middleofsomewhere | The Will to Fight: Conclusion

The battles rage loud and ferocious at the gates of the city and off in the ruined wastelands of Erda, and on the walls a struggle of a different kind occurs. The team who stayed behind at the towers are small but determined as they move stoically across the walls to right the stones that have become misaligned, even as their friends battle not too far away.

The city begins to hum. It's a quiet hum, not loud enough to be heard out where the others are fighting but it vibrates even through stone. The recovering monks assure them that it is done, the wards are back up and no demon will be able to enter the city.

Eventually the battle is won, all three battles. The demons fought back and killed, a major blow to their gate system that will keep them back for hopefully a long time. Those waiting in the caverns return to the city and by the time they get there the illusions are gone. Everyone can see the world for what it really is.

But despite the ruins of their world the people are relieved, the adrenaline of the fight coursing through their veins and the mood is one of hope. They will build again, their people will survive.

All Voidtreckers please return to the Voidtrecker Express. Departure will be in a few hours

It has landed not too far from the city, cloaked to make it unnoticeable to the citizens, for all the good that does. No one has been particularly subtle this last week. People can begin regrouping, packing up the camp and getting any wounded not already healed to the train.

However roughly half an hour later another message appears on their SCA.

Passenger Persephone has requested we remain on system System #86525656412355 for an additional day to further assist the people of Erda. The Voidtrecker Express will depart on the morning of Day Fifteen of the month of Kazoo.

The train remains where it is, so the voidtreckers can use its facilities. There is definitely a lot that can be done to assist those of this world and the citizens will welcome any helping hands.

After an extra day they finally depart, returning to the void once more.

(OOC Note: Once the wards are up any characters who are demonic in nature will not be able to enter the city either!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

.. oh geez.

It's pretty good to be able to walk around in town and not hear the sounds of battle, or panicked people.. But while hearing a small child throwing a tantrum is a whole lot better and more normal than that, it still isn't exactly ideal, huh.

It's enough to bring Madoka's feet to quickly jog in the direction of the source of the commotion, before spotting Ken and Wormmon standing there, and the small child in tears.

She doesn't say anything just yet, but she's definitely seeking eye contact with Ken - trying to nonverbally signal 'do you need help?' to him.

Madoka-san.....Ken meets her eyes for a second, looking helpless. He doesn't know. He doesn't know if he needs help!

Which probably means he does, huh.

"Hey! Don't yell at Ken-chan!"

Wormmon's antennae are stiff at the idea that this girl is making Ken-chan sad. The girl screams.

"EEK! YICKY MONSTER!"

"Ahahah....ha........"

Ken bows his head. How did it come to this.

He definitely needs help. Madoka sees the way he bows his head like that - that's not something someone who doesn't need any help does!

And so she decides to Intervene. Because otherwise this is only going to escalate more rapidly, and the last thing Madoka wants is for half of the town to go on a Wormmon hunt..

Madoka approaches the girl and the creature, bending down a little (not much though, Madoka is so tiny..) at the girl and smiling.

"Don't worry. Even if you think he may look scary, he's actually really nice!"

She turns her head to smile at Wormmon. "Right, Wormmon?"

Please, Wormmon. Please cooperate here. She is trying to be diplomatic!

Wormmon is not sure he wants to be nice to someone who was not nice to Ken-chan. He looks away. "Hmph."

But then Ken-chan is kneeling by him, and looking into his eyes.

"Of course you are, Wormmon," he says with a smile. "You're the nicest monster I know."

The nicest monster Ken-chan knows....

The nicest monster Ken-chan knows!

Wormmon all but bounces back around to look at the girl, all smiles. "Yeah! I'm GOOD! Let's be friends."

...

Some people's hearts are won over so simply, aren't they.

Not that Madoka is offended. Of course Ken would be better at getting Wormmon to change his mind - they're best friends, after all! Or they seem like it whenever she encounters the two, anyway. So Madoka just smiles before turning back to the girl.

