Location: City Streets -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

There it was again, that urge to sing. She restrained it, so as to avoid being thrown out onto the street, but still—the progress! How could she resist smiling at least a little bit? While Kazuki put away the dishes and proposed their next course of action, she turned away and let herself be giddy for a moment. By the time he came back, she was more or less composed.

It was nice to hear his thoughts out loud. Little blips on a map, they were, and even if the roads connecting them were a bit obscure—he was, after all, a bit obscure himself—there was still plenty to decipher in the things he did divulge. He was willing to apologize, but not yet ready to change his mind. A compromise of pride for…pride? Or perhaps it was a matter of self-respect. He did not seem like an obsequious man, but neither was he unyielding.

Strange how in flux his confidence was, how that flux reflected in him. Suddenly he seemed entirely at ease, speaking evenly and shrugging. Not a nervous bone in his body. Then again, he’d shown much the same level-headedness back in the dungeon. Had that been a front? She couldn’t place him, not yet, anyway, which was probably for the best. The point wasn’t to figure Kazuki out, the point was to help him.
…
“Logic is all nice and neat for puzzles, less so for interpersonal drama,” she said. She’d opted to stay seated, smiling up at him from the table. “You don’t need to change your mind right this instant. As much as I’d love for all of us to hold hands and remember each other’s birthdays, it’s not fair to expect friendship from nothing.”

She thought a moment, lips pursed. The angle did feel wrong to her. She didn’t think Kazuki was a cold person. He was smart, and obviously talented, but that didn’t inherently make him some kind of emotionless golem. Already they’d seen people’s personas crumble to reveal much softer interiors, who was to say that couldn’t happen again? Nevertheless, she doubted she was going to get through to him preaching altruism and ooey-gooey feelings.
…
“But,” she said slowly, thumbing her lip. “It is fair, I think, to expect friendliness. Or, let’s call it something else…uhm…flexibility, maybe. If keeping the group together means keeping everyone together, then for the time being, you might have to compromise your logic telling you to exclude…weak links, just like some of the others might have to compromise their feelings on working with you. If you do that, if you give it time and you put a little faith in the rest of us to pick up whatever slack it is you feel there might be, I promise you things will mend on their own. It could be that you’re right, and we are better off cutting ties with difficult members, but a good skeptic embraces the chance to be wrong, doesn’t he? Because he wants to learn something.”

Location: The Laughing Worg -- The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"Wait, armor?"

Alja vanished from the bar, leaving him with a set of armor that probably weighed as much as he did. He plopped back on the tavern's seat and let out a sigh, not even trying to save face near Siegfried or Kalie. "Aw, man," he said. His vision throbbed for a bit.

Left to guard duty. He was bummed about it at first, until the fresh sting of Kazuki's departure flashed across his mind. Alex had already known he was awful when it came to making friends, even just talking to people in general, but that interaction had solidified it. He didn't know why, but a part of him had been expecting that flaw to be less apparent within Pariah. Even in a completely different world with an appearance custom-tailored to make every physical insecurity vanish, he still made the same mistakes. It was an interesting observation. A disappointing one, too. It was for the best if he stayed.

He supposed he could've intruded on whatever conversation Siegfried and Kalie were having, but even he had an idea as to the atmosphere going on over there was like. Some gesticulations coming from Siegfried, gentle movements from Kalie. He could already imagine the other man's reaction to having his mission thwarted by captain oblivious. The snark from his sister Sif would be hilarous, though. Or was that what the alcohol was whispering in his ear?

Alex's reverie stretched for a blurry amount of time until a certain pair of people returned. Alja had been successful, and brought Benkei with her. He started talking, and it took him a moment to realize he was supposed to listen. An introduction. A warped one, the one you could only have on the internet, yet different from that as well. The one you could only have on the internet after circumstances had made it a matter of life or death. He wanted to interrupt him to point out how amusingly odd the whole situation was, but kept his mouth shut. Until Benkei did too.

