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⬣//JUST AS A SEED TAKES ROOT.
A team of four courageous adventurers managed to unearth a secret Area unique from the others: the Hulle Granz Cathedral. Unlike other Areas, this one is lacking all the usual monsters, dungeons, and treasure. What might the purpose of this Area be, then...?
Well, if you’re feeling penitent or perhaps wish to hold a sermon of your own, head to Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground and knock yourself out. What? Too soon?
Anyway, be not afraid! The cathedral is perfectly safe. Following Ganymede’s little incident in the cathedral, a timely email has been sent out to beta testers regarding health and safety that reads as follows:
To our beta team,
Please exercise caution when playing video games for extended periods of time. Take breaks every thirty minutes and do not sit in the same position for more than two hours at a time. Remember to stay hydrated and play in a well-lit environment.
Failing to take care of your health while gaming can result in a litany of health complications, including but not limited to eye strain, muscle fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and involuntary loss of consciousness and motor functions.
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.
Guilds have been patched into the current version of Fragment and are now available for players to create their own and join others. While some guilds have opted to go the private route, others are in need of players to fill their ranks!
The admins have kindly supplied those recruiting for their shiny new guilds with a number of goodies to aid in their player gathering efforts:⬣ A bundle of personalized flyers proudly displaying their guild logo and a description of the guild’s @ home and available amenities.
⬣ Party poppers and streamers. Nothing screams “join my guild!” like a face full of glitter, confetti, and colorful strips of ribbon.
⬣ A megaphone that lets your voice echo far and wide, even across Root Towns and Areas, but with great potential for abuse comes restrictions! The megaphone can only be used five times before it breaks. Use it wisely!
⬣ A unique recipe for a cocktail, latte, tea, or other type of beverage that can be blended up and served in little sample cups to court potential members. These drinks are unique to their guilds and, when consumed, have a special effect that reflects the leader of that guild. Is your guild leader a pretty cheerful guy? Drinking their special brew will make you feel happy too!
Whatever effect your guild’s drink has is up to the leader’s discretion, but if you so desire, drop a comment under the questions top level and we’ll brew one up for you.
Additionally, you may host a guild open house and invite potential guildies into your @ home to let them take a look around! Guild @ homes are typically locked to guild members & their guests only, so use this as your opportunity to put your best foot forward and impress the world with everything your guild has to offer.
Also arriving with the newest update are mountable Grunties! Aren’t they cute? ...Well, they’re someone’s definition of cute.
While the ability to ride around town and in Areas at 2x speed is certainly alluring, you can’t just walk up to the Grunty Ranch located in each Root Town and take one out for a stroll. If you want a mount of your very own, you’ve got to commit! Becoming a proud Grunty owner means you must first become a proud Grunty parent, and to do that, you’ll need to raise your Grunty from infancy into adulthood.
Just what kind of adult might your Grunty become? That depends on how you raise them and what you feed them. Those strange "foods" popping up all over Areas might not taste good to you, but they sure do to Grunties!
For more information on how to acquire a baby Grunty of your very own and raise it into a proper — or not so proper — member of Grunty society, head on over to the Grunty Ranch.
Mac Anu, the City of Twilight known for its gentle ocean breezes, has been uncharacteristically warm lately. Very, very warm. Its usual orange skies have been swapped out for vivid blues, the sun dwelling high in the sky and threatening to burn everything in its wake.
It won’t take much wandering to feel the effects of heat exhaustion sink in, and even after you log out for the day, those symptoms seem to linger. Do Hien and Zelkova know what the hell is going on? Of course not. Unusual occurrences are slowly becoming the norm in Fragment, it seems, but the point of a beta test is to work out any kinks. Report it and move on.
Lumina Cloth is similarly affected by unusual weather phenomena, but it’s much more pleasant and hospitable than poor Mac Anu. The sun hangs just above the horizon, bathing the strip in early evening light. It’s much cooler here too, and what’s more, it appears that a carnival has rolled into town. What fun!
All the usual carnival fare is here: greasy fried foods, drinks served in foot long glasses, and a litany of carnival games that are totally not rigged. Entry is free and so are the prizes, but some of them take a bit of legwork to win.
⬣ Successfully PK another player to win the carnival exclusive Thursday The 12th™ skin. PK’d players will receive an appropriately spooky ghost skin of their own!
