NIGHT

if they had something to say... why was it never the right words being exchanged? night considered this, just as her vision grew faint; between the soothing pour of the stream, that tranquil pool, and the permanence of the two souls, still amidst the pond. if their scene had been put to painting, it could've seemed like a forever, in some respect, yet she knew that for both of them time would march on outside of that work of art. and it was only beautiful, too, if only in the sense that the subjects were in a realm of their own; no external interferences. nothing that seemed to remain bes

"it is pretty though. and relaxing." "isn't it?" from the corner of her vision, she saw day beaming, turning to face night before her gaze fell to their hands. a soft massaging of fingers as they were examining the hideaway had loosened night's grip, released the tension in her palms, kept them warm. the player’s glance, stolen to her different's image, only left her speechless with that contemplative pout and half-lidded gaze. words that felt natural in recent days danced upon the tip of her tongue, and night pondered on the bar she would be crossing just to say them aloud. she

"but you agree, don't you?" a quiet whisper; day's head still turning, eyes wandering, the entity looking past the player clearly captivated, distracted. night wasn't sure if she was made to do so, to be so distant in such a locale, but matched the construct's gaze in looking. the rushing fall, however small, in the back looked attractive. so too were the decorative ferns that framed it so. and there was one rock or another beside a boulder that seemed fitting to prop themselves against for a moment of respite, had they came to visit alone another time. "it's like... my own personal sanct

so it was in silence she watched the gemini prance for a moment, as the player stepped forth, allowing her sneakers to breach water from the earth. unlike her companion, her steps seemed to phase through the liquid -- her soles were soaked before she realized it. and as night looked down to notice, a brief groan passed her lips, catching the attention of her other. "oh hey, what's wrong?" "just a little slip up," night mentioned, gesturing with a raised shoe. "that's all." and water droplets dripped from that rubber lining, falling to running streams that snaked their way around

she breathed it in; the atmosphere, the revelation, the clarity and cleanliness of it all. an uplifting feeling, being here in the pond -- though night was certain what players were to follow their gemini in would have thought otherwise, for certain. and the woman watched then, just as her arms were starting to stretch, as day over took her from behind, her doppel leaping forth with eager steps. the entity danced upon her fur boots' tips, glancing off the water's surface. that pool barely rippled, almost formidable, and day only giggled at the sight of the reaction to herself. "isn't it w

what unveiled before her was a small pool that looked as though it was starting to grow into a lake in shape, but not size. the water, crystalline, flowed from one small stream at the far back of the room towards the entrance, and it was by miracle that the diminutive leaks towards the grove's entrance weren't made to pour out of their designated zone. at the outer edges of their surroundings, the mist was thick, obscuring minute details, fog hiding in the dark with the shrubs and the trees clustered together with nary a gap. small rocks upon gravel and sand greeted the water at its shore. a g

so she followed. the trees were starting to look a little different, at this part of the woodlands. a tempered mist was slowly starting to seep in, and there, everpresent, was an atmospheric humming in the air, as though a signifier that something was alive. perhaps part of night would've been willing to ask if that was the sound of her doppel's processes, that life force, had the rest of her not been found to be on edge. just as before, knowing that something in their environment was off only set her mood off-kilter, despite the joy her other was experiencing. and, in that silence growin

someone else got the check in for bistro instead. night paid good money for the broker not to poke her about why she'd wanted to know, and the pool was confirmed to be the gemini's new home. strange, then, that it was day that didn't know about its existence until night had taken her to the sixth floor, by chance. because one of them continued to have questions about the dagger, after uncovering its existence yet present in that murky, still puddle. the other was only too happy to have followed along. "c'mon, hurry up~!" night paced behind the entity, the latter frolicking throu

she never did get to explore ordsea on her time on the twenty-seventh. what little of it she did get to see of the city was on her journey towards the president's estate, and even then, all she did was get a tour of the building she was in, nothing more beyond that. and it was on this very day, lounging around in the urban streets that seemed underlined with gothic undertones did night ruminate on the players she found herself spending time with. a vast majority of them were on her friends list; an immediate proximity. then, her eyes pulled her towards the guild tab, and she considered the deb

It was after the climactic events of the attempted revolution that things started to stir on the twenty-sixth floor. For the events had brought new-found vigor to the Galteans who would see themselves carve a future into their city once upon a time, despite what textbooks said about a revisionist history. As for the Ladonians, though sympathizers were few and far between, citizens of the lower rung would begin to connect with their discriminated different counterparts; so too would they have the space to house them, as few and far between as their cramped quarters could hold for the residents

they walked, and all it gave night was food for thought. to analyze monsters not only for their attack patterns but in how they fit into the eco-system; that definitely sounded like a job outside of her scope, for having the patience or the gall to keep hidden away from the very thing one might've been tracking was an skill filled with the probability of losing one's position on the target. and night was reckless, she knew that from experience. but she took in the analysis, either way, trying to wrap her head around how that journey -- from knowing nothing about an enemy to pathing their entir

"she's downstairs making porridge," day returned, watching the man struggle in his new bed. "it'll be warm. even if you can't eat it now, we can always save it for later." and at his explanation, the construct sighed, considering. out of their realm meant a problem that was out of reach, despite knowing what they did about aincrad's limiters, neurosensory disruptions and the idea that their play wasn't going to be interrupted by whatever was happening in real life. a defect in the nerve gear? say it wasn't so. yet here chase was, struggling with pain that felt more tangible than dam

true to night's jests, despite them only being so, the fact that nari had decided to end with a concert for the party was... telling. and the woman only showed up at the front door early with her tongue stuck out just to tease her companion with affection. "see? i told you so. i told you--" if she hadn't finished her menacing the other, it was only due to the fact that she hadn't properly registered just how much work and effort their host had put into organizing such an event. banners and colored candles, bunnies -- was this supposed to be a representation of easter? -- and the mix

