[F15-PP] Your Regularly Scheduled Program

[Koga 0]

k o g a the elder wolf Spoiler notes: happy chrysler? Koga, Lvl 33/55 | HP: 920 | EN: 126 | DMG: 23 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 30 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BRN: 56 | FALN: 16 | VD: 101 | B.HEALING: 50/100 equipped battle-ready inventory Tsuki no Hikari | Demonic T4 Katana [ CRSD // FALN II // BRN ] Shuku-ro Coat | Demonic T4 Light Armor [ EVA II // VAMP-D. II ] lupine. | Demonic T4 Trinket [ ACC III // EVA ] none skills Spoiler | UTILITY Gathering: Fishing I | Successfully forage for materials on a LD 14+ | 0/49 EXP  Searching III | +1 LD per rank. +1 to Stealth Detection per rank. | 14 SP Night Vision | Ignores any penalties from low light or darkness. Negates the bonus Stealth Rating from low light or darkness. | 3 SP | COMBAT Combat Shift: Single Target | For the following Sword Arts, +3 to multipliers and +2 to EN cost; ST-I, ST-II, ST-B. No other Shifts may be taken. | 10 SP Mastery: Damage III | Gain 1 * Tier Damage per rank | 13 SP Battle Healing V | Recover 5% (rounded down) of your maximum HP at the start of your turn | 30 SP Emergency Recovery | When non-fatal damage would leave you with 25% or less of your maximum HP, recover 10% of your maximum HP after the attack resolves. Effect cannot occur more than once per thread.  When activated if the player has lower than 10 energy remaining, simply reduce the player's energy to 0. | 6 SP EN Cost: 10 Energist | Increase Base Energy by 5 * Tier | 8 SP Charge | Perform a single attack/Sword Art with +5 base damage. Charge attacks have a -1 Accuracy debuff and cannot be affected by any auto-hit effects. | 10 SP Cooldown: 3 Posts Howl | Adds +2 Hate each against up to 4 targets. | 10 SP EN Cost: 2, Cooldown: 2 posts | WEAPON Katana V | +7 DMG when equipped with a Katana | 30 SP Stamina | Reduces the energy of all Katana attacks by 2 EN | 4 SP Precision | Gain +1 ACC. | 2 SP Ferocity | +2 DMG when using Katana Sword Arts | 4 SP Martial Arts I | +3 DMG when equipped with a Martial Arts weapons | 4 SP | ARMOR Light Armor V | +30 MIT when equipped with Light Armor, -2 Stealth | 30 SP Meticulous | +1 DMG when equipped with Light Armor | 4 SP Resolve | +1 ACC and +10 * Tier HP when equipped with Light Armor | 6 SP | EXTRAS Familiar Master: Rending | You and your familiar attack in tandem, applying Rend [7*tier unmitigatable damage] to the target that lasts for two turns. | 10 SP Cooldown: 5 Turns Survival | Increases Healing effects received from all sources by 10%. Grants immunity to all damage dealing environmental attacks/effects. | 0 SP Parry | Apply the energy cost upon proc, not activation. Reduces the final damage of the next successful attack against you by 50% (rounded down) and negates stun/paralysis effects of that attack. If hit by multiple attacks, only apply parry to the first attack against you. Parry lasts for three turns. Cooldown starts when the player activates the Skill. If the player is hit when using Parry, the cooldown is reset to 3 turns. | 10 SP 9 EN, Cooldown: 3 Turns Vengeful Riposte | A successful Parry also returns 50% (rounded down) of the raw damage that would be dealt to you back to your opponent. The reflected damage can be mitigated by the opponent. | 6 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns Justified Riposte | A successful Parry also stuns the target for 1 turn. | 5 SP Cooldown: 4 Turns Frozen Hide | As a free action, apply one slot of Frost Aura and one slot of Frost Thorns equal to your tier to yourself until the start of your next turn. | 0 SP 5 EN, Cooldown: 4 Turns buffs Spoiler | PARAGON REWARDS Lv. 5 | Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread. Lv. 10 | +1 LD to Looting | BUFFS <<Well Rested>> | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. <<Squeaky Clean>> | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down). <<Filling>> | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. <<Item Stash>> | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot <<Tasty>> | Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread. <<Relaxed>> | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. <<Multipurpose>> | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. <<Practiced Angler>> | +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.

The markets of Lhasri hummed with activity, its indoor bazaar full of life as people milled about. Some were going about their daily chores, buying ingredient for meals, tools, or other necessities, while others were simply there to enjoy themselves. The stalls lined the walls, and in row, filling up the massive stone encased space with bright colors, the clamor of hawkers and buyers, and the scents of street food.

