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--- Alnus ---

Date: May 4th, 2026

The flare shown down on the buzzing community of Alnus; children playing, running up and down the streets as everyone else proceeds with their daily tasks.

A blue-feathered siren made her way down the main road, wearing a cute, flower decorated, white sun dress that reached just above her knees. Kryuune held a small, black, thin strapped purse as she quickly made her way to her destination. She is on a mission. She had an appointment at a new shop that had appeared in town; a beauty parlor had just opened and she was excited for the treatment she was about to receive. A manicure and pedicure was just a few feet away from her and she couldn’t contain her excitement.

As the town of Alnus grew in both population and size, many new shops began to open up. From varying restaurants that included one with Golden Arches to another with a bell. As time began to pass many forms of entertainment began to become available to the inhabitants of this bustling town such as bowling, theaters, and even more physically demanding activities like paintball and sport fields. Varying clothing stores and now something known as beauty salons, also, began to pop up around town.

As the new age began on Falmart, not many were more accepting than Kryuune, who seemed to embrace these changes with open arms. Though she was mostly neutral when it came to dealing with the developments of this town, the blue-feathered siren loved the new changes coming into this world. She loved the food, the culture, the products and even began to enjoy the genre of music these Americans called Country.

“Slow down,” an orange-haired brown-striped Neko pleads. “I can’t keep up, you are going too fast.”

“Huh? Oh sorry Nelia, I didn’t think you were still behind me,” Kryuune responds as she stops to wait for her companion.

Nelia caught up and responds. “Wait, did you seriously forget I was behind you?,” she responds as she pouts.

“I’m sorry Nelia but I need to make this appointment, I really need this.”

Nelia giggles as she looks back at the siren. “I understand, not many things make you this excited so I won’t stop you. Go ahead.”

Kryuune merely blushes. “It is not that I am excited, I just really want to do this,” she responds as she plays with her fingers. “You know you don’t have to come if you do not want to. I mean you will be just waiting for me and I know how easily you can get bored.”

Nelia just smiles watching how hard Kryuune struggles to express her feelings. “I know this is only for you but if it makes you happy then it makes me happy to join you,” Nelia says encouragingly.

“I appreciate that, this is something new for me and I am glad I have a friend coming with me but I know you. I know you would rather do something a bit more exciting so if you want to go off, I will not stop you.”

“Thank you, I knew you would understand. I’ll see you after, then, but message me if you need anything. Okay, byyyeee,” Nelia quickly responds as she runs off leaving Kryuune with her mouth open. She stands in disbelief, but quickly brushes it off and chuckles to herself.

“Well, whatever then,” she says with a smile. “I’m still looking forward to this. Hope she has fun, whatever it is she has planned.”

The little siren continues down her path, humming and singing a new song that had recently gotten stuck in her head.

“And I Ain't Seen The Sunshine Since I Don't Know When…” she hummed with a smile painted across her face as she gleefully made her way down the road. With just a quick glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell she was a skilled warrior.

It wasn’t too long before she reached her destination. The beauty salon really stood out with its varying vibrant pink color scheme, contrasting with the more subtle look of the other buildings. ‘The store looks so cute.’ She thought to herself with a slight grin.

She continues to look through the glass and sees a row of oddly shaped seats with mirrors in front of each of them. She noticed a few people in there but it was mostly empty. A smile still painted on her face, she shook a little in both excitement and anticipation. She slowly opens the door to the store and is greeted by two pretty little fairies in some stylish looking dresses.

“Hello”

“Welcome”

“Just one?”

“What would you be having?”

The fairies spoke one after another, making it somewhat difficult to keep up and answer them.

“Uhm, I.. a pedicure and maybe a manicure.”

“Oh yes, please follow us,” one of them spoke as both fairies led Kryuune to a comfy looking black chair with what looked like a type of bucket down in front. Both fairies began getting the water ready.

