Koi swim, sometimes in circles, sometimes straight through in the waters of the pond below the bridge. Matcha, Mouse's little spirit of the springs pet, sits on the edge and watches as well. They watch them together awhile longer as the sound of cicadas in the various trees around buzz away, there are wind chimes somewhere on the mansion's grounds that are also contributing to the very natural sound of this field. The runechemist had been to fields void of music, even void of sound before, but it wasn't at all unsettling here without the music. It was nice. Of course- Mouse sighs softly, slumping against the banister as she shifts her gaze across the pond, into the trees.



Matcha stares up at Mouse as she looks down the bridge, remembering where she had once spoken with C in this very place. It was back when she'd first come into contact with Cernunnos. Or, around that time anyway. It was difficult to remember specifics when it came to such things, at times. Thinking of C brought a smile to her face, but the aggravation she still felt in her mind stomped it out within moments. It wasn't towards anyone in particular, if one had to be to blame, it would be herself. For coming to a field she knew had no monsters, when she knew killing monsters was all she could do to satisfy her anger gauge. It wasn't that she was trying to find more ways to help lower it..

Her gaze shifts now to the sky. She thinks about her friends, about her love, about anything, really. Like the cicadas, it's all just noise in her head. A noise she enjoys, sure. Maybe even a song, but not one that settles. She taps her nails on the wood, thinking, thinking. She had a plan for meeting Velten, as requested by Cernunnos. However, she needed to be in a space where she was still serving herself, and not just the God of Death she was bound to. She had to know that trying to reunite them was something she also wanted to do, not something she was simply told to do. And of course, if Velten didn't want to see him again, how that scenario would go?

Would that cause Cernunnos, and Mouse as a byproduct, more suffering? If so, would she be willing to suffer for Velten- A girl she hardly knew? Right now, she is perfectly split between the fury inside her that threatened to take control if it grew too much more, and just who she was as a person. She wanted neither Cernunnos or Velten to suffer, or her friends, or anyone! Her own image didn't even come to her mind at all! And why!? "Tch.." Mouse pushes away from the banister in frustration, glaring towards the mansion. Matcha makes a soft gurgling sound, tugging on Mouse's skirt which results in the runechemist sighing and scooping up the little spirit.

The last time she was here, she'd never gone inside. Half of her wanted to explore it just to see what it was like while the other half was hoping there were breakable objects within it. It wasn't like the mess would remain when she left. Literally, no one would have to know. With that in mind.. She makes her way towards the abandoned mansion, setting Matcha down once more beside the door as she notices it's cracked open slightly. "Matcha.. Wait out here for just a moment and I'll be right back okay? How about a nap? I know you love those." The little spirit yawns and slumps against the wall, sitting comfortably in the grass. Mouse nods and takes the opportunity to slip inside, not noticing the door mechanism automatically locking as she closes it behind her.

Anyone else gating into the field outside of mansion will be greeted by the soothing sounds of the the outside; with the new and improved remix of a small woman grumbling, glassware shattering, and wood breaking. As well as a sleeping Spirit of the Springs beside the front door of the mansion.

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Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1

The sound of someone else's voice causes Mouse to stop her whirlwind of destruction immediately. Is someone else already here? Quickly, she tries to clean up the mess she made, though her tail just continues bumping everything around and making it worse. CRAP. It seems like they were literally already here inside the mansion with her, too! Oh, was she mortified. Should she pretend to be a monster and maybe that would scare them away? No, that would never work. Quickly, she tries to go out the way she came, only to find the door was completely locked.

HUH!? She beats a small fist against the door, whispering for Matcha, who is delightfully snoozing just on the outside. "Matchaaa. Matchaa! Something is wrong with this door it's-" Oh, it wasn't any use. Clearing her throat, she stands up straight. It wasn't like whoever it is was coming over here.. Right? "Uhm! Yes! Hello? Just, wandering around same as you, I'm sure!" She raises her soft voice as much as she can to call back to the stranger.

