PMD: Crux of the Self

Okuizome

"My name is Devon Stafford, and I was born in America."

The humans of Halfhenge gathered in the kitchen, now filled with the scent of hot soup. Fei manned the kettle above the fireplace, his back on the rest of the group. Jun sat at the table, his journal open, as Wyn transcribed his report from his most recent venture into English.

Slowking and Von sat at opposite ends of the table. The guildmaster had a journal in front of him, and his quill moved of its own accord, scratching far more words than Von had said onto the page. While Slowking's eyes were on his writing, he motioned for him to continue.

Von took a deep breath before he continued on. "I went to a public school. Art was my subject of choice, I guess. I'm no scientist, I don't know how much help I'll be as a Researcher trying to unravel the physics of Dungeons, but if it helps get me home, I'll do what I can."

Slowking looked up from his notes. "Don't be so quick to downplay your pool of knowledge, Salandit." He tapped a claw to his chin. "Fei has told me of documentaries, of stories captured on film and spread to the masses. This was your art, yes? Such a skill is most welcome among Researchers."

"But I don't have a camera."

"You have a journal," Wyn interrupted, looking up from her own work. "We can get you as many as you need. Writing's not as fun as waving a camera around, but journalistic principles are the same, yeh?"

"We do like to document everything around here," Fei spoke up from the fireplace.

"I guess just tracking observations is 'sciencey' enough," Von mused. "Are we married to the conspiracy board system, or can we build a filing cabinet?"

Wyn splayed her ears. "Come on, how else am I going to feel like I'm trying to solve a murder?"

"It's served us well enough," Jun growled.

"Before we stray further from the topic," Slowking rumbled, "The matter of what you wish to do with your time here is ultimately up to you, Salandit. Whether or not you pursue your documentaries, there are many paths open to you still. Braixen had no Earthen experience in alchemy before her arrival, yet she excels at it now."

Wyn swelled with pride. "To be fair, I had a bit of experience playing Atelier."

Nerd. "Different Research teams go on different types of missions, right?" Von spared a glance at Jun. The both of them had been avoiding eye contact ever since they took their seats in the kitchen. The Lucario quickly busied himself flipping through journal pages. "Like Free Aim are scouts or something, right? True Path trailblaze new Dungeons?"

Slowking's smile widened. "Every team delves Dungeons from time to time, but yes, everyone plays to their strengths. Assigning yourself a project to work on outside of Dungeon delving won't just grant you focus, but benefit us all. Halfhenge would not be what it is if it weren't for every team working toward our greater good."

"What did Night Vision do before their exile? I'm trying to think of either of them doing science, and it's making me a little scared."

"They would mark caves on our maps. They found a fair amount of shortcuts through the Zeal Range for us, in fact. But such a position has been filled by Star Calling."

"Sounds claustrophobic, anyway," Von sighed.

Wyn dipped her quill into her inkwell. "What is it you want to do? You don't need to come up with something right now, of course. Just think about it for the future, yeh?"

"Sure, I'll consult with Night Vision, maybe they've got an idea."

Slowking clicked his tongue. "This should be your passion, Salandit. It is expected for a human to take charge of their team." Von caught a glimpse of Jun rolling his eyes. "Night Vision- especially Zorua- has already demonstrated he was not fit to lead. They were allowed back only because of you."