Scene #9611: For Those We May Yet Save

Owner	Pose
Skipper	LAST TIME ON BEAST BREAKER "It's hard to face people whom you couldn't save or are hurt because of your actions, or in this case, I guess because of the actions of a loved one." "There were refugees from Dewdrop Haven on board. They had a little girl with them. She was giving me odd looks when people were talking about Skipper." "Was there any way those people could have been saved, in your opinion? Could her anger have a kernel of truth?" "It's not good to carry around that pain in your heart without a way to release it that's good for the soul." "I'd rather she not get in too much trouble for not knowing how to channel her feelings productively." "You can fight one, and maybe you can win, but there's still more. And more. And more, and they keep coming." "I'd blame a lot of other people before I'd blame anyone at our farm." "I would think... heroes are never born that way. They're made by circumstances. Something as small as an inspiring phrase you hear as a child, or as big as the sight of the previous generation's deeds." "What would have caused them to speed up..? We should hurry after them." "I think you should go back to the farm, ma'am," "You're right. I should. Go. I'll catch up." "Keep it away from me, I'll pin it down for you!"
Skipper	AN HOUR AGO,SOMEWHERE ELSE "You... are one of Skipper's allies, yes? I heard your voice on the radio..." The shilouette is distinctly inhuman, looking more like some manner of human-sized cobra, covered in shifting scales that flow around him(?) like water. Light deflects off of him, no matter how brightly its shone, stubbornly remaining as only a shadowy silhouette. "My name is Cinnabar, but that's not important right now." Cinnabar(?) has a valid Watch secondary IFF tag - identifying them as a trusted member of Skipper's followers, though perhaps not someone who passed the primary vetting that Skipper themselves went through. "A lot of people in their world are about to be attacked." One of his scales breaks off and flies to hover in front of Regulus. The scale, on closer inspection, resembles the sort of map pin one would find in navigational apps or websites. "Take this and follow it. Please." The moment Regulus looks away, Cinnabar is gone. The 'map pin', if held, tugs in the direction Regulus should go. If she gets out a map (paper, electronic, or otherwise) it flies and hovers above the map, pointing at the next place it's trying to lead her. Following it would lead her through a series of warpgates, ending in Skipper's Pikmin-porportioned world, where the pin starts getting more active in its tugs. Next is following a road that veers northeast, passing by a lightly-vandalized farm, and leading to where Holly and Ultraman are facing off against the Shard Strikertooth, trying to fend it away from a cowering group of animal people.
Skipper	AND NOW The not-cat's head is hard, made out of what Skipper had described as 'shell'. That seems to be the first new trick on display here - the foremost part on the Beast is also its least vulnerable. The kick gets its attention, but doesn't do much actual damage. The punches to its central mass work better. Each one that lands strips away a layer of crystaline shards, shattering into nothingness and exposing the ruby-red Vital Core underneath for follow-up hits. This works quite well, briefly, until the Beast adapts and blocks punches with its nigh-indestructable head and the ablative shards and cores on its limbs. > "Get away if you can, I'll handle the beast," "Wait that's a person?" "It's friendly?" "I don't care if it's friendly or another Beast, getting away sounds like a good idea!" They gather themselves and go, squeezing out through gaps in their makeshift barricade to get away. It's slow going - many of them are injured and have to help each other along. "Wait, where's Holly?" One of the critters starts casting about instead of leaving right away. "I can't find Holly! Has anyone seen Holly?!" (She probably doesn't mean Doctor Asturias.) "We'll have to find her later! Go!" yells another, yanking on the first's arm to hurry her along. The Beast roars with an animal-like noise as Holly's rifle pins all four paws. The pieces move around wildly, briefly becoming disconnected from each other in its agitation as it tries and fails to take a new position, instead reforming where it was a moment ago.. It's likely not going to be pinned for long, but in the moment, all four limbs are immobilized. All four limbs... but not its head, which winds up for a massive headbutt into Ultraman's center of mass, nor its tail, which swishes around before going to slam into Holly (Asturias)'s position like the end of an oversized whip! Help is here now... but the Beast is tough, it's strong, the caravan members aren't out of danger yet, and there's someone missing... can the multiversal elites put down this new foe before they or someone else gets hurt?