Koga was here mostly for the food. And NIGHT's company, of course, but besides that the food. He'd never really been to Lhasri before, but after having heard about the bazaar, the man had thought it might be a good place to catch up with his old friend. It'd been too long since they'd spoken. His fault, of course. Koga wasn't exactly known for keeping in touch with people. Nonetheless, he did make the effort every once in a while. It broke up the day to day of his now quiet life.

"So, what's new in the life of NIGHT?" he asked as they walked between the endless rows of stalls, pausing every once in a while to peer at some interesting trinket or another. "DAY still giving you trouble?"

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

In all fairness, NIGHT hadn't exactly been to the fifteenth, either. It had been on her list of 'must-visit places!' but she simply hadn't had the time. Part of her was also saving the visit to the destination for a better opportunity – surely, there had to be a rumor from Bistro that would send her towards Lhasri by now, right? – but on a friend's invitation, she could set all of that aside.

After all, there would be good food involved, and sights to see.

She hadn't anticipated the average, 'how's it going?' kind of question from Koga. Well, perhaps it should've been expected, given how the man and herself regularly fell out of contact once in a while, but just as likely, NIGHT didn't come prepared with answers. "The floor boss?"

A pause, in further consideration. Part of her was also struggling with observing the different items on display as they window-shopped. "Well, sort of," she lied. "Admittedly, I kind of hid away for a while. Sorry I went absent, if you were seeking me out. DAY's been alright – um, helping me through some stuff, actually. We sort of went on vacation to a place called the Zero, and that's about it."

If she glanced to Koga, it was in making sure he didn't seem too interested in her reasons for vanishing all of a sudden. She'd been honest because Koga was one of her closest friends, rather than actually wanting to talk about why she'd went AWOL. In a case of calculated misdirection, she looked to a nearby fruits stall as they walked, nodding towards it. "Hey, that looks good. Was there anything you were looking out for in coming here?"

| NIGHT  | Lv. 147 >> P. 115, Lv. 32  | Status: tight-lipped.  Notes:  //

Spoiler NIGHT | HP: 1100/1100 | EN: 148/148 | DMG: 21 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 4 | MIT: 44 | LD: 9 | BH+HB: 108 | FLN/HLY: 16 | Stealth Rating: 6 equipped oathkeeper. FLN II, HLY II regards. EVA II, HB II signet. ACC III, EVA battle-ready inventory Teleport Crystal (3) | TELEPORT imugi's inspiration. (5) | MASS HP RECOVERY skills Spoiler mod count: 5/7 STRAIGHT SWORD | RANK 5/5 focus, stamina, precision shift: aoe CLOTH ARMOR | RANK 5/5 athletics, nimble COMBAT MASTERY: DMG | RANK 3/3 SEARCHING | RANK 3+1/5 BATTLE HEALING | RANK 5/5 emergency recovery ENERGIST QUICK CHANGE CHARGE FIGHTING SPIRIT HOWL focused howl SCOUTING FAMILIAR EXTENDED MOD LIMIT extra SURVIVAL CONCENTRATION HIDING 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-F | x8 | AOE STUN  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 | lv. x | exp: xxx Greenhouse | +2 G.EXP, +1 CD&LD to gathering attempts. Familiar: Profession | +2 G.EXP Demeter's Cornucopia | +1 CD to gathering attempts.

 

[Koga 0]

Koga couldn't suppress the small chuckle that bubbled up from his throat at NIGHT's almost obvious answer. "Oh yeah?" the man said with a faint smile. "Labyrinth got cleared already?" He'd stopped keeping track of that stuff a long time ago. Once upon at time he'd at least paid attention when he'd heard the errant talk of their shared progression through the floors, but as of late, it'd all been in one ear and out the other.

For once though, it was NIGHT who was disappearing off the face of the planet (when had that happened anyways?) Usually it was the other way around, but the addendum that DAY was 'helping her through some stuff' only made Koga more curious.

The man turned in the direction which NIGHT indicated, fruit brimming in the baskets of the stall. Koga, of course, began to walk over to the stall to curiously examine the fruit. "Mm, no, nothing in particular," he answered the woman as picked up a particularly shiny, apple-adjacent looking fruit. "Just never been before. Thought it might be fun for us to explore without the imminent threat of death for once."

Deciding against biting into a mystery fruit today, Koga set the fruit back in its place before going over to the next stall and returning to the subject at hand. "Ya know, if you ever need to talk..." the man began to say, only to remember his penchant for mysterious absences himself. "I'm here for you," he finished anyways.

Not willing to pry to deeply into NIGHT's private life however, the man instead decided to move on to the subject of vacationing. "You though? You took a break? Really? Who are you and what have you done with NIGHT?" the man joked. "Where is Zero anyways? I've never heard of it before," he asked curiously. Might be a nice place to take a certain someone.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"Oh yeah? Labyrinth got cleared already?"

