Chapter Text
"…Huh."
The uma in the mirror looked remarkably similar, almost as if Wise had been born an umamusume instead of a man. The same steel gray hair, though now it reached past their shoulders and had a navy blue streak in the middle. The same blue-green eyes. The only real differences were the obviously feminine face and the two obvious uma ears atop their head. Their left ear was adorned with an intricate metal star decoration. It was almost something like a logo. Wise felt it was…right to leave it there.
Overall, Wise felt…surprisingly indifferent about the whole 'becoming an umamusume' affair. She just didn't feel like it elicited any kind of response from her, emotionally or otherwise. If anything, what she was most worried about was having to buy an entire wardrobe from scratch and having their grocery bill increase a substantial amount.
Wise groaned in annoyance at the thought, putting the pocket mirror aside.
"Hey, Wise…is everything alright?" Belle quietly asked.
"…We're gonna be tight on money for a while."
Belle gave her a puzzled look. "That's what you're worried about?!"
"They are not expenses to be taken lightly," Tachyon chimed in. "A new wardrobe will cost a small fortune to build up over time, though they are one time purchases. The increase to food related expenses will be difficult to reconcile in your budget unless an improved financial situation is reached."
What a way to call them poor.
"It'll be okay, Manager. You can call on Nicole's debts to cover the immediate costs." Was it a little rude for Anby to throw her boss under the bus? Probably. But Wise was very thankful for the bone regardless. Nicole still hadn't paid back her debts, it was about time to collect.
"Agh, enough! We're getting sidetracked!" Belle quickly interrupted before looking very pointedly at her brother(?). "Wise, how are you feeling right now?"
Wise rolled her shoulders. "Still feeling sore, and I need to get my… I think it's my tail? I need to stop pinching it." She sat up and lifted her tail onto her lap, giving it a few solid pats, instantly sighing from the feeling of relief spreading throughout her body. "There we go."
At this point, Belle seemingly gave up on trying to be subtle. "Okay, do you seriously have zero thoughts on, y'know, becoming an umamusume?!"
Wise thought about it, then shrugged. "Not really."
Belle just stares at her. What? "…Are you an umamusume?"
"She most likely is," Tachyon cut in. "You can see her left ear is decorated with an ornament, a universal tradition among umamusume. That leads me to a simple question that will confirm her species with certainty: Wise, were you visited by the Three Goddesses?"
Everyone waited for her to answer.
"After I lost consciousness… I'm pretty sure I was."
Tachyon's signature maniac smile only stretched further after hearing Wise's answer. "What did they tell you? What did they look like for you? What name did they-"
Anby elbowed Tachyon to cut her off. "One at a time, please. Wise can't answer every question simultaneously."
"It's okay, Anby," Wise assured. "After I… died? I was in some kind of black void. I saw three faint lights, blue yellow and red respectively. I'm certain they were the Three Goddesses."
Tachyon looked on, focus replacing mania, although she didn't drop the smile. "What did they tell you?"
"They told me that I wasn't dead, that I had a second chance. Then they said their connection to this world was fraying because of the hollow disasters. When I asked them 'why me?', they said I was in their sights, and that they could only fulfill their divine right."
This time, the other uma took great interest as well. "What name did they give you?"
Wise… no, her name wasn't just Wise anymore. She closed her eyes and recited the Goddesses words.
"May your foresight illuminate the Hollows, Eye of Prometheus."
A moment passed in silence. Then another. And then Belle spoke up. "Not gonna lie, kinda cheesy."
Whatever.
"I-I think it sounds cool," The chestnut uma weakly offered, somehow not sounding convinced of her own words.
"I mean, they named Tachyon after a superliminal particle. Maybe they're just dramatic like that?" Wise speculated.
"Still, I think it's rather fitting for you," Anby commented. "Prometheus is the titan of foresight in Greek mythology, who stole fire from the Olympian gods to give to man. The hollows are often described as dark labyrinths, so you can think of Proxies as illuminating the way forward. It's an apt metaphor."
