SEPTEMBER TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

SEPTEMBER TEST DRIVE - EVENT AND FOURTH WALL EDITION The city of Recollé... ...or, at least, a good mimicry of the city. It's been a few weeks since you've found yourself in this digitized version of your beloved city. You've found yourself surrounded by NPC versions of your friends and family who aren't a part of the Retrospec project, you've encountered strange and new places, and the viruses continue to appear despite the fight you've put up. On the evening of the 17th, things change again. No matter where you are, Alphas and Betas will hear the sound of loud clacking, something similar to fingers typing frantically on a keyboard. The dial-up sound rings out, echoing off of buildings and in your ears as a bright blue flash of code scrolls before your eyes. Perhaps it doesn't make sense, but your handheld device might help. It beeps to alert you of a new message, screen lighting up as a navigation app appears and seems to stick. It appears to be an ordinary app like Google Maps or Waze, but the destination is pre-installed and your feet begin to move on their own accord. I. - IN-GAME CHARACTERS ONLY If you're strong enough, you might be able to break free of the mysterious hold that's dragging you across the city and out toward the outskirts of Tisse. It's hard to locate the source of the pull, but everyone will find that as they traverse the city they're all heading in one direction. The navigation app cheerfully blurts out instructions as your body operates on auto-pilot, causing you to stumble through the city and the other districts. You'll find yourself colliding into another user, soon walking in front or behind them as everyone around you begins to form one solid line. The human chain forms steadily and…aren't you lucky? You get to hold hands! Single file, everyone. Maybe you lucked out and you're holding hands with a friend. If you're stuck between two strangers, well, maybe that's a little awkward but the chain is impossible to break. You continue to move. Locked hand in hand with every user in the city, you'll have to help each other navigate, avoid obstacles, and make sure you don't lag behind. Viruses linger and will follow this mass of people, snapping at your heels and attempting to devour anything nearby. Can you fight without your hands? It may be time to find out. The night sky is a bit cloudy and your only source of light is the moon and the glow of lights on buildings you pass by in all districts. The walk shouldn't take you long, but as you venture further away from the center of the city the sun begins to rise and obscures your vision a bit. Has time sped up? Or are you simply walking further than you thought? What an interesting question. II-A. - IN-GAME CHARACTERS ONLY The navigation app leads the group through a long, winding journey that ends just beyond the furthest point of Tisse as the day breaks. As the app chimes, the air before you shimmers as a glass-walled building materializes. Unlike the other buildings in the city, it appears to be solid and smooth, lacking the pixelated quality a majority of the city has by now. The human chain breaks and you let go of your neighbor. You're now free to explore this place. Stepping inside, you find rows and rows of glass cases and chambers off to the sides and in stacks. Accommodated with work stations and instruction manuals, you may find yourself drawn to these computers before the empty cases. While the manuals appear old and frayed, there are instructions one can follow to create the person of their dreams. Are you looking for someone athletic? Simply change the input for a higher muscle mass than your average model. What about someone funny? Copy and paste some knock-knock jokes to embed in their code. It's easy to create anything you desire. The book allows for anything, even those who aren't exactly human. As you code and build, the glass cases and chambers begin to fog up, smoke whirling around inside as something begins to grow and take shape. Be careful! You may have a clear vision in mind of what you wish to create, but the programming may have other ideas… …for those who don't wish to experiment for themselves, or those who are strong enough to shake off those urges, there are several other floors to explore. Unlike the cases downstairs, these ones are occupied and filled with finished models pre-labeled "Projected Example" or "Reboot". Perhaps these faces are familiar to you, or they're someone who looks interesting. A lost friend. Someone from your memories. Someone who you feel doesn't belong encased in glass at all. The possibilities seem endless when it comes to who you'll find inside, but as you continue to stare at the case before you…the glass cracks. II-B. - TDM/FOURTH WALL CHARACTERS. Where are you? The last thing you remember was a wavering, dizzy spell that forced your eyes closed as you fell unconscious. Upon awakening the glass walls around you are stifling and thick, white and blue smoke dances around your ankles as you blink away black spots impeding your vision. Trapped inside a glass case held behind glass walls, it becomes clear that you aren't where you're supposed to be. Any items you had on your person are missing and the palm of your hand burns intensely for ten seconds as a black tattoo forms. Branded as either a "Projected Example" or "Reboot", it isn't easy to understand what these terms mean. Perhaps that isn't what's important though. Rather, what's important is breaking your way out of this glass case and figuring out where you are. Shadowed figures can be seen walking the hallways just outside your case, sometimes alone or sometimes with a friend. It's