ic The Third Act

[Gizmo]

Magenta swivelled her triangular head back and forth, multifaceted eyes trying to track whatever Danica and Neko were reacting to but her mechanical sensors were no more capable to detecting the illusory samurai than her fellows on the floor below had been able to see the bobtailed cat. She perked up when Neko began addressing her directly however, obviously pleased to be receiving any sort of attention. It was a little unclear how much of the specific words she understood until at the mention of the moon she straightened her long forelimbs and stuck them straight up on either side of her head to indicate rabbit ears and began hopping about the room in theatrical bounds. Her capering took her to the posts of Danica's bed and she quickly climbed up to give the posters a curious look up and down.

[Electra]

"Yeah, lots of things!" Danica told her enthusiastically. She bellyflopped down onto her mattress and proceeded to wriggle out the top of her shell like a snake shedding its skin, leaving her dressed in the clothes she'd worn on arrival. The shell began to grow til it was the size of a little tent, covering nearly the whole bed. She crawled back in headfirst, her voice echoing a little as she disappeared inside. "It's bigger than it looks! You can come in if you want! And you too, Magenta!" she added. "I've got something for you!" 

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko stared at the robot for an uncomprehending instant, then declared <Oh! You speak Japanese! That's wonderful!> So a little machine speaks Japanese but hardly any human beings do! Well it is better than nothing. He is very cute. She was distracted by the show Danica was putting on and watched with great interest as the turtle girl disappeared into her shell. This sort of thing had been a great surprise to many of Danica's peers over the years, but Neko looked more interested than surprised; as if she was watching a talented artist at work rather than something alien. With a nod, she climbed up onto the bed, lowered her head and raised her butt, and padded slowly into the shell behind Danica, giving Magenta a wave to follow. 

[Electra]

Despite its recent growth, the shell was still bigger on the inside as soon as Neko climbed in. It was a shadowy space, only barely lit by the room light from outside, and she could barely see the black and gold shell pattern around them. Just ahead of her, Danica waved encouragingly and opened a normal-looking, if small, door and ducked through it. Light washed out, and as soon as Neko stepped through she was with Danica in a little bedroom that could've been in any American house, complete with furniture and a whole other set of posters and decorations. 

 

"Welcome to my shell!" Danica exclaimed. "This is where I keep most of my stuff. It's technically a pocket dimension, I guess, but it's just easier to not think about it too much. It's magic!" She reached up onto one of the shelves and produced a Rubix cube the size of an apricot. "Here you go," she told Magenta, passing over the toy. "I thought you guys might like that." 

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko had removed her shoes when she'd first entered her bedroom, but inside Danica's shell she felt the urge to do it again, if only to be polite. She looked around and opened her arms, summoning a black and white cat that turned and ran back the way the girls had gone, then abruptly vanished around the time it would have crossed back out into the real world. "Okay! I see!" said Neko, looking around with awe frank on her face. "Your own - kingdom. You are - very powerful." It was more a statement about politics than superpowers. "Do you have servants here?" She had seen none, but Americans liked to hide things that were of great import if they found them embarrassing. 

 

She sat down on the floor, crossing her legs beneath her, and looked around the room, trying to keep confusion off her face as Danica gave the little machine a toy. Her tail thwapped on the floor nervously for a moment before she calmed herself. She had only seen pictures of rooms like this, only in her father's books - and they had looked like rooms in great palaces or the lairs of magicians, not the bedroom of an American teenager. 

[Gizmo]

Magenta seemed very pleased to be called wonderful for any reason, preening as she followed after the girls into Danica's shell. The extra dimensional space didn't seem to surprise the Robug but then she might have just been distracted by the promise of a present.

 

She accepted the tiny Rubix cube, taking it between the joints of her forelimbs. The rest of her form stayed completely, suddenly motionless as she silently brought it closer to her face, eyes glowing noticeably brighter as she analyzed it. While Danica and Neko chatted the little robot mantis stayed completely transfixed on the miniature puzzle.

[Tiffany Korta]

Starshine

Rosalind thought for a few seconds, but couldn’t make a solid argument to herself which side was better to her. Eventually her brain gave up and she just choose the closest to her, figureing it was the easiest way to go. She pointed and grinned before moving towards the bed.

