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⬣//GROWING WILDLY OUT OF CONTROL.
September 23rd—conference day. In the hours preceding the meeting, beta testers are supplied with information on how to access the virtual conference room and offered a set of conduct guidelines. Testers are urged to read them thoroughly and instructed to sign their name on the bottom of the page to confirm that they’ve read and understand the following guidelines:
1. All questions will be addressed. Do not interrupt speakers or other beta testers when they are asking questions or having their questions answered.Players are generously allowed one hour to filter in and find their seats, review the guidelines, and discuss the questions they’ve prepared with their fellow beta testers.
2. Conduct yourself professionally and appropriately. Do not curse, shout, or otherwise engage in disruptive behavior. Violators will be muted and their speaking privileges revoked.
3. No eating or drinking. Keep your virtual space clean and free of debris.
4. Remain seated. Excessive movement or inappropriate behavior will result in restriction of your avatar’s movements.
5. PvP is disabled in the conference room. Weapons cannot be drawn and your Fragment inventory is unavailable during the duration of the conference.
One hour comes and goes. The room remains occupied only by the beta participants, CyberConnect Corporation’s flashy logo spinning idly on the conference room’s 80 inch display. Restlessness begins to settle in, idle chatter turning to frustration as one hour becomes two. Still, no one from the Corporation shows.
The conference room remains devoid of purpose, some forty-odd people sitting alone in a sterile conference room, a locked room, should anyone grow so restless they try to leave. Any attempts made to break doors and windows will fail.
The door is locked, as are the windows, the world beyond their stark white blinds a slurry of purple and black. Thunder crackles in that dark, endless void. Even if you could leave, where would you go?
It’s painfully evident after three hours of silence that no one from CyberConnect is showing up to the conference, but you knew that already, didn’t you? This mandatory meeting was fishy from the start, some would argue, while others may yet hold out hope.
That ends the instant anyone tries to log out and leave. Everyone who attempts to leave will be met with the same error Shoka was some weeks ago, but this time, the error is permanent. This time, there is no connection between mind and body anymore, and any attempt to “reach” your real self will fail.
You feel no one on the other end. You no longer feel the weight of your headset on your head or the keyboard beneath your fingertips. All your worldly aches and pains have drifted away only to find you here in your new reality, every sensation so real that Fragment no longer feels like just a game. Fragment is reality.
Three hours pass from the start of the conference. The boring white walls and rickety office chairs shudder and shake and give way to the Mac Anu everyone knows. You’re back where you started, more or less. What you do from here is up to you.
Some menus remain online. Players retain the ability to send and receive friend and party requests, access their inventories, spells, and weapons, and so on, but a few notable items are missing.
Players can no longer toggle their pain sensors on and off. Every blow you take is one you’re forced to suffer through, and what’s more, your health no longer automatically regenerates when idle. You’d better keep a stash of potions or a pocket healer handy.
While you’re at it, try not to die. The sharp-eyed among the group may notice that the respawn information nestled in the menus is no longer accessible to them. The respawn counter now reads as a series of zeros instead of the typical 20 minutes. Now is probably not the best time to continue testing Fragment’s death mechanics, but nothing’s stopping you from trying. No one’s going to save you, either.
Good luck, players. The real test has begun.
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[ Oria looks so expectant. Even his cat ears are so focused and turned towards Sinclair. ]
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Um. I might like it...
[ Something about Oria in a waistcoat is...hm.]
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Then sure! If I find one, I'll wear it just for you.
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Don't go out of your way...but It'd be nice to see you dressed up at least once.
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[ It's not Oria's thing, but it isn't as if Sinclair's choices are outrageous. His boyfriend deserves a treat. Many treats. ]
Anything else you wanna see me in? Maybe I should finally cash in GP at the cash shop.
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[ Now he's still embarrassed and he gives a little shake of his head. Reaching out to take Oria's hand]
I like how you normally dress too.
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Considering my choice in fashion, I bet you do!
[ He gives his hand a small squeeze. ]
But I like it when you tell me what you want.
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You don't think it's greedy?
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[ He hung out with greedy people all the time. Take it from him. Oria is also one of them, even. ]
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Unbidden, Mithrun's words from their last proper conversation rise in his head. He pushes them back down, leaning into Oria a little]
Mmm, maybe. It still feels strange to be told that.
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How come? Were you told otherwise?
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Just once.
[ Or twice. His ears flatten a little]
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Honestly, though? I want a lot. If I didn't have as many desires as I do today, I wouldn't be the same person. I'm very greedy and I turn that energy into motivation and ambition.
It's never an issue of how much you want, but how you handle it. I have no shortage of examples of people who get fucked over by their tremendous greed because they didn't know how to channel it well. On the other hand, I also have a lot of examples of how people took advantage of their tremendous greed and worked it out to the benefits of others, like some researchers who crave knowledge and share it with others for the sake of spreading information.
Greed and desire come in many forms. Without it, it would make people a lot more boring.
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Then we'd all be doing the same thing mindlessly, huh?
[ Wanting things didn't have to be bad. And Sinclair wanted a lot, but often too afraid to put a name to it.]
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[ Oria returns the slight squeeze in Sinclair's hand. ]
Don't forget that, okay?
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[Things he can be greedy about.
How to take care of that.]
...I won't.
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[ Cats are known to have tails high in the air when they're happy or content. Oria's tail is a little like that: curved upwards like the smile on his face. ]
I know I tease you a lot and all, but if you really do want something, you can tell me.
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Mm. But you need to tell me if it's actually something really unreasonable.
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[ Oria leans in to give Sinclair a quick kiss on the cheek. They're still in public, so he'll try to spare Sinclair from excessive PDA. ]
But I think I'm done with potion testing for now!
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How long did you make this potion last again?
[ Concern creeps in. Their tails might get in the way?]
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[ y u p ]
It always seems to differ from person to person anyway, so I never really thought about it.
[ Get in the way of what, Sinclair. Do you wanna share with the class— ]
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That's true. My potions tend to max out after three hours...
[A relief for Oria and the Angel Incident.
also shhh his thoughts are pure. how do you shower with a tail?? sit back in a chair??]
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Maybe they'll last longer if I increase the level, but I still have a long way to go.
[ Alas. Oria swings their hands a little. ]
Let's go do something!
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[ Letting their hands swing]
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[ Let's see if that tail helps your balance in any way, Sinclair!!
/end ]