[PP-F1] An Awaited Lunch (Kasier) - COMPLETED

[Cygnus 0]

@Kasier

[OOC;] Here you go! I look forward to your reply. ^^]]

Cygnus sat in a small restaurant in the Town of Beginnings. He had just sent a message to Kasier after wondering for awhile if he should. Eventually, he opened his meesenger and sent her the following.

"Hey Kasier! Remember me? I was wanting to take you up on your lunch invitation."

Cygnus sent the messsage after including his location. It might seem a little out of the blue, but he felt kind of bad at the way he reacted to her invitation a couple of days ago. He wasn't used to girls asking him to go to lunch with them, so he wasn't entirely sure how to react. He had girls ask him to coffee, dinner, and the like when he was in the real world, but he was so naive he didn't even know what they were really after. Now that his innocence was gone, a girl asking him to lunch made him uncomfortable. The warrior sighed and brushed his hair out of his face. He hoped she didn't take offense to it. As the waitress passed, Cygnus ordered a drink before Kasier decided to come by. 

Edited August 9, 2016 by Cygnus

[Kasier 0]

Kasier had been in her shop, completely depressed by how unlucky and how terrible her luck had been recently during crafting. Indeed, her luck had been absolutely bizarre considering the fact that she was still rank 1 and she had yet to craft a single perfect item despite her continuous efforts. Still, Kasier would continue and continue on creating items so that she'll eventually be able to make Helio's item for him as reward for the kindness that he had shown her. As she waited, wandering what she was going to do for the rest of the day, she heard a beep coming from her HUD menu and the writer of the message was a man by the name of Cygnus. His name does ring a bell and she remembered him quite clearly. The man had shown her the first AoE that she has ever seen in this game. He had been able to destroy... Completely annihilate four boars at the same time. Even though the second battle took quite a while, he was still able to finish off the mobs and hence, get some materials for himself. It seemed that the man had invited her to lunch and no doubt, she was going to accept the invitation. She was getting rather hungry already and time for lunch had already arrived. With a smile, Kasier exited the shop that she owns to meet up with Cygnus.

By the time that she reached the man, the man already had a seat and reserved one for her. He had a drink on her desk... Something that he must have ordered while waiting for her. Normally... If this was night, Kasier wouldn't have been scared to order an alcoholic item but now, since it was noon, she'd rather not waste the rest of her day by drinking unresponsively. "Hi, Cygnus! How's your day been so far? Thanks for inviting me for lunch out here." She said as she sat down and ordered a regular cup of orange juice for herself.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus didn't have to wait much longer. Soon, Kasier had come, thanking him for inviting her to lunch. "Not a problem." He smiled, taking a sip of his drink and waiting for the waitress to come back around so they could order their food after the exchanged pleasantries. "I feel like I kind of owe you. You invited me to lunch when last we met, but we never got to go.So I figured now would be the perfect time." He noticed Kasier ordered orange juice and he looked down at his own choice of drink. Cygnus had never been a drinker back in the real world, but he figured he'd start since he... got a new life and all that. For the time being, anyway. His inexperience in the whole drinking thing led him to believe there was nothing strange with having a drink at noon. This was actually the first alcoholic beverage he ever ordered. That should be interesting. He made a note not to drink too much. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Kasier by getting drunk. He just figured it would help relax him. 

[Kasier 0]

