Stepping over the line that divided the outside, magic-ridden world and the magic-free territories of Neutral Grounds felt weakening. As simple as her goal was with her journey to the Neutral Grounds, making this step made her feel utterly powerless and helpless for the first time in her spell casting life. Aside from the weak feeling the Neutral Grounds' inflicted upon her psyche, the towering architecture of the city held a certain elegance in it that made the rising sun behind it seem even more beautiful than it was prior.
"Hmmm," Ivana hummed aloud as she strolled through the empty streets of the Neutral Grounds, the unusual emptiness caused by the presence of the early hours. Dawn had just began to creep over the horizon as Ivana began to set up a little camp outside of the soon-to-be filled street outside of the iLac factory. Couples, crowds, groups of friends, and many more variants of different collectives of people appeared within a few hours, adding to a growing line that formed behind her. As the head of the snake of people, Ivana knew she would be the first to get her iLac.
The daylight grew brighter as the day grew into late-morning, the lights inside of the factory flickering on with a robotic ting and clack. The factory employees trudged past the multiple waves of eager people and into the factory, setting up tables, displays, and much more for the iLac giveaway day. The employees wore shirt of plain blue with little logos and name tags attached to their left pectoral. Ivana occasionally peeked through the thick glass between her and the inside of the factory, her patience had begun to wear thin at a decent moment, few minutes before the matching glass doors swung open before her.
Hordes of people stormed into the factory, grabby hands snatching iLacs with the greediness of jewel thieves. Ivana was among them. Her fingers were one of the first to wrap firmly around one of the many iLacs piled high in intricate displays the employees constructed before her very eyes. And as soon as she had snatched up an iLac of her own, she was out. The communicative lacrima bounced in her hands as she bolted for the doors, glad to have had gotten a print of the iLac instructions prior to the event. A decent distance from the factory signified she was free of the overwhelming amount of people and that she could begin to toy with her new device on her way toward the lightly guarded exit of the Neutral Grounds.
The noises the lacrima emitted as she pressed buttons on it, accessed applications, and read the newest Sorcerer's Weekly issue all struck a certain chord with her. It made her feel old. So far magical technology had come and she was already so old, Ivana was unsure if she was supposed to feel simply blessed to have been able to get her hands on an iLac or like a toddling old woman who doesn't understand technology because of the complexity it possessed. Oh well, at this rate, I'll have had figured this device out! I'm sure other adults are experiencing this as well... it's just not me. UGH, this is silly, just get home so you can sit down and figure it out. Ivana's mental argument with herself would be entertaining to someone looking in, such a silly and unimportant topic. Taking her mind off of her odd feelings, she reset her focus onto getting back to the mountainous guild hall of Infinity Hydra.
Word Count: 594 words
"Hmmm," Ivana hummed aloud as she strolled through the empty streets of the Neutral Grounds, the unusual emptiness caused by the presence of the early hours. Dawn had just began to creep over the horizon as Ivana began to set up a little camp outside of the soon-to-be filled street outside of the iLac factory. Couples, crowds, groups of friends, and many more variants of different collectives of people appeared within a few hours, adding to a growing line that formed behind her. As the head of the snake of people, Ivana knew she would be the first to get her iLac.
The daylight grew brighter as the day grew into late-morning, the lights inside of the factory flickering on with a robotic ting and clack. The factory employees trudged past the multiple waves of eager people and into the factory, setting up tables, displays, and much more for the iLac giveaway day. The employees wore shirt of plain blue with little logos and name tags attached to their left pectoral. Ivana occasionally peeked through the thick glass between her and the inside of the factory, her patience had begun to wear thin at a decent moment, few minutes before the matching glass doors swung open before her.
Hordes of people stormed into the factory, grabby hands snatching iLacs with the greediness of jewel thieves. Ivana was among them. Her fingers were one of the first to wrap firmly around one of the many iLacs piled high in intricate displays the employees constructed before her very eyes. And as soon as she had snatched up an iLac of her own, she was out. The communicative lacrima bounced in her hands as she bolted for the doors, glad to have had gotten a print of the iLac instructions prior to the event. A decent distance from the factory signified she was free of the overwhelming amount of people and that she could begin to toy with her new device on her way toward the lightly guarded exit of the Neutral Grounds.
The noises the lacrima emitted as she pressed buttons on it, accessed applications, and read the newest Sorcerer's Weekly issue all struck a certain chord with her. It made her feel old. So far magical technology had come and she was already so old, Ivana was unsure if she was supposed to feel simply blessed to have been able to get her hands on an iLac or like a toddling old woman who doesn't understand technology because of the complexity it possessed. Oh well, at this rate, I'll have had figured this device out! I'm sure other adults are experiencing this as well... it's just not me. UGH, this is silly, just get home so you can sit down and figure it out. Ivana's mental argument with herself would be entertaining to someone looking in, such a silly and unimportant topic. Taking her mind off of her odd feelings, she reset her focus onto getting back to the mountainous guild hall of Infinity Hydra.
Word Count: 594 words