High Score!
A loud sharp trilling fills the bedroom of one Trish Barley, at 7:15 pm every evening. This was of course, because she woke up at this time. It was also because if she didn't she could easily sleep until midnight, which would not be good if she wanted to keep her lucrative job as a Fly-By-Night Courier at the New Huston Rookery. Which she did, because how else would she afford games without it?!?
First step though, getting out of bed. Which... was easier said than done in Trish's case, seeing as her bed was more like an upside down hammock...thing. But give a bat girl a break, it was more comfortable than trying to sleep horizontally! She undid the safety braces holding her to the bed-beam and used both her hand hands and her WING hands to scurry down the cargo net attached to the wall. It pays not to go head over feet immediately after being feet over head. If you've never had the misfortune of experiencing it, it's like asking to black out and have the worlds worst headache for the rest of the day. Untangling herself, well mostly her feet if she was being honest, she slowly stretched her way to the floor and worked her way to standing.
Moving towards the bathroom she turned off her alarm, and tried to smooth out some of the more uncomfortable patches of her fur. Yeah bed head might suck, but bed body was worse in Trish's opinion mainly because you never knew WHERE it would show up. The next step of her routine involved hygiene, so brushing teeth & hair, showering, another round of brushing hair... and by then it's 8pm or a little later. Time to check the FRIEND-DULE, also known as Trish's collection of important friend events.
Making her way to her central room, Trish cracked open her laptop, and pulled up her VERY IMPORTANT calendar. Scanning over it she took quick stock of things that needed action soon. "Vanya gets back... next Thursday," Trish muttered to herself, "to catch her I'll need a couple of 'days' off." She continued to scan through her calendar noting some more nice things to do, like getting Tomas a nice bubble tea/lunch delivery for his return from a curse run. They were besties, even if he was more diurnal than her, and she knew what he might forget when REALLY anxious. Then her eyes landed on a color that didn't often show up in her calendar, but when it did got her all kinds of excited. Neon Green meant a delivery to Circuit Breakers!, the arcade run by a gremlin friend of hers. "ooooOOOHAAAH! Rieley's getting in a new cabinet today!!" Trish was already moving to start getting dressed, "I totally spaced! I can't wait! I wonder which one they went with, Dance: Rhythm Revolution or Ulthar: Dungeon Guardians?! OOOOOOOOh!!" She was practically vibrating as she made her way to the door of her apartment, when someone knocked.
Trish really REALLY didn't want to wait to go out and see Rieley, but people coming to see her was nice and fun usually....sooo. She opened the door to find one of the other Fly-By-Night staff [AKA internal affairs], Patra Elm. "Good waking Courier Barley?" Patra asked with a slight raise of her brow, at the very obvious excitement. Now NORMALLY internal affairs don't really come to Couriers directly, be they day or night fliers. They only come talk to us directly if someone asked them to, or we were in trouble.... "Ehehe... Yeah actually. But I'm more excited because I know I'll have a regular delivery request today. Is there something I can help you with Ms. Patra?" Trish asked with the nervousness of a schoolkid who thinks they might be called into the office. Patra snorts softly in amusement, and replies with an amused tone, "Actually a Day flier asked the Internal Office to, 'make sure she eats breakfast'. And since I know you Trish-" Trish jolted a bit at the informality before remembering Patra was her shifts Edwin, and was responsible for their comfort. "I decided to get breakfast with you myself, so I could make sure you eat." Trish nodded at Patra's assessment, knowing that she could be a bit scattered about her health when she was excited about something. She also knew who exactly asked the Internal Affairs Office to check up on her, it was Tomas her best friend. After turning around to close and lock her door after a double check that she had everything she needed, Trish turned back to Patra. "Where do you want to go? Near or Far?"
Patra had chosen the one 'underground' restaurant that the Rookery controlled. Simply called Echo's Club, it was a place that was very comfortable to those of us with a burrowing, or spelunking instinct. It was simply a jazz club, with low lighting and a stage for live performances in the center. Booths and tables crawled UP the walls, carved magically into the walls of the rather natural looking cave. Patra and Trish actually sat in one of the big stalactites, and... well she had already eaten around 2 french toast waffles (not counting the fruit) and was working on a third. Patra took a sip of her morning herbal tea, and then spoke. "So Trish, we do actually have a bit of a hiccup in your excitement for today. We have a new Fly-by-Night, and as one of our more senior members they will be shadowing you today." Trish's chewing slowed, and a furrow formed in her brow for a moment as she thought about why that might be... when it clicked. "It's because I was requested right? And that I have someone who regularly requests me, so I know how that process works by habit." Trish's words came slowly, deliberately, but with the cadence of 'I know i'm right but confirm anyway'. Patra smiles into her cup for a moment, before answering. Fluttering her magnificent nightjar wings, Patra replies "Indeed." Trish chews the last bit of her waffle, before nodding. "I can work with that, so long as they don't hate gaming." She said in a half-joking tone. Patra finished her tea, setting the cup on the table. Let's go meet them at the Request Desk then. Shall we?" Standing Patra's wings stretched open and she motioned with them for Trish to follow.
When they arrived at the main building of the Rookery's delivery service, someone was already outside clearly pacing back and forth. Even from a distance Trish could tell that the person and wings similar to Patra's, but not quite the same. The person in question seemed really, REALLY nervous so Trish decided to call out, just to reassure them that they hadn't been forgotten. "Coming In!" Trish winced as the person visibly startled before realizing who it was, she hadn't meant to scare them. As Patra and Trish landed, the person came running over towards them before stopping a respectful distance away. Trish noted that they were still fidgeting, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort the nervous bird. She had to restrain herself, after all she didn't even know the name to put with the face. Thankfully Patra helped with that a few seconds later. "Alright Trish, this is Apprentice Fly-by-Night Courier Archer Torrik. They will be shadowing you throughout this night, so please treat them with care and answer their questions." Trish nodded in compliance and motioned for Archer to follow her into the Rookery delivery headquarters. "So just a minor introduction-"She said turning around and walking backwards before continuing, "I'm Trish Barley, like the grain, and I'm gonna be your mentor through the Requested Courier Service, or RCS. I was picked for this beCAUSE I am one of the few Fly-by-Nights that get regularly requested." Trish did of course remember that walking backwards had a downside when she bumped lightly into the front desk of the Courier Service area, she had been walking slowly so while jarring it was still not a big deal. Unfortunately This had the added effect of spooking Archer, whose nervous twitching seemed to go up a level. Trish sighed internally, she really really wanted to make this a positive experience for the newbie Fly-by-Night. She then straightened up and tapped the counter of the front desk. "RCS always starts at the front desk, where the Internal Affairs person assigned here will tell you where your package is. This is because a lot of the time they don't put the requested packages where everyone else grabs their bags." Trish paused to take a breath, "There have been a few instances, from before they separated the requested packages, where another Courier grabbed it and the customer was upset by that. So now we just keep them separate." Archer nodded, listening very intently to what Trish said when she spoke, but not interjecting or interacting. It was very uncomfortable for Trish, but she knew it wasn't always about her. Turning so that she faced the front desk, Trish then began the 'practical' demonstration of what she had just explained. "Evening Em. Do I have any Requests~ this evening?" The woman behind the front desk, Emmy Vight, laughed at Trish's antics. "Well let me check-" Emmy said, before staring a Trish without moving for a solid few minutes, then answering, "Why yes you do! Rieley Tori of the arcade Circuit Breakers is expecting you to deliver a package to them tonight. The package you will be delivering is in the request room, marked with a neon green string. Good Luck!" Trish nodded her head, "Thanks Em! Have a nice night!" Waving to Emmy, Trish turned around and started to make her way over to the directory and map. This was of course placed in a centralized location, and had a convenient magical search system embedded in it. "Since it's your first request run, we come over and check the map. I know where the request room is, but I want to make sure you are learning. So you, Archer, will be leading us to the next step of our process... The Request room."
