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]

[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.

[bugbytes]

[It's probably a good thing the Queen can't speak. The stories she could tell of her children swarming for battle, the rush of joy as they did what they did best, what they were programmed to do, as they devoured whatever they could get their claws on, the cries of agony as they were shot down and killed, and of the blissful blankness that accompanied the activation of the Beacon, of being burned alive but far too entranced to really realize what was happening.

The Queen's life is wrought with more pain than happiness, however, some would say she deserved it, that that's what she gets for being a monstrous Bad Guy. She would choose to differ, but of course, she would.

She listens to Miku's description of her game, it doesn't sound terribly difficult. Playing with the girl had been an entertaining break, it was likely that her game would be around for a long time to come if the gamers enjoyed it as much as she did.

Though, based on some of the players' shooting skills, there's a few she doubts would be able to keep a good rhythm.]

[rhythmiku]

It's fun. For me and for them.

[Miku can't really tell what the Queen is thinking, so after a moment she stops talking just to wonder about what to say or do next.]

[bugbytes]

[The Queen's not sure of what to do either, her social skills are a little lacking. Being a giant bug bent on ruling all limits your options.

She clicks quietly to Miku, for lack of anything else. She's watching her very closely, for if she starts to leave, there's something she wants to give her before she goes.]

[rhythmiku]

[She's not just gonna take off without warning, that's rude. Still, now that they've played a game, it should be fine right? Besides, staying in this dark room can't be good for her complexion.]

Anyway, I should probably get going....

[bugbytes]

[The Queen's head snaps up and she gives a sharp chirp, almost as if she's saying 'Wait!'

She trundles over to one of the exits and makes her way down to the level below. Once she reaches that floor, she checks her egg inventory, looking for just the right one to bestow on Miku.

Finally, she manages to find a newer egg that has a possibility of Potential and the Queen delicately picks it up in her mandibles.

She climbs back up to the rooftop with her precious cargo in tow. If Miku's still there, she's going to slowly walk up close to her, and lower her head down until she can carefully place the egg on the ground at her feet.

The Queen would then back up a step or two and give Miku what she hopes is a pleasant trill.]

[rhythmiku]

Wha- Where are you going?

[She watches her leave, dumbfounded. But that noise sounded really urgent and she's actually a bit worried about what will happen if she leaves...

And now there is an egg. Yep. That's definitely an egg.]

... You want me to take this?

[bugbytes]

[The Queen gives Miku a serious nod, yes, she really wants her to take it back home.

She then lowers herself close to the ground and moves a leg in front of her face. The Queen remains like this for a moment, then raises up again.

She's attempting to tell Miku that she needs to keep the egg hidden. The Space Marines won't let it out of the game, otherwise. And then that meant that it was wasting everyone's time and a good egg.

Not that the Cy-Bug inside wasn't replaceable, but one more fighter was one more fighter.]

[rhythmiku]

... And hide it?

[Miku is not so sure about this. How is she even supposed to hide it? She's like half a space marine's size, it probably takes up her whole chest and both arms. Miku shakes her head a bit.]

I don't know...

[bugbytes]

[The Queen gives Miku an encouraging chirp. Miku's a clever girl, she can figure out something.

And if she didn't, well, the Queen gave it her best. There'd be other opportunities to send one of her children off into the world to make their mark as Queen of another game.]

[rhythmiku]

[wellp

Miku stares at the egg. Then she crouches down by it.]

Hmmm....

[and down here, she notices that her long hair is dragging on the ground next to the egg. ... Here's an idea. She tentatively attempts to wrap the egg in her rapunzel twintails. ... It works pretty well, she's got a lot of it. But the top half, she can't get without yanking a bit - ouch. Well, what now? After a moment of thought, she switches modules to Pirate Miku, removes her hat, and places it atop the egg. Then she carefully stands up with it... and holds it over her face]

ARRR, MATEYS. TWAS NO EGG HERE, JUST CAPTAIN BLUEBEARD!

[eh? Ehhh?]