“As you sit please remove your…,” one of the fairies begins to explain before realizing the guest was a siren. “Nevermind, please have a seat.”

She sat, dipping her feet into the tub of water in front of her as the chair began moving on its own. She began to panic a little until one of the fairies attending her assured her of the massage chair. She started to relax and went back to enjoying her experience. Her massage, the fairies catering to her requests, country music playing in the background, and finally someone arrived to begin working on her feet filled her with such enjoyment and comfort. She closed her eyes, indulging in this heavenly treatment.

‘Is this one of the privileges Americans get to enjoy on the other side of the gate?’ She thought to herself.

“A girl could get used to this,” she accidentally chuckles out loud as the two little fairies giggle with her. A smile was painted onto her face as her talons began getting scrubbed.

‘Hmm, I wonder what Nelia is up to?’ She thought to herself

— — — somewhere outside the edges of Alnus, in a nearby forest — — —

Nelia ran frantically to nearby cover as shots barely missed her, hitting places she once had been.

Her ears perked up, trying to listen for her assailants but heard nothing.

“Damn, it looks like they know what they are doing,” she says to herself.

She slowly peaks her head out of cover to get a look but a few shots make their way towards her, prompting her to duck down again.

“You’re persistent,” she says as she pants. She looks for more cover behind a fallen tree. “Perfect”

She grabs a good size stone and tosses it towards the opposite side, getting the attention of her attackers as they shoot it. She quickly makes a dash for that better cover and leaps towards it, still panting hard. They’ve been following her for quite some time, not even giving her time to catch her breath.

She peaks around the side of her cover to get a good look at her attackers but is quickly shot up prompting her to head back into cover. “Crap! Give me a chance, you pieces of caragon dung!” she shouts at them.

Her hair on her body begins to stand up as she feels a hand being placed on her shoulder. Imagining her fate, she looks back to see familiar eyes. Three humans that were assigned to help her eased her uneasiness.

“What took you all so long?!” She shouts frantically at them as they look at her confused.

“You know this is merely for fun, right?” One of them jokingly asks as balls of paint splatter on the other side of the cover they were hiding behind.

“Yes. Sure, I knew that,” Nelia responds and even though she wore a mask, you could tell she was a bit red.

“And I’m sorry but none of us can keep up with you,” another adds, further contributing to her embarrassment.

She realizes what he means and responds, “I’m sorry, I have always been told I jump in before thinking.”

“Don’t worry about it. How many have you seen?” her allies asked her.

“I don’t know two, maybe three. I didn’t get a good look at them but they are moving together, closely.”

“Alright, I’m going on to move over there,” one of them says as he points to a different cover near where she had just come from. “Just cover me when I say so.”

Nelia and the other two nod.

“I’ll move over there,” Nelia says as she points to cover in the opposite direction.

“I’ll move first to draw their attention towards me. Then you two will shoot while the runner makes it to his next location,” she instructs the remaining two while pointing to the volunteer.

“Trust me, they cannot hit me,” Nelia assures them as her team nods. She faced her target, some more covering a few feet in front of her as she crouches and finally pounces towards it.

She didn’t think she could move that fast as she heard whizzing shots barely missing behind her. As she reached her destination, she quickly looked back to see that the two companions she’d left behind had taken out one of the assailants. She quickly spotted another and used the contraption one of her companions allowed her to use to take out another.

She smiles with her success as she sees her lone companion rush in from the other side to take out what she thought to be the last assailant. However, fire from another gun shot up her companion.

“No!” She shouts as she rushes, firing her weapon at the last attacker. She ran in quickly dodging and jumping, frantically, in all sorts of directions towards her assaulter. Once atop him, shot him up with her weapon. She stood there panting as her other two allies caught up with her.

“Nice fucking job,” they said as they congratulate her. She smiled and was about to reply when the celebration was cut short as both of them were shot up by a hidden, unknown shooter.