 

“I guess it only fair I show you mine…” blushing she realised how that could be taken and quickly added “My powers I mean! This is bracelet, as far as I know they don’t have a name.”

 

She pulled down her sleeve to reveal a rather plain steel looking bracelet. It made a series of chirping noises and glowed slightly.

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

When Rosalind choose a side, Bernadette picked up her box from the middle of the room and moved it over to her side of the room and sat it on the bed to begin unpacking. The redhead turned back towards the other teen when Rosalind mentioned showing her powers, smiling slightly at the teen’s initially comment that could easily be taken the wrong way.

 

However, if the Irish teen had any intention of some friendly teasing about the statement, it was quickly forgotten when Rosalind pulled back her sleeve to revel the plain steel bracelet which made some chirping noises and was faintly glowing.

 

"Oh, that bracelet gives ya your powers?" Bernadette asked as she leaned forward slightly to look at the bracelet a moment before focusing back on her roommate. "Is it intelligent? You called it 'they'?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Starshine

A faint aura of light surrounded Rosalind and she floated a few inched off the floor, distracted by trying to figure a reasonable answer she didn’t realise that she was now floating.

 

“It’s kind of difficult to explain, they don’t exactly communicate with me directly. I mean they make these beeping noises but I can’t tell what it’s trying to say. Though sometimes I get impressions of what it wants, and these really vivid dreams now and again.”

 

She was lost for a second in memories of strange alien landscape that she’d seen in these dreams, not something a girl from New Jersey would expect to see.

 

“A the Headmistress say that the bracelet hadn’t reacted to anyone before, so that must mean it chose me right?”

[Electra]

Danica grinned at Magenta's reaction to the present, then turned her attention back to her other guest. "No, I don't have any servants. Hardly anybody with super-powers gets servants," she explained, trying to guess at what Neko might know or think. "You have to be very rich to afford to pay servants. But I've got this cool pocket in space where I can hide if I need to, or just keep my stuff. It even has power outlets, but please don't ask me how they work." She laughed and went to the mini fridge. "Do you want a drink or a snack? I've got water, Dr. Pepper, Capri Sun, and Yoo-hoo, but... hmm. I ate most of the snacks," she admitted. "Do you like pretzel sticks?" 

[Avenger Assembled]

That took some translation, and a demonstration, but as it happened Neko did like pretzel sticks and Dr. Pepper very much, even if she had never actually had the latter before. "Like Coca-Cola, okay," she said. "Thank you very much." This was a comfortable place, and Danica was a comfortable person. She stood up and walked around the room, her tail twitching slightly, and looked at the posters and books on the walls. She hesitated a moment when she ran her fingers over a WORLD HISTORY text that Danica had kept after the ninth grade, and said, "Danica. I need to tell you,  I..." She looked frustrated for a moment then said, "You - you know about the war? Between America and Japan?" 

 

 

[Electra]

"You mean World War Two?" Danica guessed. "Sure, that was a long time ago. My grandpa fought in the war, but he went to Europe, not to the Pacific. But it's okay now, the US and Japan have been friends for a really long time now." She opened the door of her closet and pulled out a sturdy cardboard box full of more posters and pictures in lightweight plastic frames. "Oh, here's the rest of my decorations. Want to help me hang them up in the room?" 

[Avenger Assembled]

Neko looked at the box, took a deep breath, her ears flat on top of her head. Then she put her hand on Danica's. "So did I." She considered what else to say, then said, looking at the walls and then at the box, "I would help. If you want to be friends. I would like to be friends." 

[Thevshi]

Multi-Girl

 

Bernadette watched as Rosalind began floating up into the air. The redhead then focused back on her roommate as Rosalind tried to explain how the bracelet communicated, or at least seemed to. When the other girl mentioned that she was the first person the bracelet had reacted to, the Irish teen gave a smile. "That sure sound like it chose you ta me." She said in agreement.

 

"So, what is it like ta be able ta fly?" The redhead then asked. "Must be amazin' ta be able ta do so on yer own."