Like Tears in Rain

[Kennifer]

Amy returns to the mansion after watching the episode and petting the bodega cat a bit. Aw.

[PointMaid]

DAY THREE CHALLENGE

YOU WILL HAVE 48 HOURS FROM NOW. Challenges may be posted here or in your diary rooms.

The AI's begin to broadcast to everyone, wherever they are, even beyond the portals. (You may continue investigations or portal explorations)

BOB-B: We have an issue we would like you to deal with. Someone is interfering with your timeiines.

MORI-RT: It's not me or my agents.

BOB-B: ...I know that. Anyway. Someone in one of these timelines has invented a rudimentary time machine and is using it to screw things up. It is probably not intentional. We were afraid of this. We need you to go back into your timestreams and protect an important friend or family member.

Please describe:

1. Who do you choose to protect, and why? Is there a reason they might be targeted, or is it just you care about them above anyone else?

2. How do you protect them?

3. ...Without them knowing that they're protected and that you've been kidnapped by us. You want a real mess? Let our existence and the existence of these timelines get out in YOUR time. You must keep that veil of silence.

[Kennifer]

1. Who do you choose to protect, and why? Is there a reason they might be targeted, or is it just you care about them above anyone else?

"My sister Lizzy. I'm not sure why she'd be targeted specifically unless somebody doesn't like her music or something? But she's someone I'm very close to. Have been since we were kids. She always looked out for me since she's a year and a half older, so now I'm going to look out for her."

2. How do you protect them?

"I'm going to spend a lot of time with her, make sure nobody can get close enough to harm her. Probably hang out either at her apartment or mine and watch movies. We usually go for different genres but I'm sure there's something that's got enough humor for me and enough action for her. And listen to music, chat about our childhood, stuff like that."

3. ...Without them knowing that they're protected and that you've been kidnapped by us. You want a real mess? Let our existence and the existence of these timelines get out in YOUR time. You must keep that veil of silence.

"It's easy to frame as a regular family visit. She's probably been worried since I went on that hiking trip, and any kind of weirdness I show can be brushed off as residual feelings from that. We don't see each other as often as I think either of us would like, so it's probably long overdue. I certainly won't say anything, and she shouldn't get too suspicious. If she asks, I'll make something up, like I'd been super busy with work or that the hiking trip has made me feel like I should keep in touch with my loved ones a bit more."

[MadameButterflyKnife]

You knock on your sister Lizzy's door. As she opens the door, you hear some loud music blasting from inside. She turns it off on her phone, and looks to you.

"Amy? Long time no see! How've you been?! I haven't heard from you in like, forever after you went on that trip! What's going on?"

[Kennifer]

"Yep, in the flesh. I've been busy... you know, getting back into everything after the trip. And I know I haven't stopped by in a while so I thought it'd be fun to catch up a little. Hang out, watch some movies... you know, just like in old times. I uh... hope I'm not interrupting something and that this isn't a bad time."

[MadameButterflyKnife]

She lets Amy in. "Oh, you're seriously not interrupting anything. I actually just got back from band practice, so honestly? I've got all the time in the world!"

She sits at her dining table. "So come on! T

[MadameButterflyKnife]

ell me! How was your little hike? It sounded so cool, when you mentioned it before."

My computer is a piece of shit that sends things early sorry

[Kennifer]

"Oh, sweet. How's the band doing? I know you'd had a big gig lined up when I left for the trip..."

Amy... didn't want to give too many details on the hiking trip. Not for "destroy the timeline" reasons so much as "wanting to avoid another existential crisis" reasons.

"That... didn't go as well as I was hoping, but I did meet some really nice new friends there. We all kind of got snowed in so it was less hiking and more... staying in a cabin."

[MadameButterflyKnife]

"Oh yeah! That gig-oh, let me tell you a STORY. So the opening act, before us, right? They wanted to show off with like, some weird, firecracker thing? But I'm getting sidetracked-"

Lizzy begins telling stories about what happened while you were gone. About how your boss didn't realize you were out at first and ended up slipping on all the papers that were supposed to be handed to you for business because they'd been piling up on the floor, or how the cat from the bodega down the street ended up on her fire escape and she had to go through so MUCH shit just to get it back to its home.

