Private ✪ Finweald [Wintersday] Slumber Party EX

[Rael]

.

"Would you tell us how was it that you somehow got, well, sick? Or was it exactly a mirror to our other world?"

Ash's first statement went completely unnoticed by the half of the elven pair who had procured the foods, unknowingly entranced by the mundane task of finding a treat, or meal, that would soothe some of the bitterness that being stuck in the game undoubtedly carried with it.

She watched him quietly, and almost too intensely, as he took a bite of the bread, his following reaction one that had Rael's fingers hovering over another wrapped package within the minute. A second option for him to try out. The second of many.

"Luthien, you too. Please, dig in."

Having heard the wish of the blonde's for possible experimentation on how to enhance the flavor of the supposedly awful bread, she took what remained of it and gently placed it in front of Luthien. Then, she laid out a plate in front of the green-haired beastfolk, the clear container making its contents less mysterious than the last.

From the plainest of food available to the extremely sweet: a slice of cake!

"Oh, and it would be a good idea to tire you out. Rest aplenty leads to faster recovery. Know of any games we could try?"

---

@Ash Vargold @Luthien​

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash squinted at the slice of cake, ears pinned back. He didn't move to take it immediately, instead letting his attention slide towards Luthien. Then he turned bleary eyes towards Rael and coughed in a way that felt more like it came from awkwardness than sickness.

"...Rael, have you ever taken care of someone sick before?" He looked back down at what was probably a very nice tasting slice of cake, which he very definitely wouldn't be able to enjoy properly in his current state. "I appreciate this, really, but it's going to be way too rich for me, I think."

He reached for the freshly refilled cup of water, nodding thankfully to Luthien as he did. The aftertaste of the 'bread' still lingered. "But if there's any soup somewhere in that pile of food, that'd be great. Something warm might help get my nose going enough to taste things..."

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had only been trying to think of ways that the bread could be made more palatable for Ash, but in doing so it seemed the elf might have given her dreamsister the wrong idea.

"Luthien, you too. Please, dig in."
"R-Right…"

Before a protest could be verbalized the Storyteller had already picked up the remaining loaf, deposited gently in front of Lúthien as the blonde had sat back down. She did her best to keep a neutral face, but it was almost impossible to keep her nose from scrunching up at the scents that now assaulted its nostrils—especially that fishy one that had no right to be linked to a freshly baked loaf of bread—while a rather delectable slice of chocolate cake had been presented to Vargold next.

It took a few moments but she was able to find the butter, sugar, and even a bit of cinnamon among the many tiny containers that still occupied the table—deciding to go ahead with her original idea to hopefully spare her mouth from whatever abomination invention the inn’s cook had baked today. The resistance given by the loaf as she took a knife towards it was something Lúthien had never expected from bread until now, but she persevered and soon two thick slices had been placed atop a plate before she covered their surface with a generous helping of the sweetened butter.

"Here you go, Rael~" One of the slices was placed besides her elven friend with an innocent smile, the blonde not exactly keen on going through this unwanted journey on her lonesome, before she raised her own slice towards her lips cautiously. The fish scent was still there, although barely noticeable now, so maybe this would actually work out—"Eugh..."

Nope, nope, nope! While the butter helped moisten the bread and facilitated chewing it the same couldn’t be said for the flavors that assaulted her tongue, the offending slice placed back down onto her plate before Lúthien discreetly reached for one of the many napkins on the table. She pressed it to her lips, doing her best to not give her actions away, before the now balled up and offending bite was quietly deposited back onto the plate.

"Ash is r-right," She quickly latched onto the caenis’ words as he spoke up, more than willing to move towards something else—and hopefully edible—for the night. "I think the inn had a soup of the day on the menu… what was today’s choice, Rael?"

@Rael | @Ash Vargold

 

[Rael]

.

"...No. I was mostly the one being taken care of." She admitted a bit quietly, the disappointment thinly veiled in her voice at Ash's rejection of the food almost passing for some hidden meaning behind her words. However, there was none. Rael took the slice of cake from Ash and carefully re-wrapped it so as to preserve it for some other moment. Maybe he would change his mind?

Or maybe she should have thought about Caenis beastfolk being allergic to chocolate... Oh... Maybe she had offended him.

"My brother would take care of me, he was the one born with the better immune system and I always thought I would rather have cake or something sweet than soup. Sweets always made everyone feel better." The pink-haired elf nodded her gratitude towards the blonde, still in the middle of telling the stories of all the times she had gotten sick over the years because of unforeseen circumstances. Except that, the more she talked, the more it sounded like she had been too absorbed in some manner of "research" to notice the potential health hazards happening around her.

