[PP-F1] Unlikely Vacation Destination <<Sey>>

[Necryptonix 0]

Necryptonix lazed in the shade of a tree next to a pond, located in one of Starting City's more scenic park areas. She laid on her back, gazing up at the sky between the leaves, head pillowed on her crossed arms, legs bent with one crossed over the other, bobbing her foot up and down in a slow rhythm. A soft breeze lifted a few strands of her hair into her face, and she blew some air out of the corner of her mouth to dislodge them again. Picturesque clouds rolled in the virtual sky above her, and she idly tried to see shapes in them like she had when she was a child, camping with her family. She could vaguely hear the sounds of children's voices calling out to each other. Probably a group of orphans out for a play-day...at least some things never change. Not even in here. The thought brought a small smile to her face, the leaves waving in the wind overhead. 

After that first day, she had wandered aimlessly around the city, racking her brains for the best plan moving forward. She wondered if this was all a big joke, just a part of the game to add a bit more immersion to it, she had heard of a similar thing being done in a PC game, hadn't she? Or perhaps it's true, and she should be running out to get as much EXP as she can like every one else? But surely someone on the outside will realize what's happened and find a way to hack us out...She stayed in the city for the whole first day, finding the quietest inn she could and getting a room. She hadn't meant to lock herself away, really she hadn't, but a part of her was convinced that if she just waited it out someone on the outside would rescue her, rescue them all. She had to believe that, because she sure as hell didn't believe in the other players. Not after what she saw in the town square. So much panic, and so many children. She didn't cry that first night, she was too numb for that. She only slept, and waited.

Necryptonix gave herself a little mental shake, to toss the thoughts away from her. I came out here to relax, and I'll be damned if I let myself ruin it for me. She switched her legs so the opposite foot bobbed in the air, and determinedly shut her eyes.

[Sey 0]

Walking by the lake of the first floor, he was just looking for some materials to be gathered. Therefore, he did not having anything by the Hecta's bliss coat equipped on his body as he would be looking around the scene, though not specifically at the ground. Now with Gatherer, he would just be seeing glows that would allow him to pick up all sorts of materials to be used. In his left hand would be a book with a listed set of skills, an item that is required of a tactician since they must be very well informed about what they could do and how they execute it. He however did not have his spear in his other hand, since he did not expect himself to get into a fight. So he just looked to be some average player with a somewhat nice-looking coat and acid jeans. As he continued to walk, a sudden leg would be lifted right in front of him, his violet eyes locking onto it before blinking twice. Hm? He thought to himself as he would trace his eyes down her leg to notice that there was a light-brunette on the ground with her eyes shut. Considering how she just lifted up her leg, it was highly unlikely she was dying. "Hey, are you all right down there?" He'd boldly ask, taking caution in case it were all a trap. Her clothing was like his, nothing special for the game, but it might have been a trap in her case. Still though, in the case in which there was nothing to fear, he did not need to startle her by placing his spear out. "Hmmm..."

[Necryptonix 0]

She opened a single eye to peer up at the stranger, noting his choice in clothing and the book in his hand, and gave him a small polite smile. "Oh, yeah, I'm just fine. Just, you know," she gestured vaguely at the sky, "taking a vacation. No need to worry." She kept smiling but closed her eye again, still determined to enjoy the peace and quiet that the nearly empty floor afforded her. He doesn't look like he's very high leveled, he's probably just wandering around like me. Usually she'd be more suspicious of a stranger approaching her when she's alone, but she had promised herself that she wouldn't spend the day stressing out, and if that meant getting murdered in the process? Well then she obviously was never meant to survive this death game anyway. She could still hear the children shouting to each other in the distance. It was a good sound. "Thank you for asking, though. It's very kind."

[Sey 0]

"Sounds nice. Seems like you have everything secure then. I don't really have much else to do, so do you mind if I stick around?" His head would tilt to the side as he would ask for his permission with a smile on his face. A businessman for sure, but he was understanding human morals a lot more thanks to the game. Sure, he was more or less still a selfish player, but that did not mean that he had to ignore any morals while in the game. And the brunette seemed like a fine young lady who was normal, which he could appreciate these days. "I was just looking around for some materials for my restaurant, though none seem to be around this area. Besides, this is a lake after all, why not just stick around, know what I mean?" He'd then place his hands in his pockets before then opening his eyes in a bit of shock. "Oh how rude of me, I didn't even give you my name. Call me Sey." With that, he would outstretch a hand downwards in an offer to shake with her own.

