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soundofmind says...



"I mean, if he stays out of it," Bo said. "He might miss the window to go home. I'd say that's an equally poor fate."
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Mageheart says...



"That's a good point," Daniel agreed. Benji nodded to show he agreed, too. He had no qualms with leaving Carter here.
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Tue Jul 19, 2022 1:17 am
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veeren says...



"Why are we worrying about Carter?" Lordy chimed in, "Hellooo-" He waved his cane in the air.

"What makes you so sure he's dead?" Morri asked from beside him.

"Because there are deathly few people who can survive a blade through the heart, my old ghostly friend."

"Hm, speaking of ghostly," Morri turned his attention to everyone else, "I can't speak for much of my world. I haven't been off of my island prisoner for the last few hundred years. All I've ever seen was how much bigger and bigger the ships have gotten over the years- and can you believe they're made of metal now?"

Morri turned wide-eyed towards Lordy, "METAL!"

Lordy scooted a bit backwards, "Yes well, Wonderland is an amazing place, in my humble opinion. I rule the entire Kingdom- and no Kingdom outside our borders ever gives us much of a problem.

We don't have the fancy technology I remember from the simulation. I can't even fathom how to put a car together, but we are sort of reminiscent of the days of the Knights as well. Except people with unique powers are abundant in our world as well. No one would look at you any different if you weren't an average human."

Lordy took a deep breath, "I don't know where I'll go, honestly, I'm a fool for an adventure- but if even a single soul should want to go to Wonderland, I'll gladly join them and see to it that they are taken care of properly! Who better to accompany you than the king?"
"Love is the name for our pursuit of wholeness, for our desire to be complete."
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Sat Aug 06, 2022 9:56 am
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soundofmind says...



Before Bo could think of a reply to Lordy and Morri, his attention was caught by a loud, elevator-like ding. Head turning to look at the doors, there was a visible, semi-transparent shining "film" that seemed to peel away from the doors, and suddenly, the outer lights of the room dimmed, leaving spotlights on each door.

Image

The doors will remain open for five minutes.

The voice came and went as it had before. Deep, bass-filled, and with several other voices overlapping with it. But that was all it said before they were left in silence, looking at their doors.

Their hour was up, and now they have five minutes left to make their final choice.

And to say goodbye.

It was only then that it hit him that he might never see any of the others again. The sadness came quickly and suddenly, but Bo knew he couldn't feel the fullness of it at the moment if he wanted to make the most of these five minutes.

Swallowing it down, he turned to the person nearest to him - who happened to be Daniel and Benji at the moment, and he pulled them into a tight hug.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Sat Aug 06, 2022 12:09 pm
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Mageheart says...



The thought occurred to Daniel right as it occurred to Bo. He didn't fight the hug at all. Benji went still in Bo's arms, but Daniel immediately embraced Bo back.

"We'll find a way to visit you," Daniel said, even though he really wasn't all that sure he could. "I promise."

It was a lot to promise, but Daniel had to at least try.

Still in Bo's arms, Benji asked, "Does anyone want to come with us to our world?"
mage

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roleplaying is my platonic love language.

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Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:16 pm
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soundofmind says...



The doors were open. The hour they'd been granted to deliberate their choices was up, and now they had a mere five minutes to enter the doors. James didn't know what would happen if they didn't go through a door within the five minute window, but he didn't want to find out. He wasn't willing to risk it all just to play with their captor's rules - not if the being was able to accomplish all of this already.

Turning to look to Evaline, he offered her a small smile, and then offered her his hand.

"Ready to try something new?" he asked.

"Ready? No. I think you'll have to hold my hand the whole way," Evaline said teasingly with her own smile, taking his hand and offering a gentle squeeze.

James raised his eyebrow with a knowing smirk, but was content to let her hold the hand he offered. With a small nod towards the door that led to Bo's world, he began to lead the two of them until they were standing right in front of it.

They had five minutes left to make their decision, but their decision was already made. With the door now open, there wasn't any use in waiting it out until the last second, especially with no visual or audible countdown to know when their window would close.

That was what James thought until he felt someone wrap their arms around his and Evaline's waist.

"Are you leaving without saying goodbye? You aren't leaving without saying goodbye, right?" Mel said, trying to sound remoreseful, but it came out sounding threatening instead.

"Mel," Evaline said before James could get a word in. She turned around and let go of his hand so that she could take Mel's arm off around her. "No... of course not." She hesitated and let the pause linger, glancing at James then at the portal.

"So you're both going to Bo's world, huh?" Mel said, following her gaze. She let out a bright smile, coming in to give Evaline a big hug. "That's great. That'd be good for you. Both of you." Mel pulled away, the smile still stretched across her face. "I know there's a lot we could talk about... but I think what's important now is that you live your life. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. Okay?"

