Nadine

???: Ohmigosh, whaaaat? A castle in a forest? That's so mystical, I can't EVEN!

Sarisse: *sigh* Well, that took a while, but it's nice to finally be home.
Cleo: That was a rather strong batch of opponents today; I'm finding myself more worn out than normal.
Nefaria: Prithee, hold. A lone figure stands before the gate.
 ???: If I snap it at a dramatic low angle... Ohmigosh, it looks SO good! I'm like my very own hype man!
Euden: Um, can we help you?
 ???: Oh, heya! You must be the castle peeps, yeah? Hope you don't mind me snappin' a few pics of your digs!
Euden: Snapping...pics?
 ???: Oh, right! Lemme introduce everybody. This magical device here is Clix—he's from another world, and he has the ability to take pictures, which are...
 ???: Y'know what? It's gonna be faster if I just show you. Group selfie!
Euden: I have zero idea what is happening right now.
 ???: Look, don't worry about it, yeah? Just stand here next to me.
Euden: Uh, okay. Like this?
 ???: Squeeze in good and tight, guys! We all gotta get in the frame!
Cleo: What is happening?!
 ???: Saaaaaaay CHEESE!
Euden: Gah!
 ???: And boom! We just snapped a pic. Looks pretty rad, huh?
Sarisse: That's amazing... Guys, look! LOOK! We're all on that little slate!
Cleo: The details in this painting are extraordinary...
Euden: How did you draw it so fast?
 ???: Yeah, I didn't really DRAW it so much as it sorta...um...transcribed it?
 ???: See, Clix here uses light mana to turn whatever he's looking at during that exact moment into a permanent image. Isn't it freakin' AMAZEBALLS?!
Nefaria: Could the design of that device be...?
Nadine: Oh, hey there! I'm Nadine. Who're you?
Nefaria: Zounds, but you approached quickly! Yet as to your query, I am Nefaria, a denizen of this estate.
Nadine: Wait, you live HERE? That's amazing, 'Ria! You must be a princess or whatever.
Sarisse: ...Ria?
Nefaria: Leaving aside your form of address for the nonce, I am no one of note. That man there, however, is a prince of the highest quality.
Nadine: Wait, SERIOUSLY?! Holy wowsers, I've never met anyone this crazy fancy before. ...Hey, prince dude! Let's get another pic!
Euden: Ummm...no thank you?
Nadine: Guys, I can BARELY handle this castle. I mean, I know it's my first time here or whatever, but I still feel all totally wistful and memory-y about it.
Nadine: It's like I'm home, but not my actual crappy home—it's more like the home I always WANTED to be my home! *sniff* Oh man, I'm totes gonna bawl.
Sarisse: Uh, it was Nadine, right? Where are you from, exactly?
Nadine: Oh, just a dry little desert waaaay south of here.
Nadine: But we moved around a lot, so I can't really say, like, THIS specific place is where my home is, but I guess— Whoa! The sun's already setting!
Nadine: Look, I totally wanna keep chatting you guys up, but it's gonna be all dark soon. You mind if I crash at your castle tonight? Pleeeeeeease?
Euden: You can stay here as long as you like.
Nadine: Aw, you're the BEST, prince dude!
Euden: Er, that's okay with everyone, right?
Nefaria: If such be your will, then we shall of course see it done.
Euden: In that case, welcome aboard, Nadine.
Nadine: Guys. You are all. THE BEST!

Nefaria: Fie, but this mana flow is passing strange! While not a particularly strong distortion, it feels unnaturally pulled toward one spot.
Nefaria: And that spot is...

