Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse -- Thorinn, Aetheria

---

"Yeah, yeah. We can handle that, no problem." That was exactly the kind of request he'd been expecting. Pris wasn't going to be sitting on some major dilemma or epic quest or some shit like that. It was the dirty dishes left out over night. It was the garbage bag that needed to be taken to the curb. It was just the kind of mind-numbing, monotonous task that he needed to distract restless hands.

"Get us a write-up of everything you'll need for the next couple'a months n' we'll get it done. Think it'll be better to do now before everybody figures out how long we're gonna be stuck here n' the shelves get bare." Food and basic provisions were the first things to disappear from stores during natural disasters. People rushed to hoard as much as they could, and everybody that was too slow on the uptick was left in the dust. Andrew had never been a prepper or anything like that, but it just made sense. How was their situation any different from waitin' out a storm?

"And..." He paused, leaning forward against the desk. He was hesitant to get himself involved. It was why he was here, obviously, but it still felt intrusive- wrong. Like it wasn't really his problem. Graves watched Pris's face for some indication that he was overstepping his bounds. "If...there's anything you can think of to help, y'know, the others- if there's anything they might want, or, I'unno, anybody they might wanna contact..."

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

---

Seele couldn’t help but gape a bit as Kazuki explained his situation. Some of it was predictable enough; she’d have wagered he was Queon, though she might have also guessed Sikth a day ago. But to own houses all over Aetheria? That had to have been some sort of feat. Not that she would have known, she’d been playing the part of a drifter the whole time she’d been playing Pariah. Perhaps Kazuki had simply applied himself to the project, he certainly seemed to be diligent enough.

He mentioned Benkei again. He seemed to know a lot about their tank, and now she was hearing that they’d played together often, to the point that Benkei had Kazuki at his beck and call. She couldn’t imagine Kazuki waiting on most anyone like that. He’d even mentioned a friend.
…
Before she could ask about it though, he pushed the subject back to her. Hm. Tricky. She was eager to learn more about her group, but for the moment, she thought it best to lean into whatever direction Kazuki steered their conversation. So, she stored those questions away for later.

Their pace wasn’t exceptionally fast—she hadn’t expected them to exactly sprint to Mystic Prophecy—so she didn’t feel too guilty about taking her time to answer.

“Oh, Drox. I know, huge surprise right? A support in the support pathos, how scandalous! It’s nice, though. I was really into the pathos stuff when I first started. Did a bunch of reading up on all the lore, took a peek at some of the quests and region-specific areas. Thorinn was—is, I mean—really just beautiful, but so are all of the other places in their own ways. Almost went Tyhrien, if I’m being honest.”

She twirled her parasol, considering for a moment what Kazuki had suggested about weaponizing it. She wouldn’t—though the idea of enhancing it into a backup focus was appealing for sure. Seele made a point not to carry weapons with her, it was part of the reason she hadn’t gone Tyhrien. “It is the duty of the hero to protect the helpless,” sounded very nice on paper, but in practice she’d found the Tyhrien brand of protection often involved violence against the aggressors, which she simply wasn’t cut out for. And besides that, the longer she’d played, the more she realized the moniker “hero” didn’t apply to her. Seele didn’t want to be a hero, she wanted to be there for the people who did.
…
“Drox fit better,” she said with a shrug. “And, you know it seems kind of silly to say, but I actually really sort of respected Erianda. All of the pathos leaders are compelling characters, I mean I thought the same thing about Itrius, but, I dunno, something about Erianda just drew me in. Made the decision easier.”

Soon enough they came upon Mystic Prophecy’s guildhall, which was surprisingly modest-looking for such a well-renowned group. Seele breezed up to the doors, only to hesitate. She turned back to Kazuki, donning sympathy once again in her smile.

“You’re doing the right thing,” she said again. “I’m really proud of you. No matter what happens in there, have faith in yourself to handle it. You can.”

Then she knocked on the door and took a step behind Kazuki. She’d do her best to support him, but this was his trial to face, and the last thing she wanted to do was step over him and say something he didn’t mean. In the end, all she could really do was hope everyone had calmed down enough to approach things with the intention of moving on.

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

---

“We appear to be quite busy tonight.” The snow-haired girl mused as she made her way toward the guild’s loft where the main doors stood.

