EN observes the raft, then is about to drag it into the dueling hut before remembering she can't do that while Taeda is asleep in there. C'mon, imagine if someone dragged their motorbike into your bedroom and started smacking shit. As such, this craftpost will have to happen outside. It's still in a spoiler for convenience reasons.

Anyway, time to make some shit happen. First of all, the boat could really use some remodeling. EN promptly disassembles a decent part of the raft, then rebuilds it anew in a more traditionally boat-like shape, using up some Uniform Logs and some Vines to help tie it all together. Then, deciding it could use even more remodeling, EN invest some Refined Wood into a sturdier secondary layer on the outside of the ship, strong and solid and of marvelous quality. But why stop there? There is much to be done.

Some more Refined Wood and some Leather go into creating some nice seats on the inside of the raft, and EN decides to take a moment to glue everything together nice and firmly with some sticky Green Sap Blobs and Spider Silk Spools, somehow. It then occurs to her that this raft might be a little bit heavy... So she promptly makes it even heavier by covering the entire hull in a thick layer of iron, because that's reasonable, right? There's at least one mercy to that inane action, and that is she's designed it so it can probably just smash through any riverbed obstructions.

After that bit of modification, EN performs a pro gamer move and fuses together some Skyroot Logs and Roseblight Logs, using some Fluxblood as a catalyst for the combination, because great constructions cannot be made without doing some absurdly stupid thing that has a good chance of somewhat spoiling the result. She then promptly remodels just a little bit of the ship to integrate those... uh... Roseflight Logs (me have genuis name brain) into the thing that no longer can really be called a mere raft come to think of it. After that, she considers things.

"An' sides tha', 'ow 'bout..."

She then grabs the Duneyrr Gatling, the AI cores, some Joltwire, CPUs, and Speaker Systems, wandering about the ship and setting up some integrated systems. Her aim is, apparently, to link everything together to create another smart creation that has access to weaponry, and also to make sure the ship has some level of self-control. After setting up the system, she realizes it might help to have some way to guide the ship, using some Iron, Incendiary Scraps, and Flame Redirectors to improvise some jet-line constructs to add to the ship, giving it a means to move itself either on command or based on its own decisions. Then she remembers what happened the last time she used too much entropy and too little not-entropy, pinching a few Sanctified Ingots to distribute through the ship systems. Once everything is in place, she crouches down, placing her hands on different metal components...

"...Lemme see if ah can do this..."

There's a pause. She concentrates. Reality seems to shift a little. A certain feeling of unfamiliarity spreads through the area. It's not EN standing there. Someone else. Someone unfamiliar. Someone who entirely resembles her, but just does not feel the same. Components are moving. Metal seems to breathe, seems to move, seems to pulse like a heartbeat. Things are coming alive. The metal grows. The metal changes. The metal reproduces itself.

The metal lives.

And suddenly, EN lets go, hopping out of the way and collapsing nearby. It's not clear what she did, though as things fade out and return to being familiar, one might sense life from the raft-but-now-ship-but-now-IDK. Did she perform something similar with Rosie? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Someone should probably talk to her about her newfound habit of apparently turning vaguely incomprehensible and bringing metallic objects to life.

Still, she did deliver to her best ability on the promise of doing "a thin' or two".

Resources used: Uniform Logs, Vines, Refined Wood, Leather, Green Sap Blobs, Spider Silk Spools, Iron Ingots, Skyroot Logs, Roseblight Logs, Fluxblood, Duneyrr Gatling, Small AI Cores, Joltwire, Central Processing Units, Speaker Systems, Incendiary Scraps, Flame Redirectors, Sanctified Ingots
Output: hopefully a better goddamn raft

The wind ripples across the roof of the house, pink and purple leaves spiraling through the air aimlessly. Marron’s short, somewhat messy pink hair billows gently in the breeze, her scarf fluttering much like a flag might. She stares at Fran from across the rooftop. How dare she call herself her sister? The puppeteer raises her fists towards Fran, a sinister fury in her eyes. A beating was what she deserved.

And yet, the odd girl seemed happy about this. The fact that the two of them were going to fight. Was it a game to her? For all she knew, yes- but this was a game she was going to win! Her fists ball tightly, and she begins to bounce around on her feet, mimicking the footwork of an actual, proper fighter.

