[F21|PP] A Late Discussion

[ChaseR 0]

How many days had it been since Chase last got off of bed and did anything? He didn't know, and hell if anybody else would at this point. He looked to the side and as always, Blizz was there. He'd just woken up a while earlier and was stretching, before looking at his owner. The bluehead reached a hand out and pet the pangolin, sliding down his menu quietly and coughing softly as he headed straight to the messaging menu. It didn't take long before he pulled his other hand back from petting Blizz in order to type out a message.

Quote

ChaseR: Hey, NIGHT? Can you come to my house next to the hot springs at F21? I wanna talk.
ChaseR: I'll be waiting, just knock the door when you're here.

And there the messages went, straight to who had become his duo partner whenever he wanted to clear quests, dungeon crawl or do anything with a trustworthy partner by his side. He let out a deep sigh and pulled himself out of the comfort of his warm bedsheets, picking up Blizz in the process and putting him on his shoulder. He threw his cozzy blue jacket and a uniform rather than shorts as he went downstairs, and waited quietly by the door with his eyes fixed on the knob. A small sad smile on his face, and silence took over.

Spoiler

ChaseR,
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 59
HP: 840/840
EN: 102/102

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 69
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
Battle Healing: 46
Loot Dice: 5
HLY BLS: 18
HLY: 16
PHASE
V.D.: 46
V.O.: 92

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Chase's Star>> (T4/SS/Demonic): HOLY II, PHASE, V.OFF I
Armor: <<Azure Getup>> (T4/CA/Perfect): VDEF I, HBS I, MIT I
Misc: <<Chained Bracelet>> (T2/Trinket/Demonic): ACC II, EVA II

Custom Skill:
Custom Test

Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Cloth Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Searching R4
Fighting Spirit
Charge
Howl

Active Mods:
Athletics

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Stamina
Precision
Ferocity
Nimble
Focused Howl

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Forgotten King’s Authority
Meditation
Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:
Restorative Strike

Battle Ready Inventory:
Imugi's Inspiration (Mass HP Recovery) x1
Insta-Life ++ (T2/Perfect/HP REC III) x1
Woodland Armor (T3/Perfect) MIT III (1/3) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

Wedding Ring:

@NIGHT

Edited March 24, 2022 by ChaseR
stats moment

[NIGHT 0]

it was chase. and for a moment, night wondered if she should've brought day along. neither the two had caught sight of him after the transition into new territory, what with cardinal deciding its systems should get an update here or there. she paused for a moment before responding.

NIGHT: omw
NIGHT: addrss?

there was no set time, but she wanted to be there as soon as possible. there was much, much to discuss, and her eyes almost bled from the list that came to mind, so real and true that it swore to break her sights from reality. almost as real as her interface.

floor 21 seemed to have changed quite a bit, since she last saw it. instead of the familiar sparkling caverns she was used to -- as were all adventurers looking to head to the zero -- it appeared that more rocky terrain had been added, glitter reduced, and the environment hummed with a more ominous tone. night wasn't sure what had bothered cardinal to push the eerie tone, but still continued onwards, down the way she knew chaser's home to be at.