⬣ Step on up to the dunk tank and get dunked on to win a sexy swimsuit skin! Both the dunkers and the dunkees will win this skin, but only those who successfully dunk the player in the tank will be rewarded with the chance to show off some skin. The appearance this skin takes is dependent on the player wearing it, so have fun and get creative with it!
⬣ Take a trip through the hall of mirrors with a friend and do some reflecting! Stare too long into the mirrors and you might recall a memory that doesn’t belong to you, but to the person venturing through the hall of mirrors with you. Did that really happen? Surely it’s all in your head. Memories available for memshare are limited to the ones listed on your application.
Additional rewards include giant plush monsters that can be used to decorate guild @ homes and private rooms (limit one per player!) and a pet goldfish that, unfortunately, will die a hero’s tragic death within a week. Womp womp.
We’ve had a busy week! It seems like there was a glitch that allowed players to equip other players as weapons, which resulted in a ten player chain, wielded by none other than our hardworking head administrator, Hien! I’ll have a talk with him about not doing this kind of thing in the future, I promise!
That wasn’t all, though. An unknown entity reached out to the players participating in the ten-player chain and issued them a special title: Good Friends Stick Together. Fragment’s not supposed to have titles. Well, at least not in the beta. But you can go ahead and add it to your name if you want to anyway, and it shouldn’t cause any problems! We still can’t pinpoint who sent those messages and how they overrode the permissions to create those titles in the first place, but... Hmm. I don’t want to start any rumors, so I’ll keep looking into it.
There are those armor sets too, which I didn’t know had been handed out to those of you that reached level 25. Oria brought it to our attention, thankfully! There’s not a whole lot we can do about it now, but we know that some of them are pretty invasive. But knowing is half the battle, right?
Our friend Ganymede suffered an accident recently that had him lying unconscious in the hospital for about a day. He seems to be feeling better now, thankfully. Ḩ̵̲̼͆̃͐̆ò̸̧̰͕̥̈́͒̕͜p̷̫͙̯͇̾̄͜ę̸̹̒f̷̠̭͉̱̅͘ǘ̴͎̙̥̭̈́̈́l̵͇̙͍̳̜̇̓̒l̷̬̲̀̆̈̅̂ͅỳ̵̧̻̖ ̷̠̫̭̰̦̋͗h̴̰͕̑͗e̸̦̼͇̾͘ ̴̡̢̝̺̳̊̎̎̔p̴̳̠̼̜͔̂̅̐à̵͕̹̟ͅỹ̴̡̛͝s̶͉̕ ̴̢͕̬̑̆̕͝b̸̹̲͗͒̊͑͠ē̶̛͖͠ṯ̸̻̺́͒͐t̶̻͕͎̑ĕ̶̖̀͗͛͋r̷͙̗̙̲͙̓̚͝ ̷̻̠͉̈́̚a̷̡̙̳̽́̀̋̔ẗ̴̢̨̛̬̺t̴͖̳͝ē̷͇̆͆̍̚ͅn̵̪̜͉͊̉̔̄͐t̵͕̼͈̓͋̈́̕î̷̬o̸͇̐͋͑͌n̶̟̫̟̽̑͒͐͘ ̷̜̈́̈̀̂̎t̶͙̂͛ô̸̠̜ ̶̫͎̎h̶͖̳͛i̸̗͖̖̅̂͆̄͛s̸͔̈́̇̍ ̸̩̗̻̕s̵̬̼̳̲̞͝ù̸̞̺̣͙̾͒͛ŗ̴̻̟̻̭̂̈́r̶̡͈̲̣̣͋̊͗̕o̶̥̝̮̓ų̴̻̯̬̊̑̑͌̉ͅn̶̢̙̦͔͖̈̒͝d̷̰̼̤̥̃̿͒̌̎i̸̯͑̾͊̑͝n̵̦͐g̸̪̾͝͝s̷̛̝͙̣̹̍͛͝ ̸͔̲̠̩͗̓̀͘a̷̛̼̓̈́͊ṅ̵̥͆̎ḑ̶̨̯̱͍̇ ̷̛̗̮̀̆ḧ̴̼̪́͗͝i̵͓̬̤͂͐͒s̶̮̎̿̃ ̴̛͔̋͗̽h̷̝͑ͅē̴̱ȃ̵̝͎ͅļ̷͍̀͐͊̊̽ẗ̸̼̺̟̥̼́̄͛h̶̥̹̬̮̽̅ ̷̟̖̮͛́̿t̸̢̤̤̂͒͋̍o̶̼̟̓ ̵̥̳͙̖̆̈́ả̶̛̳̱͙̖̩̿̽͘v̴͈͉͖͊͘ỏ̶̤͚̅͑͝i̴̱͈̩̳̳̿̇̕͠ḏ̵͙̮͗͆ ̶̯̭̝̹̯͊s̸͍̰͔̔̀͋͋̐u̷̟̠͑̔̏̚c̵̨͖͉͇̀͆͘ͅh̴̨̓͌̄̈ ̶̧̱̻̼̏̃̃i̷̱͉͈̿̎̋͒͜͝n̴̢͓͍̂͝͠c̷̢̢̛̹͚̑̓̅ͅi̶͕̟̻̘̫̾͌d̶͉͉̏̇e̵͉̱̩̯̤͐̎̉̾n̸̡̠̈͜ţ̴̇͑̈́͘s̵̩̼͔̙̙̉͘ ̵̮̯̞̮̾̈́͋̔̈h̵̡̗͉͉͈̉̐̅̚ȁ̵͖͚̖̾p̸̰̬͖̩̀̈́̆̓p̶̢̛̼̈́͆̒͘ͅe̷̟̘̩̲̻̾̊n̵̨̩̜̟͆͘i̵̙͉̺̮͠ͅṋ̷̆ġ̶͙͚ ̴̩̋à̷̄̑̂͝ͅǧ̵͖̜͍͕̒̑͒a̷̧̛̞͐̃̈́͘i̷̯͉̬̯̽̍n̷̘̝͓̽̅̕!̵̩͑
