Kiyomi listened. So, Ragnar was near the east market district, and Erebus was going to the guild hall...she ran a hand through her hair and hit something. Her breath caught up in her throat as she span around, walking towards a puddle on the flat roof, looking down at her head.

Okay, Kiyomi was expecting it but it didn't make it any less out-right terrifying. She shrieked, her voice piercing through the guild chat by accident, and waggled her bright orange fluffy ears protruding from the top of her skull, the place where it was fused to her scalp hidden by a mass of thick, wavy ginger hair. She looked close enough to her real image, which was reassuring, save for the eyes - a bright amber. Nibbling her lip, she twisted around to-yep, there's the long, bushy fox tail. She gave it a couple of experimental flicks, really happy that there was a hole in her armour...oh GOD, her armour.

Kiyomi pulled open her character sheet and gasped. It used to be a bit of a laugh, being unable to take on monsters in the slightest...but she was wearing some really low-levelled gear. She didn't even have the right stats...Kiyomi let loose a quiet whimper, also picked up by voice chat. She might as well attack things in the nude. [i]"At least I look nice,"[/i] came her thoughts. Indeed - she looked really good in her outfit. It wasn't revealing, but it was intimidating...made her look powerful, which wasn't the case.

Her hand slipped to the scabbard of her katana and she pulled it out. Just like in the anime films she watched, it was like tugging a ribbon; barely any resistance at all as the blade slipped from her scabbard, the familiar [i]SHINK[/i] of sharp steel on hardened leather. It felt like an extension of her very arm, as she held it out, the sharp edge pointing to the sky, and ran it across her fingertip. It took a while to figure out she was even bleeding, the cut was so clean and shallow. Kiyomi put her finger in her mouth, feeling some very real pain right there.

At once, Kiyomi realised that each noise she made was picked up in Voice chat. In other words, the others would've heard a scream and a whimper..."I'm alright, I'm fine!" she said hurriedly. "I just...caught sight of my own reflection, is all. Erebus-san, how polite of you to use the honorifics, I understand Japanese isn't your native language." Kiyomi smiled. Even in the worst of situations, Erebus was being polite...it kind of reminded her of his roleplaying attitude. Maybe it was a coping mechanism. Either way, Kiyomi felt somewhat comforted.

And then Kiyomi was reminded of how odd Erebus was. He was thinking of tea instead of this situation? Right, right, Kiyomi was sure he had his reasons, and going to the Guild Hall was a brilliant idea...at least over there she was sure nobody that she didn't know or trust would interfere, or do something stupid. "Guild hall it is, then! Quickly, everyone, I want to have a sit down..." she ordered, thought there was a note of pleading in her voice as she slowly crumbled under the dawning realisation.

[i]Erebus HAS DISCONNECTED[/i]

Oh.

[i]Well[/i] then.

Kiyomi tried not to look offended that Erebus cut her and Ragnar off. She'll deal with that later, she thought; after all, keeping open voice chat when they've split up would be the most effective. Then if someone is ambushed and, god forbid, their voice chat breaks - at least Kiyomi and the others get a cut-off yell, or a gasp, or [i]something[/i] so that she could get worried and rush to their aid. Erebus could get decapitated by a door or something whilst offline and she'll never know.

Offline...log out! Oh god, it took her that long to figure that out?! Kiyomi pulled at the menu in front of her vision until the log out button came into view. She grinned, tapping it with her finger. Nothing happened. She smashed her fist into the log out button for a good five minutes before accepting that it doesn't work.

Kiyomi sighed, and twisted her feet a little, kicking off into a sprint. She noticed how good she was at running around like this - maybe it was the tail giving her some more aerodynamic qualities. Maybe she was so immensely terrified that she felt like she was running for her life. She dodged and waved the players, who started to draw themselves into a cloud of despair and some of them sit or lie on the floor, sobbing. She had to dive out of the way of a massive iron war machine, calling out "Watch it!" to the werecat controlling it. For a moment, her eyes lingered on Claus Tanner, but she realised she had more important things to do than stare at a summoner.

The massive, moss-strewn guild hall loomed over her. People were huddling around the guild banks, trying to get in and take whatever they can from their own guilds. Some of them did not look very friendly at all. A few of them were scattered around the endless corridors of doors, some of them trying desperately to get back in touch with old guilds, begging for forgiveness of petty insults during dungeons, or stealing from other people's banks..others just wanting to get lost in the maze of identical doorways and stay there.

Kiyomi skirted across the corridors. It would be stupid if she didn't know the way to her own guild hall. She reached a blue door, putting her hand on the handle.

[i]NAME: Chiharu
LEVEL 34 Samurai
RANK: Guild Master
PERMISSION TO ENTER: Granted [/i]

Kiyomi pushed the door open - there was no creak of a door handle, instead the faint rumbling of screen doors. She opened the door into a traditional-looking Japanese building, with circular wooden windows showing a modified background of cherry blossom trees constantly in bloom. The windows themselves are too small to climb out of, but it'd be no use anyways, because the background is just like a thick, smooth glass wall. The only thing it really does is darken during the night-time and brighten during the day-time. The washroom stands to her right, the dining room straight ahead, the kitchen ahead of the dining room as she stands in the training room.

Kiyomi took off her shoes by default, her usual habits kicking in. The place reminded her of her grandmother's house (her grandmother didn't have a fighting arena in her home) and the wrinkled crone would've slapped her with a bamboo reed if she traipsed mud into her immaculate home. Kiyomi blinked - she'd never see her Grandmother ever again, nor her parents, her sister...

Kiyomi settled down by the hearth, knees drawn to her chest, elbows resting on her knees and her hands running through her hair as tears openly streamed down her face. She didn't look up at Erebus, because she was sure he'd understand the situation they were in and accept the fact that even the usually confident Chiharu he's roleplayed with can break down and cry in the face of true, hopeless catastrophes that even she cannot change. her silence hung in the air for a long time.
"R-...Ragnar, tell me you're sober enough to find the Guild Hall? I c-can help you if you get to the entrance..." she sniffled through voice chat, staring at the floor as she waits for his reply. The only noise coming from her are small, stifled sobs.