"yeah," night returned almost immediately. fruit inspection was big with veteran players these days, it seemed, as they were both in the midst of it as the woman pretended she wasn't playing blabbermouth. "i just went through it the other day with her. didn't seem like anyone else was up to gunning through the labyrinth, and figured we were in the best position to take a shot – albeit under orders."

though koga set his pick down, night decided to give hers a purchase before moving on: a number of berries and a few plucked pods that resembled legumes. she'd recognized the names of the items, and how their qualities fit into unconventional recipes accumulating around bistro's shop. if they weren't to serve as ingredients, they'd be good for gifts instead. "you're right," she decided, voice low. her hands glided over the misshaped outlines of the fruits on sale as she left the stall. "we barely ever had the opportunities for such to ourselves, huh?"

and she'd brushed over his reach for comfort extended her way; the song and dance of lone survivalists sticking together.

"i know, i know…"

(but the weight of it, night couldn't exactly wrap her head around it completely. not just yet.)

they were coming up to a stall that seemed to be selling steamed delicacies of some kind. maybe it was something koga did (a hand wave?) or a gesture from a passerby that directed her to turn towards the menu. dumplings? perhaps — that was the only visible word that caught her eye at a glance. and the food carried a nostalgic, savory scent, so she ushered her friend to stop, too.

"You though? You took a break? Really?"

"–of course i took a break…!"

she'd flinched at his objection. she hadn't expected herself to.

"Who are you and what have you done with NIGHT?"

"that's so rude," night breathed. "i'm right here…"

was it really so difficult to believe herself opening up to someone else? to be honest, ren was hesitant about it too, in the brief moment she'd spoken to the street chef for an order of a sampling box. the sight of the stand had been enough to move the player to order some to try — almost like the cafeteria kitchens back home. if she'd said it out loud, would koga understand where she was coming from?

there were a lot of things keeping her from staying still, grounded. so of course, she…

"… it's a place somewhere underground," night started, shoulders lowering. a part of her chose to focus on the explanation as a method for calming down — she could spill her guts over fried noodles or something later. they had time. her hands were tapping over the transaction window for payment, adding koga's bill to her own if he had decided to get something too. "on the twenty first floor. like a network of sprawling tunnels without a beginning nor end. 'a nature's treasure secret'. nobody really knows where it came from, but it's sort of like… dungeon runs on a roguelike treadmill."

"do you remember hades? … darkest dungeon?"

she was surprised she could even remember the names of the games she'd played. those experiences seemed so long ago–

"kind of like those. it has it's own ecosystem within the player base, it seems." night shrugged, taking her eyes off the cook and placing her sights onto koga. "everything in there's on separate little islands. people go around by boats, though i've heard some regions are on ground rather than land. they get lost in there, too — since everything's randomized in there, especially the way forward, there's no telling when someone gets out after they've gotten in."

"people… usually go in there on purpose."

and then night went quiet. she wasn't sure if she was talking about herself, or of her original search target. her gaze went back to the food as it was packaged by its vendor, who was now humming a song unfamiliar, yet soothing.

"…'how else are the veterans going to keep themselves entertained if they're not interested in fighting on the front lines'? –or something like that, when it was first explained to me."

"…odd, right? but it did answer the question of where other stronger players might be after their whole grinding montage. we've been here for long, and others like us are getting better at the game as much as we have, but we rarely get the chance to see them about, and other players at the front keep dipping out once in a while…"

well it wasn't as though there were actual surveys conducted about the population down in the basements of one of their realms, anyway. so night shook the thought of exposition out of her head, taking the paper box of food in her hands and offering one pair of the chopsticks given to her to koga. "if you want to try," she clarified, popping open the lid and examining the goods. each only differed in shape, and likely marked the difference in filling contained in them. "it's probably meat in there. i'll have to take some back to day if they taste good. she'll probably get huffy hearing about it otherwise."

[Koga 0]

"Congrats on being the ballsiest, scariest, and stupidest player all in one," Koga said, with truth-laced sarcasm. While there was no question that taking on an entire Labyrinth on one's own was reckless and fool-hardy, Koga supposed if there was anyone who could handle it, it would've been NIGHT. And of course, she'd done it. Only so much complaining to be done there, the man supposed as he watched the woman's gaze brush over some berries and beans before moving on.

"No, we don't," Koga said in agreement with NIGHT. Aside from a few hastily assembled holiday parties throughout the year, most of Aincrad's finest hardly ever got a moment to relax. A moment to live. And those parties were more like last-ditch attempts to remind themselves they were still human at times. Smaller moments like these usually got swept under a rug.

