Kayleigh Jones, urban photographer and part-time Kitsune, brushed her tails with a heavy-duty brush to avoid listening to her anxiety. They got matted if she left them alone too long after all. Stickers and tangles would get stuck in them, so she brushed them clean and plucked the sharp bits out. It was meditative, really. And it reminded her of happier things.
She sat on one of the tallest branches of an enormous tree, barely outside of the Hub area as she groomed herself. The wind was fresh through her vulpine ears, far fresher than a digital wind should rightfully be. Today was the day that she would meet the kid again. Task, the little girl made of ones and zeroes. The one who kept trying to keep her away and face a terrifying, unknown threat all by herself. The one who would get herself killed if Kayleigh wasn't able to-'
She shook her head and yanked her brush through a tangle in her tail, biting back a pained gasp. 'Stop it.' she told herself. 'Don't spiral, not now. Not when you're so close.' She breathed in and out gradually before returning to her work. 'One brush at a time, make it look nice and fine.'
[Bling]
Her calm shattered as she scrambled to open her UI, checking her messages for the invitation she was expecting.
[C L Y W: URGENT. ARRIVE ASAP, DISCUSSIONS BEING HAD.]
First Second
She didn't bother to send a response. Her brush was thrown to the side. She could get a new one, she needed to go.
Second Second
She slammed the 'accept invite' button as soon as the invitation was sent by CLYW, and the portal opened in front of her.
Third Second.
She dived in, nearly sprinting off the branch to enter the gateway. The seconds of the transfer ticked by agonizingly slow. Fourth second, Fifth second, Sixth second...
Seventh Second
Kayleigh stumbled through the portal into the abstract world CLYW claimed as their home. Kid, kid. 'Where's the kid?' She... wasn't there. 'I guess, I guess I'm early.' She locked onto CLYW and, before they could say anything, said "For the record, CLYW, I said nothing about you that Devonia didn't already deduce."
"She didn't." Devonia, a hulking mass of muscle, feathers, fur, and horns confirmed. CLYW simply stood impartially. "I would have figured as such. We're not here to berate you. For that matter, I'm glad you arrived quickly. Refer to the whiteboard."
Devonia stood behind her as she approached the board with a sloppily-drawn diagram on it. "Welcome to Doomsday, Kayleigh." they said.
'Finally, I can... huh?' "Is... is that what we're calling it? I was hoping it would sound more hopeful" 'You IDIOT! Stay focused!' "Bah, sorry. Getting distracted already."
CLYW graciously didn't comment on her immediate lapse of focus and continued. "There are rules. Do not discuss DOOMSDAY with anyone outside of DOOMSDAY. Do not discuss DOOMSDAY over unsecured lines. The Johnny's Robin is an example of an unsecured line. That is all."
Kayleigh side-eyed Devonia, then returned to the board. Devonia's subsequent apology and CLYW's blunt correction were lost to her as she took in the names on the board. 'Kay', 'Dev', 'CLYW', and 'TT' 'It's me, Devonia, CLYW, and... and task? Who's the second T?'
Her question slipped out of her mouth before she could catch it, and CLYW answered "The Twins. Task and Finality." 'WHO!?'
"It's fine, I get what you're trying to say. You stay safe too miss Kayleigh! We don't want anything bad to happen to you"
The quote echoed in her mind as Devonia shouted at CLYW. "CLYW!? KAYLEIGH DIDN'- MNGH!" They clutched their head in their hands at CLYW's apparent slip. "Oh, I apologize. I was a little focused." the machine responded as Kayleigh passed the words over in her mouth. "Well, I'll deal with that later, no sense in hiding it anyways, a team effort requires communication."
"I figured something was up, if it helps." 'I knew the kid was hiding something from me. And she should have, she didn't know me... yet.'
"That is true," Devonia spoke up again. "That is true, but we both know how Finality would feel about that, to be clear. Finality... likes their privacy. A lot."
"To an extent bordering on excessive" CLYW droned.
"Maybe... maybe it would be best to let them explain it? Give them control over the dispersal of this secret."
CLYW waved their hand "In any case, just treat it as if I said nothing." 'No, that's not the point.'
Sighing, Kayleigh elaborated. "I meant attempting to approach it with honesty. I need to tell the kid that she's not keeping me out of this, anyways. Our last conversation was... messy."
"I'd like to break this habit of allies not saying a word to each other outside of 'what did you do?', so I'm going to speak as it is necessary."
'Right.' "Yeah. You'd said that those like you didn't interact much, right?"
