darkSpyro

Ura simply stared for a moment, her thoughts racing. She'd been right. About the blue eyes. She found herself staring at them again, and speaking her thoughts aloud without entirely realizing. "You know, I've always thought that as annoying as Pit is, he's actually pretty cute in a way."

"Y'know, I bet my brother would transform into the most unflattering version of Pit you'd ever see," Asuka replied, entirely joking. The statement was said in a flat, deadpan tone of voice, however, one Asuka quickly realized may have been attributed to a shift in personality. She knew she'd meant it as a playful jibe, but it could've been completely misinterpreted. "Oh god. Haruto, you have to stop this!" Seriously! There are soooo many issues that would come about if I became Dark Pit...ugh, I don't even wanna think about genderbending...
"I'm...gonna be Pit?" he asked instead, sounding a bit timid.
Asuka wanted to bash her forehead against the wall. "Yeah, you numbskull! You're the one who was insistent on the idea of transforming! That doesn't mean you're exempt!"
"My job search." Asuka heard Haruto ruffle papers on the other side in a slightly panicky way. "I can't turn into Pit! I have rent to pay, work to do, jobs to find..."
"Well guess you're gonna have to do that as an angel," she grunted. "You know what? I have it way worse! How am I gonna explain this to my mom and dad? To everyone around me? I'm literally gonna become a dude! You, on the other hand, can just hide in that hotel with Ura for however long you want and nobody in the world will bother you!"

Justine regarded her tinged skin with a slight wince. "Actually, yeah, it does kinda hurt..." Unbeknownst to her, the transformation was already changing her on a cellular level, as her cells began developing cell walls- not enough to have a visible effect on her form, green skin aside. She still couldn't tell exactly who she was becoming, but she had a few theories. "I've been completely addicted to the Plants vs. Zombies games lately... and green skin could apply to either of those, really." She gulped. "Better hope it's the former, right?" She laughed nervously.

Ura shrugged. "She has a point. Sort of," she noted. "Not necessarily as long as we want. You generally have to pay for a hotel." She looked around. "I mean, we could jump out the window or something. No one will notice we're- wait, windows generally smash very loudly. Never mind that."

[Hmm... maybe I should start an RP life support business?]
[Also, they changed Elimisha's name to Helena. So... just pretend I was saying Helena the whole time, m'kay?]

OoC: Is it socially acceptable to post in an RP five months after the last post?

Stressed, Haruto ran his hands through his hair, muffing it up further. The strands felt thicker through his fingers, especially near his bangs. "Let's just...well, I'll just stay here for the night," he decided, mind whirling. "If I've got to go from a grown-up man to a pubescent angel, then I've still got a lot of progress to go yet. Surely I'll be able to stay here for a while, and if things get serious then I can pack up and...leave."
"Hello, genius, what about me?"
"Your Dark Pit is showing," Haruto joked feebly. "Um, I'm not sure. I do not condone running away from home, but-"
"I have no other choice." Once again, Asuka's tone was flat. "If I start growing black wings and the whole wazoo, Mom and Dad and the whole town are going to think I'm some demon! I've gotta leave for my own safety." Haruto heard shuffling on the other side of the phone, like Asuka was already beginning to pack.
"N-no! Please don't go!" Panic edged Haruto's tone. His little sister was planning to leave the safety of their family and hometown!
"What else do you want me to do?" Asuka snapped. Haruto's blue eyes shifted to Ura, pleading for any reason or plan he could give to Asuka so she didn't run from home.

I felt numb as I stared at Justine's arm further. I had no clue what to say to her. What if this was the end? People didn't just turn green! What if this whole transformation process wound up killing her?
"W-we should...get you something for the p-pain," I choked out, glancing between my two friends nervously. Felis didn't seem completely right in the head either, but maybe she'd calm down if I used the right words. Hopefully I didn't wind up screaming random things again. I nudged the two indoors, thinking harder about this matter. I still didn't feel the greatest, but the Advil was taking most of the edge away. And a little back pain was nothing compared to...whatever Justine and Felix were feeling. "Felis left some medicine and a few cups of water out for me," I explained to Justine. "You're welcome to them."

(Probably not
I got very confused for a second though)

Ura shrugged. "I don't really recommend running away, but I'm not going to lie, I don't see any other options. If you run away, try to find a way here if at all possible."

OoC: Lol oops. How ya doing, Fury? It's been...months. ^.^'

But she's my sister! You can't tell her that's the best option! Haruto thought in a panic.
"See, Haruto?" Asuka replied a bit smugly. "Ura agrees with me."
"Sh-she said only if you come here," Haruto mumbled.
"Which is what I was planning on doing anyway! You and I need to stay together. Y'know, because of our twin connection and everything?" Asuka explained.
"I just don't think it's a good idea for you to figure this all out on your own," Haruto admitted. "You're only sixteen. And you've never done anything like this before."
"Well, you did it. That's how you got to America."
"I am an adult!" Haruto protested. "In all technicality, you are still a child!"
"And I'm about to be a dark angel," Asuka retorted. "You'd better start telling me what I need to do or I'll hang up."

