NIGHT

upon that pause, night hadn't faltered. chose not to repeat herself. if anything, part of her knew it was selfish to ask, and yet what lingered on from her initial question was the stare. when nari crumpled and gave in, that was when the player felt relief. “And don’t think those eyes will work…every time…” she hadn't been counting on it. likewise, she wasn't exactly sure what nari saw in those eyes. not having the advantage of knowing another person's perception left her with little benefits; she thought herself only so lucky when what she'd meant to ask for worked out well. h

night had expected a verbal response, not a physical one. so when she found herself lifted once again (--looking like a knight arriving to save the princess--) her immediate instinct was to wonder if she'd woken up at all. the next had been to fluster, watching the world around her shift to her other's whims. and she was no stranger to being hauled in said position, so it was a subconscious move that she clung on despite the fact that-- "n-nari...!" the player whispered, with what little breath she had preserved from her cry before. her voice was still strained. "i-- i can walk, you know

"If she wasn't real then what the fuck does it matter?" "oh, grow up!" she waved her arms around, sarcastic, before pulling them into a fold. "what does it matter that we invest ourselves in anything -- isn't that right, sir nihilist?!" "This isn't about her being some lines of binary or some shit, NIGHT! That...construct, AI, whatever you wanna call her, she's just as alive as you and me, in case you hadn't noticed we're all made up of ones and zeros right now!" "then surely you understand what the point of getting out of here is for!" "This. It's not flesh and blood."

her sleep had been dreamless. empty. it was only when she woke that she discovered why. though she'd barely remembered the last time she'd been woken by another person, she did remember the soft touch of her companion, the warmth of another being. and she sighed. night stirred from her slumber with a short breath exhaled. and at nari's direction, she'd wanted not to move. darkness could fall. the whole of aincrad could've, and night would've chosen to stay right there. (probably. she might've gotten to her feet had she known about what was causing the castle to descend, though.)

she could barely register the words. and not because she hadn't tried, either. despite the fact that she'd just bawled her guts out, why did it seem that nari was still being that bit of an ass, the uncomfortable confidence, that sly remark she knew the woman had always been capable of? "jerk," ren echoed back, colliding further into her companion. and though she was certain they had been out on the expedition for another purpose, night had rather preferred they stayed put, too. “Let’s just…rest for now, okay?” night didn't even have the energy to return the affirmation in words

and so they stayed. locked in that eternal position. ren whimpered and whined until she had nothing left to give. until all her sorrows had been drained. until the heat of anguish from that very last breath had been extinguished. ren curled, leaned back into that gentle, warm touch. what little wind made it through the gaps of the building, ren felt it. woven into what little space they kept between each other. she closed them off, allowing herself to fall closer into nari, allowing time to finally pass. allowing that scratched wound to heal. slowly, but surely, night pieced herself

"because you and i both know she's not!" it was insufferable. night thought better of koga, because they had a shared history, a similar background with that similar education. it was intolerable, because he was her friend and she couldn't understand why the man wasn't about to do what he'd set out to do for the earnesty of it all. to have done so for his own sake. it was insane, then, for him to accuse her of a contradiction they both should've had the answers to. night took her steps forward. if she'd wanted to, she knew she could've swung the first blow. (she did want to. she

“Because I’ve been on the other side of this conversation, once upon a time…” had it truly been the case? ren couldn't remember a single thing exchanged between them about the matter. but in the vestiges of her shell, those were the very same words that had gone unspoken: the promise to hold on. the courage to believe, to have faith. “Because I know what it feels like, to loathe yourself. So much that you turn everyone away." how long had it been since she'd held onto another -- this closely, this firmly, to someone who wasn't a creation of her own making? ren struggled to free

"well i wasn't talking about everyone else trapped in here, i was talking about you!" just as the last fragments of the beasts around them vanished, night too turned to koga, and all in the world fell away. meaningless. how could her friend not see the irony in his point? his actions? his demeanor? it was just as well the sword in her hand had faded away from her, because if it hadn't, night could've sworn she saw one of her closest friends as nothing more than a threat in the moment. "well look at you, mister big shot. who died and made you feel like you had to be a martyr for

it was hard to hear her over the sobs. hard to register. even being forced to turn around and confront kindness at its very core, ren had to strain herself to listen. but she did, beyond her limitations. came and felt and saw experience, through spotted vision and gritted teeth. bid herself allow nari's words to reach her, even if she didn't want to hear it. even if deep down, she'd already known the truth. "Growth doesn’t come from ignorance, it comes from understanding – understanding that these things will always be a part of us. That they will forever haunt us.” and if only that

she felt the wrap of arms around her body, tight. as though it was a restriction. as though it was suffocation for the sins she'd committed, that hell of her own making. and she wept, audibly, when judgement was released on her, and she could've sworn there was something holy in the way it smited her, with that head placed upon her back. soft words spoken in kindness. ren knew she didn't deserve them, and yet nari gave it to her all the same. the woman only continued to cry. just the same, paralyzed by that fear -- the words offered to her were true, between then and now. conf

she had two origins to begin from. night chose the fresh wound from the scar. her voice hoarse, she could barely find the words once she'd managed the confidence to say something. "--this was her weapon. before she'd switched it for mine." discarded from use, her dopple had never once chose to bring it to light. water droplets fell onto the pond's shaken surface, agitating its reflections even more. "she promised me she'd ruin what i had dear once i was slain. --i let her go afterwards." night wasn't quite sure what to do with the dagger afterwards. merely set it to one side, gaze ha