"Indeed" CLYW's robotic frame was as impassive as ever.
"I meant what I said. That sounds lonely. You shouldn't have to go through that."
CLYW evaded the statement skillfully by saying "So, Devonia. I was the one Kayleigh interviewed. That is one truth, even if obvious."
'Oh!' "Actually, did you read that article? I've been using word-of-mouth to get it out there instead of, like, trying to run an ad campaign." It would have been better for the kind of audience she was trying to curate.
A look of recognition dawned on Devonia's face. "....wait, Kayleigh, did you write that one blog that went viral a month ago?"
'...viral? oh god.' "I... didn't realize that 'viral' was the term for it." 'Shit.'
"Practically as soon as it was released, yes. I like to keep a constant stream of information on hand."
"Well, um, I was using it as a way to look for information with a broader net. People have been pitching in things they've seen. Haven't gotten through sorting them yet though. And... and also I like taking photos. That's what I do. It's my job."
"Oh, so you do Photography in the real world?" 'Oh god I shouldn't have brought it up.'
"Right. Urban photography, don't bother looking it up. I've come to the conclusion that I hate concrete."
CLYW drifted away, lost in thought, while she shared a few of the better photos she had with Devonia. A few otter pictures sparked a conversation. "I've actually seen a version of otters before, did you know some otters can live by rivers in the jungle?"
'I mean...' "I know that there are river otters, so presumably there are sea otters. I wouldn't be surprised to see otters anywhere, to be honest. They feel like one of those... ubiquitous animals."
"Yeah, apparently they live in groups and can scare off jaguars if they work together"
'Oh, even jaguars? That's impressive. Fascinating... Oh, wait a minute!' "You're making that jungle, right? Planning on installing a few otters? Lay the foundations for a real otterman empire in that jungle."
"Well, not just-" Devonia's face enters a state of complete blank zen. The kind of peace that can only come from the soul vacating the body.
"Now-" Her stoic facade broke a little, but held firm as she spoke. "Now I know what you're thinking. Why would you want to do that?"
"Well! I think- snrk." Devonia sat down in a low-polygon chair, bringing their head down onto their knees while folding their hands together as Kayleigh dropped the guillotine. "Well I think you ot-ter!" She breaks down cackling as Devonia, seemingly against their will, cracks up as well.
CLYW stood unimpressed, which made Kayleigh feel even better about her stupid joke. "Where did I leave that anti-otter code...?" they asked, causing Kayleigh to release an explosive "HA!" of laughter.
"Shit... what were we talking about? Where were we?" Kayleigh wiped the tears out of her eyes. "The plan." CLYW responded, approaching the board again.
"Right, the plan. Sorry! We got sidetracked." 'Got distracted again. Goddamnit.'
"No worries, I had some time to think." CLYW responded neutrally
"Should we bring the kid- the twins in on this?" 'Twins. Are there two of them, or are they linked somehow?'
"I'm not sure if i want to give them my player lobby link, personally. Also, the earful i'll get is not worth it."
"Then... how about mine? Is there a way to reinforce a different player's world from detection? I haven't... like... touched mine. At all. I still don't know how to actually access it, to be honest."
CLYW shrugged in turn. "I've yet to try. I keep this place hidden enough. In any case, i have an idea on how to get out. We need one specific person."
"And I feel like we'd be getting that earful one way or another, if Finality is like you said. I really do believe that honesty should be the policy between allies- oh?" Kayleigh's words were cut off at CLYW's, breaking through her topic.
"There is a woman, a doctor. In a game known as Maikendo."
"Maikendo..." 'Maikendo? I... I don't know what that is. Can it really help us? It can't be that easy, can it?' "I haven't seen that one yet."
"She's the key to this plan. She's a very competent scientist, seeing as she's the one who put me in the game."
"I'm thinking it'll be possible to reverse engineer something or other. It's all I'll say, my words are limited on topics such as these, seeing as you haven't yet played."
"I see. I'll have to find that one and get through it soon to understand."
"Well, you don't find Maikendo. It finds you."
"Then it will find me soon to understand." Kayleigh faked confidence to hide her uncertainty.
"......lets hope the angel isn't targeting the doc as well...." Devonia chimed in.
"Very well then. Any other ideas? I'm thinking otherwise this meeting will come to a close very soon."
Kayleigh grits her teeth. 'I still don't know anything about that fucking thing.' "Would describing how the angel makes it's actions affect the infohazardous properties?" she bargained.
