Astralin

The party had dissolved into a state of chaos once the game that gambled sweets had ended. Apparently someone had gone and left the sink on, resulting in some raised emotion and stress as a few players, including the host, would all jump in and try to resolve the issue. The pink haired baker sent a slime to absorb the water, and the players trying to fix the mess somehow saw the slime as part of the mess...uh oh... A player entered the house, and the host had some trouble letting her in, due to his current state...but he seemed to.... Astreya would confirm Astralin's suspicion, and A

Astralin was prepared to put up with a difficult opponent. She knew she had to win, not only for her sake, but for Yona's as well. She knew that she'd be facing powerful rivals and skilled veterans.... What she wasn't ready for, however, was a trick similar to the one she'd just used. A flurry of attacks at a rapid rate. Astralin's sidestep could only dodge so many, but couldn't dodge them all. Astralin jumped back after getting struck. Her eyes were now focused on her opponent. In a fight where hits counted more than strength, an agile opponent was dangerous, for such an opponent c

The matches were announced. Almost everyone just dispersed. Ongoing conversations stopped abruptly, Astralin was somewhat disoriented, but hopefully it wouldn't be too much for her. The only thing having to do with Astralin at this time was to answer Freyd's question. She clearly hadn't heard of everything in terms of unique, but... "It's not like I know all of my options, but something...unique might do. I've heard of a few enhancements containing things like fire, ice, even electricity...I've also heard...something about light and dark energy? Speaking of which, no thanks on the da

The time had come for the next match. Astralin took a deep breath. Yona was down, so Astralin found herself with the daunting task of having to fight for her cause as well. Hey, Astralin needed to try and be a good friend to the panicked woman, even though she'd so confidently challenged the player whom Astralin had defeated earlier...what was this whole thing even coming to? Whatever the case, she made her way over to the sparring arena. Another male opponent waited for her there. Honestly, if Astralin was to defeat all the male players she came across in this tourney, maybe Yona wo

Just about everyone was staring at Astralin now, and her smile broke into an even bigger one. She really didn't have a poker face...and it explained why she was terrible at BS, too. Yona's expression melted down into one that showed worry. Did she really need to be that worried? Astralin would win the hand, and there would be no further bets for any future rounds. Astralin handed one cookie to Yona, one cookie to a violet eyed player, thinking she was playing, and two cookies to Astreya. She considered handing a few cookies to the other players involved as well. She was just nice that way

Nari seemed to be a bit on the shy side after all. Astralin simply smiled back at her, before speaking softly as to not seem too intrusive. "I heard from Astreya here that your name is Nari. Mine's Astralin, it's nice to meet you." @Nari-Lanreth Before Astralin could say anything else, Yona marched right up and...challenged Calrex? Astralin was confused, why was she challenging him? "Yona, what's gotten into you? ...And why are you wording the match as if it were some kind of insult??" Astralin called out. Yona seemed to leave, but her challenge remained in the air...and it wa

Astralin noticed Yona just leaping in and joining the game. So sudden... When the newcomer called out for reveal, Astralin revealed her hand. Yep, she lost this one. Time to get a new hand? She breathed in, and breathed out. "Um...Hit me?" She guessed. Astralin didn't know much about most of the card games played with the usual game cards. She knew games like War, Go Fish, and BS, but...little else, aside from solitaire. She did remember how a friend of hers from the real world, Scorpio, had gotten inspired by some of Astralin's big brother's Dungeons and Dragons worldbuilding,

Everyone but the violet eyed girl, Nari, had something to say to Astralin in response to her words. Speaking of Nari, she seemed to be hiding behind Astreya. Poor thing must have been shy. Astralin gave her a short wave and a smile, but nothing more if she wasn't in the mood for conversation. Astreya gave her thoughts about what happened at the Christmas Party. "Yeah, at least everything turned out alright." Both Astreya and Koga were confused when Astralin explained why Yona should have been panicking right now. "Hmm, I'm not sure...maybe she's just considering the worst-case scenar