(True
I'd say I'm good but it'd be a lie so I'm going to be honest with you: Purple)

"I'd say fly here on your own but if you don't have the wings that's impossible. Actually come to think of it that's impossible even with them most likely." Ura sighed. "It'd definitely bring up problems if you tried going into an airport with red eyes... I don't know what you should do honestly. Just... figure it out I guess."

OoC: Aww, I'm sorry to hear that. Everything here's locked up, so if you wanna talk you can send me a message on Wattpad or fanfiction.net!

"Flying!" Asuka exclaimed happily. "I didn't even think of that!" She closed her eyes slightly as she imagined soaring through the sky effortlessly, fingertips brushing the wisps of the clouds and light winds drifting through her hair...
"Bad news, Asuka," Haruto responded grumpily. "We're both flightless."
"Hey, you never know," Asuka countered, trying not to let reality faze her. "Maybe I'll have Pandora's powers in my wings."
"...Gross," the two of them said at the same time, remembering what "Pandora's powers" actually entailed. It was a good thing the Rewind Spring didn't exist.
"W-well, even if you did grow wings," Haruto resumed, "there's no guarantee you'd be able to fly all the way across the Pacific Ocean like that. Either you'd tire out or be spotted. Not a good idea."
"Better than booking a flight with no money, no supplies and red eyes," Asuka said with a grin. "Hey! I have an idea. What if I hang out at that abandoned barn by the hills that we found, at least until my wings grow? If I can fly, I'll leave from there, and if not, we'll figure out a plan B."
"I guess," came Haruto's hesitant response. "But please stay at the house for as long as possible so you can bide your time. When you get there, make sure you have enough food and water. And blankets and pillows. And a good hiding spot in case there are wolves. And-"
"Calm down, big brother! I'll be fine." Asuka's heart raced at the thought of such an adventure.

(I'm glad I have such great friends honestly even the ones online)

"Just going back to the flying across the ocean thing for a second. If you fly high enough people might mistake you for a bird, and I'm pretty sure I remember the flight thing being completely based on the magic." Ura looked over at Haruto for a moment before adding "And don't do anything stupid, because then you'll almost definitely get either killed or noticed. If you get tired try to find somewhere to land temporarily. I don't know if there is anything but just try to find something. A boat if all else fails I guess."

[I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!]

Oh, oh, I guess we're going inside then Justine thought as Shadme ushered her and Felis in. It was probably for the best; a green-skinned girl would draw more than a few weird looks. She looked down at the swollen veins of her arms with slight concern. The pain wasn't as intense outside, but as she stepped into the shade of Felis's house, it became more apparent. So it came as a relief when Shadme mentioned some medicine that had been left out. "Oh, uh, thanks, Shadme," she spoke as she walked to the kitchen.
Justine downed two Advil and a cup of water as she turned her thoughts to what was happening to her. Obviously this was the transformation's work, and judging by the last game she had played, she was becoming either a sentient vegetable or a reanimated corpse. Thankfully, she hadn't considered chowing down on anybody's brains yet, and despite the strange color, her flesh didn't show any signs of rotting. Coupled with how energizing the summer sun felt, she came to the conclusion that she was becoming a plant. Still not the best fate, but certainly better than the alternative...

OoC: Hooray! <3

I followed Justine into the kitchen, hoping she wasn't thinking I was creepy for watching her. "What do you think?" I asked her after she took a few swallows of water. "Zombie or plant?" Neither of those options seemed all that fun to me. Of course, I still had no idea what I was to become, either. All I knew was that I had hazel eyes, a bit of a newly-acquired temper and probably a height or size adjustment due to my earlier pains.

"Yeah, there might also be a few islands along the way," Haruto added to Ura's statement. "Maybe you can live off coconut trees or something."
"Very funny," Asuka chucked. "Well, glad we've figured that out. I'm gonna get back to packing an emergency bag. You two just chill, alright? Let me know if something else weird happens."
"Bye, sis," was all Haruto could say before she hung up. "Well, that was certainly something..." With a sigh, he turned to Ura. "Well, what do you suppose we do now? Do you live around here?"

"Plant," Justine responded, turning to face Shadme. "Not sure what kind, though." Depending on the outcome, she could either be able to walk like normal, or be stuck rooted to the ground, needing to be carried in a flower pot... hopefully the former. "Well, at least it's better than being a carnivorous undead monster," she laughed, trying to see a bright side. "So, uh, how about you? You have have ideas who you might become?"

