[PP-F1] Getting Stronger - COMPLETED

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus had begun his morning training outside the Town of Beginnings. He slashed through the air in front of him with his sword and dodged an invisible opponent. He was completely engrossed in what he was doing, always wanting to get in the zone during his training. He focused only on one singular goal; getting stronger. He knew he would do it too. He felt more comfortable in recent days. It was as if he had gotten more used to his situation. He wasn't sure what to think of that. In some ways, it was good. The man who came here; the nervous, sniveling, crybaby, seemed just like a distant memory at this point. He would get stronger, he would find this Akihiko Kayaba, and he would run him through. That much Cygnus knew to be true. These thoughts pumped Cygnus up, and he increased the intensity of his training, dodging his invisible foe frantically as if he was in an actual fight.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Cygnus

[Kooh 0]

A soft snickering escaped through the grin of a hooded blonde girl. As the sun hung overhead, shining down upon the rolling hills of grass just outside the first floor's city gates. Here, in the middle of a scarcely populated field, Kooh stood, dramatically waving her arm in front of a boar. The creatures directly outside of town must have been programmed not to attack on sight, and the mischievous blonde was finding much enjoyment out of messing with them. The animal went about its business, pathing around lazily and occasionally stopped to snort and graze at the ground. Kooh's lips played into an amused smiled as she hopped in place a couple of times directly in front of the boar. The entertainment value wasn't going to last much longer, so the girl let out a small breath before reaching out to place a hand on the creatures head, as if to offer it a pat goodbye.

As soon as her slender fingers made contact with the boar's coarse fur the monster's eyed immediately flickered up towards her and flashed a menacing red, causing the girl to retract with a startled expression. The creature snorted, staring directly at her now, where before it wouldn't look at her face. With a nervous smile, Kooh took a small step back. "D-don't tell me... That made you want to fight me?" She asked in a quiet voice, half expecting the boar to answer her. The girl took another step back, but her eyes widened when the creature scraped its hoof against the ground. 'Uh oh.'

"Well uhh, it's been tons of fun, so I guess I'll just get out of here now...!" Kooh continued speaking to the creature, but her words came out rushed. Once she finished the last word, the girl turned on her heel and began running away from the boar, resulting in the sound of heavy hooves trampling the grass behind her. Aiming to make it back to town, the girl gave a quick glance over her shoulder to gauge the distance she'd put between them. As soon as she did so, the blonde troublemaker felt a strong force against her shoulder, and the world spun for a moment before she found herself staring up at the blue sky, a tingling sensation running through her body. "Wha?" The girl pushed herself to sit up, spotting what looked like a man on the ground nearby.

((Sorry, I get carried away with intro posts :P))

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus had prepared what would be the "finishing blow" to his invisible enemy, but he didn't get a chance to pull it off. Seemingly out of nowhere, a girl slammed into him, knocking him down and sending his sword flying a few feet away from him. With a heavy sigh, Cygnus stood up. "Why me...?" He rubbed his head and looked to see what hit him. It was a girl, and she was sitting on the ground looking at him. "Hey. What's the hurry? Something trying to kill you?" He joked, not knowing how right he was. Cygnus walked over to where his sword fell, picking it up and shouldering it. "I was just getting some training in. I like to do this "shadow boxing" sort of thing, except with my sword instead of my fists."

 

[No worries. ^^ It was a good read]

[Kooh 0]

Kooh could only give the man a blank stare before her mind snapped to the animal that had just been chasing after her. She looked in the direction she had come from to see the boar from behind as it trotted back to its original grazing area. "Oh..." She breathed, her expression soon relaxing once she realized she was no longer in danger. Logging away a couple of questions she had about how monsters react and how fleeing from combat works, Kooh made herself a mental note to prod around for the information in town this week.

Bringing herself back to Aincrad, and the beginning of a conversation she'd found herself in, the blonde picked herself up to her feet and instinctively brushed herself off. "Hey, sorry about that!" She said with an apologetic but carefree tone. The man didn't seemed too bothered, so she hoped she could still salvage the situation. As he went on about the training session he was in the middle of, the girl grinned in response. "Huh, really?" She leaned her body forward a bit, slipping her hands into her pockets as she tilted her head with a bit of curiosity. "Does that help you get better with sword fighting? Like, do you get sword points?" She asked in a joking manner. Not being able to help herself, she quickly chuckled with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sorry!" She added on, not wanting to sour his mood with her jesting. "But I'm totally clueless when it comes to that stuff."