[Necryptonix 0]

Nix opened both eyes this time, shocked the other player was still around. Out of habit she took his hand firmly and shook it, still blinking the lazy haze out of her eyes. "Oh, um, Necryptonix, I'm Necryptonix. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sey." She cursed herself silently for being so formal. "Yeah, go ahead and take a seat if you like, although I can't promise the grass won't stain your jeans." She gave his jeans a look, then shrugged and went back to staring up at the leaves and the sky. "Well, it's a beautiful day for looking for materials I'll give you that. What kind of food do you make?" Normally she didn't talk this much, but today was a lazy day and this stranger had approached her. She hadn't made any friends in the game yet, probably due to her staying on the first floor long after everyone else had moved up. Hard to make friends when you're 19 and the only other players near you are 10. And since this player didn't seem like he was too over-leveled for this floor, he might be in the same boat as her. 

[Sey 0]

"Necryptonix? Did I get it right?" He was not going to have a fun time learning that name and keeping it in the back of his head. It was the reason why he chose something as stupid but not generic at all like Sey. People could easily remember it, but it was unique at the same time. Though it might have some meaning that he was not expecting. Still though, it was only going to be a temporary name, nothing that was going to last forever. She accepted his company, so he would proceed to sit down beside her while looking over to the lack. "I'll go buy some new jeans if these are messed up. But you don't seem to mind it, you must have a good lump sum of Col, eh?" Sey would ask before then he was asked about what he did and what he made. "Yup! Though my luck has not been so good with getting those said materials, weird, eh? Oh well. As for food, I personally prefer sweets. I have some candy apples with me, would you like one?"

[Necryptonix 0]

She smiled at his stumbling over her name. "Close enough, I suppose. But you can just call me Nix for short if it adds a few years to your life." She listened to him intently, and laughed when he mentioned the Col. "Oh, no, I'm dead broke. I haven't been getting out much. I guess I just don't really care if I get grass-stained or not." She grinned and shrugged again, listening to him speak once more. She nodded, empathetic, as he explained he hadn't been finding too much in the way of materials. She understood the daily grind of an RPG, although never in this setting before. "Sweets, huh? Just candy, or desserts and that sort of thing? I've never made candy, but I used to be great at baking cookies and cakes and the like..." She trailed off, remembering that most players considered it rude to mention the real world. "Ah, excuse me. I shouldn't ramble." She peeked over at him, trying to gauge if he would get upset or not.

[Sey 0]

"Nix. Now that's a name I can appreciate. It sounds elegant." The snow-haired player would explain with a smile as he placed his palms on the ground and leaned his weight onto them, stretching his legs out as he would let out a relaxed sigh. "Oh? Hm, I don't think I have much, but I can help pay for some clothes for you. I got real lucky in a raid, and I have far more than i know what to do with. Maybe it's not a lot to high level players, but we should stick together if we want to make it out of the game." A simple sounding declaration that was just him being generous, as it brought him a warm feeling he loved to feel. "I make both things, and not just desserts either. I usually take things on requests of all sorts, I just happen to get a lot of dessert ones. And why are you stopping? You can't just cut a story in the middle without an end." And with that, he'd continue to listen with expectation.

[Necryptonix 0]

His generous offer threw her off guard, and the mention of a raid even more so. She peeked over at him again, trying to see if she had missed any obvious indicator that he was a much stronger player than she had originally thought. "Oh, I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't let you do that. I really don't care if my clothes get stained, honest. You don't need to waste your resources on me. I'm not really much of a help to anyone right now, if you haven't guessed yet." she gestured at herself, her starter gear still appearing almost new from lack of use, her hair splayed out around her in a messy halo, and then she waved vaguely up at the sky again. She shrugged apologetically at him, somehow feeling guilty that she hadn't been doing more for everyone. Hindsight is 20/20, we always know what we should have done after the fact....She sighed, and gave him a tired smile. "But anyway, I guess my story ends the same way as everyone else's here. I used to do a lot of things, baking, and reading, and getting far too heated in class discussions, and then I came here. Now, apparently, all I really do...is this." Another vague gesture around herself, then she looked back up to the sky. "Gotta hand it to the game developers though, they may have made a killer-game, but they complimented it nicely with killer graphics." She smiled at her own joke.

