06-20-2018, 08:48 PM
Wisteria's head spun, trying to adjust the new information that she was being bombarded by. Nexus. Omni. Hero Association? Girl? Mask! Sword! At least the girl, Yukika, hadn't been so hostile that she had taken out a section of Wisteria's tentacles before she got the chance to say anything. It was, unfortunately, a not-altogether foreign experience for her: people tended to assume that she was a monster of some kind, and more than once she had been accosted by an overzealous hero. Most of them apologized later, but not all.
"Camelot?" Wisteria repeated, looking to Weiss. "Like in the story books?"
The girl gave her a blank look. Wisteria shut up. She wasn't sure if she believed the idea that this was a different reality - all this could be explained by a particularly powerful psychic quirk, after all - but if it was, they might not have those stories. She lifted a lower tentacle to her chin as she chewed her lip in thought.
"Well, I guess if we're going to have an alliance, we should stick together," she mused at last to the fox-faced girl. Leaning over, she peered into the fountain. The bottom was as shallow as any wishing well, the clear water showing aged tiles an elbow's-length below the surface. She looked back up. "And I think we can trust her. She smells honest."
"Smells honest...?" Yukika repeated.
Wisteria nodded, and lifted one of her Grasper tentacles. Opening the bulbed end, she allowed the shorter tentacles within to taste the air. She put another tentacle to the side of her nose, and winked. "I-I have a very sensitive nose."
Yukika wrinkled her nose in turn. Weiss folded her arms. Wisteria faltered, then, lowering her tentacle with a blush. Weird, she admonished herself. Too weird. She decided that it was probably best not to explain how some of her tentacles could taste as well as smell. Even though Wisteria did not know her at all, she could already guess from first impressions that Yukika probably would not appreciate the idea that she had essentially licked her in their initial tussle. "U....uhm," she stammered. "A...anyway... That sounds like as good a plan as any... I'm for it, at least until I can figure out what's going on. If there are people from all over in this place, maybe we'll run into someone from my world, as well."
After a moment of consideration, Yukika nodded. Weiss, for a moment, looked unsure, then seemed to regain her regal bearing. "Very well," she said. "I will accompany you. Let it not be said that I would turn a blind eye to those in need."
And so, after a moment to get their bearings, they set off towards the gate in the distance. Wisteria spared a look over her shoulder as they headed away, watching as the fountain she had emerged from seemed to dissolve, piece by piece, wasting away like sand in a high wind. Turning her attention back to the blank canvas in front of them, she glanced aside at the travelers that shared the road between the "verses."
They came in all dresses, shapes, and sizes. Wisteria herself was pretty used to this kind of thing. Quirks came in all flavors. They ranged from those that were invisible, to those that could transform a person into a ten foot tall, ambulatory block of cement. Or, in her case, a half-plant, half-human with dozens of tentacles. She glided along behind the two, leaving a faint trail of slickness as she slithered across the smooth floor with her many appendages, only occasionally tripping over herself, until they at last reached the arch. Every so often one or two people would exit the portal, splitting off towards the other entrances. Their attire was casual, but everything about the way they walked and the expressions on their face said that they were possessed of an important purpose.
Wisteria hesitated before heading through the portal. As she stepped onto the other side, passing through the sheet of reality like it was a finely stretched length of soapy bubble, her senses were hit with the change in scents. Where the Nexus had been void, almost antiseptic, Camelot was like stepping into the mountains.
Around them lay a circle of thick, tall stones. Ahead, down a long hill of browning grass that reached into a wide, cloud-shadowed valley and back up the other side, was an immense castle. Built into the side of a mountain, its rings of high walls encircled the white spires. "Oooh," Wisteria whispered under her breath.
"Minas Tirith," Weiss declared. "As you can probably guess, it's one of the highlights, here. I want to stop by there, first; take stock, see what's going on."
"Impressive," Yukika said, her tone grudging. She had her mask back on, and her voice was back to its deeper tone. Wisteria was reminded of a bat-like superhero that had once been portrayed in film - a man before the time of the culture of heroes that had concealed his identity, and had employed a similar trick.