She had given Priscilica the wine pitcher she had asked for and has returned to the dining hall to try to talk to Leaves. It was odd to not hear Enos screaming as he fled from Priscilica or seeing Aaganim in the guildmaster’s room with Luci going over plans and membership lists. As amicable and unshaken as Shev seemed to be, she was worried and the anxiety of two of her friends being gone was following her like a whisper in the dark. In her life she had lost a lot of people she cared about. By the time she was fifteen she had been to twelve funerals. She was used to putting on a strong face when adversity looked her way, though it didn’t make it any easier to have to deal with it in-game as well. She had joined Pariah to escape the fatal, finality of life.

She smiled wide, ignoring such anxieties. She was here to lift people up and as long as she still had the rest of her friends she could bear whatever the hacker willed upon her. She would not break.

As she entered the loft she open up the main doors as she did for the other two. She didn’t recognize these faces either.

“Hi there. How can I help you?”

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

---

“Graves?” The girl with white hair paused for a moment before recalling the names of the spear-toting girl and the taller man who had accompanied her. Her head was full of so much, so new names were something that had not stuck just yet. “Ah. Right. He is with Priscilica. Please come in.”

She looked at the man before him. Lanky. He didn’t introduce himself at the door and he seemed somewhat on edge, but not enough that it showed too strongly. She wondered if he was from yesterday’s venture like Graves and Rael had been. People who had helped Priscilica and Luci clear the dungeon in spite of the terrible odds that they had been dealt. She wondered how all of them had felt, specifically those who had no real connection with Aaginim or Enos. Still, it was a harrowing experience, at least, so she imagined. She would not known how she would have reacted if Leaves had been lost in the escapade. Would she have blamed them? Would she had turned them away?

She smiled looking at the two of them before her. There was no need to speculate. “I’m quite surprised that we’re getting so many visitors. Have you been friends with Graves long?”

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

---

“Shev.” She introduced herself as she motioned to the inside of the guild as politely as she could, “It is nice to meet you.”

As the two followed her inside she closed the guild doors behind her before setting the lock in.

She may have been welcoming, but Shev knew Mystic Prophecy’s history with people. Considering the times they were now living in it was wise to be cautious. Plenty of people who would barge in. Plenty of people who would cause problems. That aside, she doubted such worries would occur during the first day following the dreadful glitch announcement. As she took a step forward she found herself back on the road southward toward Thorinn; one of the townsteads within the region. Too far to queue up with the dungeon. She had been drinking tea in a tavern on the road. The sound of her tankard falling to the floor, the awkward chill that crawled down her spine. It was vivid. It was so vivid and she hadn’t endured the dungeon or any of its woes. These two before her had.

“You’re lucky you didn’t arrive too late, I am pretty sure they’d all be dr—” She began to joke when she heard the door to the armory slide open. She had heard the sword-fighting stop as she reached the main doors to answer it, so perhaps Luci had ‘let it all out’ for the day. As her sight moved toward the armory and to Luci she realized this was not the case.

“Shev, you really must—” The swordsinger began as her eyes immediately darted to Seele and Kazuki, or rather, quickly focused on Kazuki. There was an uneasy as her voice seemed to drop from Luci’s normal tone to one that was more cold and stern. “—oh. I did not realize. Never mind. I’ll tell you later when we are not busy entertaining guests.”

Before the three of them could respond to Luci’s arrival in the loft she immediately moved a hand through her hair and turned her back on the group as she moved toward the leftmost staircase which led toward the bedrooms on the second floor; the pressure of her boots touching the wooden flooring of each stair with more force than was necessary. Shev would immediately sigh as she tried to keep up her smile.

Luci was hurting and her body language and tone indicating that she very much did not approve of seeing the two individuals before her. She had known Luci a long time and had helped her survive many issues in the past. She knew when Luci was being neutral and being especially prickly, and this was a case of the latter. It wasn’t just because she lost her husband-to-be. Something in the air tasted off between her and either Kazuki or Seele. An animosity she had not felt since the schism that had nearly dissolved the guild. Did she blame the two of them? Did something else happen? She wasn’t certain on the details; all she knew was she hated the effect whatever the cause was.

“Sorry about that. She’s been like this all day.” She tried to apologize, but it was hard to apologize for something that she had no connection with. “We are all still... coping with what happened.”

She gestured to the hallway between the stairwell and to the door on the left.

“That’s the study. The war room. They should be inside. Should I get them or bring you to them?”

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

---

Priscilica nodded, “I’ll let you kn—”

The sound of shuffling in the hallways outside became apparent. The sound of the main doors being opened, what sounded like Luci’s voice followed by footsteps going upstairs.

