PHASE I [ 9 00 ] You open your eyes, and there is a chicken pecking at your face. It's not a very happy chicken, either, but if you can manage to fend it off, then it will be clear that you are in a village. It is... medieval-esque, in that video game sort of way; the details don’t seem too clear, but if you look to your left, there’s a cow! And to your right, a well! Ignore the clear evidence of modern technology in the buildings such as lights, gas, and 21st century plumbing; CERES is dedicated to authenticity.
Looks like the new ViViD level has finally been released, and everyone is invited to play, whether they want to or not.
The game (because this time, that's surely what it is) will start simple. Everyone begins in the same place and every NPC villager will say the same thing: to get out of here, you have to go through the caves. They’ll shove a stick at you (“take this, it’s dangerous to go alone”) and off you go, into the caves… !
Which are full of tiny rats and more chickens. They will try to fight you, but it’s really not very effective when they’re perfectly small and average (especially when everyone still has their typical powers and abilities -- CERES didn't mess with those at all this time). The caves are winding and circular and maze-like, and to make matters even worse, the only ones around are the other poor saps stuck in this situation.
But if you kill enough of the rats, you’ll get to hear the satisfying level up jingle. Congratulations! You are now level 2. It's probably satisfying just for a minute or so until you finally find your way out of those maze like caves and -- You're back in the village again. Great.
PHASE II [ 930 ] You’re carrying a bag. No matter what you do, you can’t take it off, either; it’s stuck with you through thick and thin. But it is awfully heavy. Maybe you should actually open it and see what’s inside?
The problem is, it’s going to take a while.
The bag has clearly tapped into its true hammerspace nature; there are items for days in there, and they’re all very, very strange. You might end up covered in hats of all sorts, buried in logs as you pull out one after another, or look like you have an odd fetish for pickaxes.
Maybe there’s 1/3rd of an evil turnip, half a piece of pie and an egg.
Geez, what in the world are you supposed to do with all of that?
PHASE III [ 1200 ] Eventually, you make it out of the caves the right way despite the harassment of the rats and chickens and the fact you'll keep perpetually getting lost. Hooray! You come out into a large, peaceful, scenic meadow, with a small river bubbling off to one side, and a house.
You'll immediately notice that there’s a bridge to cross the river, but there’s someone standing in the way of that bridge. When you approach to go past him, no matter what you try to do, you won't be able to. Asking him why he won't move will only get one thing in response -- “Bring me a fish. Cooked.”
Then he’ll shove a fishing rod at you and expect you to get to it. You can’t attack him, you can’t get past him -- looks like the only thing to do is to catch and cook that fish. Time to sit back, relax, and get to work. Or maybe you’ll team up with someone else and be the person in the house making sure that the fish gets cooked properly. For some reason, if you leave it too long it turns right into a pile of ashes.
Weirdly though, no matter how good you are at cooking or fishing usually, it’s as if you’re right back at the metaphorical level one. Any sort of seasoning or effort to cook it faster falls flat and in the end you'll only be able to place the fish in the pan and set it on the stove, whole. This may take awhile.
And if you try to cross the river itself, well... no, really, don’t try to cross the river.
At least if you get eaten, you’ll just respawn back in the village, but do have fun traveling through the caves again!
PHASE IV [ 1430 ] You made it through the caves. You made it across the river (with a slightly burnt fish). You’ve made it to the wide open world, and you can finally adventure to your heart’s content. You take a step forward on the road and --
A message pops up, bright red and in your face.
[ Restricted Area: Members Only ]
No matter what you do, you can’t go past that point. In fact, if you’re not careful and you’re going too fast, you might run face-first into it like it’s an invisible wall (which it is).
Then, just like that, you're back in the village. Again. Only this time, there's a nice, blinking message -- Pay a small subscription fee to access member's content. Oh well. No big deal, you can just start again.
Except then you see a cool sword and when you try to pick it up, you'll get that same message, and end up transported back to the village yet again. And again, with some shiny new armor. And again, with that attention-grabbing NPC over there. Looks like you're caught in an infinite loop here but no matter how much you inspect the pop up, there's no... actual way to pay the subscription fee (and why would you want to?). But at least you have company, because you can't be the only person who thought that sword was cool.
(It was really, really cool.)
BONUS [ xxxx ] What’s that on the ground in front of you? It looks like… some bunny ears? Or maybe it’s a chicken head, or a pumpkin head. Either way, the moment you touch it, you have a strong need to put it on your head -- and once it’s on, it’s not coming off.