| NIGHT  | Lv. 119 >> P. 87, Lv. 32  | Status: :0  Notes:  //

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 1000/1000 | EN: 138/138 | DMG: 21 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 44 | LM: 2 | HLY: 8 | PHASE | LD: 5 | BH: 38 | Stealth Rating: 6 equipped Orgoth's Legacy ACC, PHASE, HOLY (8) Tracksuit of Unfathomable Fashionability MIT (24), LM II Silver Crescent Necklace ACC II, EVA II battle-ready inventory // skills Spoiler mod count: 5/5 2HSS | RANK 5/5 focus, stamina, precision shift: aoe CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 4+1/5 reveal BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 EXTENDED MOD LIMIT ENERGIST FAMILIAR: PROFESSION QUICK CHANGE extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION HIDING blindside, untraceable, vanish, surprise attack-t buffs Spoiler statue BIALAS | +TAUNT MOTHRA | +1 EN Recovery TANOS | +25 MIT MORETSUNA | +50 HP OROCHI | +1 LD KUMATETSU | +1 DMG consumables - - - - - - paragon Lv. 5 | Gain additional col equivalent to 15% of EXP earned in that thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to looting. sword arts Spoiler en cost matches multiplier unless stated otherwise. shift underlined. ST | x12 -> x15 | x20 AOE | x15 -> x18 TECH-A | x12 | STUN | 13EN TECH-B | x12 | DELAY TECH-D | x12 | SHATTER TECH-G | x12 | BURN misc. Spoiler housing Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Skylight: Searching | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cooldown of 30 days to reassign. Multipurpose | +1 LD/Prosperity/Stealth/Detection to one post per thread. Can be applied after a roll. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps. Col Deposit | +5% col from loot-minimum mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. gathering Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.

 

[ChaseR 0]

As NIGHT asked for Chase's adress, he typed it out as best as he could. He wasn't really sure how or what to put in as he just knew where his home was by heart, from the teleporter all the way to this safezone slightly farther from the main settlement, but his instructions seemed to have been enough. He heard a knock on his door shortly after and quietly opened it up, seeing the black-haired rouge right out his door.

"Aah, NIGHT. Come in.", he greeted her and opened the door wider for her to come inside, waiting to see if anybody else was with her but it seemed not. With a sigh, he closed the door and lead her to his living room, sitting by the couch quietly and waiting until she was sat alongside him before he coughed and weaved his fingers together. He seemed somewhat more pale than usual and circles were under his eyes, as though he'd been sleep deprived. "So... Who are you?", he asked with a small smile, almost a smirk. His voice was completely clueless, and the delivery was rather serious. "You're on my friends list but I don't remember.", he completed, the smile growing a bit more.

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

"chase."

moments where night would've been caught with emotion other than fie in her voice were... rare. this was one of them. being greeted by the familiar face into his abode (she'd never seen it before), had she been a more excitable person then perhaps the woman would've tackled her friend with a hug.

instead, she merely walked in. the light of the home wasn't too great in the floor, and hence it must've been easy for the woman to miss the signs of disarray. there was the softness in his voice, and night didn't think too hard on that, either. it could've been from anything. weariness, for one.

"it's been a while since i saw you. how're things...?"

 

when the player was finally made to sit down, it finally clicked. the darkness underneath his eyes, the solemn expression, that pale complexion. and night knew about others going missing -- happened all the time, even from her own friends list -- but to see it on someone so close, that forgetfulness...

the woman frowned upon being asked her identity. she'd also not known of the protocol to handle such situations. "--uh..." and immediately, her slack posture was righted on that couch.

"... chase? ... do you really not remember? it's me, night. we'd fought through hell to get you to..." then the player blinked, at a loss for words. how much context was left of the mind, at this point?

"... better question," she decided, after taking a moment to stew. "you tell me what you do remember. we'll take it from there."

[ChaseR 0]

With how concerned NIGHT seemed, the smile faded off of Chase's expression immediately as he looked down almost embarrassed and nervously shook his head. "N-No, I remember everything, I was pulling your leg. The whole thing with the uh... her and the cat ears and the greatsword and tracksuits? Here, I even-", he tried explaining himself as he fumbled through his menus to his equipment page, only to stop in a coughing fit.

"... You probably noticed already. I've been... I don't know, sick.", he quietly explained once he was done, rubbing his hands together as Blizz purred softly and rubbed his round body gently on Chase's head. "I've been trying to pull myself together and power through it, but it's no good.", he explained with a deep sigh of disappointment and turned his head to the other side of the living room. His eyes were fixated on what seemed like a weapon stand with his greatsword on it, and the padding he normally put under his clothes hanging with it too. "Moving's a chore and I was hoping it'd pass sooner. You're not the same, right?"

