Mirror mirror

“By my definitions, in order for one to have a ‘shortest’ distance, it is required to have a distance traveled in the first place. If you move no distance at all, that would be contrary to the definition I have just provided.”

Chemi had no way of knowing which definition the Stars went by, but it’s what she went by, and she didn’t want to risk having her valuable entertainment I mean data scrapped on a technicality! If it came down to it, she’d go it alone, but she wanted company…

“I would think traveling in a straight line is better than not traveling at all, so if you had a way to do that I think that would suffice. However, I am sorry to inform you that I do not possess any such thrusters or teleportation capabilities. I am merely an android.”

And then she bowed. Which was all genuine; Ammu may feel like she was being baited, but it wasn’t Miss 1b5c4f8b-b06f-46d4-a3cd-394ed9dd589a’s intention.

“Zero is a distance.” She started, examining her nails as the mist followed. “Besides, I’d have to drift through. Or walk if you’re going to be draconian about it. And that’s only your definition.”

It seemed like this one actually wanted to walk all that distance. Or run. Almost offensive really. 

START.bat | @warpedglass​

“I am not certain that using such powers is within the allowed parameters for this quest, Miss Altashuuh.”

If the intent was to see how quickly someone can traverse the city and go from safezone to safezone, it really did seem like cheating to just… walk through a portal to get to another safezone immediately.

“Surely you must have some other tool within your arsenal to undertake this quest to provide the best data you can to the Stars. However, if I am incorrect in this assumption and that these portals are the only power you possess, please forgive me for making rash assumptions about you upon first meeting.”

Chemi at least hoped Ammutseba had something else, because collecting data was like, Chemi’s thing. She wanted to provide good data and be a good little android for the weird Star people who she did not know at all.

This robot had manners at least, but Ammutseba was already rolling her eyes. 

“And what allowed parameters are those, exactly? ‘Start here, go there’ is the task. The shortest distance between two points is no distance at all, right?” She swirled one of her hands lazily, dark mist gathering and trailing behind slowly.

She raised an eyebrow at the ‘only power’ comment. Was she being baited? It felt like she was being baited. She was used to dealing with dry tone and humour but an actual robot was unsurprisingly not the easiest person to read. 

“Hanging basket chairs… what? Like the kind in that one room in your house?” She was still waking up, cut her some slack. Well, truthfully, Memo was kind of always in a state of “just waking up.” She was just better at appearing awake some times more than others.

After smiling and rolling her eyes at the bottle of wine at the table (it’s so early, she thought…) she set her own plate down, went back for a water bottle real quick, and came back to sit down on the couch spot closest to Ammu in her chair.

“Stretching out, she says. You know you don’t need to thank me for it, Ammu.” It is nice to hear, though.

“So. We didn’t get to talk about it much before. When did it happen? Your powers!”

It took her a moment to recall, she had... A number of ‘chairs’ “Something like that, a little more cosy. Like an egg? But you sit in it. And it hands.” She gestured like that was more than enough of an explanation. When Memo sat down she leaned into her briefly before settling back against the cushions, but a few of her tendrils hugged around her loosely.

“No but I do it anyway, because I’m nice like that.” She winked.

Fork in one hand, she shrugged with the other. “After the most recent debacle, with all the crystal snow or whatever it was. It... Well it was a lot at once, you know. Little bits here and there, then suddenly everything else. It’s...” She stared at nothing in particular, tapping the utensil absentmindedly at the edge of the plate. 

“She’s more than welcome to! I don’t think she’ll fit into my clothes as easily, though, or me into hers. But if you’re both gonna be spending time here then I guess I oughta try to invest in more sitting space…”

“Also, you can salt and pepper your own omlette if you want, you know what you like more than I do,” she said, booping the upside-down Ammutseba on the nose before taking both plates and beginning back out to the living room where Ammu waited- er, or, was waiting a moment ago.

“And I’m flattered! But if you keep stretching out my shirts I’m not gonna have any left. Also you know where the drinks are, you can help yourself to whatever’s in my fridge… yes, even the good wine.”

“Yes! That would be a good idea. I like those hanging basket chairs, or beanbags in a pinch.”

She made a rather dramatic ground at the thought of doing something so tedious as seasoning her own omelette, but she still smile and stuck out a forked tongue as she receded back into the dark gate.  

“She keeps you in check, yeah.” Memo answered anyway, with a sleepy little smirk.

“I just don’t want her to miss you is all. Or be jealous of the gourmet breakfast I’m making you here.” It wasn’t really close to gourmet, something more evident by the fact that the omelette broke when she tipped it onto the plate… she’ll give Ammu the one she didn’t break, the first one she made for herself.

“Is that what this is? Work?”

“Yes, yes, that’s what she says.” And did. “Oh she’ll be jealous, don’t be surprised if she starts turning up here, hovering in your kitchen like a hungry embodiment of indifference.”

