Cliff Mason
God, look at this! Civ 6?

While Clip and Moon-Soo investigate a rack of monitors, Cliff Mason lingers at a shelf of games with Allen in his arms. He takes a box off and regards it fondly.

  Cliff Mason
I think my dad played that one.
He always loved those grand strategies. I would sit on his lap, watching him click around. Never had any idea what was happening, heh.

Hhhhh...

  Cliff Mason
I wonder if he's out there, in this world, across the pond.
What animal would he be?
A coyote, I bet. That sounds like him.

Cliff is too busy looking over a game off the shelf to notice electricity sparking between the controllers on sale behind him.

  Cliff Mason
Oh, now this looks more like your speed. Kirby!
I loved this one when I was a kid.
Kirby, he's like-- he's this littleguy from the stars, and he always saves the day.
In this one he even goes to another world and he saves that too!

Hhhh... hhkkhhh...

  Cliff Mason
I played this for hours.
Rescued all the Waddle Dees. Not even for completion, I just felt bad for them! Trapped in those cages!

Hhhhhh

  Cliff Mason
You'd like him, I bet.
Cause he's tough, see, tougher than he looks, but he's gentle too.
And he's got this whole secret backstory where he's a space monster from the void, right, but none of that matters.
Because he's a nice guy now.
He is who he is, right now.

Hh hhk hh hhk

  Cliff Mason
It's got co-op, you know?
We should play it together. I'll even let you be Kirby.
And then if it ever gets too tough for you, a boss too tricky to beat...
I'll be there, by your side, to get you through it.
No matter what. I'll be righ--

A massive bolt of electricity rattles the store!

  Cliff Mason
WHOA!!!

Moon-Soo and Clip duck as monitors quite literally fly off the shelves over their heads, screens bright and sparking.

Moon-Soo
* oh jesus!!

Clip
* What? What??

Moon-Soo
* come on, a haunting today!?


Clip crouches over Allen to protect them from the whirling devices coalescing above his head. Cables tangle between the monitors, connecting them together like sinews to bone.

  Cliff Mason
A ghost--!!

Hhhhkkkhhkhhh!!!

  Cliff Mason
It's alright, Allen, I know how this goes!
you don't gotta worry, all we gotta do is...

The images on the monitors take form, and Cliff's face falls.

  Cliff Mason
Is...

Hanging over him, a mass of screens all show the same image: the screaming face of the fallen Avean Engineer.

  Avean Engineer
CLIFF!! MASON!!!










Lum says:
You might have noticed that the hiatus there was only one week instead of the promised three.

In short, I saw my phisio and she said I'm good to keep drawing as long as I don't overdo it. So, we're back early. Thanks for reading!