Complete A Close Encounter

[Lucia Mierz]

For Lucia, the world was just as she left it, while certain things might have deteriorated, security was lacking, the atmosphere was a bit dangerous around and out in the wild things hadn't changed for the Saintess. Her tent as noble as it had been when she left four years ago, though the issue of dust and dirt had been solved after a quick wash, her liquor cabinet as fabulous as ever, her small library of obtuse and hard to understand books as packed as before. Her fancy tub was polished but not yet in use, and her bed of blankets had been smoothed out with refined silken sheets and pillows and down quilts.

It was a camp site that she was still proud of and comforted by. Sat at a small table fit only to hold some hors d'oeuvre and a round of drinks she picked at a few slices of cheese with a cocktail in the other hand while the sounds of busy workers could be heard across the camp site. Non-descript skeletons were swinging axes and heavy blades onto trees, while armored skeletons were busy stripping bark and branches for a bonfire. Each one working in tandem, in concert with one another as if pulled by the same puppeteer's strings. Though the puppeteer in question didn't spend the hard working trope a glance as if it were normal for them to be toiling away while she leisurely enjoyed her time.

Instead, the one that did capture was the steward standing beside her, towel in hand in case of a mess. And despite having no legs, suspended only by a billowing cloud of ethereal gas that escaped from his coat's bottom he was motionless and stoic as he spoke to her with a subservient and gentlemanly tone.

"--That finalizes our reports about the overgrowth in the city's vicinity. It seems it'll be quite a clean up project but not one that's impossible by any means."
"That... sounds like a lot of reclaimed wilderness for four years. Has it been longer then we suspected?"
"According to the populous it doesn't seem to be so. Once you left, we only remained active for a short while thanks to the stars before finding a safe place of refuge I'm afraid."

The woman's tone was one of a regal nature, not unlike a royal but more distinct in it's own way. Calm, hopeful but ambitious and firm with her subordinate that had a business-like cadence. The report they were speaking about however was a reflection of the route they once took through the wilderness around the city to avoid patrols and ensure they didn't interfere with normal living people. In the state of ware it was currently in traveling at their normal rate would be difficult even if she mobilized the entirety of her undead collective.

"It seems all we can do is move steadily and try to clean up as we go slowly but surely. If it's in this state of disrepair though there'll surely be some move made by Astor and company. They wouldn't let the normal folk be distressed by this."
"Then I suppose there's no need to rush-- what a relief."

It was a rare moment of tranquility before or even perhaps after the storm, but that was why they had to enjoy it more. One day her army would march again, and until then she wanted to dust them off and wash away some of the rust with activity.

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

Flanked by an armored skeleton on each side of her, Triss couldn't help but realize that perhaps she should've stayed closer to the town.

There had been whispers—she was sure of it! Or, well, okay; maybe she didn't actually hear whispers. But there was a sensation of...tugging...and that sensation had led her away from the village she had been occupying for the past two hours. It wasn't big enough to be considered a questing hub and the few little fetch quests she had completed on her own had given her pitiful experience points. Part of her was content with the idea to head to the inn, log out, and call it a night, but there was something else that kept her here.

And it tugged her away from the inn, away from the town, off the road, and into this—well, she didn't really know where she was. The land was completely overgrown and though she had seen people in the distance, they had turned out to be working skeletons when she had gotten up close and personal. And now they were taking her...somewhere...

It didn't take long for her to figure out just where they were escorting her and who she was to see.

"I ain't be meaning ta trespass on ya property," Trissayne says once they come to a stop, her gaze bouncing from Lucia to the ghost (?) at her side and then back to the lady. Was this...another player character? Or perhaps an NPC?

Shit, was she about to get herself killed?!

