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Her steps rang out against the floor. Each touch of her boots sent crystal chimes leaping from the ground, chimes she hoped fell upon deaf ears.
This particular corner of the cave was dark. Ina longed for the glowing gems that had previously illuminated her path before, polka-dotted within the cave’s curved walls. But for now, the only thing she could rely on was touch. The occasional sharp edge made that difficult, but they were small cuts at worse, ones she could heal later.
There was one lone crystal in the dark she could barely make out. Its light had almost sputtered out, flickering like static in a display. Ina put her hand to it. Shivers ran through her arm as she pressed her palm against its freezing surface, and suddenly, it lit up. Paths unraveled before her, now just visible enough to travel down thanks to the gem she’d touched.
But its light eventually faded, and the gem grew cold once again. Ina tapped it once more before speedwalking down the left path. She continued down the left path, sticking close to the wall to ensure she’d never get lost on the way back.
Eventually, she stumbled upon a dead end. Nothing was at this far end of the cave. She really didn’t want to go back and pick another route.
She leaned against the back of the wall, sighing-
“Waaah-!”
The wall suddenly fell back like a cardboard cutout, and Ina fell along with it. Her head slammed against the ground, the pain resounding within her skull. She groaned as she turned over, rubbing the back of her head just to make sure there wasn’t any blood. Thankfully, there wasn’t.
What there was, however, was an opening in the wall. She could barely see inside, but what she saw was much, much brighter than the cave outside. Walls painted a sky blue, grey concrete lining the tiny bit of the floor she could see, it was like looking through a painting.
She walked through the opening, head just barely grazing the top as she entered.
It was like being inside a diorama of a city. Flimsy hallways of buildings and homes stacked together, towering over her by a mere few meters, roads of tiled floor acting as roads, small ponds mimicking giant oceans—though, in spite of the limited material choice, whoever made it clearly put their heart into it, with the skill to back it up. What was drawn onto the buildings was surprisingly ornate, almost emulating architecture akin to Italy. The skies were stunning to stare at, even if they felt...cagey.
There was a small twinge of hurt in her heart, seeing someone put so much effort into recreating something they’d likely never reach.
That hurt was quickly replaced by confusion as soon as she looked down.
Small, fluffy blue animals were walking around her like wind-up toys, big beady eyes blinking and staring back at her as they wobbled about. Many of them had slightly different colors and patterns, some wearing unique outfits and clothing, but all of them sharing the same giant rat ears and swaying tail. Ina wasn’t sure if they were meant to be cats or some other animal.
A small welcome sign was nailed into the ground beside her. The handwriting on it was pretty, though she could tell there were layers upon layers of whiteout right underneath it.
WELCOME TO CHATTINI VILLAGE
“...Chattini?” Ina whispered to herself. “What even...”
She quickly noticed the small tendril poking out of the ground near one of the buildings, its violet glow breathing an air of safety into her lungs. She inched towards it, hoping none of the plushie-like animals noticed her. She reached her hand out, and...
* (You feel...honestly,we’re not sure.)
* (It sparks a sense of curiosittini within you.)
Ninomae Ina’nis LV 1
Chattini Village - Streetino
💜 Save Return
“...I’m not hitting Save until you promise me to get better material,” Ina deadpanned.
* (...maybe.)
Ina sighed, knowing that would be the best she’d get out of the AO. She wondered if she’d rubbed off on them somehow.
* (File saved.)
From her squat, she could see the village’s inhabitants in greater detail. And at this angle, she could pretty clearly see they weren’t actually alive. Mechanical whirrs emanated from their tiny bodies, powered by some sort of motor inside. Their fur was fake, and their large eyes opened and closed with metal gaps between their eyelids.
Ina looked around for cameras, wondering if she’d accidentally stumbled upon some sort of movie set, but there weren’t any. None of the buildings seemed to have interiors, and the room didn’t have any hidden doors, much to Ina’s dismay.
There was a group of them on a bench, all waiting for a ride, sitting like they’d been placed there by someone. She bent down to meet one of them-
“hi im chattino,, over here is my brother chattino,,”
Its voice sounded like it was coming from a speaker, read out in a robotic, text-to-speech tone. Ina looked to the next one.
