[PP - F3] <<Worn Out Welcome>> Cool Kids Wear Leather

[Necryptonix 0]

Necryptonix stared at the quest note, frowning slightly. Lord knows I need the armour.... She sighs, pushes her hair out of her face, and turns on her heel, striding to the shop the armorsmiths Griswold and Hanna operate out of. 

It's a beautiful day on the floor, early afternoon, and Nix can tell that Griswold's note has drawn in a lot of business from all hustle and bustle within. As soon as she opens the door she can hear a man shouting out orders while people at the counter jostle each other, trying to get the armorsmith's attention before the others. She hesitates, grimacing at the press of customers, before taking a step inside. 

"I guess I'll just wait then." She grumbles to no one in particular as she leans on her spear, hand on hip, lips pursed. At least she didn't have to wait very long; the smith seemed to know his business well as he took order after order and dismissed the adventurers from the shop. Before long there's only one person left at the counter, so Necryptonix tucks her spear onto her back again and steps forward into line. Once it's her turn, the smith turns a surly eye on her.

"Well, tell me what you want, I don't have all day!" The smith growled.

"A leather coat if you would, dark brown with red stitching, red seams, and red trim. About thigh-length, with sleeves that are an inch or two too long. Is that doable?" Necryptonix clasped her hands behind her back and waited for the smith to reply as he hee'd and haw'd at her request. After a few moments and a huffy sigh, the smith nodded his assent.

"Fine, I suppose you know tha' you need to get th' materials for it then? Hanna! Measure this girl!" The smith gestured to his wife, who quickly bustled forward with a measuring tape, smiling all the way.

"Of course. Just tell me what you need." Nix obediently held out her arms to get measured as Hanna went about her business. 

"Well you'll be needing some some oil for th' leather, tha' you can get from most flax plants or aromatic flowers...You'll also be needin' some red roses or the like, for making red dye....And then th' leather itself, it should be from a dark elf, an' tha' you can find out at the Forest of Wavering Mists. Bring me all tha' and I'll make you th' coat you want." The smith turned and went into the back of his shop without another word, leaving no time for Necryptonix to say anything to him. Hanna finished up measuring Nix and gave her shoulder a friendly pat.

"Don't worry dear, he treats everyone like that but he doesn't mean it. Just be careful out there, okay?" Nix nodded her assent and Hanna went in to the back room after her husband, leaving Necryptonix alone in the front.

She stood silent for a moment, tapping her fingers on her thigh thoughtfully, before heading out of the shop. I'm no where near strong enough to get all that by myself.....She has to shade her eyes from the sudden brightness, and heads towards the exit of the town. She casts her eyes around doubtfully, trying to decide if she should ask any of the other nearby players for help. She stops at a fountain and sits on the edge, stretching her legs out, and starts people-watching for a likely party member.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Necryptonix
Wrong Floor Number oops

[Seul 1]

How long had it been since the last time he was able to aimlessly wander through Delilah Village? He wasn't sure, but once he arrived he was surprised by how much the place hadn't changed during his time away. Now that he thought about it, none of the settlements in the game really altered in appearance too often; it was almost as if they were all frozen in time whenever he left. Still, the peaceful town did make for a nice change of pace from fighting monsters and diving into dungeons. To make matters better his recent departure from the knights meant he'd be able to stay as long as he wanted without any other responsibilities to tend to.

With it being on one of the lower floors it wasn't that surprising to see low levels walking around either. How anyone could still be under leveled at this point was beyond him to figure out, but he just concluded that everyone progressed at a different pace in in the game. It also wasn’t like he was in a position to look down on anyone for having a lower level; he was far from being at the top himself after all. Hopefully that would change with a little more effort on his part though.

***

“It’s a pretty nice day, huh?” Seul said while plopping down next to a brown haired girl sitting on the edge of a fountain. His blood splatter patterned coat clung to his body over a black undershirt and a two handed straight sword rested in a scabbard at his back. Compared to others in the area he must have looked like a higher level player and they wouldn't be wrong to think of such an idea as a fact. It wasn't like the assumptions of his fellow players mattered much to him though. The way he saw it regardless of whatever a player’s level might have been they were all still trapped in Aincrad at the end of each day so worrying about level differences wasn't so important when talking with others.

But there he went again letting his thoughts roam after being the one to initiate the interaction in the first place. He would brush everything else aside for now and with an outstretched hand offer the girl a friendly smile. "I'm Seul, how about you?" 

[Necryptonix 0]

Necryptonix had been lost in thought observing a younger girl in a crazy pink outfit, so when the other player sat next to her and spoke she jumped so hard she nearly fell into the fountain. She caught herself (with only her hand getting a little wet in the process), and stared blankly at the guy for a moment, taking in his obviously higher level gear and weapon. 

"Oh, um," she shook the guy's hand with a firm grip out of habit, "I'm Necryptonix, it's nice to meet you...." She trailed off, cheeks flushed from the embarrassing near-fall, finally letting her hand fall limply from the handshake. He looks like he's been around the block a few times....maybe I can get him to help me. Nix cleared her throat and pushed herself into a more respectable sitting position, crossing her ankles and putting her hands in her lap.

"Excuse me, but you seem like a higher level player, what are you doing wandering around in a quiet place like this? Shouldn't you be on the frontlines or something?" She cocked her head, carefully watching the stranger's facial expressions.

 

[Seul 1]

Necrypto-wha? That would take some getting used to. He wanted to ask her why she picked a name like that and maybe he would eventually, but now didn’t really seem like the time to start an interview. He wanted to just shrug in response to her question, but decided it might have been rude to just leave her hanging like that. After After a moment of thought he began to speak.

