Scenario:Vikala - Vika-Vika-Vikala

Vika-Vika-Vikala

On a day off, (Captain) and crew catch Vikala on the Grandcypher's deck. She explains that she needs to buy materials for a new rat-ear headband, then leaves alone for town. After making a successful purchase, she notices the Lowain gang pass by and debates greeting them. She decides to simulate an interaction inside her head, but loses sight of the group upon returning to reality.

---

One day, after wrapping up a request, the crew takes some time off on a nearby island.

Though most have already disembarked, (Captain) spots a single girl who looks nervously at the gangplank.

Vikala: ...

Lyria: Vikala? What are you doing?

Vikala: Huh? Oh, hello... Um... I was thinking of g-going out for a bit...

Vyrn: By yourself?

Vikala: Y-yeah...

Lyria: Oh... Where's your headband?

Lyria refers to the rat ears that Vikala, one of the Twelve Divine Generals, wears to transform herself into a cheerful, outgoing person.

It is rare for the crew to see her without them on.

Vikala: It... b-broke... But I heard this town has a lot of interesting shops, so I'm hoping to find materials to make a new one...

Lyria: Oh! Going shopping? Do you mind if we tag along too?

Vikala: Huh?

Vyrn: Good idea! Leaving her to fend for herself without those ears doesn't sit right with me either!

Vikala: Oh... Um...

(Captain) and companions look expectantly at Vikala, sure that she will accept their offer.

Vikala: A-actually... I wanted to go alone today...

Vikala: I-if you'll excuse me...

Vyrn: Wha—hey!

In the blink of an eye, Vikala scurries off the ship.

Lyria: She said no... I guess we probably would've been in the way...

Vyrn: Nah, sometimes we all need some time alone. Besides, Dormouse is with her, right? She'll be okay.

Standing at the edge of the deck, they watch as Vikala hastily leaves the port and heads into town proper.

Vikala finds herself enjoying her solo shopping trip despite her earlier nervousness.

Vikala: Oh, that's cute... Dorrie, what do you think of the brooch? Maybe it'll look good with my other outfit...

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: Huh? (Captain) and the others?

Vikala: It's f-fine... They wouldn't have had a good time anyway... I'd feel bad if they wasted their day off with me.

Shopkeeper: Welcome! Can I help you with anything?

Vikala: ...!
Ah, uh, th-th-this...

Vikala thrusts the brooch at the shopkeeper, who stares at it in confusion.

Shopkeeper: Should I take this to mean you'd like to check out?

Vikala: Th-that would be nice... Definitely...

As soon as her purchase is paid for, Vikala zips out the store. Her expression is filled with triumph.

Vikala: I really b-bought it... My first time buying in person... alone...

Vikala: What a Yangtopian move... Don't you think so, Dorrie? I even managed to speak with the shopkeeper...

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: No, no, I'm serious. That was progress, right? Super Yang in my opinion...

Vikala: Today just might be my day... Should try walking around town a bit more...

A few energetic steps later, familiar voices catch Vikala's attention.

Lowain: Bwahahaha! Tommy, that joke is hilarious! You gotta bust it out on the ship!

Elsam: Booyah! A certified riot! Gonna laugh so hard we forget to breathe!

Tyre: Ahaha! It will prove to be entertaining, I'm sure!

Tomoi: All right! The peeps have spoken! It's goin' down on the ship tonight—no backing out now!

Vikala: Eep!

The instant Vikala spots her fellow crewmates, she ducks into an alleyway.

Vikala: (Th-that was... Lowain, Elsam, Tomoi, and Tyre...)

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: Wh-why'd I hide? Because there's no way I can talk with them...

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: W-well, yeah, I did before, but that was because...

Vikala: Haha! Put 'er there—handshakes for all! Wahey!

The Three: Wahey!

Lowain: Gahaha! Yangtopia for the win! For realsies!

Tyre: Haha, indeed! Vikala's words alone are enough to brighten any mood!

Vikala: I had my headband then... But right now...

Vikala: What should I do? Doesn't feel right to leave without saying something...

Vikala: I know they're all good people, but I... I just...

Vikala: Being alone is nice, but I don't want anyone to know I'm spending my day off by myself.

Vikala: Especially not by a big group. I'd feel like a fifth wheel... Really blues me out...

But instead of avoiding all contact like her words suggest, Vikala hops from one alley to the next as she follows her crewmates down the street.

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: That's a good point... Okay, I'll say hi at least. But that's it...

Vikala: W-wait a sec... I should put my honed imagination skills to good use and simulate it first...

Vikala: H-hello...

Lowain: Huh?

Vikala: F-funny running into you h-here... Ehehe... Ehehehe...

Lowain: Um... Who're you?

Vikala: Guh!

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: I'm okay. Just took some damage from how real that felt...

Vikala: Honestly, the way I am now, they probably wouldn't even notice me... Maybe there's no point in trying...

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: If they did remember me? Couldn't hurt to see how that'd play out...