???: Insert the processed materium... ...the light mana exposure... ...with the facial-expression patterns... The quantization will...if I repurpose this...
Nefaria: Pardon my intrusion.
Nadine: Ria! Hey there, girl!
Nefaria: This room is as dark as the Stygian abyss. Whatever are you doing here?
Nadine: Huh? Oh, I'm just tinkering with Clix. I always find it easier to concentrate in the dark.
Nadine: But why are YOU here, Ria?
Nefaria: I sensed an agitation of mana and set out to find its source. I'm not surprised it was you.
Nadine: Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I was just trying to make ol' Clix better with a few little modifications.
Nefaria: What manner of modifications?
Nadine: Right now, I'm working on a facial- recognition function! Once I'm done, Clix will automatically detect people in photos!
Nadine: And then, you can make all sorts of super fun changes! Like, I could give you a big pair of sylvan ears or whatever! Or we could...er...
Nadine: Hey, so am I boring you or whatever? 'Cause you look all...bored.
Nefaria: I am not entirely uninterested in the inner workings of magical devices that make use of light mana, if that is what you are implying.
Nefaria: Also, the devotion you feel for your craft is clear merely by how you speak of it, and that alone is worth listening to.
Nadine: Just like I heard...
Nefaria: Pardon?
Nadine: Oh, just talking to myself about how happy I am! Speaking of which, what's it like to live here?
Nefaria: What brings you to this line of questioning?
Nadine: I dunno. Guess I just thought of it. I mean, everyone here seems pretty nice and fun and whatever, yeah?
Nefaria: Yes, though some occasionally go too far.
Nadine: Ria, don't you ever wanna go home?
Nefaria: ...Has someone told you of me, Nadine?
Nadine: Yeah, something like that. You really don't remember your past, do you?
Nefaria: Many days of yore are indeed lost to me— but I have made my peace with the matter, and now take happiness and succor from my boon companions in the Halidom.
Nefaria: I live in the present, not the past, which is why I do not yearn for home.
Nadine: Guess I never thought of it that way...
Nadine: But you are TOTALLY right—there's nothing more important than just living from moment to moment!
Nefaria: I am not certain you ken the true meaning of my words, but I suppose you see the general nature of them well enough.
Nadine: I think you and me'll get along swell, girl.
Nefaria: And I think you to be a...fine associate.
Nadine: You sure don't sound as excited as I wanted you to be...

Nadine: Hey! Ria! You like board games, yeah? Wanna go a few rounds?
Nefaria: Fie, but you are most persistent! Alas, I fear my current attentions are focused on finishing this tome.
Nadine: Aw, c'mon! Your nerd book can wait!
Sarisse: Nadine and Nefaria have sure been pallin' around a lot lately.
Sarisse: By which I mean Nadine just keeps following Nefaria everywhere she goes.
Cleo: Though Nefaria seems cool to the idea, I think she enjoys the company more than she lets on—the attraction of opposites and so forth.
Nadine: Wanna take a picture together? Pleasepleasepleasepleeeaaase! I'll use this filter to make us mega adorbs!
Nefaria: Fie, you fizgig! Will you never leave me a moment's peace?!
Sarisse: Are you SURE about that, Cleo?
Cleo: Mmm. Perhaps you are right...

Nadine: Hey, Ria! Lemme just take a quick snap of you, okay? Just this once!
Nefaria: Will these mad protestations never cease? I told you, if you seek to wield your magical paintbrush, do so on another.
Nadine: But I want a pic of YOU, Ria! We're BFFs, and BFFs can never have enough pics together!
Nefaria: I believe such to be a credo held by you alone.
Euden: Hey, can I talk to you two for a minute?
Nefaria: Is there a problem?
Euden: There's something I need both of you to see...
Nefaria: This is...
Nadine: Hey, that looks just like Clix! What's the deal, prince dude?
Euden: A child from Rovetelle found it in the forest, and the adults were worried it might be dangerous.
Nefaria: And so they brought it to you?
Euden: Yes. And since it looks just like your magic device, Nadine, I thought you might know something about it.
Nadine: Oh man, that is wild! I mean, I don't actually KNOW, but I'm guessing it came from another world like Clix did. It doesn't look that dangerous, either...
Nefaria: However, much like your device, it may affect the surrounding mana.
Euden: Affect it how?
Nefaria: On its own, Nadine's device seems harmless enough. But when placed in the proximity of a similar device, I fear the effects could multiply.
Nefaria: If the flow of mana is disturbed overmuch, it may even entice the attractions of nearby unpleasant entities.
Nadine: Wait, so having Clix and his brothers in the same area might cause FIENDS to appear or whatever?!
Nefaria: It is merely a possibility. Though as I stated, your device alone should mostlike pose no particular issue.
Euden: Still, if there's even a possibility of something going wrong here, we need to check it out.
Nefaria: Yes, especially if children are involved. Better to look into the problem and find your efforts for naught than to ignore it and rue the day.
Nadine: Okay, cool! In that case, me and Ria will totally open an investigation.
Nefaria: I am amenable to such.
Euden: That would be great. Thank you!
Nadine: Sweeet! A road trip! Time to hitch up our walking pants and get hyyyype!

