One Reality
"Mac, I think we should see other people."
Iris looked very uncomfortable. McIntyre looked away, he didn't want to add to Iris' discomfort. His insides were already caving in with pain as Astrud Gilberto softly cooed Fly Me to the Moon in the background of the posh restaurant.
Iris had been McIntyre's whole life the passed year. Her every smile made his day, her every silence covered his sun in cloudy skies. It wasn't as if there weren't signs. She had been avoiding him and had stopped returning his messages. And their relationship didn't exactly have a good start, Iris only went out with him because of her, no, their friends' insistence.
And so it ends.
McIntyre walked Iris back to her flat. They had taken a taxi, as they always have. The autumn night was cool and clear and many other people were just beginning to enjoy their weekend, filling the way home with laughing and smiles. McIntyre stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"It's for the best Mac."
"I know."
"Don't come up with me anymore."
"Okay."
"Take care, Mac."
"You too, Iris."
Those were the last words they said to each other as a couple. McIntyre waited for Iris to enter her unit before he let the tears fall.
The way home was a blur of gray. McIntyre always took the "L" home as taxis were a luxury. Laughing and smiling people filled the train but McIntyre didn't want to look at them, he didn't want them to see the tears in his eyes. He stayed in the corner of the train, looking out the windows at the city's night scenery, seeing nothing while the train's PA system blasted a tinny version of Fergalicous.
In his own gray room, he sat in front of his computer and pressed a switch on its gray box. The bright colors of the monitor smeared in his vision as he logged-in and SilentKiller-121 stood in the middle of the Prontera's Market Row. The silence agitated McIntyre so much so that he typed in /BGM, filling the room with the soothing theme of Prontera and damming the river flooding his eyes. The melody began its fourth repetition when McIntyre's mental blank began to lift. SK-121 walked towards the west gate and through it.
Streamside began playing through the speakers and its melody calmed McIntyre's mind, breaking the black clouds that threaten to cover it again. SK-121 walked to the Culvert and sat by the bridge as McIntyre typed in /V 127. The sound of flowing water and chirping birds looped through McIntyre's mind as it looped through the electronic pathways of the gray box.
A bell beeped and a chatbox opened. It's Toukou-Kitsume, a X-files aficionado.
is that you, silentkiller, or is it a facsimile of you? am i alone?
.........., was SK-121's reply.
trust no one my friend. we are being watched.
@_@ @_@ @_@ . A conversation with Kit was always bizarre.
they said it was a weather balloon..... they weren't clean enough..... something was left behind......
the truth is out there, McIntyre replied and thought that Kit was waaay out there.
keep the faith. you're the only one i can trust. have to search some more.... X.
With that Toukou-Kitsume logged out. Kit loves to do that, talk weird then log out for a minute. Solomun would humor Kit sometimes but McIntyre could only follow for a few lines before getting lost under their semantic gibberish.
Kit logged in again and started talking sanely.
hi der its a surpris 2 see u here on a sat nyt ^_^
yup, nothing to do.
yeah me too. been watching reruns. want to go wird out a few folks in prontera? :P
not 2nyt. just walk around.
k. join me in morroc later if u lyk, then Kit added a parting shot, All lies lead to the Truth :P
555, was SilentKiller-121's reply, the Thai shortcut for laughter, cyber-laughter McIntyre could barely share.
SK-121 headed westward then northward and stepped into the portal leading to the next map. Tread on the Ground greeted him with its upbeat tune. Rockers and Creamys were all over the map as he continued westward then northward again, quickly reaching the next portal.
Tread on the Ground continued as he traversed Father Yosuke's map. Northward then westward again to plunge into the next portal.
Plateau welcomed SilentKiller-121 as he stepped out. Its upbeat melody lifted McIntyre somewhat as he moved SK-121 across the map to the purple walls of Geffen. He waited for the score to finish before he entered the town.