Lowain: Heeeya! Whassup, Vika-V!

Tyre: Hello, Vikala! What a coincidence! Are you out for some shopping?

Vikala: H-hi... Yeah, something like that... Ehe...

The Four: ...

Vikala: ...

Vikala: Well, um... I guess I'll be going...

Elsam: Yo, hold up! Not often we run into you, Vika-V! How about we hit up a cafe together?

Vikala: Huh?

Tomoi: Having tea with you would, like, make it divine since you're a general, right?

Vikala: P-pretty sure the tea would be normal, so you shouldn't expect anything...

Lowain: You've already blessed us with a buff though. Look at Ty. He's standing up thirty percent straighter than usual!

Tyre: You really should join us! Spending time together can only strengthen bonds of friendship.

Vikala: Er, that's... I-I... I was actually... planning on returning to the ship right now...

The Three: Pretty please?

Vikala: (Ah...)

Faced with the puppy eyes of her crewmates, there's only one response she can give.

Vikala: Wa... Wahey...

The Three: Wahey! Vika-V, thanks for the wahey! One blessing right after the next!

Lowain: That's that then! Time to hang!

Tyre: This will be so much fun! If you get tired, I shall make it my duty to carry you back!

Vikala: Eeek! P-p-please, there's no need...

For the rest of the day, Lowain and friends drag Vikala here and there throughout the town.

Vikala: A definite no-go... If I greet them, I'll never get away...

Vikala: Nothing's harder than rejecting someone who's being nice...

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: Huh? Er... Where did they go?

Too focused on her simulation, she realizes she has lost track of her fellow crew members.

Vikala: What's wrong with me... I'm kind of relieved they're gone...

With zero motivation to keep shopping, the depressed girl begins to wander aimlessly through the streets.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Vikala's day out has only just begun.

Vika-Vika-Vikala: Scene 2

Vikala sees Chloe, Korwa, and Lilele nearby, and tries to picture how she should greet them. Before she can ready a strategy, the group notices her and learns that she is the normally outgoing Divine General. They invite her to join their girls' night, curious to get to know her better. Immediately after, (Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn are caught following them, having tailed Vikala since she left the ship. Despite being mortified at the revelation, Vikala is glad to have found people who will accept her, with or without rat ears on.

---

Vikala: And here I was thinking of being proactive...

After losing sight of Lowain and friends, Vikala wanders until she hears another set of familiar voices.

Chloe: Ehehe! Thanks a bunchies for showing me that shop, Korwa! Snagged me, like, the best goodies ever!

Korwa: Hehe, glad you liked it. I'm excited to see what outfits you'll come up with!

Vikala: Th-that's... Chloe and Korwa...

Vikala: So cool... F-fashionable people are Yangtopians of the highest order...

Vikala: Pretty too... I'm just a shabby mess in comparison.

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: N-no way, I can't do that... Sure, hanging around them might help me learn how to be more Yang, but...

Vikala: Look at how much fun they're having. I'd smother them like a wet blanket.

Vikala: My whole life, I've never walked up to the cool kids and said "let me in."

Vikala: You wouldn't understand, Dorrie, but popping in like that is just so bold. Way too advanced of a technique for me.

Vikala: Let's just buy some cheese... Go back and eat it in the ship's hold...

The moment she decides to return to her hiding den, a new figure walks up to Chloe and Korwa.

Lilele: Chloe! Korwa! Hello!

Chloe: Oh? Lilele! What's good?
(ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Korwa: Hello there. Out for a shopping trip too?

Lilele: I'm looking for a new stage outfit. What about you two? If you aren't busy, do you want to come with?

Vikala: ...!

Chloe: Totally down! Ooh, and once we clear out the must-buy list, let's pick a place to do a girls' night!

Korwa: Sounds great! Today's going to be a fun one!

Vikala: (Lilele, a popular idol... Casually, without hesitation, inserts herself into the club with great success.)

Vikala: I c-can't even... three confident beauties... they're almost too blinding to look at...

Vikala: If I could join them somehow, I might transform too...

Vikala: And on top of that... a real, honest-to-goodness girls-only social... As Yangtopia as it gets...

Keeping her distance behind them, she follows from the shadows.

Vikala: But someone as gloomy as me will never manage to bloom even where the sun shines...

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: Lowain and bros? They're wahey beyond wahey. Waheytopians to the core.

Vikala: Tyre, though... Wonder if he joined them as easily as Lilele did here...

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: You think I can do it too? Just like them... Are you sure?

Vikala: It would be amazing if I could... be a part of their world...

Vikala: H-hey, guys... Browsing around?

Chloe: Huh? Haven't I seen you on the G. Cyph before?

Lilele: Oh, you're the girl that looks just like Vikala! Never caught your name since you always ran away...

Korwa: Now that I think about it... I've seen you speaking with (Captain) on occasion.

Vikala: (Have to introduce myself before trying to mingle... N-naturally... Smoothly...)