"That's an unknown factor." CLYW nods. "So much to learn, so little to sacrifice to learn it." 'We... don't know anything? It's not just me?' "All I know is that if you know about it, you can see it. I'll have to ask The Twins for more info, I feel like they'd know. If you can see it, it can see you, if you don't break its rules, you'll be fine." 'And... and the kid doesn't have that luxury.'
Kayleigh breathed manually, hiding a clenched fist as CLYW spoke about the monster. "Ordinarily, as far as i understand, as a player you'd just be banned, you know, avatar deletion, account deletion, gone." they said.
"But if you don't have that body to fall back to..." Kayleigh's voice was thoughtful.
"It is the firewall measure stopping hackers like me from going too deep in. If it gets it's hands on someone like the two of us. We will die." CLYW emphasizes this fact, showing a semblance of emotion in their voice to push the importance of the statement into her mind. Kayleigh nodded, determination writ across her face.
"...There's something to think about, given what we know so far, CLYW. What if the person being brought into the real world doesn't have the DNA code strings like we do? That may be a extra thing to have to account for, and work around"
Kayleigh grimaced ‘Not the first time I’ve heard this.’ “That's not really how DNA works, but I doubt that's a worthwhile factor here. DNA is just the… the instructions for building the body. After the body is made, it's inert." she muttered, unheard by the others.
"I'm not sure what happens. I don't think anybody does." CLYW continued. "Worst comes to worst, we'll need a 'field agent' to construct a body to act as proxy." ‘That would be me, of course.’
"Right, since we don't have an example of objects being digitized…” Devonia seemed to understand the conversation better than Kayleigh did at the moment.
"If it's of any substance, I have some experience in downloading consciousnesses. 'I did that to someone once. I had the disk containing them destroyed within minutes." ‘I’m… not going to question that. I’m sure they had their reasons.’
"More experience than me. I'm not going to be very helpful for actually figuring these things out for you all, but if you need something done?” She looked CLYW dead in the eyes. "Call on me. I'm getting tired of nobody taking my offers seriously."
"Same Here CLYW, I'm not going to waste my life on nothing," Devonia backed her up "We are united in common cause."
CLYW stared back, the cracked, half duct-taped faceplate still void of any flashing lights. "Of course. I know how it feels to not be treated like a professional, and I know it annoys me to no end. If anything comes up, I'll call you.”
‘You’d better.’ Kayleigh nodded seriously. The group exchanged friend requests, which Kayleigh accepted, but her resolve faltered as she saw Task’s profile clearly on her friend list.
‘Kid… please. I want you to be here, I want you to be safe.’
CLYW’s voice passed through her ears, barely heard by her in her amidst her stress. "I trust this meeting is adjourned? ...Ah, actually, Kayleigh. Keep trying to gather as much info as you can, i'll talk to the Doctor, same goes for you Devonia." ‘I… It’s over? But… we didn’t even…’
"Alright, but... I don't think I will be lying to the kid about not having this meeting." She looked back at the group "She... they..."
"There won't be any need to lie, we've got a plan and the twins need to hear it." CLYW’s voice was neutral. ‘They don’t get it.’ Devonia’s voice, in turn, was unsure. "...Yeah, they... deserve to know. Regardless of the earful we are all about to receive..." They don’t GET IT!’
"The kid doesn't deserve that! They deserve to know that they have people on their side." Kayleigh speaks with passion, as if she's wringing the words from her very chest. "I want her to know, know for certain, that she's not going to be alone in this. That none of you have to be alone in this." She stared them down, as if challenging them to contradict her. They didn’t.
Devonia put their hand in the middle of the group, clenched in a fist "Then Doomsday shall start getting to work, then?"
Kayleigh puts her hand in. "Looks like it." She also looks up at the others. "If one of you can help me figure out how to get into, and how to 'reinforce', my player hub, that would be swell. Either that or let me put together something in your jungle, Dev. I'll leave the door open for the lot of you if we can make it a secured line."
"Indeed we shall." Clyw, notably, does not touch hands, adding- "Do not touch me. I am making it known that i am okay with this plan but do not touch me."
Kayleigh nods with understanding. "Of course." ‘Touch-adverse. That makes sense for the hub they made. It’s hard to feel anything in here’
Devonia nodded. "This is mostly just for showing our unity, no need for contact... and I wouldn't mind you setting up a base in the jungle once it gets grown, Kayleigh." Kayleigh smiles at that gratefully.
