[PP - F03] Girl Power << Search for the Hoya >>

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had teleported to Floor 3, it has been a while since she has seen this floor... she remembers the time with her old party of friends that she used to explore with... one of them really loved this floor and Ruby really never understood why... until now, this floor along with many MANY other floors was just genuinely beautiful. She never really got to appreciate the beauty of this game till now, its making her... a little more romantic for some reason. However now was not the time to be flirting with females, she had some SP to get. She needs to complete her quests and get her name known to the front lines. But for now... she wanted a quick drink. She had entered a bar on the floor and took a seat on one of the stools in the bar and said out to the female behind the counter "A sweet wine please." she said with a smile as she sat there patiently waiting.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie was sat alone at the bar, a grey hood draped over her head with only part of her blue bangs showing. She pressed a wooden cup of rose-scented wine to her lips every-so-often, appreciating the deliciously sweet taste to distract herself from the real reason she was there; Drowning her sorrows in light of a recent friend's passing. The very last thing Beatbox mentioned before leaving her on the twenty-first floor was a fight - something about needing to win. If only she knew he was walking straight towards his demise...

The bluenette guzzled the rest of her wine, down to the very last drop as she shook the cup dry. Her eyes were pressed shut as she slammed the drink onto the counter top, though the barmaid didn't flinch as she passed by with another patron's drink in hand. The NPC returned seconds later, an uncertain hand extended towards the cup. With a nod from the bluenette, the barmaid swept it up and went away to refill the drink, and Birdie's eyes fell to the table with a sigh. Half-turning her head, she spotted another player sat beside her, long blonde hair adorning the girl's form. Birdie paid little mind, however, and shifted her focus back to the barmaid, restlessly tapping two fingers on the counter.

@Ruby

[Ruby 0]

After a few moments after ordering her drink she had looked over to a female player with a hood over her head tapping the counter... now this would seem rather odd to wear a hood in a bar especially in a friendly one like this, so there must have been something wrong with the poor girl. Before she made a move the bartender had came back with both of their drinks, Ruby had thanked her for the drink and then scooted over to the next seat while taking a sip. She then let out a voice for the female next to her to hear "You look visibly distraught. Something wrong?" she then took another sip of her drink and then exclaimed out to her "I know you are at least upset. It's not everyday a female player walks in with a hood over her head to hide herself from the world while getting a drink... wouldn't you say?" she looked over with a smile before patting her on the back "I'm not forcing you to say anything though, just simply curious is all."

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

As the most recent drink order arrived, Birdie moved to grab hold of hers until another player's voice swiftly halted her. She made a sideways glance at the one sat beside her, now able to see the woman in full; At first sight, they didn't appear to have a weapon equipped, though it's possible she'd unequipped it prior to entering. A light shrug rolled off Birdie's shoulders, eyes facing the wooden counter. "I-I suppose so... I'd rather not talk about it." A quiver infected her voice at first, though it quickly ceased. Having not been one for physical affection her entire life, she tensed upon feeling Ruby's hand upon her back, yet managed to feigned comfort and force the frown away. "Something happened to a friend, that's as much as I'm willing to say." Her attention fell on the cup of wine, and she grabbed it with a sigh. "What's your excuse? These places aren't reputable for being female-friendly, even if it's one of the nicer bars around."

@Birdie

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had frowned when she didn't really want to talk about it... did she lose someone important? Get she get rejected in some way or form? Ruby wanted to know or at least put a smile on her face, then she had spoken up about something happening to a friend, now shes no investigator but she is a good guessing girl and she can only assume that a friend of hers had passed away whether it'd be from something or from a fight. Then she had asked on what her excuse was being around here... now normally she would be a little upset by this statement but for her cause it hasn't changed her emotion at all "Well, I simply wanted to get a drink one of my favorites at least before heading off to a quest. I don't care that men can hit on me all I want because of how sexy I look, if I want a drink ill get a drink darn it." she chuckled then went back to being a little more serious "Now... I can only assume that one of your friends has well..." she looked over to the side "Y'know... died... but, I am sure he's in a better place now. I don't know much about the whole situation about him... but, I can only assume he was a driving force in your life... right?" she had asked making a HUGE assumption in the dark.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"O-oh, I see." If her scenario weren't as depressing, Birdie might have been envious of the woman's clear-cut confidence. Any semblance of envy was quick to evaporate, however, as the conversation took an 180 back to the source of her anguish. "How did you..." She was silent for a moment, questioning whether the woman was actually asking such a personal question, but obliged with a sigh nonetheless. "W-well... he was a source of inspiration. The things he did, the things he didn't want to do... it was all for a greater cause." Memories of the things they'd discussed flashed through her mind, and she traced a finger along the edge of her cup. "I respected him so much... still do." A second of silence befell the two, and her eyes traced a path up to the woman's face. "Does that answer your question? Or do you need to know his life story too?" Her tone was bitter, wrought with emotion.