hard to make out any of their features, but you can hear the muffled words being said. It's only when someone is close to your case that you find your strength. The glass begins to spider crack under the pressure of your hand, allowing you to push and punch as much as necessary to break free. There's no shame in needing assistance, of course. Some cases are thicker than others, and as the glass begins to crack it becomes easier to be heard by those outside of your case. How will you escape? Who will you find on the other side of the glass? It's a mystery and one that will not be answered until you free yourself of your enclosure. Breaking free is easy if you try and it gives you a full range of motion. The glass won't harm you, but sparkles adorn your skin as the sunlight shines through the windows around you. You're free to explore the floors of the building and check out the other glass cases nearby. Perhaps you'll even lend a hand and help others who are trapped. How did you all get here? That's yet another mystery that doesn't seem to have an answer, but more importantly…how do you get out of the building? This place is huge. III. - OTA Lucky for you, this building seems to be a safe haven from the crazy world outside. Though several stories tall and filled with cases and equipment as far as the eye can see, nothing strange seems to be happening and navigating the building is almost a pleasant experience. The glass walls allow for plenty of late-summer sunshine to filter in, giving you and everyone you're with a path to follow. This path, however, won't lead you to the front door. The front exit no longer exists and any attempts to reroute to it will send citizens on their way through the halls of the building again. Several doors and laboratories are found on the journey though you may not enter. Labeled areas such as "memory restoration", "accounting", "legal" and "resources", these areas are scattered and just beyond your reach. As you venture through the building and exit out the back door, the sound of music hits you full-force. Bright lights, thick grass and the sounds of children laughing await you. The grounds are vast and empty of other people. While the area is large and sprawling, it's evident that several iconic pieces of this area are missing. A large sign hangs overhead, greeting you and welcoming you to Rainbowland. Complete with a carousel, children's rides such as spinning tea cups, bumper cars, the hurricane and the octopus, and a midway full of games, this amusement park looks like the perfect place to spend an afternoon. Along with the usual set-up, Rainbowland is host to a special event for the next week. Scattered throughout the grounds are banners and stalls proudly proclaiming "WELCOME TO RETROSPEC." Carnival food of all kinds can be found at these stalls with the Retrospec logo plastered on the side. Eat these foods at your own risk! Sweets will grant consumers super-speed, meats such as hot dogs and burgers kick in a boost of super-strength, fried foods will cause a consumer to move in slow motion and drinks may cause temporary invisibility. Weird, right? The midway has a few strange surprises as well. While most games are easy to play (and free at that, why isn't anyone around to take tickets from park visitors?), there are certain games set up by Retrospec themselves that have equally strange prizes. Stuffed animals of a variety of creatures from other worlds line the shelves (some you may or may not recognize), along with glass dolls of you and people you know. The likeness of these prizes is a little too spot-on; dolls will spout a common catch-phrase and stuffed animals will feel as though they are breathing. Finally, in addition to the Rainbowland rides, Retrospec has provided a wooden roller coaster and a large ferris wheel, both branded with their logo. For those who wish to feel the rush, the roller coaster reaches speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and comes with several hills and one full upside-down loop. Riders, however, will experience brief hallucinations after this loop; as the loop completes they'll find themselves seeing visions of a dark, underground river. The hallucination seems within reach almost as if the cart they're in will dive straight into the water. The ride ends with all riders unharmed, however. As for the ferris wheel? It's just a ferris wheel, several stories high with bright blue, encased cars to give riders a bird's eye view of the entire city and protect them inside. As you reach the top, the car will come to a gentle stop and the view from the window will change. Instead of the beloved city of Recollé, the landscape below is different. Perhaps it's a landscape you recognize, or it's an area of a battle-ridden world. Perhaps you see your friend's high school that they've seen in their memories or islands from another life. Every view is different, but by the time you reach the ground again you're back in Recollé. It's a carnival and it's fun, but several things that don't belong to Rainbowland seem off. Those with a keen eye and who have been around for a while may come to realize one important factor; the symbol is drawn inaccurately. The Retrospec symbol is missing a few loops and the particular shade of blue used is too dark to match. A counterfeit Retrospec...is it possible? Maybe it's best just to stick with what Rainbowland itself has to offer. IV. - OTA So maybe carnivals aren't your thing. No matter! You can leave Rainbowland whenever you'd like and make your way back to the city. On the other hand the city and areas around it may not be as you remember it. "Projected Examples" might not recognize this place at all, but "Reboot" will