Tales of Cadence

[Gamestop]

Ohoho hot springs? Or tubs perhaps? I assume there will be some sort of sexual innuendo or other such nonsense going on soon.
_________________

by Sir Shrek

sexy avy by Pictomaster Murasaki.

[0999Silv]

I like that Gummi idea, you should defidently do it. If you do, you have my permission to mention my fanstory that you helped inspired, Tales of the Zenith. I hope other writers get involved, your work's always fun to read.

That aside, it looks like you're going to do a hot spring side quest. I wonder who the Tales Pervert is in this story. My money's on Ilia.

[Fades]

Oh man, the spa scene? Do want, very much so. Next week can't come soon enough. And the Gummi for TotI sounds like a great idea. I'd love to see something like that.


And yeah, of course you have my permission to use Caelum for your cameo battle. You also have my permission to do whatever you like with my characters or story; I definitely don't mind!

[Toku]

Of course you could use Cherie in your cameo battle if you want, Roadie, though she seems to be similar to Cali in fighting style...Nikolette, perhaps?

And ooh, Spa scene, do want. Who doesn't love perversion?
_________________

[Fernard]

I don't mind an Eris cameo or mention in the Gummi. Gummies are fun times.

And Spas, spas are fun times as well. (* w *)
_________________
Count Sophie von Pamcakes says:

"Nyahahah! Visit Angelglory's YouTube Channel!"

[Kevvie]

That Gummi idea sounds cool, go for it imo.

And omgwtfroflsaurus the spa scene!!1 :O-)-<

(Good luck with college btw Roadrunnuh!)
_________________

[Avatar: Roadrunnuh][Fanbar: squidmaster64]

[Roadie]

Thanks to those of you who commented and gave permission for me to mention your fanstories in the upcoming Gummi.

Toku: Ooh yeah, good suggestion... I'll go add Nikolette instead.

Kevvie Sensay: Thank you! Although it's killing me softly.

And here's the hot springs scene. Sorry it's a few days late--I decided to rewrite a huge chunk of it at the last minute. :') And I'd like to apologize in advance, because although I've read and re-read this thing a dozen times, I have a feeling there still might be some weird typos and whatnot throughout. I haven't really been myself lately and my brain's been all over the place, so...yeah. Whooo school hip hip hooray

On that note, writing the Cadence cast has felt like a bit of a chore lately because I've been working with them almost nonstop for about two years now (eww, two years?), so I'm not sure when I'll write something purely Cadence again. The Gummi will definitely be posted soon, and I'm going to start writing Illusion sometime next month, so...there's something. :') Honestly I'm surprised you guys haven't booted me out of here yet.

And enough babbling. Here's the hot springs scene, in all its terrible glory. Urgh. (Haven't you missed the self-hating comments I always post with my writing??)


Tales of Cadence
Hot Springs


“No. No, no, no. This is the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

Felix tugged gently at Raven’s arm, his brown eyes wide and incessant. “Come on, Raven. This is the first cool day we’ve had in a long time, and the spa just finished its renovations... Please?”

Raven tore his frustrated gaze away from the boy and looked back at the building before them. The freshly painted sign read ‘Chaldene Hot Springs Spa’.

“This is our last chance to relax for a while,” Elsynne insisted. “I think it would be nice if we stopped and took a break.”

“The rest of us will go inside, at least...I don’t care what you decide to do,” Ilia said.

Raven planted himself on a bench outside, his arms folded resolutely over his chest. “Then I’m staying right here, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Stephen glanced back at him and shielded his eyes against the brilliant sun. “It’s going to get pretty uncomfortable out here later on. You’re sure you don’t want to come with us?”

“I told you, I don’t care.”

The others filed in, apparently satisfied with his answer, but Elsynne waited behind.

“Raven,” she murmured, “if you’re going to sit this one out, why don’t you come inside? It’s not that bad in the lobby.”

“I’d rather not...”

“Because someone might drag you in anyway?”

“Because this whole idea is stupid.” Raven pushed himself back to his feet, his hands clenching at his sides. “Skylar’s running around out there and what do we do? Go to the hot springs. Whose bright idea was this? Why can’t we just get on with this journey and get it over with?”

“I think some rest is exactly what we need right now. Just let them have their fun for a while, okay?” She forced a small smile. “I think you could use a break too, Raven. You’re always on edge.”

“I’m always on edge because of the stupid group I’m being forced to travel with,” he hissed, although he reluctantly followed Elsynne into the spa’s front lobby.

“Two for the mens’ hot spring and four for the womens’,” Ilia was telling the man at the front desk.

The young Penna man wordlessly scanned the group, but his gaze lingered on Raven and Elsynne. “Say…you’re the two who wrecked the hot springs before!”

Raven bristled. “We were attacked! It’s not like we went in there to destroy the damn spa on purpose!”

“How can I be sure you’re not going to cause trouble again?”

“I don’t care if you trust me or not. I’m not going in.”

“I-It’s just the rest of us,” Elsynne said weakly.

The Penna man gave a quiet sigh as Stephen moved to put the group’s gald back in his pocket.

“We just finished fixing the place up…but all right. You can go in if you’d like. Business is business.”

“Yes!” Felix pumped a fist in the air and grabbed one of the pristine white towels from the counter. “This is going to be great!”

“You’re really missing out, Raven,” Ilia teased.

He barely glanced up. “Missing out on what? Humiliating myself? No thanks.”

“So it’ll only be two for the mens’ side, right? Are you sure?” the Penna clerk asked with just a hint of skepticism.

“It looks like Raven will be sitting this one out, so…yes,” Felix said, dejected. He turned the full force of his brown eyes on Raven until he noticed the Penna’s puzzled—but very mirthful—sneer.

“Be careful in there, Felix,” Raven said, struggling to hold back a snort of laughter.

“U…gh.” Felix backed as far away from the counter as he could, still clutching his towel to his stomach.

The Penna man rolled his eyes. “Don’t jump to conclusions, kid.”

Felix only looked more terrified than he had before.

“He looks and acts like a girl, but he’s definitely a guy,” Raven finally interrupted from his spot in the corner of the lobby.

The clerk’s scoff transitioned effortlessly to a sly smirk. “You sound pretty sure of that.”

“Yeah, well, when you travel with someone long enough…” Raven suddenly realized what the man was driving at and shut his mouth.

Elsynne smiled nervously and grabbed one of the towels from the counter. “We’ll be going now, thanks. Raven, will you be all right out here by yourself…?”

Raven glanced at the man behind the counter and swallowed anxiously. “Maybe I’ll…I’ll go in with Felix and Stephen, or something. I’m just not getting in the hot spring itself.”

The Penna man jabbed a slim, olive-toned finger in Raven’s direction. “You’re still going to have to pay the entry fee even if you don’t get in the water.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Raven sighed as he pulled a handful of gald from the pouch in his pocket; he always felt a strange sense of hollow guilt when his wallet got lighter.

The Penna smiled triumphantly as he accepted Raven’s payment. “Here,” he said, shoving another white towel across the counter. “You might decide otherwise.”

“Bastard,” Raven muttered, but he took the towel anyway. He separated from the girls and followed Stephen and Felix through a doorway, grateful to be away from the Penna man’s leer.

“So you’re coming after all, are you?” Stephen asked, one eyebrow quirked.

“That guy gave me the creeps.”

The inventor laughed. “He was a bit strange. But hey, at least we can all relax now, right? We don’t have to worry about Skylar or anything else for a while.”

Raven shifted uneasily as they moved from the secluded hallway to the changing room. “I have a feeling we’re still going to have trouble here…”

“Oh?”

“It’s a hot spring. There’s always trouble in a hot spring.”

