Open - Right is Right

"...This is the same place as before."

Janet Crawford-- Janet Reilly, she corrected herself mentally, It's important not to use your real name on the internet-- was lost. It wasn't because she was walking in circles, or because she couldn't find the map, or because she couldn't find anyone to ask for directions. It was none of those things because Janet hadn't actually taken more than a couple steps since she signed into this stupid interface, and those were only because the game had decided to spawn her ankle-deep in water on some rocky coastline. She could feel the cold, by the way. She'd thought linoleum on bare feet was shocking, but the cold breeze on her already-soaked boots was every bit as freezing as the first time she'd sloshed out of the water onto the rocky little beach.

She was definitely out of her element.

She'd finally managed to log herself out with (in her opinion!) an overly complicated hand gesture and spent a minute breathing heavily in her son's desk chair, shaking a little. It all felt so real. Janet had seen and heard the controversy so many times from the news and the other moms and teachers in the PTA. These games weren't supposed to do that anymore. They were supposed to be safe.

But it just felt so...

Janet didn't have the end to that thought. She spent all afternoon cleaning the kitchen trying to complete it. She checked the time on the microwave. A couple hours until John comes home. She was already easing into the chair again, headset in her hands, before she'd realized she'd made a decision. I'll just try again. If I restart, maybe it'll put me somewhere warmer this time. Like a real beach, or at least a town with proper people to ask for help.

But here she was, back on that strange coastline right where she'd left it, two steps from the tideline. A low, rocky cliff stood on the other side of the shore, jagged rocks lining the edge of the water. Where was she supposed to go? Looking around, toes going numb, Janet hugged her arms to her chest and shivered. Why is it so cold? Her body felt strangely light, the wet sea breeze biting through her plain clothes. Ah-- right. This wasn't her soft, plump, 38-year-old body with its stretch marks and scars. This was a young body, a strong body; the spitting image of herself at age eighteen.

Too bad the scenery was so miserable she couldn't enjoy it. "Hello? Am I in the right place?" she called. Was she really supposed to climb that cliff? Looking it over, it seemed to have plenty of handholds. There must be something worthwhile at the top. Surely. Or am I meant to wait for a rescue? She looked it over again, lips drawing themselves into a hard line. Absolutely not. Then again... none of this was real. "Hello?! I think I'd like to speak to whoever's in charge!" It wasn't that she thought there was actually anyone there, but it helped distract her from what anywhere else she would have considered a very dangerous risk. But this was a game, wasn't it?

Janet tested her weight on a small overhang and swung herself up that first step, blowing a bedraggled strand of hair out of her eyes and straining for the next handhold. Game or not, this feels... right.

 

Haru has been walking. Really, it's the only thing he's done since immediately turning off the Auto control mode after creating his character. Everything just felt so real to him, even that freezing water at the shore on his feet! He just couldn't stop trying to move around. That is, of course, until he heard someone else call out for some sort of what he assumed would be an administrator in a setting like this game. He takes a moment to wonder to himself what a higher power would even be in this setting. Some kind of Gods, maybe?

As his mind argued with itself, his feet carried him forward to the source. It took a bit of time, frankly, roughly a minute or two. That woman really had a pair of lungs on her. He finally stops when he reaches the above mentioned shore, now standing at the top of a cliff he happened to have climbed earlier when his curiosity at the game's movement engine peaked. Leaning over the edge, Haru, standing out in the bleak scenery draped in white, kindly waves and calls to a woman who was seemingly in her prime. "Yo! Were you driven to climb, too? It looks quite fun from up here. Ah, do be careful- I believe to remember some of those handholds being rather sharp." An even, modest smile rested on his lips, and his eyes turned up in amusement. Naturally, it was probably guesswork to be able to tell such from all the way down at the bottom.