"Got a bit loss following mah feet." She gives a small smile, a humorless chuckle, her thumb pressing against each of her knuckles in turn at her sides. "I ain't be touching nothing and I ain't be harming no wun. So, ah, ain't be no reason ta be keeping me."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia paused the moment there was a disturbance on the edge of the logging area. While her summons weren't exactly bright at the lower tiers, she still felt a ping whenever something interrupted the task that they were given. As expected, when they returned to their work the ones to retrieve the source of the anomaly were members of her paladin order rather then the low level workers. She had a lot of faith in the Paladins that Sylvanas led, that was clear from her casual attitude, even if someone wandered in, she didn't have the faintest belief that she'd come to any serious harm no matter who it might be in this area.

"Hm, one seems to have gotten lost, shall I turn them away?"
"Mm... No. It's alright, I'll take this one."

Lucia spoke and turned in her chair to face Triss while taking a prolonged sip from her glass. An evaluating glance, one made from a place that was higher up and looking downwards despite sitting down her regal demeanor didn't diminish in the slightest. After a few moments she gestured to the steward and spoke casually.

"We might as well see how things have been in town since I ran off. Prepare her a chair and a glass."

With a dismissive wave, the Wraith almost vanished into the back before returning in a flicker of fog, a well crafted chair in hand he set down at the opposite side of the table. At first setting it down facing it directly like an interrogation, but after some thought intentionally skewed it to one side to give it a more casual feel out of consideration. The ghostly assassin set a crystalline glass still frosted from wherever it had been retrieved from and set it down at the table before gesturing to the chair. His demeanor gentle, but despite his mask and gentlemanly atmosphere he was strict in his actions.

"Don't be so stressed, loosen up some. I'm not one for stuffy formal gestures and the like. I'm just curious about what you saw in town and why your first destination was here."

Though Lucia was the one who asked about Triss's reasons, she'd be unaware of various things Triss might be able to sus out about her. While Lucia sat it wasn't merely skeletons that wandered by but souls as well occasionally passed by, brushing over her or moving by her as if lured towards her despite her inability to use or manipulate them. Most of her summons also lacked souls and were instead fueled by something different and foreign that filled that void and kept them moving mechanically. Of course, while these observations were being made, Mortimer would return presenting a bottle of brandy or cider as if to say they didn't have a wine option at the moment.

 

[Nyx]

She...doesn't like that.

Maybe it's because she recognizes that look, that assessing stare which understands the make and potential of a person with the barest amount of information. Even as she straightens her spine and locks her hands behind her back, she has to wonder what Lucia sees. What does this woman, surrounded by the dead and undead (?) make of her, a newbie, standing so proudly in her presence.

Because Trissayne Lavelle does not lower her eyes and does not look away.

Imagine her surprise when the first words from Lucia's lips are not condemning nor disparaging. In all honesty, it is unexpected and Triss is left standing there, blinking, her attention roving from the chair placed for her to the lady who apparently owned (??) everything around them.

She clears her throat. "Uh, not much in da city," she murmurs while striding forward, her fingers curling around the rear of the chair to steady it while she sits down. Her shoulders remain up near her earlobes and her spine is too straight. It's obvious she's still on guard, still uncomfortable, but she at least knows her manners.

"I'm...new," Triss continues, her smirk forced, "and was just doing da quests ta get more experience. Like I be saying, was just following mah feet and dey led me here."

She pauses, her tongue creeping out and wetting her lips.

"Cept, I don't be knowing where here be. Or who you be."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Proud wouldn't bother Lucia, it would hardly even register as such to the Witch who drew power from her own envy. Most people had something to be proud of, something to be confident in, even she herself had her companions and friends she took pride in. It wasn't worth judging or condescending someone just because their current situation may not be as glamorous by comparison.

Instead she furrowed her brow at the thought that not much was happening in the city. It didn't sound right at least, there should be some kind of activity, event or something or another. She'd have to go back and check once all of her furniture had been put back together and rebuild properly.

