Kintsugi Plays Fallen Hero: Rebirth

I will put in a vote for backdoor.

 

I already did the [hacker voice] I'm in joke, so…​

> I'll make some preparations for the next time I have to fight her.

Sooner or later, you will have to face Lady Argent on the field of battle. Quite frankly, the thought is more than a little intimidating. You've been her, and you know what her body is capable of. Will you be able to keep up, even armed and armored?

You have no idea, but it can't hurt to have an ace in the hole if you need it. Something that will just hang, floating, here in her mind, but which can be triggered if you need an edge.

Damocles…that's what they called this tactic. Not one you ever used, as it was above your skill level back then, but you are a different person now. So very different.

Reaching out, you wrap the tendrils of her mind into shape, shifting winds into a circular motion until the resulting vortex will only need the slightest push for the tornado to touch ground. Or, well, touch water in this case, bringing whatever subconscious fears she has bubbling up to the surface.

Of course, it won't remain hovering like this forever, as you can't risk building any permanent structures in here. But it should last for a couple of weeks at least, if not longer…

Hopefully that will be long enough.

> Now to Get This Done

You float effortlessly in the sky, shielded from the storm by childhood memories of comfort: a mother's hug, a father's steady hand. The jealousy this evokes is quickly suppressed; you have no time to indulge in what you've never had. It is enough to use her past to protect you from her present.

Wrapping yourself in the semblance of parenthood, you soar over the changing structures until they quiet down. She has stopped fighting now, her mind no longer recognizing you as a threat. Time to go to work.

It is a risky business, what you are about to do. But now that you have left your body behind, slumped in the comfortable chair, you are also free of fears. You bring no baggage: you are invisible and competent, pure intent with no thoughts to spare for failure. Your worst enemy as a telepath is yourself; to imagine failure or doubt your abilities is as dangerous as a trapeze artist suddenly noticing the vertiginous heights from which they ply their trade. You have a task here, and you set about it with no thoughts about the consequences of failure.

You spread the seeds you've crafted as you glide through subconscious worries, adding gentle nudges here and there to make sure the currents move the way you want them to. Allusions. Misdirection.

Your first step is to tweak the vague memories of your intrusion to point towards someone else. You need to add a few key differences in tone to give Argent a realistic final memory of contemptuously curled lips, bright purple against black skin—the color signature of Locus.

You refine that hint of sadness that she had already picked up on, the feeling of regret that it had to come to this. Over it all, you sprinkle a feeling of discomfort—that this was a necessary evil, that it wasn't anything against Argent personally, but simply something that had to be done for the greater good. You are left with a delicious cupcake of implications sprinkled with doubt, and you wonder how bad of a diet she is on, since even now thoughts of food equal comfort in her brain.

Finally, you are done.

There is no time left for sightseeing so you pull back quickly, making sure to cloud yourself in a different mental feeling than the usual. Something she can remember when she wakes up.

　‣ Stale beer and lost dreams.
　‣ Tired concern.
　‣ Suppressed annoyance.

Since we're playing up how out of our element we are here, we'll lean into the retiree angst:​

> Stale beer and lost dreams.

You wrap yourself in a sad feeling of stale beer and lost dreams. You don't want her to fear you; you want her to pity you.

"Josie?" Ortega has her hands on your shoulders, and you realize she must have been steadying you so you wouldn't fall off the chair. It's a lucky thing too, because the room is spinning. It takes a few moment for you to catch your breath.

"I am fine." You cough out the words, making this look a lot more serious than it actually is. "She has very strong mental defenses; whoever did this to her was good." Again, not a lie, as it is dangerous to lie to people like this. Far better to skirt the truth.

you sure your arrogance stat shouldn't be higher, josie?​

"Not whoever." Lady Argent's voice is filled with cold rage, but luckily, it isn't aimed at you. "Locus. It was Locus. I knew she couldn't be trusted. Nobody is that nice for real."

Argent's mouth is a severe line of silver, razor-thin and just as cruel. You would not want to be in Locus's shoes when Argent finds her—which she won't, considering that the girl has been missing for months.

"Are you sure?" Ortega asks her, helping you back to your feet.

You feel so very out of place here in your wrinkled clothes, but that is just what you need to be right now. Just someone helping out, not a hero anymore, and certainly not a villain.

"Yes. I'm sorry about your friend there," she says, giving you a look as if you're not even worthy of a name. Good.

