To Be Like You

To Be Like You
Date of Scene:	08 January 2013
Location:	Fluorgis - Shard Seekers HQ
Synopsis:	In the aftermath of the Heartless assault on Fluorgis, Leida receives a visit from Imi and her newest sister. A careless accident leads to some important questions and an interesting proposition and Priel manages to walk away with a prize.
Cast of Characters:	Priel Aylin, Leida, Legion

---

Leida has posed:
It is late evening in the City of Flowers. As usual the cold winds from the surrounding desert have lowered the temperature to a bone-chilling opposite of the scorching heat that besets it during the day and the bustling trade center has become mostly empty as the locals bundle up for the evening and travelers seek refuge in the pubs and inns.

The damage to the city caused by the massive Heartless incursion was thankfully kept to a minimum due to the heroic actions of the defenders, although the blasted skeletons of several builds dot the city are various points. However, repairs have already begun, the extensive resources of the trade city put to use to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.

Within the Shard Seekers HQ the scene is largely the same. The explosions and tremors of the battle have left many of the decorations broken and ruined on the floor. The ceramic dishes got the worst of it and the kitchen is a real mess at the moment.

Being the resident self-appointed maid, Leida is currently kneeling amid the disaster, carefully sweeping the shards and chunks of sharpened stone into a container for disposal. If Reize and the others are around, there is no sign of them.

Legion has posed:
Imi loves the city of flowers. After all--she loves flowers. But she also is rather fond of Leida who, despite being clumsy and prone to fainting, is rather endearing. Sure, she may have given into a demon and done some horrible stuff but that doesn't phase Imi in part because she wasn't around to see it but also because, well, it's not like she's doing that stuff NOW? And honestly, it seems like she had something she had to escape from.

She has brought along another Legion. This Legion is a new Legion though Leida might not know that just from looking at her. But luckily it will be made pretty evident soon enough.

Imi has basically stopped knocking on the door. She just raps it once before opening it and stepping inside. She goes in first, leaving the other Legion behind her. She smiles as she spots Leida and--pauses for a moment where she's not holding something sharp or shardy.

(Though seriously she didn't think shard Seeker included THIS)

Once she thinks there's a good moment she says, "Hi Leida-Chan! You feeling more awake now?"

Leida has posed:
As usual, the small girl is completely oblivious to her surroundings as she goes about her task. All of her focus is on not accidentally making an even bigger mess or cutting herself on the sharp pieces of broken pottery; an unfortunately common risk for someone as clumsy as herself. Even when the knock comes and the door swings open, she seems not to notice, especially with her back to the entrance.

Thankfully, Imi seems to be keenly aware of her failings and waits for a chance to alert the princess to her presence which is awarded with the expected surprised reply. Leida gives a start at the voice, her shoulders seizing up as if she means to jump right out of her skin for a moment and the small hand brush she has been using to gather up the detritus sails into the air, landing with a soft clonk on top of her head.

Recognition kicks in before she even turns around and the girl gives a soft smile to her friend, rubbing at the new bruise on her head shyly. "O-oh, Imi-chan! You surprised me, ehehe."

Legion has posed:
It's a hard knock life for Leida. Imi cringes as Leida manages to injure herself again. Being a klutz just seems to be a big part of what she is but no matter how much you support someone's nature, you can't really approve of them hurting themselves if you like them!

"I'm sorry." Imi says sincerely. "I tried not to be sneaky but perhaps I'm just naturally sneaky?, The Network hypothesizes apparently but ahh--mm--are you okay? You seem to have konked yourself a bit there..."

"This is...'Leida-Chan'...?, Shida as the Network inquires."

"Mmhmm." Imi says, a bit hesitantly. "ahh--I was hoping to introduce you. Leida-Chan, this is my sister Shida. The network notes she used to be dead but, ah, someone brought her back to life, The Network claims he thought it was the right thing to do though whether or not it is remains to be seen."

Shida smiles over to Leida. "I suppose that's true, Shida of the Network admits but is nonetheless quite happy to be here." She offers a hand to Leida.