To make matters worse, each hat has an effect associated with it; the bunny ears will, in fact, randomly turn you into a cute fluffy bunny for anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour before you pop right back to yourself, whereas the pumpkin hat will, in a complete reversal, turn you into Cinderella for a bit -- complete with beautiful ball gown and the ability to talk to all of those cute fluffy bunnies.
Also the rats will love you, so maybe you should go back to the caves again.
Meanwhile, the chicken hat won't transform you into any odd creature, but it will inspire in the people wearing them a very real, persistent desire to build a nest. This will involve picking up twigs, trash, shiny things and whatever else catches your eye to try to build a nest out of it. You'll also try to pick up whatever food you find on the ground to eat, have the weirdest desire to lay an egg, and basically have all sorts of odd chicken-like instincts inflicted upon you.
At least you look festive!
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[Then she took another.]
I...don't even know where to begin.
[Although the truth was a good start.]
[While her mind collected itself, Iris took the time to really look at him. Those differences she couldn't quite put her finger on before...she could see them now. His change in stature. Just as he had grown since their (or, rather, his) University days, he seemed to have grown even more in those eight years' time. His shoulders were even broader. His features were even calmer now. Experienced. In control. Here, she was, probably looking like a frantic, excited mess...and he was staring at her with the most peaceful expression.]
...are you happy?
[She decided that was the most important question to ask first. He seemed happy, but she knew fully well what kinds of pain a smile could hide. She needed to be sure.]
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Are you happy?
Of course, looking at her reminded him of one of the first times he felt truly happy. It was essentially that entire period of time that they dated... until the death of Doug Swallow. An innocent and blissful happiness from a time long gone. He looked back on that and he wondered. Did he know happiness?
He's come a long way since that day when he learned the truth about Iris and Dahlia in the courtroom. He was framed for forgery, stripped of his badge, living as a disgrace for seven years while the law was lost to darkness...
...Trucy. Getting to raise her and be there for her. Getting to regain his badge, rebuild his law firm, gain two bright minds to guide, fighting the dark age of the law with them...
Suddenly, it didn't seem like that much of a question anymore. He cracks a warm, sad smile at Iris.]
A lot has happened. Both good and bad... I've suffered some of my greatest downfalls. But I've come a long way from that.
Things aren't perfect, no. B-but... I think that one could color me 'happy'. [He admits that with a sheepish laugh as he rubs at his head.]
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[Their lives weren't easy. They never were. Easy was an illusion clouded by the naiveté of their younger days. Fueled by lies and deception. In fact, it wasn't until she had confessed to him, finally, on the stand in a public courtroom, that Iris had been able to appreciate that time spent together. That she could smile once more, having gone through so much pain and survived.]
[Phoenix, too, it seemed, had gone through even more trials since. And while it pained her to think she wouldn't be at his side to help him through any of it--thanks to her sentence--the fact that he could come away from it now with that look on his face...her shoulders slumped in a partial relief.]
I'm glad.
[Not about the downfalls, of course. The rest of it.]
I'd...like to hear about it sometime. The stories of your cases. What's been going on in your life all those years.
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Even with all the time away, he feels a faint glow in his chest. Is it a nostalgic feeling, or something else? Phoenix isn't sure how to sort it, and he knows that now isn't the right time.
She's here and she's safe. That's what I should focus on. That's what matters right now. And... what makes me happy right now.
Phoenix gives a soft shake of his head as he answers her.]
I'd be glad to tell you all about it... about anything you'd want to know about.
This just... isn't the time, or place, I'd say. [He takes some glances around their surroundings.] We're still in the virtual world, after all.
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[The lightest of flutters in her chest occurred at the thought. It was silly of her, really...even selfish...and yet...maybe...just maybe...]
Of course. [Though she didn't fully understand exactly what that meant. Would they be brought somewhere else after the 'game'? Was this the one and only chance she truly would have to speak to him like this?] ...later?
[If we're here, and things settle down, we can talk. You and me.]
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There might be just a slight redness in his cheeks, but he nods.]
Yes. This actually isn't the most dangerous place in this world, but we shouldn't dawdle here either. Whenever we manage to clear out way out of this game, we'll be back in the city's colony. And then you can truly start settling in.
[He smiles lightly.]