"A plant? Oh boy." My first thought was of Justine becoming a tree or something, and then I remembered what the plants from the games looked like. I wasn't that much more relieved, but Justine was right- it was probably better than being a zombie. "Plants have such a different structure than humans do...no bones, no skin, a dependency of sunlight...you're going to have to make sure you're taking proper care of yourself," I reminded her. Shrugging my shoulders, I accepted her topic change. "I'm still not sure yet. Probably human, though!" I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "I'm turning waay slower than you guys are. Maybe that means I'm not changing into a character that's vastly different from the way I am now."

"Yeah, I do,"Ura noodded as she spoke. "It should be close enough to walk there... I mean, I walked here, so of course it is. If I can remember the way there. Which I think I can."

"Right," the soon-to-be plant girl nodded. It wouldn't be hard to get enough sunlight; good thing this decided to happen in the summer! Though the actual transformation wasn't something that she was looking forward to. Judging by everyone else's description, it wasn't the most pleasant experience. Though at least Shadme, Evan, and Felis were (presumably) staying human, and Diasi still an animal. Justine was becoming a different lifeform altogether. The veins in her arms were starting to make sense: they were probably the result of her arms preparing to become leaves, and her hair might eventually become petals. But besides that, she was actually kind of excited! Some of those plants have really neat abilities she'd like to try out.
"Huh, maybe you're right! That sounds like it'd be convenient." Justine appeared to be opening up a little more. "Actually, now that I think about it, you look a little taller than before. Or maybe I'm just getting shorter. Or both."

OoC: *whistles innocently as this maybe gets revived after a year*

"I would be happy to escort you there if you'd like," Haruto said to Ura, gingerly returning his phone to his pocket. "Who knows what could happen along the way? I don't know what is happening or why, but I feel as though we probably shouldn't tell anyone else about it."

The second Asuka hung up, she grinned again and began assembling her things. "I know Haruto wants me to be safe," she spoke aloud, "but the more changes I accumulate, the more I'm gonna have to explain to Mom and Dad, and I really don't feel like doing that! So I'm gonna get out of this place as soon as possible and live out the rest of my life as an edgy traveling angel." Emotions of her former self flooded back to her in a wave, and she collapsed against the leg of her bed. "Oh man...I can't believe this is happening. Am I insane? There's no way I can pull this off..." She rubbed her face with her hands. "I'm really scared. I hope that Haruto can help me get through this..."

"Ooh, you think so?" I asked, a bit excited. "I really hope it's the former! What I wouldn't give for another inch or two. Being short sucks!" I grinned. "I'm glad that anything's happening to me at all, honestly! Wish I knew who I was turning into, but eh..." My voice trailed off a moment as I considered it. "You know, the last game I was playing before all this happened was Fire Emblem, just like Diasi was. If this pattern continues, at least I'll know where to turn my focus!"

(Eeeeeeeee ^-^)
(Just when I thought I’d never see this RP again)

Justine couldn’t help but crack a smile at Shadmé’s enthusiasm. While Justine herself most likely would be destined to get shorter (unless she became a bigger plant like Tall-Nut), she didn’t mind too much; this whole experience was enough to make up for it. “Probably,” Justine answered Shadmé as she thought. That was the one unifying factor in all this, they were becoming characters from the last game they had played. “Maybe who we turn into is determined by the last character we played as? Wait, no, that doesn’t add up. Helena isn’t playable, yet Evan’s turning into her...” Justine tapped her sandal-clad foot on the floor. “We could still probably divine who we’re becoming based on what we already know.” With that, she pulled out her phone and went to the Fire Emblem wiki.

“Yeah, it’s a good thing we aren’t turning into the specific last character we played as,” I chuckled. “In Fire Emblem, you control a team of people, so I wouldn’t know which one I played last in that type of mess!” Seeing what she was looking at on my phone, I decided to join her in the search. “I was playing Fire Emblem: Awakening specifically, if that narrows it down at all!” I began peering through Awakening characters on my phone when a sudden crucial piece of information came to me. “Oh! I think I remember who all was on my Awakening team when I was playing it! I was training the children characters, so that would have been Owain, Morgan, Yarne...”

Ura nodded, the reality of the situation starting to sink in. “It’s probably best that we stick together for now. Who knows what could happen.” She took a deep breath, they still looked pretty normal right now and they had to move quickly before Haruto sprouted wings or she started floating. “Let’s go.” She started walking, suddenly nervous that she would in fact begin to float and ensuring that each step was firmly planted on the ground.

