[center][h1]~Sharing Thoughts~[/h1][/center]

[color=#68BCDD]“Right...  Ah, an hour is it? I suppose we’ve been here for a few already. Sorry about keeping you this long, I just kinda, you know, get a little carried away and loose sense of time. Time flies when you’re having fun, that’s what they say, right?”[/color] I rubbed the back of my head, cheeks slightly reddened. Fortunately for me, Totsurugi didn’t seem to make much of a case of it, and we moved along to continue his quest. Ah, but man, I was shaking inside! In the back of my head, I was once more considering all the possible conspiracies and double-meanings under which he might actually not have enjoyed the game so far. All because he suddenly seemed like he’d have to leave. Silly, right?

Aaah, what was I gonna do with myself at this rate…

Well, for now at least, I suppose the right answer would be something along the lines of “don’t screw this up. If you already did, you can at least do your best to not make it any worse”. Just keeping to the same strategy wouldn’t do much for us though. I had to know where to aim before I shot.

[color=#68BCDD]“Say, Totsurugi, I know you just started and all, but what’s your favorite part about this game so far? To you.”[/color] I inquired as we strolled through the emptied streets occasionally interspersed by random bodies of monsters which the game had yet to make disappear. My legs occasionally kicked the air as I walked as though seeking something to do, and my gaze raised up to the partially hidden perpetual moonlight of this area. [color=#68BCDD]“For me it’s all these choices. You just get to choose to be and act as you like. No one has to know, and there is just so much to choose from, so why would they care? There aren’t even wrong choices. There may be [i]better[/i] choices, but wrong ones? Nah, nothing’s going to get you stuck forever, and even the worst classes may have that one in a million chance to prove why they are there someday, when the stars align. Even if the weather controls need to glitch for that happen. I mean, it’s Dissonant Steel Online. Sooner or later, everything glitches.”[/color]

A kicked a rock into a nearby alleyway with the corpse of one of the monsters still laying next ot it, it’s hand seemingly split in two. The rock flew in an arc above it, but seemingly became stuck while entering the alley, perpetually rotating in place midair.

[color=#68BCDD]“See?”[/color] I turned to Totsurugi and grinned, chuckling. Then I focused back on our path, and noticed it, the sign on that building we where looking for. [color=#68BCDD]“Oh look, we’re here.”[/color]

The building was mostly made of rustic wood seemingly painted in a dark blue greyish color which blended well into the darkness. The bits of light from outside the windows allowed for some shine from the yet to dry spilled ink, some of which seemingly came from within the toys lying around with their backs against the walls or the floor. While Totsurugi went ahead, seemingly more focused on the objective for the moment, I stayed behind poking around with things, pulling on drawers (with varying degrees of success due to some drawers not actually existing in the code and therefore being impossible to open) and helping myself to some of the random supplies within the building. They probably weren’t worth that much, but any good gamer is a good hoarder, if they don’t have to worry about using their bag space in an  economically sound manner.

Eventually, I grew a little bored of what I was doing and hummed in search of Totsurugi, whom I eventually found within the archive’s space. 

[color=#68BCDD]“Hey, you’re still looking. What are you trying to find? Do you even know?”[/color] if she asked, or if her answer seemed too far off from the real answer, then I’d tell her what the right one was. Otherwise, it would probably be best that she get to experience this part of the game, this exploration and adventure. Totsurugi just kept going right towards things without really enjoying the in-between… I sighed, but suddenly she inquired about my life IRL. I rubbed the back of my head, facing away from her. [color=#68BCDD]”That’s… I, know, I… I’ve just been working on something. A little pet project of mine, well not so little anymore, I’ve kinda just been going at it and they want results, but there is no room and the time and the…. ah my wife’s going to kill me…” [/color]

I shook my head and growled.

[color=#68BCDD]“Ah, damnit! Sorry, I just started kind of rambling… I guess you’re right, I have been a little stressed out. They are asking something pretty demanding of me and I’ve just been trying to figure out how in the world I’m ever going to make it into the deadline. I guess that’s another point for a game like this, eh? Helping us get our mind off those worries, staving off the nausea for a bit. Not to mention, for this particular project it probably counts as research or something like that. A little less on my mind, or maybe it’s only refreshing because it’s a little different at least. It was a hard pick, the games or the chats. I’m really happy you didn’t make me choose, Totsu!” [/color]

I attempted to pat her on the back, though maybe I used a little too much strength. 

[hr]

[@Blueyellow]