[PP/Floor 22] 'Fou!'

[Jinx 0]

Jinx was, once again, in the twenty second floor. However, this time was different. This time, she was prepared for her quest. Last time, to find her familiar she wasn't prepared for it and hence, didn't have a single buff to help. Now was different. She had food, a bread she was snacking on, an item give to her by her guild-master, AND a song o help her thanks for a guild-mate. And the spyglass she picked up would also help her, in theory.

All of it combined itself into the reality that she wouldn't fail this time to find herself a familiar, BUT she did want a friend. It was obvious who to invite honestly, the same girl who had helped her so many times. Mishiro. Jinx sent a message to the girl, hoping she wasn't interupting something important with Roman. Those two were often at each others side, and Jinx was just hoping she wasn't being annoying, or unwelcome by inserting Mishiro into her own life...

The girl fidgetted with her hair a little, trying to keep herself calm as she munched away at her snack. 

@Mishiro

 

 

 

Quest Buffs: +8LD - 0 Posts before searching

Spoiler

+3 LD from Item being worn: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/13298-f1-artisan-rank-7/?do=findComment&comment=519702

Spoiler

Name: Relic Draupnir Profession: Artisan Rank: 6 ID: 86061 Roll: 12 Item Type: Ring <Trinket> Tier: 1 Quality: Perfect Enhancements: +3 Loot Dice Description: A silver ring, etched on the outside are Nordic symbols that have a delicate golden shine. Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/13298-f1-artisan-rank-7/?do=findComment&comment=519702

+3 LD Temp from Food: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/16567-f7-shop-tacet-cibum-rank-9-cook-grand-re-opening/?do=findComment&amp;comment=582330 (Purchased)
+ 2LD Temp from Song: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/16480-f11-r2-performer-magnolia/?do=findComment&amp;comment=582418 (Purchased)
-5 Posts required to find Familiar (Currently 10): http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/16480-f11-r2-performer-magnolia/?do=findComment&amp;comment=582418 (Purchased)

Ghost Treat: 

Spoiler

'Ghost Treat' - If you already have a familiar, the treat can be fed to it to change its appearance to a ghostly form of itself. If you do not already have a familiar, it allows you to skip the searching portion of the <<Feeding your Enemy>> quest. If you fail to tame the creature, you will have to find it again by the searching rules in the quest.

 

 

Quest Requirements

Spoiler

Rewards:

• A familiar of your choice (within guidelines)
• 1 Skill Point (first completion only)

Requirements:

• RP meeting the gypsy and obtaining the food from her
• Obtain a familiar
• At least 1 page (20 posts)

Summary:

An old gypsy NPC approaches you, telling tales of how she tamed monsters. Giving you some food, she tells you how to tame your own familiar.

Outline:

Once every 15 posts, the party leader may roll to search for a familiar. On a roll of 15+ LD (normal LD enhancements apply), you successfully find a potential familiar.

Once a potential familiar is found, that party leader has 4 attempts to tame it. Taming is a post action that is successful on a CD roll of 9+. If the party leader fails all 4 attempts, the potential familiar becomes untamable and a new one may be searched for in 15 posts. 

If the roll to tame is met, you have successfully attained a familiar. Return the <<Familiar Food>> to the Gypsy NPC to complete the quest. Only one familiar may be found per thread.

 

[Mishiro 0]

Mid morning. Half of her daily craft attempts used. Mishiro rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes. Soft classical music coupled with the faintest sound of someone quietly humming along with the piano played from a crystal on her counter. A cup of cold coffee lay beside her head. Its scent was familiar. Bittersweet.

 

She had woken up at the unearthly hour of 3 AM, unable to return to sleep. She tossed and turned under the covers, looked about vacantly at the fixtures and paintings on her walls, then slipped out of her bed. Absently, she walked to the connecting building in her nightgown and slippers.

 

Empty rooms. A note on the table. The small brown ferret curled up in the kitchen they never use. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

 

Suppressing her disappointment, she wandered back to her side of the settlement.

 

Mishiro didn't feel like opening up shop today either.

 

The ringing of a received message roused her from her half-asleep state. With a soft groan, she turned her head to the side. Bandit had finished its breakfast and was prowling about her counter for any sweets left in the open. She didn't move though. It was a rather comforting presence, she thought. She was used to spending her mornings alone. Before the guild, before SAO, before Roman. But recently, it had turned strangely...