Flexing her tendrils, she drew a line then bled out into a shadow gate. The other end appeared near Memo and she leaned out of it, poking through upside down. “Darling, it’s me; of course she’ll miss me. But she’s a big girl, figurately speaking, she does her own things too.”

{;STARTER @warpedglass​}

Memo had barely woken up and was still sleepy as heck and yet here she was, working a stove. She’ll be fiiiine! She was only making Kalosian omelettes. Her hair was still a bit unkempt and the sleeves of the shirt she was wearing kept rolling forward past her wrists because it was too big for her but she was still doing her best.

“So like, not that I mind you being here, you know that’s not the case,” she said, as she carefully started to roll up the omelette.

“But isn’t Mezzarin gonna wonder where you are?”

Memo’s sweaters were... Comfortable, and they fit. Maybe not her choice in style but she could make it work. The Jirachi was talking to her and she wasn’t exactly far, only on the couch really, but still... Ammu lifted a hand mirror and linked it with one of the pans hanging near Memo. 

“Of course you don’t mind! The opposite, I’m sure.”

“Seriously, it’s about time.”

As scary as they could be sometimes, Memo liked when the tendrils joined the hug most of all, because she liked how they felt. They’ve got a very unique texture to them, even if she couldn’t feel them too much through her sweater.

“How many sleights is the count at now? Don’t tell me it’s higher than sixty nine. I’d be devastated if I found out you didn’t tell me when you reached sixty nine!” she said, punctuated with a giggle afterwards before accepting the end of the hug.

“I’ve tried a couple times! Both times it just sorta… poof. Nothing happened. Well, no, something happened, I still got tired… fell asleep outside for a bit the first time. I thought it was a fluke so I tried again when I woke up… and then fell back asleep.” She shrugged. Most of a day wasted, but it wasn’t the first time.

“You can break them though! With other crystals. Which is what I thought you were gonna do before you- before nothing happened.”

“Far too many. Technically, we could count every day here, and that’s if I was feeling generous.” The giggle was cute and she certainly appreciated the effort, giving the Jirachi a warm smile in response. 

“So... Not even like this, then?” And for a moment she went all spooky and ethereal, but quickly snapped back to corporeality. “Ridiculous.”

The tendrils relaxed, and so did Memo, letting out an inward sigh of relief to herself. Obviously she didn’t expect Ammu to do anything to her but, still. She squeezed Ammu extra tight and held her there for a few moments, just to be safe.

“I know, I know… it sucks. We all have to deal with it, unfortunately. But if that’s the only way they can get you down, that’s gotta be a source of pride, right?” she asked, swaying the two of them side to side for a few moments, before loosening her grip on Ammu for her to pull back… if she wanted to, that is.

“Tell anyone about what?” she asked, feigning ignorance to show that her lips were sealed.

“The hug? But we hug each other all the time.”

“Mmmm...” Was her very long murmur, a sound that was somehow both annoyed but agreeing with the sentiment offered. “I suppose... Doesn’t mean it’s not absolutely unacceptable. I’ve been keeping a tally of every sleight and inconvenience they’ve caused me and I fully intended to make them realise the folly of their ways at the first opportunity.”

Her tendrils joined the hug for a moment, but she did pull back when she was afforded the space. Not suddenly, and not because she didn’t like exactly where she’d been (one of her favourite places truthfully), but for the desire to stand straight and tall again. 

@warpedglass​

“Ammy! You’re a sight for sore eyes!” Besty’s been locked outside the majority of the last few days, after taking a nap in the wrong place. At least the pieces that landed on him in his sleep hadn’t coalesced into… another prison. At one point he might’ve welcomed that, but now it’d probably be an inconvenience.

“The snow’s all weird… It wasn’t like this last year, was it?”

“Something I hear on a daily basis, darling. The soreness of your eyes however is a far more pressing matter than most. I hope you’ve not had too rough a time of it?” Despite the sheer indignation of her first encounter with this substance, she made sure to smile and put on a confident front, for his sake if nothing else. 

After making sure Ammu got back on her feet and didn’t slip on the ice, Memo took a small step back, frowning as she watched Ammu begin to stew in her irritation. This sort of reaction was… not surprising, to Memo, it’s exactly how she’d expect Ammutseba to react, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel bad still when she saw it.

(Plus, even though she knew Ammu liked her, those tendrils can still look pretty intimidating…)

“Hey… s’okay…” she said. She grabbed lightly at Ammu’s shoulder to turn Ammu towards her before pulling Ammu into a hug. The kind that always seemed to relax Crow and that she was confident Ammu would like, too, even if it meant she had to pull Ammu down a bit in order for her face to be level with Memo’s chest.

“Hey, look on the bright side… !” she said, rubbing the back of Ammu’s head. Was this working? She was watching Ammu’s tendrils to keep track of that. “You know the only way that this city can stop you is by cheating. Otherwise, you’re unstoppable.”

She resisted, but only for a moment. Indignation clear on her face as she glared at the Jirachi. But... Said Jirachi was inherently soothing and she was rarely one to refuse such an offer. Her tendrils still arched around, each looking at her like the head of the snake, but the clear tension they displayed faded when she made contact. 