Haruto followed the girl on the way out, making sure to actually lock his hotel door this time. Even though he was far from the social type, he suddenly delt an urge to chat. Must be Pit’s friendliness trying to take over, he thought, a tad miserably. ...Which wouldn’t be too bad, except for the fact that Haruto knew what this meant underneath the personality shift. He, an educated, street-smart adult, would be changing into a youthful, boisterious teenager. Haruto really didn’t want to relive those days, but it seemed like that if the changes were true, that time was coming...and he’d likely never age out of it.
“So how long have you lived around here?” he asked, trying to dispel his own thoughts. “I just got here recently and I must say, I never expected to have a reference this quickly.”

“I see,” Justine said, glancing between the roster on the phone and Shadmé herself. It was a little difficult to place, given how little had changed so far. “Hm... anything else I should know that might make this a little easier?”

[Kind of at a loss for what I could have my other character do.]

(Same here what are they even doing)

Ura frowned as she tried to remember. “A few years,” she said eventually. “Long enough that I can’t entirely recall how long.” She was more focused on seeming casual than the conversation, though she could tell that this far she was not floating and her feet were in fact making solid contact with the ground. Yet she remained paranoid that if she let her thoughts wander her body would wander as well. Her focus remained on her feet.

OoC: I know, right? I think Diasi and Evan were stuck waiting at his house. Tbh, you could probably have Evan come over- after all, the rest of us have been taking longer than expected at Felis' house...
Edit: Heckin' ninja'd. That goes for both of you! I'll respond in a sec, Fury!

"Filter it by Awakening children characters," I said, following it up with a sigh. "Ugh, why'd it have to be the children?" I began to explain my frustrations, since I figured Justine had probably never played Awakening. "You see, you have the ability in-game to pair up the characters, and when their support levels get high enough, they can have children, which are the characters we're sorting through. ...Problem is, since there are so many possible combinations of characters to pair up, the physical features of the children can change! I think the only obvious indicator at this point would be if I genderbent, or if my hairstyle changed, but since it hasn't..." I pulled my hair over my shoulder to prove my point, only to find that...I couldn't. "Wait!" I ran my fingers through my hair in shock. My hair was usually long enough to go down my back, but now it barely reached my shoulders!

"Oh, I see," replied Haruto, occasionally tilting his head back and forth down the street to make sure that they weren't being watched or followed. "So I presume that you know this area pretty well, then. If things go wrong, and we have to isolate ourselves from the rest of this town, would you happen to know about a safe place we could hide away?" Haruto really hoped that it wouldn't come to that. But frankly, there was no way he'd be able to hide being an angel, let alone a popular one from a video game. He'd be seen as a curiosity by the government, by the locals, by the religious nuts...and yes, maybe even fangirls. And what would his family say? He was one of the first of his family to move to America, and his decision was met with hesitance and suspicion. Learning that he'd changed like this would certainly make them even more wary of America than before!

Well, there's no use in sitting here, crying about it. It's happening whether you like it or not. Time to get busy. Taking a deep breath, Asuka rose again, but a quick glance at herself in her mirror caused her to freeze again. It appeared that her eyes had changed color from brown to blood-red.
"Yep, definitely happening whether I like it or not," Asuka grumbled. Tearing herself away from the freaky sight in front of her, she began to pack twice as quickly.

“That does complicate things a bit...” Justine mused, flipping through the character images. She was at a loss for how to solve this puzzle, so many things to take into consideration... until she noticed, with some surprise, that Shadmé’s hair had gotten much shorter! “Oh! Well, that’s convenient, narrows it down more.” With this new information, it made finding a match much easier. Taking a few glimpses at her new hair, she searched through the second generation characters until she settled on a certain female character. “Maybe you’re becoming Noire?”

Meanwhile, I was watching out the window of my home, waiting for Justine, Shadmé, Felis, anyone to return. They said they just needed to pick something up from Felis’s place, but they had been gone for quite a while. What was taking them so long? I was honestly starting to get concerned; who knows what could happen to them? I glanced over at Diasi. “They’re taking their time,” I commented. “Think we should go check on them?”

And suddenly, it all clicked. I knew in my bones that Justine had figured it out. I pulled out the talisman, always forgetting it was there but realizing that it was the final piece in the puzzle we’d been unable to solve until now. “N-Noire? Oh no... But I think you’re right. She was the last character I saw when I was playing the game, right before I turned the game off.” I tried to rationalize as I came to terms with my future identity, knowing full well the strain and stress that would come of it. “Well, it could be worse, right? I could be turning into a dude. Or a non-human. Or someone evil. Heh...”