Leida has posed:
"Ah...! D-Don't worry, Imi-chan, I am fine." Leida holds up her hands in a pacifying manner towards her friend, smiling brightly as if to emphasize her good health. Considering some of the other things she's suffered due to her clutzy nature, this was a minor annoyance.

The sound of a second voice causes the girl to pause, however, and she inclines her head to get a look at the new Legion. She, of course, looks and sounds just like the rest of them. Imi's explanation causes her eyes to widen slightly and an awed sound escapes her lips as a hand goes to cover them out of modesty.

"Aaaaah... you returned from the World of Darkness? A-amazing...! The person who brought you back must be very brave and strong."

She gives another start and blushes a little. "Oh! But where are my manners?" Leida takes the offered hand and pulls herself to her feet, even though that was probably not the intended use for it. She subsequently bows to her new friend, because all of the Legion's are her friend by default, and smiles. "I am Leida. Please treat me kindly, Shida-chan."

Legion has posed:
And then Imi ... ... ... does not hug Leida. Strange. What could be going on that Imi would not hug Leida basically upon sight. She is just smiling in her lazily vacant way. "Or reckless, The Network considers but notes that he is certainly powerful though this one does not know if you meant Isaac or Hades."

"Isn't that a bit too much, Shida of the Network says as she promises to treat Leida-Chan kindly." She bobs her head to Shida, smiling faintly at her. It's not quite a full smile, she may be a bit nervous herself, but Shida has THE SMILE OF THE GODS you just have to wait for it because it'll come eventually.

Imi continues to not hug Leida. Shida looks quizzically at Imi who tells Shida in turn, "Just like I taught you."

Shida nods once and then suddenly... RUSHES Leida intending to heft her up into the air in her arms and hug her a few feet off hte ground. She spins around in a deadpan manner for three circulations before setting Leida back down again, hands quickly settling around Leida's shoulders to steady her.

"...Like this?"

Leida has posed:
Neither of those names ring a bell, but then, Imi tended to go on about a lot of things that she did not understand so the princess just returns the smile as she stands up straight again. The lack of hugs is indeed a noticeable difference, however, and the strange exchange between the two sisters causes Leida's head to tilt quizzically to the side. Was there something wrong with her? She didn't smell funny, did she, she had taken a bath in the hot spring only this morning. Maybe she was too dirty from cleaning?

As her thoughts drift towards discovering the cause of this hesitation, she is ruthlessly rushed by the new Legion. The smaller girl barely has time to look surprised before she's lifted and hugged. Fear and confusion mix together in her voice as she's swung about, her arms instinctively reaching out to embrace the other girl in return so as not to fall.

When she feels her feet touch the ground again, Leida slowly opens her eyes, finding herself once again staring into the face of a Legion at in inappropriately close distance. She immediately colors up, though no one is around to witness this embarrassing display of affection, so her reaction is less severe.

"A-ah... what... I..."

Legion has posed:
"...Should this one lift her again, Shida of the Network is concerned by the reaction, noting fear and confusion perhaps as a result of not being accustomed to affection though at the same time The Network is not sure they could say they are accustomed to such matters either but who could say?"

"Sorry sorry, Leida-Chan! I know you wanted a hug from me, but Shida has a lot of catching up to do." She approaches Leida too and leans in. Now there are TWO Legions at inappropriately close distances, though she probably has to deal with Imi being this close frequently enough as it is.

"Can you forgive me?" She asks, smiling broadly and--yes!!--intending to poke Leida lightly on the nose. "Shida of the Network---ah that is to say, Shida? She had been disconnected from us for a time, so it's a bit odd when we're re-acclimating to one another, and she had less time in this new world than the rest of us. Thank you for your help, Leida-Chan!"

Leida has posed:
Leida blushes even harder as her other friend steps in, looking away shyly at the implied desire to be hugged. It wasn't entirely inaccurate, even if it was rather inappropriate for someone of her upbringing. But then that was all in the past, wasn't it? No one called her princess here.

