[F27 - PP] Ghosts of Ming Garden

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her head cocked to the left as Ghost clasped onto Koga’s arm, pulling herself in with what appeared to be a salute. Her mouth opened to ask, before it snapped shut, looking up at NIGHT and realising the irony of the question she had been about to present. Instead, her fingers tightened around her companion’s, before she turned her attention to the question posed towards her.

“Yeah…yeah, the Ming Garden. It’s a little walk from here. Not too bad, but…we should be careful, especially with our…newest addition.” She failed to stop her eyes from shifting towards Ghost, hovering over the girl with no judgement, but a thoughtful expression. “Ideally, I think we should avoid any actual combat, if possible. For safeties sake…”

Heading towards the city exit, she gave NIGHT a soft tug, pulling her along behind her. Leaning in closely, whispering into the girl’s ear. “Do you think…they’re a thing?”

Passing through the gates she gave another glance back at the forms of Koga and Ghost, her mind bringing up scenarios that may, or may not have been unlikely. Almost out of habit, her throat began to carry the tune that had been stuck in her throat for numerous days, beginning as a whisper but quickly picking up as she became more comfortable.

“A ‘níon mhín ó, sin anall na fir shúirí

A mháithairin mhín ó, cuir na roithléan go dtí mé

Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán Gaelach

Dúlamán na farraige, b’fhearr a bhí in Éirinn”

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Word Count: 247

[Koga 0]

At NIGHT's declination to the unspoken invitation to join them in stone punching, Koga gave the woman a slight disappointed look. Though he hadn't been planning on asking, having NIGHT along would have sped up their progress. Not having the extra body there to help, not ideal. "You wound me," he said to her, deadpanning.

When Ghost decided take his request quite literally the sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, a quiet groan escaping his lips. "Alright, so we're doin' this, I guess," he muttered before NIGHT tossed the girl a teleporter crystal. The man nodded his approval. "Better to be safe than sorry," he said, glancing between the two before then looking at Nari with a nod, indicating for her to lead the way.

The four broke into two pairs as they all made their way out of the settlement together, Nari and NIGHT at the head, hand in hand, with Koga and Ghost just behind them, with Ghost clinging to the man's arm still, his own hands stuff into his pockets. Looking ahead, Koga could make out that they were whispering among themselves, but what they were saying, the man had no clue. Though curious, he couldn't muster up enough care to bother asking them. Instead, the man drew his hand from his pocket and gestured towards Nari. "So, Nari's our tank," the man explained, "if the big ass suit of armor and shield didn't clue you in. She's usually the one to initiate fights for us, and draw as much aggro as she can." He then gestured towards NIGHT. "And NIGHT is a DPS. I've known her for...God, I've lost count of how many years, but she's good at what she does." His hand returned to his pocket as they continued on. "We don't really have a healer or anything, but to be honest, we don't exactly need one most of the time. With Nari at the front, she can usually just soak damage and walk away with just scrapes and bruises. NIGHT and I, well even if Nari can't hold the aggro, we're usually quick enough on our feet that it doesn't matter too much. And even if we do get tagged, we can both heal back all that health."

The man then shifted his gaze to Ghost, "You find good people and stick with 'em, you live. Or you get stupidly over-leveled, but..." the man stole another glance at NIGHT and Nari. Though he wasn't sure how he felt about them being an item still, it didn't matter. It wasn't his job to figure it out. Rather, he was just happy NIGHT had someone. She never had come off as lonely to him before. DAY had probably helped with that but...well, she seemed the slightest bit happier. "It's good to have friends you can count on."

Edited April 11, 2022 by Koga

[Ghostie 0]

Ghost stared down at the crystals given to her by NIGHT, listening carefully as they came up with a plan. It was strange, actually being a part of a casual group conversation. She liked how earnest and genuine they all were; all the same, she still felt out of place in many ways. Putting the crystals away, she kept an absent minded hold on Koga’s arm, completely oblivious to how it might look. At the moment, although she wouldn’t admit it, Koga’s arm was sort of her mental lifeline at the moment.

When Koga began talking again, he first gestured to Nari. Ghost took in her appearance; the heavier armor, the method of walking, the general aura Nari seemed to give off. She seemed confident, and relaxed. Then again, someone capable of getting to maximum level certainly wouldn’t lack confidence and knowledge in their abilities. Plus, a tank plays a crucial role as the main defense, having high survivability. Then Koga gestured to NIGHT, and Ghost repeated her process. She’s a DPS.. What kind? The pale haired girl considered the various options, remembering what Koga had mentioned about damage over time, direct damage and more, back at the Silver Eagle. Maybe a DoT..? It would cover the field, if that was the case. 

