[PP-F5] One Jump Ahead <<Arabian Nights: Night One>> (Kimi, Teion)

[Jomei 0]

<<Arabian Nights: The First Night>>
((Hero Route))

It had been awhile since Jomei had been to the Fifth Floor.. apparently a lot longer than he had remembered, for the main settlement of Armadillo no longer seemed to exist.. or at least, was replaced by an even larger city known as Fortazela. Unlike the other, which seemed like it was just some wild west city turning to shambles, Fortazela was bolstering with shops and businesses. On top of that, the entire city was surrounded by a large circular wall of sandstone, very much reminiscent of the wall around the Town of Beginnings. Fortazela even had a large amount of guards patrolling the walls and the single gate leading in and out of the city. Just why was it that the small town of Armadillo had been replaced.. and why with all the security? 

After adjusting the sleeves of his green trench coat to accommodate for the humid weather, Jomei swiped his hand upwards to send a message to Kimi: 

Quote

To: Kimi

Hey Kimi! After meeting Noodle, I knew he seemed familiar somehow. And then I remembered a boss on the Fifth Floor that is a land shark as well.. just bigger and ugly. The sun is brutal on this floor today, so I'll meet you inside of the tavern in the center of town. 

-Jomei

With the message to Kimi on it way to the girl, Jomei turned towards the tavern, which was a wide, sandstone building with a wooden sign next to the door that read "The Genie's Lamp." The ginger entered the dimly lit building and let out a sigh of relief. Taking a quick look around, Jomei found a seat at the bar and awaited Kimi's arrival. 

@Kimi @Teion

[Teion 0]

The burn of alcohol had only interested Teion on a handful of occasions in the real world, and without the feeling of a numbed mind to accompany it in Sword Art Online, she had been even less inclined to indulge in a drink that was typical of the many bars and taverns that littered Aincrad. And yet here Teion was, having made the short trip from her shop to the busier street of Fortaleza. Sitting alone with her arms crossed as she leaned forward on the polished wooden counter. A small glass filled with a pale amber liquid was placed in front of her--the second or third that she had asked for since she had arrived maybe twenty minutes ago--and the violette took the shot glass and brought it to her lips, tilting her head back as she drained it in one swift motion.

She wrenched her eyes shut as the harsh burn of the alcohol coated her throat, the empty glass coming back down to the counter with a hollow 'tap'. Seconds after her fingers pulled away, the item's use registered and Cardinal reduced it to tiny shards of light that dissipated into the air. Gods, how she wished she could just forget the events of a few days' past. She felt a dull throbbing of her heart in her chest as she dwelled on it for what must have been the hundreth time. Teion crossed her arms on top of the counter again before her head fell forward, violet strands spilling over her shoulders as her forehead collided with her forearms.

[Kimi 0]

The bright sun peaked through the thick leaves of the trees on the eighth floor leaving a pattern of light on the cobblestone streets. Kimi was spending her time leisurely watching Noodle as he swam up and down the main river of Florenthia. She had no plans for the day since the previous day questing made her more than exhausted, but any invitation to do something was still welcome. Just as Kimi let out a relaxed sigh a message popped up in her interface and she went on to open it. It was from Jomei saying that he met a creature that was quite similar to Noodle, but uglier and that he would be waiting for her on the fifth floor. A small spark came to Kimi’s eyes as the thought that she could see a creature like Noodle filled her mind. Kimi called out to Noodle, “Come on Noodle! We’re gonna head to the fifth floor, Daddy Jomei is there.” Kimi prepared herself sporting a tank top and coat since Jomei also mentioned the sun was brutal. Once she finished changing, She set out to the portal with Noodle by her side.

As the two went through the portal, they were greeted by a wave of dry heat and blinding sunlight. Kimi shrugged off the heat a bit as she was used to hot weather, but she felt a bit worried that Noodle might shrivel up. "Here, lets make our way to the tavern he mentioned. We gotta get you some water before you shrivel up Noodle." Kimi and Noodle quickened their pace to find the tavern located in the center of town which didn't take to long. Once they arrived Noodle bolted inside away from the heat, but upon entering he tripped and rolled causing a minor scene. "Noodle are you ok?" Kimi said giggling slightly as she bent down to pat him. Noodle got up on his own shaking his dizziness from rolling and just nodded. Seeing that Noodle was ok, Kimi resumed looking for Daddy Jomei.