Archer twitched, well if Trish were being honest more like Flinched, at the sudden request from her. With a deep breath, Archer finally spoke up for the first time, voice hesitant and nervous. "S-so We'd Start by get... Getting to the Central Updraf-draft. F-f-fr-fro-from there we'd-d-d go almost to the tippy-top *AHEM* Top of the Floors. The Request Room is close to where we keep the... uhm... the... word please... the Package distribution Center! For the packages that come to Us and we deliver out from there. And that's around the 48th or 49th floors. So we'd hop off the Updraft at the one landing with the Red Bench, and .... I don't know where EXACTLY the room IS but.... Around there... Right?" Archer Trailed off a little bit there at the end, but was spot on everywhere else! As tonight's Senpai I simply had to encourage! "BRAVO!!" I shouted, only realizing after my ears Pinged that I had maybe been a bit TOO loud.
Future Trish here: Ok, quick aside. Pinging is a term used in the Bat shifter community, that also interestingly also applies to the Mer-folk who can Echolocate [Like Dolphins, or some whales]. It means getting LOUD or high pitched enough to trigger your echolocation, and is often done ACCIDENTALLY. Now Tomas and I have have done some.... Unintentional... experimenting with Pinging. [Look, I Love Video Games, I'm gonna screech and yell. Pinging is Inevitable.] What we found is that Wingers who might have, for example autism or anxiety, can FEEL the sound wave from the Ping across their feathers. Now, Tomas said it felt kind of like a breeze from nowhere but... Archer is already so Jumpy, I was worried about how they'd react.
I was worried for nothing. If anything Archer looked MORE relaxed after her Ping then before it. I definitely tried to hide my shock, but if the nervous chucking coming from Archer was any indication.... it had NOT worked. I was also a bit slow on the Recovery because Archer spoke again, this time to explain. "My aunt, who I live with, her daughter is a Bat Winger too. She just changed, she's 5 now, and .... kids scream alot. So I'm used to feeling that wind but not a wind. It was... reassuring actually. Thank you." Like before Archer's words trailed off into silence, but this time Trish was ready for it. "Hey! Neat-O! I don't usually have people who have Batty experience before..." At the pause Trish struck a Jaunty pose, "Me! But we do need to get going. I love doing this request, and my Punctuality is one of Rieley's favorite things. So let's get a boogie on!" At Trish's words Archer seemed to come back to reality, and with much less nerves chased after Trish's already moving figure.
Following all of Archer's directions, to the 48th Floor of the Rookery's Main Building Trish began her next spiel. "So! Because you didn't know which room exactly was the Request room I'm gonna show you!" At this Trish began Walking along the round overlook hallway. "You'll notice that a lot of the doors here on the promenade have Handles! This is because Internal affairs, and other workers need to have access to these rooms. Fairly obvious right?" Archer nodded as Trish came up to a door with no visible handle. "Which is why it's kinda easy to recognize the Request room! It has no Handle, because if you don't have a request on record you can't get in!" I reached into My pocket then to pull out MY Rook ID, which was then Displayed up in Archer's face. "Now I know you have your ID on you too, so get that out. We need them to Get into the Request room. This part relies on one of the Magitek devices the Rookery has in Key places!" Trish then Demonstrated where to tap one's ID so that Archer could see. She tapped it On the Almost black square next to the door with no handle, and then motioned for Archer to do the same. That's when the Doorknob appeared, by Magic obviously.
"From there we enter to greet the Request room's Guard on duty! Today it seems that would be... Ms. Jocasta Newmann!" Trish glowed with Joy at the sight of one of her favorite Gargoyle guards. Jocasta was tall and solidly built, with a triad of gargoyle horns, and the oft seen Fin like ears. She also had what looked like a strange mineral deposit on the right side of her face and neck. Not many Gargoyles had that, but that WASN'T the most unusual thing about her. What was unusual about her was the VIBRANT neon blue hair that was carefully applied and woven around her Horns. "Aw Trish Honey! It's Good to See you!" Jocasta said with a Big grin, "Though if I'm bein Honest Darling I never thought they'd let you be in charge of a Trainee!" There was a joking edge to Jocasta's words, and with the broad wink she gave to Archer it was obviously meant to be a friendly jab. And Trish of course responded in kind, "MS. JOCASTA?!? Do you not have FAITH IN ME?!?! OHHH the SORROW!!" And with that dramatic speech, complete with heart grabbing, Trish flopped over the Desk for the Security officer. Jocasta's belly laughing and Trish's giggling were the only sounds for about a minute.
