Origin ARS (Origin A.R.S. Book 2) (30 page)

“Those needs never did get satisfied, you know.” said Sharde. She looked at Scott with a doe-eyed expression, cute and sad.

“Good.” said Rhea. She looked at Sharde with a flat expression, no cuteness involved.

Sharde looked at Rhea for a moment then blushed. The embarrassment passed and she brazenly asked, “Rhea, can I play with your boyfriend?”

“No.” Rhea crossed her arms and gave off her best impression of an emotionless ice sculpture.

“Fine... I miss you, though. When are we going to play together again?” asked Sharde. This time she was far more serious.

Rhea sighed loudly. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been distant for a while now.”

Sharde trotted over and sat beside her sister. She leaned against the elf and sighed as well. “I’ll just put it all out there. I’m jealous.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” said rhea.

Scott was not certain about what was going on, so he remained silent. However, Ero murmured inside his mind and his eyes lit up. She was alright. He had been worried about the tiny little fairy. Maybe she fell asleep if he used one of her powers? He would have to ask her when she actually woke up.

The ninja girl clasped Rhea’s free hand then squeezed it a little. “We used to play together all the time. You know what that meant to me.”

Rhea squeezed her sister’s hand. “Yeah, but...”

“Then... When you came back from visiting Earth that time, you changed. You spent all of your time pining after some boy you were crushing on.”

“I didn’t pine...” muttered Rhea.

Sharde stared at her flatly. “Girl, you had it bad and you know it. Still do.”

Rhea’s face took on a light pink shade but she did not deny it. Instead, she squeezed Scott’s hand a little tighter.

The ninja looked at the hand holding Scott’s hand then pouted. “I checked into that guy and found out that he was actually pretty interesting.”

“Sharde...” Rhea’s tone of voice sounded adorably dangerous. It was a hateful sound, but it would make someone want to hug her instead of draw weapons.

“Can you really blame me? I don’t want to mess up your chance and all, but I miss you. We used to share everything...”

“Sharde, I know that... but I can’t do that. Not this time.”

The ninja girl drew her legs up and rested her chin on her knees. She closed her eyes and pressed her eyebrows tightly together. “Did you know that he only likes cheese on a sandwich? Well, single sliced cheese. He likes melted cheese on a lot of things.”

“Hmm?” asked Rhea. What was Sharde talking about?

“He thinks that the original Power Rangers were the best, but he gives a nod of recognition to a few of the latter series due to their divergent storyline concepts.” continued the red haired girl.

“Sharde, what are you talking about?” asked Rhea.

“He used to bake cookies for his mother when he came home on leave from his army unit, just to make her feel better... and he...” Sharde started to cry softly.

It was Scott who spoke up. On some level, that had been a creepy bit of knowledge about his habits. However, he chose to ignore that and asked an obvious question just to give her an outlet. “You really paid that much attention to me?”

Rhea looked at him curiously and then back to her sister. Sharde nodded her head.

“You like grilled cheese sandwiches, but always burn the toast. You put jalapenos in spaghetti and...”

Rhea understood now, what Scott had been doing. “Sharde, how much did you watch him?”

Sharde sniffed a little then looked up at Rhea, teary-eyed. “I didn’t mean to! I promise that I didn’t...”

“Sharde... Why?” asked Rhea. “Why would you watch him so closely?”

The ninja master shook her head. “I... At first, I just wanted to know what made him so special. Why, out of all the infinite number of people in existence... Why was it this guy? Why did you want this guy?”

Scott did not say it, but he was curious about the answers to those questions as well. What was with the fixation that Rhea and now, apparently, Sharde had toward him. Rhea had given him her real reason, but he was still interested in hearing more about it.

Sharde bit her lower lip. “I love you Origin. I don’t mean to do things that hurt you...”

The elf started to cry a little, too, and then slipped her arms around her sister. “I love you too, Shara.”

They embraced for a time. When they pulled away Sharde stood silently, trembling. Occasionally, she would look at Rhea and then glance at Scott in a sidelong manner. Her lower lip began to quiver and she clenched her hands.

“It’s OK... Just this once, Sharde.” said Rhea in a soft voice, nearly a whisper.

Scott blinked then cried out in panic as an excited red haired ninja girl hurled herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and gave him a warm hug.

The sorcerer looked down toward Rhea, his eyes wide in confusion. She looked at him with a hopeful expression and nodded her head a little.

Scott understood, he hoped that he did anyway. He wrapped his arms around the surprisingly emotional girl and embraced her warmly as well. Sharde gasped softly. After her confusion and surprise passed she smiled brightly then snuggled into his embrace.

Uncertain what else to do, the mildly confused man leaned his head against hers. He became alarmed once again when he heard her start to cry. Why was she like this? He could understand having a crush, or whatever it was that she had for him. He’d had plenty of those in his life. Why was she acting like her world was coming to an end, though?

Sharde sniffled gently then pulled back a little. She looked into Scott’s eyes then smiled in a sad and nervous manner. “This...is nice.”

He rubbed her lower back a little out of instinct. Rhea’s eyes darted down to his hand then narrowed slightly.

The ninja-girl’s face took on a slightly reddened shade. “Mmm...”

Scott smiled at her. He was glad that she was starting to feel a little better. He was not that good with dealing with other people’s emotional issues. He could barely handle his own at times.

