[PP-F01] Another Day, Another New Face

[Winik 0]

Winik was strolling through the cobblestone streets of the Town of Beginnings, head down and lost in thought.  He had just finished giving paying his respects at the Monument of Life.  So many people had lost their lives in this game and he was poignant in the fact that he wasn't going to be one of them.  Not him, nor anyone in his party.  He sighed heavily, making his way into a tavern to try to get himself a drink to soothe his nerves.  He made his way to the bar, sitting heavily on a stool and raising his hand in signal for a drink.  A flurry of pixels later and a flagon was sitting on the bar in front of him.  Winik grabbed the handle and took a long drink, knowing damn well that he couldn't actually get drunk in this game.  But flavor was flavor and that was something he could appreciate.

@Fae

[Fae 0]

Fae had been wandering around the town of beginnings for a while, looking for a place to eat. She didn't have the col to be going to a player shop for food, so an NPC shop would have to do. Everyone else, both players and NPCs, were way taller than her, so it was hard seeing the signs for food.

Fae eventually spotted a sign that was low to the ground and rushed toward the door. She opened it and walked into the tavern. Fae got a lot of confused looks from NPCs and she didn't quite get why. She saw a blue haired player sitting at the bar and immediately walked towards him. She climbed up onto the stool next to him with a smile on her face. Fae could tell that the player wasn't in the best of moods, so she decided to try and cheer him up. "Hi! What's wrong mister? You seem down." Fae asked tapping him on the shoulder.

 @Winik

[Winik 0]

Winik tipped his flagon back, draining the last of the contents before setting it back down against the bar.  He leaned heavily on one hand, turning his head to take in the player sitting next to him. "Just enjoying the flavors, that's all.  What brought you into a little dumpy establishment like this one?" he questioned, taking in her appearance as he gestured with one hand.  He wasn't wearing his questing gear, so he looked just like every other low leveled player, her included.  He could tell she was new around here, most people hadn't found this place.  It didn't cost a lot of col to get a meal and drink here, and the flavors weren't all that bad. "You just decided to venture around the Town of Beginnings? Or were you just trying to find someplace new?" He yawned widely, gesturing with his hand to get himself another drink.  A new flagon appeared and he wrapped his fingers around the handle, keeping an eye on the player.

@Fae

Edited July 28, 2017 by Winik

[Fae 0]

Fae felt a little better that there was nothing wrong with him. She at first couldn't remember why she came to the tavern, then her tummy growled a little bit, and she remembered right away. "Um, I just came here for a bite to eat. I saw the sign and came in." Fae answered before doing a small spin in her seat.

Fae saw how Winik was able to get a drink at the wave of a hand and tried doing it herself. Sure enough, a flagon appeared in front of her as well. She picked it up and took a sip, and it tasted okay to her. "I guess you could say Fae was venturing around the town. I was looking around, since the town is huge." Fae responded before taking another sip.

Fae leaned back a little and took another sip from the flagon. "This is okay, but it doesn't taste as good as my Mommy and Daddy say it does." Fae said as she set the flagon back down on the bar.

@Winik

[Winik 0]

Winik gestured to the barkeep, allowing a plate of food to materialize in front of him.  He slid over the plate of eggs and sausage, all lying in a pool of grease, to the girl.  Another gesture and a plate of the same food appeared in front of him.  He took a long drink from his flagon before taking a fork in hand.  He laid into the plate, using the edge of his fork to cut the sausage links and slice through the egg yolk.  He shoveled it into his mouth, drinking from his flagon on occasion.  A sideways look out of his eye showed him the girl hadn't touched her food yet and he spoke out of the corner of his mouth, "I heard your stomach, now eat your food.  You're not going to find much better in a place like this, at least it's something you'd find irl." 

@Fae

Edited July 28, 2017 by Winik

[Fae 0]

Fae did as she was told and grabbed her fork. She started to cut up her eggs and ate the pieces rather quickly. Fae was pratically starving up until this point. She started to cut up the sausage as well, but not before taking a good sip from her flagon. "I'm not really looking for taste in the food, just something to fill my stomach. This tastes fine though." Fae said as she started to eat pieces of the sausage.

