Complete Eastern Brisshal Bearly Begun

[Vina Skysong]

Oh, that's definitely true. I never would agree with someone living their life just to hurt others.

Cleo raised a good point, namely that some people would wish to exploit and abuse others if given the opportunity. As someone who cared for everyone's well-being, Vina would never agree with that, and she quickly corrected herself after the red-haired lancer pointed out the flaw in her previous statement.

But everyone should be able to be happy without hurting others, right? I can't imagine there being anyone who can only truly be happy if it comes at the expense of others.

Her ears drooped a little bit at the thought, as such an individual must truly be a sad one. What kind of life must one have lived, that only the pain of others could bring happiness, however temporary? The vixen glanced over her shoulder out of the window, up at the moon that shone brilliantly in the night sky, even if it failed to illuminate the land the way the sun did.

She suppressed a yawn as she turned her attention back to Cleo, who was currently kicking the air as she talked a bit more about herself. The vixen listened attentively, leaning forward and in the process obscuring her nude form partially with her long hair.

It's very impressive that you already managed to achieve your goal at such a young age~ And, even better, if you've already completed your goal you now have more free time to find other things you want to do~

She did note that Cleo hadn't actually explained what she did, but that wasn't really important to Vina. She just wanted to get to know her friend better.

I knew from a young age that I wanted to focus on art, and I think I've made good progress in that area. But I certainly can't say that I'm already a master, as there's always more to learn~

Pushing herself away from the windowsill she'd walk over to the bed and sit down next to Cleo.

If you're looking to help others I'm always willing to help out as well~ With the two of us we should be able to keep other people safe, and I'm sure there are others who have the same goal as us~!

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Good, they were in agreement that people who wished to hurt others shouldn't just be allowed to live that way just because people deserved the right to freedom. Safety would always rank before freedom in terms of importance, at least in Cleo's mind. It seemed to her that Vina was of the same opinion, though, so she felt a little bit more comfortable with both having and expressing that opinion out loud. If anything, it seemed like this game might be a good chance to meet likeminded individuals. It made sense, after all, like was attracted to like and people with similar interests would obviously be drawn towards the same medium.

Of course, she was only here for a job. She had to remember that.

Well, you'd be surprised. My job means I've had to deal with some truly awful, unpleasant people, many of whom are locked behind bars and very unlikely to reenter society. Sometimes the cruelty of others surprises me even still.

She shrugged. If she were a smoker, this would be where she would take a long drag, or maybe she would reach for a bottle of whisky and pour herself a shot, like they did in the movies. She did nod when Vina complimented her for managing to achieve her goals, thankful for the compliment even though it did mean that they were, essentially, on opposite sides. They could work together though, to preserve as much life as possible. That was what Vina was seeming to suggest, anyway.

Ah, I never did pursue a creative talent, so I think I am possibly about as good as I can possibly be in what I do.

She felt the bed shift as the nude vulpine sat next to her, the offer to help each other keep people safe coming, as she'd known it would come. Still, it made her smile and nod.

Sure. We just have to keep as many people safe as possible. Then maybe others will follow in our footsteps.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina's ideas of what kind of job Cleo might have, took a sharp turn as the lancer explained in more detail, the vixen looking rather surprised as her friend went on to talk about cruel people locked away in jails so they could no longer be a threat to others. That sounded a lot more intense than anything Vina would have expected, although it did make her think back to how smoothly Cleo had charged into the fray to take down the bear and fight off the wolves.

Are you a police officer or a lawyer then? I don't think I've ever met anyone who was so twisted that they should be locked away.

That was far from the most pleasant of topics, especially since Vina wasn't sure she was in agreement with how criminals were treated in many countries. Rehabilitation should be preferable over punitive measures, but that really wasn't a topic she wanted to dive into right now.

I wouldn't have taken you for someone who deals with such cases, but it does explain why you have such a strong desire to help people~ The best I can do is try to inspire people and make their day a bit better~

While she said it as if her chosen profession of art was lesser than Cleo's, Vina didn't actually believe there was anything wrong with being an artist. Choose what you want to be, after all.

Art is something you can easily pursue in your spare time, but I can imagine that if you had such a passion for your job you haven't tried it before~ It's very admirable~

She pulled her feet onto the bed, resting her arms on her knees as she rested her head on time while keeping her azure eyes on Cleo.

I'm sure others like us are already out there, we just have to find them so we can work together. The community of Terrasphere is very friendly, at least it was before the shutdown~

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Something like that, yes. I don't actually make any arrests or represent anybody in court, but you could call me something of a specialist that people call in for advice when it comes to the legal system.

