The Queen in Her Domain | Action - Hero's Duty

[bugbytes]

[It had been a long day for the Queen of the Cy-Bugs and her mechanical army, Hero's Duty had been bustling with action and players from start to close. They had certainly earned every quarter that had been put into the machine.

Unlike most of the other Cy-Bugs, she was aware that their game had somehow been transported elsewhere, she had heard the chatter among the Space Marines as they tried to sort the situation out. 

It didn't matter which arcade the Queen resided at, be it Litwak's or this new, bigger place, either way, one day it would belong to her and her descendants, it was just a matter of time. In fact, she probably preferred the larger one, there'd be more space for her children to claim.

Because of the Hivemind, she was aware of the Sugar Rush Incident that had happened while this console was plugged in at Litwak's and she had learned a thing or two from it.

But, for now, she was going to rest. The players had been better than normal today and she had ended up falling off of the top of the Tower quite a few times today.]

Comments

[rhythmiku]

[It can be pretty hard to read body language that isn't 'human', so Miku is still rather unsure about all of this. But she's also the type who befriends everyone, so she'll... cautiously come a bit closer. And talk to her like she's a puppy since that's how she's acting anyway.]

What's that? You want to play?

[bugbytes]

[Before the Cy-Bugs were a military experiment gone terribly wrong, they were designed as toys for children that would grow and change with their owners.

As the first Cy-Bug ever created and the only one made by human hands, the Queen has fragments of this programming still left in her code. The scientists weren't sure of what all of the original programming could be used, so bits and pieces were removed as they became useless to the Cy-Bugs' new purpose as weapons.

However, she doesn't know anything of play, just that it was her original function and that humans liked it.

So, for now, she'll go along with Miku and masquerade as the toy she should have been.

The Queen gives a quick nod to Miku and waggles a bit, the little ones would do this sometimes if they wanted something.]

[rhythmiku]

[Miku chuckles a bit at the waggle. Okay, maybe she is pretty good at being cute.]

Okay, well, what should we play?

[Tag? No, that would be terrifying. Hide and seek? Probably impossible... but, wait, if she can trill and chirp then- why not try something like her own game?]

Singalong? ♪ Do, re, mi~ ♪

[bugbytes]

[Now that was a good question, the only "games" the Queen knows involve hunting and violence, she'd rather Miku stay alive, if only because it'd be more trouble for her if the girl ended up dead.

Hide and seek wouldn't be as difficult as she thinks, there's plenty of places to hide in all 99 levels of the Tower, the problem comes in that there's live Cy-Bugs lurking there and they don't have as much restraint as the Queen does.

At the mention of a singalong, the Queen tilts her head and listens to Miku. When she stops, the Queen takes her turn, analyzing the tones and repeating them in chirps.]

[rhythmiku]

Nice! You can sing after all!

[And Miku's favor is gained. That was easy.]

Okay, try this melody...

[She sings a line from the chorus of a creepy song she knows.]

♪ Circle you, circle you~ ♪

[bugbytes]

[This is the most enjoyment and stimulation the Queen's gotten in a long time, however, she's making sure to not lose herself in it. She's still a Queen and a commander and she has her priorities. This musical interlude is only a small step in her plans.

She easily repeats the line in her own chirps, it's a rather fitting one, if this was during gameplay, Miku'd be circled by a swarm of hungry bugs.]

[rhythmiku]

[There's a reason why it's the song that came to mind. This place, and the Queen, are still eerie. But hey, what's wrong with using a song that fits? The space marines will love it. Totally.

She continues.]

♪ Who surrounds you everywhere? ♪

[-It'd be good if hungry bugs didn't circle her though. Maybe Miku had better start considering how to get out of here while she plays with the Queen. ... Ack, she's got nothing. Playing along is the only option for now, isn't it?]

[bugbytes]

[The Queen sing-chirps in response, mimicking Miku's tone in her own way. While it's fairly simple, it's still nice to do something mentally that isn't related to commanding her army and making plans. It gets dull in the quiet times between games and after the arcade is closed.

Miku is safe, the Queen has no intention of harming her and she'll make sure that her descendants have been Commanded to not attack.

The Queen has a place for Miku in her plans, but she has to wait until the time is right to give it to her.]

[rhythmiku]

[If only Miku could read bug minds. She'll just have to worry a little while longer. Although she's having fun too, despite that, and the longer she is not eaten the more confident she is in their budding friendship.]

Good, now all together!

[Miku intends to sing it as a duet now, the way it was intended. After that, she'll have considered it taught.]

[bugbytes]

[The Queen follows Miku's lead, having stored the previous musical patterns in her database. She analyzes the way she's singing and chirps along to match her speed.