The other uma started searching on her phone while Tachyon chimed in. "Treasure your name, Eye of Prometheus. The Three Goddesses, through the name they bestow, bless us with love, courage, and discipline."
"Didn't we—"
"Ababababa! Hush, Guinea Pig! This is an important junction — Prometheus' testimony here practically proves the existence of the Three Goddesses!" Tachyon's smile faded. "Though, if your testimony is accurate, it has worrying implications regarding the Goddesses."
Wise hummed in thought. "Is there anything we can do about it?"
"Right now? No. Even if we could, I doubt you're in any condition to tackle it. It would be best for you to focus on adjusting to your new form, and, well, establishing a new stream of income. I heard the Phaethon Inter-Knot account was recently lost, after all."
At that comment, Belle groaned. "Tell me about it. Grinding back the reputation is annoying! We can't do any of our usual commissions because we don't have the rep for it, so we're stuck just farming the easy ones. And they pay like, five dennies each."
"On top of that, our AI assistant requires the HDD to run continuously now, which increased our monthly electricity bill by over five times." Wise deflated. "So our income is at an all time low while our overhead is at an all time high."
"I'm going to help," The other uma suddenly announced. "It's my fault you're in this mess anyway, and you don't know how Wise is going to adjust. It's only right I help soften the blow."
"If you're offering to pay for anything, don't," Wise firmly rejected.
"Why? Didn't you just say you were in money trouble?" The other uma questioned. Instead of answering, Wise turned to face Anby.
"You put the clothes on Nicole's card and we'll subtract it from her debt. Sound good?"
Anby nodded. "Affirmative."
The unknown uma deflated like a balloon. "But… I…"
"Will not be needed!" Belle chimed in, which only caused the girl to shrivel up even more.
Eventually, however, the girl put herself back together, and looked around Wise's room nervously. "…so, is there anything else we need to go over, or should we leave so Eye—Wise," The so-called Guinea Pig cut herself off, "can, well, adjust to everything…?" That might be for the best. At this point, Wise still didn't know how to feel about lot of things. She needed time, and—
A loud growl shook her out of any further thoughts.
Oh. Right. Hunger.
Belle was the first to speak up afterwards, clearly trying to hold back her laughter. "Actually…I think we should get some food in Wise's stomach first. Anby! Acquire the finest burgers for Wise! And triple up the order! Don't settle for anything less than perfect!"
"Understood." With a nod, Anby left.
With that, it was just Wise, Belle, Agnes Tachyon, and—
"You." Like a hawk, Belle had instantly turned her eyes on the unnamed 'Guinea Pig' in the room, her smile wiped away by a frown. Right, apparently this girl had a lot to answer for.
"…me?"
"Yes, you. We—" Belle motioned to everyone in the room, "are all going to go downstairs to the back room and have ourselves a nice little chat. Because you still haven't told us who you are, Miss 'I know you're connected to Helios Academy'."
…This was going to be a very long day.
Today had turned into a very long and tiring day for Belle.
First, someone walked into Random Play and name dropped Helios Academy of all places to coerce her into working with them.
Then at the exact same time a companion hollow formed on Wise's route while he(?) was doing deliveries, and the only two agents in the vicinity to help her were Anby and conveniently the woman who just asked about Helios Academy!
After that, it took way too long for the three of them to get to Wise, to the point that that he(?) was literally crystallising from ether corruption until a goddamn Helios Academy researcher announced her presence and injected Wise with a serum that eventually turned him(?) into an Umamusume! And Wise just… didn't care?
So. Belle was tired, pissed off, and going to get answers.
As soon as she locked the door, Belle whirled around to face the unknown umamusume. "Name. Now."
"Agnes Marie."
"You weren't at Helios Academy."
"...yeah. I wasn't."
"Then why did you bring it up?"
"Because I needed to get my Proxy out of the Hollow and you were the closest one on call?"
"I wasn't on call. I very clearly told you that we do nothing besides video tape rentals."
"But you helped when I asked!"
"Yeah, because I found out Wise also got trapped in the companion hollow and I was out of options!" Belle yelled in frustration. "So sorry I couldn't focus on why you brought up Helios Academy out of the blue!"