Maybe so many years trapped in the game just meant Koga was used to it now. Less keen on staying, certainly, but perhaps a bit more content with the idea than he'd been before. Less looking to escape reality and just accepting of what it currently was. Maybe.

A soft shake of Koga's head set his unkempt hair into motion, swaying back and forth after his head had stopped moving and his eyes stopped rolling. He knew NIGHT well enough to know when she was just saying whatever to appease him or someone else. Not that she was that good at the appeasing part, but it got the message across. "Mmhm," was all he responded with, all he could afford without branding himself a hypocrite.

Steam wafted from one of the stalls, accompanied by an array of fragrances. Sweet, savory, all delicious smelling. Maybe it was the keen eye he'd fixed on the stall NIGHT had noticed, but she too began to gravitate towards the stand. An absent chuckle as NIGHT expressed some hurt feelings over Koga's joke, however well deserved. "Just saying, be careful. Don't want you to run yourself ragged." He peered at the various dumplings while NIGHT ordered hers. He swatted away her hand from the payment window, his own passing through it as he did so. "I still need to pay you back for helping with the house. It's on me," he insisted with a voice that left no room for argument. He added a couple of meat filled dumplings to the tab and paid before NIGHT could object.

"Mm, yeah, I remember those games," Koga nodded. He felt NIGHT's eyes shift towards him, and he turned and tilted his head to look at her in turn. The way she added peoples intention on why they entered seemed suspect at best, but Koga made no comment, his eyes instead flickering over NIGHT as if he were examining her. Her eyes most of all, especially as they broke eye contact and slid back to the chef as they began to hum. Koga didn't hear the melody.

"…'how else are the veterans going to keep themselves entertained if they're not interested in fighting on the front lines'?" NIGHT said, tried explained away whatever palpable emotion hung in the air between them. Koga's gaze shifted back to the food being packaged. "Could take up farming, like me," he said half-joking. He still went hunting, fighting when it suited him. When he needed the thrill or had some steam to let off.

He took the chopsticks from NIGHT and his own much smaller paper box, and shook his head. "All yours. Thanks though," he said with a faint, almost distracted smile. "Yeah, this place is nice," Koga nodded, his chop sticks poking at the dumpling as if he were able to test whether or not it'd burn his tongue or not. "Could make for a cute date destination. Maybe I'll try asking Kasumi here one day." Koga picked up the dumpling and tried biting into it, immediately regretting the action. Hot juice seared his mouth, but already committed, the man forced himself to chew, swallow. "Fuck, that's hot."

A small bench sat on the side of the walkway, positioned in such away that those seated could look out from the market building and at Lhasri's myriad bridges, mountains and waterways. "Wanna stop while we eat?" Koga suggested, pointing with his chopsticks. "So how was Zero then?" he'd go on to ask, regardless of NIGHT's choice. "How long were you there?"

 

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

her attempts at a protest for payment would've been poor. 'i could get that col much easier than you,' or something akin to that, but night remembered how day had used that argument against her, and she let herself shut up. her eye roll, auxiliary, hadn't been meant for her friend, even if it seemed as though it might've been.

after receiving her food and taking a glance, she watched as koga bit into one. "of course they'd be hot," she snickered, picking up a piece with her own utensils. "they were freshly made. the dumplings aren't exactly going anywhere, are they?"

"… but that's the thing, though — 'taking up farming' — that's about all they do." night hummed after she bit a hole into the side of her own food, allowing the heat within to dissipate into the cold outdoor air. "it's all a grind for better gear and 'greater heights' by that point… whatever that means. i mean, if you'd leave it to me to guess though, i'd say it's all about the adventure, given the pace by which we've been clearing the floors. er… from their angle, it's new content, without the fear of being decimated in boss fights; new mechanics, but the game tells you about it before you get into it. it's not like an unknown contract or a guessing game with the floor bosses, probably."

they'd practically sat down at this point. night had placed the dumpling at an odd angle in her box to keep it steady and its interior exposed as they moved to the bench. she picked it up again as she considered koga's questions. "beats me," the player replied to his duration query. "like i would've remember when we'd left, either. but it was alright. i mean, i had to work through some things in there. things like…"

her pause came with heavy contention. she'd wanted to follow through, but wasn't exactly certain how best to do it – not quite yet, at least. so she hid it behind a huff to her dumpling, before she continued.