Of course, the one time she decides to do something absolutely unhinged, someone else happens to be around. And worse yet, not even a familiar voice. Ah ha! If that person came in and saw all the broken stuff, she could lie! Biting her lip wickedly, Mouse smacks her fist down into her flat palm at what was, quite possibly, the best idea she had to avoid an awkward social situation.

Except. For the teensy fact that she was actually the worst liar in The World, and even outside of it, too! Please don't come down here, please don't come down here! Instead, she starts moving towards where the voice is coming from to try and meet them halfway.

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Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1

When the significantly taller figure appeared before her, Mouse quite literally squeaked, and took up a stance that she only hoped was at least some kind of fighting stance! She wasn't sure! Lily had plans to go to self defense classes, but at the end of the day, she didn't fancy leaving the apartment much unless it was with her roomate or to meet up with other friends from The World. Because of this stranger's height, he was easily able to look right over her head at what the room looked like and- whew, the anxiety monster gobbling at her brain in this moment sure was getting full. Not to mention? Hello? How did he even get there so fast? Hacker, maybe?

"W-wait!" She looked over her shoulder at the room and back up at him, following after him a bit as he moved to walk away. "I was just blowing off some steam. I don't.. Usually throw and break things in fancy abandoned houses.." Just as it always went, she had a perfectly flawless lie prepared, but her mouth told the truth first.

"It doesn't matter- The door I came in has some kind of locking mechanism that locked behind me as soon as it closed and I can't figure out how to open it again. Did you come in from a different way? Or do you maybe know how to open the door back up again? I left something outside that I really need to pick up." She claps her hands together, staring up at him with the please-help-me-I'm-dumb-and-lost eyes. In reality, she didn't want to leave Matcha outside alone any longer than she already had. Even in map without monsters.

It was dumb to have left her there in the first place.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✧✧✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1

There were two immediate and equally emotional responses that came to her brain. One was very original to Mouse, but the other was inspired by a certain God of Death she knew. Her eyes watch the way the stranger interacts with her plea, her lips immediately frowning at his words and his little display. "Well, I don't know why you would care. I was just sayin'..." Her voice lowers a bit, her tail softly scraping against the floor with anxiety at the situation. She was starting to wish she never asked him for help to begin with.

"Ehm.. I haven't found any chim spheres and as far as.. warping? Huh?" Was he just being purposefully obtuse or.. did he actually have the ability to that and not realize it was a huge no no? Either way, his response made it clear that he had no interest in speaking with her or helping her further. Which was fine, players were free to do what they wanted with their time and he definitely didn't owe her anything.

Mouse winces slightly as she feels her Anger Gauge fill a bit more. What!? No! It didn't bother me that much- Against her will, her face shifts from a hurt expression to one of irritation, so she tries to avert her gaze so as not to give the wrong idea, but she can't help the words that come out of her mouth. "Yeah, well, I don't know this 'warping' thing you're talking about so it's probably best you don't go around blabbing about it to just anyone you meet-" She cuts herself off as she crosses her arms.

Dammit, I have to get away from this guy if he's just going to piss me off more and fill up the Anger Gauge. I can't risk that. For both our sakes. She noticeably struggles to level her tone, sighing softly and looking up at him apologetically. Or- what she thought was an apologetic expression. Mostly, she just looked like she was in pain. "S-sorry, that's really none of my business. Thanks anyway and happy exploring.."

Meanwhile, Matcha wakes up outside, looking around for Mouse. She knocks gently on the front door before trying to push it open. Of course, she was so little that even if it were unlocked, there's no way she could push it open on her own.

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Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1

Oh? So he's being genuine. That almost made it more concerning, what if she had been a gamemaster? If he's a hacker, he sure is... not great at it. But his seemingly genuine confusion and desire for information was starting to paint a different picture. She did know a few other people who could do such a thing. Gorre being one of them.. Mouse sighs softly, hyper aware of the fact that her emotions seem unhinged but unwilling to spend extra anxiety points worrying about it because frankly, she couldn't afford it. And also- she could not help it in this state. And that was just a fact. Noise.

