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⬣//SPREAD, CONTAMINATE, ERADICATE
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.
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.
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.
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?
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Do you still want to? When you love each other so much.
[ It's more curiosity than judgemental. He can't say he fully understands either of them, but he trusts that they understand each other.
He walks right past the WINKs guild, refusing to perceive it, and heads for GLHF. ]
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[ Still mumbling, still holding on to Michel like Hani does to him so often. From some friends here, he's learned an obvious truth-- ]
It's funny, people think I'm flirting with them all the time.
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[ Except for him, since he's never really believed someone would flirt with him intentionally.
There's something strangely soothing about being held onto like this. It's like his head feels a little clearer, given a task to focus on. Even if the task is as mundane as finding the first sleeping-equipped room in GLHF to drop Tylor onto a futon in. ]
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[ And whenever Michel finds a futon, Tylor will attempt to innocently pull him down onto it with him. Sleepy strength where Tylor would usually be looser. Because he never was very good at sleeping alone, until exhaustion demanded it. Streets with people were better than lonely beds. ]
I mean them too.
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...Which "them"?
[ As softly as Tylor is talking, he hardly knows if he's aware of saying it. But curiosity drives him to ask anyway. ]
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[ Tylor has no shame cuddling up to him as he hums in thought. His type or not, snuggling is a friendly physical affection. Arms looping, his hold and the burying of his face is childlike in its openness. And new only in the sudden want for it from Michel; lost memories of a childhood once filled with it. ]
Compliments. You're really nice, you know that? I'm glad we're family.
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That's probably why he allows himself to be disarmed, permitting the snuggling even if he can't figure out how to return it for a good long while. What does Sinclair like? Awkwardly, he ruffles Justy's hair. ]
I am not... a nice person. [ It's softer, not his reflexive prickly denial. The silence stretches another beat longer. ] ...I wish I could have been more like you.
[ Genuine in his kindness. Soft in the ways that mattered. ]
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You're nice to me. And Hani, and Gani.
[ A happy little sigh, body relaxing against Michel. ]
Mm, we like you the way you are. Funny'n handsome.
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[ That's human nature, even. More the standard than contrary. He ruffles Tylor's hair again, letting him pillow on his shoulder. ]
And I'd like it if you were a little more careful. Don't sleep out in the street when there are monsters everywhere.
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[ And yes, he still remembers them from back home. At least for now. But with his parent's love gone, this moment matters even more. The rest is asked bluntly, though everything he says is voiced sleepily. ]
Oh. Did I worry you?
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You need better cousins. ...And you're clever enough to answer that for yourself.
[ As carefree as he acts, anyone who could press Michel in a chess match isn't that unobservant. ]
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[ He jokes, but the sleepy warmth in it is sincere. ]
I'm flattered, but you're pretty clever yourself, you know.
[ Tylor means that too, almost as much as his smaller voice. ]
I'm sorry.
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Michel makes an awkward grumble of acknowledgment. It's so hard to brush off Tylor's sincerity when he just... keeps doing it. ]
Yes, well...
[ That's the only thing he can say in defense to that. He sighs softly and shakes his head. ]
...Don't be sorry. Just be careful.
[ That soft voice makes him feel too clumsy, too harsh with his words. He didn't truly expect Tylor to listen to him. ]
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That last request gets a muffled little giggle of a laugh out of him. His voice is still a bit soft, at odds with the playfulness of it. ]
That's like asking you not to worry so much, isn't it?
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[ None of them are precisely in their natural states anymore. He watches Tylor's expression, wondering when he's ever seen it slip from that smile — no, he knows he has. Once or twice. It nags at the edges of his thoughts. ]
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But you can't help it either, right?
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[ ...Perhaps. There was a reason it had felt important, once. To still be able to worry.
Michel sighs quietly and lets himself melt a little more into the blankets. It wouldn't be such a terrible thing to rest here. It would be... one worry addressed, at least for the moment. ]
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[ But he's clearly drifting off, sentiment broken with a little yawn before he goes on. Tylor's words are looser, relaxed and innocent without a care in the world outside the warmth they've created. ]
Thanks for caring, Michel-in-law.
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[ Tylor's voice is so soft now, and the pause is so long. Michel hopes he's drifted off entirely, that he doesn't need to decide how he wants to finish that.
Thank you for caring? For being so warm? As Hani had put it so long ago, for existing? That might be the closest. He isn't any good at this. ]