recognize that the pixelation of buildings, the NPC status of people they may know and the glitches that occur aren't normal by any standards. Exploring the city will allow all visitors to ride the trains and visit the various locations Alphas and Betas have access to, create and travel through the digital scape of half-constructed concepts, and they'll find they're even more susceptible to being attacked by bug-like viruses. These viruses will follow newcomers, snapping and biting to try and devour them. Defeating one will generate two more, and while they aren't as prominent in the digital scape you may find yourself with your hands full. There is no way to reach the outside regions of Pesgare, Respatrum, Bosuma and Magatus at this time, but there's plenty in the city to keep you on your toes. Visitors may have to find lodging for the next few weeks whether that's with friends or strangers, but at least all of the buildings remain standing. And if that doesn't keep you busy enough, the NPC citizens of Recollé are happy to provide you with jobs. If you choose to speak to any of these people, they'll go off of their pre-assigned dialogue and provide you with a small quest. "Find ten bananas and deliver them to someone with red hair." "Pet every dog that you see." "Catch three fish from the ocean and sell them to a neighbor." Some of these quests may not even make sense, but they'll be assigned nevertheless. Upon completion of each quest taken on, a triumphant sound will play from overhead and a banner will appear displaying your new title. Deliver those bananas? "Gone Bananas" will flash over your head. How about those fish? "So Long and Thanks For..." will linger for a while. Too bad no one told you those banners won't go away. When you're alone the title will be hidden, but as you speak to more people in the city the banner reappears, hovering over your head for the entire length of the conversation. The titles will change as you complete new tasks, but it appears as though they're permanent now. Congratulations! BONUS. - OTA Everyone will be equip with a handheld device much like a cell phone but downgraded. Containing only a drawing application, the game of Snake, the Retrospec app and the navigation app to lead you back to that glass building, it's...pretty useless. Technology in the city is hit and miss in its pixelated state, but perhaps it's better to ask the Retrospec network what the next step is. While Alphas and Betas are still posting as their A/B IDs, "Projected Examples" and "Reboots" will find that all posts and comments are tagged as their status and their name. Examples and Reboots will also find that a "Welcome to Retrospec" guide pops up, giving them only a brief moment to read the guidelines before a bright flash appears, snapping their photo for their profile and connecting them to someone new on the network. Whether you're sending or receiving messages, a string of colored text, numbers and code will leave or enter your device. These devices also need to be charged constantly, so be careful when taking them out of the house! You'd hate to get cut off at the worst possible moment, wouldn't you? Welcome to the recolle test drive meme, fourth wall event, and September event part two! Please review these instructions for this particular event! As we are combining a few different options here, we want to ensure players know what options are available. Thank you! All characters who are TDMing will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun! Since this is a special event, the TDM is tied with a fourth wall event as well! For players who are fourth-walling characters (canon versions, different canon AUs, CRAU, versions from other games, etc), please label your top-level as "Projected Example." Players who are TDMing to app will fall under "Reboot" and we ask that you label your top-level as such! And finally, characters in-game are not required to label their top-levels with anything. This way, it's easier for your gamemates to know who's TDMing, who's just playing around, and who's already in-game. For Prompt III, any characters who choose to ride the ferris wheel will be able to see the landscape of any canonical world once they're at the top. It doesn't matter if they would recognize it or not, but the image will be brief until the car moves again! Likewise, stuffed animals won from the Retrospec midway games can be creatures your character would recognize from their memories or from other canons they may or may not recognize. Use your best judgment! Prompt IV may be used to create new scenarios and threads based on the prompts from Part One of September's Event! Please feel free to read the prompts in event log one and create your own scenarios for your top-levels. Additionally, you are free to make up your own silly/serious fetch-quests and titles that would be rewarded to your characters. While normally we do not allow this, please remember that current players may earn one freebie by threading with someone who is TDMing! This thread must contain 5 consecutive comments from you to be eligible. In addition, all players may use any threads accrued in this event for bonus points. As a special note, we will also allow current players to use a thread from this Fourth Wall/TDM/Event for their AC proofs! As this ties into a game-event, we are making an exception. However, your other proof(s) (at least ten comments) must come from sources outside of this log. Likewise, as this is an event log instead of just a standard TDM, you may use this log to trigger regains as normal. Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. Your September TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Comments