[Jomei 0]

As Jomei sat at the bar, the bearded bartender walked up to him. Olive eyes met with the man, who spoke no words, only raising his brows and chin to question Jomei what he wanted. "Just an ale." he said with a nod. The bartender's chin lowered before looking to his left, a couple of seats down where a purple haired girl sat. Her face was hidden behind violet locks that poured over her shoulders and towards the counter. Without words from either party, the man turned back to get Jomei his drink. Jomei's focus turned to the girl.. he did not recognize her.. but she truly looked like something was bothering her. With a small sigh, the man rose from his seat and moved over towards her, taking the vacant stool next to her. He placed his elbows on the counter, eyes forward. "You know... you won't get drunk off of that stuff anymore. Trust me, I've tried." Hoping he had gotten her attention, he turned his head to her with a small smirk, yet his eyes showed that he was concerned for the girl's depressed looking state. "Sorry to intrude.. You just look like you're having a rough time.." 

Before the purplette had a chance to answer Jomei, or even acknowledge him for that matter, he heard a small commotion towards the entrance of the bar. His body slightly swiveled in the stool, while his head turned just enough to look over his shoulder to see Noodle had ran into the bar and collapsed on the floor in a clumsy nature, bumping into the ankles of a few bystanders. He was quickly helped to his feet by his redheaded companion. Jomei chuckled before waving at the girl, "I see he's still clumsy as ever." 

[Teion 0]

An unfamiliar voice reached her ears, too close with words too appropriate for her current state for her not to acknowledge them as directed towards her. A subsequent crashing sound and the grumbles of a couple of bothered tavern-goers behind her were easily ignored, however, and Teion simply turned her head to the side. Her temple pressed against her forearm while cobalt eyes turned up to see the frame of a man with unruly orange hair sitting beside her. It wasn't until he turned his attention to the noise on the other side of the room that she caught an uninterested glimpse of the side of his face that wasn't obscured by a thick bang. Teion stared for a moment before tired eyes shifted to the empty space behind the bar. "You're not wrong." She stated flatly, purposefully unclear as to which of his statements she was affirming.

She was never a good conversationalist, and now was certainly not a time that she intended to change that. Still, she was curious as to what possessed the ginger-haired man to approach her like he had. As if he had some thought in his head that he might be able to 'brighten her day' by way of forced conversation with a stranger. The man beside her had waved, saying something that didn't make sense to her until she realized he was addressing someone across the room who would likely join him. Which meant that either he would leave her alone in favor of his friend, or her sulking was going to be intruded upon even further. She resisted both a roll of her eyes and a scowl at the thought, keeping her features impassive as she picked up her head to face forward. She rested her chin on top of her crossed arms now, staring at the rows of bottles, glassware, and other items that decorated the barhand's workspace on the other side of the counter.

[Kimi 0]

Kimi stood at the entrance of the tavern embarrassed with how Noodle entered. As she scanned the room for Daddy Jomei, a familiar face waved from the bar. The only person she knew with orange hair, Jomei, was there waving to her. Kimi face brightened at the sight of her self proclaimed guild dad waiting for her by the bar. "Heyyo~." Kimi said as she approached Jomei. Kimi took one of the empty seats by Jomei's side. "How's it going daddy~." Kimi said very playfully as she picked up Noodle and placed him on the counter. "Say hi Noodle." Noodle looked up at Jomei and nudged him with his snout. Kimi couldn't help but utter a small "Awww~". Noodle was casually wagging his tail until he peaked around Jomei and noticed a violet haired woman with her head down. As Kimi was exchanging greetings with Jomei, Noodle went to the violet haired woman and also offered a nudge on the shoulder.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei grinned as Kimi approached the man, taking a seat in the empty stool next to him. As she sat down, she referred to Jomei as 'daddy' yet again.. which normally would have sat fine with the man.. yet after his meeting with Hestia where she.. made it weird.. it made him feel.. well.. weird. "G-guess you're still calling me that." he said with a nervous chuckle, his hand rubbing at the nape of his neck. His nervous smile faded as Kimi placed Noodle up on the counter, the shark pup nudging its snout into Jomei's arm. "Hey Noodle." Jomei said in a happy tone, patting the pup on the head, making its tail wag happily. The shark seemed to take notice of the depressed looking girl who sat next to Jomei, and walked up to her. His snout nudged into the purplette the same way he had with Jomei, trying to get her attention. "Awee. Looks like he wants to make a new friend." From behind the counter, Jomei was handed a glass of amber liquid, which he immediately rose to his lips, taking a long sip.