ganymede.
Movement catches his attention, and his gaze slowly drifts to the side to see... Oh. Just the guy he was thinking about. ]
Hey. [ He calls to Ganymede, nodding in greeting. Strangely, the usual smile on his face is absent. ] You going in?
no subject
Recent events? Are also not exactly relegated to the recesses of his mind. Things seem to be piling up, and a sane person would have started to abandon ship at these particular omens. However, maybe it isn't a question of just sanity or common sense, when one considers other...motivations to linger. ]
I am. What about you?
[ He asks, but the blond will step forward, steps not halting—like an intrepid explorer of some sort. ]
no subject
[ Hector quickly falls in step beside Ganymede as they make their way inside. ]
I gotta get out of this heat. It's killing me.
[ And check up on Ganymede, of course. But they'll get to that. ]
no subject
...That makes for the two of us, on holding the same opinion.
Whoever thought this was a good idea needs a nice kick in the ass.
[ He states with a huff, walking through the halls confidently, and though he stops to look at one reflection that stretches him so thin he might as well be a beanpole. ]
no subject
You can say that again. I really hope they fix it soon.
[ He comes to stand beside Ganymede, looking at how skinny they both look. Hmm. He prefers himself with a little meat, actually. ]
I actually wanted to talk to you.
no subject
Me too.
[ He looks away from the mirror for a second, when Hector makes that other statement, to peer at him curiously. ]
...Talk to me? About what?
no subject
I heard about what happened to you. In the hidden area.
[ He casts a glance over his shoulder at Ganymede, just to make sure he has his attention. ]
You do realize that's serious, right? That's grounds enough for legal action.
[ A mirror beside Hector as he passes it shimmers oddly, but he doesn't seem to notice. ]
no subject
And because the idea has merit. Enough for him to say: ]
The burden of proof is still an adhered to standard, even in my country.
My loved ones back home do want to bring a legal case...
[ There is a 'but' in there, and Ganymede doesn't quite address it, distracted by the shimmering on the mirror, blue eyes flickering from the other man to land on that speckle of odd light, to see more. ]
no subject
[ Hector keeps walking, unaware of the anomaly happening beside him. ]
It might be worth looking into, considering...
[ The longer Ganymede holds his gaze on the mirror, Hector's voice fades.
What you see, beyond the frame of the tree trunks, is unbridled forest.