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus gave the stranger a confused look. "Sword points...?" He clearly didn't get the joke. "It just helps with my form, really." He put his sword away in the sheathe on his back, wiping the sweat off his brow. He looked back at the girl. "Oh! Sorry. I'm Cygnus. It's nice to meet you." The introduction was second nature to him at this point. He had made some friends in the time he was here, and he was grateful for that, but he had to introduce himself so many times. Still, he was happy to make friends. They made this whole experience a little less awful. Maybe this girl would be a friend too? Cygnus grinned. "So, what brings you out here? Are you training like me?"

[Kooh 0]

Kooh's smile didn't waver, even as her attempted humor fell short. Cygnus promptly moved on to introduce himself, causing the girl to nod in response. "Kooh." She gave her username more readily than she had expected. Perhaps she'd already grown accustomed to addressing herself by that name. Quickly nudging idle thoughts aside, the blonde teen thought to herself a moment before answering his question. "Something like that..." She mumbled to fill the silence. Joking around was proving worthless. Shifting her weight, she looked back to Cygnus and studied him a moment before speaking up again. "Actually, I'm really worthless at the whole fighting thing." She admitted with a small shrug, averting her gaze to look over the grassy hills in the distance. She spoke casually like she had been, but slipped in a tone of embarrassment. Cygnus seemed like a hard-working, knightly kind of guy that kind of fit the setting of the fantasy world they now lived in. Kooh began wondering if a lot of other people took on that kind of a role since being trapped here, but again fought off her daydreaming to add something on before the conversation fell flat. She took in a sharp breath, lifting her shoulders slightly as she did so. "Anyways, don't let me interrupt you!" A smile returned to her features as she prepared to bow out and leave the man to his training.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus raised an eyebrow as Kooh spoke. She was an interesting one. She said she couldn't fight either, a rather rough handicap, he was sure. It probably wasn't all too safe for her outside of the towns, so what was she doing here?  Before he could speak, Kooh seemed to be getting ready to leave. "Hold on, what's the hurry? I could use a break anyway." He smiled and took a seat on the grass. "So, what exactly were you running from?" He asked, accessing his inventory menu real fast so he could get something to drink. A canteen appeared in his hand and he took a sip. With a sigh of relief, he set the canteen down beside him. Nothing like a cool, refreshing drink of water after training.

Edited June 25, 2016 by Cygnus

[Kooh 0]

Kooh grinned as the man protested to her leaving. He got comfortable, even, taking a seat on the ground and pulling out a drink from his inventory. The girl blinked in mild interest. Didn't some of her starting items include something similar? Shrugging off the thought as an unknown, Kooh followed Cygnus' lead, sitting herself down with crossed legs. The long blades of grass tickled at her bare legs, and she placed her hands on her shins where her limbs crossed, leaning forward slightly as she did so.

At Cygnus' next question, Kooh inwardly halted a moment, not expecting the topic of her run-in with the boar to come back up. With a light chuckle, the girl answered, "Oh, y'know, I was just taking a hands-on approach to getting used to all of this stuff." She responded vaguely, then looked back to him with curious ruby eyes. "So you use a sword, right? Do you have to actually run around and swing at monsters?" She streamed questions at the man, keeping a smile of intrigue on her face as she waited enthusiastically for his response.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus chuckled at the vague response to his question, but he let it pass as an answer. He figured that whatever got her running, it was embarrassing. He could empathize with that, though. Cygnus has had his fair share of awkward and embarrassing moments. The fountain incident came to mind. "I understand what you mean. I adjusted pretty well to this place after I had a few starting blunders. But I guess that's because I have some serious motivation to get back." He leaned back, taking a more relaxed position. Kooh asked him about his sword, and whether or not he actually swung it at an enemy. He nodded, looking back at the sword. It wasn't anything special, but it was his and he had grown rather fond of it. "You bet. It's almost like fighting in real life, just a little different. Maybe I can show you some time if you'd like."