"Their special soup of the day was..." A small pause to dig into the slice of bread and take a peek at the bags brought with them, momentarily having forgotten the location of that one dish. If she had any thoughts to share on the loaf, she did not share beyond a brief gesture of her wrist towards Luthien, as if asking for more. "Ah. Found it! Onion soup with a hearty portion of owlbear meat, roasted and seasoned inside of a fire slime"

---

@Ash Vargold @Luthien ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

"Ah, well..." Ash pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself, looking embarrassed. He hadn't meant to offend, and these two had come this far just to help him out on a whim. Nor had he meant to remind Rael of what was apparently a rough childhood. "I really do appreciate the thought, Rael. I just wouldn't be able to enjoy it right now while I can't taste much."

He coughed into the blankets and made a face. He felt like a living biohazard. With how stuffy this room was, he couldn't help but worry how much the others were being exposed to. He didn't like the idea of this logout-preventing illness spreading around.

'Ugh. Being sick solo is way simpler.'

When Rael pulled out the soup he couldn't help but perk his ears. It was a shame he couldn't smell the soup, but the look of it was enough to put a little appetite into his stomach. "They have some interesting cooking methods in Terrasphere... but if Landers can eat it, we sure can."

Once the soup was served, he carefully gave it a taste. He didn't need a burnt tongue on top of everything else. The taste, of course, was muted, but there was still salt and savory and texture. It was nearly enough to wash out the memory of that impossibly dense bread.

It felt like he finished it too soon- or had he just eaten too quickly? Fuck, he hadn't even said anything after taking it. "...thank you."

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She’d expected the pinkette to have a similar reaction to her own after biting onto her own cinnamon-and-sugar buttered slice of bread, before a pair of eyebrows quietly raised high into the air as the Storyteller continued as usual without even missing a beat. The cherry on top of it all was when, after the last bite was popped into her mouth, Rael had actually motioned with a hand towards Lúthien…. Did she actually want seconds of that thing?

"S-Sounds like you have quite the sweet tooth then, Rael." It was the only explanation she could think of as her hand reached for the knife once again, preparing another slice for her friend just as the pinkette exclaimed upon finding the container with the soup in question.

It smelled absolutely divine—then again almost anything would after that fishy loaf—and the elf herself could feel her own appetite growing as Rael went on to describe everything in it along with the method used for cooking. "Yeah, they can get quite creative with some of them… though a few I’ve heard sound downright dangerous." She nodded towards Ash, agreeing with the caenis opinion of the matter—if it was good enough for the landers then it was good enough for them.

Third time proved to be the charm once Vargold had spooned the first mouthful, soon followed by another and another until the caenis was completely absorbed into his meal. A faint chuckle escaped her then, before she looked towards Rael and offered a discrete wink and a thumbs up—the choice had been perfect this time around.

@Rael | @Ash Vargold

 

[Rael]

.

She can tell from the way he settles into his blanket, presence diminished ever so slightly, just how it is he's taken her words. The pinkette reassures him without need for further embarrassment, shaking her head to either side.

"No sweet tooth in particular... Oh, hmm." The elf seems to catch herself in the midst of an unfinished sentence, forever to remain that way as her chin is tilted slightly upwards. The memory of her brother comes along, chastising her for lying so readily about something not even she had realized about herself, and she nods like one who has been told something and left with no room to deny it. "Nevermind. I do."

It is impossible to deny when she is the only one partaking of the nutritional overload of the bread that Luthien patiently prepares for her, and the others help themselves to their servings of the soup she had procured.

All is well, and she is content.

"Given this is a game known for toying with extremes, different types of media, and other things, I would be surprised if their cooking did not differ much from ours. Disappointed, even."

A full stomach, filled with nutrients and all the good stuff one needs to kickstart their body's natural healing process, would do wonders for the caenis. With Luthien's agreement, she starts her duty of separating the packages into different sections, the closest to the green-haired man those with meat and vegetables in larger portions.

"Do you want a bedtime story? A song? Once you are done eating, of course. Otherwise we can just... Talk, I don't have anything to do. Do you, Luth?"

---

@Ash Vargold @Luthien ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash looked sheepishly at his empty bowl. Food was normally an afterthought for him in game, and hunger little more than a meter to be kept full but... this was nice. He still felt like garbage, but he was warm and full, and with those basic needs filled he could feel sleep weighing down on him.