“It’ll be fine, Raven!” Felix said, his grin widening. “The mens’ and womens’ springs are separated by a big wall and everything.”

“Yeah, I saw it myself. I was nearly thrown through it.”

“Oh right, by Arngon. I remember!”

“That was right after he almost drowned me, and then-“

“Hey, hey. We’re here to rest up, aren’t we?” Stephen cut in, shepherding the two from the changing room to the hot spring. Raven recoiled backward when a blast of warm air hit him square in the face.

“Yeah,” Felix agreed with another grin. “Let’s just forget about what happened here last time.”

“How could I?” Raven pulled his shirt up to his midsection, revealing a long, white mark along his back. “I’ve got the scars to prove it! That stupid dragonling… If I ever see him again, I swear I’ll stab him right in the-”

“Whoa, Raven…you’re covered in scars!” Felix interrupted, nudging Stephen out of the way.

“That’s… Yeah, I guess so,” Raven muttered after a fitful silence. He yanked his shirt back down and positioned himself in a corner, suddenly feeling very self-conscious in the presence of two toweled men. Stephen and Felix exchanged a glance and shrugged before they slid into the steaming pool.

“So where did you get all those scars, Raven?” Felix asked, grasping the side of the spring. The water just barely came up to his shoulders.

“Oh, the usual. Fights and stuff, life of a mercenary.”

“Did you get any before you were a mercenary?”

“From sword practice. Lukas was pretty rough sometimes. He used to knock me down a lot, especially if I said something to piss him off.”

Stephen sighed, but Raven could still see him smiling. “You’re just exaggerating,” he said. “Lukas was a good brother.”

“Oh, shut up! How would you know what having a brother’s like?”

Felix tilted his head curiously to the side. “Do you only have scars on your back, or…?”

Raven looked down, suddenly very interested in the carefully sewn pattern of his shirtsleeve.

“Oh,” he murmured, “they’re, ah… Why do you even care?!”

Felix opened his mouth, but his response was interrupted by a loud splash from the other side of the dividing wall. Raven was thankful—not for the first time—for a distraction.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s been a while since we had a chance to just sit back and chat like this, huh?” Ilia said, wrestling her long hair into a tight bun on the back of her head before she joined Elsynne and Cymbeline in the spring.

“Yes, it’s very nice,” Cymbeline agreed, leaning her head back against the edge of the pool. The dragonling’s eyes were closed, but she didn’t seem to be asleep just yet.

Harriette sat poised on the side of the warm spring, gently touching the water with the tips of her fingers.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get in,” she said after a hesitant pause.

“Why not?” Ilia asked lazily. Her eyes were already starting to slide shut like Cymbeline’s.

“I just…” Harriette poked the surface of the water again. “I can’t see, so…”

“It’ll be fine,” Elsynne assured her. She crossed the pool with ease and joined her younger sister beside the wall. “Come on, I’ll help you get in.”

“…it looks like you’re covered in scars!”

Harriette nearly slipped into the water. “Wh-What in the world was that?!”

“It sounded like it was coming from the other guys’ side of the spring!” Ilia said. She glided to Elsynne’s side and pressed her ear to the wooden dividing wall. “Oh wow, this thing’s thinner than I thought!”

“It was pretty thin when we came here before the renovations,” Elsynne explained. “That was how I heard Raven and Arngon fighting.”

“Are you sure we should be listening in like that?” Harriette demanded.

“Who cares? Don’t you want to hear what they’re talking about?” Ilia said, her grin widening deviously. “It sounds like someone’s covered in scars…heheh. It’s probably just Raven complaining again, but still, if only there was a little peephole…!”

The modest part of Elsynne’s mind told her to turn away and ignore the mage, but the stronger, morbidly curious part pushed her back to the partition.

Harriette scowled when she realized that her sister was gone. “Elsynne! Where are you-”

“…Lukas was pretty rough sometimes. He used to knock me down a lot, especially if I said something to piss him off.”

Elsynne tried to tell herself that she was just mishearing things, but Ilia’s cackle interrupted that one rational thought.

“This is hilarious,” the half-elven girl hissed. “More blackmail for me to use!”

“You’re just exaggerating. Lukas was a good brother.”

“I-I think they’re just going to start arguing now,” Elsynne said, her sentence punctured by Raven’s sharp exclamation.

“Wow, you’ve got him pegged,” Ilia said admiringly.

“Do you only have scars on your back, or…?”

“Oh…they’re, ah…”

Harriette slipped and fell into the pool—probably on purpose—before Raven could finish. Elsynne breathed a loud sigh of relief and moved to help her younger sister.

“They’re coming over to the wall! Act natural!” Ilia said quickly as Elsynne helped lift Harriette out of the water.

“Hey!” Raven’s muffled voice came from the other side of the dividing wall. “What the hell are you doing over there?”

“None of your business, you peeping tom!” Ilia retorted smoothly. “Stop trying to spy on us!”

“We weren’t spying!” Felix protested. “We just heard the splash, and-”

“Of course you’re going to hear a splash! We’re in a hot spring! Harriette just fell in, but she’s all right now.”

“I…” The boy hesitated for a moment and sighed. “Oh, okay. Be careful.”

“I…think I’m going to go back outside,” Harriette said, still glowering at Ilia. The blind girl stood and kept a tight hand around her towel. “I’ll wait for everyone out in front of the building.”

“You don’t want to stay?” Elsynne asked.

“I don’t feel like getting in the water. That’s all.”

“Oh…all right.”

Ilia waited until the girl was out of earshot before she whispered to Elsynne, “Your sister embarrasses pretty easy, huh?”

“She doesn’t always act like it, but she’s only twelve.”

“Ah, that’s true.” Ilia shrugged and stared briefly at the wall. “To each their own, I guess.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’ll bet they were trying to spy on us!” Raven said, pounding his hand against the floor. “I wouldn’t put it past Ilia!”

“She probably heard something interesting and decided to listen in. You were talking pretty loudly,” Stephen said with a smirk.

“Whatever… It’s boring and hot in here. I’m leaving.”

“Back to the weird clerk?”

Raven scowled at the older man. “Hell, no. I’m going outside-outside. Back into town and far away from this stupid place.”

“What are you going to do out there?” Felix asked.

“I dunno…walk around.” He shrugged and pushed himself to his feet. “See you guys later, I guess.”

Felix gave Raven a long, suspicious look. “Don’t try to spy on the-“

“I’m not.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And Felix said this was a cool day?

Raven sat with his back to the spa building and ran a hand through his hair; even in the shade it was blisteringly hot and humid. For once he just wished they were traveling again, somewhere far away from this disgusting heat, even if he wasn’t back at home on his familiar plains.

Raven remembered the last time he had been to Chaldene; it had been much hotter than it was now. He fought Arngon in the spring that time—back when they were still enemies—and the dragonling broke through the wall before they were finished.

I wonder how well they patched up the walls. It was the girls’ side Arngon broke through, if I remember correctly, he thought, a mischievous grin pulling at the corners of his lips. He thought of somehow getting revenge on Ilia by shooting plumes of black magic through the windows on their side of the hot spring.

Or I could gather some decent blackmail if I can hear them gossiping about something interesting…

Raven’s curiosity finally got the better of him—it was wrong, going over to that side of the spa just to get revenge on Ilia (and maybe Harriette for all the times she humiliated him), but he had nothing better to do. He didn’t think the girls would even notice if he was there, and part of him doubted that he’d actually be able to hear anything good.

Raven stood and crept along the side of the stone building, keeping himself in the shadows of the overhanging roof. He vaguely remembered the layout of the structure from the time he had been there several weeks (or was it months?) before, back when his journey with Elsynne and the others had had a much simpler façade.

