"nobody touches you!"

How is any of this fair?! [CA OPEN - TAKEBABY RETURNS]

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:24:11 -0400

The brunette felt like an absolute fool for not recognizing the person in front of her earlier. It was Filia, the girl Yukari had spent her days looking for ever since she had been (unwillingly) dragged back to the city. Filia was probably the only ray of light in what she called a hellish nightmare. As Yukari was about to grab the girl’s shoulders in extreme surprise, she hesitated and pulled her lingering hands back. Hostility was rampant in the air, the source being Filia’s unruly hairdo. Samson… He wasn’t this aggressive with Yukari besides the first time they met. And the time she pulled out her Evoker in front of them. And that other time…Well, point is he wasn’t usually THIS aggressive.

Then the words of one of the city’s scientists popped back in her head. It hit her like a truck, more or less.

It may be possible that you do not remember everything right away, or that some memories may never return, but hopefully those are uncommon errors.”

Was… Was that true? No way! So the temporary—or permanent—amnesia… Did that side effect affect Filia? Of course it did; why would anything go right? It was HER life after all. Yukari sighed defeatedly as she nodded to the girl in front of her, who had looked confused the entire time Yukari’s mind was racing.

“Well… Right now we’re in Sector 5, the shopping district. Your apartment is in Sector 3, which is 2 sectors back. So we have to take the train. You’ll have to go through sectors 6, 1 and 2, so that’s about an hour and a half trip, not to mention finding your complex…”

Yukari couldn’t help but sound a little disappointed, but she still clung onto a small hope. A hope that Filia’s amnesia was temporary. Maybe if she stuck around long enough… That’s right, she will. And she’ll keep the same attitude Filia came to like. With a big smile on her face she pointed in the direction of the train station.

“The train station’s over there. If you don’t mind, I’ll tag along with you… I’ve been stuck in this experiment twice so I know my way around the place now. I can take you to your complex, no problem. Oh! Forgot to introduce myself. I’m Yukari.”

If only the pain she felt from Filia’s wiped memory would go away. If only.

There were a few moments of silence as the brunette hesitated. She seemed about to touch Filia, but pulled back at the last moment, a confused expression on her face. Filia could only frown in response, tilting her head to the side. “Um, are you alright? Is there something wrong?”

Was there something on her face or shirt? Filia wiped at her cheeks and glanced down at her clothes, but they were all clean at the moment. So what was the problem?

Whatever the issue was, it was apparently resolved as the girl spoke again, but her words were hardly heartening. “That long? Well I guess it can’t really be helped… At least the trains are free, right Samson?”

“Bride side a’ life, kid,” grunted the Parasite. “Buncha scientists kidnap people and force ‘em to live in this city, but at least the trains run on time!”

Filia looked in the direction of Yukari’s finger, towards the train station. If this place was the shopping district, she might have to come back some time, but for now all she wanted was a place to rest. and figure out what was going on. Maybe the brown-haired girl could help, because she knew a lot more about the city than Filia did. And once she mentioned why, Filia couldn’t help but be sympathetic. “Twice already? It must be bad enough to be taken once… Not to mention sent back home, but then to get taken again? I’m so sorry.”

She laced her fingers together, giving the brunette a sad smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Yukari. I’m Filia, and this is Samson.” She gestured to her hair, which gave an uninterested grunt. Come to think of it, Yukari hadn’t seemed as surprised by the Parasite as the other people Filia had met so far. Maybe she’d seen things like it back in her world?

“And thank you for helping us,” said Filia, smiling again. “We’ll definitely repay you sometime!”

“Hey, don’t rope me into this.”

Oh gravity, stay the hell away from me. [Open]

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:38:04 -0400

dazeofouryouth:

There was that old Samson wit again. Kat had only known the living wig for a few hours and already had enough of his boorish attitude. It was all beginning to wear a bit thin. Either way, when the other girl passed the cat back to her, well, it sort of hurt way more than it should have done. Especially with that sort of hurried toss. Like passing off junk mail.

