MonMusu Mekton Quest: Episode 10

7:51 PM - Mektons of Fun: You awaken, very, /very/ carefully, the morning after. You feel dizzy, light-headed, and sore. But you feel /so/ /good/. Just recalling the night's sensations sends shivers of fear and pleasure down your spine. Looking about, you can't help but notice that you're still dangling from the ceiling, upside-down. Ah, right, when she did /that/ to you...
7:55 PM - Mektons of Fun: You shake the feeling, then yourself in your cacoon, wrapped up and hanging like a pendlum. It takes some swaying back and forth, but you eventually manage to dislodge the thread from the ceiling and crawl out of your bindings, which she most generously left mostly tight as opposed to constrictingly so. Langio herself is nowhere to be seen, for better or worse. You thud to the floor with a grunt, sending a few twinges of pain lancing across the still-healing battle scars of last night that rake your back and a few other places. You'd almost think she was being gentle with you, if you didn't think voicing that opinion to her would lead to even worse punishments than last night. Whether or not that would be preferrable is debateble.
7:56 PM - Mektons of Fun: Now free, you stand, basking in the afterglow and aches.
7:59 PM - Kari: (Is it safe to assume I have a basic terminal in the room?)
7:59 PM - Mektons of Fun: yeah, sure thing
7:59 PM - Kari: (cool~)
8:00 PM - Kari: Kari takes some time to stretch out, arching her back, arms, and legs. Joints pop as she groans out the stiffness, giving her wings some gentle rotations as well. Satisfied, and, quite frankly, feeling amazing, she decides get her morning started by hastily throwing on a top and accessing the terminal near her bed. With a yawn, she tacks the interface a few times and tries to ring Widoia.
8:01 PM - Mektons of Fun: You give Widoia's terminal a quick ring, and she picks up not long after. "Good morning, Kari~. How are you? Caught me at a good time, I just got out of the shower."
8:03 PM - Kari: "Good morning to you too, Wids~," she says, almost sing-song through her grogginess. "I'm doing wonderfully, thank you for asking. How are you?"
8:03 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Gooood. You sound more chipper than usual though. Something happen?"
8:05 PM - Kari: "Mmmm... 'something' is a good word for it~." With a lilting chuckle, Kari runs a hand through her bangs and breathes a happy sigh. "I was wondering if it's okay if I make a call to my sisters. Have they registered an address yet?"
8:10 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Mm. Let me check, sit tight a sec." You hear her tapping away at her terminal, humming and reading a few lines of text out to herself under her breath before she lets out an affirmative noise. "Yep yep! Looks like they got Mr. Silk's last payment transfer. It wasn't much, but it looks like it was enough to get a little house for the two of them with some basic luxuries. I see they even set up a pan-galactic message connection, and they can even make calls within five clicks of their location. So, we're actually within vidcall range, if you wanted to give them a ring~."
8:10 PM - Kari: "Definitely! Can you put me through?"
8:13 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Sure! I'll teach you how to do it yourself later, but for now I'll set up a call and transfer it to you. Sit tight~."
8:15 PM - Kari: "Thanks, Widoia. You're the best~." Between the setup of the call, Kari roams over to the far side of her bed, grabbing the necklace Ida made for her and donning it. Sliding back over to the terminal, she plops herself down at the edge of the bed once more.
8:17 PM - Mektons of Fun: A few seconds later, Widoia chants, "All set. You're on, Kar! Tell them I said hi~." Widoia's call disconnects, and the screen on your terminal fades to black, turning into a flickering black and white snow before clearing up into a picture of your two sisters. The backdrop is a fairly humble wooden home, but it's got the basic amnenities you'd expect, and they're not on the streets, so they're in a much better position than they were before. Ida's large knockers veritably burst from her small, lazy-morning tanktop, though Yui appears to be in a much more appreciable state of dress, being fully clothed. As you'd expect of someone like her, always looking and trying her best.
8:19 PM - Kari: "Hey you two~!" Kari chirps, clearly remarkably happy to see them. "Been a little while, huh?"
8:20 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui smiles, tilting her head and clapping her hands together. "Kari! You look good." Ida nods, adding, "How's life in space treating you? The spiders aren't being too harsh?"
