"So, what's the deal with these Malconteseurs?" Greg asked as they made their way into the amusement park, Chris's subordinates splitting into various squads to explore while the four of them, Beth, Derek, Penny, Thad, Jello, and T'ka stuck together.

"You can't think that's even close to the right name." Victoria grumbled.

"No, but I don't remember it and if I'm going to get something wrong, I might as well do it with style." Greg grinned.

"The Monteros are one of the most influential Families in the City, with deep ties to the Vanguard and the arms manufacturing industry, particularly when it comes to anything that requires Coreforging." Beth explained, a slightly bitter edge creeping into her voice. "Essentially, they have a stranglehold on the upper end of the military-industrial complex, which makes them one of the strongest factions in the City, and certainly the one people really don't want to piss off. Which means they're used to getting their way, and they rarely take no for an answer."

"Sounds like a bunch of assholes to me." Greg chuckled.

Beth sighed. "I wouldn't say that. They honestly believe everything they do is for the good of the City, and the benefits they receive are simply what they deserve for the service they provide. That anything less than subservience is disrespect. They aren't bad people, it's just that their view of the world has been warped to the point that they can justify doing almost anything."

"That- still sounds like they're being assholes to me." Andrew frowned. "They're just misguided assholes, instead of… belligerent assholes? Does that work?"

"Either way, it's an excuse to mess with them in one way or another." Greg shrugged.

"Greg, now may not be the best time to piss off one of the most powerful military factions in the City, particularly when we're about to go to war with a superior force and need all the help we can get." Victoria rolled her eyes.

"Aw, come on, what's the worst that could happen?" Greg waved dismissively.

"The purge." Chris replied simply.

Greg paused, before letting out a sigh. "Fine, I'll hold off. For now."

"Come guys, enough of this downer crap!" Jello interjected. "The Monteros are tomorrow's issue. Today, we're a bunch of friends enjoying an amusement park! Besides, Chris's other family sucks and he doesn't need them." She finished with a huff.

Chris chuckled and picked the slime up, putting her on his shoulders, before wrapping an arm around Beth. "She's right. Come on, let's see what this place has to offer."

*

The amusement park wasn't exactly like the amusement parks on Earth. It was more of a large, entertainment complex. It still had roller-coasters and whatnot, but it also had a water park, an arcade, bowling alleys, laser tag, a movie theater, another theater for plays, pretty much any form of entertainment you could think of. They all had different things they wanted to focus on, so they ended up splitting into four groups. Derek and Victoria headed for the games first, while Greg and Thad headed for the rides, and Andrew and Penny went for the water park, leaving Chris, Beth, Jello, and T'ka to wander around enjoying the various passive entertainment options like a little family.

"So, we haven't exactly hung out before, have we?" Derek commented as he and Victoria wandered off.

"Not explicitly no." Victoria replied, eyeing him weirdly. "Why? You're not getting any ideas, are you?"

"Ideas?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I'm an attractive woman and you've checked out my ass at least four times now. Connect the dots." Victoria shrugged.

Derek flushed. "That- that's not- I'm just appreciating it! Like a painting, you know?"

"Sure, I get that." Victoria nodded. "I have a nice ass."

Derek shook his head. "I'm guessing you're not the humble sort, are you?"

Victoria frowned. "I don't know if humility is a factor here… you literally just compared my ass to a painting. I'm pretty sure its quality is a matter of empirical fact at this point. Also, you know, I did live most of my life as a dude. I know a nice ass when I see one."

Derek's expression twisted. "Right… How does that work exactly? Like, you just decided you wanted to be a woman at some point?"

"Not exactly, no… see, after my World got destroyed, I ended up inhabiting the body of a recently deceased girl and sort of taking over her life. After a while, it just sort of became my new normal, or at least another perfectly acceptable way to be. There's no real reason to not be a woman, so why not do it, you know?" Victoria explained.

"I- guess?" Derek cocked his head, frowning slightly, before sighing and shaking his head. "Actually, no, it still weirds me out. Like, are you a guy or a girl?"

"I'm me." Victoria shrugged. "That's all that really matters, right? I mean, does physical attraction even matter when all you need is a few points to change everything about yourself? At that point, all that really matters is that you find someone you're compatible with. Though, I do tend to find compatibility with people I'm already attracted to… though it might be more that I only look for compatibility when I already have some sort of interest in a person."

"I suppose you have a point, but… okay, say two straight dudes found each other, developed a real connection, and decided to go for it, but both of them want the other to turn into a woman, because that's what they're attracted to, but they want to stay male, because that's the kind of sex they enjoy. How does that work?" Derek replied.

"Chicks with dicks?" Victoria offered. "That's what I do with Beatrice."