Kat’s expression showed all. Wasn’t the best face she’d ever put on.

“Yeah, well, okay whatever.” she said, her tone notable dropping near the end. She took the cat back from Filia and cusped her hands under him. He moved slightly, and she begun gently stroking his chin. Well, that put a dampner on things. What sort of person didn’t like cats? If she had an allergy that would be understandable, but actually disliking them?

There were strange people in the world.

She took steps heading back towards the market once more, stopping right at the mouth of the alleyway, giving a quick turn to the pair.

“You helped me a lot today… So we’re friends, right? If you’re still free, want to hang out some more? Even if you don’t like cats, I think I like you.”

She gave another slight smile, waiting for the answer.

Filia tried to make the cat pass seem natural, but seeing Kat’s expression, she’d evidently failed. Dusty was a nice cat, and Filia would’ve liked to hold him a bit longer, but Samson wouldn’t let her was all! It wasn’t her fault that he was just determined to rain on her parade! Dusty probably started chewing on him because he knew Samson was rude.

She still forced a smile, but it began to fade as Kat turned away. The other girl must have really been hurt by what had just happened. Stepping forward, Filia opened her mouth to apologize but stopped short as Kat turned to look at her again.

“Oh, uh. Of course! Of course we’re friends! Why wouldn’t we be? And I’d love to hang out with you again sometime!” Another smile, a genuine one this time, appeared on the girl’s face as she spoke. So Kat wasn’t mad at her, if anything, she thought it was the other way around. “I may not like cats that much, but I like Kat!”

A few moments of silence, and then “Do… do you get it?”

Samson made a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and pretending to vomit. “You’re takin’ lessons from that stupid Feral form back home, huh?”

“I thought it was funny…” muttered Filia, rubbing at her arm.

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:04:38 -0400

felinefinenyao: “… Pfft… Nya ha ha!” “Okay, wow, okay.. my sides are here right?! That was good!...

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:35:52 -0400

felinefinenyao:

“… Pfft… Nya ha ha!”

“Okay, wow, okay.. my sides are here right?! That was good! Do another, do another!”

“Don’t encourage him!”

“No need to split hairs, Filia. You just need to be conditioned. I’m sure we’ll find the root of the problem.

“Hey, I’m pretty good at this!”

felinefinenyao: “You used the same joke twice in a row…” “Do you know what that means?! You’ve...

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:59:04 -0400

felinefinenyao:

“You used the same joke twice in a row…”

“Do you know what that means?! You’ve broken one of the unspoken rules of comedy! And on a joke that doesn’t even make any sense! Unfurgivable! You’re a terrible hairball and an even lamer comedian!”

“Cram it! You’re just bein’ a crabby cat!

“…Get it? Y’know, like, tabby cat, but with crabby instead-“

“We get it, it’s just not funny.”

felinefinenyao: “You’d think that someone with two brains would be able to come up with a decent...

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:52:08 -0400

felinefinenyao:

“You’d think that someone with two brains would be able to come up with a decent pun!”

“H-hey, I don’t want any part of this!”

“Probably because she can’t get ahead of the game!”

felinefinenyao: “Everyone’s a critic!” “I think you need to head on out of...

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:43:34 -0400

felinefinenyao:

“Everyone’s a critic!”

“I think you need to head on out of here!”

“That one was the worst of all, Samson…”

☹☹

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:37:26 -0400

☹: Having food taken away

☹: Not being bought food on a date

skin-myself-a-crocodile: Meme Sunday ‘✉’ for an unsent letter from my character to yours. ‘♥’ and...

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:27:09 -0400

skin-myself-a-crocodile:

Meme Sunday

‘✉’ for an unsent letter from my character to yours.

‘♥’ and a name, and I’ll kiss them.

‘♡’ and my character(s) will cuddle yours!

a word and I’ll write a headcanon based on it.

‘♪’ and I’ll put my playlist on shuffle to tell you our song.

