act43side

(Gasping heavily)

Chill, Tippi, chill... deep breaths. Remember how the plot went in that movie—

...The heroine had her friend pick up a weapon and hide in a storage room to the left, while she herself ran the other way...

Storage room...

Alright, the route matches up!

Down we go... It's kinda dark in here... Well, dark is good... There should be a hidden door around the corner...

Straight ahead, and at the end of the corridor there should be a backup control cabin...

...She knew all the mannequins chasing down the squad were her friend's work. The whole squad pointed their fingers at her friend, and she was mad too...

Gotta get moving!

What are you doing here, Tippi?

I figured out how to change the plate's trajectory! We can avoid any more casualties, so let me through ASAP!

There's a way out of this...?

Don't listen to her lies! Isn't she the culprit's best friend?!

She could've been covering up for her this whole time! How else could we have missed all this happening right under our noses, right up until we're about to die?!

She tries not to think about her friend's betrayal, even though she still has things to say...

She ignores the crowd mocking her. They're only attacking her to protect themselves...

It... it was you, the one always hiding in the back! First you interrupt the shooting, now you're preventing us from going home!

She wants to save everyone, including her friend. She wants answers...

Stop her! Don't let her through!

Agh, my eyes—!

Tippi grabs the spray-gun from her belt and glares at the fearsome weapon-wielding crew.

You leave me no other choice...

Are you guys afraid of one girl? Get her!

The murders, the Catastrophe... The film crew was already on-edge from having to hide in the engine layer, so the spray-painter's behavior only rouses their pent-up anger.

Their self-defense weapons scrape the floor as everyone rushes towards Tippi.

Her hands are trembling. There is no way she can take them all alone, and she prays the hover unit on her back will work...

Her final trump card.

A black creature shows up at the corner of the corridor.

It is as if the noise drew her here, but also as if she is merely passing by.

No one notices her as they rush by, their heads filled with all sorts of extreme emotions.

Miss.Christine takes a sniff, and the rushing crowd slows down in her eyes... until they freeze in place.

Anger. Extremely spicy, but without a little sour envy to balance it out, it tastes a bit off...

Panic. Bitter and hard to keep down, but a little dash of sweet comfort will turn it into a nice dessert...

Grief. A salty mix of tears and sighs that brings unnecessary trouble if too much is added. Must be carefully paired with other flavors...

Pain. The most complex and ever-changing emotion. It used to be my favorite...

But after meeting Lucian, the pain of ordinary people is almost flavorless to me.

Well, there's another one over there... She seems to be that little Zalak's friend.

At first I only took notice of that girl who seemed so similar to Lucian, the lead actress that man chose for his latest play. Yet I didn't expect your ties to make you even tastier than her.

Miss.Christine shakes her tails, her eyes moving between shadows on the ground until they lock onto Tippi's silhouette...

The lady's twin tails twist into strange shapes, as if a woman is wiping her knife and fork before diving into her meal.

(Shakes tails)

(Licks paws after a meal)

...I ought to gift you a small reward.

The lady glances at the crowd rushing towards the Liberi.

A little exercise to aid digestion after her meal, she thinks.

...Why... am I here...?

The Catastrophe's about to hit us, so we came down here to hide from it... But what's with the wrench in my hand?

*thunk*—

Weapons fall from their hands in succession, as the resulting harsh clangs wake even more from their delirium.

They exchange looks of confusion, not knowing why they were all holding weapons, though they do know that they should leave.

Meow—

Miss.Christine...? What're you doing here?

How come they're leaving?

When they were rushing towards me, I suddenly felt my whole body go cold, and lots of different feelings woke up in me at the same time. Like they were fighting...

But then a breeze blew by, I heard their weapons drop, and my body thawed out too.

Like some kinda irresistible force pulled something out of me...

Miss.Christine tilts her head.

She taps her tails twice on the floor, successfully attracting the girl's attention, then points in a direction.

...They are right in front of the control cabin.

*cough* *cough* This place is older than I thought it'd be...

Wow, the devices here are all previous gen stuff...

But that's good news for us, since they're all sealed off to prevent dust and corrosion, and there's no smart locks on anything...

Even I'd find it pretty tough to learn to hack on the spot.

Lemme see...

The storm's moving faster than the plate, so just reversing's a no-go. Turning—turning's the best way out.

But trying to change direction when the plate's already so close to the Catastrophe... No, I can't worry about that!

Where's the backup navigational system...

Here it is!

First open the lock... Great, I'm in.

Then...

Tippi takes a deep breath, and hopes she remembers the steps right.

Pull the lever all the way down!

Bang—

Tippi is thrown against a wall by a huge force. The entire engine layer shakes, with all sorts of strange mechanical noises ringing throughout the tiny space—

That was the plate's 'waist' jerking around, with every segment of the treads below now trying to respond to the change.

The steel giant under her feet is now fighting its own immense and unstoppable inertia by steering sideways, trying to avoid the storm right up ahead—

Tippi feels her teeth ache.

She does not know if it will manage to turn in time, or how long it will take.

All she can do is pray.

Even a little shift will do. We'll have a tiny, tiny chance as long as we don't hit the storm's core.

It has to work, it HAS to work!

I have to... see her one more time.

Meow—

Miss.Christine shakes her tails, jumping in front of the little Liberi to smell the changes in her mood.

A brief relief after achieving her goal, along with confusion and pain from a friend's betrayal... But why is there also a hint of suppressed madness?

No. That smell does not belong to the girl.

Miss.Christine jerks her head up, looking towards a place she cannot see. A companion who has been with her the whole time.

Lucian feels sympathy towards the other person, which means he is currently experiencing twice the pain.

Miss.Christine is somewhat displeased.

She cannot help but recall the night when the Crimson Troupe was destroyed, as Lucian sang under name Blood Diamond—

It is no good omen.

How are you so calm, Lucian?

Are you disappointed? Unmoved by what I've done?

A mannequin pounces on him. While it is an inanimate object, Lucian feels a strong depressive aura that suddenly turns into elation and ecstasy...

As Lucian touches the mannequin, the emotions turn into energy, forcing him backwards.

...Dalton.

There is no doubt these are the feelings Dalton had right before his final rehearsal.

Why don't you fight back? Do you have that little interest in me, babe?

But ever since you played the part of the Messenger and spoke those lines about fate, I haven't been able to take my eyes off you!

...Michael.