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Lighter on money, heavier on books--just like the real world. Except instead of buying a ton of fun sheet music, he had stuffed as many magical and medical texts as he could fit in his bag. Go figure, he had way more space to carry things when he actually organized it. To think he was so messy in-game when he was usually a neat freak. But gone were the days of dumping his inventory into a chest and then wincing when he went to dig out a potion only for it to have been crushed at the bottom, now he was applying his real-life organizational skills in game. Which he probably should have done in the first place.

Kazuki made his way back to the small house he owned in Thorinn, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. He was already mapping out the most efficient way to tackle on the reading material, hoping it would give him some insight on becoming more efficient. Yesterday had proven to him that his skills were sorely lacking and he never wanted a repeat if it could be helped. Never again would he be the weakest one--he was going to conquer his weaknesses and survive this stupid world. If there was no update from the game masters by now then it meant they were stuck here for a while, and he'd be damned if he was going to die [i]here[/i].

Last night's awkwardness was palpable but he knew he wasn't wanted. Not that he would have lodged with the group as it was, he couldn't possibly bare the shame to even look at Luci. Fortunately his daytime stringing and tendency to roam had netted him a place to stay in every City-State, with Thorinn being no exception. He had plenty of money as well, but who knew how long it'd last. Who knew how long they'd be [i]here[/i]. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to get a good night's sleep for the next six years or so, the few hours he got due to pure exhaustion. Enos' body had haunted his nightmares while Aaginim had haunted his every waking moment, Luci's words on a repeat anytime he had a moment to himself. 

And thus there he was, his small home in sight. As he walked, he spotted a familiar looking [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/403600096023019530/808460087026909204/6356ea54430d36e80fb3b6b1b984ceed.png]young woman[/url] with a basket of eggs in hand. Kazuki recognized her as Marianna, one of his NPC neighbors. She had been a frequent attendee of his performances, too, often chiding him for 'staying away' whenever he was somewhere else. He used to like following her routine, finding it interesting how detailed the game was with the NPC routes. She was sweet, if a little generic, and liked to talk about her dreams of packing up and moving to Iblenar. 

She paused as she heard him approach, giving him a small smile. [color=PaleTurquoise]"Hello, Kazuki!"[/color] She greeted him warmly.

Kazuki paused, for some reason finding the greeting weird. She was polite, yeah, but something was off. After being unable to figure out what, he replied, [color=plum]"Hello. Fetching eggs for your family?"[/color]

[color=PaleTurquoise]"Mhm!"[/color] She nodded, bright and bubbly as always. [color=PaleTurquoise]"I was hoping I'd catch your performance, but it looks like you've been shopping. Are you leaving Thorinn?"[/color]

The Japanese man slowly blinked, a little surprised. Their conversations were basic, but usually predictable and usually about the same two or three topics. This was the first time she was asking about [i]his[/i] schedule. Was she stalking him? Now that would be humorous after all the time he had spent following her around. And now he sounded like a creep. So long as no one could read his thoughts, he would be fine. [color=plum]"No, I was shopping for some reading material, but I don't think I'll be performing today,"[/color] He replied. [color=plum]"I'm sorry to disappoint."[/color]

[color=PaleTurquoise]"Oh, no, no, everyone needs a break once in a while!"[/color] She giggled. [color=PaleTurquoise]"Although, if you have the time and change your mind, I think you should. There are a lot of wayfarers around, you'd probably get a huge audience today."[/color]

How did she know about that? Did NPCs usually keep track of how many players were around? Kazuki was dense when it came to this game, yeah, but he felt like he was talking to another player instead of some AI. Marianna was examining his face, her eyes flickering up and down as she waited patiently for a response. But after a moment of an awkward silence where Kazuki could only stare at her in disbelief, she let out a nervous laugh. She was [i]acting[/i] like a player that had been weirded out, too! [color=PaleTurquoise]"Well...I'll see you around!"[/color] She gave him a weird look and a small wave before she walked away.

Kazuki couldn't help but stare after the girl, bewildered. What the hell was that?! Did the glitch include giving the NPCs realistic responses--wait a minute, [i]that[/i] was what he initially found so weird about their encounter. Marianna had never initiated the conversation, she only ever replied to his inquiries! But there she was, striking up a conversation like a neighbor, like a [i]person[/i]. No, he was probably overthinking things. NPCs always had realistic conversations. Letting out a slight groan, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. Maybe he should at least try to take a nap.

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