(Story) The Light Pillars

Somewhere in the middle of the forest, Rein was currently lying in a small puddle staring at the stars. "You see," He said to his nearby companion, "Every star is a wish that I’ve made. Everytime you see a star fall a wish of mine has been granted.” He grinned turning his head to face the lifeless stare of a young man. He had simply been trying to loot the cabins the other Falderen’s had abandoned. It was a wise move, or at least it was until he ran into Rein doing the same thing. He could have been forgiven for mistaking Rein for an unarmed child, but the lackluster effort he put into defending himself. Well it was criminal. It had ended with Rein on laying on the ground gazing at the stars while the man bled out.


Rein couldn’t help but smile as a streak of light made its way down from the sky. “You see?” he said with a giggle, “I wished I had company this night, and here you at.” Snuggling into the grass, now drenched in blood, Rein watched as a series of lights began to streak from the sky. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to understand it was odd. He opened his mouth to say something, when another light streaked down, this time landing directly on him illuminating him in the grass as he felt a warm tingle wax over him. Slowly the tingle faded as did the light. Rein simply stared at the sky, confident it was a good sign of things to come.

 

Claire squinted up at the sky as the column of light faded. It had appeared out of nowhere, and it was only pure luck that she was somewhat nearby one when it first manifested. The white glow was gentle, not unlike moonlight, though the moon itself was still sitting well-behaved up in the sky where it belonged. The light hadn't lasted very long at all, and by the time she had hiked over to the small mountainside town where the beam seemed to have struck, it was gone.

"Hmm," she said, frowning. "Maybe a signaling system? Like a magical flare."

She quickly scrawled her hypothesis about the odd phenomenon into her notebook, and started heading into the town. She also left the world chat up and running in a corner of her vision, just in case there were any announcements about the light. In the meantime, it was time to start gathering some information.

 

Hooves thundered, and the sky did too. It had been some days since the monumental struggle for Castle Dormont deep within the Adecus Forest, which had tasked and taxed the various guild members involved in the sordid affair. They had proved the victor and now Astor and his guild, of which she was a member, sat upon the throne of the castle and ruled the surrounding lands. Or such was their plan, in as much as any sort of PLAN had been revealed to them. The sudden betrayal of the soldiers in the fortress had been... well, sudden. Not even Astor's own cronies in the Yulan guild had really understood why the choice was made, beyond a loosely justified sense of morality and a more tangible and obvious lust for power. Well whatever the reasons for the choice, it had been made... and now, as a loyal soldier of their new king's guild, she had a duty to see to their interests. That meant work details, such as burying the dead, which had been no small feat. It meant building new relations while repairing old endangered ones. It meant listing responsibilities and tasks and trying to find people to tend to them. It meant patrols to safeguard their borders...

It was the last of these that she was presently engaged in, riding through the woods of the newly dubbed Astorea in her hunt for enemy agents and domestic threats. The horse she borrowed for the task thundered across the muddy landscape, its breath coming in hot plumes of visible vapor as it mixed with the cold and wet air about them. Rain did not pitter patter so much as roar and rage, as clouds churned and Poseidon pissed down on their heads. Each droplet that struck her bare flesh was like hail, and there were audible pings as her armor intercepted numerous more pellets of rain that storm tossed against her. Despite these conditions she and her temporary steed forced their way ahead, weaving through tree and brush in the darkness, in pursuit of their quarry.

Thunder struck and lightning flared against the canopy of the woods, but it was not nature's light that guided her way. Ahead, three lanterns bobbed in the distance, their pale orange glow a beacon against the dark but far from still night. They were, to the best of her knowledge, bandits and war profiteers who were hoping to waylay what little trade and town-stead Astorea had so far. She had found them camped not far from an overturned cart with a dead merchant and hired blade; protection that had not proved enough for either man. Both were slain in peculiar fashion, with three nasty wounds biting deep into their stomachs and chests in even rows. When she had found the bandit's camped, she noted one had a trident and... well, it did not take a genius to piece together that the goods they were sorting through were not their own legal luxuries. There had been five. Now there were three. Soon there would be none left but memories, so she swore.