Stepping back from the impromptu hands-in, Kayleigh retreated into her thoughts. ‘I… I need to message the kid.’ "I think I have a secured line to Task. I mean, the kid made it for me. Doubt that she would've put sloppy work into something like that. "And... and it would be best if we talked to her soon about this. I don't want to be scheming behind her back." She looked to CLYW "Do you know if there's another secured location we can use other than your player hub? If you don't want the kid with an invite to it, I mean." Opening her UI, she saw clearly that Task was marked as online. For a digital person that must mean… “And... and I think she's accepting messages right now. Huh."
"Either of yours should do the trick, i can help you make yours eventually." CLYW responded.
"Alright. Dev, do you have one set up for a meeting? And, of course, would you be willing?" Kayleigh started drafting messages as Devonia responded, bringing her focus to the messages at hand and only partially listening to the conversation.
Task: [Miss Kayleigh?]
Kayleigh: Hey kid. Saw me coming, huh?
Task: [Saw the typing notification. I was worried after last time...]
Kayleigh: I've talked with a few people you know, and it is my intent to be completely and utterly honest with you right now.
Kayleigh: The first thing is that I am fine. I've stayed safe.
Kayleigh: The second thing is that the others. A 'ghost in the machine' and a very tall person, have told me something about you.
Kayleigh: I told them not to explain what it means to me. I don't want to hear it from them, I want you to be able to talk about it. It wasn't their secret to share.
Kayleigh: The third thing is that you are not alone. You will never be alone. I won't let that happen.
Task: [Kayleigh, you're worrying me... what's going on?]
Kayleigh: I know I'm worrying you, but in all honesty the reverse has been true. I don't want you to cut yourself off from everyone, alright?
Kayleigh: One second, world transition loading times.
Kayleigh: C doesn't want you in their hub for some reason, so D's opening up their own player hub. It's secured, they say.
Kayleigh: Please?
Task: [C? D? Kayleigh, what's going on?]
Kayleigh: A group. I'm helping all of you build a way out. Together. C, D, you, and your... twin. I don't understand that part, I'd like to hear it from you.
Kayleigh: I don't know how much I should say over this line.
You have sent a PORTAL INVITATION to Devonia's Player Hub
Task: [Twin? What do you mean twin? I'm just me...]
Kayleigh: You and F. That's all I know. I told them not to tell me anything more about it.
Kayleigh: Please, kid. I promised that I'd watch over you. I don't intend to break those things.
Kayleigh: You can yell at me if you want. It's okay.
…
…
…
{...I see, s̮ͯͣó̝̫ t̵͔̟h̔͗̋a̴̮̬͛̑͢t̡̑'s h̫͗ọ̐w̘̄͡ t̬̀ͭh̞̯͝i̱͓͜_s i_s}
…
Kayleigh: I’ll see you soon.
“I… I think we’ll see her soon.”
“Alright then. 3… 2… 1…”
A portal opens, but rather than a short little girl in a pink dress a cloud of fragmenting code bursts from it, swirling around the two violently. Kayleigh’s mind flashed back to the first day they met on the rooftop and Task revealed her secret. ‘It’s her.’ She smiled with heartbreaking relief. “Thank you, kid. For coming.”
{Don't call me kid} The voice was more monotone and robotic, distinctly not Task's voice. {I am not like you, do not lower me to your level}
“Hello, Finality.” Devonia audibly grimaced, but Kayleigh simply shook her head. "You're... the other one, right? You... you leak into the text you send, sometimes." She looked into the cloud from where she was sitting, as if she could manifest a pair of eyes to look through with sheer concentration. The cloud, in turn, coalesced in front of the two.
{There is no 'other one', there is just me.} The voice was monotone, but had a hint of vitriol.
‘I don’t really get it, but…’ "Then... that changes even less about my intent towards you." Kayleigh stands up to face the cloud. "The 'C' I was referring to is CLYW, if you couldn't tell. I wasn't sure how much to send over that line, but this hub should be safe enough for conversation."
{I gathered, that fool is like a lighthouse of poor decisions. He's the reason I'm even in such a mess in the first place}
"So... I guess it's time for me to ask it again, huh." Kayleigh looked deeply into the cloud, searching for something to make eye contact with. "Finality. What is your... deal?"
{My deal is that I want all of you out of my life and yet somehow you three insist on worming your way back in} They muttered something quietly, but Kayleigh’s vulpine ears could make it out. {No thanks to the sub-routine}
"Because it's dangerous for me?” She stepped forward. "Because you don't want me getting hurt if it means keeping you safe? Because you would rather be alone than that?"
