1st Quarter Alert [Action/Video]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[When Calhoun awakes, she finds herself facedown on a table in what must be Tapper's. The wood is slightly sticky under her cheek and smells of root beer, although when she moves a hand around stiffly, there's no mug anywhere to go with it. Which is strange.

What's also strange is that she's in Tapper's when she's supposed to be leaving Sugar Rush. That was the last thing that happened, right? Wreck-It had finally gotten his butt moving and they were going back to where they belonged before...

Stiffly, Calhoun sits up and looks around. And her eyes narrow. This isn't Tapper's. Wherever this is, it isn't the familiar watering hole filled with other arcade citizens. There isn't a single familiar face anywhere. And her gun is nowhere to be found.

For that matter, her armor isn't anywhere to be found. This is a plain white dress. What in the seven levels is this dress.

Calhoun is not amused. With a low growl, she gets to her feet - hits her head on the low-hanging light over the table - and takes another glaring look around the bar. Definitely not in Sugar Rush anymore. This isn't saccharine pink enough. There is, however, a thick journal with her name on it. She knows better than to leave a key item like that behind. After flipping through it quickly and deciding it's infinitely TL;DR, she takes the impatient route and just pokes at the transmission options a few times before she finds the video function.]

Anybody care to share what the flying fairydust is going on around here? Short version. I don't have the time to go through this whole cheat guide here.

[Aaand end transmission.

Alright. Now. First things first. She has to find her scanner, then her gun, then her armor. Then she can figure out what happened.

And somebody is going to get smacked for this.

Calhoun can be spotted slowly making her way through the main part of the village, looking almost like a lioness on the hunt at first as she tries to sniff out any kind of threat. Once she's made her stops into all the stores and found what she's looking for, she'll be a little more at ease, but no less irritated-looking. She's still got this place to scope out and figure out.]

Comments

[video]

[not_a_troll]

[Sure, Loki can do short versions.]

Aye! Pay attention as I will enlighten you in the most short way possible.

[He takes a deeeeeep breath.]

This is the land of Luceti and you are one of the many test subjects of these scientists called the Malnosso.

Just like everyone here, you see? Such a tragic fate...

[Loki shakes his head.]

Those wings are not meant for flying.

[video]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[Bingo, there's the short version she's looking for. The kid talks a bit funny, but hey, maybe that's just the theme of the game.]

Right. So what's the objective? [We're all test subjects aaaand... then what? How do you get to the boss? There has to be some kind of point to this game.

Also, he's just created another burning question.] And what are the wings for?

[video]

[not_a_troll]

[Objective? Well, as far as Loki knows there is no specific objective. Maybe escaping from this realm would make a good final objective...? Loki nods shortly to himself.]

I guess that would be a great escape.

The wings are connected to your life force. Lose them and you will die a painful death.

[Action]

[gonnawreckit]

[Guess who has two thumbs and spends most of the day oblivious of the sarge's presence? This guy, that's who.

The same lummox who is all to easy to sneak up on as he walks through the square. In fact, Calhoun may be stalking him just in time to witness him trying to sneak a scratch onto his posterior.]

[Action]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[Some part of her is genuinely relieved to see Ralph walking along here. Really. This place has been nothing but strange from the get-go and his is a familiar face. Or back. Whatever, he's not exactly a shape you see too often from anyone but Ralph.

That said, the rest of her is just irritated that he's strolling along like nothing is wrong. She considers catching up to him, but she opts instead to fold her arms and scowl at him.]

I'd say hello, Wreck-It, but I'd hate to interrupt this important scratching business of yours.

[Action]

[gonnawreckit]

[The voice instantly makes him flinch. And a part of him feels wistful. After all this time... he's kind of come to miss it.

He stops mid-scratch and slowly turns to face her.]

Sarge? Is that... you?

[sugarglitch]

[When in doubt, go to the bakery was Vanellope's new thing. Rapunzel hung out there a lot, plus the cupcakes they had were always to die for. Figuratively, of course. Anyway, she's decided to take a few from the bakery to take back to the apartment and her route takes her right across the plaza. She's tiny enough that people don't really give her a second look, so she can peer around at everyone without getting noticed... And woah wait that's a familiar, ridiculously tall bombshell blonde!

She races on over, careful not to drop her goodies.]

Sarge!

[gonna_shoot_it]

[Now that she's had a heads-up from Ralph that Vanellope was somewhere, Calhoun isn't exactly surprised to see the girl running over. Not surprised, but definitely glad to see a familiar face all the same. Especially one who is apparently functioning just fine outside of her game. Everything really did work out fine.