Kasier nodded and cleared some hair that had found its way on her face. "Great! I was pretty bored in my shop anyway so it's nice to come out here and have lunch with you. Plus, I feel like we didn't talk enough last time we met." Kasier said, watching as the waitress came over and handed her her medium cup of orange juice. This sure brought her back to her original memories. Back when she was just level one, she didn't have any Col... Hence, all she could do was stand outside of shops and stare inside in hope that someone might help her and get her food. Eventually, someone did help her but that was a different story. That was the past... And it was only just a week ago as well. She had been progressing on a level basis quite nicely and if she keeps it up, she'll be able to grandmaster <<First Aid>> soon enough and hence make it to the front lines. At the moment, the front lines lacked any sort of healing powers and that is why she must hurry and help them to prevent as much deaths as possible on the front lines. There's already too much deaths in this game. She thought, remembering all the stories from other players regarding the NPC. Kasier smiled and took a menu so she would be able to order what she want to eat. With a scan of her eyes, she noticed that the store was selling quite a bit of meat products. Eh... I'm fine with that. She thought, ordering a barbecue steak when the waitress came over. "So, Cygnus, do you have a familiar?" She asked, trying to make conversation out of nothing and remembering Itzal and Ariel's familiars.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus nodded when Kasier said that she didn't feel like they spoke enough when they met. "My thoughts exactly." He smiled at her, ordering his food once the waitress came back up. He noticed Kasier order the barbeque steak, and so he did the same, ordering some plain water to go with it when he noticed his drink was now gone. He looked back at his lunch guest when she asked him if he had a familiar. "Actually, no. I don't. But I plan on getting one soon! I've heard of the quest and everything, just haven't gotten a chance to go on it yet. I've been so busy trying to grandmaster my weapon skill." He opened his menu to look at his progress. He had come a long way from where he once was. There was now just a little less than half to go." He closed his menu and looked back up at Kasier. "What about you? Decided to take a familiar on yet?"

[Kasier 0]

Kasier smiled when she watched Itzal order the same thing that she had. From the picture, she could tell that the steak would be a wonderfully tasting item to eat but of course, pictures may be deceiving. You know what they say, "Don't judge a book by its cover..." Don't judge food by its picture. Sure, looks regarding food is very important but the most important thing that one must critique about food is the taste itself. Kasier was never a professional cook but even an amateur would know that. She noticed that Cygnus seemed a lot more comfortable talking to her now. In the beginning, he was pretty quiet and seemed really taken back to talk to her but she was glad that the man was slowly willing to communicate with her a bit more. "Wow, so you are really close to grand mastering your weapon skill? I'm not that far away from being able to grandmaster my healing skill as well. Only a bit... 30 SP or so and I'll be able to grandmaster first aid. With first aid, I'll be able to heal players a lot more effectively than I can do at the moment." Kasier said, watching as the waitress came over with two cooked steak that looked flooded with barbecue sauce... Most likely sweet. Not that she minded. "And yeah, I'll probably be taking up a familiar... Preferably a cute one as well. Especially after I saw Ariel and Itzal's familiars, I've been really inspired to find a trustworthy familiar for myself as well." She said, watching as the waitress placed the plates on their tables with utmost gracefulness. "Well, our food is here. Time to dig in!" She said, grabbing onto the steel fork that was placed on their table and without a second of hesitation, she dug into the plate of steak, cutting first and then eating with haste.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus smiled when Kasier mentioned wanting to take on a familiar, preferably a cute one. He had a thought for something more regal. He felt that would fit his personality better. When their food came, he grinned. The brunette was beyond ready to get started. He put the towel that had his silverware on it in his armor like a bib, then picked up his knife and for, cutting off a small bite of the steak and placing it in his mouth, chewing politely and then swallowing. He looked up at Kasier, his face going red. While he was trying to be polite, she went ahead and dug in. Old habits really did die hard. He had said it a couple of times before, but now it really hit home to him. He was uncomfortable if he ate any other way though. Those lessons his instructors hammered into his head stuck. That was for sure. He noticed that he was lost in his thoughts for awhile, just staring into space. He flinched once the realization hit him and he cut off another piece of steak and ate it. "This isn't bad." He said after he swallowed and dabbed his mouth with his bib. He figured he'd try to start another conversation.

