Arvium

29: Wraith

Month 1, Day 2, 8:24: 37; Arvium, Shipyards

Aella walked behind the others, listening to their conversations half-heartedly. Maeva had already left the group, stating she wanted to focus her skills on fishing at first.

She surveyed the houses as they walked through the dockyards where they had left Maeva. They had walked half the length of the boardwalk already, seeing the sights. The streets were busy, bustling with vendors hawking their supplies and wares, and players who were logging into the Game.

She spotted several Alphas in full armor standing on the massive ships in the bay, their white sails rustling in the wind. Their prows were tipped in metal and their hulls were constructed of various designs. Some were massive ships with spaces for oars and enough room for fifty players, and others were only big enough for a team. There were a few single Alphas milling about in smaller floating aircraft tied to the pier, their metal exteriors sleek and glistening with the reflection of the deep blue water.

She looked up as Sigmund moved to her side, keeping in time with her pace. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye,

He walked with his hands in his pockets, a carefree attitude in his movements. His face had not shown much emotion, but she noticed hints of emotions as they passed over his face. But she frowned as she looked at his eyes, seeing a fierce intensity within the gold-speckled green. A fox, indeed.

"See something you like, my lady?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Aella laughed, hanging her head for a moment. "Just trying to figure out who my housemates are."

He nodded. "Ask me any question you wish, as long as you agree to answer any question I might ask."

Any question? That might not be a good idea.

He smirked, the corner of his lip turning up, showing white teeth and a canine longer than normal. "How about this--I will only ask of you what you ask of me."

Aella looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Ok."

"Let's cut through here," Gemini said, pointing to a small side-street between two warehouses on their left. "It should come out on the green."

"Green?" Aella said.

Gemini turned his head to look at her and smiled. His eyes crinkled everytime he smiled, and his whole body seemed to laugh. "Yeah, we haven't seen it yet, so it would be a good idea to stop by. It's Arvium's main green center, and is used for ceremonies. There's gardens there too."

Aella smiled as well, letting herself mirror his actions. They're so full of life, Chloe. They're so much like you. She frowned as she heard a ping, followed by a trumpet blaring a fanfare.

A banner appeared in front of her, sparkling gold with blue lettering.

"An event on the Green?" Gemini said.

Aella scanned the text. It stated that the event would start in forty minutes, and that players would race through a series of underground tunnels to find a flag at the end of the maze. The first three players to reach the end would receive credits and prizes.

"Shall we do it?" Gemini asked, his face lighting up with a giant grin.

Sigmund shrugged, looking to her.

"Why not?" Aella said, nodding to Gemini.

"I don't mind," Gemina said.

Gemini laughed. "Then let's go--it's not far."