theairlock | Beep Beep we're going to Sparby's

Once everyone's in the dick limo and they've watched the Fantasy Sweet burn down behind them (dodging the flaming debris once the pressure builds up enough inside to make the whole thing go nuclear), it's off to the nearest fast food planet.

Which...is about five lightdays away.

Luckily for you, you have your very own Personal Artistic License to keep you entertained. So PAL bounces around the back of the limo, sitting in every lap that will have him, as he tells the story of Kip from the day he hatched as a tiny, impressionable smeet to present.

Sparing absolutely no detail.

Especially about the part where Kip failed his navigator's exam because he stopped at Then-Foodcourtia and crashed the ship into one of the greasy pustules that had sprouted on the planet's surface, destroying the aircraft and boiling his instructor alive in the fiery grease of hell.

So now there's a dick limo parked in the Sparby's parking lot. For anyone who had Arby's or Arby's-adjacent restaurants on their home planet... The menu's not much different. Everything meat-based is 100% beef, the milkshakes look delicious, and of course there are turnovers (apple, cherry, and chocolate).

Which... well, catch Kip and PAL in the corner shoving milkshakes and turnovers in their faces tbh.]

Welcome to Sparby's, Survivors.
You earned it.

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[Yurika pulls down her sleeve again and offers her other hand to shake. Yuuri's left-handed anyway, so her PIP hand would be easier to shake with that.]

Kurumi-chan's friend... I'm so sorry.

[ She takes the offered hand in both of hers and instead of shaking it, she gives a squeeze. ]

I... n--no, I should be thanking all of you. Whoever hurt her like that... if you're here, that means you found them. I'm sorry you had to do it at all.

[ She swallows hard. She doesn't want to ask. But she needs to know. ]

What... happened to her...? I--I only... I only saw you finding her under the tree and I... I couldn't watch any more than that.

[Yurika swallows hard. She hesitates and looks around at the group.]

I... It's.

[Still hard to talk about, even after months, especially to her friend. But Yurika is-- was a captain, had deaths on her record, next of kin she'd had to tell people to call and performed hundreds of funerals for. She lowers her voice again and it cracks as she talks.]

She. She wanted to save you, we had an awful motive that week -- and the person who found her wanted to save her. Wanted to be the one thrown out that airlock instead. I wish it hadn't happened at all.

[ A motive? But if Kurumi was the one who died, she was the victim so what would the m... otive... have to...

A flurry of emotions pass over Yuuri's face. Shock. Frustration. Something furious and bitter before she finally settles on a sort of weary, helpless acceptance and a shine of tears comes to her eyes. ]

... so she... for us, she decided she had to... [ her voice catches and her hands tighten on Yurika's. ] Oh, Kurumi, you idiot.

...We're using a friend's subscription. We have the webisodes. You can... You can see them. All our friends, and-- and yours, they've uploaded their minds into a sim for subscriber content.

It's the only thing we can do right now. Just watch and look for clues.

[ Subscriber content. They put Kurumi in that awful place, had her killed and now she's dead they won't even let her rest properly. They're still parading her around for entertainment. Yuuri feels sick.

She sucks in a breath that sounds like it's on the verge of turning into a sob. ]

Is-- is she okay? I know that's such a stupid question to ask after... after everything, but... if you can see her then...?

She's still okay. She and Ricky-chan and Lightning-san all made up, they're all doing their best to keep on until we can find a way to save them.

[ She gives an 'mm!' of assent and lets go of Yurika's hands with just one of hers so she can hastily wipe her eyes. When she lifts her gaze again it's with a brave attempt at a smile. ]

Th--then... you'll be glad to know we might have worked out a way. Or at least... we've got a lead towards something, anyway. Did you ever see Cece-chan on what they were broadcasting?

Oh, your other Overseer! We were a little suspicious because that's our ship's AI's name, but she seemed really nice. What did she do?

Well, she-- her father--

[ ... then she catches herself and looks a little hesitant. ]

I'm... I'm not exactly sure how much of it is safe to say out loud while we're in public, actually...

Don't worry. We can wait until it's safe. It's been hard enough.

[I only saw you finding her under the tree

Jane suddenly can't breathe because she's known, known all these two months, who Yuuri Wakasa is. Who she was to Kurumi. And oh God. Oh God, how did she...]

H-How did you...how did you see...who showed that to you?! That's...that's no way to...

[ Ah, it's another one of the girls from the other show... ]

I... we, um...

[ Hard swallow. ]

We found. Episodes from last time. I saw Kurumi in one of them and I needed to see what was going on. Why she was there. B--but it... it was the episode where...

[ She doesn't really need to say anything more, does she? ]

[No, she doesn't. Jane hangs her head.]

...I'm so sorry. I...Kurumi became a very dear friend to me, there. When I saw what happened...Ricky was closer, and I tried to bring her back, but my powers...I didn't even know I had the darned things for weeks and then right when I needed them most...

[She glances away for a moment.] But...before...she was able to show me...the club room. And your garden.

[ She gives a laugh that sounds halfway towards becoming a sob. ]

N--no, you don't... you don't have to apologize. Just knowing that you tried... thank you.

[ She swallows hard and gives a strained smile. ]

Did she... know? What ended up happening to the school. Did she remember that much?

...She told me...it got destroyed. In a fire, I think...a-and we did know about, um. Her...condition. She was being given medicine the whole time she was with us, so...it wouldn't be a problem.

[ She nods slowly. ]

...

[ She's a little paler than she was before. And suddenly, she's shaking. ]

Did... did she...

[ A pause. A hard swallow. ]

Did she say anything about... Ruu-chan?

[ Those memories are still so muddled in her head. Some days she remembers taking Ruu out of that school. Sometimes it's the bear. She doesn't trust herself enough to be sure of it either way. But Kurumi... ]

[Jane's eyes narrow slightly, thinking back to what she'd been told and trying not to confuse it with what she'd seen.]

I...I don't think so. I'm sorry...

[ A sigh. ]

... No. I thought not. I was hoping, maybe...

[ She trails off and shakes her head. ]

No. It doesn't matter.

...

[Jane offers her...not a smile, but. A wan sort of look, something tired and gentle. You don't need to elaborate, Rii-san.]

If it means anything to you...when Kurumi told us what had happened to your world...we wanted nothing more than to go there and save everyone. The Doctor could do it, apparently, if he got his spaceship back. And I still hold fast to the assertion that you and your friends deserved nothing that has happened to you.

... N--no, it's not... we'd already decided ourselves that we were going to do that. To go back and find everyone and save Ruu-chan, I just...

[ She's got her lips pursed tight. Like she's scared of what words might fall out if she just carries on talking without stopping to collect herself. ]

I... I needed to know... if I ever found her. Ruu-chan.

Oh...with Mister Junpei's SHIFTing thing, right?

[Honestly she'd rather get in the rickety box first]

Well...I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Beep Beep we're going to Sparby's

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