“Or a plant,” Justine reminded her, giving a nervous laugh. “Oh wait, that’d classify as non human, heh...” Judging by her reaction (and her outburst earlier, for that matter), this Noire character would come with some problems they’d need to work around. “W-well, I’m sure me and the others will help you in any way we can,” she offered Shadmé, her nervous nature shining back through a tad. “Also, I’m sorry for eavesdropping on you and Felis... It was Evan’s idea, he just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“It’s hard to say,” Ura admitted. “I don’t leave my house much, and I don’t have an exciting job, so I don’t actually know of anywhere isolated.” She paused for a moment. “There might be an abandoned building somewhere in the busier parts of town we can hide in if it comes to that.” Ura stared at her feet, relieved to see that her lapse in concentration had no effect on gravity. She managed to take her mind off it as she spoke again. “Do you think that would work, actually? It might be hard to stay out of sight in the middle of town...”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said in response to Justine’s first couple statements. “Turning into a plant is not going to be easy!” I smiled back at her. “We’ll do whatever we can to help you, too! You’ll have to forgive me if I start randomly screaming battle cries for seemingly no reason. Noire’s a pretty meek person, but she can get...fired up.” At Justine’s apology, I shrugged my shoulders in confusion. “Oh, is that why you came over? Huh, I never really connected the dots! Never mind that, it’s okay! If you hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t know who I’d be turning into. Maybe we should check in on Evan and Diasi, though. We were gone a lot longer that we thought we’d be.”

“Better than nothing,” Haruto said. The thought of a busier part of town, with all its bustling crowds, was enough to make him quite anxious, but he tried not to let it show. “Maybe it won’t come to that.” He paused for a moment, thinking about Ura’s words. “Well...I don’t know if it would work or not. The second our conditions gets out there into the public, then the people that want to find us will stop at no lengths to do so. That’s why we have to take precautions early.” His thoughts drifted briefly to Asuka, with all of her American online friends, and he wondered if she’d be able to ask any of them if they had a place to stay. He knew it was wistful thinking, but as a last resort...would it be possible?

“That’s it, I have no choice now. It’s time to go to the barn,” said Asuka, admiring her seceral neatly-packed bags. “I might have been able to explain the hair, but there’s nothing I can do about the eyes. Sorry, big brother, but it’s time to hide now. For both of our sakes.”
Asuka had also changed out of her kimono and into a sweatshirt and pants. She wasn’t sure if it was the boyish part of her mind or the survival-oriented part speaking, but she felt as though a kimono would not be the best attire if she was planning on going on an adventure of this caliber.
She took one more regretful look at her phone. Now that she was dedicating herself to life on the run, the possibility of her encounters with online friends being solely dependent on the availability on Wi-Fi was sinking in. “Might as well say goodbye,” Asuka mumbled. With a heavy heart, she began visiting each of her websites and leaving messages where she could.

Ura sighed. “Oh well. We’re nearly to my place. It’s nothing exciting, so don’t get your hopes up.” Ura frowned, knowing her small apartment wasn’t exactly the best spot to hide. “We probably shouldn’t stay there too long,” she thought aloud.

Justine smiled. “Good point, they’re probably wondering what’s keeping us,” she nodded, handing Shadmé her phone back. “We can work out our plan more when we get back.” With that, she started for the door once more; while she was still curious what identity she’d take on, that could be resolved later. She couldn’t wait to get back out into the sunlight!
...And then it hit her. “Uh, Houston, we have a problem...” she gulped, freezing in her tracks. “What are we gonna do about this?” Justine raised her arms, displaying her chlorophyll-colored complexion.

By this point, I was getting somewhat concerned. What was keeping them? I thought they'd at least send a message if they got occupied or something. I was half-tempted to assume that something happened, but I pushed that thought aside, in favor of sending Shadmé a simple text message:
Everything alright over there?
With that sent, I glanced over at Diasi. With how nervous the foxlike girl was acting when we first found her, I could only imagine how worried she'd be for our friends. "I'm sure they're fine," I said, trying to sound reassuring- to both her and myself. "They probably just ran into a little problem. So, uh, can I get you a drink or something?"

“Huh?” Diasi perked, having been distracted. “Oh, yeah I’m sure they’re okay. If they aren’t I’ll just go save them or whatever.” Even though she was worried, part of her, most likely the part that was Selkie, wasn’t too concerned and simply wanted to fight anything that hurt them. “I-I’d like some water, if that’s okay with you,” she said quietly, hoping that a drink might help clear her mind.

"Sure thing," I said with a smile, walking into the kitchen to fetch Diasi a drink. As I added a couple ice cubes and poured the water into a glass, that strange tickle in my throat returned once more. Coughing seemed to have cleared it, though as you could likely gather, this was no ordinary throat tickle. Regardless, I brought the glass to Diasi. "Here you go," I handed it to her, my voice sounding somewhat more feminine.

