Notes of a Prison [closed]

Well, at least she wasn't taken. There was a relief in knowing he wasn't just talking with this girl to socialize. Well, he was, but stepping straight into the friendzone was what he did with the last girl he got close with, and his friends ragged on him for months on end. Of course, they weren't much of anything to him anymore. The boy yawned and sat back down next to her, resting his elbows on his knees, watching the betaflies tink against each other in reactionless silence. "I'm an only child," he said. "The only person overprotective of me is my mom."

Oh god, his mom. Did she think he was dead? Wolfgang wasn't sure. He couldn't remember his last moment in the real world. The last thing he could remember was going to bed.

She definitely wasn't taken. A detail she had oh so helpfully left out was the fact that her brother had gone after just about every guy who had tried to even get close to her. It had limited down her friends quite a bit, but in the end she supposed it did do some good. She wouldn't have to deal with the drama or heartbreak of a breakup, but at the same time, Kenzie couldn't let her brother control her relationship status forever. Eventually he'd have to relent, right?

Mackenzie was momentarily startled when he sat back down, this time next to her. She was able to hide it well enough. "Really? I've always somewhat wondered what it's like to not be a twin." Being asked her whole life what it was like to be one, she had wondered what it was like to not be a twin. Having to share a birthday, life, and basically social status. If one fell behind or messed up, it did impact the other. She and Shep had learned that quickly.

Pulling an arrow out of her quiver, she started scrutinizing the handiwork of its construction. She needed something to fidget with, to make her seem absent-minded. The arrow would work, right? Her fingers tracked the sharp, metal tip, the arrowhead catching the glint of the light. It made the arrow shine brightly, the reflection hitting a nearby tree to create a small rainbow.

And that was how he found out that she was a ranger. Wolfgang shrugged at her statement, choosing to interlock his fingers, fidgeting with nothing but his own hands. The lyre still lay untouched against the tree behind them. "It isn't much," he said with a half-smile to the ground. "A little lonely, maybe."

Ah, that didn't make him sound good. He had friends, of course, plenty of them. He was about to interject with that, to prove that he wasn't a sad dude, but the moments ticked on and he hadn't found a way to phrase it nonchalantly. So he didn't. He closed his mouth and leaned back on his palms, looking at the leaves above, the ones that lulled the late-afternoon sun to a sunset, rocking the rays in shimmers with the wind.

Mackenzie offered a nod in response. She couldn't really say much in reply, other than a simple 'ah.' She had decided to hold her tongue though. Ending her little fidget session with her arrows, Mackenzie swiped open her UI to desummon her weapons and heavy armor, the weight being immediately lifted off her body. It still amazed her how realistic everything was. Usually, virtual reality just involved sight, but damn. They really hit the nail on the head here.

"So... Outside of here... Where are you from?" Of course, she had to word the question slightly differently given the situation. If she would've been asked where she was from, the smart-ass reply would be Roslare. That was where she had woken up, being more or less 'born' in the square of the town she was now occupying until she was ready to take on the first boss and advance beyond this place. At least it still had yet to get boring.

And lets face it, Mackenzie was terrible at small talk.

"New Hampshire," the boy replied, looking over at her. He pumped a fist into the air, saying emptily, "Go Patriots!..." It definitely sounded better in his head. He immediately looked forward again, rising to his feet with a grown. He'd sat enough. His ass was getting sore from the hard dirt.

"You wanna go to the Castle or something?" he asked with a yawn. "I have yet to go into it except to take the stairs."

Mackenzie giggled at his Patriotism. Being from North Dakota, she couldn't think of any major sports teams coming from that area. Especially not from her hometown of Minot. When he stood, she allowed herself to stretch. A satisfying pop could be heard from her joints as she cracked them, the most audible one being her neck.

His offer of going to the castle sounded rather interesting. While they were technically already there, they were in the courtyard at the forefront of the area. Well, forefront if you counted the dozens of stairs it took to get here. Hopping up from her position, she stretched out her back one last time. Mackenzie wouldn't stand having any kinks in her joints. "Sure, I'm up for some exploration."