"I'm fine," you mumble, not that she listens.

"But they jogged something," she continues, touching her forehead as if the gesture helps her focus. "I remember it clearly now. I saw her, just a glance before it happened."

Argent has risen and she stands now, looking down at her hands, the fingertips pointed and sharp. There's a twitch to them, as if she wants to tear into something. "She is up to something. I am not sure what…it almost felt like she was forced. Or maybe she was sorry she had to do that to me."

Her voice drops a few octaves into a disturbingly inhuman growl. "Not that it matters. She will pay all the same; nobody does that to me and walks away from it."

You have a hard time hiding your smile where you stand, looking tired and lost. You are dying to tell her the truth where she postures, all indignant fury. You are dying to tell her that you did it, and that you got away with it too. But you do not.

She will know soon enough. They all will.

"You'd better go and tell Chen." Ortega motions towards the door. "While you still remember everything. I'll just make sure Josie is alright."

"Good." She throws her hair back in a silvery cascade, confidence restored. "We finally have a lead now."

The door slams shut behind her hard enough to make you jump. Being in there has made you more skittish than you thought.

> You Can Finally Breathe

"Do you mind if I turn on the lights?" Ortega walks over to the console.

"No," you say, shielding your eyes.

"Sorry." There's a quick smile of amusement that quickly turns into worry as she takes a closer look at you. "You look like crap, Josie."

　‣ "I feel like it." I rub my head.
　‣ "Why did you think I wore a mask?" I say with a straight face.
　‣ "You always had the best compliments," I tease.
　‣ "You worry too much." I shrug off her concern.

> "I feel like it." I rub my head.

"I feel like it." You rub your forehead, only half-acting. "I really shouldn't have done this."

"But thanks to you, we now know who did it." Her smile is as bright as the bolts on her costume as she walks over to one of the side tables.

"That's true," you admit, looking at her muscular back, far more noticeable when she's in costume. Looks like she's been staying in shape.

"Here, looks like you need it." Ortega comes back with a cup of coffee, holding it out to you as a peace offering.

"Fuck, did you have a thermos here or something?" You look down at the cup, feeling a little bit incredulous. You take a tentative sip. It is delicious.

"I know how you feel after doing strenuous things like that. I thought you might need a little pick-me-up before going back out there."

"You're not wrong." You close your eyes to savor the moment. "You never used to be this thoughtful."

"Things change."

"I suppose they do."

Both of you fall back into what in the past would have been a comfortable silence. Now? Not so much. This is exactly what you were afraid of when agreeing to this, that Ortega would take it as an excuse to reconnect further.

Dangerous.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks as if she could read your mind. What is she talking about though? There's a long list of things you imagine she would want to discuss, none of which you're comfortable with.

　‣ "Talking doesn't help," I say with a shrug.
　‣ "No." I cross my arms.
　‣ "Not right now," I say, looking away.

Above: Josie, a summary.​

> "Talking doesn't help," I say with a shrug.

"Talking doesn't help," you say with a shrug.

"Can't hurt either." She matches your shrug.

"You're not the one with the scars."

"None of us got out of there unscathed." Ah, so the Heartbreak Incident it is.

"You know what I mean." You give her a hard stare. That is possibly the last thing you want to talk about right now.

"I suppose I do, but…"

"But?" You look over at Ortega, suspecting that once the look of hesitation on her face has passed she's going to do something embarrassing and personal.

　‣ "I need to get going…." I step away to avoid the impending hug.
　‣ I don't do anything. Let's see what happens.
　‣ I hug her first.

Defensive maneuvers? Preemptive counterattack? Neither?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 60%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 76%
███████████████▒████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 23% / Anonymity: 77% (+4)
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 54%
██████████▒█████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: neutral.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

Hugs
Also argent is about to throw hands with a kid I guess? Poor Locus.

 

Fortunately for Locus, she'd have to find her first! …Less fortunately for Locus, that's because she's been missing for months. :<

Points in Alpha Josie's favor: Has set Argent on zero teenagers so far.

 

the bar is low but we clear it
I wish I had a funny image to use for this but I don't so instead I'll just say I think we should do defensive maneuvers

 

Just FYI, we're currently tied with one vote each for "dodge any incoming hugs" and "launch a surprise counter-hug".