"...Am I making this all about myself? Sorry bout that. This is about you, you know? I'm just SO glad my sister's back home. Anyways, we should do this again. Maybe go out later? Unless you've got something going on, which...you don't have anything going on right now, right? No prior commitments, no weirdos dragging you around or whatever?"

[Kennifer]

Amy listened to the stories, actually grinning genuinely.

"Ah no, I don't have anywhere I need to be for a while, unless I get called into work for an emergency or something. I was thinking we might have a movie night, you know, like we used to. Blanket forts optional."

[MadameButterflyKnife]

"Oh, movies? That sounds great!"

As Lizzy smiles at her, Amy might notice something down the hall. A few colorful sparks, some glitches in reality, and the telltale sound of the fabric of spacetime being moved around. You know the sound; it's the same weird flip flop that you hear when you go through your portal. It's a weirdly funny noise; kinda like flapping sheet metal. You hear some rustling in the other room afterwards.

[Kennifer]

Amy is going to... try not to think about the glitchy sounds too much, and definitely try to distract Lizzy from them.

"Yeah, I was thinking we could find some kind of action-comedy movie. There's got to be something we can find on streaming, right? Maybe pop some popcorn to go with it."

[MadameButterflyKnife]

"Oh, that sounds like my jam!"

Lizzy puts up Netflix. As the two of you begin watching, you see someone in the corner of your eye. They don't do much, but it seems that seeing two people in this area scares them off. You hear the telltale flapping noise of the spacetime continuum, and all the glitches begin fading away.

You watch the movie with Lizzy. It's a great movie. And Lizzy's safe for now. That's all that matters.

[Kennifer]

"That was a lot of fun! We'll have to do that more often, schedules permitting and stuff. I should probably get back... got some work stuff I really should check on, you know how that can be, and I'm sure you've got stuff to do... I promise I won't be such a stranger from now on though."

Amy smiles, though she's not sure she'll be able to make good on this promise.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

"Yeah, please don't. I'd want to see you again! Maybe later sometime this week? I can clear some space, maybe we could go to that cafe downtown?"

[Kennifer]

"That sounds like a lot of fun, sure. And hopefully I'll be free... I'll stop by, okay?"

Amy leans in to give her sister a hug before leaving. She... really doesn't want to go back through to the mansion, and she hopes she can make good of her promise.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

Lizzy hugs Amy tight.

A message from BOB-B rings in Amy's ear, inaudible to anything else. Good job, Amy. You accomplished the task. Report back as soon as you can. I cannot keep an eye on you as much as I can here.

[Kennifer]

"I better go, got to check on something for my boss. I'll see you again soon."

After saying her goodbyes, Amy heads back to the mansion.

[Mr. Lee Hammer]

Olivia looks joyed that she managed to have a family of her own. Husband and three children, yet she grows pale due to the fact that she ends up dying in that timeline.


That's not really fair. I finally got what I wanted the most out of life and I die?, she says before sighing in a defeated manner.
But still, I know what I have to do...

1. I would like to protect my family, especially my three children. The one thing in life that I'd get to cherish and the one thing I can't even enjoy. But still, it's my family. And I guess you can call it my maternal instincts kicking in. I just want them all to know that I'm here to look out for them every step of the way, even if I die here.

2. Surely with my social media company, I've made a decent bundle of money. It would be enough to hire a bodyguard to look after them. Someone who's skilled in combat and not afraid to get violent if need be. Whatever it takes. I'd do anything to make sure they all survive safe and sound.

3. I am hoping to expand my business and take it to the next level. More than likely on a worldwide scale. I would tell my family that I have to go on a trip. One that sees me going across the world to really set things up internationally. I would be gone for a while. But I would send them all my best. But I'm doing this for them. And it's true, too. Because I want to make sure my family lives the best life they possibly can.