{Oh I don't care, do whatever you want with your life. My problem is when your decisions start causing 'me' problems.} The cloud flickers blue for a moment before returning to its default green. ‘They’re lying.’
"Then let me stop being a problem." She dropped down to kneel in front of the cloud of code, at where Task's eye level would have been. "Stop trying to shove me away and- and keep everything secret. Stop trying to handle the entire world on your own and let me help you.
It... it isn't fair, kid. It isn't fair that you're trapped here with that... that thing. It isn't fair that I get to leave and that you don't."
Kayleigh has a look of absolute resolve on her face. "I will never leave you behind, kid. I fucking swear to you. You don't deserve to have to exist in a world that is trying to hurt you, you deserve someone on your side.”
The cloud flickers as it backed away from Kayleigh’s resolve. {I'm not some human child. I don't need your pity or sympathy. I...} [Shut it!] ‘That voice! KID!’ [We can't do this alone Fin... Kayleigh wants to help, they all do. Why can't you just accept that?!] {You do not have a say in this}
Kayleigh pressed on. "You're not a human child, but you are a child. I know you don't like that but I know it's true. And children shouldn't be made to fight for everything they have." She holds out both of her hands. "I promised you I'd be careful as long as you let me keep an eye out for you, and I need to revise that promise”
She looked at the child, her child. "I promise that I will never leave you alone to face a world that hates you. I won't leave you behind. And that- that goes for both of you."
"Please, kid?" She begged, holding out her arms as if to catch her kid, as the cloud shuddered with an internal conflict.{I don't need you, I don't need anyone! I'm above all of you, I'm better than all of you! You... you} The cloud’s protests trailed away as it collapsed onto itself, leaving behind the figure of Task, falling to the floor. Kayleigh forced herself forward and locked her arms around her kid in a hug that has been in the work for months. Full of every ounce of worry and protectiveness and warmth she feels for her kid. At that moment, the angel didn’t matter. Nothing would hurt her kid. She wrapped her tails around to secure the hug tighter, wrapping Task as she sobbed in freshly-brushed fur.
[We're scared, so so scared... Both of us...] Kayleigh felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "I know, kid. I'm... I'm scared too. But neither of you need to be scared alone." She pulled back a tiny amount, just enough to get a good look at her face, while she smiled. "It's nice to see you again, kid."
Task wraps her arms around Kayleigh in turn. [It's nice to see you again too. Both of you]
"Thanks for coming. I meant it. If you can hear this, Finality, that goes for you too. Thank you.” Kayleigh started to cry. She didn’t sob or shake, but she blinked away tears while squeezing her eyes closed. “Will you be alright to stand for a moment? I want to fill you in on the group." Kayleigh is hesitant to let go of her the kid, but she feels that lingering ghost of anxiety begin to creep up on her.
"Yeah, we decided to make a group" Devonia’s voice was closer. They must have moved closer. Task nodded quietly as she standed to her feet. "CLYW wants to call the group 'Doomsday.' I was hoping for something a little more hopeful, but hey, whatever works." Kayleigh stood up as well, though visibly hesitant to do so. "The goal is to get you, well, to get all of you an escape route. I'm the only one who's entering Neo-Genis temporarily, through a headset, so I don't want you all to be stuck here if you want to or need to escape."
{You said you want to find a way for us to leave Neo-GENIS?} Finality's voice interjected. It was strange hearing it out of Task's mouth.
"Yeah. If it can suck someone in it can spit someone out. That's the end goal. I won't claim to know how realistic that is, but if that doesn't work..." Kayleigh shrugged "Then we'll just figure something else out. Maybe we can find a way to build a, like, mechanical body to inhabit or whatever. Far as I can tell the only way to prevent the danger threatening y'all is to remove you from the situation." She grimaces for a moment. "That or fighting the angel, but I'm not stupid. That's not a valid option."
"There might be a download process that could hold both you and Finality, Task."
{Well, then you're going to need my help.} ‘Task’ gestured to Devonia, {You and the other one merely got uploaded here, I've been here as long as I've existed.}
Devonia protested, saying "That's... I'm not sure if I was actually uploaded, Task"
Kayleigh nodded vaguely at Devonia, then at Finality. "I don't know the half of it, but I can be here to keep you safe and do anything that needs doing." She looks at Finality, doing her best to project 'respectability.' "I'm stronger, now, and I'll keep going until I'm as strong as I need to be."
