Enter Astara

[embracetheflame]

[1]

[Very shortly after the previous battle there seems to be another silver-haired girl wandering around Alhambra Base. In her hand is a small map with what seems to be directions to the base. The expression on her face seems to indicate that she's annoyed with something.]

First those darned guards wouldn't let me in, and now I can't even find her anywhere!

...Maybe I should have told her I was coming first.



[2]

[A bit later the same girl can be found in front of a vending machine with her fist shaking in anger. One of the bottles seems to have gotten jammed. ]

Why you...

[She seems to resign in defeat for a moment before glancing around carefully. Once she assumes that no one else is around she lifts the large machine over her head like it was a toy and starts shaking the machine wildly. Eventually the bottle of tea finally emerges from the machine and she sets the machine back down calmly.]

Haha victory is mine!



[3] [Locked to ???]

[A long day of wandering later, the girl has collapsed outside Alhambra in failure.]

Wheeerrrrrreeee are yooooouuuuuuuuuuuu!?

[She sounds utterly defeated.]

Comments

3

[caressthedarkness]

[Well, it might surprise the girl that a person actually trips over her and falls a moment later.]

Ah...! A person?

I am sorry! I was not watching where I was going...and...!

[OTL OTL OTL OTL.]

1/2

[embracetheflame]

Gah, please be more careful next...

[That gets the girl to sit up and it takes her a moment to realize who tripped into her.

Once she does...]

2/2

[embracetheflame]

SEEEEEEETAAAAAAAAAA, THERE YOU ARE!

[The largest hug.]

[caressthedarkness]

A...Astara...?

[She's so surprised that she just kinda gets hugged.]

Why...? I thought you were busy...

[embracetheflame]

Eheh...well you know sometimes business can get...slow.

[She's looking off to the side for some reason.]

Besides, I wanted to see how my friend was doing.

[caressthedarkness]

[Nod.]

From what I can remember, there was an issue with your shop...

I am happy that you are here to see me, but is that not a problem that requires your attention?

2

[herodrawing]

[This face.]

[embracetheflame]

[This face.]

[herodrawing]

You... lifted a vending machine like it was nothing.

[Captain Obvious to the rescue.]

[embracetheflame]

[Still this face, she has no explanation for this.]

[herodrawing]

Hello? Are... are you okay?

Look, you're not in trouble, the machine still works.

[Izuru puts a coin in. Except that during the shaking antics, the power cord was disconnected so the vendor is not operational and the coin is lost forever.]

Oh.

[embracetheflame]

Weeeeeeell...

[What Seta didn't know was that her shop and the one next door to her were destroyed because she went wild after she was attacked inside of her store.]

Not...really...

[embracetheflame]

I'm fine...really!

[Now she was worried, for all she knew this could lead to people discovering that Seta was a Kijin.]

Here!

[She practically shoves the bottle of tea at Izuru.]

If you could forget you saw that I'd really appreciate it.

[She's trying to apologize and ask for a favor at the same time]

[herodrawing]

Okay...

[Izuru accepts the bottle dejected. He does not even like this brand of tea.]

Are you a relative of miss Seta? You seem similar somehow.

[embracetheflame]

Certainly not, she also definitely does not have the same strength I do. She's only a normal clumsy human girl after all. Do we understand?

[The girl places both of her hands onto Izuru's shoulders. Now she's trying to threaten him.]

[herodrawing]

But...

[Izuru realizes a super strong person has him in her grip. Also if he doesn't humor her, she might cry or something.]

Alright...

[embracetheflame]

Reeeeeeeeally?

[She had to be sure, she didn't want anyone being afraid of Seta because of her being a Kijin.]

[caressthedarkness]

[And being oblivious to that, Seta finally returns the hug.]

I have been fine. But that does not mean that I have not missed you. So much has happened...

How much of the base have you seen? Have you talked to any of the people here?

2)

[genericprotagonist]

You know, I was going to use that.

[Raleigh regards the new person with a raised eyebrow. Something about her seemed to ring a few bells. Like a passing familiarity to someone he met.]

[herodrawing]

Yes, yes!

But, you know...

2

[majestic_keiki]

...Asagi really was right about this place.

1

[abugslife]

[Let's see. A silver-haired girl, aura of generally failing at life...]

Might you be an acquaintance of Seta, by any chance?

2

[ugyuuya]

[Yuuya pauses as the girl valiantly declares victory over the vending machine before sighing and addressing the girl.]

You must be a friend of Seta's, you seem to share a certain appearance and subtlety in masking your abilities. I'm not sure if she's actually on base at the moment but I'd be happy to help you look just as soon as I report the damage to the vending machine.

[Yuuya looks to the expanding pool of liquid underneath the machine and with a sharp strike to the machine's right side several bottles fall into the dispenser tray.]

[embracetheflame]

[Her grip grows a bit tighter.]

Yes?

1/2

[embracetheflame]

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh, it's um...