Friday July 19th, 2024, Tiffany

Oh the mall, how I’ve missed ye.  I mean I’ve been since coming to earth, and it’s not too similar to how the movies and shows showed it, but also I haven’t been on a date to it yet and it’s going to be so good.  Celeste in one arm, Phil staring from around the corner growling at Celeste and any passersby, nothing to worry about.

We enter and I immediately make a beeline to the scents shop and look through all the candles and lotions.  I don’t need any but they smell so good.  Celeste doesn’t seem to enjoy them though, so we move on and I take her to the animal thrift store.  Err humane society I mean.  It’s covered in cat tunnels all over the small store, and it’s delightful looking at the tiny predators behind their bars.  So fierce!

Celeste mutters something about how I don’t need a cat but I’m all eyes for this smaller one with a chip out of its ear and half a tail.  Such a cute little predatory kitten!  She convinces me to come back later though and drags me to a toy store.  

Honestly kinda feels like her vibe.  Filled with dressed up stuffed bears, skins, a stuffing machine, and clothes.  The kind of thing you’d think would be for kids but it seems like mostly people our age or a bit younger are there.  Well ‘our age’ is relative but maths wise we’re similar ages right now.  For the next year at least ... but now’s not the time to think on it.

She’s just looking at clothes but I’m looking at all the example bears.  Kind of feels like if our tech store was a toy store.  Lots of customizability.  They aren’t all bears, there’s so many animals, but they all follow the ‘bear model’ more or less, except some are more dogs.  

I do recognise the one she tries to secretly keep in her backpack though, plus another from her couch.  Or ... they seem similar at least.  I’m not sure.  They may be different.  My eyes get drawn to a beautiful pinky purple owl.  Inexplicably fantasy but still so pretty.  The arms are the right size for the clothes but done double sided so they still look like wings.  Big owlish embroidered eyes.

I start looking somewhat frantically for the box of them but they don’t seem to have any left except the display one, until I end up seeing one stuffed under the spare stuffing.  All sad and dusty, just yearning for a hug.  The workers seem apprehensive on letting me have it but it’s the last one and I end up convincing them to let me.  

I almost don’t notice Phil gruffly grabbing a blue deer and getting it stuffed until he’s in front of me in line.  He gives me a look like ‘say something, I dare you’ and I just smirk knowingly while Celeste watches nervously.  

I barely even notice that Celestes purchase is a small fraction of Phil and I’s.  I mean our rent’s being covered by the mothership so we don’t exactly have much in the way of expenses, but we definitely both get multiple bags.  Phil even gets multiple limited edition movie sets just so he has every weapon they had in the store at the time.  Including like 3 types of bows and like 4 wands.  

He’s getting more then both of us combined and I kind of respect it.  Although I don’t know how he’ll do bodyguarding carrying all those bags until he takes out an expensive, rare, regulated device that makes items smaller and lighter to fit in a pocket.  Celeste thinks it’s magic and he scoffs while telling her not to touch it.

Legally he shouldn’t have it, but I don’t say anything, his family probably pulled strings to get it for him.

We get into a rhythm, we go into stores, he stays by clothing racks a few steps away, watching.  I don’t even notice how much it’s bothering Celeste until she pulls me into a changing room.

“Why Celeste I ...”

“So is your ride just going to keep stalking us this whole date or is he going to do his own thing for once?”

“He got that deer!”

“...”

“Okay but he’s my bodyguard, he can’t just not be here!”

“Why ... why do you need a bodyguard? Are people going to come after you?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe Earth’s less dangerous.  But ‘home’ isn’t so safe.”

“Tif he .. he has a sword.  It’s not even some space laser one it’s metal! What could he even do against someone with a gun?”

“Just ... trust me.  He’s good.”

“Alright ...”

---

We’re mindlessly walking the mall, chatting, when I spot someone from the store, and drag Celeste over.  “JOULES!!” I call out. “Hey!”

“Oh, uh, hey Manager.  And uh ... Managers ‘friend’?”

“Oh, we’re girlfriends now, but that’s not what’s important, haven’t seen you in a bit?  How’s the vessel doing?”

“It’s fine.  I think last time I was the one at the store you were drunk and I had to cover for you while Celeste cleaned you up.  Doubt you remember.”

“Er ... riiiight.”

“Yeah, you aren’t there much, but your hair’s unmistakeable, pretty cool mullet type do.  Are you one of the ones with another job on the team?”  Celeste asks good naturedly.

“Oh, the vessel’s there full time, I’m just not around that much myself.”

