Private ✪ Stokbon Sunsets of the Rivered City

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

The wind blew gently, whistling like sighs of relief through the leaves of the trees outside the walls. A soothing slow waterfall of air, washing against the skin and face of passersby, as they came to and fro from the main gate. The sun had reached its third quarter in the sky, and the shades of red and violet and navy blended across the open sky reminiscent of a painting in your mind. Beyond the walls, along the river that traced its way into the ocean of speckling reflections, laid a beautiful city adorned with buildings and lights.

Hundreds of civilians walked through these streets, some as merchants and others as consumers, some merely reaching from homes to businesses, and likewise the opposite. Compared to some, this city might seem like an advancement of the era; to others with wistful minds, it might just be the dream they searched for.

Stockbon, the capital of Falderen.

At the gates, a small pale haired Faerin girl in a hakama played with an albino husky dog of her own magical creation, with red streaks and two tails, panting happily at her pets through its long fur. Katelyn waited patiently, a smile plastered on her face as she did so. She would be lying, if she said she wasn’t nervous; This was her first invitation to hang out with one of her new friends casually, after all. Is this what it felt like, to have friends?…

The pant of anxiety and doubt pulled at the corners of her lips, but she shook it off, her smile still remaining. As she did so, she looked up, and noticed the one in question, walking down the road in her direction.

@Vashti

 

[Vashti]

Even though the request seemed simple enough, the walk from Eastern Brisshal to Stokbon was not a short one. Vashti had a letter from the Magistrate of Honeyhome to be delivered- sealed- to the Treasury. Dutifully, she had labored to ensure that the envelope went unopened, unscathed, untarnished through the woodlands and beyond, placing higher priority on two folded sheets of paper than she did her own life. It was such a strange thing how they spoke. It wasn't like a game at all. Instead, when they drilled into her how imperative it was that the documents made it to the capital, she had developed crippling anxiety.

It was enough that even the breathtaking sight of the ocean was reduced to another worry. The seaboard of Falderen was something amazing to behold, both rocky and rife with villages, with windmills and stables and trading posts that made it feel like one of the most relaxing places in the world. Yet in her struggle to hurry all the way to Stokbon, Vash had managed to worry more about tripping over a rock or falling into the sea.

She was relieved to finally be within the city walls. Breathing in the salty air, the vulpine woman folded at the waist and let her hair drape over her head for a moment before tilting backward quickly and flipping it back behind her. She combed the stray strands out of her face with her fingers and tidied up her bangs, wishing only that she had her pocket mirror to check on the state of her...

Oh, right, she didn't have any make up on.

Vashti gave a huff as she looked around her, one way and then another, seeking any sign that might help her divine the proper direction. When she saw only vague hints about where the markets were and which way to go to get to the harbor, the woman sighed.

"Jeeeeez," she huffed as she began to walk further into the city when finally she noticed @Katelyn the Bewildered just ahead of her. "Oh! Katelyn! Hihi!"

The foxwoman rushed forward to meet her friend.

"Do you happen to know where the office of the treasury is?"

It had not been her intention to take on a quest before coming, but this one just happened to bring her exactly where she meant to go. She figured there would be no harm in it, but now she just felt bad about involving her new friend. "Sorry for this," she folded her hands in front of her and smiled sweetly. "I didn't mean to pick up work on the way~"

 

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

Smiling a bit as she watched Vashti come up to her, she held her hand out to the husky beside her, which faded into linear bursts of tailish colors and faded into her hand. “H-Hiya, Vashti!” the faerin returned in greeting, giving the fox girl a small bow. Then, as she heard the girl ask for directions, Katelyn tapped her chin curiously and rummaged in one of her sleeves, pulling out a map of sorts that she had gotten from one of the guards for newcomers.

“The treasury? Let me seeee,” the girl commented, opening the parchment and looking through it. As she did, she heard a familiar ping from her user interface, detecting that the map layout had been added to her interface view. As such, while looking at the paper, the landmarks of the town lit up from Kate’s perspective, and she looked at them quickly before closing the map and nodding happily to the beastgirl. “Should be just a twenty minute walk toward the western centre! Ill take you there,” she replied before handing Vashti the map of the city for her to use. “That will help you get a lay of the land; Okidoke, onward!”