Riku Asakura	"The head seems to be made out of a hard shell; hitting it is useless. Aim for the main body if you can to kill it." Ultraman Geed comments to Holly, immediately grabbing the headbutting head and attempting to twist it down so that the momentum hits the ground instead of directly at him. Staggered but not knocked down, Geed attempts to take advantage of the pinning Holly has done. "Geed Claw!" he calls out, and in his hands, a fist-claw-like weapon appears, being held tightly by Geed's outstretched hand. He strikes out with it, aiming to smash the weapon across the chest of the large beast, while ignoring its head so that he can try and break through the outer layer of crystal and give Holly a better shot. During all of this, he's careful about where he steps, knowing that people are still evacuating. Worse, someone is missing, too, and who knows where they are. The only thing he can do right now is focus on the beast and take it down as soon as they can. This motivates Geed again, trying to repeatedly strike the center of mass with the Geed Claw.
Holly Asturias	Confusion regarding her name also being someone else's will have to wait for when there isn't a huge tail swinging at her! Snowdrop twirls in her hands, and she meets the incoming tail dead-on with the weapon like it's a spear. She shifts her weight with the impact, clutching the rifle as she executes an elegant flip over the limb, golden metal grinding against it and locked in the impact. It's quite cold, after firing. "How bothersome! Its range is quite big." Those pieces being detachable is kind of a huge problem, but if they're smaller, then they're probably easier to pin down? She'll have to try. Rather than let the tail keep going, Holly lets the rifle go with one hand, a bit of golden light, and then intense frost, gathering in the now empty hand. She swings it, Ichor flowing through her arm freely. This unleashes a blast of cold meant to freeze the tail in place. Then twirl her rifle, two-handed again, and slam it into the (hopefully) now brittle and weakened Beast's tail, for an easy break and shatter.
Regulus	Regulus is always eager to help out her fellow members of The Watch. She hasn't been talked to by a cobra before but if someone gives you a mysterious task to do involving your fellow Watch agents, by gosh you go ahead and do it. Even if she is a little lost on what's going on beyond the very bare basics. She takes the scale and makes a trip of it because she is a pirate, sometimes you just follow the path put before you to see where it goes. Regulus passes by Holly and Ultraman and she only really recognizes the Ultraman before shrugging and frowning. "'Old on. Am I too late? Bugger me..." She spots some critters trying to escape and makes her way over to them, completely uninterested in fighting. "Woah woah, Holly you say? Tell me what she looks like and I'll have a looksee--where are you going? If I find her I'll bring her over. How's that?" Helping people escape is really more her jam anyway. If an Ultraman and whatever the other Holly is can't handle it, what's she going to do?
Skipper	Still pinned, there's not much that the Beast can do to react defensively. The combatants can see it try to swing around its durable 'shell' pieces to block, or bring up the ablative shards and lesser cores to protect the heart-coded ruby red core at its center of mass. It has options! It just can't use them right now. The Geed Claw hits first, shattering several of the shards on the center mass, and going so far as to scratch the vital core - only scratch, not shatter. It'll take a bit more punishment than that, and the scales that were broken are already starting to slowly fill back in and regenerate. (Not the core, though. Scales grow back, but hits to the core stick.) While it's dealing (or more accurately not dealing) with Ultraman, Holly can get a bead on the tail, freezing and then shattering pieces of it and blunting its whip-like tail attack. The tail shards start regrowing, but... an astute observer might notice that with each broken shard, the others grow back a little slower, suggesting there's a cap on how much total crystalline mass can be regenerated at a time. Or to put it more practically, Holly breaking the pieces of the tail means that Ultraman has a clear shot at the core for longer. It's like the opposite of holistic medicine! "Tell me what she looks like and I'll have a looksee" "Holly is- She's small, tan fur, round ears..." says the squirrel-ish woman who was looking for her. The caravaneers don't recognize Regulus, but 'person coming to help' is part of a universal language. "We just - we thought she was with us, I haven't seen her since the Beast broke into the clearing, we aren't sure where she went..." "We need to go or we're all in danger, Holly or no Holly," says the gerbil person next to her, yanking on the squirrel's arm. "We're doubling back to the road if you can find her. Come on!" They leave - just as Thistle arrives from the same direction, panting, and hanging onto a scavenged sword as a makeshift cane as she catches her breath. The Beast, feeling the hits its taking, isn't just going to play defensively anymore. It manages to free itself from the cold pinning its feet down, and then it starts charging - getting into motion as it attempts to ram into (Ultraman) or step on (Holly, Regulus) everyone as it rampages across the clearing!
