[b]Offline_Aika's Apartment_[/b]

"I really wanted it to be a different shade of blue."

Nodding, Aika would select the color on the picture. "Were you imagining a lighter or darker shade for the dress?" She asked her client.

"Uh...maybe if it was just...bluer."

Temporarily muting the call, Aika threw her head back and let out an annoyed groan. In her line of work, she was much too used to people constantly nitpicking her work. Actually, it came naturally; her job was to bring their ideas to life, her commissions however came from her own mind, and it may not fit what her clients wanted. She was always able to adjust, making sure to take every detail they desired down, and tried to go above and beyond if it meant a job well done at the end of the day. It may have started as a hobby, but it grew into a passion of sorts, and it wasn't a bad way to pay her bills, either.

But of course, once in a while, she got [i]those[/i] sorts of customers.

Her current client's request seemed simple at first. An animated girl with black hair and a blue dress, both being blown by the wind as she looked at her town. First, the girl's hair was too long. Then the dress wasn't as flowy as it should have been. After that, she felt that the girl should have a more innocent look on her face. Time after time, every complaint came no matter what she did, and just as Aika thought she was home-free, she was proven wrong. And so she started a one-way video call with audio going both ways, making sure to share her screen so she could see if there was a way to salvage the request. "Was there a specific shade you were thinking of?" She asked as she unmuted herself.

"Maybe...cornflower blue?" The voice asked. As Aika clicked it into place, however, she sighed. "Oh, is that what that looks like? I always thought it was a prettier color..."

Aika cycled through various blue colors until she got an answer she liked. "Alright, I'll email you the final product." She said, ending the call. Taking her headset off for a moment, she let out a long, sad sigh. Why did people have to be so picky? As she closed the programs, she resisted the urge to chuck her computer out of the window. Placing her head on her desk, she let out a small wail, though a notification caught her attention.

Adjusting her glasses slightly, her eyes skimmed through the email, widening by the time she reached the end of it. "What the--" She stopped herself, fishing her cellphone out from her pocket. As she began to dial, she noticed the time. She wanted to text someone to see if they knew if this was real, but it looked like she'd have to log in and see for herself. For the moment she ignored her higher leveled character and selected her lower leveled one--the one her friends knew her as--and dived into The World.

[b]Online_Mac Anu_[/b]

Cyann came to life, though a loud yawn escaped him. He liked to think that whenever he was offline, he was sleeping. The whole roleplaying aspect of the game was something he was curious about, but for now, the thought was put aside as he immediately headed towards the Gate. How could a game cause comas? Sure, there were rumors about it, but Cyann was always skeptical. It was suspicious that CC Corp denied the rumors--why even bother giving them attention if they weren't true? If he fished around, he was sure he could find more on it, but he felt that he needed to confirm KISU's message first. Something just didn't sit right about all this.

Tapping his foot on the ground, he wracked his brain as he tried to remember the keywords. Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground. Oh yeah, those words weren't omnious at all. Letting out another sigh, Cyann entered them, watching his surroundings change as he was teleported.

[b]Online_Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground_[/b]

"Holy crap," Cyann blinked, looking around. He half expected to get bounced back, but it looked like the place was real after all. Scratching the back of his head, he noticed some familiar PCs. No KISU yet, though. "Anytime you think you have a grasp on this place, something completely new pops up," He said out loud, clearly distracted by their surroundings.