The faerin saluted jokingly with a beaming smile, dramatically kicking her feet in a mock military fashion while leading Vashti further into the town. Hearing her apologies, Katelyn waved her hand dismissively with a small wink. “No worries! I’d figured you might either be getting some equipment, or picking up a side quest; Plus, I really wasn’t waiting too long!”

 

[Vashti]

It was interesting to see how someone else used their abilities, and Katelyn was not one to disappoint. What little Vashti knew of her helped her to recognize this as some manner of illusion, or a summoned creature. It was a pretty one, whichever it was. Her eyes moved from the fleeting strands of light to the girl as she greeted her and reached into her sleeves to produce a map.

"Ohh, aren't you a sweetie?" she brought her hands up cheerily and smiled, tilting her head to one side. "Thanks so much, doll."

She took a step closer to glance over the Faerin's shoulder down at the parchment, which in turn interfaced with her own UI and dispelled some of the fog of war that previous loomed over Stokbon. "Sounds good to me," Vash smiled over at Katelyn. "Lead the way, fearless leader!" she teased back. The two girls found themselves giggling for a moment, but it gave way to more serious conversation again soon enough.

It was nice that she could connect with someone else, even if it was for a short moment.

"I figure I'll pick some armor up eventually, but for the most part, I don't necessarily need to scrounge for a weapon. I can whip something up that'll serve my purpose on the fly. You weren't wrong about the side quest, though! Good instincts!" She offered the other girl a kind smile.

"How about you? Did you pick up any weapons or armor yet?"

 

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

As they walked, Katelyn hummed happily and listened to Vashti’s explanation, while also thinking about her thanks. She’d referred to the faerin as a sweetie, and a doll; Normally, a speech pattern wouldn’t have caught Katelyn’s attention as easily, but for some reason it had completely captivated her enough to consider the options. The body language included, perhaps the real world’s Vashti was on the wealthier side, or used to a more extroverted and socially comfortable lifestyle?

Before she could continue her thoughts, she’d heard the beastgirl ask a question, and Kate smiled brightly before replying. “Actually, yes!” Opening up her quick menu, she’d activated a button, and her robes that she was wearing were suddenly replaced with a much more refined and intricate hakama, with blue cerulean and navy designs, a golden bowed sash, ribbons in her hair, and detached tied arm sleeves with faded pink ends. Likewise, a long multicolored staff materialized into her hand, and the head of it had almost hit a pedestrian in the face, who in turn looked at the small girl with annoyance.

“W-Whoops; Sorry!!” she apologized with a bow and giggle, before picking up the pace with Vashti and starting down a different street. “You remember Kyra, right? From when we all had met in the forest? Well, when we’d split up unintentionally, we’d ran into a traveling merchant while trying to make our way to town! And then immediately after, we’d gotten cornered by two wolves,” the Faerin continued, stars of inspiration in her eyes as she retold the story.

“Kyra was so cool, going all like Swoosh and Wachaaa! But then, the second wolf came out, and was super mad at Kyra for defeating the first wolf, so I ate it!! It was intenseeeee!”

@Vashti

 

[Vashti]

"Oh wowwwww," she spoke the words emphatically, letting syllables drag on a moment. Perfectly timed, such that it would be impossible to mistake it for falsified interest. Any longer and it might seem like she was trying to run the other woman over with sentiment and drown her out of the conversation. So many women didn't know the rules. So many were just rude for no reason.

Vash was considerate, and she made sure everyone knew it.

She reached up and stopped short of pinching the fabric to assess its quality. "May I? Because this just looks so pretty," she told the other girl. Her eyes remained on the trim, the painstaking detail put into the programming just to mirror true life. It wasn't that it was perfect, but rather- like before- the smell, the texture, the colors, the stitching...