Riku Asakura	The damage is starting to pile on, but not fast enough for Geed's liking. He's trying to put more hurt on the center mass, and even notices that the crystals are growing back slower, but it's still a problem with all of the civilians underfoot. However, he notices Regulus appearing. Also, she was talking to the caravaneers. Which means someone is looking for the missing Holly, not to be confused with Dr. Holly. This is when the beast breaks free of the ice and rams him. Geed goes back, toku sparks raining down on the ground as he rolls back and then gets back on his feet. He's a few feet away by his standards. So he moves his free hand to the claw and pumps the greeble three times before crouching. "Corkscrew jamming!" he shouts. He becomes a whirlwind of red and black energy as he dives for the center of mass. He aims to strike true and drive himself through the center of mass like a tornado before ending up on the other side of the creature.
Regulus	"Alrighty. Hum." Regulus places a hand on her hip and takes a quick look around. "Alright, leave it to me--if you've got any special places she liked to hang out, let me know--" But otherwise she lets them go and gets a-looking. Of course, Regulus doesn't have any tools to help her detect critters except for her own two eyes and a whole lot of gumption and, well, maybe an idea of what looks like a cool place to hide out in. But she's got a description, she's got sunglasses she's willing to lower down a bit so she can get a better feel for the colors around her, and nothing better to do. "Come on Holly... Where would you be hiding in such a scary moment like this..."
Holly Asturias	"Woah woah, Holly you say?" "Ah? I'm here!" See, this time she heard it! Which is NOT helpful to Regulus because she's the INCORRECT Holly to be looking for! All of this on account of... It's Super Effective! Freeze and shatter seems to work well enough, which takes heat off Holly just enough that she can pay attention. Exposing the core... Riku's keeping himself close to it, so she can focus on sniping the separate pieces and slowing the beast's regeneration down. She wonders if it has blood, though so far it just seems to be breaking. She doesn't have time to Verify, because the Beast is charging! Holly, unwisely, stands her ground. Ichor flows, her weapon reverts into spirals of golden blood that splash back inside her body, and frost tips both of her hands. She waits for just the right moment, and as the Beast tries to trample her, does a fancy pirouette! ... which unleashes a field of nasty ice spikes around herself, both protectively, and debilitatingly. They're equal parts ice wall to blunt the impact and equal part PLEASE STEP ON MY ICE LEGOS.
Regulus	''Ah? I'm here!'' "Sorry love! your ears aren't round enough!" Regulus calls back. "And no fur even!"
Skipper	> "Come on Holly... Where would you be hiding in such a scary moment like this..." It takes some looking, but Regulus can find her. "(H-here...)" There's a tan-furred mouse person (with round ears, even) hiding underneath some underbrush. She's been injured, likely a sprained (or worse) ankle that's kept her immobile along with a couple hard hits that have limited her ability to call out for help. "Stars and whiskers..." mutters Thistle, coming up right behind Regulus. "Thank goodness you found her. Help me get her out of here, quick-like." "I'm - I'm sorry about the, the farm-" Holly gasps out. "That's not important at all," says Thistle as she gestures for Regulus to help her lift. Meanwhile, the other Holly stands her ground and readies a counterattack. This turns out to be very effective! The Beasts possess some sort of intelligence, but it's animal-level intelligence at most, and setting up obvious parry traps is something this one eagerly falls for. The ice spikes impact, shattering not just the foot's scales, but freezing and penetrating all the way to the foot's core. A crack rapidly forms and then the core breaks apart, the entire foot shattering into nothingness with a series of loud pop noises, like fireworks going off. Nothing remains but a few little butterfly-like motes of magic that hover in the air. Ultraman, meanwhile, has a clear shot. The Corkscrew Jamming goes straight through, impeded barely at all by the very few shards that have managed to regenerate, and the vital core starts to develop cracks. One or two more good hits should be enough...! The Beast roars again, incensed and infuriated. It shifts position, the individual pieces separating and reforming (Yellow Devil style) in a corner of the clearling, before crouching and charging once again across it, seemingly not slowed down at all by the loss of an entire limb. "Alright, lift, and- oh motes preserve us..." Thistle says, looking out from their cover spot at the Beast which is barreling right past them, the crystalline monster's regenerated tail swishing through the underbrush like a wrecking ball. It's swinging away at the moment, but in mere seconds it'll swing back this way and cleave through-
Skipper	Thistle drops Holly the mouse, grabs the sword again, and runs. It's over in less than a second. Thistle bursts from the underbrush, sword in hand, and as the tail lashes towards her and the others, she leaps, clearing a jump twice her height to land right on top of the tail, and without needing even a moment to catch her balance she's running along it towards the Beast's main body, hopping from segment to segment, reaching the cluster at the base of the tail and leaping once again- She swings twice. Once, a wide overhead swing, cleaving through the cluster's scales as if she were swinging through air. And then again, without a moment's hesitation or checking to see if the first blow landed, twisting her body around to stab her sword straight into the now exposed core, cleaving herself an opening and then capitalizing on it all in the same leap. The cluster shatters into nothingness, followed piece by piece by the lashing tail, the final segments disappearing mere feet from where they would have hit Regulus and Holly (mouse). Thistle lands roughly, dropping the sword, and doesn't get up. The Beast roars again, staggering from the loss of its tail. Everyone's efforts have left the core heavily damaged and nearly entirely exposed - a few good hits could be all that's needed to finally end this dangerous situation...!