"Oh, that is an issue..." I agreed, looking at Justine's new skin tone with concern. While there hadn't been too many people out and about when I'd originally set out to Evan's house, the neighborhood had seemed to awaken by the time Felis, myself and Justine had headed out the second time. I was sure it was going to be even more crowded if we set out there a third time, so something would need to be done.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I picked it up and realized the incoming text was from Evan. Perfect! I informed Justine about who had texted us, then added "My best suggestion would be to borrow one of Felis' (many) sweatshirts lying about! But maybe Evan and Diasi have something better in mind? I'll let them know we're okay." To Evan, I texted, We're good! Felis is...very in-character, and didn't react well when she found out Justine was following us, but she's chilling out for the time being. Found out I'm turning into Noire from Fire Emblem- Diasi can probably tell you about it. Justine is turning into a Plants VS Zombies plant and her skin is green, so any recommendations on how we can hide that when we walk back over, aside from extra layers of clothing?

Asuka paused as she reached her last contact. Shadmé. She'd probably miss her the most, but there wasn't much she could do. After all, it wasn't like Shadmé was experiencing something like this. Asuka would have to keep this secret between her, Haruto and his new friend Ura, as much as she trusted Shadmé.
I’m really sorry to tell you this, Shadmé, Asuka typed, but I’m going to be gone for a while. Things have come up in my life, so I'm probably not going to have much access to the Internet. I'll hang around for a few moments if you have anything to say, but if not, then I'm off.
After she sent the message, she considered the fact that she might have been too blunt. This was her best online friend that she was never going to see again! But the Dark Pit part of her personality seemed to be having more of a grip than she thought...

"O-oh, that's fine," Haruto stammered. "I wasn't meaning to come in. I just wanted to make sure that you could get home safe, is all." Was that an invitation? Was he rude to say no? Haruto had no idea, but he pressed on. "If you don't think your home is too safe...well, er, you can come to my hotel room tomorrow. Or whenever you want, really. I feel as though we wouldn't be disturbed. And, uh, we could exchange numbers, if you'd like. It would be good to stick together."

(Ooh man!! This is getting so interesting! I kinda wanna add a third character.)

My phone buzzed once more, much to my relief, and I began to read Shadmé's reply with varying thoughts and emotions going through my head:
Felis getting worked up? Yikes, not good. But at least everyone was okay now. Hopefully this wouldn't be a regular thing.
Shadmé becoming Noire? Interesting. I'll take her advice and ask Diasi about it.
Justine turning into a plant and in need of cover? What!? Well, that makes things a little more difficult. Their plan sounded like it'd work, but I chipped in with my two cents anyway:
Yeah, that plan sounds good, but wearing extra clothes might get a little warm- maybe she could cover up with makeup or something instead?
After sending the text, I sat back in my chair and looked at Diasi with her glass of water. "So, Shadmé's becoming Noire from Fire Emblem. Anything I should know about her?" As I spoke, I didn't seem to notice my more womanly tone, or the fact I seemed to adopt a certain accent either.

Justine watched as Evan's message was relayed back to Shadmé's phone. "Makeup, huh? Well, we'd need a heck of a lot of it to hide this," she said. That was a reason she wasn't on board with the idea, but there was another. Neither Felis nor Shadmé struck her as the type to wear makeup; then again, she didn't really know the "real" Felis. "Guess I'll just have to layer on some more clothes."

“Noire?” Diasi felt a sudden panic, forcing herself to calm down before speaking again. “That could be... problematic,” she mumbled. “Noire is prone to shouting at the top of her lungs when infuriated, if that happens in too public of a place we’ll draw too much attention...” she was sure she shouldn’t be so panicked about this situation, and yet she was pretty scared. She wasn’t afraid of shadme, she was afraid of being seen. She was worried that a Kitsune, despite being unheard of here, would still be hunted for her fur. “Noire is usually rather timid, but she gets angry really fast. M-maybe we should avoid angering shadme?” She absentmindedly tan her fingers through the soft fur on her tail, nervous that her life would be taken for a pelt. She forced herself to take the glass of water and take a sip. Her hands were rather shaky, and she forced them to still as well as she could.

Ura blinked and realized her mistake. “I misunderstood! I’m so sorry!” She buried her face in her hands, embarrassed. “Y-yeah, I’ll stop by.”

I nodded my head slowly as Diasi explained about Noire's character, making some mental notes. So, it sounds like Shadmé will be more or less the same behavior-wise, with the addition of a rather hot temper. True, we should try not to anger our friend. Not that I would actively try to make her mad, but you get the picture. After mulling that over, I took note that Diasi's nervousness had returned. Poor girl. Probably worried sick about what would happen to a kitsune in the real world. Offering a supportive smile, I moved and sat next to her. "Hey, no worries, mate. We won't let anything happen to you. And if any bugger tries to hurt you, they'll have to answer to us." It was only then that it finally struck me that my voice had changed, and picked up an Aussie accent to boot. "Bloody hell, is that my voice?"