[Kasier 0]

Kasier looked up to see Cygnus staring somewhat at her. She then realized that she was eating quite fast. However, she had an excuse for this behavior. She'd skipped breakfast because she was so busy tidying up her shop so it might attract more customers. Still, she didn't know why she was seeking for more customers, especially since she had yet to create what the one and only customer ordered from her. So far, she was failing as a cook... But that was an entirely different story. Kasier blushed and grabbed a napkin before whipping the remains of steak and some barbecue sauce that had somehow found its way around her mouth. She then took a sip of orange juice. Kasier wasn't born into a high class family... However, it appears that Cygnus knew full well how to eat like a proper gentleman. He ate slowly, cutting the meat apart piece by piece and slowly inserting it into his mouth. While the man was eating so elegantly, Kasier was proud of herself for being able to use the knife instead of just biting into the steak. What remains on her plate was half a piece of steak that tasted amazing... Far from being describable. If Kasier didn't run a coffee shop, this would've definitely inspired her to cook meat instead of creating coffee. Heck.... I've never even made coffee in real life. She thought, remembering the good times that she had with her friends... Now, of course, dead from a couple of boars in the first floor. "Yeah. This steak is pretty good." She said simply, stopping to eat so she can speak, "By the way, Cygnus, have you seen anyone die in this game so far?" She asked.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus continued to politely eat his food, savoring the taste. His posture was also impeccable; back straight and elbows off of the table. He was about halfway done with his steak when Kasier asked if he had ever seen someone die in the game. The warrior thought that wasn't an odd question to ask, expecially for a lower level player. Some even disbelieved that you actually did die for real when you died in the game. While Cygnus admitted he didn't know for sure, that was a chacne he wasn't going to take. He finally got to her question. "No. I actually have not. I've done my best to help those in need, and as luck would have it, that has led to me not having seen anyone die." He sipped his water. He thought of asking if she had seen anyone die, but decided against it. Cygnus knew that he wouldn't be interested in talking about such a thing if he had experienced it. He knew what it was like to experience loss. It was a thing best buried deep and forgotten. 

[Kasier 0]

Kasier smiled. The man had not asked her to tell of her stories so she shall not tell of the man what she had been through during her time in this game. In some ways, she'd rather the man asked her the situation while in other ways, she'd rather not. It might have felt nice if she unleashed her story, let her emotions through but not in the public. She'd already told her story to a high leveled player called Xion but only because it was late at night and any tears that might have escape from her eyes were pretty much invisible at night. Hence, it was safe to tell the story. However, if she told the story in exact detail out here in a restaurant, there was no doubt that she'd bail her eyes out. "Well, I guess you are pretty lucky! Hm, I hope it stays like that for both me and you. I sure don't want to see any deaths" Kasier said, keeping her emotions in. In real life, she'd done this quite a few times, hence she was actually quite good and cheering herself up in situations like this. Luckily, no tears came out despite her voice being shaky a few times there. Hopefully, Cygnus didn't notice anything unusual. Kasier sighed, finding a loss of words and she was hence unable to continue the conversation. So far, it has really only been Kasier who's trying to spark some sort of conversation between the two players by asking lots of questions. As she finished off her steak, she came up with yet another question. She was finding out a lot about Cygnus through this lunch and it's definitely a good thing... It's never a bad thing to know a lot about a friend. "So, have you thought of getting a profession yet? I am pretty sure that you didn't have a profession the last time that we met in the fields." Kasier said.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus grinned when Kasier asked if he had a profession yet, recalling the last time they met when he didn't have one. "I actually completed the quest not long ago. I'm a certified Blacksmith now. Check it out." He opened his menu, equipping the hammer he got from the boss Opal killed. It was golden, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires adorning the handle. The head was made of solid gold and had what looked to be Eqyptian hyroglyphics written on it. "Yup, i'm proud of this baby." He tossed it from hand to hand. "You said you had a shop, right? Still decided to be a Cook?" He asked, setting his steak aside for now. He hoped Kasier managed to achieve her goals. It seemed she was well on her way to achieving one of them and he wanted to see if she accomplished becoming a Cook.