It was Archer that broke the catching of the breath from the Laughter Fest. "Uhm... My name is Archer Torrik. I'm an apprentice Fly-By-Night Courier. It's a Pleasure to Work with you." Jocasta was taken aback by the earnestness from Archer for a moment before, "Well aren't you a Dear! It's nice to meet you too! Though you Fly-By-Nighter's don't tend to get a lotta Requests, I'll be happy to see you when I'm on Door Duty Sweety!" Trish took this moment to take back Archer's attention. "We'll be running through the Request forms here! Since Couriers can and often do make the Most requests of one another." With a Flourish and Jocasta's assistance, Trish turned the monitor of the computer to face Archer. "We start OBVIOUSLY at the Rook Inc. Website. This is the Major Company Website that all Rookery Locations are connected to! So it's also where all the Online Forms, LIKE the Request form, are Located. From there we navigate.." Trish had to finagle the mouse over the Desk, because this was HER teaching moment! Jocasta simply watched on with a smile. Continuing Trish spoke, "We navigate to... The Forms Tab! And in that tab you'll see the forms for all sorts of things. Magical Deliveries, Bulk Deliveries, Long Haul Flight Deliveries, but the Simple Request form is up at the Top of the page! Since this is the most COMMON form that people want to find." Trish clicked the Link that would open up the Online form, and waited while it loaded in. Once it did [it really didn't take too long, She continued. "Then you simply fill out the form online! Name, address, where it's coming from, what it IS, reason for Courier delivery and WHO you want to deliver it! Some are more self explanatory. Lets Start with the package! We ask what it is so we make sure you have the right form! This for is for; Legal documents, Unpowered Magical Items, Unpowered Magitek, high-end electronics, and other Non-dangerous Non-Magical Items! If it has a constant source of power it's a Magical delivery, and you need a different form. Which the site will tell you! Which can be helpful when people don't know, if their item is unpowered. Then you get to the Who do you want to deliver it. This can be as simple as, 'someone who will do a trick for my daughter's b-day party', to as complex as how Rieley does it. Rieley always says the same thing, 'Trish Barley the Fly-By-Night. She's the only one who has never scratched my Magitek.' With other members of the Courier service, you can use their ID number, but be sure to check the box under the name section that says you are a Rook Inc. Employee. If you don't your request will be flagged for safety concerns. They also flag inappropriate comments, or really specific requests from someone who hasn't used the service before. This protects us from stalkers." Trish paused for a moment, thinking over what she had said so far before asking, " Any Questions?"
Archer shook their head, while Jocasta applauded. "Great Job Trish Honey! Very thorough! Even I learned something!" Trish bowed cheesily at the complement, "My Thanks! Now I must away! To deliver my Package, as I was Requested to do!" With that Trish stood up and Motioned for Archer to follow, not that she had to because the Apprentice courier was already hot on her heels ready to learn. Trish Smiled at that, it was always fun when people wanted to learn. Be it a game or the way the system worked, she liked teaching about the things she Likes. "Ok! Now that we've 'checked in' so to say, we've got to get out package. In this case, it's got a neon green string tied around it." With a practiced ease Trish found and grabbed the box in question. She placed it gently on the table making sure the shipping label was visible. "Now we double check to make sure this IS the correct package. Always check the Name, the Address of where it's headed, and the Address from where it's from! If they match up to where you're headed, and here the Form says it's coming from it's good to go! Then you just gotta pack it up, and get out to the location!" Trish began the verification process after describing it to Archer, and then once she was done she let Archer also go through the process. It was Archer who next spoke, as they asked, "The recipient of this package is Riley Torres.... That's not the right name for who we should expect to see right? Does that mean this isn't the right box?" Trish smiled, hoping for this exact interaction. "In some cases, yes. An incorrect recipient name would make it an incorrect delivery! However, This company *Circuit~Circles* has reached out to Rook Inc. to report a problem with it's label making for it's packages! It will over correct names to be more Normal. This is because they accidentally got a Level 1 Cursed stamp stuck to the delicate inner workings. They sent us the Notation on what it did, which is make odd names more Normal in the sense of a little older privileged person. That's why Tori became Torres. You can usually find addendums or noticed for that on or attached to the forms." Trish grinned, "But that was an excellent catch! Let's Bag this bad boy and get on our way."
Packing the bag with Reiley's package was an easy habit at this point for Trish, the only odd part was letting Archer take a look at HOW she'd packed it before closing the bag and setting off. Getting up to the roof wasn't a problem, and while other people were waiting to get their bearings before setting out, Trish had LONG SINCE memorized how to get to Circuit Breakers.
Future Trish... Again. Night Flying is now a LOT brighter thanks to the City's own nightlight. I am of course talking about the burning Burning Tower. It's been really helpful for those who might be a little bit less good at seeing in the dark. I like it cause it makes the whole skyline glitter!
Trish's memorized route was the fastest she'd found so far, but speed-running her delivery started with a good start! That meant taking the Northwest launch-point, helpfully labeled with weatherproof paint, and turning right after passing the sign Trish affectionately called the Big Arrow. [Of course it WAS a Big Arrow, but the Neon sign was actually for Penny Subs. Which was actually a really nice place to grab a sandwich after a long night of high score busting at an arcade.] From there Trish knew she had to count 3 emergency fire ladders, then turn down the next street she could see. They stayed on this road for a stretch, before making a Left onto the street that Had dueling Pizza places. [Like there's one on either side of the street, the cashiers can SEE each other. Who though that was a good idea?] Then all Trish had to do was go straight until... "Ah-A! ThAR SHE BLOWS! Circuit Breakers Arcade!" Trish definitely pinged a little upon seeing their destination, but WHO CARED! She's finally gonna get to see what game Reiley bought!! With that as her thought Trish Flew just the littlest bit faster, and reached the rooftop just in time for the Door at the top to open.
Trish carefully cradling her package bag against her chest, smiled at the figure emerging from the open roof access door. "Heya, Reiley! I got your Package with me!" The figure at the top of the stairs looked at Trish, then at Archer, their circuitry green colored eyes closed for a moment before they spoke head tilting just a tad. "Ah. You were Training someone New. Not to Take YOUR job, but in General. I was wondering why you were Later then Usual. This is an Acceptable Reason. Please Bring the Box inside. I will sign for it there." And with their piece said, they turned and went back down the Stairs. Trish turned to look at Archer and couldn't help laughing at their dumbstruck face. "Yeah. Rye's like that with everyone. Let's get downstairs so we can finish this up!" With that Trish walked over to the door, and held it open for Archer to go through first.
The stairs were well lit, with neither a bulb flickering or broken, which might've been surprising if one hadn't met Reiley Tori, as simply from appearance alone one could tell they were a Gremlin. That particularly UNIQUE magical shift, seemed to be in part because of a love for technology, and as such it meant that the places they lived, worked, and loved often had better behaved electrical systems magically. That also meant that when they got downstairs the LEDs that were set up on the game floor responded to Reiley's will and flashed in a directional pattern towards the back 'Office' as it were. Entering was a simple matter of opening the door but once inside the Couriers were treated to, for one a familiar sight and for the other a sight more akin to a mad computer scientist's lair. Wires and cables strung across the ceiling and snaked across the floor. Cabinets that were out of rotation or in need of repair sat like centurions in line, some with their innards exposed for their liege to operate on. At the far end of the room Reiley sat at a workbench a pair of electrical gloves already on, along with their work goggles. They motioned for Trish and Archer to come and deliver the package already, with a pen and the impatient movement of their leg bouncing.