Riku Asakura	Thistle lands roughly, dropping the sword, and doesn't get up. "Thistle!" Ultraman Geed calls out, but the slash she did destroys the tail and saves Holly (the critter) and Regulus. This opens up the beast for another attack. More than that, with its core now cracked, it's at its weakest right now. "Doctor Holly, the core! We can destroy it!" He calls out to Dr. Holly before rearing back. Ultraman Geed starts to charge a dangerous energy across his body. Red and black energy charges across his body. Crackles of energy surge from his feet and hands to his center of mass. He rears back as if the channeling hurts, but he keeps doing it. His eyes glow brightly, white and blue instead of the same red and black energy that courses through his body. Eventually, the energy settles on his hands before he rights himself. Bringing his hands into a plus shape, he gathers the stored energy before firing a giant beam from his hands. The beam is red and black, aiming to pierce the last resistance of the creature. And of course, aims to explode the beast the moment it touches.
Holly Asturias	"Sorry love! your ears aren't round enough!" Holly, predictably, reaches up to touch her ears. No, they're round and fine? It's true she doesn't have any fur but what does that have to do with... "Doctor Holly, the core! We can destroy it!" And Thistle said Skipper didn't get heroism out of her, huh? She'll have time to help her in a second, if the core's fully exposed. Holly's blood splatters back out in the shape of her rifle, and she crouches, barrel pointed at the exposed core and gathering a large amount of bright blue energy in it. One good shot. When she pulls the trigger, it's an intense beam of ice again, like a laser; larger, two feet wide and tall, and lasting a few seconds at that. It's got punch, and it's got the ability to freeze, perfect to break an exposed core. She's just about ready to immediatly put the rifle away and run to Thistle when she has confirmation the Beast is done.
Regulus	Regulus scootches over to the underbrush, wincing because she doesn't really know first aid. If she was a robot mouse she could do something but she's mostly only able to help her get up and support her injured ankle. "Let me know if it starts to hurt real bad, I can shift to carrying you in both arms, okay?" She nods along in agreement with Thistle, who she doesn't actually know at all, that now's not the time to worry about the farm. The farm should be a problem for future Holly. ''Thistle drops Holly'' "Woah a little warning--!" Then she sees the Beast. "Oh gnarly crap!" She shifts to support Holly more generally and ducks behind the underbrush hoping that neither of them will be noticed while Thistle is being an action star.
Skipper	> "Oh gnarly crap!" "You're not supposed to use that language," says Holly (mouse), distracted. It's one half automatic response said before thinking, one half half-joke to relieve the tension. One good shot, piercing the core straight through from one direction. It might be a killshot, but the Ultraman energy beam coming in from another direction means there's nothing 'might be' about it anymore. There's an impressive series of firework-like pops going off as the core fractures, the many remaining parts shattering into the aether, followed by the core itself. Once again, no corpse, not even any pieces left behind, only a few butterfly-like motes that drift through the air where the Beast was a moment ago. Thistle's not in good shape. She's stable, in that none of her injuries are likely to kill her, but there's plenty of bruised things and broken things and maybe one or two displaced things and in general her body is kind of messed up. "I'm fine," says the rat person who is clearly not fine. "Go- go see to the others, there were injured there, or the girl who was-" "It is you!" Other Holly calls from cover. "I knew it was you! From the stories!" Thistle winces for reasons unrelated to her injuries. "Thistle Whiskersmith! The Beast Breaker!"
