[Dawnbreak Guild's POV]
She crossed her legs, elegantly folding them beneath the kai jia[1] she wore. The sunlight bleeding through the paper-paneled windows painted thin bars of gold across her armour, tracing the motion of each plate as it shifted.
She propped one elbow up on the throne, a carved golden dragon on the armrest staring back at her blankly, accompanying its twin emblazoned on her chestplate.
Her HUD hovered faintly off to the side of her vision as she looked around the Dawnbreak guild's guild hall. The room was silent except for the sound of her hand tap-tap-taping absent-mindedly on the throne.
Tap, tap, tap…
Each tap ricocheted through the chamber, sharp as a metronome in a ward.
She stopped, and silence swallowed the room whole. The ends of her naturally tousled brown shoulder-length hair brushed against the gilt, slim pauldrons of her armour, catching a faint glint of sunlight as she tilted her head.
A black and gold choker necklace traced her slim neck, and she played with a strand of her hair before looking up.
The curved toes of her armoured boots now caught the light as she raised them higher—to kick the man standing on her right with a *clank*.
A translucent blue screen shone in front of her.
———
Server-wide Announcement:
Congratulations to Players: HA_MDwastaken, Lilith_OHC for the first clear of Dungeon, [Alexander's Madness].
———
"Sigh… Gege[2], didn't we clear all the dungeons up to level 40?"
She lazily dropped her gaze to her lap as she pulled on the long sleeves of her dress, adjusting the armour this way and that. Her red eyes shone as if embers danced within them, and she fingered her choker.
"Ow… what'd you kick me for—Hey, that place is off limits!" A similarly dressed man slammed his legs shut as she moved to kick him in the balls.
He stepped forward, holding a clipboard in his hands. "Jeez… Meimei[3], we lost three dungeons to Pheynlgroup and two to the Glory Guild, but those were regionlocked so we wouldn't have been able to get to them in time anyway."
You could have heard a mao bi drop from the other side of the room.
"Right. So…"
The girl glared down at the others, seated around a circular table in front of her. Her tone snapped from non-committal to brutally sharp in an instant. The air in the room changed as she grew dangerously quiet and all warmth drained out of her voice.
"How did we miss one dungeon? How could you miss one dungeon? And it was cleared by two players, no less. TWO. PLAYERS."
No one at the table dared look up, except for one. He was a young guy, maybe 20 years old, she figured. He was well-kitted out for a guild member.
"It was one dungeon, mei nu[4], what are you so worked up for?" He drawled, flicking his eyes to probe the girl's legs that were only separated from his lecherous gaze by black tights under the dress. They then flickered up to her slender, pale throat clasped by her choker.
The girl sighed and flicked her hand over her shoulder to her brother standing by her side. "Ban him."
Her brother nodded and pulled up the guild's members list, scrolling through its extensive length effortlessly before finding the name of the offender.
The girl looked back down at the man standing alone at the table, who looked flabbergasted. She regarded him coldly.
"One, don't call me mei nu. Two, we don't keep perverts in the guild." The girl's blood-red eyes shone as she uncrossed her legs and stood up from the throne, her gentle curves coming into the light. "Three. One dungeon missed means one dungeon that we failed to clear. That should be an explanation enough."
The man opened his mouth to protest but it was too late. He vanished in a swirl of red particles, fading like blood dispersing in water.
———
Guild Announcement:
Player (Chief) : MoonsFalling has been banned from the [Dawnbreak] guild.
———
"As for the rest of you…" she moved faster than the eye could follow, seemingly teleporting in front of the round table with the sound of shaking thunder.
She opened her hand. "Inventory."
With a swirl of crimson mist, a guandao[5] appeared in her hands, the crescent blade of the glaive undulating a carmine red as she ground the butt of the polearm into the ground. Tendrils of ruby rose and ebbed with the pulse of the blade.
The girl's tone dropped low and venomous as she smiled innocently.
"Never forget. We're Dawnbreak, Lucidia Online's top guild worldwide. I will not allow failure. Find those players. HA_MD and Lilith_OHC. NOW."
There was a collective shout of "Yes, guild master," as the figures around the table vanished into columns of white particles and teleported away.
The girl stood there for a moment longer before letting her expression relax as she strolled back to the throne and plopped herself back down.
All tension in the room faded as her brother looked at her, amused.
"What?" she glanced up at him.
"You should be an actor. You went a bit overboard there with the roleplaying."
"But you followed along, didn't you?" she smiled. Her personality had done a complete 180 as her shoulders slumped, her commanding posture melting into a lazy, almost childlike pout. "Man, I hope that those two are pretty girls. I'd hate to PK[6] anyone… but if they're pretty girls, then I can have a clear conscience when I invite them to the guild instead of PKing them. Actually, do they even know about guilds? They should know about us, right?"
Her brother laughed, flicking his clipboard into his inventory as he crossed his arms. "Jeez, you and your talk about pretty girls… get a girlfriend already. I'm pretty sure I have a couple of lesbian friends, and half of them would love to put you and that choker of yours on a leash and—"
She kicked him again. "Shut up, idiot."
