⬣//GROWING WILDLY OUT OF CONTROL.

[cccorp]

>>Gathering // >>Waiting // >>Can't Return // >>It's Real

⬣//STERILE WHITE WALLS

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.

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.

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.

⬣//THE LOW RUMBLE OF DISTANT THUNDER

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?

⬣//TORRENTIAL RAINS

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.

⬣//LOST TO THE TUMULT AND BEDLAM

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.

>>Navigation

Comments

[insinning]

Ah.

[Sinclair blinks, distracted for a long five seconds. Then:]

Are you trying something?

[dissimulative]

Huh?

[ Oria tears his eyes away from the screen after killing some more zombies to look at Sinclair. ]

I'm... trying to kill zombies?

[ ???

He withdraws the hand when the seats stop tilting. ]

[insinning]

[ Be still his poor heart. Sinclair blanches when the zombies descend upon him again. Firing some clean
headshots for once]

You surprised me.

[dissimulative]

[ Nice headshots—Oria can't help but to marvel at Sinclair's skill. But then he says something like that and oh. Oh. He thinks he gets what Sinclair is trying to say now. He didn't think too much about where his hand went, but it makes sense now.

He has a little mischievous smile on his face as he leans in a little during their short shooting intermission. ]

Did I now?

[insinning]

[ Sinclair leans back a little, a tiny bit pink]

You did.

[ Half his attention is on the game, half of it is on Oria]

[dissimulative]

[ Sinclair is so cute, Oria thinks as he takes in his slightly pink face. Oria smiles warmly at Sinclair before he gives him a small kiss and resumes his attention on the game. ]

[insinning]

[aaaaa?

He likes that. But he also. Wait, game first--

Giving a tiny huff as they go back to zombie fighting.

How many levels does this game have anyway??]

[dissimulative]

[ Good thing they didn't pick endless mode or they would be here for a While. Blame Oria, since he'd get competitive about it unless he's physically dragged away.

But the arcade game has three levels, but they're a little long. We can say they're on the third one now. ]

Aside from the seats shifting, the game is pretty much the same.

[ This isn't a complaint, but he likes it. There's some familiarity with the real world. He already misses it, even if it was rife with a lot of problems he'd rather not look at. ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair would absolutely get done with endless mode and let his character die to be done with it. There's only so many zombies he can shoot. They keep coming faster and Sinclair gets more body shots than headshots and then--out a window and into a boat they go. And Sinclair goes sliding into Oria once more. Ooph]

Maybe they added the moving seats to avoid copyright.

[lol ]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria immediately covers for Sinclair by picking up the pace for killing the zombies. He's still getting head shots. It's really no surprise that Oria chose a gunner class at this point. He's also more prepared this time than before, so he makes the impact softer for Sinclair and hugs him with an arm while still shooting away. Let him multitask for you boifuran ]

Hey. Come here often?

[ lmao ]

[insinning]

Not often enough --

[That joke gets a small smile out of Sinclair at least, as he lifts up his gun and begins to fire a few more shots. He's happy to be held like this but, with a quick glance at Oria's oversized jacket - hmmmm]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria happens to catch that glimpse when he glances over at Sinclair to make sure he's comfortable then fires a few more shots. Quick intermission-- ]

Where you looking at, Emil?

[ :) ]

[insinning]

Ah--

[ A tiny blush]

Your outfit. It looks good on you---

[and the jacket looks like it could be comfy]

[dissimulative]

Yeah? It's comfortable too. Here.

[ Oria pulls Sinclair into the jacket and it's really big enough so that it can fit them both in there and still be able to close it up. He doesn't close it though and instead, he just has his arm hold him there.

He's a little warmer like this, isn't he?

... He's still shooting up zombies though. He can do both? It's fine. ]

[insinning]

Oh. You're really warm...

[ Is Oria spoiling him again? He likes it though. He'll happily snuggle into Oria's side, trying to shoot zombies as well with his other hand with slightly less finnese. At least it's just a game]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria grins. It sure is just a game, and Oria delivers more headshots while reloading quickly with a flick of his wrist (game controls) and with Sinclair's help, the boss is defeated! Congrats on clearing arcade mode!

He seems satisfied with that, so he pulls Sinclair in closer and tighter into the jacket. Now they can be like a 2-in-1 Swadloon except happier. ]

Warm to the brim of my love for you~

[ He laughs a little and gives a small kiss to Sinclair's ear. ]

I know I look good, but hearing it from you? It's the best.

[insinning]

[ With him pressed this close, Sinclair automatically winds his arms around Oria in turn, humming with contentment, despite Oria's outrageous remark. He blushes a little more, and he presses a light kiss to Oria's cheek]

Oh. Mm. I'll say it earlier next time then.

[Oria's confidence is so natural, he hadn't really thought Oria wanted to hear it]

[dissimulative]

You don't have to be afraid of my ego blowing up, so feel free to say it as much as you like!

[ Haha.

Ha.

Ah... Oria would like to stay like this, but they're still technically out in public, even if inside a booth. He's fine with PDA, but sometimes he wants precious moments like this to be just between them and only them. ]

Wanna go back?

[insinning]

[ Sinclair isn't afraid but other people might be]

Yeah. Let's go back.

[ His heart feels steady again. And...he wants to be with Oria and only Oria. Staying here might mean being confronted by people he doesn't want to confront]

[dissimulative]

Then let's go!

[ He'd love to just take Sinclair like this but that means they would have to waddle the entire time, and he's not very keen on showing other people that. So. The two will normally walk back.

Also, I completely forgot that private guild rooms could have an access list, so Oria will definitely make himself at home in Sinclair's room now if he has that activated. Once inside, Oria drags Sinclair to the bed and immediately cuddles with him after bringing him into his jacket again. This time, Sinclair might as well be sitting on Oria's lap as he does. ]

[insinning]

[Sinclair absolutely activated that just for Oria whoops. Anyway, Sinclair gives a small yelping laugh as he's pulled down into the bed so he just makes himself comfortable on Oria's lap. This is nice]

You're having too much fun with this.

[dissimulative]

I am! And I will keep having fun with this.

[ Keeping Sinclair swaddled in the big jacket with him is nice and he thinks Sinclair feels at peace too. He doesn't want to ruin the moment, but he still wants to ask about what happened...

...

Ah, it's too late. Sinclair must have noticed the hesitation as he usually does. He's so good at picking up nonverbal cues like this. ]

Emil, you already know, but... When something is too much, or if you want to be comforted, I'll be here. I want to help you too.

[insinning]

[ Sinclair had known from the beginning Oria wanted to ask. So he tightens his hold around Oria, letting himself be comforted]

Mmm. You always have.[ What had started it? This tangle of feelings, this restlessness? ] From the moment we met here.

[dissimulative]

... Yeah.

[ He pulls Sinclair closer, letting him rest his head on his shoulder. ]

I was worried, you know? I want to make you happy too, but I want it to last.

[ Even if nothing lasts forever, Oria thinks it would give Sinclair some reprieve so that he's not constantly bogged by everything that life has in store for him. But he wonders if that's the issue. He can't get rid of the problem at its core, but at the same time he'd like to respect Sinclair's decision to make it for himself. He doesn't need to be babied. Oria has enough respect for Sinclair to stick with that. ]

... Even longer than usual.

[insinning]

[Ah. He closes his eyes and buries his face into Oria's shoulder, breathing in his scent. Warm. Clean. Familiar and safe ]

I want this to last forever too. Like this, it feels like it could

[ Everything else feels so far away. But now]

...I didn't realise how much I couldn't remember until recently.