Them

Once the three arrived at the graveyard, Nari was first to separate from the group, Koga following suit. Cleo watched the man survey the area similarly to how a critic would scour the page of a novel, with eagle eyes to pick out even the slightest discrepency. She wanted to know how the other two could remain so calm. Her nerves were getting the better of her, rotten thoughts spiralling around in her mind; what if this were an ambush, a setup? She knew Nari was a tough nut to crack and Koga carried himself with a confidence which screamed 'front-liner', but she had neither raw power nor experi

"How sweet of you." Koga's reason for coming along didn't wholly convince Cleo, a sentiment reflected in her folded arms and furrowed brow. As far as she knew, Nari wasn't somebody that needed chaperoning. The woman had—obviously—done something to piss him off in the past, and there seemed to be a lot to unpack with his animosity. What struck her as even more interesting was that a certain somebody actively kept their lives intertwined. Did love play into it somehow? As much as she yearned to be nosy and find out more, matters of grave importance were still afoot. Nari seemed to know a go

As Koga started to lay down some hard truths, Cleo echoed his concerns to a lesser degree, her eyes tense with uncertainty. "It's a little sketchy, Nari. You sure about this?" For all they knew, the source could be leading them straight into a trap. Of course, any attempt to try and reason with the purple-haired woman would fall on deaf ears, and Cleo hurried along quickly to catch up with the others—stifling her amusement of Koga's frustration. Though it wasn't the time nor place to smirk, she couldn't prevent the tiniest one from breaking through. "Stupid? Possibly." She glanced at the woman

She sought respite at a nearby bench, the metal backrest shaped to resemble a row of flowers befit for such a picturesque garden. This detail became lost on Cleo as she sat on the center seat, one leg folded beneath her and both arms sprawled outward. The fight had been thrilling, if not outright terrifying. None of her previous combat encounters had been so intense, and none had drained quite so much of her energy. Thankfully, none of the Snapdragons made any unexpected movements and all had succumbed to her last attack, but if she'd missed instead and things had gone differently... Cleo

She nodded kindly to the bartender-turned-cook when he set down the plate in front of her, marveling at the delicious spread and only half-registering what Dustin had said about somebody's Grandmother. As he explained Roger's intriguing business model, she chowed down on the meal like a dog who'd been starved of food for days, caring little about appearances nor anything other than the simple-yet-satisfying combination of food groups. "Floor three, huh?" Using her sleeve to wipe away a piece of mash on her cheek, Cleo pushed the plate forward to signal she'd finished. "I'll check it out—m

"He's totally into you!" exclaimed Cruscius, a clean-shaven man with flowing brown hair wearing a grey sweater-blue jean combo. Cleo stifled her snort and pat the taller friend's shoulder. "Then why couldn't he keep his eyes away from you? Face it; you're a total smoke show." The pair of friends laughed together, shuffling through the busy streets of the Town of Beginnings as they went about their day after one of their typical lunch meetups. A casual affair turned daily ritual as of late, Cleo cherished the one thing that remained an every-day constant in an ever-changing life. With

I haven't been able to write this past week (which will continue until late Friday) so throw me into the casual poster hat.

Cleo sensed that the boy had tensed up and realised thereafter she'd pushed too far. Thankfully, he didn't seem to detest her question having given an honest answer, one that surely tore him up inside whenever it came to haunt his thoughts. However, she vowed then and there to drill no further on the matter. To Dustin's offer of help, she would gladly accept. Some of her strongest friendships within the game had been forged in the flames of hardships. She'd a feeling Dustin would make a useful quest companion, and, if nothing more, a quality friend. As she spoke, Cleo pulled up her friend

"One, two, three!" A crash, claws scraping against metal, and a boom echoed through the halls of the estate and out into the courtyard. Once Eli had finished, landing a little way past his trail of destruction, he flopped onto his side, tongue sticking out from his mouth, breathing fast and heavy. His silhouette became enveloped in white before a notification appeared above him; 'Familiar Mastery Unlocked!' The dummy's metal chestpiece now more closely resembled a distressed sweatshirt that had more holes than it did fabric, laying flat on the ground alongside the rest of the armou