[Dookie]

1. Who do you choose to protect, and why? Is there a reason they might be targeted, or is it just you care about them above anyone else? "I choose to protect the other BIA hosts. I know they're not safe already where they were when I first met them, and I'm afraid because they're hosts and all, that they could be targeted easily."

2. How do you protect them? "Evacuate everyone except for Audley, and get them to a place far, far, away."

3. ...Without them knowing that they're protected and that you've been kidnapped by us. You want a real mess? Let our existence and the existence of these timelines get out in YOUR time. You must keep that veil of silence. "...Yes?"

[TenOfSwords13]

Skelebob thinks for a while on this question.



1: Who would I protect, eh? Out of my friends, I would probably choose... Christine, good friend of mine, works at a hospital in D.C., and she's sweet as pie, I'd never let anyone even wish her mild inconvenience. I mean, sure, doctor stuff could do timeline things, so I've got that going for her too, but it's mostly because she's good.

2: But how... a doctor at work is kinda hard to keep an eye on, nobody's going to let old Skelebob in... but that said, there are other, not alive skeletons hanging around in offices and the likes, it shouldn't be too hard to blend in, slink around the hospital. Outside of the hospital, act natural, we're friends, she wouldn't be disappointed to see me,

3: And to keep it secret... don't talk to her at the hospital, obviously, that would be silly, and act like nothing's wrong if I meet her at her place. I'll come up with more believable excuses on the spot, bluffing is an important skill for a lawyer, after all.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

Olivia walks through her portal. She steps onto the grass, and looks up, realizing she's right outside of her home. It's not the most luxurious place, but it's in a nice area, and she can hear the screaming and playing of her children from inside.

As she knocks on the door, her husband opens the door. "...Liv? You're back! How was your trip? I hadn't heard back, so I've gotten a little worried.

---

Helena finds herself outside an office. It's the corporate HQ of Brothers in Arms. It's a show, but working in it isn't always big fancy houses and filming. There's always the tedious parts of it; parts Helena knows that well.

As she walks in, she can see her co-workers well, working and messing around. Sam's doing everything effortlessly, as usual, Too Too's by the water dispenser, etc. Every once in a while, the scene will flicker, revealing fire and brimstone behind the office walls, but you've gotten used to that. Your boss, Audley, is in her office. You don't see her a lot, and you hope you won't have to see her right now.

---

Skelebob finds himself in the lobby of a hospital in DC. It's the evening, and busy; people going back and forth, trying to get to rooms and surgeries and trying to visit family, sometimes even just doctors trying to get their dinner. You've heard from your friend Christine that they serve surprisingly unhealthy things in hospital cafeterias sometimes for the doctors. Nothing you could have dreamed off in the war years, though, so what exactly was the problem?

Speaking of your friend Christine, you see her walking past you. She acknowledges you, but doesn't talk; she knows just as much about how weird a talking skeleton is as you.

[Risdio51]

1. "As much as I would like to keep all the Lilin safe, I would single out Shinji. Without him, I would have no reason for existing. I feel no other emotion for him other than overwhelming love."

2. "In one of the timelines, Shinji and I were stationed in the ruins of NERV's HQ. No one touched us, and we touched no one. While not on mission, we were free to do whatever we wanted. Be it practice piano or stargazing. It was beautiful, just being with him."

3. "NERV is, or rather is a hollow shell of, a secret government organization. Not only that, but, after the Near Third Impact, the HQ is a ground zero that no sane Lilin would attempt reaching. We are safe, within a womb."

[TenOfSwords13]

Skelebob tries his best to follow Christine, knowing that danger may be present. He doesn't want to worry her, so he stays as discreet as a reanimated skeleton lawyer can be.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

Skelebob moves between the crowd, making sure Christine is alright. As he swerves through, he may hear something in the closet. The whip-whop of spacetime being moved around, and various glitches in reality centered around the door.