A Child Without an Eye

"After all the strange, sweet junk you see... All the strange, sweet people you meet..." [[NEXT|Asura quote 2]]

"You just want things to be normal again? Not gonna happen, dude." [[NEXT|Beach opening]]

The junk has stopped falling from the sky and the rain has let up. Thick clouds still loom over Asura's head. Pieces of outdated appliances, broken glass bottles, and molded packaging are strewn about the sandy beach. The ocean waves nearby are dark and turbulent, troubled by a strong wind. A plastic bag is caught by a gust and whipped across the beach. The howling of the waves fills Asura's head as she crouches down among the trash and looks out over the beach. Suddenly, bubbles and foam rise to the water's surface near the shore. Her eyes dart toward the water and her pulse quickens. [[NEXT| beach 2]]

Two monstrous crab-like creatures burst from the ocean's surface and step onto the land. They scuttle across the trash-strewn sand with mandibles gnashing. Their orange skin is mostly covered in a thick shell except around their eyes and at several joints. They are heading quickly in Asura's direction and they do not seem to be willing to talk out whatever problem they have. Asura rises amid the junk, pulling her dark hair back tight against her gray skin. A few strands of hair at the sides of her head are caught by the wind and blown into her face. She sighs and tucks them behind her ears. She hops back and forth, one muscular leg to the other, to get her blood flowing. She deftly raises her fists to the sides of her head. She breathes deeply and focuses her gaze, steadying herself. She is warming up. Two-on-one. She takes a quick step forward and punches at the air. Not great odds, but she's lived through worse. Another hop, a series of quick jabs. She's trained for worse. [[NEXT|beach 3]]

The crabs continue their approach, knocking bits of trash out of the way with their many chitinous legs. An old CRT computer monitor is kicked and overturned, its screen shattering on a rock. Underneath where the moniter sat, half buried in sand, is a motherboard with some damaged circuits. One of the creatures notices this and quickly grabs it up with his claw as he moves forward. Asura exhales sharply. She closes her eyes and bobs her head up and down. She is psyching herself up for the confrontation. She separates her feet, bends her knees, and locks into a fighting stance. The same stance she's practiced nearly every day since her father started teaching her years ago. He's not here to help her now, so she's going to have to manage on her own. She feels more than capable. Her eyes snap open, brow furrowed. Furious. Ready. [[NEXT|beach 4]]

Asura rushes toward the two crab creatures. One shouts in surprise at her advance and strikes out with his claw. She blocks the incoming claw with one forearm. She lets out a loud cry, both to encourage her to keep breathing and to intimidate her enemies, as her arm makes contact. She pushes the claw outward with a thrust and twist of her forearm. She lands a solid punch on the semi-soft underbelly of the large crustacean with her other hand while his claw is out of the way. He groans, bends forward, and drops to his knees into the sand. The old motherboard falls from his claw. Asura shakes the pain out of her hand from the punch and bellows, "GAH, how many times do I have to tell you thick-shelled dweebs?" [[NEXT|beach6]]

The other crab creature rears up and tries to push Asura away with one of his lower legs. She stumbles briefly in surprise, taken aback by his height when standing upright. The creature is more menacing in this stance, but she knows he is also more vulnerable: standing upright, he's top-heavy and has fewer legs holding him up. Asura tumbles to the side and sweeps the creature's smaller supporting legs out from under him with a low kick. He drops onto his stomach and his chin hits a rock hidden in the sand with a dull thud. "Don't mess with the human junk near Miravalle!" She reiterates, "I've got dibs, chy'tan ya! You guys just DON'T LEARN." Asura chastises the two creatures over the roar of the wind and waves. [[NEXT|beach 7]]

Asura stands ready, drawing in ragged breaths and watching them warily. The creatures shakily rise, groan, and shamble back to the water bitterly defeated. One crab hunches over and holds his stomach in an attempt to ease the pain and nausea from Asura's punch. His wide eyes stick to the motherboard as he slowly shuffles back to the water. The other creature limps and stretches out his sore jaw. "I knew this wasn't worth the trouble, man," grumbles the limping crab. "Don't even start with the 'I told you so' routine, dude," the other crustacean snaps back. "I spotted cool stuff from the surface and went for it. I didn't realize that brining bully would be out here." Asura takes exception to being called a bully but doesn't say anything back. [[NEXT|beach 8]]

Asura crosses her arms and mutters a curse in her native language as they sink into the ocean in a current of bubbles. After several minutes pass and she's certain that they're gone, her shoulders drop and her body unclenches. She streches her fingers and massages the sinewy muscle in between the bones in her hands, wincing at the pain in her knuckles. Her hands aren't built to break chitin exoskeletons; it's like trying to punch down a tree. She tilts her head backward and inadvertently whispers a throaty sigh as the tension in her neck relaxes. She looks up to the sky. She watches the heavy chalky clouds blow by. Her attention is quickly torn away from the clouds by bright circular abnormality in the sky. Its eerie green glow dissipates and the circle shrinks before her gaze. Asura shivers a little, shakes her head, and disregards it. She has something else on her mind, something more important to do. Today is special. Near-record junkstorms are inbound for this evening and she has the day off work. She crouches down among the heaps of trash with a devious smile on her face. Asura methodically rummages through the junk littered around the beach. [[NEXT|beach 9]]

"Now I can FINALLY gather some of this scrap without any more--" Asura is stopped mid-sentence as, a few yards to her side, a girl falls from the sky with a yelp and lands among the scattered junk and sand. Asura's expression goes flat with frustration as she finishes her thought. "--weird interruptions." [[BEGIN CHAPTER 1| CH1 opening]]

<center>CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTIONS ARE HARD TIME: Earlier that day. I guess. They don't tell me these things. PLACE: Somewhere in your world. Probably a state on the East Coast that I'm not going to reveal here because SOMEONE might get angry. (Looking at you, Jersey.)</center> [[NEXT|Ch1.2]]

Pinkish rays of sunlight struggle to break through the early coastal fog. The curve of the sun is just beginning to peek over the ocean. Seagulls circle in the distance, darting in between cliffs and tailing each other around a small lightouse. Boats are tethered to the docks. Morning is stirring. Inside your small studio apartment, it is quiet. Your alarm clock reads 6:02 a.m. Incidentally, so does your phone. Both are connected to the internet. No reason to manually set anything anymore. Not everything's been improved by the digital era, though. Several rolls of film sit on your workdesk next to your satchel, out of which sticks the lens of your SLR camera. It was a gift from someone who appreciates analog tech. [[Still sleeping|ch1.3]]

Your striped cat is curled up next to the radiator. Her jingling little metal nametag reads "Maxine." There are two small beds in your apartment. One is empty. The alarm goes off and you reach a blind hand out from under the covers, exposing your dark messy hair. It's time to get up and get to work. You promised yourself you would do it today. You can't be a photographer if you never actually take photos. You audibly groan from the sheets. [[Hit the snooze button|Ch1.4a]] [[Get up now|Ch1.4b]]

It IS pretty early still. Maxine's got food. It's probably still cold out too. UGH. Photos can wait, sleep can't. You smack that snooze button and happily start dozing off. But, as usual, time continues to flow in one direction and 15 minutes later, the alarm goes off again. The tone is somehow even harsher than the first time; you're more tired than you were earlier. That's how the snooze game is played, friend. Too bad there's no snooze button on the universe. That'd be rad. (Set: $x to (1)) [[Gotta get up|Ch1.5]]

You know better than to fall for the siren song that is the snooze button. It only ever ends in betrayal. You'll have to get up sometime, it might as well be now. Besides, you're trying to be a serious artist now, right? Serious art takes serious WORK. (Set: $x to (2)) [[It's go time|Ch1.5]]

You get out of bed and pile your small tools and film rolls into the satchel (if: $x is 1)[hapharzardly.] (if: $x is 2)[neatly.] You try to put your phone into your pants pocket, but it doesn't fit. Stupid tiny pockets. So you tuck it into your back pocket. You give a small loving scratch to Maxine at the base of her tail as you leave the bedroom. [[Speak sweet words| Ch1.6a]] [[Speak salty words| Ch1.6b]]

"Be good, Max. I'll be home soon," you gently whisper to your cat. She looks up with a sleepy mix of affection for you and anger at being woken. Her back half raises into the air after that good scratching. She has no idea what you just said. (Set: $y to 1) [[To the kitchen|Ch1.7]]

"Please don't wreck the apartment while I'm gone," you gently scold Maxine. You still remember last time. So much water. She looks up with a sleepy mix of affection for you and anger at being woken. Her back half raises into the air after that good scratching. She has no idea what you just said. (Set: $y to 2) [[To the kitchen|Ch1.7]]

You sling the bag over your shoulder and cross the kitchen, grabbing a packed lunch you prepared the night before. Attached is a note: "The whole 'starving-artist' thing isn't appealing if you're not actually making art. Get out of bed and do it! Your future-brain thanks you." A cute drawing of an octopus occupies the empty space on the note. You stash the snacks in the satchel. [[It's biking time|Ch1.8]]

You can feel the chill coming in through cracks in the kitchen door frame. You decide to put on a sweater. (if: $x is 1)[You pull it awkwardly over your head. One arm gets caught for a second, but you fix it.](if: $x is 2)[You pull it over your head and slide your arms through the sleeve. It fits perfectly. Such a great sweater. Looks good on you too.] [[Go outside|Ch1.9a]] (if: $x is 1)[[[Nevermind. Go back to bed|Ch1.9b]]]

You'll need shoes first! It's pretty chilly, but you also like to look nice when you go out even if no one else notices. [[Cute flats|Ch1.10a]] [[Not cute sneakers|Ch1.10b]]

It's cold, you're tired, and pictures are dumb anyway. It's not worth it. You might as well just get back in bed and throw the alarm clock out the window. Or not. You remember that this is practice for class next week, so you should actually get out there and take at least a few photos before then. Maybe snap a couple of nautical pics, then head home for a nap with Maxine. You need to get back into the habit of doing this. [[Ehh, a couple photos couldn't hurt|Ch1.9a]] [[I can't do it...|Ch1.9c]]

Blackness. A faint spot of light fades in. Blurry colors swirl. The sounds of waves. Your brain is flooded with sensation-haikus. You try to focus and collect your thoughts. Do you hear water? You're feeling hazy. You must still be half-asleep. (if:$y is 2)[You hope Maxine didn't manage turn on the faucet again.] (if: $y is 1)[You hope it's not raining. You won't be able to take pictures today if it's too wet out.] A distant voice fuzzes into your head, like someone talking though layers of gauze. “Oh god, is that--?” [[Focus on other senses|Ch1.11]]

Smells nice. Salty. You don't think you've ever smelled a dream before, though. You part your lips and move your tongue around in your mouth. Tastes like cinnamon? Maybe you should get a churro later from 'Cosa Canela.' But you don't really need the sugar. You begin to see blurry, streaky sunlight, as if it is filtered through water. You blink and see a woman quickly coming toward you. [[Try to get up|Ch1.13b]] [[Play dead|Ch1.12b]] (if: $fake is 1)[[[NO NOT AGAIN. DEFINITELY NOT DEAD. SWEET LORD LOOK MY HEART IS STILL PUMPING HOT BLOOD|Ch1.13b]]]

The woman continues to walk toward you, cautious. "Oh man, I should see if she's okay. Wake her up," she decides. She pauses, then, "Wait, you're not supposed to wake up sleepwalkers. Maybe it doesn't count if they're not actually...you know. Walking." She's near you now. She continues talking to herself. "She looks weird," she shivers, then leans over you and sniffs. "Smells weird too. What if she's...dead? Is this what DEAD PEOPLE SMELL LIKE?" [[That's NOT what dead people smell like|Ch1.13]] [[Yeah, I'm totally dead|Ch1.13c]]

Come on. You don't smell THAT bad do you? Maybe you should say something here. She might be getting the wrong idea. [[See something, say something|Ch1.13b]]

The woman rambles as you open your eyes and look around. "Should I call someone? Who though? And what if they think I DID IT!?" She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "Okay wait, cool it, Asura. You can do this. You had a great lunch. Lots of protein. And you scared off some scavenger crabs. You're tough. You're not afraid of..." She swallows hard and looks apprehensive. "Corpses. Just maybe poke her and see where this goes from there?" [[Let's not do any poking|Ch1.14]]

She squats down and slowly waddles close to you. She leans over you, her arm extended and ready to poke. Your vision clears. You blink and squint. Her head is directly over yours, but upside-down. Her skin is gray and white and she seems to have several discrete slits on either side of her neck. Weird, but okay. Her teeth look a little...sharp, though. You jolt upright with a yelp and scoot away quickly, heart pounding in your chest and your face flushing. She stands upright and grins. [[Night of the Living Living|Ch1.15]]

She strikes a victory pose, hands on her hips. "Ah! You're not dead!" She points at you and smiles brightly. "Which is good," she continues, "because the whole 'poke-and-see' approach doesn't always end too well." She looks over you thoroughly. "You okay there?" She tries to sort through what's going on here aloud. "What are you doing all the way out here? Did you get tired from TRAINING TOO HARD? I know the feeling. Gotta breathe, gotta stay hydrated, yo." [["W-what are you?"|Ch1.16a]] [["W-where am I?"|Ch1.16b]]

You manage to stammer out a question. "W-what ARE you?" "First of all, RUDE question," she quips, "But I'm Asura. And you're kinda weird yourself. No offense. Wait wait wait, could you be--" Your head is spinning. Your heart is in your throat, which is probably not where it should be. You've stopped listening to her. (if: $y is 1)[It dawns on you that you actually won't be home soon. You lied to Maxine. You gasp, "My cat!"] (if: $y is 2)[You think back on the last meaningful thing you did before you left your apartment. You scolded your cat. You're a monster. An unthinking, unfeeling, cat-shaming machine. You gasp, "Maxine!"] She gasps, "A human!" [[MOMENTS LATER...|Ch1.17]]

You have to find out where you are first. "W-where am I?" You manage to spit the question out through chattering teeth. The woman responds, "Oh, you're near Miravalle. You get lost or something? WAIT. Are you--" Your head is spinning. Your heart is in your throat, which is probably not where it should be. You've stopped listening to her. (if: $y is 1)[It dawns on you that you actually won't be home soon. You lied to Maxine. You gasp, "My cat!"] (if: $y is 2)[You think back on the last meaningful thing you did before you left your apartment. You scolded your cat. You're a monster. An unthinking, unfeeling, cat-shaming monster. You gasp, "Maxine!"] She gasps, "A human!" [[MOMENTS LATER...|Ch1.17]]

You and Asura walk together toward a town in the distance, chatting. Asura is, unsurprisingly, still rambling. "Don't deny it, that entrance was like the DEFINITION of weird interruption. But I'm so prepared for this. I saw a bodybuilder deal with it in Total Sea-Call. Amnesia. First, we'll need a name for you." Asura looks pensive, but you aren't listening. You're confused and a little scared still. You hang your head. Asura leans in and subtly sniffs you, then, inspired, slaps her hands together and shouts, "I'll call you Smelly! Since, you know. You smell like totally strange but not that bad? Kind of refreshing, honestly." [[Refreshing?|Ch1.17a]]

You're really not feeling it. Who needs school when you can sleep forever? You feel little motivation, have no energy. Why are you even studying photography? You don't seem to have the passion for it anymore. You don't have the passion for much of anything anymore. This is the third day in a row that you've put it off and that doesn't seem like it will change anytime soon. Your school work will suffer because of it, but it's hard to care about that at this moment. Sometimes you work really hard on a project and you're proud of it. You're ready to show off your work, even if you're sick with anxiety over how it will be received. And then something happens. Something that makes your silly little project seem insignificant, maybe even inappropriate in its wake. Maybe you just realize it's not good and quit wasting your time on it. If you're honest with yourself, you might have some kind of depression. Maybe anxiety. You're afraid to be creative because even the stuff you work hard on and finish will probably just be mediocre anyway. You've heard healthy eating and getting more exercise might help, but that takes energy you don't have. Hey, it happens to the best of us. You'll work through it. People are there to help you. It will get better, but that takes time. Time you don't have right now. You'll figure it out later. Really. It's fine. It's all fine. Just need a bit more sleep. (set: $anx to 1) SLEEP END [[GIVE IT ANOTHER SHOT| CH1 opening]]

Asura pounds her fist into her hand as you continue walking together. "All right, now maybe we can jog your memory with something. Retrace your steps." Asura looks at you. You realize that you probably look like a lost kitten at this point. "Or not. I guess that doesn't really work if you haven't taken many steps. I've seen a blow to the head do it before, but that could be risky with my--" Asura coughs, flexes, and looks at her muscular arm nervously. [["I don't have amnesia!"|Ch1.19a]] [["Go ahead, hit me"|Ch1.19b]]

You're finally fed up with her going on about your mental state without your input. "Whoa whoa, slow your ROLL for a second, sushi girl," you order, interrupting her. "I know who I am. I'm Kara, I live on the East End kinda close to the shore," your spirits lift a bit as you count on your fingers: "I'm a young adult from the city about to willingly put myself in tons of debt, I'm uncertain about my future, now uncertain about my past too I guess. I love spicy food," your stomach growls and you put your hand on it, "fixing things, scratching cats' ears, taking photos. I just don't know how I got here, or where HERE is. I was riding my bike downtown, and..." you trail off, checking through your bag. You've got your rolls of film and your tools, but... Asura responds sarcastically, "Yeah, that's good for now. This isn't a dating profile. But I still kinda wanna call you--" [[Look for your camera|Ch1.20]] [[Look for your lunch|Ch1.20a]]

You turn toward Asura and lock eyes with her. You speak with the gravitas of a woman who's seen and accepted the absurd nature of the universe. "You know what? Go ahead and punch my brain. Since this totally has to be a dream, it shouldn't hurt, right? RIGHT?" Asura eyes you skeptically. "I would, but I think that might murder you, and I'd rather not go to jail tonight for murdering some weirdo on the beach. An AMNESIAC weirdo, no less." [[No amnesia here, pal|Ch1.19a]]

You begin scanning the junk in the area, looking for your camera. Asura tilts her head and looks you over. "You looking for something there, Hella Smelly?" You turn your head and pout. You're not in the mood. "I have film in here, so I must have been taking photos, but my camera's not here." Asura feigns surprise. "Ohhh was that busted-up camera yours? Looked nice. So I kiiinda borrowed it. I thought it was scrap. Sorry!" You turn your body toward her. "Busted-up? Borrowed? So now I'm--" you gesture and shrug, "wherever this is, I have no cat, no food, and no camera?" You feel your legs getting weak. [[Asura to the rescue|Ch1.21]]

Your lunch is missing! And the cute octopus note. Gone! This is a travesty. You begin looking around for brown paper bag tatters, sandwich crusts, tomato bits, anything. But there's nothing. You panic. You sweat. Your pupils dilate. Your stomach turns. You double over and groan. Asura reaches out to you, but she seems so far away now. So far... This is the worst thing that has ever happened to you. You reach into your bag and-- WAIT. YOUR CAMERA IS GONE TOO. NOW THIS IS THE WORST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU FOR REAL. [[Camera obscura|Ch1.20]]

Asura cups her hand on your shoulder, steadying you. "Hold up," she assures sternly. She looks serious. A compassionate gleam fills her eyes. You think that maybe she can help after all. "No one said anything about food," she lectures, "If you want chow, you've got it, weirdo. No questions asked." You sigh in exasperation and look down at your hands. You should have known better. No surprise that it's not about your camera. Asura continues in disbelief. "Don't tell me you skipped breakfast? Aww man! No wonder you're so out of it and grumpy. Need to boost that blood-sugar level. Get some simple carbs in there. Got any snacks, or maybe some super-official identification, hidden in those pockets?" [[Check your front pockets|Ch1.22a]] [[Check your back pockets|Ch1.22]]