To see Nari beam a smile at her brought instant gratification to the cat owner. Cleo and Eli had done something worthy of an applause, and the blue-haired woman, basking in the praise for a change, didn't endeavor to dampen her smile. She needed the win. Good god, did she need the win. "Nicest pieces?" Cleo stiffled a laugh. "Okay, they're not terrible. But if they're actually your best? I may need to start looking for a new Blacksmith," she replied in jest, patting her friend on the shoulder. "For real, though. Thank you. I'll be surprised if the boy makes it through one more, to be hone

The Snapdragon retreated into the forest where reinforcements lay in wait for the approaching danger. Having failed to keep track of her energy levels, Cleo realized too late that she could only get away with another couple of hits before she'd need to think about retreating. It was the first time she'd have ever been in such a situation; would the mobs rush her as she tried to run away? Did the game simply disallow escaping from a combat encounter? She desperately hoped to avoid stepping into such uncharted territory. Making a last-ditch effort to take out every Snapdragon at once with a

Just as quickly as the three Snapdragons had fallen, three more rushed in from the surrounding forests. Things had gone from zero to one hundred in such a short space of time and Cleo—having never fought more than a couple of mobs at once—started to panic as she realized the predicament she'd so carelessly placed herself in. All that she could think to do in the moment was lash out at the grouped-up mobs once again, hoping for the best that her blade might connect with some of them to thin out their numbers. Executing a plan she'd spent seconds drawing up, the results were far better than

Despite his calm demeanor, she could tell that the man had grown displeased with her. Perhaps he'd second guessed her motives having realised that her fondness for the plant life in the Gardens was but an elaborate ruse. Though she felt bad, she knew little would come from hesitating now. Cleo parted Nemo with a wave to which he made a forced smile back, and she made way for the inner sanctum of the Gardens. Walking along a winding path that would put her out of Nemo's line of sight and outside of his sphere of guilty influence, she hadn't watched where she was going when she misplaced he

They remained silent for most of the remaining journey, exchanging a few words in between when the need arose, yet the small talk died when Cleo realized Nemo may have started to question her ambitions. His once infectious grin had become a distant smile, yet he'd not asked for her to leave him alone, which she took was a positive sign. He hadn't decided to take back his word of bringing her into the Gardens, at least. Quite rapidly, the scenery shifted from unassuming forestry to a plentiful, sprawling garden. Bushes of flowers encapsulated the utopia, where a dozen species of animals gr

"Well, it's an honour to be among the ranks of those travelers. I do love me some plants!" A lie. She cared little for plants. Well, not entirely so, but in the context of the situation, her interests lay more in the Col and the materials the Gardens would have to offer than whatever flora had been planted there by Nemo. "And I can't wait to show you around! Tell me, which member of the flowering plant group is your favourite?" Eager to share his enthusiasm with another person, Nemo shared a look with Cleo; his excited, hers caught off guard. Cleo, fixing as convincing a smile as she

Despite distancing themselves considerably from Tolbana, Cleo could still see the town from afar when she looked back. Flat fields and thin forests meant there was little to obscure an entire settlement, much less the second largest one on the floor. She cast her eyes back to the path ahead, lingering on Nemo for a fleeting moment. His sunny disposition proved infectious as Cleo found herself feeling cheery, simply happy to be out and about with present company. "Do you bring a lot of people to Little Eden, then?" She initiated conversation; they still had a good distance to cover, and it

"It's quite the walk; we'll be nearing the edge of the world, in fact. Are you ready to leave now?" As the last word slipped from Nemo's tongue, a quest window appeared, the characteristic blue and red buttons catching Cleo's eyes. She accepted without a second thought. "I've everything we'd need for a long journey, been on a few of those recently." Indeed, the Player's travels led her across a great deal of the early floors. Never as far 'the edge', though. She had imagined what it might be like: a monolithic wall encapsulating the floor, a railing one might topple over if they were care