Calhoun gives Vanellope a lopsided grin in greeting.]

Well, if it isn't the President.

[sugarglitch]

[Well, that's sure to make her grin even wider.]

Yup, that would be me! Ooh, it's so cool to see ya here! Maybe now the Stinkbrain'll believe me when I tell him I'm the president!

[Action]

[daisy023]

[A person in armor walks around the village when she notices an unknown presence.

Her helmet perks towards Calhoun... and looks up. And up.

.......

SPARTAN-023 realizes how her shortest friends feel around her.]

[Action]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[Calhoun can feel that she's being looked at and gives a small, thoughtful frown before glancing down. Everyone is shorter than her, so this is a familiar thing.

Also familiar is that armor. She knows she's seen it somewhere before. Not in Hero's Duty, no, but it's still familiar.

But that can wait.]

Something wrong, soldier?

[Action]

[daisy023]

[SPARTAN-023 returns her mind to the task. She was human military, and more conscious of the situation. This makes things easier.]

New here, ma'am? ... I think you'd use more than a dress in winter.

[She knows it.]

[action]

[eightlazylegs]

[And while she is making her way through the doors, she may come across a shelf with a winged octopus sitting on it. He's got a purple cashmere hat covering the top of him and several of his tentacles are wrapped in reinforced leather.

He's attempting to open a packet of fish.]

[action]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[Of all things to weird her out, it's not the fact that there's an octopus, or even a winged octopus with reinforced tentacles. It's the hat.

And so she's giving a blank stare at that hat.]

...Huh.

[Action]

[eightlazylegs]

[Hermes looks up at her. It's hard to read expression on an octopus, besides the dulled color of his skin, but he seems to be returning the stare in kind. The fish packet is extended to her.] Open.

[Video]

[fierybluebird]

Welcome to Luceti, don't touch the wings on your back, it'll hurt.

Everything's free, relax, have a nice day, and wait until the shifts or drafts happen.

[Video]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[Alright, that was definitely the crash course in what this place is. She's mildly surprised, but it's a good thing, really. Everything free, wings are for critical hits, there is some kind of war going on if there are drafts. All good information. Considering she's made for fighting, quite literally, there's only one part of that which is really bothering her.]

And what are the shifts supposed to be?

[Video]

[fierybluebird]

Crazy things happen. People forget their memories, or the whole lands gets transformed into something else. One time the moon decided to crush us.

[action]

[savarin]

[So, what does a diminuitive dog-person do when he encounters someone literally twice as tall as he is, looking like she's about ready to fight? He tries to edge away to safety, that's what he does. Even in his robot, she's still taller than Red! Forget shopping, staying alive is more important.]

What the heck's with all the really tall girls here?!

[Oh. Did he just say that out loud? Yep, he did.]

[action]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[Calhoun is less surprised by the sight of a dog-person than she is by his response. With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, she folds her arms and gives him an unamused look.]

Is there a problem, short stack?

[Why is her height causing so much trouble here? It's never been a thing before.]

[action]

[savarin]

Short stack?! That's low!

[Oh, damn, that just added on to it. Red makes a noise somewhere between a sigh and a growl.]

There's no problem! It's just-- I'm not used to seein' people this tall! Where d'you all keep comin' from?

[First Daisy, and now this woman. Red wouldn't be surprised if the next one couldn't even fit in the buildings.]

[Action]

[brokethefourthwall]

[A lioness on the prowl, huh? How do lions feel about ponies? Because a little pink one just bumped into your leg.]

Oof!

[Action]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[This particular lioness is not too terribly concerned that this is both a) a very small cartoon pony and b) a very pink cartoon pony. Both of these things are rather at home in the arcade. It's the tripping over the cartoon pony part that makes her pause. And. Y'know. Stumble a step or two.]

Careful there, cupcake!

[Action]

[voidseeing]

[Gai can tell from this woman's behavior that she's a soldier-- she's wary in a way that your average citizen wouldn't be, and it's not hard for him to recognize a fellow fighter.

Good. The more people with skills here, the better.]

I'll save you the time: don't bother looking around. There's no way out of here.

[Action]

[gonna_shoot_it]

[That wariness just carries over to the way she eyes up this newcomer. Seems to carry himself confidently enough. She almost accepts the advice, but hey, she's a hero. After a moment, she gives a half smile.]

Cute. But I'm not going to give up just because everyone else has.