 

Lonely.

 

She pulled her head up and opened her newest message. Jinx. Floor 22. A familiar quest. Their last visit had been intended as a small leisurely trip between friends, but it was given another purpose when Jinx was approached by a quest NPC.

 

Mishiro buried her head in her arms. 

 

"I don't wannaaa..."

 

She just felt tired, that's all.

 

Mishiro closed her eyes. 

 

...

 

But Jinx wanted to spend time with her.

 

...

 

She drained the last of her coffee and sent her friend a quick message, informing her she would be there. The few minutes delay shouldn't have been unusual. Placing her empty coffee cup on the counter, she put on her equipment and disappeared into the other side of the building to take another coat that wasn't exactly hers. She returned and found Bandit happily snacking on one of her pastries. Thankfully, it wasn't one of her higher-quality crafts; those were safely locked behind a glass display case. 

 

Mishiro scooped up the greedy familiar. 

 

"How did you get to that?" The girl peered into its beady eyes for an answer and softly petted the cute ferret on the head. "...I'm taking you with me."

 

Floor 22 had returned to normal. The last time she visited, it was lined with stalls and festivities and players of all levels wandered about and hung their wishes on bamboo trees. The two lovers reached out to each other in the skies, only to be torn apart by the sudden intrusion of a horde of sea creatures. She hadn't been there to witness it, but she heard from Arabelle later on that the lovers reunited after a long drawn-out battle in defense of the settlement.

 

Strange. The lovers in the sky were never a part of the tanabata festival in the real world. She would write down her wish as she always did and it would be all that mattered. But despite herself, Mishiro had wanted to see the finale with her own eyes.

 

"Hello." She found Jinx seated on a bench with a snack in hand. A craft with... buffs? Last time had been a failure, so it was good she was retaking it with more preparations. She inclined her head to the town exit and the ferret on top of her head stirred at the slight disturbance. "We don't know how long it'll take to find a familiar, so it's best to get started early. Let's go."

 

Mishiro silently fell into step with Jinx.

[Jinx 0]

Jinx didn't have to wait too long, and as she did, she looked through the items she had. The assortment of items, the ring she picked up from the guilds treasurey, some snacks, a song and after the most recent event...Some item that was supposed to speed up finding a familiar, a ghost charm? The girl looked over the charm in her hand, flipping it back and forth in the light. It was something pretty to look at...

The girl was so distracted by the charm that she didn't see Mishiro coming until the other girl was basically on top of her. Jinx almost dropped the item on the ground, but flashed a bright smile as she stood up. 

"Oh, Mishiro!" The girl instantly spotted the ferret on her shoulder, bandit! The other familiar was adorable, and she loved everything about it. "Thank you so much for this, and, i think it'll be a spot quicker!" The girl showed Mishiro her item, before leading in the same direction as the last time the two had come to this floor. With excitement filling her, the girl was completely oblivous to the condition her friend was in. 

[Mishiro 0]

Jinx was the same as ever. A bit absentminded, but as eager to find a furry friend as the last time. Her excitement was almost contagious. "You're welcome," Mishiro responded politely. She grasped her own Ghost Treat behind her back. Quietly, she flicked open a menu and dropped the unique item into her inventory. There was no need to trade it over yet, after all. "I look forward to seeing what you can find."

She walked with the timid shielder, her gray eyes straying to the side to take in their surroundings. 

There was always something so calming about walking down a familiar road. They took the same winding paths, slowed down at the same spots to admire the scenic view of the crystal blue lake, and went up the same incline. Jinx seemed intent on taming her familiar above the waterfall they found a few months ago, and with her success guaranteed the first time around, Mishiro wondered just what exactly would appear for them. 

[Jinx 0]

Jinx did love this floor, maybe she'd move to her own, place? Would she be able to without burning it to the ground? The questions mulled over her mind as she held the charm in her hand, and hoped. Last time she'd come here, she'd failed horribly in finding a companion, a friend. Someone who, she could spend time with...She recalled a dog a friend had back in the real world that would always be by her side...Someone like that, she'd really enjoy having. 

