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JessiFlakes and TeeJayeDee [Fantasy becomes Reality]
"Medium toned skin, a bit on the pale side with long, waving raven hair that flows just past her lower back. Her eyes are a light brown, and appear to have flecks of gold in them. She stands at about 5'5" and wears a purple, hooded robe that is tied at the waist with a leather strap that has a few pouches attached to it containing various ingredients." Chandra mumbles as she jots down the latest character's specifications.
"Last one." She leaned back in her chair, her well-worn t-shirt riding up as she stretched out. Her own hair was a dirty blonde, and kept bobbed because basically, she didn't want to spend any more time away from coding than needed. Fourteen characters had been dumped on her after Jake had gotten fired for... well, just abandoning his job. Now the deadline loomed and Chandra Fallworth was coding like mad to get the game done on time. "Golden Era IV" would release on time, thanks to her dedication. She paused a bit longer, but didn't dare close her eyes. Chandra pushed herself back with her long, and a bit skinny, legs, in her rolling chair so she could stand up and motivate herself to the fridge for another Red Bull. She went to the kitchen and grabbed both the Red Bull and a bag of pepperoni slices before she returned to her computer. Two minutes later, half the drink and a quarter of the half-pound bag of pepperoni were gone and she was ready to tackle the last character. Her hazel eyes fixed on the character generator and tweaked the model until it looked like what she had envisioned. She was about to save the finishing touches when the lights flickered and died. No matter, she had a backup power supply for her box and she hit the save button. "Ouch!" Chandra exclaimed as she got shocked a bit as she did that. "How in the hell?..." She wondered why she had gotten shocked when all she had done was click with her wireless mouse. There must have been some cheap metal near the surface of it or something. "Well, I'm done at least." Chandra saved all of her work to her backup drive and shut her computer off, then washed down another handful of pepperoni with the last of her Red Bull. "Tests can wait until morning." Chandra tapped the top of her iPhone and it made the satisfying click that it normally did. She opened her email and told the project manager that it was all done and she'd upload the last files in the morning. Three days early, so he wouldn't freak out too much if he didn't get it right away. Chandra grabbed her headphones for her iPhone and headed to her bedroom, stepping over the usual boxes of manuals, various computer parts, and stacks of software that she normally did to negotiate her pack-rat house. It was neat, just... full. She didn't notice the strange glowing light from both her computer's tower case and the keyboard as she fired up her "I Heart Radio" application and made herself comfortable in her bed, which was piled high with pillows (more than the average person could conceivably need) and nodded off. |
The second the save button was hit, the raven haired woman opened her eyes. She knew what had happened: She had been born. A wave flowed from her body as the power to her world faltered. She gazed around with her curious brown eyes, the golden flecks illuminating a little in the light from the moon. It was night time where she was, but after being born just moments ago, she needed no sleep. She wandered around, her eyes flickering over everything and everyone else, but she knew not where to go.
The woman saw up ahead a tavern and entered it, looking for a liquid to ease the dryness of her throat. She found in one of her pockets a fair amount of gold coins, and paid for a drink of ale, while she sat at the bar, chatting with both the bartender and the others at the bar, including a rogue, two soldiers and an apothecary. When asked for her name, she instantly replied, "Airedella" not knowing where it came from. Had she been born with this name? How was it that the name flowed from her lips so naturally, so willingly? 'Airedella' she repeated in her mind. She had a name, she smiled. She carried on with the others awhile longer, not sure why her body was feeling so heavy and sluggish, until the bartender asked if she wanted a room. She then made the connection- she was tired and did need sleep. She nodded and told the bartender she would like one as a matter of fact, and she traded a few more coins for a key, and followed the directions to her room, up the stairs, after bidding goodbye to her new acquaintances. When she entered the room, it was dark enough to not be able to see ones hand in front of their face. She walked to the candle on the nightstand, leaving the door open so she could see and she waved a hand over the candle. The candle flickered to life and Airedella walked back and shut the door to her room, locking it as well. She had done magic by instinct, without even realizing it. As heavy as she felt, she was not yet ready to close her eyes. Airedella looked around the room, all the objects in it so familiar yet so foreign to her at the same time, but she had no understanding as to why. She didn't know it, but because she was new to this life, she knew nothing, but because of how her character was programmed in the real world, she knew it all. She lay on the bed, waving her hand across the candle and back again, making it flicker off and on. Her eyelids were growing heavy, and she knew she needed to sleep. Waving her hand passed the candle again, she turned over in the darkness, facing an empty wall. Airedella could not see the glowing coming from across the room, as she was fast asleep withina few moments before her eyes had adjusted. |
Deadlines
Chandra woke up around 6am, and disentangled her headphones from around her neck. She fished around and found her iPhone and placed it on its charger without even looking. It made the satisfying bleep as it snapped into place, so she knew her power was back on. "Up and at em." she told herself, as she rolled out of bed and dropped her headphones on the nightstand next to her iPhone.