You run your hands along the front of your pants pockets. Nothing. Of course. Those pockets are so small, nothing of this earth but lint could fit there. Time to go for the back pockets. [[Back pocket it is|Ch1.22]]

Patting your back pockets, you feel a big square object. You pull your phone out, but the screen is cracked. "Shoot," you sigh. Asura looks over at your phone and murmers in a patronizing tone, "Looks like your phone's busto too. You must have landed on it. I guess you shouldn't keep it in your back pocket if you plan on falling on your back." You puff out your cheeks and look at Asura, growing despondent, "I wasn't planning on it! And girl-pants have such tiny pockets. What do they expect me to do with my stuff?" You keep going. "It's not that much to ask to make them at least big enough for a phone, right?" Asura shrugs awkwardly. [[Put it back in your pocket|Ch1.23a]] [[Put it in your bag|Ch1.24]]

You shake your phone in frustration, sigh, and try to forget about it. So you can't text anyone or obsessively check your image board for new notifications. Things could be worse right? You could be lost and alone, thousands of miles from--OH WAIT. You wonder how far exactly this is from home. There's a beach, so maybe this is still the coast? You absentmindedly put your phone in your front pants pocket as you think things over. You push it down but it hits the bottom of the pocket and sticks more than halfway out. Your expression goes blank and blood rushes to your cheeks and neck. Asura snorts out a chuckle and then, realizing you're upset, coughs weakly a few times in an attempt to cover it up. She clears her throat presses her lips together tight. "SEE? Do guys have more things? Is that why they have REASONABLY SIZED POCKETS?" You lament, "So narrow, so shallow..." Your mouth twists a bit and you sniff. Asura slaps her hand over her mouth to stifle laughter. Asura takes a deep breath and calms herself. She notices your genuinely confused expression and understands how out of place you must feel. You have sand in your hair and you're dirty and scraped up. Asura seems to pity you and wants to help. [[Help, I need somebody|Ch1.24]]

You drop your phone into your satchel as Asura points to a town ahead. It is now close, just past a junkyard with a tall, rusty crane in it. She tries to reassure you. "Look. Kara, was it? I'll cut the sass. That's Miravalle. I live there--" "If it's all right with you, Asura, I'd just like to get my camera back and go home if I could," you respond. "I've got school soon and my cat...(if: $y is 1)[well she kinda figured out how to open her food bag on her own so she's probably okay, but I still worry. Her name's Maxine and I told her I'd be home soon, which is probably a LIE. She might not be the most energetic cat, but she totally makes up for it by being OBJECTIVELY the best cat. OH and she's like crazy smart and her little toes--"](if: $y is 2)[well she kinda figured out how to open her food bag on her own and she can turn on faucets, so she's probably okay. I still worry. Her name's Maxine and I scolded her right before I left, which is so cruel it's probably banned by the Geneva Convention. She might not be the most well-behaved cat, but she totally makes up for it by being OBJECTIVELY the best cat. OH and she's like crazy smart and her little tail--"] [[~Winner of the Year Contest Number One Star Cute Cat~ Maxine|Ch1.25]]

Asura reaches out a hand wrapped in atheltic tape and gently brushes some sand out of your hair. "Sure, I bet your cat's great," she says warmly, trying to calm you down, "But let's get you cleaned up, get some protein in that gut, and figure things out from there, 'kay? I'll try to get you back home, but I doubt it'll be easy." You try to take it all in, recount what you've learned so far. You woke up on a beach surrounded by trash. There's a fishy gray fighter girl and a town called Miravalle. (if: $fake is 1)[You may have died once already? ]Your camera's gone, your phone is broken, and you're feeling pretty grimy. And hungry. Protein. Gut. Home... "Come on, I'll race you!" Asura's taunt cuts through the air and snaps you out of your silent pondering. You look up and realize Asura is already a good distance away, looking back at you and waving. You tilt your head in confusion. [[Try to catch up|Ch1.26a]] [[Just walk|Ch1.26b]]

You hop along after her, jogging awkwardly as the satchel bounces at your side. Too bad you don't have your bike. You'd catch up in a heartbeat. She's fast, but you're able to keep her in your sights and you follow her into Miravalle. (set: $run to 1) [[To Miravalle|Ch1.27]]

She's clearly faster and more athletic than you. No reason to try and race her there. It'll only end in sweat and swearing. You casually walk in the direction she was heading. You end up at the edge of Miravalle. Asura is waiting there impatiently for you. "You didn't even try, did you? Where's the fun in that, you nerd?" (Set: $run to 2) [[To Miravalle|Ch1.27]]

You look around you as you enter the town of Miravalle. The buildings look similar to the ones from your world, but many are built within and around the ruins of Greek-like architecture: There are hot dog stands set up in the hands of a headless goddess statue. A two-story home is built upon the side of a crumbled temple. An idea surfaces in your brain. Underwater, fish people, ancient Grecian structures, lost city. Could this be... Nah, you reason, that'd be too obvious. As you look closer you also notice a lot of, for lack of a better word, TRASH worked into the city. Metal cans and washing machines have been recycled and made into siding. Plastic bags and polymers heated and stretched into new shapes, banners, overhangs. Maybe they use the junk they find on the beach to make repairs? Parts used and reused. It's odd, and a little quaint, but pleasant. It is afternoon and the town is busy. People seem to be off work, enjoying the mild weather and welcoming atmosphere of the town. Almost none of them look like Asura. In fact, most of them just look like regular people. No time to wonder why now, though, as Asura leads you quickly through the people to her aparment building. [[Asura's place|Ch1.28]]

Asura guides you to a small brick building. It looks like an old video rental store with a sign that reads 'Buck Lobster' VHS in bright blue and yellow lettering above it. Thinking about junk makes you realize the sign looks vaguely familiar. Maybe they rearranged an old sign. Asura leads you around back. There is a set of stairs that leads above the store. You follow her up. Inside, there is a tight hallway covered with cheap yellowing flower wallpaper that looks like it was ripped right out of the '70s. There are a few ill-fitted doors on either side. She leads you to one door, inserts a key into the lock, and takes you inside. [[Matching studios|Ch1.29]]

Asura's apartment is sparse. There is a small bed in the corner, an exercise mat and some free weights in the center, and an old tube tv on the floor next to a pile of rented vhs tapes. There is a tiny square window on one wall that sunlight filters through, catching some suspended dust particles and landing on the mat. A few comic books are stacked next to her bed. You can make out some titles: 'THE MOLLUSK NO. 76: The Mollusk vs. Moray Jack' and 'THE MOLLUSK NO. 51: Kelpfall.' Asura sits on the mat and starts stretching out her legs after the run. (if: $run is 1)[You are still out of breath. You lean forward and rest your hands on your bent knees. Your face is red. "Wow. Okay. You're fast," you gasp in between heavy breaths, "Now I'm all sandy. AND sweaty. Where's the--"](if: $run is 2)[You lean against the door and scope out the apartment. Asura looks over to you while stretching and scolds, "Can't believe you didn't even TRY to run with me. You should probably get cleaned up still."] Asura points to the bathroom with one hand as she hops up and starts doing squats and lunges aroung the perimiter of her small apartment with perfect form. Makes sense why the place would be so empty if she does that regularly. [[I know clean|Ch1.30]]

You (if: $run is 1)[wobble](if: $run is 2)[stroll] to the bathroom and slide through the doorframe. You peek around at the appliances and layout, (if: $run is 1)[finally catching your breath.](if: $run is 2)[noting how similar they are to places in your town.] You look in the mirror briefly, noting a small cut on your cheek. You frown. You can't let it get infected. Time to clean up. You turn on the faucet marked 'C' and fill your cupped hands with water. You splash the cold water on your face. Much better. When you finish, you notice your hair is pretty grimy too. You spot the shower. There is a faux-bamboo floor mat in front of it and the shower curtain has superheroes printed on it. "I'd have nothing to change into," you think, "but..." [[Shower anyway|Ch1.31a]] [[Just rinse your hair|Ch1.31b]] [[Let it be|Ch1.31c]]

Although you don't know her too well, she seems trustworthy enough. And she probably won't mind if you use her shower just a little. You turn on the hot faucet and take a quick rinse. You can feel every muscle in your body relaxing as the hot water hits you. You stand under the stream and close your eyes. The fizz and sputter of the water spraying out of the shower head like static drowns out all other sounds. All other thoughts. You clear your mind; a hard reset for your brain like a full night's sleep. Oblivion through noise. You realize several minutes have passed. You turn the faucet and the water stops flowing. You open the cutain and steam fills the room. You step out onto the hard mat and shiver in the cool air that you've been mostly isolated from until now by the shower curtain. You see that there's only one towel. Oops, hope she doesn't care. You don't have any other clothes here either, so you'll have to use your old ones again. You slide on your shirt and immediately regret your decision. There is still sand in it, but now it's wet from your skin and even more irritating. This may have been a poor chioce, but it's too late now. You can't go back. The die has been cast. Your fate has been sealed. It has always been sealed. And always shall be. Through your miriad lives as miriad things, sand will follow you. Infect your very essence. The mirror has no stand. Mountains flow. Itchy evermore. Et cetera. Now, you're slightly sandy AND damp. (set: $shower to 1) [[Shower power|Ch1.32]]

You look around the room as if to check if anyone's watching and turn on the water. You bend forward and stick your head under for a minute, rinsing the sand out of your hair. You turn the water off and, still bent forward, step back. Your hair drips water onto the bamboo floormat. You suppose that's what floormats are for anyway. You pull the towel off the rack and start drying your hair, gathering and squeezing layers at a time in the towel. You catch your reflection in the mirror. You look better already. You also notice that there is a medicine cabinet built into the wall behind the mirror. Your curiosity has led you astray before, but it's so tempting...Should you check it out? [[Sneak peek|Ch1.31d]] [[I'm not THAT nosy|Ch1.31c]]

Well then, no reason to dawdle in here if you're all done. [[Combination living room/bedroom|Ch1.32]]

You step out of the bathroom. Asura has finished stretching and is looking out her small window over the town. She turns around and eyes you cautiously when she hears you come in. She watches you, your expression and movements, trying to get a sense of whether you're feeling better yet. After washing up and relaxing a little, you regret being so taciturn with Asura earlier when she thought you had amnesia. You realize she was just trying to help. (if: $snoop is 1)[You also totally feel guilty about looking through her stuff.] You speak up. "So I'm pretty sorry about being sharp with you back there on the beach. This is all totally overwhelming and honestly I'm gonna say impossible." Asura walks across the cramped room and pokes your arm. "Sharp? You're soft as a cinnamon bun HAHAHA," she chortles, "but I feel ya. Never thought I'd meet someone from the surface, let alone find them washed up on the shore like two minutes from my house." She looks you over once more. "Anything else you need before we go out for snacks and maybe get you home?" [[My camera...|Ch1.33]] (if: $shower is 1)[[[New clothes?|Ch1.33a]]]

Your fingers creep along the edge of the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. You feel your cheeks and ears heating up. Exciting. Inside is a small brush with what appears to be Asura's hair stuck in the teeth, some athletic tape, scissors, assorted toiletries. On the inside of the door is an old picture of Asura. She's probably around 10 years old, standing in a yard with someone that looks like he could easily be her dad. He is tall, broad-shouldered, and strong. His posture is straight and severe but his gut strains the fabric of his short-sleeved oxford. He has a dark, wide mustache and short black hair slicked back with a wide silver streak through it. There's a half-hidden simple black tattoo on his wide bicep. His gray hands are wrapped in the same manner that Asura's are now. They are both smiling the same huge smile. Such a lovely photo, you think to yourself, but if he acts anything like her, they must be a handful together. You hear Asura anxiously shuffling around outside the bathroom. You're immediately brought back to reality, back to yourself, and you feel guilty about intruding on something so intimate. You close the cabinet and leave the bathroom. (set: $snoop to 1) (if: $clothes is not 1)[[[Precious moments|Ch1.32]]](if: $clothes is 1)[[[Camera time|Ch1.33]]]

"Um, you said you 'borrowed' my camera. Is it stupid to ask if that thing's still around?" "Define 'around.' Your camera's toast, girl. I found it in pretty dire condition yesterday and scrapped most of it. SO SORRY about that by the way. But I think I can make it up to you. We're going to meet my friend Dan and he should be able to hook us up with...something at least." You're silent for a moment. The SLR is totally gone, then. At least you're safe and Asura is willing to help you get some kind of replacement. You look down at your feet. The tips of your (if: $shoes is 1)[cute flats](if: $shoes is 2)[worn sneakers] are touching the workout pad, right next to the training equipment. To your left is her small tv surrounded by the pile of VHS tapes. Maybe you should make some small talk to break the silence? [[Exercise me, captain|Ch1.34a]] [[Videodrome|Ch1.34b]]

"Yeah, actually," you pause and your mouth twists up. You feel bad for imposing, but these clothes are pretty uncomfortable now. Asura looks nervous and a little guilty. "Do you have anything else I could change into? My clothes are a little...granulated." Asura laughs, relieved, and slaps you on the back. "Is that all? No problemo. I'll get out some of my training duds. They're individually designed, custom crafted to allow for MAXIMUM MOBILITY. I thought this was gonna be about that camera." "Ahh that's something I need to..." you sigh. She's already out of the room. You're relieved about the new clothes at least. She comes back with some plain dark stretchy tights and a tank top. 'Custom crafted,' huh? It's pretty much the same thing she's wearing now. You go back to the bathroom to change. The steam has mostly dissipated. You shake out your light sweater and put it back on over top. It looks halfway decent in the foggy mirror, but they're definitely just regular tights and a shirt. As the mirror clears, you admire your new outfit. You notice that there's a medicine cabinet built into the wall behind the mirror as well. You're not really the nosy type, but you've always been curious. She's been so kind to you already, but maybe too kind? What if she's hiding something? Should you check it out? (set: $clothes to 1) [[Just a quick peek|Ch1.31d]] [[For Asura's eyes only|Ch1.33]]

"Lots of room for exercise in here, huh?" You blurt out. Asura perks up. “Oh sure! It's great. I'm pretty sure it's basically a sickness in my family. Can't stop, won't stop training. I take after my dad and keep my body in PEAK PHYSICAL CONDITION." She poses triumphantly. "I can stay in fighting stances for HOURS. So if anyone gives us a hard time, I can hold my own. And your own, too, for you." She pauses. "I think I'm stronger now than my dad ever was, though..." Asura looks downcast. (set: $exercise to 1) (if: $snoop is 1)[You remember the photo. They looked so happy. You wonder where he is, what they were like together, and how two people could have such bright, identical smiles. You think about bringing it up, helping her through it, talking about it.](if: $anx is 1)[ You know all too well how these feelings can drag you down. How keeping it all bottled up just wears away at your edges, keeps pulling you down into the muck.](if: $snoop is 1)[ But maybe now isn't the time. You file that info away for later.] (if: $vhs is not 1)[[[Change the subject|Ch1.34b]]] (if: $vhs is 1)[[[Get going|Ch1.35]]]

You decide to bring up the tapes. "A-are you like a movie expert? Looks like you have a lot of old tapes. I don't think I've even seen a VCR since I was in grade school. Most of the good old stuff has been re-released or digitized and put online." "Oh sure," she says, moving toward the tapes. She goes through them and holds each up as she describes them. "I love anything that gets the blood pumping." She does two punches at the air with her empty hand to emphasize 'blood pumping,' then continues, "Sci-fi, kung fu, kaiju, blood and guts, giants robots, superpowers, and ummm...other stuff." She discreetly nudges a tape, a cheesy romance named Love Along the Mariana Trench, behind the pile and clears her throat. You pretend that you didn't see anything. She fills the awkward silence, hoping you'll forget that tape. "I've heard we recently got a bunch of discs with movies on them that are supposed to be higher quality, but like how much better could it really get?" You try not to laugh. "At least that's what I tell myself since I can't afford a new player." (set: $vhs to 1) (if: $exercise is not 1)[[[Change the subject|Ch1.34a]]] (if: $exercise is 1)[[[Get going|Ch1.35]]]

"Let's get out of here," Asura suggests, "now that you don't look like I found you in a ditch. I can show you around town." [[Return to Miravalle|Ch1.36]]

Asura leads you out of her apartment and back into town. The area is open and pedestrian-friendly. There are not many cars, and the ones you can spot seem to be more junk than car. People are walking down the wide sidewalks and enjoying public transportation. No one pays much attention to you: you blend in quite well. Asura, however, does stick out. None of the other people in this town share her skin color. Few share any of her strange characteristics, like the gill-like slits that appear on her neck. She doesn't seem to give it much thought. You continue walking through downtown with Asura. "So this is my town," she begins, then corrects herself, "Well, not originally, but it's pretty okay anyway. Right near the edge of Thála's coast." [["Thála?"|Ch1.37a]] [["Where are you from originally?"|Ch1.37b]]

<center>A CHILD WITHOUT AN EYE A semi-interactive fantasy story about friendship, punching, and cults. CHAPTER 1 [[BEGIN PROLOGUE|Opening; Asura Quote]]

Bold move. As the woman is debating with herself and pacing back and forth, you decide to play dead so hard that your heart actually ceases to beat in your chest. Who knew? Well, you've heard the old saying: "being super convincing at faking death killed the possum." (set: $fake to 1) OPOSSUM END [[MAYBE TRY THAT AGAIN?|Ch1.10]]

Good choice. (if: $x is 1)[You bend foward to slip on your shoes but you lose your balance and almost fall over. Smooth. ]Outside of your apartment complex, there are several other apartment buildings and brownstones closeby. There is a bike rack right in front. You pop out of the complex's front door and pull your sweater tight against the cold morning frost. (Set: $shoes to 1) You take small quick steps up to your pale blue bike. You put your bag in the back basket and hop on, heading East. [[BACK TO THE PRESENT...|Ch1.10]]

"Thála?" You ask for clarification. "Oh yeah, you don't really know any of this, do you? Man, introductions are hard." Asura closes her eyes and gestures as she talks. She seems to enjoy the teaching moment. "Okay, exposition dump, so bear with me. Like years and YEARS ago, when the mountains of your world shot up out of the ground," she imitates a loud shaking 'PSHHHHEW' noise and motions upward, "A whole ocean was buried. Our ocean. Our world. Most of you guys haven't heard much about it I guess, but we know a little about you humans down here." An ocean? That would explain some things. She continues explaining. "You landed in the Kingdom of Thálassar, which is pretty great since I'm here and I'm pretty great. I can show you around and all." This is odd. WAY odd. You feel disoriented. You try to make sense of any of this. (Set: $info to 1) [["Where are you from originally?"|Ch1.37b]] [[Continue walking|Ch1.38]]

"If you're not from here, where are you from originally? I suppose it'd be too much to ask that you be from 'my world'..." "Oh, I'm from the neighboring kingdom. It's not important. I'm a Thálassarian and that's all that really matters. I'd rather not get into all the political drama right now with someone I just met." (if: $info is not 1)[[[Thála? Short for Thálassar then?|Ch1.37a]]] (If: $info is 1)[[[Continue walking|Ch1.38]]]

As you're walking together, you are confronted by an older man with slick gray hair waving pamphlets at uncomfortable passers-by. He has a dark, ornate eye drawn or tattooed on his forehead. He is dressed in formal clothing with a bright green bowtie. He tries to make eye contact with you and hand you a pamphlet. His demeanor is welcoming but somber, his eyes bright and roving. There is some sort of symbol printed on the front of the paper he is holding. [[Free stuff!|Ch1.39a]] [[Don't trust the man with the eye|Ch1.39b]]