"Fou!"

Jinx paused, what was...that? The girl first looked at bandit, napping on Mishiros shoulder. It wasn't that familiar, and she was certain Mishiro, so what...?

The girl looked around. The greens were shimmeringly slightly in the wind, a soft whisper within nature itself. The grass was a virbant green, with one patch of grass having a small, snow-white mark on it, the shimmer of the nearby river...wait, white grass?! Jinx blinked and looked properly, and spotted it. A snow-white little creature staring right back at her. Huh...

"Hey, Mishiro...You see that right?" The girl asked, it didn't look normal, like something she'd see in the real world. It was like a cat, but its ears were too big...Jinx leaned down, getting onto her knees with a bright smile, and reached out, the familair food in her outstretched limb.

The creature looked at it, tilted its head as if asking a question.

"It's ok, i promise i won't hurt you...I'm actually looking for someone, to spend time with...Are you, do you want to, spend time with me?" Jinx kept her hand outstretched, hoping. The girl even closed her eyes super tightly. Slowly, the creature walked up and started to eat the food, and after eating it, actually climbed into Jinxs hand. The girls face instantly lit up as she pulled the creature into her chest, and basically cuddled the newly acquired familiar.

"You're just the most adorable little creature, w-what, do i call you?" The girl asked, and oddly, it was almost as if answering her,  the little  creature replied with the noise it made before. Fou! 

Slowly, Jinx turned to look at Mishiro with eyes, almost as if asking for approval. 

Familiar Image: 

Spoiler

Used: Ghost Charm (Familiar is found right away, no need to search)

ID: 127704

CD: 12

Familiar Found and Tamed (Tamed for Healing)

Edited November 1, 2019 by Jinx

[Mishiro 0]

Mishiro blinked slowly and the ferret on her shoulder, now roused from its sleep, imitated her gesture. She followed Jinx's gaze to the grass by the side of the rushing river.

There, almost blending in with the shimmering grass around it, was a small fluffy creature who watched them both curiously. It had the body of a squirrel, the ears of a hare, and a bushy mane and tail and its fur was as white as snow. And was that a miniature white cloak secured around its neck? She had never seen anything like it before, not even in her fantasy books. But if she were to guess, it looked like the sort of creature a fairy would have as a familiar.

"Yes, I see it." 

So this was the familiar that appeared for Jinx. She quickly held Bandit back before it could hop off her shoulder and approach the small creature; she didn't want to unintentionally scare it away. The ferret chittered and struggled in protest, but it eventually quieted down as it became evident she would hold it still until Jinx tamed it.

Slowly, master and familiar made their bond. When the timid shielder pulled her new friend to her chest with a delighted smile, Mishiro finally let go of Bandit. The brown ferret scampered towards Jinx and stood on its hind legs in front of the girl with an eager bark.

"Congratulations," she offered with a soft smile. "Do you want to head back now or shall we stay here a bit longer? I'm fine with either."

Edited November 3, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx kept her gaze on Mishiro, the other girl was something, special? jinx wasn't sure what word she wanted, but special felt about right. Mishiro always seemed so calm, so compossed...It was honestly something Jinx wished she was. Emotions often overwhelmed her, made her panic..made her dumb. Seeing Mishiro's approval, jinx turned her focus back onto her recently recquired familiar. The noise the creature made was the noise 'fou', why not name it that? 

D-do you, like that name?" Jinx asked the familiar, to be answered by the same cute noise and the little familiar almost cuddling up to the girls face. Jinx rested her head against her familiars chest, feeling the soft fur on her face. Jinx lowered her familiar to the ground, where Fou looked over at Bandit with curious eyes, as Jinx noticed Bandit too.

"Oh, bandit, meet Fou.. She's my familiar, like how you're Claudes..." The girl smiled, staring at Fou and Bandit as Fou got closer to the ferrit, reaching out on of its paws to stroke at Bandits head, as if investigating if the thing before her was real.

"If i could, i'd like to stay. This area was Fou's home before today, and i'd feel really mean if i removed her from her home without at least letting her say goodbye" Jinx said in responce to Mishiros question. From an outsiders point of view, it would look rather odd. Jinx would feel horrible to remove an NPC, a computer generated code, from its home when it could have just been generated just before. But to Jinx, lost within the lies of the world, she didn't think about it as a piece of coding. She saw it as a real pet, a real animal, a real friend she could be with. 

