>>31327641
>You don’t really care; whenever Mason organises is fine.
Should be fine.

>>31327641
Fuck yeah Arcadia!
>As soon as possible. Tomorrow afternoon or evening.

>>31327641
>Wait for Friday night.
So that we can keep players interested.

>>31327641
>>Wait for Friday night.

>>31327641
>>Wait for Friday night.

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>>31327852
>>31327759

"Friday night would be good," you say. "In case it takes longer than expected."

"Yeah, and it'll give me some time to level," Amadeus says. "I'm gonna give it a shot."

It occurs to you that you might need to remind Melissa to go to class at some point, but you're also glad she's enjoying the game.

"Okay, that gives us a few days grace. Log back in tomorrow afternoon if you can," Mason says. "I'll have some numbers for you. It'll give everyone something to talk about this week if the meat doesn't show up."

"What is this meat you're all waiting for?" Amadeus asks.

Shrike starts to explain it to him.

"But I don't like PvP."

"Then log out when they show up," Mason says. "Because I don't think they're going to respect your choice to opt out."

You talk for a while longer, and then Mason's mirror chimes and he excuses himself to answer it.

>Wait until he's done and talk with him a while longer.
>Hang out with your other friends for as long as they want to stay online.
>It's getting late. Remind Amadeus of this fact and log out.
>Write in.
>Quit Arcadia.

>>31328007
>>It's getting late. Remind Amadeus of this fact and log out.

>>31328007
>It's getting late. Remind Amadeus of this fact and log out.
Better make sure she doesn't get fucked by Arcadia time.

>>31328007
>It's getting late. Remind Amadeus of this fact and log out.

Time to see if there's any real world weirdness.

>>31328007
>It's getting late. Remind Amadeus of this fact and log out.
Sorry, I'm kind of in and out right now.

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>>31328239
>>31328238
>>31328073

You remind the others of the time, and Trish logs out almost immediately; you got the impression she stayed later than intended. Shrike says he's going to go back to his house to log out, and bids you goodnight.

Amadeus sighs. "You know, this game is dangerous. I really want to stay and explore. I don't feel sleepy at all, and the city looks so mysterious at night."

"You can log in tomorrow."

"I think I'm going to have to ration myself. Thanks for inviting me though, I appreciate it."

Mason's talking to someone he calls 'Finn' and seems to be getting their opinion on the expedition. He notices you heading off and gives you a wave.

You log out.

You barely notice the vertigo now. You lift your glasses off your head. Emily's already in bed, and the light is out.

There's a message from Jess waiting for you:

>Fell asleep and didn't make it to the library. Sry.

It's about eleven. It's not desperately late, but you do have classes tomorrow.

>Jess is probably awake again. Message her and ask if she found anything out from Green's links.
>Message Melissa before she goes to bed and chat about the game.
>Go to bed.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31328361
>>Jess is probably awake again. Message her and ask if she found anything out from Green's links.

>>31328361
>Jess is probably awake again. Message her and ask if she found anything out from Green's links.
Info!

>>31328361
>Go to bed.

>>31328361
>Go to bed.

>>31328450
>>31328409

You decide to message Jess, since she of all people doesn't seem to care about sleeping patterns.

You: Hey. You awake?
smokeonthewind: Hello. Yeah. Just made coffee.
You: How'd the research go?
smokeonthewind: Mixed. It's pretty dry. These guys didn't leave any writing behind. Just statues and a few ruins.
smokeonthewind: I found a bunch of nutty stuff online too, about Atlantis and even some guy who thinks they're related to the Easter Island statues.
smokeonthewind: There is something weird though. The stone they made the statues out of doesn't come from the island. Quarried elsewhere.
You: Where?
smokeonthewind: They don't know.
smokeonthewind: Also, I talked to my parents. They're taking it VERY seriously. They said they were going to contact Melifiquous.
You: Who is that? (I'm almost scared to ask.)
smokeonthewind: Mom's spirit guide. Ugh. I honestly dunno if talking to them was a good idea.
You: Sorry. It was worth a try.
smokeonthewind: The library's shut, but I did look at the catelogue. We've got a copy of a translation of the Greek trader who wrote about the island. That might be your best bet; I can't find it online.
You: Maybe I'll have a look. Thanks.

Jess sends you the call number, and you make a note of it.

>Stay up and talk about other things.
>Go to bed.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31328745
>Stay up and talk about other things.

>>31328745
>Play Arcadia.

>>31328745
>>Go to bed.

>>31328745
Sleep

>>31328745
>Go to bed.