Yes, an ample pillow and the stroking of her ego; quite an effective pacification tool. Perhaps reluctantly at first, she lifted her arms and hugged her back.

“I am unstoppable... That’s my whole thing, you know; I can go wherever I want- I should be able to go wherever I want...”

“It’s always someone cheating, some unreachable force afraid to put itself in my path...”

There was a long pause.

“No… I’ve tried. It’s sealed pretty definitely shut tight, and I’m far too weak and squishy.” She couldn’t even teleport inside, with how covered this building was, which was the strangest part to her. It was very strange to find something that just… nullified her psychic power completely.

It took her until the portal opened in front of them that Memo realized that Ammu intended to use that method of entry, and not that she was going to break a chunk off with another diamond.

“Ammu, wait—” Bonk. Memo’s reaction time was too slow to catch her, but she was kneeling down behind Ammu in an instant to give her a hand in getting back up.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry! My mouth couldn’t go as fast as my mind… I was gonna tell you that wouldn’t work…”

Ammu was... Not okay. She was incredibly sturdy, there was never any doubt there, but she was so unused to feeling any physical pain that even a slight amount was jarring. No, she didn’t like this at all. 

“No.”

For some irritation could be so strong it was almost palpable. For Ammutseba, it was literally that; a wave of unease the emanated off her like a foul shroud. 

“What the hell was that! A wall?! No barrier can stop me!”

“Oh so you can’t get inside? Terrible fate really, but I’ve always struggled with the thought of having to use doors. Any kind of entrance, really.”

While she thoroughly didn’t enjoy the cold, she did enjoy things that sparkle. She was wrapped up considerably well, and this kind of temperature was the only time she wore nearly this many clothes.

“Not a problem, darling. I’ll have us inside in just a moment.”

With a flourish, because of course there was a flourish, she used her tendrils to create an oblong shape of darkness into the crystal surface which quickly filled in with that same rippling shadow. With all the considerable confidence she had she strode forward.

Mezzarin might’ve technically been the first to break character with her earlier laugh, but Ammutseba was the first to give up all pretense. So Mezzarin considered this one a win for her, and dropped her facade too.

“Hey, if it gets things done or makes you laugh, I’ll talk as ridiculous as I need to. It worked, didn’t it?”

Her tails didn’t give up the poke war even after she was lifted, instead swinging and moving even faster now to try and push what little advantage she might have left. “I mean I just meant you could put them on our next Spirazon delivery list but I’m not gonna say no to getting them tonight… triple fudge too. I’ll even let you have one. If you ask nicely.”

She also realized she was given another angle of attack here too, so now she poked Ammu’s chest.

“I suppose it always does.” 

She kept her arms folded as she smiled at the suspended Mespirit, two of her tendrils keeping up the playful swatting with Mezzi’s tails. “Well there’s nothing else going on, is there? Besides I could do with picking up a few things. Triple fudge?” She asked in a fake incredulous tone, raising an eyebrow just as Mezzi started poking her in the chest. 

“Corrupt or not, we’re still in my kangaskhan court. My word is law, and law is as I wish it to be and as I always wish it was.” She hardly even knew what she was saying at this point, she was just adding on more words for words’ sake. And also ignoring most of Ammu’s words so that she could play the part of a corrupt judge even more.

“Your words displease me! Your arguments are nothing.”

“There is but one recourse,” she said, poking at Ammu’s stomach because it’s all she could reach, with her own two tails reaching around to poke at her lower tendrils. “Order me some more fuckin’ brownie bites. Pretty please.”

It was probably for the best she couldn’t see her past her own chest because at this point she was really struggling to keep a straight face. The stomach poking is what finally did it and she couldn’t help but burst out laughing. 

“Do you ever hear yourself talk? Absolutely ridiculous, honestly.”

Her lower tendrils might be in a poke off with Mezzi’s tails, but she had her beat on numbers, so the middle pair simply shot down to wrap around her waist and hoist her up to eye level. 

“At least I have a heart to say it! Unlike some people in this room…” She puffed out her cheeks and her chest… and then burst out into a laugh which she quickly tried and… mostly? succeeded in disguising as a cough. An obvious disguise, but a disguise nevertheless.

“These taxes are as fair as any and I’m here to collect.”

She hopped off the counter and marched right up to Ammu, looking up at her with renewed judgement. Arms still crossed the whole time, of course.

“I am the judge, jury, and executioner here and I’ve already decided you guilty. What say you in your defense?”

“Accusing me of being heartless, now? Truly you’ve lost all reason.” The sight of her puffed up and fake mad was funny enough, but she couldn’t hold her own giggles in when Mezzarin broke and poorly disguised it with a cough.

“Corrupt is what you are, rotten to the core. What kind of kangaskhan court is this? What point is there of a defence no matter how honest and true when faced with such blind injustice, hmm?”