 

Janet huffed with exertion as she edged along ledges and systematically jumped to each new foothold. Her fingers seized at wedge-shaped nooks and small outcroppings, mostly to keep her balance. It was a pleasant, mindless task. The girl couldn't help but feel a warm glow of pride begin to take hold of her as she glanced back down at that dreadful salty beach she'd left behind, exhilarated at her progress. This wasn't so bad, she thought, and looked back up. She squinted a little, realizing that a face was now looking back at her from the top of the cliff. It was little more than a blur framed with white hair from her vantage point, but Janet felt her knees grow weak with relief anyway. Someone had heard her!

"Hello!" she called eagerly, craning her neck to see better. "Oh good, I thought I was the only one out there!" It was sort of hard to hear, but it sounded like the young man had been in a similar situation. Perhaps this was a test-- something every new player of this game had to pass in order to move on! Thinking of it that way seemed to ignite a spark of something in Janet--motivation, perhaps-- and she felt a surge of energy. For the first time using her arms, she reached up to an overhang and swung herself up. She felt her well-built muscles strain, pull, fingers reaching for a wizened tree root to haul herself hand-over-hand. This was easy. Too easy-- even as light as she was now, she felt like a weightlifter benching the bar. How extraordinary! The eighteen-year-old was practically glowing by the time she reached the top.

"That was quite exciting!" Janet said breathlessly, dusting off her knees. "How do you do, I'm Janet. Reilly," she added quickly, as if her maiden name could protect her from internet scammers. She held out her hand to shake the light-haired man's, but when she looked down, a bright trickle of blood on her palm shocked her. She stared at it for a moment before pulling it back, staring at the shallow cut. It must have been one of the rocks-- she'd been so busy climbing, she hadn't paid attention. "Oh!" And like a paper cut, now that she saw it, it hurt. In the back of her mind, didn't she vaguely recall the man saying the handholds were sharp? "What should I..." Her mind jumped to the first aid kit she kept at home in the bathroom cupboard, but that wasn't going to do her much good here, was it. "Heavens...I need to... sterilize this," she stammered, entirely flustered and overwhelmed.

 

Haru finds himself not quite surprised, yet certainly amazed at the results of her expedition up the rather tall cliff. This woman before him- Reilly, was it?- had quite the range of emotions on her. Perhaps she had some sort of mania about her? He mentally kicks himself, realizing that musing on this woman's problems won't solve them. He had calmed himself down from the mild shock he received at the sight of blood dripping down her hand, having stopped himself not a moment ago from reaching out to take hold of and examine the wound on said hand. 'I don't have my credentials in this world. That doesn't mean I can't help, though.'

He certainly had taken a good look at the wound before she began to fret over her hand. He had no worries, but he could not say the same of his acquaintance, here. Haru decides to take the simple path, and begins by taking out two pieces of strangely shaped wood. One molded into a container of some kind, the other a shoddy piece of driftwood, pulled from his back, that could vaguely be called a walking cane, or perhaps a 'staff' of sorts. Kneeling to the ground, he places the canteen by her feet. The hand that placed the wood was rather green in some places around the front and back of his palm for some reason. "Janet, is it? I've a supply of salt water in that canteen there. It's the most effective disinfection method we have on us at the moment. Don't be shy, it will work well." As he stands back up, he takes the staff to his hands for a moment. "Oh, and try to not be too surprised. You seem to be a rather reactive person."

Haru softly whispers into the staff. Grass that he must have plucked while kneeling grows longer and weaves within itself, flattening into a bouquet of green wrappings. He casually holds them outward, offering them to her with a warm smile. "Here you are. Your wound is rather shallow, and I expect it to be fine in a few days. Think of it like cutting yourself in the kitchen with a knife, and you'd have the right idea. I'm almost jealous- it seems you had an easier time than I up that cliff. Ha, ha." Complimenting his rather pleasant tone of voice arrives a laughter that jingles as a little bell would. His comment brings up a point of interest from before, made more apparent now- the green on his hand is the same grass he offers now. It seems that he had injured himself as well not too long ago, explaining why he had salt water in the first place. "It may seem silly to you, but trust me, these work well as bandages. I'd say they're rather comfortable, even. This is what one would call magic, by the way. I do believe myself to have a knack for it-" Suddenly, he realizes that he had forgotten something very important. "I'm very sorry, doing all of this out of the blue. My name is Haru. I haven't met anyone else yet, and so I think I might have gotten a tad excited to finally talk to someone." Embarrassed, he introduces himself, allowing the situation to soak in for both of them.

