tsabic 2/17

[14:48] <Alexa_Kalina> It's been a bit since Alexa's... encounter... with Aynfean. She's not been seen a terribly large amount by people other than Claire--just fleeting glimpses, really. Though right now she's sitting in the mess hall, halfway curled up on herself and picking at a small meal, frowning as she does, occasionally, glancing up and around to see if anyone's entering the room... it's between meals, so she's hoping...
[14:48] <Alexa_Kalina> no one other than Claire will...
[14:56] <Claire> Almost as if summoned by pure thought, Claire wanders into the mess at that point, seeming like she's both wandering aimlessly and looking for something specific...until she spots Alexa. She makes a beeline for the black-haired girl. "Hey," she says, once close enough. "You okay?"
[14:57] <Alexa_Kalina> She smiles gently, nodding. "Y-yeah. Just... was a little hungry, so..." She frowns, looking at her food. "Got something to eat."
[14:58] <Ikiryo> There is a sound from a nearby airvent.
[15:00] * Alexa_Kalina blinks, looking up. "E-eh?"
[15:00] <Ikiryo> The airvent goes silent, like someone is holding their breath.
[15:02] * Claire glances upward. "...Okay. Want some company?"
[15:02] <Alexa_Kalina> "S-sure, Claire. Thanks..." she trails off a bit, looking down to her cold meal. A cold belkan soup with cucumbers and some bread. "I, umm. I tried to do some of my homework..."
[15:04] <Claire> She watches Alexa worriedly. "...We'll work on it together after this, okay? I'm sure we can help each other out with it."
[15:05] * Alexa_Kalina nods, biting her lip a bit. "... I'm just... Claire, it was history homework..." She sounds... rather despondant.
[15:06] <Ikiryo> The airvent above them makes noises again...
[15:09] * Claire hugs her around the shoulders. "Look, you. This'll pass, you'll be fine. Look what we all *just did*. And even if it doesn't pass--we'll all get you back to your usual self anyway. It might just...take a little longer, right?"
[15:10] <Ikiryo> The airvent shifts...dumping a stunned Ainlinn on the ground near them...
[15:11] <Alexa_Kalina> "R-ri--Ainlinn?!"
[15:11] <Ikiryo> "I...well...umm...Shut Up Alexa!"
[15:12] * Alexa_Kalina winces back. "I didn't say anything..."
[15:13] <Ikiryo> "Just...I...shut up." She clambers to her feet, red-faced.
[15:13] <Claire> "Easy, you two, easy...Ainlinn, what were you doing up there?"
[15:14] <Ikiryo> "Nothing important!"
[15:14] <Claire> "Have you been stalking Alexa?"
[15:15] <Alexa_Kalina> "Oh, o-okay, then..." She shifts a bit. "... Why would she stalk me? I'm not... I'm sorry..."
[15:15] <Ikiryo> "So you should b...wait...sorry?" She stares at Alexa in amazement. "Who are you and what did you do with that Belkan Bimbo?"
[15:16] <Alexa_Kalina> "I'm still me... I, umm... I got angry at your sister and confronted her..." She shrinks from the stare, wincing visibly. "She did something to me..."
[15:17] * Claire nods. "I tried to tell you, Ainlinn, after we all saw Altea, but other things happened and..."
[15:18] <Ikiryo> "...she did WHAT?" Her voice goes quiet...and very hard...
[15:19] <Alexa_Kalina> "She did... something, I'm... I know I'd know what if she hadn't, but she did, and now I... I can't think straight..." She shivers, shrinking furthur. "And... and I can't... I feel so worthless and..."
[15:19] * Claire hugs Alexa tightly again. "You're not worthless," she says vehemently. "With or without whatever she did to you."
[15:21] <Ikiryo> "She drained your...what, inteligence? That..." She pauses "vampire..."
[15:21] <Claire> "And her self-confidence, somehow, Ainlinn. I don't know how, but it's...heartbreaking."
[15:23] <Ikiryo> "...yeah..." She's looking at Alexa with a combination of horror and something else.
[15:23] * Alexa_Kalina bites her lip and looks to the side. "Sorry... I shouldn't've confronted her, but, it's... I was so, like, angry at what she did to Altea and..."
[15:25] <Ikiryo> "...hey, no. My Vampire Sister deserves a stake through the heart or something, you did fine."
[15:26] <Alexa_Kalina> "Y-you really think that?" the girl asks quietly, looking up to Ainlinn.
[15:26] <Claire> "We all do," she says, though she looks to Ainlinn as well.
[15:27] * Ikiryo looks at the two people looking at her and blushes "What's this about?!"
[15:27] <Ikiryo> *Ainlinn
[15:28] <Alexa_Kalina> "I... just want to know if you really think that, ainlinn..."
