[PP-F1] Étude <<Earning a Living: Performer>>

[Arabelle 0]

Arabelle hummed to herself distractedly as she studied the semi-transparent screen hovering in front of her, displaying a map of the first floor’s Town of Beginnings. Her right hand moved across her room’s wooden desk, soundlessly gliding over the keys of an imaginary piano, as she mimed playing the notes of Paul de Senneville’s Mariage d’amour. “A lovely piano piece,” Arabelle remembered one of her friends saying. They had both shared a love for playing the musical instrument, and she missed having her around. “The name suggests that it was composed for a wedding, but the piece itself has hints of sadness.”

She agreed. Her gaze wandered from the map to her hand, then back to the map. A green cursor marked her destination for the day: the studio of an NPC who offered the quest that rewarded players with the Performer profession. She stopped pretend-playing and stretched, the map disappearing as her hands passed through it. It’s been quite a long time since the game started and progress was slow. She wanted to pitch in, somehow...and the easiest way for a low-leveled player to help was to take up a craft.

Sighing, she stood up and made for the Performer NPC’s studio.

[WC: 203]

@Pinball

[Pinball 1]

Pinball took a bite from his apple, staring into the void. He was propped up against a wall, absentmindedly watching the players and NPCs that hurried to and fro. When he had nothing to do, he cooked. When he didn't have the materials for that, he usually read or wrote. Sadly, people weren't exactly inclined to writing given the nature of this game. Mars was out, probably taking on some kind of quest, and Pinball was left free for the day. Stifling a yawn, he swiped open his menu. The journal materialized in his hand, and Pinball gave it a quick once over. He had been writing in it since the game had started, and it was full of all sorts of information, occasionally including entries on what he had been doing himself. Sadly, it would be of no use to anybody but himself, and even then, it held only entertainment value to the boy; something to do to pass the time. Nobody cared about what had happened. People needed to know what was to come to push forward. He sat on the ground, rereading the leather volume for the umpteenth time that day, considering whether adding another entry was wise.

[Arabelle 0]

The purple-haired girl frowned at the map hovering in front of her. For maybe a few minutes, she had thought she was following the right directions, but apparently, navigating the starting city's many streets was harder than expected. She looked around, her face assuming a neutral expression (that had maybe a bunch of players fooled into thinking she wasn't a total noob who, even with the assistance of a map, still got lost), and tried to determine where exactly she'd ended up in. 

Arabelle had landed herself in one of the many dead end streets in the starting city. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the shadier parts of the town, but was a part she had at least visited a few times while running errands for the inn. She looked down at her map once again. "Go straight, turn right at the second corner, go straight for two more..." she paused as she registered the presence of another player near her.

Unlike the other players, who were going about their own business, this guy looked pretty chill. He was flipping through what looked like a diary--no, a journal, guys hated calling them diaries--and maybe even looked a bit bored. And, well, he looked pretty knowledgeable. Since he was...holding a notebook (Arabelle logic). Looking at him for a few minutes, a wonderful idea popped up in her head.

She approached the boy and offered him a friendly smile. "Hey mister," she greeted with a small wave. Though it felt a bit awkward, cause she was the one looking down this time. Due to her height, it was always her who had to look up at a person. "Are you busy today? I need someone to help me on a quest."

The last part was a half-truth. She was pretty confident in her material gathering abilities to solo the quest. Not so much on her directional abilities, though.

[Pinball 1]

Pinball's face lit up bright red, and he slammed the journal close. "W-what! Nothing!" He tapped the journal, the item's options popping up on a small screen. One more tap and the book was in his inventory. He pushed himself off the floor, his face still a deep red. "H-hey," he began, then shook his head. He pulled his spear off the ground where it lay, and he turned back to the girl. She was asking him for help - something Pinball wasn't sure he wanted to give at the moment. He had been perfectly content with lazing about all day, and he hadn't made any plans besides that. Still, Pinball had a kind heart, and he nodded. "Yeah, yeah," he said, his fingers nervously tapping up and down his spear. "I'll help, sure. Uhh, what do you need from me?" He looked the player up and down, sizing her up. She didn't seem to be of an insanely high level, so she shouldn't be able to kill him... If this wasn't some kind of trap.

