![Master [1000]](https://i.imgur.com/AQXM4xC.png)
![Senior [500]](https://i.imgur.com/Nmfn8cD.png)
![Novice [250]](https://i.imgur.com/lrYlde6.png)
![Walking through Central [Solo / Open] Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
![Walking through Central [Solo / Open] B6JiVvU](https://i.imgur.com/b6JiVvU.jpg)
^ No cat ears.
~*Yesterday*~
Bored, Claire drew her hand into the pocket of her hoodie where she imagined her prize and willed it into being, her hand clutching something as she pulled it out. She held a mysterious black ball that radiated mystery and an aura of secrecy.
Shaking it once, twice, and three times she held it to her cheek as the light dimmed and she spoke in a whisper.
"Should I explore somewhere new today?"
The mysterious orb grew hazy as a purple and blue mist revealed two words...
"Outlook Good."
"Alright then." Claire said dismissively as the lights went back to normal and the ball vanished.
~*Now*~
Claire woke up from bed as she always did; Suddenly. From her sprawled position bunching up her nightshirt and sheets, she leered out the window that stood parallel to her bed and out to the city outside. The window was open as always to let her feel the breeze and taste the night air, but it also let her hear the sounds of the city beyond it. Connecting her to the outside world it comforted her somewhat.
She sighed and sat up a little too quick and easily for someone who had just woken up. With every step an item of her night attire disappeared in a purple haze on her way to the bathroom.
When she left it, her hair was still damp when she emerged fully dressed with long black stockings, tan skirts, a white buttoned up shirt and a black hooded jacket. A pink backpack was slung across her back and her expression was brightened up considerably, as she had just caught herself making faces into the mirror and was amused with herself.
She was staying at an inn within "Central District" within the Neutral Grounds. A city without magic, they say, though it hardly affected Claire as a red sucker appeared in the air in front of her and she bit it casually out of the air and rolled it around with her tongue. It was a cinnamon-pepper flavor and warmed her mouth pleasantly.
Getting the inn was hardly a concern, she could have chosen any inn or hotel in the city should she have wished. Physical possessions were of no concern to her whatsoever, including coin. All it took was a wave of her hand to satisfy someone's monetary concerns.
You might imagine she'd be living lavishly in some golden penthouse, but the small inn suited her well enough. She didn't even really need the sleep, but it was a luxury in and of itself and helped give her a sense of normalcy and a chance to touch back with the world she had known for centuries being none the wiser.
She was tempted to leave a surprise for the innkeeper, a nice woman. But Claire knew not to tempt fate. She had a minimal-impact policy that served as a security blanket, not for her, but for those she would affect. Sure she could shower the woman with gold and riches, but what then? Someone would likely kill her for her treasures, or she'd go on to lose it all in some other horrible way or by her own undoing. Or what if people started asking questions? You don't just gain a small treasury overnight.
Instead, Claire had spent the morning helping the woman in her kitchens instead doing some volunteer work. Wherever Claire went, she made small repairs and replacements. Subtle things. Replacing a fraying broom, a broken stove, missing or old spices. When Claire left quietly, there was a small bounty of food and fresh ingredients both new and replacing the old and a pot of stew and bread out for the innkeeper's guests.
But Claire wasn't here to help one random innkeeper, she had come to this city to explore. She was incredibly new to Earthland and every little thing was new to her in some way. The more Claire explored the more memories of her lives in this world came to her in bits and pieces. Fragments of memories and lives long lost. It wasn't much, but they built up.
If Claire could help people as she went, then all the better. Which is why Claire had chosen to start in this Central District, said to be the most dangerous place in all of the Neutral Grounds. Everything here was hella shady even during the day. Even that innkeeper may have been affiliated to some gang or crime network, or at least under the thumb of one.
She could fill the darkness and corruption throughout the population of Central, it weighed on her, it dragged at her heart. Suffering. Sickness. Oppression. It was thick here, and she could feel it well. Ever since entering she'd been sending out ripples of positive energy through the unseen network of emotion that connected all people. Every little tweak subtly changing the mindsets, combating the darkness that had settled here.
Even now after only last evening and through this morning, she was starting to feel the change. Claire may not be able to help everyone in this black-spirited district, but she can wake them up. She can help them help themselves. Her eyes were open as she walked down a largely empty street passing run-down buildings, but in her mind's eye, or at least one of them, her attention was on the various threads of suffering and unhappiness, the aggression and displeasure.
Thread by thread she boosted the livelyhood of this district, pulling this and snipping that, or drawing her own connections between emotions and concepts. It may not change things for now, but it would be the chance for the people to change themselves.
![Walking through Central [Solo / Open] XeQjtg0](https://i.imgur.com/xeQjtg0.gif)