[Kooh 0]

"Hmm..." She mused in between Cygnus' sentences. He was pretty open, and seemed honest enough as he spoke. Kooh fought back a grimace when he explained fighting monsters in the game was basically like fighting in real life. That sounded awful. Her expression only reflected a thoughtful frown, mulling over his words. "It sounds difficult..." She mumbled the choice of words. She thought back to when she created her avatar and the game prompted her to choose a type of weapon to start with. She'd even invested her skill points--whatever those were--into the corresponding weapon skill. Claw weapons just sounded...interesting. It caught her eye at the time, and she couldn't remember another reason that she picked that weapon over all the other choices.

The girl seemed to perk up when he offered to show her what combat in the game was like. She planned to avoid it like the plague, knowing the ins-and-outs of the system would only benefit her, right? "Hey, if you don't mind, I won't turn down a free lesson." The girl grinned again.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus's cheeks turned red. Kooh seemed ready for a lesson now. He was a little embarrassed to admit that he hadn't taken down a boar alone before and doubted he even could. "Uh, um... hehe... i've never actually fought a boar all by myself before. I'm just a level one, y'see..." He chuckled nervously. "The boars don't look like much, but people like us aren't really equipped to deal with them alone." He looked over where the boars' spawn was. "Maybe we could take one down together, but I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt. Maybe when we have someone else with us or when we're a little stronger." He twiddled his thumbs and looked around to avoid her gaze. His cheeks were still pink. "Anyway! Have you ever been up to the other floors? I've never left the first one myself."

[Kooh 0]

The corners of Kooh's mouth turned up into a small smirk. Now she knew they were on even ground, experience-wise. "Hey, so we're in the same boat!" She chuckled again when she saw how embarrassed the man became. She pouted just a little in her mind as she knew she'd have to wait or try prying elsewhere to learn about combat. She allowed Cygnus to change the topic, not bothering to respond to his comments of 'another time'.

"Nope." The girl answered flatly. She had started leaving town more often, sticking to the open fields where the city walls were still visible, but besides that she hadn't ventured past floor one. "I've heard of the teleport thing in town that can take you to the other floors, but I don't know how that works." She said nonchalantly, giving a dismissive wave of her hand as she spoke. This time, she just waited for his response, seeing if he would change topics again or not. The mild conversation was enough to keep her occupied, and this was less boring than taunting boars for the rest of the day.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus laughed when Kooh mentioned that they were in the same boat. "Yeah, i've still got a lot to learn myself." His embarrassment died down a bit at that point. At least he wasn't blushing anymore. "Yeah, i've heard of that thing too. Maybe I should explore a couple of the other floors some time." He took another sip from his canteen. "Like I said, i've never left the first floor either. Until just a little while ago, I never even left the town. The thought of dying kept me chained to the town for awhile. I got used to it after awhile though. Kind of settled into my life here and everything. What about you? How have you been dealing with this whole thing?"

[Kooh 0]

"It's...fun." Kooh responded with another thoughtful frown. She hadn't given a topic like that much thought, let alone have another player ask her. She had obtained the game on a whim, not knowing much about video games or VR at all, so it had taken her some time to get adjusted and start learning the basics, much to her annoyance. Another smirk pulled at her expression as she opened her mouth to speak. As if deciding against it at the last second, Kooh paused before continuing with a different choice of words. "No use stressing over it though, right?" The girl kicked her legs out of their crossed position, leaning backwards until her back laid against the grassy earth, arms spread out to her sides. Staring up at the clear blue sky, she stifled a deeper frown. She was growing bored; there was nothing she could think to ask the man, since they were both level one and he hadn't traveled any farther from town than her.

Edited June 25, 2016 by Kooh

[Cygnus 0]

"Fun, huh?" That was an interesting answer. Certainly not what he thought of it once he came here. "You must be pretty brave then. Braver than I was, that's for sure." Cygnus looked at the girl, raising his eyebrow as she leaned back until she was lying down. With a chuckle, he did the same thing. He looked up at the sky, staying silent for a moment. He was thinking about what he could do to keep the conversation rolling. He hadn't asked her if she'd be willing to party up some time. She did say that she couldn't fight, but it wouldn't be that way forever, surely. Plus, she did seem receptive to him teaching her a thing or two about combat. So, as Cygnus continued to look up at the sky, he spoke to her. "So, have you ever partied up with anyone before?" He asked casually, folding his arms behind his head to prop it up a bit. 