That sounded vague enough to be anything, like a legal aid. In truth, she wasn't sure whether she should just admit to being a detective, but she figured that people might be less inclined to tell things to a detective, rather than somebody that they thought was little more than an assistant. Some kind of aid who only gave people advice and never actually directly interacted with the legal system in any way. Not that Vina seemed like the type to be distrustful of cops or detectives, but there was no point in taking the risk of alienating a contact so soon for no good reason.

It does mean that I get called in to talk to people on both sides of the spectrum, the criminals and the law. There are some issues on both sides of the field that nobody seems willing to meet on, like the conditions in prisons and stuff like that. All I can do is give advice though...

She sighed, flopping backwards until she was laid back, staring up at the ceiling, listening to Vina talk. She was unsure about the comments about the community, it was entirely possible that the girl was seeing things through rose tinted lenses, but it wasn't bad information either. If the player culture did frown upon killing each other and uplifted acts of teamwork and companionship, then it was at least a good sign that she wouldn't have to be making any serious decisions trying to save one player from another that was trying to kill them.

What were things like before the shutdown? From what you've said, it sounds like things are a bit different now.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

That did sound a lot like Cleo was some kind of lawyer. While the most popular example of a lawyer was someone who presented their client in court, most of a lawyer's work manifested itself as paperwork or legal consultation.

Being a legal advisor does seem like hard work. So many things to keep in mind in every situation, and try to satisfy your client within the boundaries of the law.

Seeing that Cleo also wasn't entirely with the status quo, Vina reached out and patted her friend on the shoulder.

You can only do your best to help, and hope that over time we can make things better~ I'm sure your clients appreciate your work~

She had to suppress another yawn despite still listening to Cleo. The day had been fairly long, and quite hectic near the end, so the druidess was getting rather sleepy. Still, she wasn't going to just drop the conversation, at least not quite yet. When Cleo asked what the world of Terrasphere had been like before the shutdown Vina hummed, following Cleo's example by laying down on the bed so the two of them could stare up at the ceiling.

Since the servers have only opened recently I can't be sure about everything, but it seems like the world is more developed. When we Travelers first arrived Falderen already existed, but it was like one of those fantasy stories where everything is peaceful before the great evil arrives that the hero has to vanquish. There was quite a lot of space in which we Travelers could shape the world, but while we were gone for four years it looks like the Travelers who were stuck in this world have been busy.

It may just be a gut feeling, but it's like this world doesn't exist for us to explore and have fun in, it's just a world we visit. On top of that, we didn't know that the game killed people until several weeks before the shutdown, so everyone was much more carefree.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo groaned and sighed, nodding. Well, now she had to play the part of a legal advisor, but that wasn't so bad and she was pretty sure she could nail the thought processes that came along with the everyday life somebody with that kind of occupation would live. Considering it wasn't too far from her own actual occupation, it wasn't all that hard of an act to pull off, all things considered.

Tell me about it. It's even worse when there are people that just don't want to listen to reason, even though I'm the one that has dealt with stuff far more than they have. Clearly they're the expert and I'm just a novice.

She threw her hands up with a sigh, letting them flop back down as Vina pat her on the shoulder in some kind of comforting gesture, though she did pick up on the girl's yawn and figured that Vina must have been getting tired as the conversation went on. Well, either that or she happened to find Cleo extremely boring, but it was getting late and so she would give the druid the benefit of the doubt when it came to that. Besides, she wasn't exactly the best conversationalist, even if she was far from being the worst person ever at it.

Instead she settled for listening to Vina's current opinion of the world and her feelings on how it had changed, a thoughtful look crossing the agent's face as the foxgirl talked. Just a world they visited, rather than somewhere for them to explore and have fun. It made her wonder if there were people that weren't as happy with the game anymore, after having been locked out of it for four years.

Do you think you miss how it used to be? When people were carefree and it felt like a world that could be lived in?

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Some people can be very stubborn, so the best you can do is keep trying and hope they'll listen~

One of the first lessons you learned on the internet was that people could be very insistent that they knew best and that everyone else should listen to them. You didn't even need the internet for that lesson: the internet just made it much more blatant. Even someone as optimistic as Vina couldn't deny this issue, although her personal experience was that most people could calm down and become more reasonable as long as you didn't agitate them.

But if they come to you for advice they must respect your expertise to some extent, so most of them can't be that bad, right?

The question of whether Vina missed those days was pretty easy to answer, but at the same time, it was also a complicated thought. The druidess let out a sigh.