[Sey 0]

“Ohhhhh, so you just want to sit on the sidelines? Well, I dunno if that’s a reason to deprive you of new clothes, why not try to buy yourself something? My money would probably just go into buying useless things, I think you might make something useful out of it.” But that was about as far as he was going to go. There was nothing for him to lose if he didn’t get the deal through, he was just not interested in seeing someone go through one outfit over and over again, especially after they have been in grass and stained. His eyes locked into the sky to see if there was anything he might have been missing from the sights up there, since she seemed to be looking in that direction. If there was any inner meaning, he completely missed it. “Well, why not try to change that then? You’d be very surprised about what people could do when they boost up their stats. I even saw a dude completely wipe out a yeti in one strike and made it look effortless.” Though after her joke, he felt a shade over his eyes and chuckled lightly at the killing pun that she presented to him, a small drop of sweat dropping down from his head. Death in this game to him was extremely real. “You don’t have a worry, I envy that. How do you do it?”

[Necryptonix 0]

Nix's eyes widened a little in surprise at his sidelines comment and she turned her head to look at him. "Oh, no, you misunderstand me. It's not my intention to sit on the sidelines forever, I promise. I just wanted to wait things out a little while and see if anyone in the real world was going to find a way to hack us out before I ran around risking my life, that's all. But since we're all still here, I guess it's about time for me to go and make myself useful...so I'm taking one last vacation day before I get moving." She smiled. "So you know, your offer might have come at just the right time...although, I would feel bad just taking your money, so how about we make a deal? I'll help you find materials for your restaurant, and you can help me find some armor or something." She pushed herself up onto her elbows and held out a hand to him. "Deal?" 

She chuckled then at his question about worries. "Wrong again my friend, I'm as worried as the next guy. I just don't see the point in making myself miserable over it. Being sad doesn't help anyone, least of all me. It's like I always say, if I don't laugh about it, I'll cry about it. And I'd much rather laugh." She stood up, then, raising her hands above her head and stretching, before leaning next to him and whispering conspiratorially, "That's the trade secret ya know. My chill nature is completely fake. Don't tell anyone." She winked then and turned away to survey the area.

[Sey 0]

"Well... Let me just say that it's only wishful thinking. Not to be pessimistic, but I couldn't even find a way to access the thing before I played. Too secure for any hacker to get through." Sey did try to even physically open it, so hacking was definitely an option that he tried. Unfortunately, that did not really work out, considering all of the gear that he tried to hack with ended up getting fried in return. The nervegear was something that did not play around. The deal proposed to him would definitely be a huge help for him to continue in the game though, and she even brought out a hand. Dealmaking, and this was not even half-bad. Being a businessman, he saw a good deal when he got it. "I did only get lucky that one time though, so I can't provide you with too much I'm afraid. Hopefully you are able to understand. Consider it a deal then." A good actor, and so he would accept her hand with a firm grip like all in the business economy do before giving it a shake.

"That's a good act, I'll be honest with ya. Can't say I'm much of an actor myself." Which was not quite true. Sure, he never dedicated any of his time to theater or anything of the sort, but he most certainly did bother with trying to make deals using all sorts of stories, and many of them ended up with a successful result. "Well, as long as you're safe, that motto should work. Just don't brush off every pain that comes your way though. In this game, if you take too many hits, you might end up finding yourself in a place where you won't recover. And nothing hurts more than that, the salt to the wound."

ID: 74109

LD: 9 + 3 = 12 (No Mats)

@Necryptonix

Edited January 11, 2017 by Sey

[Necryptonix 0]

Nix nodded and sighed at his comment about no one being able to hack the game. "Yeah, I've come to realize that. Don't worry, it's not pessimistic, just realistic. Although the two seem to be one in the same these days." She gave a small smile and chuckled as he explained he couldn't offer much. "What do I look like to you? A gold digger? Relax, if you tossed me 2 Col and a decent cheeseburger I'd be a happy lady. Don't stress out about it."