[cardcaptured]

[He doesn't blame "Syaoran" for looking confused-- after all, that's kind of a weird thing to throw at someone, even with the context. And for a second, he feels a stab of guilt, knowing that this version of him probably didn't know what to do with any of this either. Was he from before the destruction of his world, or after? From the bandages, maybe it was after, and maybe this was the body his soul was supposed to be in, after all...

But as this other boy-- the other him-- apologizes for his memories being put upon him, his teeth grit and his expression hardens, and he tries to push himself further away. This was the boy who thought it was okay to bully Sakura for his own needs, who shot down her worth, who thought it was okay to hurt someone as a means of distraction. Even if he grew and matured as a person, it was still unforgivable to him.]

I don't really want anything to do with you.

[His voice is quiet but firm, looking at his other self with fierce eyes. He had sounded hurt when he talked about his memories, and a bitter part of him hoped that he was.]

I remembered the stuff that you've done... and what you did to Sakura.

I don't know your reasoning behind it, but she never deserved to be treated that way. There's absolutely no excuse for that.

[excavated]

... [ For a good while, "Syaoran" isn't exactly sure what to say. His heart twists in his chest, because he feels absolutely torn up about it. If Xiaolang wants to stay away, that's fine, he won't stop him as he takes that careful step back. The expression that's on his own face now seems to be torn, even a little confused, but he doesn't want to assume that he saw the worst of it. Assumptions can bring someone down to the wrong conclusion, and given that this is another world, other possibilities might arise. Especially since "Syaoran" himself knows... that he isn't the only "Syaoran" in existence. He knows that better than anyone else. So, a question falls off his lips, questioning, but there's also something sad, there. Like he knows that he made many mistakes, even if it was all for her sake. ] What do you mean by that? [ No, the correct question is-- ] What exactly... did you remember?

[cardcaptured]

[Xiaolang stays quiet as "Syaoran" debates what to say, recognizing that conflicted expression upon his face. It's the same that usually crosses his own whenever these memories come to mind, when he doesn't want to talk about them, and maybe he should take some solace in the fact that his other self liked it no more than he did. And so when he poses that question, with the tinge of regret in his voice, Xiaolang knows. He knows what he did was wrong.

Spoilers, Xiaolang, you don't actually know shit about any of this

He purses his lips, not entirely eager to recount it himself, but... there was no point being dodgy about it. "Syaoran" no doubt knew all about it.]

... You were trying to take the Clow Cards from her, by force. Even when she said no, you still shoved her, and tried to steal them from her-- I don't know if you went any further than that, but the fact that you dared to even touch her like that is unacceptable.

You also called her 'pathetic', when she couldn't protect herself from any danger. You put her down, saying you didn't think she was worthy to catch the cards, even when she went out of her way to help her.

[He can feel the anger seething up again, having to bring these memories to mind, but he tries to tamper it down.]

... I also know that some point down the line, you came to your senses and learned to love and appreciate her for who she is. But honestly, after the way you acted towards her, it says a lot about her kindness that she returned those feelings to begin with.