Trish laughed, knowing full well that Reiley was just as excited, if not more so then herself for the new cabinets. As they made their way towards the Gremlin, Trish tried to keep her eyes peeled for the new box. It's because of that looking that Trish noticed what she wasn't exactly expecting. "Wait... DID YOU GET THEM BOTH?" Trish most certainly pinged on that, rushing to get closer to see if her eyes hadn't played tricks on her. Trish hadn't been mistaken though as two shiny new and open Game cabinets were near the Table Reiley sat at, Dance: Rhythm Revolution & Ulthar: Dungeon Guardians. Reiley grinned from their seat at the table, a sheepish but still proud quality to it. ".. I did. While the Price was,... not Negligible I deemed it worth it. After all, Obtaining a game that is One of a Kind as well as a crowd pleaser... I..." They trail off with a sigh putting their head in their hands, "I wanted both. I couldn't decide so I payed out of pocket." Trish laughed at their friend, turning away from her new highscore quarries. "It's all right! I, for second, am glad you got both! From the titles alone I was Zazzed for them and was likely gonna wonder what the other was like if you only got one."
Trish smiles at Reiley, and pulls from her bag the package along with her clipboard. [Trish's clipboard had a multitude of gaming stickers stuck on the back of it. This is how other Couriers knew not to take it.] "Alrighty Rye, you know the drill. Sign here, Initial there, and Can I see your ID to confirm?" Reiley smiled at Trish's obviously eager tone, and attention to protocol. With their own type of flourish Reiley signs for the package, and shows their ID as well as their Magitek Licence. With that The package was placed on the table and Reiley hopped to work. Tearing it open with their claw like fingernails reveals the two Magitek Circuit boards. This particular type of circuit Trish had seen before, and she began explaining it to Archer. "So I asked once what these were. Reiley calls them Sympathetic Circuits, and they work by tapping into a 'compatible persons' Magic and connecting them to the tech they put it on." Trish waves at the Game cabinets around them as Archer nods, "Like the cabinets. That's why they gotta go through courier service, cause regular mail might have a compatible magic type. It's ALSO why you gotta be careful with them, one teeny tiny scratch on a rune can change the whole magic dynamic.... At least that's what they said. And that's why Reiley keeps requesting me, I'm good with delicate stuff." Trish Beams, and Archer's lips quirk up in a half smile. With a Flash of Green energy, and the sound of Game Cabinets starting up, they both turn to look at Reiley who's smile is... Maniacal. "Now they must be TESTED. Trish, Archer, You two may have the honor!"
Trish was Practiaclly VIBRATING with excitement at the prospect. "And this, THIS RIGHT HERE, is why I lov Delivery to you!!" She was already reaching, wel for both cabinets really, when Archer spoke up. "They made Ultar into an arcade game?"
Trish seemed to be jolted back into awareness, and she turned to Archer. "It wasn't a Video Game before?" Genuine Interest leaked from her words, Trish's own desire to learn Ignited. Archer fluffed up their wings in embarrasment, before they spoke again. "It's Technically a TCG. Started around the return of magic actually, and..." Archer hunched up more, if you can believe it. "I'm... a Big fan of it... and" Here their volume started to die out. "I've actually won a few tournaments with my decks." At the end of the sentence Archer seemed to try and pull a turtle, tucking into their wings, and as such missed how both Trish and Reiley absolutly LIT up at the confession. Until a few seconds later when Trish Pinged, "NO WAY!! Then you HAVE to try that Cabinet out! You have the BACKGROUND to tell Rye if their purchase was sound!! FROM A FAN'S PERSPECTIVE TOO!" Reiley added to that thought with, "It was Apparently, Made by a Fan. I Purchased a Copy for the Novelty, and to Support Cabinet Makers. If it lives up to my Hopes, I may Commision more Cabinets from Creators like Them."
Archer blinked. Then Blinked Again. Trish too excited to notice the fact that Archer was obviously having a Hard mental reset form the show of support for their niche interest, started directing them towards the Ultar Game Cabinet. "That really makes my Life easier too! Now I can Try Rhythm Revolution without feeling rushed so that I can give Ultar a fair shake! Ora vicea versa!" Only once Archer actually started the Game, the Fanmade soundtrack [suprisingly rock orchestral] comeing out of the built in speakers, did Trish step up to the other cabinet.
Dance: Rhythm Revolution was a spin-off of both dance rhythm games [with the floor buttons] and adventure shooter. The player takes on the role of the Lowest Ranked Noble, in a country where Dancing prowess equaled Political might. Throughout the story the player would encounter several Boss fights. Boss fights consisted of challenging or being challenged by a Higher Ranked Noble, and then defeating them through Dance. However, these boss fights had the interesting take of switching tempos at key points in the song. If you weren't expecting them, you could lose a lot of points VERY fast. BUT should you manage to beat the Boss, you'd be rewarded with a Card from the System. This "Dance Card" Allowed players to pick up where they left off, AND through magic wrote the bosses names [that you bested] onto the card itself.
Trish had been WAITING for this game to come out. It combined two of her favorite things after all! When she had first heard about it, she had spent a couple of nights re-affirming her High score on the rest of Reiley's Dance Cabinets. And then when Reiley said they might get it, Trish had done it all again. "I want to finish the First Boss tonight AT LEAST." Trish muttered [not so quietly] to herself. Narrowing her eyes and checking her starting position Trish selected Begin Game, "Lets DO this." and Began.
It took about 2 and a half hours, for Reiley to declare the Cabinets, "Tested to the Fullest Extent" and to shoo Trish and Archer away from them so the cabinets could be rolled out onto the floor. In that time Trish not only beat the First boss of Dance: Rhythm Revolution [Margrave Steppen], but mannaged to beat the Second Boss as well [Lady Primera]... and she was EXHAUSTED. Dance Games were fun but Physically demanding. Lucklily for her, the Rookery knew that Reiley had her Test games and had her doing only this delivery tonight because of that. But tonight Trish did have another obligation. "So, Archer, How was it?"
Archer looked over at her, and Trish saw in their eyes a million stratigic thoughts whirring about[metephorically of course. I can't read minds]. "Well the Game designer OBVIOUSLY knew their Ulthar Lore. It was Well defined even if the Deck making aspect from the Card game was absent. I liked how you could recruit characters by knowing the correct things to say to them, but I feel like that could have been done in a slightly better way. It gived the TCG players more of an advantage. On the OTHER hand I found the transition from the balanced army bulding of the TCG to the Turn-based Unit control of this game a bit jarring and while I did get used to it... I lost a few of my favorite Units early on because I didn't know what I was doing. Overall it's a very fun game, and I WILL be coming back here to get the High Score!" Archer completed their very empasioned reveiw slightly out of breath, but judging from the smile on their lips very happily too. Trish couldn't help but grin back, a bit of laughter bubbling up out of her. "Thats great to know! But it's not really what I was asking about!" Archer Blinked, confused, "Wait, what did you mean then?"
"The Training! How was Training with me? Did you enjoy shadowing Me?" Trish said, Grin slightly dimmer from worry but still firmly in place. Archer blinked, as if remebering something, before taking in a deep breath. "This was the BEST and Most informative Training I've gotten since Orientation! I Give it a 100% A++ Recommendation!!" The response was Loud, happy, and send a Ping directly into Trish's Ears. Trish's smile glowed brighter then the screens all around them, "Well now, Isn't that just the best High Score I've ever gotten!"
