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even after the sun had long set, the nights that soon followed
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cordelia's apparent displeasure. leaning back into her chair,
her forest-green eyes glimmered with anticipation as she
watched her game begin to load itself. it was time to play, now.
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letting out a loud sigh as she stacked her textbooks on top of one another, cordelia blinked in exhaustion, yawning at
the same time. her brilliant green eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment as she sat in her chair, not moving at all, save
for the steady rise and fall of her chest. when her phone let out a small beep and vibrated against the desk to alert her
of a new notification, she let out an irritated groan and reached for her device, switching it on and letting out a small
flurry of incoherent curses as her eyes struggled at adjust to the sudden light. a friend had texted her, wanting to ask
about a game, and as cordelia read her friend's message, her eyebrows shot upwards in surprise.
"a game? surely she knows that i don't have the time to indulge in such matters, right?" cordelia murmured to herself
softly, her green eyes glowing from the light provided by her phone. she pursed her lips in thought and cast a small but
regretful look towards the stack of textbooks on her desk. even if she had managed to complete all the work for today,
there was always more work to be done. she was barely allowed a moment of rest; spending her well-earned breaks on
a game is simply preposterous, at least in cordelia's opinion. "i don't have the time or energy for trivial games. perhaps
i would've enjoyed playing them a few years ago, when i wasn't as busy, but this is not the case anymore."
when the viscet with braided hair sent her reply back to her friend, she let out a small exhale and closed her eyes for a
brief moment. the buzz of her phone brought cordelia back to reality, however, and when she turned on her phone to
read her friend's message, her brows furrowed together even more. soul retribution was a widely popular mmorpg game
that had several million players that log in daily, and even viscets who don't play games (much like cordelia) would have
heard about at least a few times by now.
groaning softly to herself and regretting the decision she was about to make, she sent a text back to her friend; saying
how she would check out the game later. cordelia's replied instantly, saying something along the lines of "yay", and after
her friend stopped bombarding her with messages, the blue haired viscet let out a loud sigh before pulling her chair up
to her desk once more. a quick browser search led her to the soul retribution official site, and after heaving out yet
another heavy sigh, cordelia downloaded the game. now, there was nothing much else to do but to wait.
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the game had taken a rather long time to load, which wasn't
all that surprising, since soul retribution most likely had lots
of files that needed to be installed. once she had finished
setting everything up, cordelia went to the character
creation menu. all the terms were foreign to her, and as she
nibbled on her lower lip, she hesitantly went for a "cleric",
whatever that meant. there were lots of customization and
colour combinations that looked nice with the base for the
character, and cordelia thought that the way the cleric's
robes flowed looked truly elegant.
finally deciding to create her character, charmiene (who was
named after the angel of harmony), cordelia was taken to
the tutorial page, where several npc characters taught her
how to attack and use the special skill, phantomfire.
because she was a cleric, her phantomfire skill increased
her healing capabilities for a minute, and the moment she
activated the skill, it would heal seventy five percent of
each character's total health, and it applied to everyone
who was in her party. when cordelia left the battle page
and was greeted with more tutorial tips (much to her
chagrin), she had to learn equip armour and weapons
(or in her case, magic-infused robes and a staff or tome). in any case, the art for the game was rather pretty, and cordelia
couldn't help but smile slightly upon seeing some of the npc spirits hang out in the town central. she had been about to do
another quest even though she knew she should begin preparing for bed and school tomorrow, but the chat logs ended up
catching her eye. cordelia didn't know why, but something compelled her to introduce herself in the chat, and before she
knew it, the blue haired viscet was already reaching for her keyboard.
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[ charmiene ]: hello, is anybody here?
[ ramiel ]: ye, im here. u new or smthn?
[ ramiel ]: actuakly i cant talk rn, gotta purge this one boss soul first, but after that ill be free to talk. that ok w/ u?
[ ramiel ]: tbh u dont have a choice, i gtg, but go on some noob quests or smthn idk. try leveling up; ur only lvl 2 rn lmao
---
blinking in surprise at how quickly the other player had responded, cordelia's paws hovered over the keyboard, unsure of
what to say in response. hesitantly lowering her paws onto the keyboard, she pursed her lips together and began typing
a reply. she didn't know if this 'ramiel' viscet was going to actually respond in the chat after he finished whatever he was
doing, but it wasn't like she was in too much of a rush. sure, it was getting late, but she still had enough time to go on a
few quests and level up her character a little bit. cordelia swallowed back a nervous lump in her throat as she tentatively
tapped the enter button on her keyboard, and her message was sent.