“Oh, uhm... This outfit.... What do you think of it? I wore it for you.” asked Sharde. She was still crying a little, but she seemed slightly calmer. She leaned back a little, but did not step away so that he could take a better look at it.

He did not need her to step back, however. He remembered it clearly. It was a near-exact duplicate of the outfit that Mai Shiranui wore in the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters games. He did not want to make the delicate situation worse, so he decided to go for a humorous response. “It’s so good that I think SNK should sue.”

“R-really? You think so? That’s so sweet! I could kiss you.” said Sharde in a loud, happy, tone. Her cheeks turned bright red and her smile lit up her face with an appearance of great joy.

“No, you couldn’t.” replied Rhea. Her sword was now sitting on her lap. The implication was an idle threat considering their current level differences, but the intended message was conveyed. Keep it casual, sis.

Sharde pouted at her sister. “Please?”

“No.”

“Come on... Just one? He complimented my outfit... You know how much work I put into my cosplay...” said Sharde.

Rhea casually inspected her blade then glanced up at Sharde. “Nope.”

“That’s mean. That fairy of his gets to hug Scott’s face while she’s naked, and I can’t even get one innocent little kiss from my sister’s boyfriend...”

Scott quirked an eyebrow. Was that statement supposed to make sense? More to the point, how did she know that? Had she been in the room when Ero had done that? He had suspected that she was hiding in there invisibly during his talk with Rhea, but did not know that she had been watching him before that time.

“Sorry, I’ve had one already. I know you won’t be able to stop at one.” said Rhea.

“Now you’re just being cruel.” replied the ninja-girl with a pout.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” asked Scott.

“No, you do not.” replied Rhea coolly. She looked at him then snorted loudly.

Scott returned her cool look with a smirk. He had to admit, she was cute when she slightly homicidal. After realizing that he had thought such a thing, he immediately began to wonder about the state of his sanity.

Sharde sighed softly. “So, this is what it would have been like....”

Rhea cast her gaze downward. “Sharde...”

“I know...” The ninja master slowly pulled away from Rhea’s man-candy then took a step back. She sighed softly then moved to sit next to her sister.

“I’ve been unfair.” said Sharde.

“No, not really. I should have spent more time with you.” said Rhea.

Sharde leaned against her sister then kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, for that small bit of kindness.”

Rhea blushed a little then squeezed her sister’s hand. “Thank you for understanding...”

“Yeah, I guess...” Sharde sighed softly once more. She was in the presence of her favorite person, and also someone who she had fixated on for a long time now. They were technically her two favorite people, yet she felt like she was intruding.

Rhea placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder and smiled. “Hey, don’t worry. You’ll find your Scott someday, too.”

“My... Scott?” asked Sharde. She looked her sister in the eyes carefully.

“Well, yes. You are a sweet and loving person Sharde. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life.” said Rhea.

However, Sharde had not really heard her. The words, “Your Scott.” continued to tumble through her mind. Slowly, those words made associations. Those associations became ideas. A goofy smile spread across her face and the ninja girl began to drool a little.

“A Scott of my own...” said Sharde. Her eyes widened a little and she tilted her head to the side.

“Hmm?” asked Rhea. What was her sister talking about?”

Sharde kissed Rhea sweetly on the cheek then cried out, “Thank you! That’s exactly what I’ll do!”

Rhea was about to ask her what she was talking about, but a soft voice interrupted them. “Mistress, not to interrupt... But may I
please
stand up now?”

Six, the ninja from earlier, continued to gaze forward steadily. During their entire conversation, he had resolutely maintained his kneeling position. He had not been dismissed, but it was obvious that he would like to be.

Sharde looked to number six then considered her options. Should she let him stand up or not? Life was full of many decisions and she felt that she should weigh all decisions that she would make from today forward.

###

This is a short list of common terms or concepts used in Origin ARS. Over time it will expand. I have chosen to write them in an informal manner so that some entries will have explanatory examples.

Glossary

ARS:
The name of the world currently owned and operated by Origin Entertainment.

Augmented Reality:
In this world, augmented reality relates to the ‘game system’ used to grant normal mortals enhanced abilities and statistics. Without the system in place, ARS would be like any other world.

Authenticity:
A concept used by the people of the divine city. It relates to a desire to try and live like an authentic human.

Build:
The custom path that players and natives in ARS use as a method of gaining power. It relates to the type of abilities you have and an overall design concept. Someone who wanted to be stealthy, for instance, would develop their agility and stealth skills as their primary abilities and attributes.

Champion:
A non-deity who has been chosen by the gods to have powers similar to players. The champions are aligned with a specific deity and are known as the champion of that deity.

Class:
The core life path of a local, or the chosen template for a player. When you gain a class in ARS you develop the powers and knowledge of that archetypical power set. Even if you’ve never thrown a punch in your life, you can become a master fighter at a fairly low level in ARS.

Level:
The current overall capacity of a creature in ARS. Levels differentiate the weak from the strong, though a wide difference in level can be overcome through innovation. When you gain a level in ARS all of your attributes can increase by several points.

Monster:
A creature that is designed to be nigh-immortal. They randomly spawn at certain points in the world. If they are slain in battle, they will respawn in a location that matches their habitat. There are many types of monsters in the world.

Notorious Murderer:
A player or local who has killed a member of a non-monster race, such as humans or elves. They are restricted in how they can interact with the world, and can be easily differentiated from other players and locals due to the fact that their name will be openly displayed for all to see.