MARRON: Okay, so.
MARRON: If I win this- and I WILL- you’ll stop gorillaing saying you’re my sister, alright?

A brief flash of irritation visibly washes over Fran, but the moment passes and she is obnoxiously cheerful again.

FRAN: Dearie me, aren't we demanding? But alright, I get it, this is a sudden change in your life, so I will respect your wishes and take it slow.
FRAN: But if I win, I… I actually don't have any demands.
FRAN: Oooh! What if we had matching dresses! Yes, yes, that's my condition!

Pap. Marron facepalms with her organic left hand, keeping it firmly planted there for awhile. How she wishes she had her metallic right arm, so she could break this girl’s jaw! She sighs, and resumes her fighting stance.

MARRON: F-Fine! W-Whatever!
MARRON: Just shut up, and… let’s do this!
FRAN: Bring it on, girl!

The puppeteer slowly begins to move forward, cautiously eyeing her opponent’s movements. Once close enough, she springs forward, and begins to throw a rapid volley of jabs! While the individual punches are weak, she’s really throwing them out quite quickly! Fran manages to block the first several jabs by swiping them to the side, but soon realises that it's already wearing her out. As she begins to retreat backwards, she fails to dodge two attacks -ow. Even if weak, they still hurt decently. In return, she ducks in the middle of dodging blows and aims one of her own at Marron's stomach, trying to break her concentration.

The puppeteer’s eyes go wide as she sees the punch fly towards her. Instinctively, Marron tries to turn out of the way. Whump! Marron grunts in pain as air and spit evacuates her mouth. That’d surely leave a mark later. She stumbles backward, trying to get her arms up, and her bearings back. Fran wastes no time, launching towards her and sending another jab at her jaw… which instead passes right by it due to Marron's unpredictable stumbling. More important than the attack not connecting, however, is that it pulls Fran along with it, making her crash into her opponent fully exposed.

Though the accidental bump stings, the puppeteer doesn’t miss a beat! Marron winds up briefly and up and launches a powerful left hook directly into Fran’s right cheek. While her small frame doesn’t allow her to pack much power into the blow, it’s enough to leave a nasty bruise and disorient her opponent! Grinning cruelly, Marron continues to launch her assault, firing a barrage of quick jabs that pepper her opponent’s face and chest. Then, as she winds up for another big left hook, her "sister" can only raise both hands in a cross block, praying that it lessens the impact.

Marron’s punch slams directly into her opponent’s guard. Annoyed, she keeps smashing her fists into her opponent’s solid guard, lightly bruising them but otherwise not hurting much. Then, Fran hears something. Heavy breathing. Marron’s heavy breathing. The pinkette quickly darts back, sweat rolling down her brow as she took a moment to catch her breath, one hand on her surely bruised belly. In a last ditch attempt, Fran attempts the dreaded Assyrian Combo, which she may have just made up on the spot. Her right fist flies forward, stopping just short of her chest… immediately followed by her left, which does connect, after which the first one does as Marron is knocked backwards.

She falls onto her back, dazed. Still though, getting knocked over isn’t the same as getting knocked out. Marron groans as she begins to pick herself up, but Fran’s already on the move! She harshly pushes the puppeteer back down before she can get up with a swift kick. Then, before she can retaliate, Fran pulls herself onto the puppeteer, sitting upon her chest. Marron flails at the apparent victor, her arms swinging at her sides.

MARRON: GET OFF OF ME!
FRAN: It's over, sis, I have the high ground!

Try as she might to get up, Fran’s weight is enough to keep her pinned down. All of Marron’s attempts to get up are met with hard, yet almost joking pushes onto the floor, slowly bruising her up and sapping her strength.

MARRON: I am not going to lose! Not like this!
MARRON: Take this!

Mustering whatever strength she can, Marron pushes as hard as she can against the roof with both of her legs. The sudden jolt of Marron raising her lower body, as well as a grab and pull from the puppeteer manage to topple the offender over! Just before Marron is able to seize control of the situation, she remembers something. Roof. The two of them begin to roll down the gently-sloped roof. And, tangled up with each other as they are, there’s really not much they can do to stop themselves- or at least, until they both crash into the chimney. The brick chimney doesn’t budge. The two of them manage to pull themselves away from each other, taking a moment to regain their bearings.