[Mishiro 0]

The ferret on the ground wouldn't understand Jinx's introduction, but it was convinced the small white creature in front of it was a new playmate. It curiously nosed the newly-named Fou's paw. In complete contrast to the pale familiar's quieter personality, Bandit puffed out its tail and barked excitedly. It scampered in a half-circle around Fou and pawed at the ground.

Mishiro watched the cute scene with a carefully composed expression. "Bandit doesn't usually see familiars its size," she thought to explain. There was Arabelle's crow, Moondust, but it had the oddest fear of other players' familiars and the purple-haired girl didn't exactly like bringing it with her either. Her gray eyes landed on Jinx and after a slight pause, she followed down the other girl's sentiments. "I think Fou will find one last memory to remember this place by today. They look like they could be good friends."

She half-turned towards the rushing river and tossed a glance over her shoulder. "I'll be over there."

Edited November 3, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx smiled at Mishiro as the girl spoke, confimnig that maybe, just maybe, her hope wasn't totally lost. That maybe before becoming hers, Fou could have one final day...Bandit seemed to be playful, and Fou took to it right away. Jinx simply watched Fuo paw at the ground in front of Bandit, making a cute 'Fou' noise before very lightly tapping Bandit on its hand. Fous eyes looking at the ferret with curiousity, as if wanting to see how it reacted. 

Jinx on the other hand, frowned as Mishiro said she'd be headed to the river, which wasn't entirely close. Was she, ok? Jinx gave a look at her new familiar, and hoping she was safe in Bandits hands, went up to her friend. The concern wasn't hidden on her face at all "I-is everything ok Mishiro? Don't you wanna, stay with them?" The 'them' in this case being the two familiars. In Jinxs mind, this trip was about them. What good would leaving do when they'd just started getting along? 

[Mishiro 0]

"Fou, fou!" "Yip, yip!"

Behind them, the two familiars had taken to imitating each other. After Fou imitated Bandit's gesture of pawing at the ground playfully, the ferret had taken to barking playfully in response to the unusual sound the small white creature was making; whether they were actually communicating would remain a mystery to the two players. Quickly growing bored of staying in one place with its new playmate, the brown ferret scampered a few paces away and stopped to look back at Fou, as if it was waiting for it to come chasing after.

Jinx had followed after her, concern written all over her expression. 

"Bandit won't leave Fou as long as I'm still on the same floor," she assured with a thin smile. Mishiro turned around to face Jinx properly, her hands folded in front of her. For just this moment, she didn't understand that her calm, distant gray eyes offered no comfort. "I used my secondary authority to issue a command earlier."

Edited November 5, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Fuo stared over at Bandit, the small creature curious as to the ferrets intentions. Watching the ferret run off, the newly acquired familiar chased after him, hesitantly at first, before eventually fully running. Was it curiosity at the other familiar? It would be impossible to know unless you could understand the familiar, an translate its ‘fou’ noise as a language.

“Issue a command earlier? W-what does that even mean Mishiro?” Jinx was confused, were they still talking about Bandit? If Jinx was honest, she was more worried for her friend. She had this look in her eyes as if, well, Jinx couldn’t place it exactly but it made her more worried for her friend than she already was. Jinx took a step forwards, and rested her hand of Mishiros shoulder “I’m talking about you Mishiro, not Bandit. Are you ok? You look, well…as if something terrible has happened to you”

[Mishiro 0]

"It means exactly that," Mishiro responded. She was almost taken aback by the girl's confusion - perhaps she said something vague earlier - but she just chalked it up to Jinx's lack of experience with familiars. "I told Bandit to stay with Fou for the meantime. Roman made it so that his familiar would also follow my commands, so long as it's not contrary to his."

In the distance, the brown ferret sniffed up a tree. Then it nosed around the colorful bushes and flowers that consisted of Fou's habitat and dived into a nearby pile of leaves with a playful squeak. Mishiro's issued command ensured it remained only within a certain invisible radius drawn around the other familiar, but it wasn't as if she prohibited it to explore. For now, it was content with frolicking around the unusually colorful place it had found itself in with its new friend.