---
[ charmiene ]: alright then, i will wait for your return.
[ charmiene ]: i will go complete some quests, like you have suggested. thank you
---
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[ ramiel ]: hey there, im back
[ ramiel ]: oh u leveled up a bit, i guess i can start helping u out w/ some quests now
[ ramiel ]: that is, if you want the help
[ charmiene ]: well i mean, the help will be greatly appreciated, but i'm fine with slowly learning the ropes by myself as
well. that's how i usually end up dealing with most of the situations that i get put through in real life.
[ ramiel ]: wow lololol no offense but thats sad
[ ramiel ]: u sure u dont want any help tho? im plannign on sticking around for a while longer nd i wouldnt mind
having someone to talk to
[ charmiene ]: well... since you put it that way, i guess some help couldn't hurt? i'm planning on retiring for the night.
soon, however. we could meet up at a later date to play, if you want?
[ ramiel ]: hm ya that works w/ me ig
[ ramiel ]: im surprised that ur sleeping so soon
[ ramiel ]: didn't u just download the game? most people download soul retribution and play for a while on the first
day before dropping it or smthn
[ charmiene ]: a friend convinced me to download it, and i couldn't say no to her. it's a bit of a long story, to be honest,
and it'll take a while for me to explain everything.
[ charmiene ]: oh. time sure passes quickly when you're on this game, huh? i need to sleep now. see you later, ramiel
the paladin.
[ ramiel ]: would've been nice if u didnt @ me like that, but w/e
[ ramiel ]: before u log out, add me. we're gonna spin through some dungeons and forests tmr, dm me when u log back
in
[ ramiel ]: i'll probably be on, but whether or not im afk is a whole different story
[ ramiel ]: u just...... have to catch me at a good time, ig skdfjdklskfjk
[ charmiene ]: understood. you've been added
[ charmiene ]: goodnight.
[ ramiel ]: gn
---
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when cordelia returned home from school, she headed to her
without a single moment of hesitation. she dropped her
school bag onto the carpeted ground, and although she
normally would've taken out her textbooks and begin on
her homework immediately, cordelia just wasn't in the
mood to do so. eyes pointed towards the ceiling, she let
herself fall back onto her bed, with her arms splayed on
the neat sheets of her bed. staying up, even if it was only
for an extra half hour, had taken its toll on her, especially
since cordelia was the type of viscet who had elaborate
plans and schedules to help her manage her time and work.
lifting a paw towards the ceiling, cordelia clenched and
unclenched her fist. she felt unusually drained, and after
she forced herself into a sitting position after what seemed
to be lying on the bed for several long minutes, she winced.
"i shouldn't have sat up so suddenly, that was such a bad
idea," cordelia murmured softly to herself, her forest
green eyes glimmering blearily. sliding off the edge of her
bed, the female viscet reached into her bag and pulled out
a few of her textbooks and work books. she scrunched her
face up into an expression of annoyance, but she didn't voice
♰
art by inksky, click img for full version !! ♰
her complaints. she made her way towards her desk unsteadily, and cordelia promised herself that once she had completed
all of her work, she would be able to sleep. however, when she answered the last question assigned to her, the green-eyed
viscet set aside her books and reached for the computer mouse subconsciously. she had opened up the game, and it was
only when the intro music started to play when cordelia realized what she had done. she nibbled on the bottom of her lip,
contemplating her decisions; she hadn't eaten dinner yet, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep, but for whatever
reason, a part of her also wanted to play the game.
"she really wasn't kidding when she said that the game will literally suck you in. i need sleep, i really do, yet i can't seem
to close the game. what in the world is wrong with me?" cordelia asked aloud, eyes narrowing slightly as she cast a look
towards her computer screen. she had been about to move her cursor towards the small 'x' at the top right hand corner of
the screen, but then she paused. hadn't she promised to play with 'ramiel' yesterday? sure, they had never really decided
on a particular time, but if the game worked like she had imagined, then cordelia was fairly certain that the other player
would be able to see when she had last logged in. she let out a resigned sigh and rubbed her eyes with her paws, before
clicking on the option to message the higher level paladin.
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[ charmiene ]: hello. i'm back, as promised yesterday.