Diasi found some amusement in her friend’s newfound accent, laughing a little. “I don’t think it’s too bad,” she said with a shrug. She offered a grin, Selkie’s grin, complete with pointed canines fit for hunting, teeth that belonged to a fox. “It’s kind of funny actually.” She shut her mouth after a moment, frowning. Her teeth hurt a little, and she couldn’t figure out why.

Diasi's compliment got a smile from me. "Thanks, mate," I replied, reclining on the couch. "You know, this accent is actually pretty nice. Though it does feel weird having someone else's voice come out of my mouth." I glanced over at my friend in time to see her grin, taking note that her canines had lengthened to a point, actually looking kind of adorable. A soft giggle escaped my mouth; whether that was from me or Helena, I wasn't sure. Probably some combination of the two. "You've got some cute little fox fangs there," I mentioned, noting that she seemed confused.

“Oh!” Diasi turned away, slightly embarrassed. “Thanks.” She found herself plopping her head on her companion’s lap after a moment, closing her eyes and sighing. This was a habit of selkie’s. She supposed she didn’t mind this one, she was actually quite comfortable. “Thanks,” she said again, unsure on what to say, unsure exactly what she was thanking him for.

While I was surprised by my friend's decision to rest her head in my lap, I accepted it. Did it mean she liked me? Maybe, maybe not. Probably shouldn't overthink it. I sighed contently as I heard the soon-to-be kitsune offer her thanks. Whether it was for identifying the source of her toothache or just keeping her company, I replied with a glad "No problem."
In a bout of curiosity, I used my phone's camera to get a look at myself. Yep, even my face was starting to resemble the Australian biologist's. Still similar enough to myself to be recognizable, though.

(I think I'll wait for Shadmé to get back before I post again)

"Okay, that's good." Haruto paused a moment, thinking, and then he opened up his phone. "Here is my phone number. Feel free to text me if anything goes wrong."

"Yeah...I haven't the slightest idea how to use makeup," I said with a laugh. "I'm a gamer, not a fashion model! ...Well, okay, I'm kidding. I know a tiny bit. I'd say the best option here would be to wear a thick sweatshirt, and then for whatever's showing after that, we could lay on some foundation. I'll go look to see if Felis has any upstairs." I sent a quick message to Evan- Not a bad idea. We'll find out how to make this work- then, without a moment to waste, I turned the corner and headed upstairs.
On the way, I got another message. At first, I was surprised that Evan responded that quickly, but as I pulled out my phone to check, my heart dropped in my chest. It wasn't from Evan. It was from Shada. I felt my hands grow warm and shaky from shock as I read her message. Something had happened. Apparently we might never get the chance to talk again.
What's going on? I texted, frantic. You can tell me anything, I swear!
She responded swiftly before I could add anything else. Sorry, Shadmé, but I can't risk that.
What does she mean, “can't risk that?” I thought in despair. I’m her best friend, and I live a continent away! My lips are sealed! And besides, I've got weird stuff going on right now that...wait. It suddenly occurred to me how oddly blunt Shada was being. I had first attributed that to some sort of sadness resulting from whatever serious thing in her life had happened, but maybe there was something more at work here. I decided to gamble.
Shada...are things...different for you?
Of course. That's why I have to leave. Shada’s response came easily. It seemed that that was too broad of an approach. I decided to try again. I mean...to your body?
For once, her response wasn’t lightning-quick. It was as if I'd shocked her into silence.

Asuka stared numbly down at her phone. What was Shadmé talking about? How did she know that something was happening to her? Had Asuka let too much slip? She frantically flipped through her messages, confirming to herself that she'd been as general as possible in her replies. Maybe Shadmé couldn't be trusted at all. Maybe she was with the government, and she had all of Asuka’s personal information, and knew where she lived, and-
No. She had to stop panicking. She was Dark Pit. It would take Shadmé hours to get over here. And surely by then, Asuka would have the strength and the will to do what needed to be done if it happened.
This is wrong, a part of her couldn’t help thinking. Shadmé's my friend! Am I really planning to hurt her? I can't do that. I have to try talking this out first, or I'll never forgive myself.
After a few deep breaths, she turned to her phone again. She had to let Shadmé do all the talking. That way, she could never use what Asuka said against her. She typed, Nah, I went through puberty a long time ago. Okay, not her best response, but...
As if strengthened by Asuka's former silence, Shadmé's text came more confidently, ignoring her joke. Shada, we have more in common than you think. Don't be afraid of me! It's happening to me, too, and all of my friends.
Blast it all! Why would Shadmé just go out and say that? If it was indeed true, then anyone could see that message-
Hold on. Asuka blinked. Shadmé had it too? That was the important thing here. She sent two words back, feeling scared out of her mind: Prove it.

