Elora

"Just be thankful you got off of it in time, otherwise you'd hit the ground about as hard as anything that falls from the village above. You'd be impressed to know how many deaths we have from coconuts each year"

"That's...uh...kind of grim..." Elora shuffled her weight awkwardly as she searched for a new subject of discussion. 

"Pretty much how it is around here", shrugged the woman, "Grim and dim" After a brief pause, she waved, "I'm Cecil by the way" She had a slender figure with dark skin and hair that rested at her shoulders. Although Elora felt her face grow red upon viewing her somewhat-scanty attire, she did envy the woman for how much cooler she must have felt by wearing fewer layers. It occurred to Elora that Cecil lacked a hovering marker that would denote her as being another player. She's just another NPC, she thought dismissively.

Elora picked herself off of the ground, sliding gloved hands across her limbs to wipe off any residual sludge that had adhered to them. "Well...I guess the only direction is down, now"

With hastened steps, she made her way down another set of slippery steps until she finally reached the bottom, or what she hoped it was, of the city. Sparse strands of sunlight trickled in from gaps in the canopies overhead. It was hardly enough to explain the excessive amounts of undergrowth that blanketed every notable surface surrounding her. This looks more like a lagoon than a tropical paradise...

"Hey, lady!", called out a somewhat shrill voice, "Were you on that bridge up above when it fell? Someone should have warned you that it wasn't safe! No one's used it for years!" 

Elora surveyed her peripherals until she eventually spotted a young woman who looked to be roughly the same age as her. "Yeah, a warning would have been appreciated", she affirmed with a tone of annoyance.

Darkness seemed to swiftly surround her as she continued the descent. The forested scenery once saturated with sunlight became increasingly quiet, and simultaneously, more devoid of life. Smaller saplings creeping out from the slopes were now matted with gooey tendrils seeping strands of ooze rather than droplets of water. The pungent stench of rotted wood and other decomposing matter caused Elora to feel like she was choking on the air. 

I think I might have gone the wrong way, I've never read anything about the jungles on this floor being so disgusting. I should probably just head back

As the female player turned around to regard the incline, she heard cries echo from the valley below. Wha--how did--are there people trapped down there? Elora sprinted to a rickety wooden bridge ahead to get a better view of the situation. "H-hang on! I'll be right there to help you!" Before she could pinpoint the source of the outcry, boards beneath her feet began to wobble and creek. RUN!, cried her mind in alarm. Segments of soggy wood practically disintegrated into the abyss as she frantically dashed to reach the other side. After a desperate dive to safety on a solid surface, Elora glanced over her shoulder to see the structure she had crossed suspended in shambles. "F*CK!", she exclaimed in both frustration and relief from the close call.

Elora took to following a river which was colored a spectacular cobalt blue, possibly due to runoff bacteria from the excessive amount of eroding plantlife. The resource must have served as an essential means to gather fresh drinking water for the town's inhabitants, since the majority of homes were congregated and stacked vertically along its banks. Thankfully, a narrow riverstone path allowed Elora to follow it without having to cut through any of the private gardens that existed around many of the properties.

Not long after, she approached a steeply declining limb with a rut that caused the torrent to pummel down the rest of the tree. It functioned like rapids that uprooted any remaining vegetation before dumping it all onto the distant forest floor through the stream of a narrow waterfall. 

Wow, that's quite the drop..., thought Elora before a group of distant lights caught her eye, Wait, are those torches down there? She used a large vine to assist her with crawling to take a closer look.

Elora reached out to offer the player her arm before hesitantly retracting it to instead extend it toward his free appendage. "Sure thing, I don't know if you're gonna get any leverage without a second hand though -- er, well, a third I guess if you're counting mine" The wake created by her boat caused ripples to crease the surface of the lake. Flickering lanterns bobbed from the disturbance and twirled in and away from one another in a mesmerizing dance. One of the paper cylinders floating above them grew faint before gracefully drifting downward and into the canoe. Aw, this poor one couldn't stay lit..., she said with a sympathetic tone. As she held up its crinkling exterior, many tiny gold stars poured out onto her lap, then fell to her feet. "Hmmm, maybe these things were just weighing it down, actually" Just then, Elora happened to catch a glimmer of something streaking across the celestial void above them. "Was that a meteor?"