"I see... So nothing's going on. Can we keep tabs on that?" She'd ask glancing to Mortimer at one side, the Wraith merely nodding it's head in silence to answer. Taking a sip herself of her own drink as she listened to Triss's story, she couldn't help setting it down and exhaling a labored sigh. A newbie, it was somewhat clear from the equipment alone, but 'doing the quests' meant there was yet more individuals who merely jumped through the hoops and went through the motions. "Is it fun? Playing like that?" She'd ask, but if Triss seemed uncertain about what she was getting at she'd continue. "Being told 'go kill this' or 'get this skill here' or 'deliver this item'. Is that type of game fun?" She'd ask in question, genuinely uncertain rather then condescending or disparaging the choice to play that way. At least it was a method of play Lucia herself couldn't find much fun in.

"I'm Lucia Mierz. A Duchess-- No, perhaps a former Duchess of the Player Territories. A Saintess for the undead, self-proclaimed saintess I suppose but I don't see anyone else able to convince a Goddess to help in an event." She mused on her past achievements. She'd called herself a saintess because of Synra descending during one event, a duchess because of her noble title when she helped invest in the city. For all her accolades though she lacked any kind of castle or place for her undead to settle which still bothered her as she fiddled with her glass on the table.

"As for 'where here be', it's very much in the depths of the wilderness. I don't fancy the city considering the company I keep and the hypocrisy I tend to find. Everyone likes to pretend to be the heroes and the good guys when they go out and butcher the locals." She commented with a sigh again. She'd lost faith in some of the others who played, not to say they weren't good people or didn't care, but many saw the world in terms of XP and items rather then as a living breathing thing.

@Trissayne Lavelle

 

[Nyx]

It felt like the wrong answer and Triss can't help but shift slightly in her chair. She hadn't seen anything happening in the city, but, admittedly, she also hadn't stayed that long. She hadn't looked around and investigated anything. She had completed two quests and then found that tugging sensation drawing her out and away from civilization. And now, she was here, sitting across—well, they had yet to exchange names, but Triss wasn't an idiot.

If this person wasn't, well, a person, then they were probably the most powerful NPC in the area.

...Also, nix the thought about them not exchanging names. Patience was a virtue, one that Triss sorely lacked.

"Trissayne Lavelle," she intones with a small nod. "You be da first...royalty...I've met so far. And all da way out here?" Looking around, she can't help the skepticism that colors her tone nor the way her eyebrows nearly meet her hairline. This was shit for a duchy. "Didja piss off da king or was dis your actual plan?"

And then she clears her throat as her mind brings forward Lucia's other remark. She tsks and then lifts her shoulders in a shrug. "I ain't really da video games type. Was—mm, is—more my brodah's ting dan mine. But, I be finding myself wit a lot of time on my hands and now I be logging in more dan I dought I would." A small smile pulls across her mouth and her right leg lifts to cross over the left at the knee.

"And if I ain't going around catching kitty cats and delivering apple pies, den how else am I gonna level up? Dats the point, right? Get strongah ta face all da big bad tings out dere dat lingah in da dark." Her green eyes sparkle with mirth.

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Tilting her head, Lucia continued with a hum, a charming musing tone as she considered whether or not she'd still count as any kind of royalty. With the way things had happened she wasn't sure if her title still remained as it was at least. "I can't be certain if it still counts, but I was certainly one before. That's also something I should probably look into." Though at the girl scanning her surroundings, she couldn't help a modest chuckle. It looked bad now perhaps, but that was with 4 years of seemingly accelerated wild reclamation. Once things were cultivated and civilized once more it would become a bit more peaceful. "My territory is probably worse, but this is where I spent a bulk of my time before. Things were a work in progress even back then though... I had more hands... More help. Unfortunately, 4 years away does a lot to a space apparently." She spoke, half questioning as well how four years could lead to the trees and greenery she'd seen on her way over.

Then the lack of her friends and former companions though they all seemed to disappear on their own. It brought a twinge of melancholy, what were they doing now? Where'd they disappear to? If they wanted to talk to her they would have, if they wanted to be here they would have probably. Perhaps she was a bad leader, bad friend or partner-- that was her only explanation as she finished her drink daintily.