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

the relief that crashed into her at chase's fluster was immeasurable. especially the decision not to mention the doppel by name -- that was how night was truly aware that mischief was afoot. and she'd deflated almost instantly -- "oh, gods, chase," -- in the midst of his explanation, the menus brought up one by one for elaboration.

then he coughed, and it was like all of that concern, undone, came seeping back in like a toxin that couldn't be rid of.

"sick," night repeated, understanding the concept but believing it like a rumored myth. as far as she knew, players weren't the type to catch illnesses in aincrad, and even if they were, it would've been recognized as a status effect of some kind. the more her friend described the symptoms to her, the more the woman thought it associated to despair, that infallible demon. but she couldn't escape the coughing. "no. i've been in good health myself. day and i have been..."

but there was much to share, and her friend's health, virtual or otherwise, was of more import than story sharing. so she recovered from her spiel, shaking her head. "when did it start? the symptoms. we'll have to look into if it's contagious or otherwise, too -- i can bother someone for a mask, if you need it."

[ChaseR 0]

The boy was treating it like a cold despite it having proven not to be one, but NIGHT's focus on it just made him worry a bit more about his condition. He cleared his throat and pressed his thumb on his forehead quietly, trying to remember. His head was fuzzy though, so no real date came to mind. "A-Aah... Er... I don't know. Ever since I stopped showing up for stuff, I guess.", he grumbled and turned his head back to her, looking quietly until she asked him for masks.

"Masks? Those aren't comfortable at all... Wh-Why would I want to wear one... They look stupid on top of it all...", he muttered lowly before he shook his head again. "If it was contagious, whoever was with me would be sick too. That includes you.", Chase shared his thoughts, pulling both of his legs on the couch and hugging them with his arms before he threw his head back, resting it on the couch's back. "... Do you think our real life condition can affect our... 'characters' too?", a worrysome thought that crossed his mind as he narrowed his eyes a little, a hint of fear in his voice. Blizz himself had jumped down to between the two and was purring, until Chase's foreboding question caused him to stop and look over at the guest.

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

"oh no." this was starting to sound horrifically familiar. but the better question was the one chase posed afterwards. "potentially."

night leaned back on the couch, contemplative. the side of her thumb was upon her chin before she knew it. her eyes darted around the room. "granted," the woman began, "our brains might be wired to understand how our bodies and their states might be in reflection of the real world. that... sounds possible, in the same way it can believe placebo effects. but this one's with more evidence, since it's regulating the body it physically governs." not that night was a neuroscientist, either, so she couldn't be certain. "it might just be a spell."

then again, the duration for which chase had been missing for gave rise to a condition that appeared more serious than it originally presented. "like, our bodies must be placed under careful observation, right? otherwise, none of us in our vegetable states might be as operational as we believe ourselves to be, at the moment."

all the complexities that went into her consideration were shown on her face, a mix of hesitation, worry and fear. "that being said," the woman more certain this time, "i do recall the immune system is also reactive to emotional states. if the best that you can do at the moment is taking the time off and making yourself feel comfortable, then let's focus on that. i don't want to see anything bad happen to you; in here or out, and whether you're on or off duty from the front either, chase."

[ChaseR 0]

As much as he wanted to go out, he knew doing so in his current state would just get him beaten and bruised all over. It wasn't that staying inside made him feel better, but he was safer so he preferred that to a whole lot of pain and a potential accident begging to happen. "... Thank you, NIGHT. Um... It's kind of late and all, but.", the sentence was cut short as he raised his head and turned to look at her again with a small smile.

"It's Chase Cressfield. I live in America, NYC. When we get out, let's meet up...", he formally introduced himself and stretched an arm out as if for a handshake, waiting to hear her own name. If she wanted to share it, that is. She wasn't the type to share a lot of information about herself after all, so she might as well be quiet about it and not say much or even outright deny it. But this had settled it regardless, he was going to get better and make it out of the game for someone other than Lily, too. As tired as he was, he had to pull through. "I'll do my best to get better."

