The "Best" RPG Ever-50

 First / Previous / Next / Latest

---

While she had been introduced to her—him!—the day before, and they had fought together and shared a few words here and there, Rayna wasn't sure what to think about Zack. By her estimation, Zack alone (well, maybe Mira too, but it was apparently not the look she'd first started with) had been blessed with beauty to match the fox-girl's own, but also had essentially the opposite reaction to it. Why not at least enjoy a body like that, especially while claiming to still be male?

Well...for one thing, it didn't seem like "enjoying" was really Zack's bag. The wolf-girl had seemed fairly relaxed yesterday, amid the group that knew her, but Zack had seemed just visibly stiff, perhaps even preemptively annoyed about something he thought she was going to say or do, ever since leaving the house. Really, Rayna had no idea how to deal with someone so visibly sour and serious. The only strategy she could think of was to try and get him to loosen up somehow.

She was leading the way, and he said, "Do you even know where you're going?"

"No, I'm just cheerfully lost," Rayna answerd. Then: "Illusionist powers. I get a compass and a map that updates with every sign or posted map I look at, and each place I see for myself. Out of all of us, I am the most likely to know where I am and where I'm going at any given time. Just don't tell Heisenburg."

"...Who?" He Did Not Get the Reference.

"Uh..nevermind. Anyway, we'll be there in just a few minutes. So what're you thinking of getting?"
"Normal bedding. No weird colors or stupid patterns."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. What about for the rest of your pack? I could take some guesses but but I did just meet 'em yesterday, after all."

"My what." Zack's body language—particularly the wolf-ears—were giving some really strong negative signals.

"Yourrrr...group? Your entourage? Do you want me to list them off?"

"I can't tell whether you're trying to be offensive or not."

"Whaaat? You can't say you hate your body and then just turn around and take ownership of it when it lets you be offended."

"I don't mind being part wolf. It's everything else I have a problem with."

"You let your wolf friend call everyone a pack," she said, gesturing to the animal following so closely that it was almost up against Zack's legs.

"He's a wolf."

"So it'd be okay if I was part wolf too? Or if I called it a skulk instead?"
"A what?"
"Skulk. The word for a group of foxes."

"It'd be okay if you would just use normal words instead of trying to come up with something weird."

"Well, excuse me," princess. "I made a living offa being 'weird' before all this. So it's a really hard habit to break at this point, you know?"
"I guess that explains a lot."

"...You know, for being canine and 'not a girl' you're surprisingly talented at being catty."
Zack replied with an exasperated, voiced sigh.

"What?"
"Goooods, I don't want to go through this again."

"'This' what?" Though she did have to commend him on using a world-appropriate exclamation just after learning about them that morning.
"Do me and you both a huge favor and do not spend every conversation with me questioning that I look like a girl, or commenting on every little thing I do that you think is feminine. It's stupid and it makes me want to punch somebody in the face."

"...Somebody in general, or just me?"

"I can't punch you, it would hurt you."
"So..you want to punch someone who won't even feel it, which wouldn't be satisfying at all? Maybe you should just cut the knot and punch me anyway."

"Look, I don't really want to punch anyone. I just—"
"Want to punch someone?"

"Rrrrrgh," he actually growled in frustration. The wolf snapped to attention and looked around for whatever threat had caused his master to do that, until Zack quietly put a hand on its back for a second or two to calm him down.

Rayna sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I've just been trying to make you laugh this whole time and none of it is working. At this point I just feel like I'll keep half-accidentally trolling you no matter what I say."

"Are you saying I have no sense of humor?"

"I wouldn't go that far. Maybe yours just isn't compatible with mine. But this is trouble, I don't really know how to interact with someone on a long-term basis without jokes."

"Just say what you mean. It's not that complicated."

"Well, I did ask you a serious question like two conversations ago."

"Oh. I don't really know. I guess if you show me something I can at least say if they won't like it."
"Hmn. Well, we're here at any rate." She pointed at the entrance to the store in question. "I guess I'll go after the sheets and covers then, and you can get the rest of the stuff, and we'll meet up somewhere in the middle of the store after?"

"Sounds fine."

