On the private plane they took over the next morning, Mia gave Serena the seat next to Yuruko, and regretted it within six minutes. Yuruko's protege was a thin, Chinese man named Tuyuan, a libertarian who saw an argument in every conversation, and instinctively Mia despised him.
"There's a lot of addicts in this town, apparently. I was looking it up on the way over." said Tuyuan. "Going to have to watch out not to get pricked by any needles."
"Mmhm." murmured Mia, scrolling through her tablet.
"Are you looking over the -- what, thirty dead or missing or whatever? Some brutal-looking stuff. Someone was just crying in rehab, and then their entire body was shredded. Not in the working out way, either."
"I know. I saw the photos."
"Yep. Still, you know, there's a bright side to it. Seven billion people, we'll have to start making some cuts eventually." He yawned, then stood up to go to the bathroom. Mia waited until he was gone to groan.
"Yeeep." chimed Yuruko, glancing over from the other side. "Real pleasant. Real sunny outlook."
"He's always like this?" said Mia.
"Yeah." Yuruko shrugged. "I only call him out for fights, anyway. He's usually pretty blunt."
"Maybe he has autism." whispered Serena and Yuruko giggled.
Serena saw a look from Mia (who didn't know Yuruko was autistic). It reminded her of the first time she called an opponent a "retard" - Mia had come up to her after, an odd expression disappearing: possibly offense. Serena then realized that years of online gaming had long ceased to give any effect to the word on her, which was probably a bad thing, but true nonetheless.
"You wanna pair up with him, Mia?" said Yuruko, and Mia saw Serena's eyes behind Yuruko's shoulder.
"…for the first day, at least." Mia sighed.
Yuruko grinned. "Coolio."
A few hours later, they landed in Greenstale and booked their hotel. Most of the city's neighborhoods were gated off, and its suburbs could easily be claimed as the birthplace of the homeowners' associations scourging America. There was an illustrative anecdote of Greenstale, likely true, of an upper-class couple crossing the street to avoid a homeless man while on their way to a charity fundraiser.
Serena & Yuruko paired off after, and on their way over to Sonic, Yuruko showed her her new badge that read: 'GENESIS'. (Sonic was an American fast-food restaurant, whose gimmick was outside seating & servers who wore roller-skates.) After both struggled a little ordering, they sat at the table closest to the sidewalk, and were eventually given their food by a male server.
Serena looked at him as he skated away, feeling he looked rather feminine. While not sexist or homophobic, there was something about feminine men that sometimes discomforted Serena: nothing she enjoyed thinking about too deeply. Perhaps she projected her own miens on to them and instinctively was repelled, or that she pitied them: part of her own life had seen her assumed a feminine man. Her internal struggles aside, she was now pleased to have been gendered correctly by everyone at Urasaria, enough that a twinge of her voice now roused no suspicions, or need for one to update their priors about her.
Yuruko held out her empty cup to Serena. "Soda." Blackburn's fog filled her cup with soda, and she sipped satisfied. "Man, this is way better than, uh - what was your last Revenant? The Age of Mythology one?"
"Odyssey." laughed Serena. "Yeah, it is. Free refills everywhere."
"Yeah." Yuruko grinned as she set it down. "Ugh, the last time I ate here was, uh, I was with my dad when they first started opening. And we had to wait for three hours. Just sitting in the drive-thru, waiting the entire time." She paused. "Wait, did I tell you about my dad before?"
"Um, not really." said Serena, sipping.
"Oh. He works at Pfizer, uh. He develops drugs. I remember he was really happy when Medicinal activated, since, uh- you know, he works in chemistry, so. I get to be the perfect proton manipulating daughter."
"What does your mom do?"
"She leeches." said Yuruko plainly. "I mean, that's all she really does. She just leeches and -- is that a fucking tree?"
The two shot to their feet and turned -
- and there, walking down the sidewalk, was a fucking walking tree. The women stood stupidly for an instant, and as it made like a figure of speech towards them -
" - run!" shouted Yuruko, and the women rushed out on to the sidewalk and fled, running along the line of businesses, corner up ahead and vegetation in pursuit behind. Few could match its speed, and as it caught up to the two -
- a sweep of its branches cleaved Serena's back, and as she turned, a second swipe sought her neck -
- that caught only air as she swept underneath -
" - Blackburn!"
A stream of fog appeared around her arm -
- and burst in to flames. She shrieked as she stumbled back, second stream filling the fire with water, and as a third swipe caught her jacket's sleeve -
- Yuruko yanked her with the speed of light away, tree taking Serena's jacket off as the women rushed back and away, the punk with traditional tanktop on.
"Gotta be - maybe - what were you trying to do?" panted Yuruko.
"That's - my favorite jacket! - gasoline - to light it on - maybe it's temperature?" shouted Serena.
The corner was just ahead, and they reached it quick, hurtling around to another sidewalk, the beast growing in speed behind, park entrance up ahead and left.