She gives a soft sigh and starts to reply but finds a finger poking her on the nose. The girl blinks then smiles brightly at the gesture, giggling in response. "Ehehe... i-it's okay, Imi-chan. I was just surprised is all." She removes her hands from Shida's shoulders and instead puts one around each of their waists, pulling them close to hug softly and equally.

"Sorry if I upset you, Shida-chan. I am glad you are not dead any more. I hope we can be good friends too." Hmm, this wasn't too bad of a feelling. She wondered why the Legion sisters were the only ones who made her feel this comfortable. Not even Reize put her at ease like this. Was this the power of friendship?!

Legion has posed:
"Would you like to be lifted again?" Shida asks. When you're a Legion, You're a Legion all the way, from your first cigarette to your last dying day. When you're a Legion, if the spit hits the fan, you got sisters around, you're a family...experiment designed by a pretty naturally evil biotech company?

In any event, Imi can't read Leida's mind, just Shida's. She can tell that Leida seems to be warming up to them, which may be part of why she was so intent on being outgoing. To help Leida feel comfortable.

Imi manages to not fall on Lenn but this might only be because she's not present. Instead she gives Shida a look of expectation.

"Ah..." Shida says, smiling brightly and--OH GOD THERE IT IS THE SUPER SMILE LOOK AWAY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. IT's a pretty great smile. Imi is shocked by this and even clasps her hands over her mouth in shock. She likes to think she has pretty good smiles but Shida just has the best smile. It's just how it is.

"Yes, I'm glad too." She admits. "I'm sure we can be. Please be patient with me. Would you like help cleaning up?"

Leida has posed:
The smile. It is bewitching. Leida stares up at the older girl in undisguised awe, even greater than when she heard that she managed to come back from a mythical land of ghosts and demons. She is almost compelled to allow Shida to do whatever she wants, no matter how inappropriate or embarrassing, as long as she continues to smile like that.

"What...? O-oh..." The spell is broken when Shida speaks to her again and the princess quickly turns away to hide the fact that she's turning bright red from her own thoughts. "Ah...you do not... I... I can do it myself but... that is, if you want to help, I would... I mean... it would be nice..." Oh dear, she seems to be rather flustered now.

Closing her mouth before she fumbles over her words any further, Leida kneels down starts to clean again. The majority of the work to be done is merely clearing away the broken fragments so no one steps on anything painful. Shopping for replacements will have to come later.

Legion has posed:
Shida is less insane than Imi and does not start engaging in mouth to mouth or anything like that. Which is possibly strange because she probably has the most reason to be nuts. Nevertheless, Shida shakes her head. "We should work together. Right Imi? You will help too?"

Imi nods, "Oh of course, they ARE letting me spy on them after all. It's very gracious of them and we should repay kindness with kindness." The two ducks down and start picking up debris. They are, it seems, significantly capable of not injuring themselves in such situations and move with methodical efficiency.

"I'm sorry I woke you up so roughly yesterday." Imi continues. "The Network wasn't aware of what that button would do? We think that Cid fellow had over-tuned the volume perhaps a bit as well."

Leida has posed:
Leida turns her head as she sweeps, once again using the little brush on hands and knees to scoot the smaller shards into a basket for disposal. There is a pause as she tries to remember the incident of the previous evening but the first thing she recalls is Imi tackling her which, while somewhat rough, did not involve any buttons or noise that the girl can remember. Perhaps it is for the best.

"Oh... that's ok, Imi-chan." She smiles back at her softly, watching with quiet appreciation as the two go about the task much faster than she ever could. "I did not mind so much. We only fell because I am so clumsy..."

Her hands continue to move as talks, no longer paying attention to what she is doing, as is so often the case for someone with her lax attention span. And the result is the same as usual.

Leida suddenly winces as a sharp pain shoots through her hand. Glancing down, she finds that her carelessness has swept one of the larger shards to the basket and it now sits impaled an inch or two into the back of her hand. Quickly, she pulls it free, stifling a small whimper and turns away from the Legions, hoping they didn't notice her blunder.