"Well.. Warping around as you want isn't a thing traditional players can do within The World." Her soft voice is calm, but shakes softly as she makes the effort to keep it so. "S-so.. When you say things like that, or just show up in front of me as you did.. It kind of gives you away as something else. Sort of like hackers, if you're familiar with them. Or someone who has access to special commands in the game. Does that make sense? For example, I can Log Out, but I would need to go to the Chaos Gate at the start or end of a map to leave, otherwise.. Or use a special item to do so." She was dancing around mentioning that she knew AI could warp as they pleased. Especially with what she had gone through recently, and Ornery having warned her about Ingine- who knew if this guy was also some kind of gamemaster trying to trick her into talking about the VAI within The World.



However, because of her attachment to the subject, she felt compelled to warn him. "If something strange happened to you within The World recently, then perhaps your player is simply bugged.. But if not.. I-I must insist that you be more careful with such an ability and who you tell. If you get reported by a player who assumes the worst, the person who has to take care of the issue might also assume the worst as well and not give you a chance to explain yourself. Do you see what I'm getting at?" The way he spoke and acted was so much like a regular player, but Mouse couldn't help but wonder.. Ugh- the wave of irrational anger sitting in her mind caused her head to ache. Not for anything he was doing, it was just the way it was. In the outside world, Lily rubs her temples and mutes her mic to take deep breaths.

Giving up on the front door, Matcha starts walking around the house to peer into what windows she can see for any sign of Mouse. She makes it to a flower garden and can't help but take a moment to lay in the flowers, sighing and rolling around.

------------------------------

Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1

Turning to follow after him at a decent length, when he asked if it was something he should report to get fixed, Mouse hesitated to answer. Instead, she waited to see what he would do about the locked door. When he reached out, she noticed the glitching effect around the corners of the door instantly as it opened almost immediately at his touch. The expression he made when he turned around irritated her in the state she was in. Lily's hands shook softly as she took more deep breaths while the mic was muted before unmuting it again.

"It was. Why would I tell you everything I just did, but lie about the door? I've been around for awhile, I know when a door in this game is locked and when it's not-" She steps past him, looking around before spotting Matcha rolling around in the flowers. "Matcha.." Mouse calls softly to her, the little sprite comes running towards the runechemist with her little arms raised up as if to say 'uppies!'

Kneeling down, Mouse picks up her pet before turning back to look at him, clearly trying to keep her cool. Whether he picked up on the fact it was due to something else and not just about him wasn't her issue, but for now, she tried to keep a distance so as not to hurt him in case her Anger Gauge did happen to fill during their interaction, or to at least give him a chance to escape if he wanted. Especially since her silent suspicions about him were seeming more and more likely.

"Just to let you know, when you reached for the door just now, you interacted with it in a way that's not normal. That's why it opened. Maybe it seemed normal to you, but it wasn't." She points to the corners of the door, whether the glitching effect was still there or not. "When you touched it, there was minor glitching around the corners of the door, as if something you did caused it to unlock. When I tried to open it, it would not budge." For the moment, she stands and holds Matcha while looking up at him to see what his response would be.

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Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1

Mouse places Matcha up on her shoulder as she watches him seem frustrated with his character. If he was truly just an average player, he was in a bad way, for sure. Well- some might argue that the 'bugs' he had could be beneficial to him as a player. But it would be difficult to explain to someone wanting to delete his account for said bugs.

"If your character is bugged, it seems pretty severe. May I ask if you've had any issues logging out? You don't have to answer. I'm not an expert or anything.. Like I said, I've just been playing for awhile now and have seen a few different odd occurrences in the game."

Taking a deep breath, she decides to try and level with him a little bit. "I'm not doing well right now," she admits begrudgingly as her headache almost seems to worsen the more she tries to regulate her emotions. "I'd like.. To be as helpful as I can.. I just wanted to let you know." Part of her wanted to send a quick message to Ornery and Noblesse. Just to see what they thought about this. It wasn't like she was an expert on the topic, but she definitely knew people who could assist him, if he needed it.

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Anger Gauge: ✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧ HP: 100% SP: 100%
Current Pet: Matcha lv1