She couldn’t say she expected Luci to be done getting her anxiety out of her system through her training regimen, but she also didn’t expect to hear what sounded like Shev talking to someone else. Was the voice Kazuki’s? Of all the people she expected him to be the last person to show up in the guild hall. But she didn’t expect Graves or Rael to be so accommodating and helpful. Maybe she had all of these people marked wrong.

Rael turned her head toward the door as she crossed her arms. She hadn’t chose to sit down in the guildmaster’s study as she hoped, though she did take a drink. Only a single one, but after alcohol having noticeable effects she imagined she just wanted to keep her wits about her. Before she could address Graves with a task that she could suggest it became clear that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her as a knock on her door followed by Shev’s voice became clear that Kazuki had showed up looking for Graves. She thought Benkei had sent Graves to Mystic about offering help, but here Kazuki was looking for him? She eyed the girl. It was clear her earlier comment was a deflection. She didn’t decide to comment on it.

“Graves? Kazuki is here looking for you. I’ve told him to wait in the common area with Seele, it’s the room with the shield on the wall.”

Priscilica waved the two of them off, not calling them out on not telling her everything. Something had happened and it wasn’t her business.

“I’ll be here if you need me. Get it over with.”
-
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-

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

---

“I don’t think you need to worry. They’ll be back.”

Sif had approached the group, leaving most of her books and planning to her table in the corner. She smiled with a sense of relief now that the group was less keen on reaching for each other’s throats. She eyed the group carefully before trying to figure out the best way to change the topic for the better. Anxieties were still high and with the NPCs able to keep her brother, and really any player in line. She felt some ease knowing that. She admitted she hadn’t felt safe since the glitch’s announcement so the fact there was some kind of checks and balances in place helped.

She was smaller, physically weak. Her brother was loud and in a place like this could very well get hurt when tempers flared. There were so many factors she hadn’t considered.

“Families fight sometimes. Doesn’t stop them from being family.” She commented, alluding to the group as a family. After all, having been through a harrowing experience basically made them the only family they knew outside of any siblings or cousins they knew who played the game. “I think the best we can do is just wait and figure out things here.”

She looked to Benkei, “Especially now that… the denizens are playing by our rules. That’s a factor I hadn’t considered.”

The taller man at the counter laughed, overhearing their conversation; proving Sif's concerns.

“Not sure what that’s supposed to mean, girlie. Us denizens have just been too busy to deal with your bullshit while you stopped the dungeons. It’s like… Arie what’s the word for things that are in a thing and need each other?”

The silver-haired girl from before held her hands behind her back in the bartender's direction. “A shared ecosystem.”

“Yeah. That’s the thing. We’re all in this together.” He paused, before moving into a big tooth grin from behind the counter. “And speaking of together... fighting kicks up a big appetite. Would you kids like some flatcakes?”

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

---

Kalie was grateful for how things changed from yelling and crying, and the latter was mostly her. It is a good thing to be much calmer but a bit terrified with what’s happening in the back of her mind. She listens carefully to what Kazuma has to say. However, before she could speak up, Sif, or in actuality, Lizzie spoke before her. She sighs slightly and agrees with what Lizzie said. In all honesty, it makes the most sense. It is nice to know there are people with a voice of reason in the crazy world as they are stuck in. She did notice all the books that Lizzie had on the table she walked away from to join everyone else. All she could do was smile at Lizzie with a smile in return. It was one of the few things that make more sense; Graves, Rael, Kazuki, and Seele will be back for whatever they are dealing with first.

It makes the most sense, to be honest with herself, which was the first time she actually was herself in a long time. All it took was the announcement of them being trapped in the game for her to breakdown her walls, which she built up to roleplay as someone else. A bit selfish, in all honesty, but she didn’t want to feel hurt as she had previously in real life. It makes sense where Rael was coming from but didn’t have to be that cruel to get your point across. However, you can’t change the past only have to look forward to the future. All that came to mind is to stay true to herself even if it hurts to do so, and it’s the reason why she has never done anything in her life that was fun. It was all for her future, and everything else didn’t matter much to herself until now.

Kalie had her eyes go wide when Lizzie alluded to something about this group they have and made her sigh with slight regret. It hurts slightly to remind herself of what she and her sister went through in their childhood. She shook her head slightly and sigh again with a bit of internal frustration at herself for all the schism between Susan and her. It took her a while to finally speak up to interject with words of her own.

” I agree with what you are saying. It wouldn’t be a family without all the emotions going through.”

