auroraexpress | (no subject)

[ He's a Keybrat. It takes a lot to wear them down. ]

I didn't realize just hanging out with people could wear you down.

Sparks? What are those?

Depends on the person. Ah, and the context, too ... some of the parties get personal with truth-or-dare games, or social bingo where you have to complete tasks with as many people as possible.

So ... if you're the type who likes to dive head-first into bonding, you'll love it.

[ She blinks, surprised, at the question. ]

Eh? Uhm ... when we bond, or take part in trials and things like that, we generate "Sparks of Light". Sparks for short. For people like me, who've lost all their memories, or others who lost all their powers, it's how we get them back ... and it's part of how we purify each world's Prism and free it from the Malice.

Oh, and it's a currency, too. We use it to buy things we need or want.

Oh, that's how we purify the worlds. I thought it was just through the bonding and trials themselves. But if everyone's doing that, why does Dusk need to earn more?

[ He shifts his eyes at the mention of sparks as currency. ]

They can't buy what I want.

It's kind of the same thing. More bonds equals more Sparks equals more purity, and trials are just the best way to generate a lot of Sparks at once.

As for Dusk ... Like I said, he's the kind of person who doesn't let himself rest as often as he should. [ A sigh, fond but exasperated. ] When he sets his heart on something, he's all in.

[ Shifts the mixing bowl on her lap. ]

... They can't buy everything, mm. But if you wanted a personal item from home, or a pet, or to redecorate your room or make a meal for a bunch of people, you'll need to use them.

[ He turns back for a moment. ]

If he uses up all his energy like that, he won't be able to enjoy the special moments.

All I want is to get back to my friends. The other stuff doesn't matter. I never really had it anyway.

[ Except for maybe one thing... ]

... It would be nice if I still had my Thalassa shell.

I'll drag him into taking a break kicking and screaming if I have to. [ She will. She'll do it. LET DUSK REST. ]

You will get back to them. It might take some time, but you'll definitely get there. We all will.

What's a Thalassa shell..?

As long as you can hold him down.

[ He sighs and looks at his empty open hand. ]

It's a shell you can only find on Destiny Islands. My friend brought me some when I was... sick.

[ Coma, sick, it's all the same, right? ]

When I... lost her for a while, it was all I had left.

[ Who knows what happened to it after his fight with Riku and the mess with the other Twilight Town. ]

[ Hah ] I'm stronger than I look!

[ She sobers, though, listening to him speak of his shell. ]

I can see why it's so important to you ... If you want, I can try to help you earn enough sparks to buy it.

Would it be the actual shell?

Yup. Things from home cost more, I think because it's harder to bring them here than it is to just create something similar.

But I thought the other worlds were lost. How can we just pull something from them?

They are, kind of. Uhm-

[ Pulls out her Chain, navigating through to the IC guide and reading outloud: ]

"Roughly a year ago, an unknown someone unleashed an evil force called Malice on the universe. Malice is a corrupted magic made up of negative emotions like despair, hatred, and fear. It took over the universe in a mere day. In most worlds, it happened so quickly you wouldn't have noticed. Plants and animals are turned into malicious creatures..." And so on. So it's more like they're pulling the objects out of the Malice-infected remnants of the worlds that were.

[ Makes a face. ]

But we still can't pull out the people?

No ... I guess that's because souls are a lot more difficult to work with than inanimate objects.

But maybe that'll change one day, when we've built up enough Sparks.

Right. So what's the best way to earn points outside of the trials?

Ah, there's a sign in the Lounge listing all of the bonds. Off the top of my head, they're giving comfort; giving gifts; physical affection; making a gesture of gratitude; and verbally or physically defending someone ...

Then there's the team specific bonds. Clover's are jokes and encouraging play. My team's are promises and compliments.

Encouraging play? So just games?