"i wouldn't exactly call it a 'cute date destination.'" night had nearly winced saying those words aloud, giving koga a remorseful smile. "it's not like it was a getaway for lovers or anything. it's a damp, dark cave. that's got to be about anything else but romantic."

with a sigh, the player scarfed down her food. it was a curious mix to her, given the unusualness of mutton as a choice for filling, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. the soup within helped hydrate the slightly dried meat, allowing it to go down easy. "you have to tell me about this kasumi though. don't think i remember the name — is it the first time you'd mentioned her around me?" night grinned, trying to push — "and how'd you two meet~? c'mon, dish!"

[Koga 0]

Koga shot a playful glare at NIGHT as she laughed at his pain. "I'm glad you're enjoying my suffering," he said with all of his typical sarcasm. Still, he grinned, and took a more cautious bite as NIGHT broke into her own box of food. "No, I guess they aren't," he admitted. Even if it was a smaller bite, the food was still hot, but at least it didn't feel like he had third degree burns on the roof of his mouth this time, and Koga was able to actually enjoy the flavor of the food.

Koga continued to quietly eat his dumplings as NIGHT tried to reason why players seemed to be so enthralled with Zero. "Is it not perma-death in there?" Koga asked, a confused look on his face, despite the hand covering his food-full mouth. If that was the case, NIGHT's musings were probably right. Adventure without the threat of imminent departure from this mortal realm was why most people started to play video games in the first place.

Mindless whiling away of the hours was another reason. Which seemed to have been what NIGHT had done, even if that hadn't been her express purpose in visiting Zero. If she had been in there even a portion of the time that Koga had effectively 'retired', it could have been months. But that wasn't the most important part of what the woman had said. Moreso, what was important was what hadn't been said, as NIGHT left the last of her words unsaid. Koga looked over at the woman with a raised brow, inviting her to go on.

But NIGHT forged on, completely abandoning the topic. Koga made no comment, instead taking another bite of his dumpling. There was no point in pressing, or iterating that she could talk to him. The latter, both knew, and Koga was certain the woman would open up when she was ready.

"I meant to Lhasri," Koga said with a laugh as soon as NIGHT had commented on a 'damp, dark cave' not being romantic. "I'm no Casanova, but even I know that that doesn't count as romantic," the man said with an amused smile. The smile quickly morphed into a groan though as NIGHT began to interrogate him with all the vigor of gossip-drunk schoolgirl that Koga never knew she possessed. "Oh god, I shouldn't have said anything," the man said with a pained chuckle. "You did meet her, once, actually I think," Koga finally said as he set aside his now empty box. "At the trainwreck of a Christmas party I hosted a couple years back. Red head, showed up late, after the whole flooding thing. Don't think you guys interacted much though."

Koga's gaze drifted upwards as he tried to remember just how he'd met Kasumi. Foggy memories of skeletons and pink flower petals finally cleared enough for the man to recall. "Oh yeah, we met killing the field boss on Fourteen," the raven-haired man said. "Alkor and I had gone to fight the Lich King, but she beat us to it. Other than you, she's the only person I've ever met who legitimately scares me," Koga chuckled. "I mean man, she's a one-man army. Shoulda seen her."

@NIGHT

Edited March 8 by Koga

[NIGHT 0]

"Is it not perma-death in there?"

night blinked, pausing partway through in consuming one of her dumplings. "i don't think so," she returned, briefly puzzled. "when we were there, i'm pretty sure we were still aware of the threat of death looming over us. whatever gave you that impression?" she took a bite anyway thereafter, giving herself space to think. "if there was a place with that sort of safety lock, we should've all heard about it by now, shouldn't we?"

she kept quiet during koga's dish, only chuckling as he revealed his regret, finishing the bite she kept on hand. given his track record for having people close to him, what else could she do but feel as though one of her closest friends deserved some form of happiness, especially related to his love life? but hearing that she did interact with the woman in question surprised night to no end. "no way."

"At the trainwreck of a Christmas party I hosted a couple years back. Red head, showed up late, after the whole flooding thing. Don't think you guys interacted much though."

"a couple of years?" now it was night's turn to groan. her memory wasn't exactly the best to check facts against. no way she would've remembered some random redhead, especially if she hadn't been anything to night's own tastes. despite her guilt, she shook her head. "what even happened at that party? with the whole, er, flooding thing...? i think i headed outside with someone else just to pet a cat or something. then... i don't know, maybe i left? it's been too long ever since..."

she hummed to fill the gap in their conversation between, a hand on her chin, the other arm wrapped across herself. then the true meet-cute nugget was dropped; night nodded first with confusion, because she didn't exactly remember what the fourteenth entailed quick enough.

"oh. ... no way, again." the player dropped her guard in surprise. "out of all the floors, it had to be the gloomiest, reddest one? you know what they say about scarlet letters, right?" it took her a beat before she retracted what she'd said with a, "-- just kidding."

"still though, with the undead around..."