‘Ω’ and I’ll tell you what my character(s) thinks of yours.

a ship you have for my character(s) and I’ll tell you what I think.

age and a question and my character(s) will answer as that age.

unwanted (or bad) advice for my character(s).

ask my characters for advice.

bad (but hilarious) pick-up lines!

prompts or drabble ideas!

Questions!

‘Crush?’ for any romantic interest my character(s) might have for someone.

‘Confess?’ and my character(s) will have to confess something to yours. (whether it be feelings, opinions, a secret — whatever; feel free to specify)

‘Fetish?’ for one thing that is sexually appealing to my character(s).

☹ for a turn-off

a headcanon you have for my character(s) — I will accept/reject.

“[name]…has passed away” for my character’(s’) reaction.

★ for an IC fact, or ☆ for an OOC fact

Give my character a difficult decision

‘Would you rather…’

♛ and I’ll summarize our muses’ relationship with a gif.

✖ and I will give you a fear that my character has in dealing with yours

34, 45, 8

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:52:47 -0400

8. Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging

Filia loves food. Pretty much every kind of food, but especially sweet things. She doesn’t feel guilty about it at all.

Samson likes drinking, though Filia becomes intoxicated when he drinks, so he doesn’t get to do it as much as he’d like.

34: Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)

Filia is definitely more prone to privacy, and gets embarrassed whenever someone knows something about her that she considers ‘secret.’

Samson would be the more ‘TMI’ one, though not with his own secrets. Only with Filia’s.

45: Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?

Both prefer to act rather than just talk. Filia in particular will never stand around if someone innocent is suffering, or if she or someone she cares about is in danger.

Samson is more likely to act on impulses, though.

☛ GET INSIDE YOUR CHARACTER'S HEAD! aka The Excessively Detailed Headcanon Meme

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:21:28 -0400

1: What does their bedroom look like?
2: Do they have any daily rituals?
3: Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?
4: What would they do if they needed to make dinner but the kitchen was busy?
5: Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.).
6: Eating habits and sample daily menu.
7: Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time
8: Favorite indulgence and feelings surrounding indulging
9: Makeup?
10: Neuroses? Do they recognize them as such?
11: Intellectual pursuits?
12: Favorite book genre?
13: Sexual Orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?
14: Physical abnormalities? (Both visible and not, including injuries/disabilities, long-term illnesses, food-intolerances, etc.)
15: Biggest and smallest short term goal?
16: Biggest and smallest long term goal?
17: Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress
18: Favorite beverage?
19: What do they think about before falling asleep at night?
20: Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?
21: Turn-ons? Turn-offs?
22: Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?
23: How organized are they? How does this organization/disorganization manifest in their everyday life?
24: Is there one subject of study that they excel at? Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all?
25: How do they see themselves 5 years from today?
26: Do they have any plans for the future? Any contingency plans if things don’t workout?
27: What is their biggest regret?
28: Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?
29: Reaction to sudden extrapersonal disaster (eg The house is on fire! What do they do?)
30: Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)
31: Most prized possession?
32: Thoughts on material possessions in general?
33: Concept of home and family?
34: Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)
35: What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?
36: What makes them feel guilty?
37: Are they more analytical or more emotional in their decision-making?
38: What recharges them when they’re feeling drained?
39: Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?
40: How misanthropic are they?
41: Hobbies?
42: How far did they get in formal education? What are their views on formal education vs self-education?
43: Religion?
44: Superstitions or views on the occult?
45: Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?
46: If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?
47: How do they express love?
48: If this person were to get into a fist fight, what is their fighting style like?
49: Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?

Child of Time, Maid to Fate(CA Event| CA open)

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:28:37 -0400

timelymaid:

Her mistress had insisted on having the drink that had been stealthily going around the city. The rumored Blood Grave, a concoction said to bring out the very best essence in blood, and she was tasked with finding it. Not that it was hard to find, apparently a few restaurants had started to serve as part of their secret menu.