He shoves a colored pamphlet in your direction. You reach your hand out and take it. At the top is the same dark symbol that adorns his forehead. The eye seems to be looking straight at you. It is surrounded by seven open hands. Below this is an image of a cloud passing over the sun bordered by text that reads "If the mist persists, are you and your loved ones ready? Receive a free screening courtesy of the Children of Eye!" You look up at the sun and stop walking. It IS actually hazy today. You begin feeling even more anxious than you already were. "Is that normal for this place?" Asura peeks over at the paper am dismisses it. "Eh close enough to normal. So it's kinda foggy today. Doesn't mean anything. How much you want to bet they have a different pamphlet for each kind of weather depending on the day? 'Still sunny? We're all seriously screwed. Give us money anyway.' Don't worry about it. Damn weirdos and their pamphlets." (set: $pam to 1) [[Put the pamphlet in your bag and continue|Ch1.40]]

The strange man shoves a photocopied pamphlet in your direction. You size him up quickly and determine that NOPE, he's definitely creepy. You deliberately avoid eye contact and keep walking. His arm hangs weakly, dejected, as you pass. You can feel his eyes, all three of them, on you as you move away from him. [[No boys (with extra eyes) allowed|Ch1.42]]

You consider Asura's words. "I guess we'll be fine as long as things don't go all--" You stop mid-sentence as you notice that Asura is already ahead. You run a little awkwardly to catch up. You continue. "You know. Go all like Noiseless Knoll 2." Asura has no idea what you're talking about. "Hmm? Is that bad? I'm not a fan of being silent most of the time AS YOU'VE SEEN BY NOW but hills are pretty sweet. They've got those cute little curves upward and then BOOM. Valley time, all the time. Why 'ello there Mr. Crest--" "NO," you begin, eyebrows shooting up, maybe a little to enthusiastic to interrupt...whatever that was. "It's a--" You stop yourself. Should you explain your dumb hobbies? Nah. "N-nevermind." You make the mistake of locking eyes with Asura. "All right, NOPE. You hesitated. Now you've got me interested. It's not like a NEEERD thing is it?" Asura smirks wryly, lightly mocking you. You feel defeated and explain. "It's a game. Video game. Horror video game. Retro horror video game. So I know that sounds super lame and NOT full of fighting but before you judge it's actually pretty great. There are like UNDEAD people or maybe they're monsters or something, I don't remember, but they try to kill you while you're looking for your husband and you have to avoid them. Or kill them! But they get to you. Like mentally. ANYWAY it's ultra creepy and kind of violent, which reminded me you." Asura looks at you, puzzled and maybe hurt, about to speak. You inhale sharply through your teeth and realize what you just said. [["Don't hate me"|Ch1.41]] [[Just keep walking|Ch1.42]]

You feel like an idiot. The worst kind, too--a cruel idiot. (if: $y is 2)[So far today you've not only scolded Max, but also insulted this kind gray fish lady. What's with you lately?] "OH GOD NO," you immediately backpedal, "I mean it's not that you're those things, but it seems like something you'd like. You're not scary at all haha!" You drip flop sweat like a geek playing metal riffs in a middle-school talent show. "Remember with the movies earlier and kung fu. Action and monsters and 'blood pumping'? You seemed into that sort of thing." You look imploringly at Asura. Her expression is stolid. "Don't hate me." [[Insult me once...|Ch1.41b]]

You turn your gaze upward and see the theater marquee just ahead. The Mollusk Returns is playing, and so is It Came from Above the Sea. A young scruffy fish guy is busking with a sax out front. He seems to be one of the few other people in town that is similar to Asura. He has deep brown skin, a patchy beard, some whiskers near his mouth like a catfish, and what appear to be rudimentary gills on his neck. You're eager to change the subject after accidentally insulting Asura. "Ever seen a movie involving a human girl ending up in a place like this?" You laugh nervously and point to the marquee. "I guess," she sighs. "I used to watch a bunch of fantasy and silly adventure movies when I was younger." She stares off into the distance. "But I kinda hate the stuff now. It's always the same." "The same?" You ask. Asura gestures back and forth and continues in a critical tone, "Some kid leaves home on a big dumb adventure. He makes new friends, has some close-calls, grows a little. Maybe even saves the day. But then what? When it comes down to it, at the end, what does he do? He leaves. He clicks his stupid heels together or rides into the sunset and abandons everyone he just met. The lesson's always about appreciating your old life. Your home." You try to follow along, eyes following her hand movements. [[Heel clicker|Ch1.43]]

Asura roars with laughter and slaps you on the back as you walk down the sidewalk. "Cool it there, kiddo. It was fun to watch you squirm for a minute, but now you're just embarassing yourself. A video game, huh? I know we have some here but we don't make too many ourselves, so they're pretty expensive to own. I think there's an arcade in Akheilia. There's tons of other fun stuff in Akheilia too! Huge stores, great food, and--" Asura points to a theater ahead. "Big theaters. It's not a far bus ride. We should go sometime if--" She clears her throat and looks down, realizing what she's about to say doesn't really apply. "If you're ever in town again." It does sting a little. You get the impression that maybe she doesn't have many friends here. She seemed excited to have someone to show around and do fun activities with. You wish you could stay a while, but you really do have to get home. You follow Asura's downcast gaze to your feet. (If: $shoes is 1)[At least your blue-and-white flats still look nice.] [[Shoegazer|Ch1.42]]

Good choice. (if: $x is 1)[You bend foward to slip on your shoes but you lose your balance and almost fall over. Smooth. ]Outside of your apartment complex, there are several other apartment buildings and brownstones closeby. There is a bike rack right in front. You pop out of the complex's front door and pull your sweater tight against the cold morning frost. (set: $shoes to 2) You take small quick steps up to your pale blue bike. You put your bag in the back basket and hop on, heading vaguely east. [[BACK TO THE PRESENT...|Ch1.10]]

Asura shrugs hard and continues bitterly, "What's so great about home, anyway?" She points to the amatuer flyers stuck to the wall near the theater. There's a poster for a band called 'Octopoid Rebellion' and an ad for pet grooming services. "Bad local music and mediocre pizza? Is that it? When kids get out of college, should they be all like, 'Well, those four years were great, but I've really gotta get moving back in with my PARENTS now. It was fun while it lasted. You all meant a lot to me five minutes ago, but see you never.'" She drops off quickly. Her skin is hot and her eyes are narrowed and glistening. "After all the strange, sweet junk you see, and all the strange, sweet people you meet, you just want things to be normal again? To go back to your old life, sit on the couch, and pretend nothing's different except some cutesy little lesson learned? Not gonna happen, dude. It's neat and tidy for tv, but it's cheap. What about the people you left behind? Those people have changed. You've probably changed too. Hell, even PLACES change. You can't just go back like that." "So nah, they're not really for me anymore." You are both quiet for a moment. The air is tense. You feel terrible, but you don't know whether saying something will help or just irritate her more. (If: $snoop is 1)[Maybe this has something to do with her dad? Her hometown? Bringing it up now might be too much though.] [[Hit a nerve?|Ch1.44]]

Asura takes several deep breaths in a pointed attempt to calm herself. She cathces on that she totally brought down the mood and shifts gears. "Hey, want to catch a movie though? Maybe it'll take your mind off of everything for a minute." [[Movies here?|Ch1.44a]]

"The movie offer's super nice of you," you begin to make an excuse, "but I don't think we should--" Asura doesn't seem to hear you. She walks right up to the theater entrance. "Campy horror or pulpy action?" (set: $coin to 2) [[Pulp fiction|Ch1.46]] [[Give me the blood|Ch1.46b]]

"Asura," you beg as you take steps toward her, "I don't think horror would be a good choice for my mental state right now, considering." You are now standing next to the outdoor kiosk to order tickets now. "Geez, no need to get all psychological." Asura, beaming and holding up two fingers, orders, "Two tickets for The Mollusk Returns then!" "Is this related to those comics you had?" You wonder if it's an adaptation. "YES," she seems to command more than tell, "and it's going to be WONDERFUL." (set: $movie to 1) [[The Fandom Menace|Ch1.47]]

You narrow your eyes, hold up your hands, fingers tensed outward like claws, and muster up your best Italian. "Terrore." She turns sharply toward you. "Don't tell me you're into cheap Italian horror in your world too," she laughs and tries to play off her question like a joke just in case you're not into it. "Argento? Fulci? Give me the blood, Asura. The cinematoraphy. The raw, grainy film." Asura's jaw drops and she knits her eyebrows in awe. She looks like she could kiss you just as soon as punch you. "Ahhh whaaa," is all she can manage. Looks like you two may have some similar interests afterall. (set: $movie to 2) [[It Came from Above the Squee|Ch1.47]]

With your tickets in hand, Asura leads you straight to the concession stand. (if: $movie is 1)[She rattles off a bunch of plotlines from back-issues of The Mollusk and says something about catching you up with the filmic 'shared universe'.](if: $movie is 2)[She excitedly talks you through some of her favorite practical monster effects and seems to be firmly in favor of blood squibs rather than computer-generated blood effects.] "About the junk though?" She goes back to talking about the trash from your world again, remembering that it made you uneasy earlier. "W-we try to make the best of it. We pile the straight up garbage in the junkyard outside of town, but a lot of it is repurposed and made into totally awesome new things." She bites her lower lip and fishes around in her pocket for something. "Like my phone," she exclaims, pulling it free of her pocket. Her FRONT pocket. "It's probably only two gens behind yours? You have, what, a 7, maybe 7XL if they still do that whole 'slightly bigger screen for double the money' thing?" You're shocked. You had that same phone model for a year in high school. You can only imagine all the embarassing texts that were stored on that thing. Might be best not to think too hard about that, actually. "Uh, I do. XL actually. Well, I did anyway before--" Asura silences her phone, like a civilized person(if: $movie is 2)[ would before getting immersed in a horror film]. "See? I've got a 5L here. A little modded and refurbed to work down here sure, but hey. You guys flush those things out like used condo--" She catches herself in the middle of an inappropriate reference. She smiles sheepishly and blushes, changing the simile, "like old fruit." Asura picks up the food, pays, and starts scoping out seats. [[Hello, darkness|Ch1.48]]

"Do you guys get any of our movies down here? I don't recognize these." "Actually," she says, hesitating, "we get a lot of your stuff down here. All that junk you guys throw into the ocean or on the ground?" She tosses some spare coins into the busker's sax case. "Well, it's gotta go somewhere. All the leaking oil, plastic bags, scrap metal, runoff. It rains down on us sometimes. If it's bad we all stay inside for a while and let the city clean it up. Thaaat's what taxes are for." Oops. You feel ashamed. You've probably thrown a lot of stuff away in your day. Even when you try to be a good environmentally-conscious adult and separate out some recyclables, it's not a perfect system. [[Give back|Ch1.44d]] [[I've got bigger fish to fry|Ch1.45b]]

You toss some coins from your pocket into the case as well as you head up to the theater kiosk. Is it really a good idea to waste time you could be using to find a way home though? (set: $coin to 1) [[Time consumer|Ch1.45c]]

Asura picks out two empty seats in the dark, single-screen theater. There aren't too many other people around, so you take a seat near the middle. Asura plops down next to you. She tilts the popcorn bag in your direction. You grab a handful and then wave the rest away. Asura shrugs and chows down. The lights dim and the film starts. Silvery light bathes theater as the projector ticks and fires up. (if: $movie is 1)[The movie opens with a CG explosion. Not necessarily a great sign, but you'll give it a shot. Asura is loving it. She's beaming. A love scene takes up a few precious minutes later. Asura clutches onto a napkin and seems to be tearing up. Near the climax, Asura cheers and raises her fist as the apparent good guy wins a tense fight. This is...kind of nice, if lacking in substance. You smile and let yourself get lost in the action.](if: $movie is 2)[Blood splattered, hyper-stylized credits roll onto the screen. Yes. Asura grips the armrest with one hand and shovels popcorn into her mouth with the other. During a tense chase scene, she misses her mouth and smushes kernels onto her cheek. The protagonist fires what is CLEARLY a blank round out of a small black pistol. This is...shot on real film! It's been a while since you've seen something in theaters that wasn't digital. You take a moment to appreciate the striking visuals and directorial flair. And the pleasant company next to you.] [[All good things|Ch1.49]]

You filter out of the theater with the few other people that were at the showing. Asura dumps the snack bags into the recycling bin on the way out. "Not bad, yeah?" Asura begins tentatively, "A lot of our original movies are only like an hour long, too." "That was..." you pause and think. Asura eyes you expectantly, slightly biting her lower lip. "That was cool, actually." "I know, right!?" Asura exclaims. She gesticulates with her hands, immitating her description. (if: $movie is 1)["The effects were great, the stunts and fight choreography were AWESOME and FULL OF MUSCLE, the romance subplot was pretty believable, and the acting was...Okay not the best, but whatever, it's an action movie."](if: $movie is 2)["The monster effects were great, the blood was everywhere, and the tension was as THICK AS MY BICEPS. I'm seriously still reeling that you're into this stuff," she goes on, "I've got a special section at the rental place below my apartment dedicated to all the weird stuff I watch. Man, it's great to finally have someone to talk to about this. Dan's into movies but he can be kind of an elitist jerk. He just doesn't understand the schlock. We should rent some tapes and have a movie marathon before you go. I'll get popcorn and drinks and OH you'll have to try some tchul..."] An activist approaches you and stands in your way on the sidewalk. He has a clipboard and pen in hand and seems determined to get your attention. [[Signs, signs|Ch1.50]]

The middle-aged man with the clipboard positions himself directly in front of you and employs his best diplomatic tone. "Excuse me. You seem like nice young ladies--" Asura, immediately skeptical of his motivations, narrows her eyes at him and interrupts. "Looks can be deceiving, pal." "Ah well, yes, but," he is blathering, clearly nervous now, "Are you residents of Miravalle? Could I trouble you to sign this petition to Keep Our Kelp Forests Clean and Independent? As you know, the largest grower and processor of consumer-grade kelp and kelp-related byproducts in all of Thálassar is looking to expand into this region soon and we at the Kelp Protection League, or KPL for short, in association with the Small Organic Farmer's Alliance, SOFA, feel that this move would endanger our current small business--" Asura interrupts again. "Oooookay that's enough, give me your nerd pen and I'll sign your nerd petition." She signs it quickly and scoffs. [[Sign it, friendo|Ch1.51a]] [[Don't touch that pen|Ch1.51b]]

You take the pen after Asura is done and sign your name as well. You've always been a fan of local business: small farms, intimate stores, organic apples and stuff. When a large chain store comes in, they just out-compete the small places, with their economies of scale and trickle down or whatever, and then the only choice left in town is the big guys. Now it's time to take serious action! Or, failing that, you can sign this poor balding guy's kelp petition. Even if it didn't accomplish much, it still felt good. Asura grunts after you finish signing and pulls you along toward Dan's. (set: $petition to 1) [[Downtown|Ch1.52]]

After she signs, Asura thrusts the pen and clipboard back at the man's chest. His hands shoot up to catch the loose items but he fumbles and drops them. He bends with a groan to pick them up. As he's rising, he turns his eye scornfully on you as you briskly walk away. You briefly make eye contact and then turn away, blushing. "What was all that?" You ask, still not sure what just happened. "Did you even read it?" "Nah." If she didn't read it, why'd she sign it? You figure you might as well ask. "In that case, do you actually care about the kelp or?" "I do, actually," she says, matter-of-factly, "I love the local stuff, hate the mass-produced garbage. But he was trying too hard and I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction." You shrug and continue following her to meet up with Dan. [[Downtown|Ch1.52]]

You walk beside Asura thorugh downtown Miravalle, idly chatting about the movie you just watched. She sits down on a bench a few blocks from the theater and pats the seat next to her. You sit down and look around, squinting as the sun glares off of windows and metal signs. It's hot. You decide to take off your sweater and tuck it into your bag. Much better. There is a slight breeze stirring. You see a poster to your right that shows various colored routes around town. This appears to be a bus stop. Asura lifts her arms and rests them on the back of the bench. She hangs her head backward and lets out a deep breath. She closes her eyes, soaking in the heat and light of the afternoon. You enjoy the quiet for a moment and try to clear your mind, but one thought keeps coming to the forefront: what's next? As you're about to ask Asura, you hear the bus pulling up to the stop. Asura's eyes sleepily open and she hops up. She stretches her legs behind her and grabs her ankles one by one. She yawns. You look to her and shrug, as if to ask what you should do now. She angles her head in the direction of the bus. One corner of her mouth twists up into a playful smile. You board the bus and sit down on the sticky, sweaty plastic seats together. It's even hotter in here and you're still pretty hungry. You're feeling tired and a little weak. [[Ask her where you're headed|Ch1.53a]] [[Take in your surroundings|Ch1.53b]] [[Try to take a short nap|Ch1.53c]]

"Hey, Asura, where--" your question is interrupted by an overwhelming yawn. You cover your mouth with your hand. A drop of spit falls from your mouth onto your hand. You SERIOUSLY hope no one saw that. You continue. "Where are we going next? Are we meeting this 'Dan' guy?" Asura looks your way and is about to answer, but instead she narrows her eyes irritably for a second, then drops her jaw in a similarly large yawn. Contagious. She makes a high-pitched squeak at the end and curses lightly under her breath. "Before you leave town forever I want to show you some of my favorite places. I know, I know, you need to get home as soon as possible, but it'll be quick." You're a little skeptical. "Besides," she argues, "we need to kill another hour or so because Dan's not at work yet." (set: $dest to 1) [[Sounds like a plan|Ch1.54]] (if: $couch is not 1)[[[Take in your surroundings|Ch1.53b]]]

You use this opportunity to take in your surroundings while you're riding. The sunlight hitting your skin feels good. Every other window along the side of the bus is cracked open, allowing the salty air to filter through. You inhale deeply and hold it, relishing the fresh, cool breeze. The bus stops. Two guys, probably a few years older than you, board the bus with a baby stoller. They both have dark beards and tied-back hair. One sits in the seat behind you and the other stands, holding the rail and the stroller. They start talking about moving into a new apartment. You probably shouldn't eavesdrop, but you kind of have to in these situations. "Don't you think our place would look better with two chairs instead of a couch?" One starts to the other. "Ehh I like our couch. It's a pain to move and that metal bar is a nightmare, but it looks nice with the rest of our stuff. And if we have people over, it has an extra seat." He seems unconvinced. "I just like chairs. Two individuals chairs would really open up the room, you know? We should get rid of that couch." [[Loveseat|CH1.53d]]

It's warm. It's sunny. The bus is gently rocking, engine and tires droning. You close your eyes. Just for a second. It'll be fine. This isn't like the snooze button dilemma. Maybe when you wake up, you'll be back in your bed and this will all have been some kind of semi-lucid nightmare. (if: $x is 1)[You'll get up right away for once, feed Max-Overdrive her nasty wet meat cup and listen to her slurp it down, load your camera with film, and take some great photos. You'll be ready for class and you'll have a new appreciation for home. Or not, if Asura's to be believed. ]You drift off. You are awakend by something poking your arm. You jerk your head up suddenly and incoherently mutter about being awake already. Asura is holding a snack in one hand. Her other hand is still extended in your direction, one finger held out in a poking motion. You're leaning right next to her. You must have slumped over when you fell asleep. "Ah, so you're not dead!" She smiles and holds out the snack. It appears to be a granola bar. "Guess poking worked this time." You take the snack, open it up, and take a small, tentative bite. It's pretty good. "Mmm thanks, I needed something to snack on." "I figured. We're almost there." [[Accidental nap|Ch1.54]]