"Other than you, she's the only person I've ever met who legitimately scares me,"

"huh?" was night supposed to stiffen? koga had laughed, goddammit. "what was that supposed to mean?"

it turned out to be his comment on her strength, but the player in question still didn't jog her memory. how odd. night strained to conjure a familiar face or image still. "if this is someone just as strong, shouldn't i be able to identify her by now...? what, no name?" night huffed, folding her arms. "at least drop me what she used as a weapon."

if the player had sobered from her poor attempt at detective work thereafter, it was to consider koga's past history with women... even though she knew little of it. noctua was a scary-looking individual, she once thought. too refined for night's own tastes, and someone she wasn't entirely sure she could've gotten along with, even up until their last interaction.

"ah... don't tell me you like women who seem to scare you..." night winced momentarily, looking away as she rambled. "is that usual for a guy's tastes? well, if you're not telling me anything, maybe i should consider all the scary people i know, too..."

Edited August 9 by NIGHT
"when we was there" brb churning butter.

[Koga 0]

As NIGHT paused and blinked mid bite, Koga's look of confusion increased by an equal magnitude of that which NIGHT now displayed. At first, the man thought he'd asked a stupid question, but her answer relieved him of that concern. Only for a moment though, until she indeed asked why he'd thought that. "I dunno," the man admitted. "You said something about no fear of getting your ass-kicked by a boss, just figured that meant you don't end up as nothin' more than stardust. I take it then that there's just no bosses?" Which would really be the only remaining option, unless there was some other secret to Zero that NIGHT had forgotten to mention.

"if there was a place with that sort of safety lock, we should've all heard about it by now, shouldn't we?"
Koga shrugged in response. "Sure, if the guys who found it didn't wanna keep it for themselves. I mean think about it, absolutely risk-free, infinite exp. Not everyone is as philanthropic as you or I. Or even half the other Frontliners." Koga shrugged again. "Or maybe I'm just jaded. Who knows."

The surprise NIGHT showed when Koga mentioned she'd met his kinda-sorta-not-exactly-dating-but-seemingly-not-seeing-anyone-else partner resulted in an amused huff. "what even happened at that party?" NIGHT asked, her memory seemingly as poor as Koga's. "Uhhh, arguments about Blue's desserts she brought, card games, food...I don't really remember either." Everything about that night had been such a blur. Minus the tail end. "Everyone just kinda started to wrap up after the place got flooded." Koga put another dumpling into his mouth. "You're hosting next time," he said through a full mouth.

"out of all the floors, it had to be the gloomiest, reddest one?" It was Koga's turn to look confused again. Was Fourteen red? He He could hardly remember. It couldn't have been as bad as Nine if he couldn't remember. "you know what they say about scarlet letters, right?" NIGHT said, following it up with a pregnant pause as Koga waited for her to explain. "-- just kidding."
"Uh, never read that one," Koga admitted with a sheepish smile. "Don't even know what it's about, if I'm bein' honest."

NIGHT seemed to be getting more and more forgetful by the second, especially as she asked what the person of interest's name was. "I literally said it like a minute ago," the man laughed. "Kasumi, remember? Did you get your last brain cell knocked out of your head while you were in Zero?" the man joked. "And to answer your other question, she's a Martial Artist."

Koga audibly choked as he heard NIGHT's question. Caught somewhere between sputtering and a laugh, the man shook his head. "What the fuck, no," he choked out. "It's not like being scared of someone is a turn on you dumb ass." Koga set aside the now empty box of dumplings as he thought about how to explain. "It's more like...Agh, I dunno...It's a few things right? Like there's the kind of scared where you're just fearing for your well-being, right? That's not really what I'm talking about. Maybe that helps, and I'm sure both you and Kasumi could beat me to a bloody pulp if you wanted to, but so can the floor bosses, and I'm not about to jump any of their bones." Literally in some cases.

"Then there's the kind of scared where you don't wanna let them down I guess? And that plays a bigger part. But, like, these can be friends, mentors, or just some random person who you respect. And then there's an aspect of trust where if you do, they'll help set you straight so you don't do it again.

"The last one, which is where I think it becomes something else. You're afraid because they could hurt you, not physically, but emotionally." Koga's brows furrowed as if he was just making the realization himself. "You're vulnerable, and that's fucking terrifying. But, moths to flames, I suppose."