It took less than a minute before all the sausage pieces were gone. Fae leaned back on her stool and patted her stomach. "Those were good, better than anything I've had so far. What do you think of the food?" Fae asked as she finished eating the last of the egg. She took the last sip from the now empty flagon and set it down on the bar. "I'm Fae by the way, what's your name?" Fae added as she turned to face Winik.

@Winik

[Winik 0]

Winik pushed his empty plate away from himself, gesturing for a new order to come in with a refill on his drink. He cut a piece off of his sausage and broke the yolk of his eggs with the tines of his fork.  He swiped the meat through the yolks before greedily devouring the bite.  A long drink from his flagon gave him time to formulate his thoughts.  Placing it against the bar with a light thump, he turned his attention back to the girl. "I'm Winik.  You seem a little young for this game, don't you think?" His words held no venom, just honest curiosity getting to him.  He dug into his plate, piling bite after bite of breakfast foods, washing them down with long drinks from his flagon. He chewed thoughtfully before spouting off another question. "Do you have family or anything of the like in here with you, or are you on your own?"

[Fae 0]

Fae did the same gesture as Winik and her flagon was refilled. She took a big sip from it and listened to Winik's question. "Fae don't really know the normal age is for this game. Is 9 too young?" Fae asked in response. She didn't really know exactly, she never looked at the age rating on the cover.

She took another sip from the flagon, and set it back down before Winik's next question. "N-no, I don't have any family who came into this game. My mom was only able to get one copy of the game, so only I could play. We had no idea it was a death game..." Fae trailed off after that, trying to remember everything else. It had been quite a while since she was first trapped in the game. "Sorry, I just miss them a little. You feel the same about your parents right? Do you miss them?" Fae asked her eyes watering a little.

@Winik

[Winik 0]

WInik leaned against his palms, his elbows resting on the bar. "At home it was just me and my mom, dad left when I was really young.  Left a family and a business behind, if you can believe it." He sighed heavily, straightening on his stool so he could grab his flagon.  A long swallow later and he was able to continue. "9 is a little young for this game, it was aimed for a more mature audience after all.  I knew there were some kids who got trapped in here too, they had tricked their parents to allow them to get a copy." He kept his gaze aimed on the back wall of the bar.  There were plenty of people trapped without their families here, he was just one of many. She was too, after all.  Only, she was younger than most.  Could she carve a way for herself in this world, or was she one to need to be cared for at the church?

[Fae 0]

Fae leaned back and thought about what Winik had just said. "So your daddy just left? That's not nice at all." Fae replied as she continued to lean back. She was already full of food and didn't feel like having any more drink at the moment, so she just leaned back on her stool even more.

Fae eventually leaned too far back on her stool and fell off of it. She got up right away and stood the stool back up. "Sorry! I just went too far there." Fae apologized as she climbed back up onto her stool.

Fae listened to the rest of what Winik had to say and frowned a little bit. "Oh, I didn't know that I was too young for the game. But I didn't trick my parents or anything like that. My mommy just worked at the game store, so she was able to get an easy copy. You know other kids that were trapped in this game? I haven't seen any kids besides NPCs, where are they?" Fae asked, eager to know if there was someone her age in the game.

@Winik

Edited July 28, 2017 by Fae

[Winik 0]

"They've all been taken in by those running the church.  They care for them, feed them, and protect them.  If you're alone, they're worth checking out." Winik braced himself against his hand, watching the young player.  She really was young to be here, she needed to find a group to protect her.  Especially if she was wanting to go out and explore the floors.  He didn't want to see her hurt, but he had too much on his plate right now.  "If you're going to go out on your own, you should at least join a guild that could help you.  Even a party of trustworthy players are better than nothing.  There's only so far you can go on your own." Winik yawned widely, taking his flagon in hand and draining it.  He smacked his lips, enjoying the flavor even though there was no alcohol present.  He needed to find some good drinking buddies soon, otherwise he'd be the only one to enjoy the good drinks in this game.

[Fae 0]

Fae did not like the idea of sitting in the church with all the other kids, even if it was safe. "Nah, Fae wants to see the world, not stay in one spot. In a way, Fae kind of wants to set an example for them, showing that it's possible to survive, even if you're young." Fae responded. She then signalled her hand for a refill, and her flagon was filled immediately.