She couldn't help but giggle a little. Whatever reasons Yukika had, Wisteria suspected she wanted to be taken seriously. So when the girl's head turned towards her, Wisteria coughed, and acted innocent. "That's a long walk," she observed, then sighed as she continued down the hill. "My tentacles are killing me..."
"Camelot?" Wisteria repeated, looking to Weiss. "Like in the story books?"
The girl gave her a blank look. Wisteria shut up. She wasn't sure if she believed the idea that this was a different reality - all this could be explained by a particularly powerful psychic quirk, after all - but if it was, they might not have those stories. She lifted a lower tentacle to her chin as she chewed her lip in thought.
"Well, I guess if we're going to have an alliance, we should stick together," she mused at last to the fox-faced girl. Leaning over, she peered into the fountain. The bottom was as shallow as any wishing well, the clear water showing aged tiles an elbow's-length below the surface. She looked back up. "And I think we can trust her. She smells honest."
"Smells honest...?" Yukika repeated.
Wisteria nodded, and lifted one of her Grasper tentacles. Opening the bulbed end, she allowed the shorter tentacles within to taste the air. She put another tentacle to the side of her nose, and winked. "I-I have a very sensitive nose."
Yukika wrinkled her nose in turn. Weiss folded her arms. Wisteria faltered, then, lowering her tentacle with a blush. Weird, she admonished herself. Too weird. She decided that it was probably best not to explain how some of her tentacles could taste as well as smell. Even though Wisteria did not know her at all, she could already guess from first impressions that Yukika probably would not appreciate the idea that she had essentially licked her in their initial tussle. "U....uhm," she stammered. "A...anyway... That sounds like as good a plan as any... I'm for it, at least until I can figure out what's going on. If there are people from all over in this place, maybe we'll run into someone from my world, as well."
After a moment of consideration, Yukika nodded. Weiss, for a moment, looked unsure, then seemed to regain her regal bearing. "Very well," she said. "I will accompany you. Let it not be said that I would turn a blind eye to those in need."
And so, after a moment to get their bearings, they set off towards the gate in the distance. Wisteria spared a look over her shoulder as they headed away, watching as the fountain she had emerged from seemed to dissolve, piece by piece, wasting away like sand in a high wind. Turning her attention back to the blank canvas in front of them, she glanced aside at the travelers that shared the road between the "verses."
They came in all dresses, shapes, and sizes. Wisteria herself was pretty used to this kind of thing. Quirks came in all flavors. They ranged from those that were invisible, to those that could transform a person into a ten foot tall, ambulatory block of cement. Or, in her case, a half-plant, half-human with dozens of tentacles. She glided along behind the two, leaving a faint trail of slickness as she slithered across the smooth floor with her many appendages, only occasionally tripping over herself, until they at last reached the arch. Every so often one or two people would exit the portal, splitting off towards the other entrances. Their attire was casual, but everything about the way they walked and the expressions on their face said that they were possessed of an important purpose.
Wisteria hesitated before heading through the portal. As she stepped onto the other side, passing through the sheet of reality like it was a finely stretched length of soapy bubble, her senses were hit with the change in scents. Where the Nexus had been void, almost antiseptic, Camelot was like stepping into the mountains.
Around them lay a circle of thick, tall stones. Ahead, down a long hill of browning grass that reached into a wide, cloud-shadowed valley and back up the other side, was an immense castle. Built into the side of a mountain, its rings of high walls encircled the white spires. "Oooh," Wisteria whispered under her breath.
"Minas Tirith," Weiss declared. "As you can probably guess, it's one of the highlights, here. I want to stop by there, first; take stock, see what's going on."
"Impressive," Yukika said, her tone grudging. She had her mask back on, and her voice was back to its deeper tone. Wisteria was reminded of a bat-like superhero that had once been portrayed in film - a man before the time of the culture of heroes that had concealed his identity, and had employed a similar trick.
She couldn't help but giggle a little. Whatever reasons Yukika had, Wisteria suspected she wanted to be taken seriously. So when the girl's head turned towards her, Wisteria coughed, and acted innocent. "That's a long walk," she observed, then sighed as she continued down the hill. "My tentacles are killing me..."