Astreya spoke of the other player in the conversation. "Yeah, we did, that's right!" She responded. Astreya looked over to Yona, and spoke of...Yona getting upset at Blueberry... Astralin blinked several times. "Wait...you're telling me...that the 'dessert sabotage' that Yona asked me to fix was...a replacement done by Blueberry??" She asked. "That's...that's just wrong, on both ends!" Astralin could hardly believe what she just realized. "Yona should have handled the situation more calmly, they're just sweets. And Blueberry shouldn't have destroyed what was there to replace it all with o

The brunette seemed to shy to make any response other than a greeting. The poor thing. It wasn't long before Astreya came back to invite the two players to playing cards. "Sure, why not?" Astralin responded. She came over to where the game was being played, and learned that it was Blackjack...which she'd never learned how to play. "Oh...hmm, hold on a sec..." Didn't she have a notepad full of various game rules and social tips in her inventory? She remembered having one, but she could be wrong. So she opened up her menu to look for it. Unfortunately, she was a bit too hasty as she sc

Astralin had a worthy opponent. Her opponent noted that it was an excellent duel, that he was glad to have her as an opponent. He then introduced himself as Calrex. "Thanks, you did great as well! I'm Astralin, nice to meet you too!" The blue haired player suggested that the two players leave the sparring area for the time being, and Astralin agreed with a nod. @Calrex Now it was time to join the others while she waited for the next round. She would notice a familiar face- no, two of them. She headed over to them, happy to see some others who she recognized. "Heeeey! Astreya!

You sow risk, you reap risk. Astralin's risky move would be met with extreme difficulty, for despite her evasive strategy for the duel, her opponent was catching on, and predicting her moves. This was not good. Not good, at all. Her opponent's latest strike would have quite the impact, it was clear that Astralin's weight and squishiness were unknown to him, for Astralin was practically sent flying backwards, until her back hit something. Astralin got up, a bit slowly. "I'm...I'm ok...!" She said to her opponent, in case he was concerned, as she stumbled forward before regaining

Astralin clearly wasn't expecting an opponent like this, but she wouldn't let that thought catch her off guard. If anything, it was reason to be more alert, more aware. Her opponent stepped back upon the hit, and once he moved following a calm breath, it naturally meant it was time for Astralin to move, too. A fight was a fight, so a sharp mind that was well awake would be taking in the details and tell-tale signs. Not every sign could easily be found, due to how Astralin's mind worked, but she was able to notice enough before she could get hit. She jumped back when the false attack

In realistic terms, deflection by a weapon would have cut Astralin, unless it was one of those one-edged swords, then there would have been a chance the blunt end was used to deflect, in which Astralin would have kept her hand... But these were training weapons, in a virtual reality, so there was no amputation that could possibly occur. Once Astralin's attack was deflected, the blue-haired player attempted a horizontal slash attack. Astralin fell backwards, by her own choice, as to avoid the weapon. In hopes of avoiding a downward thrust while she was on the floor, she rolled her body to

Astralin managed to find and put on one of the available forms of attire, and she managed to find some hand wraps, too. She was familiar with Martial Arts to to it technically being her skill of choice, but she was used to acting like it was magic delivered via physical contact. If she didn't want to mess up the theme of this little event, she'd have to avoid saying any spell names, though that would break her personal immersion into what she wanted to be. Oh, the conundrum... With a sigh, she decided to keep her attacks silent for the tournament's duration. Astralin took

The two players continued walking towards the dojo, where they were to retrieve their gear and prepare for the competition. Astralin didn't know who was participating and who was fighting just yet, aside from herself and Yona. Along the way, she passed by some familiar faces, such as @Koga and the Artisan who made her Amulet(@NIGHT). As she and Yona passed by, she waved to them while saying a soft "Hi!" to them with a smile. She also noticed a new friend of hers(@Astreya) talking to a brown haired male(@Bismuth) She waved to them as well. Astralin might have been unnerved by Yona's w

