[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qlZDizx.png[/img][/center] [b]Time:[/b] MORNING [b]Location:[/b] RIVER PORT [b]Interactions/Mentions:[/b] Zion [@Helo]; Enstille[@GingerBobOh]; Kenia [@Tae] [hr] [color=#5BA6F7]"... Would you accompany me for a stroll?"[/color] Jun tensed. Malachi was trying to separate him from the others. [color=LemonChiffon][i]Why?[/i][/color] What did he have to say or do to Jun that he couldn't say or do in front of them? Better yet, what was Malachi planning to do if he refused? He clutched his backpack closer. Who was he kidding? There was never a choice. He could either prolong the inevitable or face whatever "Malachi" (the character Malachi or the guy roleplaying him) had planned now. Best case scenario, he wouldn't hurt him. Even better case scenario, Jun would be allowed to go home. Though, with his luck, Jun doubted either of those outcomes. If anything, the gamer in him told him that this was the best setup for a battle encounter, the perfect distraction to shove his concerns and wishes aside and advance the story campaign to the juicy bits that the others were itching for. [color=LemonChiffon]"... Sure."[/color] The spicy sweetness of the ginger candy invigorated him to rise to his feet, but didn't give him the courage to put his glasses back on. If this ended up being the worst case scenario, Jun rather not see it coming. Literally. With the grace and elegance of a blind bat that couldn't echolocate, Jun navigated through the house. He stumbled over almost every piece of furniture in his path, bumped into what he thought was one of the LARPers, broke something he prayed was nothing valuable, and smacked into the pillar before he finally managed to shuffle out the door. Unfazed by the spectacle, Malachi rose in tandem with Jun, briefly glancing at the others around them. [color=#5BA6F7]"Don't do anything stupid,"[/color] he commanded with an air of authority before following Jun. He watched nonchalantly as the young man navigated through the house with, at best, half a functioning brain cell. Determined to remain patient, Malachi gracefully maneuvered after him, biting on the inside of his cheek to keep from yelling. [color=#5BA6F7][i]Stay calm. Don’t say anything. Don’t do it…[/i][/color] Malachi's breath caught in his throat as a portrait tumbled off the wall thanks to Jun bumping into it, and he hurried over to the fallen frame. His usual grace abandoned him as he crashed to his knees and cradled the broken frame in his hands. The broken glass was shattered over the floor beneath him, poking into his skin. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at it, his normally composed gaze darkening with emotions he struggled to conceal. His expression became inscrutable as he hung his head There was a long pause before he set it down and rose to his feet, the glass crackling audibly under his boots. He moved after Jun and shut the door once outside. The bustling noise of the town filled the awkward silence finally. With the most unnatural, forced smile, Malachi spoke softly, [color=#5BA6F7] “Lovely weather for a walk, isn’t it?”[/color] Although Malachi controlled his voice, every syllable sounded strained through gritted teeth. Jun's head bobbed, [color=LemonChiffon]"But... That's not what you want to say."[/color] The thought leapt from his mind to his lips before he could stop it. Jun's bottom lip shrank into his mouth. [color=LemonChiffon]"S-sorry,"[/color] he stammered for the tenth time since he broke the unknown object. [color=#5BA6F7] “No.”[/color] Malachi agreed, his eyes meeting his with unwavering resolve. [color=#5BA6F7] “It’s not.”[/color] He paused at the sidewalk to allow Jun to catch up. The elf took a deep breath before continuing, his tone earnest and sincere. [color=#5BA6F7] “But I would like to get along with you. I was thinking… perhaps you could explain to me your point of view. What you remember before you and I started this journey and how it’s made you feel.“[/color] His gaze remained steady and serious. [color=#5BA6F7] “ Then I’d like to also make you understand mine.”[/color] Jun stared at the ground in silence for a good long time. [color=LemonChiffon]"What's there to say?"[/color] he finally muttered. [color=LemonChiffon]"I'm just some pathetic guy who fell down the stairs because he couldn't get a plastic bag off his face. You people found me and took me here… to 'Avalia'."