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⬣//BLOSSOMING FROM A GAP IN THE ASPHALT.
A new Root Town has been revealed: Naval Monte, a tiered city built upon a mountain jutting up from an endless expanse of ocean. These fortified walls house an innumerable number of NPCs who, unlike those which occupy other Root Towns, are quite a bit more advanced.
Those of you who spend entirely too much time logged in have no doubt noticed the set patterns the NPCs of Mac Anu and Lumina Cloth take to move from area to area. Their paths never change. Their dialog rarely diverges. Talking to a freshly painted wall would be more stimulating than conversing with your run of the mill NPC, but Naval Monte's are different.
They move in accordance with their own whims, seldom found in the same place twice. Some NPCs have entire families while others boast elaborate backstories and speak at length of their tales of bravery and triumphs over evil. While they won't accept your party invites, they may instead invite you to share a meal with their family and regale you with stories until you've had your fill.
Travel far enough into the depths of the city and you'll hear tales of a graveyard that sits within the core of the mountain, but the NPCs who guard this elusive site are defensive at best. Don't expect them to let you in, but given their advanced nature, you may be able to wheedle some valuable information out of them.
Be aware that there is a price to enter Naval Monte. After crossing the vast bridge leading right up to the mountain city, you'll be accosted by no less than a dozen eager vendors fighting to peddle their wares to you. Some are so desperate that they ask only for a single GP, and in exchange, they grant you passage to the city.
Ask them why they're so desperate to make a sale and they'll answer plainly: if you don't, the curse will persist.
Come Saturday morning, an email flagged as urgent pops up in your inbox.
To our beta team,
It has come to our attention that a number of our beta testers have failed to report previous underlying health conditions that may negatively impact their ability to perform their duties as intended.
In our ongoing efforts to monitor the health and safety of our beta testing team, all participants in Fragment's closed beta test will be required to complete a health screening before the date of September 16th in order to continue participating in the beta.
Beta participants will be matched with a health professional in their area and the fees for their screening and assessment waived. As such, it is necessary that you make an appointment with the medical professional assigned to you or select another from within our network.
No exceptions will be made for those who fail to submit their health assessments to CyberConnect's Health and Human Resources department. Termination from Fragment's beta testing program and applicable legal action will be taken in the event that you fail to participate in these necessary steps.
We take the health and safety of our beta testers very seriously. If you have any concerns, please contact us at cccorp.ccmail.com.
Thank you for your continued efforts,
CyberConnect Corporation of Japan.
Murmurs of an unusual NPC have begun to circulate within Naval Monte.
According to eye witnesses, one of the local residents has "gone rogue". According to them, a woman with dishwater eyes and hair messily pulled into a loose bun has been spotted going door to door begging to be let in.
"We need to go," she shouts, her eyes glossy with tears, her every word slurred. "We'll be safe there! We'll be free! We can't live like this anymore!"
From what you've heard, that woman has managed to break free from the confines of her native Root Town and has been seen running through the streets in Mac Anu, Lumina Cloth, and the nameless Root Town in the sky. You may have even come across her, accosted in the street and urged to listen to her increasingly erratic ramblings.
"I need you to take me there! Take me to him! His father left the key within him!"
Ultimately, nothing you say or do will influence the woman's behavior or calm her down. All you'll get for your troubles is an ill feeling in the pit of your gut, something that blooms from within you and spreads infinitely outwards. An infection you can't cure.
You won't realize that the infection has begun to spread and mutate until you see it blossoming all around you, your fellow testers complaining of an unidentifiable malaise. You'll know what afflicts you and everyone you've infected when it's far too late to do anything about it. Until this unfortunate "bug" is patched, you'll continue to get sicker and sicker. The progression of the illness is as follows:
Stage one: The complete inability to lie, but is that really a bad thing? We could all stand to be more honest and communicative.
Stage two: The loss of one of your key senses, but only one. Maybe it's your sense of smell. Your keen tongue. Your vision. Whatever it is, it's a vital part of you that won't return to you until you log off, but when you next log in, you may find that a different sense has gone missing instead.
Stage three: Disconnect from your real world body. You'll realize after several days have passed that you can no longer feel your real self as keenly as before. You may not realize you've slapped yourself in the face or knocked a tooth out on the edge of your desk until you log out for the day and witness the extent of the damage.
Final stage: Memory loss. Your head feels foggy. Concentrating becomes a struggle, your thoughts sluggishly crawling through your mind and and ultimately losing their way. In the final stages of the illness, you may forget to log out for days at a time and wake to find yourself passed out on the floor with your headset jostled loose, inadvertently freeing you from the game.
