Complete Private Pormont Kindling the Fire

[Yugam]

Snow fell gently to the ground outside, a beautiful little scene that felt a little less beautiful given the bitter cold that filled the log cabin. Yugam pulled his gloves off, tucking them beneath his arm before blowing warm air into his hands, trying to regain some notion of feeling in his fingers. Of course, it didn't work for more than a moment, the potent chill quickly sapping what little heat there was away.

There was hardly any light in the cabin, moonlight creeping through the windows, but Yugam managed to navigate the room regardless. Around a seat, between the cough and coffee table, over to the fireplace. The man pulled out the lighter in his pocket, igniting it after a couple of attempts and lighting the candle. By the light of the orange candle glow, the man could see that there was a stack of firewood besides the fire, and Yugam picked a couple up, beginning to arrange them in the fireplace.

The sound of the door opening interrupted the man's work for a moment, but he didn't need bother looking to see who it was. He could feel her presence from a mile off. "We gotta stop meeting like this," the man said flatly, too cold to add any amount of humor to his voice. "Would you mind gathering some kindling and tinder. I'm fucking freezing."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"You gotta be kidding me."

Shouldn't have signed up with that weird ass Secret Santa thingy that the people on the street kept pushing onto her. Either she had universal-level fate-bending Astramancy powers, or the gods were playing a sick prank in this season of festive. From the distance, she could already see the small cabin in the snowy plains of Pormont, whoever the fuck paid for the place.

Sighing, she opened the door, only to find the male already inside setting things up. The inside was dark, with only a single candle as a source of light.

"We gotta stop meeting like this,"

"It's not my fault." And of course, she did not complain at all. A very small, subtle smirk even appeared as the songstress heard him complain.

"Would you mind gathering some kindling and tinder. I'm fucking freezing."

"Already ahead of you," Opening her inventory to bring out small branches, grasses, leaves, and twigs that she kept dry inside the convenient space-time dimension. Setting them around and on the formation of firewood, she asked the freezing man beside of her. "Aren't you wearing layers of clothing?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

The lighthearted replies that Lune gave him made the man smile. He'd hoped this wouldn't be too strange for either of them, but was pleased to find that they were quick to fall into their usual rhythm. "Already ahead of you," the woman said, pulling out all the tinder that the man could ever want and setting it on the firewood. "Perfect," the man said, pulling out his lighter and setting the little stack of logs ablaze.

"Aren't you wearing layers of clothing?" Lune asked Yu began to poke and tend the flame with the iron poker, slowly nursing it to a full blaze. "I mean, yeah. Don't mean it's not cold," the man countered. Soon enough the pair had a warm, bright fire illuminating the rest of the cabin. It was a rather simple layout. A small dining table, pushed up against the wall, with a seat at either end. A worn out couch before a coffee table, facing the fire place, and the kitchen. It was a humble little abode.

"There we go," the man said, finally standing and putting the poker away. "How's the new...well, everything treating you, by the way?"

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"I mean, yeah. Don't mean it's not cold,"

"Alright," The woman took off her cloak and hung it behind the door like she always do.

"How's the new...well, everything treating you, by the way?"

The fireplace was lit, and the interior felt extra warm today somehow. Maybe because the body has accustomed to working without body heat for so long?

"Not that good, actually. I got fired from my label." Lune, or actually Moonsong, pulled a chair to sit on it. "Wait, shouldn't have mentioned that. This is the season of joy." The opened her palm menu and clicked on the inventory menu a few times before a present box wrapped in green appeared on the table, which she pushed towards the opposite.

"Happy Wintersday, Ari." The woman had the habit of using people's real names in private when she already felt comfortable, like with Val.

"How're things on your end? Job, life, love?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Not that good, actually. I got fired from my label," Dayeon said as she sat down. "Wait, shouldn't have mentioned that. This is the season of joy."
"No, no, no, that still sucks, doesn't matter the season. It's fine to talk about it," the man replied as Moonsong began to fiddle with her UI. "They're pretty fuckin' dumb to let you go though. Maybe you should go indie." the man asked asked as he settled into a seat of his own. Still, Moonsong was fiddling with her UI. "Okay, what are you doin'?"

As if in response, a green wrapped box appeared on the table in between the two, which she pushed towards the man. "Happy Wintersday, Ari." The man gave a wry chuckle. "Happy Wintersday, Dayeon," he replied. Right, that was what they came here to do.

