Cipiteca396

Don't forget 💗🔖⭐💬.

I spent some time talking with Corina about her role in the dungeon and my plans for it. I ended our conversation interested in what she could do with everything. I left Mica to help her, but took Geni and the Kindlesprite back to my room.

I briefly checked on the Elemental Rockworm, who was about two-thirds of the way to the far corner of the dungeon. It seems I was right in thinking the Core room was in the exact center. I left it orders to expand my Core room when it finished. I didn't really want it in my room where it could damage my things, but I needed the space if I wanted to create my maze.

Now... Why was this the hard part? Shouldn't taking a break be a relief, or something? I was sitting at my table with the Kindlesprite. Geni was on my shoulder, doodling on a piece of steel. I felt a little guilty about that. I told Corina I didn't like to be touched, but I was fine with Geni sitting on my shoulder. Whatever, I would think about that later.

I had thought that I'd like to talk with someone. Either of these two would work. But now that I was sitting here, and not thinking about the dungeon, it was... awkward. How was I supposed to just... unload everything. Even when I thought about starting small... I'd never tried to make 'small-talk'. I didn't really get the purpose.

And the idea of actually getting past that point, telling them about me... I felt anxious, but mostly guilty. I knew they wouldn't judge me... Probably. But it would definitely affect them. Just a few moments ago the Fairies had panicked because I lost my temper. I couldn't share everything. But I still wanted to share something.

I didn't have anything safe to share. I could talk about books or movies I liked, but they wouldn't get the reference...

Inspiration struck in that thought. We could watch a movie together. Or even better, we could play a game. Then they would get the reference, and I would have a chance to relax. Something we could discuss while we played, something fun, but not competitive. I'd lose my temper again. So... Like Minecraft? That would be ironic, digging out a virtual dungeon when I was living in a real one. A farming game, then.

That brought up the other half of the problem though. There was no way I could sit still long enough to play a game. While my mental stress could theoretically be building from lack of sleep, my physical body was still in peak condition. It was difficult to relax when I had enough energy to sprint and bounce off the walls like a small dog. I needed a way to work off that energy without overthinking anything. Exercise didn't really suit me... But maybe I would have to start.

Or well... Combat training. I didn't think the refinement pattern was enough to turn me into some legendary fighter. The idea of leaving my creatures to fight for me wasn't even worth considering. Not when I could be revived and they couldn't. Well, that's not a relaxing thought. But I will start training. And I'll have the Kindlesprite join me. We can spar together?

I doubted sparring would be relaxing, though. Something for later. There was one last thing I could do for my break. I'd already decided I needed to go shopping. At first, I'd just been thinking of looking for some Moonstone from a jeweler or something. But if I wanted to play games with my creatures, I would need to buy computers for them as well.

I was a little nervous, thinking of going out shopping. The idea that only the Puppet Avatars would be around was oddly calming, especially since my real body would stay here. And as an extra dose of amusement, I could leave my phone here and call it with the Interface. Then I could buy things my Contraption Fairy asked for without as much hassle.

There was yet another problem in that I needed to pay for things somehow. Most likely, everything would be priced in CP, like how it was in the Market. Assuming there were even any physical shops open. If there weren't, I could just walk through the city and see the sights. Not like I could be mugged or killed in a dark alley.

I explained the relevant parts of my thoughts to the other two, and pretty soon I found myself teaching the Kindlesprite how to play a game. She was a fast learner, but everyone needed to learn the basics before they could do anything. Geni somehow skipped that step though... I think it was something to do with her magic. 

It was kind of funny watching the Kindlesprite play. She didn't get excited or anxious about anything. She was methodical, following instructions to the letter. If the instructions were unclear, she was quick to make inferences and adapt her actions. There was one interesting exception though. The first time an enemy appeared.

It wasn't really a big deal, since the game wasn't focused on fighting. But a tiny mote of excitement went through her aura, and she had this really intense look of concentration on her face. Like a cat looking at a fish through the glass. It was pretty adorable, actually. Especially when she one-tapped the enemy, and a rather strong surge of disappointment went through her aura. Every other enemy was ignored, deleted as if they were just another weed in her garden. She might actually enjoy a fighting game over this type of game.

I laid myself down in my bed, watching Geni pick up where I left off in teaching. My old phone was sitting there, ready to be called as soon as I returned to my apartment. I looked at the Interface. I only had eight CP right now. With the one CP fee on the Avatar... Depending on how things went, this trip might be a total waste. But that's not really the point. A break is a break.

Activating the Avatar was not the same as before. It was actually a lot more like using Voices to contact Nyx. Maybe something to do with the Refinement pattern. I was still vaguely aware of my body laying under the covers, but at the same time I was the doll sitting against my apartment wall.

I stood up and dusted myself off. It had been a couple days, so some dust actually came off... Should I shower or something? Would that damage the doll? I called my old phone first, just to confirm my safe transit with Geni. I left the Interface on speaker as I went about preparing to leave so we could chat. Mostly so I could listen to her and the Kindlesprite playing, honestly. I wasn't feeling talkative. This doll reminded me of how I was before. It wasn't quite as awful, but it was slower and weaker than my new body.

With my shower done and a new change of clothes- my old ones still fitting may be the only advantage over my new body- I went to my front door. On the floor, there was a single letter from my landlord. Apparently she'd decided to let all her tenants keep their rooms free of charge, as long as they paid for any damage that they caused using CP. She didn't specify how much... So, don't destroy the room, got it.

I left my apartment once again, wondering if I would recognize what was outside.

Cipiteca396

I had a rough time getting motivated to write this one, lol. I wanted to write it for character development, but in reality, I just want to write dungeon stuff and fight monsters... So I fleshed out some of the Side Stories from later on until I was satisfied. 😆

Be yourself? Do you even know who you are?