 

Janet’s concentration was torn between frantically trying to figure out a solution to her cut hand and watching the white-robed man taking strange objects out of his bag (or did he even have a bag? He might have been drawing it directly from his inventory.) Meanwhile, her wound throbbed. By the time Haru offered the salt water, Janet’s scrambled thoughts had still failed to gather anything useful, so she hastened to obey. She squatted down, uninjured hand shaking from the shock, and messily sloshed the seawater over the bright cut. “Ouch!”

The brunette couldn’t stop herself from crying out—the flare of pain all along her hand was so real. The stinging reminded her vividly of her mom putting hydrogen peroxide on her arm as a child and she gritted her teeth. “Yes, it hurts, that means it’s working,” she said to herself, face contorted as she waited for the burning to die down. Janet took a deep breath and let it out again.

In a delayed reaction, she squinted suddenly up at the white-haired man. “Reactive…?” she started indignantly. Truth be told, she hadn’t even noticed he’d been preparing something else. Her eyes definitely widened as he pointed the rod at the tuft of grass and it grew in length as if time had accelerated. For someone who’d grown up around crops, it was like a miracle. “Oh!” It was a little sound. Poised above her, light behind him, offering her the green wrappings to bind his wound, for a moment Janet legitimately wondered if he was an angel.

But that was right—magic, which she’d always found so silly in her son’s teenage fiction and those Harry Potter movies, existed in this game. Who could have guessed it could be so functional, so practical, so… beautiful? “Th-thank you,” she said, taking the wrappings and tying it tightly around her hand. It seemed to have worked well enough on the man’s own injury. Yes—that was right.

“Well, thank you very much, Haru.” She straightened up again, flexing her fingers a little and wincing. “M-magic, you say.” She forced down her creeping skepticism. “You do certainly seem to have some talent. How…” Janet groped for the right words, “Ahem. How… is it done, could you show me? Do I need a… a wand?” There she was, falling back on Harry Potter again. His magic had seemed to come from his walking-stick. “Well, I’m searching for a town, or a manager of some kind. Would you care to walk with me, Haru?” Some some part of her still thought he might be an angel, and if she left here on her own the miracle might disappear.

 

Haru seems to agree with the idea, "Gladly. I've simply been walking without destination. I must have been going in a circle, since I managed to arrive here." Haru smiles. The man has a rather serene air around him, and that fails to change even as the distance the two may move, wherever they do, removes him from the shining light of the sun. Regardless of what the two of them do, though, Haru begins it by walking in the opposite direction of the cliff, simply placing the staff on his back and strolling without a seeming care in the world.

He holds out a hand as he goes, pointing forward, "This is the only direction I haven't gone at the moment. I do hope it leads to somewhere." He didn't feel too worried at the prospect of failing to find civilization. Rather, he was quite amused. There was surely a town in the game. Even if the world never started out with any, Haru was sure that with a place as real as this, something would have build one by now. Really, he didn't have any worries at the moment at all. So, what could he do to be productive for the time being? Ah, there was an idea. Miss Reilly seemed quite interested in magic. He might as well explain.