{Where you came from is irrelevant, and don't call me that. My point is that your code and mine differ fundamentally from one another.} [Wait, you are actually helping?] Task’s voice radiated surprise. {If you are going to make an escape for me, you need my knowledge.} ‘It’s odd watching her go back and forth like that, huh.’
"Of course. I look forward to working with you, Finality." Kayleigh held out her hand for a shake, which was promptly ignored. She returned it to her side after a moment.
“Well, I’m glad to know that you are onboard as well, Finality. Is your... 'preferred form' the cloud of code from earlier?"
{My form is simply a conduit for a purpose. I'm not confined like you.} She almost seemed to scoff at the thought.
"That makes sense, you probably have a much more fine control over your form than I or Clyw does..." Devonia rubbed their chin. Kayleigh nodded, but mentioned "Might be easier to be referred to with your preferred name if you can differentiate yourself a little. Just a suggestion of course.”
At the mundane nature of the conversation, about simple names and preferred appearances, Kayleigh breathed an enormous sigh of relief. ‘She’s talking, I’m talking, we’re talking. It’s… it’s okay.’
{You humans and your names and signifiers... fine} ‘Task’ closed their eyes for a moment before Finality opened them glew green {Better?}
Kayleigh smiled and nodded. "Works for me. I'll call you Finality when you have those, and 'Task' when you don't." As a teasing aside, she said “And ‘Kid’ either way.” ‘Cause you’re my- ah- you’re a kid. “My Kid?” That’s embarrassing, Kayleigh. Stop that.’ Kayleigh kept her thoughts to herself, though, and smiled fondly at the kid.
Task shook her head, eyes shifting to blue. [Sounds like a plan!]
"Once I figure out how the hell to set up my player hub, I'll send you a permanent invite or something. So you can have a safe place when you need it, and also when you don't. Ah, and also how to 'secure' it. That too."
"Yeah, and that reminds me, here's a starting point on getting that set up.” Devonia sent her a video tutorial through her UI. “CLYW sent it to me to help get this place secured"
“Thank you very much, I will need it." She fired back.
Finality’s green eyes flicked back and forth between the two. {So, does the madman have any ideas of how exactly we're doing to get me out of here}
"Right! CLYW'd mentioned something that had a lead. A game of sorts, but one that 'finds you' instead of you finding it. Something called… Maikendo." Kayleigh looked to Devonia, who nodded to confirm the name.
{No game by that name exists in the Neo-GENIS database} Finality’s monotone voice somehow seemed unimpressed. "I'd think that means that's a good sign, eh? If there's a backdoor of sorts it wouldn't make sense if they had it in their systems." The kid thought for a moment, before near-imperceptibly grimacing. {As much as I hate to admit it, you make a valid point}
"So other than the rules for 'Doomsday' which are pretty simple, (Don't talk about it about anyone who isn't part of it and don't talk about it outside of secured lines), how have you been, kid? Like, mentally. Have you been doing something other than worry about the... thing? Something you enjoy?"
{Enjoyment is a human need} [We have been doing our best, but mostly just keeping a low profile] The kids eyes flicked back and forth as the two spoke. Kayleigh nodded as she took in both answers. "I think that when you're trying to stay alive, you need to indulge in the reasons why being alive is worth living.” ‘I’ve made that mistake before. I don’t want her doing that too.’ “Still though, good on you for keeping a low profile."
…
They continued on, for some time. Devonia offering a hiding place in their jungle project, sharing new powers with one another, and just… catching up. It was… nice. Nicer than words could say. Being there, out in the open, talking.
[What was that, Miss Kayleigh?] ‘God damn it, did I say that out loud again?’
"Well. Ah. I'm... I'm just really happy we're out in the open about all this now." She smiles at Finality. "I'll get that player hub set up, or the secret hideaway in the trees. Whichever works out." She gently reached down and, on her knee, took their hands in her own. "I'll make sure it's somewhere you can be safe and... and enjoy yourself at. I won't hold you if you have something you want to get to, or if you just... just need a break from all these... emotions." She stood up and rubbed at her eye. "I probably need that, actually."
The kid nodded, eyes flickering. [Thank You, Kayleigh}
Kayleigh smiled at the shared voice of her kid the kid with few words left in her, all of them worn away by the exhausting conversation. As soon as they scurried off through a portal, Kayleigh turned and gave Devonia the biggest hug she could possibly reach. Devonia hesitated before gently returning the hug as Kayleigh squeezed them.
Exhausted, embarrassed, and emotional, Kayleigh slipped out of the hug and opened up her player UI. She gave Devonia one last exhausted smile before disappearing through a portal of her own.