8:25 PM - Kari: Stretching her arms over her head, Kari arches her back and basks in the feeling of limber, lingering, pleasant pain. Breathing a content little sigh, she grins as content as can be. "Life has been pretty good so far. I always miss you two, of course, but Widoia and company do what they can to make the ship feel like home.  Check it out." Moving off to the side, she showcases the size of the bed before slipping back in front of the camera. "Got my own space and everything. Large bed, spatious shower, etc. Everyone here's been pretty great to me too. Been getting my share of work in return though. Heh. You two look great; Especially you 'Thunder Tits'~."
8:26 PM - Mektons of Fun: You can very nearly see the vein bulging on Ida's forehead. "Just because you're not here, does not give you freedom to call me what you want."
8:27 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui laughs at the banter before saying, "That's great, Kari. We're both so happy for you, you have your own little space and everything! ...it all looks a little big though. Isn't it lonely in there?"
8:28 PM - Kari: "Mmmm... sometimes," she replies with a blissful smile. "But not all the time~."
8:28 PM - Mektons of Fun: "And just what could you mean by that?" Ida questions, leaning down and giving the camera the stinkeye.
8:29 PM - Kari: Kari tenses up for a moment, eyes having trailed off in thought. As her face turns a bit red, she tries to shake her head clear. "Um... n-nothin, Sis~. So how's your place? Seems nice."
8:31 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Don't just change the subj-" Ida begins, before Yui cuts her off with a cheery smile, pushing her face against Ida's in the camera's lens as she says, "It's a bit small, but much more comfortable than the alley. There's a roof over our head, we have our own beds, a bathroom and everything. We can't thank you enough for all your hard work, Kari."
8:32 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida relents, pulling away and nodding, folding her arms. "Yui's right. You're supporting us with all your hard work... once we get jobs of our own, we'll be sure to send you something back when we can."
8:35 PM - Kari: "Oh! You don't have to do that, girls. I'll be okay. I'm actually doing pretty well. I landed a bonus with that first job, so I hope that helped a little. Above and beyond you know?" With a nervous giggle, Kari rubs the back of her head at Ida's still obviously displeased look. She tugs at her shirt collar before continuing. "Besides, I did this for all of us. You don't owe me anything, and I've got things alright here."
8:36 PM - Mektons of Fun: "You can't very well expect us to let you support our living expenses, especially not when you're the /youngest/ sister. It should be us out there." Ida turns away, clearly still having mixed feelings on the outcome of your job.
8:39 PM - Kari: "You sure, Ida? Widoia and Mr Silk seem to think I'm a natural at this. I've already bagged four mektons in one engagement. And uh... heh... Chief seems to see something in me too~. So trust me, I'm okay. You girls just do what you need to do, alright?"
8:40 PM - Mektons of Fun: "F-four Mektons?" Ida seems taken aback. Indeed, she physically takes a step back, hand to her chest. Yui seems more curious about your fellow crewmates, however. "Who's Chief? Is she nice?"
8:42 PM - Kari: Kari pauses at the sudden question about Langio, seeming a little frozen for an answer. "Um.. w-well... That would be Security Chief Langio. She's one of the crew, and she's quite the uh... intimidating woman. Taught me to use a gun, actually." The whole time, despite the blushing and fidgeting, Kari has a little smile plastered on her face as she plays with her hair.
8:43 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui puts a hand to her mouth to cover her smile. "Ooooo. Look at her face, Ida, Kari likes this Chief lady." She giggles.
8:45 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida's shock at the fact that you destroyed four Mektons solo is suddenly replaced with an odd look of mixed curiosity, jealousy and anger. "O-one of the spiders?" She stammers, leaning close to the camera again. "Just what did she do to you?"
8:47 PM - Kari: Kari tenses up a little more at Yui calling her out, face flushing a deeper red. Before she can get an answer in, a look of guilt replaces the one of apprehension as Ida demands a response. "I.... w... she.... um..." Fidgeting for an answer, she tugs at her shirt collar once more. "Do um.... d.. do you r-really want to know~?"