The theme of Geffen seems strangely suited for the town. McIntyre always imagined hearing rainfall dripping in the background of this somewhat slow melancholy tune and Geffen's purple-gray color scheme seems to convey a rainy atmosphere. SilentKiller-121 sat at Geffen Fountain while rain formed again over McIntyre's eyes.
McIntyre logged out and stepped out of his small apartment, he wanted a change of scenery. His footsteps clicked a steady beat on the sidewalk as he headed for the bar three blocks away. Through the door, he plunged into darkness and Sugar Ray's Someday.
In dim light, he sat at the counter and signed the bartender for a glass of draft. The bar's CD jukebox changed to a new song as McIntyre's golden, foamy draught was slid over to him, playing Vertical Horizon's Everything You Want. McIntyre reached for a slice of complimentary pizza from a passing waitress.
McIntyre was nursing his second beer through Playing for Keeps by Switchfoot when his cellphone began playing the title theme from Ragnarok Online. It was a SMS message from Susan, Iris' best friend.
iris told me everything, it said, are you ok? would you like to talk?
I'm ok. Just bummed out but I'll be fine, he replied. What else could he say? Even if he was standing on top of a tall building about to jump, he'd still say the same thing.
Susan messaged back, ok but feel free to call or send a message.
i will susan, don't worry, McIntyre sent as he walked to the quiet jukebox and dropped a coin into the slot and punched in a song. The Goo Goo Dolls' Iris escorted him back to his seat as he motioned the bartender for another glass and the bill.
Sleep claimed him quickly, quietly. Its darkness both hiding and revealing images, thoughts and feelings guarded by the brothers Secret and Mystery. Then soon it was dawn again. McIntyre climbed up the stairs to the roof of his apartment and watched the sun rise above the horizon of man-made canyons. Earphones on, he turned on his MP3 player and greeted the new day with Wanna be Free.
It is a new world after all, another adventure, another quest, yet part of the One Adventure and Quest we call life.
Iris looked very uncomfortable. McIntyre looked away, he didn't want to add to Iris' discomfort. His insides were already caving in with pain as Astrud Gilberto softly cooed Fly Me to the Moon in the background of the posh restaurant.
Iris had been McIntyre's whole life the passed year. Her every smile made his day, her every silence covered his sun in cloudy skies. It wasn't as if there weren't signs. She had been avoiding him and had stopped returning his messages. And their relationship didn't exactly have a good start, Iris only went out with him because of her, no, their friends' insistence.
And so it ends.
McIntyre walked Iris back to her flat. They had taken a taxi, as they always have. The autumn night was cool and clear and many other people were just beginning to enjoy their weekend, filling the way home with laughing and smiles. McIntyre stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"It's for the best Mac."
"I know."
"Don't come up with me anymore."
"Okay."
"Take care, Mac."
"You too, Iris."
Those were the last words they said to each other as a couple. McIntyre waited for Iris to enter her unit before he let the tears fall.
The way home was a blur of gray. McIntyre always took the "L" home as taxis were a luxury. Laughing and smiling people filled the train but McIntyre didn't want to look at them, he didn't want them to see the tears in his eyes. He stayed in the corner of the train, looking out the windows at the city's night scenery, seeing nothing while the train's PA system blasted a tinny version of Fergalicous.
In his own gray room, he sat in front of his computer and pressed a switch on its gray box. The bright colors of the monitor smeared in his vision as he logged-in and SilentKiller-121 stood in the middle of the Prontera's Market Row. The silence agitated McIntyre so much so that he typed in /BGM, filling the room with the soothing theme of Prontera and damming the river flooding his eyes. The melody began its fourth repetition when McIntyre's mental blank began to lift. SK-121 walked towards the west gate and through it.
Streamside began playing through the speakers and its melody calmed McIntyre's mind, breaking the black clouds that threaten to cover it again. SK-121 walked to the Culvert and sat by the bridge as McIntyre typed in /V 127. The sound of flowing water and chirping birds looped through McIntyre's mind as it looped through the electronic pathways of the gray box.