It was hard not to forget where she was. Her ears twitched idly as Katelyn started talking about wolves. She slowly looked up and her mouth remained ajar for several seconds. "Like, actual wolves?" she repeated. It shouldn't have been as ridiculous as she immediately thought it was. "That's pretty dangerous, isn't it?"

Clearly, she had survived, and had a story to tell. That was a relief. "I'm glad you're sa---f...?

Vash blinked.

"Wait, did you say 'ate'?"

 

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

Stopping as Vashti requested to examine her clothes, Katelyn blushed lightly and gave a stiff but happy nod. “S-Sure! Of course,” she responded, watching as the foxgirl examined the silver haired faerin’s hakama with her hands. Keeping herself from becoming tense, she still couldn’t help but take a deep breath in as Vashti did so; Katelyn still wasn’t used to having anyone within her personal space, after all this time. But at the same time, it felt… really nice? She wasn’t sure how to describe it, but it didn’t feel bad.

Then, Vashti had questioned the ‘ate’ comment, and Katelyn had realized she had said more than she had thought to. Giggling awkwardly, she itched her hand, and nodded sheepishly. “Y-Yeah, I uhhh… I drew a summoning circle on my tongue, and sprouted Cthulu tentacles from it,” she explained. “I didn’t really eat the wolf, per se, but I did sortaaaaaa c-constrict it to death, and absorb its life essence until it was a furry little wolf mummy!”

“AAAAAAAnd this was the reason why I think I have a hard time getting decent commission requests,” she’d said quietly but aloud, believing that she’d only thought it and not paying it much mind.

 

[Vashti]

Admittedly, some of these words didn't make sense to Vashti.

"Summoning circles" seemed pretty straightforward considering what she had read about her own magic, but what came from those circles probably differed from one person to the next. It was when she said "cthulu" that the Vulpine woman really tilted her head in confusion. What the hell was a cthulu? Tentacles??

Oh, she knew plenty enough about that. "Oh, honey," she shook her head fervently, wagging a disapproving finger. "Nononono, we're not going down that road. You must have had some scummy boyfriend who showed you that kind of thing, made you think that was normal, nuh uh, let Vash stop you right there and correct your misconceptions. Love isn't about how much you can fit in your mouth, or anyplace else, sweet girl."

She pulled the Faerin in for a hug, patting her back. "You don't have to play with cephalids to appeal to anyone," she touched her forefinger to her lip after a moment, thoughts turning dark. Had they shared a similar experience? Some fated encounter with a disgusting pig of a man who used her to live out his wildest, kinky fantasy?

No, no, she couldn't just assume that. She let out a sigh. There was no reason to set this girl down the path of vengeance or vindication.

But wouldn't it just be precious to turn those tables? "But you know, I just thought of something," she snapped her fingers as a fresh idea fired off in her head. "If you want to turn those nasty tentacles on those sickos, give them a taste of their own medicine- now that, I can get on board with," she said.

"You do you, Queen! Go off!"

 

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

Katelyn listened with a slight surprise as Vashti went on a roll, practically mind reading a part of the faerin’s life that she hadn’t ever told anyone. But then, the comment about fitting things in mouths inevitably led Katelyn to blushing a much deeper shade of red; was she certain that they were communicating on the entirely right wavelength??

Before she could interject, however, Vashti embraced Katelyn, and the small woman froze from the sudden contact. After a few moments, however, her internally screaming anxiety had silenced, and a small tear ran down her face, just faintly absorbed by her friend’s clothing. Of course, she was right; Kate had no need to worry about the people that had put her down in the past, especially not him. Not here in this magical world, of all places.

As the Beastfolk woman had pulled away and finished her inspirational speech, the summoner beamed with a whole new light, giving Vashti her brightest smile and pumping a fist in inspiration. “Yeah, you’re right!! I’m gonna be an amazing artist; and, in TerraSphere, I’ll be the wildest ball of energy that anyone shall ever see!” Giggling with a newfound happiness, Katelyn had started to skip next to her friend as they gradually made their way closer to the Treasury. But then, a spastic line of thought had entered the girl’s mind, as she considered Vashti’s pronunciations, word choices body language. Why did she feel like she knew Vashti from somewhere?…

 

[Vashti]

"Omigosh, you're an artist??" Vash was suddenly excited when the girl mentioned that fact. "That's so cool, girl! You absolutely will be amazing, I'm sure of it!"