Well, he failed at saying the right words to strangers the first time around before the dungeon, and he certainly made that mistake again. If the others weren't going to follow up, then he'd do it. Third time's the charm.

"'This group' huh... so it's official, more or less." He stopped for a moment, performing the agonizing process of thinking before speaking. "Don't worry too much about emotions. We're going through a total mess no one in the history of the world has ever gone through. Even older people probably wouldn't get it if you tried explaining what the hell was happening here to them. Nothing about this is normal, so you shouldn't try to act normally." From the corner of his eye, he saw a faint stain caused by the tankard he had been drinking out of. Acting differently could be bad in excess, fine, whatever.

"My name is Alex, in real life too pretty much. I'm twenty years old, a freelance artist that juggles projects a lot. I get bored of just doing one thing, really." It was hard to think of anything else, given that he hadn't made much of an impact both within the game in general and throughout their conflicts. He did have one thing he wanted to clear up.

"I... hope your brother comes back though." He cleared his throat, leaving an awkward pause in the room.

Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

It felt weird to hear her call him Jimmy. He told her to, but it still sounded off. However, it wasn't the time to get anxious about it. A fact that became abundantly clear when Alex approached them and not too long Benkei returned from whatever falling out he had with Graves and Kazuki. It appeared Alja had calmed him down which was good he assumed, though he and Kalie must've sat awkwardly confusing themselves for longer than he thought as to him it felt quite fast. How tone flies when tensions hit their highest.

He listened to Benkei's explanation… though it felt more like an introduction.

Kazuki and Kazuma. Brothers. Things started to make sense. He thought back to Graves yelling and now he guessed it had been at Kazuma. Regardless of what was said he would've done the same for Sif and she would've done the same for him. So he understood.

The younger brother talked of skills and other things. Guess this was part of what he was talking about with Sif until he stepped between Graves and Kazuki.

“James Androvski, my sister is Lizzie.” He thumbed in Sif's direction. “I'm a 20-year-old college student studying electrical engineering at the University of Kansas. My sister is all in high school but she's smart with math and other crap. Not sure how useful we'd be.”

Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Kalie felt a bit strange, but it was probably the alcohol speaking to her, but it different from her usual behavior. She wasn't a party-type girl like all the other university students since they were too busy partying instead of working on their careers. In contrast, she was the opposite, and it's primarily because focusing on her future is better than having a hangover. However, something was a bit anxious about the whole situation, and it mostly was when Alex approached Jimmy and her. She was grateful to see Benkei returned to them for what happened between Graves and Kazuki. It helped that Alja was beside Benkei, which made her smile. In terms, she felt like the fight had to be about her. She was mostly confused about what Benkei wanted to say. It was clear on her face with the whole thing.

She listened to Benkei's explanation, though it felt more like an introduction.

It was clear on her face, shock, Kazuki and Kazuma were brothers this whole time. She did wonder how they knew each other so well, and this made much more sense. It didn't really help that she didn't know what the others were arguing about because of the close to have a mental breakdown again. However, it was pretty intense whatever the anger was about though. She didn't have that type of relationship with her older sister, it kind of hurt. It mostly made her realize one little thing, Kalie was forcing her ideals on her sister. She was happy that other sibling relationships were much better than Susan and her.

When Kazuma talked of skills and other things and felt like he has already spoken to Sif, she probably got from it. She listened carefully to all the others talk about what they were doing or becoming for their career choices and other things. On her face as clear as day, she was a bit shocked to hear that Jimmy was going to the University of Kansas. She had looked into that university in particular but picked K-State instead. It took her a while to think about what Kalie was going to particular say, allowing Alja to speak her mind. She felt a world off her shoulders in hearing that Kelly was 19, as she was, and there were only a few twenty years old or seventeen years old. A right mix of things, it was comforting in all honesty, but Kalie did giggle slightly at hearing what Kelly/Alja said about calling her Alja for combat. She had a beautiful smile on her face, which is better than her crying.

