Luna and Viper appear in the living room much to Hinata's surprise. Hinata waves to them, "Yo Vyse! How was Lunar District?"
Spider appears and they stretch letting out a deep sigh, then heads towards the kitchen. Viper blinks a couple times then huffs and chuckles, "Quite the experience, I'll tell you after I get some water."
"Kay." Hinata smiles.
Luna nearly instantly falls asleep on top of Hinata. Her breathing is soft.
Viper heads into the kitchen then returns. Then she takes a large gulp of water. "Fuck I needed that, alright so here what happened." She then explains everything that happened in Lunar District including the fact that FMS is now a crater, their chat with Travis Payne, the battle with the new LUNA 3.0s, and all of the ensuing chaos that happened in between.
Hinata listens though a few things strike her as odd, "Travis Payne?? And Luna 3.0s. Great. That's... did you say he wears yellow?" She tilts her head side to side.
Viper pauses for a moment then nods, "Like a yellow striped shirt, why?" She looks curious
She takes a moment to process everything, then she responds, "It's familiar to me. I used to know someone who was basically yellow themed. But he was killed about 18 months ago. Toby Wright. He was probably my best friend at Solaire."
Viper nods and sighs, "I'm sorry for your loss, I hope I didn't make you sad or anything." She clearly wants to ask more about what he looked like but instead stays respectful of her loss.
Hinata takes a deep breath, "N-no, it's okay. I've gotten over it. Kinda had to, otherwise I would be stunlocked for eternity. He was married to Krystal too, did you know that? He’s got connections to the two of us.”
Viper raises an eyebrow, "No, I did not know that" Viper pauses for a moment, "Do you mind telling me what else he looked like?"
For awhile now, someone’s eyes peeping over the window seal are barely visible.
Hinata continues, "Uhhh he has like gre--" and then she shivers, "Do you ever get that odd feeling like you're being watched?"
Viper shrugs, "Sometimes? But I usually just chalk that up to my past experiences, so I kinda ignore it." Viper seems unbothered.
Hinata seems unable to continue, her breathing becoming a bit more strained than usual. "No seriously, something doesn't feel right."
Viper glances around the room and doesn't seem to spot the watching eyes, "I don't see anything wrong? You could always ask Sam to check around" she looks concerned as she leans next to the couch near Hinata
"Right uh. Good idea. Maybe my assassin senses are faulty." Hinata grabs Luna's laptop and contacts SAM, Cole's AI who's connected to the security cameras around the house.
Viper leans over and watches, curious:
Hinata - Hey Sam? Can you check the cameras for me please?
SAM - I'm assuming you're asking because you're feeling watched.
Hinata - Correct
SAM - Norn is staring through the window near the front door, i figured she would've knocked by now. Something is seriously wrong with this woman.
Hinata - ...are you fucking kidding me.
SAM - I wish I was.
Hinata - Great.
-----
"What the hell?" Hinata hangs her head and sighs. "And this is why we typically keep the doors locked."
Viper slowly turns to look over at the windows and stares at Norn's barely visible eyes, muttering, "Please let this be just a bad dream."
"I just hope she's not here to be dangerous. And just.. creepy instead," Hinata groans as she goes to answer the door. "Hello?"
Norn ducks a bit as the door opening startles her. She quickly stands up right and walks to the door, "Oh- uh hello!" She has a nasty bruise on the side of her head.
Krystal - Ugh. Right I should probably explain who this is real quick. Meet Norn, our newest neighbor in the forest outside of Fairview. And by ‘neighbor’, I mean she lives about 5 miles away from us, but she found us… somehow and is now our cliche wacky neighbor… t-type person. Norn is an average heighted woman with slicked brown hair in a ponytail. Her face and arms are full of freckles, which is easily noticible considering she wears a black sleeveless turtleneck tucked into a pair of dress pants. Along her neck is simple but elegant gold jewelry which match her earrings and makeup.
About two weeks prior to this meeting, Luna, Hinata, Cole, and Spider went to her house for a dinner party which ended in chaos as is usual with The Gang. Upon learning Cole murdered someone, which let's be honest here who HASN'T murdered someone in The Gang, she went to call the police but was stopped by Cole slamming the door on her forehead which caused a nasty bruise and memories of the event to be forgotten.
Hinata grimaces when she sees the bruise and remembers the incident. "Uh hi, uh. You know you could've knocked right?" Her grimace is quickly swapped for a half-hearted smile.
Viper covers her mouth to stop herself from making a rude remark at the massive bruise on her forehead
Norn laughs a bit, "Yeah I was just trying to make sure I wasn't going to interrupt anything..." she leans over some to look into the room at Viper, "Oh hi! Have we met?"
