Chapter Text
“Hey Kisla, you’re also up at this hour?”
( Of course it’s them.. It’s only 300 )
“...yeah.”
( How did no one else notice that the TV was on?)
“Wait, you’re playing SHHCXS5?”
“...yeah… Wanna play?”
“Of course!”
“Oh, you’re playing with plush gore settings?”
“...yeah.”
…
“Have you heard of MOTH before?”
“Like the animal?”
“...nevermind.”
…
( You don’t carry his coldness yet you have his blood. )
…
“You’re… pretty good at SHHCXS5. Did Mei or Bronya teach you?”
“No, I had to learn it all myself… Mei doesn’t play most games and Bronya… is waaaaay too good at homu homu games to teach me.”
…
“Hey, so uh… who taught you how to play SHHCXS5? I never expected that anyone else would play such a niche game.”
“One of my guardians was kind enough to let me make an account. And it’s been getting a bigger fanbase from what I can tell.”
..-
“WHAT THE H*** IS THIS BOSS GIRL I F***ING HIT-”
“I-frames.”
“Wait, this boss has i-frames?”
“...yeah… Kiana, this is the whole gimmick of the boss… Kiana. Kiana.”
“Yes?”
“LOOK AT ME. KIANA LOOK AT ME. The NPCs all foreshadow that the nightwyrm has i-frames by saying that when she takes damage or hits an attack or finishes charging or when she appears different that she looks slightly transparent afterwards and that’s why there are so many enemies with i-frames in the dungeon.”
“WELL I DON’T READ NPC DIALOGUE!!! Also, who’s the nightwyrm?”
“...Kiana.”
…
(Kiana’s voice fades away and you begin to remember.)
..
(Why?)
(Kiana’s rambling, but I’m not listening. I’m remembering. I… proposed. To someone I barely even knew. Not just someone—her. The Valkyrie goddess. Bianka Ataegina herself. Slayer of a hundred emperor-class beasts in her sleep. That was—what—the fourth thing I ever said to her? AND I PROPOSED? Who even does that?! What kind of idiot—what kind of fool am I—)
“Kisla, you okay?”
( Kiana?! )
( The bottom of her hand is nice… her shoulder is warm… if I died now… I wouldn’t cry. )
( What am I doing?! She’s Mei’s… but… why didn’t she pull away? )
(Kiana… I think I love you.)