Poppin' Arms ~ Dorm Lounge

[unrepentantAuthor]

Yeah, that was right. The first interaction the three of them had together was Starr putting down Cynthian, and Brisa starting beef with Starr. She hadn't expected to feel admiration and affection for Starr ever, let alone to this extent or so often.

"Yeah, the friendships we got now sure ain't what I expected goin' in," she commented.

Cynthian was on about facing legendaries alone. But that was nonsense—Team Spectrum faced everything together. That was their great strength: being a coordinated team who could support each other to create the most fantastic goddamn combination attacks.

"Good thing y'ain't alone, then, huh?" she replied, grinning. "You'll have yer teammates by yer side in every battle, and so long as we stick t'gether, we'll be alright."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Yeah, you're right, Brisa." Cynthian nodded, then his gaze flashed with realization. He pursed his lips and gazed at her.

"Remember that time we partnered up for a spar at Treasure Town's Beach? I probably looked foolish walking away right as it ended. It's a bit overdue to apologize, but I'm sorry about that," Cynthian said, flailing his flower with a nervous laugh. When he thought about it, that was technically the day he met Ivy as well, back when she was a jiggly little shade.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Oof, he was probably feeling a bit embarrassed, huh...

"Don't worry about it. I don't begrudge it."

She did begrudgge it, at the time but . . . what kind of person would care about a thing like that at a time like this? Cynthian was changing, and times were hard, and Brisa didn't want to be petty about something like that. She'd let it go. Of course.

"If'n yer up fer it, I'll still spar with ya any time. Seems like y'don't need so much trainin' from me anymore, though. You're pullin' yer weight."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Hmm, doesn't hurt to want to get a bit stronger, I guess. My Mama Rosa was elegant and exceptional, whereas Mama Zahra was warm and resilient. I've always aspired to be like them." Cynthian's cheeks warmed briefly, then he looked remorseful.

"In an ideal world, maybe I'd have achieved that by now..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Huh. Weren't grass-types supposed to be the patient sort?

"I dunno, Cynthian," mused Brisa. "A person can change fast under pressure. Y'might surprise yerself. When I evolved, I found I weren't half so afraid of myself no more, like I'd grown up as a person and not just more powerful. The same sorta thing might happen to you."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"When you evolved..."

Cynthian grimaced deeply and his eyes shook. A brief moment later, he parted lips and spoke.

"If I ever evolve, I'll undeniably look near identical to Mama Rosa. Mon who knew her in life used to tell me I look just like her when she was a Roselia, even down to the voice. One mon didn't believe I wasn't her till I told them Mama Rosa's flower colors mirrored mine..." Cynthian clenched his flowers and furrowed his brows. Uncertainty sowed began to sprout in his chest.

"It's ironic really. I spent the last few years trying hard to evolve because I thought that'd bring me closer to Mama Rosa. Now, I feel that if I evolve past a Roselia, I'll be no more than a cheap replica of her. I'll have none of the grace nor elegance she had, and that scares me honestly."

Just who was Cynthian exactly?

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Cynthian's thoughts and feelings were very . . . different to Brisa's own about her parents. Her issue... Well, she'd never had any trouble taking after them. The problem was having to.

"I expect most folk end up a little like their parents, and a little not," she said, creasing her nose in thought. "Y'ain't identical to yer ma, and . . . y'don't gotta be. It's okay fer ya to try and embody those things about her that you care about most, while makin' 'em yer own, and not having to be like her in every other way. That's just what bein' someone's kid oughta be."

She hardly knew where she was getting this stuff. Did she believe this about herself? Did she . . . want to?

"Hmph. Well, how about it? When you evolve, what besides yer looks d'you most want to emulate from Rosa?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian didn't answer the question right away. He held onto his still full glass of water a bit more tightly and thought hard and long.

"You've seen my familiar, Ivy, right? She's... I used to be a lot more like her before Dark Matter, and... what I mean is that I well... I used to be a girl just like my mothers." Cynthian groaned and their cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "It's a bit confusing to others, but those labels don't really mean much to a lot of grass types in my world. We tend to be both at once, fluid in a sense. Genders have more to do with one's perceived identity really."

Cynthian shook their head and bit their lip. "I'm getting off track. What I'm trying to say is that when I was young, I was my mothers' daughter. After Mama Rosa died, things changed... perhaps it was an instinctive fear, or guilt that caused it, but I couldn't really call myself that anymore. Doing so left me feeling almost like I had no right to it."

Cynthian curled up further and went quiet briefly. They continued. "I started to be their son. It didn't mean much to me, and a part of me always felt missing by rejecting my previous identity. However, between having to move to temporary refuge settlements, leaving to a new continent, having to endure all manners of bullying and hardship as a budew... Resolving my identity sort of sank to the bottom of my consciousness."

Cynthian chuckled self derisively. "I wonder if it's too late to go back to that now, or if if I'm worthy of doing so."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa had heard of Ivy from Luz. She sounded . . . not much like Cynthian. Maybe gender wasn't the only thing that had changed about Cynthian. It wasn't a common thing to happen to folks in Brisa's world, but it was an understood reality. Maybe this was one of those things, like gals liking other gals, that was considered weird in the cultures of other worlds...