She quickly took cover once more, realizing that she was alone once more.

“You will not have me!” She shouted, readying her weapon. She breathed heavily, knowing this might be it for her as she stood up quickly, ready to fire. She spotted them and was about to fire until she realized something she’d forgotten. As she pulled her trigger, she realized she hadn’t reloaded her weapon and it was now empty.

Her attackers fired at her as she was struck from multiple directions, hitting her all over. She fell backwards, rolling down from her cover, just looking up. This was it. She had tried her best but she had failed.

‘Crap. To be taken out like this,’ she thought to herself as she faced up. ‘I’m sorry Malena. I thought I could do better.’

She continued to look up as she thought she heard a type of bell, maybe? No, it was a whistle being heard as a man wearing a bright yellow colored shirt appeared next to her.

“You alright, ma’am?” He asked.

“Yes. This just hurt a lot more than I thought it would,” Nelia replied as she sat up. The referees escorted her up and out towards the edge of the field where the rest of her “fallen comrades” had waited for her.

Once out, she peers back into the fight as it resumes. She watches in excitement as the fight continues. Though she was out, she would know that her teammates would avenge her as they pushed their enemies out.

After the match was over she walked back out towards the main parking location where people can reload and refill on air among other necessities. She smiled as she waved at the other players. ‘This is a completely different experience,’ she thought to herself.

She walks back with the rest of the players that lent her some equipment and prepares for her next fight. This was an unusual activity but she enjoyed every minute of it. The excitement and rush as you run in attempting to take out your opponent while they try to do the same but not having to worry about dying. She smiled once ready, ready for the next fight.

As she makes it to the next match, waiting for the whistle to signal the start of the fight, she smiles in anticipation and thinks, ‘is this how the Americans feel getting into a fight? I’m envious.’

The match commences as everyone rushes forward towards their opponents, guns blazing. From behind cover, she peaks her head from cover, firing her gun as she sees paintballs flying towards her. She ducks for cover, blood pumping, when a thought pops into her head.

One of her teammates reaches her, asking if she’s okay. She responds with a thumbs up and replies, “my blood is rushing, I can barely contain my excitement.”

“Just don’t go running off again,” her teammate teases as Nelia nods.

She faced forward, thinking, ‘These Americans sure come up with some of the funnest things. A girl can get used to this.’

As she continues to fire, she wonders how Kryuune is doing on her end.

— — — sometime later in Alnus — — —

Kryuune walks down one of the streets, getting ready to meet up with her companion, excited to show off her painted nails. As she stood there in that flowing white dress, a smile painted across her face, she wondered what Nelia had done for the day.

She didn’t have to wait long as the Neko appeared covered in dirt, sweat, and paint. The sight of her shocked Kryuune as she took a few steps back.

“Hi, Kryuune!!” Nelia shouted as she made her way towards her friend.

“No. Not another step closer,” Kryuune warns as Nelia abruptly stops near her.

“C’mon, don’t tell me you don’t want a hug,” Nelia jokes with a big smile as she extends her arms. The siren begins to prepare her gust spell as Nelia backs down.

“I’m just joking,” Nelia responds. “But those are pretty. So that’s what you wanted to do?” Nelia continued, admiring her nails with small bird designs.

“Yes, it was a lot of fun but I am guessing you had your own type of entertainment?”

Nelia stops as she looks at herself. She chuckled, “heh, I guess you could say that. As they put it, ‘I got lit up.’ You should come next time.”

“Uhm, no, I do not think so,” Kryuune says as she laughs. “Getting ‘lit up’ does not sound like a pleasant experience.

They laughed as they continued their conversation while heading back home. Looking at them both, you could tell they had an eventful day.

Reference:

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Support:

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Co-Creative Support: Tomrichman

Head Editor: Rockerboy Arriie

Story Artist: CallmePlez & Milkduds100

Discord: https://discord.gg/xe7nNHS