---

Lynn was curious, having a real psion to talk to along with all the needed context for her questions to be easily understood. "So..how much mind reading do you do exactly? Is it like a mutant power where you can't stop no matter how hard you try?"
"In order: A lot, and sort of. More specifically, I kind of instinctively pick up surface thoughts of everyone around, the more I focus on a person the more likely I am to pick up what they're thinking. I mean, I can block most of it out, but if someone's directing a thought my way, including talking specifically to me, I have a hard time not hearing it. I'm increasingly getting used to hearing the same thing said twice with slight modification on the second one."

"So there's not some skillls for, say, filtering out thoughts you don't want? Like if someone thinks of a loud noise or directs a constant stream of mental nonsense your way..."
"No skill like that, no. But those things aren't nearly as distracting as you'd expect. 'Thinking about' a loud noise isn't the same as hearing one, for example; not really much of a reaction from that. The worst I think someone could do is pull up a memory or imagination of some sensory information I don't want—like, some sight I can't 'unsee'. Even then, the worst that does is fluster me a bit."

"With the right timing, flustering can still be a significant weakness. If I were you, I'd try and desensitize myself to everything a person could possibly think up for that effect too. I mean, if you're really still planning on becoming a queen or something..."

"Yes, I am; still quite long-term though...I suppose some sacrifices do need to be made."

"Sooo...what's it like having an NPC boyfriend?" Katherine said after a brief pause.

"He's not, I mean—he's a real person!" she protested.
"I didn't mean it offensively. Just not sure of a better word for it," she shrugged. "I mean, there's a lot you can't really talk about, right?"
Lynn's cheeks were still puffed out a bit. "There's plenty to talk about. Anyway, he's nice and..cute, and...he likes me back. That's good enough for now."

"I'm just curious.How far do you think it'll go?"
"I don't know. It's, not like I planned on this or anything. It was just—we met, and then agreed on a date, and then another..have you ever just liked someone and not been able to explain it?"

"I guess I haven't. I mean, I've dated some girls before, back on Earth, but nothing just like...boom. All I'm really trying to say is, now that you're in it, it wouldn't hurt to try and plan things out. If you're staying together really long-term you might even eventually be able to find a way to explain where we're all from, and that'd open up a lot of new things to talk about."
"That's..maybe, yeah."

"Come to think of it...we've got a god of love here. If Aphera was one of the gods involved in summoning us, how likely do you think it is she's involved in you just happening to run into someone you like?"
"...Some, I admit. It's crossed my mind already. But—it can't just be some goddess mind controlling me. It's too..it doesn't feel like an emotion someone else made. It's just...me, and him. Do you think...?"

"My understanding is that Aphera likes 'pure' love, and hates perversions of it—the whole 'punishing abusers with a whip' thing and all? I would guess that trying to force an arrangement with some kind of 'love potion' magic would probably fall under perversion of her domain. But I wouldn't put it beyond the deity of love to know who would like each other if they met, and then kinda gently push things around so they were more likely to meet."

"Hmn. Like a big matchmaker in the sky."

"Yeah, something like that. There's also this whole backstory angle, and what's going on with Aria. Those locked-off memories relating to him are tied to some really strong emotions, you know. This Loren guy might be something similar for her if and when he eventually shows up..."

"He knows her as a boy, though—from this world even."
"Yeah, but, I can't be the only person who's seen stories where one guy from a pair of friends gets turned into a girl, and then..."

"Right, right."

"You think there's some plan like that for everyone? It seems like kind of a weird goal for the gods to bring us here for..."

"I agree. I strongly doubt it's the main reason we're here, but it seems kind of like an important side goal, or it might be a personal one for Aphera for some reason? If the 'highest compatibility' for each of us was some guy of this world, then it could even explain why we're all..."

Lynn nodded, understanding the implication. "So, if that's the case...what about Zack?"
"What about him? They could throw whoever they want at him, and if he's not interested then it's wildly out of their character to force him."

"On the other hand, gods can be very clever. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some much more subtle, long-term manipulation planned."

"There's that, I suppose. I'll be there for him either way."

Lynn paused in her step for a second. "You'll be..?"

"You know what I mean. The four of us have been through a lot: We've fought together, protected each other over and over again. It has to be the same for you, right? Give it a couple more weeks and we'll be like family. So yes, we're there for each other."

"Alright. It was just, the way you worded it first sounded more personal."