The "cure," aside from a timely patch, may hide somewhere within the game. Before your senses leave you, you'd better start asking around.
As many of you know, it isn't easy to get ahold of CyberConnect when you need them. Hien is, at best, completely useless. Pete isn't much better. It's for these reasons and more that players have been invited to a digital conference and encouraged to give a voice to the rising concerns within the beta testing community.
The conference is to be held, both ICly and OOCly, on September 23rd at 12PM EST. If you have any burning questions to ask the people who hold power and influence over the state of the game and what happens within it, you can't afford to complain about timezones. This is your opportunity to speak your mind and have those questions answered.
OOCly, the conference will begin on September 23rd at 12PM EST and end on October 7th at 12PM EST. During this time, your characters can ask whatever questions they'd like of CyberConnect corporate staff, bring up concerns, and provide insights on their beta testing experiences.
Participation is mandatory (ICly), so set your alarms and don't be late!
Hello, everyone! Sorry I was away for a while. I got stuck in an outer level of the game and it took me a week to get back, but I should be just fine now! I hope I didn't miss anything too serious...
I did see that all of you have worked hard on those recipes, though! I liked all of them so much that I've added each of them into the game so that everyone can make their own. Congratulations!
no subject
[ Oops. He didn’t mean to say that one for real, only meaning to give Yael a “hmph”, but it slips out nevertheless.
At least his tone isn’t damning. The glare Yael gets for that marshmallow to the face certainly is, though. But that glare doesn’t last long, because Fai picks up a fistful of marshmallows and lobs them one by one at Yael’s face. ]
no subject
Log off, little boy. You're clearly in no mood to play nice.
[And neither is Yael, but the challenging look in his eye dares Yuui to be the first to go.]
no subject
What? Can’t take what you dish out?
[ Have another marshmallow to the head. ]
I’m giving this a try because you want it. I do give a damn, you jerk. I watched several videos on how to set up a tent this morning.
no subject
Right, right.
[He'd apologize, but here's the thing about honesty: he can't lie. Yael hides a chuff of laughter behind his hand, settling back and sweeping Yuui off with a hand.]
Go ahead. Show me what you learned.
no subject
And give you what you want? Nope.
[ He sees right through your little act, Yael.
So, Fai motions towards the tents, specifically the bigger one. With a particularly impolite smile, he raises an eyebrow. ]
Why don’t you do it instead? Show me how it’s really done.
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[Yael, audacious beast that he is, lies back on the log and wraps his arms up behind his head. Maybe he'll take a nap instead? This was Yuui's idea, so he'll let him address the issue of the tent all by himself.]
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[ Fai walks right over and places a foot on the log before giving it a hard enough push that it dislodges from it's spot and starts to roll. ]
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Fortunately for him, he manages to catch the hem of Yuui's robe and tug him along for the ride. Down the hill they go!]
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Which is why he's staring down at Yael as they stop, pieces of grass stuck in his hair.
He glares down, but eventually that glare just turns into laughter. ]
Wow, not as impressive as I thought you'd be.
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He ends up laughing right along with him, genuine and full-bodied, reaching up to pinch Yuui's nose between his fingers.]
You're sexy when you're mean.
[Just pointing out a fact.]
I'M SORRY FLATVIEW I'M SORRYYYYYYYYY
Though he doesn't stay away for long, choosing instead to shove his knee down right on Yael's stomach. ]
Do you now? You know, that doesn't shock me. You really are a freak.
[ Opening his palm, Fai blows all the grass in his hand right into Yael's face. ]
don't lie
Nothing screams freak like the way Yael's brain goes live the instant Yuui turns violent, hands flying up to grip the slimmer man's shoulders and thrust him down into the grass, reversing their positions. Looming over him, the smile on Yael's lips is downright nasty.
His lips part to chide Yuui, to tease— Calm down, thirsty, except that isn't what Yael says at all.]
Keep going. I barely felt a thing.
[Worse. Honesty is so much worse.]
no you're right i'm actually sorry for this one
What a conundrum. Only, his little problem is made easier by what leave Yael's mouth, and all Fai can do is laugh. ]
So, you like a little bit of pain? I should've known you were into that sort of thing.
[ Yael might be looming over him, but Fai can still knee him right in the stomach like this. ]
What else should I do? Shove your face in the dirt until you beg for mercy?
no subject
[Don't worry, Yuui. Yael is learning plenty about himself through this experience. It stands to reason a man as fucked up beyond all help like himself would have a kink or two, but pain? He wouldn't have pinned himself for the type. Even so, he finds himself leaning into Yuui's knee and grinning through the ache, fitting his teeth to the side of his neck and biting hard.]