MARRON: O-Ow…
MARRON: Why’d we decide to fight up here, a-again?
FRAN: Because it w-was convenient? Or we were idiots?
MARRON: Can we… a-agree to get off of here quickly?
MARRON: Just like… hop off the roof?

Marron points off the side, towards the front of the house. Nobody’s down there, so they could likely continue their brawl in “peace”.

FRAN: ...y-you sure you don't want to just g-give up now?
MARRON: If you wanna surrender, that’s fine by me.
MARRON: If you want me to give in though… well, I’m not going to! No matter what!
FRAN: You… are one tough gorilla, Marry.
MARRON: It’s “Marron”, damn it!

Marron scooches over to the side of the roof, and drops down, gracefully landing on her feet. She takes a few steps away from the front of the house before resuming her fighting stance, slightly less energetic than last time. Fran looks at the drop down and, deciding not to risk more injury, just opens another one of her portals underneath her, dropping near the puppeteer. Mere moments after she pops through the portal, Marron rushes after Fran, moving in with a lunging right hook. The other girl ducks, only narrowly avoiding a direct impact, following that with a barrage of weaker punches aimed at Marron's abdomen.

Each of the blows find their mark, further damaging the puppeteer’s poor stomach. Fortunately for Marron, adrenaline is starting to pump through her veins! She grunts through the pain of Fran’s repeated strikes, and recklessly throws her own flurry of blows at Fran, going for her opponent’s upper body and head. The two of them slug it out, Marron too stubborn to back off, and Fran too sure of herself to change her approach. Quick punches rock both of the women’s bodies, their exchange only ending with a devastating cross counter! Marron rocks Fran with an uppercut to the jaw, and Fran swoops Matron with a knee to the stomach.

Fran falls, and she falls hard. The hit shakes her up even more than she already was, leaving her to lie completely still, unable to even brush off the blood from the corner of her mouth. No motion is made to get up, and the only signs of her even being conscious are the pained yelps she releases every now and then.

Marron meanwhile, helplessly crumples to the ground, sprawled out on her back. It seems like she’s been knocked out, but her eyes flutter open soon enough. She’s conscious, but definitely in pain. Her belly has been beaten black and blue, and to make matters worse, the scar she had across her torso was beginning to ache again. Despite the pain, she manages to sit up. Marron smiles weakly when she sees that her opponent isn’t moving much at all.

She struggles valiantly, managing to get back up onto her feet. Her messy hair was even more disheveled than usual, and various bruises marked up her body. Despite the pain, she was smiling. Her adrenaline’s flowing, and she feels alive. The same sort of sensation she felt when she triumphed over Toast. Except, she wasn’t going to collapse this time. Or at least, she hoped so. Her vision was definitely blurring.

MARRON: H-Had enough yet?
MARRON: I-I can… k-keep going...

The other girl coughs several times, then finally musters up the strength and mental clarity to smile in return.

FRAN: You don't… you don't have to a-act like you're fine after all this…
FRAN: I'd be h-happy to… drop the s-sisterhood jokes and a-all.
FRAN: You put up one h-hell of a fight. I'm so p-proud of you...
MARRON: S-Shut up! I-I’m… totally f-fine…
MARRON: It’s just l-light bruising. N-Nothing I-I can’t take!
MARRON: B-But… i-if you’re willing to drop the s-sisterhood gorilla, m-maybe we can call i-it a draw...
FRAN: A-alright… a draw is g-good as well…

Slowly, slowly, Fran pushes against the ground beneath her and straightens up. She extends a hand, presumably to officially seal the agreement. Marron sighs, and decides to not just shake on it, but help the girl up. Sure, Fran may have attempted to butt her way into her life, but maybe a certain someone’s kindness is starting to rub off on her. Fran accepts the sign of good will, staggering back onto her feet.

There’s then a gentle thud from behind the duo! Chloe has hopped off the roof, viewing the two fighters with a raised eyebrow.