In the back of her mind, she did feel like it was a bit ironic to say those words. When all Dawn had to deal with was nothing much besides chasing her future. It took her parents, and weirdly enough, it felt like her sister was trying to tell her something without saying it. She didn’t or couldn’t understand what Susan talked about at all, a bit blind and slightly naive to her sister’s feelings. Dariel said, a bit shocked her, including what Arie said, but Dariel does have a point. She smiles gently towards Dariel. The subject of flat cakes made her want to give everyone a standing ovation of how good they are. It was to help Dariel’s business by giving a great review of his cooking.

” You should try the flat cakes, everyone, they are outstanding. Dariel is great at what he does.”

A bit funny, but Dawn was basically complimenting the chef that cooked her those wonderful flat cakes. She couldn’t help but give him more praise than he deserves. She did already have some and tried to give the others a push to eat the flat cakes. They reminded her of when her mother cooked pancakes at their home in Topeka, Kansas. ’ The chocolate chip pancakes mom made were wonderful.’

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

---

For every word that the denizens spoke, Benkei held on intently. He’d spent countless hours around denizens, and none of them ever spoke the way Dariel did. The fact that he actually interjected what Sif had brought up, and gave his own opinion on things…

There was no way this was scripted. It was too focused, too particular, too familiar. Too human. Kazama had played countless games during his youth. He knew the separation between game and reality, and it fell many times with the NPC and world of the game. Hard as many developers tried, there were always the limitations that brought a player back to reality. He never thought exactly why he enjoyed the game so much, but he began to realize that it was not simply the polish of Pariah, but how perfectly crafted the world always seemed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever tried flatcakes,” Benkei said agreeably to Dariel. “I’ll have some, thank you.” He then stood up, and gently took Sif’s arm and shoulder into his hands. “Let’s talk.” he said quickly, leading her back to her table, where he sat uncomfortably close to the girl.

“There’s something wrong here.” He whispered to her, a mix of panic and excitement in his voice. ”The way these denizens are acting...it wouldn’t be aberrant game scripting. They’re thinking.”

Sif began to protest; after all the tagline of Pariah was “make your dreams a reality.” It was a system that, as they advertised, connected players to a connected “dream” where they all played. Benkei always believed it was a complete bullshit lie. Dreams? What was this, some fantasy world?

“I don’t know anything about the tech to understand the whole ‘connecting dreamers together’ aspect of it. But if you make it a game there has to be some aspect of control. Suddenly the denizens are unshackled, they can hurt us.” He gave a quick glance at Arie, then back to Sif. “It’s more…real than a dream.” What controlled the denizens? Could it be an advanced AI? The tech that went into Pariah was pretty incredible, but to give that much autonomy to a single NPC...no, that made no sense at all. An AI system that powerful would require an entire city block's worth of power. Perhaps even an entire city.

Were they something like the company’s in-game GMs, forcibly roleplaying? No, that made no sense either. This was an emergency. Even if their job was to act, situations like this would cause that facade to drop.

”I think…” Benkei’s eyes became wide with a sudden realization. A sense of horror overwhelmed his mind. ”I’m scared to say. But you see it too, don’t you?” He thought back to the English textbook they’d read during his middle school class. It was by some weirdly named British author, about some detective or doctor or something. But there was a line he distinctly remembered, and it was something that he could not get out of his head. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Pariah wasn’t a game. But then, the horror that plagued Benkei’s mind opened up into a new question of terror: What the hell was this?

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

---

“I mean, yeah, everyone does.”

The brown-haired girl wasn’t quite sure what Benkei was getting at, though she understood his concern with the NPCs and the glitch breaking down more and more of what the game “was”. Pariah Online used some kind of state-of-the-art technology. She had heard rumors that the creator of the game was linked to oneirology. Sif didn’t know anything about the study of dreams or how it pertained to the technology. She was just a high school student who was good with numbers and data.

“The characters in the game have full autonomy now.” She added, motioning to Dariel laughing as he went back into the kitchen, “Whoever hacked the system is breaking everything down. I just don’t understand why or how.”

Location: Mystic Prophecy Chapterhouse -- Thorinn, Aetheria

---

It was strange. Even as Shev entered, addressing Graves directly, he never turned to face her. No word of acknowledgement, or even a tilt of the head- he just stared straight ahead, like the curtains were the most interesting thing in the world. None of what she said was lost on him, however. Memories of his fight with Kazuki came in bursts, like gunfire, interspliced with moments from the dungeon. Too quick to process any of it except for how it felt, and that was so intense it nearly overwhelmed him. That bubbling magma in his gullet, threatening to erupt at any moment. Its rapid coming was followed swiftly by a wave of shame. He oughtta be able to control it; other people could. But every time he tried it felt like Graves was wrestling a hurricane.