Haru begins with his calm, playful voice a lesson. "You wanted to learn about magic, yes? Allow me to explain. Magic is a simple system, from what I can tell. You think of what you want to achieve, and then say or write an incantation or formulae to achieve such a thing. You use your own energy to fuel the power." Taking the staff from his back, he turns to the woman, his smile widening. Speaking loud and clear, an alien string of words were spoken from his mouth- a flow of Japanese, though while not quite something fully studied by Haru, it was caught onto eventually by him after living with his mother for his studying years. Whether Janet understood the words, though, was unclear to him.
'Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, Adenosine triphosphate, Glucose and the essence of beauty makes together...'
Flowers, one by one, bloomed brightly around the man, sprouting from the ground in a wave of pastel colors. The air smelled rather sweet from the fresh pollen, and the man in the middle of it looked a good deal more tired than he did before. He waves the piece of driftwood in his hand a little bit. "Well, the sequences for the formulae tend to be different for everyone. At least, that's what the game told me as I loaded it up. What I just said were simply the things I needed to create my result," Haru's arms wave around him to the scene as he continues, "-here. This thing in my hand is just a piece of driftwood. I assure you that it's not a relic or something. Anything in this world that feels vaguely mystical, from rod to wand to voodoo dolls, seem to have use as a focus for our magic. I hypnotize myself with confidence using this rod, you see, so that I do not mess up my incantation. It also eases the burden magic has on me, though by a negligible amount..."

Haru stops for a moment to breathe, realizing that he was on too far of a tangent. A little bit embarrassed, he mentally concedes that he may have given a bit of a mouthful, something unhelpful to many beginners. Not that he was much further than her, though. He decides to start somewhere easier, turning on his heel in the field of flowers to continue walking to... somewhere. "-Ah, I apologize. I was rambling again. The first thing I should have told you was that you should look in your user menu to see your magical capabilities." He motions his hand in the way that players do when opening the menu. Indeed, the menu opened for him, though he was unaware that a player was only capable of seeing their own. It hardly mattered, though, as he closed it soon after. "It would, perhaps, be easier to cast something in the mode you're in right now. I remember being set to an Auto Mode for magic when I first arrived. I turned it off quite quickly, yet it may be helpful to you." Haru was hardly one to judge others, after all. It's not even as if the Automatic Mode was inherently worse, either, he mused to himself.

Haru coughs once. It seems he was becoming more tired than he expected he would. Was there even a limit as to how much energy he could drain himself. Could he kill himself this way? The thought was vaguely horrifying. He decides that, for the sake of avoiding such a possibility as much as possible, he conserve his energy by keeping silent while his new acquaintance mull over his possibly rather obnoxious tirade, and the information gained from it. So for now, he simply walks and breathes.

 

It seemed Haru had already done some exploration of the area above the cliff—Janet cast one last glance back down to the rocky shoreline before she turned her back and followed the white-haired man. She certainly hoped it led somewhere as well—to be honest, the “open world” experience was… well, intimidating. Frightening, almost. The crashing waves, the cold, the exposure to the elements suddenly stranded in an alien landscape… for a city woman whose most adventurous outings were neighborhood potlucks, the experience was quite harrowing. Simply having company out here was a relief.

She listened as he spoke of magic, determined to be attentive. She would understand how this witchery worked. Well, it was like witchcraft, but Haru made it seem so… natural. “What you want to achieve…” she murmured. What did she want? Her brows drew together suddenly as foreign incantations suddenly came from the man’s mouth and she opened her own to say something, to ask something—then simply left it open. The blossoms which unfurled their petals in a ripple around the man took her breath away.

“N-no, not at all,” the brunette said shakily at his apology. She stooped to touch one of the flowers. They were real—soft beneath her fingers. “Menu?” Her capabilities? The girl stared blankly at him as he motioned in the air, half-expecting some more magic to happen. Oh—so that was what he was doing. Fortunately, Janet had already figured out how to open that one on her own. I didn’t realize I looked so silly while doing so. She pulled it up, checking the icons which appeared. She did have magic—she remembered choosing it now when she’d first started the game up that morning.