Regulus	''You're not supposed to use that language.'' "Sorry I'm British." Regulus quips back before she's able to remember she probably doesn't know what that is. r''It is you! I knew it was you! from the stories! Thistle Wintersmith! The Beast Breaker!'' "Oh darn...!" Regulus adopted to a less sweary language anyway. "YOU'RE the Beast Breaker?? My first time here and I get to see the BEAST BREAKER?" She's just joining in on Holly giving her a hard time because she has no idea what a Beast Breaker is, beyond the implications that are pretty self evident and who is she to get in the way of someone's legend? Especially when it seems to annoy them a little!
Riku Asakura	The beast evaporates into motes of magic again. Nobody knows why or how, but the deed was done. Geed looks towards the downed beast before turning towards Thistle. Moments later, Geed shrinks down from a giant of light to a human. Riku is there where the giant of light was, running towards Thistle. 'I'm fine,' "You don't look fine to me, and I'm not a doctor. Let Dr. Holly at least look you over first." Riku says, trying to appeal to Thistle, who looks like death warmed over. 'Thistle Wintersmith! The Beast Breaker!' Riku looks shocked; she was one of those heroes that Skipper aspires to be. "Then why not train Skipper yourself..?" He asks, before thinking, and it just falls out of his mouth before he has a chance to think about it. He looks up towards Holly (critter) and Regulus. "Nice save there," he says to Regulus. "Are you the girl who vandalized the farm?" he asks, bluntly at Holly (critter).
Holly Asturias	"Go- go see to the others, there were injured there, or the girl who was-" With the Beast popping into glorious fireworks thanks to BEAMS crashing into its CORE, Holly's rifle liquefies back into golden blood, and she's already fast on her way to Thistle - who insists she is fine, actually. "Hm, hm, hm," Holly smiles, tapping her chin pointedly. "Well, surely you told us the truth about Skipper's influences, and so, you can be trusted to tell us the truth about your state, mhm?" The Revenant doesn't give Thistle much choice. She is getting healed, and that's that. It's not a particularly hard process, either. She just extends her hands, golden Ichor flowing from her heart, through her arms and fingers, leaking out as a soft light that applies some simple Formae to hasten Thistle's natural regeneration rate, and dampen pain if there's any. "Now, you're quite correct, there were others injured. Please don't be too harsh on our little vandal, yes?" That last one is as much to Riku and Regulus, as it is to Thistle.
Skipper	> "My first time here and I get to see the BEAST BREAKER?" Thistle gives Regulus an annoyed look, but she has other crickets to fry right now. > "You don't look fine to me, and I'm not a doctor. Let Dr. Holly at least look you over first." "I don't need any help," says Thistle, though she's clearly cooling off on the idea of not getting any help. Doctoral assistance sounds pretty good right about now. > "Well, surely you told us the truth about Skipper's influences, and so, you can be trusted to tell us the truth about your state, mhm?" No comment is given as healing is received. Holly (mouse) simply has bruised ribs, if Holly (revenant) cares to see to her next. > "Then why not train Skipper yourself..?" "..." That's about... one half 'that wasn't a good question to ask so an explanation is not forthcoming,' and one half 'that was a good question to ask but the explanation is too complicated to say easily', and ultimately resolves into a magic-8-ball-esque 'Ask again later' sort of silence from Thistle. > "Are you the girl who vandalized the farm?" > "Please don't be too harsh on our little vandal, yes?" Thistle seizes on the change in subject. "That wasn't a good way to express yourself, Holly." "But- but you could have saved us! You could have saved mom and dad and everyone else... The Whiskersmith Twins! The Beast Breakers! Thistle and Nettle Whiskersmith, saving the world one Beast at a time!" Another wince from Thistle. "That's... not me. Not anymore. Not ever again."