Though when asked about how the game was played, jogged her back to the present. When asked how the game was played, she'd crack a charming grin, as if to say 'if only you knew'. For Lucia the game was fascinating, anyone who developed themselves delivering tools or cutting down beasts like a savage was missing out on the most exciting parts.

Pushing the Cheese tray to the side away from the table, Mortimer would catch and remove it before it fell, but once the space was clear, Lucia would rest a clenched fist on it exerting some power and strength until tranquil lights could be seen glowing between her fingers. When she opened it a spiraling solar system appeared, complete with planets and moons in an effort to imitate the real one. "You know what this is... If you've had a chance to look at a map in game here you'll know where we are too. This game is heavily influenced by the structures of our real world, so much so that the building blocks are essentially the same, Landmasses basically the same, bodies of water, positions of stars-- It's all in line with our own but despite the similarities the there are many things that set it apart." She started. Her fingers moving, tugging and pushing the air like a puppeteer pulling strings. Each gesture, zooming in, rotating, expanding and erasing the until they settled on the rotating earth and moon.

"You gain 'experience' delivering a pie, but that pie won't help you feel the Fate's Weave, the one you return the kittens to won't teach you about unmelting ice or fire that can burn water or blades that can cut light itself. Those people will tell you you'll unlock things gradually if you stab enough baddies to gain 'experience' but if you want real experience the best way would be to immerse yourself in the world. What makes it tick, how can you play with it, what's the limits of what you can do right now and how can you better refine that technique in the days and weeks to come?" She'd ask tilting her head. If Triss seemed confused, she'd just pull her hand back, the resistance being there as her fingers tangled with purple strings that seemed to stretch into the dark and distant horizon, tugging them gingerly as if they would only be visible while she was moving them.

"Everything is connected in one way or another, if you continue down this path I've no doubt you'll be able to be strong enough just through doing these chores... But I encourage you to blaze your own trail. Study what you're capable of and what you can achieve before you let yourself be influenced by the game's systems and numbers. If you start early enough you'll have levels you'll find there are levels to achieve beyond levels, and masteries beyond masteries-- As difficult as they are to obtain, a chance is better then not knowing mm?" She tried to offer with a kind smile, shaking her hand to untangle the strings and calm down the little visual aid until Mortimer set down the platter once more.

 

[Nyx]

Four years.

There's a vague memory of four years ago, of getting home from a long day of work, feet tired, brain fried, and flopping on the couch. The TV hums as it turns on and the news fires up in a spray of color across the screen: KILLER VRMMO DEFEATED. At the time, it was largely just background noise to a dinner of KFC and cherry coke. Now? That little kernel of dread swirls in her stomach at the realization of what this game once did to people, to families, to children. She was playing that game right now.

Lucia doesn't give her the chance to truly freak out for which Triss is thankful. Instead, conversation and attention turn to the woman's hand and the swirling, glittering galaxy she holds there. And like a raccoon that has seen something shiny, Trissayne cannot help herself when she reaches out with a finger and attempts to touch one of the planets.

The surface of it ripples as if she had just dipped her finger into a pond of water. The feeling, however, is one of electricity; low voltage, barely anything to wince or write home about, but it does make her eyes widen a fraction. And then they turn to Lucia as the Duchess speaks, the passion for this game—no, this world—evident in every lyric.