" Ooh, so we are going to introduce ourselves? I might as well join in since everyone else done so already." She started to wave herself off since it was so hot, and she feels a bit dizzy from the ale. " My name is Dawn Sara Hughes, who's 19 years old college student from K-State University in the United States, going to become an English Teacher. I don't know if that's going to help you."

Dawn let out an exasperated sigh of hopefulness that things are changing for the better. She's a bit optimistic, but it's just how she is, but she can lose it now and then under extreme pressures. She cannot cope well, and it's primarily her relationship with her older sister. It took a bit and kind of felt a bit more at home slightly and remembered something.

" Uh, you can call me Dawn or Kalie, I don't mind. Weirdly enough, I enjoy the profession I picked for this game. It helped me keep my plushie I kept as a little girl wholesome and together for my childhood memories. Also, Kelly, I like your name; it's neat."

Location: City Streets -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"Mhm. You're right about most of that, I suppose."

She’d take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

It was a smidgen bittersweet that they were leaving already. They’d only really just gotten here and it was a lovely house, but she wasn’t about to make herself into a speedbump on the road to mending the group back together. Seele got up and pushed her chair back in neatly, glancing around on habit to make sure there weren’t any chores left undone. In Kazuki’s house. God, maybe she did have a problem.

“Right,” she said, a bit absently, only just catching up to what he’d said. “I mean—oh, it won’t come to that. But maybe we can keep a little space between you for…insurance’s sake.”

She followed him out, and while he locked up the door, she cast her eyes out to the streets and thought. Rael had mentioned that Graves’s errands would take him to Mystic Prophecy, though she wasn’t sure if he was still going to be adhering to that schedule. He might just as likely be miles out of the city by now, but she chose to have a bit more faith in Rael than that.

“I believe Graves was going to try and meet up with Priscilica, so we might have luck finding him at her guild hall.” Her own errands for the day were going to bring her that way anyhow, she supposed. Still, the awkwardness wasn’t lost on her. She turned back to Kazuki with an almost apologetic look on her face. “If it would be more…comfortable for you, I could try and get him to meet you outside.”

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Rael took a heavy breath.

“There’s work to be done.” Graves had said earlier close to the town square, though she had a feeling the work he insisted upon wasn’t to immediately crawl back to The Laughing Worg. He had mentioned before the incident happened that he fully intended on reaching out to Mystic Prophecy and checking up on them, asking if they needed anything of him. The red-haired girl wasn’t sure why he was so insistent on asking them if he could be their busybody, though it was what it was.

The chapterhouse for the player-run guild was located in the western edges of the city, but not so far from the town square to make it essential to ask for a carriage. If she had to put it into numbers she would’ve assumed it was around a thirty-minute trek unless you got lost or stuck in the shuffle of a crowd or two. When the two of them arrived Rael crossed her arms as some kind of anxiety ticked in the back of her mind. Not that she blamed herself for Aaginim and Enos. She wasn’t a healer. They operated as fast as they could and if Rael hadn’t sorted through their items and pushed forward faster they would’ve lost someone in her group. Still… it was awkward as they approached and Graves knocked on the chapterhouse’s doors.

It took minutes but soon Graves found himself greeted by a face he didn’t recognize. Either a denizen or another guild member.

“Can I help you?” She asked, her hair long and colored like snow.

“Yeah. Is Pris ‘round?”

“Yeah, come on in. I’ll take you to her.”

Rael raised a brow. Mystic Prophecy was known as a chill player’s guild but she expected them to check with the other members before they let anyone in; especially after the split in its memberbase it had some months ago when two founding members left. A top guild needed to be more careful, especially now that they were living in a literal death game where the rules were different. What if someone who wanted to hurt Priscilica showed up? She kept the thought buried as it reminded Rael of the bridges she had burned. How many people had she pissed off enough where they wanted to put her in her place or die trying? She swallowed hard as she understood that reality was very much possible.

