NIGHT

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,

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