years ago. it definitely looks a lot less beat up than when he ran the place.
She walks up the steep incline, going up the driveway towards the front porch. according to Thoren, he should be here right about....
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Post by flightlessicarus on Apr 19, 2019 23:00:05 GMT -8
...now.
Thoren jumps off the lower tier of the roof in a frontflip, and lands perfectly feet-first in front of Niki.
He stands before her wearing a heavy but casual looking outfit.
A longsleeve crimson turtleneck and some sturdy bluejeans, along with steel toed boots... and a top hat that looks like it was stolen from Hat Girl herself.
It's a bit show-y, but it does however hide his horns.
"Hello Niki. I see everything is according to plan."
He smiles calmly, hands on hips, as if he was proud of that little stunt he just pulled.
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SJmun
Eggministrator
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Apr 19, 2019 23:07:35 GMT -8
Niki screams and jumps backwards.
"SHEESH THOREN, ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?!"
She tries to gather her breath, still mildly tired from the walk up the hill, not to mention the scare she just got served.
"Yeah sure, according to keikaku alright (keikaku means plan), but did you have to make an entrance like that??"
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Post by flightlessicarus on Apr 19, 2019 23:17:17 GMT -8
Thoren chuckles lightly.
"Despite it being within my power, that is not my intention. You appear quite lively in this moment."
"Let us cut to the chase. The peeps, as agreed upon prior?"
Thoren holds out his hand and waits.
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SJmun
Eggministrator
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Apr 19, 2019 23:28:08 GMT -8
Niki holds fast to her bargaining chips.
"On one condition: take me back to Charcherry. It's too freaking lonely over here without Shiny."
Niki thinks for a moment. She still needs to pack a few things. likely the house will be safe, as long as she remembers to eventually return moments after leaving, but she doesn't exactly carry everything in her sylladex anymore...
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Post by flightlessicarus on Apr 20, 2019 6:31:46 GMT -8
A curveball, but not one impossible to catch.
"...Fair enough. Do you have what you need for the journey?"
A windspeed of twelve miles per hour.
The faint mewling of seagulls in the distance.
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SJmun
Eggministrator
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Apr 20, 2019 6:39:46 GMT -8
"Uhhh... I still need to pack a few things. would you be willing to wait like, ten minutes?"
Niki worriedly wonders if she can remember everything she needs to bring back to the other house. Her laptop, some new clothes, some fresh groceries... her handheld game systems?
She'll miss having a gorgeous view of the ocean, but at least on starter planet she won't have to hide anything about herself.
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Post by flightlessicarus on Apr 20, 2019 6:49:36 GMT -8
Ten minutes isn't too long to wait, right?
"That would be permissible. I will be waiting."
Thoren sits down in a plastic chair, after tipping the accumulated water off the seat.
"Do remember that I am a busy man. Gather what you must, but make haste."
The sudden deeper resonance to his synthesized voice is somewhat... unnerving.
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SJmun
Eggministrator
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Apr 20, 2019 12:48:06 GMT -8
Niki dashes into the house, bags of peeps still in hand. she pulls out her digital camera modus camera and starts captchaloguing a bunch of her things. Thankfully her captcha SD card has two gigs of space, with each item only taking up as much as a 2 megapixel image.
She takes all the good stuff from the fridge, most of her wardrobe, all her video games, her laptop and all its accessories, her toothbrush, her hairbrush, a handful of paper and pencils, her sketchbook, her sewing machine, and her favorite jigglypuff mug.
Niki makes her way back out to the front porch, still holding the bags of peeps.
"I'm ready."
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Post by flightlessicarus on Apr 20, 2019 14:53:46 GMT -8
Thoren waits, glancing out at the gray suburban seascape. too long here could easily cause corrosion. Still, there is a certain sense of peace among the quiet avenues.
Then, something jolts him from his reverie.
The Last Update Has Arrived.
What happens after reading whatever is enclosed in those webpages could very well determine the fate of the universe.
He decides to save it for after his peeps delivery.
Raine might want to read it with him, after all.
Before too long, Niki shows back up, reportedly ready.
"...Good. let's get back to my ride. I parked it in a less conspicuous era."
Thoren stands up and walks towards Niki. he places his hand upon her shoulder. A temporary connection.
From her he can feel her anxiety, excitement, loneliness, and other associated feelings.