Koga paused, looking away, face riddled with consternation. But whatever seemed to be on his mind quickly faded as he spoke once more. "So I'm-dead scared, anyone. I-care-about-this-person-and-what-they-think scared, you, Kasumi. Oh-fuck scared. Kasumi."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

about the zero? "nothing so much like the threat of floor bosses, i figure," night responded in turn. the first hand experience wasn't exactly as though it made her familiar with the average occupant there. a good comparison would've been shadowing a host family... and that's likely because they'd got lucky on visiting.

she waved her chopsticks as she spoke. "we go into our raids mechanically blind, don't we? cardinal usually has new tricks up its sleeve for one reason or another. but, say you've been working through the same content for a while... if you keep encountering similar enemies, you'd eventually get used to knowing what was out there, even if there's a ton of variance between them. the quantity likely makes the grind worthwhile."

and she laughed at koga's idea of a well of infinite experience being kept a secret. "in a vaccum? it's just a set of numbers at that point. wouldn't that devoid it of meaning? the context of what that exp means in the world, or in the eyes of the public, is what gives lends us its potency, doesn't it?" of course, night knew the man had his own reasons in questioning what other players were up to. she was of the same kind -- but just as well that she didn't believe entirely in a dark nature in others. "philanthropic doesn't cut it, really."

there was nothing she could reasonably say to the explanations of the party... except koga's final comment afterwards.

"You're hosting next time."

"uh-- no i won't," night shot back. and here she was, nearly having dropped her food at the surprise. "a party's not worth that much hassle, thank you very much, and it's not exactly welcome to strangers, either... remember the last time i hosted a party at my house? do you remember exactly was the outcome of it was?" she waited only a beat -- faux of a time for a response to come through -- before answering, "not happening."

then came night's confusion on this mystery person -- and maybe that's why she didn't pick up on who was mentioned. "no way," she breathed, upon the clarification. and here she thought she really would've known who koga was talking about by name alone. as though she'd misheard him the first time -- if she even did remember it. especially if the individual was strict... right?

she nearly killed koga at the guess.

"What the fuck, no. It's not like being scared of someone is a turn on you dumb ass."

"--you'd be surprised."

"It's more like...Agh, I dunno...It's a few things right? Like there's the kind of scared where you're just fearing for your well-being, right? That's not really what I'm talking about. Maybe that helps, and I'm sure both you and Kasumi could beat me to a bloody pulp if you wanted to, but so can the floor bosses, and I'm not about to jump any of their bones."

she'd shifted herself while they were talking. night was nearly done with her meal, after all. so when she realized how empty her container was, she picked up the last dumpling and allowed the box to crumble away. "hey, i won't judge."

but then the conversation took a turn way different from what she'd expected. maybe they were getting close to it before, maybe not. she went quiet, at the mention of people, people who they wouldn't want to break the expectations of. and then again, later, at koga's musing about people they open up to in confidence.

night could only wince, chewing on her meal. when she was done looking away, thinking about it, she sighed.

"i mean, hypothetically... anyone could hurt you emotionally if you let them. it's as you said -- there's the aspect of trust: not wanting to let people down, but having that faith that they'll pull you back up again from the depths. that's your trust in them after letting them down. other people hurting you..."

the chopsticks splintered in her hands.

"that's your trust in them breaking after they've let you down."

the particles they left behind faded away, once night opened up her palm. and then she realized their conversation would be best held with a drink in her hands -- a cold one, perhaps -- but it wasn't as though she was about to scour the markets while her friend was still through with his food. so she angled herself, looking out towards the view before them -- the mountains, the rivers, the plains ahead.

"have you heard of the hedgehog's dilemma before?"

"... it's a theory -- a metaphor? -- about getting to know another person."

with two hands, she fitted her fingers together through the gaps.

"it goes that hedgehogs would want to get close to each other for warmth during the winter. but, because of their spines, they can't get too close, or they'll hurt each other, even if they never wanted to hurt each other in the first place."

night went quiet, again.

didn't she just go through this whole lesson? the irony was that, if she'd been willing to have said something to that effect to koga, perhaps they would've both learned it the same way, and there wouldn't be a need to pass on this tale from one to the next. still, she acknowledged, maybe she needed her own space at the time, as did koga need his. and maybe, kagami would, too.

"... the point of it, is..."

she curled her fingers before pulling them apart.

"it's suggested that there's a rationale to keep to oneself. to not get too close to others, to stop yourself from becoming emotionally vulnerable. maybe physically, even, for some people."

"but as social animals... us -- as humans -- it's more likely the fact that we cannot avoid a certainty that we might hurt each other when we open ourselves up. in fact, maybe it's something you can even count on -- it's going to happen, over and over... a microaggression here, an act of ignorance there. so what matters more, really, is that we even tried in the first place. if not for others, then for ourselves -- our own survival."

"... we owe at least that much to each other."

night finally looked up from her fingers. she let herself breathe. a thesis statement, without the entire essay. closing her eyes, and taking in another breath, she let go of what she might've wanted to say.

instead, she jabbed koga on his shoulder.