But don't worry, Iris. I'm here for you, and I'm going to do everything that I can to help you adjust to this place.
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[Compared to the last several weeks...or even the last five years...this felt like nothing she couldn't handle. And if Feenie was promising to remain by her side throughout, helping her with whatever she needed...]
I believe in you, Feenie.
[She always had, and she always would.]
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And that name... How long has it been since he heard that name? Once, it had been like a dagger to his heart, associated primarily with Dollie and deception.
But now, all of that pain and heartbreak has been left behind him so long ago. And now here is Iris, the true embodiment of everything that was sweet, everything that was real about that relationship. Hearing that name from her, it made a nostalgic smile tug at her lips.]
That's an incredible coincidence, Iris. Because I believe in you, too.
[Phoenix stands and looks around their surroundings.]
Between the two of us, maybe we'll figure our way out of this mess.
[So much has changed. We know each other know and trust each other other. We can really be a team.]
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[An uplifting reminder of what he had told her in the courtroom. How, even before he'd known who she was, and even after hearing all about Dahlia's crimes and deceptions...he'd still believed in her. Her. The girl he'd spent those eight wonderful months with.]
[And eight years later...that belief was still there. If there was nothing else that remained the same between them, it was comforting to know that a trust between them remained.]
At least now I know to be careful before picking up any more strange hats. [It was almost a joke--in fact, she even giggled softly in good humor over recalling her earlier predicament] There was a strange hat I'd found in my pack earlier as well. It didn't do anything, but it was like no other hat I'd ever seen before.
[Spoiler alert: it was a fez.]
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But his belief in her was still as strong as ever. It helped to see her stepping out from all of those years ago. It brought him back and it refreshed that strong sense of belief that he felt back then. It still resonated warmly within his heart.
Still, he focuses on the subject at hand.]
That's one lesson learned! [He says that with a smirk, but then he can't help but be curious about that other hat.]
Do you still have that hat on you?
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[If she didn't sound entirely sure, it was because the pack on her back had thus far proven...strange. Levels of rabbit-eared headbands magically transforming her into an actual rabbit levels of strange. Iris eyed the pack for a moment before finally shrugging it off her shoulders and peering inside.]
[It took her several moments of sifting through the seemingly endless supply of contents, but eventually, she found what she was looking for: a small, red fez. Which she held up for him to see.]
Here, it is.
Have you ever seen something so peculiar before?
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I actually might have, believe it or not. Mostly in television shows and movies...
Can I try it on?
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[Well, she couldn't think of a reason to say 'no', so...Iris took a step forward, reaching up with both hands to gently place the hat on her head. Very up; with more than half a foot's difference in height between them, she needed to reach all the way up on her toes.]
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Then he smiles confidently and strikes a pose.]
So? How do I look?
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[...and a hand rose to her mouth in vain effort to conceal a light giggle at the sight.]
It matches your tie.
[The one he wears with his layer suit. The red one.]
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You think so? Thanks. I guess that would tie all together, huh?
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[It took all of three seconds for the weight of his word play to truly sink in. Her brows rose in slight surprise, mouth forming a small 'o' as she silently echoed it in her mind's ear. And then...she laughed again.]
[congratulations, Feenie, you finally have someone who will
enableenjoy yourdad jokespuns.]no subject
It sounds just as sweet as he remembers. He scratches at his hair a little and laughs right back at her.]
Glad that you approve, Iris. I've had a lot of time to build up my ability to tell jokes....
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I remember how you used to tell them back when...
[When we were dating.]
...back during your University days.
I always thought you were just teasing me.
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It is an odd pause, and Phoenix thinks that he can guess why. That is pretty awkward, but he'll brush it aside. Focus on the present, Feen- er, Phoenix.]
No way! I wouldn't want to do something like that. Especially back then!
I... Well, I just wanted to make you laugh. ...It's a rewarding experience.
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[She was nearly tempted to ask if he was joking again. Because the alternative was...well...what a thing to say!]
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You have a nice laugh. Really! You always have, and you always will.
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T-thank you.
That's...very sweet of you to say.
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It's just the truth. I- I can't see how anyone would think otherwise.
[Then he takes some nervous glances around.]
Er - which way should we go?
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I'm not sure. When those people back at the village were shoving me off, I thought all I had to do was make it through the cave. They never explained what was supposed to happen after that.
But...whichever way you decide to go, I'll follow you.
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