As she finishes, Triss sits back in her seat, her eyes squinting at the other woman, her mouth tugged down at the corners, her foot bouncing as the silence wraps around them. "It just be a game," she says slowly, chewing on each word as it leaks from between her teeth. A muscle in her jaw jumps and she clears her throat. "Listen, I don't be knowing much about numbahs and coding, but all dis is—it can't be like how ya be describin. Ya can't be doing more dan da developahs be wanting or allowing ya to. Dere are rules, strict wuns here, ya? How ya gonna be going about breakin dem or stretching dem witout getting banned?"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia couldn't help shrugging. People who approached it like a game would forever play a game, people who approached it wanting to be alive would experience a new world. To her it was a matter of perspective, the fact that the woman seemed set on 'the game' was disappointing. It showed in her expression, a mix of Envy and Pity. "The real world must not be so bad to you then. I envy that really, having something to be excited for outside, something that makes you smile that you can look at this game and not want to lose yourself in it." She couldn't help a sad sigh, defeated almost. It was something that wasn't in the cards for her, reality was poison, and every day she wasted cleaning the cafe, trading fancy coffees and pastries for money, going through the motions of staying alive just so she could wake up tomorrow to go through the motions again. That people could find something fulfilling in that-- she Envied.

"Then let me ask you this. I have two deaths in this game already, One more and I will be UI locked, my body outside will be dead, and me inside will be as I am now. What do you think, will I still be alive? Will I be dead? Will it still be a game after that? Is the pain I feel here just part of the game? Is our conversation just a part of the game?" She asked with a mellow smile. To Lucia it wasn't a game, even if there was no UI lock option, the AI she immersed herself in, the smiles she shared, the people she loved. They weren't less real just because they happened in a game. If Triss still felt the need to continue her line of thought about the game, Lucia would follow up with a dry chuckle. "There's rules in our world too aren't there; Thermal dynamics, Gravity, Energy exchange. Just because you know there are rules, it's a part of being human to push the limits and challenge them regardless. It's how we've achieved flight, how we've begun exploring the ocean's depths, how we've learned about genetics and isotopes." She explained with a hand gesture, as if there were hundreds of 'rules' humanity had broken since it's first steps.

The topic of being banned was only more amusing to her. Chuckling she couldn't help tipping her empty glass at Triss with a charming smile. "You think I'm telling you to try hacking? In this game? How one would even go about it, it's an amusing idea... But no. You would be mistaken. The things I'm talking about are very achievable for anyone willing to immerse themselves. The ones who desire more, or aren't satisfied with just going through the motions or pushing buttons." She explained content and amused. After all she'd worked hard achieving those types of things, working hard to make systems for herself and undead to thrive. Though the more they talked, Lucia couldn't help perking a brow in question, the girl didn't seem to treat the game as anything more then entertainment. It made her choice sound odd. "I will say. If this is just a game for you... Why are you here? Why not play something else? There are stakes here dear, stakes I've come to terms with and accept because somethings are worth the risk... But it doesn't seem like you have anything like that here." She asked perplexed.

 

[Nyx]

She doesn't interrupt Lucia as the Duchess speaks. She allows her to say everything she needs to and Trissayne takes it all in, keeping her gaze level on this woman sitting across from her. She doesn't move, her breathing remains even, and the lines on her face stay relaxed. She listens, she digests, and she understands, to a point, and it leaves her with questions, many of them, and quite a few statements.

Lifting her index finger, Triss begins to speak. "Youn. My life outside dis game is routine. I see da same folks everyday, do da same job every day. Noting to smile about, eh? Noting to look forward to odah dan a check at da end of da week. But dat's life for da average person. No, it doesn't make me wanna lose myself in a death game."

She wets her lips while lifting a second finger. "De. Ya body outside will be dead and ya soul will be trapped here? Or, I guess, your consciousness? And dats all okay to you?" She leans forward in her chair, a frown making the muscles in her face clench. "Ya be hating ya life outside dis game dat much?" she whispers.

Leaning back in her chair, getting comfortable once more, she lifts a third finger. "Twa. Sometimes I don't be going out on da weekends and want someting ta pass da time wit. Am not...looking ta replace mah whole existence wit a video game. I not ever tried an em-em-oh before and I taught to myself dat I may like it." She lowers her hand to her lap. "It's different, it's new, it's unlike anyting I have played before. But dat don't mean I'm willing to risk my life ta play. Dat's crazy."