The bus slows as it rolls up to its destination. Asura stands up and grabs the rail as it's slowing and starts moving toward the door. You gather your bag and follow. You're right in front of a small record store. The two of you enter the store. They're playing some soft, psychedelic track inside. The sales clerk nods to you as you walk in. Records line the walls and fill shelves and baskets. There are rows of tapes as well. You look through some different genres. Many of the artists are unfamiliar, but you do recognize some old albums that you've seen in thrift shops before; bad christmas compilations, children's choirs, a Mozart boxed set, Tony Bennett, all super cheap sitting in a crate. They have some samples hooked up to headphones on one wall. You and Asura pick up pairs and listen to some tracks. Asura seems to be really getting into one specific track. She has her eyes closed, head bobbing to the beat. You're curious. You sneak close, lift one earpiece off, and listen. Noise. Dissonance. Drums EVERYWHERE. It's loud, it's abrasive, it's throbbing. The whole band hits the same note over and over. You do NOT get it. You frown and look apprehensively at Asura. You give the earpiece back. Asura laughs. You laugh. Tony Bennett would probably laugh too, were he here. Asura seems to be satisfied after looking for several minutes and takes you back outside as another bus brakes at the stop. [[Fly me to the moon|Ch1.55]]

"We could always get a new couch and get rid of that behemoth if it's really that big of a deal," offers the couch man. Chair guy's not having it. "If we're doing that, let's get chairs. Recliners. I want to recline, Flen. Legs up all summer. Couches? Fine enough. But what about your feet? Just hanging there like an animal? Nah, we're civilized people. We have certain leg needs. I would put my feet up everywhere if it were socially acceptable." "What do you have against couches suddenly?" the man apparently named Flen asks. "Nothing wrong with couches. Everything RIGHT with chairs." "Okay, whatever. We can get chairs. But you're picking them out." "Deal." You never know the kinds of things you'll overhear. (Set: $couch to 1) (if: $dest is not 1)[[[Ask Asura where you're going|Ch1.53a]]] [[Wait until your stop is called|Ch1.54]]

The two of you continue to tour the town, boarding and leaving the bus at various points. You pass by some interesting ancient architecture and Asura points out the unique design. You wish you could take a picture. You spot a bike shop and walk toward it, but Asura hurriedly brushes you along past it. She smiles awkwardly and shrugs, saying there's no time now. The bus takes you to a local art studio. You light up. It is small inside, but there are some interesing pieces. One corner is dedicated to some natural-light photography and portraits of people that look like Asura: they have the same skin color and pattern, more-or-less, and the neck gills as well as various other aquatic features. One portrait shows a crab-like worker in the field, toiling in the sun and dirt for crops. It has a short description that mentions the poverty and disenfranchizement that has hit many Carcarians, Crustasians, and others since the winding down of the war. Carcarians? War? Maybe you'll ask Asura later. Some abstract expressionist paintings grab your attention. You are enjoying an odd little photo-collage piece and you decide to point it out to Asura. Asura looks it over and does NOT get it. The corners of her mouth turn down into a hard frown, the same disappointed frown you made earlier at the record store. "I could have made that when I was like 5," Asura complains. [[Crab-aret Voltaire|Ch1.56]]

You head into a junk shop and look at the cool recycled and modded electronics from the surface. Asura sees an older phone model while you're distracted sorting through film equipment. She looks around and makes sure you're not paying attention. You try to take a picture of the repurposed electronics with your phone but it won't turn on. Asura slyly flips over the price tag on the phone she's eyeing. It's too steep. She whistles and turns it back over, leading you out. "You really loved that camera, huh?" She ponders aloud. "I take it you're like a photographer or something?" "Something like that," you sigh, "but mainly a student right now. Well, not RIGHT NOW right now, considering where I am, but you get the point." You did love that camera. And you love photography. You can see things that others can't and you capture it on film. Looking through the viewfinder is like looking at the world with your own natural eyes. Losing it is like losing... "Must suck that it's gone. I really am sorry," she offers a sincere apology this time. "I just don't feel whole without it, you know? Not much that can be done about it now though." You take the steep steps of the public transport again and finally head toward Dan's store. The two of you are sweaty and excitable from jetting around in the nice weather. A few sideways glances are cast Asura's way. She does stick out in comparison. Carcarian? Crustasian, maybe? The sun is getting lower now, casting the town in a reddish-orange light. You wonder if Asura acutally liked that awful music in the record store or if she was just trying to seem cool. [[Corlin's Den|Ch1.57]]

You and Asura hop off the transit at a stop near a dive bar. It is now early evening and the sun is sinking. There is a large, dated sign with chipping paint and cheap lettering that reads 'Corlin's Den.' Standing outside is an older man. He is wearing a battered navy captain's hat, gray shirt, and heavy boots. He pulls out a wooden pipe and taps some tobacco into it. You try not to stare, but you notice his hands. They are scarred and puckered, giving off a white craggy appearance. His hair is matted and gray under his cap and looks like it's interwoven with seaweed. He strikes a match, lights the pipe, and takes a long puff. You notice he has a large dog next to him, short white-haired and pink-nosed. As you near the bar, Asura looks down the street both ways to see if you can cross. The dog's tail wags a bit and he barks lightly at you. Asura leads you to a crosswalk. "L-let's go this way," she stammers a little. (if: $eye is not 1)[[[Why cross?|Ch1.58a]]] [[Follow her closely|Ch1.58b]] (if: $eye is 1)[[[Cross quickly. You like your eyes|Ch1.58b]]]

You lag behind a little. "What's up, Asura? You sound a little off." "I just have kind of a bad feeling, okay? You gotta keep an eye out to stay safe sometimes. If you're a Thála-born guy, you might get robbed if you're in a 'bad' neighborhood and being an idiot. And that's pretty much worst-case. But for me..." she trails off, then, "But I bet it's totally way better in your world and that doesn't happen much, so don't feel too bad about not knowing." She smiles nervously and leads you onward. Your mouth feels dry. You nod and follow her. You don't have the heart to tell her about your world. [[Sura's Crossing|Ch1.58b]]

You understand. You follow her to the crosswalk. As you're about to cross, you hear a whistle from behind you. The streetlights flip on, as does a cheap halogen light under the overhang of the bar. The area is cast in conflicting blood-orange sunlight and seasick artifical green. You look around for the source of the noise. Asura turns her head and sees the man outside Corlin's Den eyeing the two of you. She narrows her eyes at the man and turns back around, ready to cross. The man calls out, "Why don't you smile there for me and my dog, lovely?" Asura's shoulders drop and her face goes red. She tries to ignore him and steps into the street. "Rude, innit, Pinky?" He wonders aloud, "Her dear old pop probably tried to kill men like us in the war. Just what I'd expect from a Carcarian." Asura stops in her tracks in the middle of the street. She inhales deeply, furious. She cracks her knuckles and stretches her neck. "All right, you asked for it," she speaks quietly, the tension in her neck and shoulders straining her words. She swallows hard and her eyes glimmer with moisture in the streetlight. "Prepare to have your lips shoved right up--" She is about to go back to Corlin's Den and do something she might later regret. Then again, he kind of deserves it after those harsh words. [[Rumble in the 'Valle|Ch1.59a]] [[Keep calm and carry Asura|Ch1.59b]]

That guy needs to be taken down a peg and Asura's the one to do it. She marches back toward the bar. You follow a couple of steps behind. She stands a few feet away from him and looks him in the eye. "You don't know a damn thing about my dad!" She asserts. "He fought FOR this kingdom. We're citizens, you ignorant old algae-brain." She is shaking. He seems a little surprised that she actually said anything at all, but he doesn't look bothered. "I should break your ugly nose right here for that!" She shouts into his face. She's trying to get to him, but it's not working. He just smiles and nods. This doesn't seem right. She's fit, young, and a little taller than he is. She could clearly take him on in a fair fight, and yet... [["That's enough"|Ch1.59b]] [["Sock him one"|Ch1.60b]]

This is a bad idea. You gently put your hand on Asura's shoulder and look at her imploringly. Asura turns and glares at you. She is angry and embarrassed. You know that. But you also know this can only end badly. Asura seems shocked that you're trying to stop her. She doesn't understand. "Wh-why--" she stammers. You shake your head sadly. Asura bites her lip, her eyes still gleaming. She crosses her arms and grits her teeth to hold back tears. "It's better if we just keep moving," you offer. "He wants your attention. Don't give it to him. You're way better than...whatever it is he called you."(if: $coin is not 1)[ You continue to assure her. "Trust me, I've had plenty of experience in my world too." The man's attention turns sharply to you when you say 'my world.'(set: $BHworld to 1)] Asura finally lets it all out. "GAH I KNOW that! It just sucks. What do you even do with scumfeeding groupers like that? Ignore him and he's gonna keep doing it to other people, confront him and you risk getting hurt or worse." You shrug and offer an apologetic half-smile. Asura has one more thing to say before she can move on. "I swear in the name of all the gods of violence and revenge out there..." She paues and narrows her eyes, "I'd have broken his ugly crooked nose if he wasn't so old and--" the dog barks again at you. Asura turns her head slightly and looks at the dog, its tail wagging, now getting farther away as you cross the street, "--mangy. Come on, it's getting late." [[MEANWHILE...|Ch1.60]]

In front of the theater once more, a figure clad in white, porcelain-like armor walks by the sax man as he is packing up. Along the armor pieces is painted a lapis, red, and gold flowering pattern. She has a curved, bird-like helmet of similar material that covers everything above her mouth. Her short dark hair hangs just above her collarbones in front and angles backward up to the helmet in back. She looks into his case, pauses and tilts her head, then looks at him. The sax man, without looking up at her, tries to brush her off. "Sorry, duder, I'm done for the day. You'll have to catch more of my sick jams tomorrow." She doesn't move. There is a spear strapped to her back, tipped with what appears to be a cruelly serrated tooth or scale. He bends down to put the sax in the case. He sees her boots and notices she hasn't moved. The sax man rises and looks her direction, annoyed. He points his sax at her accusingly. "Listen, chica, I don't know who--" His sax hand lowers as he finally sees who she is. He stands up slowly, his eyes going wide in recognition and fear. He stands with his back straight, his head craned back in apprehension. "Do you know how painful one single, solitary cut from the scale of a Giant Gar is?" She deftly takes the spear off of her back, hammers the butt of the spear on the ground, and points the jagged tip his direction. The man shakes his head frantically. "If you don't tell me what I need to know, you will." END SECTION 1 (set: $averted to 1)(if: $blank is 1)[(set: $blank to 2)] [[TRY AGAIN|Ch1.57]] [[RESTART FROM BEGINNING| CH1 opening]] [[CONTINUE TO SECTION 2|Ch2.1]]

"Do it." Asura looks your way, confused. "Sock him one, Asura." (If: $coin is not 1)[You continue. "There are people like this in my world, too, and they never get what they deserve. Let's change that." Asura smirks and balls up her hand into a fist.] (If: $coin is not 1)[(Set: $BHworld to 1)] She rushes toward him. He smiles and whistles. "The whistle again?" Asura scoffs. "You don't need my attention now, jerk, you've got it. Undivided." "Wasn't for you, love," he taunts. You hear a growl to Asura's right side. The dog jumps into action as Asura nears the man. It leaps up and rams into her, throwing her off balance. Asura topples over and the dog is immediately on top of her, scratching and biting at her face and neck. She raises her hands to protect her head and throat. Bloody gashes appear on the backs of her hands. You're in shock. You'd forgotten about the dog, or just didn't realize how vicious they can be. Asura can't take much more of this. [[Jump into the fray|Ch1.60c]] [[Run for help|Ch1.60d]]

You have to stop this. You grit your teeth and square your shoulder. You begin to charge at the dog, intent on tackling it off of Asura. It doesn't matter what happens from there. You need to help her, especially after you were the one that encouraged her. Before you get more than a foot ahead, though, you hear the man shout to you over the snapping of the dogs jaws and Asura wailing. "I wouldn't do that were I you, sweets." You turn his direction to see a small, shining black pistol in his hand. Oh god, he's got a gun. What can you even do about that? The dog continues pummeling Asura. She manages to throw him off for a second, but he's too quick and gets right back into it. You wish you had something to distract the dog. The only thing you can think to do is call the authorities. You have no idea what number to call for emergencies here, though. Maybe an operator can direct you or at least do SOMETHING to help. You reach into your bag to pull out your phone. Your hand touches the screen and you feel the cracks along its front side. Oh, right. It's busted. You panic. Your breathing catches and you can feel your stomach knotting up. You're light-headed. Your heart is beating like a war drum. Tears stream down your cheeks. You look up to the man with the gun. He doesn't seem to like that you're reaching into your bag for something. He extends his arm and points the pistol in your direction. Your knees buckle and your breath leaves you. You fall backwards onto the sidewalk. You swear you can hear a gunshot before you pass out and everything goes dark... (set: $blank to 1)(if: $averted is 1)[(set: $averted to 2)] END SECTION 1 [[TRY AGAIN|Ch1.57]] [[RESTART FROM BEGINNING| CH1 opening]] [[CONTINUE TO SECTION 2|Ch2.1a]]

If Asura can't handle that dog, then neither can you. And you certainly can't fight that dog AND another person. You can't call anyone, since your phone's broken and you wouldn't even know who to call in the first place. What you can do, however, is run. Run inside one of the buildings nearby. Into the bar. Anywhere that someone might have a phone, someone might be able to calm the dog. You take one last look at Asura, apologize in your head for starting this, and run. You look off toward the building next to the bar. It looks like a coffee shop. They are closing, but some employees are left inside. You should be able to make it in there before the man or the dog can notice and catch you. You take off. (if: $shoes is 1)[But you don't get far. You wore your flats today, and while they're undeniably cute, they aren't exactly meant for running. You stumble and struggle in between steps to pull them off. You run barefoot over the rough, hot sidewalk and onto the cool linoleum floor of the coffee shop.](if: $shoes is 2)[You sprint across the scene and hop over the dog. You're lucky you wore your ugly sneakers today instead of your flats. You make it to the door of the small café in record time.] You shout for help. You're probably incoherent, but you manage to get out something about a dog and blood being everywhere. The two employees look to one another for a half-second in sheer confusion and then spring into action. One grabs some lunch meat from behind the counter while the other calls someone on their cell phone. You lead the employee with the meat outside to Asura and the dog. The coffee shop worker shouts to the dog and holds out the cold cut. The dog stops scratching at Asura and looks excitedly at the meat. This gives Asura enough time to get up and away from the dog. Blood is streaming from her face and hands, but she doesn't look critically injured. The dog is calmed. The old man in front of Corlin's Den whistles for the dog and calls out to him. "All right, Pinky. She's done threatening us. Let's get back inside for a nip of brine." "You're going to get SO arrested," you shout, trying to intimidate him as he turns his back to you. "I know some great lawyers back in my world that'll...that'll sue you so bad, you don't even know!" You turn to the café employee and thank him vigorously. He stands still for a second, scratching the back of his head. He shrugs and looks over Asura to see if she's okay. She's losing a lot of blood. You take out your sweater and hand it to her reluctantly. She begins patting away the blood gingerly and assessing her wounds. "We're going to be okay," you assure her, "We just need to wait for the police to get here." The employee leads her into the store next door. You can hear that someone is closing the distance to you quickly from behind. More help! You start to turn around and explain the situation. Before you can, though, you feel something solid hit the back of your knees. Something wooden. Your legs buckle and you fall face-first onto the cement. You manage to raise your hands in time to prevent your face from smashing into the sidewalk. Your hands sting and ache from the impact. You lie still for a moment as your brain subconsciuosly runs through your injuries. Step one: you're breathing, you're alive. That's good. You groan and try to move your limbs. Step two: all of your limbs are intact and working. Also good. You try to get up off the hard concrete. As you lift yourself onto your hands, you feel an armored boot push you back down to the ground. The breath is knocked out of you. You panic. You gasp for air, but nothing comes in. You scratch at the concrete and try to push yourself up, but the boot holding you down is too strong. You hear a woman's voice announce that this is now official royal business and that everything is being handled. You harshly pull in breath after what seems like minutes of choking. You turn your head to the side, scraping your cheek against the concrete. You see the old man with the dog still standing in front of the bar. You feel something sharp graze your upturned cheek. Your eyes follow the object. The tip of a spear, serrated and jagged with little tooth-like protrusions, rests on the side of your face. The woman holding it towers over you, clad in white porcelain-like armored pieces interspered with light leather and chain. Along the armor pieces is painted a lapis, red, and gold flowering pattern. She has a curved, bird-like helmet of similar material that covers everything above her mouth. Her short black hair hangs just above her collarbones in front and angles backward up to the helmet in back. "You've slipped, human." She's taunting you. "And YOU, Roith, we're going to have a very serious conversation later. You can't keep letting things get out of hand like this." (if: $coin is 1)[The woman holds up the coins that you dropped into the sax guy's case earlier outside of the theater. "Looks intriguing. Certainly not Thálassarian. The queen will be glad to hear of this."](if: $coin is not 1)[She continues, "The 'lawyers' that you know in 'your world' will no doubt miss you. You're from the surface, correct? Well here in our world, you will serve a glorious end."] The man in front of the bar scowls at this armored woman. "Hey," he begins, "not much I can do here with bloody blank rounds in my gun." (set: $blank to 1) You feel the blunt end of the spear hit the back of your head and all is blackness. [[NEXT|Ch1.60e]]

You awaken surrounded by seven figures in dark robes. Each robe is emblazoned with a familiar dark eye symbol. They gather around you in the dim eerie green light. You are tied to a stand, your head directly over a basin filled with some kind of salty liquid. A hand clad in porcelain-white armor reaches in front of your face and roughly smears some kind of gel over your right eye. Half of your face becomes numb. You try to scream, try to break free, but you are bound tightly and there is some sort of cloth in your mouth. You feel someone's breath on your neck. The woman in porcelain armor has crouched down next to you, a sharp ceremonial knife in once hand. She holds your head still with her free hand and angles the knife toward your right eye. She leans in and whispers, genuinely, "I'm so sorry." All is searing pain and then blackness. CHILDREN OF EYE END (set: $eye to 1) [[TRY ANOTHER TIME, HUMAN|Ch1.57]] [[RESTART FROM BEGINNING| CH1 opening]]

It's evening in Miravalle. A bored, 20-something in a garish oversized store vest stands behind the counter of a convenience mart. He messes with his hair for a second, runs his hand through which effectively undoes all the fussing, and then leans against the side counter. The store is empty, so he begins cleaning. He goes to the coffee machine and picks up both coffee pots. He dumps the old coffee in the sink. He holds an empty coffee pot in each hand and furtively checks around for customers. When he notices no one is around, he pretends the coffee pots are laser guns in holsters at his sides. His face gets stern, imagining he's in a shootout in an odd futuristic martial arts movie. "Nice form, Kata-Kala-Mari, but how's your Crane Style?" He imitates dialogue he's heard in cheap kung-fu films. Then he flips one pot up in front of him, takes a step forward and bends a knee, and pretends to dramatically fire from the hip. He makes several 'PEW PEW' noises. Dan laughs to himself and puts the coffee pots back on the machine and starts the process to make new coffee. He gets a mop and bucket from the back next and starts to mop the floor. He gets a few aisles done, then starts goofing off again. He holds the mop up like a staff and does a jab with it. He takes a few steps backwards, pretending to block several counter-strikes. He ends up backing into the mop bucket. He nearly topples it over and almost falls, dropping the mop in the process. His face goes red and he looks around in surprise to make sure no one saw him being uncool. No one is in the store, so he relaxes and cuts out the nonsense. [[NEXT|Ch2.2a]]