Positivity was everything. You think positive thoughts, you exude positive energy, and you manifest positive results. Vashti knew what happened when she let the dark in, and frankly, she was tired of watching it win. If she could share that energy with a friend, she was more than happy to do it. One less victim of a man who didn't give a damn about her.

Oh, how she knew that pain.

"I used to do some art of my own," she said, "and I did okay, for a while!" Vashti managed to remain upbeat while dredging up her most awful memory, albeit vaguely. "But they can smell weakness. The people who doubt you. The ones who want to pull you down. You can't show them you're afraid. You have to be willing to face them head on, and sometimes, you have to get mean."

And she had been mean. For her own well-being, she had cut off all of her fans, all of her supporters. Everyone. Just to get her own life back.

"But its not about them. It's about you. Its your life. You decide how to live."

Was she telling Katelyn, or herself?

Doesn't matter.

Vashti smiled again. "We'll be there pretty soon," the fox woman said offhand. "Afterward, we can see what kind of things this city has to do for fun!"

 

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

Katelyn listened as they walked, nodding in confirmation of her own thoughts as Vashti had said it. “You were an artist too? I’d figured you probably did something with a fan base, considering your openness and stuff; Were you really popular? I-If it’s alright to ask?” Katelyn caught herself at that moment, thinking maybe she was being too nosy. She knew that if it were her, she’d struggle with revealing a lot of her IRL info; at least, unless she knew them well enough.

In every interaction with a technological barrier, there is always a ninety-eight point five percent chance that Person B in a conversation will have ill intentions, regardless of your own. Because of this, many find it difficult to trust others online, whether it be within a virtual reality or simply behind a screen. You should always remember this.

Remembering what her RL friend had said, the faerin shook her thoughts away, and gave Vashti a happy smile once more. “You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to,” she blurted out, beaming and laughing as if she were a ball of sunshine. “But, if you would like to talk about the things, and the stuffs, and the doohickeys, then my I’ll never tell a soul that you don’t want me to! Scout’s honor!!”

 

[Vashti]

Her eyes twitched several times as Katelyn spoke. The reflex was a new sensation and though she was unused to it, she also did not "feel" it in the proper sense. Instead, the words processed quickly, bringing a concerned expression to her face. Had she said too much, too freely? The girl mentioned that she picked up on her positivity and openness, and she pressed a finger to her lips as she debated on what kind of response to give. She did not want to be rude, nor did she want to drive the other girl off right after giving her affirmation and sending positive energy her way. The universe was unforgiving about mixed signals.

No, even though she was distrustful, it was better to be forthright about that rather than to break down the foundation they had lain. "Mmmm..." Vash watched the woman as her excitement washed over her, and quietly considered the offer she made. It was tempting, and it felt nice to have someone who appreciated her as she was before they even knew who she actually was. She couldn't deny that it gave her a small amount of joy.

But this was the internet, just like before. She knew the dangers. She had to err on the side of caution. "I'm suuuuuper sorry, sweetie," she said at last, "but we don't know each other that well just yet and I've gone through my share of toxic exes..." Vash made the comparison in poor taste, but it was close enough to the truth that she didn't feel entirely terrible about it. "...I'm still just a bit jumpy when it comes to releasing personal information. But! For the things I can talk about, the stuff that won't confirm anything about my identity or location or what exactly I do, I'm happy to talk about those things with you!"

She clapped her hands together merrily to change the tempo of the conversation. Vashti knew how to direct the vibe of a social situation, and if she let it get away from her, it would be entirely her fault. Instead, she beamed. Her fingers interlaced in front of her as she stretched out her arms, puffing out her chest.

"I can say, though, I did have a following," she winked conspiratorially at the girl. "Even if it wasn't super super big."