And though a part of her knew she shouldn't, she looks pointedly at the woman across from her. "Ya really gonna sit dere and tell me dat dis game is, what, a...a... exactly like da real world? Dat ya can get past all da code and invisible walls to find someting more? Dat dere even is something more?" She gives a very unladylike snort.

"I may be a newbie ta dis game, Lady Lucia, but am not dumb."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Shaking her head, smile not losing that twinge of melancholy. It was a matter of perspective, one Lucia wouldn't try to enforce if the woman didn't want. "A Routine nice enough to not want a change, folks nice enough that you'll go through the motions not left wanting or desiring something-- Someone different. If that's not something to smile about dear, perhaps I'm lost in the plot. You say nothing to look forward to 'But'... It's not so different." She offered patiently. She didn't believe there was anyone out there who didn't want an escape, if you weren't a prince or a wealthy CEO... if you didn't have responsibilities to family why not escape?

When asked if it was okay with her though, Lucia's smile brightened, charming, alluring. A very sunny smile of contentment as she nodded. "Whether it's my soul or my consciousness, I don't rightly know. But I would rather be me I am now, free... needed... welcomed. The me that has a purpose, a dream, a goal. Then I would be the me that's asleep out there. Going through the routine, waking up, eating, working, eating again, sleeping, over and over. A stranger in a crowd, a background character in my own story." She offered with a gentle gesture. Her smile curling slightly, a touch of schadenfreude in it as she asked. "What do you think? Where do I seem more alive dear?" Lucia asked tilting her head as if to see if Triss would have an alternative thought.

When she mentioned wanting something to pass the time, about not going out on the weekends, Lucia almost scoffed. She wouldn't call someone a liar, but it seemed like a bizarre response for someone so weary of the possibility of ending it all in a game. "My... So in order to pass the time-- And do correct me if I'm wrong dear. You chose the illegal MMO that was recognized by not just one government, but that the world's collective governments as an illegal and dangerous software to pass your time. Doing so fully aware that there are consequences to your own life should you find yourself in trouble, wandering out here towards my camp site away from the safety of the city... And you chose so only because it was new and exciting-- Not because you're unsatisfied with your daily life, but because you wanted to pass the time and you thought it would be fun?" Lucia asked, a bit of mirth in her smile. She wouldn't judge, if that was the woman's desire, she wouldn't try to insist she was wrong. Sometimes however, it took hearing what you say from a stranger to digest it as she continued. "But It's crazy to risk your life to play this game because someone doesn't like who they are in reality and wants to escape from it before they're forced to return?"

That was something she would let sink in. Playing with her empty glass while watching the woman with a smile that gradually returned to it's state of melancholy. Particularly when the girl questioned her on the what the nature of real was, it was almost hurtful, it showed on her face. "Tell me dear, do you consider yourself real right now? Your thoughts, your feelings, are they somehow less real while right now? When you laid down to turn this game on, did you stop being a real person?" Lucia couldn't help but ask, her smile growing faint. "I'm not saying this game is magic nor would I insinuate you were dumb, but like our world is built from lines and clusters of atoms this world is built from code that has the same functionality... I just wanted to point that out to you since you were new. The NPCs here bleed just like we do in reality, their bodies are made up of muscle tissues and bones, and they have hopes and dreams. And like our reality one doesn't grow properly from just delivering pie or killing anything with a pulse. That if you give it a chance, this game can be more then just numbers for you-- It can be a chance to become something different--" She started. Fists clenching briefly, but after a pause she relaxed, tasting the bitterness in her words, she leaned back in her chair and tried to exhale. She felt the scale inside tipping slightly, and tried not to be agitated.

"Perhaps I've made too many assumptions though. Some people do like to 'play' their own way I suppose... I'm sorry." She'd add on with deep exhale.