“White Magic… and Nature Magic. Is that what you have?” Janet looked back up curiously. He’d said the driftwood wasn’t really a wand or anything like that—good, since she thought she’d feel a little bit silly waving some stick around. Tightening her grip a little on the green bandage Haru had made for her, she pretended she had a pen in one hand and closed her eyes. As she concentrated, Janet could feel a force building, a sensation of power gathering. Not much—not yet—but her skin tingled. In her mind, she focused on a memory—fall harvest, the smell of freshly-trimmed hay. Grow, she prayed, and pretended to draw a leaf.

…At some point, Janet had unconsciously made the decision that she was going to stay here. This wasn’t just a one-time dive, a test on her son’s VR console to make sure it still worked before she took it back to the store. Janet Reilly, the eighteen-year-old girl who’d never had the chance to grow up before she’d gotten married and moved to the big city, was here to stay.

When she opened her eyes, she halfway expected to be surrounded a bountiful harvest. Instead, she was staring at a single plant in the middle of the path, still growing, its leaves like grass extending the same way they had for the bandage on her hand. A single seed-head budded from its center, tassel waving, and then the spell ended. Janet let out her breath, surprised that she felt tired, and reached forward to touch it. “Wheat,” she murmured in wonder, “It really worked.” She straightened up and then frowned “Not enough to do anything with, but it’s… promising, I think.” As if seeking affirmation, she looked again towards Haru.

 

"You would be very right, ma'am." Looking up, Janet finds him turned around and next to her, intent on the stalk of wheat. "No matter what I try, I have quite the difficulty with a plant that could benefit people. Grass and flowers are quite easy for me, but wheat like this..? My, it seems you've already found a precious gift, Miss Reilly. If you cultivate it, I'm sure the people we find will praise you for them. So first, let's go find those people, shall we?" Haru looks up to her face, a bright smile painted on his. He bows his head down lower for a faint moment in newfound respect before standing up straight once more, turning away from the wheat and striding through the field of flowers.

As they went, Haru could not help but think to himself that this forest was so very beautiful. He'd been in it for almost a day, only a small fraction of which with Janet, and yet he felt as if he would never get used to such a clean place. Was it really his fault that he could not help but stop so often, then, to feel the green skin of life around him? He could not blame himself, that was for certain. It also got him to talk about the other topic she asked about. He decided to keep it simple, at the very least. "Yes, Nature Magic is something I picked up while I thought about myself and what I wanted to be for the time that I'll be staying in this world. That, and..." He exhales, a sigh involuntarily escaping his lips as a trace of exasperation worms its way into his heart.

"...Spirit Magic. Ha." Haru laughs, feeling a tad self-deprecating. He found the option when creating his character. Finding such a choice annoying, amusing and mocking him all the same, he simply decided that he had to take it. It was essential to stay true to the kind of person he was, and was a good reminder as to what his position in life was. A choice that made him feel so much simply could not be passed up if he were to truly experience a lifetime with what he had.

Haru shakes his head, banishing the thoughts. It's not like she could had seen the look on his face, behind him as she were on this walk. While he strode ahead without a seeming care for where he went, he dropped the topic as quick as he could, wishing to push it away while he still can. He tilts his head to look behind him, one eye glancing over his shoulder as he calls out to Janet, "Yet magic is for application, and nothing so droll as the conversation from a plain man such as I. The scenery around us makes for far a better topic. I've hardly ever seen such a clean place in my life, yet it seems like places like this will be the norm for this world. Well, I'll admit to only have my amazement from how I've almost never stepped outside in my life. Aha, ha, ha. Tell me, Janet, how did you find yourself drawn to this place?" He poses a question to the woman. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't curious, after all- she was the first person he's found in this place. Why wouldn't he be curious about them?

 

Use, function... Janet wondered what it really meant to be useful. Perhaps in theory, but in reality, a single head of wheat would feed no more families than a field of flowers would. She was surprised by how quickly this white-robed man, this Haru, dismissed his own ability. But she had to admit his praise made her heart swell and her head a little giddy. She looked down at her green-wrapped hand, which she'd used to 'draw', and flexed her fingers. "Thank you, Haru. Yes, I'm eager to find people as well," the brunette said, letting out her breath. They left the stalk of wheat in the middle of the path, its tassel flipping merrily in the breeze.