Marie shrunk under Belle's glare. "Look, I-"
"You mention something you have no business knowing about—"
"Enough."
Both of them stopped and looked at Tachyon, who in turn faced Marie.
"Guinea pig, read them the text you received."
Marie pulled out her phone and navigated to her contacts. "Guinea Pig! A companion hollow is about to form on my location, and I am unable to evacuate in time. Grab your coat and head to the Random Play video store on Sixth Street. Talk to the managers and ask for their Proxy service. If they refuse, ask them about Helios Academy. Secure their cooperation by any means necessary."
Tachyon turned back to face Belle. "If you wish to place blame, place it on me. I instructed her to contact you explicitly for your Proxy service and to mention Helios Academy."
That didn't stop Belle from getting in Tachyon's face. "Well, then. I'll blame you Senior Researcher. You obviously knew we were around, so why was there nothing?! Nothing! For ELEVEN YEARS!?"
"Belle, stop!" Wise pulled her off of Tachyon with astonishing ease. "She must've had her reasons, I'm sure of it! We also had to hide ourselves away, remember?"
Belle stopped struggling but continued to glare at Tachyon. "Why… you could've… why didn't you attend his funeral?"
Tachyon showed no outward expression, yet her words were soft with somber. "Is witnessing his death not enough?"
Belle stiffened, emotions running hot. "You could've paid your respects, at least…"
Tachyon gave a hollow, lifeless laugh. "Respect? You think little Kouji was shown any respect at Helios? You really think his funeral wasn't the first time anyone showed him respect? If he was shown even a sliver of compassion from someone that wasn't me…" Her expression suddenly darkened. "There might've been a body to bury."
Belle went wide eyed. The accident was that bad? She could feel Wise tighten his(?) grip, similarly shaken by the confession.
A nervous squawk brought Belle's attention back to the other Agnes. "Um. W-who exactly is K-Kouji…?"
Tachyon took a deep breath. "A protege, of sorts, back when I was affiliated with Helios Academy. A shy little boy, you could have called him my first Guinea Pig. He deserved more than what that accursed institution gave him."
"So Helios Academy just, d-they just…killed people...?" Despite being taller than both Belle and Tachyon, Belle couldn't help but notice how small she looked in this moment.
"Obviously not," Tachyon denied. "But… it wouldn't be far off. It was a horrific accident, an experiment gone terribly awry. I was one of the researchers overseeing it when the incident occurred." She took a moment to compose herself. "Seeing a life snuffed out before my eyes… It was the last straw. My conscience couldn't take it anymore. So I left. And not long after the old capital fell, I found you wandering alone."
"Right. And I, gosh, I don't think I'd even finished middle school back then…"
"…Were you lying?" Wise suddenly asked. "When you said you were on our side, were you lying to me?" Belle could hear his(?) voice waver with nerves.
"I meant what I said, Prometheus. We're all adults here, I see no reason to conceal the truth. Despite my own misgivings with Helios, I was being honest when I said that Carole was one of my closest friends. Her and her little Phaethon were one of the reasons I chose to stay instead of seeking another post." Tachyon walked over to Wise and put a hand on his(?) shoulder. "I will reiterate once more: If you have been labouring these years to prove Carole's innocence, then I will gladly assist you."
"I, well, where Tachyon goes, I do too, so…I guess we'll be seeing each other more often…?" Belle watched the still visibly shaken Marie move to the couch to sit down, but even still, she knew there was weight behind the youngest umamusume's words.
"How can we trust you?" Belle interrogated, crossing her arms.
"Marie was already aware of my association with Helios Academy. You can trust her with yours." Tachyon placated.
Belle turned it over in her head. On one hand, she was still pissed at Tachyon for not reaching out sooner if she already knew about them. On the other, there was no way Marie didn't know about the negative connotation around Helios Academy, so if she knew Tachyon was associated and was fine with it?
"We should trust them," Wise said. "Tachyon knows that Carole is innocent, and she's willing to help us prove it. And, to be honest, Marie could've turned Tachyon in at any time. The fact she didn't says a lot about her character."