@Ruby

Edited July 20, 2017 by Birdie

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had giggled when she had gotten it right and replied back to her "I'm just a guessing girl, there is not much that can happen to someone in this world. I can took a stab in the dark and guessed that he or she probably died is all." she then let Birdie speak and she only began to reply to her after she had finished and let a moment of silence break in, but before that... Ruby had taken a sip of her sweet wine. "I can understand a source of inspiration can affect you hard. Especially one that had done so much for you or the community... did you... like like him or is it just a good friend that you didn't want to see go away?" then Birdie had asked if she had wanted the players backstory and if it answered her question, she had grinned a bit "No that answers my question, I don't think you are comfortable with going into more detail about it." she said before grabbing back onto her drink and took yet another sip.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Right..." Birdie didn't want to agree with the woman but she was right; Short of death or corruption, nothing tragic could really happen to a player. Fatigue and exhaustion were system-controlled parameters and could only take out a person briefly, and injuries didn't seem to have permanent physical effects.

Her eyebrows pulled together. Does she think it's normal to ask these kinds of questions? Although Birdie thought better than to answer, she wanted to avoid any further prying or potential teasing as a result of avoiding the question. "He was a good friend, that's all. I knew him when he was below Level 20... he made it to 61 before passing." It was a level she could only dream of reaching, though there was no short supply of motivation to attain it. "I-it might sound silly, but that's what I want to reach. I'm not sure he would care that much, but... I'll get there in honour of him."

She breathed a little, grateful that the woman wouldn't pry her for more. "T-thank you. Sorry for being so snarky, it hasn't been the brightest day..." At that, she lifted the drink to her lips and took a long, hard sip. Birdie thought for a moment, wondering whether she was in the right to ask a question. Despite having plenty of reasons against doing so, she continued. "S-so, you're on a quest? Is it one of the Rivalry ones?"

@Ruby

[Ruby 0]

She wanted to get to the level he was just to honor the man? That's some determination to follow, while 61 is an extremely high level... that level was also probably a bit high for where we are know... however I am pretty sure that there are higher levels and she herself was level 40. "Well, I am extremely sorry for your loss miss. If you don't mind what is your name? If you are wanting mine first, its Ruby. It's a pleasure to meet you even if I was a little... interested to say the least about the situation." she then gave Birdie a smile as she had began to thank her "There's no need to thank me. Just tryin' to cheer a girl up is all." she giggled, then she had asked which quest that she was wanting to go on, and simply she had said "Search for the Hoya, just trying to get some extra col and SP... because despite me being a high level... I kind of have no equipment what so ever..." she started to talk a little quieter by the word ashamed that she had absolutely nothing to her name mysteriously.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Y-yeah... so am I." It was a tough pill to swallow but she had to keep pushing forward. If not for herself or as a duty to the thousands trapped below, then as a way of thanking Beatbox for making Aincrad that much of a safer world to live in.

Made hesitant by Ruby's question, Birdie tried to smile as the woman introduced herself formally. "Uhm... My username is Birdie, spelt with an I and an E. It's lovely to meet you, Ruby." There was always a sudden feeling of regret whenever she told another her name; Player Killers were all fairly well-known by now, green bandits being some of the most notorious for obvious reasons. She couldn't decipher much about Ruby, other than that the woman's confidence was off the charts compared to her own.

"W-wait, you... don't have any equipment?" Birdie blinked, thinking she'd misheard. "But how are you going to complete the quest? Y-you mean you just don't use a weapon, right?" At such a point in the game, it was impossible to fathom somebody not having a single piece of equipment- even low levels in the Town of Beginnings made use rough tools and weak starting armour.

@Ruby

Edited July 21, 2017 by Birdie

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had smiled, her name was Birdie... but with a I and E, it was actually pretty cute she wasn't going to lie "Well Birdie its nice to meet you despite the way we had met." then she had looked down ashamed of herself when she had stated that she had literally no equipment and with Birdie's reaction there was made her a little more ashamed of herself having no equipment. She had just poked her fingers to each other and said "I mean... I do have a weapon... I am rank 5 Martial Arts, so... I can at least defend myself, and I haven't the need for equipment for a while since my original skills I acquired was Support... but I do remember having equipment back then, however... the group of people told me to hand the stuff back over... or they would... they would..." she shook her head, she just wanted to forget that it happened at all, she shed a tear but she quickly wiped it away trying to hide the fact of what happened. She had finished her drink and sat up "I just don't have equipment or col now to get any... so I am just a level 40 stuck with nothing..." she looked down again.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie had been staring at Ruby, her mouth agape. She makes it sound like she was part of a group... if that's the case, what happened between them that forced her to return every last bit of equipment? It was a mystery alright, but Birdie feared to pursue the answer- she knew how uncomfortable it was to be asked such personal questions. Judging by Ruby's reaction to the memories, it was beyond inappropriate to expect an answer from the woman. "I-I'm so sorry to hear that, I can't imagine how hard that must be for you..." Her words trailed off. Birdie stared hard at the drink, put it to her lips and took a large gulp of wine- she'd only managed about a quarter of the drink before being forced to stop and swallow what was in her mouth.