Something clicked in her mind though, and she turned back to grab the lyre that was still resting there. "You might want this... Otherwise, you can lead the way."

Oh yeah, the lyre. Wolfgang accepted it with little reaction, to make it seem like he didn't almost forget it. It was a bit of a handful, but at least it was light.

When they got to the top of the staircase, Wolfgang paused, and looked down with pursed lips. It was his enemy returned, and even though going down was much easier than going up, he wasn't looking forward to it. "I should build my stamina," he told her, taking the first of many steps. His ankles still stung from the initial climb, despite it having been almost an hour prior. He would not want to wake up the next day.

"Don't leave me in the dust, ranger."

Mackenzie kept a small smile on her face as she passed him the lyre. It didn't come really as a big deal to her, whether or not he had almost forgotten it. She nearly forgot stuff all the time - it was just how her mind seemed to work. She'd find something else to focus on, and completely forget what she was doing or trying to grab.

Speaking of, she did a quick self-check in her mind. She had made it her New Years Resolution to get better at organizing, considering she was a Sophomore in High School now. She needed to get her act together. Of course, that probably didn't matter now considering she was stuck inside a virtual world.

Having followed Wolfgang out of the gardens, her steps fell into rhythm with his own. She liked matching pace with people, that way she wouldn't fall behind or go too quickly. It was a balance. When they got to the stairs, Mackenzie's eyes almost lit up. Bounding down the stairs was something the childish side of her couldn't help but do. Wolfgang's comment made her chuckle. "They're just stairs. They can't be that bad." Then again, the walk up her was pretty lengthy...

Dismissing that thought from her mind, she gave a wink to him. "But range is my thing, lancer. You may have to keep up~" With a cheerful hum punctuating her words, Mackenzie started her bound down the stairs. She was practically jumping down them, her long legs carrying her a could three - four steps at a time. It conserved energy, but was a bit rough on the ankles. If she didn't time her footing correctly, she could go tumbling.

How did she...? Wolfgang looked above his head, remembering the popup that seemed to come and go depending on your glance. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look at his own. Did it really tell that much; even his class?

When he brought his head down, she was already at full sprint down the stairs.

"Not funny!" he called, his shout bouncing off the walls, as was he running down the staircase, pressing his palm against corners to keep momentum. He was out of breath quickly, wheezing like an old car exhaust, but there was a smile on his face. Why was he beaming so brightly? His lungs hurt like he just inhaled ash.

Needless to say, she beat him down the stairs by quite a long distance.

It made Mackenzie laugh, how Wolfgang suddenly had tried to find his own UI tag. It was her advantage before sprinting away. But at the same time, she couldn't say much, considering she had tried to do the same thing. Her brother had been the one to point out the little bow by her name, to which Kenzie had pointed out the sword on his. For Wolfgang, a small trident was displayed. Her experience with games had told her that had to mean a lancer.

The sound of his shout seemed to bounce right alongside her, but her feet seemed to carry her then the sound could go.

A grin was plastered on her face when she reached the very bottom of the stairs, her momentum carrying her forward quite a few paces before she could turn around and meet Wolfgang. She didn't have to wait very long, but a smirk was apparent on her bright features to match his own beam. "You really do need to work on your stamina."

Mackenzie patted his shoulder lightly, her smirk having turned into a full-on smile. "Good thing you have a Ranger to help you, eh? You still good for seeing the castle?" She lightly teased, his obvious out-of-breath state being made apparent by the exaggerated rise and fall of his chest, and the slight sound that echoed off the walls for each gulp of air he took.

"Yeeeah...ju.....just give....me....a...." Wolfgang pressed his palm against a nearby beam, holding a shaky thumb up to her. That stretch of stairs lasted an eternity. He let her get by with her jabs at him. It wasn't like he was in any condition to think up witty retorts, and it wasn't like the girl was wrong either. Nevertheless, when his breathing had calmed down a little, his lungs feathering air instead of inhaling it, he gave the girl a punch in the shoulder.

