Perspective

Lavender

This is, no matter how I look at it, a problem.

I mean, I’m in the middle of a forest, with…

I pat my lab coat down. Empty. Damn. Absolutely nothing, not even a single vial of high explosive substances. My lab coat’s intact, though. We’re professionals here.

So, what now? No equipment, no supplies, nil.

Screw it. I’ll need food here, right? I’m not a hunter, so…

Well, that bush looks like a start. Maybe I’ll find berries or something in the foliage. I’m not a botanist, alright? I am a genius, but I don’t know plants.

And so far, from my digging, there’s just about nothing in here. I have concluded that, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing and I’m probably going to die out here. That is less than ideal-

Someone clears their throat behind me. Huh. I’m not alone, am I? What I see when I turn around is…

Well, the first thing I see is golden and silver armor, and damn does it look expensive, even if possibly extremely impractical as armor due to both metals being so incredibly malleable, making me question the decision.

Oh. Right. The person wearing the armor is… Oh. Blonde hair, green eyes, and about six and a half feet tall, wearing armor like that, she could probably break me in half and I’d say than-

“Are you… Lavender Wisteria?” Her voice snaps me out of the soliloquy. Right. “The one and only, but you can call me Lav. What about you?” It’d only be rude to not provide my name.

The warrior takes a moment to look me over. “Very well. I am Kàra. I’ve been sent as… A guardian. Now, I’m curious…” Oh no. “Why were you rummaging around in an empty bush?”

You know what? I’ll bite the bullet. I stand up, brushing off my lab coat. “I have absolutely no idea. I was looking for food.”

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Hand meets face. That was the expected reaction. “Well… I should’ve expected that.” She laughs, bringing the hand down to reveal a somewhat patronizing smile. I recognize when I’m talking to an expert, at least. It’s deserved. “You’ve never had to rough it out in the wilderness, have you?”

“…My job required that I stay inside, and contaminants were to be avoided.”

“Well, things will be different now that you’re out here. Not my first time showing someone this sheltered the ropes, and this place seems…”

The warrior looks over the forest a bit. “Safer than I’m used to. Just us here, I believe.”

What? “We’re stranded in the middle of nowhere. In what way is this ‘safe’?”

Kàra only chuckles. “Safer than setting up camp near an army. Now… Do you know how to put together a lean-to?”

Before I can even open my mouth, I’m interrupted. “You will soon.” Read like a book.

I refuse to elaborate on the process. I fumbled around with guidance, dirtying my hands in a way unsuitable for a reputable scientist such as myself, and by the end of an hour all we have… Some branches piled up against some trees, that might help.

“It’s not looking half bad.” She speaks up, and I can’t help but disagree. What kind of shelter is this? “…In what world is this good?”

“In one where we have… A couple hours until the sun’s going down, and we need to slap something together.” I glance up at the sky. The sun is starting to set… “So, this could cover us for the night… Before then, though… Food and water.”

Shit. We do need to find something…

“Fortunately for you, I’ve no plans to do things the proper way. Even lake water will work. I have my… Methods, to purify it.” Wow. That sounds shady. “And if we find anything to hunt, handling it should be simple enough.” This hot, smug bastard.

I am so lucky that someone here knows what they’re doing.

“But first…” She’s the first to break the moment of silence. “I suppose that we have a bit of time now, to relax. How about a bit of talk, so we know what we can do?”

Oh. Finally, talking. Something I can do.

“Well then. You can call me Dr. Wisteria, PhD in Chemistry.” Now’s my chance to be smug-

“What?”

“…Where’s the confusion?”

“You’re speaking of things I haven’t heard of, simple as that.”

Oh.

Oh god.

Wherever she’s from doesn’t even know what chemistry is?

What kind of uneducated society is she even from?

I open my mouth to speak, but something appears before my eyes.

A silvery screen, seemingly formed in the air itself.

Screw chemistry, screw science. This thing… Isn’t normal.

My complaints can wait.

Welcome, Visitor, to Arde.

System integration will soon begin.

….And what in the unscientific, magical, illogical, fantastical, unbelievable fuck is this ‘System’?