His gaze turned back to the purple haired girl who tried to drown her sorrows in virtual drink. He let out a quick sigh, before placing a quick hand on the girl's shoulder. "Sorry to bother you." It was then that, next to the girl, another man sat. This one too looked as though he was trying to drink to forget. Jomei's brows furrowed, "Jeez, is this the pub everyone goes to to just drink away your problems?" The man, who Jomei soon realized to be an NPC, turned to look at Jomei, "You don't even know the half of it kid." This peaked the ginger's curiosity, leaning forward on the counter, he addressed the man, "Enlighten me then." 

[Teion 0]

A cheerful voice reached Teion's ears from the other side of the ginger-haired man, but she paid it no mind. The stranger's response confirmed that the girl who had arrived was someone he knew, and the sudden force of something nudging against her shoulder confirmed that her day of sullen solitude was most certainly going to be disrupted. Teion turned her attention to the side, and she picked her chin up from her arms when she spotted the creature that had attempted to greet her. The violette naturally leaned to the side, away from the small shark-with-legs while she wore a slightly concerned expression. The familiar seemed to look at her expectantly, as if it was waiting for her to greet it as the redhead had seconds earlier.

She wouldn't willingly touch the tamed monster, and another unexpected point of contact caused Teion to flinch when she felt the weight of the man's hand on her shoulder. He offered a short apology, and the corners of her mouth turned down. It opened a second later, but before she could mutter out a response there was yet another presence on her other side.

The NPC chuckled dryly when Jomei prompted him to elaborate on his troubles, pushing away the black fringe only for it to fall back over his brow. "A whole cavern filled to the brim with treasures. Sounds like a real dream, right?" His smirk did a poor job of masking his frustration, and soon a balled fist came crashing down on the bar in front of him. "If it weren't for those damn thieves! My brother would be--" He cut himself short, gritting his teeth as if he'd revealed too much to the players.

[Kimi 0]

Kimi was trying to call back Noodle since she didn't want him bothering the violet haired woman beside Jomei. As soon as Noodle came back from nudging the player on the shoulder Kimi said, "Don't go bother people, I don't want them getting mad at you." She gave Noodle a little hug when she said that, but it seemed Noodle still had his attention on the violet haired woman. Jomei went on to try to apologize to the woman beside him, but it only really seemed to irritate her more. Just as he finished his apology a man sat next to the already irritated woman and blabbered about some thieves as well as slamming his fist unto the bar. Kimi couldn't help, but feel a bit sorry for the woman who was beside Jomei.

"Hey you!" Kimi called out to the distressed man, "Sit over hear. Don't go slamming your fist making lots of racket while others are trying to rest." Kimi said sternly gesturing over to the seat beside her. The man seemed reluctant to move from where he already was and even threw a shrewd look towards Kimi. Eventually the man stood up once again and scooted to the seat beside her. "You mentioned something about thieves and your brother?" Kimi said trying to confirm to which the man only nodded. "Well start from the beginning." 

[Jomei 0]

After Kimi had asked the man to start from the beginning, the man took in a deep breath, before taking another shot of a dark, strong smelling alcohol. 

"Two nights ago, as the sun was setting, I noticed some strange lights reflecting onto the dunes of the desert... so my brother and I decided to go investigate. After traveling through the night for what seemed like hours, we found the mouth of a cave.. "the man chuckled, looking into his drink, "Cassim swore the entrance looked like the mouth of a tiger or something, but I told him he was crazy. " His voice became more serious as he looked back up to the two players listening intently, the third who seemed to not give a damn about what he said, "Anyway..from just outside, we could see that the cave was filled with treasure.. gold, jewels.. anything you can think of. A family could eat like kings for the rest of their lives, and then some!" He let out a heavy sigh, "What we didn't know, was that a band of thieves had already claimed the cave as their own.. they captured my brother and I.. but I was able to escape... I think they still have him in there, hoping I'll come back so they can finish the job. To think it... all began with a couple of words.." The man looked up a bit nervously before clearing his throat.

"You look like you can handle yourself.. please. Help me save my brother. I-I can reward you. While I was escaping the bandits, I snagged a bit of col off of them. Enough for the three of you to split evenly. I can tell you where their hideout is, where they have my brother."