*+100* points!
LEVEL FINISHED, HIGH SCORE!!
The End.
First step though, getting out of bed. Which... was easier said than done in Trish's case, seeing as her bed was more like an upside down hammock...thing. But give a bat girl a break, it was more comfortable than trying to sleep horizontally! She undid the safety braces holding her to the bed-beam and used both her hand hands and her WING hands to scurry down the cargo net attached to the wall. It pays not to go head over feet immediately after being feet over head. If you've never had the misfortune of experiencing it, it's like asking to black out and have the worlds worst headache for the rest of the day. Untangling herself, well mostly her feet if she was being honest, she slowly stretched her way to the floor and worked her way to standing.
Moving towards the bathroom she turned off her alarm, and tried to smooth out some of the more uncomfortable patches of her fur. Yeah bed head might suck, but bed body was worse in Trish's opinion mainly because you never knew WHERE it would show up. The next step of her routine involved hygiene, so brushing teeth & hair, showering, another round of brushing hair... and by then it's 8pm or a little later. Time to check the FRIEND-DULE, also known as Trish's collection of important friend events.
Making her way to her central room, Trish cracked open her laptop, and pulled up her VERY IMPORTANT calendar. Scanning over it she took quick stock of things that needed action soon. "Vanya gets back... next Thursday," Trish muttered to herself, "to catch her I'll need a couple of 'days' off." She continued to scan through her calendar noting some more nice things to do, like getting Tomas a nice bubble tea/lunch delivery for his return from a curse run. They were besties, even if he was more diurnal than her, and she knew what he might forget when REALLY anxious. Then her eyes landed on a color that didn't often show up in her calendar, but when it did got her all kinds of excited. Neon Green meant a delivery to Circuit Breakers!, the arcade run by a gremlin friend of hers. "ooooOOOHAAAH! Rieley's getting in a new cabinet today!!" Trish was already moving to start getting dressed, "I totally spaced! I can't wait! I wonder which one they went with, Dance: Rhythm Revolution or Ulthar: Dungeon Guardians?! OOOOOOOOh!!" She was practically vibrating as she made her way to the door of her apartment, when someone knocked.
Trish really REALLY didn't want to wait to go out and see Rieley, but people coming to see her was nice and fun usually....sooo. She opened the door to find one of the other Fly-By-Night staff [AKA internal affairs], Patra Elm. "Good waking Courier Barley?" Patra asked with a slight raise of her brow, at the very obvious excitement. Now NORMALLY internal affairs don't really come to Couriers directly, be they day or night fliers. They only come talk to us directly if someone asked them to, or we were in trouble.... "Ehehe... Yeah actually. But I'm more excited because I know I'll have a regular delivery request today. Is there something I can help you with Ms. Patra?" Trish asked with the nervousness of a schoolkid who thinks they might be called into the office. Patra snorts softly in amusement, and replies with an amused tone, "Actually a Day flier asked the Internal Office to, 'make sure she eats breakfast'. And since I know you Trish-" Trish jolted a bit at the informality before remembering Patra was her shifts Edwin, and was responsible for their comfort. "I decided to get breakfast with you myself, so I could make sure you eat." Trish nodded at Patra's assessment, knowing that she could be a bit scattered about her health when she was excited about something. She also knew who exactly asked the Internal Affairs Office to check up on her, it was Tomas her best friend. After turning around to close and lock her door after a double check that she had everything she needed, Trish turned back to Patra. "Where do you want to go? Near or Far?"
Patra had chosen the one 'underground' restaurant that the Rookery controlled. Simply called Echo's Club, it was a place that was very comfortable to those of us with a burrowing, or spelunking instinct. It was simply a jazz club, with low lighting and a stage for live performances in the center. Booths and tables crawled UP the walls, carved magically into the walls of the rather natural looking cave. Patra and Trish actually sat in one of the big stalactites, and... well she had already eaten around 2 french toast waffles (not counting the fruit) and was working on a third. Patra took a sip of her morning herbal tea, and then spoke. "So Trish, we do actually have a bit of a hiccup in your excitement for today. We have a new Fly-by-Night, and as one of our more senior members they will be shadowing you today." Trish's chewing slowed, and a furrow formed in her brow for a moment as she thought about why that might be... when it clicked. "It's because I was requested right? And that I have someone who regularly requests me, so I know how that process works by habit." Trish's words came slowly, deliberately, but with the cadence of 'I know i'm right but confirm anyway'. Patra smiles into her cup for a moment, before answering. Fluttering her magnificent nightjar wings, Patra replies "Indeed." Trish chews the last bit of her waffle, before nodding. "I can work with that, so long as they don't hate gaming." She said in a half-joking tone. Patra finished her tea, setting the cup on the table. Let's go meet them at the Request Desk then. Shall we?" Standing Patra's wings stretched open and she motioned with them for Trish to follow.
When they arrived at the main building of the Rookery's delivery service, someone was already outside clearly pacing back and forth. Even from a distance Trish could tell that the person and wings similar to Patra's, but not quite the same. The person in question seemed really, REALLY nervous so Trish decided to call out, just to reassure them that they hadn't been forgotten. "Coming In!" Trish winced as the person visibly startled before realizing who it was, she hadn't meant to scare them. As Patra and Trish landed, the person came running over towards them before stopping a respectful distance away. Trish noted that they were still fidgeting, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort the nervous bird. She had to restrain herself, after all she didn't even know the name to put with the face. Thankfully Patra helped with that a few seconds later. "Alright Trish, this is Apprentice Fly-by-Night Courier Archer Torrik. They will be shadowing you throughout this night, so please treat them with care and answer their questions." Trish nodded in compliance and motioned for Archer to follow her into the Rookery delivery headquarters. "So just a minor introduction-"She said turning around and walking backwards before continuing, "I'm Trish Barley, like the grain, and I'm gonna be your mentor through the Requested Courier Service, or RCS. I was picked for this beCAUSE I am one of the few Fly-by-Nights that get regularly requested." Trish did of course remember that walking backwards had a downside when she bumped lightly into the front desk of the Courier Service area, she had been walking slowly so while jarring it was still not a big deal. Unfortunately This had the added effect of spooking Archer, whose nervous twitching seemed to go up a level. Trish sighed internally, she really really wanted to make this a positive experience for the newbie Fly-by-Night. She then straightened up and tapped the counter of the front desk. "RCS always starts at the front desk, where the Internal Affairs person assigned here will tell you where your package is. This is because a lot of the time they don't put the requested packages where everyone else grabs their bags." Trish paused to take a breath, "There have been a few instances, from before they separated the requested packages, where another Courier grabbed it and the customer was upset by that. So now we just keep them separate." Archer nodded, listening very intently to what Trish said when she spoke, but not interjecting or interacting. It was very uncomfortable for Trish, but she knew it wasn't always about her. Turning so that she faced the front desk, Trish then began the 'practical' demonstration of what she had just explained. "Evening Em. Do I have any Requests~ this evening?" The woman behind the front desk, Emmy Vight, laughed at Trish's antics. "Well let me check-" Emmy said, before staring a Trish without moving for a solid few minutes, then answering, "Why yes you do! Rieley Tori of the arcade Circuit Breakers is expecting you to deliver a package to them tonight. The package you will be delivering is in the request room, marked with a neon green string. Good Luck!" Trish nodded her head, "Thanks Em! Have a nice night!" Waving to Emmy, Trish turned around and started to make her way over to the directory and map. This was of course placed in a centralized location, and had a convenient magical search system embedded in it. "Since it's your first request run, we come over and check the map. I know where the request room is, but I want to make sure you are learning. So you, Archer, will be leading us to the next step of our process... The Request room."
