PP | F06 - Reversal [ Pick + Dustin ]

[Asakku 0]

Asakku gave a light breath as she wondered aimlessly through the town. What am I doing here again? I think I was buying something.. She huffed, glancing at a few directions. God dang.. what was I going to buy again? She shook her head, face palming herself. How could I be so stupid?

Looking up, she saw a familiar face. Oh sh- Her eyes widened, why is he here? Why am I here?! She looked around frantically, spotting another yet familiar face. Holy fudge noodles. It’s the Armageddon! She gave a nervous gulp, accepting her fate. I thought you were starting to like me God, but you put these two idiots in my face. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. This sucks.. a lot. Looking over are Dustin, and then over to Pick, a lacy breath escaped her. This is going to be one hell of a day.. and that’s just a hunch.

@Dustin @Pick

[Dustin 0]

Dustin looks over from the chair he's in and spits out is drink. "Holy crap. Is that Asakku?" He asks, looking at Pick realizing he spat all over him. He laughs and apologizes. "It's still better than my outfit." He stands up. "But dude, It's the mean girl." He turns looking back and forth between him and Asakku. He frowns and sits down. "But she hates me." He says, looking down at the ground.

"Maybe I could've been her friend if I hadn't run directly into her when we met." He pulls out a rock and puts it back away. I wish we met on better terms. He stoops down in his chair and tries to hide his face. He pulls his hood down to cover his entire face. "Pick, hide, she'll notice us."

@Asakku @Pick

Edited July 30, 2018 by Dustin

[Pick 0]

"Hide? From her? There's nothing to be scared of, really." Pick said, but deciding to fulfill the man's wishes since he had told Pick about his fear of women the last time the two had met. Pick sighed, taking another sip of the water that he had ordered. "You know, they make some really nice spring water out here. There's a lot of water around, so you'd expect it though," Pick observed, and that was when he heard distant yelling. He turned around, watching a little girl, about twelve or thirteen years old chase after an older guy, yelling something about giving her back the weapon. It seemed that the commotion had gotten quite a lot of people's stares, too, and this was the perfect opportunity for Pick to show off his heroism at a crucial time. Pick smiled, "Hold on, I'll be right back." And with that, he leaped out of his chair and out into the openness of the town.

Before he could start chasing after the man who appeared to be bullying the girl, though, he made a miscalculation. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Pick had managed to run head first into a wagon full of apples, which sent him tumbling until he came to a sudden stop. Due to his outstanding instincts, he caught an apple that was about to hit his face, saving it from hitting the ground. Pick looked up. "Oh, hi there, Asakku," Pick exclaimed, scratching the back of his head with his free hand before offering the apple with a grin, "Want an apple?"

@Asakku

Edited July 30, 2018 by Pick

[Asakku 0]

Her brows furrowed at the scene unfolding in front of her. Dear lord, just.. walk away.. before she could take her first step, a familair voice rang in her ears. “Er.. hello Pick..” she coughed into her hand with a frown. “What.. are you doing here?” Hes here to start the Armageddon. She peeked over his shoulder and saw Dustin cowering behind him. Wimp, she rolled her eyes and look at him again.

”So?” She placed her hands on her hips with an unsatisfied crook of a frown. She pushed his hand away with a sigh. “No, I don’t want a stupid apple.” Maybe if I just run for it..? I do t think they’ll come for me. She eyed the town exit warily, no.. they’d definitely come after me. The player slumped her shoulders in defeat and sighed. “Nice job trying to be hero by the way,” she huffed.