Sleeping in Terrasphere. The thought came with an undercurrent of panic. It was something he'd never done, something he'd actively avoided, because this game did enough to a waking brain, and who knew what it could do to a sleeping one? He remembered, vaguely, that elves could do something with dreams.

But he couldn't log out, and even if her body was resting quietly in real life, Ash had none of that rest.

"I don't need a story or anything, thank you." Rael... had some interesting ideas of what a sick adult wanted. It betrayed something stranger beneath her surface, but he wouldn't pry.

Ash opened his menu and cast bleary eyes on the status.

Status

Common Cold (7:59:14)
Suffering from viral illness.
Boosted metabolism is speeding recovery.

Oh, thank god.

"I think I just need to sleep this off." It was hard to keep his eyes open. "Think the food helped... I've got a countdown now."

Ash smiled weakly. "Thanks for your help, guys. I should be fine now..."

The sentiment that was 'you can leave now' wasn't spoken, but it was certainly implied as the fight against sleep grew more difficult.

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Luthien]

It’s good to see the caenis finally get some sustenance into his body, she’d even dare to think his face had gained some color once the bowl of soup had been emptied out. He was still sick, and would undoubtedly continue to be for a while more, but if they had learned anything from playing this game it was that food always boosted the recovery of their chosen avatars.

Instead she had focused on dividing the rest of the various food items that Rael had ordered from the kitchen along with the Storyteller, with the most delicious smelling and nutritious portions being set closer towards their ailing… friend? Companion?

"Hmmm, see?" Her thoughts were distracted as Rael started to counter her claim, only for the pinkette to pause and go into deep thought herself before finally admitting to it. "A sweet tooth indeed."

Friends… they’d never come easy to her back in their reality, but somehow she’d always found herself surrounded by others while diving. Their interactions were so simple, organic even, that she’d never stopped to question and ponder how real their connection truly was… but she didn’t dislike the thought of considering them friends.

"You’re right, it’d be pretty lame if they’d only stuck to mundane things for their dishes." While the fishy loaf had certainly not been her thing Lúthien was sure someone out there perhaps a felis or some other beastfolk would actually appreciate such a treat. "You wouldn’t think so from just looking at a slimeodile, but their meat is actually one of the best I’ve had ingame so far."

There had been a distinct spike of menu items using their flesh when a good amount of Starcalled had decimated the overflowing population in the swamps, and her only regret was not trying everything that was available before the meat had finally run out. "We should try them together one day~"

She’d caught the way Ash’s head bobbed up and down on occasion, the green-haired man clearly trying to fight the wave of exhaustion that usually rolled in once the belly was full and content. The pinkette’s suggestion of a bedtime story had Lúthien raising one eyebrow questioningly, before she giggled softly as Rael continued. "I’m sure we could sing him a lullaby or two."

Their offers were politely declined, before the mention of a countdown finally appearing caused the blonde to beam in response—it meant their efforts had been rewarded and their caenis friend would be back to his usual self with time. "Míralo… ya se fue a soñar con los pajaritos." His voice had long since drifted off, replaced by the rhythmic sound of Ash’s breathing as sleep overtook him.

Lúthien quietly stood from her chair then, the elf careful not to make a sound as she came closer to Vargold and properly tucked the blanket around him. "Sweet dreams, Ash~" She carefully swept some of the green strands away from his face, hoping to keep them from tickling his skin and interrupting his slumber, before the blonde returned back to her chair.

"Right… there’s still a lot of food left, huh?" The spread still laid out before them was certainly more than three people could’ve eaten even on a good day, and they were certainly not about to finish it now that Vargold was down and out. "We could try putting some of it away in the U… in the UI I guess…?"

Another yawn snuck in right at the tailend of her words, the elf raising one of her hands to loosely cover her mouth as this one extended for far longer than the first. The warmth of this room was certainly preferable to the chilling winds that awaited them outside on the streets, so she wasn’t exactly in a hurry to leave any time soon…

@Rael | @Ash Vargold

 

[Rael]

.

Had she imposed again without truly meaning to?

When neither of them says a thing of her suggestion, yet quietly shares in an emotion gone overlooked by her, she takes notice. It is in the subtleties like the tiniest exhalation of breath that precedes a giggle, or in the silence that descends awkwardly in-between words, cutting between parts of a sentence as if it were a knife dividing portions of a meal.

What other proof does she need? Again, something has she done wrong. Again, something has she said wrong.

Neither relent, wait as she might for information that will never peak from behind the curtain, and so her understanding remains incomplete.