After explaining his story, a small screen appeared in front of Jomei ,Kimi, and the violet haired girl, prompting them to accept the quest. Oh a quest, that makes a bit more sense. Jomei thought to himself with a small chuckle before turning his head to look at Kimi, "The sand shark will have to wait, looks like we have some bandits to find." he said, tapping on the button to accept the quest. After seeing if Kimi would accept the quest or not, he turned back to the purplette, noticing she had not accepted nor denied the quest just yet. Jomei leaned on the counter and spoke softly to her, "You're more than welcome to come with us if you want... Unless you think that next drink will break Cardinal, and you'll be able to get drunk. Taking down some bandits might be better therapy." he said with a playful chuckle before downing his own ale and hopping off the seat. 

[Teion 0]

Teion couldn't help the amused smirk that took over her features after the ginger's prompting. She chuckled dryly before taking in a sharp breath through her nose, pushing her torso up from the counter that she had been leaning against. "Well you're awfully friendly." She remarked with a hint of defeat in her voice. Teion finally pressed down on the quest window in front of her to accept the task, keeping her hand in front of her while she navigated her regular menus. She sent off a party invitation to each of the other players, closing out the hovering interface once the task was complete and she decided her equipment was in order.

Should the strangers accept, Teion would take a moment to glance over their usernames and what other little information she was given about them. She noted the generous level gap between all three of them, and finally noticed the matching guild emblems beside their names. With a light sigh, Teion pulled a fistful of col from a pouch hanging at her hip and placed it on the bar counter to pay for her drinks.

The violet-haired blacksmith wasted little time in setting out, heading for the door to the tavern and expecting the two guildmates to do so as well. Once the trio were back outside on the streets of Fortaleza, Teion lifted her arms over her head and rose to the balls of her feet in a stretch. Rolling her shoulders once her hands fell back to her sides, she looked to Jomei and Kimi, suddenly stuck on the uncertain feeling of becoming a tag-along in their questing party.

[Kimi 0]

After hearing the story told by the burly man that sat beside her Kimi felt bad, but as a message for a quest popped up she calmed down. Kimi watched as Jomei and the purple haired woman accepted the quest to which Kimi accepted also. Not a moment later she also received a party invitation to which Kimi finally saw the level gap as well as the name of the woman beside Daddy Jomei. "Well this is something." Kimi thought to herself as she was looking back at the level gap. The trio quickly made their way out of the tavern with not a moment to lose.

Kimi did her normal routine of stretching a bit and checking her equipment. Noodle promptly followed along side her kicking up sand as he did a small hop out the tavern doors. Kimi did a small bow of acknowledgement towards Teion "NIce to meet you." Kimi said with a smile on her face. Noodle already seemed to be passed formality and walked up to Teion circling her once before sitting down with his tail wagging. "Sorry about Noodle. He's always seems to be like this with new people." Kimi briefly called him back to her side. "So lets head out? I'm not too familiar with this area so i'll just follow from behind." 

[Jomei 0]

The purple haired woman took in a sharp breath and sat up, seeming to accept Jomei's invitation to tag along. With her defeated comment about Jomei being 'awfully friendly', the ginger responded with a shrug of his shoulders, and a smug smirk. After she had accepted the quest, the woman immediately sent out a party request to both himself as Kimi. 'Teion invited you to join a party' Jomei read on the screen in front of him before looking up at the girl. He remembered the name from his meeting with Ryo.. she was apparently close with James, or Beatbox as some came to know him. After taking in the information for a short time, Jomei looked back down to the party invite and accepted it. On his HUD, he watched as another two health bars appeared under his own, one for Kimi, one for Teion. 

The two guildmates followed the purplette out of the bar and into the hot desert sun yet again. Jomei swiped his hand up to open his menus, checking out the coordinates that had been given to him by Ali of the bandit's base. "Looks like the base is pretty far away from the city.. Gonna be traveling South for a good while, so if we need to stock up on anything while we are here, we should do it. If not, we should get going.. I'd prefer not to travel in the desert when it gets dark." Taking lead, Jomei lead the group towards the single gate of Fortazela, which took much longer than expected with all of the other players and NPC's trying to exit the city at the same time. Jomei turned to Teion, "So.. whats your story, if you don't mind me asking? From how you look when I found you in that pub, you look like you've been through a lot." 

[Teion 0]

Teion gave a small nod in return with Kimi's greeting, "Same here." Just seconds later, the redhead's familiar hadn't seemed to have lost interest in her, and she watched the creature she referred to as Noodle circle around her feet almost as if he wanted something from her. She cocked a brow, taking half a step back when Kimi called it back to her side.