[15:28] <Claire> "Look, it'd just help her out if you said yes, alright? I know you think you're not friend material, Ainlinn, or we're not or whatever crazy thing. But just...this once? Can you give it a try?"
[15:29] <Ikiryo> "Fine, yes. I think you did good you belkan bimbo..." She sighs but gives a small smile
[15:31] <Claire> "There, see? Did that hurt?" she teases gently. "But you said Altea's strength would come back, so it stands to reason Alexa would get back to normal too, right?"
[15:31] * Alexa_Kalina pauses for a moment... then stands up, smiles, and rushes to hug Ainlinn very, very tight.
[15:32] * Ikiryo blushes and flails. "What are you doing?!" She doesn't extract herself from the hug though.
[15:33] <Ikiryo> *Ainlinn
[15:34] <Alexa_Kalina> "Hugging you! You're... honestly, Ainlinn, you're like, one of the best friends I could ever ask for, okay?"
[15:35] <Ikiryo> "...d-did you just say like?" Her face goes a lot redder...
[15:36] <Claire> "...Yes? Ainlinn," she says slyly, a small grin forming, "what are you thinking~?"
[15:36] <Alexa_Kalina> "Yeah. I, umm, I tried to think of another term, but, like, nothing really came to mind..."
[15:37] <Ikiryo> "N-nothing!" Her face is increasingly red. "Someone get the Belkan B-Bimbo off me..."
[15:37] <Claire> "Why, are you allergic to Belkans?"
[15:38] * Alexa_Kalina just hugs a little tighter. "... You're warm..." She smiles lightly, closing her eyes.
[15:39] <Ikiryo> "If I said that would you get this hair-twirling, like-spouting bouncy belkan bimbo off me?"
[15:42] <Claire> "No, I'd laugh at the obvious ploy." She smiles at Ainlinn before gripping Alexa's arm. "C'mon, you. You gotta let the Ainlinns be free."
[15:42] <Alexa_Kalina> "R-right... sorry..." She blushes, and slowly lets go, shifting a bit uncomfortably...
[15:43] <Ikiryo> "Good...becuase the last thing I want is a ditzy..." She pauses "...dammit...the last thing I want is her w-wrapped around me like that..." Her face is as red as her hair at this point.
[15:43] <Claire> "Oh? So if I hugged you, it'd be okay?"
[15:44] <Ikiryo> "I-I never said that..." She backs away, staring at the pair...
[15:44] * Claire giggles. "I know. C'mon, sit down. Alexa can eat her lunch and we can brainstorm how to get back at your sister."
[15:46] <Ikiryo> "I don't think Alexa has enough brain to storm..." She tries to make it sound insulting but fails, staring at Alexa.
[15:47] * Alexa_Kalina pauses lightly, then looks down, scuffing her foot a bit.
[15:48] <Ikiryo> "I mean, with how she is right now she should be bouncing up and down with pom poms..."
[15:49] <Claire> "..." Claire blushes slightly, clearly envisioning Alexa doing exactly that. "...Ainlinn, I think you might be on to something..."
[15:50] <Ikiryo> "Wait...what? Onto what? Alexa in a miniskirt..." If she gets any redder she'll leave the visible spectrum...
[15:50] <Alexa_Kalina> "... I never joined a cheerleading squad... I didn't have the spirit for it..."
[15:51] <Claire> "You just never found the right squad," Claire assures her. "Now, if there'd been one for returning Belka to its former glory?"
[15:52] * Alexa_Kalina nods. "R-right!"
[15:52] <Ikiryo> "W-What are you suggesting Claire?"
[15:54] <Claire> "I'm not suggesting anything, I'm just being silly! Could you imagine Alexa doing a cheer routine for something like 'Belka All the Way' or something equally ridiculous?"
[15:55] <Ikiryo> "...y-yeah...I mean...in a Yellow and Black Outfit..."
[15:56] * Alexa_Kalina bitse her lip. "Maybe red and black? I mean... those are my family colors, but, like... I can see why you'd go with yellow and black..."
[15:58] <Claire> "Hmmm...Maybe we need to ask Rhiannon about this when we get home." She winks at Ainlinn.
[15:58] * Alexa_Kalina shifts a bit, blushing.
[16:00] <Ikiryo> "W-What? Like actually get her to do it?"
[16:00] <Alexa_Kalina> "I, like, umm..."
[16:01] <Claire> "Sure! Why not?" She smiles. "Especially when Alexa gets back to normal by then."
[16:02] <Ikiryo> "...did Alexa just say she likes?"
[16:02] <Alexa_Kalina> "Err."
[16:02] * Alexa_Kalina shifts a bit, quietly.