Navigating Krycim felt like an obstacle in and of itself. Thick clambering vines that served as walkways literally wound in every direction, although primarily up and down the trees that they attached to. Elora practically had to use her spear like a walking stick just to traverse down them. Slippery overgrowth and jutting branches only made the trip more treacherous. You know, I wouldn't have been opposed to them placing the portal at the BOTTOM of the town.

As she descended, Elora felt as though the scenery around her adapted to suit its location. It was almost like each level of the canopy contained different districts with characters that specialized in new occupations. Contrary to the top, where stylish storefronts flashed frivolous wares, the middle sector offered more practical products. Fresh produce, work attire, and tools fashioned from wood and stone were up for sale at many of them. Elora even spotted a flower shop adorned with suspended pots of flowers that spilled from the basket, cascading in a colorful display around them. Bundles of pink and yellow roses wrapped in banana leaves drew the majority of her attention. Wow...those are so beautiful. I'd love to buy some just to keep in my room... Her wish waived as she again reminded herself that there was little money for her to spare, especially when it came to impulsive purchases for the sake of aesthetics.

Before Elora could even offer an introduction, the three players had lunged into the thick of battle. Considering they had all expressed concern for her safety in this situation, she felt it wise to heed their advice and remain distant from their excursion. Contently accepting the invitation to reap rewards without putting in any actual effort, Elora proceeded to sit in the sand and watch as the action unfolded. I've never seen anyone fight a monster as strong as this before!, she excitedly anticipated, One day, I'll be doing just the same. If I'm lucky, I might even be strong enough to handle it on my own. 

It seemed that things were developing somewhat slowly, so Elora directed her attention to building a sand castle instead. The only problem was, there wasn't really any water around to use for adhesion. Actually...! She opened her inventory and found one of the cactuses she had harvested. This might work. Slicing it open, she mixed some of its sap with the sediment until it formed a small batch of malleable material. I feel like a child making mud pies while the adults handle the real work. 

@NIGHT

"Oh, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about that", Elora responded to Kiluia with a mischievous grin. He probably wouldn't be able to notice the expression due to the rapid depletion of light. By the time they had reached the cavern's floor, Elora could finally sense the sounds that had been causing Asmura to panic. Had her hearing really gotten that bad? Damn, I'm getting old. 

SCREEEEE 

A secondary, much louder screech pierced the air, resonating sharply across the stacks of stones surrounding them. 

"I take it that isn't the little girl...", stated Elora with a shutter. Jesus, I don't want to go any further into these tunnels. "I know!", she exclaimed, planting a fisted hand into her other, open palm, "Why don't -- we just use -- Asmura as bait? That'll bring the monsters right to us instead of delivering all of our heads on a silver platter to them?" She waited for confirmation as to whether or not this would be a popular opinion, since she wasn't really able to glean responses from body language in this environment. 

Elora's oar caught some resistance as she rowed, causing her to pause and inspect it. She pulled it out from the water along with an extensive trail of mangled seaweed that had spun itself into an intricate knot around the paddle. Gold stars were tangled within the heap like the clams and snails that could typically be found suctioned to the underwater vegetation. Elora began the meticulous task of unwinding and freeing each item from its clutches. Momentarily, she lifted her sights just in time to see Vigilon hauling himself into Dazia's boat. She couldn't help but laugh beneath her breath. "You know, I would have waited if I knew that you weren't able to get one", she called out to him, "Was it a refreshing swim at least?"

The water droplets that landed on her told her it was probably more like a freezing swim. He was probably going to be shivering the rest of the night unless they got to a fire somewhere. Thinking this prompted a question to pass through her mind, Does the game automatically dry you off after awhile? I wonder if you could just change outfits in the menu so you wouldn't be wet anymore.

Elora's face was burning from embarrassment, the blush now extended to the bases of her ears. She hadn't expected to encounter anyone at this event. This was just supposed to be a safe way for her to explore another floor. "H-hi, I -- uh, yeah, sure" Did that even answer anything he asked? Elora nervously regarded the other women. It was difficult for her to feel confident in this sort of encounter with how out-of-place she felt. Meeting new people in social settings was usually second-nature for her, but for some reason, she had always had trouble with making female friends. 