It would pass through, after a time. It would leave a wreckage behind but it would pass through nonetheless.

"Little shit just doesn't know when to quit." He sucked in air through his teeth, looking- finally- to Rael. Their conversation played through his mind much slower, like a tape at half speed. It felt more meaningful now than when they'd actually talked. He hung on every word, every movement of body language. Strange. He could never recall details so minute in his other life.

Without any other option he went to his feet. Couldn't ignore him. Couldn't tell Shev or Pris to turn him away. Had to face it. Better that way. Better to confront it now than bury it and let it spread like a rot. Knowing what he should do didn't make it any fucking easier, though. He looked to Pris. "Thanks. Sorry for...bringin' all this to your doorstep."

Then he was off.

It was a short walk back to the front entrance where they'd first encountered Shev, and the common area was just to the left. Shield on the wall, just like she said. Graves slowed to a near halt as he came up to it. 'Take a moment, gather your thoughts. Don't let him piss you off- don't piss him off. He's probably just here to apologize. N' you can do that too.'

He must've looked like a complete moron standing there, psyching himself up to talk to that little twinkish bastard. This was dumb. Just get in there and bury the hatchet like two, fully functional adults.

Two steps inside and he caught sight of Seele and Kazuki. Take a deep breath. Be casual. You're taking too long to speak. Just- say something! "...Hey."

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

---

“Whoever hacked the system is breaking everything down. I just don’t understand why or how.”

That was the question. In a system like Pariah, how did one go about hacking a system that most tech nerds still didn’t understand. The idea of connecting unconscious minds, and connecting them to a server of sorts that held a shared dream had always rubbed Benkei the wrong way. How was the dream created? How did it remain stable?

“Everything about this smells bad.” Benkei added. It was enough to make him paranoid. After the events in the dungeon, he’d not slept well. He’d tossed and turned, his technical mind needed to understand what was going on, but everything was so beyond his understanding. He hated feeling like this, feeling completely disconnected and unaware. A victim of the whims of fate of the world. ”How does anyone go about hacking a dream?” That’s where his thoughts focused: how do you hack a dream. And if that was impossible, then how did the world get hacked? Either this wasn’t truly a dream, or this wasn’t a hack.

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

---

As the wayfarers discussed the new behavior exhibited by the denizens, Alex's mind crackled with new ideas, none of them constructive. It was as if he was subconsciously in some stage of denial, one in which he refused to come to terms with the gravity of their situation. He thought back to the "tech demo" theory of his he'd shared back when they had no idea what was happening. What if it was one? Their reactions could have been recorded somehow, as part of some messed up way to advertise how believable their new update was. It could've been like one of those prank shows where a camera crew would pop out at the last possible second to inform they had all been tricked.

Tempting to believe. But no, it wasn't the truth.

He wanted to sigh loudly, slap his arms on the table, do something to get the frustration out of him. But a strange new inhibition gripped at him. This was basically the real world now, so doing something like that would have been rude. It was a weird new feeling.

"Could've just been the game not working," he interjected, his voice not matching the more hushed tones the rest had started with. If a lifetime of growing up around people who were obsessed with videogames had taught him anything, it was that the only thing they loved more than videogames was complaining about them. Deadlines, microtransactions, botched sequels, rushed ports, he was vaguely aware of all of the ways a complex thing made of thousands of tiny lines of code could keel over and explode. He wanted to avoid speaking out due to his inexperience with technology, but the idea seemed too obvious not to blurt out.

"Games take years to make, and even after all they go through there's still glitches or whatever. Who's to say this isn't one? This game's a lot more ambitious than a regular one too." He avoided eye contact with the denizens. He wasn't sure if it was rude or not, but he reasoned he'd find it uncomfortable if the people he was making pancakes for were questioning his existence.

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

---

“Not like we can do anything about it.” Siegfried interjected.

His sister went off with Benkei in the corner, talking about something. Alex was going on about the glitch and now Alja was chiming in about her utter confusion with the glitch. Siegfried was training to be an electrician, not some kind of programmer. He wondered if anyone in his group had that kind of vocation to give any kind of insight.

