Text - Heaven's BBS

[all_seeing_eye]

Posted: September 27th
From: Yog-Sothoth

So... this banquet thing. Is it mandatory? Because I honestly can't think of anything I'd rather do less than put on uncomfortable clothes and be in a big crowd of people I don't know all night. Anybody want to have an anti-banquet where we sit around and watch sentai shows or giant robot anime or play video games instead? Can that be a thing?

Comments

[all_seeing_eye]

You got it!

[And completely without warning, numerous portals in the otherwise empty void they're floating in open up. Countless mechanical tentacles with eyes on the ends emerge, shooting toward the red lion at high speeds.]

Aaaaaaaaaaand... switch!

[Shooting toward the red lion, that is, until they're not. Quick as a flash, Keith is now situated directly across from the tentacles in the perfect position to mount a counteroffensive or at least effectively defend himself.]

...Don't actually shoot them, though. Those things take a while to repair, even for me.

[yousaytron]

[He was just expecting a quick zap to a slightly different location or something, not a complete simulated battle scenario! You can't just dump something like that on him without warning and not expect him to get ready to strike...!

As quick as he is to get ready for a fight, he's just as quick to put the brakes on his plans when Futaba tells him to hold off. He is, however, poised about 0.01 second away from actually going in for some damage, though.]

That was... [Impressive, but also,] Jarring.

[Surely much more handy when you expect it, probably.]

[all_seeing_eye]

Hey, you asked for it.

[Futaba isn’t the type to do things halfway.]

So, seen enough?

[yousaytron]

[He did. He literally did. Knowing that, he isn't complaining nearly as much as he could be.]

Yeah, I think so. [The whole exchange has been pretty telling of both her abilities and personality, and, well, it's already a lot more he's been able to get beforehand from his previous gods.]

Got anything you want me to demonstrate? It sounded like you may have gotten a pretty good read on the red lion earlier, but... [Seeing something in action is better than just knowing about it, surely.]

[all_seeing_eye]

Mm... we'll save that for later. I'll program some holograms for a combat simulation. For now, I'll take you at face value as an ace pilot.

[He definitely looks the part, at least. That's good enough for her.]

If we've got a deal, what do you say we move this to the center of the temple? It's a little hard to do the naming thing floating in a formless void. I can get you right back to Red when we're done, though, don't worry.

[yousaytron]

[If he's in red, that's a pretty strong signal for 'ace of the team' if your sentai shows are to be believed. Keith, however, doesn't quite understand where she may have pulled that judgement from, but also doesn't seem inclined to downplay it either.]

Yeah. [He's sold, more or less.] Are you just gonna warp us to somewhere else in the temple, then?

[all_seeing_eye]

[That's exactly where she's getting it.]

Yup. You ready?

[yousaytron]

[At least he's prepared for it this time!]

Whenever you are.

[all_seeing_eye]

Okay, here we go! Teleport!

[She doesn't have to say it out loud, but she also kinda does. Either way, they're now sitting in what looks like a teenage girl's messy bedroom. Probably because that's exactly what it is. It's a bit anticlimactic after the swirling nexuses and the yawning void and everything, but a girl has to sleep somewhere.]

All right, naming time!

[Clearing her throat, she starts the prayer.]

You, who have nowhere to go and cannot pass on, I'll give you a place to stay.
My name is Futaba. Lingering here gripping thine true name...
I make thou mine servant with thine alias... thy name is follower, thy vessel is sound... obey mine order and become my shinki.

[Opening her eyes, she extends a finger and traces the kanji 刀 in midair.]

Come, Touki!

[yousaytron]

[This is an unexpected sight after the rest of the temple and its surroundings being so... what they are, but he can't imagine someone so normal looking thriving in such an otherwise spooky and eerie place.]

Let's go.