Fireworks began to erupt and crackle in the night starry sky. All of the lights, noises, motions, and memories culminated into a daze. She felt so disoriented and unsure of what to say or do next, so instead, she just began walking. Wherever it was they would be heading, she would absently follow behind. As they meandered, she couldn't help but glance over to study Freyd's accessories, particularly his mask. How had I been able to recognize him underneath that? I guess his hair and eyes MIGHT have given it away. Or maybe, it was the awkward prolonged stare they had exchanged as both of them had tried to decode the other's appearance. Yeah, that was probably it.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows @Haine @Kiluia Seiko @Vie

Well, this is awkward, thought Elora as walked not far behind Kiluia, Isn't this how people talk when it's their first day on a new job? Oh well, guess it's just something I'll have to get over with. "I haven't exactly done anything pertaining to the guild yet, or really met anyone who's a part of either. Well, aside from Kil and Freyd I guess, but I don't think they were members back then", she glanced at Kiluia in case he wanted to confirm or deny the detail. She lifted her arms behind her head, clasping her hands to secure them in a leisurely posture "I guess I'm looking forward to having some advantages when it comes to advancing my Alchemic skills. I haven't made much progress on them yet. Haven't really felt like there's been a need to."

It wasn't long before the quad squad reached their destination, a cavern with slopes that stretched like staircases descending into darkness. "Well that looks f*cking terrifying", remarked Elora, "Why the hell would a little kid run into THAT to feel safe?" She began to carefully situate the soles of her shoes so that she could sort of slide across the surfaces of the damp and mossy stones. It probably wasn't much safer than picking up her feet and committing to taking single steps.

So this is Freyd's shop, eh? Looks a bit...run down. The decor seemed a bit out-of-place for his personality. Then again, she didn't really know what she'd been expecting. Something more, plain, maybe? Elora made her way into the establishment and began to look for her friend. He didn't seem to be around. In the meantime, I guess I'll just take a look around. She began to prod at some of the crafted knickknack on the shelves, accidentally knocking a few over and haphazardly having to catch them. "Huh? What's this?", a specific item gleamed, catching her attention. She interacted with it, prompting a description to appear:

Spyglass – (@ 880 col)
Item Type: Consumable [3 Charges]
Effect: Use to reduce the number of posts required to search for a dungeon or familiar by 5 posts. Effect lasts for one thread. Item is destroyed once all charges have been used.

"Thaaat, could be useful" She lifted up the item to hold it, But, where do I go to pay for it?

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

"Uhh...alright...", agreed Elora as she eyed the establishment's grandiose exterior. Geez, this looks pretty legit. She felt small in comparison to its stoney structure and stoic stature. By the time she had worked up the courage to turn around, Freyd was already on his way to, well, wherever he was headed next. 

"B-but...I'm a newbie...", she found herself pleading beneath her breath as he disappeared among the forest's vegetation. Elora groaned nervously as she encroached on the entrance of the Guild. She wasn't good at introductions, so her hope in Freyd being a reputable connection was all that she had to carry her onward. Slowly lifting a large circular knocker on the main gate, Elora waited a handful of seconds before attempting to pull on the door. Dammit, it must be locked, and no one is even coming to let me in!

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to leave for now and try again later. Her uneasy feet carried her off a ways before stopping, then once again bringing her back to confront the barrier. No, no, no -- I have to figure out some way to get in there! M-maybe this is some sort of test of aptitude? Yeah, actually, I bet it is! They're trying to find out whether or not I have the wits to figure out how to get in there. Man, I gotta think of something creative....I could climb the walls with some sort of rope? Or -- I know -- if there's a tall enough tree...then I could..."NNNGG!", she groaned loudly before frustratedly kicking in the door. It slowly creaked open, without offering any resistance.

"O-oh..."

She slid through the opening and prepared to announce herself, "HELLO, EVERYONE! I'M ELORA!" 

Elora continued to row further out into the lake. The scenery was so peaceful. She enjoyed moments of solitude like this, at least every once in awhile. Whenever she spent too much time alone, she would spiral into an existential crisis. Oftentimes, the depressive episodes would be self-perpetuated by her worries of not spending enough time making progress on reaching important objectives. Ironically, this sometimes discouraged her to a point where she was debilitated from undertaking quests, leaving her room, or even getting out of bed. 

Yes, moments like these occasionally assisted Elora from repeating this harmful behavior. When she felt that there were things in the outside world worth experiencing, it gave her a greater cause to ignore her internalized thoughts in an effort to focus on moving forward.