[Kasier 0]

Kasier smiled. It appears that not only had Kasier been seeking to become a cook but Cygnus was seeking to become a great blacksmith as well. As long as the man continued to do what he does, surely, there is no doubt that he will become a great crafter in this world of Aincrad and help all the players escape from the tragedy that spawns upon the world of Aincrad. Kasier then looked at the menu once more, wondering what there is that she had yet to try out. Her curiosity was in fact one of the most valuable personality factors that she possesses. With her open mind, she seeks new knowledge. There is always something in this world for one to learn and there is no stop to this endless stream of knowledge. Kasier was never the smart one in school but she had enough knowledge to be considered somewhat intelligent. As she looked at the menu, she noticed that there was something there that she had yet to try out in this world of Aincrad yet. That's right... It was sushi. Sushi, being one of Kasier's most favorite food immediately attracted her attention. Without hesitation, she called the waitress, signaling that she wants to take an order once more. "Alright. I'l order eight salmon sushi. How about you Cygnus?" Kasier asked, wandering if the man wanted to order anything else.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus had moved his steak over to finish it when Kasier had called the waitress over and ordered sushi, asking him if he wanted to order anything else. He looked down at his steak, just over halfway finished, and scratched his head in embarrassment. "Oh, um... i'm fine, thank you." He laughed, continuing to eat his steak. "I haven't had sushi in awhile. Not since before all this happened. I actually had this little sushi place I used to go to. The name escapes me, seeing as how it has been quite awhile since i've been able to go there, but i'd stop by twice a week and order a sample plate." He continued to eat politely, taking each small bite of steak until it was gone. He set his meal aside and allowed himself to slouch a bit, growing more relaxed. "So, were you thinking of doing anything after this? I was just planning on having a lazy day."

[Kasier 0]

Kasier blushed as she realized that Cygnus was only half way done with his steak. It appeared that Kasier had finished her steak way faster than she should've. She guessed that she hadn't exactly eaten her steak in a gentle fashion. She was polite enough and that was what mattered. Kasier shook her head, shaking off the shame for eating the steak too fast. Then, as Cygnus finished eating his steak slowly with his posture held high, Kasier sat back on her chair, waiting patiently for Cygnus to finish off his steak while her sushi was slowly being made in the kitchen. Soon, after quite a while of boredom, she watched as the man took the last bit of steak and inserted it into his mouth, finishing his lunch. At this point, noon was already over and if Kasier was to estimate the time, she would probably say about 1pm although her predictions are awful sometimes. With a yawn, she heard the man ask a question having cleaned up his mouth and as soon as she closed her mouth, she began to speak in response to the question. "Well, I was planning to go get some material gathering done but I wouldn't mind just chilling somewhere." Kasier replied as she wasn't sure whether the man had somewhere to take her since he literally asked whether she had plans for the day.

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus grinned when Kasier mentioned that she was going to go hunting for materials. "Hey, that's funny. I was actually going to see if you wanted to do that. I thought about going hunting, but I hate to go alone, get what I mean? It's always much more fun when you have a friend with you. I think it's the banter I like, mostly. That, and it feels a little safer." He removed his bib from his armor and stretched. "So, would that be something you're interested in doing with me? Maybe we could go after that elusive bird this time. Failing any epic boar battles." The warrior chuckled at his joke and corrected his posture once he realized he was slouched. The brunette was full from his meal, and so wanted to "burn it off." He knew that the meal he ate was just made up of data, but the feeling of being full was real to him and he liked to get a bit of exercise after a nice, big meal.

[Kasier 0]

So, the plan for the day had been settled, it seemed like they were already the day’s plans has just been decided. She had done nothing that morning and she really didn’t feel like doing anything else for the remainder of the day so she wouldn’t mind hanging out with Cygnus. It was afternoon at this point and if they were going to get any material hunting done, they must head out immediately. Hence, Kasier hurried up and finished off her newly arrived sushi, favoring the taste in her mouth and making sure that it stays in her mouth for a while. Kasier sighed and stood up, nodding to the waitress, signaling that the two were finished with their meal. She’d expected Cygnus to pay since he was the gentleman of the party and he, of course, was the one that invited her to lunch. Hence, she stood up.

“Alright Cygnus, I guess we can go hunting then, I was expecting some non-combat material gathering but I guess combat material gathering would be fine considering the fact that we don’t really have that much time before time is up and night comes.” Kasier said, walking out of the door.