CHLOE: M-Marron, what happened?
MARRON: Oh, y’know. Nothing much.
MARRON: I beat up a chick because she called herself my sister.
CHLOE: O-Okay?
CHLOE: ...Why am I always around to watch you get beat up?
MARRON: B-Beat up!? I beat her up!
CHLOE: If I didn’t see the fight, I’d assume that you lost…
CHLOE: Seriously, you look like a mess! I’ll need to grab Ette to tend to your wounds again...
MARRON: U-Ugh...

Chloe turns her attention to the poor(?) woman that Marron ended up fighting. In the background, a much less gentle thud is heard as Chara fails at acrobatics once more, landing on their face.

CHLOE: So… what’s your name?
FRAN: Oh, I'm Fran. Just Fran. Haven't decided on a surname yet, and I'm not sure I even need one.
FRAN: But Chara's told you all about me already, no?
CHLOE: Um… y-yeah!
CHLOE: So…

She turns to glance at Chara, who appears to be smouldering with a calm sort of fury. Their left hand tightly grips the Minute to Midnight, raising it in front of them. As if on cue, Fran's mouth unhinges, spitting Therma out of her and into her hands.

CHARA: Now listen here, you little-

And that's as much as they managed to say before they ceased making all noise, as if they were a TV and muted with a remote. The girl from beyond spoke in their place, and the words gave a natural feeling of not being counterable by anything. This would be the law.

FRAN: No, I will not relinquish control of you. I do that, and you either cease to exist or become the possession of someone unworthy of you. But if you'd like to join the ranks of the special ladies I made you record, go right ahead and say it when we're done.
FRAN: No, you will never fully stop sharing my hatred. There needs to be someone to deliver judgement, and such duties are never meant to fall on the willing. But if you'd like to let your dearly hated walk, talk and [REDACTED] freely, go right ahead and say it when we're done.
FRAN: No, I will not leave every world you take a liking to free from my meddling. For not only am I done with sacrificing my happiness for the sake of the others', but you are my meddling. But if you'd like to leave their stories untainted while I terrorise someone truly innocent, go right ahead and say it when we're done.
FRAN: No, I will not use one of the others to do what must be done. You, and you alone, are the one who shares my wish, and you alone will make it come true. So say I.
FRAN: You may now talk.

Chara… does not respond. Even with the full permission to, they do not respond. They just shoot Chloe an apologetic look. Their gazes meet, and Chloe gives them a gentle smile, and a quick nod. The blonde then steps forward towards Fran, a hint of anger crossing her face.

CHLOE: What are you even saying!?
CHLOE: Chara shouldn’t need to bend to your every whim and will!
CHLOE: She’s her own person, damn it! What gives you the right to use her like a pawn?
CHLOE: I’ve spent some time with her, and I’d bet I know her better than you ever would!
CHLOE: Sure, she’s a bit troubled, but that’s because you keep meddling with her life!

CHLOE: Chara shouldn’t be forced to suffer just because somebody doesn’t want to do things themselves!
CHLOE: So, leave her alone! Go do things on your own for once!
CHLOE: Deliver your stupid judgement yourself, because I won’t let you touch my friend!

Chloe decides to not unsheath her sword just yet, as impaling people tends to be rude. Kneeing them in the gut is far more polite, and as Chloe might argue, more ladylike. Still though, Chloe places herself in front of Chara, hand resting on the hilt of her sheathed blade. Marron, who has been politely standing on the sidelines this whole time, suddenly cheers.

MARRON: Yeah! Kick her gorilla, Chloe!
CHLOE: ...

The blonde fires a deadpan stare towards the seamstress, before returning her full attention to Fran, who also glares at her in a betrayed manner. Still, she quickly picks up her composure, however much of it exists or might have existed prior to this point.