At first, Evaline was stiff when Mel hugged her, but she seemed to relax and even softly smile herself. At that, she leaned in and gave Mel another hug.

"Take care of yourself," she said, briefly closing her eyes as she squeezed Mel before she pulled away.

"Always," Mel said, still beaming. "And you..." she turned to James and reached up to tap his forehead. "I hope you continue to use this big brain of yours. Keep reading books and maybe don't get into any more fights."

James let out a small, quiet laugh through his nose.

"And I hope you keep having fun and being the ray of light you seem to be no matter what situation you find yourself in," he said.

Mel giggled, leaning in to give him a big hug as well. "You know what, I'll let Evaline explain the irony in that statement. You'll have a looooot of time together."

James patted her back and pulled away.

"And you'll be going back to your world?" he asked.

Mel nodded. "I am. Going to a new world sounds a little scary. Are you going to miss Nye?"

He offered her a sad, wistful smile. He knew he hadn't even begun to grieve the loss of everything he was leaving behind, nor process the vastness of the new world they were entering into and all of the opportunities to come.

But sometimes in life, you make a decision. And from there, you just have to learn how to live with it. He was choosing to be hopeful about this one, as much as he could.

"I will," he said plainly. "But in many ways, the life I had there was already over. At least this way, I get to live again."

"And you won't be alone," Evaline said quietly but with sincerity.

He reached over and took her hand again, and, not wanting to waste words with their limited time, looked to Mel and gave her a nod to free her to say goodbye to the others. He knew she'd want to.

Mel picked up on the hint, nodding once. "I'll miss you, but I'm also happy for you. Good luck out there. I'll be rooting for you," she said as she backed away towards the group, waving at them before she turned around and specifically beelined towards Elias.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:11 am
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Carina says...



Goodbyes were never Mel's forte. They always felt awkward and clunky, especially if she knew she was never going to see the person again. It especially felt uncomfortable when she had to say goodbye to an old friend with unresolved tension. Saying goodbye to Evaline wasn't easy, but saying goodbye to Elias seemed even harder - especially since he hadn't been very vocal so far.

Elias was standing by himself, either waiting for the others to say goodbye to him, or perhaps just standing there without an agenda, Mel wasn't sure - but when she approached him, he seemed to perk up.

"Hey, Elias," she said with a smile, but she made sure to speak a bit softer since she didn't want to broadcast their conversation for all to hear. "Have you made your decision yet?"

Elias furrowed his brows and seemed to deeply ponder this question, letting the seconds tick on by as he settled his gaze towards Bo, Daniel, and Benji. Mel was getting impatient since they didn't exactly have all the time in the world to reflect about life, but she stayed still and didn't interrupt, letting Elias finish his train of thought.

"Where are you going?" he asked instead.

Mel was afraid this would happen. She had a feeling Elias would want to follow her instead.

"I am going back to our world, but don't let my decision affect yours." She took his hand and sandwiched it between hers, looking at him squarely to show how serious she was. "Hey. Elias. Look at me. Don't let my decision affect yours. Okay?"

Elias seemed to struggle holding eye contact and being under pressure, growing stiff with clammy hands. But after a few seconds, he seemed to give in, even weakly gripping Mel's hand.

"Okay," he said softly, almost a whisper.

"Do you know where you'd like to go?" Mel asked again, gently.

There was another long pause, and this time Elias stared at their intertwined hands, deep in thought.

"I'm thinking... I'll go with Bo. We can be roommates again," he said slowly.

Mel smiled. "Aw, that's great, Elias. That would be so good for you. I'm sure Bo would help you every step of the way. You can really live through life again. Be whoever you want and do whatever you want. I'm sure it'll be a little scary, but... I know you'll look back on this and think that this was the best decision you have ever made."

She leaned in and gave him a big hug around his chest since he was quite a bit taller than her, squeezing as hard as she could.

"I'll miss you, Elias," she said with her head against his chest. "I'm sorry we don't have more time together. There's a lot more we could discuss, but right now, I only wish you happiness. And I know you can achieve that in Bo's world. Don't stop being silly, okay?"

Elias hugged her back, leaning into it. "I'll miss you too, Mel."

Mel let the hug linger for a little longer, but eventually she pulled away, pushing down the twinge of sadness she felt that this would truly be the last she saw Elias. She had come to peace knowing that she would never see him again, but now that he was right here in front of her, she didn't want it to end.

But he did truly deserve happiness. Him going back to their world wasn't an option. She was glad that he could get a true second chance, even if she had no involvement.

"Have you told Bo yet?" she asked.

"Not yet," Elias said.

"Let's tell him together."
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Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:24 am
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soundofmind says...