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

the name took her by surprise, first. then, once she realized what it meant, the implications started to sink in, in earnest.

"chase cressfield." she repeated it, feeling the syllables upon her tongue. almost one hell of a name, that -- one to inspire awe in the way it sounded, felt on one's lips. night only nodded, once she understood her pronunciation right, before taking her friend's hand into her own for that shake. "got it. it's nice to meet you, cressfield. i'm ren. ren jun hui. singapore -- no localities there."

"When we get out, let's meet up..."

"if we could, definitely." first with yuki, then with nari -- though the weight of the latter were much, much heavier than her pink paladin. and night hadn't even managed to begin explaining what had occurred during the time chase had been away from the outside world. "if you need me for anything to help with that, let me know." her head then tilted to one side with a slanted smile. "you sure you don't need the masks for the time being?" then she sobered. "the hot springs would do you good, then? with the heat and all. helps the joints, the vapor with breathing..."

[ChaseR 0]

Unlike NIGHT, he didn't immediately try to repeat the name, knowing he'd have butchered the pronounciation otherwise. He took a deep breath and processed it a bit before nodding with a stupid grin from one ear to another. "Nice to meet you too, Ren Jun H-... Hui.", he almost stammered but managed to keep himself from fucking up with a short stop, shaking her hand enthusiastically. 

"I think the visit will probably help. But you're right. Maybe the hot spring would help me unwind, although I feel like a wet noodle as I am.", he said and cleared his throat to prevent another coughing fit, pulling his arm back into a hug with his knees. "You seemed like you had a lot on your mind when you came in.", he tried to change the topic of the discussion a bit, his sheepish smile growing a bit smaller but still staying on his expression. He was probably going to be making use of the hot springs all too soon, they were in the same safezone as his house after all. "What's up? Is DAY alright?"

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

"well, wet noodles go in warm broth, right?"

they passed over the commentary. night wasn't even sure where it was coming from.

"You seemed like you had a lot on your mind when you came in."

that was, in fact, because chase's guess had been right. and night wasn't exactly sure where she should've started from. the player matched her friend's casual seating, pulling herself into a cross-legged position, fidgeting as she wondered what the best route of storytelling was. "day's been alright. nothing's been off for her, as far as i can tell. though for my reference," the woman asked, wincing as her head was turned to the ceiling, "what do you last recall? from not being able to leave the house. because there was the expedition we took around the 26th floor..."

perhaps, even without his input, night would've already started placing the pieces together. "we'd cleared it, by the way. fought against the king of ladonia, and then the game let us spare him." then she stopped, wondering if she should correct herself. "-- well, the game asked us that, at least. and there was a debate on whether or not to spare him, so..."

[ChaseR 0]

Although his initial thought was that he genuinely remembered little of it, he waited a moment with his eyes closed and then it all came together. His face soured a bit as he looked to the side and sighed, feeling miffed at the idea of being in a dungeon with the scouting party he'd failed to gather.

"I'd tried forming a party to scout the floor labyrinth. Nobody really came, except for Zandra and someone else... I don't like Zandra though. So it worked out fine enough that we didn't go anywhere.", he shared his thoughts and nodded along NIGHT's explanation, crossing his arms quietly. It didn't sound like she were too pleased they had spared the boss yet again. Seemed to be a running theme with all of these enemies. Orgoth, now this... 'king'. "You're not very happy about it.", Chase pointed out before a cough slipped through, just giving a small smile to make sure NIGHT- no, Ren- wouldn't be worrying about him again. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

she did wonder if it was better, then, for her friend to get some relaxing consumables for his sake. the coughs worried her just a bit, and night was considering where to source for the necessary ingredients at the back of her mind, though...

their conversation.