A bell beeped and a chatbox opened. It's Toukou-Kitsume, a X-files aficionado.
is that you, silentkiller, or is it a facsimile of you? am i alone?
.........., was SK-121's reply.
trust no one my friend. we are being watched.
@_@ @_@ @_@ . A conversation with Kit was always bizarre.
they said it was a weather balloon..... they weren't clean enough..... something was left behind......
the truth is out there, McIntyre replied and thought that Kit was waaay out there.
keep the faith. you're the only one i can trust. have to search some more.... X.
With that Toukou-Kitsume logged out. Kit loves to do that, talk weird then log out for a minute. Solomun would humor Kit sometimes but McIntyre could only follow for a few lines before getting lost under their semantic gibberish.
Kit logged in again and started talking sanely.
hi der its a surpris 2 see u here on a sat nyt ^_^
yup, nothing to do.
yeah me too. been watching reruns. want to go wird out a few folks in prontera? :P
not 2nyt. just walk around.
k. join me in morroc later if u lyk, then Kit added a parting shot, All lies lead to the Truth :P
555, was SilentKiller-121's reply, the Thai shortcut for laughter, cyber-laughter McIntyre could barely share.
SK-121 headed westward then northward and stepped into the portal leading to the next map. Tread on the Ground greeted him with its upbeat tune. Rockers and Creamys were all over the map as he continued westward then northward again, quickly reaching the next portal.
Tread on the Ground continued as he traversed Father Yosuke's map. Northward then westward again to plunge into the next portal.
Plateau welcomed SilentKiller-121 as he stepped out. Its upbeat melody lifted McIntyre somewhat as he moved SK-121 across the map to the purple walls of Geffen. He waited for the score to finish before he entered the town.
The theme of Geffen seems strangely suited for the town. McIntyre always imagined hearing rainfall dripping in the background of this somewhat slow melancholy tune and Geffen's purple-gray color scheme seems to convey a rainy atmosphere. SilentKiller-121 sat at Geffen Fountain while rain formed again over McIntyre's eyes.
McIntyre logged out and stepped out of his small apartment, he wanted a change of scenery. His footsteps clicked a steady beat on the sidewalk as he headed for the bar three blocks away. Through the door, he plunged into darkness and Sugar Ray's Someday.
In dim light, he sat at the counter and signed the bartender for a glass of draft. The bar's CD jukebox changed to a new song as McIntyre's golden, foamy draught was slid over to him, playing Vertical Horizon's Everything You Want. McIntyre reached for a slice of complimentary pizza from a passing waitress.
McIntyre was nursing his second beer through Playing for Keeps by Switchfoot when his cellphone began playing the title theme from Ragnarok Online. It was a SMS message from Susan, Iris' best friend.
iris told me everything, it said, are you ok? would you like to talk?
I'm ok. Just bummed out but I'll be fine, he replied. What else could he say? Even if he was standing on top of a tall building about to jump, he'd still say the same thing.
Susan messaged back, ok but feel free to call or send a message.
i will susan, don't worry, McIntyre sent as he walked to the quiet jukebox and dropped a coin into the slot and punched in a song. The Goo Goo Dolls' Iris escorted him back to his seat as he motioned the bartender for another glass and the bill.
Sleep claimed him quickly, quietly. Its darkness both hiding and revealing images, thoughts and feelings guarded by the brothers Secret and Mystery. Then soon it was dawn again. McIntyre climbed up the stairs to the roof of his apartment and watched the sun rise above the horizon of man-made canyons. Earphones on, he turned on his MP3 player and greeted the new day with Wanna be Free.
It is a new world after all, another adventure, another quest, yet part of the One Adventure and Quest we call life.
posted by Grey Colored Glasses at 12:28 PM
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