Rael maintains politeness yet no longer feels the need to speak more than she already had, what little emotion she had deigned to externalize at the moment... Gone.

It was much easier now to know why she liked books so very much.

"May you have a restful sleep," she whispers, tone even. Rael goes to Ash as his head begins its fruitless battle against rest's embrace, lulled before long into peaceful defeat, and fetches the bowl of soup from his hands before he's even had the chance to realize.

Together with the rest of the dirty utensils does it sit in an unused corner of the room, for later disposal. As for the rest... The storyteller gestures her UI into life, following Luthien's suggestion of storing the items so they'll keep longer.

She loosens a small sigh as she takes note of Luthien's repeated yawns, procuring a bedroll from her inventory that she had used when camping outdoors. She even carries extras, as evidenced when another identical item appears in her grasp.

"One of my Summons says she gets cold at night, no matter how much I tell her it's not possible so... Uhm," she falters, unaware of the need or want to explain herself as she lays out her bedroll near the fireplace. The sentence never concludes, left to hang in the air where it is later buried underneath the rustle of movement as she settles down for the night, decided to stay to observe the caenis' developments overnight.

"Have pleasant dreams, Luthien."

Sleep, though not quickly, would eventually come.

---

@Ash Vargold @Luthien ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash tried to stay awake, even as his eyes fluttered shut. In the end, no amount of pinching or stubbornness could keep his fatigue at bay.

Curled into his makeshift nest of blankets, dazzled by the light and warmth of the fire... he had no chance. His thoughts slowed as sleep claimed him, but as he descended into the dark

his fears followed after.​

A empty city bus

rattles

through the night.

Cobalt blue light illuminates the interior, but it cannot pierce the darkness outside the windows. In the sterile light every shadow seems sharper even as all other colors are washed away. The signs above are blurred memories of adverts and notices. The fans hiss in harmony with the fluorescent whine, while the wheels

th-thump, th-thump, th-thump​

drum a beat across the ridged pavement.

The driver is a shadow, undefined, nothing more than an extension of the bus it steers. Sitting at a bench in the front is the suggestion of a person, a silhouette in drab, modern clothing. They bear a foggy visage, the mere suggestion of the face drawn from the memory of one that shuns mirrors. They do not look to the windows. Their reflection echoes their hunched position, turned away from its origin.

They are familiar, both in the way of dreams, and in a way more significant.

The signs display no time nor destination. No chime answers the tug of the stop-cord. Blinking lights slide past the window, evoking the tail lights of passing cars

watching​

before they pass and fade.

The entity in the chair actively curls in on themselves, trying to take up as little space as possible despite the empty space surrounding them.

"..."

"...crowded tonight."

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Luthien]

The elf can’t properly point out what it is, but it feels as if something within Rael has suddenly shifted. Perhaps it was the stoic tones that colored her words, but even then the blonde can’t be certain… Although she’s fond of the pinkette, Lúthien cannot claim to know her as well as some of her other friends. It’s this fact alone that makes the ranger hesitate, a question never given voice or shared, before the simply chalks it up to tiredness or some other reason.

It wouldn’t be the first time she’s read too much into someone else’s body language, and she doesn’t want to risk ruining the content mood in the room.

Tidying up is easy when there’s two pairs of hands managing the task, and it doesn’t take long before the leftovers are apparated away into the unknowns of their UIs. The few things that are left require a bin to dispose of them, but there’s no harm in having them wait by the wayside for the time being. She’d managed to stifle another yawn when the large mass of a sleeping bag suddenly came to life, evidently startled at first before Rael’s explanation provides the context she’d been missing.

"I would’ve thought the same before today," The item is gratefully accepted before she watches Rael procure a second one from her UI, the blonde carefully setting down the sleeping bag not to far from the pinkette’s as they each claim a spot in Vargold’s room for the night. "But I’d never thought players could actually get sick within the game… and something tells me the devs like to be extra when it comes to this game."

Perhaps there was some truth to the words of Rael’s summons after all, though she hoped that wasn’t the case.

"Mmm..." Comfortable as she is now perhaps it’s no surprise that the ranger can’t keep her own eyes open now, the words of Rael quietly echoing in her ears although it takes her mind a moment to actually process their meaning. "You too Rael… descansa."

. . .

Th-thump . . . Th-thump . . . Th-thump!

...!?

Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump...​

The once distant sound suddenly becomes more prominent as the wheels of the bus seem to catch on a pothole in the road, jostling the head of one blonde against whatever she'd been resting it on. "Hrrmm..." Eyes that flutter open are quickly shut once more when the fluorescent light blinds them, her hands rubbing against them as a groan of complaint escapes her lips.