After a short stretching routine, the programmer padded into her bathroom to take a shower. In the midst of scrubbing her hair, she seemed to catch a light coming from her living room. She thought he had shut down last night. Oh well, it would be faster to reboot if she didn't and everything was backed up anyway. Ten minutes later, she'd dried herself off and was standing in front of her closet. She grabbed her L337 eye chart t-shirt and slipped it on, then pulled on a pair of sweatpants, some nice warm socks and a pair of Uggs. http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images...-eye-chart.jpg Chandra shuffled over to her computer, this time taking time to restack the boxes of computer parts that had tipped onto their sides as she did. "Huh. Computer is off. Then what... Ah whatever. Red Bull contrails I guess." She sat down at her computer and reached over to turn it on... Purple energy coursed over her, and in fact the entire side of the room was engulfed. It wasn't painful, but she couldn't move or even speak. Chandra felt suddenly queasy as the energy brightened in intensity... The energy faded and the room was empty. ... Chandra landed with a thump on her hands and knees on the crude wooden floor. There was a strange purple glow behind her but the room was dark, and smelled odd, as she pulled herself to her feet. Where was she? She looked around and saw what could easily have been a scene from "Golden Age IV" around her. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of cloth-on-cloth, and looked over. "Airedella." she said out loud. This was the strangest dream she had in a long time, she thought. |
Ariedella stirred with the thud, and her eyes flew open at her name. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but she was wide awake. She flipped over to see someone in unusual clothing, a woman, she could tell from the small amount of light entering the room through the tiny window. The woman jumped out of bed and stood before the other, "Who are you and how did you get in here?" Airedella demanded of the girl, holding her hands up as the began to faintly glow a light indigo color. While waiting for an answer, Airedella looked over the intruder: she didn't look threatening, just... strange.
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Zapped!
Chandra held up her hands. "I don't think you'd believe me if I did tell you, but since this is a dream... why not? My name is Chandra, and I am a programmer. I tried turning on my computer, some strange purple light covered me, and the next thing I know I am in this room that looks like it is straight out of a video game I'm coding! And you look exactly like Airedella, a character I've just finished programming. That is why I know this is a dream."
She nodded authoritatively. "Something good better happen in this dream, though. I'm probably running late for emailing the files to my project manager." |
Airedella's eyes furrowed in confusion at the explanation. "I do not understand what you just said. All I can tell you is that my name is Airedella, and this is no dream." she said, still not lowering her guard. The explanation hadn't actually explained anything to Airedella. She was actually still trying to wrap her head around what the other woman had just said. "Answer me: how did you get in here... Chandra." she demanded, using the woman's name because it made her feel she might answer her. She was not looking forward to hurting Chandra, but she was prepared to, if need be. She had not confirmed yet whether or not the intruder was a danger to her or not.
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Explanation
"All right, Airedella. I'll go along with this for now. I was magically transported here from my home. I do not know why or how. I was merely..."she tried to think of a way to say it that a character from Golden Age would understand. "...preparing for my day at work and suddenly strange purple energy surrounded me and suddenly I was here."