Hinata leans off to the side to not obstruct Viper. "Not interrupting anything."
Viper quickly takes her hand off of her mouth and shakes her head, "I don't think we have. What's your name?"
"You can call me Norn!" She lowers her volume to a loud whisper, "Did you know the president lives here?!?"
Krystal - One more note. Cole is the President of the United States here. Ironic considering he was the president in Meridian as well.
Viper slowly nods, "Mhm, I did" She stares for several seconds then blurts out, "You know your supposed to hit the ball that comes out of the pitching machine with the tennis racket, right?"
Hinata has to physically stop herself from laughing by putting her hands up to her mouth and simulating a cough. She then returns to her seat and gives the sleeping Luna's head a pillow.
Norn seems confused about that, "W-well yeah! I don't really know how the bump happend. Must have really ran into something. Woke up in my house with it one day."
Viper hums then nods, "Right, sounds concerning." She's trying her best to ignore what just came out of her mouth, "If it happens again you should get some cameras installed,.if you remember."
Hinata agrees with Viper and nods, "Yeah cameras are a good idea. You never know how could be out there just prowling about."
"That's a great idea! You know I used to think cameras were motion sensors. I didn't know they made movies of everything."
Viper looks over at Hinata while raising her eyebrow then looks back at Norn, "Yeah. Cameras aren't motion sensors. They can actually record and take pictures of what they see."
"Yeah. Cameras are useful for having extra eyes in different places. Plus I just like taking pictures!" Hinata hints.
"That reminds me of the time I cuaght a homeless guy taking photos of me outside of my apartment. Man those were the days." Norn smiles,
Viper stares at her and blinks a couple times, "Sounds...sketchy. I like taking pictures too."
Hinata’s tone is pleasant as she asks, "Uh did the homeless guy tell you why he was taking pictures? Just curious is all." She not even that shocked about Norn anymore.
"Oh yeah. He aproached me one day and said something about me not being a threat to anyone and an investigation on the people in the apartment I was in. Something about a murder I think." Norn squints in thought, trying to place the exact wording.
Viper looks concerned as she goes quiet.
Hinata's looks returns to her usual shock and dismay, "wow. Uh that sucks Norn. Glad you were deemed innocent at least."
Norn nods, "You know that town was always alot louder than it is here. Always popping noises at night. Made everyone jumpy."
"Popping noises? So gunshots? That place sounds super dangerous. I'm glad you found your way here instead. Much quieter." Hinata smiles slightly, though it’s to mask how surreal this whole situation is.
Viper raises an eyebrow as she asks, "Where...where do you live that there's constant gunfights?"
"It was a big city out that way." Norn points in a direction, "Oh! I have an idea! What if I stepped in the house and you told me everything about you all! It would be so spontaneous!" She smiles widely.
Viper looks over at Hinata as if asking if it's a good idea.
Hinata is like a deer in headlights. She doesn't respond.
Viper slowly looks back over at Norn, "Uh...what if I don't wanna tell you about everything about me, but I would want you to step inside so you don't let bugs in."
"Well that's a start! We can work to that!" She steps inside, "So have you ever tried hotdogs before?"
Hinata finally speaks up, "Uhm. Yes? They're not my favorite though."
Viper nods and smiles slightly, "I guess i like them? Kinda flavorless to be honest"
Norn stands where she can see everyone easily and nods, "Thats amazing! Now can I know everything about everyone? We know eachother sowell already!" She seems blissfully happy
Viper slowly shakes her head and looks slightly uncomfortable with how happy she is.
Hinata looks nervous, "uhhhh I don't know anything about you though. So uh. Ladies first?" This is the moment Hinata realizes literally everyone in the room is a lady, "uhm. I mean, do you want to go first Norn?"
Viper stares expectantly at Norn, waiting for her to respond
She shakes her head, "Oh no no no! I need to hear someone elses first so I can better uhhh... structure mine to the same length. I wouldn't want to blabber too much!"
Hinata wants Norn's information badly enough, so she decides to speak up and explain part of her own lore. She's friendly about it at least, "Okay, sure. So I come from Capital City, it's on a different uh. State from here??? Yeah let’s call it a state. I was created in a lab like 30-something years ago.” Hinata points to her head, pointing out the pokey ears atop her head while none exist on the side, “I am a dog girl, meaning these ears are natural. I'm also a robot-- technically. And I have magical powers.” Hinata points to Luna, “the girl laying next to me is similar to me, except she's a cat and a bit older than me. We both can do funky magic stuff. All of this information is public knowledge if you know where to look. It’s incredibly easy to find everything.”