You're too weak. Someone like you can't do any real damage to me. If I wanted to, I could—
[No. No. No. He bites Yuui again to keep the words contained.]
nsfw not safe for life
I knew it. I was right. You do think I'm weak.
[ For that, he wrenches one of his shoulders free from Yael's grip so he can tug hard enough at his hair that it pulls Yael's head away from his neck. He stares right into Yael's eyes, a mixture of anger, lust, and something else undefined reflected in his eyes. ]
You could kill me. Snap my neck, strangle me, shoot me. You could have done it at any time. You could do it right now.
[ He pushes his knee up more, right underneath Yael's ribcage. ]
Are you afraid you'll snap and do it? Is that what it is? Do you think I'm scared that you will?
[ Fai tugs once again on Yael's hair, gathering more of it up in his fist. Well? Go on. Answer him. ]
cw suicidal ideation
The real danger of letting Yuui in was this: being understood by someone else better than he understands himself. Knowing he's slipping only after they point it out to him.
A shudder runs through Yael's body, his eyes daggers that rend and stab. He doesn't have the wherewithal to smooth that anger, that lust, that nebulous emotion into something more palatable. Neither does Yuui.
This is it, isn't it? Make it or break it. If Yael were smart, he would log out, but he's addicted to the pain, addicted to how agony grounds him in reality, how he'd much sooner die at the hands of someone he loves than die alone. Yuui is the same. That's why he—]
...I'm afraid, Yuui. Afraid I'll take you with me.
cw suicide mention
Then we'll end up in hell together, won't we?
[ That fear, anger, pain—it all boils down to that simple thought. At least they'd be together, and really, that's all that matters to him in that what-if worst case scenario.
There's more to it than that, though. There always has been. Fai lowers his knee and loosens his grip on Yael's hair, surrendering to whatever Yael should choose to do to him. ]
You don't scare me. You never have, and you never will. Where you think you're irredeemable, I see someone that shines.
[ Maybe he shouldn't. Maybe he should judge Yael for all of the wrongs he's committed, especially when it comes to all of the things Fai has seen and experienced, but he can't.
Such is being jaded. ]
no subject
He wants to wreathe him in them, sink his teeth into his flesh until he acknowledges that he's made a mistake in choosing him, but that won't happen. Not with Yuui.
So it goes. Yuui inspires the best and the worst in him, urging Yael to give into it all. Yuui opens up to accept him and Yael sinks into his embrace, feeling bare skin beneath his palms and thinking of all the marks he'll leave behind on it.]
I won't stop even if you tell me to.
[That's the cold, hard truth. The truth is all Yael can give him now.]
So log out. For your own good, log out.
no subject
[ His refusal is sure and immediate, something he's positive that Yael expected. If this defiance comes as any shock, then he doesn’t really know Fai at all.
Egging Yael on, allowing him and even encouraging him to engage in these feelings and this behavior isn’t good. It’s bad for the both of them and certainly won’t make things healthier in the short term. Yet Fai wants to see the worst that Yael has to offer of himself, the cracked, damaged pieces of himself that he tries to keep hidden below the surface. He wants to wedge himself between those pieces and make a permanent spot for himself.
…Ah. This is no good. They’re both too far gone when it comes to each other, aren’t they? ]
What are you so afraid of? Do you think I can’t handle it?
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Yuui won't stop him, and knowing how stubborn he is, no amount of clawing, biting and bruising will be enough to make him cry uncle. If Yael has his way, he will make a mess of Yuui in every way he can, so.
A concession.
Yael wraps his arms around Yuui and tips back, hauling him onto his lap and stranding himself beneath him.]
I don't think I can, Yuui. That's why I want you to take charge.
[Yuui can do that for him, can't he? Take charge. Take control. Refuse to let Yael wrest it from him.]
nsfw do we need to label this for every tag
Here I was, ready to let you take whatever you wanted from me.
[ And yet Yael refused where Fai knows just about anyone else would be more than eager to give in to those desires. While he feels a small tinge of disappointment, the excitement he feels at getting free reign overrides it. He pushes Yael's shoulders down to the ground roughly, a silent tell that he's leaving no room for gentleness here.
Fai sits back heavily against Yael's hips, taking in the sight of Yael underneath him for only a second before shifting to put his knee on his stomach again. ]
You really want me to claim you instead? Will you let me take whatever I want?
[ By now, there's no doubt—they're cursed to tell the truth and nothing less. Yael has no choice but to answer honestly, and Fai wants to hear it. ]
those lewd knobby knees