>>31328745
>Stay up and talk about other things.
Has she ever tried meditation? Not the crazy spiritual stuff, just to relax and get some rest.

>>31328987
>>31328976
>>31328865

You leave Jess doing whatever she does all night, and get ready to sleep. As usual, you don't remember any dreams.

You wake up at seven am with a hollow, slightly sick feeling in your stomach. You remember that all you had for dinner last night was coffee and a few cupcakes, and you are ravenous.

Classes don't begin for another two hours. Emily is still asleep. It's raining; you can hear it falling on the roof.

>Scavenge something, anything, and try and get another couple of hours sleep.
>Get up and make a proper breakfast in the common room.
>Head in to campus early, grabbing breakfast on the way, to get started on the day's study. The sooner you start, the sooner you can call it a day and play Arcadia.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31329117
Proper breakfast

>>31329117
Breakfast time!

>>31329117
>Get up and make a proper breakfast in the common room.

>>31329117

>Head in to campus early, grabbing breakfast on the way, to get started on the day's study. The sooner you start, the sooner you can call it a day and play Arcadia.

Addiction!

>>31329117
>Head in to campus early, grabbing breakfast on the way, to get started on the day's study. The sooner you start, the sooner you can call it a day and play Arcadia.

>>31329138
>>31329296

Fuck it. With all the weird stuff going on, you can't afford to neglect yourself. Despite the miserable weather, you fling off the blankets and roll out of bed.

Even the sight of the large bug skittering under the doorway as you get up elicits nothing more than a 'oh fuck off' under your breath. You're starting to get used to the horrible things and at this time of the morning that doesn't even bother you.

Now is the time of day for the fitness freaks. Lean, sporty girls who have probably been up since six attending yoga classes. There are a group of them in the common room, making breakfast smoothies or eating muesli with low-fat milk. Some of them had even braved the rain to go jogging.

You don't cook often, so when you do you try and make the most of it. You get a certain sense of satisfaction from the expressions of the others when you grease up a frying pan. Maybe the slightest of them could arm wrestle you to a standstill, but your breakfast is boss.

By the time you're sitting down to bacon and eggs and toast and coffee (not Jess's but it'll do) the dorms have started to wake up properly. Your actions inspire a couple of other students to cook breakfast as well.

You're washing up your dishes when you catch a glimpse of Jess practically running past the common room for the front door. The expression on her face is not a pleasant one; she looks horrified.

>You've still got an hour to study before class. Grab your bag and umbrella and go.
>See what's up with Jess.
>The library's open now. Go look for that greek book.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31329491
>See what's up with Jess.
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS DETECTED
ENGAGE PALADIN MODE

>>31329491
Jess

>>31329491
>See what's up with Jess.
Do we need to run as well?

>>31329491
>>See what's up with Jess.

>>31329491
>Play Arcadia.

>>31329491
>See what's up with Jess.
Is this where our paranoia gats justified?

>>31329608
>>31329553

You hand off your clean crockery to another student who's also cooking and hurry out into the rain after Jess. Jess hasn't bothered with an umbrella either, and cold, slanting rain dampens your hair. It's not heavy enough for you to be concerned about your glasses, however. They can handle a bit of damp.

By the time you get outside, Jess is in the car park. Parked within it, next to the cars of those students with rich parents or jobs is an aged VW van. Its sides are (badly) painted with some sort of alien landscape across which a unicorn ridden by a naked woman with artfully arranged long hair gallops.

You can see crystals hanging from the rear-vision mirror. A middle-aged couple, both with long, greying hair, stand with Jess under a rainbow umbrella. They regard her with expressions of worry and kindness, while if Jess had fur it would be standing on end.

"You drove all night!?" you hear Jess protest. Clearly she wasn't expecting a visit from her parents today.

>Oh this is so not your problem. They haven't seen you; make an escape, get your stuff, and head to campus.
>Head over and see what's going on. Jess could use some moral support.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31329822
>Head over and see what's going on. Jess could use some moral support.
They should be fun!

>>31329822
>Oh this is so not your problem. They haven't seen you; make an escape, get your stuff, and head to campus.

>>31329822
Head over

>>31329822
>Head over and see what's going on. Jess could use some moral support.
And by 'moral support' I of course mean 'encourage their kookyness as much as possible'.

>>31329822
>Oh this is so not your problem. They haven't seen you; make an escape, get your stuff, and head to campus.

>>31329822
Watch from the side

>>31329822
>Head over and see what's going on. Jess could use some moral support.
This gon be gud

>>31329885
>>31329866
>>31329904

You approach the group standing by the van. Jess glances at you and you feel slightly guilty; their arrival is probably your fault, even though this was an unexpected consequence, to say the least.