Yona's reaction was unexpected, but Astralin was also confused. "Ah....Yona, can I see that real quick...?" She asked worriedly. Yona handed the flyer over, and... Astralin's eyes widened. "A...date...for...the victor of the tournament...um...and it's...the victor's choice...?" Astralin realized. "Yona...what are we going to do?" She asked. Yona's expression changed from one of utter shock, into one of utter defiance. "The answer's clear as Day. We avoid loss! We need to fight like our sanity depends on it!" Astralin blinked several times in succession, before her eyes darted their gaze i

Astralin spotted a flyer that stood out from the rest, and it seemed to mention a tournament. "...White Day Valentines Tournament?" Astralin read aloud. "Hmm...don't know what that means, but hey, a tournament sounds nice...oh, and a safe and fun environment for all? I'm sold!" Without bothering to read the other details, she signed herself up. Oh, if only she knew what she'd gone and gotten herself into...

Astreya explained how she was uncertain where she really stood in terms of her build, but intended to become a tank on the front lines, but test the waters there first, just to see if what she was going for truly suited her. At least, that's what Astralin was able to get from the Valley Girl's words. Astreya proceeded to state her current level, but she asked about going beyond the top level. "Yeah, I've heard about levels that go beyond the cap. Paragon Levels, so they're called. They only seem to bring about changes to your stats within certain milestones of Paragon level" Astralin

Koga greeted Astralin, only to get gripped on the shoulder and pulled aside by the artisan who made Astralin's Amulet. Something was off, based on the subtle actions, such as the movement in her fingers. Astralin, however, had no idea what this was about, but she could only guess it was serious if the artisan was trying to stay calm, even though she didn't seem to be... Well, Astralin could continue socializing with other players while waiting, right? Well, turns out there was no need to search, someone came to her. A familiar face seemed to recognize her. "Heeeey, Astreya! It's been

Astralin waited patiently, and she turned around to see another player almost running her over! This player seemed to be a fellow blonde at the same height as Astralin. There may have been a difference in the exact hair coloring, but a definite difference was eye color. The player was holding a tray of deviled eggs, and was wearing an oversized sweater, paired with black leggings. She apologized for almost crashing into Astralin, then grinned and complimented Astralin's festive apparel. "Aww, thank you! You look great, too!" Astralin said with a bright smile, adding in a compliment of her own.

"So let me get this straight, you need to bring more of what that Yona chick bought from me over to the same party she went to because of a 'dessert sabotage'? Am I hearing you right, Starshine?" Vigilon's friend asked. Astralin nodded. "More or less, though a variety would be ideal in this situation, if it really is as was described." She answered. Vigilon's friend took a short moment to walk over to his material stock, before shrugging and returning to Astralin with a smile. "I'm in, business is slower than I expected, anyway. Just give me a moment..." He declared. He walked over t

With Nemo defeated by Dazia and Vigilon, and the way back shown by the defeated guardian, it was time to go back. Perhaps Little Eden's bounty could be studied later. Nemo explained the reasons for his actions, and it was actually really sad. He wanted to know people, and have sentient company around him...poor guy, he had to live such a lonely existence... But since Astralin would return to research the place later, it wasn't all that bad, he'd be seeing Astralin again later on! With a smile on her face, Astralin made a friendly wave to the Wind Dragon before leaving. The pl

Astralin still ended up with far more than she needed to know. Dazia and her siblings had the Seven deadly Sins as prominent flaws.... "Um...that's a coincidence...right?" Vigilon and the family he and Dazia shared seemed...interesting, to say the least, though at this point, given the actions of Vigilon's father and the warnings given by Dazia herself, she might have to just avoid them...but if she did meet Valna, maybe she could keep the player in touch about if Astralin was to find someone? it might reduce the chances of accidental relationship theft, since it all seemed accidenta

Ah, yes, the players decided to go deeper into backstories. Astralin listened to what was all going on. Dazia had six siblings, meaning her parents had seven children. Kind of a nice number, it would be a shame if there were easily seen flaws all around, instead of properly balanced personalities...little did Astralin know that such was exactly the case. Dazia then said that the players wouldn't want to meet them. "Um...why not?" Astralin asked. "There's gotta be something good about them, right?" A family can't possibly be all bad... "Someone kind? Sincere? Generous?" Dazia describe