Her basket of bottles held tight between her arms, the maid was hurrying back when suddenly from all around her pink fumes burst out. Sakuya was surprised at first and confused but then that stopped mattering. As her body grew younger, her already small breasts grew even flatter and soon the girl was sitting next to a basket blinking in surprise at her surroundings.

The last things she remembered?

Please don’t wander off, mother had often chided her, make sure the others don’t see you, never take anything from strangers and whatever you do… Don’t let people see you make magic.

“Of course mother.” The girl had said just before running into town.

When night fell, the little girl ran into her mother’s home throwing the door open with an excited giggle. “Mother, I’m home! I found this nice little shop and they gave out cookies and…!”

The girl’s mother stood dead surrounded by townspeople staring down at her corpse. Sakuya stopped as she watched them slowly turn towards her, and Sakuya ran. She ran and ran and ran until she couldn’t run anymore, right in front of a gate.

And…

The girl sniffed as she stared around her sadly. She was so afraid, afraid for her life and… and she missed her mommy.

Were there always so many children around Hive City? Filia knew there were some people in the city who were younger than the others, but not this young, right? She glanced around, a uncertain expression on her face as he reached up towards her hair. “Samson, does anything seem a bit… off to you? More than usual in this city, I mean.”

The Parasite on the girl’s head glanced around, clicking his teeth together. “Nah, not really.”

“Are you sure? It looks like there’s a lot more children around…”

“Eh, alla you humans look pretty much alike to me, kid. Sorry.”

Despite Samson’s indifference, Filia was almost certain something was wrong. Were the scientists just taking a lot more children lately?

Her worried musings were cut short by the nearby sound of sniffling. Glancing around, she found a little girl with sad eyes, still sniffling loudly. And with a sad little girl right in front of her, Filia knew she couldn’t just ignore them. She hated seeing innocent people suffer.

“Um… Excuse me, are you okay? Is something wrong, little girl? Are you lost or something? I-is there anything I can do to help?” She smiled, trying to seem as warm and friendly as possible. “My name’s Filia. What’s yours?”

shuzaichu replied to your post: longest habit you’ve had and most valued… “Demon-hair...

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:10:25 -0400

shuzaichu replied to your post: longest habit you’ve had and most valued…

“Demon-hair with a tough attitude, but a sweet, sugar-coated inside to that rough facade? What a scoop!”

“NO! I ain’t a nice guy, Imma badass! Your scoop’s got nothin’ but bullshit in it!”

“Don’t listen to him! Samson’s really nice when you get to know him. He’s just a big softie.”

“Next time you try and go for a midnight snack, I’m tyin’ you to the bed.”

love life?

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:04:46 -0400

“L-love life? I don’t know, maybe? I don’t think so, though… I mean, it would be nice, though, I don’t know if anyone could put up with Samson, though…”

“No boys, Filia. No girls, neither.”

longest habit you've had and most valued relationship!

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:59:29 -0400

“Habits…? I don’t really know. I guess… When I’m uncertain, I have to make sure Samson is there? I mean, I know he’s always there, but it makes me feel better.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, kid. I’d have to say my habit is bein’ awesome. Sometimes it’s tough to keep up, but I manage.”

“My most valued relationship is easy. It’s Samson! He’s always there when I need him!”

“Hey, shut up about me! People might start thinkin’ I’m nice or somethin’! I ain’t even gonna answer that question!”

sigmeowklim: seireijitsu: ask my character about love life sex life habits embarrassing...

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:47:32 -0400

sigmeowklim:

seireijitsu:

ask my character about

love life

sex life

habits

embarrassing moments

valued relationships

things they’re proud of

things they regret

16 Years [Open]

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:46:00 -0400

dorarara:

Josuke noticed Samson’s mean mugging, but he chose to ignore it. However,

the way he moved atop of Filia’s head was a little unsettling, but he chose to ignore that too. He had better things to pay attention to, like Filia.