I really wish we could go back to not having to worry about how dying in the game might cause psychological trauma or even death in our world. And it was nice to feel like you could go anywhere and do anything without having to worry much about it~ But you can still live in this world, as long as you're willing to adapt to it. It's just not as malleable as before, which I think is good for the people who live here but does mean we have to be a bit more careful in how we act.

She fell silent for a couple of seconds, azure eyes looking beyond the ceiling and into the dark of space, before she continued.

I do miss it, but it's a lot like how you miss being a child once you've grown up. You get a lot out of growing up, but when you were a child everything was simpler~

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well you might be right, though whether or not they actually take my advice or not, I do still get paid for consultations and things like that, so I suppose I don't have too much to complain about considering the fact that I can eat, live and sleep thanks to the money the job gets me. It's important to remember to be thankful for the things you have, I suppose.

Life had taught her that it just wasn't worth helping people that didn't want to be helped unless it was quite literally a matter of life or death, in which case there was something of an obligation to do everything that she could in order to help them. Still, most people she dealt with, as a whole, weren't all that bad, but the outliers really did do a good job of dragging the whole experience down. Plus, even at their very best, most people didn't like a detective making questions and statements targetted at them. They also tended to blow up at any accusations, even formal ones. She'd always found it strange how people who were clearly guilty still tried to deny it until the very end.

Vina's thoughts onb the game, about missing the feeling of not having to worry about dying or being traumatized psychologically, though it became clear that the girl was clearly looking for positives to find about the state of the game. Perhaps that was something of a permanent fixture of the girl's personality, constantly looking for some form of silver lining, no matter what the context of the situation was. It was nice, if somewhat naive at the same time.

That's an interesting way of looking at things, I suppose. I can only wonder what brought people back, after they knew that people could and had died.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

That's true~ It's sad when they refuse to listen, but at least you get paid for the work you put into it, and you can help those who do listen. It's better to try and help people and live with the fact not all of them will accept your help, than not try at all~!

You couldn't help someone who didn't want to be helped, but if you used that as an excuse to not try you'd end up failing to help a lot of people who would be all too willing to accept your help if offered. Vina was glad that Cleo understood this. Of course, The vixen was convinced that Cleo was some kind of legal consultant, and had no idea about the actual challenges her friend faced in her life, but the same principles applied when it came to helping people.

I've wondered the same, and I don't think I would have returned if it was just me.

Vina held her hand up towards the ceiling, looking at the palm of her hand before allowing her hand to drop and rest on her bare belly.

But even with the threat of death, Terrasphere offers you something you can't get anywhere else. For some people, that's something worth risking a lot for~ And of course, it's not like death is inevitable in this world, at least not any more inevitable than it is in our own~ I can imagine someone being confident that as long as they're careful they can experience Terrasphere fully without having to worry about anything.

I find the new arrivals stranger than the ones from before the shutdown. Those who already played before they realized the potential cost would already have experienced how wonderful Terrasphere can be, so it's not surprising they'd come back~ The new players, however... maybe they find it exciting~?

Well, it was hardly the first time people were attracted to dangerous activity. Mountain climbing, car racing, fighting sports... Danger was thrilling, it made your blood flow faster. Vina herself was scared of death, but even she couldn't deny that life or death experiences could be as exhilarating as they were terrifying.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Better to try? Well, Cleo supposed that could be the case for some people, though she did often feel like she was doing little more than waste her time on people that didn't deserve even a moment of it, but now that she was working with the VRSA that had basically stopped. It was pretty rare for her to actually have to deal directly with any kind of suspect or do anything that really resembled much of her old detective work, until now at least. It felt weirdly different doing it in the game though, but maybe that was just her being swept up by the same feelings and experiences that the other players were.

I can see what you mean about this world not necessarily being more dangerous than the real world, but I'd say it is a bit, if only because the real world isn't quite inhabited by things that actively make attempts to kill people. Though, as one of these new arrivals you find so odd, I can say personally that I have no intention of really enjoying this game, so to speak.

She sighed, curling up slightly as she laid there, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes and counting specs of dust that she could see hanging in the air above her from the moonlight. A flick of her wrist unequipped her clothes, allowing her more comfort on the bed as she settled down, breathing another sigh of relief when she was nude, feeling confident that Vina wasn't looking in her direction and wouldn't have any prompt to do so now.

I only joined because I wanted to make sure that people didn't die. I felt like if I didn't join, and somebody died and I could have been the person to stop that, then that death would just be blood on my hands. It's going to be hard to actually, y'know, enjoy any of this...