To show off her magic, Hinata holds out a hand and a yellow-glowing ball of water seems to float atop it. A soft smile is on her face.
Norn nods happily with raised eyebrows
The water ball is now floating all around the room and none of it drips. It's not too big, about the size of a typical blown bubble. It's contained in a yellow aura, her magic color. "And with my powers, I can do cool things like this too. It’s really useful for fighting." It stops right in front of Norn, almost as if asking her to touch it. "It's just water, you can touch it if you want."
Norn pauses as she freezes in place
Hinata notices Norn’s reasonable disbelief and snaps her fingers, evaporating the bubble instantly, "Uhm... okay, so you're not a fan of water magic."
Viper's face is frozen with awe.
Hiata begins to panic a little bit, but still wanting to be extra she continues, "Uhhh I have light magic too. Here lemme show you." She speaks a single word, 'Darkena', and the room darkens nearly instantly to nearly pitch black. Then, from her hands and pointing towards the wall furthest away from Norn and Viper, yellow light erupts shines on the wall like a flashlight using the spell 'Lumi'. Using her other hand, she does some very rudimentary shadow puppets. "I never need a flashlight, just some mana and the ability to speak."
Nova remains frozen until the lights are off and she starts screaming in fear and cowers.
Hinata pinches the bridge of her nose like a certain someone, then speaks the word 'Brightena' to return the room to its normal lighting. "Oh for the love of the Gods Above Norn. You act like you've never seen a witch be-- ohhhhhh... uh w-well you did ask in my defense. I just wanted to show off for once." Hinata sighs. "Aside from my rhythmia spells and some telekinetic stuff, that's all I got."
Viper stays quiet for a couple moments then throws her hands in the air, "That was so fucking COOL" she then realizes she's yelling and seems embarrassed for a moment
"WITCH WITTCCHHH!!!" Norn yells while cowering still
Hinata turns to Viper with a bright smile on her face. She doesn't seem affected by the loud sounds coming from either Norn's screaming or Viper's yelling. It's almost like that weakness was eradicated. Then she turns back to Norn, sighing, though with a soft endearing smile on her face, "I'm sorry Norn, but uh that's literally what I am. I am a witch. But I promise I'm not gonna curse you or something cliche like that."
Luna is grumbling in her sleep and her ears are flattened against her skull from Norn's screaming.
Viper beams at Hinata then glares daggers at Norn due to her yelling, "Will you be quiet? God damn"
Norn points at them, "I-if youre witches then doesn't that mean you eat human flesh and spend their souls to get more power?"
Viper looks over at Hinata and struggles to not burst with laughter.
Hinata shakes her head and snaps her fingers, "nah i'm not that kind of witch. In fact, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about Norn. Also please don't point at me like I'm some caged zoo animal. I don't appreciate that." Luna disappears on Hinata's fingersnap and reappears in her bedroom.
Norn stands up a bit straighter, "Sooo... I'm not going to be sacrificed, right?"
"Norn, may I make a promise to you? I promise that neither Luna or I will sacrifice you. Understand?" The promise almost has a certain weight to it. It's an intangible feeling, but it feels like something incredibly important was just said.
Viper is still struggling to not laugh at the eating human flesh comment
Norn's smile gradually grows back, "Definitely. Man that was a life or death experience we all just shared huh? That really puts our entire lives into perspective. I bet we could all trust eachother a lot more!"
Hinata blinks incredulously, tilting her head slightly, "Trust? I mean I trust Luna. And I definitely trust Viper for sure. Same goes for Spider and the President. Do you trust me Norn?"
She nods happily
"So uh. What's your story, if I may ask?" Hinata finally returns to the couch and lays using the same pillow Luna was just using.
Viper clears her throat as she nods, "Yeah what's your story?"
Norn instantly starts rambling as her words almost blend together, "So i was born in a rehab center when my mom died but then my brother told me that she always wanyed a girl and so I decided to grow up in the city where the homeless guy investigated me. But since i was an only child my mom then sent me money to move here and I nearly escaped the guys on the bikes cuz they heard an icecream truck along the way that was actually ran by my sister. What a turn of events huh?" She smiles
Viper blinks several times and stares forward as she attempts to process the word jumble she just heard
Hinata seems to be a bit more capable of understanding her words, but something pops up in the forefront of her mind, "Wait hang on, you said your mom died when you were born, but your mom also sent you money to come live.... here in Fairview? That's uh. Strange. How did your mom do that from the Many Hell-- uh. Heaven? Just curious honestly."
"Oh she always got around cuz my dad also died but when he did he figured my mom didnt want to anymore and so their dissolve didnt transmit aswell as my brother as Im an only child whos never had a dad. I guess you could say Im a miracle child cuz a single parents shouldnt be capable of child on their own but no one else exsisted at the time let alone transmitted by dissolve of the light filters." She smiles again.