[Arabelle 0]

"Ah..."Arabelle took a surprised step backward as the boy slammed his journal closed, looking obviously flustered. Having kept a journal herself, she knew how sensitive people can be with their journal entries. She just didn't expect that reaction. Maybe she should reevaluate her first impression, cause it seemed like she was waaay off. "Sorry about that. I didn't see anything if that assures you," the purple-haired player offered with a reassuring smile. She took another small step back as the boy got up.

He was taller and a lot more timid than she expected. But he said he would help her, albeit with a bit of hesitation. And Arabelle didn't miss his somewhat suspicious stare, like he was trying to figure out whether she was luring him to his death or not. Understandable. Player killers seemed to be developing lots of new strategies nowadays. She didn't try to point it out. It'll all be resolved once she tells him her level, anyway. "Really? Thanks, mister!" Arabelle smiled sweetly. She took another step backward, slightly turning in the direction of the road leading toward the Performer NPC's studio. "I'm taking the performer profession quest, and I heard from a few other performers that recording crystals are pretty difficult to get through non-combat gathering. Best options are loot drops from mobs and fishing, both of which I'm not very capable of. So, I need someone to tank for me." Okay, that was kind of a fib. She still didn't want to tell him that she had completely gotten herself lost in floor one. But, she sort of needed someone to do the fighting for her too. Speaking of, "And, mister. Is it alright if I ask for your level?"

[WC: 287]

[Pinball 1]

Pinball shook his head, his teeth grinding together; a nervous habit. "No, no, it's fine," he assured her, looking towards the street. He listened to her explain her predicament. "Someone to tank for you," he echoed, his voice but a mumble. "If by spear - I mean, if by tank you mean keep the attention of a monster, then I can help, I think. Tanking isn't really my thing, per se?" His voice was thick with uncertainty, though those who knew the boy understood that his anxiousness was just a core character trait. "I can probably take on anything that pops up on this floor, I guess." He scratched the back of his neck (another nervous habit), his eyes now trailing towards the sky. He winced a bit when she asked for his level. He was relatively new, and the guilt of what had done to pass the time instead of fighting shamed him still. That being said, he was still higher than a lot of people, which told him their backstories couldn't be too different than his... at least, he hoped. "Uhh," he began, swiping open his menu to double check, "I'm Level twenty-two. I run out of energy pretty fast, but I think I could take out anything around here in like... one hit. Probably. I think. Yeah." Trying to save himself from the awkwardness of the situation, he shot up finger guns and a wink. It only made him more embarrassed. 

[Arabelle 0]

One hit. The nervous-looking kid could take out Floor One mobs in one hit. Wow. First impressions really don't last. "Level one. Twenty HP, and two EN. Anything here could probably take me out in three hits," she decided to share. Then the girl stuck her gloved hand out. Nothing could go wrong with a handshake, right? "I'm Arabelle. Call me Ara. Or Belle. Whichever you prefer." Once he shook her hand (or once he chose not to), Arabelle withdrew her arm and grinned, imitating the boy's awkward finger guns gesture even though she didn't know exactly what he meant by it. Gosh, this had to be one of the most awkward first conversations she's ever had.

Arabelle turned around and started walking, going back the way she came (before she got lost). "I haven't taken the quest yet, so let's head to the Performer NPC's house first," she said. Maybe he would be a bit more comfortable once they're actually outside the safe zone and fighting stuff. So the two walked, with Arabelle leading. Though once they reached the intersection where she knew she ended up turning the wrong way and getting lost, she swiped her menu open and brought up her inbox, slowing her gait until she was just a few steps behind her companion. He was level twenty-two. He would know the way. "I've got a few messages. It's alright though, keep going," she would quickly explain to her companion once he turned around to check on her. As if to prove her point, she brought up a message and began typing a reply.

[WC: 267]

[Pinball 1]

"Nice to meet ya," he mumbled, responding to her introduction. He wanted to tell her not to worry about the mobs killing her, since he was here, but that sounded super cheesy, and super arrogant, so he kept his mouth shut. He had been on that same level of power not too long ago, and there was no reason to rub a level in someone else's face. Pinball looked at her handshake, slowly reaching out with his hand and offering a weak, unenthusiastic shake. He grinned when she copied the finger guns. "Ayy," he said, chuckling a bit. Jesus Christ, this is one of the weirder conversations I had, he thought, then mentally yelled at himself, so stop making it weird! 