"wha-- chase?!" she knew the player had been slowly growing weaker the closer with each step taking up the stairs. the pain tolerance, the construct hadn't minded. and part of her was wondering if her processes had miscalculated the proper action to take by the time they'd gotten to the top. when night finally stepped out the room, gesturing to the open door, it was then that their friend started to buckle, and the woman decided to scoop him up entirely. the player could only step aside, trying her best not to balk. like a knight, she thought. always the knight. day moved fast,

<<The Gemini>> changes to the system had also underlined an alteration in some places, like the world being shifted around to some mad mage's antics from on high. roads had grown shorter, some streets stretched longer than others, and assets were updated, places obfuscated and revealed where they once may not have been as such. and there was one locale that night hadn't meant to keep a tab on, yet picked up on the sense that it had differed, when bistro offered her a paper that went over a few changes reported to her by word of mouth that needed to be confirmed first-hand.

"information," she considered, thumb at the base of her chin and intonation rising in a query. and she hadn't heard of anyone running dungeons for intel before, much less searching for them, but perhaps the walk and hirru's activities would clue her into how such intel gathering would work. night nodded at the suggestion, offering him to lead with a wave of her hand. "sure. count me in." it only seemed that they'd start walking once the man had decided to complete his scout, however. spyglass drawn from his inventory, she merely listened, scholar-like, wondering if she should be taking do

night: ? night: u wanna talk abt it? night: out atm, cld use the company night: f27, ronbaru teleport plaza if u wanna join night: not obligated tho the player sighed upon sending those messages out. because part of her hadn't meant to intrude nor invite hirru to where she was going, but likewise, she knew there was fear to be approaching a ghost (not real!) alone. and in the same vein, she did wonder what was keeping the man awake; part of her was hoping it was more insight to what he thought of the recent boss fight and the state of the other players, though it was just as welco

srona, srona... that seemed to be the place where she and koga had been to on their road trip around the floor. a wagon waved over for her uses was a simple task enough. she sent an affirmative message to hirru with an estimated time of arrival as she boarded the vehicle, with fingers crossed in her hands as she departed that there wouldn't be another incident of arson to stop her travel. thankfully, the elements must've heard her prayer. night had only hopped off the ride early in part due to the signal her adventuring partner had told her about. 'green flame' -- it matched his

it was one thing to say she didn't believe in ghosts. it was another to have seen a banshee multiple times and try to deny its existence. and slaying ghouls and spectres should've counted for something to the adventurer. even moreso was seeing a visage of an apparition and trying to pin it down as something more than a group hallucination. what made a ghost? night always believed she had one living in her home. it made it hard to stay, now that she found an abode elsewhere. and yet, ever the soul wanting to scratch at scabs, she played the idea over and over again in her mind. couldn

"so we should probably head out," night decided. day hummed at the prompt, and tilted her head, eyes closed, considering. "well, from what i remember, there are a few more rooms this way. the library seems to be closest." papers stashed away in a library? it only made sense, like finding a needle in a haystack. the player nodded at the analysis. "right, that works for me." and so day's hand was set on the door knob. there was a moment of expectation for her wrist to have turned it open, until her other shifted instead, her index pressed to pursed lips. from calmness, night furro

red grass? almost macabre, as though highlighting the idea that blood could've been spilled upon the soil. given the gothic nature of the landscape, it shouldn't have been surprising, but the odd eye-catching marks as they walked continued to pull her attention -- and her surprise. "as far as i'd heard it," night explained, "the quest was new to one of cardinal's updates. so, no." a corner of her lips was pulled as she considered the thought. "and contrary to your belief, i don't actually like being on this floor, either. it's a little much on the dark and dreary side. looks like your kin

"oh?" and night was quick to move first, setting her drink down before rising. she shot glance to day, who was clueless at the notice, and the player clicked her tongue in return. "is there anything in your room that needs to be cleared out?" "not that i know of," the entity admitted, but spurred to life at that query. careful hands wrapped around the familiar in her lap as she sung a cheerful song ("alright blizz~! we gotta make way so i can get up now~") and the woman slid off the couch, just as night began to saunter over to the stairs with the tray of refreshments in her ha

why was it that when players messaged her to go anywhere these days, it always ended up being on the 27th floor? that's what night thought about when she received the message, and it was with a curiosity that she responded back, dismissing the new message from her inbox that wasn't from a player. night: sure night: where @? the last time she'd been in a dungeon there, things had turned out... for the better. even in reminiscence, the glance over to the sleeping beauty by her side, the memory alone stirred up more than just a fluttering in her heart; there was also a tightness

"H-Hey, if something happens to the couch, I can help fix it. Although I haven't heard of a furniture breaking in SAO..." despite the low volume of his voice, day had heard it cleanly, gesturing to chase as he pointed out that fact. "yeah, i'm pretty sure they don't, either." "huh?" and the conversation passed over it, swiftly. night turned to chase, on the topic of his coughs, slightly solemn. "well, it's not like i've heard of anyone else in aincrad getting sick to begin with, chase." the player winced, considering the implications behind that statement. "so that's how it coul