The man opened up his own UI menu as Dayeon began to ask him about how he was doing. "Eh, you know. Same ol', same ol'," Ari answered as he fished through his inventory for Dayeon's gift. "Been thinking about opening a bistro or something. Think it could be fun. Val and I are good. Sucks spending Christmas apart, but we knew what we signed up for. Instead I get Nico. So fun." The man gave Dayeon a sarcastic smile. The girl was a handful, that was for sure.

"Ah, here it is!" Ari exclaimed, finally finding the present. A long rectangular box appeared in the man's lap, which he lifted with some effort and moved to hand to Dayeon. "Merry Christmas."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"They're pretty fuckin' dumb to let you go though. Maybe you should go indie."

"I... don't have enough resources to do that..." She muttered, an irony since Dayeon and Red were reaping multiple awards, including soloist of the year and song of the year. "... I've considered retiring, maybe doing some other things. I know streaming's looking quite prospective right now."

"Happy Wintersday, Dayeon,"

Her frown was soon replaced as the man replied to her, showing that despite all the things both of them went through, they were still friends; good friends that cared for each other.

"Been thinking about opening a bistro or something. Think it could be fun."

"That's very interesting! I've always dreamed of having an F&B business myself."
She commented on it. Ari must've saved quite a lot, since as far as she remembered he was working in a coffee shop.

"Val and I are good. Sucks spending Christmas apart, but we knew what we signed up for. Instead I get Nico. So fun."

"I could imagine that." Lune chuckled, imagining a pretty chaotic Christmas in Ari's house as Nico shouted all over the place. "Yeah, distance sucks, but there's a lot of ways. Video call, or what are we currently doing now." Her hand motioned to show the cozy cabin.

A little bit of bitterness was still there, but she was really happy for them. She had to.

"Merry Christmas."

He suddenly brought out a pretty long, rectangular box that had a quite hefty weight. The woman smiled ear to ear as she received the gift. "Merry Christmas." She then slowly tried to unwrap it, "Let's see what you got for me, then. Open yours."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"I... don't have enough resources to do that..." Dayeon said, and though it didn't seem like it, an idea began to spin in Ari's head. He had absolutely no idea where to start for any of it, but that could be remedied. Regardless, it was nothing more than a errant thought for the moment, but it was even less that if Dayeon wasn't going to be at all interested. "Do you still want to do music though?" the man asked when she'd mentioned she might retire and go to streaming. It was incredible to think that someone as famous as her would be relegated to shilling away her time on a stream, instead of being picked up by another label, or being able to break out on her own. Or even just moving to Cabo and forgetting about work altogether. As it turned out, the idol industry wasn't just brutal, it was thankless too.

"It's just an idea at the moment," Ari admitted when Dayeon mentioned having thought of opening her own business. "I'm awful when it comes to finances, and it'd be a lot of long hours on my feet, but it'd beat working in an office for some asshole. I'd get to be my own boss, ya know?"

"We meet up in-game as often as we can," Ari nodded to Dayeon's suggestions, "and it makes it bearable. Better, even. Not the same though," the man frowned slightly, then chuckled. "Although, I guess even if we were closer to each other, we'd just be in TS anyways."

The pair began to open their presents, Ari waiting a beat to let Dayeon get ahead with her larger package before starting to tear at his own gift. By the time Dayeon would have unwrapped hers, she would have found a pine, crate-like box, with large lettering painted on the front which said 'FRAGILE - HANDLE WITH CARE'. Who knew they had warning labels in a fantasy world. Opening the hinged lid would have revealed a healthy helping of straw cushioning the contents of the box, an acoustic travel guitar. A light wood body, a dark neck and head, steel strings. There wasn't anything particularly special about the guitar in all honesty, save for the small silver moons embedded in the neck. "Thought you might wanna play some songs on the road," the man said with a smile. "Or beat someone over the head with it if you're sick of music," he chuckled.

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"Do you still want to do music though?" The first time she saw IU and learned of her struggle to break into the entertainment scene, only to end up claiming the top place for a long time was very inspiring. At that moment, she decided that music was her calling, and her way to convey her feelings. "I do, I would never give up on it. But..." She trailed off, unsure what to do when faced with things outside her control.

"I'd get to be my own boss, ya know?"

"Agreed, nothing beats personal attachments to things you build. Be it business, or anything." Like her songs, which now have her own personal touch to them, being the sole writer and singer.

"Although, I guess even if we were closer to each other, we'd just be in TS anyways."

"You two gotta start spending time in the real world like normal people."

She started to diligently open the present, only to be met with a 'FRAGILE - HANDLE WITH CARE' sign slapped on a crate. Wonder what was inside? Opening the lid revealed a travel acoustic guitar, not unique, but certainly quite a sight in the game. The silver moons embedded in the neck were a perfect finishing touch.