Fae listened to the rest of what Winik said as she drank from the flagon. "It's kind of funny that you mention joining a guild. Fae already has plans on joining a guild that is starting up soon. By this guy named Vigilon." Fae said as she leaned back on her stool. She continued drinking from the flagon, and the taste started to mellow down a little. "If the NPC drinks are okay, the player made stuff should be fantastic compared to this." Fae commented after she took one long gulp from the flagon.

@Winik

[Winik 0]

"Vigilon, huh?" Winik lifted his refilled flagon once again and took a long drink.  He had quested with Vigilon once, but he didn't really know the guy.  There had been rumors floating around about a new guild starting but Winik had kept his nose out of business that wasn't his and he was going to keep it that way. "If you trust him, join up with him.  Safety in numbers and all that jazz," Winik replied, waving a hand noncommittally.  He took several long pulls from his flagon before slapping it back down on the bar and pushing back from his stool.  "If the player knows what they're doing, they can make anything taste amazing.  But only if they have mats.  I haven't been able to level my cooking skill due to that simple fact.  Now, I've got to go out to the fields and grind for some mats.  I haven't had the best luck recently, you see."

[Fae 0]

Fae nodded her head, "Yeah, Fae trusts him. I am just more desperate than anything to get into a guild. I've just been feeling a little lonely lately and Fae figured that a guild would fix that. You know, working with others could be a nice change of pace." Fae explained before taking another long sip from her flagon. It was starting to taste a little dull, so this was probably going to be her last drink for today.

Fae listened to Winik explain the mats and cooking, and Fae decided that this was her chance to cheer up Winik a little more. "Don't worry! Fae can help you with getting the mats if you want. I'm not that strong, but I'll do my best!" Fae exclaimed as she hopped off the stool. Fae wasn't really that good in combat, but she still wanted to make an effort to help out Winik, even by a small bit.

@Winik

[Winik 0]

Winik waved her on, gesturing to follow him out into the town.  "I'll keep you safe, kid.  Nothing to worry about." Winik turned his head to grin at her, trying his best to alleviate any tension.  The duo made their way through the town, following the cobblestone streets and down narrow alleys.  NPCs made their way through their programming, voices calling out wares and others walking with their families.  "Strength isn't everything, some find their calling in being a support.  Not saying that's the way you should go, just one of the options.  Then there is something more stealthy, focusing on avoiding the hit instead of taking it.  Might be the best for you, but that's just an idea." He held his hands behind his head, stressing against his fingers to try and pop his neck.  The drink and food settled in his stomach, a feeling of content flooding through his veins.  'Maybe I should learn to brew some drink myself,' he thought to himself, contemplating the idea.

[Fae 0]

Fae followed Winik out of the tavern and stayed closely behind him as they weaved their way through the crowds in the town streets. Fae saw Winik grin at her and it definitely helped Fae feel more reassured. "Okay, whatever you say Winik!" Fae said cheerfully as she continued to follow Winik through the streets and alleys.

Fae listened to Winik explain what some of her options were, and nodded her head. "Well, Fae plans on being a dancer to help the frontliners. Boosting stats as support is what Fae wants to do." Fae explained in response. She had small plans on doing the Earning a Living quest soon, so that's the path she was taking.

Fae saw Winik put his hands on his neck, so she did the same thing and tried to pop her neck. "So, is there any specific baddie that drops the mats you need?" Fae asked.

[Winik 0]

Winik cupped his chin in contemplation, "Not particularly.  Since I picked up the Cook profession, Boar meat would be great to work with." He shrugged his shoulders, dropping his arms to hang by his side.  "If you get scared, I want you to run, understand? I don't want you to over exert yourself and get hurt." He stopped, bending at the waist and bracing himself on his knees so he could look her in the eyes.  His usual grin had been replaced with quite the stern look.  He couldn't let anything happen to her, since they just met.  She was young, too young to be stuck in a game like this.  If no one was looking after her, he would for the time being.  Innocence is fleeting and she shouldn't have to lose hers just yet.  "Stay behind me during the fight, I'll draw their attention.  If they come for you, make sure you can get out as quickly as possible.  I will do my best to bring their attention back to me."

@Fae

Edited August 1, 2017 by Winik