Archer twitched, well if Trish were being honest more like Flinched, at the sudden request from her. With a deep breath, Archer finally spoke up for the first time, voice hesitant and nervous. "S-so We'd Start by get... Getting to the Central Updraf-draft. F-f-fr-fro-from there we'd-d-d go almost to the tippy-top *AHEM* Top of the Floors. The Request Room is close to where we keep the... uhm... the... word please... the Package distribution Center! For the packages that come to Us and we deliver out from there. And that's around the 48th or 49th floors. So we'd hop off the Updraft at the one landing with the Red Bench, and .... I don't know where EXACTLY the room IS but.... Around there... Right?" Archer Trailed off a little bit there at the end, but was spot on everywhere else! As tonight's Senpai I simply had to encourage! "BRAVO!!" I shouted, only realizing after my ears Pinged that I had maybe been a bit TOO loud.
Future Trish here: Ok, quick aside. Pinging is a term used in the Bat shifter community, that also interestingly also applies to the Mer-folk who can Echolocate [Like Dolphins, or some whales]. It means getting LOUD or high pitched enough to trigger your echolocation, and is often done ACCIDENTALLY. Now Tomas and I have have done some.... Unintentional... experimenting with Pinging. [Look, I Love Video Games, I'm gonna screech and yell. Pinging is Inevitable.] What we found is that Wingers who might have, for example autism or anxiety, can FEEL the sound wave from the Ping across their feathers. Now, Tomas said it felt kind of like a breeze from nowhere but... Archer is already so Jumpy, I was worried about how they'd react.
I was worried for nothing. If anything Archer looked MORE relaxed after her Ping then before it. I definitely tried to hide my shock, but if the nervous chucking coming from Archer was any indication.... it had NOT worked. I was also a bit slow on the Recovery because Archer spoke again, this time to explain. "My aunt, who I live with, her daughter is a Bat Winger too. She just changed, she's 5 now, and .... kids scream alot. So I'm used to feeling that wind but not a wind. It was... reassuring actually. Thank you." Like before Archer's words trailed off into silence, but this time Trish was ready for it. "Hey! Neat-O! I don't usually have people who have Batty experience before..." At the pause Trish struck a Jaunty pose, "Me! But we do need to get going. I love doing this request, and my Punctuality is one of Rieley's favorite things. So let's get a boogie on!" At Trish's words Archer seemed to come back to reality, and with much less nerves chased after Trish's already moving figure.
Following all of Archer's directions, to the 48th Floor of the Rookery's Main Building Trish began her next spiel. "So! Because you didn't know which room exactly was the Request room I'm gonna show you!" At this Trish began Walking along the round overlook hallway. "You'll notice that a lot of the doors here on the promenade have Handles! This is because Internal affairs, and other workers need to have access to these rooms. Fairly obvious right?" Archer nodded as Trish came up to a door with no visible handle. "Which is why it's kinda easy to recognize the Request room! It has no Handle, because if you don't have a request on record you can't get in!" I reached into My pocket then to pull out MY Rook ID, which was then Displayed up in Archer's face. "Now I know you have your ID on you too, so get that out. We need them to Get into the Request room. This part relies on one of the Magitek devices the Rookery has in Key places!" Trish then Demonstrated where to tap one's ID so that Archer could see. She tapped it On the Almost black square next to the door with no handle, and then motioned for Archer to do the same. That's when the Doorknob appeared, by Magic obviously.
"From there we enter to greet the Request room's Guard on duty! Today it seems that would be... Ms. Jocasta Newmann!" Trish glowed with Joy at the sight of one of her favorite Gargoyle guards. Jocasta was tall and solidly built, with a triad of gargoyle horns, and the oft seen Fin like ears. She also had what looked like a strange mineral deposit on the right side of her face and neck. Not many Gargoyles had that, but that WASN'T the most unusual thing about her. What was unusual about her was the VIBRANT neon blue hair that was carefully applied and woven around her Horns. "Aw Trish Honey! It's Good to See you!" Jocasta said with a Big grin, "Though if I'm bein Honest Darling I never thought they'd let you be in charge of a Trainee!" There was a joking edge to Jocasta's words, and with the broad wink she gave to Archer it was obviously meant to be a friendly jab. And Trish of course responded in kind, "MS. JOCASTA?!? Do you not have FAITH IN ME?!?! OHHH the SORROW!!" And with that dramatic speech, complete with heart grabbing, Trish flopped over the Desk for the Security officer. Jocasta's belly laughing and Trish's giggling were the only sounds for about a minute.
It was Archer that broke the catching of the breath from the Laughter Fest. "Uhm... My name is Archer Torrik. I'm an apprentice Fly-By-Night Courier. It's a Pleasure to Work with you." Jocasta was taken aback by the earnestness from Archer for a moment before, "Well aren't you a Dear! It's nice to meet you too! Though you Fly-By-Nighter's don't tend to get a lotta Requests, I'll be happy to see you when I'm on Door Duty Sweety!" Trish took this moment to take back Archer's attention. "We'll be running through the Request forms here! Since Couriers can and often do make the Most requests of one another." With a Flourish and Jocasta's assistance, Trish turned the monitor of the computer to face Archer. "We start OBVIOUSLY at the Rook Inc. Website. This is the Major Company Website that all Rookery Locations are connected to! So it's also where all the Online Forms, LIKE the Request form, are Located. From there we navigate.." Trish had to finagle the mouse over the Desk, because this was HER teaching moment! Jocasta simply watched on with a smile. Continuing Trish spoke, "We navigate to... The Forms Tab! And in that tab you'll see the forms for all sorts of things. Magical Deliveries, Bulk Deliveries, Long Haul Flight Deliveries, but the Simple Request form is up at the Top of the page! Since this is the most COMMON form that people want to find." Trish clicked the Link that would open up the Online form, and waited while it loaded in. Once it did [it really didn't take too long, She continued. "Then you simply fill out the form online! Name, address, where it's coming from, what it IS, reason for Courier delivery and WHO you want to deliver it! Some are more self explanatory. Lets Start with the package! We ask what it is so we make sure you have the right form! This for is for; Legal documents, Unpowered Magical Items, Unpowered Magitek, high-end electronics, and other Non-dangerous Non-Magical Items! If it has a constant source of power it's a Magical delivery, and you need a different form. Which the site will tell you! Which can be helpful when people don't know, if their item is unpowered. Then you get to the Who do you want to deliver it. This can be as simple as, 'someone who will do a trick for my daughter's b-day party', to as complex as how Rieley does it. Rieley always says the same thing, 'Trish Barley the Fly-By-Night. She's the only one who has never scratched my Magitek.' With other members of the Courier service, you can use their ID number, but be sure to check the box under the name section that says you are a Rook Inc. Employee. If you don't your request will be flagged for safety concerns. They also flag inappropriate comments, or really specific requests from someone who hasn't used the service before. This protects us from stalkers." Trish paused for a moment, thinking over what she had said so far before asking, " Any Questions?"