She took pity on the woman. No player should be stripped of their defences; The items that keep them alive in a cut-throat world like SAO. That said, handing out freebies wasn't her style- it would spell a definite net loss of materials. Taking a second to think, Birdie eventually spoke up with a nervous tone. "I have a shop up on the 21st floor, it's where I practice Artisanry. It's not much, but, I could loan out a few materials and make you a piece of equipment? You can have it made however you want, too. I'd hate to know that a Level 40 player is walking around with nothing to their name..."

@Ruby

Edited July 21, 2017 by Birdie

[Ruby 0]

Birdie had went on how it must feel horrible for something like that to happen to her, while Ruby wanted to say that it was fine... she honestly didn't believe it was fine. She just shook her head "I used to have a fair amount of col, I was saving up for a house too... it just sucks that they all had to... just take it away from me. However... it was either that or my life..." she looked down again letting out another tear but she didn't care to wipe it off her face this time around. She shook her head again "I know how it feels to lose someone, my ex-girlfriend was in the group, and... she died in a dungeon that we were in..." she shook her head again trying her best to just ignore what had happened "But all I can do is move forward, I am never going to see them again hopefully, I can get new equipment, and theres more cute fish in the sea... it just sucks for the time being.". Time had passed for just a moment, and Birdie had spoken up on letting her borrow until the time being to get some equipment. She had looked over to Birdie and said "Could you please? I am just looking for some accuracy at the moment. Just anything helps."

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Now Birdie was dumbstruck and furious. PK'ers were one thing, but mugging a player of everything they own by threatening their life was a whole new low. Although she tended to avoid physical contact, Birdie had almost reached out to comfort the woman by holding her shoulder, but hesitation and sudden realisation drew her hand backwards. All the bluebird could do was listen intently as Ruby continued to share her experiences, offering a quiet look of consolation. "Goodness, that's... I'm so, so sorry for your loss." Her voice had gone shaky, though she quickly hid her face beneath the hood to clear her throat. "R-right. I guess, in the end, moving forwards is all we really can do... no sense wasting a single minute." How hypocritical of her to say.

Birdie made a mental note to craft Ruby an accuracy-enhancing item, swiftly following up with a nod. "Consider it done." Another swig of her drink later and the cup was nearly empty, save for the last few drops of liquid in the bottom. She'd put off asking her next question for a while, yet with little else to do for the evening and seeing Ruby in such a state, she'd be heartless not to at least offer. "H-hey, um... if it's not too much trouble, do you mind if I join you? Search for the Hoya isn't that difficult, but the labyrinth can be pretty hard to find if you don't have Search and Detect."

@Ruby

[Ruby 0]

"It's alright Birdie... I'm a tough girl, I can get through this." she had said out to Birdie as she had exclaimed out how she was sorry for her loss, then she had mentioned it was probably for the better and we should keep moving forward... in which she did agree with her... but it just seems so hypocritical. She had sighed, maybe it was just better if she had tried that it had never existed at all, maybe even just try to erase it from her memory. In the midst of her thoughts, Birdie had exclaimed to consider it done, Ruby had looked over with a smile and said "Really? I really really appreciate it Birdie. Is there anyway I can really thank you?" she then wanted to just hug the woman, however to prevent awkwardness she forced herself not to. Then she had asked if it would be too much trouble if she had came along with her with the quest, Ruby had nodded her head she had completely wanted her to come, "Yeah sure! I would love for you to come along with Birdie." she then had stood up from her seat, and then walked over to the other side of Birdie "So you coming?" she said with a smile.

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie her head, "No, nothing right now. Just promise you'll never spill innocent blood using it." All she'd given was one simple request, to not venture out and Player Kill with an item she created. Of course, Birdie had no authority over the woman's actions; If that was Ruby's intention, she would find out herself in the very near future. "Okay, great! One sec." With a smile, Birdie necked the last few drops of her wine before allowing the cup to burst into a small cloud of pixels, disappearing within an instant. Birdie watched Ruby as the woman walked on by and she went to pick herself up, nodding in reply to the question, "Mhm, ready over here. It'll take us a little bit to read the quest location, may as well get a move on. I take it you're good to go too?" Seeing as the woman lacked any equipment (and thus had zero inventory sorting to do), it was a safe assumption that they could roll out quickly, yet she thought it better to err on the safe side.