“So… how’s everyone holding up?” It was a stupid question. She didn't even know why she asked.

“I… Not so well. I wish I’d have gotten to Thorinn faster.” The girl sighed as she pulled on her wizard’s hat, “Priscilica is trying. Bless her heart.”

Gotten to Thorinn faster.

The words were specific. Full of regret. Doubtful it was a denizen; another guild member who had been nearby that Aaginim hadn’t been willing to wait for? Rael couldn’t imagine. She tried to, but she couldn’t. Those kind of affections were still new to her and even the ones she had found herself attached to in her own group were too few in number. Rael didn’t do friends or anything that went with friendship. She'd always wanted to, but it was her experience. All she could do was give a pseudo-empathetic nod.

“This idiot thinks Pris needs his help.”

“You don’t have to say it like that.” Graves sighed.

The girl smiled at the banter, “I am sure Pris can find something for you to do. All of the people who would, well, lead Mystic are gone or elsewhere. Well, Luci is here but she's locked herself in the armory.”

“What ‘bout everyone else?”

“Leafy is in the dining hall... being uncharacteristically quiet. And Pris is in the study trying to figure out a plan. As far as I can tell the other branch of the guild in Theremia have their hands full with another dungeon. No word from them yet.” She turned a hallway, “I‘m Shev, by the way.”

That was right. Mystic Prophecy had a lot of members and was one of the older and more successful guilds in the game. The eastern division was based in Theremia and she had bumped shoulders with them before given it was the city she started out in, the patron kingdom of the Draethir fraternity. She… didn’t have a lot of fondness for them and she imagined it was likewise. Still, that was on the other side of the world and Aaginim and Luci seemed to tolerate her far better than Kirk and Tanako did. Still, she doubted they hated her to such a level they felt she needed to be punished. Just another thing she’d keep to herself unless asked. That aside, it was still strange to her that a guild as big as Mystic Prophecy wasn’t settled in Aaginim or Luci’s home-kingdom. If she remembered right Luci had said she started out in Tyhrien which is where she met all of the founding members of the guild save for Priscilica.

How did they end up deciding on Thorinn? or was Thorinn a replacement choice? She mulled over the thought before introducing herself and Graves to this Shev person.

“Rael. Tank-for-brains is Graves.”

“Pleased to meet you.” She said warmly as she knocked on a door they had stopped at before opening up to reveal Priscilica behind a large desk overseeing a bunch of papers before the pink-haired girl looked to the two wayfarers with a look of confusion but not repulsion.

“You’ve got some guts showing up here.” She said, though it wasn’t a tone of hostility given she was widely smiling with a near giggle at the end of her comment. She waved to the two seats in front of the desk, “Sit down. Shev, could you get us a pitcher of wine?”

The other girl nodded before Rael took her seat, deciding to let Graves take point. The idea was his, after all.

Location: City Streets -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Seele watched…something take hold of Kazuki. Once again, as it had in the house, his body language changed dramatically in the spam of only a few moments. Suddenly he was all rigid and anchored and his voice had shrunk. He seemed…diminished.
…
The urge to hug him was strong, but she repressed it. She had to remind herself that feelings weren’t going to cut it with Kazuki. Platitudes and flattery might have only upset him more, so perhaps it was better to approach things head-on. There was something to be said for the comfort provided by just having a plan. She thought, then came back over to him. She tried to make her voice even and unafflicted with concern.

“I can’t be certain, no, but I believe it’s where he’s most likely to be. If we want to find him, that’s our best bet.” She couldn’t hold the tone, though. All it took was a moment’s silence for her to crumble into something softer. “But, you know, we don’t have to go there right away. It’s still early, and giving him some more time to cool off might even be a good thing. We could take the long way, run some errands if there’s anything you need to do. Could pick out that pastry I owe you, and I’ve been meaning to pick up something to help deal with this sun.”
…
She smiled, backing up, trying to lead him along into the streets. “It might be uncomfortable, but you are doing the right thing, Kazuki. We won’t linger if we don’t have to, and, hey, if we get there and he doesn’t show up, we can just go back to the tavern. Maybe look for Benkei if he isn’t back yet.”