Streams of bubbles billowed from beneath the water's surface, carrying stars with them from the rocky depths below. Elora continued to gather them, now considering the observation that she had made, Could there be volcanic vents at the bottom of the lakebed? She noted that the body of water did hold a circular shape, at least in relation to the coniferous trees that encompassed it. Huh...I wonder if that means this lake was formed from a crater. That's a bit concerning that it doesn't seem to be dormant. Oh well, I can't imagine that the game would generate a volcanic eruption to kill any of its players. That would kind of break its mechanics. 

"Haha", chuckled Elora as she sniffed and wiped away her tears with the inside of her glove's cufflet. Her arms were cut up with a few, now smaller, serrations from the wolves' claws and teeth. Her bad arm, on the other hand, was blotched with bruises that were simulated to surround at least a dozen dime-sized puncture marks from the Venom Snapper's teeth. "You always somehow get covered in dirt or -- pfff -- molasses when you're fighting" She also fondly recalled how both of them had gotten completed soaked with water before they'd even begun to fight the large fish from the previous mission.

"I think it's starting to feel a bit better", she assured Freyd. As her larger injury began to heal, she fashioned her spear into a sort of crutch to help her off of the ground. After some residual unsteadiness, she managed to get on her own two feet again. "Is it always gonna hurt this bad?", she inquired naively, unaware of the much deadlier monsters that she would one day need to face, perhaps even alone. Considering how afraid she had looked during battle, she now wore a broad grin, one that was certainly in response to Freyd's affirmation of her success. 

"I've been on Floor 22 before, remember?" A slight blush crept across her face as she recalled how both of them had been dressed during their encounter there. "Actuallyyy, don't worry about that"

Elora turned to begin heading back in the direction that they had came. "The Cathedral of the Forgotten, huh? That's got a bit of a ring to it. That and Angel's Point are both...what would you call it...kind of dramatic names. It still sounds like a cult.

Elora looked up at Freyd with watery eyes and pale knuckles, which continued to clench the end of her spear. A handful of seconds passed after Freyd had killed the monsters before she finally realized the battle was over. With hands trembling, she released the weapon, causing it to clatter against her knees before rolling off a short ways. She wanted to bury her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment, just like before, but she knew that that wasn't what Freyd expected of her. "D-did I do o-okay?", she struggled to ask through rattling teeth. I probably look like such a coward, she couldn't help herself from thinking. No matter what she did, or how much she tried to convince herself, the reminders of her failures never went away. They resonated within her like a lesson she was force-fed for years, until one day, they finally became thoughts of her own.

Elora nodded to the girl in affirmation of the introduction and in acknowledgement of her welcoming wave. She wasn't entirely sure how to make small talk with new people, especially ones that were so young. Should I talk about toys or something?, she thought, taking a moment to regard to player as she floundered around nervously. That might only make things more awkward for her. Maybe I should draw everyone's attention to the quest instead. "Ah-hem", Elora raised a gloved fist to her mouth as she cleared her throat and formally accepted the objective, "Looks like the four of us will need to go to..." She squinted her eyes to make out the details of the map that were surrounding a small blinking cursor, "Uh...somewhere nearby...in a chain of mountains, maybe?" 

Turning her head to regard a formation that encompassed the town, she sighed, "This is gonna be one hell of a hike"

@Vie

The Venom Snapper quickly retaliated, biting down on one of Elora's arms. A nauseating "CRUNCH" resounded in the air as the monster's jagged jaws dug into her skin, causing a thick ooze of poison to trickle down toward her wounds. Her face grew pale with shock while her muscles tensed from a sharp, stinging sensation that came in response to her first experience of great pain. With her mind racing and her focus scattered, she secured her grasp on the weapon in her opposite hand, then swung it violently into the head of the mutated hound. In a panicked frenzy, she bludgeoned it with the shaft of the spear over and over again, until it finally dropped her from its grip. Stumbling to the ground, Elora watched in horror as the wolves she'd damaged earlier lurched forward in an attempt to maul her. "AHHH!", she screamed, swinging her spear across her to bar them from biting her face. Miraculously, its point penetrated the throats of both dogs, practically shish-kebabing them as they descended from above. 

Meanwhile, the third wolf had set it's eyes on Freyd, prepared to obtain a meal of its very own from his body. It rushed towards him, snarling ferociously and barring it's teeth.