"Oh, a performer, right," Pinball echoed, looking from one side of the street to another. "That would be, uhh," he began, trying to remember which way to go, but Arabelle had already taken the lead, so he jogged to catch up. They came upon an intersection, and Pinball looked in the three directions. Arabelle swiped open her menu, explaining she had to respond to a message. "Oh, alright," he said, making a left. If he remembered correctly, which by all means he should, the Performer's house was going to be seven houses to the right on this street. He stopped in front of the house, turning back to Arabelle. "Do you... do you want me to wait outside? Or something?" 

[Arabelle 0]

"Sure. It won't take long," she responded a bit too quickly for her liking. Gosh, now he would think she wanted to get away from him. Well, she did. Not from him (she was grateful he unknowingly helped her from getting lost again), but from the terribly awkward situation they'd both landed themselves in. Arabelle couldn't even remember a time when her social skills were this rusty. She entered the Performer NPC's house and shut the door behind her, briefly leaning against it with her face red from embarrassment. "Come on," she goaded herself. "You're supposed to be social. It's written in your personality. You can do wayyy better than this."

"If by doing better, did you mean you wanted to learn how to sing?" a soft, slightly high-pitched voice cut in. Arabelle looked up to realize that the Performer NPC had been watching her all this time. "There's only one reason why adventurers come to my place, after all."

"Hello," Arabelle greeted politely. "Alyssa Singular, right? No, I'm not that interested in singing." The NPC's expression dropped upon hearing this, and Arabelle decided not to mention that her singing voice was so horrible her friends would cover their ears upon hearing it. "But I did hear you were skilled in musical instruments. Particularly the piano. So I was hoping you could offer me pointers?"

[WC: 225]

Edited March 5, 2018 by Arabelle

[Pinball 1]

Pinball's face went blank. "Oh. Right, yeah." When the door closed behind her, Pinball laughed hysterically, his hand slapping his forehead. "Jesus Christ, kid, what the hell is wrong with you?" He walked into the street, looking at the sky. He then turned his attention back to the NPCs and players going about their business. He sat on the ground, in the middle of the street, much to the confusion of the players. A dull look in his eyes, a rather funny idea hit Pinball. He called out to the nearest NPC, a middle-aged woman in a plain tunic. He flipped her off. "Why, I've never," the woman scoffed, turning and walking away. Pinball laughed, calling out to the nearest player. This time, a man who was quite taller than Pinball, wielding a wicked looking axe turned around. "Yeah?" he asked, his voice stern and gravelly. Pinball's eyes went wide. His voice much softer in comparison, he spoke. "Uhh, nevermind, man. Sorry." The man snorted, turning back to talk to his companions. His ears feeling like they were burning, he stood up, using his spear to help push himself off the ground. Should I wait for her...? Or should I leave? She didn't really seem like she wanted him for anything else. Did she just want directions? Or is that just how she acts? She did said she needed you for something, right? He couldn't remember. He'd wait and see. 

Edited March 5, 2018 by Pinball

[Arabelle 0]

"Recording crystals, recording crystals..." hummed Arabelle as she walked out of the Performer's house. She quietly shut the door behind her, hearing that the NPC had started singing again, and looked around for her awkward companion. She found him standing right across the street, his ears a bit red. Did something happen? She quickly looked around the street, and finding nothing out of the ordinary, she approached the boy. "Hey, sorry if I made you wait. I tried to get it done as fast as possible, but...there's no 'dialogue skip' function here, after all," she explained. Having composed herself earlier, she offered him a genuinely friendly smile. "Shall we head out? Or do you need to pick something up on the way? I made you wait a bit, so...it's only fair."

The ping of a notification caught her attention and a PM appeared in front of her. "Not now," she mumbled, dismissing the small dialogue box. Then, as an afterthought, she opened her inbox and sent a response telling the sender she was busy. "Right, sorry about that," she turned back to...the companion she didn't have a name for yet. Had he introduced himself yet? Or maybe she just didn't give him a chance to, earlier. She started walking without giving him an opportunity to talk to her earlier, after all. Gosh, she made too many mistakes today. "By the way, I'm not sure if I just forgot. But I don't think you've told me your name yet, mister." 