"Pfft—"
- - -
[Hiyomi's POV]
After the fight, everything kind of blurred together—a bunch of level up and dungeon clear notifications popped up, Midori got teleported away by the quest, and Lilith logged out before I could say anything.
Right now, I was laying face down on my bed, bawling my eyes out to the comfort of my fluffy pillow until it went cold and heavy. My VR headset lay crooked on its side on my desk like it was too tired to care.
Typical Hiyomi.
Pathetic as ever.
I sniffled, my tears leaving grey droplets on my sheets. I pulled them closer and the scent of detergent and linen filled my nose. It was strangely comforting.
Fuck, man.
Why did Dame Airi die? Why did she have to die? I… I don't think I was nearly as attached to her as Midori or Lilith, but… seeing someone die…
…
My chest suddenly felt heavy, even though I was tiny. (Hey, like I said, there's no shame in being small, okay???)
I was fine with seeing things happen in movies and video games, but when it was as realistic as Lucidia Online… It reminded me of things that I really didn't want to think about. Things about why I became a doctor in the first place. But I had to move on, or I wouldn't get anything done. She was an NPC, like Midori. It was probably a failsafe in the quest for her to die.
Eueueueueueueue….
Sniff.
I stood up groggily, glancing at the maple branches outside my window as I dragged myself to the washroom. They swayed like they were gossiping about me, their leaves flashing smug gold when the sunlight slipped through to stab me in the eyes. It was already late afternoon.
I blocked the sunlight with my hand. Even the trees hate me, huh… At least I wasn't waking up to a stupid alarm or ER call over the PA. There was a faint brushing, almost skittering sound as the branches of the tree outside caressed the window pane.
I ignored them and opened my bathroom door. I looked like a mess. More of a mess than that time I'd double-shifted because they didn't have enough doctors to pull over from other wings—and that time wasn't fun, so that's saying something.
My eyes were red, my hair was messed up… sigh. And here I came to Lucidia Online for a break on vacation… ehe.
I splashed water on my face and scrubbed with a washcloth, wiping away what was left of my tears and leaving my skin raw. (Shut up. Not in the mood for that right now.)
My gurgling stomach reminded me that I hadn't had lunch yet.
…I might as well go out and get a fresh breath of air and all that. I can fetch groceries on the way home.
I took a deep breath, dragging my hand down my face. For an instant the sink's clean white gleam turned into the red glow of the ER wing at forest brooke general hospital that night. I could almost see myself back in that white medical coat and blue scrubs, blood coating my hands, spilling over and over as I and a group of doctors rushed a patient to an IV.
…It's probably best to not think about that.
Jeez, even my own thoughts sound depressed. Come on, sarcasm. Come on, tired bitch. Come on, simp. I tugged at my shirt and gave my thighs a reassuring squish before I slapped myself on the cheeks (still the ones on my face, tyvm).
I put on a smile and went to change.
Cheer up, Hiyomi, I told myself. Put it behind you.
Now where was my wallet again?
- - -
I stepped out into the bustling afternoon of Forest Brooke City. It was a weekend, but cars still ran back and forth, honking and screeching at intersections. I wrapped my light trenchcoat tighter around myself as I walked, pulling my warm wool scarf higher around my neck.
Even though it was getting really, really cold out, it was nice—the chill reminded me of sterile hospital coridors—except here, I don't have people dying on the other side of a curtain.
The sun hung lazily in the sky as I walked back toward downtown, my footsteps echoing each time my sneakers kissed the ground.
Phew…
I walked in silence for minutes on end, the fragile warmth of the sun wrapping around me. (Hey, I need it, okay? Don't judge me.)
Pad, pad, pad…
My feet took me to the small ramen bar near the hospital where I used to grab food between shifts. It was closeby to forest brooke general hospital, and it was pretty good, too.
The doorbells chimed and jangled as I walked inside. The glass on the windows were all fogged up. It was mostly empty, except for a working couple guzzling down tonkatsus. (It's not great to eat that fast, but… I understand the rush.)
I looked at the seat closest to the heater. A jacket was draped over the counter—guess someone was already sitting there. I took the next seat over.
As soon as I sat down, the waiter slid over with a cup of hot water. Her smile brightened when she saw me.
"Ah, nice to see you, Doctor Asuna. You look better—are you finally getting a break?"
She was a cheerful highschooler called Kagura with short black hair, probably around my age. I saw her often and had learned that she worked here part-time.
"Yes," I laughed. "It's been a while." I smiled and rubbed my hands together near the heater. Warmth seeped back into my clammy fingers.
"Mhm," she nodded. "The regular?" she reached over the counter with the cup of water before gesturing to the menu. The faint sound of steam, knives cutting vegetables, and frothing broth being dipped gently into bowls accompanied the gentle warmth of the homey restaurant.
"Yes, please~"
"Alright, then. Coming right up!"
I nodded, cupping my hands around the steaming cup she'd handed me for warmth. (I still couldn't get enough of it mwefhehehehehehe… So warmmmmmmm…)
The sharp rhythm of heels broke my trance.