"See? Ken-san and Wormmon are friends too, because Wormmon is really sweet! Do you want to shake his.."

What.. do you call.. Wormmon's.. thingies. Claws? Madoka sure doesn't know what the proper and polite way to call them in this case would be!

".. hand?"

Honestly, Wormmon is not sure what to call Wormmon's thingies, but he gets what Madoka is suggesting and sticks one out. "Go ahead."

His stomach is doing little nervous flips, but he does like being with people, and he wants this to go well! So he'll be brave for Ken-chan.

The girl eyes Wormmon's proferred appendage with suspicion, but she reaches out to take it. Lifts it up. Lowers it.

Pumps it with more enthusiasm, and looks at Madoka. "Hey, he's FUN!"

Ken's...perfectly happy not to be a part of this, but he's glad it's going well.

"Yes!" Maybe Madoka speaks up a little bit too quickly, but she is determined to let this idea linger in the girl's head, rather than the idea that Wormmon is some sort of creepy little thing. Just look at those cute eyes, who could ever think that! "Yes, yes, he definitely is fun! So don't worry, okay? Wormmon is here just like the rest of us to help your parents and everyone else here out. Just like me and Ken-san!"

Sorry, Ken.

You can never truly escape. You are brutally being dragged back into this situation.

...On the bright side, she's giving him a prompt, which helps. (He does want to help, he's just overly self-conscious.)

"Right," he agrees. "Wormmon's helped me many times. You can count on him."

"Ken-chan...."

The girl likes the sound of this. In fact, now she is picking Wormmon up to...carry with her...

"If you're helpers, please go fix the barn! Mommy and Daddy were sad about the roof."

...

Is she witnessing a live Wormmon kidnapping.

Madoka isn't too sure how to feel about it - but then again, she guesses it's not really her opinion that matters in the end, as much as Ken and Wormmon's own opinions matter when it comes to this. Hence why she shoots an uncertain glance in the direction of the other two. Hey, are you okay with this? Is this supposed to happen? Does an intervention need to be staged? Who knows.

"Ah.. W-well, fixing a whole barn may be kind of hard for just us two..!" She will at least sheepishly protest that. How are they even going to reach the roof, please, they're in their early teens!

"Ken-chaaaaaannnnn!!!"

WORM REACHING. Ken steps forward to resolve this.

"We'll take a look," he promises - Ken does not always make the most sensible choices. "Here, could I carry Wormmo....?"

"He's MY friend now." The girl hugs him. "You said he was NICE."

Then she turns to Madoka. "You think he should be MY friend, right?"

"Huh?!"

Apparently Madoka didn't expect to be made into the judge of this case, since she glances between Ken and the girl, her eyes wide. And sure, it'd be easy to just dip out of this situation, to leave it all to Ken himself, but.. that doesn't feel fair! He's a friend, and on top of that, Madoka does feel a little responsible for causing this situation, considering she was promoting Wormmon's adorableness in the first place..

So even though she looks so incredibly awkward, she shakes her head a little, trying to sound as gentle as possible when she speaks up.

"Well, I.. I don't think it's bad to be friendly with Wormmon, but.. I think Ken-san may get a little lonely without his best friend, you know..?"

Wormmon is quick to support this, clinging to the (metaphorical) Silk Thread of salvation. "Right, right! You're my friend, but Ken-chan is my partner!"

"....What if he....walked on his own.....?" Ken proposes, matching Madoka for awkwardness. "So he can be with all of us....."

"Awwww." But the girl, pouting, puts Wormmon on the ground. He zips over to Ken and grabs onto the boy's leg. "Ken-chan!"

Ken reaches down and pats his partner, who takes the hint (with a sniffle) and backs off. He would very much like to stay close to Ken-chan, but they have to keep this girl from grabbing him again and taking him ALL THE WAY AWAY, huh?

So he shuffles backwards...until he bumps into Madoka. "Scuse me."

All's well that ends well?

The Will to Fight: Conclusion

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