"Lemme test - Medicinal!" shouted Yuruko, and a piece of paper formed in her hands. She threw it back to the tree -
- and groaned as the paper flew away. A second sheet of paper, and she crumpled it before throwing it; and as the ball of paper hit the tree -
- the paper burst in to flames, and she nodded. A throw of a rainbow-colored stone behind, and as it hit the branches branch-on -
- the bismuth began to melt, and the chemist nodded as they kept down the sidewalk, park entrance ten seconds ahead&left, winding path through the trees within.
"Okay - it's below a thousand - for flammable - fill it with magnesium if it comes again, okay? It - must ignite it, but -" said Yuruko, and they came to the park's entrance -
" - uh - why is it stopping?" said Serena, and they turned -
- and bizarrely, the tree had stopped over one casual crack in the sidewalk, crouching down and over.
"It's… not the edge of its range, is it?" winced Yuruko. "I figured they'd - the host must be in a park - but -"
- and as if on cue, the beast rose to life again, starting in pursuit again; inside the park the women swept and rushed, on to the main path, grass flanking them as they ran - but they had no time to rest.
Beside the path, the vegetation began to rumble; and out of the dirt burst the grass, freed from their lofty containment, roots for legs as they stood, a green army now surrounding the women -
" - Blackburn!" shouted Serena, and as the literal blades of grass sought their ankles -
- a wild and hasty spray of fog around, filling the grass with helium gas -
- and the two laughed as the green army was blown skyward, exploding in to hundreds of chunks of green gore above, the pressure too much for their puny grass bodies.
"Coolio." grinned Yuruko; but they had only won the battle, not the war.
Behind, the true beast had reached the park entrance, enormous roots hurtling vegetative body along at wooden gait, and as it drew within range -
" - Blackburn!"
- a flash of fog filled the dirt around with water, and the tree changed paths, running off the path and on to the nourishment now, crouching over and readying to drink distracted.
"Coolio." chimed Serena, but in the next instant -
- the entirety of the waterlogged dirt turned to steam; the path underneath began to collapse, and as the dirt threatened to swallow them alive -
" - Medicinal! Jump!"
- and as they had the last month, the two jumped as Yuruko kicked below Serena, platform of stone forming as the ground collapsed below, swallowing dirt in its wake; and down the beast fell in to the sudden vortex, trapped and out of range below.
"What?" panted Serena. "Doesn't it like water?"
"…I thought so too, but… " Yuruko's lips pinched, safe on her perch. "… Eh. Revenants are weird. Whatever."
Knowing Revenants were weird, or whatever, the two started their run again, stone forming underneath Yuruko's boots as she took the lead. The path ahead veered sharp left, and they followed across it the same -
- and there, a hundred feet separating them and she, a woman on a park bench ahead, trees flanking beside. With no time to waste, the women surged forward, and as she caught sight of the two -
- fear filled her eyes, shooting desperately to her feet -
"Blue Revolver!" she shouted -
- and all around them, the forest burst to life, standing like true oaks as a true army enlisted. Yuruko pressed Serena back as she ran ahead, and as the army stormed the bridge -
- a series of green clouds erupted from both sides of the bridge, black fog filling the slits Yuruko had left for Serena -
- and the green army fell dead and defeated, corroding and wilting as the herbicide claimed their branches and leaves. Path cleared, Yuruko was only fifty feet away now, and she leaped upon the woman below -
- and the two combatants hit the ground fighting; but none could stand against the chemist.
"Drink up, tree-lover!" shouted Yuruko, throwing her hand around the woman's mouth -
- and even Serena winced as the woman's neck dissolved from the inside-out, having drank every last drop of Yuruko's acid. Yuruko winced as she shoved the corpse off of her, rising up careful as Serena came down.
"…man." muttered Yuruko, eyes rueful on the carcass. "Don't usually get that close."
"This is like that time I sterilized that chick." muttered Serena, and the two grinned.
"Still." laughed Yuruko, crouching over the corpse and readying for an incision. "If we can check whether it's -"
- she tapped the corpse's heart -
- and her acid corroded a clear hole through, leaving no Revenant. She sighed, having forgotten to neutralize.
"Guess I'll have to call Nuiko to add that one in." muttered Yuruko, relevantly.
(She said call, but in truth it would be by text: there was nothing she despised as much as making a phone call, besides perhaps face-to-face.)
"We're just here to kill Revenants, anyway." shrugged Serena. "Um, I need to go get my jacket."
Once she got it back, Blackburn repaired it and kept the slit she usually had cut in to it. They met back with Mia & Tuyuan in their hotel lobby: Mia's expression told Serena she wouldn't repeat this favor tomorrow, but no matter.
"Did the Revenant match the list?" said Mia. (Nuiko had given them a list of the stolen Revenant's abilities.)
"Nope." said Yuruko. "Uh, we just figured it was a random Revenant, so."
Mia nodded. "Alright. I'm… not sure if we have much to investigate, but…"
"Works for me." shrugged Tuyuan.