"i'm not. but that's not because we'd managed to spare it."

her gaze turned away from chase, the woman lost in memory. "do you remember? the last time you dropped by our home." the piece of information felt incredibly trivial, and yet at the same time it was the crux of the issue. night grumbled at the thought of faulting the other parties, and yet, it seemed as though chase had been right at his warning and subsequent evaluation. "well firm anima had been against the decision at the boss fight," she mentioned, finally connecting the dots. "and afterwards, i was contacted by raidou about some 'missing key' or another. something about trying to rally --" she growled, considering her words, "-- subjugate? -- the entities in aincrad. and i just..."

her voice faltered, gaze turning to her friend. "you were right. about what you said that day. he's set in his ways and i think he's dangerous. a broken husk of a man, that, but it's still no excuse for whatever he did. whatever he's championing..."

[ChaseR 0]

As if the name of the guild dropped just now wasn't unsettling enough, their course of action was foreboding in more than one ways too. If they were this willing to put down a boss, who's to say what they'd do if they were to actually find out about DAY. That was definitely where NIGHT's conflict came from, if not the unsettling implications of subjugating everything in the game like some form of conquerors.

His smile had completely faded and even turned into a small, troubled frown as he looked to the side at his sword, letting out a deep sigh and remembering when he'd clashed with the guild. It still upset him and he winced at the reflection back at it, but then he turned to NIGHT with a confident look again. "Once I get better, we can find some way to stop them. But they keep recruiting people. One after the other, too.", he grumbled at the end, with his arms crossed as he tapped his foot on the couch in thought. "DAY will be safe though. I'll make sure of it just as much as you will.", the bluehead shared and grinned, giving her a determined nod. Whatever was going through his head, a storm of thoughts if you were curious, something had flared up inside of him.

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

"likewise."

though night didn't seem as confident, like a haze had drifted over her eyes. with a blink, it was gone, no more than a fleeting moment of distress. where else would she take her narrative?

"right, the revolution of ladonia afterwards." but the player couldn't recall so much -- rather, she did focus on the man who'd lead the front into discussions with gabrandr in the first place. "it wouldn't have happened without hirru, i think. he's a different player. spared the king some mercy, given some thought. it seemed like he was an old hat at it -- granted, it had equal consequences, if not moreso for himself, in the past."

the player shook her head. "next scout, we should head towards it together. if you're up for it, of course. given your casting call track record." she hadn't meant to dismiss the interaction with whoever the other player was, earlier. night paired the offer with a small smile. "and you know what? i bet we could pull together a decently sized team together, given the opportunity. i've got a friend back in touch who's gotten to the front in the time you were away... and..."

as excited as she was to continue speaking, the woman then closed her mouth, grin still apparent, before it fell away into a puzzled expression. after all, how should she break the news? the matter was personal -- extremely so, and night wasn't entirely concrete on how to deliver it just yet.

"i... i met... someone...?"

[ChaseR 0]

"Things were that bad that a single person made the difference?", he asked somewhat shocked, surprised that it fell up to this 'Hirru'. However he was, he should probably be thankful that he was present at the boss fight. Otherwise, the King would be dead at best and the players would have gotten more than just vocal about their decision at worst. Closing his eyes and internally thanking Hirru, whoever or wherever he was, he let out a deep breath and kept listening to his friend's tales.

Her proposal was enough to get the boy to smile once again, giving her an energetic nod and coughing once before he chuckled. "I'll be a bit picky with the team members to make sure we don't have any hiccups but for sure! If you don't mind of course.", he joked, reaching for Blizz and imitating NIGHT's way of sitting as he placed the pangolin on his lap. "Who's that friend? And that someone?", he asked, realising how odd this might have seemed. He'd basically isolated himself to the point where any news from further out excited him, and he sounded like he'd never even left his own house at that. Though he did notice how almost ashamed NIGHT was, raising an eyebrow and laughing. "What's up? You're acting like you found a boyfriend. Or girlfriend, I don't judge."