He paused, his back pressed to the wall as he picked his way over the mountainous terrain. Part of the building had been constructed directly into the sandy, rock-studded hills—scaling this side of the edifice wasn’t difficult for him, but it was tedious.

Finally, Raven caught a soft, feminine-toned sentence from inside. He paused, keeping his clammy hands clenched at his waist. He could hear Elsynne saying something, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. Raven tilted his head back, quietly—he was a little paranoid about Ilia or Cymbeline hearing him, for some reason or another—and saw the closed windows above. Wisps of steam collected and liquefied on the new panes of glass.

What am I even doing here? Raven looked down shook his head. It’s not like I can really hear anything… The heat must be messing with my mind.

“Raven?” Another familiar voice called to him from the hillside. Raven froze, his hands instinctively curling into fists.

“Ophelia?” he questioned uncertainly, his gaze flickering from the dusty boots on his feet to the slim, pale woman standing on the hill only a few feet away. “What are you doing all the way out here? I thought you were looking for Skylar.”

“I was,” she said. “But what are you doing out here? I thought everyone went in the spa.”

“…Are you stalking us, or something?”

“No, no!” The woman held up her hands, as if in defense. “No, I’m not. I saw you all go in earlier so I decided to wait out here. Arngon’s outside the town.”

“You’re waiting for us to come out?”

“Not really.”

“You’ve got new information about Skylar?”

“Not exactly…”

“Listen, if you want to go in the hot springs with them, just go ahead. Cymbeline would be thrilled to see you…and I’m sure Stephen would be too.”

Ophelia’s face went completely pink. It was the first real shade of color that Raven had seen on her in a long time.

“You…!” She stopped herself and took a long, pensive breath. “I’ll just wait. I had to talk with the others about something anyway.”

“What did you need to talk to us about?”

Raven groaned inwardly when he heard Harriette’s shout. He turned slightly and saw the girl making her way carefully along the side of the building.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” he asked.

Harriette raised an eyebrow. “I decided I’d had enough of the hot springs, so I came back outside. I heard the two of you talking and came to see what all the fuss was about,” she replied civilly. “But Raven, what are you doing over here?”

“Um…talking to Ophelia?”

“I mean, what are you doing by the girls’ hot spring? Are you spying on my sister and the others?”

Raven swallowed past a lump in his throat. He looked up and saw Ophelia’s neutral expression switch to a glare.

“I was wondering why you were hanging out behind the building,” she said. “You were looking up at the windows, too! I guess it should’ve been obvious!”

Raven felt black magic gathering and crackling in the hot air all around him. He raised his fists, prepared to defend himself if Ophelia decided to strike.

“I wasn’t spying on them! I was just…I was…” He fished uselessly for an excuse and gave up after a few tense seconds. “Wait, why were you out here, Ophelia?”

“I wasn’t spying on anyone, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“But you-“

“I thought you might be better than that,” Harriette interrupted. “You’re absolutely despicable.”

“Incredibly immature,” Ophelia agreed. The black magic was materializing now in fistfuls of purple mist.

“And I think he ought to be taught a lesson.”

“Damn it, don’t gang up on me!” Raven shouted. He threw up a flimsy barrier, but it was a moment too late—Ophelia’s black magic hit him in the chest like a sack of bricks. The resulting explosion blasted away the wall behind him and pelted his body with a shower of debris.

Raven felt himself fly gracelessly through the air before he hit a pool of hot water and sank like a rock. The last thing he heard was a muted scream…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I feel like such an ironing board here…especially with Cymbeline in the same room and wearing even less clothing than usual,” Ilia said, sighing heavily.

“Do we have to talk about…er, that?” Elsynne asked, a blush settling over her cheeks.

“Well, duh. What’s a visit to the hot springs without a comparison?”

“What’s the point? I mean, we already know that Cymbeline’s…well, she’s…”

The dragonling opened one green eye. “I’m what?”

“Your, um…they’re…”

“You’re the most well-endowed of the group,” Ilia said succinctly.

Cymbeline laughed quietly. “Oh, I see,” she replied. “But why does it matter?”

“Comparing is what everyone does when they come to the hot springs,” Ilia replied, as if that explained everything. And apparently it did, for Cymbeline at least; the dragonling nodded thoughtfully at Ilia’s response and settled back into her place on the edge of the pool.

“Elsynne’s obviously the runner-up, unless Ophelia’s with us of course,” Ilia continued, turning her gaze to the Heir. Elsynne instinctively moved a hand over her chest, even though it was covered by her white towel.

“And that leaves me for third. But it’s not fair! I stopped growing when I was sealed with that stupid black magic art,” Ilia huffed. “If I had grown up, maybe things would be different. I wonder if I would’ve been bigger than Cymbeline…”

“That’s…” Elsynne sneaked another glance in the dozing dragonling’s direction. “That’s wishful thinking.”

Ilia pouted. “Really? Do you think so?”

“Well…maybe you’d have a chance. Maybe.”

The half-elven mage smiled, satisfied with her companion’s reply.

“So…” Elsynne started, hoping to change the subject to something lighter.

“You know, the other side of the wall is awfully quiet,” Ilia said, her sly grin returning. “I’ll bet they’ve been listening in on us. I wouldn’t put it past Raven to try and get revenge somehow.”

“And there as our talk earlier. I wonder if they heard that,” Cymbeline said with a smirk.

Elsynne flushed. “O-Oh, right… But Raven, he-”

“He’d totally listen in,” Ilia said in a whisper. “Maybe not Felix or Stephen, but Raven would, without a doubt.”

Elsynne didn’t speak for a long time. She still couldn’t hear anything past the thin dividing wall, and for some reason she was inclined to believe Ilia’s claims.

“We should try to get back at him,” Ilia proposed.

“But…how?”

The mage sat quietly for a moment, putting a finger to her chin. “Well, we can-”

Cymbeline suddenly perked up from her side of the hot spring. “That voice…! I hear people arguing outside!”

Elsynne followed her gaze to the opposite wall. “Really? I can’t hear a thing.”

“I can hear something, but it’s too muffled for me to make out. That wall’s made of stone,” Ilia said, her brow furrowed as she concentrated. “My hearing isn’t as good as yours is, Cymbeline.”

“I can hear Harriette and Raven, and…and Ophelia?”

Elsynne wasn’t surprised that her sister and Raven were arguing—that certainly wasn’t anything new in their familiar little circle.

“But Ophelia?” she repeated curiously. “I didn’t know she was here. Maybe she wants to come in the hot spring too?”

Cymbeline focused. “They’re arguing about something, but I’m not sure what…oh, Raven, he was being accused of-“

A loud blast cut the dragonling off and the wall behind her exploded into a thousand shards of rock and debris. Elsynne caught the thick, bittersweet scent of black magic before a body hit the spring and sank beneath the surface of the steaming water.

Ilia gasped and jumped back. Elsynne recognized Raven’s submerged form and, without thinking, she reached out and grabbed him around the middle. She quickly seized him out of the water, ignoring her companions’ bemused stares.

Raven’s head flopped over—he still seemed a bit flustered after the blast—and made contact with her shoulder. His dark blue eyes fluttered open the moment his cheek touched her exposed skin.

“Who…?” It took him a few seconds to realize where he was and who was holding him. He took a deep, ragged breath. Elsynne’s grip loosened and she felt her face grow hot.

“Oh…” Ophelia took a few awkward steps away from the new hole in the wall. “I’m…I’m sorry, I…”

Raven finally pushed himself out of Elsynne’s weak grasp. He took in her attire (or lack thereof) in a few short seconds and turned away.