He laughed a bit as Samson and Filia argued in front of him, only laughing more when Filia won the argument. He rested his elbow on the table, leaning his chin on his hand as he continued to speak to Filia.

“Yeah, I can tell. I don’t know about the nice once you get to know him part, I think he just likes you and no one else. But whatever right?”

He shrugged. He figured he’d get used to Samson’s presence eventually. He’d have to if he wanted to continue being friends with Filia. He couldn’t help but wonder how annoying it must be to have another entity with you at all times, especially one so disagreeable. But Filia’s positive nature and bright smile were contagious, and she didn’t seem to mind it, so that was good. Upon hearing that it was actually her birthday, his eyes widened a bit.

“What, really? Seriously? It’s actually your birthday? Then shit, I guess we ordered something really fitting!”

Josuke laughed again, only to stop suddenly when she offered to buy him food for his birthday as well. A light blush spread across his cheeks – never had a girl offered to buy him food, and it was a nice change of pace, if not a bit embarassing.

“Y-You don’t have to do that, really! I appreciate the thought though!”

He waved his hands in front of him, chuckling nervously. Good thing the food was right around the corner.

At least Josuke wasn’t too bothered by Samson, thought Filia. The Parasite’s unruly behavior scared away more than a few people, both for better and for worse. Unpleasant people were easy to scare off, but sometimes people she actually wanted to talk to got shooed away too. But Josuke didn’t seem to find Samson intimidating, only annoying. It was kind of funny, in a way, especially if Samson didn’t like it.

“Well, maybe it’s just me, but most people don’t stay around long enough to get to know him in the first place,” she said, reaching up to curl a lock of hair around her finger.

“There’re people I like!” snapped Samson. ”What about Jack, huh? Did you forget about him?”

“Oh, well, that’s one…” said Filia, nodding. “See Josuke? He just acts tough, but he’s really a big softie!”

“Shut up! I am not!” Samson reached down to squish the girl’s cheeks, growling. “You’re one to talk about bein’ soft, ya little brat.”

The girl swatted away the Parasite’s tentacles, whining. “Samsonnnnnn!” Looking at them, you’d never guess all the horrible things they’d seen and been through together. And one would never think that Samson was actually a mean-spirited psychopath.

With Samson’s limbs still balled up in her fists, Filia smiled up at Josuke again. “Yeah! I’m turning 17! Or, is it 16…? I guess it doesn’t really matter…”

“Eh, only a year apart. Who’s gonna know?”

Filia nodded, finally releasing the Parasite, who drew his tendrils back with a grateful sigh. “I guess. But you can’t just refuse a gift like that!” she said, pointing at Josuke. “That’s how Birthdays work, right? If a friend wants to do something nice for you, you shouldn’t refuse!”

Luckily, Josuke was spared from the girl’s lecture by the arrival of the promised pancakes. Filia’s eyes widened as they were set down in front of her, nose wiggling as she savored the smell. Already her mouth was beginning to water, and she lifted the first bite to her mouth-

“Hey, that’s pretty good stuff!” said Samson, chewing on the morsel he’d snatched.

“S-Samsonnnn!” The girl quickly cut another piece, making sure the Parasite didn’t snatch this one. And when she finally did put it in her mouth-

Filia frowned. She chewed, swallowed, and frowned. “It’s okay, I guess.” So much for that.

A clue? A clue! [CA Intel/ Event Open]

Mon, 06 May 2013 03:55:00 -0400

biggesthypocrite:

Pucci’s eyes remained on the creature inhabiting the girl’s head. It didn’t seem like a hostile kind so he held no more caution than he usually would. Slight curiosity was involved but it was mostly about what kind of abilities this creature had and other things along the lines and mainly if it was useful.

Pucci swallowed the questions about the matter for now, aiming his concentration towards the situation at the hand. The creature was now offering mere idle chatter so his attention was immediately directed towards the girl. Hearing the apology he shook his head.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind so much”, he kept it short to prevent the conversation from sidetracking. Fortunately there he didn’t have to wait long to hear the clue. The girl read it aloud but Pucci also took a look at the small piece of paper.