…On an unrelated note, I just realized I can abuse my power as LPer to show you one of my favorite minor text variations, so here's what Ortega does instead of handing you a coffee if you smoke:

 

My only impulse is the (wiseass but also genuine) impulse of just seeing what happens / add a third tie to the party

 

Apologies for the radio silence! I'm alive, I've just been... scrambled, lately.

Anyway, given our current all-way tie, I asked my friend random.org, who said 3:​

> I hug her first.

You take a step forward, decisively giving her a hug. You can do that, you were friends, and this…this feels nice. You've missed having a friend. Missed someone you'd dare to relax around. Ortega hugs back, a little harder than you, a little longer than necessary. Then you break the hug, stepping back.

"You…" Ortega shakes her head in surprise.

"I've missed you too."

Her face lights up in one of those far too bright and carefree grins, and for a moment you're taken back to how things used to be. When you used to be friends. When you used to care.

But things have changed.

"Don't plan for a repeat performance." You give her a cautionary look.

"Of course not." The smile is a little embarrassed. "Still, no need to be a stranger in the future."

"Maybe. I need to get going now." You look down, not sure how to react to your sudden burst of emotion. This is getting too complicated.

"Of course." Ortega scratches the back of her head and motions towards the door.

"I haven't missed this kind of hangover." You rub your face as you walk through the corridor, heading back towards the elevators. You're not exaggerating much, but it's a handy excuse to get out of here before you say or do anything you'll regret.

Ortega often has that effect on you.

"Herald's been asking about you, by the way." She has a hesitant look on her face, as if debating whether to bring this up to you.

　‣ "Has he now?" I say, sounding hesitant.
　‣ "I hope you shot him down," I say, not bothering to hide my annoyance.
　‣ "Why?" I ask, making sure not to show any particular reaction.

> "Has he now?" I say, sounding hesitant.

"Has he now?" you say, sounding hesitant. Why would he be interested in you?

"He wanted to be here for this." Ortega sighs a little, shaking her head. "I said no, of course."

"Huh." You rub your chin, trying to figure out what that might mean. "Is he that worried about Argent?"

"Honestly, I think he wanted to see you again," Ortega says with a teasing jab as you step into the elevator. "You're his idol, after all."

"What?" You can't hide your confused reaction, and as predicted, that makes her smile grow even wider.

"You didn't know?" she asks with an innocent look on her face, leaning so very casually against the elevator wall.

"How could I?" You had forgotten how smug she could be. "And more importantly, why?"

"I could think of a few reasons." The look Ortega gives you is pointed like a dagger. "Maybe you should ask him sometime." Is she trying to get you to come back to the team? How little she knows.

>

"Maybe you should tell him Sidestep is dead." The elevator sighs to a halt, the doors promising relief. You step through them a little quicker than natural, trying to look like you're not escaping. It's hard.

"Is that really how you see it?"

"Yes." You make sure to really stress the word as you give her a stern glare. "That is not just 'how I see it,' it is how things are. I. Am. Retired."

"I don't think you've lost the knack. Just look at what you did back there." Of course, Ortega wouldn't let it rest. Luckily, you are approaching the exit now, so there's an end to your ordeal.

"Don't be an idiot," you say with a sigh, making a final effort to smile at her. "Just let me get out of here and collapse in peace."

"You know where I am if you want to talk, alright?" There's that look on her face again, the 'I'm worried about you' look. The one you really don't need right now.

"Or you'll come find me, right?" You phrase it as a joke, but it hits far too close to home.

Ortega is a risk, but luckily she will soon be less of one. Once you've stepped over the line, you can cut loose this ghost of a friendship and be done with it.

Until then, you need to keep the mask on. Even when it chafes.

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 60%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 76%
███████████████▒████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 23% / Anonymity: 77%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 77% (+3)
███████████████▒████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 54%
██████████▒█████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: neutral.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

And that's the missing Chapter 6. From here, Josie continues to their final preparations as usual; I believe the only further changes are minor differences in dialogue.

…Well. Minor differences in dialogue and that backdoor we installed in Argent's brain. Obviously we didn't have it as an option when we fought Argent in our original timeline, but how about in this one?​

Thank you for attending this demonstration! Please give a round of applause (and maybe an apology) to our lovely assistant.​

 

Oh, that version of talking with Ortega, hearing that re: Herald, would add some fun weight to the later determination to take us down

 

We have a

SEQUEL THREAD

Come join!! :D

We're currently voting on some romance/sexuality settings before we start on the story proper.