Search results

Empty, functionalist hallways riddled with pipes and cables. Industrial catwalks overlooking relatively small workstations and laboratories. The phantom screeches, groans, and clangs of pipes echo throughout this silent space station. It was always like this. The I.S.S. Ophanim had more...

"OH," Josie replied, "you meant-" Their palm had raised and made acoustic contact with their forehead. "I thought you meant 'out'. Let's just raid the fridge, then." The rest of the day was uneventful for the pair. They made their way to the kitchen downstairs, ate some sandwiches with rather...

Josie was looking dejected after so many defeats, but it was in good fun. They looked away from Gippy's victory screen that was still playing in front of the two, and towards Wendy. "Well, what did you have in mind?" Josie asked curiously, assuming that she meant to go somewhere local to eat.

Having raced upstairs, the two engaged in a plethora of young-adult shenanigans spurred on by their playful gaming fit. Much sweaty button mashing was had, and bedroom contortionism in a desperate attempt to simultaneously be comfortable and gain some sort of silly advantage in one's sitting...

Josie frowned. "Oh yeah? Well Gippi isn't that strong anyway, she's just Brepto.'s hard-counter." A smirk crept through the frown. "But you know, I bet I could beat your Gippi if I mastered this combo." They began walking up the stairs with a false air of smugness, hands in pockets. Wendy and...

With the obligatory small talk out of the way, Josie immediately pivoted to more casual discussion. "By the way, last night I saw this Breptotep combo in a video that was so nasty. I think it was something like, shield into grab into down-throw then B-air and uppercut. I checked the frames and...

There was an oddity that even the acute may have missed or dismissed; The program did not show to Ọya that her unknown accomplice was typing. Stay_Dead!{}={}: It is certain. Stay_Dead!{}={}: He is dead now. Stay_Dead!{}={}: All of them are dead. Stay_Dead!{}={}: Except for one of them.

Stay_Dead!{}={}: Sisyphus Mesánychta The only message Ọya had received, from an account she didn't recognize. It stood looming over an empty message history, daring to be prodded. The name this mysterious individual had posted to her was unfamiliar, yet expected on Ereshkigal. Looking at the...

"Uh. Yeah. Sure." They put the orb back in the bag. Josie walked behind Wendy, but was already lost in thought. "That was no coincidence. Well, okay maybe it was. I need to create astronomical odds. I should find a situation which is truly impossible and see if this thing predicts it. But if I...

Josie jokingly asked the orb another question: "Am I going to be exiled for this?" "Concentrate and try again" "Pfff-" Josie almost snickered, then asked more sternly. "Am I going to be exiled for this?" "The dead decline." "...Reassuring. Hey, my parents are working today. As usual. Want to...

"What am I going to do? Go back in and say "actually you forgot to scan this"?" Josie adopted the same laid-back attitude as Wendy as they conversed. "The thing costs less than your tea. It'd be a waste of everyone's time."

Clouds appeared in the orb, a snap of lightning and its "echo" simulated by the toy's speakers... Followed by a comically anticlimactic "No." "Wendy. Wendy listen." Josie whined, "I didn't steal it. But she didn't scan it either. The odds of that happening seem very low to me." The way Josie...

Once again, the storm began to stir within the orb. Lightning struck and a hammy voice crackled the speakers within. "Most unlikely." Josie rose an eyebrow at this. A flood of hysterical thoughts flooded their brain. "That's some strange phrasing. Is it talking about the odds that the cashier...

Josie squinted, deep in thought, then passed the magic orb to Wendy. "You should ask it. I'm curious."

Josie waved, turned around and began walking towards the door, and yet wasted no time immediately scrambling through the bag around their wrist to take out the magic orb that was not paid for. They stared at it as they paced towards Wendy, paying more attention to it than her.

"Oh, uh. Nothing." Josie suddenly became aware that they were staring at Ọya that entire time. "You just have rather pretty eyes. I guess...? Thank you?" Josie scooped up the bag, then wrapped the handles around their fist so it would not scrape the ground as they walked. Their bewilderment...

"...Surreee..." Josie squinted suspiciously at Ọya. They readied their card, waited for the approval message, then stood up from the counter, dragging their hand across it. They waited for their things to be bagged. This was unexpected and bizarre to them. That wasn't them. They are certain...

Josie stared like a hawk, looking directly at her the entire time, and watching the movements of her hands in the corner of their eyes. "I'm Josie. What's your name?" Josie spoke midway into the scanning of the ginger beer. As she took the magic orb, Josie stopped tapping and kept their...

"...Yeah," Josie said, "and actually, I'm not even going to do crimes. I'm turning over a new leaf. Ghosts are real, Wendy. Ghosts are real and they speak to us through shitty desk toys." Wendy could tell that under that thick mask of unwavering irony, Josie was internally cackling. They took...

"Hey, relax. Check this out." Josie giddily held the orb in front of themself, gripping it in their palm towards the floor, then adopted a serious tone. "Will the cashier forget to charge for you?" They whispered just loud enough for Wendy to hear. Then, they turned their wrist so their palm...