[excavated]

[ He feels obligated to listen to him, especially since he knows he should earnestly be taking responsibility for any of his actions, that is, if Xiaolang knew what had happened to him, but then as he keeps going on about those words, something immediately clicks. The one word there, Clow. He's not talking about Clow Reed, but probably something closely connected to him. Of course, that's just his assumptions, anyway, but that's not important right now. Not in the slightest bit. What's important is to affirm the truth. ] That wasn't me. [ His answer was near almost immediate, but it's definitely earnest. ] While I do know about a country named Clow, along with the famous magician, Clow Reed-san, I don't know anything about taking the Clow Cards from Sakura. I would never hurt Sakura like that. Never. [ He doesn't want to hurt any Sakura ever again. It hurts just to think about it, because he's very much aware of what it's like to hurt someone you care about... even if they're not the one you love the most. It still makes his heart twist just remembering it. Even if it was an accident, he still— ] The person you're talking about... is most likely another Syaoran.

[cardcaptured]

[It's the earnestness of the answer that takes him by surprise, and the hard mask that his face was set into cracks. He'd like to think he knows himself the best of all, and the fact that his other self immediately denies it, with such vehement conviction, can only mean that he's telling the truth. There's no way he'd be able to lie like that with such confidence, even if this boy was, apparently, not the boy he was sharing memories with in the first place. But then, who was it? Were there really multiple versions of him out there?]

But--

[His mouth opens for a moment, then closes, unsure of where to go from here.]

Fai-- he had told me he remembered me being older, in his memories. And that I called Sakura 'the princess of his country'...

[And then, suddenly, it all clicks.

A country called Clow. This "Syaoran"'s earnest answer about protecting her. Neither he nor his own Sakura remembering a thing about royalty, despite all of that. Not to mention all those wounds...]

A-Are you-- are you Sakura's bodyguard?!

[excavated]

Fai—— [ His lips say the name almost as if it were foreign, but instead, ] You know Fai-san? [ But then the words that follow those, "the princess of his country" causes his words to still, swallowing hard. Xioalang's not talking about him at all. No, he's talking about... ] I promised that I'd protect Sakura, but the Syaoran that you're talking isn't me, either. If he said that "I" called her the princess of his country, he was talking about my other self. My... [ He hesitates, for a moment, uncertain for a second if he should tell Xiaolang. But no, it should be fine. This person is still him, even if their memories are different. ] It was my father.

1/2

[cardcaptured]

[Well, it was good to have at least that confirmed, although he does look a little downcast at the mention of Fai. He had been feeling a bit bad about not remembering him, but to know that he was never actually part of his past life was... kind of sad, actually. But now he knows why, in any case.]

... sort of. He adopted Sakura about a year ago, and for a while, he was getting memories much like we were. But I don't think he's on the app anymore. He disappeared with the others, and he has both of his eyes again--

[He realizes this MIGHT require some context, and he was about to give him as much, when "Syaoran"'s other response grind his words to a halt. So he wasn't that version of him, either? Just how many Xiaolangs-- or Syaorans for that matter-- could there even be? But the other boy seems to have read his mind, somehow, and gave him an answer-- but it wasn't the one he had been expecting. Or even considered, for that matter.]

Your other...?

[cardcaptured]

[Maybe he should question how a version of himself could be his own father, or how Fai would know of the two even if they weren't the same person. But something stands out in his mind, at this boy's initial reaction to him, and suddenly his face feels like it's hot enough to fry a dozen eggs upon it.]

H... H-Hold on--! Did you-- did you think I was your f-- your f-fath--

[HE CAN'T EVEN SAY IT, IT'S TOO SURREAL TO EVEN IMAGINE]

[excavated]

[ He listens closely to Xiaolang's words, and honestly? That sounds pretty accurate for Fai. He always called himself the mother of the group in contrast to Kurogane. But at his question, "Syaoran" shakes his head. ] No. You're probably different from my father. But I promised myself. That if I were to see any other Syaoran. Or any other Sakura. That the mistakes of the past wouldn't repeat themselves... I would do anything in my power to protect either of you, no matter which world you came from. I don't want to lose any iteration of myself or Sakura ever again.