“Damn it, Ophelia!” he hissed through gritted teeth. His cheeks were a bright shade of red, and Elsynne had a feeling it wasn’t because of the warm pool.

Cymbeline jumped to her feet. “Ophelia! What are you doing here?”

“I thought I saw Raven trying to spy on you from outside, and I confronted him… I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do this…”

“You and Arngon should join us!”

“Me and Arngon?”

Everyone but Cymbeline collectively blanched.

Harriette was the first one brave enough to break the uncomfortable silence. “It served Raven right, being thrown through the wall.”

“He didn’t really get punished when he fell in the hot spring, I’m afraid,” Ilia said, stifling a giggle. Elsynne shot her a look and pulled her towel even tighter around her body.

Raven spun around to face Elsynne and stopped short, trying desperately to focus his gaze on the door over her shoulder. “It’s Ophelia’s fault, not mine! I was waiting outside for everyone to finish up, and she and Harriette attacked me!”

“Don’t try to blame this on me!” Ophelia countered. “It’s your own fault for trying to spy on the girls!”

“I wasn’t spying on them! And you didn’t have to throw me through the damn wall!”

“It’s all right, Raven,” Cymbeline said. “No harm done!”

Raven didn’t realize that the dragonling was behind him until it was too late. She pulled him into a friendly hug before he could run.

“Stop, Cymbeline! Stopstopstopstopbeforesomeoneseesyoustop-“

“Hey! What’s going on?”

Raven cursed his own bad luck when he heard Stephen’s voice coming from the new hole in the outer wall. He was afraid to try and crane his neck over Cymbeline’s shoulder, but he could only imagine the look on his companion’s face.

“Oh, wow…”

Judging by his voice, it was probably a smirk. Raven sunk even deeper into self-pity when he heard Felix’s flustered tone.

“Raven! Wh-What did you do?”

“He’s certainly a lucky man,” Ophelia chimed in, sounding more mirthful than stunned now.

“Oh, he’ll get payback later,” Ilia promised as sparks of electric magic danced in the palm of her hand.

The door to the womens’ hot spring suddenly opened, and this time the Penna clerk came in. Raven wished right then and there that he could melt into the floor and disappear forever.

The clerk shook his head. “I knew it was a bad idea to let you come back. But this time I can charge you the new bill.”
_________________

[Gamestop]

Best hot springs evah.
_________________

by Sir Shrek

sexy avy by Pictomaster Murasaki.

[KK Twain]

Poor Raven is always the one getting abused, isn't he? It's funn how he wasn't trying to peek on the girls, he was just trying to hear gossip. Of course... everyone would assume that he was trying to peek.

Was Ophelia there to spy on Stephen? Or did she really have something to say?

Also, that Penna Clerk is creepy. (Didn't he just walk into the girls side himself? He should be fired for that.)

[Fernard]

What hot springs scene is complete without a hug from Cymby~? 'Twas a lovely scene. :3
_________________
Count Sophie von Pamcakes says:

"Nyahahah! Visit Angelglory's YouTube Channel!"

[Roadie]

Thank you guys, I'm glad you enjoyed the hot springs scene. <3 It was nice going back to write the characters again after a long hiatus.

KK Twain: Ophelia's original intent was to deliver a message, but she might've realized they were in the hot springs and her intentions changed... (The hot springs scene actually leads to several skits, so I'll have to work on those sometime in the future.)

The main story section of the bestiary is finally complete, and I only have a few Side Quest battles to add--Lukas redux battle and the Abyssion-style fight against Caitria.

Also... I'm going to start writing Tales of the Illusion next weekend, so I'm not sure how many more things I'll be able to contribute to Tales of Cadence (aside from the gummi, of course). I'll definitely write at least two more sidequest events, but I'll let you guys decide which ones I should definitely work on. <3 I might still do more, but I'm not sure... But this thread's been around for quite a while, and I know I'm ready to move on to new things.

Oh and if there's anything else in the story that you'd like to know more about--locations, the magic system, characters, whatever--let me know about that too. I'm not sure if I left anything in particular out, since I know all the stuff in my head and I'm not sure if it all made it into the story. :')

Let me know which two you'd like most to see, and whether you'd prefer to read them in prose or script format.

Backstory Sidequests
- Ilia Ruden's backstory (with Raven and Lukas)
- Stephen Rosner's backstory (with Ophelia, Will, and Vivianne)

Uhhh I'm at a loss for other backstories so if there's a particular character you'd like to see then let me know.

Fun Sidequests
- Ilia's School Costume
- Raven and Elsynne's Messenger/Heir Costumes
- The Hero Costumes

Aaand I still have oneshots -- one of Ilia's past and one with a little about Arden's past -- but they're truly awful and I'll keep them away from this thread unless anyone wants to see them. :')

Lastly, a sneak peek of the Gummi:

Female MC: It’s you!

Raven and Ilia: Us?

Female MC: Yeah, you two! The bastards who left us hanging at the end of the last Cadence Viva!

Azure: …Cali, back away slowly.

Raven: It wasn’t us! It was their fault! They came in and distracted us!

Female MC: Ohh, don’t worry. Everyone’s gonna get a good punch in the throat. <3

Azure: She’s actually scaring me…

Ashton: Yes…she’s like that, haha…

Female MC: Lighten up, I’m just kidding! Anyway, my name’s Madeleine Rosaire, a Seer from Royaume. That’s Roy-ah-mm, by the way!

Ilia: Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, ah…um, tell us a little bit about your story, I guess?

Madeleine: Go ahead Ashton, you’re the main character and all.

Ashton: Really?

Madeleine: If you’re scared I can do it for you.

Ashton: Why would I be scared…?

Azure: She seems a bit…dominating?

Ilia: At least we know who wears the pants in that relationship.

Ashton: We’re not in a relationship! We’re just friends, that’s all.

Raven: That’s what they all say.

Madeleine: Well you’re one to talk, denying your feelings all throughout the end of Cadence.

Raven: I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.

Ilia: Oh, you read our story?

Madeleine: Of course! I’ve read all of the fanstories on this forum! I’ve got to know who I’m going up against and who I can be friends with!

Cali: There are a lot of fanstories on this forum…you’re sure you read them all? I mean, you’re new and all…

Madeleine: I may be new but I’m a super fast reader. I’m pretty confident I’ve got every Tales fanstory down to pat!

Cali: Oh, yeah? Why don’t I challenge you to a fanstory quiz?

Madeleine: I accept your challenge!

Azure: Oh, god.

Raven: What kind of awful Gummi is this turning into…?

Ashton: Please don’t stroke her ego. If it gets any bigger it’ll explode.
_________________

[KK Twain]

Favorite character from Bane: Azure
Favorite character from Cadence: Raven
Favorite character from Illusion: I think it's going to be Madeleine.

[Gamestop]

Those backstories sound pretty legit
_________________

by Sir Shrek

sexy avy by Pictomaster Murasaki.

[Fades]

Hot springs scene was win. Cymbeline hugs are amazing no matter the circumstances imo. Raven has to be the best Tales "Peeping Tom" ever, even though he was literally thrown into the title...

But oh man, my love for Madeleine keeps growing the more I see of her. She will be my favourite character by far before you even start posting the story.

As for those sidequests, I want to see them all. Doesn't matter whether it's script or prose. Just write them.
...haha, for serious though, if I had to choose two, I'd love the Stephen backstory and the Hero costumes sidequest - both sound like a good read. I'm not too overly particular on the format, but prose would be nice. Or script, if you find that easier. You need to post those oneshots as well imotbh.