"Well—maybe it is, then. We were the first two, before Mika and Nora showed up. I've had occasional peeks into how Zack thinks, and I have a lot of respect for the guy—enough to call him that despite, uhh, you know. Besides, someone as reckless and stubborn as that needs help sometimes, just to not get himself killed. He knows I'm there for him by now, and I'd go so far as to call us friends."

"I see. So: Cats and dogs, living together—!"

"Oh, stop!" Katherine giggled a little bit in spite of herself.

---

Nora seemed to be a naturally quiet person—not particularly shy, exactly, just not inclined to start conversations out of the blue. This left it to the witch to draw interesting conversation out of her, which fortunately was something well within her skill-set. It would be boring to make the whole trip in silence, after all. "So what do you think of our new buddies?"

"Hmm?" She took a second to process the question, clearly coming up out of thinking about something else. "Oh, uh—they're n-nice, I think."

"They're all really cute, too~. Right?"
"Um.."

"Rayna's just gorgeous and totally confident in it, contrasts perfectly with Lynn's cuter, more athletic build and the touches of shyness, especially whenever the boyfriend comes up in conversation. Aria's so agressive and confident, and Clera's just adorable."

"W-what kind of way of talking about people is that?"

"Huh? I'm just saying what I think." She shrugged. "You don't think they're cute?"

"Th-that's not the point. Y-you're...! I don't know, would you really t-t-talk about people that way before," she finished much more quietly, "e-eating an Incubus?"

"Sure? I would certainly think it, at least. There's nothing wrong with thinking a girl is cute, is there? I mean, I'd take some statement like that about me as a compliment."

"M-maybe you would, b-but to me it sounds kind of, perverted."

"Oh? I don't mean it that way, though." She shrugged. "If I said to your face that I thought you were cute and why, would you be offended?"
"I m-might feel a little weird," said Nora. "I-I mean, it's normal to say something like 'your outfit is cute' or 'th-th-those are cute shoes' or something..b-but just telling the person they're cute s-sounds like ff-f-flirting."

"Is it any better if I say that I 'like someone' for this or that reason? That's just a vaguer version of what I'm already saying. Like, I like you because you're super smart, but don't lord it over anyone to make them feel inferior. Instead you're always applying that mind on how to be considerate and helpful to everyone around you. But I also think your body itself, and the kind of outfit your 'class' makes you wear that shows so much of it off even, is aesthetically pleasing."

"Th-thats..!" Aww, Nora was blushing and looking away slightly. "You're j-j-just saying the same thing..."

"That's because I mean it," she shrugged. "I don't like to lie to people I like unless it's somehow helpful to them. Besides, I don't think I'm saying anything you don't already know about yourself. Even if it's a little embarrassing to hear out loud, doesn't it make you feel good?"
"Um..a-a little, maybe. B-but it's weird!"

"I'll take 'weird-but-nice' over scary or deceptive any day," Mira shrugged. "So if what I'm saying about other people would make them feel good, what's the problem?"

"I don't..n-n-nobody talks like that."
"I've got a language all my own, then. As long as I'm understood well enough, I don't care if I am seen as a pervert or whatever."

"You c-couldn't say anything like that to Zack," she pointed out after taking a moment to compose herself.

"'Course not. As much as I like Zack's body, I know she doesn't. That won't stop me from saying Zack is brave and has some kinda superhuman protective instinct, though. I still remember her jumping into fire to keep a big goblin from smashing my skull in."

"Th-that was stupid, s-s-surely there was some way..."

"Oh, of course; there was room to not be in the fire, but it would've taken a little longer to get there. Zack can be stupid in the most considerate of ways, that's what's so wonderful about her."
"Him," Nora glared slightly.

"Him," she shrugged. "I guess I should get in some practice saying that. It just feels strange and dishonest to me to call someone I've only ever seen in a female body by male pronouns. I'm actually working on a way to possibly fix that, by the way."

The elf gave a questioning look. "Hiding midway up in the Incubus branch of my skill tree are some shapechanging powers that apply to others. If I can find some completely willing test subjects to go the way my powers prefer—the same way we went—then I might get enough understanding of that magic to make it go the other way. More demons and skill points means more magic and power, and more likelihood I can manage it."

"I s-see. L-let me know if there's anything I c-c-can do to help with that."

"Some of the help I might need will be pretty 'weird'," said Mira. "But I think there are some more willing members of our party for that. I'll hold you to that for anything I think you'd actually be comfortable with."

"Mmh.." Nora nodded.