[16:03] <Claire> "I think she was trying to say something else..."
[16:03] <Ikiryo> "...oh..." She sounds vaguely disapointed.
[16:04] <Alexa_Kalina> "I wouldn't, like, not like it, though?"
[16:05] <Ikiryo> "...really? Even if it was...a miniskirt and...lots of makeup...and..." She trails off, staring...
[16:05] <Claire> "Alright then, it's settled! Soon as we get back...and I get my Linker Core healthy...we'll ask Rhiannon. Unless you want to do it now, Ainlinn~"
[16:06] * Alexa_Kalina shifts again ,blushing. "I wouldn't, like, umm, say, no..."
[16:06] <Claire> "But nice makeup. Not like some sort of clown face, okay?"
[16:07] <Ikiryo> "...R-Right...and...n-now?" Ainlinn seems completely stunned
[16:07] <Claire> "Well, I meant ask Rhiannon about making the outfit for her. You know she likes that kind of stuff..."
[16:08] <Claire> "Unless you want Tazzari to program it into an AR view so you can see it early~"
[16:10] <Ikiryo> "...I...ah...well..." Ainlinn has lost the ability for speech.
[16:18] * Claire smirks and moves over to a wall console to send a message to Tazzari. A minute later an AR window pops up between Alexa and Ainlinn, with only Alexa's face and hands showing through it. The rest is occupied by her usual clothing...and a series of dials and sliders and other options.
[16:18] * Alexa_Kalina holds still and blushes.
[16:18] <Claire> And there's a note: "Have fun. -Anai. P.S. Tazzari would have signed this but her nose was leaking motor oil or whatever she called it."
[16:19] <Ikiryo> Ainlinn backs up "I...ah...uh..."
[16:23] <Claire> "You can't run away, Ainlinn, you have to design it!" She gets behind the redhead and all but pushes her forward again.
[16:23] <Ikiryo> She looks over what the dials and sliders actually do...
[16:25] <Claire> The controls allow her to choose a cut, design, shape, color, pattern...and make sure they size properly to Alexa's frame. It seems a sort of full-featured, do it yourself tailor. Just...virtual.
[16:26] <Ikiryo> She starts with colours...Black and Yellow. She knows that much at least. Belkan Colours. She looks pleadingly at Claire...
[16:30] <Claire> She steps up as well, working with Ainlinn to cycle through the options until it most closely matches what Ainlinn had "protested" before--a miniskirt, a midriff-baring top with a deep V-neck, knee-socks and tennis shoes. "I'm not sure what you're thinking of for the socks and shoes, though, you'll have to work on that or tell me."
[16:31] <Ikiryo> "N-Not high heels..." She's blatently lying.
[16:35] <Ikiryo> She's staring at an option for very high heels.
[16:36] * Claire blushes furiously as she switches it to exactly the option Ainlinn is focused on. "A-alright. Not those at all. And, uh...stockings, tights, or no?"
[16:37] <Ikiryo> "Umm..." She quietly gestures to thigh-high stockings.
[16:37] <Claire> She nods and makes the choice. Black, to fit the rest of the outfit. Then she steps back. "Well? What do you think?"
[16:38] <Ikiryo> "Umm...ah..." She looks close to drooling.
[16:39] <Claire> "Kay. We'll save that one. Um...my linker core's still kinda dead. D'you want to send the request to Rhi, please?" The request makes no sense, but hopefully with Ainlinn in that sort of...fizzled state...
[16:40] <Ikiryo> She mindlessly does so.
[16:43] <Claire> "Okay, and..." She scoots back to the nearby console and dismisses the AR window...but not before saving a copy of it to hers and Ainlinn's devices.
[16:43] * Claire comes back quickly. "Okay, that's done. Hopefully she'll be as amused by that as we think."
[16:43] <Ikiryo> Ainlinn's brain looks a bit checked out right now...she nods
[16:46] * Alexa_Kalina nods. "Y-yeah..."
[16:49] <Claire> "So..." She puts an arm over Ainlinn's shoulders. "What else...oh, right! Hey, Ainlinn...who would you rather see wear that outfit--Alexa, or Miss Sephia?"
[16:49] <Ikiryo> Rhiannon gets to work, cackling.
[16:50] <Ikiryo> "...I..Ale...Sep..." Her eyes flutter...
[16:51] <Claire> "Uh oh...don't faint on me now, girl..." She looks to Alexa for help.
[16:52] * Alexa_Kalina blushes, and goes over to Ainlinn's side to catch her if she falls...
[16:52] <Ikiryo> Unfortunetly...that pushes her over the edge and her eyes roll back into her head and she collapses. She's smiling though.
[16:53] * Alexa_Kalina blushes, catching Ainlinn. "Umm. Err."