It's green. It's so green. You have never seen this much green in your entire life. Petrichor fills your lungs as you inhale; it's a scent totally foreign to you, but the joy it gives you is indescribable. Never in your short life have you ever felt so alive.
The foliage beyond is thick, untouched, overlapping, diverse, but in total harmony with one another. You crane your neck back to follow the trunks of the trees upward. The canopy overhead isn't thick enough to block out the sun; dappled sunlight pours through the leaves, bathes you and everything around you in a rich, golden glow. All you can hear is the soft rustle of leaves in the wind—if you close your eyes, it almost sounds like waves crashing on the shore—and the distant sound of birdsong. It's quiet, peaceful. Soothing.
There's nothing like this at home. Maybe Central Park, sure, where if one's lucky to find an unoccupied spot in the thick of it, it might feel like the middle of nowhere. But the trees aren't as grand, solemn. Nature itself is so much more commanding, majestic; no steel skyscrapers of any height could ever match an ancient tree, you think to yourself. This is so much...better.
You wish you could spend all your time here.
A quiet snap ahead draws your attention downward again, and you stare with your young, sharp eyes into the brush. There, you see, a stark contrast among the green, a black mass. Gleaming, beady eyes stare back at you as your own eyes adjust. You blink once, twice. And it slowly dawns on you that you stare face-to-face with a bear.
Goosebumps shoot over your limbs. Warmth fills your heart. There is magic in this moment.
"Mehmet!"
The yell shatters the silence, and with a loud rustle, the bear vanishes from view. You whip your head around to see your teacher, hands on her hips, in the middle of the trail a short distance away. The rest of your class is behind her; rich city kids sluggishly trudging along the path, hoping this camping trip ends sooner than later.
You scamper over to her, delight written all across your face. "Guess what!" you exclaim, unable to contain your excitement. "I saw a bear!"
Shock crosses your teacher's face for a brief moment. It's quickly hidden by a frown. "No you didn't." She puts her hand to your back, urging you to rejoin the group. "You'd be dead otherwise."
"But I did!"
"Go join the others."
Who cares if she doesn't believe you? You know what you saw.
You run to catch up to the rest of your classmates, but their dour mood doesn't get you down. Camping isn't the ideal pre-graduation trip for most fifth graders who only ever knew the big city, but not for you. You are simply buzzing with excitement.
You love it all.
You turn your attention upward again, and you blink in the light. One day, you tell yourself, you're going to escape the city and make nature your home.
The light fades. ]
...ot the only one. If we can band together and—
[ Hector comes to a stop a little farther ahead and turns around to look at Ganymede, his brow quirked. ]
Are you listening to me?
no subject
It keeps itself as a magical one, given that surprisingly, nothing wrong goes with such an encounter. But, bears...
It is a little ironic, he does recall holding a certain conversation about them with a particular brown-haired male (or at least, he is a brunet in his avatar.) Even after the memory leaves him, he can only ponder just a little longer, bits and pieces of Hector's words drifting in.
Then, the blond whips his head in Hector's direction looking like a deer in headlights. ]
...
I just saw something incredible in one of the mirrors. I think it was someone's memory...a "Mehmet".
[ Which sounds, perhaps, ridiculous at this junction. But, well, there is a movement in the mirror once more—the one that Ganymede had been looking at, and had turned away from. ]
no subject
Then again, it's a common name. Not where he's from, no, but in some parts of the world. Maybe...it's a different Mehmet. ]
What? A memory? [ He begins to panic a bit. He has...well. He's thirty five, and he certainly has memories. Especially "incredible" ones. ] In the mirror?
[ He feels like Ganymede's about to broach a boundary of his, and he can feel himself trying to pull back. No. Stay calm. ]
How?
[ He is peripherally aware of the weird motion of the mirror, but doesn't look at it quite yet. ]
no subject
It's probably connected to him, isn't it? He can't say if it's because Hector is this 'Mehmet' or because he knows him, and yet...it can't be unrelated. Or so are the assumptions he's making. Regardless, he doesn't intend to necessarily pry unintentionally.
Though, he supposes that ship has sailed, in a sense. ]
Yes, a memory in the mirror.