Kicking heel to beast, she felt the horse surge forwards under her, egged into exhausting action by her goading boots. Swiftly she caught up to the fleeing three men whose mules were tired and poorly bred, and passing the farthest back of them, left only two alive. For one now lay quite dead in the mud, his head caved in by a hammer that gleamed gold and green by both lantern and lightning. She grinned, letting the rain wash blood from her weapon, daring nature's fury to scream down at her in her metal armor, raising her hammer high. So what if she was smote by a bolt there and then? The men would escape, true... But they would know never to return to these woods. Lightning did strike, but it did not claim her. In fact it was more bizarre than any strike she had ever witnessed!

It was as if a solid shaft of light had descended quite suddenly upon one of the men, washing over him. A vertical shaft of perfect brightness, which stung at her eyes and caused all their mounts to scream and rear. Falling backwards into the mud, she scrambled to her feet, the man laying face down and gasping. He, too, had been surprised by... whatever that was. But it hardly mattered. If it was magical aid, it had not been the blessing he needed. Better to have teleported him away to safety than... buff him, perhaps? She grunted and fought the urge to use the investigation feature, for already both men were crawling up out of the flooding earth and preparing to run from her, without lanterns for her to chase. With a sigh, she charged, to bring their midnight engagement to an end.

 

Pormont knew peace. As blood was splattered and spilled, as the forest of Adecus became overrun by Yladia, as the monolith that was the Castle Dormant fell, Pormont knew peace. Its nights came easy, as the sun lulled on the horizon. A chorus of crickets welcomed the first stars to the sky, as films of smoke crawling from chimneys blended with breezes. The peasants of Pormont hung up their tools, retreating to their homes for stews and ales and blankets. They huddled around fires to discuss the whispers of new nations with whispers of their own. Players had been rarely discussed in their homes before. The residents of Pormont knew their danger, but they had refused to attempt to understand them further. The players were hard to understand in the first place, but what was acknowledged by all was that they aspired to some other driving force unlike a regular human. Players sought out challenge and conquest with an unquenchable thirst. The reach of the players stretched out over the entire nation, the entire world. They prayed and hoped that the plight of Adecus, now Astorea, would not reach their own homes. They had no idea what was to come.

Eudora was outside when it happened. By the barn, watching as the farm’s shepherding dog sniffed and snuffled around the doors. The last steps of ritual to send the sheep to rest. With one final snort, the dog plodded off back to the farmhouse. Eudora rested the door’s latch in its socket and followed behind. She took her time, as twilight was a time for thought and patience. She ruminated on her day, prepared herself for tomorrow. A lantern hung in her hands, unlit. At least, she taught it had been unlit. But as she held it by her side, she swore she could see light flickering at the wick. Three times, she lifted the lantern up to peer through its glass. Three times, it had tricked her and three times she had put it back at her side with a sigh.

And then, light. It started small, the size of a pinprick on the back of Eudora’s hand. Just as she noticed it it grew exponentially. It careened down from the heavens. It nearly blinded her as it engulfed her entire being, stopping just at the tip of her toes. Blood rushed through her ears as she was overcome with fear and awe. Her knees locked into place, her boy refusing to move from this spot. This was a blessing. This was an omen. Eudora could not decipher what this meant. All around her was a shocking white light. It felt as if it was surging in through her nose and mouth, causing her to inhale deeper than she ever had before.

And just as quickly as it came, it vanished. Shrunk to its pinprick size, and then dissipated. Eudora’s eyes had to adjust back to the dimness of a shrinking twilight, night soon blanketing the world with a new stillness. Eudora matched it with her own, feet still refusing to move. She looked down and noticed that she had dropped her lantern, causing a crack to fracture in its globe. She looked up to find what had showered her with such light, and saw nothing but the stars. She heard nothing but the sound of her own breathing, the steady drum of her heartbeat. She felt nothing but a tingling sensation that had not left with the light as she thought it would. It stayed in her, buzzed in her very being. Her legs buckled, and she caught herself. She picked up her lantern and hurried inside. She called for her family, and sought to discuss the phenomenon under blankets and enveloped in loving arms that would wipe the tears away.

The world was changing, that had been clear. The world was changing and its change spread quickly.

 

Under the effects of investigation mode, her eyes scanned every nook and cranny of the lake before her. The blonde woman mixed a shrug and a soft sigh, giving up on any possibility that the water had any dangers in it. Stella looked up, staring at the stars in the night sky. It had been a few days ever since her departure to deal with her own problems, as well as a few nights after the siege in castle Dormont happened. The war, the bloodshed and the faces of those she had to kill were still fresh in her mind, despite the time that had passed. The actual experience wasn’t exactly new to her thanks to her background, but the bitter after taste of such conflicts was not something one could simply get used to – at least, on her eyes.