A low, husky feminine voice spoke behind me and slid onto the stool closest to the heater. "Ah, sorry. Do you want the heater? I can move over."
There was a faint smell of lilies mixed with an earthy scent as a pretty hand with long fingers reached over, grabbing the coat that was there.
I felt like I'd heard that voice somewhere… Where, though? I glanced up. Where'd I—
What I saw almost made me choke.
Oh my god.
A woman around Midori's height stood there, shoulder-length black hair brushing a grey blazer and loose pencil skirt. I looked her over. She wasn't as big as Midori, but she was coming close… wait, what the fuck am I thinking about ////
She had tights underneath, and a company swipe card and tie hung around her neck. A black cross earring dangled from her ear, and her face was obscured behind a black surgical mask.
Even with her face covered—oh my god, she's hot. So hot.
My heart clenched, beating faster. She kind of looks like Midori… If she had short black hair.
The woman stared at me, her eyes fixating on my face. She tilted her head to the side. "Excuse me~?"
"N-No, I'm fine," I squeaked. I snapped my gaze away after realizing that I'd been staring. Heat rose to my face, and it probably wasn't because of the heater. With how red I was, I could almost imagine steam coming out of my ears.
I slapped my cheeks with my hands, feeling the sting as she eased onto the seat next to me. It took every ounce of self-control I had to not turn and stare as my heart began to pick up. (God, I'm such a horrible person. I should be sad about Dame Airi, but… seeing someone like this just… YOU KNOW?)
Pad, pad, pad…
There was the rush of sneakers as Kagura slid back around, placing my usual order of soy sauce and beef niku udon in front of me along with a pair of chopsticks.
Soy broth and beef hit my nose as Kagura looked up at the woman next to me. "Oh. Ane[7], you're here too?"
…Wait, ane?
They were related? I looked between the two of them.
I could see it now. Their eyes were the same shape, and their shoulders were about the same size and length… if only patients were this easy to match. It'd make the job so much fucking easier.
The woman sitting beside me waved to her sister before pointing sideways. "Hey, Kagura. I'll have whatever she's having."
It took me a bit to realize she was pointing at me.
…E-Eh??? ///
I was halfway to my udon. I almost choked, but lucky me, I managed to catch myself.
Kagura sighed and looked at her sister disapprovingly.
Kagura's sister stared back. "Customer's order," she said plainly.
Kagura turned toward me apologetically. "Sorry about my ane. She's just like this. And ane—you really need to know when to stop hitting on pretty women, okay? Don't tease the doctor."
She then whirled around toward the back curtain behind the counter. "One more soy sauce and beef nikudon, please, sensei."
I was still steaming at the ears. Oh my god, I'd made such a fool of myself. Kagura thought I was pretty? And the woman sitting next to me was hitting on me—? Wait, no, that can't be right.
*Bwoof.*
I need to stay loyal to Midori, and plus, where'd I heard her voice before— Think, think, think… do I know her—
*Eeeeeeeep…*
My thoughts went out the window as she leaned over, softly placing both her elbows on the counter and resting her head on top of her hands. Her black, obsidian-like eyes locked onto mine. "I've never seen you around here."
I busied myself with my udon (to save my sanity oh my god). "Probably not," I managed. "I work as a doctor, so I usually rush in and rush out."
"Mmmn."
Kagura ran back, holding another glass of water. Her sister took it graciously and sipped from it. I couldn't help myself staring as I saw her slender lips slowly wrap around the edge of the cup—
"You've been staring a lot. Is there something you want to ask me?"
A-Ah—
"U-Uhm…" I fidgeted with my chopsticks, breaking apart the egg yolk on top of my udon. "I… Well, my name is Hiyomi. You sound familiar… Do I know you?"
I bit my tongue before I could add, 'oh and by the way you're very hot' at the end. And why did I even give her my name… jesus christ. And I thought I couldn't think around Midori… I couldn't tug my eyes away from her, as if I were a patient and her an IV stand.
She looked at me. I couldn't tell what her expression was like behind her mask, and I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling.
Flustered?
Definitely flustered.
I waited for a while before Kagura came back with her sister's udon, and I was about to repeat the question.
Kagura's sister spoke again, in a softer, lower tone this time, loosening the tie from the button-up collar at her neck.
"I'm Daffodil."
Her black eyes glinted, catching the light.
"And no, I don't think I know you—though it's nice to meet you."
She giggled lightly, the sound sending pleasurable shivers down my spine.
[1] 铠甲- (CN) general term for chinese armour in ancient times.
[2] 哥哥- (CN) big brother
[3] 妹妹- (CN) Little sister
[4] 美女- (CN) translated literally, beauty. It's usually used to get someone's attention, for example how in english you might say 'hey hottie', etc. Needless to say, the way the guy's using it in this context is inappropriate and offensive.
[5] 关刀- (CN) a type of glaive-like ancient chinese polearm. If you know guan yu from the the romance of the three kindgoms, his signature weapon is a special guandao.
[6] Player kill
[7] 姉- (JP) older sister.