You wake up with a splitting headache emanating from the back of your head. You wince at the pain and squint one eye open to look up at a plain white ceiling above you. You can see reddish sunlight coming in through a small square window to your right. It's evening, and you're lying on your back somewhere that isn't your bed. You hear a whistle. For some reason, that really upsets you. You instinctively raise your hands up to protect your face. You hear a calming, familiar voice. "Hey, Smello-tron. You doing okay?" You hear something hot being poured into a cup. You never realized you could tell temperature through sound before now, but here you are. A gray hand wrapped in atheltic tape reaches out and offers you a steaming cup of something. Asura. [[Grab the cup|Ch2.2b]] [[Try to sit up|Ch2.2c]]

He hears his phone buzz near the register as he's cleaning. He goes back behind the counter and sees he has a text from Asura. "On my way over. With someone you have to meet. Have a HUGE favor to ask." He sighs and starts to type a response. "No no, why is it always ME doing the fav--" He gets another text before he can finish his response. "NO REFUSAL ALLOWED OR YOU'RE GONNA GET BEAT UP BY A GIRL." Dan sighs harder, puts his phone face-down on the counter, and starts reading the book beside him, L'Age d'Orca: A Study of Thálassarian Film Remakes. [[NO REFUSAL ALLOWED|Ch2.3a]]

A large truck driven by a similarly large, rotund walrus-like man in overalls pulls up to the store. His paunchy, pale son sits beside him. Dan mutters to himself, "Great, rednecks." They wander into the store. The son immediately heads to the back where the bathrooms are, his head hanging low. The dad stands next to the counter, facing Dan. "Great weather for this time of year, huh. D'ya order this up? huhu," the dad asks. Dan fakes a laugh and sarcastic smile as he picks up his book. "Yuuup so much for that oceanic cooling or warming or whatever they talk about on the news, huhu!" Dan isn't interested. "Yeah, suppose so," he muses. He goes back to reading quietly. The walrus-like dad looks at the lighters and spots one with a seahorse racer on it. "You see that last race, kid? Whew, that Issu-me sure is something, huh." Dan, sighing and lowering his book, responds "Nah, but my step-mother's mom is into it. Watches every race. Probably." "Well, you know, some ladies ARE into that sorta thing. Sports and racing and whatnot, huhu" "I guess." The portly, fatherly walrus begins to move away from the counter. Dan is relieved. He straightens his shirt and vest a bit and picks up the book again. [[Speed-horse racer|Ch2.4a]]

"My son's got the runs in there, yup, sorry bout that huhu," the dad calls to Dan from a few aisles into the shop, "Had to stop somewhere." Dan quietly mutters to himself, "There's no escape." His face is flat, almost smiling, dead-eyed. Internally, he is in the void, screaming for aeons. He compsoses himself and commiserates, "Ah, that's the worst. No worries." He waves it off. The dad comes back up to the counter and two stand there in silence for a minute. The dad looks at packages of jerky. [[Son's got the runs|Ch2.5a]]

"How's your day been?" He just won't stop trying to make conversation with Dan. Dan is now visibly irritated. He answers, passive-aggression seeping through, "Not bad, I guess. It's work, you know? Pretty slow, which is nice because I have time to READ." "Yuup, it's been a day. Funny how quick things can change. We just come from a funeral." Dan's mouth twists up. He feels like a real jerk now. "My little brother. Heart troubles. He was doing okay, working hard outdoors, then all the sudden he wasn't doing okay...Seen him go in the back of an ambulance and then a few hours later he was gone" "Had a kid, too. Damn shame." Dan is silent, compelled now. He puts his book down slowly and genuinely feels sympathy for the guy. "I'm so sorry, I--" [[NEXT|Ch2.6a]]

"Don't make no sense, ya know?" the dad continues, "Huhu, he was younger and healthier'n I ever was. Not quite the gut on that one, huuuu." He pats his huge stomach. "I try telling the boy to eat better, take care of himself, but he don't always listen to his father. Says he'll get made fun of at school if he do. Explains the runs." The walrus dad looks outside at the weather and sees kids playing on the sidewalk. He squints his eyes. "Yup, something like this hits and you're all mixed up for a while, ya don't know what to do." The son comes out of the bathroom and the dad continues. "The kids get it, huhu. Laughing and hopping around like nothin's wrong. Yuup, goodbyes are hard for the rest of us though. Sometimes you just gotta get back into it, huhu, get back to where things are as they oughta be. Where there's people ya know and expectations and ya kinda know what to say and what you'll get back." Dan wants to say the right thing, but he's hesitant. "You just have to keep it together and get to work." "Yeah," the dad nods, pursing his lips, "Life's all about getting back to work. It settles ya though, makes things feel normal again for a minute. Just regular small talk, just what's expected of ya. When ya can't really say what you're feeling, you can at least go buy some jerky still without hassle. Thanks for taking my mind off things for a minute, kid. Huhu." [[Jerk|Ch2.7a]]

The dad lightly admonishes his son for eating gas station hot dogs and pats him on the back as they leave. They hop into their truck and pull out of their parking spot, heading north out of the lot. Dan swallows hard and looks out the window, trying to choke down emotions. He's at work, after all, and can't really show anything resembling real feelings to customers. He sees Asura and Kara approaching. He shakes his head for a second and snaps out of it. [[NEXT|Ch2.8]]

Dan eyes you from afar as you and Asura approach his shop. He gets nervous and flushed. You're cute. He exhales hard and goes up to a glass display case and checks out his hair and face to make sure he looks okay. He says quietly to himself, "What a damn emotional switch. All right, man, don't sweat it. You look fine. Just say hi, but in like a cool way? Confident, deep. B-but not so deep that it sounds affected. Don't yelp, don't slouch, think of something interesting and original to say, and DON'T DO THE FINGER GUNS, YOU SUPREME DOOFUS” As the two of you are about to walk in, he remembers he's wearing the dumb oversized work vest and tears it off, throwing it onto the floor. You and Asura enter the store to a fanfare of air-conditioning and florescent lighting. "Hi Dan," Asura begins, "this is--" [[Doofus supreme|Ch2.9]]

Dan forgets all of the things he had just said to himself and does the awkward finger guns, talking too loudly on top of it. "Ha-hey! Great weather huh? You order this up? Ha HA." That wasn't cool OR interesting. He goes a bit red at hearing his own voice. Asura looks sideways at him. "Yeah, hey, this is Kara," she introduces you, motioning her hand in your general direction, "We're going to grab some snacks." You wave to him awkwardly. He seems a bit nervous. You wonder what's up with that. Dan offers, still too loud, "All right, sounds great, guys. I'll be...up here." As you walk further into the store, he looks down at his hands and you can faintly hear him hiss, "You betray me again, body." [[ELSEWHERE...|Ch2.10]]

Inside a smoky room in a dive bar, a couple of regulars sit at the counter, necks craned upward watching fuzzy transmissions of seahorse races. A large man with scarred, puckered hands watches the bartender closely as she takes care of customers. The large man lifts a pint of brine to his lips, drains half of it, and slams it back down on the bar, spilling brine all over the counter. A bartender comes over to clean it with a rag. When she bends forward, he peers down her shirt and smirks. As he's about to make a lascivious comment, a woman in lily-white armor painted like a vase with a cruel spear strapped to her back comes through the door and slams it behind her. She peers with disdain around at the regulars for a moment and then heads straight to the man with scarred hands. He sighs and rolls his eyes. He turns his eyes up to the screen like the others. He tries to ignore her, but she sits directly next to him at the bar, squarely facing him. She is sitting directly underneath an overhead light. The dim glow warmly illuminates the details on her armor. The dog next to the man, Pinky, wags his tail and sniffs at armored lady. (if: $coin is 1)[[[Pinky and the pain|Ch2.10a]]](if: $BHworld is 1)[[[Late bloomer|Ch2.10b]]]

You lift your head off of the hardwood floor. The back of your skull immediately pulses radiating pain with each heartbeat. You groan. You manage to sit upright and shakily grab the small mug. You pull the mug toward your nose. Smells like herbal tea with a hint of sea salt. You warily take a sip. You hadn't realized how dry your mouth was until liquid hit it. You take another sip. Asura, who has been crouched beside you, gets up and goes to her small stovetop. She takes the kettle off the burner and sets it aside. You're beginning to remember what happened now. [[Naughty dogs|Ch2.3b]]

You lift your head off of the hardwood floor. The back of your skull and hands immediately pulse radiating pain as your blood flows harshly through them. Your breath catches in your throat and you inhale sharply through clenched teeth. You manage to sit upright and exhale slowly. Asura, who has been crouched beside you, offers a mug of something to you. You gently push it away and shake your shake your head. Even that much motion causes more pain to flare up. Asura shrugs, gets up, and goes to her small stovetop. She takes the kettle off the burner and sets it aside. You're beginning to remember what happened now. You reach your hand to the back of your head to search for the source of your pain. A large bandage is wrapped around your head, focused on the point of most intense pain. [[Head space|Ch2.3b]]

"Wh-what..." You try to gather your thoughts. Asura comes quickly back into the living room when she hears you trying to speak. You're regaining your lucidity. "Don't push yourself," she warns gently. You look up to her face. Her left cheek is covered in a large bandage. There are layers of gauze underneath. You see now that her hands aren't wrapped in tape anymore, but rather bandages. The dog. You remember that awful dog jumping on top of her and attacking her. "Oh my god," you gasp, "Are you--" Asura interrupts. "I'm fine. A little scratched up, but patched up. I'll be good in a few days. How are you? You took a pretty hard fall back there." "Hard fall? Is that all? I could have sworn I heard something else." You remember a loud crack that rang out before you lost consciousness. Panic-stricken, you check your abdomen for bullet holes. [[Shots fired|Ch2.4b]]

Your body is intact. No bullet holes, no bandages, no blood. "Blanks. It was loaded with blank rounds," Asura explains. "Why? I couldn't tell you. And that dog was more of a nuisance than a threat. I think he was just trained poorly. Not the poor pup's fault that it's owner is a garbage boy." Your dumb mammal brain tries to process all of this. Blank rounds. Excitable pup. What's going on here? And more importantly, how did you get from Corlin's Den to here? "Okay so," you try to summarize the events that happened before you blacked out to the best of your recollection, "This jerk called you something inflammatory and then we confronted him. You yelled at him, and his dog attacked you. I was about to fight the dog with my soft weak college kid's hands when he shot at me." "He shot a blank at you." "Right, he didn't actually shoot me. Then what?" "I threw the dog off for a split-second and used my last resort: I threw my food at him. A granola bar I had stashed in my pocket. He seemed to be a health-conscious pupperoni, so he went for it. I ran to your side after you fell and picked you up. Some stranger in pretty sweet armor was coming toward the bar, so I sprinted home across town with you in my arms. Thinking back on it, that was probably REALLY suspicious to bystanders, but I had to get you to safety. And then you slept for a while and here we are. Also I probably got blood on your sweater (if: $clothes is 1)[and the clothes I loaned you ]so sorry about that. The face and neck bleed a lot even from pretty minor cuts." [[Pupperoni pie|Ch2.5b]]

"So we're going to be okay?" You ask Asura, somewhat rhetorically. "I think so." "What do we do next, then?" "I texted Dan," Asura mentions, "so we do what we were going to do before. Let's meet up with him. He's actually pretty smart despite his silly hand gestures. He'll be able to help us get you back home, I think. Plus," she smiles, then winces at the pain in her bandaged cheek, "I think he has a spare camera sitting around the store somewhere." You close your eyes for a moment. You literally owe her your life. How do you repay someone like that? You decide to nod silently and go along with this plan. You just hope that you don't run into that old guy again before you meet up with Dan. Asura looks over her hands and makes sure she isn't bleeding through her bandages. You stretch a bit on the floor and then get up. Time to cross town again. You leave Asura's apartment and make your way to the bus stop. This time the two of you are much more cautious, constantly checking your surroundings. You board the bus and garner more than a few surreptitious judging glances from the passengers. [[Convenience!|Ch2.8a]]

"She's not in today. They say she quit you know, Lady Izumi," the man mutters. "You're late with your report this week." She doesn't have the patience for this right now. "And you're late with your monthly pop-in, dear," he retorts, trying to keep the conversation on something other than his report. "Let me rephrase that," Izumi begins, tilting her head. "I've found something that should have been brought to the palace immediately, and yet here I am in Miravalle, and I happen to find it on my own. Without you." "I don't know what you're talking about, love. You're going to have to be a little clearer for a slow old-timer." Izumi leans forward, her helmet catching light from the yellow lamp overhead, and places her hand on the bar. "Then let me ask you something: why do I pay you again?" The man is about to speak, but Izumi continues. [[Keep quiet|Ch2.11a]]

"Don't speak, you revulsive worm," she spits, her disgust made clear in her tone, "That was rhetorical. Do I pay you to sit here and leer at women all day, drunk and dull, slowly committing suicide by liver decay?" He points to her helmet, which obscures all of her features above her mouth. "You're one to talk about leering--" She continues regardless. "No. I pay you because you speak in money, not loyalty, not duty. We have important roles in this life: I keep this..." she clears her throat, "This 'bar' stocked with premier brine from the Thálassarian reserves, and in return you report any unusual activity in the area. ANY. Whether that's an attack from the Carcarians in the West..." She lifts her hand from the bar to reveal an American quarter. "Or a human coin found on a street urchin." The man is surprised. He takes his hat off and puts it on the counter, scratching his scalp through his matted gray hair. He looks around, trying to get her to tone down and not embarrass him in front of the others. "I swear, I never seen--" "Shhh," she hushes him, putting a gloved finger to her harsh pink lips, "Now is the time to listen, Roith. I'll forgive this transgression, and since this is official ROYAL business, I'll pay you double for the next fiscal quarter. But there is one condition: bring me the human girl alive. Her 'friend' is irrelevant." "I don't care and don't particularly want to know how you'll do it," she continues, resuming her cordial tone, "just get it done. If you fail this time, I'll give this task to the Scion and personally escort you back to the Salt Trenches. At least it will be a quicker death than drowning in brine." He responds seriously. "Right, it's done, sir. But can I ask one condition of my own?" [[Conditioner|Ch2.12a]]

"You're nearly an hour late, Lady Izumi," the man mutters, "I figured you'd have rushed over. I guess you've heard she doesn't work here anymore, so you've got no reason to rush." "You're late with your report this week." She doesn't have the patience for this right now. "And you're late with your monthly pop-in, dear," he retorts, trying to keep the conversation on something other than his report. "Let me rephrase that," Izumi begins, tilting her head. "You made me engage with this..." She waves her hand contemptuously at his phone that is sitting on the bar, "this tricky cellular technology and you called me all the way out to this pit of a town on such short notice to do what, exactly? To banter? If this is about your tardiness, you can rest assured that you're not nearly important enough to me to warrant any real action--" "I've got some good news and bad. An interesting pair of girls happened by my way earlier," he begins. "I don't have time for stories of your sad exploits, Roith," she spits. She's in no mood. "One was a loudmouth Carcarian mutt what didn't treat Pinky right. But the other...she seemed a bit 'otherwordly' as one might put it." Izumi is listening now, not sure where this is going. "She mentioned something that she'll live to regret." [[Keep quiet|Ch2.11b]]

"Take that helmet off for once and let me 'ave a look at that gorgeous, stern face you must have have hiding under there, Sir Izumi." What little skin shows under her helmet goes slightly red. She clenches her jaw and has to restrain herself from smashing his face into the counter. These subtle expressions would be tough for others to spot, but Roith has dealt with her often enough to know when she's actually feeling emotions like a normal person would. He's satisfied. "You're a pig," she hisses through clenched teeth. "No comment on that," Roith responds casually, taking a sip of his brine. Izumi pushes her chair out and stands up. The patrons' eyes are on her. Pinky wags his tail as she turns to leave. She looks down at him and puts her hand out as if she's about to pet him, but retracts it and leaves quickly. Roith watches her go and grimaces. He slowly fills with anger and resentment. One barfly gets up to go out for a smoke. He sets his lighter on the bar and feels his pockets for his cigarettes. A crude seahorse race is painted on the front of the cheap plastic lighter. Roith looks to the TV screen just in time to see the winner of yesterday's race: Imari Izumi. Again. He chugs his drink and stands up, nearly shaking with anger. He grabs the lighter and throws it across the room against the wall, shattering it. He grunts at the man and opens his coat, about to reach for a weapon at his side, but Pinky barks lightly and nudges his hand. He takes a deep breath and calms himself for a moment. "Nothing to see here, gents. Just get me another drink and clean that up right quick, Katie." The girl behind the bar groans and whispers to herself, "It's Carrie, you jerk. You've only been coming here for YEARS." Then she gets him another glass of brine, takes up the broom, and goes to sweep. He tosses a bill onto the counter and side-eyes Carrie as she sweeps the floor. Roith drains the brine, whistles for his dog, and heads shakily for the door. [[Weekend at Dan's|Ch2.13]]

You and Asura look over the aisles of snacks in Dan's convenience store, trying to find something that you can eat. Asura picks things out and haphazardly hands them to you. Asura, tossing you a package, asks, "You can eat dried seaweed, right? What about fried coral?" She pauses and reconsiders, "Nah, let's skip the coral. Not very nutritious. A lot of oil. Ah, here we go." She spots a basket full of small apples labeled 'Pomme d'Api' and tosses a few your way. You barely catch the apples, fumbling with them and eventually finally holding a few. Something about this apple display intrigues you. [[Ask about the fruit|Ch2.14a]] [[Ask about the name|Ch2.14b]]

"Go on," Izumi encourages, listening intently. "She said that men like me exist in 'her world.' I thought that was right strange when I heard it. 'My country' or 'my town,' sure, but 'world?' Seems a bit off." Izumi is expectant. "So you think she's--" "Human," Roith posits, "Almost certainly. Bad news is that rotten fin took her away while I wasn't looking." "Of course," she sighs, mocking laughter escaping her lips, "I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Shouldn't have thought for just a moment that maybe you'd even have her here somewhere waiting for me. Shouldn't have expected even the bare-minimum sort of competence you'd expect from those you hire--" "She's still in town somewhere, I'd wager," he interrupts, "and if that ain't good news deserving of a little raise--" "Shhh," she hushes him, putting a gloved finger to her harsh pink lips. She is plotting. "Now is the time to listen, Roith. I'll forgive you for being late this time, and since this is now official ROYAL business, I'll pay you double for the next fiscal quarter. But there is one condition: find and bring me the human girl alive. Her 'friend' is irrelevant." "I don't care and don't particularly want to know how you'll do it," she continues, resuming her cordial tone, "just get it done. If you fail this time, I'll give this task to the Scion and personally escort you back to the Salt Trenches. At least it will be a quicker death than drowning in brine." He responds seriously, grateful for the increased brine supplies. "Right, it's done, sir. But can I ask one condition of my own?" [[Conditioner|Ch2.12a]]

"Is that French?" You ask Asura, pointing to the apple sign, "And now that I'm calm enough to think about it, I'm pretty surprised you speak English somehow?" Asura thinks to herself for a minute, then answers, "Well, not to be rude, but all of your printed labels on packages and other language-covered garbage has been junking up our landscapes for literally DECADES, so that helps." Ouch. "Oops," you mutter, looking down at your feet. "Soup?" Asura asks, picking out some soup cans. "Sure, I guess," you catch the soup cans Asura chucks at you. Asura picks out a prepackaged snack with foreign lettering from the back aisle. She smiles. "Aw nice! Dan got them to import some more tchul for me," she sings a little theme song to herself, "Little spoonfuls, little one, tchul peata, beta yan." She grabs a protein drink. "Great, so we've got some din going. That should be good for now." [[Offer to pay for yours|Ch2.15a]] [[Let her cover it|Ch2.15b]]