"Hi," you say, as you approach in as friendly a fashion as you can. Jess's father puts his hands together and bows in a Buddhist fashion, while her mother smiles at you.

"Blessed be," she says.

Jess sighs. "Hi Ash. Ash, these are my parents, Jeb and Daciana. Mom, Dad, this is Ash, she's a friend of mine."

"Well then," Daciana says with the brisk non-nonsense manner of an embattled commander at war. "Then she'll be more than welcome to come with us. We can make room."

"Wait, what? Where are you going?" you ask Jess.

"Nowhere! This is ridiculous. I shouldn't have called you guys, you wasted a trip."

"You called us for a reason, Skye," Jeb says gently. "You felt it too."

Skye? you mouth at Jess. She frowns at you and shakes her head slightly.

>"What exactly is going on?"
>Admit it was you who asked Jess to call them.
>Suggest you all go and get a coffee or something rather than huddling under this umbrella; Jess's parents don't seem to mind getting rained on but you do.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31330145
>>"What exactly is going on?"

>>31330145
>Admit it was you who asked Jess to call them.
>"What exactly is going on?"

>>31330145

>Suggest you all go and get a coffee or something rather than huddling under this umbrella; Jess's parents don't seem to mind getting rained on but you do.
>Admit it was you who asked Jess to call them.

>>31330145
>"What exactly is going on?"
Seems ~mysterious~.

>>31330145
>Admit it was you who asked Jess to call them.

>>31330263
>>31330199
>>31330217
>>31330254

"Actually, it was me," you say. "I asked Jess to call." Jess throws you a greatful look, and her mother takes one of your hands.

"You must be extremely sensitive," she says earnestly. "You've seen further, without knowing what you are looking for, than many practitioners of the Art have. I think you have potential." Her eyes twinkle merrily at you.

"Yeah. What exactly is going on?" You extract your hand as politely as you can. Daciana smells faintly of incense and dried herbs. Or maybe it's the VW that smells. You can see what looks like a tiny, cramped living room through the back windows; they must go camping.

"Something terrible," Jeb says slowly. "Daciana's seen many great and terrible things but what Melifiquous told us, well, had to act. We love all living creatures, Skye, but you are our daughter, and we will always be there for you."

"Yeah, that's very sweet," Jess says. "But I'm not leaving."

"We are all in great danger," Daciana says. "I threw on as many protective wards as I could, but we had to hurry; I couldn't be as thorough as I'd liked. Come inside, we'll be safer there." She motions towards the van.

>Go with it. It's entertaining at least.
>Tell them you have class and escape.
>Follow Jess's cue; you'll go in if she does.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31330442
>Follow Jess's cue; you'll go in if she does.

>>31330442
"I don't think this is something you can run away from."

>>31330442
>Follow Jess's cue; you'll go in if she does.

>>31330442
>>Follow Jess's cue; you'll go in if she does.

>>31330442
>Follow Jess's cue; you'll go in if she does.
No wonder she wanted away from them, imagine this every day.

>>31330549
>>31330480

Jess's parents fold their umbrella and slid back the door to the van.

"They're not going to drive off with us, are they?" you mutter to Jess, and her mouth curls slightly in the first sign of amusement you've seen from her today.

"Don't give them ideas," she says. She follows them into the van, and you enter last. Inside the smell is even more overpowering. Crystals and various other religious icons hang from the walls. The interior is crammed full of camping furniture, and you're directed to sit on a folding bed while Jeb and Daciana pull a seat out from the wall.

There's even a tiny gas stove and they put the kettle on.

"Be welcome here," Jeb says while Daciana serves you a bowl of what appear to be sunflower seeds. You eat one politely. Jess shakes her head.

Jeb closes the door and the sound of rain is muted slightly.

Daciana folds her hands, and appears to pray for a few moments. "When I consulted Melifiquous last night, he was very reluctant to come forth. I was almost say he was scared to approach our realm. I've never seen anything like it; he is curious about us and normally very eager to talk."

Jess just listens with a resigned expression.

"Great negative power is gathering, even in defiance of the position of the stars, which leads me to think that this is no natural phenomenon. The universe, you see, goes in cycles." She addresses this part to you specifically.

>Let her talk.
>Ask her about the danger.
>Ask her about the statues on the island.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31330726
>Ask her about the statues on the island.
Well if it's not a natural phenomena, we should focus on the UNnatural.

>>31330726
>Play Arcadia.