a change in topic. and night saw something she hadn't wanted to see in ages. because what in the world was that thing?! "NIGHT, I believe you've met him before. This is Juiblex." she spotted the teeth and bone in the black goop, and she knew from the wrenching feeling in her gut that her guess of the thing was accurate. the player felt herself withdraw into her seat, skin tingling with fear. teeth set together. she swallowed down the stone in her throat, eyes widened. "He isn't a tool, he isn't something that I command or dominate. He is my partner." it didn't matter

her own fall was muted by the sound of the other flighty figure's own, a distance away from the party she'd somehow assisted on a whim. night let her blade fade from view, before turning back to examine the other players. who were they-- new and upcoming adventurers? when the blizzard faded away, the remains of the beast shattered cleared from the air, that was when she was able to tell. that description from her guess had only fit the bill for one of them. the other -- the veteran -- she could place a name to. and the last shadow... well, night's memory was hazy on her, or she didn't kno

night found herself nodding. was the gemini an emotional quest for most? she didn't know -- rather, she didn't think so, because the numbers had shown it otherwise. but it had mattered to her. it had mattered for her. and, in holding nari's hand again, the player found it enough. her thumb brushed against the back of that held hand, a gentle and smooth rub. "it's a quest taken solo," she said, softly. "cardinal wouldn't let me have a choice." though, she gave it a squeeze back, akin to that grasp from earlier. "but if i did, know that i'd come running. since... since y'know-- you'd asked.

"people who aren't real." like a mirror, she burned as koga did. words growing teeth, just as her blade found root in the heart of another undead. night simmered in her truth, as unfair as she knew it seemed. "it matters because we're owed a life outside of this existence. it matters because none of this has consequence, except a bool of whether we're dead or alive. it matters-- because we're mortal. we get complacent beyond the struggle. it matters despite the fact you don't want it to." steel fought bone and rotten meat. with a pulse of light, the entity and its allies fell apart.

"...i don't know." there were many hidden variables that governed the way cardinal ran its systems. without looking into its workings deeply, at least the error in its outcome was obvious -- that it wasn't meant to happen in the first place. yet, despite the lack of rationale to consider it so, night couldn't help but continue thinking about it. even until now. especially until now. "i didn't... have a reason to spare it." her grasp on nari's hand loosened. "not necessarily. perhaps you have the will for a killing intent..." the woman pulled her hand away from her companion's, l

an idealist at heart, but a realist by circumstance. wasn't that the case for most of them, if not all? and still night found herself pushing for the opinion that the world wasn't as black and white as raidou made it out to be. to define 'each other' in his sentence about player killing -- perish the thought -- was already placing herself on the line bordering treachery. so that was her challenge, night assumed. "i'm good on refreshments, thank you." "you propose," she realized, "that we take advantage of our digital allies given the pretense that they are reliable." it did see

she knew the weight of the matter had a divide between them. likewise, the question that came to her ears meant nari wasn't familiar with the quest. as she'd suspected -- calming the soul was only one part of the two pillars in night's experience as an adventurer. she wondered what the result be of this one. if nari knew. "tenshi?" the player tilted her head at the title, curious. "i could ask you the same thing about that." hands still locked, she guided her companion down the raised pad's steps, and strung her along with her fingers tapping on menus. she'd been saving her points fo

all of that value going into a name. night reflected on it as they strolled; the difference laid in how nari appreciated her own. the mention of her grandmother from before only allowed her to consider the closeness of family, and she wondered further about that. if only her own had been benevolently so. instead, she nodded at the woman's explanation. "as long as those shoes you fill feel comfortable." night wondered if she should look into it. the mythos part. at the mention of competition, the player found herself going sheepish first, before stiffening. a twirl of one lock of

well she hadn't expected the woman before her to have chosen a handle based off her real name, night would tell anyone that. and as if it was a trigger, she was starting to draw the connections where she wished she hadn't seen them. if she'd groaned, she kept her distress to herself, and turned away at the realization. a part of her was annoyed at the patterns that kept repeating. "so you're named after something akin to the grim reaper is what you're saying," the woman attempted to bring up in jest, though pivoted away from it almost immediately. "or... like a harbinger of destructi

night shrugged. "your guess is as good as mine." and then she remained quiet, listening attentive despite her want not to. the argument about players being inhumane and the artificial being the model rather than the exception came up. and the player wondered what the man had seen to lose his faith in humanity just so. no, she wouldn't bother. the controlled could always be as dark as the worst aspects of players. "Wouldn't it be nice, if we were not alone in this place? If the system itself was rebelling like we were and wished to be free like we do?" "define free," she returned

night reached out for her drink; the only menu item of the hour she'd be leaving empty. "oh, haha." it wasn't so much the dark, but she didn't want to have to justify her aggression for the outdoors right before the actual event. "and where else does the name 'nari' come from, pray tell?" then came the topic of wanting to leave, and the player wondered why her companion seemed in a rush to get going. not that she had a problem with leaving the establishment early -- definitely not that. she waved down someone for aid of taking home the leftovers; she'd done the same once upon a time, and

despite all her talking from earlier, she'd finally found quiet in taking part of her meal. her eyes were set to the flower as she ate, wondering if the material had been more for herself or her friend at this point. a few buttons from thin air, and she retrieved of it from the table. hummed only as her friend was contemplating the tale, and took a drink whilst mulling over the past. the topic change felt forced, at least. and night was facing inertia from that switch. her thoughts only lead her back to krycim, and that newly created pond not too far from the settlement. when she las

"well, i would be." as much as she appreciated good company, she knew she'd think differently when it came to her final moments. the world rearranged to her benefit wouldn't have involved the living dead, for example, and she had ties closer than koga despite loathing them in equal measures. "have higher standards for yourself." they slowly dispatched the oncoming waves, and night let herself go quiet to hear what her friend had to mention. irony at its finest was all she heard in return. she rolled her eyes. "you're already bed-ridden, whether you die in here or k/o right after waki