Teion brought a hand behind her neck, hooking the opposite strands of her long hair with her fingers and pulling the locks to the side and over her shoulder. She simply listened to Jomei's explanation and nodded in agreement, following his lead to the edge of Fortaleza's sandstone walls. Though she was just as content as always to travel in silence, Jomei's voice pulled at her attention. "Who hasn't?" She replied after a moment, though her tone was no longer as harsh as it was when he first approached her at the bar. She filled her lungs with a deep breath of hot air, sliding her thumbs against the thin leather straps hanging loosely against either of her thighs as her shoulders raised an inch. "My story?" Her cobalt eyes traveled over the city gates and she gazed out over the stretch of sand dunes that stood on the other side. "My blacksmith shop is on the west side of town, but I don't craft much anymore." Her bottom lip pursed with a small frown, knowing full well she hadn't offered much of an answer to his actual question.

[Kimi 0]

Kimi followed behind her Guild Dad towards the exit of Fortaleza. The heat of the sun combined with the arid breeze made their travel all the more worse, but it seemed that Guild Dad as well as Teion most likely had survival and was unaffected by the weather. Kimi put her hand above her eyes to shield it from the sun as she tried to see if there would be any clouds to provide shade. To no surprise the sky was all but blue which disheartened her. 

Jomei spoke up before they reached the edge of Fortaleza saying that the base was far south and would take some time to reach and also brought up getting prepared for the travel. As they waited outside the exit gate Jomei brought up Teion's story to which Kimi hushed some thoughts running through her mind to listen. Teion mentioned her shop, but Kimi knew that she was dodging the question, or at the very least was not yet ready to bring it up. While Kimi was listening she thought of something. "Dad? Is it alright if we invite Hestia along with us?" Kimi said towards Jomei. Kimi let the question sit in for a while as she double checked her equipment and Noodle. 

[Jomei 0]

The trio continued their slow walk through the crowd of people trying to exit and enter the city, the process slowed by the single gate in and out of the city. After asking the violet haired woman about her where she came from, Teion seemed to avoid the question, speaking about her smithery on the other side of the town. Jomei's brows rose in curiosity to the way the woman worded the question.. masking her reasoning for looking so down with her simple answer. However, Jomei knew he would not press this stranger for her story.. And decided he would keep those talks for a later time, knowing of at least one player that served as a mutual relation between the two. "Huh, interesting." Jomei offered as a reply to her vague answer, "I won't pressure you into talking then." the man said with a chuckle, before turning to Kimi behind them who had asked about inviting another member of their guild, Hestia. "Hm, yeah. I don't see why not." Jomei said with a smile, "We can slow it up and wait for her, as long as she is not busy." As Jomei turned back around, he saw that another group of players had been trying to pass across them, accidentally bumping into each of the players. One taller man, who sported a thin black mustache and a beret, accidentally bumped his shoulder into Teion. "Excusez moi, mademoiselle. I am sorry." he said, quickly brushing off the woman's shoulder as if he had dirtied her, and then rushing past to catch up with his friends. "Huh.. You alright?" Jomei said, turning his head to look at Teion. 

[Hestia 0]

I smile happily as i arrive onto the fifth floor alongside my familiar wearing just some casual clothes figuring that their isn't a point to wearing any armor at the moment since it is a safe zone i am in at the moment. I open up my menu and looks at the message had sent me that included the coordinates to where they are located at as i quickly make my way towards it hoping they didn't move to far ahead from that location or it will be a pain in the [censored] to try and find them in a main city. I quickly run past shops and npcs moving between them with a grin on my face feeling even better about not wearing armor or this would be very awkward trying to be nimble in a armor with stonewall mod. Eventually i see two familiar people, and one new girl? 'is she a new member trying to join the guild?' I think to myself as i catch up to the two people i know with a smile. Hey Kim! hey jomei. I say with a smile on my face as i look towards the two, and then looks over towards the singular person that i don't know as i take a step towards them to get close, but not in their personal space. hello miss the name is Hestia. Who might you be? I ask curiously and politely as i extend my hand for a handshake towards the mysterious woman. Taking note that she doesn't look very happy at the moment for whatever reason.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion averted her gaze, keeping herself facing forward after Jomei's remark about not pressing her for conversation. She caught word of another invitee to their party, to which Teion shifted her weight. Just as she was starting to doubt that joining in on this quest was a good idea, she nearly lost her balance with the force of a stranger bumping into her at the shoulder. She stumbled forward only slightly, picking her eyes up to find the source of the contact.