"Do you have cash? I'll pay for half." "Ooooh no, I've got this." She seems pretty decided on this issue. "Are you sure? I feel really bad letting you pay for all this..." You look through your bag for your wallet. Asura points to you dramatically. "Don't even reach for that cash, SeaSmell. I've got--," she changes her mind immediately and is now very excited about her new idea, "OH MAN OR we could totally arm wrestle for it if you're determined. But fair warning: I won't go easy," She gestures appropriately with each threat, "I'm gonna snap your cute little arms like cucumbers. I'm gonna crunch your knucks into the table so hard it'll leave grooves. I'm gonna force you to LITERALLY knock on wood. And are you very ATTACHED to your shoulder blades? Well, I'm gonna rip--" Asura stops when she notices the shocked look on your face. "Too much?" "I'm going to say way too much. But you can pay for it! I don't mind. I like my arms. And to be honest, 'knuck crunching' sounds awful." "ALL RIGHT! SNACKS ON ME, DUDE," Asura exclaims. She heads quickly to the checkout counter. You sigh. You may have made a mistake here. [[I'll wrestle you for it|Ch2.16]]

Asura reaches into her pocket for some cash. "Don't even think about paying, Smellius Maximus, I've got this." You quietly nod in agreement. She heads quickly to the checkout counter. [[Snack attack|Ch2.16]]

The two of you walk past some jerky and smoked fish on your way up to the counter. Smoked fish sounds pretty good. You wonder if it's as good as the stuff caught near your place. "What about those?" You ask Asura, expectantly pointing to the fish. Asura takes the food from your arms and puts it on the counter. “Eww," She furrows her brow and scoffs, "you don't want that. That's fish!" Dan is peering at his phone behind the counter. He is looking for new jobs in the area. He puts his phone down as you approach. Fish... [[Fishapalooza|Ch2.17a]] [[Nevermind|Ch2.17b]]

"Are these just like tiny apples?" "Crabapples." "Oh." You tilt your head and think for a second. "Ohhhh, like 'crab' apples. That's pretty funny!" "No no," Asura starts, confused, then, "Well, I mean, yeah, pun unintended, but..." She starts laughing. You do too. And Tony Bennett...Nah. "They're just like little tart apples. Packed with vitamins and goodness." [[Jerky|Ch2.16]]

"Yes. Fish. Seafood. Fishapalooza over there. I'm going to grab some--" Then, it hits you. She's kind of fishy herself, so... "WAIT. Unless...is that like cannibalism here!? I'm so sorry, I had no idea. I didn't mean to insult you by suggesting we do anything unsavory. They just looked tasty is all. N-not that anyone should eat fish probably. Nope, fish are people too...I think?" [[Quirksilver|Ch2.18]]

You don't really want to push any buttons, so you just nod and agree with Asura. You look away from the fish. With the matter settled, you begin checking out. [[Bisquirk|Ch2.18]]

Dan begins scanning the food that Asura picked out for you two. "Not everyone shares your 'quirky' aversion to meat, Asura." "It's not an aversion!" Asura strikes back, "It's a choice. I don't eat other animals, so what? And if eating fish WAS cannibalism, why would they sell that in a convenience store? Do you think I'd hang out in a town where people want to COOK me?" "Ignore her, Kara. She's just hungry. I'm Dan. So uh...what do you do? When did you two meet?" "Well, I'm a student," you answer, "I take pictures! Oh and she found me this morning." "Right, 'found.' Okay?" He eyes Asura skeptically. "How'd you end up in a hole like Miravalle in the first place?" You reach back and rub the back of your head. (if: $blank is 1)[It's still sore from earlier. ]"Apparently I'm pretty good at falling backwards on my skull. I don't really--" "Ahh see that's kinda why we're here Dan," Asura interrupts before you can get too far, "The favor, remember? I need your help with something. She doesn't remember how she got here. She woke up on the beach..." Dan pauses his work and shuffles a soup can from one hand to the other, looking over at you knowingly. "Uh oh. Student, tired eyes, waking up somewhere strange, the shameful morning-after food trip. Don't tell me she's--" Asura tries to finish Dan's sentence while Dan's finishing his own with a completely different thought. "Hungover?" "A human!" [[Not mutually exclusive|Ch2.19]]

"WHAT?" Dan misses catching the soup can and it flies behind him. Asura looks over to you. "That's what she says anyway." "H-how can you tell?" He quivers. You decide to chime in. "Asura says I smell...unique." Asura grins. "Go ahead, Dan," she offers sarcastically, "Give her a whiff." "First of all, NOPE. I'm not SNIFFING some girl you found on a beach," Dan responds, blushing. "Second, what is she doing here? I mean, getting somebody home after a night of getting BRINED out of your MIND is one thing, but wow, Asura, someone from the surface?" Asura opens her snacks and eats rudely while talking. "I don't know. But she looks a bit different and has some pretty rad tech from the surface. But she can't remember some stuff. Kinda like Total Sea-Call!" Dan's face goes flat as Asura drinks her shake. "Ugh, did you have to mention our stupid remake of the human classic Total Re--" Asura narrows her eyes and stops drinking. She sneers, "Oh, like you've seen the original. Where'd you find a copy, O Great Film Guru?" "Okay, so I haven't actually SEEN it, but I HAVE heard about it from a friend and it sounds WAY better--" "Heard from who?" Asura crosses her arms and shifts her weight to her back leg. "You don't have any other friends." Dan rolls his eyes. "ARGHH no one! I read an article online, okay? Wow, chill Asura, you're making me look like an idiot." He gestures toward you. "This is the second time a customer has made me look like a jerk today. This redneck walrus dude and his son were in here and I was kind of dismissing him and then he told me he was just at a funeral. His brother, man. I expected him to just buy jerky and chew and leave. Maybe insult my music taste a little. What am I supposed to do with that?" "Whoa now, that's your fault for judging the poor Mommal guy and his kid before he even said a word. People from different backgrounds all still feel the same stuff. It's not like you're so smart and informed that you can actually feel a wider range of emotions than the 'unfiltered masses.' Farmers feel joy, pain, pride, and embarassment, just like some over-educated cashiers do." "Over-educated and underpaid. But I mean it's not like that. I wasn't trying to say..." He stammers. [[Interrupt the argument|Ch2.20b]] [[Let it ride|Ch2.20a]]

You don't really feel like getting involved in this, so you sit back and listen. This goes on for several minutes. You're bored and filled with secondhand embarassment. You look around the store. You look out the window. You're losing valuable time. "She doesn't need me around to make you look an idiot." Dan purses his lips. "And what does that mean?" (if: $movie is 2)["It means we saw It Came From Above the Sea together today." "Dude," Dan looks genuinely hurt. "You went without me? What the hell, man? You said we'd go together after work tomorrow." Dan looks out the window next to the register and swallows hard. Asura seems to immediately regret saying anything. "I'm sorry, Dan. It's just...things are pretty intense right now(If: $blank is 1)[as you can tell from my face here." She points to the bandaged scratches on her cheek. "And before you ask, I'm fine. Just a few scratches]. But anyway, we're going to need the camera you keep behind the counter. I'll bring it back later, but we don't really have a ton of time to explain."](if: $movie is 1)["It means I need the camera from behind the counter. Like now. There's not much time to explain. I'll tell you later when we're done. Just trust me."] Dan looks at the two of you dubiously for what seems like forever. You smile awkwardly and shrug. He sighs and gets the camera out from behind the counter. "To be honest, I don't even know if this thing works anymore, so good luck with that." [[Busto|Ch2.21a]]

You don't really feel like standing here all night listening to these two bicker, so you interject. "Aww come on, you two. No need to argue, you can work through this! And get me home!" "You're right," Asura admits, "I shouldn't have even started. This is serious though, Dan. I can trust you, right?" Dan concedes, sighing, "Yeah, yeah. What do you want from me though? I'm kind of on the clock here." "Actually, it's about your old camera. Or the store's old camera, I guess. Can I um..." Asura fidgets with her tchul wrapper and brushes some of the dark hair that hangs against her cheek back behind her ear. "Can I borrow it for a bit? I'll get it right back to you or I'll find you a new one or pay for it or something before tomorrow I swear." Dan falls for her nervous routine for a moment. Then he pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We never use it sooo..." He stops and thinks. "All right, how about you take the camera, get her back home safe and AWAY from here, and we forget this ever happened. The thing's a little roughed up, though." [[A camera approaches|Ch2.21]]

Asura's face lights up and she leans over the counter to wrap Dan in an awkward bear hug. "Ahh you're the BEST, you know that? Are you on register all night or you got delivery duty later?" Dan, blushing a bit, stammers, "R-register. It's supposed to come down pretty bad tonight, so we're not making any delivery runs." He rifles around behind the counter and then pulls out a dusty polaroid-like camera and tosses it to you. You put the strap around the back of your neck. "I'll send you a text when we're done and stop by later if this whole thing goes as planned. Thanks again! Come on, Kara, we have a camera, now let's go scout the beach where I found you." [[A warning|Ch2.22]]

Dan pulls out an old polaroid-like camera from behind the register and hands it to you. It's in pretty rough shape. You hang the strap around your neck. "Thanks Dan, I really appreciate it.(If: $movie is 2)[And tomorrow, we'll totally go see It Came again. Just you and me.]" [[Hold on...|Ch2.22]]

Dan looks at you with concern and addresses Asura. "You know someone might be looking for her, right? And I don't mean her family or friends from up there. Be careful, okay?" Asura is seemingly serious and she nods, making eye contact with him. Then she quickly stuffs the last of her snacks into her mouth. "No need for careful," She manages to halfway articulate through mouthfuls of tchul, "Sura the Mighty is on the lookout." Asura pays for the snacks. She leaves the change in the tip jar on the counter. (If: $coin is 1)[You drop a few coins in as well. Gotta give where you can.] You take your snacks and Asura leaves her wrappers on the counter then you head out the door. [[A different shore|Ch2.23]]

It's nearly dark now. The streetlights cast dim light in hazy circles around the sidewalks. The streets are quiet and largely empty. You nibble tentatively on seaweed bits and apples as you head through town again with Asura. In between bites, you flip the camera around in your hands. It looks a little rough. You pull your tool kit out of your satchel and tighten a few screws, check the film, bulb, etc. "There!" You smile, "It's pretty cute, actually.(If: $shoes is 1)[ Kind of matches my flats.] It should be good to--" Asura snatches the camera quickly and holds it out in front of the two of you. "Let's give it a test shot, then! Smile, cinnamon bun." Asura flexes and smiles, you turn your head up toward the camera, surprised, and wave and smile with a mouthful of apple. Asura grabs the photo as it shoots out of the front of the camera. She shakes it quickly before handing it and the camera back to you. You blink hard and rub your eyes. Wow, okay that flash is really bright. You look at the photo. (if: $blank is 1 and $averted is not 1 and $averted is not 2)[[[Memento|Ch2.24a]]](if: $averted is 1 and $blank is not 1 and $blank is not 2)[[[Memento|Ch2.24b]]](if: $blank is 2 and $averted is 1 and $anx is not 1)[[[Memento|Ch2.24e]]](if: $averted is 2 and $blank is 1 and $anx is not 1)[[[Memento|Ch2.24d]]](If: $blank is 1 and $averted is 2 and $anx is 1)[[[Memento Mori|Ch2.24c]]](If: $blank is 2 and $averted is 1 and $anx is 1)[[[Memento Mori|Ch2.24f]]]

Dan eyes you from afar as you and Asura approach his shop. He gets nervous and flushed. You're cute, bandages and all. It just adds an extra layer of zesty mystery. He exhales hard and goes up to a glass display case and checks out his hair and face to make sure he looks okay. He checks his phone and re-reads his most recent text from Asura. "NO REFUSAL ALLOWED OR YOU'RE GONNA GET BEAT UP BY A GIRL." He sigs and says quietly to himself, "What a damn emotional switch. All right, man, don't sweat it. You look fine. Just say hi, but in like a cool way? Confident, deep. B-but not so deep that it sounds affected. Don't yelp, don't slouch, think of something interesting and original to say, and DON'T DO THE FINGER GUNS, YOU SUPREME DOOFUS." As the two of you are about to walk in, he remembers he's wearing the dumb oversized work vest and tears it off, throwing it onto the floor. You and Asura enter the store to a fanfare of air-conditioning and florescent lighting. "Hi Dan," Asura begins, "this is--" [[Doofus supreme|Ch2.9a]]

Asura. She looks happy in this picture. You do too, actually. It feels good to see you two together. Her cheek is wrapped in bandages, but she still smiles through the wrapping. (if: $eye is 1)[You look pretty great with both eyes. Which is actually a pretty strange thought...] You regret what you said earlier. She paid the price because you told her to fight that guy. At least you're both still alive, and that's what really matters. [[Beach blast|Ch2.25]]

Asura. She looks happy in this picture. You do too, actually. It feels good to see you two together. Her bright smile and your awkward wave complement each other nicely. You're glad neither of you got hurt by that weird old guy in front of the tavern earlier. You're relieved that you told her not to confront him. (if: $eye is 1)[You look pretty great with both eyes. Which is actually a pretty strange thought...] [[Beach blast|Ch2.25]]

Asura. She looks happy in this picture. Your heart aches. It feels good to see her so...alive again. You're nearly in tears. You've missed her. Her cheek is bandaged, but she doesn't seem to mind. (if: $eye is 1)[You look pretty great with both eyes, too.] But then again, why would it be any different? You can't miss her when she's standing right next to you. You told her to confront that guy and the dog attacked her, though. Didn't you? You shake your head to rid it of haze and try not to think about it. (set: $mandela to 1) [[Beach blast|Ch2.25]]

Asura. She looks happy in this picture. You do too, actually. It feels good to see you two together. Her cheek is wrapped in bandages, but she still smiles through the wrapping. (if: $eye is 1)[You look pretty great with both eyes. Which is actually a pretty strange thought...] You regret what you said earlier. She paid the price because you told her to fight that guy. Didn't you? You shake your head to rid it of haze and try not to think about it. (set: $mandela to 1) [[Beach blast|Ch2.25]]

"Thanks for everything so far, Asura," you offer after admiring the picture she took, "but how am I going to get back? You said it won't be easy? I'm just really anxious to be home right now." "You heard Dan mention the weather, right? We're supposed to get a pretty bad junkstorm tonight." "Oh." You look up at the sky. "Is that bad?" It still seems a little foggy. "A couple hours before I found you," Asura explains, "I was sorting through tech and garbage on the beach and I happened to get stuck in one. Not pleasant. Got some cuts and I smelled--" she stops to poke you in the shoulder, "kinda like you. Anyway, the thing is, I don't think it just comes down from the sky like regular rain." You tilt your head and part your lips, about to ask a number of questions, but you decide to just let her finish. "I saw something out there, man. Right after you fell. I think the junk comes THROUGH the sky somehow. Maybe the same way you did. And if we're lucky, we can figure out how." You look down at the sidewalk as you make your way through town. "I hope you're right," you wish, quietly. "Sure I am! I've got a good level-head on these buff shoulders. I know how things work and stuff," Asura is bragging. "OH and in totally unrelated convo topics, do you think it's possible to work out TOO HARD and like accidentally piledrive the planet, destroying it and everyone you love? I'm...asking for a friend." [[Dan's Den|Ch2.26]]

Asura. She looks happy in this picture. You do too, actually. It feels good to see you both together. Her bright smile and your awkward wave complement each other nicely. You're glad neither of you got hurt by that weird old guy in front of the tavern earlier. (if: $eye is 1)[You look pretty great with both eyes. Which is disturbing thought to have out of nowhere...] You're relieved you told her not to confront him. Didn't you? You shake your head to clear it of haze and try not to think about it. (set: $mandela to 1) [[Beach blast|Ch2.25]]

Asura. She looks happy in this picture. Your heart aches. It feels good to see her so...alive again. You're nearly in tears. You've missed her. Her cheek still hasn't been scarred yet either in this photo. (if: $eye is 1)[You look pretty great with both eyes, too.] But then again, why would it be any different? You can't miss her when she's standing right next to you. You told her not to confront that weird guy in front of the tavern, too. Didn't you? You shake your head to rid it of haze and try not to think about it. (set: $mandela to 1) [[Beach blast|Ch2.25]]

Back at the convenience store, Dan is scanning the aisles for food and occasionally looking outside, worried. He picks out a small container of 'You Couldn't Wait Ten Minutes?' brand pre-packaged pasta and puts it in the microwave. He also grabs some ketchup and a hot dog bun. He waits around near the store's microwave, hands in his pockets and whistling. He catches his reflection in the mirror and rakes his fingers through his hair. He smiles and points at himself, doing the awkward finger guns again. The microwave dings, he takes the pasta out, and he walks behind the counter with the food. He turns on the radio and switches it to the classical station. An older, snooty lady comes in moments later. She stands still for a minute, listening to the music in the store. She grabs some pseudo-top-shelf wine and puts it on the counter. He scans it and she pays cash without saying anything. She turns to leave, but before she goes out the door, she comments on the store's music. "Classical, eh? Did you pick this?" "Not too many customers appreciate it," Dan remarks, stirring his macaroni, "But sure, I dig it." He scoops up a big pile of cheesy pasta on his spoon. "You what?" "I dig it. I mean I like it." "Well good for you," she offers patronizingly. "I think it really says something about someone's INTELLEGENCE and SOPHISTICATION when they can appreciate classical works." Dan slaps the pile of mac on the hot dog bun as she's saying this and covers it in ketchup. He goes a bit red and smiles awkwardly at the juxtaposition. She eyes him curiously and walks out. He watches her leave and then he takes a big bite of his awful food concoction. [[Fun on a bun|Ch2.27]]

As he's chewing his weird food, Roith approaches the store and sticks his head in through the door. "Hey, mate, bringing my dog in, right? Have to do a bit of shopping and can't leave 'im out there." "Unf afshually," Dan tries to say through his stuffed mouth, "We fon't allow--" The man with the scarred hands enters the building anyway. "Great, that's brilliant. Thanks." Dan swallows hard. He is uneasy. He checks his phone, but doesn't have any new texts. Pinky starts sniffing around the snack sections that Asura and you had been in earlier. After a moment, Roith comes up to the counter with some dog treats. "Gotta have a snack to keep 'im calm through the storm, yeah?" Dan eyes the dog in frustration. "Yeahhh. That'll be 1.95." "Looks like bad weather. You stuck here all night?" Roith asks, ignoring the transaction. "Pretty much." "Ahh, that's a shame," he sympathizes. "Looks like you're here all alone too? Gonna be a slow night. Bet you wish you had someone in here with you to kill time. And I'd wager you don't get too many people your age in here at all on this side of town. None too many pretty lasses to rest yer eyes on?" Dan is suspicious and a little embarassed. "N-no, not too many. Sometimes, though. Weekends are definitely better than school days ha." Roith chuckles, "So it is. Any tonight?" Dan fakes an awkward laugh as well. The man stops laughing quickly and looks him in the eye. Roith repeats himself, "Any girls around your age in here tonight?" [[1.95|Ch2.28]]

