letsplayamurder | Endgame: Part 2

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endgame

Endgame: Part 2

The week goes on. A small miracle, how quiet it is. With no motives or attacks to speak of, you can breathe a sigh of relief even when a tension gripes the air. So few of you now, what exactly would you do were Typhon to return and decide the game was over? Was Athena always going to be out of reach? And what exactly did she want you to find in the center of this mountain temple, anyway?

Questions abound, and no answers.

...Until this morning. The sky itself is clear with very few clouds, but something still falls into your home. Not "physically," though, it's more of a feeling. The sensation of some great power entering this space. Everyone will notice it, and the way it passes by, sinking beneath the floors - all the way to the bottom level.

And there it ends up, waiting for someone brave enough to investigate.

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[Like with Vanity, the flaked gold on the walls flashes in her eyes, fills her vision. What fills her head isn't a voice exactly, but a wordless and voiceless question backed by that same gentle, warm hum.]

What does it mean, to you, be a person, Goddess of Support?

[Aoi remains quiet, the question requiring a bit more thought.

Oh. She’s never really considered that, has she? She’s never had to beyond the fact her fellow gods are real people and she’s not.

But why is that, Aoi?

It’s not because of just being from a game. She sees Shinichi and Miyuki as people. Why did she end up caring so much that she wanted them to end up happy together otherwise?

So why wasn't Aoi Mukou as much of a person as they were? Is it because God used Aoi as an avatar simply to collect CGs that she wasn’t a person?]

Being a person…

[Everyone here treated her as so much more than a tool God made for sex scenes. They were outraged that it was what she was made for, actually. Ranma and Vanity wanted to fight God themselves. Omega told her to surpass that God. Wendy tried to shield her from the lack of self-regard that life had built into her. Alex found out about the mistake she made when she fell in love because of a glitch and treated it just like anybody else’s feelings.

The fact that she was from a video game didn’t even matter to people. They still smiled at her when she did her best to help. Cerejeira still felt concern over her. Lebkuchen was still comforted by her presence. Ferdinand still tried to give her free drinks. Ranma still tried to teach her self-defense. Vanity still grieved over her to the point that she nearly made the exact mistake Aoi did ages ago.

And Quark…Quark learned so many of the most uncomfortable things about her, but he still looked out for her. He’s given her a place at his bar where she’ll be able to work and stay with everybody else here. He used his last remaining strength to make sure Aoi would come back to life.

…everybody here wanted her to live. They used all of their powers as gods to accomplish despite how they could have simply given up or reset her to the default Aoi Mukou. She’s here because they saw her as a person and wanted her here.

But it goes further back than that. There’s the reason why Athena brought this Aoi Mukou to this particular place at all. Because THEY wanted her to have the chance to live too.]

Being a person…it’s being loved.

[Is that a good answer? Well, it’s the one that she believes in, so who am I to question it?]

[There's a long pause as everything is listened to, both said and unsaid.

When Aoi's soundless response comes, it feels...almost fond.]

You are deeply loved, Goddess of Support Aoi Mukou.

[Beneath her hand the old gold clears away and reshapes itself into the shape of a cat head, reminiscent of a cat emoji on her phone.

Another small part of the shell deactivates.]

Edited 2025-08-30 01:17 (UTC)

[Yeah. She really is.

The gold clears and her face lights up as if she understands exactly what it means already.]

Aoi got a cutie mark!

[...yep! You sure did, sweetie!]

Looks like you did good.

[She pats Aoi on the shoulder, looking over the cat glyph on the wall.]

...Well I feel like this symbolizes something, but what. Could be anything.

Because Aoi's a transceiver like Eru! And I have a kitty hairpin shaped like that!

[The joke goes over her head a little. She's just happy to be associated with cats.]