NIGHT

thread summary. [total] chaser + 10092xp | (1602 * 0.7 * 9) + 2313col | (xp * 0.15) + 800 night + 15694xp | (1602 * 0.7 * 14) + 2354col | (xp * 0.15)

"we're not..." day had wanted to rebuke, but with chase in his current condition, even she knew the man wasn't fit for a rebuttal. and so, at night's hushing, pulling the entity's attention to the player's visage, she didn't need to have seen the finger placed on her original's lips to have known not to continue. the two quietly watched on, just as the pain began to grip their friend again. a pressure back from day upon their grip -- even his apology seemed to slip out of him in an agonized manner. it was difficult not to feel for the man, from an artificial being or otherwise, and the tw

hidden away in that side corridor, it reasoned why there was little ambient light to brighten the room. though adjacent to a wide set of windows, the ongoing storm outside hadn't helped their atmosphere plenty, and it was here that the temperature of the household had fallen since their leave from the master bedroom. a chill ran down night's spine, and she huddled closer into her jacket. draped in all but the coolest hues, the conference room was nearly entirely dipped black. night couldn't help but stare at the rain upon her entry. a quick turn of her head left, and she'd discover a set

funny, how cardinal had decided to grant them several floors worth of forests, and only on the twenty-sixth would the players see them put to use. material gathering was one thing; small items used in crafts were always something that the base had dealt in. and the few that dabbled in logging were only doing so to aid their smithing counterparts, the wood requirement for their time in the castle much lower than the costs of metal, of steel. the sudden surge of needed supply put most of the crafting communities to question, and efforts to the harvesting of logs were increased for their ga

after the system update? it made sense for some players to feel a little less secure in their standing in the castle. night had been one of them for a time, until she found her balance once again. and the player examined hirru closer as the latter released a sigh. sure enough, it did seem as though he'd seen better days. the glance to the book he'd motioned to her, however, was what caught her attention beyond the talk of combat prowess. titled 'what we fight for'... it sounded like the name of a quest she'd only heard of in passing. without any concrete evidence to that train of thought

"hmm..." his explanation seemed to make sense. and because not all trees could've been considered a wood elemental, some of them had their personal space encroached upon, while others were shied away from. yet it made her wonder why, in the same vein that forests were made to be clusters of the wood elementals, there were those that stayed out of vicinity from their kin. an extension? she ruminated on the reason why, looking towards the trees as hirru approached one of them. so in part of being able to identify them was in knowing which trees would be considered threats. and though n

northern? if only night could remember the locales better, despite having visited these lands most frequently in recent memory. and she sent back an acknowledgement, deciding to scout for a favourable method of transport as she waited. once she'd settled on a wagon, col paid, the player only sauntered back calmly to the plaza as agreed upon. "Sorry to keep you waiting." and everything was taken in stride. a hand raised -- "no worries," night returned, glancing towards the stables where she'd visited earlier. "i wasn't waiting for long. actually, i was planning to take a walk at some

thread summary. [total] + 5684xp | (406 * 14 * 1) + 1252col | (xp * 0.15) + 400

"good fight," night had found herself saying. in memory, she wouldn't have pressed those words through her own lips, knowing the one she fought was only a mockery of who she was, who she'd wanted to be. and yet, with lynn's visage on display, all she saw was nothing more than someone else close to her -- whether or not the monster behind it was actually lynn in disguise. still, she couldn't help the grin, understanding that it mattered little so long as underneath skin was a breathing ally, artificial or otherwise. and day took hold of that hand with a lazy, outstretched grasp. what

it came across as a cough, however, as the light from oathkeeper but sent the gemini backwards and off to one side. this time, water was spurred upwards in a flurry, liquid seeping into that thick woolen cloak of linen texture, the entity beneath it taking a deep breath in before allowing herself to giggle. and what cut grazed the player from that explosive energy, spear yanked from under her grasp was but miniscule as compared to the damage suffered from the entity. the back of her hand ran against that small gash, night treading forward towards day's location, as the construct was found spra

and it was that disconnect that trapped the woman there, once night gave in to that hold, her chin clamping down tight on the shaft of that spear as its tip passed underneath her. stuck. day threatened to tug, to pull for another strike against the player, but found herself surprised when the latter seemed not to move. instead, what grew at the corner of their visions was a light blinding, exceedingly bright. oathkeeper rang through each hit in battle; it was only now, pressed to the gemini's side that it thrummed a pulse of darkness once, and then began to shake violently with a singeing

the splash made her spirit come alive, finding solace in grounding once again. and she dove backwards, the base of her palm pushing the player off damp gravel, wet soil, though agony painted her face to be in the same position she knew herself to have been in the first time they exchanged blows. day's tactics had changed since then, and so too had night's -- how was it that their different variables resulted in the same, or a similar outcome? the player burned, skidding away from a new jab as she rose, only to counter it with a sweep to the gemini's side, and her opponent's own spear piercing