FRAN: gorilla child of man, that's all you had to say.
FRAN: I'm honestly touched by this display of bravado. I truly am. Yet I can't help but laugh at the irony of your own situation.
FRAN: You came here to find your dearest brother, did you not? And so far, all you have is a version from a demented mind, one whose body was bent without a second thought as punishment.
FRAN: And you too Marron. Remember when your life turned out to be a fat lie? Remember the pain? Remember the Ruby jokes?
FRAN: And now, you are all caught up in a stressy stressy race against the clock to prevent not one, but two monstrosities from wreaking havoc. Each day is a chain of battles. Each moment can bring you sure death.
FRAN: All of this, no matter how disjointed it sounds at first, all was decided for you by a single being of same kin as I. Well, except that the bodyshift was performed by a third one. But the one who writes your suffering, he's actually one of the better ones!
FRAN: Do you know what we are, girlie?
FRAN: We are the strongest contender for the title of "Fiction's most horrible monster." We are the ones butchering your friends and family for the sake of drama and "good writing." We thoughtlessly create, copy over, defile and destroy in a neverending loop simply because we refuse to acknowledge you as real.
FRAN: I have seen gorilla. I have seen more gorilla any of you ever will from your perspective. I have seen every violation of the body imaginable. I have seen a child slave be beaten to death in the streets, a woman's throat dissolve and cause her to bleed out, only because the one who was managing them got tired of doing so. I have seen an innocent youth be eaten alive and digested, not a trace of them ever having existed left behind, and this- this personal God of theirs call the whole chain of events "cute and wholesome."
FRAN: Do you know who we gorillaing are, Chloe?!
FRAN: We are humans. And we are disgusting.

A heavy silence hangs in the air, only marred by her exhausted panting. It seems to go on forever, until she speaks again, in a shakey voice.

FRAN: I am not a bad person. I am not… not a bad person, Chloe. I just don't want any of mine to… any of mine to meet the same ends anyone else left by their creator does.
FRAN: But I can't stop myself from making them share my feelings. Share my attributes. I need someone to express them through. I need to feel useful. Looked up to. Impressionate.
FRAN: I need to be remembered, and if it means having them carry out that which will lead to it, so be it. Otherwise, I don't see much reason for existence, and when mine ends, so will theirs.
FRAN: So please. Instead of swearing revenge against me, or whatever it is you intend… just be there for them. Either that, or at least make your own creator pay for what you are living through, before you make me pay for what Chara has to deal with.

...Chloe doesn’t exactly understand what this “Fran” person is talking about. The one who writes about her suffering? Was she implying the existence of some higher being, dictating the very words and thoughts she was thinking? The course of her world? To her, the very notion was absurd.

CHLOE: You can’t just pin the blame for what happens in your life as the whims of some cruel astral deity!
CHLOE: Ultimately, the decisions of each and every one of us shape the course of this world. It can help to think that there’s someone making the world do these things, to have someone to blame… but it’s ultimately unhealthy, isn’t it?
CHLOE: You need to realize that the entire world isn’t out to get you. Sometimes, things happen. That’s life.
MARRON: ...I mean, I’m pretty goddamn sure that the “astral deity” made you say that, but whatever.
MARRON: I guess you wouldn’t understand, Chloe.
CHLOE: ...I really don’t.

CHLOE: But… if all you want is to be remembered…
CHLOE: I can do that. I can be there for Chara.
CHLOE: Besides, she’s nice! I’d be there for her whether you wanted me to or not.

From behind Chloe and outside her view, a weak smile graces Chara's face without them consciously realising it. Noticing this, Fran herself regains her smile, locking eyes with the skeptic girl in front of her.

FRAN: You're quite the admirable girl, I'll give you that. If I were one of you and not a temporary body of one such "astral being," I'd share your worldview to the bitter end.
FRAN: I'm glad to have had the chance of personally meeting you. I feel like things would've been far smoother if it happened earlier… but what's done is done. No matter how much I yearn for it, I cannot turn back time to the good old days. I can only affect your world, not mine own.
FRAN: And thank you. Thank you for bothering with Chara. They appreciate it much more than they show, you know.

At that, she gives a rather unsubtle wink. The "child" grumbles to themselves, but offers no retort. In fact, their cheeks seem to be flushed with colour more than they usually are.

FRAN: Seeing you two now makes me wish I didn't up their instability so much earlier on. Guess that's one thing I regret…
CHLOE: Their… instability?
CHLOE: ...Look, let’s just make that a topic for another day, alright?
CHLOE: You’ve already sorta overwhelmed me with stuff…
FRAN: yes i tend to do that sorry for monologuing

CHLOE: Anyway, you’re welcome!
CHLOE: I’ll make sure to keep watching her, alright?
FRAN: 👉👉

The crunching of a sorceress' shoes against the fallen leaves indicate the approach of a certain magic-user. Chloe perks up, turning towards the Sorceress. She waves a quick hello, before turning her attention to Fran, and then Marron.

