[ENTER THE PALACE]

[warpweft]

[You find yourself with a sensation like floating in water.]

[Above, the sky is dark. You can occasionally see things shifting, like gusts of wind, or perhaps waves of water. Is it…even a sky above you? Or is it some kind of giant ocean? Whatever it is, you can’t make it out very well. All around you, you appear to be floating in what appears to be water. It looks like a great, wide ocean of…space in every direction around you, with stars and lights twinkling in the distance. It looks like water and feels like water, but it doesn’t make you wet. You can reach your hand into it and pull some out, the purple and violet water and the tiny points of light inside it will even rest in your hands if you cup them to carry it, but once you’re not trying to hold it anymore, it’ll flow off of you, not a single drop remaining behind. You feel something similar if you go underneath the surface. The “water” doesn’t touch your eyes, mouth or nose when give the chance, it merely drifts around you, allowing you to breathe and see unabated. And you can see for a great distance, the twinkling stars illuminating the ocean of space all around you. Though perhaps less dark and empty, it feels every bit as vast as the sky above. You feel like you could swim forever and never reach the edge.]

[It’s quiet, here, with little noise around you but the starry ocean’s waves crashing back into its surface. It’s peaceful. In another situation, it might even be comfortable.]

Comments

HEARTHSIDE

[voidhearts]

Oh, good morning! You might want to move that or you’re going to get a ticket.

[The mid-day sun is shining down on you. It’s a beautiful Spring day and you’ve surfaced from your pool in the middle of the street.]

[A look around shows that you’ve landed in what appears to be a small village in the countryside. It’s kinda hilly. At the bottom of the hill (where you are currently), there’s a number of shops and businesses and whatnot. Then a bridge over a small river that leads into the hills, where most of the houses seem to be. It’s a pretty cute little place.]

Very good, then, let’s move it along, here, you’re blocking traffic.

[A police officer gives you a look and a gesture to move it. Luckily, once you climb out, the pool will close up, until you need it again anyway. Fortunately enough…nobody seems that bothered by you just showing up or whatever strange appearance you may or may not have.]

[You can cross the bridge, look at the shops or speak to the villagers.]

[cosplayed_out]

First step in an RPG, talk to everyone!

[she'll go up to random people]

Hello, fair villager! I am but a traveling seamstress. How are you?

[voidhearts]

Oi, oi, oi, that's enough of that, no soliciting!

[The officer is getting a little annoyed, but one of the citizens waves him off.]

Oh, she's fine! She's probably just here to see Aggy and her family! Just look, she's....unique, just like her!

[One of the villagers gestures at your anime-ass hair as they say "unique".]

She's at the top of the hill, dearie!

[cosplayed_out]

[look, her hair is long, but there's no need to call it 'ass hair' just because it goes beyond her butt.]

Ehehe... sorry. I'll just plain move along.

[Okay, to Aggy's then! Up the hill.]

[voidhearts]

[As you cross the bridge, you come to the hill. It looks like there’s the aforementioned house at the top of the hill. There’s also a locked gate with a path nearby at the bottom of the hill.]

[cosplayed_out]

I'll probably find the inventory item for this gate later.

[Continues to the house!]

[voidhearts]

[At the top of the hill, away from the rest of the houses is a simple little one-story cottage. Despite it being a beautiful day, all the windows are closed and the curtains are drawn, so you can’t see inside at all. All of the doors, front and back, are locked.]

[If you check around back, you’ll see a small garden with some flowers and vegetables. ]

[Around back, you find a garden with some flowers and vegetables growing. It looks very carefully tended to. There’s also a path leading out of the small backyard, heading out of the village and into the the forest.]

[Oh right, and around now, your phone beeps again.]

[Welcome to the Palace: Step 2 completed!]

[Which is quickly replaced with....]

[Step 3: Obtain a quest
Obtain a quest from one of Nessa’s confidants.
Shadow Nessa: Look, I don’t want to put too fine of a point on this. You know what they say, there are no small parts, just small actors, but we have to be realistic here. Some of the people here are more important than others. That’s just life. It’s fine, they can still contribute, you should talk to them! They might have something very useful to say! …but they’re not going to be any help finding the Voidheart, so, it’s not really going to be that useful. Just make sure you pick up the important quest. Once you do, you can keep track of your quests in the NessaQuest app.]

[That was quite the delay. Internet must be really bad out here, you are in the country, after all.]

[cosplayed_out]

[huffs] Yes, thank you, I've played open-world RPGs. I know how radiant quests work.

[It's probably not worth it to run in and start destroying the pottery though so she'll knock on the door.]

[survivaltricks]

[FUCK THE POLICE!!]

[it's instinct, the way Akira tenses up]

Ah-- sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to get in the way.

[his words are a bit stiff, but he gives the officer a polite bow before, like. immediately scampering away towards the shops]

[voidhearts]

[The officer murmurs something about 'finally, a well behaved youth'. Friend to all cops, Akira Kurusu, everybody.]

[There's a number of small family-owned shops, restaurants, etc. one after the other. This appears to be the village's main street, or, y'know, an amalgamation of how Nessa remembered it, more likely.]