[/color] His tongue fiddled with the ginger candy in his mouth. [color=LemonChiffon]"Don't know why any of you thought that was a good idea… Whatever it is you want from me, you got the wrong guy. I'm no one and I've nothing valuable. I want to… have to go back home."[/color] Malachi frowned. He paused before asking simply, [color=#5BA6F7] “...Do you understand where Avalia is, Jun?”[/color] [color=LemonChiffon]"In a different dimension from Earth,"[/color] Jun said to Malachi the character and paraphrased GM Vaeril's welcoming speech, [color=LemonChiffon]"where 'magic pulses and the land is beautiful beyond comprehension.' It's ruled by the evil dark elves and you're on team good guys."[/color] To the player playing Malachi, Jun said, [color=LemonChiffon]"I understand the setting, it's a classic. Easy for newbies to get into and flexible enough to add details later. I like it, I do. A-and I know you guys put a lot of effort into this. I just—I have to go."[/color] He sighed, [color=LemonChiffon]"Got adulting to do."[/color] Familiar faces filled his mind, making his chest tighten. [color=LemonChiffon]"… People I miss…"[/color] Malachi’s brows lifted. He folded his arms. Though the words did not exactly add up in his brain, he felt he was perhaps on a route to understanding his perspective. However, instead of commenting, he decided he’d hear out Jun as much as he could first. With a wave of his hand, he gestured for them to begin walking down toward the beach as he asked, [color=#5BA6F7] “What do you mean by the setting, exactly? And… What are newbies?”[/color] The weight on Jun's chest grew heavier as his heart sank at the realization that this conversation was a farce; "Malachi" wasn't listening, he was just pretending to be. This thought left Jun feeling more isolated and unheard than before. Exhaustion suddenly washed over him. Jun dragged his feet over to the closest structure and slumped against it. [color=LemonChiffon]"Setting as in… where all this takes place,"[/color] he explained to no one who actually needed the clarification. [color=LemonChiffon]"Newbie, meaning newcomer."[/color] Since this wasn't going to be about leaving the campaign, and not remotely brave enough to test his luck with the cranky team leader, Jun switched to the other topic mentioned. [color=LemonChiffon]"Uh… so… What's your story, 'Malachi Elowyn'?"[/color] [color=#5BA6F7] “Setting.”[/color] Malachi repeated as if tasting the word. [color=#5BA6F7] “...Like a chosen setting for a novel…”[/color] He fell silent as he took a moment to mentally work out what was occurring here. In combination of the strange things Jun had uttered over the last week and what he had just said, he was starting to get a decent idea that Jun thought this entire situation was not real. [color=#5BA6F7] “Jun…”[/color] He paused to stare down at him. For a moment, he saw young elven child with long blonde ringlets and a pout on her face as she swore allegiance to her unique way of thinking. At first, he thought he had conjured her vision in his mind because Jun had requested his story, but he slowly realized that had not been the reason. Regardless, It hurt to see her. He didn’t want to, yet there she was intruding in his memory even when he tried his hardest to push all of them away. However, he could not push her away. He knew he needed to see her. Perhaps Rosamira would have been able to understand Jun in a way he could not. No matter what anyone had told her, she had always been determined to see the world in her own way. It had been difficult to get through to her, but when he had, it had been because he had been short and sweet. [color=#5BA6F7] “This isn’t a fabricated scenario… This is real. ”[/color] He took a step back and opened his palm. Flickers of light appeared in small flashes as energy began to conjure above. A small ball of light energy began to grow from nothing, growing in size and brightness. [color=#5BA6F7] “I have a feeling you may tell me you believe this is a illusion, but I ask that you hover your hands near it and feel the heat… From what I understand, no one on earth harnesses such ability. I need you to understand, for your safety, that you are not on earth anymore, Jun. You are in an entirely different place.”[/color] The light that danced in his hands reflected in his still blue eyes. Allowing a bit more intensity to fall into his gentle tone, he added, [color=#5BA6F7] “I implore you to tell me what it is I need to do to make you believe me.”