Nadine: Oh man, look at the sun comin' through those trees—it's perfect picnic weather! Lemme just snap a quick pic here...
Nefaria: I pray you have not forgotten our goal.
Nadine: 'Course not! We're out here sniffing around to see if any more magical doo-dads have come drifting into our world, yeah?
Nadine: Still, just because we're investigating doesn't mean we gotta furrow our brows and make vinegary looks the whole time.
Nefaria: Well...no.
Nadine: Then let's make this a FUNvestigation by throwing Clix into the mix!
Nefaria: You are free to capture what scenery or forest animals you like, but pray do not involve me with your capering gambols.
Nadine: Riaaaaa! Girl, why do you hate having your pic taken so much?
Nefaria: And why are you so desperate to see me captured in your witchery?
Nadine: Why? Well, I guess I just want to have memories of stuff and whatever.
Nadine: I told you how me and the fam used to move around all the time, yeah?
Nefaria: I believe you spun a tale to that effect.
Nadine: Well, since we never stayed in one place for long, my memory is all kinda...woobly. Like, I tend to forget about a place the moment I leave it behind, you know?
Nadine: I've always hated that, but I never knew what to DO about it until I found Clix.
Nadine: Like, when I first started fiddling around with him, I found a whole bunch of pics that were already there—I'm guessing they're from his original owner.
Nadine: Anyway, they were all pictures of girls my age smiling and having fun and stuff, and when I saw 'em, I got MAD jealous.
Nadine: I wanted something like that, you know?! I wanted to have a ton of pictures of me and my friends being all BFFs!
Nefaria: ...Which is the true reason for your fanatical obsession with pictures.
Nadine: It's not fanatical! I mean, who DOESN'T want to look back on pictures of happy times or whatever?
Nefaria: Memories fade by their very nature, yet that device will keep them as fresh as the moment they occurred.
Nadine: Whiiiich...is a GOOD thing, right?
Nadine: Like I said, it's no good to have your most precious memories fade away. I'd way rather have a Clix to keep 'em fresh.
Nadine: Like, whenever I look at the pictures I took with my mom and dad, it makes me SUPER happy!
Nefaria: And now you ken why I do not wish to take part in your endeavors.
Nadine: ...Huh? Wait, like, no I DON'T! I totally do NOT ken that!
Nefaria: The mana warps anew... Marry, could it be another object drifted into our world?!
Nadine: Ria? Hey! Get back here, girl! We were totally in the middle of a conversation!

Nefaria: Hmm... It appears these two boxes are causing the mana to warp.
Nadine: Yeah, but what ARE they? I mean, they're way bigger than Clix. You could stuff a dude inside that one and, like, maybe a sorta fat cat in the other one?
Nadine: Guess we should open 'em up and see what's—OHMIGOSH!
Nadine: Girl, gag me with a ladle! The big one is filled with rotted meat and veggies! Oooo...I'm totes gonna horf...
Nefaria: There is naught inside the smaller box save for this round, clear plate, and I am at a loss as to its purpose.
Nadine: Well, we better take a pic of this stuff. You know? For, like, evidence?
Nadine: It'll be way easier to report back if we can show folks instead of just trying to describe it or hiring a mime or whatever.
Nefaria: I agree.
Nadine: Seeeee? I KNEW you loved pictures!
Nefaria: I have but acknowledged that your mystic arte serves a useful purpose in this matter. My opinion of pictures in general is as it ever was.
Nadine: Okay, so will you pleeease explain why you're all "No pictures, girl!" all the time? 'Cause you are KILLING me with this.
Nefaria: ...I do not know how much you know, but some centuries past, I was, in fact, the queen and regent of a small kingdom.
Nefaria: My memory of this time is fragmented, and much remains dark. In sooth, I do not even know why I was interred in the tomb from which I was eventually rescued.
Nefaria: What I DO recall is that my subjects held me most dear.
Nadine: Aw, I bet you were a super rad queen, Ria! ...But so what does that have to do with you not liking pictures?
Nefaria: You enjoy pictures because they remind you of gladdened times.
Nefaria: But there can be no such joy for me. When I think back on days of yore, I remember only that all those I once held near to my heart are no more.
Nadine: Oh!
Nefaria: And that is how I feel with a memory shattered. Were I able to recall every moment of my life clear as day, I would likely fall into even more of a gloom.
Nefaria: Your pictures tie one's soul to the past. By keeping memories eternally fresh, you make it more difficult to look toward what may come in future days.
Nadine: OHMIGOSH, LOOK!
Nefaria: Marry, what is it?!
Nefaria: ...Fiends? Fie, they must have been called to the warped mana as we feared!
Nadine: You said this might happen, and now it totally HAS!
Nefaria: We may have no choice but to destroy all of the otherworldly items if we hope to stave off calamity.
Nadine: First things, like, first: We gotta take out the fiends before they hurt anyone!
Nefaria: And we shall. Are you prepared?
Nadine: Heck yeah, I'm ready! I'll show these chumps every secret spear trick that my dad taught me!