[ ramiel ]: wb, charmiene. hadn't rlly been expecting u to log in so early
[ charmiene ]: early? i had been about to sleep, actually; if we aren't going to do anything except talk, then i'd rather go
to bed at a reasonable time, unlike yesterday.
[ ramiel ]: geez, fine fine we'll go on some quests now. do u have any u want to do in particular
[ charmiene ]: not really, i suppose. i just want to focus on leveling up and getting used to these controls.
[ ramiel ]: htat makes sense, since ur new nd all that
[ ramiel ]: alright, ive decided; ill dm u the link to the party im forming, nd all u need to do is join. dw, it's low enough
level for u to participate w/o too much trouble, and all u need to do anyways is just heal me, since im the one doing
all the attacking, and ill be a shield for u
[ charmiene ]: alright then, that works for me.
---
[ ramiel ]: wasn't that fun????
[ charmiene ]: that worked out better than i had initially imagined, to be honest.
[ ramiel ]: after a few rounds, do u sorta understand how this works now
[ charmiene ]: i do indeed have a better grasp on the game's mechanics, yes.
[ charmiene ]: i'd love to stay and talk some more while going through more maps, but i've got to sleep.
[ ramiel ]: already? that sucks
[ ramiel ]: wlel, im guessing that ur gonna log in around this time for now on, right
[ charmiene ]: if all goes according to plan, then yes, that is my goal.
[ ramiel ]: huh
[ ramiel ]: good to know
[ ramiel ]: well, gn then; ill stick aroudn to fight off somem ore souls, so in case u decide to log back in for whatever
reason, just hmu bc ill probably be on
[ charmiene ]: i'll be sure to keep that in mind in case i can't sleep. good night.
---
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[ ramiel ]: yo yo charmiene r u on
[ ramiel ]: hello
[ ramiel ]: is anyone home
[ charmiene ]: i was just checking up on some things i missed in the game, but yes, i'm here now. are we going to go on
some quests like yesterday?
[ ramiel ]: hell ya ofc. what else would u do on this game except go on the quests ???
[ charmiene ]: that's...... a good question, i suppose.
[ charmiene ]: should i make a party this time? just to learn how to do things instead of making you do it all the time?
[ ramiel ]: ya sounds good to me. dont forget to send me a party invite tho, i wont b able to find it otherwise
[ charmiene ]: understood.
---
[ charmiene ]: hey, that was actually pretty fun.
[ ramiel ]: ofc it was fun, this is soul retribution ur talkign abt
[ charmiene ]: i don't know why i expected anything less from you.
[ ramiel ]: hey >:( rude
[ charmiene ]: oh, my apologies. i didn't mean it like that.
[ ramiel ]: i know u didnt omg, im just pulling ur leg
[ charmiene ]: oh, i see. anyways, should we play some more?
[ ramiel ]: dont u haev to sleep tho? im not against it or anything, but ur usually heading off to bed around this time,
from what i remember
[ charmiene ]: huh... is that so? while i would've cared a lot before, for whatever reason, i just... don't care as much,
now. that's strange.
[ ramiel ]: is it really that strange of a thing tho? soul retribution has that kinda effect on people; they tend to get
sucked in, but in return, they're given smthn else to care abt
[ charmiene ]: i mean, what you just said wasn't totally wrong. that's definitely an interesting take on things; i'll
probably end up going to sleep with that on my mind for the entire night, to be honest.
[ ramiel ]: lmao
[ charmiene ]: lmao
[ ramiel ]: ??!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!??!
[ charmiene ]: was what i said really that surprising?
[ ramiel ]: for some1 like u, ye. i wasnt expecting that at all, ngl
[ charmiene ]: huh, that's interesting, i guess. anyways, it was nice talking to you, ramiel. i enjoy these small online
chats, to be honest.
[ ramiel ]: i think thats good to hear. good night, charmiene
[ charmiene ]: good night.
---
as cordelia logged off, her emerald green eyes shone with conflicting emotions as she sat back in her chair. "good night,
ramiel, whoever you really are," she murmured to herself softly, before letting her eyelids flutter downwards. "i never
thought i'd say something like this, but this is actually quite fun."