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina was beginning to have to seriously struggle to keep her eyes open. The chill breeze from the night sky was a nice contrast with the heat of the day, the bed was nice and soft, and while the conversation had its more somber points it was quite nice to be able to just talk with someone while winding down after such a hectic day. The silver-haired vixen suppressed another yawn, her eyes remaining unfocused as she stared up at the ceiling.

Yeah~ I guess you have a point. In our world, humans have so much control that we've long since gotten rid of most of the dangerous animals, at least in most places. Of course, in this world you can also become much better at defending yourself, so all around things are more exciting~

She laughed softly as Cleo referred to herself as one of the odd ones, the new Travelers who shouldn't have any reason to come to this world, knowing the risks that came from participation in Terrasphere.

Oh, I wasn't counting you as one of the strange ones. Your motivations are just like mine, after all~ Although I do hope that you will still enjoy your time here. As dangerous as Terrasphere is, it still is an unforgettable experience, and not only in a bad way~ We really are alike though~

Her eyes closed before she opened them again.

I think it's about time to go to sleep though. I assume you'll be disconnecting entirely~?

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well, exciting if you consider life or death struggles to be exciting, though I suppose scientifically it does release the same kinds of chemicals as something exciting would. Still, I definitely think that the players who just set up businesses and homes here are, at least, doing the right thing.

It was the people who were seeking out conflict and danger that had her concerned, which was frankly quite a large portion of the population, at least as far as Cleo was aware. She hummed in thought, shaking her head. It wasn't like it was some kind of great mystery to solve or anything like that. She just needed to keep them alive and safe, by any means possible. She did chuckle as Vina mentioned that she wasn't counting Cleo amongst the strange ones.

I'll try, though it'll be hard to enjoy any time here. Even with the amount of free time I get, I still end up creating work for myself by giving myself big missions like trying to save as many players as possible. I don't know how easy it'll be to forget the bad things and focus on the positives.

With that said, she shook her head, not that Vina could see with the girl looking up at the ceiling in the same way that the lancer herself was. She pulled up her menu, thinking about logging out entirely, but decided against it. Something stuck in her mind, something that Vina had said, about how leaving the body behind to sleep made logging in feel more like waking up than the sudden shock that it could feel like, at times.

I'm going to leave my body behind, I think. Don't do anything untowards, or you might find yourself in legal trouble in the future~

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

I agree that becoming part of society is the more sensible course of action. That said, those who choose to become adventurers...

Vina hesitated. She wanted people to remain safe, she didn't want anyone to get hurt. She agreed with Cleo that it was better to not risk your life when doing so could actually result in leaving behind Earth, leaving behind your friends and family. But at the same time...

Even with the threat of becoming trapped in this world, people want to do something with their life~ To always take the safe route is sensible, but many people would regret never taking risks. Terrasphere offers people the opportunity to become something else, something they might always have wished they could be. And even back on Earth, the greatest achievements, both good and evil, were brought about by people willing to risk everything, even their lives, for what they believed in. That's why even if I wish to keep everyone safe, I can't deny people's wish to become part of this world~

Of course, as usual, there was the caveat that Vina wouldn't approve of evil, but she didn't think that part needed clarifying. And she shared Cleo's desire to keep people safe, but it would be a lie if she didn't understand why people chose the risky path. Safety was great, but often safety also was boring. That desire for greatness, for excitement, for adventure, had inspired many stories and songs throughout the ages: to pretend it was absurd would be an absurdity in and of itself.

That said, it was too late to start an entire philosophical discussion about the nature of humanity. She just hoped that Cleo would take her words to heart and not dismiss them as an attempt to explain away unreasonable behaviour. This craving people had for excitement was unreasonable, but it was so inherent to the human experience that there was little point to opposing it. The best you could do was try to temper it.

It's important to also look after your own well-being. You can't help others if you run yourself into the ground. And it's also important to remember that even when there's bad things in the world, there's also lots of good things~

She smirked at Cleo's last words, a mischievous glint in her eyes that the lancer wouldn't be able to see in her current position, looking up at the ceiling.

I wouldn't do such a thing without asking or being asked first~ Maybe I'll ask after we've gotten to know each other a bit better, but for now I'll wish you sweet dreams Cleo~

Like Cleo, Vina chose to leave her body behind as she disconnected from the game. Not that it made much difference, because she was asleep only minutes after. She had no reason to believe Cleo would do anything with her body, and she did prefer the sensation of waking up in the game over connecting and feeling her body materialize.

@Cleo Looker