The Art Of Gaming

"Ahhhh... Look at all of zis space! And for such a good deal, too!"

Spreading her arms as she walked around the building she had recently purchased, Palette took in the sight and let her imagination take over. It was stark and empty right now, but she imagined the building filled with the sights and sounds of people at work and play, and her heart soared. Her plans were ambitious, but she had received plenty of encouragement and support from Chimata and the Legion of Stationery to pursue her dream.

The Hardcade was remaining in Agama. The semi-breakups of the Sega Hard Girls and Nintendo Hard Girls, with many of them declining to follow the Kobbers to Europe, ensured that it couldn't come to Whalestrand in its' usual form. Rather than try to cram an arcade into the Journey's End, which was already both a lighthouse and a restaurant, or the Safe Harbor Inn, a new approach would be needed to adapt one of the Kobbers' favorite pastimes to Whalestrand.

Enter the Artcade. It was a grand vision combining the interests of Palette and her dear friend Gamecube, a building that served as both an arcade and a community art center. The idea was to feature an art gallery on the ground floor, with spaces for artists to work on their projects in a clean and quiet environment. But to help fund the venture, the basement would be home to a nicely-sized arcade featuring all the expected amusements Kobber arcades tended to sport. Add in some soundproofing to keep the artists from being too distracted by the fun and games below their feet and the Artcade would prove itself as a beacon for excitement in Whalestrand. But this unique concept needed the right kind of building. Perhaps, then, it was fate that just such a building was available right nearby, only a short walk away, being sold for a fraction of what Palette had expected it would be worth.

She'd done her research, of course. The building wasn't suitable for a home or apartments, and didn't quite work as a storefront, either. It had once been a small school, sporting an auditorium in the basement and a few schoolrooms on the ground floor (as a bonus, the auditorium already had soundproofing installed!). The building's design probably explained the low price, Palette had figured. What use did most people have for a building like this, even if it was in a good location? Of course, there was also the other detail she'd picked up - that the building was supposedly haunted. But in Whalestrand, hauntings weren't a big deal. Plenty of places in Whalestrand were said to be haunted, including the lighthouse and hotel, and ghosts were proven fact among the Kobbers anyway. Hell, their Big Bar Brawl showrunner was a ghost and he'd been with the Kobbers since the beginning! So if the place was really haunted... Palette didn't mind! Maybe it would amount to nothing, and maybe she'd get herself a new friend. And if the ghost did turn out to be malevolent, well, that's what Kobbers are for. She didn't fear the circumstances at all.

One of her partners in this endeavor had a few more reservations than she did, though.

"I still don't really like how cheap this place was. That's suspicious." said Adeleine.

"Oh, don't fret. The Kobbers have taught me a lot, and the most important thing I've learned from zem is to move with confidence! Zis building was up for grabs, and without zat low price our beautiful Artcade would never come to fruition! Besides, you're not afraid of ghosts, are you? After everything we've seen, what's a ghost?" Palette laughed.

"Nnnn." Adeleine grunted.

Palette had been surprised the artist had signed on to join her, honestly. Not only was it a big ask to try and convince someone to pull up their roots and join you across the world on a wild and untested business venture, but the two of them had once been bitter enemies. Palette had been grateful for the second chance, however - she knew that she and Gamecube weren't enough to run a business like this alone, and they'd need additional employees for both the art and video game halves of the operation.

Adeleine, as it turned out, had simply been hankering to travel. Though Palette didn't know that.

The two of them spent some time touring their purchase, appreciating how clean the place was despite its' age. The realtors had been maintaining the property diligently, apparently in the hopes that it would entice a buyer since it had been many years since it had become abandoned. Palette's research had been unable to find a date more recent than 2013 indicating the school, then called Whalestrand Elementary, was still in operation.

It was odd, though. Whalestrand Elementary was much too small to properly serve the community. It might have worked early in Whalestrand's history when it was a small fishing town, but as the city ballooned in size and power over the decades, a little school like this wouldn't be able to hold even half the kids of the city. Another much larger elementary school across town was where all the young students went now. It made sense that this building closed, but it didn't make sense that it somehow clung to life that long.

When the two of them left the building, they were confronted by someone snuggled up in a hoodie and munching on a chocolate bar. They gave a wave to the two artists. "Hey. So you two are the ones that bought the old school, huh?"

"Zat we are!" Palette proclaimed, sticking out her chest with pride. "It shall soon be a mecca of entertainment for gamers and artists alike!"

"You know it's haunted, right?"

"Of course we do!" Adeleine said a little too forcefully. "B-but big deal, right? Ghosts are nothing new."

Chara smiled and slowly took a large bite of their chocolate bar, chewing thoughtfully.

"...Right?" Adeleine repeated, faltering under the weight of Chara's quiet chewing. And when Chara finally spoke again, it did not fill Adeleine with the confidence she had been looking for.

"Look. I know about ghosts. Plenty of people in Whalestrand know about ghosts."

Chara bit into her chocolate again.

"I don't know what the hell that thing in there is, but it is not a ghost."

Chara turned and sauntered off, leaving Adeleine and Palette with more questions than answers.

"Maybe we could inspect the basement more closely tomorrow." Palette suggested.

Adeleine flinched. "Maybe we could, like, NOT."