"Spirit magic? What does that do?" Janet asked, ever-the-newbie, as they walked. In her mind, the term seemed fitting. Haru seemed every bit the spirit guide, a pure soul and guardian in this wretched landscape. Though she was starting to find it less wretched now that they were moving away from the coast and her feet were starting to dry out. He said, what he wanted to be during his time in this world... What did that mean, exactly? Moreover... well, what did Janet want to do? Surely some part of her had that in mind as well when she'd been selecting from the strange on-screen icons...

"It's beautiful," she agreed, eager to join a conversation she could actually help contribute to, not just ask tedious questions. Despite his words about having never been outside, the eighteen-year-old assumed Haru was exaggerating-- something like that in the real world was beyond her comprehension. "I used to live in the country, but we were inland. The forest here..." Fed by coastal breezes, the greenery was lush and verdant, as much unlike the yellow plains of her childhood home as could be. "Well, I certainly hope it stays clean. They should employ some sort of conservation corps or community service to help with the litter if not." Janet gave a small sniff.

She faltered at Haru's question, opening her mouth and then closing it again. She was silent for a moment, mind frantically churning. She felt torn-- on one hand, Haru had been remarkably candid with her. He was helpful and seemed well-meaning-- it was difficult to believe he might be one of these internet hackers or cyber predators she'd read about. She felt she had nothing to fear from him. Nonetheless... she was reluctant to admit the full truth. "An... accident, really. But a happy one, I think," Janet added hastily. "I was going to return the console today, as a matter of fact, but then I thought I might as well explore just a little. And... I'm very pleased I did."

 

Haru found a rather unique problem about himself in that while he could certainly breach topics of his own, he had begun to find it difficult to respond to her replies. Perhaps I it was how his mood had drained at the inquiry of spirit magic, or maybe it was just because he had remembered that he was always rather awkward with conversation. He finally found himself free to be more open again as he heard Janet's happiness at regards to this world. He felt his spirits lift a little at the thought of someone like her enjoying the game. Perhaps that meant that other people he met, as well, would be as pleasant to talk to as her. Haru felt his smile become genuine again after a small bump in the road.

"...Ha, ha. Well, at least you aren't regretting anything. I feel that the choices we regret most would be ones that we don't make at all." Haru could appreciate that, at least. It was good to hear that she might not be dropping this place any time soon. Perhaps they might meet later down the line of time if that were the case. He hardly felt the need to press further, though. They apparently had quite a distance to talk in. Who knows how long the two would be out here, after all?

Apparently not too long, as Haru's musings only served to punctuate his exit of the undergrowth into... a road?
"My, we've made progress here." It seemed to be so. A little ways to his left lie a sign declaring "Welcome to Honeyhome!", though no town seemed to be in view regardless of what direction he looked. Surely the sign would have been more helpful to someone who had actually been following the road. He looks over to his partner in conversation. "...Which way do you think we should go? Left, or right?" Haru had no qualms with wandering all day, so he hardly cared whether her choice was wrong or right. He'd simply just go with the flow.

 

Janet hadn’t realized how sincerely she’d meant her words until they left her mouth—she was pleased. This was… pleasing, walking down a forest trail with a serene, white-robed man who could make a garden of flowers bloom with just a piece of driftwood. It was as if her burdens and day-to-day worries had simply… lifted. It was a bit much to say she felt at home here—she still had no idea what she was doing, or how to play this ‘game,’ or what the point of any of this was. This must be what taking a vacation feels like, Janet thought, just getting away from it all. She had never taken a vacation in real life. Not since her honeymoon, anyway, or that one bring-your-wife-to-work team building retreat she'd loathed.

