FFM 2025 30: Explanation(s)

Beyari leaned back, ready to rehash how she usually explained Mind-sense to other people. "I can sense nearby people's emotions that are on the surface passively. I can sense them more acutely if I focus, but it's got a high risk of those emotions sweeping me away and throwing me off-balance, so I avoid doing that. Conversely, I can also block my Mind-sense out if I focus in the opposite direction."

FFM 2025 28: Proof of Concept

Sifting through the data the mechs gathered was easier to arrange; Steirdrar was already visiting the Afterglow fairly often, after all. Agent Ket noticed him working with QWERTY immediately but when her inquiry got responded only with him helping with one of QWERTY's projects, she backed off with a smile and a "glad to see you two're getting along."

FFM 2025 27: Mech Intrigue

Steirdrar tried not to think that he was being led into a trap as he followed QWERTY into one of the more secluded warehouses. There was a gathering of mechs, no organics, already there — including the two courier 'bots he had taken with him when he had defected. Cou-1 and Cou-2 both chirped greetings the moment they spotted him, their digital faceplates immediately smiling.

FFM 2025 26: The Hydra’s Call

One day in May 2015, The Fool is killing a little time on DeviantArt, listening to Linkin Park's Until It's Gone on repeat. Somehow, their browsing leads to a journal that advertises literature events on the platform, including one called the "Flash Fiction Month" — an event that lasts all of July and involves writing a 55-1000-word story each day of the month.