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse - Thorinn, Aetheria

---

He had no idea how nervous he'd been until seeing Priscilica's smile. Through their half-hour walk over there'd been this pressure in his chest growing methodically; slow, muted, but ever present. Like someone had turned up the heat so gradually he didn't even notice until he stepped into the cold.

Graves never could've known how she or anyone else at MP would react to seeing them again. Rael, Kazu- they feared the worst. Thought Prophecy would hate all of 'em, like Luci did. If he was a bettin' man, Graves would put money on Seele thinkin' they'd all be besties in a week's time. But what did he think? He'd told Rael it wasn't s'posed to matter: they had a responsibility to come by whether they'd get the cold shoulder, a quick hug or a punch in the teeth.

Yet he allowed himself to feel relieved nonetheless.

He took a moment by the door to get composed, passing it off as a meandering walk around the study. It wasn't a huge room, but they certainly made use of the space. It was packed with books from ceiling to floor: dusty old tomes, ancient spell scrolls and all manner of other texts filled its shelves. A collection this impressive would've driven some of his party members mad with envy. All he saw was a waste of time.

"We 'preciate your hospitality, uh, Priscil- Pris. You're too kind." Graves cleared his throat, making for the desk. He'd stalled long enough. After a beat of waiting for Rael to choose a seat Graves lowered his weigh into the other.

After a few too many seconds of staring at her and waiting for her to speak up, he realized she wanted him to lead. 'Course. This whole thing was his idea, she was only here to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

He turned to look at Pris. "How're you holdin' up?"

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Was this dude serious?

How was she holding up? After everything and that’s what he came here to talk about? She sighed as an image of another man appeared before her in Graves’ place, her mind casting shadows of people she once knew.

The damage done was pretty obvious. Luci had locked herself in the armory with only a denizen quartermaster as her sole company, doing god knows what to the poor man. Priscilica had seen it once before when the rumors started. Luci was all no-frills, but when she actually got hurt she either broke down or broke down so much she focused only on her gameplay. It wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism but Priscilica liked drinking so she wouldn’t ever be one to lecture someone about healthy ways of coping with their grief.

Leaves was pretty broken down as well and had been so since the funeral, though Shev arriving half-awake in the morning dawn had helped. Frankly, Priscilica was happy that Shev took the news so evenly because she needed her as much as Leaves did. What the hell was she going to do with a catatonic Luci and two of the founding members ten feet in the ground? It was a harrowing question that filled her head with doubt. She was no leader. But she was the only choice, unless the members from Theremia wanted to leave the jagged north and join them here. Hell, Priscilica wondered if they should just shut down shop in Thorinn and go to Theremia under Tanako and Kirk’s leadership.

It was a thought at least, but for now Graves was before her. Asking her how she felt. His empathy seemed strange to her given his lone wolf reputation, but then again it appeared he was traveling with Rael who had the same reputation. Was he leading a pack of lone wolves?

Her confusion aside, she was happy to see them. They were capable people, though reaching out was the furthest thing she expected from them. She had told them to stay together, so maybe they just listened to her suggestion.

She finished her final glass of wine as she moved to answer the blood knight's question. “Pretty poorly. Luci’s not seeing anyone. Leaves’ is quiet. Had Shev not showed up this morning, I don’t know how I’d handle this. I buried two friends last night and that... that isn't something that you can get over with a few bottles of wine.”

“Don’t think anyone expects it to be easy.”

“No kidding.”

Rael was a lot less frigid than she remember as well. Had the harrowing experience made her drop the edgy thief-bitch persona? or was this another act? Even Priscilica wasn’t entirely sure.