"That- okay, but you still end up with one person getting fucked who doesn't necessarily enjoy getting fucked, right?" Derek retorted with a twisted expression.

Victoria paused. It was true that Beatrice wasn't into being on the receiving end of things… she could see a straight man having similar issues. "Huh… okay, so physical preferences still matter."

"And what are your preferences?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can do anything, really." Victoria shrugged. "The only way I haven't done it yet is male on male, but I don't mind anal as a woman, so I can't imagine I'd have an issue with it. The only issue is that physically I'm not that into the male form… no offense, dudes just don't do it for me." She paused. "So far… can't say my preference won't adjust over time. Or with a different brain… maybe if I spent some points? Hmmm."

"Yeah, that's not helping me get more comfortable with this." Derek shook his head. "The idea of you using points to change someone's sexual orientation just feels wrong, no matter which direction you go with it."

"I wasn't suggesting I do it, it was just a thought experiment." Victoria rolled her eyes. "I don't like touching personality traits. Too much potential for abuse, plus you're essentially killing someone and creating someone else in the process."

"But you can do it, right?" Derek replied.

"Well… yeah? Kinda, at least." Victoria cocked her head. "It's more like I adjust the influences on a personality, like changing how much shame you feel at doing something, or how much pressure you feel to do what other people say. Which, I suppose, sort of is your personality? Kind of?" She frowned as she fell into thought, considering just what personality was.

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Derek stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head. "Yeah, no, you freak me out. No matter how nice your ass is."

*

"Okay, I'm just going to put this out there: rides aren't as fun when you can actually fly." Greg commented with a sigh.

"Is that so?" Thad replied. "I wouldn't know."

"Ha! Fair." Greg chuckled. "I'd show you, but there isn't really space for it around here." Greg waved vaguely towards the ceiling.

"No there's not." Thad agreed. "Maybe we could try it out in Chris's world sometime."

"Sure, why not." Greg agreed. "So, where do you want to head next?"

"Well, if you aren't enjoying the rides, we can try the water park?" Thad offered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Greg waved his hands, shaking his head. "I said they aren't as fun. I still prefer this over water slides. Plus, the fact that they all go through tunnels does add an extra dimension that I enjoy."

Thad snorted. "Fine, how about the Whirlwind then?"

"Oooh, a spinny one!" Greg exclaimed excitedly. "Let's do it!"

Thad gave him a weird look. "You know, it's hard to reconcile who you are with how you act."

"How so?" Greg asked, cocking his head.

"Well, I know you're supposed to be this big bad Multiversal god guy, but… you act like a dude. And a pretty goofy one at that. It just isn't what I'd expect." Thad shrugged.

"Fair, I suppose, but you know Chris, right? It's the same thing. I have these abilities, but most of my life, I was just a normal dude. The whole Multiversal god thing is a relatively recent development." Greg replied.

"That- actually speaks more to my point." Thad shook his head. "Chris has always been… off. Finding out he's a Multiversal god actually makes sense in a weird sort of way."

Greg blinked. "Huh… fair enough. But my point still stands. We've all lived normal lives, or at least normalish lives. I don't know what's up with Chris, but the rest of us are just people who were suddenly saddled with strange abilities we only vaguely understand."

"Just feels weird." Thad commented. "There should be some level of gravitas to someone with your capabilities."

"Feh, should." Greg waved dismissively. "Should is for people who can't handle the facts of reality. Things simply are. There is no should."

"Okay, now that's more like it." Thad smirked. "Weird, authoritative statements about the way things work. Total god energy."

"Glad I could help." Greg chuckled.

*

"Wooo!" Penny exclaimed as the log hit the water, sending a wave of water splashing over them.

"We've been standing here getting splashed for fifteen minutes now." Andrew complained. "Can't we actually try a ride now?"

Penny clicked her tongue. "The rides don't splash you as much! Look at those people! Practically dry!"

"Sure, but they actually got to enjoy the ride." Andrew retorted.

Penny rolled her eyes. "If you wanted rides, you should have gone with Greg and Thad. The point of the water park is to get wet!"

"But then you'd have been all alone…" Andrew muttered.

"So?" Penny cocked her head. "You don't have to keep me company, you know. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"It's not- we all came here together, you know? It just feels weird to let one of us go off on their own." Andrew grimaced.

Penny paused, staring at him for a moment. "You're a weird guy, you know that?"

Andrew frowned. "I guess? But I think sticking with your friends is actually pretty normal."

"Except I'm not your friend." Penny pointed out. "I'm an acquaintance at best, and you absolutely have no reason to take responsibility to keep me company, so it's weird that you feel like you have to come along even though you don't enjoy the water park."