Afterward, Ghost listened to Koga’s comment, and she brought a hand up to loosely sign. You are good people, she responded, her subtitles fluttering away as quickly as they came. She also wanted to get strong, as fast as possible. She knew it would be a challenge, but she needed to be capable of helping others. If Koga and the others need assistance later, then she would want to find some method to be of use to them, and to herself.

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[NIGHT 0]

"that goes without saying," night concurred, following along as she was pulled through. and at the whisper, the player leaned in, only to pull away with a deadpanned look afterwards. "yeah, like your guess had been accurate before. you're going to think the entire castle's dating each other before you settle on a pair you'll actually get right."

she left it at that, however, because the song from nari was much more entertaining to listen to. as night looked out towards the path out of town (were they heading towards dagan? she wasn't sure how long that trip would take on foot), she kept her pace small but in time with the beat of the music. quiet -- despite wanting to say something to fill the void of conversation. as long as her partner was keen on playing radio, she was more than satisfied carrying silence, playing passive audience to melody out of comfort.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“Dúlamán na binne buí, dúlamán Gaelach, Dúlamán na farrai-“ Her words cut off as she fully registered what NIGHT had implied. Mouth still open she took a couple of steps, before letting out an almost soft reply. “Hey…I’m not that…”

The sentence unfinished as she realised that her guesses had been relatively, if not wholly, off. Stomping along in falsely presented anger, she eyed NIGHT, pulling herself in tighter towards the girl in response. “At least I’m cute, right?”

Her train of thought lost for the moment, it took her a few steps before she launched back into the song, letting the melody carry out over the path they followed, just loud enough that the pair behind them would be able to hear the words.

What felt like hours later, Nari saw the farms that were laid along the edges of Dagan, signifying their arrival. She knew it was only a matter of moments before the garden itself would eventually come into sight, nestled into the very centre of the territory itself.

Skipping along beside NIGHT, trying not to jostle the girl too much as she clung to her hand, she turned her head towards the other two in the party. “Have you two been here before? The garden itself is beautiful, if you’re into that sort of thing. Flowers, trees, fountains, lights. Really romantic spot. Oh, and apparently ghosts. Assuming that they were right…”

Her happy appearance disappeared behind a frown of thought. The skipping, once joyous and full of energy, continued only through habit. Moments later, the concern and thoughtfulness was gone, the smile returned and her eyes casting out towards the garden – now just barely coming into view.

Giving a tug on NIGHT’s arm, she pulled the girl forward, giggling slightly as she started up her newest song, the words coming out in a soft melody.

“May it be, an evening star…shines down upon you…may it be when darkness falls…your heart will be true…you walk a lonely road, oh how far you are from home…”

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Word Count: 338

[Koga 0]

The lilting sound of Nari's voice singing some song in a foreign language. Though the words held no meaning for the man, there was no denying that it was a pretty song. Maybe not knowing the words made it a little more pleasant to listen to. A mystery only Nari knew the answer to.

The man looked over to Ghost as she began to sign to him, the words she created pulling a sheepish chuckled from the man's lips. "I'm not good people, Ghost," he said softly, turning his eyes back to the road ahead. "I'm just people." Good people were far and few between. Unshakable moral center, and sense of right and wrong that rivaled that of saints and gods. Koga had none of that. Just fumbling around in the dark like everyone else.  He had his vices, his own dark desires and secrets. Sure, he had his redeeming qualities, but at the end of the day, Koga didn't believe that made him a good person. If a good person had to be a saint, and to sacrifice everything they loved for what they believed was right, Koga was not one of them.

The drab scenery of this floors cavern-like infrastructure soon gave way to all manner of flowers and trees. Fountains too, as Nari pointed out as she turned to address the Yin and Yang of the group. "No, first time for me," Koga answered, allowing his gaze to slowly sweep over their surroundings. Though calm, he kept a hand on his weapon anyways, just in case something, spectral or not, decided to leap out at them.

[Ghostie 0]

Ghost found her free hand tapping her side to Nari’s melody, finding the tune quite relaxing despite not knowing the language. She was drawn to Koga’s reply again, and she gave him a puzzled look as he said what he did. I think you’re good people, she loosely signed again, but then quickly tucked her hand away, hoping she didn’t seem too forward. After a long while of silent walking, she was then distracted by Nari’s question. “Have you two been here before? The garden itself is beautiful, if you’re into that sort of thing. Flowers, trees, fountains, lights. Really romantic spot.”