“….unfortunately I haven’t - the television signal keeps being difficult - but…”

“It might not be bad idea to take this literally? You two must be more familiar with this sector than I am, so please do share if you have any thoughts.”

He recalled that 6th sector had a zoo but that paid no use here. He doubted it was a pet shop either - there was probably multitude of those here anyway….

If the man didn’t mind, then no harm, no foul, right? Filia smiled, happy that Samson’s actions hadn’t landed them in any rough spots. “Well, we’ve mostly been staying inside, but the power’s been cutting off, so I haven’t checked the TV, really. We heard the announcement, but were just going to wait out the storm in the apartment…”

“Some people are born great, others have greatness thrust upon ‘em. That’s how it goes, kid,” said Samson, shrugging. He began to grin, a wide, toothy smile that said the Parasite had something mischievous planned. “I don’t really give a crap about the city, but I’d love to get some more of my powers back, ya follow me kid?”

“That would be nice…” The girl glanced down at the paper in her hands, and then nodded, resolve steeled. “You’re right, we got chosen to have this info! We can be the saviors of Hive City! And you’ll help, right?” she said, smiling up at the man. “I’m Filia, and this is Samson. We’ll be partners in this, alright?”

“Let’s get back on track here,” said Samson, extending a hand to snap his fingers.

“Right, the clue,” said Filia, nodding again. “Well, we haven’t been living in this sector for very long, but I think I’ve seen a few pet stores…”

“Nah, they ain’t gonna hide the detonator in a pet store. What if some cat took triggered it by accident? You know those guys are assholes. Nah, what about the stuff near the edge of the Sector, by Sector 6?”

“Right, there’s those empty buildings for animals in there… They were probably meant for Sector 6, but they ended up being part of this Sector and got shut down…” Filia had to suppress a shiver of excitement; here she was, solving mysteries just like in the radio dramas! She was like a real detective!

“Oh, what do you think, mister?” she said, barely remembering the fact that she and Samson weren’t alone.

A clue? A clue! [CA Intel/ Event Open]

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:40:11 -0400

pasledessert:

/The Queen used her now free hand to lovingly stroke Sigma, feeling her add on’s frustration. She seemed surprise, but not taken aback by the girl connected to the spectre…or was the spectre connected to the girl? Perhaps he wasn’t even a spectre.

Deciding not to ponder such things, Vader gives a polite smile./

“It’s quite alright, ma fille.”

“I’m Vader Eloha, and..this is my add on, Sigma.”

/She usually didn’t introduce her add on, but it only felt right to after Filia introduced her add on..that was..an odd on, right? If it wasn’t a spectre…The Queen decided not to try to relate things in hive city to her home in order to avoid confusion.

Vader observes the paper with interest. After a short silence, she replies./

“I believe it means as it says. Let us go find some animals. Is there a zoo in this city?”

“No, my name’s Filia. not Fille,’ said the girl, pursing her lips. The woman sounded foreign and looked… not quite human, so her mispronunciation wasn’t such a big deal. There were far more pressing matters to attend to right now.

Filia was about to speak again, but Samson chimed in first. “Vader? Like the guy in black armor? Go around tellin’ people ‘I am your father.’ Or mother, I guess. Whatever.”

“Samson, this is kind of important!” said the girl, tugging on a lock of her hair. The Parasite gave a growl, waving one of his limbs dismissively. He finally settled on glaring at the Sigma-thing as Filia took care of business.

“Anyways, Ms. Eloha, I think there’s a zoo in Sector 6, but there’s no point in looking there, obviously…” Filia trailed off, reaching one of her hands to twine a lock of hair around her fingers. Samson writhed at her touch, looping his strands around her digits as the girl thought. “There’s nothing like that here in Sector 5, I don’t think. Maybe it’s a pet shop or something…”

“Nah, we got somethin’ similar. There’s that aquarium over by the edge of the Sector,” said Samson. “I think the place is closed down, though, so no animals there.”

