06 - week six

[afflictionmods]

WEEK SIX

Sunday starts with more aches and pains than you might be used to. Florence patched people up after Saturday’s lesson, sure, but it’s not a complete cure - not to mention it doesn’t ease the sting of betrayal. Some classmates that you thought would cooperate wound up breaking your trust in the end, and this week will be interesting with the fallout.

It’s hard to say what this week will have in store otherwise. Things are changing, and it’s not clear what this means for all of you. On the bright side, however, the creatures and places you once knew from home have suddenly disappeared, so that's less that you need to worry about. There are new areas for you to look at as well.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

FLORENCE / LORELEI

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[partymagician]

[ He'll find Fai busy with making some cake batter. ]

Well, I was going to look for you once I was done in here. So, it's even better that you're already where I needed to be!

[exofractured]

[To be honest, most kitchen things are a little mystifying to Phantom. But he can infer well enough what Fai is doing, though why remains a mystery.]

I can't claim any particular skill at this. But I suppose if you need another pair of hands, I can do that much.

[Does Fai even have a recipe... witchcraft.]

[partymagician]

[ He sure doesn't! But it seems like he has no trouble getting the proportions he wants just right. ]

Nope! What I want you to do is go enjoy your book along with some tea.

[exofractured]

[...Well, it's hard to disagree with that when in fact he'd be more underfoot pretending to help. He gives a little shrug of concession.]

Alright. What kind of tea do you like?

[partymagician]

Hmm. Any kind of tea is fine by me.

[ He actually isn’t very picky about that sort of thing. ]

Make me your favorite.

[exofractured]

Well, I'll see what they have.

[And surreptitiously check Fai's profile again when he goes back out to where the tea is. Not bitter or sour, hm? They're in agreement there. He'll find something that smells nice and fruitlike.]

[partymagician]

[ Fai grins at him before turning back to the batter. He works on getting it ready to pour into a cake pan before putting it into the oven he starting preheating earlier. ]

Is the tea ready?

[exofractured]

I haven't had time to find a favorite in whatever this world has, so you'll have to live with some experimentation.

[But the answer is yes, so he pours Fai a cup and passes it over.]

[partymagician]

Fine by me!

[ He takes the cup and smells the tea first. Ah, fruity… he likes that. ]

It smells good.

[exofractured]

So does what you're making. They do seem to have better tea here than at the cafeteria, though.

[Phantom brightens a little at that assessment and nods towards the couches. He's not much of a baker himself, but he's relatively certain they have time to sit for a bit.]

[partymagician]

Ah, what a relief!

[ He takes a sip and savors it. ]

It’s nice to have tea with some actual flavor.

[exofractured]

It is. I wouldn't consider myself picky, but they really didn't burden themselves with stocking the place particularly well.

[Says the man who's been living off rice and instant ramen when he remembers to eat, but he wouldn't pass up the chance to complain about the administration here for anything.]

[partymagician]

[ He smiles before taking another sip of his tea. ]

Well, about that... Shizuku and I found ourselves in the supermarket, and we came upon someone who works at Camellia. He was actually there to get us food, but got trapped by the fog.

[exofractured]

...If they're also so easily thwarted by the fog, they're not exactly instilling me with confidence that they would have the ability to transport us back to other worlds. If this program does have any such end.

[Poor Gregory... he tried. Phantom gives a little sigh into his tea.]

I suppose that explains things, at least.

[partymagician]

[ He laughs softly. ]

Strange, isn’t it? They have enough power to bring all of us here across a variety of worlds, yet they can’t get through the fog in their own world. They’re lacking in some important areas!

[exofractured]

I suppose if I were being charitable, [he is not,] it's unsurprising that they're having difficulties after losing so many people to those orbs. That Camelia employee said there were only perhaps four people remaining at the institute.

[Actually, how were things being restocked, considering that.]

I wish we could get access to whatever they used for the transportation process. Not to mention sealing our powers. It would be... unpleasant to be stuck like this indefinitely if they've lost the person who understood the process.

[partymagician]

It would…

[ He thinks he’s going to die anyway, so being stuck here doesn’t matter a whole lot to him. However… ]

Even if I had access to just my own power, I could send everyone who wanted to leave back to their worlds.

[ Probably. He couldn’t send everyone without running out magic, though. ]

[exofractured]

[How are they each so selectively closemouthed that they've gotten this far without realizing they're both in the "thinks they're doomed" boat, this is an achievement.]

Like a teleportation, but between worlds? Incredible. It might be possible with the magic of my world, but... well, it would require research.

[partymagician]

[ So proud of them… ]

Yep, like teleportation. I’m sure Hien can do it as well, since he has so much power.

[exofractured]

I wouldn't think power was the only determining factor. But he's certainly that.

[For a second Phantom frowns very deeply, then hides the expression in his tea.

He likes Hien, a whole lot. But memory parkour is not forgotten.]

[partymagician]

[ Unfortunately for Phantom, Fai catches that. ]

Oh? Did Hien do something that bothered you?

[exofractured]

[Phantom weighs what remains of his dignity against the likelihood of Fai managing to pry it out of him anyway and briefly experiences despair.]

...He picked me up and jumped off a mountain in my memory.

[partymagician]

[ He stifles a laugh, setting his tea down so he can go check on the cake. ]

Ah, so he does that sort of thing to you too?

[exofractured]

"Too"? I thought it was because I tried to fight him.

[Does he handle his boyfriend like that?? Hien, why. Phantom trails after Fai into the kitchen, because cake.]

[partymagician]

[ He sure does!

Fai takes the cake out and tests it to see if it's cooked all the way through. It feels right... all that's left now is to let it cool so he can decorate it. ]

He manhandles me all the time.