Regulus	''Nice save there.'' "Huh?" Regulus asks, confused. Though this might also be about the vandalism. ''Please don't be too harsh on our little vandal, yes?'' "What vandalism?" Regulus asks, looking at the 'lightly vandalized farm'. "Oh come on that's ''barely'' vandalism." Regulus says. "Anyway, the BEAST BREAKER said it wasn't important anymore, so I think we're good, no need to make it into a bigger deal than it is." Though it is absolutely true that Regulus's sense of vandalism is probably notably extreme than whatever is going on here. ''But you could have saved us!'' "Hey Holly, come on, you get to express yourself but anybody who fights should get the right to call it quits some day, you know? If she's already a big ol' legend, don't you think she's done her part? And shouldn't it be time for other Beast Breakers to pick up where she left off?" She rubs at her neck lightly, a bit sheepish. "I mean it looks like real scary work."
Riku Asakura	The silence from Thistle tells a story that something bad happened, and pushing this subject may be a bad idea. Riku doesn't press his luck and instead looks to Holly (doctor), who encourages him not to be too hard on Holly (critter). He scratches the back of his neck and nods to her. "I'll be on my best behavior, I promise." 'The Whiskersmith Twins! The Beast Breakers! Thistle and Nettle Whiskersmith, saving the world one Beast at a time!' This causes Riku to wince. He can read between the lines here. The fact that there isn't a Nettle here or training Skipper says a lot about what happened. He takes a breath and looks towards Holly (critter) and speaks from the heart. "It's not fair to blame people who want to stop fighting. Regulus is right, this is dangerous work, and not everyone can transform into an Ultraman to fight the beasts." "Besides, there is a new Beast breaker, Skipper. They're off-world right now, trying to become a better hero for you. That and... you saw what happened when you fought a beast. You can get hurt as Thistle did. You can even die. I'm sorry for your loss, but blaming heroes who have retired isn't right." "Instead, you should move on with your life. Think about the person you want to be."
Holly Asturias	While important chats happen, Holly (vampire) makes her round of the injured. Holly (mouse) is first, and then the others, to finally double back and check on Riku and Regulus, just in case. It's kind of routine, and basic healing isn't too taxing on her, so by the time she's back, she's peppy as ever. "That's... not me. Not anymore. Not ever again." "I understand this might be a sore subject," Holly (goth) says, returning from her rounds, "But perhaps the little one might find it easier to move on if she knew a bit better who you are now? I suppose I'm quite curious myself, but for her benefit most of all..." Well, sore subject or not... It'd surely do Holly (critter) some good, and give Holly (tall) some much needed context on what truly makes a hero give up.
Skipper	> "And shouldn't it be time for other Beast Breakers to pick up where she left off?" Another sore subject. Thistle would rather Skipper not pick things up at all. Regulus has a point there though, as well as a point about the rest of it. "The damage to the farm isn't important, but you can't keep doing things like that. You can't damage other peoples' things just because you're upset." > "But perhaps the little one might find it easier to move on if she knew a bit better who you are now?" The bit about Holly (not mouse) being curious is noted, and it probably worked out best that she was out in the open about it instead of letting Thistle pick up the implication there. "Nettle... my sister. We fought a lot of Beasts together. We tried to help as many people as we could." Thistle reaches up and rubs at her scar. "But one day... I made... we... things went wrong. Nettle shoved me out of the way just in time, but then she... she wasn't with us anymore, after that. And after that..." Thistle takes a breath. "I just... couldn't keep doing what I used to do, after that." "I don't... I mean, even if I wanted to run around trying to save everyone, I'm old, Holly." This is maybe directed at both Holly's. "I don't have my vigor anymore. I don't have the gumption to go save the world anymore. And I can't move and fight like I used to... at least not without hurting myself, clearly." > "It's not fair to blame people who want to stop fighting." > "If she's already a big ol' legend, don't you think she's done her part?" "I'm truly sorry about what happened to your family, but I needed to take care of what family I had left. They need me. Just like your aunt and uncle need you." Holly (not a vampire) nods silently, upset, but maybe understanding where Thistle is coming from. And at that point, they're joined by the other caravan members, two of whom scoop off Holly (the one small enough to be picked up) and carry her off. Praise is heaped upon the heroes, rewards are offered (Holly (the one too big to be picked up) has her pick of seed samples to take back), and campfire tales are sure to be told of the otherworldly heroes that came to the caravan's aid. And then they move on, and Thistle can speak a little more candidly now that they're alone. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole story. It's... not something I was hoping to rehash." "But..." Thistle crosses her arms. "It's also not the life I'd want for Skipper. I meant it that they don't get it from me, I certainly haven't encouraged them to 'follow in my footsteps'." "I like to think I've earned my retirement, which should include getting to spend time with what family I have left... but instead means I'm watching both of them run off to try to save the world, and likely get themselves hurt or killed. A grandmother shouldn't have to see herself outlive her grandchildren."