[/color] Jun flinched as the figure he assumed was Malachi approached. Instinctively, he raised his backpack as a shield. However, whatever the other man had planned, he stopped short. Instead, a bright light illuminated the area. Without his glasses he couldn't tell, but Malachi was probably performing a pretty cool magic trick. [i]Believe me.[/i] The sincerity in Malachi's voice took Jun back to the day he witnessed a patient having a psychotic episode in the middle of the ER. They ranted about the evil forces being upon them, urging everyone to unite and wield long-lost magical powers to fend off the impending doom. It had taken a team of nurses and a security guard to restrain them. Was Malachi like that patient? Or was Jun the one losing touch with reality? A long pause stretched out as Jun stared into the luminous display. [color=LemonChiffon]"I don't know. There isn't much I think you can do,"[/color] he finally admitted. [color=LemonChiffon]"Earth might not have real magic, but there are magicians and illusionists who do that kind of trick. With enough money and time, anyone can build a theme park like this. There's even communities that dress up like the people here and have fun playing pretend."[/color] Jun looked up at the blurry shape above the bright orb. [color=LemonChiffon]"… No one's given me a reason to believe any of this is 'real'."[/color] He hesitated. Just when he was ready to add further, the ginger candy made a surprise appearance in his windpipe, causing him to cough and splutter uncontrollably. Once the coughing subsided, Jun, his eyes teary and voice raspy, managed to croak one question, [color=LemonChiffon]"W-why should I trust my kid-kidnappers?"[/color] Malachi’s face remained stoic throughout Jun’s words. He shut his hand, the orb dissipating, and then folded his arms. [color=#5BA6F7] “There’s been reasons to believe it’s real Jun. It’s just easier not to… It’s easier to believe this is all a game and everything here is an illusion than to accept that your reality has changed… And perhaps you have lost everything. Believe I know.” [/color] He chewed the inside of his lip a moment. The way Malachi said all that rubbed Jun the wrong way. [color=LemonChiffon][i]This is starting to feel like an Asch Conformity Experiment,[/i][/color] he thought. [color=#5BA6F7] “You can’t go home, Jun, because then-”[/color] [color=F6C7FF][i]”SOMEBODY HELP ME!”[/i][/color] A shrill voice suddenly filled the air. It was obviously coming from behind the homes and in the thick of the woods, but it was close enough to pierce through the air and cause several folks walking by to pause. [color=LemonChiffon][i]On cue.[/i][/color] His gamer instincts were right: this "heart-to-heart" was the best setup for a battle encounter. Jun sighed and turned to the direction they came from.[color=LemonChiffon]"That's that then. Good talk. Time to save the day, hero."[/color] [color=#5BA6F7] “Come with me.”[/color] Malachi said without hesitation. [color=LemonChiffon]"No thank you. Go have fun."[/color] Jun kept walking. [color=LemonChiffon]"I'll tell the others about the encounter so they won't miss out on loot and EXP. I don't want to participate."[/color] Even though he saw it coming from a mile away, he still felt salty for being used like this. Not like they needed him anyways. [color=#5BA6F7] “It’s not an encounter, Jun….”[/color] He sighed with frustration. [color=#5BA6F7] “Fine. Go inside.”[/color] He waved him off and waited to see Jun go back inside the house before running off on his own. It took some effort to backtrack and find the door handle. Still, Jun managed to get back inside the right house and walk toward the voices. [color=LemonChiffon]"Hey guys. So you know, Malachi ran off into the woods."[/color] Or, at least, that's what he thought the green mass was. Having escaped the grouch's clutches, Jun relaxed. His stomach, which had been tied in knots, now roared for sustenance. Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, he hastily put his glasses on before getting himself some breakfast. [hider=TLDR]Malachi and Jun took a walk outside to try to reach an understanding. Their conversation was cut short by a cry for help. Malachi rushed to the woods to investigate while Jun returned to the house to have breakfast. He let the others know where Malachi went.[/hider]