[cardcaptured]

[Oh, if only "Syaoran" saw how much of a mother Fai was to Sakura, here and now-- but that was besides the point. There was a bit of a relief to know that he didn't see him as his dad (and thank god for that, he was way too young to be thinking about fatherhood), but there were still so, SO many questions to be asked. And truthfully? He had no idea where to start.

But one comes to the surface faster than the others as he keeps a closer eye on his double, paying closer attention to his quiet hurt now that his own prejudices have been cleared. The question falls from his lips faster than he can stop it, his expression tight with concern. Protecting Sakura was a given-- he wouldn't be him if he didn't have that desire. But the talk of losing them, either of them...]

Just what do you mean by losing yourself, or Sakura? Did something happen to her? To-- To the Sakura from your world?

[Because, obviously, his first worry is going to be about her, of course-- but his eyes settle on the badages on "Syaoran", and something flares within him, something protective and fierce.]

And what exactly happened to you? How did you get hurt like that?

[excavated]

... She's fine.

[ His words are soft, but the hurt still lingers there, if only because the whole story is pretty complicated than most. ]

But I don't think this is the right place to talk about that sort of thing.

[cardcaptured]

[Yeah, okay, no, he's not buying that line for a hot second. Xiaolang knows better than anyone else that when he says something's fine, something isn't actually fine, and that tone of voice only solidifies it. His lips set into a hard line-- this will be like two immovable objects butting up against one another, no doubt-- but "Syaoran"'s right about this much.

He opens his mouth, to ask where would be the best place to discuss this, when a skittering noise grabs his attention. It seems like the bug that got fried earlier had some friends, and they were arriving en masse to get the jump on the boy who did the deed. His body moves almost on instinct, abruptly trying to duck between his double and the bugs in an attempt to protect him.]

Behind you!

[excavated]

[ It's true that things aren't entirely fine-- but the Sakura that he fell in love with and spent countless years sacrificing his life to save isn't here. She's in a safe place, back home-- back in the world of Clow, waiting for the day that he can finally finish his journey and return to her. When Xiaolang calls out those words, he can't help but jump in surprise; it seems that he can't sense the bugs in the ways that he knows how. Thankfully, he's good on his feet, thanks to his body remembering everything that his father-- his other self-- learned from Seishirou. He doesn't seem to have his sword out yet, and he's not planning on taking it out immediately, as "Syaoran" seems to prioritize on using less, as he takes his two fingertips to counter with yet another powerful: ] Raitei Shourai!! [ Of course, that can only cover so much ground, as there seems to be more of the bugs crawling around in spite of it all. He curses a little under his breath before taking a quick glance at Xiaolang, asking the vital question. He wants to protect him, but... ] Can you fight? [ If he can do this much, then they can both cover more ground. And more importantly, they can both equally prevent any of these bugs from potentially getting to Sakura. He claps his hands together, and the music suddenly seems to shift, a light revealing underneath his feet a symbol for a moment as he seems to pull the sword from inside of his palm. ] I won't let any of them reach Sakura. Either of them.

[cardcaptured]

[Xiaolang had only just managed to get his thunder talisman out of his pocket in an attempt to protect "Syaoran" when the other boy's words ring out, and his eyes snap over towards his hands. There wasn't anything there, so what was he...?

Before he could dwell on it further, there's another loud crack of lightning, frying a number of the bugs up good, and he can't help but gape. How in the world was he doing that without some sort of trigger? Was he just... summoning it on his own? But that seemed so different with how he's seen Sakura and others use their abilities...

"Syaoran"'s question snaps him back to attention, though, and for a moment, he's almost offended. Of course he can fight-- granted, he's just an orange belt in karate and probably had nothing on the skills "Syaoran" had, but it's still... something?? He gives a sharp nod as a response, before looking back to his fallen weapon nearby.]

I can. I can probably fend them off better with my sword, but I have to--

[But the sudden change in music has him turning his gaze on his double once again (wait, had there been music playing before?? Where did that even come from??) and it seems like he had the exact same train of thought. It was something else to watch someone that wasn't himself do the summoning (or... well, technically, he WAS himself, but not..... really) and for a moment, he's in awe of how cool the whole thing was. The symbol doesn't escape his attention, either-- it was always hard to get a proper look at it when he was using his own abilities, but to see it in action, from an outside perspective...