“I guess it doesn’t matter where I go, it feels like I always end up in the messiest of situations possible...” The blonde removed her gauntlets, scooping up a bit of water to wash her face. “Why the hell am I even alive, either way?” She muttered under her breath while trying to access the log-out button through her palm menu. Flashing red, the UI menu neglected any attempt at logging out of the game.

“ I wonder if this is my punishment? Live a new life or some kind of bullshit while remembering your past life!” the woman threw her arms up, as if trying to imitate some fantastical speech “Looks like one of those isekai light novels that used to be a big hit a few years ago...” She removed her boots, splashing her feet in the water to enjoy the refreshing feeling. “If that’s the case, this is some very sick joke. Those novels often lacked a lot of worldbuilding, while this game has so much detail and depth to it that it’s not even funny.”

The blonde laid on her back on the ground, eyes focusing attention on the moon and the stars. At this point she only wanted to have some rest before venturing further in the new Yiladian territory available for players after the alliance with the elves was formed. To her surprise, however, the bladeswoman could notice a pillar of night shoot from the sky and hit the land. Stella’s immediate action was to bring her system menu and contact her guild of what she had just experienced- but upon doing so, realized how the world chat was brimming with messages telling similar experiences. The bladeswoman got up to her feet while dismissing her system chat menu. At this point, her whole guild should be aware of what was happening around the world with ease.

Stella set out in a general direction of where she last saw the pillar of light, but to her dismay, could only find a lonely NPC hunter. As per the general kind of people they are, she received no warm welcome. When she realized that her questions were getting her nowhere and the man’s hostility towards company, Stella left him alone. For now, she had to send back any proper info she acquired from her experience this night and hope it’d be useful for everyone else.

 

Buttercup the mare plodded down the old market road at a genial pace, bearing the load of goods that her owner, George, had acquired in town earlier in the day. The first of the harvest would soon arrive and he had taken need of new tools in order to tend his fields; new instruments and utensils to manage his household and tend to his family's needs. He cherished the days he could still call it his own family, for his daughters were nearly women now, and each of them had grown quickly out of necessity. It was a matter of months, perhaps only a handful of seasons, before Eudora would find a betrothed and there would be wedding bells within the town square. Felicitas would follow suite and then... And then he would have to hire the baker's youngest boys, who were in need of work and were useless around a stove. He would take them on as farmhands while his daughters each went their own ways, aside their new husbands. But until such a time came, he planned to cherish them and, perhaps embarrassingly for the girls, dote on them as though they were still young children.

That was why he had hidden the bag of candied apples beneath all of the farming equipment. A favorite of his girls and a delicacy so rarely enjoyed by them, they were sweet red apples grown from the local farms... candied and dipped in caramelized sugar, encasing them in a sweet shell. He had always bought four, if the opportunity came; years past it had provided one for himself and his wife, and one each for their daughters. Now, though, he abstained from the treats himself. There was simply more joy to be had in watching his daughters' delight at the snacks.

Smiling at simple memories, he looked down the market road to his farmstead, noting how diligently Eudora was handling the herding of their sheep alongside their herding dog, Ser Woofington. It had been... Felicitas that came up with that name, if memory served. He grinned at the ridiculous name and watched the dog run around excitedly, before stopping suddenly and barking at his daughter. A most curious reaction, as it did not sound like the playful yips he was accustomed to hearing from Ser Woofington... Barks of concern at danger turned into frightened yelps, then a low snarl, and George found himself running towards the farm for fear that something was seriously wrong. He lost his footing and staggered as a pillar of light engulfed his eldest daughter, all thoughts of the horse panicking behind him ignored and turned solely to rushing to his daughter's side. To see if she were alright. By the time the light had cleared from around her he was within twenty yards, shouting her name... Only to stop suddenly as he himself was ensnared in a pillar of bright warmth, which seemed to radiate through his whole body. What was happening!!!