Dan, very uncomfortable now, stutters, "No I...I don't think so. Not that I noticed. That'll be 1.95." Roith does not seem to be listening to him. He looks around at the merchandise near the counter area. He spots the seahorse lighters and frowns. There are also lighters with hearts and one with a camouflage pattern and a fantastical rifle. "Have you ever shot a gun, mate?" Roith asks suddenly. "I'm sorry?" Dan questions. "Nah, I figure not," the man continues. "You missed the war by, what, a couple decades? A good gun's a lot harder to come by now. But if you know where you're looking, well..." He trails off. "You know, there are some men out there that actually miss the sodding war. Some of 'em miss the service itself. The camaraderie. The adventure. Gave them something real to do. Like their fathers. Something to be proud of. Something to make men out of them. A few real mean bastards miss the fighting itself. The chaos. The outlet for anger. The power, adrenaline. Fire." He stops for a second and takes in Dan's surprised expression. Dan is listening, mouth hanging open slightly, not sure what to say. "There's always a few, yeah?" "I know a couple of troopers what took up questionable work once they got home. I know some that went law enforcement ways; Anything that let them relive or relieve some of it. The pain, the stress. They rightly keep it to themselves at least, unlike you younger lot. They can't sleep much at night after the fighting's done. Not like they used to do. Too quiet. God, it's quiet. Harder than ever for men in this country." [[This country's a mess|Ch2.29]]

"It's hard to unlearn some tendencies too," Roith rambles, "And with civilian life giving them nothing meaningful to do, a whole score just miss the simple iron comfort of a heavy weapon at their side. A friend that's always by you when you're in a jam. You ever hold one? Heavier than you'd guess just by its size. Makes some boys walk funny when they're first adjusting to wearing one. Harder to come by now though. But if you know where you're looking, well..." He slowly reaches into his coat, where he keeps his small black pistol. Dan's mouth is dry. His heart pumps hot blood to his limbs, preparing hit to lunge at his face or run like hell as necessary. He tries to swallow but it catches in his throat. He breaks into a nauseous sweat. The things around him no longer feel real. This has to be a bad movie. "So, sure there were no young ladies in here tonight? Maybe a gray lass and her friend?" Dan is nearly in tears, but he refuses to say anything that could implicate his friend. "N-not that I saw. That's 1.95" He winces in anticipation. Roith's hand slowly slides out of his coat. He is holding his wallet. Inside is a cute photo of Pinky playing with a toy on some green grass, an ID, a military service card, and a few dollar bills. He tosses two bills onto the counter. "Well, I say they're right loonies, the whole bloody lot of 'em." Roith puts his wallet back. He points to the tip jar. "Put the change in(if: $coin is 1)[--" He stops mid-sentence as he spots the human coins in the jar. His eyes go wide. Dan breaks his silence and puts the change in the jar to cover the coins. He tries to rush him out. "For sure. Totally crazy. Have a good one, stay dry out there and be safe hahaha," Dan says, feigning kindness.](if: $coin is not 1)[there, will you mate?" Dan is still confused and speechless. He drops the change into the jar.] Roith leaves quietly with his dog, eyeing Dan the whole way out. (if: $coin is 1)[Dan frantically reaches into the tip jar as soon as the man is gone and pulls out a handful of coins. He sorts through them and pockets the American coins you left there earlier. ]Dan grumbles, "Why do the monologuing eccentrics only come in here when I'M working?" He pulls out his phone and texts Asura. "I think some creepy guy with a dog might be onto you. Watch out Sura." [[OUTSIDE...|Ch2.30]]

Once outside, Roith commands Pinky to sniff around for human smells. Pinky barks excitedly. Roith pulls out an old flip phone and slowly pokes at the keyboard to send Izumi a message. "Think I've got a lead." He takes a moment and looks around as drops of rain begin to fall and several small pieces of paper trash float by. He adds, "You better not've been having a laugh about that double pay bit." [[Junkyard dogs|Ch2.31]]

You and Asura walk past the downtown area toward the edges of Miravalle. There are a few houses and an occasional business, but it's much more empty on the outskirts. The storm begins. Occasional tiny raindrops mist your face, slowly getting heavier and more frequent. You get further away from housing and closer to the shore where Asura found you. The storm worsens and junk starts falling. Bits of plastic float down and rest on the sand ahead. Paper scraps soaked with rainwater fall and stick to your skin. Asura scans the sky. "Be careful. Watch what's falling and don't hit your head. I don't think hitting your head actually helps get memories back." You're kind of grossed out by this. Is this stuff really trash from your world? You shield your eyes and face with your hands. "How do you deal with this?" "Ehh you get used to it," Asura dismisses, then shouts, "OH LOOK! Over the junkyard. Doesn't that look out of place? Like 'humans can fall from the sky here' out of place?" You lift your new camera's viewfinder up to the shore and take a photo. The picture pops out and you place it in your bag to avoid water damage. You look up from the camera and see what appears to be a small opening high above the junkyard. You nod and the two of you rush toward it. [[Wheel in the sky|Ch2.32]]

At the edge of the beach right before the junkyard, the two crab creatures Asura fought earlier are collecting claw-fulls of parts and human devices. One crab is nervous, looking around. "You sure it'll work this time, Croy? I don't think I can take another gut punch like that." "Positive, dude," Croy answers confidently, "I've NEVER seen her out this late. We've got a good haul too, Fesh. We're making mad bank." "I guess this isn't so bad after all," Fesh sighs. "What does he need all this for though?" "Who cares what that mad old dooger is doing with all this junk if we're getting paid? I can do SOME things right sometimes, you downer. See, I'm an entrepreneur. A maker. You could gain a lot by listening to me more often. We just have to put up with a little rain and--" At that moment, you and Asura sprint by the two, focusing on getting to the junkyard. Fesh and Croy freeze in the middle of their gathering. They stand still and silent for a moment. Then Asura stomps back after them. She dramatically points at them and scowls, mugging like a pro wrestler. They scuttle quickly back toward the water with their goods, dropping a few things as Asura gives chase for a few steps. Asura stops once they're in the water. She cups her hands to her mouth, inhales hard, and yells over the wind. "NEEEEEERDS!" [[Those things looked...|Ch2.33]]

Asura sighs and turns back to you. You're in shock and standing still, a piece of dried seaweed dangling from your lips. You're pale. You've never seen anything like those creatures. They were vaguely humanoid, but had a hard shell all over their bodies and were easily a foot taller than Asura. And they could talk? You stutter, breathless, "Wh-what were those?" Asura pulls you along by the hand. "Just some tech-headed DORKS from Crustasia. Ignore 'em." The two crabs, heads just poking out of the water slightly, argue in the rain. A plastic bag blows onto Croy's head. Fesh declares self-righteously, "I KNEW this wasn't worth the trouble." Croy is so mad he doesn't even take the bag off. "DON'T EVEN, DUDE." [[Welcome to the junkyard|Ch2.34]]

In the junkyard, there are pieces of outdated appliances, piles of rotten food, a mound of plastic bags, and product packaging strewn about. There is a large rusted crane off to the right. Asura is trying to puzzle out the situation. "There's got to be a way to get you up there. I know we can do this." You're apprehensive, seeing how high up it is from here. A gust picks up and snags the last of your seaweed snacks from your hands and you let out a surprised yelp. The package blows toward the crane in the distance, which you both now take full notice of. Asura grabs your arm again and pulls you that way. You reach the foot of the crane and look up toward the strange circle in the sky. It looks like the circle is mainly spitting out rain. "Do you think you can climb it?" Asura asks, "I definitely can't operate this thing so that's out of the question." If you came out of one of those, maybe you could get back through one. Should you climb the crane, though? [[MEANWHILE...|Ch2.35]]

You resolve to climb that crane. You lock eyes with Asura and nod seriously. Asura cups her hands and kneels down. "I'll give you a boost. Hop up, PB-and-Smelly" You smile, sad and thankful. You're going to miss her. "I've only been here a day, but really, Asura--" "No time, softy," Asura inerjects, "We've got company" Asura boosts you up on top of the crane cab. You wiggle a bit on the edge and manage to get up. "OOOH I've been dying to say that since I heard it in a movie when I was like 12. I totally just got chills." She shivers and grins. Asura looks across the junkyard and sees the silhouette of Roith being led in as Pinky sniffles the ground after you. [[Pinky and the Pain Part 2|Ch2.36a]]

There's no way you're going to get up that crane. Asura notices you haven't started climbing and turns sharply toward you. "What are you DOING?" She yells, a sense of betrayal clear in her voice. "I'm not going to make it up that crane and we both know it," you explain. "There's got to be another way. I don't even know if that thing up there would take me home if I got to it." Asura stares at you for a long moment, the anger slowly fading to disappointment. "So then what do we do?" You think things over. Maybe you can go back and get Dan to help. It couldn't hurt to have more people thinking up a solution. Or you could find a library or something and look up more information. Anything other than climbing the crane. As you start relating this information to Asura, she falls forward into the mud with a yelp. A white dog is on her back, biting at her neck. Pinky sinks his teeth into her skin and blood rushes out. She's not moving. You try to draw breath, but you can't. You want to look away, but you can't. You see a shadowy figure approach you. You try to run, but again, you can't. Your body is numb. Your mind is reeling. Asura is bleeding out in front of you. The man with the scarred hands stands beside you. He binds your hands with rough rope. You weakly struggle to get free, but you don't have it in you right now. Your stomach turns harshly and you black out. (set: $dog to 1) [[NEXT|Ch2.35end]]

Meanwhile, Dan is looking increasingly concerned in his little convenience mart. He hasn't gotten a response from Asura and the storm is getting worse. He tries calling, but there's no response. He drums his fingers on the counter. "Come on, Asura. I know you didn't leave your phone here again," he mumbles. He tries calling again. "Come on, PICK UP." He puts his phone in his pocket and starts sweeping the store anxiously. An older man and his young daughter come in and startle Dan. The dad goes for a can of cheap human-style beer. On his way to the cooler, the father remarks to Dan as he's sweeping, "Looks like SOMEBODY'S gonna make a good wife one day." He chuckles. Dan laughs nervously and awkwardly half-jogs back to the counter. Beer Dad brings his drink up to the counter. The daughter is browsing the candy and grabs something. "Daaad, can I get...this!" She holds it up above her head. "What is it?" The daughter squirms and moves her feet around. "I dunnooo...cho-co-lite" "Do you have any money, darling?" Dan checks the balance in his bank account on his phone. He frowns at the result. "Haha noooo," the daughter coos, "You buy it." Beer Dad looks knowingly to Dan and smiles. "Me buy it, huh? Hooo boy, already like a woman, ain't she?" The girl looks a little angry and confused. She doesn't understand what she's just been saddled with, but she doesn't like it. Dan half-smiles, sympathetic. He resolves to not let it slide this time. He looks at Asura's picture next to the last text in his phone. She wouldn't let it slide either. "Yeah, no," Dan replies with clear venom in his voice, "I've had enough machismo for one night. She's a kid. She's just fine as she is. YOU need to leave." "Heh, what the hell're you talking about?" The dad responds, putting his beer down hard on the counter. Dan realizes he doesn't have time for this argument. He needs to get out of here and help Asura as soon as possible. "We're closing early. The weather! Haha weather emergency, level 2. You should get home as soon as possible. It's getting dangerous. Especially for kids." "But I--" the Beer Dad protests, holding up the can. Dan is visibly flustered. "It's free tonight. Take it or leave it. Just go. NOW." "I should come in here during storms more often then, heh," the dad shrugs and heads out the door. Dan quickly grabs his coat. His head whips side to side in panic, looking around for some form of protection in case he runs into the old guy again. He picks up the store's mop and unscrews the head, so as to make it just a long wooden stick. He shuts off the lights hastily and is ready to leave. Dan pauses in front of the door, reconsidering, and raises a finger in remembrance. He turns around and gets some dog treats from the shelf. He closes the door and goes out into the storm. He protects his hair from the wind with his hand. It's getting worse. [[BACK IN THE JUNKYARD...|Ch2.36]]

The crane in the junkyard is pretty tall and slick with rain. You've never been very into climbing. The rust along the sides of the neck gives you pause; you've never been very into tetanus either. Who knows how far you'll make it up that thing. But if you don't even try... [[Climb the crane|Ch2.35a]] [[Don't climb the crane|Ch2.35b]]

As Roith is approaching, he lets go of Pinky's leash. "Keep away from the girl and we've got no trouble, sweetie." Pinky wanders off into the yard to find trash to eat. Asura squints. She recognizes him from earlier and grits her teeth. (If: $blank is 1)[She reaches up the bandages on her cheek and her eyes well up with tears. Angry tears.] "YOU," she bellows, "Not gonna happen, creep." "I'm gonna have to beg to differ," he counters. You look down from the cab, observing the situation and getting worried about Asura. Asura yells up to you, "Don't you DARE stop now. I've got this." She makes eye contact with Roith. "You think this tiny man with small hands has a chance against Asura: the High Priestess of Hard Punches, the Baroness of Bare-Knuckles, the Vaguely-Threatening-But-Still-DEFINITELY-Dating-Material Carcarian Wonder?" She strikes a heroic pose. "I was born to punch, trained to punch, live to punch! I--" She catches herself rambling. "Too much?" "Way too much," you yell over the wind. "Get climbing," Asura grumbles. [[Crane to heaven|Ch2.37a]]

You try to find places to grip on the crane neck without slipping. This might be even harder than you had imagined. (If: $shoes is 2)[Luckily you chose function over fashion today and wore your sneakers. This'll be a lot easier to climb than if you were wearing your flats.](if: $shoes is 1)[Too bad you wore your cute flats today. Not only are they all gross and dirty now, but climbing in these will be very difficult. And slow.] Below you, Asura grabs her ankle to stretch out her leg behind her and tilts her neck. "Pretty dramatic atmosphere for what I'm sure'll be a quick and painless fight," she quips, trying to sound cool. "Err, painless for ME anyway." She pauses and thinks a little. "Actually, my knucks are gonna be sore after hitting you like SO HARD," she continues threatening, "so I guess there'll be SOME pain all around? You get what I meant, though! Man, movies make witty banter look WAY easier than it really is." Roith rolls his eyes. Asura spreads her knees, raises her fists, and gets into fighting stance. She lunges toward him, ready to pummel his ugly face. Then he whistles. (if: $blank is 1)["Uh oh," Asura gulps, realizing that it's time for another confrontation with Pinky.](If: $averted is 1)["Come on! Whistling at me again, really?" Asura hears a growl from behind, closing in. "Wasn't for you, love," he sneers.] She turns her head just in time for Pinky to barrel into her from behind. Roith, walking over to her as she's pinned on her back, taunts, "You know why I call 'im Pinky right? He's not exactly a gentle pup." He holds out his left hand to show his missing pinkie finger and laughs. Pinky starts scratching and nipping at Asura's face. She raises her arms and struggles to keep the dog away from her face and neck. Roith marches over to the crane. [[Dog days|Ch2.38a]]

You are now about halfway up the crane neck. It's getting slippery from the rain and seems to be harder and harder to climb. You are hesitant to continue. What choice do you have now, though? "When it comes down to it, at the end, what does he do? Asura's words echo in your mind as you near the portal. Out of it floats a churro wrapper, catching an updraft and hitting you in the chest. You reach down to grab it, open it, and see familiar printed lettering: 'Cosa Canela.' Your eyes widen in recollection. "He leaves." [[EARLIER...|Ch2.39]]

<center>TIME: Okay, this has GOT to be earlier. LOCATION: Back in the place that is NOT New Jersey, you guys. Quit it. </center> [[NEXT|Ch2.40]]

You are riding toward the ocean on your bike. As the sun and wind hit you, they light up your face. The warm sunlight eases the early morning chill. You blink and squint in the light, then put on a determined grin and pedal faster. You continue riding through your city as it rises with the sun. A few cars and occasional light rays are now seen throughout. Financial districts in the distance, museums, and libraries are opening. Street food is being prepared. It's a lively borough. You pass a brightly painted Mexican food truck with little anthropomorphic churros and conchas breads on the side called 'Cosa Canela.' You know this place. You love this place. [[Get a churro|Ch2.41a]] [[Spare yourself the sugar|Ch2.41b]]

You try to resist. You pass the truck. But a block down the road, you hop off your bike and walk it back to the 'Cosa.' You order a delicious churro and begin riding again. The large buildings slowly give way to brownstones, then single houses and suburban sprawl. Farther out there are foreclosed homes, unkempt parks, empty shops, and other hints of suburban decay littering the area. More sunlight hits your skin now that the sun is no longer blocked by skyscrapers. You take a deep breath of the salty air. You take a big bite of the sweet churro. (set: $churro to 1) [[NEXT|Ch2.42]]

You don't really need the sugar, as tasty as it would be. You pass the truck quickly without looking back. The large buildings slowly give way to brownstones, then single houses and suburban sprawl. Farther out, there are foreclosed homes, unkempt parks, empty shops, and other hints of suburban decay. More light bathes you as the sun is no longer blocked by skyscrapers. You take a deep breath of the salty air. Your stomach growls. [[NEXT|Ch2.42]]

The road begins winding and crossing small hills as you get farther away from the city. You lean forward into a hill and put foot to pedal hard to make it up the incline. Too hard, in fact. The chain pops off and your feet pedal quickly for a moment effortlessly. You look down and groan. You hop off the bike and push it up the hill. When you reach the top, you take the bag off of your shoulder and break out your tools. (if: $churro is 1)[You stuff the remaining bit of churro and its wrapper into your bag.] You thread the chain back on and tinker with the gears briefly. You stand back up, satisfied with your work, and go to push your hair out of your face. You stop when you notice your hands are covered in dark smears of oil. Slick black sludge coats your fingers. You look around for somewhere to clean your hands and settle on wiping them in the dewy grass. Mounting the bike once more, you continue riding. As you crest another hill, the beach opens up in front of you. Gulls are circling overhead and docks and cliffs are not far now. You hop off the bike as you get close, walking it along the fences and walkways. The ocean is visible through the fenceposts. [[NEXT|Ch2.43]]

You lean your bike against the white fence near a trashcan and a 'NO LITTERING' sign. You take several steps back and frame the shot. You start taking more photos. You shoot boats, maritime things, rope, seashells. You're putting together a decent roll by now. The sun is high in the sky when you finally take a break after feeling your stomach rumble. You find an open area and sit near your bike to eat your lunch. As you're about to eat your packed sandwich, one of the gulls overhead manages to creep up and steal part of the food. "Wha-hey!" You shout after it, stumbling forward and reaching for the seagull. The bird flies a short distance and then hops onto a hill and starts eating. Camera in hand, you sneak up on the bird. You sense a great photo opportunity. "All right little buddy, stay put. Almoooost theeere..." You have the gull lined up and centered in your viewfinder. You're ready to take the shot, but the bird hops up the hill and out of your sight. You follow it farther up the hill, looking through the viewfinder, oblivious to everything around you. The bird nears the top of the hill, now close to the sheer cliff face above the water. Another seagull swoops in(if: $churro is not 1)[, this one carrying a wrapper from 'Cosa Canela' in its beak,] and takes apart the sandwich. The two birds eat at the edge of the cliff. "Oh this is great, sooo cute. A-ha aww they're sharing. Tiny little bird society. I'll forgive you for taking my lunch." [[NEXT|Ch2.44]]

You close in one last time, crouching, risking scaring them away for the shot. You take one final step closer and feel your weight disturb the ground. The birds shoot up into the air up and you look up from your camera in shock. Some earth slips under your feet and you inhale sharply. Your breath catches in your chest. Your heart sinks in your stomach. You feel gravity wrapping its awful tendrils around your feet and pulling you down. You fall, your camera falls, (if: $churro is 1)[the churro wrapper tumbles out of your bag, and the birds fly away with the sandwich.](if: $churro is not 1)[the bird drops the churro wrapper after you in its fight for the food, and the two fly away with the sandwich in their beaks.] The last thing you see is the burning morning sun. The birds are chirping high in the sky over your head. It is getting hot out. You smell the salt of the waves below. Your hands grasp at air and the wind slips through your fingers. You plummet into the water between two white rocky cliff faces. [[BACK IN THE JUNKYARD...|Ch2.45]]