[He's been through the naming process before, so he knows what to expect out of this. The kanji affixes itself to his left wrist, and in a flash after the name is given, Futaba will be treated to a vision of Keith fighting against someone who looks... decidedly non-human. Much too tall, too bat-eared, too purple, and with a massive, glowing prosthetic arm that is clearly made for combat rather than everyday functionality.

Keith, and the rest of his team, if the color-coordinated outfits are anything to guess by, appear to be in pretty tight straights until an unexpected shot comes from one of the incapacitated team members to catch the opponent off guard. Keith moves in to deal some blows, but ends up being grabbed by that huge cybernetic arm with enough force to crush him badly through his armor, before being roughly thrown off to the side. Another teammate steps in to immobilize their foe, and Keith summons up enough strength to get back up and shove him back, allowing a wall of solid light to shoot up and trap him in place...

But that's about all he can manage at that point, and the vision fades into darkness.

Lots of alien looking stuff, basically, and a fight scene that doesn't end so well for your new shinki, despite an assumed overall victory. Futaba's left with a device in her hand, not unlike what the team was fighting with.]

Green this time...? Huh.

[all_seeing_eye]

[Watching Keith's death is exactly like watching an exciting sentai show. It helps to blunt the impact a bit once she witnesses his inevitable demise. Still, she's quiet for a few moments until he breaks the silence.]

Huh...?

[She looks down at the odd device, turning it over in her hand.]

'This time?' Did you look like this for your last god too?

[yousaytron]

[At least she's more composed about the whole thing than his last god had been. It kind of makes him wonder what actually happens during the naming process, but it's also one of those rabbit holes that feels like an extremely bad idea to fall down. Maybe it's just a personality difference.]

Yeah, but his was blue. It'll probably change into something a little different, I'd imagine. [Ah, yeah, maybe letting her know how to actually use this weapon form is a good idea.] Try focusing on 'activating' it.

[all_seeing_eye]

Huh.

[She was pretty sure shinki were supposed to be different things each time, but whatever.]

Okay, let's give it a try.

[Closing her eyes, she concentrates on the weapon for a moment and it transforms into a small green gun.]

Hey, cool! I wonder what it does.

[yousaytron]

[Ah! This is pretty different for sure!]

I can't say just yet... [Maybe knowing more about the last form will give them both a hint?] Before, it was a sniper-type rifle. The bullets were more like... ice-projectiles. They'd freeze the target on impact, so it might be something like that.

[all_seeing_eye]

Hmm... I guess I'll have to take you out for some target practice sometime. I don't wanna shoot up my bedroom.

[She doesn't turn him back just yet, though.]

But if you were blue before and you shot ice elemental projectiles, maybe the green color is a hint. Usually that means something plant-based.

[yousaytron]

Probably not a great idea.

[Even if it's just a gun that shoots normal bullets, that's still going to make a mess of the place to test out.]

It might be something like that. [Times like this make him really wish his first god had actually gotten some use out of him. If his vessel form has some kind of pattern to it, an extra example would have made it way easier to figure out. Still, Futaba seems like she's pretty sharp, so it's a good enough guess as any.] We'll just have to test it out sometime to see for sure.

[all_seeing_eye]

I'll program a target practice simulation sometime. Then we'll see what you can really do.

[At least she's excited for the test run. That probably bodes well.]

Until then... at ease, soldier!

[...]

Oh, yeah, I have to use your actual name. Keith, return!

[Now he's a Pokemon?]

[yousaytron]

[A girl of action...! Keith, for his part, will be interested in seeing what it is that she actually comes up with for it, but for now, it'll have to wait.

Now a pokemon, apparently, Keith returns to his normal state once his name is called.]

You'll have to let me know when you get something set up. [Well... yeah] Either way... I'm looking forward to working with you.

[Even outside of getting a place to stay out of the arrangement, Futaba seems like... an interesting partner to have. So that'll be worth something, for certain.]

[all_seeing_eye]

Yeah. Me too. I think it'll be a lot of fun.

[She almost feels like an honorary part of a sentai team.]