[You pass by a cafe with a few tables set up out front. A teenaged girl with black hair is sitting at one of the tables, typing on a laptop and sipping from a cup. She glances up from her laptop for a minute to watch you go by...]

[....she looks kinda familiar....]

[Anyway...]

[Welcome to the Palace: Step 2 completed!]

[Step 3: Obtain a quest
Obtain a quest from one of Nessa’s confidants.
Shadow Nessa: Look, I don’t want to put too fine of a point on this. You know what they say, there are no small parts, just small actors, but we have to be realistic here. Some of the people here are more important than others. That’s just life. It’s fine, they can still contribute, you should talk to them! They might have something very useful to say! …but they’re not going to be any help finding the Voidheart, so, it’s not really going to be that useful. Just make sure you pick up the important quest. Once you do, you can keep track of your quests in the NessaQuest app.]

[survivaltricks]

[just u wait officer. just u wait]

[with an exhale of relieve that he didn't get arrested to himself, Akira picks his phone up from his pocket as soon as it starts to buzz. he raises a brow at the words, mouthing "quest?" to himself as he does so. and it's about then that he lifts his gaze and sees--]

-- Nessa?

[her name falls from his lips before he can stop himself, or even consider that she may not recognize him]

[warpweft]

[The girl raises her head from her laptop and looks around. She looks back towards the cafe first, as if expecting it to have come from there before realizing, no, it came from the sidewalk.]

...

...

...

Yes?

[survivaltricks]

[oh]

[shit]

[NOW HE THINKS ABOUT HOW HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO SAY TO HER. . .]

. . . you don't recognize me, do you?

[warpweft]

Excuse me, what do you take me for? Of course I recognize you.

[Oh, wait, she does recognize him.]

Do you think I just have my nose in my books all day? Well, I don't. I pay attention to the people around me too.

[She squints.]

.... .... ....

3rd period math.

@MINATO

[voidhearts]

Haaaa!

[Esmau is leaping out of the pool just seconds after Minato, spinning her glaive in one hand as she walks after him.]

You haven't keeled over again yet?! You're a pretty stubborn rat!

Stubborn really pisses me off!

"Well, well, well, what's all this then."

[The officer approaches Esmau, looking unimpressed, arms crossed.]

"Right, ma'am, that's enough of this, why don't we move it alon--"

[Without looking, Esmau pulls her arm back. When she swings, she knocks the officer off into the horizon, like a baseball. A small ding! can be seen in the sky a few seconds later.]

[messianic]

It'd... really be nice if we could talk... about this... less violently!

[ without the weapon, preferably.




He'd also like to keep running but he has no idea which way to go. He looks around hastily, breathing ragged still, before he decides he'd really rather not lead her towards more people, so... to the bridge! ]

/2

[voidhearts]

Oh, that's real easy! Just stand still and the violence will come to a stop reeeeaaaallll quick!

[Esmau is chasing after him, glaive reared up to swing at his back again....]

[When something shoots across the bridge, past Minato, too fast to see.]

[voidhearts]

[Until it runs into Esmau at full speed and stops her dead in her tracks.]

[It's a woman, with white hair. She's wearing sunglasses and a mask. And she's stopped Esmau by planting a fist in her stomach in the middle of her latest lunge at Minato's back.]

[Smoke rises from where she struck Esmau - after a second, it becomes clear the smoke is coming from her hand. She steps forward into her punch, delivering enough force to drive Esmau into the ground below. Minato's attacker is now holding her stomach - there are scorch marks where she was punched.]

[For the moment, this woman is standing, resolutely, in between Minato and Esmau.]

[messianic]

[ o... oh.

Minato... wheezes a little, hunched over his injury, still wincing--but for a moment, he's safe, or at least seemingly so.

This must be... ]

... Agnis-san?

/?

[voidhearts]

[She looks back at Minato.]

Just stay there for a moment.

[She then turns back to Esmau, hands drawn into fists.]

[voidhearts]

You....ghhhkk...!

[Esmau is holding her stomach as she gets up.]

You friggin' reject...I'm gonna fuck you up for this...!

[She gets back up, but she's on rollerskates, stumbling back and forth. She needs to plant her glaive just to keep from falling over again.]

You're -- dead!

[voidhearts]

That hasn't gone well for you in the past, has it.

[She brings up one of her fists. It starts glowing orange. She walks, carefully, stoically, towards Esmau...]

I think you should leave.

[voidhearts]

[....who is growing increasingly panicked. She keeps trying to plant her feet, get them steady, but they keep slipping out from under her. She's refusing to accept how badly damaged she was from that one blow, but her body simply isn't obeying her desire to keep fighting.]

-- fuck! You just got a lucky shot in! This isn't over, you hear me?!

[And Esmau strikes the ground with her glaive - creating a hole that she leaps into. She's gone.]

done

[voidhearts]

[And Agnis...lets her go. Better to just get rid of her for now than fight her with all these people around.]

[She turns back to the bridge, and to Minato. She tilts her glasses down and looks him up and down.]

Are you alright?

[messianic]

[ .... sure!! Minato winces a bit as he tries to straighten, and then he nods. ]

Y-yeah... thanks to you. Thank you... for stepping in.