Disclaimer: I don't own .Hack.
A Wake Up
No matter the weather on the Outside, The World could be however they wanted it to be. Sunny, snowy, rainy, anything at all that they chose. Reki enjoyed this system because, even if the moderators had the ability to make it rain, they didn't ever seem to use it much. On rainy days he enjoyed that he could escape to The World where everything would be warm and dry.
Today was one of those days indeed, with the snow outside his window reminding him of how much he hated real weather patterns before he logged-in. He arrived at the lake, the same place he had logged-out from the evening before. He and Balmung had hosted another event the day before, and even though that had only taken up part of the morning, Reki had found himself still at the lake far later, being placed in charge of cleaning up afterwards as Balmung had disappeared to whoever knows where, doing Lord knows what with some cute girls.
But as hectic as the day before had been, today was turning out moderately better so far, having both escaped the chill of the Outside and having already accomplished what could often take him whole mornings-- finding Balmung.
"Balmung-san. You're here."
Balmung was sitting, staring out at the lake, most probably fantasizing about another event he would start and make Reki finish. He looked up at his assistant's voice, smiling at the observation. "Of course I am, Reki. I'm always here. I'm an administrator. It's my job."
Reki sighed. "That wasn't what I meant…"
"Because Reki," Balmung went on, expanding in his very childish and very silly way that he was absolutely serious about, "in The World, my work is my life."
"So then are you saying life is work?"
Balmung laughed out loud at that, so easily amused. "No, life is play."
Reki should have expected that. They were in The World after all. Reki would forget sometimes, constantly receiving the official emails from the CC Corporation about what would come next for The World, and what business would be done, about having fun. Everyone referred to The World as a game, but no one remembered to play it.
Except Balmung.
"But really, it would be so easy to live in The World forever. We can do things here that… they can't do on the Outside."
Reki looked up, finding Balmung's childishness gone. "Like what?" Like weapons and blue hair, wings and hit points, right Balmung? Like Wave Masters and werewolves.
"Like rules."
Reki blinked. "Rules?" Balmung wasn't one of those administrators. He wasn't the one who posted the rules in multiple forums every week. He'd enforce them, but Balmung didn't like pretending to be a police officer. That's what the Knights were for, right?
"You can't ban a purely malicious person from Reality, it just doesn't work that way. But we made The World, we weren't made into it. We created a place where those who have come only to abuse can be asked to leave. If you've come to have fun, Reki, and to play the game, then you are the kind of person The World was created for. You are the kind of person that can live here forever."
It was the first time Reki had heard Balmung talk about banning players. Balmung always frowned when they he saw the ban list. But then, Reki had to consider that it could very well be the conduct of the other administrators that he frowned at. Balmung saw the power to delete a player as an extreme measure to be taken, not as the right of an offended CC Corporation employee. Like salt: sparingly and only when necessary.
"Balmung-san, what about the players with the Dot Hackers' player characters? Shugo and Rena?"
Balmung looked back out at the lake, the water glittering in the bright morning light. He had been right, it really would be easy to forget about the Outside for the most part, living in The World day after day like he did. It was so real.
"They're not in The World to cause trouble, they joined this game to have fun. Accidents are accidents, and a good heart, a willingness to accept that The World is alive and changing, an understanding of real justice, are no cause for ban-happy Admin. The CC Corporation doesn't have all the power they think they have, but they won't open their eyes to that." Balmung answered, with uncharacteristic discipline.
Reki had words of reprimand on the tip of his tongue, words about watching what you say and not to say such things of the man whose payroll you're on, but he could help but get the feeling Balmung was trying to teach him this, not just spouting off to hear his own voice. Reki had to reconsider all he had ever thought about Balmung being an irresponsible administrator. He belonged in that seat of power, deserved his position in The World; he seemed to be one of the only ones left who understood how it should be used anymore.