Kahli could sense Froufrou's frustration and nervousness - and she could smell it too in the form of copious squelching - as she proclaimed with excitement to the Supreme Time Protector that she would accept their invitation to join them as a time apprentice.
"Are you sure?" asked the Supreme Time Protector. "I notice that your system is [unclassed]. Do you know what getting a [class] can do to your system? You realize that if you accept my invitation, you'll also be accepting the [class] of [Time Manipulator], don't you?"
Kahli was glad that they'd asked, because in all honesty she'd had no idea at all that accepting would grant her a [class]. In fact, Kahli didn't know much about [classes] in general, although she did know that they weren't very common in Nomachiato - which of course generally accounted for how little she knew of them.
See, although the number of taumans with and without systems was about a fifty-fifty split, people with [classes] were so rare indeed that [classes] were hardly ever considered to be a systemic inevitability. Sure, sure, there were plenty of famous tauman beings with [classes] - the most famous being Chahrlie IV, who'd lived about five centuries ago and was [paired] with a dirt dragon. He had a [class] that allowed him to craft out of dust. The two had made a formidable team - Kahli remembered reading stories about it when she was younger.
Kahli thought that the idea of a [class] was incredibly enticing and she said as much to the Supreme Time Protector, but she also felt that it was important that she be on the same page with Froufrou. After all, her [paired] companion just wouldn't stop squelching.
Regardless, agreeing to the Supreme Time Protector’s offering was just enough to trigger an implementation of a time [checkpoint], a [checkpoint] within a [checkpoint], as it were.
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Kahli was there in an empty void once again. It was a little funny to her that she was able to enter [checkpoints] within [checkpoints] in such a manner, although she'd already known that Froufrou had done that herself in order to save her from the big jellyfish earlier on. Regardless, now it was Kahli. Just Kahli. No Froufrou.
Did that mean that the nesting of these [checkpoints] was a mechanism brought on by sharing her system with Froufrou?
[Clarification: Yes. Whereas normally, you would get one checkpoint with three possible timelines, it is now possible for both yourself and Froufrou to trigger time checkpoints that can be used to assume and review timelines independent of one another as well as in tandem. Effectively, what this does is allow you both to join a checkpoint together when one begins, and also to enter into your own nested checkpoints independent of one another as a function of the skill in its original form.]
Great. So, now Kahli was truly alone here in this [checkpoint]. She'd been hoping it would allow her and Froufrou some time together to talk through this, but apparently that wasn't the way things were able to go. Still, how was the Supreme Time Protector, a tauman with the ability to manipulate time on their own, not also here in the moment? Was the [skill] more powerful than them?
[Clarification: It is not a question of power levels at this point, it is a question of systemic function. See, joining into a time checkpoint puts you in a time layer above the present that allows you to view timelines and make semi-objective decisions. Joining those checkpoints uninvited, as the Supreme Time Protector had to do in order to meet you, opens you up to vulnerable time shenanigans such as this, wherein you've added a third layer on top of your two time layers. So, no, the Supreme Time Protector can't easily join your current time layer. Along with that, because this checkpoint is based on your interactions with them, it is most likely the case that the Supreme Time Protector does not even realize you are presently experiencing a checkpoint, as each timeline is a split difference all its own and will not be interpreted by the Supreme Time Protector as one continuous line of time until you make your selection based on the given scenarios.]
Excellent. So, if Kahli's system was right, then she really did get to pull the strings here, and that was the ideal situation. Well, semi ideal. She still wanted a chance to get to talk to Froufrou.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Maybe Kahli could hijack her first timeline in order to talk everything over with Froufrou. Yes, that had to be the way to do it. After all, Kahli always seemed to die in the first scenario anyways, except for that one time where she lost her hand instead. She could probably easily use the first timeline to talk to Froufrou, and then use the other two for reconciling with whatever Froufrou said to her.
With that, Kahli looked down at the three timelines under her big left foot. It was time to dive on in.
[Now viewing scenario 1]
Froufrou was squelching out of control.
"Hey, uhm, I'm so, so sorry, Supreme Time Overlord-"
"Protector," they corrected with the raise of a gloved finger.