She's a quick learner and loves a good challenge, so she's enjoying this rare break from violence.]

[rhythmiku]

[well in that case, this can go on until the Queen knows the whole song and can sing it together with Miku! It is a weird cover that only tells half the story in either language, but damned if it isn't (terrifyingly) endearing.]

[bugbytes]

[The Queen doesn't miss a note as she chirps along with Miku. Every time she had learned a new part, she stored it away and when it was time for the final performance, she chained it all together. Being a robot definitely has its advantages.]

[rhythmiku]

[Grats Cy-Queen, perfect score! Miku strikes a pose at the end of their song.]

Excellent!

[bugbytes]

[The Queen gives a victory trill once they've finished. It had been a fun little exercise and it was interesting to work with someone who wasn't a Cy-Bug.

The song was quite different from the ones she had heard before, the music in Hero's Duty is more intense and there's absolutely no lyrics. It's the same thing day in and day out, except for when it's not gameplay and the world is shrouded in silence.]

[rhythmiku]

[Miku picks up on the change in mood somehow. She smiles a bit]

You liked singing, huh? It was fun.

[bugbytes]

[The Queen nods with an upbeat sounding chirp. If you listened carefully and used a bit of imagination, it might almost sound like a 'Yes!'.]

[rhythmiku]

[She did think she heard a yes. Aww.

Miku finally takes a few more steps to where she's actually standing kinda near her.]

Well, I liked it too. You're not as scary as I first thought.

[She holds out her hand. ...She's not sure what the Queen will do with it, but it's a friendly gesture.]

I'm Miku! It's nice meeting you.

[bugbytes]

[The Queen slowly lumbers forward, closing the small gap between them and rests her forehead against Miku's hand. It's all she really can do, she doesn't have hands to shake with and she knows that taking Miku's hand between her mandibles would terrify the girl and if it went into her mouth, it wouldn't come back out intact.

She gives Miku a friendly chirp of greeting as she gently leans against her hand.

While the Queen may look awkward when she slowly walks, it also hides the fact that if need be, she can move lightning quick with her own kind of grace if she wished to strike.

However, she's not going to show that side to Miku. Let the girl think she's slow and clumsy, it'd probably endear herself more to her.]

[rhythmiku]

[Careful, Queenie. It may be endearing, but Miku hasn't forgotten her surroundings. Acting too helpless could plant the seeds of suspicion.

Nevertheless, she shows another smile when she presses her head against her hand.]

[bugbytes]

[If that's the case, then the Queen will just have to learn her lesson and brush up on her acting skills. She's not used to interacting with anyone outside of the Space Marines, so even if she fails, it'll still be a valuable learning experience.

After a few moments, the Queen takes a step backwards and tilts her head, chirping again.]

[rhythmiku]

[Miku takes her hand back and rests her chin on it, looking thoughtful.]

Hey... are you really this game's final boss?

[bugbytes]

[The Queen weighs her options, but in the end, decides to give Miku a single nod.

There's no hiding that she's the largest living thing in the game, she dwarfs the Space Marines and the other Cy-Bugs by a large factor. It'd be obvious if she lied to Miku and that'd shatter all the trust they had slowly been building.]

[rhythmiku]

[Yeah... it was a pretty obvious question. Miku's noting the hesitance, but decides to blame it on her own foolishness. It was probably just her imagination. Anyway, she's never really interacted much with bosses, so who is she to assume anything? Bad-anon exists for a reason, even if she doesn't think the Queen goes there. So she nods back.]

That was a silly question, wasn't it? I still have a lot to learn about other games.

[bugbytes]

[Even if the Queen was allowed out of the game, she wouldn't attend the Bad-Anon meetings. She's somewhat content with her lot in life, or at least too stubborn to give up.

The game somewhat hinges around her, as she's the main source for the Cy-Bugs that are required for targets. And she has high hopes that they'll somehow be able to breach Calhoun's heavily-guarded perimeter and spread across the arcade. The Queen is programmed to be a commander at war, and she has risen to the challenge.

Unfortunately, instead of just being at war with the Space Marines, she's declared the entire arcade her battlefield.

At Miku's comments, she nods and gives a soft trill in agreement. After all, she doesn't know much about other games either, just what her children learned about Sugar Rush and all the history contained within Turbo's memories.]

[rhythmiku]

You too, huh? Well, you can't really talk to me, so how about I tell you about my game. It's basically the game we played just now, only the other Vocaloids and I are the ones doing the singing. Then, the gamers have to keep rhythm with us. There's lots of rhythm games like that.