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 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.

[exofractured]

[It's such a good thing Phantom left his tea behind so he can't choke on it. He turns his face away and muffles a cough into his fist to hide the fact that he is dying inside.]

I-I see. That's unexpected.

[partymagician]

[ Phantom… Fai gives him a strange look. ]

Why is it unexpected?

[exofractured]

[Absolutely none of this is Phantom's fault and he takes no responsibility.]

I suppose... perhaps it's my frames of reference that are strange.

[Yeah, he'll go with that. Good dodge.]

[partymagician]

[ He hums thoughtfully. ]

What sort of frames of reference could he have given you?

[ Hien is perfectly capable of hoisting people over his shoulder and everything.

…He doesn’t even consider what Phantom is really thinking about. ]

[exofractured]

[Phantom is not thinking about it. He's thinking about nothing!!]

People in love, I mean. Mileena, Ix, Phillip were all more of the fawningly devoted type, from what I ever saw. I may have underestimated the typical amount of manhandling.

[Apparently Hien really can't turn off that habit, if he treats Fai like that too.]

[partymagician]

Ah, I see!

[ He laughs softly. ]

He’s also really cheesy. He wouldn’t stop complimenting me last week. There’s all sorts of sides to him.

[exofractured]

That, I don't find so surprising.

[He's relatively sure the same could be said of Fai, although he's not bringing up the memory.]

[partymagician]

Really? I was kind of surprised by that side of him, to tell you the truth.

[ But it’s nice. He likes it. ]

[exofractured]

I can't exactly picture it. But I suppose after a certain age, I expect everyone to have at least a few sides like that that they don't often show others.

[As the oldest person here in a normal human age range, he's probably allowed to say that, right.]

[partymagician]

[ Fai thinks he is! He sees Phantom as mature, so it isn't a thought that he questions at all. ]

You're right.

[ He smiles, pointing at himself. ]

What hidden sides do you think I have?

[exofractured]

I don't know you very well. But if I had to guess, you have more hidden sides than not. Even you must have times when you're angry.

[Although veering away from that probably more sensitive topic a little, he smiles slightly.]

I didn't expect you to egg Hien on on Saturday, either.

[The cursed dice knife throw...]

[partymagician]

[ He's glad that Phantom steers the conversation away from unpleasant things like the tower. Fai remembers his presence there in a dream only, but he knows that Phantom saw it. ]

Heh... well, I was irritated by Owen's gloating.

[ It was the last thing he wanted to hear after getting thoroughly electrocuted. ]

I thought he was going to do something whether or not I told him to, so I figured there was no harm in saying it. [ ... ] I didn't think he was going to hold himself back otherwise.