"Thought you might wanna play some songs on the road,"

Her mouth was agape, speechless at what Yugam had bought her. Lune's eyes wandered from the guitar, then to the man, then back to the present.

"Or beat someone over the head with it if you're sick of music,"

"Are you kidding me?" She shouted, inspecting the instrument. "No one ever gave me a guitar before, of course I will cherish this gift."

She then looked at the man as he unwrapped the box, which revealed a wooden box with multiple compartments, each filled to the brim with homemade cookies.

"I... actually didn't know much of what you might like, so I just made those." Yeah, so much for admitting that she liked him, while not even knowing what the man's favorite things were. But he worked in a coffee shop, so he might appreciate homebaked cookies, which had several variations: coffee, choco chip, minty sugar, matcha, and vanilla. "I've worked in a pastry shop before."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Ari nodded when Dayeon expressed uncertainty about the future of her music. It was always difficult when one didn't know how things might pan out. More still when there were other responsibilities that relied on it. "Well, who knows," the man said. "A great opportunity might be around the corner. Just gotta wait and see."

"You two gotta start spending time in the real world like normal people."
The man let out a humorous scoff as he heard those words. "What, are you kidding? What are we gonna do? Go touch grass?" Yes Ari...that is exactly what you should do.

Ari couldn't help but smile as Dayeon shouted excitedly upon opening her gift. He hadn't been certain if she'd picked one up for herself in-game, but the grin on her face told him everything you needed to know.

The man unwrapped his present in turn, finding it to be a wooden box. Opening the box itself, small compartments filled the confines, each filled in their own right with cookies. "I didn't know you baked," the man commented in surprise, picking one up and giving it a quick examination before popping it into his mouth. "They're good, thanks Dayeon," the man said, covering his full mouth with a hand, though his eyes said he was smiling.

The man nudged the box in Dayeon's direction in offering, knowing he would never be able to finish the whole thing on his own, given that he rarely ate sweets. "So, what have you been up to lately?" the man asked, sinking into his seat a little as he popped another cookie into his mouth. "You've got all of Arcia at your fingertips now. What's the plan?"

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"A great opportunity might be around the corner. Just gotta wait and see."

The songstress just slowly nodded. She was never good with luck, and this was one of the moments where she might as well consider her career in entertainment over.

"What, are you kidding? What are we gonna do? Go touch grass?"

The woman couldn't believe what she just heard. "Yes?" She redirected her question back to him while shrugging. He could be such an idiot sometimes.

Her face was quite anxious as Yugam put the cookie inside his mouth, unsure if he was going to like it. "They're good, thanks Dayeon," Lune's blue eyes quickly lit up and a wide smile appeared on her face, "You like it?" She beamed in happiness, before taking a coffee cookie for herself.

"You've got all of Arcia at your fingertips now. What's the plan?"

As they ate cookies comfortably in the warm cottage, the woman materialized two mugs and a thermos of hot chocolate from her inventory. "I'm still looking for ways to get stronger; more artifacts and upgrades," She explained while pouring the hot chocolate into the mugs. "I joined this group of people whose minds and morals were questionable. But we're out to protect Astorea, anyway. So at the very least, I'm somewhat succeeded in amassing power?"

"Anything so people don't have to suffer the same fate as Kenji..." The woman trailed off, almost muttering. She quickly noticed that the mood was getting a bit down so she changed the topic and pushed a mug of chocolate toward Yugam for him to enjoy along with the cookies. "Anyway, a pretty shady guy seemed to take an interest in this body,"

"Jin of the Adventurer's Guild, you know him?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

An amused smile accompanied a roll of Ari's eyes as Dayeon replied with an incredulous "Yes?" Touching grass. What a joke, who did she think he was? A normie!? Besides, he was still working in the cafe. He saw more than enough people during the day, he'd be happy if never saw another living soul until the day he died.

Ari gently nibbled on the corner of his cookie as he listened to Dayeon explain what she'd been up to lately. He frowned slightly throughout though. "I'm not one to talk I guess, but you should be careful, Dayeon," the man cautioned. "Don't assume that just because they say their interests are aligned with yours that they actually are. Especially if they're as 'questionable' as you're saying." If you couldn't trust the people at your side, you were just as good as dead. It didn't take a genius to figure that out, but it was beginning to sound like Dayeon hadn't quite figured that bit out yet. Then again, she couldn't quite be killed anymore....

