Chapter Text
Narancia was extremely excited for his first Cyberpunk RPG session, he almost couldn't believe it when Giorno said he'd play with him, and after that it wasn't too hard to get Mista and Fugo to come along also. The four of them were sitting at the dinner table on the house Buccellati had arranged for the group.
— Okay gaaaang, I expect everybody to have read the ruuules, huh? — Narancia said with a grin. — I'm the game master so I'll be wearing these cool sunglasses...
As he continued his monologue, Giorno whispered to Mista, who was sitting next to him:
— Were the sunglasses in the rules?
— Pfft! No!!
Narancia got up from his seat.
— WELL, if YOU're so excited Mista, why don't you introduce your character to the guild? Heh.
— Sure. — He began to get theatrical — I'm Cassandra, a beautiful young lady, who scavanges the land of NightCity for any kind of old tech! I just HATE what technology has become, with all the little androids, and robot arms and whatnot... Life was good when all we had was low resolution TVs and game boys. Not that i remember much from the 90s, but my mom told me all about that, *snif*, before she passed. — Mista loudly sobbed.
Narancia chuckled and looked over to Fugo so he could start next.
— Well, uh... My name is Jekyll-
— HA, sweet.
— Shut up, Narancia. And I used to be a really respected doctor, working for the state. But I disagreed with their ethics and decided to quit. So now I lay low and just help people that reach out to me.
— Great! Your turn, Giogio.
Narancia wasn't expecting much from him, since it was his first time and he just seemed a bit too stiff for this roleplaying business, but Giorno took a deep breath and they could see in his eyes, he went all in.
— I am Ezekiel. To understand my story, you must know that some policemen in NightCity are selected to go up the ranks in a very dishonorable way. That was my case. I was young and vulnerable, and just went with it until it was too late. They put wires inside my back, and now I have big metal wings. They were supposed to make me fight better, so we could have the flight advantage. But when I woke up on the operating table, a chunk of my humanity gone... I couldn't fight anymore. I became depressed. I ran away.
— Wooooow... — said a puppy eyed Narancia. He gave his friend a side hug. — Thank you so much, Giornoooooooo!!!!!! You took this so seriously!!!
— Of course. What do you mean?
Somebody suddenly cleared their throat by the table.
They all looked up to see Trish, the girl they were keeping secure. She spoke:
— Move, Fugo. I also want to play.
She said it with a goofy smile, not exactly authoritatively, and it was the first time they hadn't seen her angry or bored. Before she sat down, she whispered something in Narancia's ear which made him laugh, but also look confused.
— I'm Billy, an anthropomorphic bunny android — She stated to the table in a bit of a robotic voice — I'm looking for my owner. She is a princess and I'm terribly afraid she's hurt or lost! I can't seem to remember why we parted ways, maybe my memory needs reparing, but I'm certain that when I find my princess everything will be okay.
Trish looked over to Narancia, to confirm if he understood all of the backstory. What she whispered in his ear before made much more sense now, and he was static, trying not to laugh. They were all ready to begin.
— Cassandra. You are in your base, playing Pong by yourself. — Narancia started, scanning Mista over his cool sunglasses, who was perfectly content with that preposition, until...— When suddenly you hear a noise!! In fact, you had the feeling you were being followed since way back, in the field where you looking for parts. Did someone find you?
— I get up, looking around- WAIT NO. I pause the game, and then get up, looking around... I get my pistol-
— MISTAAAAAAA, ARE YOU IN DANGER????? — Mista had made a gun with his hand and Number 5 got out of his index finger.
— Oops, sorry, guess I got too into it. It's okay Number 5. Do I find anything, Narancia?
— You can't see it yet, but you hear the noise again. Something's walking around by the unflying cars from the last century you keep in your garage.
— I point my gun in that direction. "Reveal yourself."
— A tall, silver android gets up from behind the cars. He has big bunny ears and teeth. Trish.
— "Princess?"
Mista let out a big laugh.
— NO WAY!!! Why am I the princess?? — He tried to calm himself down — "What's this 'princess' business, tin man?"
— "It's me, Billy! I missed you so much, Princess!" I walk towards her to give her a hug.
— HEY, don't do that! I shoot him.
— MISTA, NOOO! — Trish laughed at his hostility towards Billy. — He's just a little bunny, are you scawed? — She spoke in a funny voice.
— It's a big robot bunny!
— He would totally be scared of a regular sized bunny. — Fugo commented to the side.
The room was very much relaxed in this tense scenario, giggling at eachother. Narancia gave Mista a d12, and explained:
— You're gonna need a ten or higher to do any damage, you don't really know much about androids, so you don't know where to aim to hurt him.
They all looked at the dice with expectation as it left Mista's hand.
The number on the top was a 4.
— Oh, no. — The superstitious boy exclaimed.
Fugo layed back on his chair in disbelief, Giorno moved slightly away from Mista, just in case he exploded. Narancia started narrating again:
— THAT'S A CRITICAL MISS!! The bullet goes straight through Billy and hits one of your old cars! The one you like the most, heheh.
— Ha! — Trish didn't seem sorry at all. — Wait, do I still get to hug her?
Mista had just put his head down on the table, defeated. Narancia was amused.
— You most certainly do, Big Bill. Cassandra is lift up from the ground and pulled into a hug by the very content rabbit.
Trish clapped her hands and celebrated. Mista got his head up, sensing the action was over, and asked:
— So like, am I really a princess or something?
— Noooo...
— Billy only believes you are. — Trish explained.
— Okay, I got it. — Mista cracks his nuckles and twists his neck around very enthusiastically — I tap on his back and say: "Hey, I think you got the wrong girl."
— I hold her at an arm's length from me, "whatever could you mean, Princess?
— "Is your princess named Cassandra by any chance? Because that's who I am."
Trish audibly gasps.
— "No!" I release her.
The table laughs.
— You "release" her? — Narancia asks for clarification — You put her down?
— No, I straight up drop her ass.
— AH, but do you see how women are treated in this society?? — Mista is back to the overacting, getting a few chuckles from Giorno. — You better not make me take fall damage from that, Narancia, I have enough dexterity to get down okay!
The game master smiled jokingly, but ended up agreeing.
— You're like a cat, Mista. — Said Giorno.
Trish started sobbing quietly. Mista was confused.
— Wait, aren't you an android? Why are you crying now?
She fake cried harder, just to spite him. He though it was funny, but then had a great ideia:
— Cassandra never thought androids could have emotions. But what that rabbit felt for his princess... it was love. There was no doubt. She would help him find her.
Narancia was tearing up, he loved when players had in mind what their characters were thinking. Mista kept going:
— I walk over to Billy, who's crying in the corner. I put my hand on his shoulder.
— I look up.
— "Have you ever played Pong, friend?"
— Awwwwww
— He said friend!!
— CUT. That was so good, Mista! I'll master to Giorno and Fugo now, do you two want to take a break?