8:48 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Yes, tell me everything, every word! Did she mind control you? Threaten you? Poison you? What happened to cause these feelings?" Ida's demands exaggerate further, and her face continues to wash across a confounding spectrum of emotions as she attempts to process what she's seeing and hearing.
8:52 PM - Kari: Kari's face falters at the sudden slew of demands and accusations fired her way. Repeatedly she tries to interject, but Ida's assault is just relentless. "W-Well! I.. I'd l-let her tell you, but she w-wasn't here when I woke up. J-Jeez, Sis... You're sounding k-kinda jealous. And she didn't make me! She... she even asked me if I wanted her to stop."
8:53 PM - Mektons of Fun: "S-stop /what/?"
8:54 PM - Kari: "... d..." Kari shifts a bit, visually uncomfortable at the thought. "I... I c-can show you if that's what you r-really want..."
8:54 PM - Mektons of Fun: "...just what did she do to you? ...fine, show us then."
8:54 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui looks between you and Ida with confusion, not quite understanding what's going on, but feeling Ida's concern by proxy.
8:57 PM - Kari: With an awkward cough, Kari aims the camera up towards the threads still clinging to the ceiling. "We um... up there..." Bringing the camera back down to her once more, she pulls off her top and turns around to show off the scars. "And we um... th-these~..." Despite her embarrassment, the tone in her voice is one of fond rememberance. There's even a tiny smile clinging to her face as her skin stretches and pulls near the wounds.
8:58 PM - Mektons of Fun: "T-t-that monster tore into you... Kari, how are you smiling at that? You're... a mess!" Ida claps her hand over her mouth in shock.
8:58 PM - Mektons of Fun: "N-now don't jump to conclusions, sis..." Yui says, trailing off as she looks your wounds over.
8:59 PM - Kari: "She's not a monster!" Kari snaps, getting a little defensive. "I wanted her to do this! It... it felt amazing, okay!? She didn't do anything I didn't want her to. I promise."
9:00 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida stops, processing the information. "Wait... you and her... you both...?"
9:02 PM - Kari: "Y-yes..! I... I think she's really, really hot. She cares about me too, in her own way. They're not bad people, Sis. Widoia's as gentle as can be and... well... frankly, the Chief knows her way around the bedroom~. You might even like her too, Ida."
9:03 PM - Mektons of Fun: "I...I...I-I-I-" Ida stutters, seemingly unable to comprehend. Or just refusing to. Her face flushes a deep crimson, and she turns her head every which way, looking anywhere but you.
9:04 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui clears her throat, a faint blush played across her own cheeks. "W-what I think Ida is trying to say is, that we're both very... glad, that you're in a friendly and c-caring enviornment where you can..." she clears her throat again, "relax."
9:05 PM - Kari: Kari stares in a mix of processing and shock. "You... didn't know I was talking about fucking did you?"
9:07 PM - Mektons of Fun: "D-DON'T JUST /SAY/ IT!" Ida shouts, pointing feverently at you.
9:08 PM - Kari: Kari smiles big and humiliated, rubbing the back of her head. Her eyes pop open once more and dart around the room as she tries to think of a segue. "S-So! Um! Uh...! YEAH! I uh... I had s-something I wanted t-to talk to you girls ab-bout. If um... th-that's okay...?"
9:09 PM - Mektons of Fun: As Ida attempts to recover her composure, Yui takes over. "What's up, Kari? We're all ears. Even if sis is busy trying not to be angry-jealous-" "I AM NOT JEALOUS."
9:12 PM - Kari: "Totally are~..." Kari mutters under her breath. "Um.. well. So I went shopping with Widoia yesterday, and some things happened, and I kinda saved a couple of streets kids who have nowhere to go. I'm... not the smartest person around, so I was wondering if maybe the two of you had some suggestions. I really can't just turn them back on the streets, and it might even be a while before I can step foot in the lower levels after what I pulled."
9:14 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Kids? ...street kids?" Yui murmurs, putting a hand to her chin as she looks down, thinking.
9:15 PM - Kari: "Yeah. They're really young. The sister's apparently a computer wiz, and the brother's gonna be pretty tough when he grows up. They have a good future I think, so I don't want to just put them back where they were."