"Anyway, a pretty shady guy seemed to take an interest in this body,"
"Oh yeah?"
"Jin of the Adventurer's Guild, you know him?"
Cue a series of hacking coughs as Ari accidently swallowed his cookie whole, causing him to choke. The man forced himself to swallow, allowing him to breathe once more and heave air into his lungs. "Jin!?" 'Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me.' "You gotta be careful around him, Dayeon," Ari said with a grave look on his face. "And I mean careful. He's always got an agenda."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"No worries, it's just strictly a business relationship." The woman nodded, sipping her mug of chocolate. The group was pretty clear-cut that they were working for the sake of Astorea, and nothing else. Besides, she wasn't going to let anyone manipulate her.

"Jin!?"

"So you do know him," She concluded as the man coughed, having accidentally swallowed the whole cookie that was in his mouth due to the surprise. "Here, drink the warm chocolate." The blue-haired woman tapped on the other mug a few times.

"And I mean careful. He's always got an agenda."
"Yeah, the same goes for you, Ari," They don't have to be involved romantically for her to care for his safety. Both of them are friends, after all. "I could see in his eyes, he's real trouble. Don't get too involved with him, alright?" Coming out of her mouth softly, it's more of a plea than a warning. It's the other side of the Monster of Arcia that the woman already buried along with her old name, Moonsong.

The woman took out the travel guitar again, inspecting it a little before slowly standing up, walking around while tuning the instrument, and finally settling on the couch in front of the fireplace. "I'm the strongest this world has ever seen, I can take care of myself."

She tapped on the couch seat to the left of her a few times, gesturing the Hunter to enjoy the warm fireplace with her as she played some strings on the guitar. "I mean it. Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"No worries, it's just strictly a business relationship."
"All the more reason to be cautious," the man warned. When things came down to a mere decimal, a weighing of pros and cons, you could never know what side of that line you're really on, or how quickly that could change.

Ari shook his head and waved away the cup of hot chocolate. "No-" he coughed, "no thank you." Death by hot chocolate. Not a pleasant sounding way to go.

"I could see in his eyes, he's real trouble. Don't get too involved with him, alright?"
"Yeah, sure."

Ah, if only she knew.

"I'm the strongest this world has ever seen, I can take care of myself."
"Hey, watch yourself." Perhaps Ari was just worrying, but imagining one's own self as invincible. That was how empires fell. "You still have weaknesses. And you could always be imprisoned. Don't let your strength control you."

"I mean it. Promise me you won't do anything stupid."
"Worry about yourself, Dayeon. You're throwing yourself off the deep end. Be sure you know how to tread the water."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

Her eyebrows were raised as Ari declined the hot chocolate. Lactose intolerance, maybe? What a strange thing to have in the game.

"Yeah, sure."

That half-assed answer was pretty weird. But she's not going to confront him over it, not now, at least.

"You still have weaknesses."
"That's why I'm counting on you," She joked, smirking at the man. When they have collected enough power, then nothing would ever stop her from making this realm a safe place. "And you could always be imprisoned. Don't let your strength control you."

And he was right, with all the memory Lune inherited she found out that even the strongest groups of adventurers consisting of people like Astor were captured once after falling into a trap. "I certainly didn't think of that possibility. But hey, as long as I stay under the radar."

"Worry about yourself, Dayeon. You're throwing yourself off the deep end. Be sure you know how to tread the water."

The man didn't like being worried about, huh?

"This world will care for me like how I protect it," It definitely wasn't the case with Corvella, but thankfully he didn't know that. Continuing to pick the guitar, the woman then moved into a quite professional subject. "So, how's the research on the red one?" Of course, she was talking about the red ruby and the ravenbeast's body she gave him."For your sake and mine, we'll need to start figuring out a way to amass a lot of lifeforces."

"And by a lot, I'm talking exponential numbers."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Despite all of Dayeon's warnings, Dayeon still seemed as careless as ever. Naïve even. The world would never care for her the way she did for it. The worst part was that Dayeon actually seemed to believe otherwise, as if her experiences so far hadn't given her any reason to believe otherwise. Maybe it was denial, or childlike innocence, but whatever it was, it could only serve to hurt her one day. And there was little that Ari could say or do to stop that.

"So, how's the research on the red one?" Dayeon asked, referring to a red gem she'd brought him after an apparent fight with some strange monstrosity. How kind of her to bring back it's corpse too.

"Well, I can tell you this much," Ari began to answer, picking up another cookie. "That thing can store a lot of energy." When Dayeon had brought it to him originally, it was near empty, only a meager amount of life-energy stored within, but when he'd begun to run basic tests, it had quickly become clear it could store a huge amount of lifeforce. "Down side, doesn't really do anything with it, unlike yours." Where as the purple gem that had replaced Dayeon's heart stored and then amplified energies when called upon, the red gem seemed to act like nothing more than a storage device. A giant container. "Should still be helpful, if we can find a way to channel it's supply through your gem but I'd rather run more tests before we risk blowing you up."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"That thing can store a lot of energy. Down side, doesn't really do anything with it, unlike yours."