The castle entrance was in front of them, and Wolfgang opened up the door. It led straight to the common room, a decorated, pristine hall with red draperies all about the windows, the carpet a similar shade of ruby. It was like they were movie stars. Perhaps they were being broadcasted and were being watched by millions.

"We should just stay here instead of those small one-room apartments," the boy acknowledged, nose to the ceiling, looking up at the acoustic work in the dome above.

Kenzie let her smile turn back into a smirk, but she was also ready to grab him just in case Wolfgang had somehow overdone himself. Was stamina actually technical mechanic within the game? Sure, she seemed to have an abundance of it. But a quick glance at her stats showed the probable reason why, along with the fact that she was a runner. Hell, she did a lot, didn't she?

The girl let out a squeak of surprise when she was suddenly punched in the shoulder, and while it wasn't enough to really hurt, she definitely felt it. The ranger gave a mock "Oww!" before rubbing her arm, but the grin plastered on her face spoke otherwise.

Kenzie took her spot behind Wolfgang as he entered the main hall of the castle, and to say the least, she was stunned. It was a gorgeous display, and she was completely blown away. Sure, castles were supposed to be extravagant. But she hadn't expected anything even close to this. To say the least, the girl had zero complaints. How could she?

Her gaze traveled everywhere. The red contrasted with the vibrant blue of her eyes, and the light flooding in to the area gave a purple aesthetic to the hue. She wasn't going to leave any inch of what her eyes could see unfocused, she wanted to capture every detail. "No kidding, this is amazing... I wonder if we could establish a residence here..."

"It might be illegal or something..." the boy murmured, ducking out of the way of a chef NPC carrying empty bowls. It didn't say a thing to him, or acknowledge their existence. Some of the characters in the game were really barebones...

"Come on," Wolfgang called, waving her over. "Let's check out the rooms." The player walked down the hall, past many NPCS, some of which were staying around in a monotonous cycle of looking around. Project Aubade was barebones in some areas. He picked a door carefully, opening one that seemed indistinguishable from the others. It, however, held a grandiose bedroom, a massive bed covered in satin curtains. The entire room seemed covered in plush and garments, with the corners adorned in pillows and stools. In the center of the left wall, a small piano sit.

"I take it you play one of those too," the boy stated grimly. He made it over to the bed, where he took a pronounced leap, facefirst into the sheets. His groan afterwards illustrated the relief of his bones.

Mackenzie shrugged at Wolfgang's comment. It probably wouldn't be. Why would brainless NPC's get an entire castle, while the players were forced to live in the town? Being snapped from her daze at his command, she followed him like an obedient puppy. It was a bad habit of hers, she would listen to others all too easily.

She didn't get a particular feeling from any of the doors. They all looked the same, all bare. Except, when he opened up the door. Her eyes brightened, her gaze traveling right to the plush bed. All of a sudden, just about every bone in her body ached, and she longed for a good nap.

When Wolfgang seemingly bolted into the room to flop onto the bed, she took a few quick strides in. Only then did she really survey the room, glancing at the piano the moment he mentioned it. "No, I don't have that skill." Her father co-can? could? She didn't know that tense she should use in this context.

In a couple more strides, Mackenzie was able to flop onto the bed right next to the Lancer. Immediately, she succumbed to the plush mattress beneath her back, a relaxed sigh forcing all the air out of her lungs. This was nice... "I'd love to constantly sleep on a bed like this, or just even lie here."

"This is the first time I've been in bed with a girl for a long time." With his face buried in the covers, the words came out muffled and soft. Perhaps that was the only reason he said it in the first place. He covered the mischievous smile at the comment he was normally too cowardly to make. His blonde hair, a little longer than he liked it, plopped over the sheets. If he hadn't put off cutting it before being abducted, maybe his model would look a bit cleaner cut...

Wolfgang was disappointed she couldn't play piano. It would have been nice to lounge in that room, listening to a melody and sinking further into forgetfulness. The boy rolled over onto his back once it became hard to breath, looking up at the garments of the bedset. He folded his hands over his chest, like a body laid in a casket. His lyre lay next to him.