"Sure, sure, Supreme Time Protector, whatever. Look, can I-"
"It's not whatever," replied the Supreme Time Protector.
"What?"
"It's not whatever, Kahli. I worked very hard to earn this title. It is a source of pride and a symbol of honor within the larger organization of time-minded folk that I associated with, and that I am inviting you to associate with. I would hope and expect that you would pay me a little more respect, all things such as that considered."
Kahli sighed and nodded slowly. "Okay. Gotcha. Look, Froufrou keeps squelching all over the place like a crazy lady, can I just talk everything over before we make a concrete decision on this [class] business?"
"Sure," they said with a cool laugh. "Take your time. I just hope you don't mind if I take a moment to go over some things with myself, too."
"Great, thanks." Kahli walked a bit aways from the Supreme Time Protector, knelt down, and pulled Froufrou out of her purse. "Alright, Froufrou, what is it? What's the problem?"
Froufrou squelched with a fervor that was indeed quite gripping, Kahli could tell she was deathly concerned - however, as Froufrou gestured with her tendrils, it became more and more abundantly clear to Kahli that what she was really concerned about here was that the Supreme Time Protector was a stranger.
"Look, I know we don't really know them, okay? But I think the things they've been saying about systems and [classes] rings true, and having that [Time Manipulator] class would do so much for us! We get so much out of [Seismic Sense] because it allows for us to interact with [checkpoints] in time. Truly, all we need to do, from what I can tell, is listen to the Supreme Time Protector as much as we can and try to learn from them."
Froufrou squelched in distrust and disgust.
Kahli sighed, then, she looked over to the Supreme Time Protector. She immediately noticed that said Supreme Timne Protector had actually created a miniature rift in time that allowed three other versions of themself to walk into the present moment and argue with the present time Supreme Time Protector about what they'd need to do in order to grant Kahli her [class] if she so chose.
"Look at that, Froufrou. The Supreme Time Protector summoned up a bunch of different versions of themselves in order to research the best way to handle this. Like, they seem like they care about our success."
Froufrou squelched anxiously.
"Yes, I admit it, Froufrou, I'm going off mostly vibes here, but I really do think that the Supreme Time Protector is a good person, if not just a little odd." She looked again at the cluster of Supreme Time Protectors.
They seemed to be getting into a heated argument. Then, one of them started raising their voice in anger. Then, another one pushed someone else. Soon, it had devolved into all the seemingly same Supreme Time Protectors were arguing and fighting with one another, paying no attention to their original subject of discussion - it was all arguments about things like personal hygiene and interpersonal relationships. All of a sudden, one of the Supreme Time Protectors pulled out a large knife and stabbed another one of the Supreme Time Protectors.
Kahli was getting anxious, so she scooped Froufrou back into her purse and ran up to the cluster of Supreme Time Protecctors.
"What is it? Why'd you stab him?"
"He did it!" said all the Supreme Time Protectors in unison, each one pointing to another.
Then, suddenly enough, the Supreme Time Protector that had been stabbed tumbled to the ground of the foggy void from blood loss. They started to hack and retch.
Then, they laughed. "Life, time... it's all such a joke."
Before anyone could respond, the Supreme Time Protector coughed horribly, and cough again even more horribly, and then they twitched, and they spasmed, and they died unequivocally as they curled up into the fetal position.
"Oh FUCK!" said one of the Supreme Time Protectors.
"What?" asked another.
"That was the earliest version of me from the past!" said another Supreme Time Protector.
They all gasped.
"You mean-"
"Then we're going to-"
"Fuck my life this is a crock of-"
And then, suddenly, all of the Supreme Time Protectors disappeared from existence. Kahli sighed, shook her head, and looked at Froufrou.
"Well, you're welcome, Froufrou. They're all gone now, one way or another. What are we supposed to do?"
Kahli asked Froufrou, but in truth she'd already been thinking about what she wanted to do. She ran over to the dead Supreme Time Protector, laying there in the fetal position. She saw her cloak, and she saw droplets of blood fluttering in the void like small insects.
Kahli hunched over and prepared to unveil this strange person. Who was, she wondered, this Supreme Time Protector, really?