Elora readied herself for the battle by undertaking an unusually heroic stance. In contrast to her earlier positions, this one appeared to be more strategic rather than ambitiously reckless. With broad shoulders and a sturdy grip on her spear, she appeared ready to fearlessly attack every monster on the battlefield. The sight was a bit awkward looking when juxtaposed with her fitted corset and brown booty shorts. Regardless, she was excited to finally have the opportunity to battle alongside someone else, especially in a role of leadership. Part of her wanted to doubt whether or not she was qualified to in this instance while another remembered that this was supposed to be an exercise in boosting her self-confidence. 

With quick affirmation to herself, she lunged into the fray, carrying her spear like a partner that was ushering her forward in a graceful dance. Wolves sprang to their feet and charged at her as she approached them. Their claws swiped at the lower edges of her figure, peeling off sections of flesh along her legs in a bloody spray. Luckily, she was able to land a few slashes in return. Elora sliced into the legs of two of the dogs, who whimpered as they tumbled into the dirt. Before long, the pack leader had rushed to Elora's side and was preparing to paralyze her with its noxious maws. The third wolf had already completely circled around her. She spotted the creature and prepared to defend against it before tripping over the bodies of the others. Her spear somehow managed to impale the Venom Snapper instead of her own chest. A cloud of debris puffed into the air as the five of them struggled to regain their footing on the field. 

 ~ A Hopeful New Beginning ~ 

Elora wasn't entirely sure how to make sense of his reasoning. Wait, he's impressed by me...only trying to be good at something? Why would that matter? It should take him witnessing me accomplishing something to do that. She remained sitting for a time after he had walked away while her mind tried to deconstruct everything he had just told her. Unless...attempting to start something is actually an accomplishment in and of itself. That's just the easy part though, isn't it?

She looked after him as he exited the bar, That's right. It is. That's what he's been trying to warn me about. The more I try to get better at something, the riskier it'll become. Sh*t...I've never gotten this far before. Usually by now I've already moved onto figuring out the next thing. I think I'm running out of options to run away to...

Her knees quickly locked in place as she rose to accompany Freyd. I need to stop worrying, at least for now. He's with me for this quest, so I'll be fine for a little while longer. 

And if I join Firm Anima, it'll buy me even more time.

Elora made her way to the boathouse and began to converse with the NPC who was stationed there. Luckily, it was free to rent a canoe tonight due to the event taking place in town. "Anything to be able to help out those kids", said the bearded man before gesturing to a series of boats that were tied to a dock, "Just be sure to bring em' back when you're done so that other people have the chance to take them out" 

She nodded appreciatively before doubling back in the direction she had walked from, closer to where the wooden vessels were stationed. "He said that we can take these free of charge!", called out Elora to Dazia and Vigilon who was trailing further behind her, "Since there are so many of them, we can probably all have our own" As they were working on catching up, she untied one of the knots and stepped into the middle of the boat. It would probably be a bit difficult to steer without herself and another person stationed at either end, but maybe this situation would make rowing a bit more exciting. As she slowly drifted out into the lake, she started to collect the stars that were bobbing up and down in response to the waves created by her strokes. 

"No! I just...", she leaned forward more until she was sitting with her head rested against the table and her arms folded like a shield around her, "I want to be good enough for them to accept me so that they don't have a reason to abandon me when they realize that I'm useless..." Elora had adopted a frustrated, and somewhat whiney tone to her words, as if she was trying to stress why they should make sense to Freyd. In response to his next series of questions she added, "I thought you were just helping me because you felt bad for me..." The admission was fairly muffled by the soundproofing of all the materials blocking her mouth. "But then I started to get stronger and I thought maybe I was able to impress you by learning so quickly" She lifted her head out to rest atop one of the metal gauntlets that he had given her. "You're the only person who's complimented me on accomplishing something since...well, in a long time, I guess."

Slowly sitting up in her seat, she began to take small sips of her remaining drink. How long had they even been here, talking about all of this? She remained silent as he mentioned that she seemed to be stopping herself from taking the opportunity. She wished she knew what the issue was, why she acted this way, and the reason she was so afraid of failing. Joining the guild isn't going to solve this for me..., but he's right in suggesting it as a possible first step. Maybe finding some security among other players will help me feel more confident with moving on. Or at least, with feeling like I belong somewhere, if only temporarily. 

