NPC

chapter 1: It only takes a spark

For as far back as she could remember, Rorre (or R for short) had been curator for the halls of halliday's memories. She wasn't sure if it was normal, but she didn't seem to remember much else, but in the beginning she was kept busy enough. They say ignorance is bliss, she knows for a fact it is. For a long time the halls she roamed were bursting with colourful and vibrant people, each frantically searching for something, she knew not what it was. R was practically run off her feet with the amount of work she had to do, showing people from one talking image to the next. Ever so slowly over the years, the stream of people had started to slow, she could see their enthusiasm waining as more and more time passed. As that time passed R learned more and more. She learned as much as she could possibly learn, which, as it I turns out, is a lot.
She learnt where she lived, who Halliday was, what the oasis was, what gunters were and what they were after and so many other things. And over the course of 5 years she learnt what loneliness was.
R never thought of why she never really left these halls, with their shining black marble floors and their wide glistening arches. It was like an instinct she guessed, like a bird that knows naturally that it needs to fly south or a bear automatically preparing for its winter sleep; Caterpillars made cocoons, snakes shucked their skins and Rorre stayed inside, a guard for 5 long years.

She kept herself occupied, watching all the Halliday memories, organising data and occasionally goofing about, running up and down the empty halls singing as loud as she could. The highlight of her week (it might have been longer than a week, he's not exactly punctual) was her visit from Parzival. He was a tall man with glistening white skin which was covered in blue tattoos. His hair changes from time to time, this time it was white with deep blue colouring at the back, his hair itself seemed to be constantly moving around. It was really quite hypnotic. "Hey R" Z said as he strolled in through the glass doors
"Hey Z what are you up to?" She smiled
"I need to see the office party clip again thanks" he smiled at her, oh that grin did things to her that it really shouldn't.
"Of course, but you do know you've watched it like a million times, I don't know what else you're going to find out"
"Well im just looking for a little memory jog ya know" he knocked his shoulder against hers as he said this.
"Well it's always a pleasure" R said as she knocked her shoulder back at him. She showed him down to the screen where office party was frozen in time, R brought her hands up and automatically blue floating dials appeared at her fingertips. As she rewound the scene she turned to Z "so this is still for the race?" She asked, she's been trying to build her courage to ask if she could join the race with him, Parzival was one of the only people who came into these halls anymore and eventually she figured it might be ok to leave for a little bit so long as she didn't get lost, and Parzival always made his way back here so he obviously knows where he's going.
Z grinned down at her, "yeah, still going at it, no progress so far"
Rorre held her breath and tried to steel herself "Um, so, if you're leaving for..." Just as she was about to ask, the scene has reached its beginning and started to play. As she watched him watch the scene play out she slapped her hand onto her face and breathed out, what an idiot.
"I think I'm done" he said walking down the steps away from the screen, R stood there watching the halliday's image continue to talk. "why can't we go back, fast as we can, really put the pedal to the metal" James's image said, R's eyes widened in realisation, "STOP" she yelled over her shoulder, Z stopped walking, seeing him turn she realises he must have clicked into what she'd figured out.
"Replay that last 10 seconds again R" he exclaimed jogging back up the steps to stand next to her as the scene played again. "That's got to be it!" Z said, facing her as he put his hands on R's shoulders, "oh my god Rorre you figured it out! I thought you couldn't help me?!"
R smiled "of course I can help you"
He barked a laugh and then squeezed her shoulder before letting go, "I owe you one R" he said walking away.
"Then take me with you" she shouted at the last minute just before he left the hall,
"Can you come with me?" He asked, eyebrows creased
"I want to. I want to do the race too" she smiled hopefully to him,
"Well if you're sure then yeah of course you can" he grinned at her, she did the same, smiling with all her teeth as she ran up to his side. Then she left the building for the first time ever.