Legion has posed:
"Were you always clumsy?" Imi asks, without judgement. "It must be tough." She cups her chin for a moment, thinking about that. Is there natural clumsiness or is clumsiness a learned trait? She has no idea! But really she has yet to meet a Shard Seeker, besides Ivo and Priel, who did not seem to at least have a little clumsiness in their hearts. But clumsiness is, admittedly, a bit adorable.

What isn't adorable is gashing your hand open and spraying blood everywhere. There is NO WAY that they wouldn't notice this.

"Ahh..!" Imi gasps. "Leida-Chan!" She rushes over. "Are you okay?? The Network inquires and wastes time by inquiring."

Shida taps her cheek lightly and squints in an attempt to get a look at the hand. "...We should disinfect that." She sys. "Sometimes people...don't do that, thinking it's 'nothing', The Network notes."

Leida has posed:
This is exactly what she didn't want. The princess closes her eyes, biting back the pain of her injury even as she tries to hold it out of sight of her friends, which is pretty hard when they're getting all up in your space. The red stained piece of pottery is left lying on the floor though. Guess she forgot that little detail.

"Nnngh... i-it is fine!" Leida turns her head to face Imi as she comes close, giving her a reassuring smile to hide her discomfort. "I-I'll be alright..."

She seems very reluctant to let either of them see the injury for some reason, scooting away should either of them try to get a better look. Something is odd about this for certain.

Legion has posed:
"It's not fine, it's serious." Imi chastises lightly. "Or at least--it could be! You don't have to be proud for us..." Imi pauses though, thinking that over. Since when has Leida been someone who suffered from pride? As she thinks this, she cups her chin and looks Leida carefully. And assuming it isn't a matter of pride...what DOES it happen to be? She looks towards the piece of pottery. It's blood on that alright! It doesn't look spiders crawled out of it or anything.

"...Leida, we're just worried about you, okay? We have some knowledge of medicine and how the body works." Imi continues, glancing over to Shida.

Shida stands up and approaches Leida slowly. She doesn't summon up the magic smile because the magic smile can only be used rarely like anything precious. She reaches down to the piece of pottery and picks it up. SHe examines it for a few moments and then, lazily, stabs herself in the hand with it.

Leida has posed:
LEIDA uses BLUFF!
It's not very effective...

The princess does have some pride but not so much that she'd suffer a potentially debilitating injury for it. But she's not worried about that either, she just doesn't want them to see what she's seen in the mirror lately when things like this happen. However, the other two girls are persistent. She doesn't want them to be worried but if she shows them this it might be even worse.

After a moment her resolve seems to waiver. Leida turns back towards Imi, her eyes sliding open slightly to peer at her through the loose bangs. She starts to speak but then Shida does something completely crazy!

"Ah...?!" The princess whirls about, her hand reaching out to the other girl in surprise as if to somehow magically stop her in that split second. Of course, she has no such powers and she can only watch with a look of shock as the demon-blood is injected straight into her friend's flesh.

"W...why would...?!" Tears pool at the corner of her eyes, fearful of the things that her power might be doing to the other girl even now. It is not until the soft patter of liquid hitting the tile that she notices the hand she reached out with was the injured one.

Her eyes widen further at the sight of the dark blood, even as it seems to churn and shift of its own accord, knitting the flesh back together before her friends. Those eyes; where once soft amber ovals sat there are now a dark yellow masses, each split up the center by a thin black slit.

Immediately, she turns away, hiding the hand and closing her eyes yet again. "You... you should not have done that...! I do not know what will happen! I do not know what I am!" That was a lie. There was one word sitting on the edge of her tongue that would perfectly explain the changes overtaking her body. A word that she had no desire to utter.

Legion has posed:
Shida has died before, this barely even tingles. She wasn't intending to get Leida blood IN her but she did risk it through using the same potter shard. She tosses aside the shard shortly after like it wasn't even a thing. She knew of course that Leida would reach out if she knew she was hurt, because that's the sort of person Leida is and indeed she has corroboration that this is the sort of expectation she should have of LEida, both from Imi and, really, even Emi. She looks into Leida's eyes, her own as deadpan as ever.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Shida says. "You seem to think, perhaps, that we are not serious about our friendship with you, Shida of the Network postulates this in a chiding manner."