Archer shook their head, while Jocasta applauded. "Great Job Trish Honey! Very thorough! Even I learned something!" Trish bowed cheesily at the complement, "My Thanks! Now I must away! To deliver my Package, as I was Requested to do!" With that Trish stood up and Motioned for Archer to follow, not that she had to because the Apprentice courier was already hot on her heels ready to learn. Trish Smiled at that, it was always fun when people wanted to learn. Be it a game or the way the system worked, she liked teaching about the things she Likes. "Ok! Now that we've 'checked in' so to say, we've got to get out package. In this case, it's got a neon green string tied around it." With a practiced ease Trish found and grabbed the box in question. She placed it gently on the table making sure the shipping label was visible. "Now we double check to make sure this IS the correct package. Always check the Name, the Address of where it's headed, and the Address from where it's from! If they match up to where you're headed, and here the Form says it's coming from it's good to go! Then you just gotta pack it up, and get out to the location!" Trish began the verification process after describing it to Archer, and then once she was done she let Archer also go through the process. It was Archer who next spoke, as they asked, "The recipient of this package is Riley Torres.... That's not the right name for who we should expect to see right? Does that mean this isn't the right box?" Trish smiled, hoping for this exact interaction. "In some cases, yes. An incorrect recipient name would make it an incorrect delivery! However, This company *Circuit~Circles* has reached out to Rook Inc. to report a problem with it's label making for it's packages! It will over correct names to be more Normal. This is because they accidentally got a Level 1 Cursed stamp stuck to the delicate inner workings. They sent us the Notation on what it did, which is make odd names more Normal in the sense of a little older privileged person. That's why Tori became Torres. You can usually find addendums or noticed for that on or attached to the forms." Trish grinned, "But that was an excellent catch! Let's Bag this bad boy and get on our way."
Packing the bag with Reiley's package was an easy habit at this point for Trish, the only odd part was letting Archer take a look at HOW she'd packed it before closing the bag and setting off. Getting up to the roof wasn't a problem, and while other people were waiting to get their bearings before setting out, Trish had LONG SINCE memorized how to get to Circuit Breakers.
Future Trish... Again. Night Flying is now a LOT brighter thanks to the City's own nightlight. I am of course talking about the burning Burning Tower. It's been really helpful for those who might be a little bit less good at seeing in the dark. I like it cause it makes the whole skyline glitter!
Trish's memorized route was the fastest she'd found so far, but speed-running her delivery started with a good start! That meant taking the Northwest launch-point, helpfully labeled with weatherproof paint, and turning right after passing the sign Trish affectionately called the Big Arrow. [Of course it WAS a Big Arrow, but the Neon sign was actually for Penny Subs. Which was actually a really nice place to grab a sandwich after a long night of high score busting at an arcade.] From there Trish knew she had to count 3 emergency fire ladders, then turn down the next street she could see. They stayed on this road for a stretch, before making a Left onto the street that Had dueling Pizza places. [Like there's one on either side of the street, the cashiers can SEE each other. Who though that was a good idea?] Then all Trish had to do was go straight until... "Ah-A! ThAR SHE BLOWS! Circuit Breakers Arcade!" Trish definitely pinged a little upon seeing their destination, but WHO CARED! She's finally gonna get to see what game Reiley bought!! With that as her thought Trish Flew just the littlest bit faster, and reached the rooftop just in time for the Door at the top to open.
Trish carefully cradling her package bag against her chest, smiled at the figure emerging from the open roof access door. "Heya, Reiley! I got your Package with me!" The figure at the top of the stairs looked at Trish, then at Archer, their circuitry green colored eyes closed for a moment before they spoke head tilting just a tad. "Ah. You were Training someone New. Not to Take YOUR job, but in General. I was wondering why you were Later then Usual. This is an Acceptable Reason. Please Bring the Box inside. I will sign for it there." And with their piece said, they turned and went back down the Stairs. Trish turned to look at Archer and couldn't help laughing at their dumbstruck face. "Yeah. Rye's like that with everyone. Let's get downstairs so we can finish this up!" With that Trish walked over to the door, and held it open for Archer to go through first.
The stairs were well lit, with neither a bulb flickering or broken, which might've been surprising if one hadn't met Reiley Tori, as simply from appearance alone one could tell they were a Gremlin. That particularly UNIQUE magical shift, seemed to be in part because of a love for technology, and as such it meant that the places they lived, worked, and loved often had better behaved electrical systems magically. That also meant that when they got downstairs the LEDs that were set up on the game floor responded to Reiley's will and flashed in a directional pattern towards the back 'Office' as it were. Entering was a simple matter of opening the door but once inside the Couriers were treated to, for one a familiar sight and for the other a sight more akin to a mad computer scientist's lair. Wires and cables strung across the ceiling and snaked across the floor. Cabinets that were out of rotation or in need of repair sat like centurions in line, some with their innards exposed for their liege to operate on. At the far end of the room Reiley sat at a workbench a pair of electrical gloves already on, along with their work goggles. They motioned for Trish and Archer to come and deliver the package already, with a pen and the impatient movement of their leg bouncing.
Trish laughed, knowing full well that Reiley was just as excited, if not more so then herself for the new cabinets. As they made their way towards the Gremlin, Trish tried to keep her eyes peeled for the new box. It's because of that looking that Trish noticed what she wasn't exactly expecting. "Wait... DID YOU GET THEM BOTH?" Trish most certainly pinged on that, rushing to get closer to see if her eyes hadn't played tricks on her. Trish hadn't been mistaken though as two shiny new and open Game cabinets were near the Table Reiley sat at, Dance: Rhythm Revolution & Ulthar: Dungeon Guardians. Reiley grinned from their seat at the table, a sheepish but still proud quality to it. ".. I did. While the Price was,... not Negligible I deemed it worth it. After all, Obtaining a game that is One of a Kind as well as a crowd pleaser... I..." They trail off with a sigh putting their head in their hands, "I wanted both. I couldn't decide so I payed out of pocket." Trish laughed at their friend, turning away from her new highscore quarries. "It's all right! I, for second, am glad you got both! From the titles alone I was Zazzed for them and was likely gonna wonder what the other was like if you only got one."