"I'm not sure," Bo said to Daniel and Benji. "But I definitely count on you guys coming to visit."

Finished with hugging Daniel and Benji, he quickly turned to Evaline and James, who were quick to tell him they'd be going with him. Giving them a quick, sincere: "See you on the other side, then!" he whipped around to say goodbye to those he wouldn't get to see again.

But before he could reach Rek and Jer, Elias and Mel hurried up to him.

"Hey Bo! Guess this is goodbye, huh?" Mel said with a smile, arms out wide to offer a hug.

Bo brought her into an embrace.

"I guess it is," he said as he squeezed her tight for a moment and then released her.

"Well, you don't have to say goodbye to both of us." Mel gestured towards Elias. "It looks like Elias is going to take you up on the roommate offer."

Bo turned to Elias with a big smile.

"That's great," he said, still pulling Elias in for a hug anyway. He gave Elias a hearty pack on the back, and Elias was stiff for a moment, but then wrapped his arms around his back as well.

"I'll see you there, then, Elias," Bo said quietly before he pulled away. "I've got a few more goodbyes to make, now."

And at that, he quickly made his way to Jerica and Rek, already opening his arms to invite them into a hug if they wanted.
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Shady says...



Jerica was standing with her arms crossed, watching everything unfold before her. Was everyone going to Bo's world? It felt that way. They could all keep him, and she couldn't. She tried to shake the thought off. He was never truly hers. Even if she went with him, he had a fiancée. Hell, she may have well had as well. She adamantly refused to label herself and Akeno, but, well... she was more attached to him than she'd admit to anyone, including him. Even though she was pretty sure he knew.

Had she found herself in the middle of a love triangle? God. Blech. Vomit. Gross.

She shook the thought off. No, she wasn't. Bo didn't love her, and he shouldn't. And she didn't love him. And Akie didn't love her, either. He didn't. She'd informed him he wasn't allowed to develop feelings for her and had, so far, successfully refused to let him say the L-word. And there could be no love triangle without the L-word being involved.

Therefore, she was just by herself, no triangle involved. As she should be. Her and Rek. Going back to Derik. Akie. And then there were Aashi and Kieran and Harlyn and Dar'shaya. She had a load of people counting on her to protect them. She had to be there for them. And sure, yeah, she didn't savor the thought of going back to being King's Assassin or killing anyone again -- other than Carter, that was still on the table -- but, well. There wasn't a question about whether they were going back or not. Of course they were.

"You should say goodbye to him," Rek murmured under his breath, just quiet enough for her to hear.

Warmth rushed to her cheeks and a prick of irritation ran through her in response to that, and she actively refused to look at him. "...who?"

Rek snorted.

She kept her gaze off him.

He was right. As usual. She should say her goodbyes, or she'd live with the regret for the rest of her life. She needed this to feel like a conclusion. A satisfying ending to the story she never consented to be a part of. She needed closure... and she needed to make sure she showed absolutely no vulnerability in the process.

It was going to be a tricky balance. She'd need to play her cards right. She didn't have long to figure out a script, but she needed another mo--

She flushed even more and looked away from Bo as he came towards her. Why did this always happen? How did he always manage to happen upon her when she was entirely unprepared to deal with him?

It was a tricky balance, looking at neither Rek nor Bo, seeing as they were on opposite sides of her. She felt the heat starting to creep up her neck and into her ears.

Rek put his hands between Jerica's shoulder blades and gave her a swift shove towards Bo. She stumbled forward, uncrossing her arms as she caught her balance. She sent a dirty glance over her shoulder at Rek, but now Bo was right in front of her and--

She took a deep breath, looking way up into his kindly face. She couldn't... no. She couldn't touch him, if she wanted a chance at being able to speak. Her body could only handle so much stress at the same time, and talking and touching was simply too much all at once.

She buried her hands in her pockets to close herself off to the hug. "So, um..." She glanced over his shoulder, unable to maintain the eye contact. "...I suppose this is goodbye. I've got duties and whatnot. And a b--" She did not have a boyfriend. And she wasn't supposed to make her... agreement... with Akeno public knowledge anyway. "And... people that I care about that I am going to return to... however... it is possible to care about multiple people at once."

She glanced at him, then blushed more and glanced down, unable to keep her chin raised. Her ego was suffering big time.

"And... I suppose it is also possible to... well... some of the things from the simulation were... the truth. So... if you... wanted... to remember... well there's no point in repeating myself, is there? So, I won't. And... if you... well..." She huffed a short sigh, frustrated with her words not working like they were supposed to. What was wrong with her? "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that some of what I said to you in the simulation was... truthful... so you can do what you want with that information, I guess."