She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

There was something... strangely disarming about Jinx's concern. Perhaps it was even about Jinx, in general. So soft, so accepting. Like she could tell her anything and nothing Mishiro could ever possibly say would even bring a frown to her face.

"I'm sorry."

As gently as possible, she shrugged Jinx's hand off. 

"I wouldn't... say it's terrible - but I'm not exactly fine either," she admitted, refusing to meet Jinx's concerned gaze with her own. There was no sense to insisting she was fine when the girl had noticed already, and neither was there any sense in spilling out all of the happenings of the past year. Jinx didn't come here to listen to her problems, and the fun time the timid shielder had likely been looking forward to with the two familiars was slowly inching out of reach. "I don't think it's something I should be concerning myself with either, so I ask that you pay it no heed."

That should be enough.

"You're supposed to be watching over them though. Let's go back." She tossed one last wistful glance at the river a small part of her did want to see and headed back to where they came from. "If you want me with you, I'll follow."

Edited November 10, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx frowned a bit at Mishiro, she was allowed to issue commands to...It was at that moment when it truly dawned on the girl that bandit didn't belong to Mishiro, but rather, Claude...In her mind, she'd never seen one without the other so she'd made the assumption. Clearly wrong. But,now that she knew...Well that was interesting, and the girl threw a look over at the two familiars which, in her mind, were starting to play. The smile crept onto Jinx's face without the girl even realizing, maybe Fou would be allowed one last memory of its home before she took her to a new home.

Jinx frowned at Mishiro's applogy, what did the girl had to say sorry to her for? She listened to the other girl, and her heart went out to her. Was she, suffering in silence? The girl wasn't sure if that's what she meant, but it seemed Mishiro was struggling. And yet, didn't want help? Was this a problem so beyond her that she didn't want to drag someone else in? Jinx had never been good at hiding emotions, and it showed. Mishiro would see pain etch into the girls eyes, worried that someone she considered a close friend was suffering so much. Was there nothing she could do for her? For the very person who saved her life to not trust her enough to open up about her problems. Jinx knew that, in part, she wasn't enjoying herself as much as she wanted too but...

"I think...they'll be fine on their own for now" The girl said, the pain still on her face as she walked towards the lake, following/leading Mishiro there. Jinx mulled over inside her own head. She wanted to help, but...if Mishiro didn't want help, could she, force it? This was the same girl who had saved her life, perhaps...if she didn't want to be helped.....

[Mishiro 0]

This... was exactly the opposite of what she intended to happen. 

Dealing with others was hard in that sense. She tried to do the best she could but when she made a mistake, she was left with the feeling that she should have known this would happen. Jinx had earlier admitted she was eternally grateful to her. Neither could Mishiro downplay what she did when they first met. If she had been in the other's shoes... she would be looking to do anything for the person who saved her.

What a mess this was. She wanted Jinx to know that it was nothing personal, that even the people she was admittedly closer to had no idea of the entirety of it - sans Arabelle, who forcibly dragged a confession from her. Instead, there they were, going on an back-and-forth conversation that seemed to be leading nowhere. Her friend had turned and made for the river instead. Hurt, and a bit aimless.

Mishiro saw that exact same expression in a mirror once and she didn't like it.

Was she doing exactly what she begged him not to do?

"Can I ask you something? It might bring back bad memories." They had settled themselves by the river and Mishiro had her gaze fixed on the forest on the other side. She paused for a moment, self-editing the words she was about to say. "Back when we first met, I remember you knew some of them. Do you know... why they ended up doing that?"

Edited November 13, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx sat herself down by the water and gently traced her hand through it. Even if, in the back of her mind, the girl knew that it was nothing but fake. That the world around her was fake, and yet, it felt so real. Almost as if, she wanted it to BE real. Was it bad of her that she wanted that? Or at least, part of her really wanted this to become the reality of her life? She let out a sigh, did it overally matter, if she saw this world as her own? A world where she felt safe, a world where she...belonged. Was denying reality....?

The girl shifted her attention back to her friend, and instantly looked away from the question. She traced her hand softly as she tried to hunt down the words she wanted to say.