Lastly...do you mind if I steal your bestiary format for Concordia? I can't think of a better format than that... I really love reading your monster book entries by the way. :)

[Roadie]

Thank you everyone, I'm glad you enjoyed that preview.

Formula: Go right ahead! I don't mind if you use the format.

Looks like the forums are back up and I can finally post the Fanstory Gummi...but before we get into that, I have an annoucement I'd like to make.

I don't want to keep reviving this thread after I've started posting TotI, so I've made the decision to move on to another website to post my upcoming ToC stuff. This means I won't be posting anymore ToC on the TOSF after TotI's begun. (Maybe I'll even pull up the TotB remake on the LJ account, if people are interested of course...!)

From now on I'll be posting ToC stuff (after TotI has been posted) on my writing journal. This way, I can continue to write things for ToC without having to pull up a dead thread every time I post. So I will be continuing ToC sidequests and everything... I won't be limiting myself to just two things. And I can use the writing journal to post chapters of TotI if the forum dies for a long time again.

My writing journal blocks anon comments, so you have to be a registered user to comment--though it's not that difficult to join, really, and you can all feel free to add my private account on the site if you do decide to join--but that's just to prevent spam and such.

So, without further ado, here is the Fanstory Gummi, and I hope you all enjoy it.


A Fanstory Gummi ~ Totally Shameless Promotion at its Finest!

Azure: Welcome to the first (and most likely the last) Fanstory Gummi of the season! I am your fearless leader, Azure from Tales of the Bane. Joining me is my not-so-lovely co-host, Raven Sendemere from Tales of Cadence!

Raven: What the hell did you just say?!

Azure: What a wonderful way to start the Gummi. Arguing…as usual.

Raven: Who picked me to co-host this thing with you?! Why couldn’t it be someone like Ilia?

Azure: You didn’t have to accept the invite to host, you know. You could’ve completely ignored it.

Raven: I…!

Azure: Anyway! Moving along! Raven and I are here to host our very first Fanstory Gummi! Totally shameless promotion at its finest!

Raven: What is a Gummi, anyway? I mean, I know you eat them to feel better, but why isn’t this one of those ridiculous Viva things?

Azure: I’m glad you asked (not really)! A Gummi is like a big Viva skit for all of the fanstory characters. It’s not just the Cadence crew or the Bane group. Gummis are usually videos Namco-Bandai makes to promote new Tales games, too.

Raven: Oh…is it like a collaboration thing, then? Because I was told I’d never have to participate in one of those ever again.

Azure: Not really. I think it would be difficult to get all the fanstory writers in one place at one time…but we’ll be mentioning other fanstories too.

Raven: Oh, joy.

Azure: But our purpose for now is to promote a new fanstory coming to the forums, Tales of the Illusion. We-

Raven: Why?

Azure: What?

Raven: Why are we promoting this thing?

Azure: People asked.

Raven: People still care…?

Azure: Let me finish my introduction before you start interrupting, dumbass.

Raven: Shut up.

Azure: Goddamn Bird.

Raven: At least I’m not named after a color!

Azure: Hey, I didn’t choose this name. But you chose yours.

Raven: …Stupid half-elf.

Azure: Ohhh, running out of insults already, are we? Don’t forget that you’re a half-elf too, you moron.

Raven: At least I can accept that fact with grace, unlike some people here!

Azure: You little- oof!

Raven: Ow!

Ilia: We should’ve known putting you two together as hosts was an awful idea. Look at how much time you’ve wasted arguing!

Azure: Well you don’t have to get that damn Katz to punch us!

Cali: Damage control, go!

Ilia: Okay! It’s time to introduce the two main protagonists of Tales of the Illusion! First up is the hero, a…rebel-in-disguise?

Male MC: Ah yeah, that’s me.

Cali: Well, tell us your name and a little about yourself!

Azure: Hurry, before she socks you in the stomach…

Male MC: My name’s Ashton Stirling. I come from a farming family in eastern Estovia, and I’m currently-

Ilia: Okay, next! The heroine of the story and Ashton’s partner in crime, a Seer!

Ashton: A-Ah…

Female MC: It’s you!

Raven and Ilia: Us?

Female MC: Yeah, you two! The bastards who left us hanging at the end of the last Cadence Viva!

Azure: …Cali, back away slowly.

Raven: It wasn’t us! It was their fault! They came in and distracted us!

Female MC: Ohh, don’t worry. Everyone’s gonna get a good punch in the throat. <3

Azure: She’s actually scaring me…

Ashton: Yes…she’s like that, haha…

Female MC: Lighten up, I’m just kidding! Anyway, my name’s Madeleine Rosaire, a Seer from Royaume. That’s Roy-ah-mm, by the way!

Ilia: Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, ah…um, tell us a little bit about your story, I guess?

Madeleine: Go ahead Ashton, you’re the main character and all.

Ashton: Really?

Madeleine: If you’re scared I can do it for you.

Ashton: Why would I be scared…?

Azure: She seems a bit…dominating?

Ilia: At least we know who wears the pants in that relationship.

Ashton: We’re not in a relationship! We’re just friends, that’s all.

Raven: That’s what they all say.

Madeleine: Well you’re one to talk, denying your feelings all throughout the end of Cadence.

Raven: I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.

Ilia: Oh, you read our story?

Madeleine: Of course! I’ve read all of the fanstories on this forum! I’ve got to know who I’m going up against and who I can be friends with!

Cali: There are a lot of fanstories on this forum…you’re sure you read them all? I mean, you’re new and all…

Madeleine: I may be new but I’m a super fast reader. I’m pretty confident I’ve got every Tales fanstory down to pat!

Cali: Oh, yeah? Why don’t I challenge you to a fanstory quiz?

Madeleine: I accept your challenge!

Azure: Oh, god.

Raven: What kind of awful Gummi is this turning into…?

Ashton: Please don’t stroke her ego. If it gets any bigger it’ll explode.

Madeleine: Hey, down in the peanut gallery! Shut up so I can concentrate and kick this Katz’s ass!

Ashton: And it starts…

Ilia: Wait, Katz? I thought Cali wasn’t a Katz?

Azure: She is in the abandoned rewrite, apparently.

Cali: I’ll go easy on you for the first question. Who are the first antagonists to appear in Tales of Cadence?

Madeleine: Ophelia and Arngon.

Ilia: They became our allies later, though.

Raven: Which thrilled Stephen and Cymbeline…

Cali: All right, good. Second question! Who has the One Heart in Tales of the One Heart?

Madeleine: Noah, of course! (And he’s oh so cute. <3)

Cali: Third question! What’s Aard’s title in Tales of Castus?

Madeleine: The Feral Wolf!

Cali: Hmph. Fourth question! What kind of ingredients does Eliza add in her rice balls in Tales of the Zenith?

Madeleine: Anchovies, mayo, and green peppers!

Ilia: Ew… Actually, I can’t even imagine how terrifying those would taste.

Cali: Hm, you do know more about the other fanstories than I thought…

Azure: I’m bored. Can we move on yet?

Cali: But I’m not done quizzing her yet!

Azure: No one cares!

Raven: I’m just going to skip out on this and head for the next segment, since I’m unfortunate enough to be in it.

Ashton: What is it?

Raven: “The Best of the Best! Deciding the Strongest Fanstory Hero!”

Azure: Oh, I must be in that! … Hey, why isn’t my name on the list?!

Raven: You’re not a main hero, obviously.

Ashton: Oh, hey, my name’s on the list…

Azure: Well, of course. You’re the new guy. You’re supposed to be included in all this stuff.

Ashton: So I’m not in the running for “Strongest Fanstory Hero”…?

Madeleine: Cheer up. You’re the strongest in my book! (Well, second to my favorite fanstory hero of course…)

Ilia: I guess this is a good point to move on. Good luck, Raven! And uh, you too, Ashton.

