[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

[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.

[survivaltricks]

[oh thank god AN OUT]

[fingerguns]

Bingo. Kurusu Akira; I sit a few seats behind you.

[warpweft]

Of course. Akira. See. I told you I recognized you.

[She looks.....very surprised she got that right....]

....

I'm just now noticing, you look a little older than everybody else in class. Were you held back?

[survivaltricks]

[. . . . . . . . . . . . .]

[he hates this]

How old do you think I am?

[warpweft]

... ... ...

19...?

[So she thinks you were held back a lot.]

[survivaltricks]

[. . . SIGHS!!]

You're off by more than a few years.

[in the interim, he is a) not going to give her his real age (b/c he is older than her), and b) take a seat at the table across from here]

Do you mind some company?

[warpweft]

So, 22?

[She's likely messing with him now. But she doesn't object as he sits down.]

That's fine, but my shift starts in a little while. So if you want to keep talking after that, you'll have to ply my attention with patronage.

[survivaltricks]

So you're saying I can legally buy alcohol and no one will question me.

[he kids. . . obviously]

And that's okay. How's the coffee here?

[warpweft]

Better than anything else you're going to find in this village.

[Sigh.]

Worse than anything you'd find in actual civilization.

[survivaltricks]

[s-snorts]

I have pretty high standards, too. But sometimes, you just really need a warm cup of joe, regardless of quality.

[warpweft]

Humph.

Coffee is an art. Those people who just want caffeine because they don't get enough sleep don't appreciate it enough. I can show you, I've been working on --

[She puts her purse on the table and looks through it. Then she looks through it again. Then...she looks through it again.]

[She looks up at Akira.]

...

...

May I ask you a favor.

[survivaltricks]

[oh no]

[INNOCENTLY]

Sure. What's up?

[warpweft]

[She's started writing something on a piece of paper.]

I need something from home, but I can't leave, because my shift is about to start.

Since we're, as established, such deeply friendly school chums, would you be willing to go to my house and get it for me?

I promise, it'll be worth it.

[survivaltricks]

Sure.

[he answers without hesitation, reaching out a hand as he does so]

But in exchange, can you share with me this special coffee brew you're working on?

[WAGS A BROW]

[warpweft]

[Glances left. Glances right.]

[She folds up the note and stuffs it in his hands.]

Maybe.

My house is at the top of the hill. My sister should be home, just give her this note.

[You received Hand-Written Note!]

[survivaltricks]

[this is so sketchy and Akira is so into it. with a hum, he curls his fingers around the note to hide it from any passerbys]

You got it. What's your sister's name, for reference?

[he'll read said note when he starts making his way to the house, it's fine]

[warpweft]

Agnis. The adults around here call her Aggy. But don't call her that, she might close the door in your face if you do.

[survivaltricks]

Aha. Got it.

[flashes her a lightly amused smile as he climbs to his feet]

I'll be right back then, Nessa.

[lifts a hand in a light wave as he turns to head towards the house on the hill]

[and, of course, once he's a good distance away, he opens the paper to read the note]

/2

[warpweft]

[Dear Akira,
I said to just give this to Agnis, you stinker. I'll give you such a pinch for this.]

[warpweft]

[Dear Agnis,
This is Akira. I forgot my notebook and don't have time to get it, can you please give it to him for me? Please don't scare him off, I might actually have a school friend for once.]