"..."​

"W-What time is it…?" It’s impossible to hide the grogginess in her voice, her own mind still hazy as it struggles to remember what she’d been doing before falling asleep. There’s a chill that threatens to seep underneath her skin, the familiar warmth of the fire back in that cozy room nowhere to be found, before one hand reaches towards the spot where she remembered the other sleeping bag to be at. "R-Rael…?"

"... crowded tonight."​

The unfamiliar sound of another is the thing that finally jolts her awake, the momentary surprise of finding herself within a bus—one she can’t remember boarding—paling for the time being against the presence of the stranger. "Who… who are you?" She’s careful now to keep them in her sights as she speaks, though the occasional twitch of her eyes as she tries to find the familiar head of pink hair in the periphery is hard to miss.

@Rael | @???

 

[Rael]

.

Rael awakens to a world not of her own making, bathed in fluorescent blue light and bare feet cold against the metallic encasing of her surroundings. She is but an unwilling witness to a reality to be made and unmade at the will and whim of... Who, exactly?

As a guest stepping through the threshold of another's dwelling, she measures her movements in a slow curve, careful not to startle the denizens of the dream if any were particularly attentive to her presence. Content to watch the blazing silhouettes draw their trails of blazing light outside the window that she leans against, a passenger in watch for a destination that will never come, but she hopes against hope will reveal itself either way.

That is, until another calls out to her by name.

The pinkette turns, heavy-lidded gaze instinctively glancing over the familiar blonde's sight, unwilling to disturb the little rest that she had acquired. All good that it did, for not only had she woken up of her own accord, but also now called out to the third most discernable passenger in the bus.

Chin propped upon the palm of a hand, she gazes out the window a second time, awaiting the unfolding of events.

"... Would you happen to know where are we headed?"

---

@Ash Vargold @Luthien​

 

[Ash Vargold]

th-thump, th-thump, th-thump

"Who… who are you?"​

The person (and it had to be a person, right?) raised their head. Something resembling a frown flitted across their features as they glanced sideways towards the two elves seated nearby. Their frown only intensified as they made eye contact with Luthien, thus confirming that the questioned at been pointed at them-

"...?"

What the fuck is her problem?

The figure looked away.

Their reflection did not.​

"... Would you happen to know where are we headed?"​

"...the driver can help you if you're lost."

You should know that sort of thing before getting on a bus...

Two voices overlapped - or one voice, and one suggestion of a voice. The person looked away after their answer, attention fixed on the phone in their hands. The buck had been passed, as far as they were concerned.

The reflection, meanwhile, kept their attention on Rael and Luthien. Against the darkness outside the window, it looked nearly as solid as the mostly-solid person in the bus.

More importantly, it was looking at them, and not the reflections they cast...​

---

@Rael @Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Relief floods over her upon seeing the familiar pink strands of hair from the corner of her eye, the fingers that bumped softly against Rael’s thigh confirming this wasn’t just a figment of her imagination. She’d been ready to receive no answer back from their mysterious figure, especially considering the sharp frown they sent back at her.

”...?”​

"Forget I asked—"

What the fuck is her problem?

It’s her turn now for furrowed eyebrows and a slightly scrunched up nose, the elf is certain her ears have caught words on them and yet the lips of their unknown companion remained unmoving. Maybe it was someone else…? Possible considering how packed this bus is, a quick glance to her side reveals there are no empty seats that she can quickly see.

"... Would you happen to know where are we headed?"

While the blonde had focused on the person before them the pinkette had inquired about their destination instead, a rather important question when it came to threading the dreams of others.

"...the driver can help you if you're lost."

You should know that sort of thing before getting on a bus...

What the fuck— This time she’s certain of it, there’s two voices at play, but that is quickly forgotten as her gaze shifts back towards the stranger once more. "!?!"

There’s nothing alarming about them, just another person currently doom scrolling through the social media feeds in the phone, which only highlights how out of place the sudden inhale that filled her lungs was. Instinctively her fingers seek out the hand of Rael, seeking for a touch that can help ground her senses, as Lúthien’s gaze remains fixed on a spot just behind their unhelpful friend.

The reflection in the mirror sits straight unlike their counterpart, their gaze fixed on the pair of elves that don’t belong in this space. It’s enough to send a chill down the blonde’s spine as she stares back, frozen like a deer before headlights, before she reaches out towards Rael in the only way the blonde can think of as her voice remains caught within her throat.

{ R-Rael, the window…! }

@Rael | @???