[ As for the other question, he simply shakes his head. ]
I'm not sure. Maybe someone was able to add it as a feature of the game somehow?
no subject
Hector's brows furrow as he quickly strides over to stand beside Ganymede, close enough that both of them fit in the reflection. He saw this one shimmering just a second ago—is it glitched somehow? ]
In this mirror? [ He points at it, looking at Ganymede in the reflection. ] You're telling me someone went out of their way to program in a memory about someone named Mehmet into this game?
[ This is sick. In the bad way. He keeps his eyes on the mirror. ]
Mirror Memory I
So, his response is very matter-of-fact, but ready to explain as needed. ]
That's right. It was an odd thing, in the blink of an eye I heard you talking, but as I was looking right into it, it went ahead, and...
[ ...those words seem to become more indistinct, and the surroundings change completely to a place filled with a festival's cheer; mid-town in a rural area full of many people, alongside many finishing up a dancing routine on stage.
...And the crowd goes wild!
The sound of copious light jingles is apparent with the movements of many people; dancers, just like you. But, they hardly compare to you, with the way you finished off a dance in view of many others, who have their eyes on you. Cheers, expressions of cheer that can only be a result of not only your dance, but a local celebration that is specific to your little town. So rural it might as well be considered a village.
But, your skill and appearance is recognized. Not only do your moves in festivals are recognized, but so is your proficiency in sword dancing. Right now, you just finished up a dance, and happen to be departing from the stage, the liveliness of everyone running high, but you do need a break.
Your brother, approaches you with a smile, while other familiar faces from your childhood scatter.
He declares, "I'm certain you'll be given the honor of performing the sword dance for brother's marriage ceremony."
Their other brother, of course. He is to be married to a wonderful woman; beautiful, and glorious. Her background all that they can ask for. Still, before he moves abroad, to go ahead and live with her, they would like to observe some of those customs. Which trace back to a lineage...
Meanwhile, you're ready to retort, "But when it comes to sword dancing...you're far better at it, big brother!"
Ilus, your brother just laughs at your display of humility. You never have been the type to let your appearances or skill make you give into any sort of arrogance. Though, the fact he sees through it makes you feel embarrassed. He also tosses something on over to you, saying, "Father's so proud of you that he can't wait to show you off...and I agree!"
You catch it. A beautiful, golden ceremonial blade. It feels light in your hands, just like the pride that swells up in you.
He says something about it being a present for your efforts, and something recovered from the family treasury that's been passed down. But, then he also says something else that sticks with you to this day:
"Father was concerned...your future is your own. Still, no matter where you go, if there's a place neither of us can reach, and you can't trust your surroundings, I'm sure you'll find a way out of it."
Yes, that's certainly true. You're fortunate that no one here looks twice at you here, even if they remark on your beauty. But that might change in the future. Still, severity slips through those fingers easily as he speaks some other words, beginning to talk more excitedly about the upcoming parade, slinging an arm around your shoulder, and for the most part, you think you can attribute this day as something memorable. Surrounded by friendly faces who recognize and celebrate you and themselves for being true to who they are...
What more could you have asked for?
And just like that it ends, Ganymede standing now with his arms crossed, still looking at Hector, having not been drawn into his own memory himself. ]
...And that's the crux of it. Well? It sound less impossible when I outline everything just like that? Or maybe even more ridiculous?
no subject
[ It's like Ganymede's voice snaps Hector out of a spell.
The people and the scenery suddenly fade around him, the lingering pride and joy fading as he stares at his own face again. He slowly turns to look at Ganymede, not to respond to his question, but to study him.
...If that belonged to him, then maybe he really did see a memory of Hector's—Mehmet's. ]
I think I get it.
[ The way he speaks makes it clear he's not responding to what Ganymede says. ]
no subject
Ganymede supposes he should have known that something similar must have occurred given his own bout of that experience just a scant few moments ago. Not to mention, the man looked a bit preoccupied—easy for Ganymede to tell when he was looking right at him, and not anywhere else. ]
...Did you just see a memory as well?
Do you have any idea who it involved?
[ Might as well prod a little. Can't hurt, right? ]
no subject
There was...some kind of festival. [ He scrambles to put the pieces of the memory back together. ] I—or, whoever I was supposed to be, was dancing in it. And there was a brother, and mention of a father...