Ghost took a look, her eyes widening on the sight ahead of them. Various bursts of faint colors from the flowers and fireflies wistfully lit up the area ahead from their distance, and her imagination had begun to visualize just how amazing it will look up close…. Wait… romantic? She looked between Nari, and NIGHT, and then to Koga, not sure what was implied but choosing not to address it.

She instead shook her head in response to coming there before. Obviously, in her case, she’d never been on this floor before. But the more that she saw, the more that she considered possibly coming back again once she had reached a decent level. It did have a beautiful atmosphere, and the company… wasn’t bad either.

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[NIGHT 0]

unmoved by the appeal. night found herself looking away for a heartbeat, before revealing a grin unable to be kept, leaning in for a peck on the cheek. "yeah, yeah," came in a whisper right in her ear. "the cutest in aincrad, obviously." and she remained quiet as they travelled along, only tugging at that lock of fingers once or twice to pull nari closer to herself.

when the question was tossed koga and ghost's way, night broke her silence to look upon nari -- "well, i haven't." the initial offense of her expression only made way for a turn of the corner of her lip. "hadn't asked me." and a lowered tone, "so much for romantic, then, i take it? given we've got company."

it didn't seem to bother her partner, the way joy returned to her steps. night continued following, still turning her head one way and another; though the lyrics were now in english rather than -- irish? gaelic? -- the song appeared unfamiliar to her. past her time, perhaps.

entering the ming garden came as a surprise to the player. having visited dagan only once, she hadn't expected the presence of such wonderful scenery tucked away in a corner of the farming village. and she hummed, taking a look around; each turn of her head was in lieu of the woman being distracted by a collection of passing fireflies, never mind the various flora, colorful and exotic in the background. the earth almost breathed tranquility here, plants carefully looked after, molded and designed to be grown, displayed a certain way. a calm, beautiful and sterile yard. she understood now why there could've been a ghost wandering about -- despite the fact she didn't believe there would be one showing up that day.

so her final query was this, once she'd finally been relieved of awe, "so where was the ghost last seen at?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Her eyes flicked over to NIGHT, mouth opening to say something, before she cocked her head to the left. Her gaze drawn to something behind NIGHT, she lifted a finger and pointed. Her gaze entirely focused on the shimmering spectral in the distance, her desire to rebuttal the remarks entirely forgotten.

“I…think that may be it…?” The figure shimmered and disappeared as Nari’s words ended, as if her attention on it had forced it away. “Hey! Wait…!” Her feet moving before she’d even considered the danger in her actions, she rushed over to the spot that the figure had been but a breath before.

“It’s…gone?” She glanced at the others, her expression one of confusion. “You guys saw it too, right? Did you see where it went? Did it…just vanish?”

‘Ghosts aren’t real. What’s going on here?’ The thought crept up her spine, causing a shiver. “Hey, do any of you have any tracking skills? Do you see any signs of someone being here? Other than us, of course.”

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Word Count: 169

[Koga 0]

Though Koga did not miss the repeated signs, nor the words that appeared in the air, Koga made no remark. He just continued to walk along the path, following the others. Stopping within the Garden's premises, NIGHT asked where the ghost was last seen. Before anyone could answer, however, Nari looked past NIGHT and uttered something unexpected. "I…think that may be it…?"

Following the girl's gaze, the man saw...nothing...even as Nari dashed ahead of them to chase after whatever she had seen. "Hey, wait up a sec!" Koga called after her, gripping his weapon to chase after her. "Don't fucking run off like that," Koga chastised her as he caught up, eyes not lingering on any one spot for too long as he searched for any sign of danger. "We don't know what this ghost is, or if they're hostile." Too many unknowns to be running off without thought.

"To your question though, I got some points in Searching, but that's it. No tracking."

[Ghostie 0]

Ghost stood there, her face as blank as ever, but her hands shaking a bit as she chased after them. At the moment, she wasn’t sure what Nari saw, but Ghost thought she might’ve gotten a glimpse out of the corner of her eye as Nari began to chase after it. She shook her head to Nari’s inquiry about Tracking.

She hadn’t sunk any points into anything yet, so she could probably get it, but at the same time she was deliberately saving them up for Martial Arts. Using her points just to get a singular skill she’d rarely use right now would probably be a mistake in the long run, anyways.

Was there any other information given?? the girl signed, the subtitles lighting up dimly in front of her. She knew she wouldn’t be of much help currently, but she hoped she could at least be useful for ideas if any were worth discussing. 