"so go on." arms folded, she turned to him with confidence. "it's not like i haven't seen half of your personality so far. and whatever you've got, people like you; it's not just me, either -- it's everyone else you've probably met. that's why we're still acquaintances, even friends with you, isn't it? so that has to count for something, don't you think?"

leaning back, the player allowed her friend to ruminate as she decided how far she could go without falling off the bench. right before that sweet spot, she declared aloud, "and, of course, you'll indulge me the privilege of making a ring for you two or something, right? -- or, if that doesn't work out, friendship bracelets, if you really wanted."

it wasn't as though she got the profession because she could exercise that ability. definitely not.

[Koga 0]

So, no obvious boss-level threats to worry about in Zero. That didn't sound so bad in that case. Koga made a mental note to attempt a visit to Zero himself one day. If he ever got through the myriad other quests he still needed to finish. Like the Dragon Hunting questline. One day he'd finish that one. Poor NIGHT, getting dragged around to slay overgrown lizards.

Well, she was the one who always said yes. It's her fault, really.

"I dunno about you, but the there is no amount of slime-killing that would make it all worthwhile to me," Koga countered, almost groaning. "In fact, the more samey the enemies become, the more of a drag it all is." But it was suffering through the grind that gave them the strength to survive the next Raid. So maybe NIGHT wasn't all wrong. Of course, that didn't stop Koga from saying: "If the next boss is yet another slime, I think I might just let it kill me. I'm so sick of those things..."

Analytical though they both were, their interpretations of data and experience seemed a little different. "I mean, everything is numbers in here, NIGHT." Koga pointed out, gesturing with his own chopsticks this time. "But the guys with the biggest numbers are the ones at the top, we both know that." It was the entire reason either of them were able to fight on the Frontlines, and why others couldn't. Why they lived through things that might kill others. It wasn't strictly their own skill, though that certainly played a part. But no amount of skill could save them from a one-shot. And that's what the numbers were for.

Differences aside though, he couldn't help but snort at the comment about their philanthropic nature. "Oh yeah? What would you call it then?" the man asked curiously.

The, rather vehement, denial of ever hosting another party at her house made Koga seem like the forgetful one this time. "Uh, you hosted a party at your house?" Koga asked confused. "Was I even there? The only time I recall being at your place was when Yuki and I crashed your Christmas eve date with DAY." To be fair the boys hadn't known they'd been doing anything to begin with, and wanted to deliver NIGHT's gifts personally. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and NIGHT had nearly sent them both there herself that night.

At the mention of Kasumi's name though...Koga wasn't sure if he should run for his life or not. "Uh, you know her?" he asked hesitantly.

The reaction was a stark contrast to the remainder of their conversation though. Koga had deadpanned in NIGHT's direction as she quipped about fear and horny being related. 'Speak for yourself'.

Not that any of it took away from the, perhaps a little too real conversation they'd found themselves in the middle of. NIGHT had physically reacted at some point whilst Koga had spoke, a missed tell, though the sigh had not been so subtle. The man finished his food as NIGHT responded, the box and chopsticks disappearing in an array of glowing blue shards.

He wanted to make a comment about how 'letting someone hurt them' was the key point Koga was trying to make, how it was not something he allowed 'anyone the opportunity' to do. Nor did he think NIGHT would open herself to those kinds of wounds either.

But he let the moment pass, and instead shook his head when she asked about the hedgehog dilemma. "No, I haven't." Laced fingers filled his vision, blocking NIGHT's face from view for but a moment. There was a deep breath somewhere in there as NIGHT came to her explanation, interpretation, of the dilemma.

He tried to mull over a response, but was interrupted with a light jab.

That physical contact NIGHT had just mentioned.
The first time in their years of friendship, if Koga had not forgotten another instance.

Koga smiled softly, as he eyes drifted away. First to the floor, kept pristinely, unnaturally clean by the machinations of Cardinal. Then up to the distant horizon. He wanted to say something. Something smart, or clever, or witty. Anything to distract from the fact that NIGHT wasn't wrong. Not about other liking him, that was an aside, but rather that she indeed knew him better than most. Nothing came to mind though. And so instead, Koga decided to address her request. "You can count on it," he said, "We'd be honored."

He leaned forward a little, whilst NIGHT still reclined, his fingers laced somewhere between his legs. "You're a good friend, NIGHT. I'm glad we met."

The man cleared his throat then and stood, "C'mon, it'd be a shame to waste our day off. There's still plenty to see."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

thread summary.

night.

+ 7066xp | 673 * 0.7 * 15

koga.

+ 4240xp | 673 * 0.7 * 9

Spoiler

thread progression.

6735 words | 673 sections | 0.7 factor