Taking over the Abyss

64- Osial's Brain on Smart Boosters

Right before stepping foot in the Court of Fontaine, your plan had been fairly simple- look around for Alice and then find her.

You now realized that was very, very foolish.

This city was massive on a whole different level to the others. Even though the actual versions of each major city were much larger than their in-game variants, this city was imposing huge. Robotic, gold-tinted mechs were wandering around the streets casually, a sight that startled you at first. You felt like an outsider, shuffling closer to Leiptr to feel less exposed in this concrete brick jungle.

Osial, who had been sealed for over a thousand years under the ocean, was taking it much harder than you. His jaw was completely slack as he stared with wonder and fear at the tall buildings in front of him. Even while wearing some of his more modern clothing, he looked way more out of place than you and Leiptr did.

"This place is huge!" Osial exclaimed, peering excitedly around at everything with an amazed glimmer in his eyes. The serpentine water tendrils of his hair joined him in sightseeing, making a few of the locals who spotted them somewhat uneasy. He pointed at a giant floating orb of questionable abilities. "What the hell is that thing?! The Hydro Archon must be incredible!"

"It's bright," Leiptr complained quietly, reaching into his pocket for a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes.

After finding something he deemed interesting enough, Osial spun his head around to lock eyes with you, ponytail whipping over his shoulder. A wide grin was etched onto his face, "Can we go over there?!"

You moved to try and see what he'd found now, seeing a tall building on the upper section of the city. Following the overhead pathway, you determined that you'd have to go back into the aqua bus building. Seeing no reason not to, you gave him a shrug, "Sure, why not. Let's check and see if it's open to the public though."

"If Her Majesty is considered merely 'the public'... tch," Leiptr grumbled from beside you, getting ready to talk trash to other people on your behalf. With an excited Osial in tow, you went back into the building and patiently waited in line. A couple of random people stared at you, including some random kid with a candy apple dead set on making as much eye contact with you as humanly possible.

After a situation with some incorrect tickets was resolved with a manager and a coupon, it was your turn to go up to the help kiosk. The clerk greeted with you a friendly, albeit tired smile. He seemed overly chipper as he asked, "Can I help you with anything today, ma'am?"

Before you could ask, Osial interrupted you, "What's the big building behind and above us?"

The clerk's eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "Are you... talking about the Palais Mermonia?"

"Yes. The palace mimosa," Osial nodded sagely, "That's a good name. Is it open? Can I visit inside?"

"I..." The poor clerk was incredibly confused, "Yes, it's open to the public, but it's mostly... are you trying to make an appointment?"

"I must meet the Hydro Archon and appraise her for myself," Osial stated firmly. You felt yourself die of second-hand embarrassment, as every head turned to stare at the tall man with Hydro serpents in his hair. Supremely conflicted, the clerk was unsure whether to call security or let Osial through.

You cleared your throat and stepped in to try and salvage this by any means necessary, "It's... um... important business. Please don't mind him. He's very excited."

"I see... w- well, Lady Furina does accept visits from people, however her schedule is booked for..." the clerk bent down to fetch something, opening a thick book and flipping through the pages quickly. He eventually looked back up at Osial, "Lady Furina is completely booked for the next thirty seven years, ten months, and twelve days. Would you like to make an appointment in advance?"