[WC: 249]

[Pinball 1]

The boy jolted into motion at the sound of a door closing. He had just been considering leaving, but she had returned before he'd made up his mind. He greeted her with a small smile, and a soft, "Heyyo." Pinball nodded, then shook his head. "No, no, it's fine, just take your time with whatever." He looked to where the burly man had just been, shuddering a bit. When asked if there was anything he needed to pick up, he shook his head. "N-nah, it's fine. I've got everything I need." It wasn't as if he'd be able to let go of his spear, anyhow. Pinball shook his head again. "Yeah, it's fine." Pinball did a little spin, racking his memory for what was supposed to come next. She was supposed to pick up ingrediants, right? The ping of a notification caught his attention. He swiped open his menu, mistakingly thinking it was for him. He noticed Arabelle in front of him, typing out a message, so he fiddled in his own menu to try and cover up the "embarrasing" mistake. "Oh!" He said finally, dismissing his menu (not having gotten anything). "I'm called Pinball." He grinned. But you can call me tonight, a part of him begged himself to add. No, the other responded. 

[Arabelle 0]

Arabelle followed Pinball's gaze and saw nothing. Eh, whatever. The two players began heading in the direction of the town gates while Arabelle continued their conversation. "Pinball. A game username. That's taken from another game," she confirmed in a flat tone. Arabelle wasn't being mean, but it was kind of a weird name. He expected that he was going to walk around in another world, introducing himself with a name that barely even resembles an actual name. Like, naming your character xxAssassinxx or something. Calling someone Pinball would be weird. (At least he didn't name himself 'Mario'). Arabelle didn't voice her real thoughts on the matter. Instead, a playful smirk formed on her face. "Well, I don't mind. It's kind of cute." If first impressions really stuck, Pin--she was going to call him Pin--was kind of an awkward guy who got flustered easily. Teasing him would be fun. "So, are you a Pinball game expert or something? I'm not much of an arcade person, but I did try that game a few times. It was the hardest thing ever."

They reached the town gates in no time, and Arabelle continued walking without slowing down. She didn't need to equip anything, her two-handed axe was already at her back and she hadn't replaced her starter armor yet and they basically had the same value as nicer-looking vanity clothes. "So, fishing or combat?" she asked the boy, stopping just a slight distance from the safe zone. He was the more experienced player between the two, and some unspoken rule dictated that the player with most experience would lead the way. "I heard a few players saying that material gathering is difficult without LD bonuses. And the chances of finding recording crystals just lying around are pretty low." Arabelle stated, repeating something she had said just a few minutes earlier.

[WC: 307]

[Pinball 1]

"Pinball... game expert? Oh, nah." He shook his head, then shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I uhh..." Named myself after my cat, he nearly added, but bit his lip. "I just really like the game," he lied, scratching the back of his head. Kind of cute! Pinball's face flushed, and as they walked, he slowly drifted a few steps away. "Yeah," he said nervously, "it's a pretty fun game." He wondered how long they'd be out gathering. Hopefully it wouldn't be an all day thing. With another long, deep shrug, Pinball replied. He listened to Arabelle's questions, and listened to her concerns. "Well, I do fish quite a bit," he admitted, nearly pulling out his fishing pole to prove his point. He decided against it, and instead continued, "And combat is a bit... Tricky, when it comes to getting drops. I only usually go for them when I need col or somethin'." He walked backwards, tilting his head up to watch the sky. "But, but, if you want, we can fight." He hesitated, then added, "But, again. Lots of buts. There's a chance I pull up something really dangerous when I fish. Fishing ignores the floor scaling. I'd be fishing up something that would challenge me, not a player on Floor One." He let out a small breath. "We might be better off picking plants or something in the field. Then again, fishing does go a lot faster..." He paused, considering the options. He obviously couldn't make up his mind, and he suddenly shot up. "I'll just let you choose what you wanna do." 

