Never Insult the Healer

[3] [Backstory Archive 3 - A Star and a Jackal]

I'm not sure how long I spend playing around with the avatar customizer. It's hard to tell time in the black void of the cosmos after all. Sadly, I can't seem to revert to my original form when the avatar customizer is open, so I still have no idea what my "real" face looks like now. Though I think I'm finally satisfied with my new look.

Call me sentimental or egotistical, but I was rather fine with my body before, and if I changed too much how would Zeke still know it's me? So though I had the option to become anyone, I stick close to my original look. I do take full advantage of the creation menu to make myself a few inches taller, sadly it would seem the menu caps at 3 inches, so I settle for 5'5".

Being a half-elf, my ears are more pointed than a human's, my eyes are a little bit bigger, and my features are more angler but, all in all, none of the changes are terribly noticeable unless you're looking. My skin is the same shade of tan, my eyes still a deep earthen brown, pastel pink hair cut to just above my shoulders... Okay the pink hair color wasn't very natural in my original body, and my hair had always remained a hazelnut color all my life (minus that one year in high school I thought I could be blond, no pictures exist of that tragedy anymore.) It was something I had always wanted to do, but in a family with tight money, where all paychecks were put towards food or my younger siblings, I had never given it a chance. Despite the insanity of this whole situation, it did seem like the perfect time to finally try it. If I hated it, I could probably cast this spell again and be someone else anyway.

[Finish creation of new avatar?]

[yes] or [no]

Hitting yes, the little stars around me glitter and shake, making soft chiming noises. Vaguely concerned for the poor little things that had been helping me for the last who knows how long, I reach up to cup a few in my hands. They make one last trill little chime, before slipping through my fingers and scattering off into the void. I wave them goodbye as a new text box appears.

[Please input name:]

"Name?" I question out loud, watching as a keyboard function appears under the message. "So, they don't know our names..."

I start entering my name, Daniela, when a stray thought stills my hand. Whatever was going on they seemed to be extremely powerful. Would putting in my real name be a good idea? I erase the letters I had already put in and start thinking. Everything so far had been like a video game, so this wouldn't be anything different than a username.

I theatrically could put anything in, but if actual people were going to call me by this name it seemed weird to put something normal for a username like "CatsGirl101" or "monsterXYZ". This will be my new name after all, I don't want it to be something I'll regret.

I try inputting my nickname, Danny, as it's the most obvious choice, but I quickly delete it. Only my dad and younger brother can call me Danny. So, I try Sam instead, the nickname of my favorite protagonist, but I don't even finish typing the 'a' before I immediately delete it. That name didn't really fit, no matter how much I liked it. Trying again I type Azalea, one of my favorite flowers. I stare at the name floating in the text box for only a few seconds before I shake my head and delete it again.

"Maybe something star themed?" I mutter, staring off at the slowly spinning galaxies surrounding me.

"Stella?" I question testing the name on my tongue, it's definitely closer but still not there yet-

"Ah!" and I start inputting the perfect name.

[Would the player like to confirm their name as [Nova]?]

With one last click of yes, in between one blink and the next, I'm no longer in the star-filled sky and instead back in the cavernous chamber.

I glance around quickly but everyone else seems to be just now starting to filter around the room. Frightened questions and loud arguments about the rest of the gear echo around the room as people start splintering off and forming their own little groups. It feels a little unreal, I know I probably took far longer than I should have in the customizer, but no one is looking at me weirdly (well weirder than anyone else). All of us have returned to the same point in time somehow.