Justine nodded at Shadmé's instructions, then headed for the nearest closet, selecting a light gray sweatshirt. Not the most eye-catching thing in the world, but that was kind of the point. Throwing it on over her current outfit, she saw that it mostly hid her unusual complexion, with the obvious exception of her legs. She could hide her hands in the pockets and keep her head down to hide her face. As she went to gather her hair into the hood, yet another surprise struck her. Yet again, her hair had shortened, and from what she could see, was completely yellow now. Not just blonde, but flat-out yellow. She gulped; at least it wasn't that out-of-place looking. Somewhat satisfied with her disguise, she went upstairs to find her friend, only to be met with a rather distressed expression. "What's wrong?" Justine asked.

"Uh..." I gulped, a bit nervous after being found by Justine so quickly. I have no poker face. "I might have found another infected person. That would be my online friend, Shada. Or at least, something's happened to her. She won't tell me what's going on, which is very out of character. And the only way to get her talking is if we prove we are who we say we are." I turned to face the girl, only to realize how...different her hair had gotten. It poked out here and there from beneath the hood, but I could tell it was much brighter than it'd been before. "That's just perfect, actually! Completely indisputable that something's occurred, if someone were to look super closely. Now, would you mind if I took a picture of the two of us to prove it to her?"

Even more infected? Of course she'd be willing to help! "Sure thing!" Justine agreed, throwing the hood off, revealing her sunny yellow locks. "Maybe we could get Evan and Diasi to send photos too. But for now, let's stick with us." With that, she positioned herself to get the picture with Shadmé. It didn't occur to her earlier, but Justine had noted that she'd been acting more outgoing; she was quite shy normally, and probably couldn't bring herself to get a picture. Ah well. Probably a change that's for the better.

“Thanks, I will,” Ura smiled. “Same goes for you. I’ll text you later so you’ll have my number.”

"Yeah, good idea! Hopefully this'll be all that she needs." I took a picture of the two of us, noticing in the phone screen that my hair looked...ever so slightly different than before. My red stripes were starting to fade. "Well, good enough," I said with a bit of a nervous chuckle, in reference to my own hair. "She knows that I’d never take the red out of my hair for no reason. That's kinda my thing." Without further ado, I sent the picture to her and waited.
I got a frantic text back: Shadmé, what the heck are you doing?! You can't just send pictures like that! Delete it immediately! Can't your governement see all the stuff you send or something?!
"Whoops," I said aloud, nonchalantly. I texted, Does that mean you believe me, then? The person next to me is Justine, by the way. I have a couple of friends that this has happened to, of course including myself. You can trust us.
Shada’s next text sounded very resigned. Fine, whatever. You got me- this is happening to me too. But do we reaaaally have to involve everyone else in this?
"Now this is odd," I said to Justine. "She's usually not this...suspicious. But she did admit this is happening to her, which is a start. Whoever she's turning into must be having drastic effects on her personality. Sooo I guess don't take the way she's acting too personally?"

"Okay then, that works for me." Haruto held out his phone so that Ura could read his phone number. How strange this all is, he thought to himself. I could never in all my wildest dreams imagine that any of this would happen when I moved to America.

"Gotcha," Justine gave Shadmé a thumbs-up. She'd already seen the whole "personality shift" thing take place, and seemed to be subtly going through it herself, so it happening to Shada wasn't too hard to buy. Hopefully it wouldn't hit Shada to the extent it did Felis. "I wish there was more we could do to help," she commented, taking note of Shadmé's signature red streaks fading. "Hm. Do you think this will eventually affect our clothing, too?" She didn't know why it would, but then again, this whole thing shouldn't be possible, so why wouldn't it?

"I have no idea," I responded to Justine. "I feel like it probably wouldn't, though. I hope it doesn't! Because then it would be extremely obvious that we wouldn't be ourselves. I get the feeling that it'll be better to lay low." I passed a container of foundation sitting on a dresser over to Justine. "That's there to use if you want to try and hide what's happened to your face. Otherwise, I think we should get back. We need to let the others know about Shada and formulate some sort of plan here!"
Yes, we do, I texted to Shada as I headed back down the stairs. It's important that people like us stay together! The trend here is that people are turning into characters from video games. All of us will know how to fight sooner or later. That should be enough to protect ourselves.
I guess, she texted back. Anyhow, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I'm going to be heading to America soon.
"Wh-what? Really?" I exclaimed aloud. Shada was coming to America! I'd get to meet my online friend! Of course, we could have never guessed we'd be meeting under these circumstances, but certainly any meeting was better than nothing. That's exciting! What area of America? Maybe we could meet up!
Maybe. But my priority is finding my brother. Sorry, it's kind of important.
Is your brother turning, too? I asked before I could help myself.
That had probably struck a nerve. Shada didn't respond for a little while. Worry began to bubble up in my chest. I added, Sorry. You don't have to tell me. But please remember that my friends and I are here and we have no intention of turning ourselves or anyone else in. You can trust us, I promise.