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

were they? were they not?

night narrowed her eyes in thought, sights cast to the ground as she stewed. it wasn't as though she'd spoken about what they were with nari. wasn't as though she didn't like the woman. wasn't as though they shared a bed once, or she used her shower, or she'd shared that deepest of secrets, of the sentient construct in the room. wasn't as though she had forever confided to her.

boyfriend. and she thought it striking from raidou. it was even worse coming from chase -- but at least this was a person she wouldn't mind standing to correct.

night didn't get up, though.

"not-- not a..."

and stopped herself before she hurt too much. surely, another approach would work. right?

"she's... she's just been... she--"

never mind.

the player, by now completely red in the face, only pulled herself together after the pause lasting for a handful of seconds. and, obscuring her vision with a hand, she nodded. "yes." that would do enough, for the time being.

"she can... tank for us, too."

then night's mind somehow doubled-back on the conversation, as though to flee the thought of entrusting the fate of her own to nari, even through party composition. the validation of their allies. "sure."

(so she'd better not let it slip that the tank almost made an attempt on her life, either. not that she didn't think it water under the bridge, herself.)

as for the other on her mind, night finally deemed it sufficient an embarrassment from the previous topic to pull her hand away from her face, by this point. "another damage dealer. goes by the name of koga... i don't know if you've heard of him, though. he's someone i've known for a while, though he up and disappeared one day, and came back from solitude after some time."

[ChaseR 0]

Before NIGHT's stuttering was even over, Chase had picked up both of his hands from his grumbling pet and started clapping happily, laughing and giving her a smile. "Good job!", he congratulated her and gave her a thumbs up, alongside a toothy grin. "I'm really happy for you. You don't usually share a lot about yourself, so I was kind of taken aback from you sharing your name with me. I hope you feel safe with her.", he shared his thoughts aloud and just laughed again, only for the laughter to turn into another small fit.

He got up for a moment afterwards, heading just a bit further where there seemed to be a room with a small kitchen inside, just a few feet away. It wasn't more than a minute before he came back with two cups of bitter tea, handing NIGHT the other one and pulling a small coffee table closer to the couch so she could rest it there if she wanted to. "I hate tea, but it might as well.", he grumbled while she elaborated on the old "new" frontliner. And as she did, from clueless and curious his face soured a bit too. "K-Koga? You mean the homocidal guy with the katana...? I'd met him in the desert floor, and he wanted to kill the quest NPC for the uh... Arabian Nights? I think. Ali? He wanted to kill him because of how much he was crying. I'm uh... H-He does his job well enough, so that's good. Hmph...". Although he definitely didn't love the guy, he had some mixed feelings about Koga's self restraint. Same way he felt about his own when he got really angry, honestly.

Edited March 27, 2022 by ChaseR

[NIGHT 0]

"ah--"

when chase stood up, night wondered if she should've followed. even moreso when he returned with refreshments -- sure, she didn't know his house better than the man who lived in it, himself, but still. she wasn't the player between the two who was sick. "you should show me where everything is one day," she commented, looking over the kitchen entrance as grabbed the cup offered to her with two hands. "if this cold of yours stays, especially. we've got to look out for each other, these days."

"K-Koga? You mean the homocidal guy with the katana...?"

and night was about to have taken a sip of that tea, seated at the table. "homo-what?"

the expression on her face was one of ignorant shock -- even the player had to wonder for a moment if her friend could've been seen as one compelled to slay others as she knew him. but then she sobered, thinking back to the rebellion and her time with koga, as limited as it was. perhaps chase had been right identifying the player -- he certainly had been right about others, before.

"katana-- dressed in all black, too...?" was night's only justification for what she believed might've been incorrect, and at a confirmation, she dully nodded with a sigh. how'd she come into company with so many people who were so willing to kill?

she drank from her cup. bitter tea. disgusting. but as long as it helped chase feel a tinge better from his condition, it was worth to put up with. "he might've been wandering the floors on his own when he wasn't in contact with me," she explained. "but he's close. and he knows about day, too, so..."

as for the tale of how he found out-- well. night was just hoping to have forgotten that by now, trying to unwind with her cup of not-quite-coffee.