compnetwork | 6th Screw [Action/Video]

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6th Screw [Action/Video] - Backdated to the 9th

[Action - Ichiban Market, Virgo District]

[It's been a few days since the market from home appeared in Hinoto-Ri, and Nano's taking full advantage of the convenience and familiarity of the location. She spends a good few hours shopping around for various ingredients and household necessities, filling up her shopping bags with soy sauce, daikon radish, leeks, miso, rice, and all sorts of other ingredients common to traditional Japanese meals. Feeling very at ease here in a place that's almost second nature to her, she hums cheerily to herself while she's collecting everything.

Unfortunately, after she's paid for everything and is carrying everything out in a large brown paper bag, her nice casual shopping trip takes a turn for the worse. Right after emerging from the store, and completely without warning, Nano's left arm falls completely limp. She lets out a surprised yell as the grocery bag goes tumbling from her arms, its contents spilling out all over the sidewalk. Immediately recognizing something as deeply wrong, Nano glances around quickly and starts to scramble to pick everything up with her one good arm.]

[Video]

[Eventually Nano makes it home, and after no small amount of privately worrying and panicking, she turns on the COMP to reach out for some help. It's not help she particularly wants to ask for, but she has no idea what's wrong or how to fix it on her own. She's doing her best to hide the fact that one arm is completely out of commission, aiming the shot at her face only.]

U-um... I hate to impose, but is there anyone out there who knows a lot about fixing things? My, um...

[She glances around the room briefly before returning her gaze to the camera.]

My television is broken!

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[N-Nano-chan, what is going on here? She's just making her way through back to Scorpio when she notices the girl trying to pick things up with one hand.]

What happened? Are you alright?

Y-Yukiko-san...!

[Oh no, this is bad. This is really bad. What is she going to say? It isn't as if she can hide what's going on with her arm.]

Ah, y-yes, everything is all right!

[Even though it clearly isn't.]

[Because this is the face of someone who is worried for you. Because your arm is not moving like it died.]

It doesn't look like it.

[She's crouching down to help pick up the rest of the food when she notices the object isn't moving.]

Your arm...

[Nano desperately does her best to get all the food picked up and back into the bag with only one functioning arm before Yukiko notices the other, but of course this turns out to be impossible. And when she notices, the robot girl flinches back a bit, grabbing at the arm with her remaining good limb.]

A-ah... it's nothing, really!

Not 'nothing'? It's not moving at all!

[With the rest of the food back in the bags, Yukiko immediately summons Amaterasu and tries to use a Mediarama spell. Granted it's for both but her main concern is Nano. Perhaps it would be enough so they can head to the hospital and get her checked out, still unaware about the idea of her friend being a robot.]

[Normally, that sort of thing would work just fine on Nano - she has a Persona herself, after all, and she's been the beneficiary of Chirashizushi's healing magic on several occasions. Chalk it up to magic to be able to repair a robot just as well as a human.

But unfortunately, this time there's something a little deeper wrong with Nano. Something in the gears and circuits themselves, in the very mechanical fabric of her existence. Machines break down if not properly maintained, after all. Her arm does not respond.]

Yukiko-san...

[There really isn't anything left for her to say. At this rate, one of her new friends is bound to discover her shameful secret. She'll find out that Nano has been lying to her this whole time, and she'll leave. Unable to deal with the thought, Nano begins to cry.]

Yukiko-san...!

Edited 2013-01-11 19:01 (UTC)

[The spell didn't work? That's really odd that it failed like that. Yukiko is completely clueless as to what else to do except try and get Nano to the hospital. Now that she knows where it is.

Then she notices Nano start to cry. Oh gods, this is really eating her from the inside isn't it?]

D-Don't worry Nano-chan. I'm sure everything will be ok, we just need to go to the hospital and get it looked at.

N-no...! We can't! Not there, please!

[Nano stays firmly rooted to the sidewalk, now fully shaking and convulsing out of sheer worry. Going to the hospital would only serve to complicate things further.]

[It's getting worse. That feeling Yukiko is having at the pit of her stomach is growing. She wants to help her so much but it's like she's refusing it for some unknown reason. But...she can't leave her alone like this. Friends wouldn't do that to each other and Nano is one of them.]

Then...what about your place? I don't know anywhere else and it's making me worried.

U-um... yeah... I think I should just go home.

[Nano pauses, frowning and looking around. She's pretty sure Yukiko wouldn't let her go by herself, so...]

...Can you help me get back?

You don't even need to ask.

[Of course she'll help. Yukiko will take those bags for you and head over to Pisces with her ASAP.]

I'm sorry, Yukiko-san...

[Nano's on the verge of tears, but out of shame rather than pain. A few people have accepted her, but there's still this persistent fear that she'll be rejected - even by her friends - if anyone finds out the truth about her.]

Sorry? For what exactly?

For making you worry so much about me.

I worry about all my friends, Nano-chan. I just want to be able to help you the best way that I can.

I really do appreciate it.

[It takes a little bit but the two reach the Pisces complex without any hitches and filed away into Nano's apartment. After setting the food down on the counter, it was time to get to the bottom of this situation.]

Nano-chan...are you alright with telling me what happened back there?

I... I don't know if I can.

[She can barely even look Yukiko in the eye right now. She's done so much for her, and helped her so much, and here she is still keeping secrets. It's almost enough to make her want to cry all over again.]

You might not want to be my friend anymore if you knew.

Try me. I'm not going anywhere.

[Nano, you're not a death goddess are you?]

O-okay...

[Well, the best way to soften the blow of finding out her friend is a robot is with cake. Everyone likes cake. But she's going to need a bit of help with this one. Nano holds out her good arm in front of Yukiko.]

Normally I could do this myself, but... brace my upper arm and then push down at my elbow. I promise you won't hurt me.

[A strange request, to be sure. What do, Yukiko.]

[That's...a strange request.

But Yukiko nods and follows Nano's instructions. What does this accomplish?]

[Nano closes her eyes so she doesn't have to watch Yukiko's reaction, but her forearm makes a clicking noise and folds down to reveal a fresh rollcake inside - see icon for helpful illustration!]

[Holy-

Wait what?

WHAT?

IS THAT A CAKE THAT POPPED OUT OF NANO'S ARM??]

Nano...chan?

It's weird, isn't it? That I have something like this?

[Her eyes are open now, but cast down toward the floor.]

What kind of normal person does things like this?

[And next, have a cuckoo clock springing out of her forehead.]

See? I'm full of stupid things like this! Because... because I'm not...

[Oh god, she's going to hate her. She can't even finish the sentence.]

[Oh Nano-chan...]

I don't think it's weird at-

[Out comes the cuckoo clock!]

...aww, that's cute!

6th Screw [Action/Video] - Backdated to the 9th

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