Andrew frowned. "I mean… we aren't close, I guess, but I'd say we're friendly enough that I can feel some obligation to keep you company. Besides, I do enjoy the water park. I just actually want to experience it, not just stand here and get splashed."

"But that's the fun part!" Penny retorted, before letting out a sigh as Andrew just stared at her. "Fine. Let's go try some slides."

"Freaking finally." Andrew grumbled, leading the way towards the biggest slide he could find.

Penny glanced at Andrew as they walked. "You really think we're friendly?"

"I mean… yeah?" Andrew replied, giving her a weird look. "It's basically a given since we're both connected to Chris. Friend of my friend and all that."

Penny's expression went blank. "Oh. So you just feel obligated to be friendly with me because of Chris."

Andrew frowned. "Not obligated… it's more like the fact that we both know Chris just seems to make it… natural that we should also be friendly? Like, if we're both connected to Chris, there has to be a reason for that, which seems to imply that there might be a way for us to form a connection as well, so being friendly just makes sense? Also, you seem like a nice person, if a bit opinionated."

"You're opinionated!" Penny retorted.

Andrew opened his mouth to protest, before pausing. "I guess I am, huh? All the more reason for us to be friendly then."

Penny snorted. "You're still weird."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "You're friends with Chris. You should be used to weird."

"I'm used to Chris weird. You're like the opposite of Chris. He'd never feel obligated to do something just to keep someone he barely knew company." Penny countered.

"I told you, I wanted to check out the water park anyway!" Andrew exclaimed.

"Uh-huh, then why don't you enjoy getting splashed?" Penny raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I do! I just want to actually ride something while it happens!" Andrew protested.

Penny paused, before smirking at him. "So you want a wet and wild ride?"

"Ye- wait." Andrew paused, narrowing his eyes at her. "Is that a sex joke?"

Penny gave him the purest, most innocent look she could manage. "A sex joke? What part of that was sexual?"

"The- uh… nevermind." Andrew muttered, looking away with a flush.

Penny grinned slightly. If he was that easy to tease, the day might end up being even more fun than she'd thought.

*

"You okay?" Chris asked Beth while Jello and T'ka were engrossed in a puppet show. "I know you don't have a great history with the Monteros."

Beth sighed. "It isn't the Monteros. It's the fact that we're getting dragged back into all that high society bullshit. I just- I mean, it isn't why I'm with you, but one of the benefits of being with you was supposed to be getting away from all that."

"I don't have to go to the meeting, you know." Chris offered. "It isn't like they can force me to go, particularly since they clearly have trouble even contacting me."

Beth shook her head. "No, Victoria was right. With everything going on with the Elves and the Doppelgangers, you need the Monteros on your side, or at least not against you. As long as we're dealing with the fate of the City, we're going to have to deal with City politics. That's- that's just how it works. I just- I didn't think we'd have to deal with this until we were older, after we rose through the ranks in the Scouts. When we were more mature and stable."

Chris grunted in agreement. "Yeah, it would have been nice to have some time to just be us. I blame World fuckery."

"World fuckery." Beth grumbled. "Why does the World have to meddle in our business? Why can't it let us just live our lives?"

"Something about the way people think about stories." Chris waved dismissively. "Unique people need unique things to happen to them."

"I know, but it's still annoying." Beth complained, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Yeah, but it's far from the worst thing a World can do. You should see what goes on in System World, or Mage World. Just contrived issues to perpetuate conflict for no real reason other than that's how the World thinks things should be." Chris paused. "Though, I guess the whole Elf King hunting down a potential threat is a bit contrived as well… but then again, the pursuit and defense of power is one of the most basic motivations there is."

"If anything in our World is contrived, it's the Maze and the fact that humanity was left at the bottom of the barrel while everyone else rose to power." Beth replied. "But given what Jo had said about the surface, we're probably better off for it. You know, if we weren't constantly throwing ourselves into the Maze."

"Plus the Trial is a bit dark." Chris added.

"Yeah." Beth agreed. "This World definitely needs some work."

"True, but I'm beginning to think that's the case for all Worlds." Chris shrugged. "Even in Beast World, which has an Immortal who set things up as well as he possibly could, people still find a way to make problems. It makes me think shooting for World domination wouldn't be such a bad idea. Or at least shoving everyone into my World, so they can't screw each other over that badly."

Beth shook her head. "Chris, you know talking like that is dangerous. It's too easy to get carried away and become the very thing you're trying to prevent."

Chris nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's just a thought that occurs to me every now and then. We still need to let people choose for themselves. However, if everyone chooses to live in my World… well that's another matter altogether, now isn't it?"