Serena scratched her neck. "Um, did any of you notice that there's spikes everywhere?"
"Yeah, we could barely find a place to sit." said Yuruko.
Mia sighed. "I noticed. Er, they're there to keep homeless people from sleeping outside."
"Yep." said Tuyuan. "At least this seems like a good area. We won't have to deal with those types of people."
Mia gave Serena a look: one telling her she wouldn't repeat her favor with Yuruko tomorrow. "Serena, we should rest."
Yuruko & Tuyuan nodded and went back to their room on the first floor. Serena took a deep breath, exhaled, and followed Mia to the elevator, speaking as the doors closed.
"Now." Mia grinned. "Did you ask her out?"
"N-Not yet." said Serena. "I-I'm going to soon, it's just - I-I get pretty nervous."
"You should."
"Y-Yes." Serena nodded. "F-Fuck, t-this makes me really nervous, um. She's single, r-right? Do you know?"
"Er, I don't." said Mia as the doors opened to the third floor. They walked out to the hall. "I'm not sure she talks to anyone on campus besides you."
"What about o-outside of campus?"
Mia laughed. "Serena, you should go ahead and ask her. You're worrying yourself too much."
Serena nodded, still quivering as she set back down.
+++
A half-hour later, a knock came at Mia's door. She opened it, and in stepped Serena, wiping her red eyes as she sat down.
"What happened?" said Mia, quickly crouching down.
"S-She h-has a g-girlfriend already." said Serena, filling her cup with tissues. "S-She said she a-already h-has a girlfriend, a-a-and-" - she blew in to one, and kept sobbing after.
"…I'm sorry, Serena." said Mia, placing her hand on Serena's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find someone."
"…m-maybe." She sniffled. "A-And she's e-even bisexual, t-too, a-and…"
"Most female hosts are lesbians, Serena." said Mia comfortingly.
Serena just blew in to more tissues. This and other things about this moment were bringing her back to a shopping trip she had been on in highschool. She had come out to her group of female friends a year prior, and was out with them buying new women's clothes - which she preferred to just think of as clothes. As she came back from her section of the store, a few of her friends were coming out of the changing rooms, complimenting each other.
She went inside, tried one of her dresses on, and when she came out, one of the lesbians had said: "Aww, that makes you look like a real girl." The rest agreed, but what that meant Serena was in their eyes *otherwise*, was what stuck with her. No matter what she attained or how well she passed, she simply could be nothing but herself, and transgender.
"…i-it still hurts." mumbled Serena. "I-I j-just always e-end up feeling like a c-creep."
"You aren't a creep, Serena." Mia rubbed her shoulder. "…Serena, is it alright if I ask you something?"
Serena looked up at her. "W-What?"
"Were you… straight, before your Revenant?"
"U-Um, no. I-I've always been bisexual."
Mia nodded. "I just remember that -- when I first realized I was a lesbian, I… struggled a little with feeling creepy. It took a while for me to even have my first crush. It was on a student, actually, I would ask her to walk me home, and I remember..." She laughed. "When I was fourteen or fifteen, after she walked me home, I told her that I wasn't going to let her leave until she gave me a kiss, and…" She frowned. Reconsidering it now, maybe she had been: just a little. "Er, so long as you're not like that, then you're doing well."
Serena laughed, still teary.
"But, what you said reminded me of that." Mia smiled. "…I'm sorry, Serena. I don't really know what to say - but I'm sure you'll find someone else."
"…I-I just want to get some sleep." mumbled Serena, then loomed over to her bed.
+++
Sometimes, Dr. Rosenthal would reach away from the present and remember a news report he had watched two years ago. It had become a source of purpose for him in the past months, though not the first: he has already read articles about dead Urasaria students or soldiers, put in to wheelchairs by Revenants or quadruple-amputated. What disturbed Rosenthal about *this* report was that it was of students with Revenant-induced mental disabilities, who had been out on contracts without medics, and run against acid Revenants who dissolved entire halves of their brains, still 'living' with down to a quarter of it.
This stuck with Rosenthal more than the images of the corpses he had seen, for he had long rationalized that dead was dead -- and for physical impediments, well, Stephen Hawking had proven that physical-death was easier overcome than brain-death. If Rosenthal's own Revenant had not desensitized him to these stories prior, and had made him someone who clicked the channel over whenever they came on, perhaps this suffering would not have made the present-tense so bright to him.
These justifications all stuck with him as the bagboy placed bags of shampoo, water, and blankets back in to his grocery store cart.
As he left the grocery store, marveling at the arrogance of all the little assholes who left their cart out, he saw a homeless woman pushing her cart along, with a cardboard sign reading what you'd expect. He felt this type of beggar was what caused many of the world's ills. Any rational observer could see that these people wouldn't grow in to productive members of society, and upon people like himself observing it, would be forced to provide a benefit to society: those with no use needed to be made one.
But he knew this task was not one with pleasure: there was no need to abase oneself cleansing an abasement.