Ashton: Thanks, I guess.

Azure: Why isn’t my name on the list…?!

Raven: Don’t follow me! Go away, you leech!

Cali: Hey Ilia, looks like we’re all on the list for something else. You’re on here too Madeleine. Let’s get going.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Best of the Best! Deciding the Strongest Fanstory Hero!

Azure: So how come my name’s not on the… Oh, crap, it’s you.

Christos: This segment is for fanstory heroes, Azure, not the fanstory trash like you.

Azure: You wanna run that by me again, you big stupid-

Ashton: Now I know what they were warning me about when they said you guys liked to derail these things…

Azure: Back off, new guy. You’re in established territory now.

Raven: These things usually turn into a disgusting train wreck before we make it to the halfway point.

Ashton: Oh…I guess I should be looking forward to this when Illusion’s start, then?

Raven: If your group’s made of complete idiots, then yes.

Christos: W-Well, moving along… This segment’s meant to reflect the Tales Fandom Gaiden, which was pre-released with Tales of the Abyss. The main heroes of the Tales series were summoned to decide who among them was the strongest.

Raven: So if this is the Fanstory Gummi…why are we the only ones here?

Christos: Invites were sent to the other major heroes of the active fanstories, but not everyone could show up.

Azure: Would’ve been crazy in here if they could.

Raven: …So it’s just us. Great. Wonderful.

Ashton: Are we going to fight to decide, or…?

Christos: The plan was to have one big competition, but…it didn’t quite work out, as you can see.

Ashton: Then the least we could do is mention the other fanstory heroes, right? We’re not the only ones after all.

Christos: O-Oh, before we start, I guess I should introduce myself like the others have… I’m Christos, also from Tales of the Bane. Like Azure, unfortunately.

Azure: You know you love me.

Christos: No, not quite.

Raven: Waste of time…

Azure: So, anyway, who do you think is the strongest?

Raven: I dunno. I already told you, I don’t read these things.

Ashton: Surely you’ve met other fanstory heroes? I know Cadence has been in a ton of collab projects.

Azure: Oh, yeah, Cadence really whores itself out.

Raven: Hey, shut up. I’ll take that bow of yours and shove it up your-

Christos: Hey, hey! Let’s keep the ball rolling! Raven, who’ve you met?

Raven: Uh, let’s see… There was Sol in Tales of Castus, Sain from Tales of the Darkness, Davis from Tales of Eris, and Milene from Tales of the One Heart.

Azure: The latter being in an infamous affair with you.

Raven: What…?

Azure: I’ve seen the picture of you two. It’s lovely.

Ashton: You’ve met a lot of heroes…

Christos: Cadence has been around for almost two years, so the cast has had a lot of time to get around.

Azure: Bane, on the other hand…nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Christos: Not true! There was that planned collab with Tales of Valor.

Azure: Oh, right!

Christos: You of all people should remember that…

Azure: …

Ashton: I hope I’m lucky enough to meet a lot of other fanstory characters.

Raven: No, you don’t. They’ll all beat you up.

Ashton: They will?

Christos: No, no. Raven only gets beat up by others because it’s to be expected.

Raven: That’s not fair! I don’t ask to be beaten up! It’s the writer’s fault!

Azure: Everything’s her fault.

Ashton: I don’t think I can be beaten up as easily as Raven is… Not when I have a sword this big, anyway.

Azure: Whoa…it’s huge.

Raven: A two-handed sword? Nice.

Ashton: I think I can hold my own pretty well!

Christos: Don’t get too confident. There are plenty of strong fanstory heroes out there. I’ve heard good things about that Davis Winchester, for instance. Same goes for Sol Branchel.

Raven: (shudder)

Azure: What was that for?

Raven: I’ve…I’ve met them both before.

Ashton: So they are strong… But I want to meet strong people, too! Not just to fight them of course.

Azure: Let me guess, so you can get stronger? Cliché Tales hero, I see…

Ashton: No, not just that! Because it’s always great to-

Raven: Make new friends? Wrong.

Ashton: …Because it’s always great to meet everyone that you can. Get allies to help you when you need it, and all that.

Raven: …Right.

Azure: Remember, this is a farm boy talking…

Raven: Yeah, I know.

Christos: I wonder what the others are up to?

Azure: Probably gossiping, or whatever large crowds of girls do in their spare time.

Ashton: It’s Madeleine I’m worried about…

Azure: Oh, how precious.

Ashton: Not because of that! It’s because she’s very…very outgoing.

Raven: Very outgoing.

Azure: Let’s go spy- er, check on them!

~ ~ ~ ~

The Fanstory Heroines

Elsynne: And now for the (much) quieter segment of the Gummi…

Ilia: Introducing the Fanstory Heroines!

Seraphine: Oh, but I thought Elsynne was the main heroine of Tales of Cadence…?

Ilia: Yeah, she is… (grumble grumble)

Elsynne: Ahah, it’s fine if you’re here too, Ilia. You played an important role in the story as well.

Madeleine: So, um…what’re we going to talk about in here, anyway? I’ve never seen a female-exclusive segment of a real Tales Gummi before.

Seraphine: They usually invite male characters to real Tales Gummis.

Ilia: Well, we could be totally cliché and talk about our crushes!

Madeleine: Eww, boring.

Ilia: Oh c’mon, it’ll be fun! It’s the perfect chance to mess with people. <3

Elsynne: I-I’m not sure I like the sound of this at all…

Ilia: Then let’s start with you, Seraphine, since Tales of the Bane came first and all.

Seraphine: No, I’d prefer not-

Ilia: You ended up with Azure at the end of your story, didn’t you?

Seraphine: Well, yes, but-

Ilia: But throughout the story it was hinted that you were going to be in a pairing with Christos, right?

Seraphine: Yes, however-

Ilia: Ohhh, you were in a love triangle. Lucky girl.

Madeleine: But if you think about it, Raven was too.

Elsynne: He was?

Madeleine: Yeah, he had you and Ilia fawning over him the entire time.

Elsynne and Ilia: W-What?!

Ilia: I was not fawning over him! My heart belongs to someone else!

Madeleine: Yeah, protest all you want. I’m not buyin’ it.

Elsynne: And I… I…

Madeleine: Same goes for you.

Seraphine: What about you, Madeleine?

Madeleine: Me? Well, I’m the main heroine and Ashton’s the main hero, so of course there’ll be hints between us. But there are several other men in our group, so… Who knows?

Ilia: Care to satisfy our curiosity?

Madeleine: There’s Everett, but he’s like 24 years old so I don’t care about him… Then there’s Caden, but he’s a femboy so whatever. Lastly there’s Regan, but she-

Seraphine: She?

Madeleine: What, haven’t you seen the EstellexRita hints in Tales of Vesperia? Jeez, you’re behind in times!

Seraphine: Heheh…

Madeleine: There could’ve been more SeraphinexCali hints in your story, y’know.

Cali: Ooh, that would’ve been weird…

Elsynne: What about the couples in other fanstories?

Ilia: Have any of the other fanstories gotten far enough to really hint pairings…?

Madeleine: I’ve seen hints of MilenexNoah in Tales of the One Heart! (And LeifxNoah too fufufu…)

Cali: And then there were collab pairings, like RavenxMilene and StephenxElea…

Ilia: The latter of which actually had that character Dollie…

Madeleine: Oh, Dollie? You mean Dahlia Rosner?

Ilia: Er, yes…?

Madeleine: Hey, she’s in Tales of the Illusion! I know her!

Elsynne: That story’s sounding weirder and weirder…

???: Hey, but that collab pairing isn’t as canon as I am!