She meandered away a few steps, hands in her pockets as she scanned the ground carefully, listening to him speak again.She smiled a bit, amused as he reminded her she could die here. "I know it, that's why I tried waiting things out until I was certain we weren't getting outta here the easy way. But it looks like risking my life is the only way after all." She held up her hands and gave a resigned shrug.  This guy seems so serious...I wonder what he's hiding under all that cool personality. She peeked over at him, examining him, trying to glean as much as she could from his appearance. It was then that she realized, she wanted to crack him. Make him laugh and get animated about something, see who he really is. She looked forward again, a small frown on her face as she realized the difficult task she had set for herself. Oh well, it's never fun if it's easy. She put an amused smile back on her face, and bent over to examine the ground.

ID: 74119

LD: 9 (No Mats)

Nothing, oh well.....She stood up again and kept walking, hands clasped behind her back. "So, Sey, what do you like to do for fun?"

@Sey

Edited January 12, 2017 by Necryptonix

[Sey 0]

He smiled upon hearing those words, she seemed to be a lot more collected than he thought. Perhaps she was like Kooh... In fact, it was insanely tough to tell the difference between the both of them. Lazy, but always smiling. Plus, they both were extremely good with their words. Seems like the ladies of the land of Aincrad were witty with their words. ""A toast to that, at least you seem to understand it well." He would explain as he placed his hands in his pockets and continuing to walk around to see what he could find. Any materials would be nice, even if they did not belong to him, because then he could sell them. "Thanks for understanding. Though I'm pretty sure I won't be a prick and give such a small amount. Just make sure to make the best of it, all right?" A little ploy to act as if he did have much. Two was an interesting number she chose, perhaps he could multiply it by say... A thousand perhaps? That lumps sum should work out well.

"It's a sad reality, but I don't mind giving you a hand if you don't mind. Leveling up in this game is the hardest in the beginning on your own." He'd explain as he would press her player icon before revealing a little menu, one of them being the option he was looking for. He'd then send a party request to Nix in case her health would be lowered by a surprise attack, so he could monitor her safety at all times. "But I'm leveling up slowly and surely. It's a little annoying, but waiting is a good element in the game. I nearly died because I refused to wait."

Gatherer Skill Triggered

ID: 74122

LD: 17 + 3 = 20 (1 + 3 Mats)

Total Mats: 4

@Necryptonix

Edited January 12, 2017 by Sey

[Necryptonix 0]

She chuckled as he asked her to make the best of it. "Yeah yeah, I will. It's not like there's any books or games in here to blow Col on anyway." She sighed, a wistful smile crossing her face. She really did miss books. Reading outside on a nice day was her idea of perfection, and the distinct lack of books in the game was a constant thorn in her side. I wonder what book he's carrying? I'll have to try and get a look at the title next chance I get...Nix pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and looked out over the pond. She wondered what sort of player was kind of enough to take care of the orphan kids here, and if she had anyone taking care of her. It had to be exhausting, with so many children. Maybe I should volunteer some time, although god knows I'm no good with children.

She looked up in surprise as he mentioned that his rushing into things nearly got him killed. "Wow, that sounds like quite the story. Care to share? You know, for learning purposes." She winked, and went back to examining the ground around her, taking slow steps and nudging things aside with her boot. 

ID: 74126
LD: 20 

+1 T1 Mats

Nix leaned down to pick up a rare plant, and with a smile held it up to Sey. "Hey, I found something for ya!"

@Sey

Edited January 12, 2017 by Necryptonix

[Sey 0]

Learning purposes, yeah right. "It was the worst memo for me by far..." He placed his hand on his face as he tilted it upwards as he cringed a bit when he was told to give the story. "Oh man was I stupid..." It was a decent start to get her hopes up. But it was completely true as well, since he did not even know what Sword Arts were and that would have made the difference in the little battle. His palm would then detached from his face as he would then begin to tell. "I took that worn out welcome quest. It gives some armor for those who are just starting out. I just couldn't land a hit on the fool, and it seemed to be winning. I had... a low amount of health. One more hit and I would have been dead." And then came the stupid part of the story... "Er... I didn't know I could use Sword Arts at the time..." And with that, he would take a bit as his cringing was killing him, pretty much slicing through him like his own spear before he ended the story. "I got lucky and ran away from the Dark elf, probably the easiest enemy to ever exist in this game... That was such a fun day."

She'd then hand him the material he needed, in which he would take before then examining it for a little bit. Upon a successful examination, he would nod his head before looking to her. "Just what I need, thanks. Let's keep searching." Sey would order as he would continue to look around to see if there was anything to look for. "Ah shoot, I'm not so lucky."