"I'd never do that!" Marie passionately defended. "Tachyon took me in when I had nothing! I'd never betray her trust like that!" The reaction seemed to come from her heart, judging by the way her ears pinned and her tail was angrily flickering about.
"At ease, Guinea Pig," Tachyon practically cooed. "They meant no harm, merely the healthy dose of skepticism required to survive in New Eridu as former Helios Academy students." That seemed to calm Marie down, although she still leveled a nasty glare at Belle.
Despite the hostility, Belle was a little more inclined to trust her now. "Can you give us time to talk?" She requested. Both of them nodded in agreement before vacating the back room, though not without Marie promising to actually check out the race archival footage tapes.
That left just the siblings and Fairy in the back room.
"Master." Cutting through the silence, Fairy spoke. "I would like to inform you that Agnes Marie's identity is fabricated."
Belle wasn't surprised in the slightest. "Yeah, kinda figured. Any leads on who she really is?"
"Negative. The earliest record of her identity is from ten years ago. Agnes Tachyon is listed as her legal guardian. I hypothesize that the story given was half true. They most likely came into contact with each other after the fall of the old capital. I propose that Tachyon forged her identity as a protective measure."
Wise hummed. "That lines up with what we've heard from them. Still, if Tachyon did it to protect her, who is after her?"
"The same people after us, I'd wager," Belle offered. "Even a passing association is enough for them."
"Still, they've managed to keep off the radar for a long time… I thought Tachyon had died, to be honest."
"…Wait." Belle realized something strange. "Fairy, didn't you say Marie was certified with the HIA?"
"Affirmative. Marie obtained her license five years ago, and has renewed it every year."
"What about Tachyon?"
A moment passed before Fairy answered. "Negative. Agnes Tachyon operates as a Proxy on Inter-Knot under the account 'HypotheticalWoman'."
Ah. That's how they did it. Tachyon kept off the grid while Marie, with her forged identity, was able to (somewhat) safely re-enter society.
Something seemed to be bugging her brother(?), though. "Wait, Fairy, how old is Marie?" Wise asked.
"Twenty three."
Wise counted on his(?) fingers. "Fucking hell…"
Belle put the dots together as well.
Marie had gotten certified as soon as physically possible.
She started battling the hollows at eighteen.
"Fairy, how capable are they?" They were strong enough to survive, for sure, but it wouldn't do any of them any good to send them out if they wound up being sitting ducks.
"Accessing information for HIA Agent: Agnes Marie." A little bit of whirring, and Belle and her brother(?) were treated to a complete dossier of the target of their investigation.
Agnes Marie — Senior Investigator
Age: 23
Species: Horse Thiren (Umamusume)
Ether Aptitude: 71
Weapon Certification: Martial Artist.
Combat Readiness: Experienced.
Permitted Missions: Extermination, Rescue & Recovery, Convoy Escort Duty.
Additional Commentary: Agnes Marie's struggle with self-confidence only extends to non-critical social interactions. During hollow missions, Marie demonstrates exemplary focus in combat and communication. Her absence of a weapon in favour of martial arts makes her adaptable in combat and negates the risk of disarmament, leveraging her speed as an Umamusume to quickly move in and out of an enemy's range. However, her preference for close quarters engagements puts her at a greater risk for injury and ether corruption via exposure to ethereals. Main avenues for improvement are with her footwork and her self-confidence outside of combat. — Dantsu Flame, Elite Investigator
"So she's not half bad. Not certified for Hollow Zero or anything, but she gets work done. She and Anby might work well together."
"From what I saw through Eous, I have to agree." Belle had noticed Marie's confidence in combat very quickly upon entering the hollow.
"Indeed, she demonstrated proficiency in combat against ethereals. I agree with the assessment provided by Dantsu Flame." Anby commented. Wait, when did she—
"Anby! You're back!" Wise greeted, his(?) tail wagging at the sight of the bag Anby was holding.
Correction; bags, plural.
Tachyon was right. Money was about to be tight for a little while.