Seraphine: And you are…?

???: I’m Lily, from the Tales of Cadence sequel!

Ilia: Oh, well, that’s not quite canon either.

Lily: What do you mean?! Of course it’s canon! The writer posted the plans herself!

Madeleine: I thought it was imaginary or something.

Lily: N-Not true! It can’t be…

Madeleine: I mean, Dollie Rosner is appearing in Tales of the Illusion, but you’re not appearing in anything.

Lily: Well…just wait! I’ll appear someday, I swear it!

Cali: You guys’ve got some weird characters in your stories.

Ilia: Oh, look who’s talking.

Madeleine: So! Back to gossiping about crushes!

Elsynne: I thought we were through with this…

Azure: See? I told you they were just gossiping.

Madeleine: Wow, talk about timing.

Raven: That’s seriously all you guys have been doing this entire time?

Seraphine: What are you two doing here…?

Christos: I’m sorry, Seraphine. I tried to hold them back…

Skylar: Hmm, it seems I’m a bit late to the party.

???: My my, what have we here? A gathering of Tales heroes and I wasn’t invited?

Raven: Skylar!

Madeleine: Oh, great. Looks like the monkeys have escaped from their cages.

???: Ashton! I thought I told you to let me know when there were little shindigs like this! You’re going to have a nice, big fine to pay for letting me slide. A month of servitude, perhaps? Two weeks of mafia-type work?

Ashton: I-I didn’t think you were invited…!

Madeleine: Back off, Everett. Go back to your cage!

Everett: Now now Maddie, that’s not very ladylike of you.

Madeleine: I’ll show you ‘ladylike’, you big idiot!

Skylar: That’s enough, kids. Now, Raven…

Raven: Get the hell away from me.

Skylar: Is that how you greet me after all this time? We haven’t spoken in ages!

Raven: And for good reason!

Christos: Ahh, now I see why we don’t have Gummis with every fanstory character in them…

Seraphine: This place is getting crowded…

Madeleine: Take this!

(BAM!)

Everett: Ow!

Madeleine: That’s what you get for messing with me!

Elsynne: She kicked him right in the nose….!

Ashton: This is normal. Just ignore them, please… Madeleine feeds off this kind of attention.

Madeleine: Heheh, I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Ilia: Wow…hey, how come that kind of stuff didn’t happen in our group?

Skylar: It’s not too late for us to catch up!

Raven: Don’t touch me! Go away, you sick freak!

Azure: God, you two are weird and creepy when you’re in the same room together.

Skylar: If that’s how you feel… How about this!

Azure: What are you doing…?

Raven: I sense a lot of black magic in the air…and it’s all condensing around us… Oh, crap, run-

(BANG!)

Cali: Oooh, there they go!

Ilia: Bye, Raven!

Everett: Never a dull day with the Cadence cast, it seems.

Skylar: Never a dull day indeed.

Madeleine: Didn’t Stephen use all those bombs and stuff on Raven anyway? Skylar didn’t need to blast them off.

Skylar: I didn’t need to, true, but it was fun.

Stephen: I don’t blow stuff up on purpose, you know! Raven just happens to be around when I need someone to help me test things.

Seraphine: M-More characters squeezing in here…

Christos: Let’s get out of here, I can’t breathe.

Seraphine: …The door’s locked.

Christos: Th-Then how the hell did he get in here?!

Stephen: Maybe it’s only locked so people can’t get out.

Everett: Oh, how very mysterious~

Madeleine: Great, I’m stuck in here with you, of all people.

Everett: Don’t be so down. You know you’re enjoying yourself. <3

Madeleine: Do you want another bloody nose? Or maybe a broken spine this time?!

Ashton: Hey, calm down. All we need to do is wait for another character to show up, right? Or maybe a fanstory character from another story will show up?

Ilia: Highly unlikely.

Elsynne: They all seem to keep to their own threads… And the forum’s usually down, so…

Skylar: And for good reason. I doubt anyone could stay sane for very long in your company.

Cali: Hey, you’re just as guilty as we are!

Elsynne: At least Raven got out safe… But we’re still stuck here.

Christos: Hey, maybe we can get Raven and Azure to open the door for us! After all, Skylar already blasted them out of the room!

Stephen: I’ve got some leftover bombs with me, and-

Everyone: No.

Madeleine: Hey, didn’t that Lily character get out of here earlier? How’d she manage that?

Ilia: She’s not officially canon (yet?), so maybe she has these…like, alternate dimensional powers or something.

Skylar: The power to open the locked door, basically.

Ilia: Yes, precisely.

Everett: So who’s missing from your groups? Maybe one of your friends can come open the door and let us out before we all go insane.

Christos: We’ve only got Kraza, and there’s no way in hell that he’s actually coming.

Seraphine: He’s been avoiding us since our story ended.

Christos: He came kicking and screaming to your final Viva.

Ilia: Let’s see… Felix and Cymbeline haven’t shown up yet, have they?

Elsynne: Or Harriette.

Ilia: Oh yeah. I always forget about her.

Stephen: I doubt Cymbeline will actually show up, though.

Elsynne: Harriette and Felix would probably show up in a pair, wouldn’t they?

Cali: What about your group, Ashton?

Ashton: Us? Let’s see…besides me and Madeleine and Everett, there are three other characters.

Madeleine: But Caden disappeared a while ago. I haven’t seen him in forever!

Everett: Regan’s incredibly unreliable. She’d get too distracted to come save us.

Seraphine: Well, what about the last character?

Ashton: Amelia? She’s…

Madeleine: Busy.

Ashton: Er, yeah.

Christos: So we’re stuck here, aren’t we?

Ilia: T-The Gummi that never ends…

Skylar: I suppose it’s up to Raven and Azure, then.

Elsynne: But will they come back after what Skylar did to them?

Ilia: Oh, they’re like dogs. They always come back! … Don’t they?

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Azure: I landed right on my face, ouch…

Raven: Ow, my head…

Azure: At least you don’t have anything in there to damage.

Raven: What did you say?!

Ophelia: Oh Raven, back already?

Cymbeline: Hello, Raven~

Raven: Skylar blasted us here. And hey, Cymbeline. What’re you doing here?

Cymbeline: Visiting Ophelia and Arngon, of course!

Ophelia: Figures. Say, who else is at the Gummi…?

Raven: Main characters only. No secondaries, sorry. Come to think of it, why aren’t you there with us, Cymbeline?

Cymbeline: Where?

Raven: On second thought, maybe it’s best if you just stay here.

Ophelia: Oh… Did the other fanstory characters show up?

Raven: Nope. They’re getting references, like the thread promised.

Ophelia: I see…

Azure: So, um…are you ever going to tell me where the hell we are?

Raven: Dead fanstory character land.

Azure: Eww, is this where you’ve been staying this entire time?!

Raven: It’s not that bad, really.

Ophelia: Retirement is…nice, I guess.

Raven: At least we got to go out for the hot springs scene, right?

Azure: Ooh, Cadence had its hot springs scene? Those are the best! Who was the humiliated character in yours?

Raven: …

Azure: Ahahahaha! I should’ve known! That’s rich! Man, I’ve got to go read that thing sometime!

Raven: Oh, shut up!

Ophelia: Well, it was fun while it lasted…but I suppose it’s time to make room for a new story.

Raven: Yeah, I guess.

Ophelia: I thought you’d be happier.

Raven: What do you mean?

Ophelia: You were always whining about Cadence, remember? You always said you couldn’t wait for the story and all the extras to be finished.

Raven: Yeah, but now that Cadence is finally, officially done, I feel…I dunno.

Azure: Empty.