 

[Nyx]

Silence, heavy and uncomfortable, stretches between them. Trissayne, for all that her gut continues to tell her, refuses to take her eyes off of Lucia, off the smile that curls across the Duchess's lips. She was not a violent person by any means, but in that instant, she had a clear picture of rising from her chair and bringing her hand across the other's face if for no other reason than to wipe it off.

She swallows the impulse and keeps her hands clenched together in her lap.

"Da game was on da device when it was fixed. I bought it from da pawn store, if you must know." Her words come with force, her nostrils flaring with contained anger. "And I tought to myself, dere is no way dat dis is da same game dat killed all dose people four years ago. And ya have confirmed dat what I tought was wrong: dis is exactly dat game." Her exhale is sharp and the stiff muscles in her legs protest as she heaves herself to her feet. She ignores the pins and needles that scamper over her feet and up her calves. There was no way she was staying.

"And ya be crazy as a loon if ya be tinking dat dese tings around you are anyting more dan hyper-realistic bits of code. It's a game, a deadly fucking game, and noting more. Ya wanna be stuck here so bad, den why don'tcha just get yaself locked in, eh? If dat can even happen!" She scoffs, gently shaking her head in what is obviously disbelief. It was silly for her to be getting as worked up as she was, but there was something about Lucia's lack of emotive response that rubbed her the wrong way.

There was something about everything Lucia had said that rubbed her the wrong way...

"Make all da assumptions ya want; ya ain't da first and ya won't be da last." Another harsh snort rips across the thin membrane of her nostrils. "But I ain't gotta sit here and listen ya insanity. And I won't."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

With a sad expression, Lucia remained leaned back in her chair, exhaling another breath in response to the visceral reaction. The woman didn't know, about this world or it's inhabitants. She hadn't yet gotten the chance to see the life drain out of a character's eyes, to see the temple's priestesses stress over providing food for orphans, to see scars left behind by wars and violence on the world and it's people. Lucia had seen, Zeus had lost his arm because of her. Three villages of people disappeared for her Necronimicon thanks to cursed coins. They killed a castle full of elves, and there will yet be more.

Maintain calm, be tranquil. Once she was certain she was fine, she'd smile once more in understanding. "I see, an accident then? Is the game not heavily publicized where you live then? I'd been under the impression it was under the impression that word had spread further. I'm a little worried about trying random applications on a repaired device though." She offered out of concern. Certainly this game was a danger but what if the device had something more malevolent or risky? Some type of scam or camera to take advantage of someone, the thought was unpleasant.

Though being called hyper realistic bits of code, Lucia frowned in discomfort. "As we're hyper realistic bits of meat. With electrical impulses moving our bodies. I've already elaborated on the similarities between there and here after all." She tried to assert but the woman didn't seem to care. She couldn't understand the reason for this intense emotional response. Was the girl not here also playing this game? If it was such a big deal why hadn't she logged out yet?

It was however, the phrase 'why don't you let yourself get locked' in that provoked a different reaction. An audible sound of metal grinding, crunching and crumbling. The source was Lucia's lead Knight, The Elven Wight Queen Sylvanas. The woman's fists were clenched so tightly it was warping her gauntlets, anger twisting through her form as it trembled with rage but she didn't move. Glaring daggers, but remaining unmoving, trying to stay stone-faced so as to not cause problems for Lucia who was trying to earnestly appeal.

Likewise Mortimer who had been not far, standing by in the event Lucia needed anything from food or drink to paper or pen remained equally still. Silent, doing a much better at containing his feelings but equally unsatisfied by their guest's behavior. From time to time the wraith's gloved hands would flex and clench with anticipation of refining a great piece.

At some point in their discussion, the sounds of axes all stopped swinging, the skeletons and undead turning to watch, all restraining themselves with equal intensity. Those few armored paladins who were smarter then the lower tier workers had already taken steps forward while others held onto their shoulder guards instead to ensure none took another step just in case.