"Ah--I think what Shida means is...we don't want you to feel like you can't be open with us." Imi smiles awkwardly. "We don't intend to be your friend halfway, you know?"

Shida reaches into her vest and withdraws a small disinfectant spray. She hits her hand with it before offering it to Leida.

"...Ah but wait it fixed itself..." She thinks it over. "...Well perhaps you should hold onto it for next time then." She offers it. "We don't know what you are either beyond, of course, being Leida-Chan and our friend--Shida of the Network assumes there are many mysteries in this world and the next."

Leida has posed:
"But... I-I'm..." The princess clenches her hands, digging them into the fabric of her garment. The idea that anyone would merely ignore the circumstances of her current existence is completely foreign to her mind. Coming from a world where appearance was everything, conformity to standards and tradition the way of life, where even the slightest deviation from one's role could be seen as dishonorable and therefore undesirable... it just isn't what she expected.

She'd been shunned almost entirely by her family just for being clumsy. The demon had given her an escape but in return wrecked horrible destruction upon the worlds. She had thought sealing it away would make her free in the release of death but even that had not turned out as planned when she managed to survive. Leida had thought this was some twist of fate, some miracle meant to set her upon a new path. But in the end, it only turned out to be yet another false hope that would see her dreams crumble as she began to become that which her flesh held at bay.

"That's... I can't expect you to...!" They don't even seem the slightest bit phased by her appearance. It throws her completely off-balance, something she ought to be used to from the Legion sisters by now. When Shida draws in to hand her the spray, which she of course has no idea how to use, the princess whirls about suddenly and wraps her arms around the other girl, hugging her tightly but not painfully so.

"I do not understand! How... how can you all look past everything bad and... and see only...? I-I wish... I wish I could be like you... I wish I could see like that..."

Legion has posed:
To shun someone or being clumsy is just an alien thought to Legion. Why even be mean to someone who is clumsy? What purpose does it serve?

Shida is easy to hug. She pats Leida on the back, she's trying to be comforting but it's clear she's a bit unused to being in this position. She actually turns her head towards Imi to see if she's doing this right and Imi doesn't really help her, just giving her a helpless shrug. Shida thinks about it and listens to The Network for a moment or two, and then she says, "Maybe." After a moment. "Maybe if we had experienced it, we wouldn't be able to. This one cannot say. The Network was constructed out of relatively cheap materials and grown in a lab and bred to die in battle. We have lived with men and women with demons growing inside them." This isn't necessarily even a metaphor. "We work with Will, who holds a being that may also be rather dangerous. We have fought many battles against Cronus who could kill us with a touch. We are, this one supposes, a bit hardened."

pat pat, pat pat.

"And perhaps we are a bit unusual, we are not normal people. This is simple truth to anybody who interacts with us. Nevertheless, it is entirely possible that allows us a unique perspective. But..."

Imi jumps in here, scootching forward. "But this one thinks that maybe, well, people aren't their crimes, you know? You must have suffered greatly, because you're a bit too clumsy to have done those things without a bit of a push, right? If we had your kind of power, who knows? Perhaps we would have done similar. We shouldn't blame people simply because they had more power than we did in a similar position, yes?"

"I did not have a future once." Shida said. "Now I have one," She smiles again. "Fate isn't set in stone, This NEtwork shares wisdom from another."

Leida has posed:
This is quite possibly the first time anyone has spoken about Leida's clumsiness in a positive light. Atleast, she thinks being told she was too clumsy to be capable of evil was meant to be a compliment. Legion has a funny way of saying things. Either way, she accepts the reassuring pats with as much dignity as she can muster, which at this point doesn't amount to much more than her not breaking down into sobs completely.

At this point Reize probably would have tried to comfort her with confidence that he could make her stronger, the elven mage would have given her a disgusted look and told her to be more like Reize, the tall man with the black armor would have told her to stop being weak. And maybe they were right. But she didn't want to be like everyone else. She just wanted to be herself. Leida, the clumsy shy princess who faints when she's teased too much.