Raven: Exactly…

Azure: It feels strange for a while, but you get used to it. And you’ll probably have a chance to cameo in Illusion’s stuff, right? I kept popping up in yours.

Ophelia: So you basically miss the limelight?

Raven: No, that’s not it! It’s just…I won’t get to go on journeys anymore. I won’t get to see my friends anymore. When we come up, we’ll just be cameos…

Ophelia: …

Azure: Everything comes to an end. The party couldn’t last forever, y’know.

Raven: Yeah, I know that.

Ophelia: Speaking of ‘parties’, shouldn’t you two be at that Fanstory Gummi right now?

Azure: Yeah, we should probably head back. They’re probably wondering where we are.

Raven: Are you kidding? They don’t care about us. We’re the laughing stocks of our respective fanstories.

Azure: Maybe you are, but I’m not-

Raven: …

Azure: Maybe I am, a little. But Christos is the bigger idiot.

Ophelia: You two have an awful lot in common, you know. You’re both half-elves (and no one found out until halfway through your stories), you’re both made fun of constantly, you rarely use magic, you-

Azure: Okay, okay! Stop!

Raven: We’re not alike at all! Those are just coincidences!

Ophelia: I’d say I’m surprised you don’t get along, but…you both love abusing people, so I suppose it makes sense.

Azure and Raven: Shut up!

Ophelia: Hm.

Raven: Let’s get out of here. Maybe we should head back…

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, back in the main room…

Madeleine: Well this all turned out to be even stupider than I thought it would be.

Ashton: And after all your complaining about being left out of Cadence’s final Viva! Tales of!

Madeleine: Oh, shut up.

Skylar: I didn’t think we’d be stuck in here as long as we have.

Elsynne: I guess Raven and Azure really did abandon us, didn’t they?

Ilia: I guess this is what we get for abusing them as long as we have.

Christos: I never thought it would turn into a life-or-death situation like this, though.

Seraphine: Stop exaggerating. We’re not going to die.

Skylar: Not unless we kill each other first.

Elsynne: I doubt anyone will reduce to that… We’re all heroes—well, with the exception of Skylar—right?

Madeleine: …

Ashton: I…I honestly wouldn’t put it past her to just snap and kill us all…

Everett: Let’s make bets on who loses it first! One hundred Gald on Madeleine!

Madeleine: Shut up, shut up, shut up! Your voice is driving me insane!

Skylar: I might have to take you up on that offer, Everett… I could always use some extra Gald.

Stephen: Maybe you guys shouldn’t have messed with Raven so much. He would’ve come running back if you were nicer to him.

Ilia: Oh, you’re just as guilty as we are.

Elsynne: But he’s still right. If you think about it, he’s been abused and made fun of in pretty much everything we appear in.

Skylar: Yes, but he deserves it.

Elsynne: Still…

Ilia: It was fun then, but we’re all suffering for it now.

Seraphine: I… Come to think of it, I don’t think I said anything mean to Azure throughout our entire story.

Christos: I don’t feel bad about anything I’ve done to him. He usually deserved it.

Cali: Yup, same here.

Ilia: The Bane cast has no morals…

(Meanwhile, Madeleine’s been beating on Everett in the background…)

Ashton: The Illusion cast is…no comment.

Ilia: Well, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how your skits flesh out when you finally appear in them.

Ashton: I hope they’re as…eventful as yours have been.

(Click)

Stephen: The door’s finally opening!

Christos: Oh, thank the goddess…

Harriette: Hello…?

Elsynne: Harriette! You made it!

Harriette: I was passing by and heard all this screaming… I hope- er, thought there was a fight.

Ilia: Nope, it’s just the Fanstory Gummi.

Harriette: And I wasn’t invited…?

Elsynne: You were! All the main characters got an invite, didn’t they?

Skylar: (whistles innocently)

Harriette: …I’ll deal with you later.

Seraphine: It looks like we can finally get going.

Ilia: Well, it’s usually the story’s main hero’s job to pass the Roadie!fanstory torch, but Raven’s not here, so… Elsynne, looks like you’ll have to take care of it.

Elsynne: M-Me? What do I do? I don’t remember Seraphine doing this when Cadence was started…

Christos: Yeah, the writer wasn’t lazy enough to waste time with Gummis this big back then.

Elsynne: Er, well… Ashton, good luck when your story’s posted.

Ashton: Thanks, Elsynne. I’ll do my best!

Madeleine: Hey, me too!

Seraphine: And have fun meeting all the other fanstory characters out there, too. They’re all—well, most of them—are really nice, from what I’ve seen.

Cali: Yeah, we never got to do any crossovers…

Elsynne: On behalf of the Tales of Cadence cast, welcome to the fanstory genre!

Seraphine: Yes, welcome from us too!

Madeleine: Ooh, this’ll be fun! I can’t wait to get started!

Ashton: Same with me!

Everett: Time to take our places! I’ll see you two later.

Madeleine: Ugh, I’m not looking forward to meeting you.

Ilia: Well, it’s time for us to get going too. Stephen, Elsynne, Harriette?

Stephen: Yep, I’m coming.

Elsynne: But what about Raven…?

Skylar: Oh, he’ll survive without us. He’ll come wandering back like always.

Christos: I want to get out of here before Azure comes back.

Seraphine: We shouldn’t wait for him?

Christos: No. And let’s not go to our usual place either. I don’t want him to find us.

Cali: How cruel…I like it. <3

~ ~ ~

A while later…

Azure: We finally made it back!

Raven: But isn’t it sort of quiet…?

Azure: You’re right. It’s too quiet…

Raven: Oh, those bastards! They left without us!

Azure: We weren’t gone that long, were we?

Raven: They probably forgot about us on purpose! Those idiots…actually, it was probably Skylar and Ilia’s idea!

Azure: And Christos and Cali’s!

Raven: Damn, if only I still had a story going…I could beat them into the ground for sure!

Azure: Let’s go find them and give ‘em a piece of our minds!

Raven: Good idea. They’re not getting off the hook that easy!

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, in yet another waiting area… The Meeting of the Femboys

Felix: Huh, I thought there would be more people here…this is the right place, isn’t it?

???: U-Um, hello?

Felix: Who’s there?

???: Oh, hello… Sorry, I’m looking for the Fanstory Gummi. I think I took a wrong turn and ended up here.

Felix: Yeah, I’m looking for the same thing. I think I came to the wrong area, though… No one’s here but us, and I’ve been waiting forever.

???: You’re a main character too? What’s your name?

Felix: I’m Felix Dragomir, from Tales of Cadence. You must be from the new fanstory, right?

???: My name’s Caden Benoite. I’m from Tales of the Illusion. It’s a pleasure to meet you!

Felix: It’s nice to meet you too! But I wish you could’ve had a chance to meet Raven and the others as well…

Caden: Raven…he’s the main hero from your story, isn’t he? I’ve heard his name before, but I haven’t had a chance to check all the stories out yet, I’m afraid…

Felix: Don’t worry about it! I can tell you all about them myself!

Caden: Really?

Felix: If you want me to tell you, of course. I know all about the fanstories out there! There’s Tales of the One Heart, and Tales of Castus, Tales of Concordia, Tales of Eris, Tales of Zenith, Tales of the Trinity…

Caden: Wow, there are a lot… I don’t know if I can memorize all of them myself…

Felix: Yeah, but they’re all pretty cool. Come on, let’s go look for the Gummi room together! I can fill you in on the way!

Caden: Okay! Thanks a lot, Felix.

Felix: No problem! Okay, so Tales of Cadence starts out with Raven traveling the plains of Austror by himself before he finds Elsynne—that’s my cousin—out by herself, and…
_________________