From him, she can likely feel his determination over an undercurrent of dread.
For her sake, he tries to push such worries aside. They have some peeps to deliver, after all.
Temporal energy builds up from within him, radiating out just enough to surround them both.
There is a sudden flash and then... they are gone.
________________
Actual present day Earth, global nature refuge, Oregon coast
In a flash, they reappear on a great verdant hill, outlooking upon the ocean. If there was ever a house upon this land, it surely isn't here now.
Thoren lifts his hand from her shoulder.
"welcome to the future, Niki."
From the looks of it, The Big One had finally hit, rattling the land to its core, returning the sprawling neighborhood to dust and rubble. With the blessings of the frequent rains, nature had reclaimed it quickly. One would have to sift through the brush to find any remaining traces of civilization.
Well, except for one.
Thoren's red vehicle, the Eros Machina, is parked at the bottom of the hill. there aren't many spots to park with so much greenery upon the land.
"...let's get moving."
Thoren leaps up and flies down towards his matching vehicle.
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SJmun
Eggministrator
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Apr 20, 2019 18:50:17 GMT -8
Niki is in shock.
Everything is gone.
the buildings, the wiring, the roads, everything.
well, the sea is still there, but that doesn't exactly disappear so easily.
It takes her a moment to gather her bearings. The sound of Thoren's voice manages to do the trick.
This is the future of the planet she calls home.
Now is not the time for deep melancholic thoughts however, They're on a mission!
Niki hops up and for the first time in months, takes flight towards the RV at the bottom of the hill.
She wonders how Thoren managed to get past security surrounding the place in this day and age.
It is a nature refuge after all.
Niki prepares to enter the Eros Machina. It's funny, she hasn't been in this vehicle since Raine and Thoren's wedding a year ago.
Hopefully Thoren is a better driver than his skeletal brother.
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Post by flightlessicarus on Apr 20, 2019 19:33:21 GMT -8
Thoren opens the door and climbs into the front seat. To be fair, he originally arrived so quickly that any who could stop him haven't even arrived yet.
And soon he'll be leaving so fast they won't have the resources to pursue him.
Thoren buckles his seat belt with a resounding click. He captchalogues the top hat, revealing his electromagnetic chrono-horns once more. The hat might fly off somewhere while in motion and he doesn't want to lose that hat, for his wife's sake. (She's a big fan of the game it came from)
He waits for Niki to buckle her seatbelt before proceeding with the general diagnostics.
Hands upon the steering wheel, Thoren feels at peace.
He is one with the Eros Machina.
And soon, he will fly them both to their next destination.
The engine roars to life in anticipation.
"...It appears we are all clear for take-off. Please secure all loose appendages and personal items." His voice is projected fairly loudly through the speaker system.
Thoren gives Niki a moment to fuss with any last minute things.
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SJmun
Eggministrator
Posts: 1,445
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Post by SJmun on Apr 20, 2019 22:07:31 GMT -8
Niki makes herself comfortable in the passenger's seat. She finally remembers to put the bags of peeps down on the floor after holding them for so long.
There's a great deal of excitement in the air. Soon they'll be in space! Actual outer space!
Niki double checks her seatbelt and gives Thoren a thumbs up.
"Let's do this!"
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Post by flightlessicarus on Apr 20, 2019 22:35:24 GMT -8
Thoren nods in agreement and begins the countdown. Three... Two... One... Liftoff!! The Eros Machina begins to ascend with a great burst straight upwards! The thrusters lift them higher and higher, though it appears some of the vegetation has begun to catch on fire. Thoren remedies this at the press of a button, as a hose appears from a compartment and aims at the flames far below. With some precision blasts, the fire is no match for the soggy earth it's trying to feed upon. With this out of the way, they continue their ascent into the sky. With just enough height, Thoren begins the push forwards, towards the sea. The dramatic slopes below give the impression of falling away as they speed onwards. Lift is applied, more and more as the double reverse warp drive is primed for activation. The sea is a deep and calm blue on this clear spring day. It is so far below, yet at this point, it surrounds at all grounded sides. It really is quite an awe-inspiring thing. Such splendor however, is not their destination. Another world, one where the grass is pink and the local interplanetary government is unaware. Starter Planet. The coordinates are set and the calculations have been drawn. A quick burst of light flashes... and they are gone from this earth. ...still in the same states that they were before, thankfully. ==> |
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