one.

[brightfuture]

[ Venturing right into the middle of the town square might have not been the brightest idea. With all those crowds, you really need to watch your ste--

Bump.

Wait, did somebody just punch you? If you gather enough courage to turn around and face your attacker, you will only find a short, distressed-looking Harvest Cleric who shoots you an apologetic glance. ]

Uh, sorry for that...

Comments

[revealed]

Since I didn't really get to say sorry properly. [ he takes any real sentimentality out of his words with a wide smile, here. reaching to push that health drink into your hand! he's careful not to make contact when he lets the drink go. ]

So, here you go. It makes me feel better if you aren't wandering around with a headache, anyway.

[brightfuture]

But -- [ His silent protest muffled by the gesture, Hope grabs the small bottle, turning it in his hands a few times. Finally, a smile appears on his lips, even if it's not nearly as bright as Ivan's. ]

Thank you. I, uh... I don't even know your name.

[revealed]

[ oh, so this guy does know how to smile. he's been wondering, but. he gives a smile of his own, which warps into something sheepish. ]

Oh, right. I'm Ivan! You are...?

[brightfuture]

Hope.

[ Another tiny smile - gee, he sure is on a roll today, wait till his reserves run out. ]

I guess I should try how this works. We didn't have it back home. [ And just a mention is enough to erase the optimism from his face. Yeaaah. ]

[revealed]

[ nooooo you should try to look more like your namesake! ]

The shopkeeper guaranteed that it works, for what it's worth. Buuuut, if it doesn't-- [ aaaand taking a few meat buns out from his paper bag! he grins. ] I came prepared.

[ with meatbuns as a contingency, you can't go wrong!! ]

[brightfuture]

[ Did he bring an entire shop? Hope tries to play it cool by letting out an amused snort, but deep down, he feels both moved and somewhat troubled by the boy's kindness. Weeelp. ]

Here. [ With a subtle nod, he gestures Ivan to sit down. Then he uncaps the bottle, taking a few sips - just enough for the drink to start working. There's no telling if he'll need it later. ]

... Much better. That guy didn't lie.

[revealed]

[ ah, he's watching carefully-- just in case of weird side-effects or anything. he tried the stuff out earlier, but he can't be sure that his easy usage of it wasn't a fluke or whatever, so it's good to see that the other boy looks a bit better after sipping the drink.

ahhh, this makes him feel better. ]

It's good to know that the people around here are honest. Even if they are a bit weird.

[brightfuture]

I guess we wouldn't go too far with the shopkeepers poisoning us at every corner.

[ Feeling the refreshing wave wash over him, the boy leans back on the bench, his feet kicking the air. ]

But weird? That's putting it lightly.

[revealed]

[ he laughs a little at hope's joke. ]

I kind of figured that they were just not too fond of talking to strangers, at first. But after a while...

[brightfuture]

[ cutting in! ] ... Like they're controlled by AI. Who knows, maybe it is the way they are, but... you've also noticed that, right?

[revealed]

[ blink blink! he's sure, he's noticed something, but-- ] A... I?

[brightfuture]

Artificial Intelligence. [ paaause. ] Er, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I brushed against someone when I fell, but when I looked up, they were... gone. As if nothing ever happened. Kinda scary.

[revealed]

[ ................................ actually, that's pretty creepy-- ]

Like a ghost? Or that A-I thing that you were talking about before?

[brightfuture]

No, I don't think we have to worry about ghosts flying around. Well, not here, at least.

So... yeah, something like that, though I can't be sure.

[revealed]

[ ... it makes him think. it wasn't... him... was it? ]

... er, say, it didn't feel anything like someone pushing you down, right?

[brightfuture]

[ He shrugs, surprised at the weird question. ]

Dunno. They just didn't respond, that's all.

[revealed]

Is... that so? Haha, well, I guess this place has a few mysteries that might need some investigation.

[brightfuture]

Like the reason for us being here. [ watch his expression darken for a second before he glances back at Ivan. ] Any ideas where to start?

[revealed]

[ ... yeah, he noticed that. there's a part of him that's really curious, and so he... kind of discreetly puts a hand on the bench as he's thinking this over. ]

I'm not too sure, actually. Normally, I'd look for friendly-looking people to get information from, but... the people around here don't seem to know more than we do, and the ones who do are the ones who aren't talking.

It's a weird situation. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before.