"I'm level 46 to be exact, but I like being on the lower floors since there's usually less stuff trying to kill me around places like this. I'm sure the other frontliners are out looking for the next boss room, but since I'm not really the scouting type I'd be pretty much useless to them."

Judging from her question and appearance he assumed she was a lower level. He wasn't sure how low though as appearance alone wasn't enough to determine such a thing. After all a decent level player could easily dress down in average equipment while in town to avoid drawing attention. "What brings you around here?" 

[Necryptonix 0]

Her eyes widened somewhat at his admission of his level. Holy crap, did he say 46? Who IS this guy? Well, at least her initial judgement had proved true, he was far stronger than the norm for this floor. She realized then she'd have to tell him how weak she was in comparison, and the idea of admitting to that made her cringe internally. She never did like being the weak one. Oh well, you put yourself in this position, what did you expect to happen? Silly girl. Necryptonix squared her shoulders.

"Well actually, I'm glad you asked...." She trailed off, and with a sigh she steeled herself to ask for help. "I came here to start a quest for some new armor, but I'm afraid I won't be able to do it myself with how low of a level I am. I was just looking for someone to help me out -- and here you are. If you're willing, and have the free time to lend me a hand, I would be grateful for any assistance you could offer me." Nix carefully added a small smile to the end of her sentence, hoping to add some emotional leverage to the request.

[Seul 1]

“A quest…?” He took a moment to search his thoughts for an inkling of what she was talking about and eventually traced his memory back to one familiar sounding mission he had taken long ago. Things were much simpler in those days, but even he wasn't able to face the challenge alone at the time. Given his current ability though it would probably take little effort to complete if he went alone.

“Yeah, I'll help, but this is your quest so I think it’d be best if you lead the way.” Seul wished that the players who aided him in the past used more of a backseat approach rather than doing all the work. If they had maybe learning about how the world worked would have been easier. Despite this, he was certain if one was going to survive the death game they'd need to know how to be independent if there was ever a need for it. Having higher level players pull all the weight could easily lead to complacency and with it a preventable death. That line of reasoning was enough to convince him just providing support for Necryptonix rather than carrying her would be the best course of action for their adventure.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Seul

[Necryptonix 0]

Nix gave the other player a relieved smile. "Of course, I wouldn't want it any other way." She pulled out a piece of paper on which she had written all of the items the smith had demanded and showed it to the other player:

Spoiler

Plant Oil x 1

Red Roses x 2

Dark Elven Leather x 1

"This is what the smith told me I needed, for him to make me some new light armor. The Dark elf will be in the Forest of Wavering Mists, the other stuff we'll just have to root around for as we go, I think." She looked up at Seul. "Of course, I won't ask you to help me for nothing. If you can think of any way I could repay you despite our level differences, tell me. I want this to be a fair deal for both of us." Nix had never enjoyed owing people anything, and she wasn't about to let herself become dependent on another player now, so if she could think of a way to pay him back for all of his help she would feel a lot better about the whole situation. She knew too well the amount of control someone could exert over another person after doing them a "generous" favor. She wasn't about to let herself fall into that trap again.

[Seul 1]

Seul carefully mulled over her words regarding the details of the quest, but only shook his head at the mention of receiving something in return for helping out. One of his hands shot up to nervously scratch the back of his neck while searched for his next words. “Well… It wouldn't be very heroic to help someone in need and then ask for something afterward. So, uh, don't worry about it; I don't really need to get anything out of this.” It wasn’t like he would be receiving nothing after all. The experience he'd be earning from tagging along was going to come in handy on the difficult path to unlocking the next tier of equipment. Any and all points that he could gathe along the way would be worthwhile once they started adding up.

Before Nix could respond he decided to be the first one to break the potentially awkward situation he created. Hopping up to his feet, the boy brushed the matter away and idly glanced around as he spoke. “Now, since that's out of the way, we should get a move on unless you have some other business to take care of first. There's no rush, but also no telling how long gathering all the ingredients will take.”

Edited January 12, 2017 by Seul

[Necryptonix 0]

Nix gazed at Seul uncertainly as he said gaining the experience was enough. She'd have to remember those words, and remind him of them if things turned sour between them. But she nodded in agreement as he suggested they get moving, and stood up beside him, stretching a little and then waving at him to follow her. "I think I know the way, but if you see me steering us in a bad direction please correct me. I'd hate to get killed because of a faulty memory." She gave a half smile at her joke and then turned away to walk towards the city gates. 

She was speed-walking, weaving in and out of other players and hoping the other boy would be able to keep up with her. She just wanted to be sure that they got everything they needed and were back inside the city walls before nightfall. She had no desire to find out what sorts of beasties came out to play once it got dark. Once she reached the gates, she pulled up her menu and found Seul's name, then sent a party request. "Here, we should party up before we get out there, in case something bad happens."

[Seul 1]

“Of course.” He replied while following Nix to the town’s exit. She was swift, but at the same time not too much for him to handle while following her steps from a short distance. Overall he had nothing but good feelings about the outcome of the quest and was excited to play at least a little part in someone else’s adventure for a change.

It didn’t take long for the pair to reach the gates, but once they did their progress was brought to a halt in order to make the partnership official. Seul brought a hand up to accept the invite, eyeing the corner of his vision just to be sure that the action had gone through without without a hitch. Once he saw the second green bar hovering beneath his own his fears had been dismissed and it seemed they'd be able to continue the trip with ease.

“Done; I do have a question though if you don't mind me asking. How come your level is still so low? By now I didn't think that was possible.”