ID: 74128

LD: 9 + 3 = 12 (No Mats)

@Necryptonix

Edited January 12, 2017 by Sey

[Necryptonix 0]

She couldn't help it, his story had her bursting out laughing. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be laughing, but I can just imagine how strange that whole situation must have been for you," she laughed a bit more, trying to contain it for fear of insulting him. "Well, I'm very glad you didn't die. Who would I get to tease and embarrass otherwise?" She gave him a teasing smile and continued moseying around the area. "So you aren't like the others, huh? It didn't seem to bother you when I accidentally mentioned the real world. Why is that?" She tilted her head towards him, waiting to hear an answer.

As she walked she noticed something shining in the grass before her, so she stooped to pick it up and examine it closer.

ID: 74130

LD: 13

No Mats

When she looked at it closer though she realized it was nothing, just a scrap of shiny, tattered cloth. "Damn, never mind, it's just some trash or something." She sighed and tossed it away before walking off again. Better luck next time, I suppose....

@Sey

Edited January 12, 2017 by Necryptonix

[Sey 0]

Her laughing would cause him to hang his head down in embarrassment as a shade would cover his eyes and a sweatdrop would fall from his head in the process, showing that he was none too amused with the laughter, but it was shown in a more comedic was. "Thanks, glad to know I'm a verbal punching bag." And with that, he'd place his hands back into his pockets as he hung his head up once again. "Tell me, how many times to you get to be in such a beautiful environment? This whole game has all sorts of sights for me to see, and I intend to see them all. As for the real world, dwelling on it is not going to get us anywhere. So we have to make our temporary lives here the best." He'd then look back to the sky with his violet colored eyes looking towards the clouds. Still no hidden message up there or anything. "You seem rather happy with life though, despite your "chill" nature being an act. Are you sure it's an act? I'm not quite sure I believe that. And there is still no mats, shoot..."

ID: 74131

LD: 5 + 3 = 8

Total Mats: 5

@Necryptonix

Edited January 12, 2017 by Sey

[Necryptonix 0]

She chuckled a bit more at his embarrassment. Ha, got under his skin a bit with that one. Good to know there's a human being in there...She smiled to herself at the thought. And nodded along in agreement with his statements about there being a lot to see in the world. "Don't I know it. I love how it looks around here, although there's one thing they didn't manage to capture correctly." She grimaced and looked over at Sey. "Do you remember the smell of dirt after rain? It's one of my favorite things in the whole world, but in here they didn't get it right. It just smells like grass. Very disappointing." She shook her head and went back to studying the ground, grinning when he mentioned that he wasn't sure her chill act was actually just an act. "Okay, maybe it isn't entirely an act. I'm worried as hell, but I've also come to accept the situation...so it's easy for me to be calm because I know there's very little I can do to fix it unless I work my ass off and help the frontliners. I don't believe in complaining about something unless I'm actively trying to fix it." 

Nix crouched, picking through some dirt and rocks.

ID: 74133
LD: 2

There was nothing there though, and when she stood her hands were muddied. She grimaced and wiped them on the grass. "Nothing here, unless you count muck and grim as a good material." She started walking again, looking up to watch a puffy cloud roll lazily by, and asked, "You seem pretty calm yourself, what's your story?"

@Sey

 

Edited January 12, 2017 by Necryptonix

[Sey 0]

Sey was never one with nature back in the real world. He lived inside a lot, usually in a building where his father would work as an engineer. That being said, he was usually sheltered from the outside world. Something even as simple as the smell of grass after the rain was something he would never dream in his life to be enticing. Still, perhaps he was the weird one out, so he pretended to relate. "Oh yeah, absolutely! What with how the grass smells after the dew comes up and... Yeah!" 10/10 effort placed into it, but he was not too successful since he was unable to even describe what the grass would smell like. Not a single adjective came to his mind. And the playful brunette had a better ear for things than he would like, so that worked against him as well. "My story?" He'd softly kick the ground as he swung his right leg, his violet eyes looking up into the air. "Ohhhhhh, you know, the same old story. Nothing bad ever happened to me, and I just so happened to get caught in this game like everyone else. I did try to open the nervegear though, not to any success I'm afraid. And good like trying to hack it, your equipment will get fried in return."

ID: 74150

LD: 4 + 3 = 7

Total Mats: 5

@Necryptonix

Edited January 12, 2017 by Sey