Vikala: U-um... Er... I'm... Vi... V-Vi... V-V-Vi... Vika... Vika...

Korwa: You okay? Sounding like a broken record there...

As Chloe, Korwa, and Lilele peer curiously at her, Vikala's nerves begin to fray completely.

Vikala: Urk...

Vikala: Ugh... Puking in my own simulation...

Vikala: Saying hi and then immediately vomiting? What kind of first impression is that?

Vikala: Let's just take our leave, Dorrie. Yintopia's the place for me...

Grabbing Dormouse, Vikala starts to head for the ship.

Lilele: Um... Did you need something?

Vikala: Ahh!

Whipping her head around, Vikala finds the real versions of Lilele, Chloe, and Korwa staring at her with puzzled expressions.

Chloe: Huh? Haven't I seen you on the G. Cyph before?

Lilele: Oh, you're the girl that looks just like Vikala! Never caught your name since you always ran away...

Korwa: Now that I think about it... I've seen you speaking with (Captain) on occasion.

Vikala: Ah... Ahhh...

Lilele: I thought you might've been a fan of mine, considering how long you were looking my way, but I guess that's not the case.

Chloe: So what's up? Got something to tell us after all that peeping?

Vikala: (Oh n-no, no, no... I'll throw up for real if this keeps up... Have to escape...)

Dormouse: ...!

Lilele: You're... Dormouse—Vikala's friend! Why are you here?

Vikala: (Dorrie, you traitor!)

Korwa: Oh? That can only mean...

Chloe: Yeah, it means... Um, what does it mean?

Vision spinning, Vikala flounders for an answer.

Vikala: I-I'm, um... I'm a-actually... Vika... V-Vika... la...

The Three: ...

Vikala: (Couldn't manage to introduce myself without messing up...)

Vikala: (This is the end of Yangtopian Vikala... Now they've seen me for the Yintopian I truly am...)

She slaps a hand over her mouth, prepared to suppress any unwanted ejections.

Chloe: Like, no joke? Wait... Nuh-uh. Your makeup's a bajillion times more on point than mine!

Lilele: Amazing! So switching into Divine General mode is kind of like your version of a stage persona?

Korwa: Can't say I expected this! As a designer, I can only dream of sewing up a personality-changing outfit like yours...

Vikala: Wha...

Chloe: So like, the greatest idea literally ever just came to me. Let's skip the shopping and kick off the girls' night with our newest gal pal!

Lilele: Oh, I am totally on board with that! I've got a lot of things I wanna ask her!

Korwa: Hehe, this is the beginning of some fun-filled stories, I can tell. Now, let's find a nice place to dine at!

Vikala: An actual g-girls' night... Are you sure... you want to include me?

Chloe: Yeye! (*´∀`*) Ain't a G. Cyph story without all the characters, especially our main one today: you!

Vikala: (Not how I envisioned it, but... Am I dreaming?)

Vikala: (S-someone pinch me...)

As the group gathers to leave, Lilele pauses for a moment.

Lilele: Huh... Wait a minute. Why do I still feel like we're being watched? Could it be Lilele fans this time?

She scans the buildings nearby.

Vyrn: Gah! They spotted us!

Lyria: Oops... Cat's out of the bag now.

Lilele: (Captain)? Vyrn and Lyria too!

Vikala: Huh? What are you guys doing here?

Emerging from a nearby alley, (Captain) and company sheepishly approach the group.

Vyrn: Er, y'see... (Captain) was worried about you, and one thing led to the next...

Lyria: Ahaha... We've actually been following you since you left the ship.

Vikala: R-really? I completely didn't notice... Sorry for causing you trouble.

Vyrn: We're just glad that you seem to be gettin' along fine.

Vikala: ((Captain)'s a good person... I was only thinking about myself this whole time...)

Vikala: ...?

Vikala: W-wait... Did you say you've been following me the whole time?

Vyrn: Yeah, uh... Yep...

Vikala: !

Shopkeeper: Should I take this to mean you'd like to check out?

Vikala: Th-that would be nice... Definitely...

Lowain: Bwahahaha! Tommy, that joke is hilarious! You gotta bust it out on the ship!

Dormouse: ...!

Vikala: Wh-why'd I hide? Because there's no way I can talk with them...

Vyrn: We didn't see nothin' though—not you buying stuff or stalking the Lowain gang!

Lyria: Yeah! What Vyrn said!

1. Our eyes were zipped.
2. Sorry, but we caught it all.

Choose: Our eyes were zipped.

Vikala: That m-means you were watching!

Go to "Continue 1"

Choose: Sorry, but we caught it all.

Vikala: O-oh, geez, so you did see everything!

Continue 1

Chloe: Ahaha! Think I'm startin' to see how Vikala vibes on the daily.

Vikala: Ahh... Just bury me now...

Contrary to how she imagined the other side of her personality would be received, Vikala is warmly accepted by her friends.

The Grandcypher, she realizes, may just be a place where she can walk comfortably without relying on rat-ear headbands.