Holly Asturias	"I just... couldn't keep doing what I used to do, after that." "So loss," Holly (w/ fangs) muses aloud to herself, following along Thistle's story with ease. It's a tale she's heard before. Not a happy one. Often a long-lasting one. She herself was never the same after her mother passed, and she's carried that grudge for... how long has it been? Well over seventy years. It's petty. "Heroes, I think, deserve to retire too. It's unfortunate that they're needed at all, but one can't shoulder burden forever and ever on. I'm sorry about Nettle. That can't have been easy." "But," Holly raises a finger, to make a point both visually and by speaking, "Honesty goes a long way. I do not know you very well, that much is true, but people carry themselves a certain way, even if they aren't open about who they are. If Skipper is perceptive, perhaps they were inspired by you in other ways. You may not be slaying monsters anymore, but heroism can surely shine through other acts - or even wise words." She drops her hand, placing both on her hips instead now. "I'm certain they'll be fine. They may have inherited your spirit, even without lessons, and there are many of us who can be called upon to help them. We'll make sure you don't have to bury them."
Riku Asakura	'Nettle... my sister. We fought a lot of Beasts together. We tried to help as many people as we could.' 'But one day... I made... we... things went wrong.' Riku lowers his head; it was what he thought it was. Nettle didn't make it back to live out her life. All that was left was Thistle and her regrets. After a moment, he looks towards Thistle and speaks. "Sorry for what happened. It makes sense that you'd want to retire after that..." he says with a sigh. The reward that Riku wants is just some food to eat. He's down some calories and doesn't want much more than that. He also doesn't want to put too much on the recently attacked caravan. 'A grandmother shouldn't have to see herself outlive her grandchildren.' "No, but a grandmother shouldn't lie to them by omission either. What Skipper needs right now is a role model and teacher. I know what happened was a tragedy, but Skipper has made this choice themselves. They want to save the world from the Beasts." "It doesn't take an Ultraman to be a hero; just a regular person can do it too. Besides, if you teach them what you know and what not to do, they'll avoid the same mistakes," he takes a breath.
Regulus	Regulus is totally unhurt! She came by because a cobra told her too, and if you can't trust a snake who can you trust? Naturally, Regulus is also of the mind that it'd be best if nobody was doing beast breaking at all but she saw enough of a glimpse of that monster that the idea of just letting it go around and murder everybody doesn't really feel viable. She's a pacifist, but maybe not a pacifist towards kaiju who just go around smashing shit and hurting people. Her pacifism is a little specific. "Aw.... I'm sorry about your sister..." Regulus says, honestly sympathetic, but in that sort of way that it's sad to hear about even strangers dying. "I wonder why this is even the situation. It'd be best if nobody had to fight at all." Regulus asks. But she bobs her head. She's old! Admittedly, Regulus can't tell by looking, but she feels old ,and that's old enough. Regulus waves off any award, though she'll take a snack or something like that, because she IS hungry. ''It's also not the life I'd want for Skipper.'' "Well ... maybe their heart came from you. You know, the one that got you doing it yourself in the first place. Maybe they didn't have to be encouraged because they just like people and don't want them to get crushed."
Skipper	>"If Skipper is perceptive, perhaps they were inspired by you in other ways." >"Well ... maybe their heart came from you." "... Doubtless." Mixed feelings on that. Some pride, some wondering how much that actually contributed to this less-than-desirable situation. > "We'll make sure you don't have to bury them." "Thank you. Hearing that helps." > "Honesty goes a long way." > "No, but a grandmother shouldn't lie to them by omission either." "... Skipper knows... some of it. It was impossible to hide all of it." "But I'll sit down and talk with them when they come home next. And... talk to them about what happened to the farm, and here too." "And... thank you for understanding. I'd assumed that you'd- nevermind what I assumed. Thank you." "You're welcome at the farm anytime." "... Including right now. I think we all deserve some strawberry pie after that." The day turns out to be much better for everyone after strawberry pie, hero or not.