9:15 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida, having taken a few deep breaths to compose herself. "A few kids, huh? What are they, Dryders? I doubt they'd be Kunchoren."
9:17 PM - Kari: "I think Widoia called them Usamimi? Little... mammalian creatures. They're kind of adorable actually. Tall floppy ears and little fluffy tails."
9:19 PM - Mektons of Fun: "So, you're looking for advice?" Ida asks. She joins Yui in thought.
9:20 PM - Mektons of Fun: "You really seem to care for these kids, don't you? Yui asks before she slaps a fist into her open hand, her face alighting on an idea. "Oh, I know! This is the perfect way we can pay you back too, right Ida?"
9:20 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida stops mumbling to herself, turning to Yui questioningly. "Huh? What, how?"
9:21 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui smiles, tilting her head. "We'll take care of the kids, of course. It'll put Kari's money to good use."
9:22 PM - Kari: "You'll what now?" Kari adds, seeming just as confused as Ida. "H-Hold on. I can't just ask you two to take care of a couple kids you've never met! And... How do you think they're arrival on our world would even go over?"
9:22 PM - Mektons of Fun: "They're just a couple of kids, right? What harm could they do?" Yui asks.
9:23 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida seems torn on the idea. "Kari's right, Yui. We've only ever taken care of ourselves, how would we be able to watch a few kids? Let alone alien ones. Kunchorens have only ever seen Dryder, we don't even know what they're like!"
9:24 PM - Mektons of Fun: "I don't think it'll be that big of a problem. With ships coming and going all the time, we're bound to see other species sooner or later, right? Plus, Kari really cares about these kids. We can watch them like the big sisters we are."
9:27 PM - Kari: "What about an education, Yui? I... You remember that show I watched when I was in school? The one Ida liked but wouldn't admit it~. Well... that's real here. They have mechanical replacements for limbs and other things. Technology is so advanced out here, far beyond what we ever knew. Do you think our schools would be good enough for them?"
9:29 PM - Mektons of Fun: "It's better than living on the streets, isn't it?" Yui asks.
9:30 PM - Mektons of Fun: "They wouldn't get any education at all there. Plus, you're doing fine, aren't you?"
9:33 PM - Kari: "W.. well.. I suppose so. I mean, I have a lot of help. I... I guess I'm worried about a lot of things. But if I leave them here, those gangers could find them again too, even if they stick to the upper levels... I don't know. I'll have to talk it over with them too. Do you think their world would have a program to take them in? Or... do you think they would have done that already?"
9:35 PM - Mektons of Fun: "I expect if they're as intelligent as you claim, they would have tried that already. Either that, or they simply didn't want to be involved in the program." Ida sits down hard on a bed in the back of the room, tapping her foot.
9:37 PM - Kari: "I... don't know. I guess I should talk to them first before trying to zero in on a decision." Noticing her sister's pensive mood and movements, Kari trails off with a worried look. "What do you think, Ida? You seem deep in thought."
9:39 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida waves a hand dismissively, though it's a half-hearted gesture. "I'm... not sure. It would be better to get them off the streets, if they're in that kind of position. But..." she sighs. "If it's what they want, then we will welcome them with open arms."
9:44 PM - Kari: "Alright... I guess for now, we'll see if that's what they want. Thanks, girls. This really means a lot. I'm sure once they're a bit older, they'll be able to help around the house too if you need it. Jake's a strong kid. Went off trying to save his sister until I talked him down. Valentine's really smart too. Apparently enough that she took care of her brother with her hacking skills. Just uh... if this pans out, keep an eye on them. I really don't want them getting into trouble, and they're not used to 'adults' helping out." Kari adds air quotes to that last bit with a small giggle.
9:45 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui gives a mock salute. "You can count on us, Kari. We're your big sisters, and we'll treat them the same way we did you."
9:49 PM - Kari: "I'm... not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing in Ida's case."  A glib smile spreads across her face as she peers at Ida in the background. "You're not gonna get jealous of 'their' girlfriends too, are you, Thunder Tits?"
9:51 PM - Mektons of Fun: "I told you, I am NOT j-jealous!" She stands pacing back and forth across the room and waving her hands dramatically as she says in a voice laced with sarcasm, "But ooh, since you're such an expert on the subject now, why not just come back and show me how it's done?"