She turned away for a moment, where the energy still faintly glowed in one corner. Chandra gestured towards it. "You're the mage, you figure it out." |
Angry, but willing to comply, Airedella looked at the glowing and speaking to herself she whispered, "An energy portal...?" she moved closer to look at it, dropping her hands, at which the glowing ceased. "That required magic far beyond my skill... How did it get here..." she pondered, then turned to look at the intruder, "I do not know who called you to this place or why they brought you to me, but you have come here for a reason, Chandra of Programmer. I have never heard of such a place, where is it...?" she asked, tilting her head a bit as she spoke.
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OMG
Chandra chuckled for a moment. "Programmer is my job, not my name. Fallworth is my last name, if you must know" she shrugged as she said, "As to where I came from in relation to here, wherever here is, I have no idea. I am fairly sure, however, that it this is far away from Seattle, which is the city I'm from. And if memory serves me right, this inn is in the Koss Province of the Upper Kingdom... at least that's the way it was programmed..."
She walked around, inspecting every detail of the room in the same way a craftsman might inspect his work, murmuring this and that under her breath. |
"Chandra of... Seattle." Airedella corrected, watching the woman wander around the room as though she were looking for something, "So, you founded this kingdom?" she asked, still confused. "I do not understand. You are from another world, yet you created this one?" she asked incredulously. How strange this newcomer was- wearing strange things, speaking in a strange dialect... Airedella was not sure what to think. The energy portal in the room, whose glow was beginning to fade, had brought the woman to Airedella, but for what purpose? All the mage could do was ponder this, while waiting for an answer.
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:headdesk:
Chandra sighed as she sat in the one chair in the room. "I am still not totally convinced I am not just dreaming all of this, but I'll do my best to explain. But to do this I need to see if there are a few abstract concepts that you can understand. Technically, since the universe itself has no beginning and no end, all worlds anyone can imagine exist somewhere within it. Obviously I am not from this world. Now, in my world, my work was to help create a... simulation, a game actually. This game seems to directly copy your world. For some as yet undiscovered reason, I was transported from my world, one in which magic is inoperable and science prevails, to this one. Beyond that I don't know."
Once again, Chandra shrugged. She hoped that this time Airedella got the point. She'd been programmed with one of the highest intelligence stats in the game, she'd better, or no one here would understand her. In the back of her mind, a growing mix of terror and excitement built. What if this isn't a dream? she considered. |
Airedella nodded, somewhat understanding the explanation. "So my world is a game to those in your world... Correct?" she asked. "Is that why you believe this to be a dream? Because in your world, this place is not real?" she asked, repeating the far fetched idea back to the woman, as Airedella looked down at her sitting in the chair.
She then tilted her head a moment, "One cannot feel pain in a dream." Airedella mused, moving closer to Chandra with one glowing index finger extended. She gently touched it to Chandra's arm and sent a small electric shock to her arm, "Does that prove it?" |
Ow! Quit it!
Chandra recoiled for a moment, then looked up at Airedella. Her mind quickly ran though a series of realizations and finally, her face took on a slight fear, but more excitement than anything. "This is unreal. Either I've totally lost my mind, or somehow I did the whole Tron thing and got catapulted into a game world... Either way, my best bet is to go along with it."
Chandra stood and drew a long breath, then released it. "You said that transport spell was beyond your skill. Do you know of anyone whose skill it might not be beyond, and where to find them? Because the way I see it, if I ever want to get home again - which right now admittedly I have mixed feelings about - I will need to find someone who is familiar with that sort of magic." She crossed her arms and squinted her eyes at the purple energy as it finally faded away completely. She wouldn't be able to get back that way, at least for now. |
Airedella watched as Chandra recoiled and faced the fact that she was not dreaming. To Airedella, this proved that her own world was real, not just a game of sorts. She then listened with furrowed eyebrows as Chandra began to ramble again about things that Airedella could not comprehend. She was half tempted to know what a "tron" was, but decided not to ask.