--yet in that same vein did day push the offensive, the tip of her spear shooting accurately towards her chest, pointed at the player's very sternum. in mid-air, did she catch sight of the entity's gaze. light was still caught on them, those shimmering orbs, the brightness of her spear a pure white painted life in a swath that mimicked an uncanny valley. there was coldness in that shove, a steely frost that was desperately different from the one upon night's own lips from earlier. the kind that sealed metal doors shut, grew upon the surfaces in the frigid cold, the depths of winter, the k

that made the perfect opening for cardinal to exploit, and she showed it with that lunge forward -- without telegraph for even the quickest of reactions, that distance between them closed within less time it took for night to blink. the defense night brought up, then, was futile despite her renewed advantage; her arms pulled inwards, attempting to block the blow, blade held towards day though was ineffective at what the player had meant to do. with a rush that fast, the force behind the impact was enough to push night backwards had she not also stepped to one side; in that very shift was

it was by play, then, that their equipment found themselves matched. day looked to the player, all smiles, while night's lips only curled in response once their gazes had met, the raise of her weapon an allowance for the other to move. and that draw backwards of the spear in her hands -- there was no anticipation in her own leg for the sting to occur had white steel be driven into it, because a careless swing of her own nail against the entity was enough a signal for the blonde to fall backwards. two leaps, the second for show -- like an acrobat, the spear set to her side behind her back once

the strike was nothing; both of them knew that. and how their conversation had devolved into an exchange of blades -- finally, from one soul to another, that they returned to their base instincts in this sword-ridden world. night held her tongue despite the beam, oathkeeper forged in her hand as she whirled around to keep up with her other's movements. and so it was two lights matched evenly, one upon the other, sword held in the player's off-hand as it stopped the shaft of the spear, pointing its tip downwards with its weight. all it would take was a quick jab from day, and another point

reflections moved underneath vivid hues, those blue eyes. the world echoed back onto herself, like the stream the duo found themselves standing within; day was above her other, her steps gentler upon the water's shifting surface, that height difference between themselves exaggerated by only a hair further. and it was in those murky colours; shaded, roiled, that a white light was beginning to consume them, for everything else would be a distraction to her words, her purpose. night was stuck, still, wondering what her different had meant by those words, ominous yet undark. and the drift of

those choice of words felt so glaring, edged like the blade of a knife -- day didn't need a practical one, after all. night paused for a moment, disposition kept, "humor you?" despite their commemoration earlier, now it felt as thought the air was growing tense. "night," day started, and the construct searched her eyes, windows to an open, human soul. "do you trust me?" yet the player was anything but fluent in binary, in understanding the machinations of a system beyond her in return. but she sobered and nodded, blinking away all traces of curiosity, doubt and agitation. what was le

"i know," night found herself replying, half-pushed through a giggle, an underlying calm in equal measures of her anxiety-induced understanding. "i know." her free hand merely joined with the connection between the construct and herself. and, like a weight off her shoulders, in their little confinement, their sanctuary, night realized she felt free. a burden missing on her shoulders, if only for a second. if only for a heartbeat. still, it was in all but sound, in words that the gesture made sense. and day tilted her head, curious, like a cat, smile only faltering just slightly. "do

"oh, c'mon...!" it took the player but a moment to recover from her senses. despite that fact, day merely kept searching the other woman's face, attempting to get their eyes to meet again. cheerful, as always. "tell me, where else could i go night? if it weren't to be by your side--" "okay, okay--" for there were a million places in rebuttal that should've come to mind, to voice. but night simply kept grinning, that guffaw in poor taste, and her mirror couldn't help but resemble it in the same vein. "-- who else could i love but you?" that moment of recovery came and w

they could've stayed in that moment, allowing the silence to draw. but day knew better than to have that happen, thumb rubbing against her opposite's palm. "i mean that, you know." half stated with laughter, and night only relaxed once she recognized brilliance dawning on the construct's face. the latter looked away too, smiling. "i'll always have your back, night. always." the snort from the player in realization of that irony only pushed grins from both parties once the former started to giggle from that unexpected genuinity. "what? …what’s so funny about that?" night rai

she thought of her promises made, the one to nari that she intended to keep. that meant escape seemed out of the question, to someplace like this, away from prying eyes. just the two of them -- it had been enough, once upon a time, pretense that only night herself would know to keep and savour. it hadn't been enough since the beginning. night knew that now, that in some respects she was a better liar than most, if she had been able to fool herself in earnest. so her tone, too, was wilting, as though they were mirrors, an infinity running through them having been placed side by side.

it was only when their eyes finally met that each of them knew better than to speak with gestures. because words were complicated, and if not both entities, then at least one of them were built, made, born with complexities that the other did not. day was the one to fold, first, a faded smile gracing her face as she cooled from tensing. head raised towards night, and that hand, cupped, lowered. it was only at the heartbeat dissipating from the player's throat that the construct began to speak up, tone mimicking the reflection of her every fiber, every make. "if you ever need to hide away,