"I reckon this means somethin' more to ya than it does t'me. I've always felt like I'm more like my pa than my ma, despite bein' the same species and gender as Sierra. but Cynthian... If'n ya wanna be a gal, be a goddamn gal, and if ya wanna be a fella, be a goddamn fella. Hell, y'ain't even gotta choose one or either."

She offered a tired, but sincere smile.

"Cynthian, I reckon yer ma would be proud t'call you 'daughter'. And now's as good a time as any t'think of yerself as her daughter again."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Mama Rosa's daughter..." Cynthian gazed at Brisa, uncertainty flickering in her eyes at first. She repeated the words again, and clarity filled her eyes.

"I... I like that," Cynthian chuckled. She hadn't changed physically, but the air around her was a tad different. Her flowers even gave off a subtle fragrance of a clear flowing spring.

"It's strange, and funny actually. This was so easy to do, yet I've always found it so hard. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my heart. Thanks, Brisa, for giving me the push I needed."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Cynthian didn't look any different but he—she—was definitely a gal now. Was that . . . a plant thing? Whatever it was Cynthian did, she was lookin' twice as fine all of a sudden. Well, wasn't that just the queerest thing?

"Hey, sometimes all y'need is fer someone to tell ya y'can do somethin', an' then y'can do it," said Brisa, chuckling. "You're more'n welcome, partner."

Brisa gave Cynthian a friendly nudge on the shoulder before she continued on her way, feeling lighter of heart for having helped someone with something like this for once. Something . . . gentle.

<><><><><>​

 

[Fusion]

"First things first, I should look at my strategy again," Vix nodded, sitting on a beanbag chair. She clutched a cute lil Litwick doll in her arms, faint sparks of radiance rising off of her. "Any ideas?"

"You're just going from sad to happy to strategizing? Why not just do nothing?" Puddle asked, taking another free beanbag.

"Oh, I am. You're the one that's gonna look through it," Vix snickered. "Since you gotta make up with me and all." Puddle melted over the bag, groaning and hissing, but not objecting. "Thanks, Puddle~!"

"Bite me..."

"Why would I when you're busy?" Vix cooed. "You just do your thing, and I'll do mines... But it'd be a bit better to relax with someone else." Oh well, it's not like someone was gonna walk in and start talking to her.

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut was standing in the doorway. "What are you doing?" he said. "The time vacuum will be wearing off shortly. You should be getting ready for the fight."

 

[Fusion]

"We are," Vix said matter-of-factly, before noticing who she was talking too. When she did, she brightened up a bit and waved. "Oh, hey Bahamut! It's been forever!"

"If you want us to get ready, you can help me work out her battle tactics," Puddle groaned, scribbling on a piece of paper. None of it was coherent. "I don't know what the hell I am doing..."

"You seem a lot more active than I remember, it's nice seeing you up and about," Vix nodded.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Tactics? What exactly is wrong with what you've already been doing?" Bahamut said. "Something with coating people in wax." He frowned. "Doesn't sound very hygienic, by the way."

 

[Fusion]

"I actually want to make sure I'm controlling who gets it, and redirecting as much damage to me and away from everyone else that I can. Right now, I'm doing pretty good with that. I think. I didn't really show that off so much last fight," Vix tittered, then huffed and crossed her arms, still holding the Litwick doll. "And my wax is very clean, thank you very much."

"So far the only thing wrong with Vix's strategy is that she hasn't been able to use it effectively yet. I bet we don't even have to change anything about it," Puddle shrugged. "And having me work on it is just a big waste of paper..."

"It's fine, we have plenty!" Vix said. "But... yeah, I think we have a pretty good thing going. On paper."

"If that was a pun..."

 

[Ambyssin]

"No strategy is going to go one-hundred percent as intended." Bahamut walked up to the stack of paper. "You think any of these fights have proceeded the way the team's wanted? Of course not!" He plucked the writing utensil from Puddle and scribbled a single word on the page.

IMPROVISE.

 

[Fusion]

Puddle and Vix both looked at Bahamut, like he just did something obscene.

"Wait, you're helping us?" Puddle asked, tilting its head and wagging its tail. It grabbed the paper and read the one word over and grinning. "We just got the first written help from Bahamut... This should be in a museum!"

Vix smiled. "Funny how you're acting as nice as I always thought you were. How many of the team started looking at you like you were someone else, I wonder?"

 

[Ambyssin]

Bahamut snorted. "The fact of the matter is we're fighting a powerful psychic. I do not know how well Diyem can block Joule from reading our intentions." His eyes and core turned yellow. "At times like these, it's best to rely on instinct. If you don't think your attacks over, you do not risk overthinking things. Do what comes naturally and let the chips fall where they may."

 

[Fusion]

"If you're suggesting we don't shouldn't think as much during this next fight, I might as well throw in the towel and have Puddle fight for me," Vix snickered.

"Wow, alright," Puddle scoffed and bubbled, crossing its arms.

"Yeah you're right, you'll just get everyone killed," Vix smirked

"Fucking... w o w."

Vix laughed, then looked to Bahamut. "Puddle aside... thanks. I feel like I've been overthinking things a lot, inside and outside of battle. Got myself in a rut because of it."

"Speaking of me, actually... Don't you have a familiar too, Bahamut? What're they up to?" Puddle asked. "Since you're all nice and stuff now, are they a as jagged as you were?"