"It's...ok to ask" She says softly. It made sense for Mishiro to want to know, hell, Jinx had wanted to know the second it happened. "I wish i had a certain answer but...I don't...They never said why" The girl shifted, somewhat uncomfortable with what she was sitting on, or knew something "I think, they wanted...in. The coffin place needs, a recruit needs a kill...And they knew i was an easy target" The girl continued to find the back of her own hands the worlds most fasinating thing in the world as she pawed at her own hand and stared at it "I went to find them...the boys who tried to, kill me...They were in prison, and they seemed so scared. They begged me to help them, but i wasn't....allowed to help them" The girl shut ehr eyes, and tried to push the thoughts out of her head. The boys begging for mercy, begging for forgiveness she'd already given them...And knowing that despite it all, there was nothing she could do to save them from their imprisonment or the decision that got them there. 

[Mishiro 0]

What a brutal practice. She already knew as much as the first half; Jinx had told her that when they earned some respite after the ambush she saved the other girl from and as with most things, she had gone to Roman to confirm that that was indeed the case.

"I wasn't necessarily asking about that." Mishiro pulled her knees close to her chest - as close as her heavy armor would allow her, anyway - and together, they looked aimlessly down at their own distorted reflections in the river. "Why do you think they ended up that way? The ones who made a deliberate choice to kill the innocent, the players responsible for that guild in the first place and the ones who followed after them... do think they believe in what they're doing? That they thought of a problem and somewhere along the line, they committed a fatal error in their logic? It certainly is common. People sometimes forgo ethics in favor of efficiency. Or are they doing it because it's wrong? Or...

"Do you think their hearts just turned black?"

The sound--
--of the rushing river.

"Sorry. I actually know the answer. It's a case by case basis." Curling into herself a bit further, ebony locks hung low over her dull gray eyes. It was a sunny day, but she felt a touch colder as she always did. "There are multiple causes and no one person can be in the exact same disposition. The problem is... which causes apply to who and under what specific combination? Doesn't really get any less complicated, does it?"

It was in the second half that she tilted her head up to look at Jinx. 

That was news.

"I suppose going after the same person twice would have inevitably led to their arrest. You're rather kind, Jinx," she spoke with a small hint of a sincere smile. "Even though you encountered them twice... something about the way you said it implies that you wanted to help them in some way. What of them? Do you think there's something better that would come off it despite what they've done?"

Edited November 14, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx took a deep breath as Mishiro asked her what the girl had been expecting, somewhat. She doubted Mishiro visited her attackers, why would you? Everyone she'd spoke to about it said the same thing, that they deserved to suffer, that they had put themselves in that prison and that she should move on with her life. Although, something that Mishiro worried the girl somewhat...Did she think their hearts had turned black?

"I believe....that they are good people at heart. Good people who lost their way, or allowed those whose hearts are black to infected them with...their corruption" The girls voice had seemed to die in her throat, a soft echo that was akin to a goodnight sleep kiss from a partner "For those, boys...I do feel as if there is...more to them. They are people, unique, beautfully unique people. They were afraid, they were scared in the prison and i just....They made one mistake...They allowed themselves to be sucked in by promises...Does one, bad mistake, condemn you to a life of suffering?" The girl wasn't directly asking Mishiro, but it was a question to which she had no answer. The girl took a deep breath, before something clicked in the back of her mind...twice?!

"T-twice...? They, only tried to kill me once...The time you saved my life" The girl frowned up at Mishiro, confused at what the girl was talking about. In the back of her mind, she did recall the 'assassination' of her and Dustin by the former guild member, but he hadn't wanted them dead...He wanted Stryder to fight against him...She'd simply been a worthless tool that got in the way. 

Jinx looks up from her hand and right at Mishiro "Of course i want to, help them. I just want, everyone to be happy? Is that, too much to ask? I went there, hoping to help them...And instead, they...they blamed me for their situation...If i'd of just, died...they wouldn't be in prison, suffering every day. I couldn't...I-I don't want to die, but, they're in pain because i'm alive..." 

Edited November 18, 2019 by Jinx

[Mishiro 0]

"No, it shouldn't," she responded firmly. "If they have the will to repent, we shouldn't be so heartless as to deny them the chance. As a matter of fact, I believe we should play a more active role than that, but I digress. The choice of whether they want to redeem themselves, it's their life and it will be their will and efforts, so it ultimately lies with them.

