Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Shadow Stephanie assesses the positions of her enemies, thinking of a way to shoot into the portal.


"Are you not usually appreciated?" The guard asks.


"Well, a short while ago he wanted to talk to me, and he asked me if I was happy, more specifically happy being who I am." Eve says, thinking back.

"Actually, Aj did tell me to go keep you company before he left, make sure you were feeling alright. It's nice of you to want to draw me though." Artemis says, smiling at Eve.

Eve smiles back, content.

 

There seems to be one spot that the formation never leaves a gap in. Chances are that's where the portal is, but the matter of controlling the detonation is important.
...That, and reloading before she scopes in.


"I am, but in a different way. My people think of me as a figurehead, but at the same time they don't. Well... it's similar to being a queen that rose to power simply because nobody else was willing."


"I was worried your emotions were being suppressed, actually... but do you know where he went?"

 

Shadow Stephanie tries reloading from the mech.


"Sounds a little bit like our royalty system. We don't use the traditional passing down of royal blood, so to speak." The guard says.


"My emotions aren't being suppressed at all. I feel as normal as I do as when I was..." Eve pauses for a moment, "Um, emotional check complete, first...made!"

"Aj told me he wanted to go and do his own thing on Earth for a bit, apparently something that could affect the Shadows and Guardians in the future if he didn't stop it." Artemis says.

 

That seems to be the only way to reload as nanomachines leave and return from the arms of the mech, the swarm locking the next cartrige in place and tripling the weight of the rifle.


"Well, we did, but the panic caused by the Ruin killed off all five royal families. When I stepped up, I was just a foolish girl with dreams of being someone. I spent my first year of reign in utter depression as I watched my remaining friends and family killed for trophies."


Ihra seems cross.
"You... sure?" She asks, suspicious.

 

Shadow Stephanie looks through the scope to get a better perspective on the blocked off area.


"That sounds rather horrible. I'm sorry you had to suffer through that." The guard says.


"Yes, my emotions aren't being suppressed. Aj wouldn't do that to me, he wants me to be as humanlike as possible; having suppressed emotions would cause an imbalance, wouldn't you think? It's how humans get depressed, a chemical imbalance in their brain, almost suppressing other emotions." Eve says.

"She's right." Artemis confirms, nodding.

 

She still can never see the portal, but three lines of siege artillery or other mechs keep moving back and forth to make lock-on difficult.


"Oh, it's fine. I had it easier than anyone else out in the Ruin."


"But... didn't you say your emotions were irrelevant once?"

 

“For the Matriarch, and for us. If you find a corpse and an arm isn’t removed...”

 

Shadow Stephanie tries to gauge how many times a shot would hit through the three lines.


"Well, you're always welcome to stay here for as long as you require in one of our reserved bedrooms should you need to." The guard says.


"When? And in what context?" Eve asks.

 

She can count... eight different machines, but she doesn't know what's beyond the line.


"Thank you, but... I'd rather hold off until my work starts yielding luxuries that I can give to my people, not just keep for myself."


"I can't remember... but it just seemed so unlike you, and I was really worried."

"Right, we'll look."
"Didn't you want us to stay here?"

 

“Yes, but at this point there’s no real point in keeping you in a confined space.”

 

Shadow Stephanie tries heading upwards a bit to get a better perspective, while trying to remain out of sight.


"That's some honorable morals you have." The guard says.


"Well, Aj says I can't let my emotions get in the way too much if I'm on a mission, but he doesn't supress them so I feel them less. If I need to kill someone or something bad, then I just need to kill them or it. I still find it hard sometimes though." Eve admits.

 

A few needles fly her way and hit her mech's shield, but they seem to be stray shots.
The line seems to move up and down, a bit, still not revealing the portal. Even taking a shot to detonate in the group would deal immense damage.


"Well, it's either follow the code of royal honor or sit with the other dishonorable mantis left to starve in the total darkness of the dungeon."


"Other than that weird emotion check thing, I'm glad to hear it. I'm sorry I spread my worry needlessly."

"So, we're free to, like, go to sleep because it's sunset?"
"Why don't you just join the other four that crashed on the floor?"
"Because it's freaking stone!"

 

“Yeah. Go on home.”

 

Shadow Stephanie takes a bit longer to consider how she could try and get to the portal, or even move the guard away from it.


"Who's that?" The guard asks.


Eve smiles, happy.

"Hey, before you go, do you think you could give Aj something if you see him before I do?" Artemis asks, stepping off the pedestal and putting her bow on her back. Artemis walks over to Ihra and hugs her.

Ihra feels a quiet telepathic link open.

"The emotion check was a way for her to cover for her mistake. She doesn't like talking about her past, I don't know why." Artemis says telepathically, before letting go and smiling, heading back to the pedestal.

 

They all stand up (except for the four who are asleep) and head out, waving.
"Night."
"Good luck with this mantis corpse."
"I'll be back if I see something on the way home."
"Same."

Both involve getting spotted, which is counterproductive. Perhaps she could reason with Idhaenna that taking out a chunk of the invading force doesn't count as a miss?


"Who's what?" The Matriarch asks back, confused.


Ihra smiles nodding.
"Will do. Sorry to interrupt your drawing, Eve." She says before heading out with a wave.

 

Shadow Stephanie lines up a shot into the middle of the guard, putting the detonation timer just higher than the amount of hits she thinks it'll take before checking to see if she has a clear shot.


"The mantis in the dungeon?" The guard asks.


Eve happily waves back as Artemis gets back into her pose.

 

She's... got a piece of debris floating by in front of the scope.


"Oh, most down there only spend a day, and it's for stuff like murder, destruction of property, and so on. Sometimes those only sentenced to a day can't even walk themselves out, though... so I feel sort of bad for anyone who's earned a life sentence."


Ihra heads out, taking the elevator to the portal room.

 

“Night.”
I wave them off, turning to the four on the floor.

 

They're asleep, using their shoes and a rug as a makeshift pillow.
Two of them are from the group that knew where the kit was.

 

Shadow Stephanie waits for the debris to pass.


"Oh, I understand." The guard says.


The portal remains closed and quiet, terminal waiting for input.