Nefaria: No matter how many fiends we waylay, they will continue coming unless we can destroy the otherworldly boxes that are causing the mana to warp.
Nadine: Okay then. You take care of the boxes, and I'll make sure you stay alive!
Nefaria: My fate is in your hands.
Nefaria: There. The job is finished without mishap.
Nadine: I'm almost done here!
Nefaria: Fie, her movements...!
Deceased Retainer: Are you well, Your Majesty?
Nadine: You okay there, Ria?
Nefaria: Ah...
Nefaria: The way you moved just now. Might you be...?
Nadine: Ohmigosh, did you FINALLY notice? So yeah, I guess my ancestors used to serve you or whatever.
Nefaria: How long has this truth been revealed to you?
Nadine: Well, my original reason for traveling around was 'cause I was supposed to "find the queen." So naturally I had a description of said queen.
Nefaria: Your "original" reason?
Nadine: Yeaaah, so here's the thing: I wasn't super into hunting down old royalty until I met you.
Nadine: I mostly just claimed to be looking for you while I was sightseeing. That's why I kept taking all those pictures—so I had proof I was at least doing SOMETHING.
Nadine: But then I totally DID find you! Super lucky, right?
Nefaria: Why did you not share this with me from the beginning?
Nadine: Because once I found you... my trip would be over.
Nefaria: ......
Nadine: I'm joking. ...Sort of.
Nefaria: If you are "sort of" joking, may I also assume you are "sort of" speaking sooth?
Nadine: Look, I didn't get into all this because I knew your memories were fuzzy.
Nadine: I decided to just kinda...I dunno. Watch and wait, I guess. I needed to see if you even still WANTED to be a queen after all this time.
Nadine: If you preferred to leave all that behind, I was totally happy to let you do it.
Nefaria: ...It is not that I wish to forget my past.
Nadine: Yeah. I understand what you told me.
Nadine: So...I wanna let you know something.
Nefaria: Oh?
Nadine: You think your memories are just a burden to you, right?
Nadine: And that whenever you look back, all you find is sadness and stuff.
Nefaria: ......
Nadine: But I know that's not true. It can't be.
Nadine: I mean, yeah, I know you feel sad when you look back 'cause you think about all the people you didn't want to lose.
Nadine: But memories aren't JUST sadness.
Nefaria: !
Nadine: Look, I get it: You loved all these people once, and now they're gone— and that is TOTALLY depressing.
Nadine: But you shouldn't walk around like you didn't have any GOOD memories.
Nefaria: Fie, Nadine!
Nadine: Anyway, that's why we should take a pic! You'll never be sad or lonely with me, and if we do this together, I know you'll still be able to look toward the future.
Nadine: Because once you take one picture, you'll wanna take more—and before you know it, you end up with a whole boatload of awesome memories!
Nefaria: You truly are unshakable! No matter how sage your words, you always manage to direct the conversation back to taking a picture.
Nadine: Because it always comes back to that! Even for a lonely old lady like you.
Nefaria: Heh. I suppose I may have earned that, you insolent maid.
Nefaria: Very well. I shall recognize your case and allow us a picture together.
Nadine: Yessss! Let's consider it a commemorative photo, of the day you finally lifted the ban on having your likeness taken!
Nefaria: Do not hope overmuch, Nadine; it is but a single picture.
Nadine: Aw, c'mon! No one stops at one! Lemme have ten. ...Or a hundred.
Nefaria: I have one thing to say ere you begin...
Nadine: Whatcha need?
Nefaria: You must ensure that I look cute.
Nadine: Cute? Girl, you're gonna be GORGE!
Nefaria: Marry, but you are standing ever so close to me...
Nadine: Besties gotta stand close! ...Oh, wait! Here, take your hand and use it to make a heart with mine like... Yeah, there!
Nefaria: Pray do not tarry, lest I change my mind...