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[NIGHT 0]

what.

and night shot to where nari had pointed towards, only catching a glimmer of something -- something that coloured the distance a hue just a tad bit lighter, like a smidge of white against an already inky and melting backdrop. faded and hazy -- but this time it wasn't the player in all of her sleep-induced wakeness calling the shots on what she should've seen visible. no. it was as if the world had melted for a single moment, colours coalescing at that one location; stars twinkling away at where the specter once was.

then she blinked. the tank left her sides, and what was once there seemed to be gone. if night had grumbled, it was to the dismay of the woman herself that she hadn't the slightest clue what had just been revealed to her. a trick of the eye? she knew what she saw. then an illusion, perhaps?

night folded her arms, humming a rejection to her partner's offer. so much for visiting to help out. but at the slightest shiver of the environment behind where nari was standing, the player's gaze traced its movements, a drumbeat in her throat as she realized there might've been something afoot. and now, she wasn't so sure she'd wanted to try and follow up on it. hesitantly, and trying to be quiet, her gaze bounced between where she'd last seen the 'ghost' and her partner, an index gesturing towards its general direction.

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ID208743 | ld18+5 = 23 | ^{tfw you see a ghost but you really don't want to.}

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“Tugann Morríghan neart dom.” The prayer a soft whisper on her lips as she reached for the bracelet that wasn’t there – another reminder of the fact they were no longer in the real world, even if old habits remained.

Standing from her crouch, she glanced at the trio alongside her, before letting her gaze wonder the garden itself – looking for anything that would lead to some sort of conclusion as to what was happening. Her response to the critique of her actions was half-hearted, barely audible enough for anyone to hear. “Sorry…I saw it and…reacted…what is that?”

She stepped to the flowerbed a few steps away, kneeling down to run her hand along the fine powder – was that yellow dust? – that littered the pathway. Her first assumption would be pollen of some sort, if it had even existed in Aincrad to begin with. “Alchemy…? That wouldn’t make sense…should’ve disappeared…”

Instantly, as if without consideration, she stuck her covered finger in her mouth. “Ugh. Sulfur. Do not taste that.” Her expression one of disgust, she fought the gag sensation in her throat as her mind raced. ‘Why would there be sulfuric substance here…?’

“Hey, how much do you know about this floor? Ever heard of the Cave?” Her brow furrowed as she voiced her question. She’d only been by the cave once, but the feel from it had sent a chill up her spine that had urged her away – yet the one thing that had remained was the smell of sulfur that had been in the air.

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Word Count: 256

[Koga 0]

It seemed that Nari was hardly paying any attention to what Koga had said to her, the woman muttering about this and that. "I mean, I didn't even see anything," Koga answered Ghost's question, before looking at the other two in their part for their response. No verbal reaction. Just NIGHT pointing nervously, eyes shifting back and forth between Nari and...more empty space?

Well, that made two who had seen this ghost...

The man cast an inquisitive look towards NIGHT, before turning his attention to Nari as she decided that licking the mystery powder off her finger was a good idea. Ya know what, if she wanted to get poisoned, that was her business.

"Ugh. Sulfur. Do not taste that."

Not much better.

"Uh, there are a lot of caves here," Koga replied to Nari, before throwing another look at NIGHT, this time one of mild confusion. They'd delved into a cave or two while they'd been completing a questline on this floor. Not mention the fact that the whole floor itself was technically a system of caves to begin with..."You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

[Ghostie 0]

Ghost listened to everyone as they talked, calming down and glancing at the place where she assumed the ghost was earlier. Having only seen a flicker in her peripheral, she didn’t know if she could really consider that seeing it, but she definitely saw something. Looking around the trees and brush, she didn’t see anything really worth noting.

Would this game really have ghosts as an enemy? Even if it was a game, Aincrad is practically their real life at the given moment, so knowing that the paranormal could be injected into this world as something much more intense was… well, it was beyond terrifying to consider.

Tapping her arm, Ghost thought of any possibilities that could’ve caused whatever they witnessed. There was one option, but she didn’t know for certain. Music? she signed, pointing to Nari with a blank but curious expression. As far as she could tell, it was the only thing that came to mind when they were coming through earlier that might’ve stood out.

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[NIGHT 0]

no, the better question for night upon watching nari crouch and pick at the dust was -- why would you taste that? the player pulled a scrunched expression and shriveled up in response. from the corner of her vision, koga's shift stole her attention for a brief moment, giving her more food for thought. it was true that this floor was full of caverns, and hence it wouldn't make sense for any one of them to be noted as the cave unless it was regarded as incredibly important.

the only outlier she could remember was from braso, which was on the other side of the floor, so...

night sighed, shifting, trying to relax from the thing she did or did not see earlier. and she wondered if any of them were about to move to try and follow it -- at least in spirit, if not after one. she tried following the trail of sulfur that her partner had managed to find, hoping to reach somewhere that wasn't a dead end. "no," she replied to nari's question, "but assuming you know, tell us about it anyway."