“We’ve just gotta ignore it and treat this as we would our world.” He added, as he eyed the denizens nearby. He sighed, “Whoever is doin’ this is doing it from the outside. From the rea—our world. Nothing good is going to come from us thinking about it.”
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Location: The Laughing Worg Tavern, The City-State of Thorinn, Aetheria

---

“That’s a question for someone who knows about the game.”

Sif looked over at their group that stood near the bar as it appeared Alja and Siegfried were talking about something. She wondered why Benkei had pulled her aside to talk about the game and the game breaking down in private but then again he probably didn’t want to make the denizens uncomfortable. He seemed pretty reasonable and considerate when his brother wasn’t involved.

She thought about the techies who were in Japan as they scrambled to save their reputations. More than Atlas, Enos, and Aaginim died in-game after the glitch happened. As the death tolls increased they would most certainly have a legal fiasco on their hands. How many had died? Had they isolated the hacker’s code yet? Could they? Unshackling the system and protections in place to give the dream a ‘game-like’ environment seemed to be a huge thing to unravel and she was no programmer. She thought back to how Pariah Online boasted how it used “cutting edge” technology to create the perfect simulation fantasy game. How much of that claim was an exaggeration? Were they working with a prototype that the developers didn’t even fully understand? Such thoughts unnerved her.

She looked back to Benkei, “If you want answers, you’re going to have to find someone who is involved on the tech side of the game that happened to be logged in when the glitch happened.”

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

---

“If you want answers, you’re going to have to find someone who is involved on the tech side of the game that happened to be logged in when the glitch happened.”

Benkei grimaced at that thought. How many actual techs from the company actually entered the game? Did they need to have people acting as moderators in world? He’d not had to deal with anyone of the sort during his time playing, but surely there had to be someone. ”I’m sure that announcement they made earlier was a one-way communication. With all of the game UI gone, there’s no way to actually contact someone.”
And another question, or perhaps, another fear began to awaken in the back of his mind. What about other players who were already giving into despair? If they knew someone was a moderator, or an employee of Pariah’s company, what would they do? When people were shocked or scared, they acted out. They acted wild. They hurt people.

Benkei’s head perked up as he heard his other companions also talk about the same issue, and he waved them to join Sif and him at their table. If they were willing to discuss this, then they could build some working plan to understand exactly what was going on. With Alja as friendly as she was, perhaps she knew someone.

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

---

Kalie had taken notice of the conversation going on around her about dreams and hacking them. It made her a bit confused but with what Alja said, and after Jimmy interjected with what he said. She couldn’t help out of her understanding since she was trying to become an English Teacher and has no experience with programming. In terms, Kalie had no real idea how they would deal with this anyway. It confused her as much as everyone else, and all she did was listen to the conversation between Alja and Alex. All this made little to no sense to her, in all honesty. She could try to live her life in the world they are stuck in now. It made the most rational sense to her in what she should do. The primary thing that made her want to chime in was what Jimmy said about treating this world as their own. It made little sense in trying to overthink every little detail to the fine details of what is going on.

” I have to agree with you, Jimmy.”

Kalie had a slight headache from the reason it was hot, and she was slightly drunk, so she had to put her hand on her forehead. Add onto the headache was the massive amount of confusion she had. She tried to give what she wanted to the conversation, but it felt like she usually says when her being confused is higher than what’s going on. It always hurts a bit trying to think of a reasonable response to the whole situation. However, she looks around and notices Benkei waving them over to join Sif and him. She got up from her seat and walked over to where Sif and Benkei is.

All she does is smile at the two and take a seat since Benkei waved them over. She tries to cool herself off by waving her face down. There was probably a reason why Benkei waved them over, and she might as well have to ask. It took her a while before she decides to respond to Benkei. Her thoughts were everywhere, but the heat, the alcohol, and the confusion were getting to her.

” This is so confusing to me. All this talk about everything goes over my head slightly. Got any insight to lessen my confusion, Kazuma?”

It was a question, she supposed, since Alja and Alex’s conversation didn’t make much sense to her. In Alja’s camp of what she said to Alex over what Alex said since it made little to no sense, she was now anyways. Dawn is smart but not smart enough to understand the core reasons or principles why they are in the world of Aetheria. As if they are apart of the world now, unlike what they were previously as players of a game. There was a massive disconnection right now, and she has no idea how to make sense of the situation. Hopefully, Kazuma has a better answer to lessen her confusion. ’ All I want to do is deal with living in this world now. Until we can leave it, I suppose? Don’t know if that’s possible right now with the announcement that happened.’