>>31330726
>Ask her about the statues on the island.
"That's great, but about the important stuff..."

>>31330726
>Ask her about the statues on the island.

>>31330726
>Ask her about the statues on the island.

>>31330859
>>31330839
>>31330817

"Look, I was specifically interested in those statues on the island. Do you know anything about those?" You balk at asking if Melifiquous knows anything; you're just going to ignore that part.

"Ah yes," Jeb speaks up. "The Atlantians. They are related to this."

Daciana nods seriously. "They also knew how to contact beings from other realms, and like us now, they could tell when negative energy was in ascendant. Those statues were their last line of defense; they were to rise up should the rest of the world be swallowed, and save whatever they could."

"It didn't work, did it?" Jess snaps. "They're gone, and the statues are still in the ground."

"The world didn't get devoured, did it, Skye?" Daciana says, like it's obvious. "It never came to pass. Perhaps they used the last of their power to avert the catastrophe."

"And we must do the same," Jeb says. "We must retreat to sacred places, contact the others-"

"I thought you had a feud going with your coven," Jess says.

"Child, it is not a feud, it is a disagreement. Conflict is part of the Art as well," Daciana says.

Jess rolls her eyes. "Yes, whatever."

((Sorry. Phone call. More soon.))

>>31331071
>Play Arcadia

(Sorry. Back now.)

>>31331071

"The point is you're not safe here," Daciana says. "You have to come with us, and Ash to, since she clearly has the Sight, she could help us greatly, even untrained."

"No way," Jess says. "I've got assignments. I'm not going camping in some mystic circle while your friends dance naked around a campfire. I'm not a kid any more; you can't make me. This was a bad idea."

>What exactly are you worried will happen? In concrete terms.
>Jess looks fed up. Suggest you go to class and make an escape.
>Ask them to keep you updated on 'negative energy' developments.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31331398
>Make bird noises

>>31331398
>Jess looks fed up. Suggest you go to class and make an escape.
There are no power outlets out wherever they are taking us, fuck them, and fuck not being able to play Arcadia

>>31331398
>What exactly are you worried will happen? In concrete terms.

>>31331420
Wait, wrong quest, sorry
>Jess looks fed up. Suggest you go to class and make an escape..

>>31331398
>What exactly are you worried will happen? In concrete terms.

>>31331398
Ask if they know of any new age people who are either rich or very skilled with technology.

Talk about some of the stranger aspects of Arcadia, like the slaves, mirrors, lack of writing etc. Is it just weird for the sake of weird, or is it based off of one of their hippie philosophies?

>>31331585
What? no, run away, these people are obviously crazy hippies!

>>31331433
>>31331532

"What exactly are you worried will happen, in concrete terms."

"Well..." Daciana looks like she doesn't have words for the first time. "That's the thing, you just don't know how energy could manifest in the real world. But just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it's not real. Like electricity."

You shift your jaw and manage somehow not to start an argument.

Instead you nudge Jess, "We have to go to class now. It was nice meeting you."

They don't try to stop you leaving or anything.

"Be careful," Daciana says. "I'll imagine light around you both."

"Just head up to your mountains," Jess says. "We'll be fine down here. I still have your crystal."

It doesn't seem to be getting through.

You and Jess escape back into the rain, and hurry over to the dorms. Because of the weather, no one is lingering, but the van is sort of hard to miss. Jess is going to be the topic of gossip again, you can tell.

"Thank fuck we got out of there before they served the herbal tea," Jess says. "That stuff tastes like washing up water."

>Apologise.
>"What are they going to do now?"
>"Was any of that useful do you think?"
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31331672
>Apologise.
>"What are they going to do now?"

>>31331672
>Apologise.
>"What are they going to do now?"

>>31331672
>Apologise.
>"Is there any world where some of that stuff was useful, do you think?"

>>31331672
>"What are they going to do now?"

>>31331855
>>31331785
>>31331712

"I'm sorry," you say.

"It's not really your fault, well, it kinda is," Jess smiles. "But believe me if I thought they were going to pull this stunt I'd not have called them in a million years. I don't think anyone could have predicted that."

She frowns, "To be honest, I've never really seen them worked up like that. All their stuff is usually about how kind and fluffy the universe is. Gifts of nature, one with the cosmos, love and light and all that stuff." She shrugs awkwardly, "This serious attitude is kind of new. It's like if you had an ordinary family and you came home one day and they were digging a bomb shelter in the back yard."

She does look a bit upset. As weird as her parents are, there are clearly levels of weirdness she hadn't realised they were capable of reaching.