@Ruby

[Ruby 0]

Birdie had gotten a little serious for a moment, she had wanted Ruby to promise to not spill blood using it, Ruby had looked towards Birdie and told her "I would, never spill blood with the item you give me. Nor would I honestly spill blood at all. I promise you this." she said with great sincere, she didn't want Birdie to think that she's a bad person in anyway, the last thing she wants after being stolen of all of her items is for her to be seen as a bad person. She had given Birdie a moment to finish her drink, in before that she had read a little bit of information about the quest that was at hand, and all she could read before Birdie stood up... and when she had stood up she fully got to see Birdie's face, and she had found her... well, for a lack of a better term cute. Ruby had smiled and said to her "I mean, I don't have any items to go through so... I have been ready since day 1." she had chuckled, and she had gotten a little embarrassed as she wanted to get one flirtatious comment there but she had felt like now would be a bad time, however she had gathered up some courage to tell Birdie "Say... Birdie, after fully getting to see your face, you actually look... cute."

@Birdie

[Birdie 0]

As if she were assessing the woman's tone, a few seconds passed as Birdie stared at Ruby. "I see," she smiled, "It'll be ready before tomorrow. Before we head out, do you have any specific preferences for what it looks like? Colours, materials, gems?" Perhaps it wasn't the best time to bring it up but with the quest right around the corner, she figured it best to get it out of the way with straight away.

Birdie blinked, "O-oh... t-that's awfully nice of you to say." A light shade of pink ticked over her cheeks, more from the resulting embarrassment than anything. Nobody had said anything like that to her since her last meet with Arc, during their last date on the eleventh floor. He'd taken her to a restaurant beside the riverbed, gondolas floating effortlessly by.... she sighed, trying hard not to reminisce. "... W-well, um... shall we head out?"

@Ruby

[Ruby 0]

Birdie had asked if there was any form of preferences... Ruby had chuckled, then had spoken out to her "Well you know my name, so you know my favorite Gemstone. Surprise me Birdie." she had said before gaining the embarrassment for just a moment. Her reaction was pretty much what she had expected from this, eventually she had stated it was nice of her to say then letting out a sigh asking if they should be heading out. Ruby had placed a hand on her hip as she had given her a smile "Yeah, let's get going Birdie."

A few moments had passed as Ruby and Birdie had walked down the path towards the quest location, Ruby had looked down and chuckled as she had said out to Birdie "Hey. I just wanna apologize for calling you cute earlier. I just take on more to a flirtatious nature and I like say flirty comments to people I find cute. I am not trying to get with you or anything, It's kind of my way of complementing you in some way shape or form." she had sighed as she had shook her head "I don't even know why I continue to anyways, a part of me just feels dumb for doing it.." then they had eventually arrived to the Labyrinth. "Well... this is it huh? I was expecting it to be a little hard to find." she then grew a small smile as she had began to walk into the Labyrinth.

@Birdie

-----

Ruby - HP: 820/820 - EN: 82/82

Birdie - HP: ???/??? - EN: ??/??

2x Hoya Minotaur - HP: 45/45 - DMG: 30

[Birdie 0]

 

Birdie blinked. "O-oh, r-right... in hindsight, that is a little obvious. I'll see what I can come up with!" At least she had one tidbit of information to go by; Rubies. They left for the <<Forest of Wavering Mists>>, Birdie eagerly following beside the woman. She hadn't visited the third floor's largest expanse of trees in such a long time, despite recently undertaking a quest with her former rival on the very same floor, so she would use this trip as an excuse to immerse herself in the scenery once again; That was until Ruby's voice reached her ears.

"Oh- p-please don't feel the need to apologise for that, I know you didn't mean anything by it." She offered Ruby a genuine smile, "I'm not very used to compliments, so... thank you. It was lovely of you to say." Meanwhile, just a short ways from where they stood, the labyrinth presented itself. The Minotaurs were guarding the gate as they had last time, and Birdie took her rapier from its sheath.

"I've got the left, think you can take out the right?" Rather than wait around for the answer, Birdie reared her left arm backwards and stood low, causing the Sword Art Quadruple Pain to activate. A forward thrusting action propelled her toward a Minotaur as she littered it with four holes, causing the beast to burst into thousands of digital fragments where it stood. The other had reacted swiftly and struck her square in the back with its blade, although the damage was almost completely negligible.

@Ruby

~~~~~

ID#87010 - BD: 9 (Crit) - MD: 10 (Crit)

Ruby - HP: 820/820 - EN: 82/82

Birdie - HP: 679/680 - EN: 64/68 - MIT:  39

• Sword Art Used: Quadruple Pain [Damage=13*4=52]

1x Hoya Minotaur - HP: 45/45 - DMG: 30

• Damage: 30+2=32

1x Hoya Minotaur - HP: -7/45 - DEAD

Edited July 21, 2017 by Birdie