You remember what happened before you woke up here. You remember that you fell. From that height, you should totally be dead. Are you dead? Maybe you're dead.(if: $possum is 1)[ You don't want to go down the road of faking death again, though. You know where that leads.] If you ARE dead, at least they have apples here in the watery afterlife. You look up at the circle above you. There could a reason you're NOT dead. Divine intervention? Are you important enough to warrant divine intervention? Maybe you were supposed to come here, were supposed to leave your old life and meet Asura and Dan. Maybe some things are constants in the world. Inescapable. You look up at the portal, then back down, spotting Asura in trouble. You clench your jaw. Or maybe all that's important right now is that there's a friend down there who needs your help. You start half-sliding, half-climbing down the neck of the crane. [[Help, she needs somebody|Ch2.46]]

Pinky slashes at Asura's face. She bellows and throws the dog off. She manages to stand up shakily and face Roith. Pinky barks and rushes her again. Dan charges from the entrance of the junkyard and shouts, "Asura! Get the old guy, I've got the dog." He runs toward Pinky, awkwardly holding the broomstick like a bat over his shoulder and hunching forward to dangle the treats far out in front of him. Asura smiles deeply at Dan, eternally grateful, and wipes the blood from (if: $blank is 1)[her reopened wounds.](if: $blank is not 1)[the gashes on her cheek.] She turns back to face the man with the scarred hands. Roith notices that Asura is now unoccupied behind him and turns. "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. Sorry, love, but--" He pulls out a small pistol from his jacket, "Orders said that you were 'irrelevant' today." Asura stops in her tracks and quivers. "Oh god...a gun!?" She looks down at her trembling hands. "What can my dumb hands do against a gun?" Several drops of blood fall onto her palms. She looks up and tightens her hands into fists. Meanwhile, Dan is beckoning to Pinky, but the dog is suspicious and growling. "Here, buddy. Who's a good...erm...boy? Sure, we'll guess boy. Come here and get these nasty treats, boy." Pinky approaches, his growls slowly getting quieter. Dan tosses a treat his way. It lands in front of Pinky. The dog looks at the treat, looks up at Dan, then back at the treat. [[Sweet treat|Ch2.47]]

You slowly make your way down the crane. You need to do something! But honestly, you're not strong and you're not quick. You're no good in a fight(if: $blank is 1)[ as you found out earlier]. All you're really good at is... Your foot touches the cab of the crane. You look down at your camera. (if: $crane is 1)[You'll never forget the pain in her eyes.] (if: $mandela is 1)[[[Tell Asura about the blanks|Ch2.48b]]](if: $mandela is not 1 and $blank is 1)[[[Remind Asura about the blanks|Ch2.48c]]](if: $crane is 1)[[[Warn Asura about the live ammo|Ch2.48d]]] [[Picture time|Ch2.48a]]

Asura is growing bold and stern, trying to buy time for you regardless of the consequences to her. "You've never really been challenged, have you? You can do whatever you want and no one says a damn thing. Like getting a gun. Like harassing me in the street. Well, shoot, BOYS will be BOYS, huh?" Asura steps closer, her voice cracking, "And those awful boys turn into awful men. No expectations for them, no consequences. No limits. But I can't even walk down the street in my own TOWN without being reminded of the expectations for ME, the limits set for ME." Asura notices you standing behind Roith. She looks confused. "They're blanks, Asura!" You shout, "BARNACLE HANDS there is harmless.(if: $movie is 2)[ Make him bleed like a squib in a cheap '80s horror movie!]" "How do you--" She begins, but you stop her. "JUST DO IT!" "Well then, tonight there ARE consequences for people like you," she spits at him, "and I'm gonna make you face them with my bare hands!" She smiles and cries out. "YOU'RE GONNA GET BEAT UP BY A GIRL!" (set: $mandela to 2) [[NEXT|Ch2.49]]

Asura is growing bold and stern, trying to buy time for you regardless of the consequences to her. "You've never really been challenged, have you? You can do whatever you want and no one says a damn thing. Like getting a gun. Like harassing me in the street. Well, shoot, BOYS will be BOYS, huh?" Asura steps closer, her voice cracking, "And those awful boys turn into awful men. No expectations for them, no consequences. No limits. But I can't even walk down the street in my own TOWN without being reminded of the expectations for ME, the limits set for ME. Well, tonight there ARE consequences for people like you, and I'm gonna make you face them with my bare hands!" Asura notices you standing behind Roith, ready to take a photo. She smiles and cries out. "YOU'RE GONNA GET BEAT UP BY A GIRL!" You pull up your camera and center the man with the puckered white hands in your viewfinder. "Hey, BARNACLE HANDS," you taunt, "Up here!" Roith, now Barnacle Hands, keeps his gun trained on Asura and turns his face toward you. He grunts, "There you are, dear." You press the button and take a picture. The bulb flashes with near-blinding light, causing Barnacle Hands to snap his eyes shut. He brings his hands up to rub them quickly as he turns to Asura again. (if: $movie is 2)["Make him bleed like a squib in a cheap '80s action movie!" You shout to Asura.] She spots the opening you created and rushes toward Barnacle Hands. [[Barnacle Hands|Ch2.49]]

She lunges with one knee forward, one fist extended, in a superhero-like pose. She knocks his gun hand out of the way with one forearm and punches out with the other. Her fist connects squarely with his nose. His head jerks backward, blood trailing, as he tries to fire the gun. Several cracks ring out across the junkyard, but no one seems hurt. "WOOOOO!" Asura cheers, "THE MAGNA KARA-TA SAVED THE DAY!" Dan rushes over to Asura as you shimmy and climb down from the edge of the crane cab. You all move away from the man quickly. Pinky seems to be enjoying the snacks that Dan brought a few yards away. Asura is breathing heavily, excited and deeply confused. "You came back!" She gasps, "Why would you do that?" She calms herself and wipes the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "I mean, what about getting home though?" You answer sweetly, "I wasn't just going to click my stupid heels together and leave." Asura's eyes glisten in the rain. "Aw-haww, Smellhy-hy-hy..." You hug her tightly. Trash and rain falls on you. It is filthy and beautiful. You close your eyes. "Also that plan was really poorly thought out and dumb," you quietly offer, mid-hug, into Asura's ear. [[Fool's errand|Ch2.50]]

You separate. Asura has left some blood on your shoulder. She wipes the blood off with her shirt. You both shrug and laugh. "Even assuming it worked and I went back to my world," you finish your earlier thought, "who knows where I would have ended up? Like I could have appeared at the bottom of a lake or a hundred feet above the street on the other side of the world. I have no idea how any of this works. And if you found my camera a while before me, maybe time is all wonky when stuff goes through, too." "True, we need more research next time," Asura considers. Dan checks his phone. He has several texts from his boss wondering why he closed so early. The final text informs him that he's fired. Dan sighs and puts his phone away. He brushes some of the rain and trash off of his pants, but the wind picks up and splashes him with rain, soaking the pants through. He sighs harder. "Hey, Asura and Kara, we need to get inside somewhere and patch up that wound." Dan tries to fix his messy hair. He runs his hand through his hair several times, then gives up just pushes it all back since it's wet and wind-blown anyway. You head toward the town for shelter with Dan and Asura. Pinky scoots through the mud on his stomach toward Barnacle Hands with the treat bag partially in his mouth and partially stuck on his nose. You snap a quick shot of Barnacle Hands and Pinky. (If: $averted is 1 and $mandela is not 2)[[[Return to the Return to Miravalle|Ch2.51]]] (If: $averted is not 1 and $mandela is not 2)[[[Return to the Return of Miravalle|Ch2.51a]]](if: $mandela is 2)[[[Return of the Haze|Ch2.51b]]]

"It's been a day. Funny how quick things can change." As you're leaving the junkyard, Dan offers, "We can rest at my place. It's not far and it should be safe." He sees Asura trying to stop the blood pouring from her face with her bare, scratched-up hands. He takes off his sweater and hands it to Asura to soak up the blood. She presses it to her cheek. "And Kara's nickname. Was that a human historical reference back there, Asura? Pretty astute of you." That did kind of sound like a play on 'Magna Carta,' but if it was, that was a pretty strained joke. "I DO read stuff sometimes, ya tall...dumb...fancy..." Asura removes the sweater and looks down at it, seeing the blood and rain. "I'm losing blood here. And your hair is sooo messed up, Dan." "It's killing me inside," he whispers. You follow Dan and Asura back to Miravalle, idly chatting and planning the next move along the way. Unfortunately for you, someone else is also following Dan and Asura back to Miravalle and she is a lot harder to shake than Barnacle Hands. FIGHT AVERTED ENDING. THANK YOU FOR PLAYING, HUMAN. [[TRY ANOTHER TIME, HUMAN|Ch2.36]] (if: $blank is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1a]]](if: $averted is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1]]] [[RESTART FROM BEGINNING| CH1 opening]]

You awaken surrounded by seven figures in dark robes. On each robe is emblazoned a familiar dark eye symbol. They gather around you in the dim eerie green light. You are tied to a stand, your head directly over a basin filled with some kind of salty liquid. A hand clad in porcelain-white armor reaches in front of your face and roughly smears some kind of gel over your right eye. Half of your face becomes numb. You try to scream, try to break free, but you are bound tightly and there's some kind of cloth in your mouth. You feel someone's breath on your neck. The woman in porcelain armor has crouched down next to you, a sharp ceremonial knife in once hand. She holds your head still with her free hand and angles the knife toward your numb eye. She leans in and whispers, genuinely, "I'm so sorry." All is searing pain and then blackness. CHILDREN OF EYE END (set: $eye to 1) [[TRY ANOTHER TIME, HUMAN|Ch2.36]] (if: $blank is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1a]]](if: $averted is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1]]] [[RESTART FROM BEGINNING| CH1 opening]]

She rushes toward him, unconcerned about his gun. She remembers the fight earlier. His gun fires, but she keeps moving forward, smirking. The pain doesn't hit her until she's almost on top of him. She looks down at her abdomen, shocked. "You really think I wouldn't change tactics after our first scuffle, did you love?" He smiles, his yellow teeth shining in the street lamps that light the junkyard. Asura looks at him and then up at you. She locks eyes with you. She seems to be begging you with her gaze. Begging you for something you can't give her. You'll never forget the pain in her eyes. The color drains from her face and she falls backwards. Her dark blood slowly mixes in with the black mud and rain. You try to draw breath, but you can't. You want to look away, but you can't. You see Roith approach you. You try to run, but again, you can't. Your body is numb. Your mind is reeling. Asura is bleeding out in front of you. You drop from the crane cab and your legs collapse under you. You fall onto your knees in the soft muddy ground. You weakly reach out to Asura. You think you can hear Dan somewhere far away, screaming something. The man with the puckered hands stands behind you now. He binds your hands with rough rope. You weakly struggle to get free, but you can't. Your stomach turns harshly and you black out. (Set: $crane to 1) [[NEXT|Ch2.aend]]

As you're leaving the junkyard, Dan offers, "We can rest at my place. It's not far and it should be safe." He sees Asura trying to stop the blood pouring from her face with her bare, scratched-up hands. He takes off his sweater and hands it to Asura to soak up the blood. She presses it to her cheek. "And Kara's nickname. Was that a human historical reference back there, Asura? Pretty astute of you." That did kind of sound like a play on 'Magna Carta,' but if it was, that was a pretty strained joke. You feel horrible that you've gotten Asura into not just one, but TWO whole fights today. What would Maxine think of you now? You rub the back of your head. It still aches slightly. Looking over Asura's wounds, it looks like her reopened cuts on her cheek will probably scar. You cringe and deeply regret getting involved earlier in the day. "I DO read stuff sometimes, ya tall...dumb...fancy..." Asura removes the sweater and looks down at it, seeing the blood and rain. "I'm losing blood here. And your hair is sooo messed up, Dan." "It's killing me inside," he whispers. You follow Dan and Asura back to Miravalle, idly chatting and planning the next move along the way. Unfortunately for you, someone else is also following Dan and Asura back to Miravalle and she is a lot harder to shake than Barnacle Hands. BLANK ROUND ENDING. THANK YOU FOR PLAYING, HUMAN. [[TRY ANOTHER TIME, HUMAN|Ch2.36]] (if: $blank is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1a]]](if: $averted is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1]]] [[RESTART FROM BEGINNING| CH1 opening]]

"It's been a day. Funny how quick things can change." As you're leaving the junkyard, Dan offers, "We can rest at my place. It's not far and it should be safe." He sees Asura trying to stop the blood pouring from her face with her bare, scratched-up hands. He takes off his sweater and hands it to Asura to soak up the blood. She presses it to her cheek. "And Kara's nickname. Was that a human historical reference back there, Asura? Pretty astute of you." That did kind of sound like a play on 'Magna Carta,' but if it was, that was a pretty strained joke. "I DO read stuff sometimes, ya tall...dumb...fancy..." Asura removes the sweater and looks down at it, seeing the blood and rain. "I'm losing blood here. And your hair is sooo messed up, Dan." "It's killing me inside," he whispers. You aren't paying attention to their banter anymore. Asura's question in the junkyard bothered you. How DID you know about the blanks? You stare at Asura's bloody face. Are those fresh wounds, or were they re-opened wounds from earlier? Did you tell her to fight Barnacle Hands or did you stop her? The blanks, the scars, the coins, the empty bed, even your shoes...You can't remember right now. Your vision gets dark and your head feels heavy. Everything feels as if it's covered in haze. (if: $eye is 1)[It all runs together. You instinctively reach to your right eye. It's still there. Why wouldn't it be?] If you're all still alive and you even helped out your friends, does it really matter right now? What is with you lately, though? You mull over these questions quietly as you return to Miravalle. [[TRUE ENDING|Ch2.53]]

Meanwhile, back in the junkyard, Barnacle Hands is trying to get up off his back, but he falls back down in an exhausted, drunk, and bloodied stupor. He groans and wipes blood from his mouth and nose. His head lulls and gets soaked in rain. Pinky is beside him, chewing on snacks. Pinky's tail starts to wag and he looks up from his treats. He stands up and barks a little. "What you yapping at, Pinks? Don't tell me that reeking fin and her friends came back." There is no response. Pinky's tail keeps wagging as Barnacle Hands tries to raise himself up again. Standing at the other side of the junkyard is a woman clad in porcelain-white armor, her menacing spear at her side. Barnacle hands thrusts himself up onto his elbow, rubbing the sand and rain from his eyes. He mutters to himself. "On my munted nose, I swear if it IS her I'll knock her one in the--" He is interrupted as the loud grinding and whirring of machines echoes over the junkyard. Behind Izumi, a massive mechanical fiddler crab-like monstrosity roars into his view. It is fashioned out of junk, seaweed, gears, computer parts, and other assorted materials. One enourmous claw is extended in front of it like a shield. It somehow stays together and even seems to be alive. It towers over Izumi, easily twice her height. Atop it rides a white-haired man in blue robes. His eyes are clouded over and gray. Barnacle Hands knows this man as the Scion. "So she is human after all," Izumi muses to herself, "and based on your failure yet again, it seems that she's beginning to realize what being human here truly entails." Barnacle Hands peers at Izumi, then watches the Scion's monstrosity shuffle and crouch. He finishes his earlier thought, now more appropriate than ever. "--Bollocks." END OF CHAPTER 1. THANK YOU FOR PLAYING, HUMAN. NEXT TIME ON A CHILD WITHOUT AN EYE: Giant animals! A tense chase through a comic convention! Amateur wrestlers! Bonding with friends! A kelp forrest! More punching, probably!

"Not to be rude or prying or anything," Asura begins nervously, "but I've heard some things about humans. Strange things." She looks at you pleadingly, almost hoping you'll answer whatever odd question she has before she has to ask it. You slightly shake your head and look at her, puzzled. "Soooo, do you have some crazy powers or something?" Asura blurts out. "I've heard humans have powers. Like can you totally move stuff with your mind or breathe fire? CAN YOU FLY?" She's nervous. She can't control herself. "I mean you don't LOOK that threatening, but you never know. You could secretly have knife hands hidden under those fleshy nubs you call fingers." [[Uhhh...|Ch1.17b]] [[Totally|Ch1.17c]]

You look at Asura, your mouth hanging open a little. "Uhhh," you begin. Asura clasps her hands together and leans toward you, expectant. "I'm pretty good at frying up a sick grilled cheese?" Asura drops her hands offers you a half-smile. "That's okay, Water-smellon. I don't have any cool powers either. At least I don't have to constantly worry that you're going to tamper with my burly brain or anything." You're glad she didn't take that news too hard. [[Powerless|Ch1.18]]

You turn toward Asura and tilt your head back, looking down at her. You lock eyes with her, your gaze filled with fire. You slowly reach your hand out toward her. She covers her mouth with her hand and her eyes go wide. She stops in her tracks and eagerly leans toward you. "I can totally move things with my mind." "NO WAY, SMELLY," she shouts and punches your shoulder. Ouch. "You've GOT to show me. NOW!" You drop your hand. And the ruse. "Actually, I can't. I just didn't want to disappoint you." Asura looks down and scrunches up her lips. "Aww, thanks for humoring me anyway, dude," she smiles, "Let's keep moving." (set: $tele to 1) [[Smellekinetic|Ch1.18]]

"The movie offer's super nice of you," you begin to make an excuse, "but I don't think we should--" Asura doesn't seem to hear you. She walks right up to the theater entrance. "Campy horror or pulpy action?" [[Pulp fiction|Ch1.46]] [[Give me the blood|Ch1.46b]]

Asura is growing bold and stern, trying to buy time for you regardless of the consequences to her. "You've never really been challenged, have you? You can do whatever you want and no one says a damn thing. Like getting a gun. Like harassing me in the street. Well, shoot, BOYS will be BOYS, huh?" Asura steps closer, her voice cracking, "And those awful boys turn into awful men. No expectations for them, no consequences. No limits. But I can't even walk down the street in my own TOWN without being reminded of the expectations for ME, the limits set for ME." Asura notices you standing behind Roith. She looks confused. "Asura!" You shout, "BARNACLE HANDS there has REAL ammo in that thing. Be careful. I don't want you to go through this again." The man turns his gaze to you when you shout out. "How do you--" She begins. You realize you'll need to help her. She can't take him alone. You grab your camera and raise it to you eye. You press the button and take a picture. The bulb flashes with near-blinding light, causing Barnacle Hands to snap his eyes shut. He brings his hands up to rub them quickly as he turns to Asura again. (if: $movie is 2)["Make him bleed like an extra in a cheap Italian horror movie!" You shout to Asura.] "Well," Asura smirks, "I guess tonight there ARE consequences for people like you, and I'm gonna make you face them with my bare hands!" She raises her fists and tightens her stance. "YOU'RE GONNA GET BEAT UP BY A GIRL!" (set: $mandela to 2) [[Carcarian Fury|Ch2.49]]

You awaken surrounded by seven figures in dark robes. On each robe is emblazoned a familiar dark eye symbol. They gather around you in the dim eerie green light. You are tied to a stand, your head directly over a basin filled with some kind of salty liquid. A hand clad in porcelain-white armor reaches in front of your face and roughly smears some kind of gel over your right eye. Half of your face becomes numb. You try to scream, try to break free, but you are bound tightly and there's some kind of cloth in your mouth. You feel someone's breath on your neck. The woman in porcelain armor has crouched down next to you, a sharp ceremonial knife in once hand. She holds your head still with her free hand and angles the knife toward your numb eye. She leans in and whispers, genuinely, "I'm so sorry." All is searing pain and then blackness. CHILDREN OF EYE END (set: $eye to 1) [[TRY ANOTHER TIME, HUMAN|Ch2.47]] (if: $blank is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1a]]](if: $averted is 1)[[[RESTART SECTION 2|Ch2.1]]] [[RESTART FROM BEGINNING| CH1 opening]]