altimit | ⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE

  >>Famine
  //
  >>Death
  //
  >>War
  //
  >>Conquest

        ⬣//AN ILL OMEN
      

You've had a chance to adapt to your new circumstances and make peace with what your life has become… hopefully. If you haven't, don't expect life to get any easier.

A few things have changed in recent days. Healing no longer works as effectively as it did in the past. If you're in the habit of behaving recklessly, don't expect one of Fragment's few healers to pick up the slack. Broken bones will now remain broken no matter how many healing spells are cast on your shattered limbs. Damage to organs can't be repaired with the wave of a wand.

What's more, HP and SP restoring items have gotten harder and harder to come by. Potions are no longer available for purchase at generic NPC shops and gatherable items needed for crafting have become fewer and fewer in number, limiting your item making options. If you've gotten into the bad habit of injuring yourself heedless of the consequences, it's time to rethink your lifestyle. Playtime is over.

        ⬣//PAY IT NO MIND
      

Think of the three core memories that have formed and shaped the person you are today. Some will think back fondly on family and friends while others have been jaded by the ill treatment they've received from important figures in their lives. In any case, it's of little concern to you now. One of those three precious memories has vacated your mind, taking with it a vital piece of you that you can no longer get back.

You may choose one of the three key memories listed on your application to be taken away from your character. Choices are limited to the memories supplied in your application and additional memories submitted for the previous memshare event or not eligible for convenient plot-induced memory loss. Choose wisely, because you aren't getting it back.

        ⬣//GHOSTS AND GOBLINS
      

And Sky Fish, and Disco Knives, and Evil Armors…

Has anyone noticed the monsters around town lately? Which town, you may ask? The answer is all of them.

Monsters have invaded Root Towns in large waves, attacking anything and everything in sight. Any lovingly crafted signs or other furnishings you've erected around town are easily torn to shreds and destroyed by the monsters who have come to roost in your once safe Root Towns. On the plus side, PvE and PvP has now been enabled in all Root Towns, which is excellent news for those who wish to combat the monster invasion and those who can't seem to help hurting themselves and others.

These monsters range in level from 50 to 75, and while many of them can be defeated with a bit of ingenuity and teamwork, some of them boast impenetrable shields that no regular attacks or spells can break through. They are also immune to status/potion/armor effects.

When in doubt, turn to your fellow players for support. There may be some among you who know how to deal with these impossibly strong monsters, but there's no guarantee that they'll want to help you.

        ⬣//WHISPERS ON THE WIND
      

A lilting, boyish voice sings to you in your sleep. His voice sounds familiar to you, tickling your heart like a call from an old friend, but this is no friend of yours.

"You had every chance to abandon this world and return to your own. What stopped you? Was it ego? Hubris? In any case, it's too late for regrets now.

They say the world is what you make of it. Doesn't the same hold true for reality?"

The voice will periodically visit you and your sleep, but the moral of his message never changes: you did this to yourself. You were trapped here because you chose to look the other way. If anyone is to blame for the current situation, it's you and you alone, but there is a̸̬̲͔̘͈͚̠̫̘̬̗̖̋͑̉̓̿͛̈́̋͐̃̾̈̕̕ͅń̵̩̱̠̫̖̬̲̻͉̝̈́̀̀̚͜͜o̴͍͎̣͔̤̝̲͍̺̿̒t̴̨͚͓͍̜̮̥͊͑̿̈́̉̂̐͜͠͝h̷̨̨̦͕͖̙̞͙̗̗͎̬͛̂̾̋̅͜͜͝ȩ̸͎̭̙̜̯͎̯̳̮̘̲͒ȑ̸̡̧̢͓̠̦͙͇͍͎̭͑̈́̓̿̓̅̑̅̌͑̈́̕͝͝ ̴̧̼͕̟̬̰̞̮̗͔͈̬̙͍̈́̀w̵̗̖̩̘͇͖̲̩̫̣̗̙̲̌͜a̷̛͎͋͑̃͛̆̈̋̑̋͠y̴̡̬͕͈̗̫̯̟̯͊͐̌̀̐͑͘͝͝.

Another h̶̦̘̤̘͐͑̿̂̏̎͋͝o̴̧͖͚̖̜͓͂̏́͒̑̈́͝͝p̶̡͙̏̉̿̎̀̑́̈̆͌̉e̷̡̡̦̣̯̘̺͍̟̰͍̤͛̀́̚͝͠. Will you heed that voice and call to it?

  >>Navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh...like Mithrun? Or do you just not enjoy eating?

[Sinclair can understand that.

Frowning a little as he goes through his crafted recipes, but he makes a Rejuvenating Sunflower Frappe, with up to 20 servings. He slides it over to her]

Then, you should drink something instead to restore your HP.

[He'll set the surf n turn down for the dogs - twenty servings! - so they aren't crowding as much]

No, I don't think it's quite like that. My sense of taste is a little weak, so where other people get a lot of enjoyment out of eating, I'm more focused on keeping it affordable and streamlined. [One of the absurd number of accidents she's been involved in over the course of her life, bad luck or ill fate or whatever it is, probably dulled the sense. She can't remember anything else that might have had some impact on it.