 

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

Nodding in understanding, Katelyn saluted and looked up at Vashti with her lavender/sapphire blended eyes. “No worries, Va-chan,” she replied with a happy childlike optimism. “I’ll never pressure you about that sorta stuff! Besides, it’s understandable why you’d be hesitant to talk about it! I mean, we only met maybe a day or two ago, after all!”

Then, the fairy beamed up at the foxgirl, as she mentioned her following. “Ooooo, that must be super nice!! I have some fans too, but not many,” Kate shared back.

“Some of them like my content for the style, and others are lewdists that enjoy the eighteen plus section, and then there’s the few of them that follow me just because I’m mu— err, majorly into Cosplay!” she said with an awkward nod, still smiling but knowing fully well her cover-up was mediocre at best.

Instead of hiding it, however, the girl just gave a quiet sigh and her smile fell a bit, her eyes losing a small bit of their spark as they were just a few paces away from the treasury’s footsteps. “…Because I’m mute,” she said, quietly and with a surprising amount of timidness from her as she itched her hand.

 

[Vashti]

It never occurred to her that the woman might not have been able to speak, so easily as their conversations seemed to come. In fact, Vash was more than a little surprised by the revelation, but not so much so that she could not mask it behind a tender smile. There was no reason to bring unnecessary attention to the point, especially when it was abundantly clear that Katelyn was self-conscious about it.

Instead, she reflected the kindness that the woman had shown her. "I do appreciate your understanding, sweet girl," she patted the woman on the shoulder, an affectionate act that she might not have afforded under normal circumstances. In this instance however, Vash felt that it was appropriate. "I definitely find you to be someone who is trustworthy, you don't need to worry about that."

She was just a victim herself, of someone who she had thought was trustworthy who turned out not to be. It was hard to overcome that kind of psychological trauma. Even if she wanted to give this young lady the benefit of the doubt.

"Lewdists, huh?" she smiled mischievously. "Boys will be boys, after all- there's always a market for that kind of thing," she gave a quiet laugh. "Though, I guess that's not entirely fair to say... there are girls who like it, too," she admitted. A great many of her own followers had been female. She just didn't want to associate herself with the past, right now.

"But no matter what the reason," she continued, "as long as they show love for what you do, as long as they lift you up instead of tearing you down-" Vashti smiled brightly.

"Always be thankful for your fans. The people who believe in you. The reason you continue on with what you love."

 

[Katelyn the Bewildered]

Inwardly, the white haired girl was cursing herself for letting something like that slip. If it was ever any other time, she probably wouldn’t have even come close to talking about it… so why now? As uncomfortable as bringing up her impairment was, this question came to the forefront of her mind; while she was in thought, she also remembered other situations since she’d started TerraSphere, like how she’d blurted out the others’ apparent gigantism compared to herself when they had all first met, and earlier with letting it slip to Vashti that she’d summoned tentacles from her mouth. Maybe the game’s calibrations to reroute a speech impaired person’s neural pathways somehow messed with their impulse control on what the should or shouldn’t say? Or… Maybe it just made it difficult to keep all of her thoughts as only thoughts?

Before she’d continued, though, she felt Vashti’s hand on her shoulder, and Katelyn snapped out of her queries and looked up at her friend with an appreciative smile. “Thank you, Va-chan,” she responded, once again enjoying the liberty of the nickname. However, this was quickly interrupted by immediate blushing as Vashti had brought up the ‘lewdists’ remark. Had the girl mentioned that as well?? Shaking it off, Katelyn took what Vashti said about being thankful for her fans to heart.

Beaming once again with joy, the Faerin gave her foxgirl comrade a happy nod. “Hai hai!! Following our passions forever!” she exclaimed dramatically similar to an anime girl for comedic effect, giving a peace sign to her winking eye and then giggling. Afterward, she gestured to the treasury’s footsteps, proud of herself for being an excellent tour guide of a town she’d never been in. “Well, here we are! I’ll wait outside until you’re done; I wanna try and make something, to surprise you while you’re inside!”