Teion blinked, the frenchman's words causing her muscles to tense after they reached her ears. "You," Cobalt eyes widened slightly, and without thinking her body moved forward before the man had taken more than a step away from them. Her left hand shot out to grasp and pull at the man's shoulder, turning him back towards her before her right grabbed a fistful of the player's shirt. "What the hell are you doing here?!" She demanded. Despite their difference in height, Teion held a firm grip on the man who had paled at her sudden outburst. "Are you happy after your little experiment? I told you to stay the hell away--" Teion froze up when the logical parts of her brain finally caught up with her.

She released the innocent man, who was quick to back away from the violette with nervous steps. A wave of regret was quick to wash over Teion, and she was called back to the present with the cheerful voice of another stranger. She turned her head slowly, Hestia's taller frame came into view, a polite smile on the girl's face and a hand extended towards her. Teion's eyes found the same guild emblem as the other two players hovering aside her health bar, and the gears of her mind began to slowly click into place. Her eyes turned away again, focusing instead on the menus she pulled up in front of her. "Teion." Hestia was issued a party request a second later. "Sorry." The violette kept her squared shoulders and eyes fixed on the city gate in the distance, muttering an apology for the scene she had caused.

[Kimi 0]

Right as Jomei gave the approval to have Hestia around for this quest. Kimi quickly sent a short note to Hestia with instructions to what they are doing who's with them and the coordinates to where they were. It wasn't long after Kimi sent the message that Hestia could join, that she showed up. Right before then however a tall lanky man who was apart of another group of players bumped into Teion.

As the lanky man apologized and even brushed off the shoulder of Teion, she snapped back at him. The sight of seeing Teion who was calm and quiet, turned enraged in a second, scared Kimi as she watched from the sidelines. Kimi was wasn't sure what to do in this situation or what was going on, but she knew that they we're just at the edge of the safe zone and wasn't to sure what might happen. Kimi hesitated when she wanted to ease the tension, but right as she took a step to take the initiative it seemed something clicked in Teion's mind and she released the poor fellow.

"What was that about?" Kimi asked as she hurried over to Teions side giving her a very concerned look. Before Teion could say something, a familiar voice rang out from behind them. Hestia finally showed up, introduced herself, and very conveniently asked who the violette was. Teion quickly, but briefly answered Hestia then issued a sorry for the scene she just caused. Kimi on the other hand still wanted to know what just happened, but since Hestia just showed up Kimi thought it was best to save that question for later and just accept the apology. 

Kimi looked towards Hestia offering a forced smile and trying to play off what just happened saying, "Glad you can make it so soon." As Kimi said that she offered a side hug. "Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time or anything."

 

[Jomei 0]

As his head turned to look over at Teion, who had just been bumped into by a player trying to pass by, the violet haired woman snapped. Jomei's eyes widened as he watched Teion grab the frenchman by the collar of his shirt, threatening the man that she seemed to have had a prior experience with. However, where Teion's words suggested a prior meeting between the two, the man's face said the opposite. He looked frightened and confused, his hands up and partially covering his face, in case Teion decided to try and strike him. After a moment of yelling at the frenchman, she let him go, and the man was quick to retreat.. mumbling some unkind words in French under his breath as he caught up with his friends.

Jomei's mouth opened, trying to think of what to say. What the hell was that about? Did Teion have some grudge against the French.. or maybe just one in particular? Lucky for him, Hestia seemed to show up right after, taking a bit of tension off of the situation. "Hey Hestia." Jomei said with a smile, referring to her by her username, rather than her real world name that she had told him at their last meeting. "Alright, now that we are all here, we should get moving." Jomei led the group of four the rest of the way to Fortazela's gate, and after checking out with the spear wielding guards, the four stepped out into the desert that surrounded the walled city. 

The desert did not provide any sort of shade for the players, the virtual sun bathing everything in an extreme heat. Jomei brought a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun, grimacing as he began to feel sweat accumulate on his fore head. Bringing his other hand up, Jomei navigated into his inventories and unequipped his green long coat, leaving him in a sleeveless black turtleneck with his chest armor and single shoulder bell strapped to his upper arm. Once the group was ready, and Jomei checked the coordinates of the bandit's fortress one last time, they began their journey through the sands of Floor Five. As they walked, Jomei turned to Teion, whom he walked beside. "So.. what was that all about.. with that french guy from before?" he asked in a softer voice, expecting her to not talk on the situation much at all.