Rather, Lucia raised a hand to restrain them though it didn't help. The intelligent ones had to turn their heads away. Sylvanas in particular staring holes into the ground while Mortimer pulled his hat down a little further. Lucia spoke with a bitter smile. "I've considered it, certainly. If you have doubts though, would you like to meet one? One who was trapped here I mean." She offered, it wouldn't be hard to arrange a meeting at least. Though if she was determined to leave, Lucia would only sigh, saddened, disappointed. "If you'd like to go back, stay safe, the wilds are dangerous for new players, particularly the ones who rely on the system." She offered hoping Triss would at least stay safe.

 

[Nyx]

Her fingers curl into fists at her sides. She feels the snark dancing on her tongue, those venomous words prepared to prattle out in what would be, no doubt, another long tired, but Triss also feels the air...shift.

A whisper, something that she can't make out, not clearly, but it still grabs her attention, forces her to look away from Lucia for a moment. It's only a moment that she needs. The others have gone quiet, gone still, and the threat they presented lingered like smoke in the air, ready to wrap around her throat and squeeze until she was nothing more than a husk at the feet of their...Duchess.

She swallows. She clears her throat. She forces herself to relax the tense muscles in her shoulders and uncurl every finger that had been locked in preparation to fight. Her exhale is shaky, but the sensation of breathing lowers some of the hostility she can feel buzzing through her body like a swarm of bees.

Some, not all.

"Non," Trissayne says in answer to her question. "I be returning ta da pie delivery and kitty cat catching." The smile she gives is not pleasant nor friendly, and the half-bow she forces her spine into could be considered mocking instead of submissive. Completing that, she stands, stiffly, turns on her heel, and begins to make the very long walk back to town.

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

It was disappointing for Lucia, she was no stranger to people not agreeing with her outlook, there had been many like that as she traversed the game. She knew quite well how broken and perhaps demented her view might be in the eyes of normal folk, but she chose happiness quite freely. How many of the new players would understand or listen, how many more people should she give this lecture to and how much more should she endure. She tasted that bitterness again before shaking her head as the girl began to walk back.

The first one to move wasn't Lucia. The scaled spear was dragged through the dirt as an armored foot advanced finally finding an outlet for the feelings that had been contained within the armor. "I'm going. This one is mine." Sylvanas spoke, for a moment crimson red eyes brightened further like malevolent stars. Crouching with clear intent to leap the distance in one go.

It was a hand that stopped her, a gold edged black glove that came to her armored shoulder to stop her from jumping. "No. I should go. Our Miss needs you more. This type of work is usually my duty after all Commander." The wraith tried to interject having traversed the distance to the knight in a blink. A simple blade already rotating between the fingers of the opposite hand.

While her subordinates argued and tried to insist, Lucia couldn't help a small smile as they competed. Both angry and unable to restrain it any more, she didn't order this, it was a provoked reaction wholly their own. Who could watch these two, feel the weight of their anger and the heat of their passion and not think they were 'real'. "It's fine..." She spoke to defuse the situation. Though it made both Sylvanas and Mortimer frustrated when they turned to her, she only smiled back faintly. "... I tried my best mm? I suppose I'm not as articulate as I like to pretend to be." She chuckled at herself but it defused the anger and hate quickly. The pair of undead gradually relaxing and returning to their positions.

"Shall I prepare something else then? At this rate it will still be a while before all of the woodworks are finished."
"... I'm calling Morgana."

The pair shifted gears to different objectives when they noticed her mood. It brightened her smile briefly as she settled in her chair, folding her hands and pulling her knees up into it with her. "Let us continue with the work as we planned... We've nothing but time. The Fate's Weave is never wrong." Lucia explained as she settled into her new position. In answer to the assertion though the pair would only briefly exchange looks before disappearing.

Mortimer vanishing in a flicker of movement while Sylvanas crouched low and sored high into the air as they went their separate ways to expedite the projects. All the while the sounds of axes chopping and blades shaving continued into the woods.