9:55 PM - Kari: Kari stares at the screen, a bit taken aback and thoroughly blushing. "Um... w... m... maybe I will some time. I mean-! I'll definitely have to come visit if uh... J-Jake and Val move there. Right? Aheh..." Kari makes a nervous cough, only half covering her mouth with a half-closed hand.
9:56 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida doesn't seem to have noticed your reaction, so busy was she with playing up her performance. Now concluded, she makes her way back to Yui's side at the camera, offering you a small smile. "Well... we'll gladly take care of them. We're both looking forard to it, right Yui?"
9:57 PM - Mektons of Fun: Yui nods. "Right, sis. It'll be exciting! We're both looking forward to seeing you, Kari."
9:58 PM - Kari: Kari smiles softly at the two. "Thanks, Yui. Thanks, Ida. Oh! So we don't end on a super serious note, I wanted to tell you something! I got to name my mekton~."
9:58 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Did you? And what'd you end up going with?" Ida asks, curious.
10:00 PM - Kari: A big, pleased, blushing smile sits on her face as Ida asks her query. "I... I named it the Yuida~. That way, even when I'm fighting, you girls are right there beside me the whole time!"
10:01 PM - Mektons of Fun: "You named it after us~?" Yui asks, a stupid smile plastered on her face. "That's so sweeeet~! You're the best, Kari. We'll fight right alongside you through thick and thin, isn't that right sis?"
10:01 PM - Mektons of Fun: Ida nods, a small smile played across her own (still faintly blushed) face. "That's right. With that sword and your Mekton, nothing will stop you. We're always there. And we'll try our best."
10:03 PM - Kari: Kari nods back with her own matching smile. "I know you will~. I should probably get dressed soon. I haven't showered yet, and I need to talk to Widoia and the kids. Speaking of which, a bit late, but Widoia says 'hi' to the both of you."
10:04 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Aww, I think I like her already," Yui says.
10:07 PM - Kari: "I knew you would. She's a lot like you, Yui. All hugs and support~."
10:07 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Well, I guess we'd better let you go now, right? You be safe out there, okay Kari?" Ida says, leaning close to the camera. Yui smooshes her cheek right alongside Ida's, the two being so close that you can't even see the room behind them. Just their close-up faces. Yui adds, "Yep! Be careful, Kari. We're both super proud of you!"
10:09 PM - Kari: "I will! I promise! I won't do anything I don't think I can handle. You both mean the world to me~. Love you both so very much. I miss you." A small tear wells up in Kari's eye, but she wipes it away quickly. Kissing two of her digits, she turns them towards the camera and hovers them a short ways away for a second. "We'll talk again soon."
10:10 PM - Mektons of Fun: "We'll be waiting." Ida's own eyes begin to well up.
10:13 PM - Kari: Kari hangs on the words she's trying to say, choking on them as she tries to speak. "Yeah~," she finally manages. "See ya soon." With that, she ends the call with a little wave, and takes some time to collect herself. Head in her hands, she sniffles and brushes back her hair as thoughts race through her mind. Eventually, she decides that she should get showered and moving, shuffling off to officially start her morning.
10:16 PM - Mektons of Fun: You take your sweet time, reveling in the hot water for a while before you finish cleaning up and preparing, dressed and ready for the day. Last you checked, this is probably the last day the ship will be docked at the station, and it's almost definite that you'll be leaving later today. So, what's gonna do?
10:19 PM - Kari: With a reluctant sigh, Kari decides to head to comms to visit Widoia. If they're going to be leaving soon, it's probably a good idea to handle the kids before leaving the station.
10:22 PM - Mektons of Fun: You find Widoia at her station, headphones on her head. She appears to be in the middle of a conversation. Her voice is stiff, like she's talking to someone far above her post. "Huh? Video logs? Why would the... right. Understood. I'll send the copies to your office. Is there anything else? ...okay, got it." With that concluded, she takes off the headphones, sighing loudly.
10:24 PM - Kari: Kari looks a mite bit confused by the tail end of that conversations. She's cocked her brows and is looking at Widoia in a way that speaks the question without it needing to be asked. "Video logs? Did you talk to the police about that gang or something?"