“Ah! That must be a town!” Janet exclaimed, relieved that their journey (idyllic as it was) now had an end in sight. Well, not quite in sight. Not yet. “Finally! We can get something to eat, and maybe some better clothes.” The brunette looked down at her ‘starting’ outfit, a rough-spun cotton blouse and a skirt that only barely extended beyond her fingertips with her hands at her sides—a clear violation of dress code! At public school, anyway. She’d personally helped set that rule in stone at one of the PTA meetings, one of her greatest accomplishments. Oh, why does it matter here? I’d just like something more comfortable. Some practical pants, if travel typically involved this much walking.

That didn’t help solve the problem that the signpost didn’t point one way or another. Janet huffed, examining the sign and walking around the back to make sure there wasn’t a convenient “you are here” map like the ones at the big department stores. Which way? She hesitated for a moment, then brushed off her unease. Right now, it didn’t matter how inexperienced she was in the game—a veteran player and a newbie were on equal footing when faced with a decision like this. That alone gave her the strength to make up her mind. “Right,” she said decisively, pointing with her dominant hand. She felt her own confidence falter and pushed it back. If they did go the wrong direction, the worst that could happen was she might enjoy another hour or two of pleasant conversation.

Some time later, a curl of smoke above the treeline was the first sign that they had indeed gone in the right direction. Janet noticed a nearby wagon first and pointed at it, delighted. “Aha!” As they got closer and closer, the trail became a real path, and they began to see people going about their everyday lives. Janet’s first impulse was to rush up to them, but none of them really looked like they were in charge—it would be like asking the busboy for a refund at a restaurant. “What a quaint place! What should we do?” A giddy exuberance threatened to overtake her more sensible nature and the girl stopped suddenly by a paddock to lean over the fence and watch the horses prance by. “Oh! Look, aren’t they beautiful?” Her eyes traveled to the signpost, which read MOUNTS.

 

Was it really..? Yes, it was. As the pair travelled down the road to the right, there was no denying that this was the way that led to interesting things. In this case, they were led to a beautiful little town. Honeyhome, was it? Haru barely remembers the name given to him from the sign. He had never really taken the time to read it, feeling that the significance of the sign's existence to be more important.

He'd instead chosen to follow along behind Janet, and it seems that it was a good choice. Haru lets loose a slow, long whistle that cuts through the air. "My, what a quaint little place. Ha... if I didn't want to explore as much as I could, I might even think to settle down here." He chuckles before realizing that he was alone. Where did that woman go..? He stops to look around though his ears do all the work for him.

“Oh! Look, aren’t they beautiful?” Janet's words draw his eyes to his left, where surely enough was she. Haru feels a tad embarrassed that he could lose someone in such a small crowd. He really wasn't good with communities sometimes...
He walks to her side to see what the fuss is about only to find gallant horses prancing along a little field in a picket fence. He finds himself staring for a while, silent. He couldn't help but be reminded of the times he spent visiting his cousin's farm. It had only been for two summers, but...

"They look so happy." Haru unconsciously smiles wide at the nostalgic yet unfamiliar sight of all the horses in the pen. He wasn't sure what brought him to this conclusion, but deep down he could feel it from these horses- a free warmth that he could easily read with his eyes. Haru idly wonders why he can suddenly understand things like this, immediately thinking to the Masteries he had chosen for this game. Animal empathy, was it..? Well, it's not like he was going to jump in there, as it seemed that this was some shop.

Haru could already tell that he'd just sit here all day to look at the horses if he didn't have a distraction, and so ricochets the question back to Janet. "Yes, they're beautiful. However, there are plenty of things to do today. What would you like to do? I just can't choose. There's a lot of town to cover, so perhaps we should look around more?"