 

It had been a few days since the battle of Caste Dormont with Falderen, he wasn't at the battle seeing it as a pointless matter with the command staff being commanded by players who couldn't come together to form a strategy or a plan of attack, he was surprised they were able to pull off a victory albeit at the cost of hundreds of players. During that fateful time, he had taken a position from afar, watching to see who would triumph in the battle. Although he was surprised the side of the players had been victorious, he was more than surprised to say at the least when he began to feel the dark powers of the deamon from within himself beginning to fade awhile. What sorcery was this? Without his inner deamon to empower him with the dark powers of the gods, he was beginning to lose his power, something that was unacceptable to him. This lost of power meant it would only be a matter of time before it would become weak or be destroyed entirely. He alway's suspected that the daemon within himself was created by Merkaba but shortly after the battle, he could no longer sense her in this world, what did that mean? Was she dead now or was she simply deleted?
He couldn't contact her in any way and her name was no more, he spent days looking for her with Emmeline at his side with no luck. It was obivous in those days something was wrong with Seto but he refused to speak about it for the most part to anyone besides Ursa and Emmeline. It was clear he had become far gentlier and perhaps friendly but he became more distant and silent than usual.​

After four days searching the battlefield, he had given up the search, it became apparent she was no more through unknown means to him,he would need to cope with this outcome with the many strange and unexpected side effects of it from now on. This feeling was not mutual at all, he had lost his grip on the power he once held in his hand although uncontrolled, it made him uneasy for a time yet in the end, something changed, it was different, it was as if his power had double in strength in other area's he couldn't describe. It felt like the air infront of him was thin yet he was breathing fine. The night stroke Seto and Emmeline on their last day being there. Making camp on a nearby hill a few miles from the battared castle, laying agianst a tree with both his arms and legs crossed,he sat guarding the camp. Looking up at the stars, out of nowhere something magical in nature appeared, his eyes had almost burst out of it's sockets when many, huge like pillars of lights appeared in the night sky all through out the region, what in the world did this mean? there was no way it was natural, it couldn't be. Looking over his shoulder, he called out for Emmeline.

"Emmeline! quickly come here and see this magical event with me!"

He started at the night sky for a few more a moments before it finally disappearing, leaving nothing behind. What did this mean? It had to have some meaning but what? Perhaps it was a rally point for the Falderen army? perhaps it was a message? The more he thought of it, it had hurting his mind, he didn't understand this at all.​

@Emmeline Valenick

 

As Lumi set up the tent for the night, using her hands to carefully flatten down her masters bed, she recounted the events of the past couple days. She had logged into Terra and had been welcomed by a huge war going on between the two kingdoms, which had ended with the Yladians winning. Although, she did care not about which had won, as she went by what Seto followed- Not by her own belief. It was strange, being an someone who was rather independent in real life, yet she found herself bound down by a man again. Maybe it was just in her system?... Nonetheless, she followed him loyally.

They'd spend the last while searching for someone Seto had looked up to. Again, she cared not for her name nor what she did, she only cared for what he wanted her for. It was surprising, however, the change that had come over him since she had disappeared. He was more friendly and kind, not the same man that he had been when they had first met... And honestly, it was more comforting to be around him when he was like this, and Lumi felt a lot better about it.

His voice made her jump from where she was kneeling on the ground, and she hurriedly jumped to her feet to come to his aid, dusting off her uniform as she walked on over, hands followed nearly over her front as she walked with an air of grace. She made her way out of the tent and over to his side, nodding at him as a little bit of curiousity shone in her eyes, "Yes, master? What is it?" However, she seemed to take notice of the pillars of light, turning her gaze upwards as her lips opened up slightly in awe.

It was beautiful. Strange, but beautiful. Something she wished to paint so bad. Pillars of light in the night sky... Like good against an evil canvas. She continued to stare as she closed her gaping mouth as to not look silly, before smiling gently, "... This game never ceases to amaze me." That it did.

@Seto Kurama​

 

The last few days had been quite hectic and tiring for Nalani as she sat up in the bottom branches of a tree, studying the blade of her sword as she sung gently, her sonfg reaching the ears of her Lynx who was napping down below. The two had just finished a quest nearby that had involved a bit of fighting, and were worn out from the events. Nalani always made sure that her and her companion were healed up after they had finished, and as she leaned back her head to look between the branches above, her eyes narrowed at an unfamiliar sight.