As Kasier walked, her hair swayed carefully behind her in response to the flowing wind. Her side carefully placed her curved sword in case there were any emergency situations in which she would need to put her sword in use. Although she despised the use of violence even in a game such as Swords Art Online, she still had her curved sword ready at all times in case she needed it for an emergency situation when she is suddenly placed in combat by herself. At the moment, she was walking towards the Black Forest. She recalled Cygnus talking about annoying bird creatures that had taunted him living inside the Black Forest and of course, Kasier had completed a quest in the forest as well so she knew full well where it was. Despite her previous arrival in the location, she absolutely hated the atmosphere that the forest gives off to any player that goes near it. To today, Kasier didn’t know if it was her imagination that caused her to hear moans in the forest or perhaps it was actual players moaning in there. Even so, there was no point in denying the pure terror that the forest gives off as a feeling to players that arrive near it.

“Geez, this forest always gives me the chill. I’ve been here a couple of times already but no matter how many times I’ve come here, it never fails to scary the wits out of me. I think you are going to have to lead the way into the forest. Let’s go get a material or two from those birds and then get the heck out of there, who knows what might happen if we are stuck in that forest by ourselves at night.” Kasier explained, falling behind so she can walk close and behind Cygnus who was sure to give her protection.

WC - 510

[Cygnus 0]

Cygnus slapped some Col on the table as Kasier accepted his hunting invitation and got up to get ready to go. He honestly expected that he would be paying. He was groomed to be a gentleman ever since he was a child. Before they began their journey far outside the safe zone, Cygnus drew Gavel, shouldering her. The two then began their trek into the Black Forest. Cygnus smiled at his companion as she suggested he take the lead, and that the forest gave her the creeps. Indeed, the forest had a creepy feel. The canopy above blocked out much of the afternoon sun and a thick mist clung to the ground. Cygnus didn't scare too easily, however, so he was perfectly fine taking the lead. He actually liked being a guardian of sorts. He always liked helping people, even when he was very young. Before this happened, when he was in the real world, his darker mood prevented him from doing that very much. But now that he had been given something to fight for, this trait of his seemed to emerge again. He flashed Kasier a thumbs up as he took the lead. "Hm. I get what you mean about this place feeling creepy. I wonder if any players died here? Certainly there must have been a few..." The warrior shivered. "Heh, doesn't make things less creepy thinking about it like that."

[Kasier 0]

Walking into the forest slowly resulted in a cold shiver to arrive at Kasier’s body. Indeed, the creepiness of the forest was enough to make her shiver like a fish out of the water. She was uncomfortable being in this place but there was no helping it. If she didn’t attempt to overcome her fears, she will be able to achieve nothing. The Black Forest was probably nothing compared to the last floor boss and eventually, she’ll reach that stage. As the two walked forwards in silence and as Kasier continued to shiver in fear, she realized that she had yet to equip the armor that a famous blacksmith had created for her. Apparently, it gives the user so much protection that it nearly unbreakable. With a smile, she opened her HUD menu and equipped the armor. Who knows? It might be useful during this task. Also, it might give her warmth so she stops shivering so much. Having done so, Kasier continued to walk forwards before asking Cygnus a question, attempting to stir up conversation.

“So, Cygnus, have you been here a lot? You seem to know where you are going. Or at least you seem to not be shivering as much as me.” Kasier said, hugging herself despite the fact that she had equipped her heavy armor.

After some time passed, the two were deeper into the forest, deeper than she had ever been before. Sure, she was here a few times to gather materials but only those apples that were on the outskirts of the forest. Now, they were much deeper than just the outskirts. It was a lot darker here than she imagined but she was still able to make out the figure in front of her due to the fact that she can still see because of how close she was following Cygnus in case there were any danger that might approach her. However, suddenly, she heard careful chirping behind her in the darkness. At first, she didn’t know what it was… It sounded like the singing of birds in the morning except so much more terrifying that comparing it to birds seemed like an underestimate. Kasier literally smelled danger as soon as she heard the noise.