And bizarrely the only people who had allowed her that desire and never told her to change, or become some other person, the ones who respected her individuality, was Legion. The irony was thick. Yes, her crimes were great but she had suffered as well and sometimes she just wanted someone to step forward and say it. That they might have done the same thing in her place. That she wasn't the only one who could make a horrible mistake.

Again the princess finds herself experiencing a bond between someone that she never knew could exist. But still they have something better than that. To actually feel each others thoughts, to have the comfort of knowing that another person can completely understand your heart. That sounded like something she wanted more than anything else right now.

"I wish I could... be like you..." She repeats, turning her face towards Imi. "It must be nice... to have such a connection with your sisters... to know they will always be there for you... to share your feelings and your pain... someone who truly... understands..."

Legion has posed:
There's no harm in trying to improve yourself, to be better than what you are. Indeed, that sort of viewpoint takes a kind of humility to it. And one could certainly argue that if 'who you are' is something unpleasant you should certainly try to change you 'will be'. But whatever Leida was, Leida seems about as demonic as a mouse. With special effects, yes, but about as demonic as a mouse.

Like them?

Legion is shocked. They've certainly been appreciated, but someone being jealous? GREEN WITH ENVY, Imi might say if she were trying to be funny. The two's eyes widen and they don't look at each other, but The Network is abuzz from hearing this. Gosh, what a strange thing to say!

But even Legion is self aware enough to know that while they may be lonely sometimes, they're never--except for Shida for some weeks--alone.

Could they provide this feeling of togetherness to someone else? Someone who hadn't been part of the experiment? The idea is as frightening as it is exciting, and also--of course--one they could not allow themselves to do, at least just yet. Of course if Leida explained her feelings wholesale--they'd probably be much quicker at reassuring her to not think such thoughts--but as it stands they're too stunned to properly respond.

"Gosh," Imi pinkens. "Well I won't say I'm not happy with my sisters. I've always felt blessed to have them, The Network doesn't intend to brag (okay maybe a little)."

Imi reaches forward to poik Leida in the nose lightly again, smiling at her. This time there's a little electric jolt--not painful, more ticklish than anything. "You can be whatever you want to be, Leida-Chan. If it's something that brings you happiness, we'll support you." This probably does not include returning to demon form and destroying towns in which case they'd probably say something akin to 'okay maybe we were not precise enough with that last statement'.

"Are you...serious about that?" Shida asks a bit more carefully. "Are you sure? Humans like their individuality, don't they? We will admit to having some personal natures that are not completely in line with one another, but..."

Leida has posed:
Leida had a big family herself but it was never anything like this. Her siblings were distant and aloof, treating her like a waste of space or, at best, a disappointment. They certainly never used the word blessed in reference to her existence. It makes the comparison all the more painful.

The girl just stares back at Imi quietly as she is poiked but the addition of the strange tingling sensation causes her to make a funny face. This seems to confuse her for a moment, as if the reaction were not voluntary. The reason for this becomes evident a moment later when her nose scrunches up, her eyes closing, as she sneezes softly in a high pitched squeak.

She manages to cover her face in time to maintain her demure dignity, rubbing the itch away with a soft nod in reponse to their reassurances and questions. "Yes... I am tired of always being alone... even when other people are near me." A sad expression returns as she sits up, releasing her hug on Shida and returning to a more proper sitting position with both legs tucked beneath her. "Everyone is so nice...(well except for the mean lady with claws...)... but they do not really understand. I would give anything to have that comfort..."

Legion has posed:
Shida is quiet. Het patting slows, and then comes to a stop. And eventually she pulls her hand back. She's not sure what to say. It's pretty stunning.

Imi recovers first. "The Network is unable to provide such a service at this present time. Though we share a neural link, we have not been able to look into the minds of others. The Network apologizes, if joining the network is what you were hoping for."