When Chandra began to speak of magic, something Airedella knew quite a bit about, she perked up. "There is one, and only one, who would be able to accomplish anything of this sort." she said, not totally knowing for sure that she knew it, but the words still eloquently flowed, "His name is Ojjin. And he lives in the mountains of Akrah. I believe it would be a two day travel from where we stand this moment." she informed the other, while watching the glow fade as well. "It seems as though that would be your only hope of returning to your world." |
Travelling
"I knew that you would know, Airedella." She nodded confidently. "Even in summer, however, I am not entirely sure my garb is sufficient to travel in. I'll need some sort of heavy coat, if only to cover my shirt, which is sure to be out of place..."
Chandra paced a bit, thinking. "Yes, I do recall that quest from... Well I recall that mage as well. What matters is my recollection from my world matches yours, no matter how the mechanism plays out." She furrowed her brow. "Is the Grey Pass open, or is it snowed in right now? That would make the trip easier, as it's less likely for us to run into roving goblins..." |
Airedella looked the woman before her over and nodded in agreement, "We indeed are going to find you some other robes or something for traveling. I am sure whomever we meet will find you as strange as I have. Your clothing, I mean." she corrected quickly, though she also found the way the girl spoke, her dialect and subject matter, to be strange.
Chandra proved her strange way of speaking by talking of the mage and recalling him in her world. As a warning Airedella said, "You may want to refrain from saying 'your world' and things like that when out in public. People might think you crazy." she said, with a small smile. Airedella pondered the next questino posed to her and shook her head, "I do not know, but I would think it is snowed in at this time of the season." she said. |
Pilgrimage
"You're absolutely right. Since I have my hair cut short, I could pass for a monk from the Western Reaches. I'll try to refer to it as 'my land' from now on. I do have some small bit of unarmed combat training, I can handle myself to an extent. Besides, those monks don't speak much and will help keep me from slipping up." As she spoke, she paced around, obviously plotting and recollecting details.
"Yes, yes, this will work. So, where do we get my change of clothes?" She asked, stopping in front of Airedella. She realized for the first time that she was marginally taller than Airedella, but otherwise, she was the perfect girl of her fantasies. Chandra had never been with a woman, but it had been a long time fantasy of hers. She averted her eyes before her mind wandered down that path too far. |
Airedella looked on as Chandra pondered aloud about being a monk, but she wasn't completely sure that the girl could pass for one. "You could be a rogue." she said, "A mercenary... They don't speak much either, and it would explain your short hair." she said.
When the other stopped in front of her, she looked up at her; Chandra was slightly taller, and she hadn't noticed that before. Though, she was looking at Airedella in an odd way. "Well, there is a tailor down the road. We could check with him if he has anything already made, or could make something quick enough." she suggested. |
Mercs and Tailors
"Mercenary. Sure, that will work. I probably have most of the skills for that class too, come to think of it. And that's a good idea about the tailor, but do you have perhaps a spare robe I could borrow for the walk down to town, in the morning that is..." She paused because she realized it was the middle of the night here, and she'd woken Airedella up. She still needs a few hours to fully recover her mana, Gloria thought. I can't have her being half-empty seeing as I won't be terribly good in a fight, unless I've powers due to being a programmer that I haven't discovered yet.
"I'd just gotten up from a full night's rest, and I don't see a second cot in here so.. uh.. I could either just wait for you or lie on the floor until morning..." She'd wanted with all her heart to suggest sharing that bed with Airedella, but she couldn't vocalize that at all. |
Airedella nodded, "Mercenary it is then." she said shortly. She looked around the room to see if anything was lying around that Chandra could possibly wear, "I came into this town with only what I have on my back and in the belt at my waist. I'm afraid I have nothing for you... Nor does there seem to be anything around here." she said, giving Chandra an apologetic look, "I suppose you could borrow my robe until we find something." she said, taking off the purple cloth robe. Underneath she wore a pair of tight black fitted pants that only reached her knees, and a black sleeveless shirt that overlapped the waist of the pants slightly. "I'll look strange, but no where near as strange as you." she laughed.
