Biding Time

While Elmo hadn't a clue as to what the 'tutorial' was about, he did at least find that it was rather informative. He doubted that it'd help him get out of here quickly, but he at least considered that he'd be able to figure out a few things that he could do with… whatever system he had.

Jarvinia seemed to be willing to let him do his own thing, even though she was nearly constantly at his 'side' for whatever he might possibly want or need. Elmo was pretty sure she was assigned this task rather than having volunteered for it, unless she hadn't been given all the details before she'd volunteered. He had to at least consider that as a possibility.

His assumption on that fact was based solely on how she looked at Elmo in regards to the other orcs around them. If she had her preferences, she'd have likely killed Elmo as soon as look at him, but with the orc 'elders' having taken an interest in him, that helped keep him safe enough that he could at least observe these events without having gotten stabbed already. Even though he was pretty sure each orc was getting ready for the moment where Elmo would lose that protection.

After their initial conversation, she hardly seemed inclined to speak to him. Though, she did understand him, since when he'd ask for something like food or water, she'd be quick to fill that request. Although, when it came to 'food,' what he'd get was up for debate on whether or not it really was edible for humans. For orcs, it was clearly edible, but Elmo couldn't say if the 'elders' here would realized the difference on why Elmo might need something else to eat. At least in part.

Though, so far Elmo found that if he suppressed his gag reflex enough, most of what he'd been brought was actually edible. Though, a few of the bugs had shells that Elmo wasn't able to bite into himself. For those, he had to give those back to Jarvinia, feeling a little uneasy with how she scowled at him for having returned the 'food.'

Elmo wasn't sure how much time passed. The light in the cavern never seemed to dim, even though it felt like it was natural light. Which meant that they were either getting that light from a rather high altitude, or time seemed to have slowed down in the area that they were in.

Either of which, Elmo was pretty sure he wasn't going to like the reason for the constant light. Not that there was much here that he liked anyway.

+++

The camp was as indefensible as Patricia had said. While they could build a wall, it wasn't like there wasn't other ways to get around them. Plus, to build the walls, they'd have to remove trees from the area. Or at least they would if they wanted any sizable walls that could offer real defense.

Though, if they did that, then they'd have to figure out how deep they'd need to dig to reach the foundation. Which Kim was pretty sure wasn't as simple she'd like. Not when it came to construction. Though, it did provide opportunities to disappear into a crowd, since at most construction sites, at least in Kim's experience, most workers didn't really know what any particular worker was doing, so they typically didn't say anything to those who were otherwise just milling around.

Though, Kim only had used that a couple times when she was trying to find a way into the target location and a construction site simply happened to be nearby.

Then there was also the matter that either Patricia was just being difficult, or maybe Kim was just having one of those days when her social skills just flat lined. It was possible, as she typically had those come up from time to time. Though, with how things had been with this competition, it was hard to tell if it was still popping up here and there or if it was being affected by her having gotten pulled into this competition.

Not that she'd ever gotten diagnosed with that sort of condition or anything. It was merely something that her agent had brought up with her a long while ago that seemed to fit for her. Though, she hadn't really thought too much about it otherwise as well.

It was just something that had once come up and then she'd forgotten about it.

Kim also couldn't understand why she was thinking about this at this time anyway. He agent had suggested that Kim might have gotten that way because of how her brother had-

Kim shut that thought down as soon as it came up. She didn't want to think about that. She'd dealt with too much in this world as it is. She didn't need to add to her own emotional baggage. Not with the way things were going right then.

+++

Jonas wished he had something useful to do. Rather than just waiting for whatever condition that had allowed Elin to have entered the crystal to leave again.

Assuming that's what had happened to her as well. The theory he was currently working with was that if he left the crystal alone, it should remain as it had been and allow Elin to leave once the same conditions are met.

Though, because Jonas has no idea when that might occur, all he could do was wait.

It would have been nice if Ember would wait with him, but the falcon didn't seem inclined to agree.

There was something about that bird that Jonas couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't anything that really felt like he could point to, but there was something about the bird that was just off. Naturally the colors on the falcon's plumage was strange, butt it wasn't like he could say if that's what the 'problem' was or not.

Though, he wished that there was something he could go to, to at least sate his curiosity about the bird. He respected Ember enough to not pry or try to figure it out on his own, but he still would at least like to know. If only to ease one problem on his mind.

Still aside from that, another thought had been working it's way through his mind and he realized something rather troubling about it: that he might have been moved from one world to another already.

When he had been in high school, when he'd been taken away from his family, he hadn't known what was going on. Nor did he have the time to figure it out then, as he was primarily trying to just survive at the time. So, as he thought about it, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd crossed to another world at that time, either through an accident or because someone else was controlling it at that time.

He couldn't be sure which, but it did at least let him know that there was other things that he might be able to learn that whoever was running this competition might not like him knowing in general.

Though, unless it was someone pulling him to an other world at that time, rather than an accident, Jonas wasn't sure how he'd be able to get any help from that. That it might not be possible to really find a way to cross between the worlds without getting help from the people doing this competition. Or at least not in any reliable manner.

+++

Elin rolled over on the bed. She couldn't help but feel bored. She'd already been there for three days. She'd eaten some food, slept with herself once more, though she still felt a little weird about doing that despite how much she enjoyed it, and had paced around the little room she'd been living in!

She couldn't really be certain that it had been three days, but that's at least how it felt. As the light in her room got brighter as each day went by, while at night, the room got darker. To the point where she could barely see anything.

The room had gotten dark and lit back up three times, so she was assuming that it had been three days. Maybe it hadn't been, but since she didn't have any other means to tell the time, she wasn't going to try. Especially since she knew that she could very well be wrong.

However, despite that, the biggest problem was that there just wasn't anything for her to do. Even if she could all she wanted to, have as much sex with her other self as much as she wanted, eat as much as her stomach would allow her to, there was still the fact that she didn't have anything to actively stimulate her mind.

Not until she was able to get out of the crystal at least. Though, she couldn't say how long that might be. Just that she hoped it wouldn't take very long.

She could feel herself starting to lose herself in this place. Almost like if she waited too long, that she wouldn't be able to leave, no matter what she might do herself.