A strange pillar of light was in the sky, directing down to something that seemed to be far away. If she narrowed her eyes more, there seemed to be a few more behind that one even farther away, yet she had no idea what they were for nor what they led to. She glanced down at Asti, who didn't seem to notice, before turning her gaze back upwards and gazing curiously once more... She knew exactly who to message about this, if anyone was to know anything about it.

Opening up her menu, she scrolled quickly through her contacts list. Online or not, she clicked on his name and entered in a quick message, ​

Nalani Rosa

I don't know if you saw them or not, but some really strange pillars of light just popped up in the sky... Any ideas on why?

However, when she looked back up, the pillars were suddenly gone. They seemed to only last a few seconds, unlike Nalani's apparently confusion as she turned back down, pressing in another message.​

Nalani Rosa

Oh... Never mind. They seemed to have disappeared... Strange.

And with that, she closed her menu, hoping Jack would have more of an idea than she would. The man was quite smart, to say the least... But most likely, he'd probably be just as clueless as she was.

@Jack Anders​

 

As Kit went about returning the animals to the wilderness once it was returned to normal (in a very quick fashion that was strange, but she never questioned it), she found herself doing it for a couple days, making sure each and every one of them was snug as a bug in a rug in their new homes. Unfortunately, she spent half of that time sleeping, not as of she'd admit that to anyone, of course.

It was one night when she was returning back on foot to her home that it happened. She still wasn't sure as to what it was, but... It did. As the pillar of light from above hit her, she felt a warm and tingly sensation run through her body as she looked up, curiously staring with her same blank expression as she blinked, cocking her head to the side. It didn't seem to hurt her or do anything wrong, but it did seem to do one thing... Make her very sleepy. It started with a small yawn, which then turned into a bigger one, and next thing she knew Kit was lying down on the ground on top of her bag, curled up under the warm light as she yawned, "Usami... I'm just gonna stop to take a nap. Just for a minute."

But as soon as it appeared, it was gone. There was a couple of moments of silence as she laid there, before a small groan sounded out in the darkness, "... Dang it."​

 

"Wake up! Tyris, wake up!" The Felis boy woke to the sound of his sister's voice as she shook him gently. As was typical for them, the children had been sleeping beneath the stars on the rooftops of Stokbon; however, though he still saw the night sky, there was much more light around them than one would expect. Getting to his feet, his at-first sleepy eyes grew wide with amazement as he saw many columns of light flashing all about them.

"Rauri, what is that?!" he asked, turning toward his sister.

"I don't know, but-" Before Rauri could finish her reply, a pillar of light blazed out around her, followed shortly by one around Tyris. The boy felt a warmth around himself for a moment; then, the light faded.

The two Felis children looked down at themselves in amazement. It didn't feel like anything had changed, Tyris thought. "Are you all right, Rauri?" he asked, reaching out to take his sister by the hand.

"I'm fine, Tyris. Doesn't look like we were hurt at all," Rauri answered. Looking back out over the city, the children saw more lights shining out here and there. It was as if it were happening to everyone in the city.

"...maybe we're dreaming," Tyris suggested.

"Well, if so, we're in the wrong place for it. We should get back to sleep," Rauri said with a giggle, resting back down on her sleeping bag.

As Tyris lay down, however, he didn't feel like sleeping at all. Whatever had just happened, Tyris thought it might very well change their lives. How it would do that, though... he couldn't guess.

 

Well-experienced travelers were easy to pick out; they dressed in a very practical way, donning rain cloaks, boots, some light food and water, some weapons for defense - just enough to travel with. In the dead of night, with the moon shining down, Luvi shed those hallmarks of an experienced traveler. From a nearby road tavern, she traversed with a pair of sandals, a short pastel pink pareo skirt, a black 'sleeveless' thin cloth top with detached sleeves attached via pastel pink lace, her top decorated with a variety of pink-purple stars - she loved this outfit. It was horribly inappropriate for her lifestyle on the road, but that was just yet another lifestyle that Luvi didn't want.

Practicality be damned, she chose some nights to feel free from the life, she felt, others forced on her.