“Wait.” Kasier said, holding up her hand so Cygnus, who was standing in front of him can stop as well. From behind her came three red eyes. They were blood red and they looked to kill. From up above came three birds, no… A better word to describe them was vultures. Their baldhead came charging towards Kasier and she knew that they were going to make contact immediately because they were coming towards her at extraordinary speed. According to instinct, she ducked immediately, covering her head in case the birds make contact to her directly. Kasier sensed the birds coming closer and closer as their wings flapped louder and louder.

“Gah! Help!” She shouted, hoping that Cygnus would be able to do something about the ugly creatures of the dark forest.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Kasier

[Cygnus 0]

@Kasier

 

Cygnus stopped when Kasier motioned for him to do so, spotting the beady red eyes with killing intent. As they dived out of the trees and towards Kasier, he heard her scream. His protector instincts kicked into action and he angled Gavel, roaring and slicing through the birds with a flurry of six slashes. The mobs that gave Cygnus trouble on the past were less than nothing to him now, and so they all fell to his blade in a shower of blue polygons. Cygnus smirked and sheathed his sword, looking back at Kasier. "Kasier, are you alright?" He was pretty sure she was. He had managed to destroy the beasts before they got to her after all. Still, Cygnus was the type to get concerned anyway.

 

Spoiler

ID# 65650

Cygnus uses Sword Art: Fight Blade! BD 5 + 3 = 8

48 Damage - 7 Mitigation = 41 Damage

 

Vulture A 0/30

Vulture B  0/30

Vulture C  0/30

 

Cygnus HP 60/60

Cygnus Energy 2/12

 

Post Battle Report

LD: 15

450 Col

3 Materials

 

225 Col and 1 Material transferred to Kasier!

 

 

Edited August 6, 2016 by Cygnus

[Kasier 0]

Kasier ducked down right before the vultures were about to make contact with her. If they did really hit her, nothing bad would’ve really happened. Sure, she would’ve taken a bit of damage but with her new heavy armor, the damage would’ve been extreme minimal because she would’ve probably absorbed most of the damage with her new heavy armor. However she would’ve really appreciated it if she didn’t get hit at all. Sure, if she did get damaged, it would probably tickle but just the sensation didn’t seem very appealing for her. Soon, as the vultures came charging towards her, she lifted up her head to see Cygnus with his sword up, ready to attack.

With her eyes open, she watched as the man bravely pulled out his weapon and absolutely destroyed the mobs that were flying towards him with six consecutive swings, brining the vultures down and making them burst into millions and millions of pieces. Kasier, still nervous from the vulture attack soon stood up shakily, her legs wobbling as she looked at the ground. The vultures had dropped few loot and Cygnus soon picked it up, or at least she assumed he did because she wasn’t watching. At least she hadn’t been hit but if she carried on to just duck every single time that a mob comes along, there will be no way that she can possibly become a stronger player in this world of Aincrad. Kasier sighed, she was going to become strong and she had already set her mind on it. Being a weakling in this game simply won’t do it. After she stood up, she looked at Cygnus as he sent her one material and a few Col, which she really appreciated. The man had done the killing so he really didn’t have to give her some materials that had dropped. Still, the man was willing to do so and hence, she wouldn’t refuse the material, which she needed desperately in order to craft in her shop.

“Yeah, I’m fine… But let’s get out of here. I think you are out of energy now and the day is coming to a close as well.” Kasier said, beginning to walk out of the forest already. To be honest though, the forest was really intimidating to her and that was a huge reason why she wanted to get out of there as fast as she can. Still, she wanted to go to a hill later on by herself and admire the stars calmly without the companionship of anyone. Night in this game was a splendid sight, there was no doubt about it and one day, she’ll be part of the stars, rising about everyone until she reached the skies. She’ll be strong and the next time that Cygnus sees her, she won’t be the same Kasier. Eventually, she’ll be the queen… The maiden Kaiser of Aincrad and that will be her title, a title that no one can possibly take away from her. Kasier smiled, waving a good bye to Cygnus as she began to run in the horizon. “Alright Cygnus! Thanks for the material and such a fun day!” She shouted, exiting the scene and the fields of the first floor.

Edited August 7, 2016 by Kasier