"But..."

Her voice faltered.

"It's easier said than done. 'Complex phenomena require equally complex explanations.' It applies to all of this, I think. I have my own beliefs and I believe they're well-founded, but at the same time, I still feel as if they only scratch the surface. I'm too inexperienced, but it's the best answer I can come up with at the moment." 

Truly, the last year had done much to prove that last statement. People were unpredictable. And it wasn't the good, fun unpredictable like Arabelle was. The better term for that would have been 'eccentric.' Perhaps it was the amount of distance she always kept between herself and her 'real-life' friends. Perhaps it was the entirely different variables that were introduced when they were trapped in a world which should have been nothing but a light-hearted fantasy. But it became clear that she was so, so far--

From understanding anything
or anyone
at all.

"I just want to understand them, that's all. Because when you have a firm grasp of a problem, it's easier to find a solution." Or if there even was any.

That was as honest as she would allow herself to get. Probably, she was being unfair to Jinx. Probably, she wasn't applying some of her own logic to herself. Probably, her mind was a complete, jumbled mess.

Mishiro didn't know.

But unbeknownst to her, her confusion would just be the start of another downward spiral.

"When we were fighting the Easter event boss, you mentioned something," she explained, mirroring Jinx's confusion. "If I recall correctly, you were speaking to Dustin but I was close enough to hear. Something about a player killer. I thought--" Her previous assumption. The girl beside her already knew, it was what momentarily brought them out of a rather solemn discussion in the first place. Mishiro turned to look at the girl she had come to care about with a hint of concern. "--I must have jumped to conclusions. But if it wasn't them, then it was someone else?"

Edited November 24, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

To understand them...It was something that seemed so alien and yet, it was something she desired. The knowledge of other peoples emotions, the very things that she could never comprehend she wanted...To feel the full range, not the dulled version where she often was asking herself what emotion should she be feeling. But, those very things had crippled many a people....including those who were now in prison. They had fallen to fear...an emotion she DID know all too well.

"It's, emotions, isn't it Mishiro...? The very marker that signals us as human beings, that can be...used. They were, afraid...and fear turns humans into..." The girl let out a slow sigh as she lightly traced her finger through the running lake, the cool water oddly calming her heart "I wish i could understand them...There is so much of the world that makes perfect sense to me, but equally...." The world of raw information was hers to command, as she'd been told she could play with languages better than anyone her doctors had ever met...But emotions..

Jinx's calm eyes looked over at Mishiro as she admitted she had been listening into one of her conversations, although it did explain the confusion her friend had. Jinx smiled weakly "It was another player, a former guild member actually...He had left for, well...Stryder never really said what he did but he ambushed me and Dustin....Although, i don't think he even cared about us. We were just a decoy...Pinball was his name" 

If Jinx allowed herself some honesty, telling Mishiro this information might just worry the girl given the entire situation but still...She had asked and to the very person who she owed her life, how could she ever lie to that person...?

[Mishiro 0]

It was another player. A former guild member, actually--

No. No, it couldn't be. It shouldn't be.

Although I don't think he even cared about us. We were just a decoy...

There had to be another guild member who went rogue, right? He didn't-- He shouldn't have even the slightest motive to harm Jinx. It had to be someone else. It had to be someone else. She wanted it to be someone--

Mishiro's heart sank.

"Pin...?"

Half a question, half a lost echo. But she couldn't have misheard. Her voice held an unmistakable familiarity, as if she'd thought of that name more times than she would care to admit. She struggled to grasp the fact that... that person she once knew... went after her friend. The same way he did with the green players whose names were now stricken out of the Monument.

Her expression was close to shell-shocked as she tried to find a way to explain. But one can only rationalize a person's actions so much. What he did with those green players... the same thing could have happened to Jinx.

At a loss for an answer, her voice trembled with uncertainty as she spoke.

"Why would he--?"

For just a second, it wasn't the unnervingly calm girl, who never seemed to bat an eye at anything, seated beside Jinx. It was the regular girl underneath who was more lost and confused she ever let on. Where there might have been small cracks earlier, this time it had practically fallen apart. 

Mishiro... didn't know what to think anymore.

Edited November 20, 2019 by Mishiro