"Will you take me there?", she asked coyly before adding, "I mean, when we're done with this quest of course..." Elora only asked the question because she was sure that he'd agree to help her with introductions. Without someone familiar to guide her along, she would feel too worried to see what she was getting herself into, let alone, meet the other members.

The words seemed to break through her calm facade like rocks being thrown through a window. She suddenly stood up and pushed her hands into the table that separated them, nearly toppling over her stool in the process. "I'm acting like a child?! I've bin holdin' mie tongue up til' this point becouse I've learnt' how to hieve some restraint!" Her face was growing more red by the second. "Do yew know why I was on the 1st Floor for soo long?", she yelled as her voice began to crack, "It was because I was sciered, just like everybody else! But every tiem that I tried to mieke friends or to join groups te help me fight, no won would stay behiend to help me!" Elora's eyes were beginning to tear up and her voice grew even shakier as an emotional unraveling of her deeply held insecurities seemed to be boiling over during the explosive scene. By this point, patrons of the bar, which were mostly NPCS, had begun to stare at her and whisper among themselves. "Everywon has already made their own decisions and their own cliques...", she looked down, causing a few tears to fall and disintegrate before hitting the table, "I wasn't good enough to keep anyone around, and now it's too late..." A great weight appeared to descend upon her as she slumped forward and buried her face into her hands. What have I just done..?

"At least if I die out there alone, then no one will be able to mock me for screwing up"

By now, the establishment had already returned to its usually hum of conversations and camaraderie. The sound of a stool scraping against the floorboards could be heard beside them as Gastly, the NPC from the quest, made an effort to excuse himself from the situation. It was clear to the calculations of his preprogrammed mind that he had probably overstayed his welcome. "I think, I uh...better go...and get another drink, or maybe three. Just, uh, let me know when you kill those monsters" He grabbed Freyd's shoulder briefly as if to say 'good luck' before departing.

The Liminal Blind, hopefully I can remember that. It's gonna be a long time before I can get there...

Elora's posture and expression grew more stiff as he continued to mentor her. The remark about her crawling back to where she started seemed to trigger a flash of hurt behind her fixed eyes. Her intense complexion, however, remained unwavering, like a suit of armor that she wore to protect herself from showing vulnerability in battles of this nature. I'm not your pet project, Freyd. You may have helped me work up some courage , but you don't get to dictate what I do from here like I'm sort of experiment of your's, is what she wanted to yell in retaliation. 

Instead, she began to breath more heavily but remained silent. Doing so had always been the best method for enduring ridicule, lest the person dealing with her transitioned from being angry to furious. 

"Firm Anima?", she cracked with a snide tone, "Is that some sort of cult?" She was interested in confirming her suspicion that he was a part of one and that it was the reason he formerly wore the priest's cassock. It was odd that he had mentioned an organization, as if he thought that she wanted to conform to fit in with the culture of an arbitrary group. 

She exhaled, causing her shoulders to visibly release most of the tension that they had been holding. Looking down at her beverage that she hadn't consumed for a few minutes, she absently began to swirl the glass, utilizing it like a tool to process what she wanted to say next. 

"I don't have anything to prove to you, but if you want to see what I'm made of, then you're going to have to trust me."

Elora distractedly trailed behind Kill as she turned her head in every direction, admiring the architectural design of the village. Marome's cobblestone streets resounded with the clattering of creaky wooden carriages and the feet of running children. They chased each other around the marketplace, weaving between clusters of adults that nearly tripled them in height. One girl in particular appeared to be making haste through the bodies like they were an obstacle course that prevented her from reaching a reward on the other side. It didn't occur to Elora that a lone child could be a cause for concern, that is, until passerbys began to murmur about the fact of the oddity. Suddenly, an unhinged woman appeared from the crowd and began to harrass the child about -- Wait, isn't that the NPC that Kiluia and I need to talk to? Speaking of which, where is..., She surveyed the pedestrians in search of his signature white hair, Did I really get that far behind him? Shaking herself from the distraction, she shoved her way toward the confrontation in order to intervene. Before she made it close enough to communicate with the player, Kill had somehow materialized from the crowd and was already beginning to greet her. Good. Maybe he'll be able to handle this, she thought as she broke out into the patch of unoccupied space beside them.