And then "Syaoran" says that, and he can't help but feel his jaw set in determination. He quickly grabs the sword from the ground, angling it just so, before giving a sidelong glance at the other boy.]

... I haven't let them touch Sakura before, and that's not going to change now. I refuse to let anything else happen to her.

[But then a thought hits him, which-- well, duh, all things considered, this shouldn't be a surprise, but--]

Hold on, what do you mean by either of them? Is your Sakura here right now, too?

[excavated]

[ It's good that Xiaolang can fight. It means that he doesn't have to worry about him as much-- although let's be honest here, he's still going to be slightly overprotective nevertheless, because of the kind of person he is. The kindness in his heart that is made obvious by his own actions to protect those that he cares about. And just those who are kind, overall. If it means he can protect them, he'd do anything. He'd take any pain for that purpose. He nods at the quick response, understanding those feelings as he swings his sword at one of the bugs. It's not exactly efficient, given how small and fast they are, but he can at least graze them. ] No. The Sakura that's here-- the other one-- she's not my Sakura. [ The words that come fall from his lips sound absolutely torn. Because he knows which Sakura it is and it twists his heart to even think about it. ]

[cardcaptured]

[Xiaolang has a bit more experience fighting these bugs than "Syaoran" does, and it shows with how he maneuvers his blade to cut into them more cleanly. Granted, he was smaller than the other boy, and therefore able to reach them a bit better, but chasing them off of Sakura's data ghost for a chunk of the month helped too. It's tempting to glance at his double's weapon, to see if it was anything like his own Xiaolang stop wanting to compare metaphorical dicks, but it was much more important to focus on the task at hand so neither of them could get hurt. After all, with his Sakura losing the app temporarily, she had no means to protect herself anymore, so they had to stay safe for her sake-- someone had to protect her, after all.

But the pain in "Syaoran"'s voice couldn't be missed, and there's a twinge in his heart, despite the confusion over all of this. It had been hard enough dealing with the past few weeks without his precious person, but to deal with a version of her that wasn't the one he knew and loved...]

Is she... the one that Fai said was a princess? The one that your father knew?

[If he was going to make an educated guess, anyway. Maybe logic should also tell him that if "Syaoran"'s father was also him, that would probably make that Sakura this boy's mother, but-- well. There was a lot to deal with right now and no time to be dwelling on the weirder implications of all of this.]

[excavated]

[ He's used to fighting larger monsters and actual people with his swords over the bugs. It probably would have been a lot easier to just kick all of them like how he learned from his other self, but-- this is more convenient for him in the end.

Again, he decides to use his magic, another Raitei Shourai! from his fingertips as he hits the bugs with a swift spin attack before he answers Xiaolang's question. ]

Yes. The Sakura I knew was a princess as well... but the one that I found in this world is the one my father knew.

[cardcaptured]

[It was hard trying to keep all of this straight in his head-- this version of him knew a Sakura who was a princess, but so did his father... and his father was also another form of himself... apparently?? It was enough to give him a headache even during the most peaceful times. It was too distracting to focus on while fending off a hoard of hungry, vicious bugs, and it's evident when it's snappers get a little too close to nipping at his leg. "Syaoran"'s magic saved his behind in that regard, but he was going to have to put more attention into this fight than anything else.]

... we should probably discuss this after we're done.

[WHICH IS WHAT "SYAORAN" SUGGESTED BEFORE but.... ANYWAY. His mind goes to his double's magic, his ability to summon the elements without a physical trigger, and a plan starts to come together, piece by piece.]

How strong can you make that? Your... Raitei Shourai?

[The Japanese sounds clumsy on his lips, but in a way, the pronunciation seems... nostalgic. More common, even.]

[excavated]

[ Xiaolang's question definitely causes him to blink a little bit curiously-- although yeah, they should discuss this later. It's probably important for them to. ] I can control how strong it is, but if it's too powerful, it might be a little dangerous for the others in the area.