Rumours spread of a garden teeming with riches, practically begging to be pilfered by those bold enough to seek it out. Cleo, a player who'd found themselves in need of Col yet having no easy way to get it, naturally gravitated toward these rumours and the riches they spoke of. She imagined herself curled up in a chair by a fireplace, a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other, minding nobody's business but her own within the confines of her own home. A comfortable thought—a dream—and nothing more. To make that dream a reality, she scoped out the NPC that, if her sources were cor

Once more gracing The Evening Star with her presence, Cleo wandered into the Artisan's shop. This time, she required an item which could supplement her desires to earn Col—a lot of it—to keep her off of the streets and food in her stomach, and, perhaps, to aid her in purchasing a home of her own. Having seen Nari's abode, she couldn't help but feel envious of the woman and her gargantuan estate, which had enough rooms to be legally labelled a maze. That said, she cared little about any grand hall or fancy courtyard; a simple apartment with a bedroom and a living space suited her needs just fin

'Ah, fuck,' she cursed in thought, learning more than she ought to know about a total stranger's backstory. The sadness in his eyes brought pity to hers, and as he laid the object down on the table, she struggled to ascertain what it could have been. A weapon of sorts, if the handle were any indication. Perhaps it was the murder weapon or the brother's blade? Her curiosity would have to take a backseat as the conversation's narrative would soon begin to spiral, and, quite suddenly, she found herself unsure what to say. As a pundit of small talk and idle chitchat, heavy topics strayed from her

“That is, of course, unless you’re thinking that you’re entirely incapable of training the kitten?” The words hit her like a slap in the face, igniting a need to speak in defense for herself. "I'm not incapable." Reluctant to make commitments? Yes. Barely able to look after herself, let alone another soul? Possibly. But she couldn't bare to be branded incapable, not even in jest, and knew when to stand her ground on the matter. In the silence that followed, she allowed her thoughts to run amok and dwell on the situation; how silly she'd been to get so worked up, how Nari had been encourag

Try as she did to hide it, her eyes blew wide-open when Nari rated the performance a '...two?' It wasn't the number Cleo had hoped to hear, yet knew it to be the one that she deserved. Frustration beginning to build from her own inadequancies, she lashed out in a moment of weakness. "Practice, practice, practice. I get it." Cleo's voice carried a burning sense of sarcasm, her patience tested for the first time in the game and gripping her quite unlike anything else had thus far. Almost immediately, she looked to Nari, regret written in her eyes. "Fuck. Sorry. I didn't mean to..." To what? she

Éli, either heeding Nari's warning about Yuki or simply reacting to the mention of his name, turned around cluelessly. "Better watch it, bud. Don't want you catching Yuki's claws." Cleo teased, playfully ruffling his ears. "Right. Repetition." She flashed a nod at Nari and then a smile toward Éli. "We'll get there, little man. Ready to give this another shot?" As if she even needed to ask, the cat already poised before the remaining training dummies. "Let's do it just like before; let 'em have it when I say go, okay?" Attempt number two was swiftly underway. This time, she eyed the d

"Cleo is fine, thank you." Using pronouns in place of a proper noun was atypical, Cleo knew. She thought it nice Dustin had been willing to use it instead of her real name but as so many knew her by her legal name already, it'd be more trouble than it was worth to navigate Aincrad under two different aliases. Names aside, after learning of how Dustin acrued so much junk, and how he made it a point to help weaker players who were just starting their adventure, she found herself impressed with his answers. To go through the trouble of using a merhcant as a proxy to distribute the items—espe

Beet red in the face after Nari began to laugh, Cleo feared that something she said came across as wildly different from what she intended. Learning that it was just the compliment—a misinformed one, in Nari's words—which had set the woman off, she relaxed, even briefly joining in with the hysterics. "Alright, maybe we're both a bit disastrous behind the curtain. BUT, don't you dare sell yourself short, Nari. You wouldn't have traipsed through a desert for an hour with this idiot if you weren't at least a decent person." Laughing through her bout of self-deprecation, she set about getting up o