“Hi im also Chattino This is my other brother Chattino”
She looked over to the next one.
“hello!!! i’m chattino!! have you met my brother??? look at him!!”
She reluctantly turned to the next one.
“Greetings. I am a lawyer representing my three brothers in an ongoing murder case. Would you like to-”
...and slowly backed away.
The other Chattini (Chattinis? She wasn’t sure.) seemed the same, spouting random nonsense as if they were reading off a defined list of messages and nothing else. She tried talking to one of them, but was met with nothing in return.
They were cute, at least. She couldn’t argue with that.
She noticed a crowd of Chattini in front of one of the buildings, one going in, one going out. She followed the line, peering through the small gap in the door each of them left.
“I know, I know I shouldn’t have, but she was too cute!” An accented voice rang out from behind the cardboard walls—one she was already familiar with. “Isn’t that already a good excuse?”
She peeked just a little further into the door. A familiar pink panther was there, talking to herself and the multitude of plushies that surrounded her walls, shelves and all. Cardboard boxes were shoved to the sides of the room, various art supplies, drinks and snacks splayed out on top of them.
She almost blurted out “Raora?” but quickly shut her mouth. Raora seemed to notice her anyway, though.
“Aaaah?! Ina! You, um, I-!” She blushed, jaw hanging open wide enough for her two fangs to pop out from behind her lips. “W-welcome! Come on in!”
“...and you’re not going to try and kill me this time.” Ina stepped back. “Right?
“No!” Raora bit back. “I’m not that low! Really...”
Raora’s tail flicked awkwardly behind her as she crossed her arms. “...sorry,” she mumbled. Her voice had dropped lower, cutting through the otherwise vibrant atmosphere. “It’s just that it’s...my job to catch criminals and everything, and humans like you are...always labeled like that.”
She leaned to the side, tired eyes staring at the ground. “You met Ceci, right? Gonathan, too. The only member of Justice you haven’t met yet, is...”
“Elizabeth,” Ina muttered. The name made her shudder, searing chills trailing up her spine. Fire, ash, the crackling of an open flame, the sensation of heat burning at her skin, still lingering in her mind. A sword at the back of her neck, sharp steel against vulnerable flesh.
“Six human souls are in our grasp.
You are the seventh.
The last.”
The burn on her wrist was still there. It stung in response to the memory.
Raora gulped. “I-if you got past the other three of us, then...I’m sure you’ll be okay.” She perked up. “I can help too! Maybe I can...talk to her for a little, convince her that you’re good!”
“...I’m not sure that’ll work,” Ina mumbled through shaky breaths. With how adamant Elizabeth had been about her being the seventh soul,she knew Raora’s attempts would probably be as effective as a wet towel. “It’s appreciated, though. Any help is nice.”
Raora took a moment.
She lit up. “...wait, I know how I can help!”
The panther leapt straight into one of her boxes, tail flailing about in the air as she dug through them at lightning speeds. In a split second, a variety of items were spread out across her desk—which was also a cardboard box, actually really everything in her room was cardboard.
"Here! You can buy some of my stuff!"
Ina stared at the lineup of...things, she had. Almost all of them were Chattini themed in some way—Chattini backpacks, charms, plushies, pens, notebooks, shirts—and it made Ina wonder if they were even sturdy enough to last her journey.
* (The Chattino Keychain gives +5 DEF.)
Shut up and let me shop without you shoving numbers in my face, Ina snapped back.
“Hm? Is there something wrong?” Raora tilted her head, readjusting the pair of goggles on her head as she leaned forward on her palm.
“Ah, um, no, just...talking to myself.” Ina hadn’t realized she whispered that out loud. “Don’t worry about it.”
And now you’ve almost made me embarrass myself, Ina winced. But, um...on second thought, mind giving me info on the other stuff? It’s actually kinda useful.
* (The Chattino Bag gives +3 extra bag space.)
Definitely need that, but am I really willing to sport mass produced mascots on me? In this outfit?