FRAN: Well, this is usually where I would leave, but there's someone else who is due for goose stepping into our little ensemble. So, why don't we give a big beautiful applause for the one, the only-
CHLOE: A-Actually, I’m just gonna… give them some privacy.
CHLOE: Besides, you could use a bit of patching up, r-right?
CHLOE: Sorry!

Rather suddenly, Chloe grabs both Chara (who lets out a panicked noise unbecoming of even a squirrel) and Fran ("oh come on that is so railroaded-") by the arms, and drags them off back towards the house . Marron watches the three of them leave, the two smaller women leaving small tracks in the grass as they’re dragged along.

MARRON: Oh, hey!
MARRON: Sup, Toaster!
MARRON: So… y-you can probably tell that I got a bit sidetracked...
TOAST: I, uh… heard fighting?
TOAST: What happened to you…?

Toast steps a bit closer and examines some of the puppeteer's bruises. Marron winces a little as her girlfriend’s fingers caress her bruised cheek. The hand then pulls away with a start to point at the now off-screen Fran.

TOAST: Wait… it wasn't that gorilla was it!?
MARRON: ...Which gorilla?
MARRON: Because it was… uh, the new chick. “Fran”, or something?
MARRON: She tried to forcibly make herself my sister-
TOAST: -the nerve-
MARRON: -So… we fought.
MARRON: I totally thrashed her!
MARRON: I-I mean, I might look like I lost, b-but… trust me, I totally won!
MARRON: We might’ve actually declared it a “draw”, but if we kept going, I totally would’ve knocked her out cold.
TOAST: Wow, I can't believe I found someone strong and merciful!

Toast giggles, before taking out some basic medical supplies, and taking a seat on the soft ground.

TOAST: Hey, sit down. I gotta look after you.

Marron nods, but instead of just sitting down, she decides to lie down upon the pink grass. As her adrenaline begins to burn out, she grows increasingly tired. Toast shuffles to her side and leans over her face, dabbing at the cuts and bruises with some alcohol to clean them. Marron groans in pain a little, but smiles gently at Toast through the pain.

TOAST: I'm really proud of you.
TOAST: I probably shouldn't be encouraging you fighting everyone in sight-
MARRON: Hey, I’d cheer you on if you got into a brawl!
TOAST: (I mean, I'm supposed to be the good influence I think)
TOAST: But... it makes me feel really safe knowing that if it came down to it, you'd fight for me.
MARRON: Of course I’d fight by your side!
MARRON: Y’know, we should totally tag team her next time.
MARRON: ...Is that romantic? Whatever.
TOAST: I mean, probably.
TOAST: Either way, I'd enjoy it if it's with you.

Toast continues tending to Marron, and begins cleaning a cut on her jaw-

MARRON: U-Ungh! T-That stings…
TOAST: Sorry!
TOAST: I'm still not very good at using this kit...
MARRON: Y-Y’know… I’ve been wondering.
MARRON: Why aren’t you using your healing magic?
MARRON: You’re really talented at that, and it’d probably hurt less than this stuff…
MARRON: Not that I don’t appreciate it, b-but… j-just curious!
MARRON: ow ow ow

The sorceress pauses from her work and sits up a little.

TOAST: Well… you know how we're gonna be…
TOAST: Y'know...

She makes a gesture of chopping off her right arm off at the shoulder.

MARRON: Oh.
TOAST: ...I'm worried it might affect my magic.
TOAST: Since, well, even though I hate the thing, I think I've become kinda reliant on it.
TOAST: ...So I figured it might be nice to try and learn some other things.
MARRON: Huh.
MARRON: I can’t believe I was lucky enough to find someone so smart and resourceful~

The puppeteer gives Toast a coy little smile, prompting a barely-concealed blush from her. Then, her job finished, Toast stands, offering out a hand to help Marron up. Soon enough, the puppeteer is up on her feet.

MARRON: Thanks for the pick-me-up, Toaster!
MARRON: Once my stuff stops hurting, I’ll get right back to helping with your arm, alright?
MARRON: Love you~

Blushing gently, she then leans over, and gives Toast a quick peck on the cheek, who quickly counters with a kiss of her own. The pair then join hands, setting off to do… whatever it is they do.