Miharu wants to dismiss the offer of the drink out of hand, especially when it's something she could do if she wanted. It's probably better that he can use the ingredients more efficiently. She takes it and just holds it for a while.]

But it's still quite meaningful to have someone cook for me. I imagine a meal made with care would taste the best. [She smiles, but it's really just her mouth moving.]

I see. [ That does sound like Mithrun then. His brow furrows a little and then he smiles when she takes the drink. Ah, that's a little better]

I think so too. I was cooking with Tylor and Hani the other day and thought it was really good, even though it wasn't anything different from what I normally have.

[Oh. Hmmm]

Do you like the idea of shabu shabu?

[Good thing it sounds nothing like Mithrun, then! For whatever reason, if only because of what happened before, she seems keen to avoid the comparison.]

Ah... it's been a while since I had any kind of nabe.

[It's an obvious statement, given their circumstances, but that timeline might extend well before they were ever trapped here.

Actually, it...] Sounds good. Is that what you made together?

No, but we were working on it since the ingredients are a bit...It was Noir's idea, to have it with friends.

[And Sinclair roped in Tylor, and Hani by extension]

Would you like to join us when we get it ready?

[The ingredients certainly are a bit more demanding than what it takes to make a sunflower frappe. Pulling it off will be as much of a group effort as actually eating it. That might be why...]

I doubt I'm likely to make very good company. [Miharu had intended it to be polite but distant, but it actually sounds somewhat regretful when it finally leaves her mouth, stinging at the back of her throat.]

...really? I like spending time with you though.

[She's a very steadying reassuring presence]

It's calming.

[It's how she once presented herself in her life. In control, mild, even aloof - people outside the game had never found her particularly approachable.

So now it does surprise her, when she can't even feel like she deserves the attention, let alone the praise. You shouldn't, Miharu nearly says, though she bites her tongue at the last moment, brushing some hair back over her shoulder.]

Why's that?

[She keeps her tone light.]

Hmm, I was thinking back when Mithrun's body was found, you were one of the few people to keep their heads. But you didn't flinch away from anything either. It was reassuring.

[ Sinclair isn't blind to the way Miharu kept herself at arm's length from everyone. He didn't know why but he thinks he understands, even if he doesn't know the reasons]

...So. That I didn't freak out around a dead body is something you found soothing?

[There's not judgement there, but there is a little bit of a wry smile. Miharu compares herself to others constantly: In her estimations, she never matters up, no matter what she's looking at.

In this singular thing, she thinks she can see them as being on even ground... even if it's just that they both might be messed up.]

Compared to everything that's happened now, that doesn't even feel real.

Mm. [Sinclair's smile turns a little wry too] It was at the back of my head, but I was thinking...'oh, she's a little like me then.' It made it easier to pull myself together and investigate.

[There are many broken, messed up people in this world. But is that really a problem? Sinclair's only recently put himself back together. Those pieces are still very fragile. One wrong move could send them scattering again]

...you know, if we think about it, it wasn't even that long ago when it happened. Yet it feels like a lifetime.

[It really does feel like another lifetime. The time she'd taken offline in between that investigation and now makes it feel like even less time has passed, like she'd been living a life that didn't actually happen outside the game - instead of inside it, like it should be. It'd be difficult not to remember the cloud that hung over the two of them as they did their best to compile the information they'd managed to collect.]

At the time, I felt like having more answers would put us in a better position, and someone was going to have to try coming at it without letting emotions get involved. I also just kept thinking that I shouldn't have gotten involved, so at least that much hasn't changed.

How far in the future will it be when we can actually sit down to have that meal. I wonder?

I'm glad you did. [ Why? Sinclair's not quite sure. But when he had been about to break, it meant a lot that Scitalis reached out when she did and made him steady himself] Even if you felt like you shouldn't have...it meant a lot to me.

[ Smiling as he looks up. Hmmm]

Why don't we schedule it for after the meeting Ganymede set up? I'm beginning to lose track of the date, but I think that's a good time marker. I have a feeling we'll need something to relax with afterwards.

[ Something concrete to look forward to ]

...by the way, what guild have you been staying with?

[~~so now we can blame Sinclair for the meeting going the way it did, huh~~]

It was nothing. I'm glad it helped. [It's polite deflection, which is just how she's been raised to handle these things. He shouldn't have to feel any embarrassment for feeling so strongly about it.]

Um... I spent some time with Glamour. I used to be kind of into looking fancy or trendy. [If he can believe it...it sounds a little silly, now. She thinks she must have been trying to capture that old love somehow by playing with appearances in this game.] So if we wanted to dress up for our event, we at least have that on our side.

[ ~~fast forward to Sinclair staring gloomily into the nabe going wtf happened guys~~ But he understands how polite deflection works. It's how he's been raised after all.]

I think that would be fun. A way to feel like we're actually going out as a big group.

[Sinclair thinks. He's not particularly good at being glamorous or trendy, but he's always appreciated people who did have a good eye for that]

Tylor said Yael will show us how to cut the meat and everything.

⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE

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