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the first thoughts that ran through cordelia's mind was that she felt out of place. it was to be expected, however, since
she wasn't used to being in an environment dedicated to gamers and those who enjoyed digital crafts. the entire idea
of conventions was foreign to her, and she wouldn't have ended up going if she hadn't been participating in a science
fair nearby. according to ramiel, there was a section in the convention hall that was dedicated to soul retribution, and
if her memory served her correctly, cordelia remembered the higher level paladin mentioning how he'd be there at pax
south. there was a probable chance that they'd run into each other, but then again, what were the odds? they could
show up at different times and miss each other entirely, and it wasn't as though they had planned to meet at the game
convention. it was merely an event that ramiel had brought up because he was going, and cordelia was only checking
it out because it was close to where her science fair had been held.
of course, she wasn't able to just drop by and enter the building. buying tickets in advance were an absolute must, and
that's exactly what cordelia did. her parents had been surprised to hear how she wanted to go to a gaming convention,
but they didn't press her with too many questions. the ticket for her was bought, and arrangements were made for the
blue haired viscet to go to the convention after the science fair had ended. now that it was over, cordelia was free to
wander around within the halls and rooms of the convention.
she had intended on going straight to the area dedicated to soul retribution, but cordelia had severely underestimated
the size of the convention hall. the blue haired viscet had taken several wrong turns before finally making her way to
her destination in one piece. unsurprisingly, the place was already full of viscets who were fans of the game, and while
she had initially planned on sticking around the sides of the group instead of participating in the conversations or taking
a look at the types of merchandise that other viscets were welling, cordelia had somehow managed to find herself in a
situation where she was engaged in a conversation with another viscet. the other viscet played as a warlock (at least,
that's what cordelia remembered. they could've been a mage or another cleric, for all she really knew), and they had
wanted to exchange tips for battling with magic. cordelia must have appeared to be overwhelmed to the other viscet
because they ended up backing off sheepishly, but they didn't leave her alone. they started to ask about cordelia's day,
and although the blue furred viscet was still stunned at how outgoing the other viscet was, she began to function like
a normal viscet shortly after.
"... ah, i live in texas, actually! part of the reason why i'm here was because it was relatively close to where i live, and
i was participating in a science fair further down the road. the weather has been really hot lately; the weather reports
are constantly warning us about the heatwaves, and honestly, it'd be unfortunate if texas became like california, where
forest fires often catch on fire." cordelia smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the top of her head, and as she conversed, she
noticed a viscet with darker brown fur with green tints look up curiously in her direction. she didn't dwell on that fact
for too long, but as she continued to talk with the other viscet, he started to look up more. cordelia would be lying if
she said that the other viscet's mannerisms didn't bother her, but when she saw the brown and green furred viscet make
his way over, cordelia felt her stomach drop into an empty abyss for a brief moment.
"you're from texas? that's kinda cool, so am i." the other viscet didn't offer any more words, and when cordelia blinked,
thinking that they might continue speaking, they didn't. she let out a soft sigh and a smaller smile, tilting her head in
curiosity at the other viscet who also claimed to live in her state. she had been about to open her mouth to speak just
as the other viscet piped up again, nervously scratching at the top of their head slightly. "but yeah... the heatwaves
really are a problem. what's your name? i don't think i've ever seen you at this convention before..."
"oh, i'm cordelia. nice to meet you, what's yours? i downloaded the game a few months ago, and didn't have many
opportunities to attend conventions because i never thought that i'd enjoy myself very much. clearly, i've just proved
myself wrong." cordelia let out a soft chuckle and twitched the tip of her tail, slowly becoming used to all the viscets
gathered within the convention hall. the green furred viscet gave a small, understanding nod, as though he knew how
unsettling conventions could be to viscets who weren't used to such events.
"yeah, that's fair. i'm cecil, and i'd say that i'm a rather good player. well, it really depends on what you think 'good'
is, but i often help newer players with the game. i'm ramiel, by the way; feel free to add me if you want," the viscet
mumbled softly, rubbing his paws together as cordelia blinked in disbelief. if her ears hadn't failed her, then she had
just realized that the friend she played soul retribution with was standing right in front of her. she couldn't help but
smile, though. what were the odds that she would be able to run into ramiel, or rather, cecil, even though he had
said he'd be there?
"ramiel, huh... i believe i have a friend on soul retribution named ramiel. i'm charmiene; does that ring any bells?" she
asked, cocking her head as she did so. at first, cecil stared at her blankly, but as cordelia's words started to process in
his head, he let out a small, knowing gasp. she smiled at his reaction, flicking her tail slightly. "we should give each
other our numbers of something to plan the raids out."
cecil smiled and nodded his head at her suggestion. "good idea, cordelia. let's talk more later."
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