10:24 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Huh? Oh! Hi Kari, didn't realize you were there. Um, no, that was... business stuff."
10:25 PM - Kari: "Hey Widoia. Business stuff? What did Mr. Silk want with video logs?"
10:26 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Oh, that wasn't Mr. Silk. Just some office or another, apparently they're interested in all the logs we have of your fight with the Flal. Dunno if they're related to the group Mr. Silk sold the biomech to."
10:27 PM - Mektons of Fun: "But they had some pretty official credentials, and Mr. Silk said to give 'em what they wanted, so I did."
10:29 PM - Kari: "Oh. That's... odd. Maybe they want to see how it moved? That thing was pretty unreal honestly. Anyway, heh. So I talked to my sisters, and I have an option open for helping those kids. You know more about the universe though. I wanted to talk to you about some things, and maybe ask you to show me where the kids are staying. Dematus showed them their room, so I have no idea."
10:33 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Oh, sure thing. So what's this option? And the kids are staying in one of the empty rooms, you probably passed them on your way here actually. I'll show you."
10:33 PM - Mektons of Fun: She stands, spinning out of her Dryder-sized chair and walking out, beckoning you to follow as you walk and talk.
10:37 PM - Kari: Kari gestures for Widoia to take the lead, stepping aside as the door swoops open. "Well, my sisters said that if nothing else, I could send them back to my world. They could live with Yui and Ida. They'd be off the streets, and even go to school. Our schools probably won't be as good as some other race's, but they're not even in school right now, so anything's better than nothing. I guess... I don't know. I don't know if they'd be happy there, and they'd be eyed up by every one of my people as some sort of oddity. That's tough on kids, as polite as my people can be. If I have the chance to get them a family of their own race with a nice home and a higher education, I think I'd want them give them that, you know? Just doesn't seem right to sentence them to my small planet that doesn't even have space travel yet, especially not with how smart Valentine is apparently."
10:40 PM - Mektons of Fun: "Hmm. I can see what you mean. But whether or not your planet is advanced shouldn't really make that much of a difference when they're just a few kids who couldn't have even used any of that fancy space travel stuff on their own, right? What they'd have on your homeworld with your sisters would be better than anything they had living on the streets of the station. As for the living as an oddity bit... there's really not much you can do to alleviate that problem, I don't think. But they seem like strong kids, right? They can probably overlook it, especially if they have a worry-free enviroment to return to, like... well, a home. With your sisters. And who knows, they might even make a bunch of friends, right?"
10:42 PM - Kari: "Yeah... yeah I guess so. I mean, I need to see what they even want to do. Are there any options like that for their own kind? I want to give them a choice, not just... ship them off somewhere. They can't stay here, that's for sure. It's too dangerous."
10:47 PM - Mektons of Fun: "We could always find them a foster family, but... that might be difficulty, and could be time-consuming. Time's not really something on our side, and Mr. Silk won't want to hold up business for the kids. He might let them stay aboard, so long as you take responsability for them. Otherwise we can arrange a shuttle transport to your homeworld and drop the kids off there."
10:49 PM - Kari: "I'll need to talk to them. They've been through a lot. They might need some time to decompress. If they can make the trip, and that's their decision though, I'd like to get them a shuttle. We all signed on for a little danger, but I just can't risk those kids, y'know? Not after getting them back together like this." Kari rubs her arm idly, a few doubts crossing her mind.
10:50 PM - Mektons of Fun: "I totally get you. It wouldn't be right to put them out of the fire into the frying pan." Clicking through the halls, she stops at a particular door of the hallway housing all the quarters. "This is the one."
10:53 PM - Kari: "Thanks, Widoia," Kari says with a soft smile. She leans forward and gives the spider a hug. "For everything. You're a great person. Yui and Ida say hi by the way~." With a giggle, she lets go, taking one last look at her friend. "Anyway, I better get this done, and I'm sure you have work to do. I'll catch you later, alright?"
10:54 PM - Mektons of Fun: She hugs you back just as tight. "You got it, I'm a busy gal. Catch you later, Kari." She giggles, skittering off back to her station.