For Shida, being alone was the most terrifying and horrible moments of her life. Despite being perhaps the most individualistic in nature as a result, she is quite happy to be in the link again. So how can she tell Leida that she's wrong and foolish for wanting something like that? She couldn't, it'd be intensely hypocritical.

She said she was sure, even.

"Well, even if we could... there'd no doubt be some sacrifice. Would you really even be you? We couldn't say. And you know we decide through consensus right? ahah...The Network worries."

Leida has posed:
The princess is quiet for several seconds, contemplating the implications of their words and her own. In truth she had been hoping exactly that, though she did not even realise it until just now. The emotions built up inside had spilled forth and taken a shape of their own, making real a desire she had not even known.

She looks up at them eventually, her expression still timid and shy despite the demonic taint in her eyes. They seemed to be trying to dissuade her from this line of thinking, despite their obvious enjoyment of sharing the special link between each other. They were always happy and funny and energetic. It didnt make sense unless...

"Oh... I see." Leida's head tilts forward as she comes to a conclusion, staring down shamefully at the floor. "Ofcourse, I am being foolish again..." She closes her eyes and stands, turning away from the two nodes.

"You would not want someone like me to ruin your network. Someone clumsy and stupid and selfish and... and /tainted/... I am sorry for suggesting such a thing..."

Legion has posed:
Are they really always happy and energetic? Perhaps they have given off this erroneous perception, or perhaps--recently--they really have been that happy. But if that's the case, it's not strictly the network that made them happy. Not being alone, ever, certainly stems off certain kinds of unhappiness but not all and in fact can introduce kinds of unhappiness in of itself.

"No!" Shida protests. "It's not that it's..." She pauses and then after some reflection admits, "...Well, that's not really it. It's true that we have concerns. Viral assault is something we are especially susceptible to...but Shida of the Network adds we would happily take that risk for you."

"Well consensus is still being worked out." Imi admits with a small smile. "Leida...what I'm most worried about isn't that you'd ruin The Network... It's that The Network might ruin you." The very traits that endeared them to Leida do sort of get in the way don't they "Of course, it's true that we don't have the capability even if we wished to right now. We'd have to figure out how."

"But that is something that could be worked on, if it is feasible, Shida of the Network supplies helpfully?"

Imi nods a bit, raising an index finger. "And of course you've only met three of us so far. So here is my suggestion. We will work on this, see if it's something we can do safely. Or perhaps figure out a way to provide a--ah--visitor's pass!--yes, that seems a good starting point--and in the meantime you can go out and meet the rest of the Network. If all our hearts are connected it might be easier? The Network guesses wildly.

"This is not the sort of decision we want you to make hastily," Shida adds. "There might not be an coming back from it. But if it turns out we can do it, and you help us make sure it's safe...then we will see about it. Is that okay with you, Leida-Chan?"

Leida has posed:
"Really?" Leida kept her head down, staring at the floor as they tried once again to counter the incredible depths of self-loathing and doubt that had been ingrained into every fiber of her being since birth. It was a daunting task to be sure but their persistance was starting to chip away at it, bit by bit.

The girl turns about, still hesitant to believe that they held absolutely nothing against her or perhaps unwilling to get her hopes up yet again only to have them dashed as usual. She gives a faint smile in return, trying to send some of that positive energy they were bombarding her with back at them. "Oh but... I do not believe you could do anything to ruin me, Imi-chan. Or your sisters. Even though I have not met them all, if they are anything like you, they must all be wonderful."

The princess goes quiet again, mulling over their words. "Alright... I understand your concerns. I... I would not want to put you all at risk because I am being hasty and selfish."

She bows to them deeply. "Please forgive me for being so troublesome when we have only recently met..."

Legion has posed:
If there's any aspect of Leida that the Legion would wish to destroy, it's probably just that--the self loathing. In fact, they are rather flattered Leida even asked about this. The Network has always quietly believed, if not with consensus certainly with a notable majority, that while much of their lot in life was negative--such as being sent to their deaths repeatedly--the Network made it all worth it. Individuality is certainly interesting, and they imagine for some it is the greatest gift of all, but The Network's notable majority is relatively certain it's not for everyone. For some, it's the sense of belonging that really makes them happy. Religion, patriots, and more take on the identity of a group rather than an individual all the time.