“Isn’t it cute?” Raora smiled as Ina inspected the bag.
She and the AO went down the list of items, checking and comparing what she had now, until she got to the one food item Raora had.
* (That’s...what exactly is that?)
Ina was pretty sure it was a pizza, but its toppings...
“It’s pizza with fries! An Italian classic.” Her mouth curled, revealing one of her fangs. “You should try it, it’s really good.”
...AO, how much would it heal? I wanna know if this is worth it.
* (It heals at least 1HP. We’re currently very conflicted.)
“Um, no thanks,” Ina chuckled nervously, backing away slightly. She’d heard of pineapple pizza, but this was completely different. “Do you have anything else...?”
Her eyes flashed blue for a second before they returned to their regular golden hue. “...no, sorry, I checked.”
“That’s alright.” Ina scanned the list of items before eventually settling on the backpack. She didn’t have enough money for the charm, though, leaving her heart a little empty.
“Thank you!” Raora mewed, her accent shining through.
“No, thank you!” Ina beamed back.
She wrapped the bag around her shoulder, feeling the weight of it against her hip. It was a bit...tacky, for her tastes—a vibrant light blue, with ears and tufts of fur poking out from the dumb brainless face plastered onto its surface—but she could make it work. Maybe paint over it when Raora wasn’t looking.
“What are Chattini, anyway?” Ina questioned idly, still adjusting the bag’s position. “I assume that’s what they’re called?”
“I found them washed up near the trash dump! They were all abandoned and moving around helplessly, so I just had to save them. Aren’t they just adorable little creatures?” She grabbed one off of her shelf, snuggling it close to her chest. She did have to admit, they were cute. But, at the same time...
* (Do you want to tell her they’re not real?)
...no, I’d feel bad. Whatever makes her happy down here.
“They... are cute,” Ina half-smiled. It was the best response she could settle on.
“And more and more of them just keep on coming down to the trash dump! Who would want to throw them away?” Raora went on. “They’re always saying the funniest things and asking me for stuff, so I made a little town for them all to stay here!”
“Wait, you made all of this?” Ina’s eyes flicked around, peeking briefly out the door to check the city once more. “All by yourself?”
“Mhm!” Raora nodded, eyes closed. “It’s not my best work, but it’s definitely my biggest. Mostly it’s just art of cute girls,” she chuckled.
“Hey, me too-” Ina couldn’t even finish the sentence before breaking into laughter just as Raora had. “I love drawing cute girls!”
Raora’s laughter doubled into what was practically a howl, the room glowing brighter with her energy. Ina beamed back, a little flustered at just how cute she was.
“Maybe we can draw together once I have free time,” Ina tilted her head, looking upwards in thought.
Raora leapt up. “I’d love that!”
“...I’d love that, too,” Ina smiled.
The two talked for a short while longer, before the AO dictated it was time to go.
* (A reminder that Elizabeth is still on the lookout for you, priestess.)
I told you not to call me that. Ina scowled, hiding her face behind a box. Raora was putting back an old piece of art she was particularly fond of, so she wouldn’t have seen it anyway, but Ina wanted to be cautious.
* (But you are our-)
Stop. That’s not me anymore. I'm only working with you to get out of here, and nothing else.
She pushed them aside. “I think...I have to go for now, Raora.” She sighed.
Raora’s tail drooped. “Oh, that’s...I’m sure we can see each other again soon, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll make sure of it!” Ina clutched her bag. “See you soon?”
“Ciao!” She waved, and Ina waved back.
The door gently closed shut, and Ina was outside once more—if the painted walls of the terrarium counted as ‘outside.’ In hindsight, not much of anything down here counted as ‘outside.’
Ina shook her head. Gotta keep moving.
* (Onwards?)
“Onwards,” Ina echoed out loud.
...
* (Raora’s laugh is a memory that will linger even after days have passed.)
* (Your promise with her...it sparks a sense of curiosity within you.)
Ninomae Ina’nis LV 1
Chattini Village - Streetino
💜 Save Return
* (File saved.)
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