So, she carried a little weaved bag of some assorted foods and a folded checkered white-and-pink linen cloth on top of the bag. A nighttime picnic might've been a little odd to do, but Luvi liked nighttime the most. The sounds of the night felt so much more alive to her than the daytime. So away from the tavern's sleeping patrons she went, still carrying her bow and quiver while she went without travel gear. Her destination wasn't far, merely a familiar locale she often visited. Swerving away from the road and into a sparsely populated forest of trees, she slid down a cliff and towards a small pond nestled away by cliffs on almost every side. This place was especially special because Luvi had been trying to help nurture special night-blooming flowers here. It was an excruciatingly long task as her touch was just as likely to drain life from the poor plants as she was to care and love those same flowers, though with enough focus Luvi could cherish this nature.

The tall Yladian kept her basket held along her left arm as she checked on her flowers. She had a variety of species; one of her favorites was a purple water lily of which she scattered all along the pond, though she also had a healthy amount of white moonflowers grown carefully around the pond. Discerning that pests had begun to kill over half of them, Luvi let out an exhausted sigh as she shook her head lightly. Travelling and tending to spots like this took a lot of effort and rarely paid off... was everything she did destined to fall apart like this? It wasn't like being raised for some hopeless cause helped any.

Some days, the pale lavender haired girl wondered if the Great Father Tree hated her in spite of how hard she felt she tried to give back to nature more than she took from it. Was she a corrupt sister, as the elders had declared her and the others trained in dark magic? Or would the Great Father Tree forgive her if she worked for good as best as she could?

As if to answer her thoughts, a fuzzy warmth and warm light enveloped Luvi for a moment, surprising the elf enough to lead to a quiet yelp and a dropped basket. Thankfully it kept closed as it fell on the floor, but the startled woman was left puzzled as the light and warmth eventually faded. For now, Letting out a shaky sigh with a hand held to her heart, she calmed her heartbeat as she closed her eyes in thought. Her body felt just fine, and upon opening her eyes and looking over herself she seemed to be in good health. Her immediate surroundings seemed safe, too.

Was some spirit playing a sick joke on her, trying to lead her to a false sense of security... or did she just get the Great Father Tree's approval? Whatever the case was, Luvi merely sighed and decided to get on with her little private picnic.
Can't just let this food go to waste. Took a long time to earn a nice meal like this...

 

The night was never truly silent. The call of night birds and rodents filled the air with the chirping and buzzing of insects still awake in the dark of night. The rustle of the undergrowth as predators prowled or prey sought out sanctuary from those that hunted them beneath the sky full to bursting with stars amidst a sea of leaf litter. Gwyn loved the nighttime in this world. Sabine had to suffer the light pollution of the east coast's smog belching cities and here in terrasphere's masquerade of a reality... here were was none. The night was never truly black as it was never truly silent. There were too many stars and the moon hung too full and fat over the forest.

It was the perfect night for a hunt. The ranger had spent all day cobbling together various traps for the wildlife of the newly founded territory of Astorea and as soon as the sun had begun to set she had disappeared off into the grasp of the woods. With her traps laid, nestled in the roots of trees emerging from the soft loam and half-buried under leaf litter, she waited. The distant fwip of one of the lines catching on a game trail nearby was tempting for her curiosity, but she'd catch more if she stayed her hand and wandering gaze for the time being. Better to go home with more than one catch. Gwyn sat on her perch, a thick limb stretching high above the trails and paths, surrounded by the limbs of other trees. It was a perfect hiding place for her to temporarily claim as her own. The eyes of an owl a few branches above showed she wasn't alone, but they could share it. For the time being, she leaned back to stare through the spaces between the canopy. She watched the stars with a wistful hunger to roam the familiar climbs and woods back home. They were similar, but not. Something fundamentally off about their spacing and light that didn't mark them as fake, just... other.

Gwyn had been close to closing her eyes and drifting off to await either sunrise or the sound of more traps making their catches when she saw the flash. Blue eyes popped open in surprise and she hauled herself back to a sitting position. The hunter ignored the sounds of protest from the startled bird above and watched the beam of light with a mix of dread and awe. Whatever it was, it was too far to reach she'd wager. An assumption proved right as soon as the light began to flicker and ultimately fade as if it never had been. She watched for a longer spell after that, but nothing changed. It was still the eerie not-quiet of the night, the incomplete dark of the moon's domain, and her temporary company had not whirled off in a fright yet. "Later," she whispered to herself and the owl above. She would hunt down information on the event later. For now she had another hunt to finish and it would do a disservice to her catches to let her attention sway from her task.