But they aren't the borg. They have no wish to hurt Leida. If someone joined the collective, they'd want it to be of their own free will. Assimilation is much more efficient that way anyway.

Either way it may be wise to not get one's hopes up when they've said they don't even know if it's feasible. It may be beyond their capability. The best judge of that would probably be Emi rather than Imi.

"But even if we can't," Imi reaches a hand forward but Shida is in the way. After a moment's contemplation she just shoves her over.

"Wagh!" Shida tumbles over as Imi scoots close enough to rest a hand on Leida's heart. "We're still connected through here, okay? Through what Will would call the bond of fate, The Network explains a bit haughtily."

Shida rises behind Imi demonically. Imi is oblivious.

Leida has posed:
The sudden rough-housing causing Leida to straighten up and peer at the two sisters curiously, just as Imi reaches out to her. Her eyes follow the hand down to her chest and she blushes, more out of embarrassment from the words than the placement of Imi's hand. There is some of that too.

After a moment, she smiles and places her own hand on top of it, gently squeezing the older girl's fingers. "Thank you very much, Imi-chan. I am not sure I am worthy of being tied to anyone's fate..." Here she goes again. "B-but...! I promise I will try not to make you regret being my friends. Even if I turn into a demon again."

The cast-off node is noticed preparing to unleash some sort of horrible vengence upon her sister, who is somehow unable to notice this despite being connected to her thoughts. Perhaps they have a filter for blocking out this passive connection for just such purposes? How very strange. Either way, Leida laughs nervously and tries to defuse the situtation by stepping in to hug Shida.

"You too, Shida-chan!"

Legion has posed:
Shida is so going to pull on Imi's cheeks. Wait--how old ARE the Legions? Are they older? Well, they look to be about 16 but they're clones. NEVERMIND TIME FOR PULLING ON CHEEKS.

Shida goes in for the kill. Leida goes in for the defuse. Imi thinks this is as good a time as any to stand up.

ALL THREE HEADS COLLIDE AT ONCE. TRIPLE SCORE!

Imi falls over first on her face. Leida might land on top of her OR NOT perhaps she will not fall over this time, it's a mystery. But what isn't a mystery is that Shida dizzily tumbles down on top of Imi shortly after, possibly on top of Leida IT IS A MYSTERY WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE LEIDA.

Either way at least two Legions are going to be knocked out on top of one another.

Reize, up in heaven, stares down at the scene. A tear tumbles from his eye as he, so proud of what just happened, cannot help but cry. Finally, Heavenly Reize thinks, they know what it is to be a Shard Seeker.

Pratfalls.

Leida has posed:
Overly confident in her approach to the endzone, Leida has commited whole-heartedly to her offense which proves to be a dire mistake as she's blindsided at the two yard line by the last ditch defense!

The princess smacks squarely into the collision of noggins and the lot of them recoil from the unexpected blow, Leida spinning about dramatically with stars in her eyes as she tumbles down atop Imi. Shida's addition to the pile makes a beautiful Triple-KO into an even more wonderful Legion sandwhich.

If Leida were still conscious at this point she'd probably be appreciating it just as much as the Heaven Reize. Hopefully no one walks in before they wake up. That would be awkward.

Priel Aylin has posed:
And it is at this very moment that the door opens, much to Leida's horror.

Or rather, it would be if any of them were even conscious.

Too bad.

"...Oh?" Came the voice of Priel, a curious tone in her words, or rather, word. She steps into the room once, and then twice, craning her body a bit to have a closer look.

Cue several moments of silence in regards to the pile of bodies.

And then an amused grin. "My, my, my, with each generation, they just keep getting younger and younger when they decide to do things like this~" Naturally, the dragon girl pulls a camera out of her waist bag and angles it juuuuuust right. And then...

CLICK!

"Perfect~"

The door closes, leaving the three to their sweet dreams.