“Maybe…” Filia glanced up at Vader, giving a small smile. “What do you think, Ms. Eloha? Do you know this sector?”

001. there and back again [open/intro]

Thu, 02 May 2013 04:26:26 -0400

twobitheroics:

“As long as you’d be okay with it, I’d be happy to help.” Jack shrugged amiably. “Friends help friends, right?” He was realizing why he was friends with Filia—she was a nice girl. Nice people were few and far in between for Jack—especially since he joined the PSB.

The waiter took his time with the wine, but Jack was pleased to see the bottle. He needed a drink.

“Thank you.” Nodding slightly, the waiter poured Jack a glass and set the bottle upon the table, retreating to serve some other set of patrons. The splicer took the glass and took a swig of the fine wine, as if it was a shot of vodka. The swig turned into a chug—and in moments, the glass was empty. Totally oblivious towards the scandalized looks he was getting (Drinking wine like it was orange juice was surprisingly not condoned by the wine connoisseurs of the world, of which included some of the restaurant’s patrons) Jack poured himself another glass and took a sip. Only after he had finished did he answer Filia’s query.

“What I remember from… the last time I was here?” Jack frowned as he took another (large) sip of wine, smacking his lips when he set the glass back down onto the table. “Usual stuff. The purpose of the city. Who ran it, the sectors and all that. People… not so much.”

“I remember you—vaguely—but not your, ah…” There’s only a moment of hesitation as he chooses the right word to describe her parasite “Your companion. He’s… new. I do remember others. Friends. I recall some better than others.” He paused as he thought of the admittedly few people he had befriended in Hive City. Filia was the first one he’d seen. How were the rest of them doing? “No enemies, though. Some annoying people, but no one really bad.” It was surprising, at least to the man who had no one but a bunch of small children and an army of insane drug addicts for company, once upon a time. “It’s… annoying.”

Filia gave Jack a small smile before settling back into her irritated mood, resting her elbows on the table and glancing around. She felt out of place here, especially with Samson on the back of her head. This was obviously a nice restaurant for well-to-do people, and Filia was just a schoolgirl with a memory problem, and hardly any money to go around. Jack wasn’t much better; a good-natured thug who happened to come into some money by beating people half to death.

As soon as Jack put the bottle down, Samson made a grab for it, grinning. Filia made a noise of protest, but it hardly stopped the Parasite from chugging straight from the bottle. The girl sighed, resigning to her soon-drunken fate.

Her expression softened a little as Jack spoke about his memories. “You’re lucky you remember anything. You’d think that if these scientists could bring us all the way here from our home worlds, they could at least keep our memories straight.”

“Yeah, you’re always sayin’ that thing, though,” said Samson, stopping his drink long enough to offer some sagely advice. “What was it, somethin’ like memories don’t matter. It’s who you are now that’s important, not who you were. Right?”

“I guess…”

“Right! Don’t worry about it too much, kid.” As if to celebrate his wisdom, Samson began to down form the wine bottle again.

Filia frowned, but said nothing to the Parasite. She glanced up at Jack again, not quite smiling this time. “I guess it’s better than nothing, though. I mean, it could be better but… No point in worrying about it, I guess.” She bowed her head, brow furrowed in concentration as if trying to recall the memories that weren’t there. “I wonder who else I knew. I probably had other friends, right? Maybe I had enemies, too…” She trailed off, frowning.

“It would suck if you had an enemy that ya didn’t remember. Then they could get you, and you’d be none the wiser!” said Samson, echoing Filia’s fears.

The girl was about to speak again, but was spared by the reappearance of the waiter, bearing a plate for Jack and two plates for Filia and Samson. This was it, this was what she’d been waiting for. The food on her plate wasn’t quite a burger, but it smelled good, and she was happy to have an excuse not to talk anymore. She tucked into the plate, forgetting her worries for a few precious moments.