[Arabelle 0]

Arabelle smirked as Pin became flustered at her comment. A part of her wanted to keep teasing him a bit more, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. "Well, if fishing's the fastest, let's give that a shot," she replied, having already made up her mind ever since Pin mentioned that he had the <<Fishing>> skill. They walked silently for a few moments before she remembered something. "Wait. If you fish...and you end up getting a boss monster, do you think you'll be able to handle it?" she asked with a hint of concern in her tone. She was only level 1, and she really wouldn't be much help in combat. Pin would seriously be doing all the work here. Was he aware of that? Or was he just that nice? Maybe she should've grinded a few levels with some lower-leveled players before this. "Well, if you think you can't--but I'm not saying that I think you can't--we could just go material gathering." She shrugged her shoulders loosely and waited for his reply. 

[WC: 174]

Edited April 3, 2018 by Arabelle

[Pinball 1]

Pinball kept walking. They were well out of town now, and he still hadn't made up his mind whether he wanted to fish or not. Sure, he could get the materials a lot faster, but if he fished up a boss, he wouldn't be able to take it out himself, without any help. If Mars were here, they'd be able to take the fishing boss easily, but with Arabelle... "I think it's easier if we start off by gathering," he said, sending a sweeping, searching gaze that covered his field of vision. "If we still can't find anything, I'll... y'know. Fish." He couldn't find anything, and he started walking again with a small shrug. "I can fight it for a bit," he admitted, "but I wouldn't be able to kill it by myself. They're tough ones, and if I get unlucky enough to fish one up, it's going to be a hard fight. I'd just be buying time for you to run away, I think. Any other monster besides a boss, I can take relatively easily." He shoved his hand in his pocket. "Monsters on this floor won't drop any loot for me, though. Unless if it's a fishing monster." 

-Gathering- 

ID# 99123 

LD: 14 (Fail) 

No materials found 

Edited March 28, 2018 by Pinball

[Arabelle 0]

In the end, @Pinball decided on material gathering. Arabelle nodded her assent and kept an eye out for recording crystals as they walked. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Pinball was searching too. Nothing in the area stood out to her, and she could see that Pinball had also failed. We're still kind of close to the safe zone, after all. "Let's give it three tries, then," Arabelle suggested. "Or four, if you want. We don't want to spend the whole day failing material searches now, do we?"

They kept walking, and eventually, the town gates were no longer in sight. Arabelle took note of the lack of conversation and took it upon herself to start one. "So you're that strong already, huh?" she said, referring to his statement about floor one mobs not dropping anything for him. "Are you also working to join the front lines?"

Spoiler

ID: 99303 | LD: 7

[WC: 152]

Edited April 3, 2018 by Arabelle

[Pinball 1]

He shook his head when askef if he was "really that strong". "Nah, I'm not really very strong." It was true that mobs on the first floor didn't pose a challenge to him, but he was still quite weak in comparison to most players in the game. As they walked, Pinball noticed a stream to the side of them. He tried his best to stay true to his decision, but temptation got the better of him; after all, if he got lucky, they could make off with way more than just the materials they needed for the quest. He pointed out the stream to Arabelle. "I'm gonna go check this out," was all he said, swerving to get closer to the water. He plopped down on the grass, facing the water, slinging his spear over his back with a leather strap. He swiped open his menu, then jumped a bit, turning to hide his menu from Arabelle, who he hadn't checked to see if was behind him. You're not Level 22, idiot, he embarrassedly chided himself. Goes to show how much attention you pay to your stats. Pinball quickly materialized his fishing rod, and cast the line in the water -- which almost immediatly sunk to the bottom. He reeled in his catch, staggering back from a quick swipe of the blade. 

He had fished up a loot monster. It looked to be some kind of bipedal lizard creature, wearing a ragged, roughspun tunic and breeches. It had blue scales, and wielded a curved dagger. It hopped from side to side, a hiss escaping its crooked jaw. Pinball reached for his spear, casting a glance over his shoulder, checking to make sure Arabelle was out of its aggro range. 