[ He trails. It's a bit fuzzy now, but that's what he remember. He turns to Ganymede, inquisitive look on his face. ]
Ring any bells?
[ Because if Ganymede saw his, then he'd just seen Ganymede's. ]
no subject
[ Since the other man has seen his memory, and given the reaction he had to the name 'Mehmet', Ganymede puts two and two together himself. No further explicit details, but he doesn't think it's a coincidence that he's here, is a dancer, has a brother, and a father. Not to mention in the midst of a festival.
Therefore, Ganymede concludes he also must have witnessed Hector's memory. Or at least one of his, if the intention is to place the viewer into the position of the individual viewing a memory. He gets straight to the point. ]
It looks like the game decided to show a memory from the both of us.
That's why you reacted the way you did, wasn't it? Even if something like this should be impossible.
[ He's ... particularly calm about it, all things considered. Does he consider it something not worth concern? That isn't true either. He's just reviewing the facts. ]
no subject
Yeah. It should be impossible.
[ What the hell. Personal moments like this, even if it wasn't particularly bad or revealing, shouldn't be broadcasted like this.
Hector takes a few steps down the mirrored corridor before he whirls on his heel to face Ganymede again. He's not happy. ]
This is exactly what I'm talking about. This is personal information. You shouldn't know my real name, and the game just told you?
[ Obviously, he's not angry with Ganymede. He just doesn't know why Ganymede isn't angrier. ]
no subject
...But, what could they do for now? If this is brought up, despite multiple people insisting that it happened — if it happens with anyone else — will it be believed or chalked up to them sounding insane?
He's brought out of some of these thoughts, looking up at Hector turns to face him again. ]
That's right. It did.
It seems somehow someone's worked out a way to make the bridge between reality and a game. I don't know how they managed that...but it'd be in our best interest to figure that out, wouldn't it?
[ He went into the hospital and still the company doesn't have enough against it to face consequences. At least, that's what he thinks. He is very much used to being messed around with...to an extent. ]
no subject
It doesn't matter how. I don't care how. They shouldn't have access to this information in the first place. And even if they did, they shouldn't be broadcasting it to other players.
[ He looks around impatiently to his own distorted reflections, and eventually decides he hates it here. ]
C'mon. Let's get out of here.
[ And he marches towards Ganymede, back the way they came. ]
no subject
[ For those two things. Even more.
What's privacy mean to anyone anymore? His words aren't muttered either, frown set upon his lips. It's no surprise to him, but maybe he'd be reacting the same if his worst memories were shown towards the other. He's not very happy, but somehow someone else doing the yelling for once is good enough for him.
He follows the other quietly, not seeing fit to say much else, until they leave the hall of mirrors. Once they do, he turns to face Hector. ]
You won't have to be concerned about me spreading any of your personal details anywhere. For what it's worth.
no subject
He refuses to be a weird guinea pig in this simulation.
But it's Ganymede who speaks first when they get out, despite the way he opens his mouth to talk. He stares at the other man, and is...actually appreciative of the gesture. ]
Thanks, Ganymede. And same here. I'm not telling anyone what I saw in there.
[ Even though it was, for all intents and purposes, nothing damning or traumatic.
He looks away. ]
...Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you.
no subject
With a touch of a button, it'd be the last day they could ever have played.
But, Ganymede thinks the most of them that are here...it's not something they will ever do in the end. And for that reason, it makes their words a bit more substantial than not; he can believe Hector means it. ]
It's the only time I'll say it's fine. [ Putting his hands on his hips as he says this, just for a moment, before letting them fall back to his sides. ] If only because it's comforting hearing someone else doesn't like this any more than I do, and I know that you weren't angry with me.
[ Ganymede likes to think he's certain of things. Whether its based in his cynical line of thinking or otherwise. Either way, he begins to turn away from the other man. ]
I think we should part ways for now. If you need anything, just let me know.
no subject
This isn't right.
In the end, though, he never got the conversation he wanted with Ganymede. It's fair that he wants to leave, even if he is ultimately not particularly angry at him personally.
They can agree on one thing though. ]
Sure. Take care.
[ Ganymede is off, and Hector quickly adds— ]
I'll be in touch.
[ Because he's going to get to the bottom of this, even if it brings harm to him.
He whirls on his heel in the other direction. ]