"What are they going to do now?" you ask.

"I have absolutely no idea. I've never seen them like this. My guess is that they'll hang around and try and persuade me, and now you, until their nerve breaks and they head for the forest, or wherever they want to go."

"Do they seriously expect all four of us to live in a van?"

Jess shrugs, "I guess. I just have to wait until they calm down. Maybe when nothing disastrous happens they'll go away. Or Melifiquous will change his mind and send them home, we should be so lucky."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm used to it, sort of. I'm gonna go to class and I think I'll be back late."

Your classes are starting soon too.

>Grab your stuff and spend the morning in class.
>Continue your investigation in the library. Skip class.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31332051
>Grab your stuff and spend the morning in class.

>>31332051
>Grab your stuff and spend the morning in class.

>>31332051
>Grab your stuff and spend the morning in class.
Gotta be a student as well.

>>31332139
>>31332120
>>31332100

You bid Jess farewell and grab your gear before heading off to class. Martin and Wing both attend, and Martin looks more awake today.

He tells you that he's not going to get angry about being meat; he's going to try and play the game anyway.

"Meat mode is hard mode. It makes us extra awesome, right?" Apparently he's been exploring, and he found a town built into the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean. He just has to figure out how to get up there. His description doesn't match any part of the game world you've seen so far.

He seems to be having fun at least.

Melissa messages you mid-morning you to let you know she's going to skip her afternoon classes to play.

>Don't judge me! It's a prac this morning and my brain will be full XD

By lunchtime the rain is starting to come down hard, and you're glad you brought your umbrella. You wonder how Jess's parents are getting on in their van; you hope the weather might encourage them to move on sooner.

As you eat lunch, you consider the afternoon ahead.

>Keep up the classwork.
>Go to the library and find that book.
>Head back to the dorm and play Arcadia.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31332396
Oh boy, we're not gonna turn Melissa into a neet are we?
>Go to the library and find that book.
Work work.

>>31332396
>Go to the library and find that book.

>>31332396
>Keep up the classwork.
if classes are hard, otherwise
>Go back to dorms for Arcadia

>>31332396
Let's see how long it takes us to find that book, as long as the class is in like a lecture hall or something.

If it's a smaller class then attend.

>>31332396
>>Keep up the classwork.

>>31332442
>>31332430

Since you're over here, and you don't fancy a walk back to the dorms in the rain, you head over to the library to look for that book. If it's interesting, you're confident you can get away with skipping class, and if it's not useful you won't have missed much if you turn up late.

Since the weather is so awful, plenty of other students had the same idea, and all the computers and study carrels are full.

You find yourself wandering through a little-used area. There are no textbooks here, just dusty old tomes of history and politics. It's quiet and peaceful at least.

You peer through your glasses, looking for a matching call number.

The book you are searching for turns out to be a small, green volume, with a slightly frayed cloth binding. You open it carefully, slightly worried as to how well it will hold together, but it seems intact.

It smells old, but its a comforting, academic smell. Before you got into games, you used to be a big reader as a kid.

>Settle down and flip through it here.
>Borrow the book and attend class late.
>Borrow the book and take it back to your dorm to read.
>Write in.
>Play Arcadia.

>>31332673
>Borrow the book and attend class late.
If class is boring we can just read the book during.

>>31332673
>Borrow the book and attend class late.

>>31332673
>>Borrow the book and attend class late.
Better be diligent.

>>31332727
>>31332762

You grab the book and go to class, and you didn't miss all that much. You get a message from Jess halfway through.

smokeonthewater: Just a heads up. They're camping in the car park. *sigh* Technically trespassing, but I can't call security on my own parents.

There doesn't seem to be anything much you can do about it. The afternoon passes without incident.
~~~
A very boring place to end it, but I have to call it now.

The good news is there are a couple of long weekends coming up, so I might be able to run some more substantial threads soon.

Before I forget, thanks for the upvotes on suptg. I never imagined my threads would start going purple. And as always thanks for playing.

I'll run same time next week at the earliest, or delay it til the weekend and run longer once I find out what's happening. Twitter will have details.

File: 1396923701965.png-(80 KB, 202x465, Merry - Smile 4.png)

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>>31333050
Looking forward to next time then.

>>31333050
thx 4 runin budi gud thred

>>31333050
You run a fun and interesting quest. I can't wait for the plot to actually get rolling, it feels like we're right on the edge of OH GOD WHY IS EVERYTHING ON FIRE.

>>31333050
This quest is quite interesting!

I hope I can catch up on a live thread.