“Vessel?”

“You know I ... probably shouldn’t be seen talking to you two out of store hours.  Could be seen as improper.”

“Aww, but I had such a nice talk with Greenwich the other day, we grabbed some fries to share!  Sure you can’t stay?”

“Yeah uh ... Greenwich can be like that.  But we still shouldn’t be.  Have a good time with ... whatever it is managers do on their days off.  Besides, I think Crag’s going to be coming around soon so I need to be ready for him.”

“D’aww, alright, well don’t be a stranger, I like y’all.”

“Okay then ... sure.”  They dodge, running off the the washroom.

“Okay so what was that about?”  Celeste questions kind of frustratedly.

“Oh, that’s just Joules, they’re a bit offputting sometimes, but Greenwich and Crag are good so I try and humour them.  Maybe we’ll see Crag later!”

“Err ... right.”  She replies as I obliviously fail to notice her visible confusion.

“Ooo Celeste look! There’s Pretzels!”

---

Saturday July 20th, 2024, Tiffany

It’s the weekend, and we’re both off, and after the incident in the changing room, I figure Celeste should be allowed to see Phil and I’s sparring sessions.  We go to the soccer field when it’s not filled with kids and use it to let off steam and keep us sharp.  Celeste has a nice bleachers spot and everything, out of the way.

Phil’s combat style has always been more fluid, filled with dodging and constant transforming before doing quick timed strikes.  It’s why his sword’s our version of a rapier.  Mine on the other hand focuses on speed and large strikes, going low and trying to trip them up.  It’s nice not fighting an AI for once, ‘back home’ I only had the training sim, no contact allowed.

We start off facing each other in centre field, Phil using his balled training sword and me in my fighting clothes.  They’ll take the brunt of the hits, but I’ll be lucky to add a single strike on him.  I start relatively simply, my right arm transforming into a blade and going in for a strike he easily dodges, growing my torso into a spike as he comes barreling to deflect his next strike.

I displace my body to the side as he comes lunging in like a coiled snake propelled behind his blade, him twisting midair to deflect my left arm quickly transformed into another blade for a quick strike.  He manages a quick strike to my left leg on the follow through though.

Barely wasting a moment I morph my leg to capture his sword and do a backflip to throw him into the air, attempting a quick strike as I fling him.  He uses the opportunity to grow some quick wings to orient himself, and in an instance is back to his snake form, launching with a powerful thrust of his wings before the transformation.

I quickly holeify my chest and send him careening into the dirt, propelling myself up with a quick jump to avoid his next thrust.  Unable to control my descent he lands a hard hit to my abdomen.  Quickly changing tacts he creates something of a crab centaur form and runs back and forth, delivering quick successive hits, and I’m on the defensive.  Even creating numerous blades from my body to deflect his strikes, I can’t react fast enough to remove them all and soon am calling game, laying battered and bruised on the grass.  

“You’re improving, but your reliance on the humanoid forms hampers you.  If you insist on purely humanoid forms I’ll once again suggest pushing the mould more, like those in Ken 11 or your 80’s cartoons.  More muscles traded for less height could also do you well.  Forearm blades only go so far, scythe style or typical sword style would allow more reach.”  He lectures, offering a hand to help me up.

“I ... I know Phil.  I just don’t want to.”

“Do you think someone who wants your Core will care for your wants???  No, they will not.  Survival is paramount.”  He glares as I glance guiltily to the side.  “At the bare minimum if you have a death wish for your own Core think of the one you actually care about and how saddened she’d be if you were no more.  Or worse, if she was unable to defend herself while with you in her pitiful unarmoured human form.  Now drink this potion, you’ll feel less bruising.”

I look to Celeste, and at least she’s looking on in awe, but I also know she’s only used to human foam larp fighting, not anything like this.

“CELESTE!” Phil shouts.  “I noticed armour within your house once.  It’s on a stand.  Do you wish to have a try?”

Dread fills me as I stare in horror.  “Go easy on her Phil ... our potions don’t work on human bruises.”

“YEAH! I’d love that.  Although I’m no-where as good as you.  No official training.  And can’t transform.  Need some help with the strapping but I’ll go get my live-steel and Full Garb.”

“Very well.  Tiffany will Squire you.  She should be close to healed after her potion.  I will attempt to go easier on you without quick healing available, but as a friend to a Cored One, you should have the basics of self defence known.  Even if your world has idiotic rules for Humans carrying weapons regularly.  At worst we'll start basic children's drills.”