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

NIGHT following the trail of sulphur, Koga seemingly waiting for an answer, and their newest group member attempting to get Koga’s attention – that left Nari with nothing better to do than to explain her thought process. She waved a hand towards the distance, as if signifying a place towards the opposite side of the floor itself.

“There’s a location on this floor known as The Cave. It’s…a cave, unsurprisingly. Not much is known about it, truly, aside from the fact that it can be spotted based upon the sword and shield etched into the stone above the cave’s entrance. Rumours – and trust me, these are all rumours, I’ve not gone there myself – say that within the cave things…happen. Inexplicable things. The few who’ve returned to speak about it generally provide nonsense…but everyone agrees it’s not natural.” She paused, glancing between each individual present, before continuing.

“It’s the only thing I can think of that would provide…this.” She waved a hand over the sulphur and the location where the thing had originally been visible. Even as she said it all, she wasn’t confident in her idea – it had flaws, the first of which would include the ghost creature being able to leave the cave. But…well, odder things had occurred, hadn’t they? “If something escaped the cave, perhaps it would explain why ghosts are being found within a garden that is normally a fairly safe, welcoming location?”

She shrugged as she finished her thought, waiting to see what the others would say. She wasn’t sure whether they’d agree – perhaps they had another idea as to what could possibly have brought forth a ghost. But as far as Nari could consider, this was the best lead she had – for the time being, at least.

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Word Count: 291

[Koga 0]

A single word popped up between the players as Ghost signed at them. 'Music?'  Would music draw out their mysterious phantom? Like in one of those video games he'd watched a playthrough of years ago. Unsure, the man gave the girl a silent shrug and look of profound uncertainty, before Nari gave her explanation of what 'the Cave' was.

Seriously though. The player's of Aincrad couldn't have come up with a more creative name than just 'The Cave'? On a floor that was literally all caves? What, were Mumford and Sons playing in there perpetually or something, and someone thought it'd be a funny pun? The man's amazement at the world's ineptitude never seemed to stop growing.

"Can we please rename it?" Koga pleaded, "I mean it's got a freakin' sword and shield engraved to the top, like you said. Maybe 'The Tomb' or something less synonymous with the entire floor? It's giving me a headache." But then, there was also the separate issue of entering the cave. "Also, are you suggesting we actually enter this place, renowned for driving people crazy?...'Cause if so, I'm in. Not gonna lie, I'd like to know what's going on in there." Curiosity did indeed kill the cat.

[Ghostie 0]

Getting somewhat of an answer from Koga regarding what she asked, Ghost then took a moment to listen to what Nari explained about this Cave. A cave that provides generally unnatural experiences to the players that go inside; Considering that it was the first time she’d heard of flat out paranormal entities in Aincrad in general since starting, it made sense to Ghost that something like that could possibly come from a location like this Cave, if it’s real.

Then she’d heard Koga speak up, and Ghost (although she agreed with him on how the name could be confusing) was surprised at how blunt he was, and it scrambled her thoughts as she considered any other alternative explanations…

…and coming up empty handed. Nodding, Ghost signed to Nari this time, the subtitles fluidly producing with her motions. If this ghost is from this cave you mentioned, has there been anything else talked about that we might run into inside the cave? Being the lowest leveled player among them, she couldn’t help but wonder if anything dangerous might be inside. BUT, she made her choice the moment she had grabbed Koga’s arm earlier, and she had no plans in changing her mind. And she also couldn’t help but agree; the cave did sound pretty interesting.

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[NIGHT 0]

huh? the more night listened to nari speak, the further she did believe it sounded like the cave at braso. and she hadn't been in there either -- or had she, and just forgotten it? -- but still she was reluctant to believe a 'ghost' would trek half the floor just to end up in some garden otherwise. and despite the warnings about the cave, everyone seemed... ready to enter it.

the player only found her fingers rubbing the bridge of her nose. they just got to the garden, and now they were heading off again? was every day on this floor meant for road trips, or something?

okay, maybe she was assuming. maybe this 'cave' wasn't in braso, after all; maybe there were multiple of these caves all over the floor that she hadn't expected to find. night sighed, pulling her gaze from the sulfur before turning to nari. "i mean, the better option would be to just ask the ghost, wouldn't it? in any case, if you guys wanted to visit the cave... where is it, exactly...?"