[Kooh 0]

She thought of herself as neither brave nor cowardly; simply apathetic. This world was a place where she could live anonymously and do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. And she planned on taking advantage of that at every moment. "Huh?" It wasn't discernible whether she was confused by his calling her brave, or the question that followed. Responding only to the latter, she answered with the same carefree "Nope." Allowing herself to hold a disinterested frown as her expression was out of view, she continued, closing her eyes against the bright sun overhead. "Isn't that something you do for going on quests or adventures or something?" She asked very generally. Her lack of knowledge with basic video game mechanics was more than apparent, but it didn't seem to bother or embarrass her. She saw a small opportunity to get more information out of the man, so she continued to pile on questions. "Do parties do anything? Give you bonus points or something?" She asked, eyes still closed as her lips curled into a smile again.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus didn't laugh at her lack of knowledge. In truth, he didn't have much time for games either growing up. His father never allowing it was the main reason. Still, he had friends that played games, and even played a few games himself, so he knew the basic terminology. "Parties are normally formed by people who share a common goal. Wanting to do a quest or just going out and killing mobs can be some of those goals." Cygnus yawned. "To tell you the truth, i've never been in a party before either. I never had much of an opportunity. When I first got here, I was really nervous and kinda shy, which probably led to me not ever getting into a party." He sat up and looked over at Kooh. "Maybe we could make a party sometime? You know, do some quests or something." He looked at his very basic clothing and his beloved, but also very basic, two-handed sword. "Um... when we get some better equipment." He laughed. ""Gored by a boar at level one" doesn't sound like a very dramatic cause of death." 

Edited June 26, 2016 by Cygnus

[Kooh 0]

Kooh snickered lightly as Cygnus both explained what parties were and began to open up to her. She listened patiently to his words, and when she heard his position shift the girl's eyes fluttered open. She quickly squinted against the bright sun before glancing over to the man. 'Quests, huh?' She thought lazily. Even if she'd never done one before, just the word was straight-forward enough. She wondered curiously what kind of stuff you got for doing quests. Do you just get experience points? Or would it tempt her with treasures and trinkets? Unable to get her mind off of it now, Kooh shifted her gaze back upwards. "Yeah, why not?" She accepted his offer casually.

Her eyes flickered over again when he mentioned equipment. She couldn't comfortably see at the sharp angle, so the girl pushed herself up so she was leaning back on her arms, legs still extended straight in front of her. She eyed his basic-looking items, her own simple clothing no better. Though she suspected she knew the answer, she spoke up again. "Lemme guess, you do quests to get equipment?"

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus suppressed a "YES!" when Kooh agreed to party up with him sometime. He had made a few friends, but this was the first time he even asked someone if they wanted to form a party. Instead of the elated reaction he wanted to show, he simply smiled and laid down on the grass again. "Great. Here. I'll add you to my friends list so we can get in contact easier." As he laid on his back, his head resting on his free arm, he opened up his menu and with a few taps from his finger, he sent her a friend request. About a second later, Kooh would receive a notification. It read; "Cygnus has sent you a friend request." It came with an option to accept or reject it. Cygnus didn't know how much she knew about accepting friend requests, but he figured it was pretty obvious that she had to select "Accept."

[Kooh 0]

Kooh tapped the toes of her boots together a couple of times, still propped up in a sitting position even as Cygnus lay back down. Her ruby eyes blinked in slight surprise, not expecting the notification window that appeared in front of her. She read the question in her mind, thinking that she hadn't used a feature like this before. It wasn't going to do anything weird, right? The girl hesitated a moment, but she wasn't in a place to decline his request. 'Can't hurt, I suppose.' She thought with a mental shrug, shifting her weight so she could bring up a hand to tap on the blue 'Accept' option.

Kooh repositioned herself, leaning forward and pulling her knees close to her chest. She sat for a minute, curled up a bit, before breaking the silence. "Well, guess I've gotta figure out how to get my hands on some equipment." She smirked, starting to think of a few shops in town she could poke around in. She lazily wondered if she could convince anyone to buy or craft her something.

((If you want to wrap up the thread here, I'd be happy to keep RPing with you! We can continue here with a new thread, or change up the setting. Since we hit 20 posts we might as well close it for the SP if you want))