Viper has stopped attempting to listen to what's being said and is instead mentally preparing for her turn
Hinata is tilting her head back and forth, filtering Norn's words from the contradictions. The many contradictions. "What do you mean by Dissolve of the Light Filters? I can't say I've ever heard of that."
"Oh we dont do that as much as other families do. My mom told me just the other day that it runs in the family."
"Hold it. Your mom is both dead and alive? Are you the cat from Schroedinger's Box?" Hinata grumbles, "whatever. It's probably not an answer I want to know." Then she goes quiet.
"You know, its getting late- OOO! WHAT IF what if, we had a sleepover!" She smiles ear to ear at the idea
Viper snaps out of getting ready to speak for her turn and stares, "What, uh...i'm not sure if that's an option..." Viper slowly looks over at Hinata
Hinata shakes her head, "I'm not the owner of the house. I just date her, so unfortunately, I can't make that ruling. Sorry Norn."
"So maybe next time then?!?" Norn looks more excited
Hinata tilts her head from side to side then smiles slightly, "mmm next time yeah. We can definitely do this sometime."
Viper sighs in relief quietly and makes a fake excited fist pump, "Wooooo"
"I can't wait already!!! Oh! I gotta go prepare!!!" She suddenly gets up and dashes out of the door with exceptional speed. In just a moment she's gone
"Holy shit, she's Sonic." Hinata looks dismayed before slumping into her seat.
Viper huffs and relaxes as she shuts the door, "Christ, i thought i was gonna have to give a sob story for a moment" she goes back to leaning where she was a moment ago
"You're telling me. What a mess," she sighs, "anyway, you were asking about Toby right? His hear was always grey, like it was dyed to be that way. And mind you, he's not much older than Luna is, only like a couple years? Like.. not to be weird, but he's kinda hot. In that. Always looking high kinda way."
Viper's expression slowly turns into one of concern as she asks, "Did he ever like...work at a guild type place? Or enjoy something that required wearing some kind of goggle?"
"Guilds? Not that I know of. He was an employee of both Solaire and Full Moon back when they had that truce. As for goggles? Uhhhh he did have a motorcycle back then. It was a really pretty one, a Harley that was painted yellow with red, orange, and purple flames. I think Krystal bought it for hiim? Don't quote me on that."
Viper goes quiet for a moment as she looks down, "Right, right and this is a long shot but he wouldn't happen to know how to make electronics and how to block electronic transmissions?"
Hinata squints at Viper and her breathing becomes slightly erratic, tears threatening to drip, "h-how would you know that? He was a g-g-genius with electronics, even his Magical Ability let him make electronics work infinitely." Hinata shows Viper her phone. It always has a 100% battery life and no charging ports. "This was his final gift to me. Luna has one too."
Viper slowly looks over at Hinata and sighs, "I always believe that people never truely die but uh...i just described Travis Payne" she opens her arms to Hinata incase she wants comforting.
Hinata faints on the spot.
Viper looks incredibly concerned as she crouches in front of the couch and quickly pulls her phone out.
NO HE'S DEAD. KNOWLEDGE CONTRADICTED. TOBY IS DEAD. WHAT, NO. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS WHY DOES IT HURT. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. IT'S WRONG. I KNOW I SAW TOBY DIE. Wait. No, I didn’t. Why are my thoughts contradicting itself?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…no, i remember. I… remember now. I didn’t see him die. I had a dream a few weeks prior.
I had a dream about his death before he died. I witnessed his final moments. he was alone, heartbroken within his house. he had nothing left to live for. the two of us, we weren't able to be his family. his final wishes, snuffed out. he was dying, his mana nearly gone. and his lifeforce dwindling. he contemplated s**c**e multiple times, even had the method chosen. he prayed to the gods above wishing for something to change. they were silent. he prayed once more. silence. Someone broke into his house wearing a full face mask, like a theater mask, one of sorrow. they crept up to his bedroom, the smallest room in the house. and in the next moment. i saw him. i saw... what was left. his body. He instantly transformed from his dying body to nothing more than a pile of flesh and the blood drained from him. i woke up after. i never told anyone this dream.
Viper, if you're here, THANK YOU. You. Helped me remember.
ALAIS - Since when does Hinata have Mental Locks?
With her mental lock broken, Hinata’s anguish had finally turned to serenity as she drifts into a more peaceful slumber. Viper sighs in relief and whispers, “Good night, Hinata” before heading home. Luna snaps her fingers and Hinata appears in her bedroom and the two of them fall asleep together.