oo1 ✦ let’s begin.

[richesse]

[ There’s a whisper through the murmur, more a breath of feeling than a fully formed thought. It’s sweet, and warm, and laughing—though it is not gentle, nor kind.

A voice follows the whisper, chased by darkness and shadows, the very suggestion of a nightmare. ]

Do you think we’re still dreaming? Or is this a living nightmare?

[ a hum, and another brush of teasing laughter, there and gone like a brief burst of memory, the last moment of summer that you can taste on your tongue before it’s irretrievably gone. ]

You’ve changed, haven’t you? We all have. What are you thinking, right now…? Who are you?

What are you?

Comments

[richesse]

[ far from being disturbed, she smiles, warm. pleased.

good. he’s reliable, then, and for reasons she still can’t truly understand, he’s bound himself to her.

if she cannot wield a weapon, then he will be her shield. ]

Do you need a weapon?

[ more logistics. they can go scavenging. ]

[offseers]

This place gave me one but I would prefer a sword.

Normally, I could just summon my Blade but . . . [ he shrugs. like her mana, his Blade was gone. though he's not sure if it is because of this place itself or . . . what took place before coming here. ]

[richesse]

[ she presses a few fingers to her mouth. you can practically see the gears spinning in her head. ]

I have an idea. But we’ll have to explore to do it.

[offseers]

[ he nods his assent. ]

That's fine.

I'm used to that.

[richesse]

[ she paces away from him, touching her chin. the murmur responds to her tension, softly vibrating. itching. agitation.

need to move. need to survive. ]

We’ve secured shelter, and I know where we can find warm clothes. We don’t have much food, but enough for probably the next day, at most. We need to use that time as efficiently as possible.

Food is our top priority, but we’ll need that weapon, too.

Have you come across that enormous park? It’s a few blocks away from here.

[offseers]

The . . . park?

[ another word he's only passingly familiar with. ]

The forest-like area?

[richesse]

Yes. I want to cross through there. It’ll give us a chance to mark locations where we can gather wood and plants. Plus, we can see what there might be to hunt.

Have you ever been to a museum, Noah?

[offseers]

[ his brow furrows. another unfamiliar word. but — ]

I think I know something like that. A place to keep . . . mementos of the past?

[ in the city. where the statues of the founders are kept. and the first ouroboros stone. ]

[richesse]

Yes. Artifacts… and weapons, too. I’m positive we could find you a sword.

[ plus, history. information. the names of places, and things. all useful in this scenario of a total unknown. ]

A school would be useful, too, but we can get there. This, first.

I spotted a building near the park that… well, I can’t be sure. It’s just a hunch. We won’t know until we’re there.

Are you up for it?

[offseers]

Yeah.

[ easy choice. easy answer. ]

What's your hunch?

[richesse]

… that building … my guess is it’s either a museum, a library, or a school. Any of the three would be useful, though for different reasons.

[ she moves to him, wrapping both her arms around one of his and smiling up at him. ]

Let’s hope I’m right, hm?

[offseers]

[ noah smiles back. ]

You don't seem like someone who gets it wrong. Let's test our luck.