Player Stats: 

Spoiler

Level: 27

Health: 540 | Energy: 54

DMG: 14 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

Skills:

Combat skills:

►N/A

Weapon skills:

►<<2H Assault Spear>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster

Armor skills:

►N/A

Extra skills:

►<<Fishing>>

►<<Familiar Mastery: Fighter>> [18/18]: Rank 3 - Grandmaster

►<<Martial Arts>> [0/50]: N/A

Modifiers:

►N/A

Inventory

»[Equipped] [Demonic] Naughty or Nice Blade: +2 Freeze, Phase, Cursed

»[Equipped] [Perfect] Leather Armor of the Amatuer Duelist: +3 EVA

»[Equipped] [Perfect] Warrior’s Focus: +3 ACC

----------------------------------------

Fishing 

ID# 99333  CD: 2 (Loot Mob fished up) 

Combat - 

ID# 99333  MD: 2 -3 = -1 (Miss!) 

River Lizzer attacks Pinball - Miss 

- Enemies - 

River Lizzer: 270/270 HP | 81 DMG 

- Players - 

Pinball: 540/540 HP | 54/54 EN | 3 EVA | 3 ACC | 14 DMG 

Edited April 4, 2018 by Pinball

[Arabelle 0]

Arabelle had previously been walking a few steps behind Pinball, but upon hearing his response, she skipped forward a few steps and subtly attempted to get a look at his face. She wasn't really sure what he meant by his statement; he was probably just stating a fact, but she detected the tiniest hint of a lack of confidence in the way he said it. He turned his head to the side (her side), and Arabelle did so too, pretending she wasn't looking just a few moments earlier. She decided to push her point. "Well, in Floor One, you kind of are," she pointed out. 

Noticing that her companion was fixated on something, she curiously followed his gaze. He had been looking at a stream to her right. But weren't they supposed to stick to gathering...? Arabelle looked back at him inquisitively, only to have him march past her claiming he was going to go fishing. What an indecisive person I've paired up with, she thought as she watched him bring out a fishing rod from his inventory. She took a few steps towards him but remained a safe distance away, in case he fished up something dangerous.

And fish up something dangerous he did! Arabelle reached for her axe and retreated a few steps back as the boy successfully reeled in a...weird blue-scaled lizard creature wielding a curved dagger. It was just a loot mob, judging from its HP bar, and it was something Pinball could probably handle by himself. If not, she could always back him up with her...three HP potions. And her 4 DMG stat. Their level gap was too big for them to safely engage in combat together, she realized. Arabelle took a few more steps back, still gripping her axe and assuming a defensive position, and watched as he quickly switched into battle mode. She nodded to him as he looked over his shoulder. On the first try, too. What an unlucky person I've paired up with...

- Enemies - 

River Lizzer: 270/270 HP | 81 DMG 

- Players - 

Pinball: 540/540 HP | 54/54 EN | 3 EVA | 3 ACC | 14 DMG 
Arabelle: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 4 DMG

[Pinball 1]

Pinball grit his teeth, glaring at the monster in front of him. He looked over to Arabelle, who was behind him now, her weapon in hand. "Watch out," he said, "this thing'll mess you up if you aren't careful." As soon as he said that, the Lizzer darted forward, its dagger lashing out at his neck. Pinball sidestepped, the curved blade missing his neck by inches. Without wasting a second, acting on pure instinct, he activated Dimension Stampede, his spear glowing a deep purple. With a twirl Pinball leapt forth, the spear stabbing once, twice, thrice, four times, sending the Loot Mob backwards with each thrust of his weapon. He ran forward, closing the distance, finishing the attack with the jumping slam. This left a long, red, vertical gash along its torso. The lizard-thing hissed, clutching its chest. It looked thoroughly beaten. "Don't let your guard down," he said. "It's programmed to act like this." Pinball stepped forward, spear in hands. "I'll finish it now." 

---------------------------------------------------------

ID# 99722  BD: 6+3= 9 (Hit!) MD: 5-3= 2 (Miss!) 

River Lizzer attacks Pinball - Miss 

Pinball attacks River Lizzer - Dimension Stampede [ -17 EN ] 

14*15= 210 DMG 

- Enemies - 

River Lizzer: 60/270 HP | 81 DMG 

- Players - 

Pinball: 540/540 HP | 37/54 EN | 3 EVA | 3 ACC | 14 DMG 
Arabelle: 20/20 HP | 2/2 EN | 4 DMG

Edited April 17, 2018 by Pinball