Listening to Ari, she grabbed a coffee cookie and put it inside her mouth. "Weird, I theorized that it was what mutated that raven beast." Maybe it hasn't accumulated the energy it needs yet? "Could you find any traces on the dead body?" It couldn't definitely be a natural occurrence. Someone put that thing inside of the creature, but for what purpose? Maybe energy collection, like the one they're trying to do?

If she was going to be transformed into a horror creature, though, that's an undesirable trait.

"I'd rather run more tests before we risk blowing you up."

Strumming her guitar softly, Lune, or rather Dayeon's sight wandered to the window. "Faster is better, we don't know when the enemy will strike again. And we definitely know that they're coming back to retake Vintergard." She took a sip of the hot chocolate before turning to Ari, putting her right hand on her chest.

"I'm willing to take that risk. Advancing our plan is the utmost priority."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Weird, I theorized that it was what mutated that raven beast."
"My best guess? Someone else mutated the thing and was using the gem to help it maintain it's new form," Ari said, taking another cookie bite. "It's different from what I did to you," the man went on to explain after swallowing. "You, I made small changes. Ultimately, inconsequential ones. That Raven thing? It's physiology is completely different. An overhaul like that needs some kind of power source to maintain it, otherwise it just breaks down." And that was an ugly, painful affair from what Ari understood. Even if this was just a game, that was one of the very few lines the man was unwilling to cross. "Hence the nuclear battery you plucked out of it."

"Faster is better, we don't know when the enemy will strike again. And we definitely know that they're coming back to retake Vintergard."
"Quality over quantity, Dayeon," the man said, again cautioning the woman. "You're know good to anyone if you're a billion tiny pieces blown into the stratosphere. We'll figure something out, but not without making reasonable assurances it won't kill us, and everything in a ten mile radius. Kinda the opposite of what you want, I thought. I wasn't kidding when I said 'nuclear'."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"An overhaul like that needs some kind of power source to maintain it, otherwise it just breaks down."

"Good thing I put that thing out of its misery," The songstress put the gift guitar down, leaning on the couch. She then proceeded to finish her mug of hot chocolate. "Poor beast was probably mutated against its will."

"I wasn't kidding when I said 'nuclear'."

"Sorry," An audible sigh escaped her mouth, as she faced Ari to speak about her concerns. "It's just that I... fear what's in for me in the future, you know?"

"Not just in-game, but also out there. I'm already in my mid-20s, and yet, I don't know if my set path was steady or not..." She trailed off. It's rare for the blue-haired girl to just be her Dayeon self, rather than the Lune persona she created for herself in-game. To stay away from a lot of people, even the ones she made friends with.

"...I rambled again, didn't I?" Snapping out of her stupor, she stood up from the couch, moving closer to the fireplace, squatting near it to stay warm. "Yeah, continue researching the artifact. I'm going to see if I can find a way to charge the gems quickly. Taking lifeforce from unwilling victims is the last thing I would ever do."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Dayeon put down her guitar and picked up her hot chocolate, finishing the drink off swiftly. "Poor beast was probably mutated against its will," she said as she set the mug back down.
"Yeah..." Ari muttered quietly. "Who knows how long it suffered like that..." It was over for it now at least. Just another specimen in Yugam's lab. It's spirit might have been put to rest, but it's body might benefit, him and Lune. Perhaps the world if the woman really managed to do what she said she wanted. Ari, though, he would've paid the body it's due respects if he could afford it.

The mood of the evening did not become much lighter after that either. There was obvious melancholy in her voice as she bemoaned her choices in the real world so far, only to cut herself short with half an apology to Ari. The man shook his head. "No, it's fine. That's what friends are for, isn't it?" he said, offering a small smile towards the woman. "Life takes us through lots of twists and turns, Dayeon. The only certainty you can have is that the choices you make are yours." The man then shrugged slightly. "Wherever they take you, only you can decide whether or not it was worth it in the end." It wasn't the most comforting of sentiments. But to chase after a dream, not matter how small or insignificant it seemed, was a good path in Ari's eyes.

"Yeah, continue researching the artifact. I'm going to see if I can find a way to charge the gems quickly. Taking lifeforce from unwilling victims is the last thing I would ever do," Dayeon said suddenly, prompting them both to stand. "Yeah. I will. Stay safe out there, Lune."

@Lune