At the next bit, Airedella had a sudden realization: she had wasted energy shocking Chandra when she hadn't full recovered yet. She knew she would need more rest and listened to the other's suggestions as they came at her. She nodded once. "Well, rather than the floor I see nothing wrong with the bed. We should both fit, seeing as the bed is fairly large and we're not that big." she said, unwilling to submit anyone to lying on the hard creaky floor. "Of course, if there's something else you'd rather do, then go ahead." she said, climbing back into the bed. |
Squee! Fanservice!
After a brief moment where her heart fluttered and she flushed, she quickly got herself under control. "Uh... sure. I usually sleep with pillows all around me so I don't toss about much." Chandra took a deep breath, swallowed, and eased into bed next to Airedella. She had to contain herself when she was in proximity to the mage, but she knew that, if this was real, the girl would need all of her power tomorrow, and that meant getting rest.
In about half an hour, it seemed that Airedella was asleep, and even though Chandra had slept what she usually chalked up as a full night, it had only been about five hours, so she resolved to sleep the rest of the night as well. She settled in, eventually spooning up behind Airedella as she nodded off. If this is a dream, she thought, I should wake up when I go to sleep, right? That was her last thought before falling soundly asleep. |
Airedella seemed to have just fallen asleep when the sun was up, and so was she. She woke to feel someone behind her, paused a minute, and then remembered Chandra. She noticed the other woman was awfully close to her, but remembered the comment she made before they went to bed about pillows, and she must have mistaken Airedella for a row of pillows.
She squirmed away from the other and out of the bed. Standing up and noticed that her robes were on the floor, near Chandra. Airedella walked over and grabbed the wash bowl, went down to gather some hot water from the man who ran the inn, who was also already up, and took it back upstairs to wash her face and such while Chandra was still sleeping. |
Morning
When Chandra awoke and found herself still in the "fantasy" world, she came to the conclusion that she had somehow, indeed come to the world of "Golden Age IV" and now was in the care of a character she had just created the night before. She woke up just as Airedella reentered the room.
Slowly, she stretched out and sat on the edge of the bed. "Thank you for helping out. I know you could just as easily turned me away... or worse." She said to the mage as she cleared the sleep out of her eyes. Chandra noticed she was hungry just now as well, but wasn't going to mention that just yet. No need to seem any more needy than she already was! |
Airedella smiled when she saw Chandra awake; she had been hoping to bath in private, but she wouldn't mind so much having someone to talk to, she supposed. "Satisfied that this is not a dream yet?" she asked, dipping a cloth in the hot water and sitting with her back to Chandra, "We will need to head out soon. We can go get your new clothes and find some place selling food and what we can get. Plus supplies for the journey, of course," she said, starting with her face and neck, then running the cloth up and down her bare arms and her legs that were exposed. Airedella would of course take a proper bath when she did have more privacy.
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Trek
"Of course. It's either totally real or I am completely insane, or both." Chandra grinned. "Either way, I'm prepared to enjoy the trip." She thought a bit about the game, and wished she had somehow been able to bring her guide with her... Wait! her iPhone! the battery wouldn't last forever, but if she put it in airplane mode she'd be able to get some use out of it. Then she realized, she'd left it on to charge, back at home. She'd have to work with her memory, imperfect as it was.
Concealing her disappointment, Chandra stood and stretched. Whilst Airedella's back was turned, she took of her shirt and turned it inside out before donning it again. Sure, the seams were a clue that it was on inside-out, but it was better than the alternative, that was for sure. She sat back down and watched Airedella then realized, she needed to use the facilities. "Uh... Airedella? I assume there is an outhouse behind the inn, right? I think I'll just pop down and use it before we leave if that's all right by you..." |
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