“So, it looks like you two listened to my advice. About staying together. Good.” She looked to Rael and then back to Graves, “What about you and your people? Better than mine, I’d hope.”

Location: City Streets -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"Why are you trying so hard to help me?"

The question was simple, yet it left her feeling almost embittered, which was silly and no one else’s fault but her own. He was right to be hesitant—she disliked it, but he was right to. People often asked her what her “angle” was, tried to figure out if she had some shady ulterior motive, or what she stood to gain from her attitude. But was it even about motive? The simple answer would have been along the lines of: “because it’s the right thing to do,” but truthfully it had never really been about right and wrong. Seele couldn’t justly moralize to anyone, especially not now that they were all trapped in this strange world.

So instead, she answered simply: “Because I want to,” and then left that bit of his question behind.
… … …
“I’m not trying to fix you, Kazuki. You’re grown, clearly you know your own flaws. They’re yours. You’ll face them when you’re ready, or when you have to. I just want to help.”

She stepped away from the house, gesturing for him to follow. “So c’mon, lets get moving. We’ll take any route you like, you lead the way. As long as it’s forward.”

Location: The Laughing Warg Tavern-- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

They’d all exchanged pleasantries, and the air of the tavern began to change from tense to relaxed again. Benkei did his part to treat his allies to food and drink, though kept his own servings simple: water, bread and meat. He was still in high school, after all, and did not want to break the “law” regardless of the rules of this world.

“So, I suppose Rael went after Graves. But where is Seele?”

“She went after Kazuki.”

“Does anyone have any idea where they all went?”’ He frowned. “Kazuki could very well go back to his apartment in town, though I don’t know if he would with Seele in tow.” Was his brother secretly a casanova? Would he wine and dine and seduce the young witch? He knew his older brother was cooler and wiser than he, but was he also...in his popular phase?

“I don’t know where Graves and Rael could have gone. They’re both loners, after all. The only others around here they possibly know are probably in Mystic Prophecy…”

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse - Thorinn, Aetheria

---

The concern was plain on his face. Luci being torn up was to be expected, but she'd fully isolated herself? That was dangerous. A mind alone with its grief was a terrible thing. She had nothing to anchor her. Nothing to stop her from sinking further underneath. Routine, human contact- these weren't just helpful in overcoming what Luci was going through, they were necessary. Andrew wasn't a therapist. He didn't know the Latin name for the exact phenomena she was experiencing.

But he'd been there.

He knew what it took to drag yourself out of the dark.

"Shit." Graves let out a sigh from the depths of his breast. What was he supposed to do, here? He wasn't just a stranger- he was the target of her loathing. She'd never let him in. It had to be one of her friends, but...none of them were up to it. Leaves sounded damn near catatonic. Pris was trying to hold it all together but, really, she was only human. The support beams had been knocked out and the structure was groaning under the stress. Something was going to break-- and soon-- if the situation didn't change.

The conversation shifted away from Mystic Prophecy and toward Graves' and Rael's team. 'Team.' They could barely stand each other. Just going over the bar argument again made his hand tense up- it took a moment's concentration to keep his choler from rising again.

"Uh, could be better, I guess." He gave a humorless chuckle, propping his head up with an open palm. "Alja drunk herself to sleep yesterday n' got up n' started drinking again. Been alternatin' between yellin' at people n' passin' out, which is...great. Kalie's a mess. The archer, Alex? He's weirdly okay, even more talkative now than when we started. And Seele?"

He shook his head in disbelief. "She's either a god damn superhero or a psychopath. Nothin' slows her down."

The rest went unspoken of.