Trish smiles at Reiley, and pulls from her bag the package along with her clipboard. [Trish's clipboard had a multitude of gaming stickers stuck on the back of it. This is how other Couriers knew not to take it.] "Alrighty Rye, you know the drill. Sign here, Initial there, and Can I see your ID to confirm?" Reiley smiled at Trish's obviously eager tone, and attention to protocol. With their own type of flourish Reiley signs for the package, and shows their ID as well as their Magitek Licence. With that The package was placed on the table and Reiley hopped to work. Tearing it open with their claw like fingernails reveals the two Magitek Circuit boards. This particular type of circuit Trish had seen before, and she began explaining it to Archer. "So I asked once what these were. Reiley calls them Sympathetic Circuits, and they work by tapping into a 'compatible persons' Magic and connecting them to the tech they put it on." Trish waves at the Game cabinets around them as Archer nods, "Like the cabinets. That's why they gotta go through courier service, cause regular mail might have a compatible magic type. It's ALSO why you gotta be careful with them, one teeny tiny scratch on a rune can change the whole magic dynamic.... At least that's what they said. And that's why Reiley keeps requesting me, I'm good with delicate stuff." Trish Beams, and Archer's lips quirk up in a half smile. With a Flash of Green energy, and the sound of Game Cabinets starting up, they both turn to look at Reiley who's smile is... Maniacal. "Now they must be TESTED. Trish, Archer, You two may have the honor!"
Trish was Practiaclly VIBRATING with excitement at the prospect. "And this, THIS RIGHT HERE, is why I lov Delivery to you!!" She was already reaching, wel for both cabinets really, when Archer spoke up. "They made Ultar into an arcade game?"
Trish seemed to be jolted back into awareness, and she turned to Archer. "It wasn't a Video Game before?" Genuine Interest leaked from her words, Trish's own desire to learn Ignited. Archer fluffed up their wings in embarrasment, before they spoke again. "It's Technically a TCG. Started around the return of magic actually, and..." Archer hunched up more, if you can believe it. "I'm... a Big fan of it... and" Here their volume started to die out. "I've actually won a few tournaments with my decks." At the end of the sentence Archer seemed to try and pull a turtle, tucking into their wings, and as such missed how both Trish and Reiley absolutly LIT up at the confession. Until a few seconds later when Trish Pinged, "NO WAY!! Then you HAVE to try that Cabinet out! You have the BACKGROUND to tell Rye if their purchase was sound!! FROM A FAN'S PERSPECTIVE TOO!" Reiley added to that thought with, "It was Apparently, Made by a Fan. I Purchased a Copy for the Novelty, and to Support Cabinet Makers. If it lives up to my Hopes, I may Commision more Cabinets from Creators like Them."
Archer blinked. Then Blinked Again. Trish too excited to notice the fact that Archer was obviously having a Hard mental reset form the show of support for their niche interest, started directing them towards the Ultar Game Cabinet. "That really makes my Life easier too! Now I can Try Rhythm Revolution without feeling rushed so that I can give Ultar a fair shake! Ora vicea versa!" Only once Archer actually started the Game, the Fanmade soundtrack [suprisingly rock orchestral] comeing out of the built in speakers, did Trish step up to the other cabinet.
Dance: Rhythm Revolution was a spin-off of both dance rhythm games [with the floor buttons] and adventure shooter. The player takes on the role of the Lowest Ranked Noble, in a country where Dancing prowess equaled Political might. Throughout the story the player would encounter several Boss fights. Boss fights consisted of challenging or being challenged by a Higher Ranked Noble, and then defeating them through Dance. However, these boss fights had the interesting take of switching tempos at key points in the song. If you weren't expecting them, you could lose a lot of points VERY fast. BUT should you manage to beat the Boss, you'd be rewarded with a Card from the System. This "Dance Card" Allowed players to pick up where they left off, AND through magic wrote the bosses names [that you bested] onto the card itself.
Trish had been WAITING for this game to come out. It combined two of her favorite things after all! When she had first heard about it, she had spent a couple of nights re-affirming her High score on the rest of Reiley's Dance Cabinets. And then when Reiley said they might get it, Trish had done it all again. "I want to finish the First Boss tonight AT LEAST." Trish muttered [not so quietly] to herself. Narrowing her eyes and checking her starting position Trish selected Begin Game, "Lets DO this." and Began.
It took about 2 and a half hours, for Reiley to declare the Cabinets, "Tested to the Fullest Extent" and to shoo Trish and Archer away from them so the cabinets could be rolled out onto the floor. In that time Trish not only beat the First boss of Dance: Rhythm Revolution [Margrave Steppen], but mannaged to beat the Second Boss as well [Lady Primera]... and she was EXHAUSTED. Dance Games were fun but Physically demanding. Lucklily for her, the Rookery knew that Reiley had her Test games and had her doing only this delivery tonight because of that. But tonight Trish did have another obligation. "So, Archer, How was it?"
Archer looked over at her, and Trish saw in their eyes a million stratigic thoughts whirring about[metephorically of course. I can't read minds]. "Well the Game designer OBVIOUSLY knew their Ulthar Lore. It was Well defined even if the Deck making aspect from the Card game was absent. I liked how you could recruit characters by knowing the correct things to say to them, but I feel like that could have been done in a slightly better way. It gived the TCG players more of an advantage. On the OTHER hand I found the transition from the balanced army bulding of the TCG to the Turn-based Unit control of this game a bit jarring and while I did get used to it... I lost a few of my favorite Units early on because I didn't know what I was doing. Overall it's a very fun game, and I WILL be coming back here to get the High Score!" Archer completed their very empasioned reveiw slightly out of breath, but judging from the smile on their lips very happily too. Trish couldn't help but grin back, a bit of laughter bubbling up out of her. "Thats great to know! But it's not really what I was asking about!" Archer Blinked, confused, "Wait, what did you mean then?"
"The Training! How was Training with me? Did you enjoy shadowing Me?" Trish said, Grin slightly dimmer from worry but still firmly in place. Archer blinked, as if remebering something, before taking in a deep breath. "This was the BEST and Most informative Training I've gotten since Orientation! I Give it a 100% A++ Recommendation!!" The response was Loud, happy, and send a Ping directly into Trish's Ears. Trish's smile glowed brighter then the screens all around them, "Well now, Isn't that just the best High Score I've ever gotten!"
*+100* points!
LEVEL FINISHED, HIGH SCORE!!
The End.
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