 

Arms resting on the fence post of the horse paddock, Janet felt herself relaxing further. The smell of fresh straw and animal hide was deeply nostalgic, tapping into memories of her childhood. Who knew a game could capture something like that—like this—so realistically? As Haru came over to observe the horses with her, Janet pointed at one horse merrily cantering around the ring, a handler chasing after her and trying to catch the reins. “They seem well cared for!” she agreed, still watching the glossy brown mare. The animal reminded her of the filly she’d had growing up, who they’d eventually sold. Amazing how vivid this world was—Janet hadn’t felt this way in years…

“Ah! Yes.” She seemed to breach from her reverie as Haru addressed her again, turning away with only a little regret to focus on the white-robed man again. “Yes, certainly, we should explore.” She turned away from the Mount shop, casting a last longing glance at the chestnut horse. Maybe, someday… For now, however, she couldn’t be rude to her companion. Besides, it had been decades since she’d done any riding, it was silly to think someone like her could just jump back into the saddle like she was eighteen years old. Oh—but—I am.

Pushing the matter out of her head, Janet looked back and forth, deciding to venture down the main path. A little girl selling flowers by the side of a building stopped her for a moment and Janet barely held herself back from asking if she had a permit, politely refusing the daisy. “What… supplies do we need in this game? Groceries?” She lingered over a fruit stand, feeling her mouth water at the sight of fresh apples and pears. They were out of season right now in the real world. She wondered how they would taste. “Ah, but I don’t have any money.” The prospect alarmed her for a moment. How was she supposed to earn wages in this place?

As if sensing her realization, the man at the fruit stand piped up. “Excuse me, miss—and sir,” he added to Haru, “If you’re in need of a job, my deliveryboy’s home sick today. I have some fruit deliveries to make to the inn and a couple private residences before this afternoon—it would be a great favor to me if you wanted to help.” Janet stopped and looked the fellow over—he was plain-faced and unassuming, his stare slightly vacant. “Are you a real person?” she asked suddenly. Confusion clouded the shopkeeper’s expression. “Excuse me?” he asked politely.

Janet felt color rushing into her cheeks and cleared her throat, face burning. “N-nothing. Y-yes, I can do the—fruit delivery. I think. Haru?” She looked at the white-haired man as if asking for permission as the relieved shopkeeper began piling mixed fruits into a large burlap sack. “S-sorry, I didn’t exactly mean to get roped into this, I was just… Are all of these people real?” She whispered to her spirit guide. “This might be a good way to cover more of the town, anyway.” She lifted the full sack with ease and looked around as the shopkeeper handed Haru a piece of paper with directions.

 

Haru finds his lips to be quirking upwards at the odd question against his own will. Rebellious muscles... So, she wanted to know if they were real, huh? To be honest Haru did too. He did, anyway. His first encounter with one had already given him the answer he needed. Still, though, it would be better to explain himself by showing rather than telling. In this case it would be telling anyway, but still...

As the man fills the sack to be carried, Haru leans onto the stall to make small talk instead of immediately responding to Janet's question. "Yo... mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"...Uh, sure. Is something the matter?"

"No, no, not at all." His grin from before has grown serene at the chance to sit around and talk with someone. "I was just wondering if you were having a rough day."

"You could say that. The deliveryboy hasn't gotten any less indisposed, and while I will do this job myself if you won't, I'd like to be awake when I get home."

"Ha ha ha... Would your wife get mad if you fell asleep on the doorstep instead of greeting her?"

"As if I would. I'd say it if I were asleep to save my hide!"

"Pff." Haru chuckles as the other man breaks into uproarious laughter. Leaning over to his left as the shopkeep distracts himself, he nudges Janet in the side and whispers to her ear, "See? He's a fairly young guy who works hard, wants to work less hard, and has a family who he works hard for in spite of that. He's probably vegetarian and moves through his day like a kid bites down on something soft while he's taking a shot from the nurse. Does that sound like a real person to you?" He looks back over to the man who went back to putting produce in the bag for them to carry. "Even if he wasn't, I'd still take this job. It'd be a real shame if someone scolds him for being buck-tired at the tail end of work."

With that, he walks over to the shopkeep and accepts the man's offer- along with a bag of fruit that he had to carry. Haru looks back over to Janet, wondering if she'll do the same.