Location: City Streets -- The City of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

With the sudden influx of wayfarers seeking refuge in Thorinn, it came as no surprise that the downtown market was utterly flooded with people. Denizens and players alike crowded the vendors, filling the air with a nearly-overwhelming cacophony of haggling, arguments, and occasionally a threat of violence. People were scared. They were hoarding. Food flew from the stands, alchemists were selling potions faster than they could brew them. The poor smiths, bless their hearts, would likely be working day and night for weeks to fill the orders they’d gotten in one afternoon alone.
…
It was disconcerting to Seele, if she was being honest. Thorinn was about to find itself with an abundance of wayfarers who were not only afraid for their lives, but who were also armed to the teeth. She hoped that in a few days’ time they’d all settle down, and the bubbling tension wouldn’t boil over into anything drastic. Well, really she hoped that in a few days’ time this whole problem would be fixed, but it seemed a bit silly to imagine a timeframe for a problem so…grand in scale.

Navigating the bustle wasn’t easy, but they managed. Seele made note of a few bakeries along the way, pointing them out to Kazuki only to feel a bit weird about it afterwards.

“Ah, sorry, I don’t know why I’m acting like a tour guide. You’re the one with a house here, you probably know the city better than I do. Thorinn is nice and all, but if I’m being honest, I think I’ve always sorta preferred the Theremian vale, or the Toraenis midlands.” It felt a bit guilting to say out loud. She giggled. “Don’t tell my pathos, though. What’s yours, by the way? You don’t strike me as the Drox type. Did you travel here from your starting kingdom?”
…
They came upon a clothier’s shop that was relatively uncrowded, which she supposed made sense. There were probably better, cheaper places to buy materials, and she doubted fancy clothes were high on anyone’s must-have list as it was. Nor was it on hers, either, and though she hadn’t come for clothes, she did always feel a little bit guilty whenever she spent money on herself.

But she really did not want another hat.

“Oh, sorry, hold that thought just a moment. I’ll be right back!”

Seele vanished inside, leaving Kazuki alone—or as alone as anyone could be in a busy market—for what was, to her credit, as close to “a moment” as someone could reasonably expect. When she came back out there was nothing noticeably different about her apparel, but she seemed delighted nonetheless. Her hand rested on a handle jutting from the hip of the manifold layers of her robe, and she smirked with the closest approximation to “devilishness” that she was capable of. With a bit of flourish, she drew from its thin sheath something that might have at first glance been a kind of oddly-shaped rapier, but then with a click of some internal mechanism, revealed itself in a flapping of cloth to in fact be a simple, black parasol.

She twirled it happily and let it come to rest against her shoulder, casting herself in its shade.
… …sy…
“Ah, there we go, much better. Thanks for indulging me, this’ll make the sun much more bearable. And unlike that old hat, I can actually keep this in check if things get…exciting, let’s say. But anyway, we were walking.”

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

Priscilica nodded, listening to Graves’ response to her question.

She noticed Graves hadn’t mentioned a good number of people. Benkei and Kazuki the most concerning given their intimacy with the situation. Had they not stuck together? Had the two left Thorinn? She raised a brow. She sincerely hoped it wasn’t because they felt guilty by arriving late to the boss chambers of the dungeon. Or did they decide to not heed her advice and leave the city?

“What about Benkei and Kazuki?”

“They’re around.” Rael volunteered, “Everyone’s still trying to figure out how we’re going to survive. We were wondering what we could do to help around here.”

Help. That was a word Priscilica didn’t think was in Rael’s vocabulary unless it was accompanied by a ‘herself’. She was impressed that Graves had somehow convinced the red-haired thief. She still remembered how sore she and Luci had been when Rael had made off to the black market with the quest item in the last dungeon they paired with each other with. What was the name of the item again? The Shroud of Maris? To think the girl she had known as being dubious and shifty was talking about other people’s feelings and looking after their needs was funny in a way. She supposed that was just one of the things the glitch was doing. People weren’t playing pretend anymore. How much did she even know about Rael?

The spellcaster smiled, “We have a lot of supplies, but we could always use more. I haven’t thought too much about what we’re going to need ahead of time, but ordering food and provisions in bulk is probably the next step.”