She glanced back at him, actively choosing to pretend that her face wasn't as hot as it was.

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
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soundofmind says...



Bo took the nonverbal cue and set his hands at his sides while Jerica spoke. It was endearing, because though he could tell she was putting up a more serious persona, it seemed the version of her in the simulation wasn’t entirely false. He could see it leaking out.

He smiled softly. It was a bittersweet goodbye.

“I care about you too,” he said. “That much is still very real. I’ll miss you, Jerica. You take care of yourself, too, not just the people at home.”
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Shady says...



"Oh, that, heh, yeah, um..." Jerica cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck and blushing even more.

She tended to forget about that part: taking care of herself. Self-preservation didn't generally go hand-in-hand with protecting people, at least in her experience. She usually just placed herself directly between the threat and the person she wanted to protect and hoped for the best. That's what her training was for... right?

"Will do, yeah." She wouldn't.

If when she went home five minutes from now she returned to someone hurting someone she cared about -- then she'd absolutely throw herself squarely into the middle of the fray in an instant. Heck, if anything attacked any of the people here before the five minutes was up, she'd jump in front of them, too. She'd already decided she'd be the last person through the portals. Stand guard until there was only a second or two left to be sure neither Carter nor any other beast from hell would be able to follow her friends home. It wasn't much, but the very least she could do was ensure they had a safe start in their new -- or old -- homes. That was the only use for assassins anyhow, right? Dealing with threats. Protecting people who controlled said assassin. And in this moment she controlled herself, which meant she protected her... friends.

"I'm, um, going to, uh... same, y'know?" She huffed again and rubbed her face, frustrated with what a bumbling idiot this man turned her into. Some King's Assassin she was. Blushing like a fool because some baker boy said he cared about her. How embarrassing. "I am not good at... this." She gestured vaguely between the two of them. "I don't understand how to... you... bring about a side of me that is... just an idiot. But... the idiot in me will... miss you, too. This is... not a goodbye that I enjoy. At all. And..." Her throat felt tight, so she just made her posture even stiffer. Shut down so she couldn't break down.

"...I am not good at this," she repeated, then took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts. She didn't have long. She needed to get through this. "... would you like me to attempt to visit you, if I can find the right portal? Or would you prefer our paths uncross? It's your decision. I don't blame you if you'd rather remain..." Unassociated with the King's Assassin. Everyone hated her; no point in them hating him, too... though in that world no one knew her... so... maybe? if she was quiet? she would be able to make it work? "...It's your choice. I will respect your decision."

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
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Thu Aug 11, 2022 5:39 am
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soundofmind says...



Bo could tell she was really trying: one, to be sincere, and two, to not be too sincere. He could empathize with her frustration - this was an odd, awkward, entirely strange situation that had been mostly out of their control. And somehow, in the midst of it, their emotions got all messy in the mix of it.

"I'd love it if you came to visit," Bo said with a soft smile. "If you can find a way. It'd be great to see you again. And Rek, too. If you ever find a way to Earth, shoot for the country of America, in the city of Los Angeles, state of California. Not sure if any more details will stick, at the moment, but maybe you have other means to find people. But yeah. Come on over any time."

Pausing, he glanced back at the doors, aware of the time.

"Do you want a goodbye hug?" he decided to ask one last time.
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Shady says...



America. Los Angeles. California.

She didn't understand what that meant. What was a state? Was it a smaller sub-division within a city? Like... a street? Or...

She didn't know. But she was going to figure it out later. There wasn't time to question it now. For now, she had to decide: did she want a hug? She didn't know that, either. On one hand, it was stupid to say yes. Hugs made you vulnerable. Even more vulnerable than she was now.

And yet, she did.

"...yeah." She nodded and stepped towards him, arms outstretched.

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
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Mageheart says...



Benji watched all of the exchanges after Bo pulled out of the hug with Daniel and him. Daniel stayed still beside him. When Benji glanced over at his face, he could see how upset he was about having to leave everyone. Daniel was the one that knew more magic than him, but Benji became even more determined to make sure they could see the others someday.

Not just because he didn't want Daniel to lose the friends they had made. It was more than that. He had trouble opening up to people in and out of the simulation, but he really did consider some of the people before him now to be his friends.
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Sat Aug 13, 2022 6:22 am
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soundofmind says...



Bo stepped forward and wrapped Jerica in his arms, giving her a tight hug.

"I'm so glad I got to meet you," he said softly. "I'll see you later."

--<>--


James stepped over to Daniel and Benji. He didn't want to regret not saying goodbye. He offered them a small, sad smile as he approached.

"I know the situations of the simulation were very different from our true lives," he said. "But I'm grateful for your friendship, and your support during that time. I assume the two of you are returning home?"
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