@Dustin @Pick

[Dustin 0]

Dustin jolts up, waking up without even realizing he was asleep. "Huh? Oh it was only a dream." He turns and sees Pick on the ground, next to who he can only describe as a mean woman. "Pick!" He says, trying to get Pick's attention, "Pick, she's a meanie face. Don't make the same mistake I did." Dustin stands up and walks over to the significantly shorter player and the player on the ground. He bends over and picks up an apple off the ground and starts eating it. "Thif iv a good apfle" Dustin remarks, with his mouth full. It's cool, you're already the worst in her eyes, just be yourself. Dustin swallows the apple bite and walks away. "Thanks for the drinks Pick, but I've got work to do. Unless you want to go blow off steam, I have NPCs to flirt with." He says, winking to a nearby NPC. Dustin turns back and pats Asakku on the head, "Don't worry, I'll try not to annoy you this time." He winks at Pick and smiles at Asakku.

@Pick @Asakku

[Pick 0]

Pick looked over and saw a bunch of players crowded around the person who was suspected of stealing a girl's item. The problem had been solved, but now he faced a new problem. Pick shrugged after the girl, Asakku refused his apple, which he kind of expected. He also sort of expected Dustin to do something like head over and pick up an apple that was on the ground - germs really weren't a thing in this game after all. Pick sighed, ignoring Asakku's question and her comment about him trying to be a hero. Instead, he stared at the apple in his hand. Honestly, it was a very high-quality apple when he compared it to the usual materials that he found on the first floor. Taking a bite, he slurped the juice out and scratched his hair once again, finding that to be a common action at this point. "You're right, Dustin. It's actually quite good." 

Pick stood up, dusting himself off and that was when he saw a very angry NPC storming over from behind the apple cart. It seemed that Pick had missed him when he crashed into the cart. "Do you know how much that thing is worth, young man? Look at all these apples you wasted. You're going to have to pay for all this, you know." The NPC said, holding out a fist in frustration. "Don't worry about it, I've got all the materials in the world to pay you back for this stuff. I get to keep the apples, though, right?" He asked, opening his menu to start the transaction.

Turning, he noticed Dustin trying to leave, and there was no way that Pick would let him off the hook like that, especially since he was aware of the awkwardness between the two players. "Dustin, hold up. Let's go to the waterfalls on this floor. There are probably a lot of women enjoying the water out there you know, or men, depending on your preferences." Pick winked, switching his glance at Asakku, "Wanna come, too?"

@Asakku

[Asakku 0]

She pinched her nose at their childish behavior. “Don’t turn into Pick, Dustin. One flirt is enough,” she sighed, shaking her head. Turning her head to Pick, she gave a heavy sigh, “and that’s gross, there might not be germs here. But at least have some dignity.” 

Staring at the NPC for a good second, she bit her lip in frustration. How did I meet these idiots again? I swear to god I regret everything I’ve done in Aincrad so far. “That’s a waste of materials y’know,” she mumbled, sending daggers at the taller players. Losing herself in thought once again, she tried to recall what she was doing on the floor again.

Breaking her thinking, she let out a shaky breath, “w-waterfall?” She sputtered, fiddling with her fingers. “U-Uhm..” I don’t want them to think I’m a coward.. she sucked in a sharp breath and nodded her head meekly, “y-yeah sure, I’ll come. I don’t think I’m going to swim or whatever though,” she squeaked.

@Dustin @Pick

[Dustin 0]

"She's scared of water, so don't force her to go swimming." He chuckles, whispering to Pick just loud enough that Asakku could hear him. "Kidding, we'll bring floaties." He laughs. Dustin turns and starts to walk towards the wood in which the waterfall can be found. He stops abruptly and walks into a shop and starts flirting with a player thinking it's an NPC. Dustin stumbles out of the store, trying not to fall as he slams into Asakku's side. He quickly stands up and tries to act casual, his face cherry red, avoiding eye contact with either of the players and trying to whistle with his hands behind his back. Dustin breaks the awkward silence with laughter, "That was a real player in there. She was a little flattered, but I left before I got a response." He stops smiling and puts his hands behind his head and starts walking.

"Come on short stop. You too Pick, we got water to swim in." He removes his armor. "Last one there is a rotten egg." Dustin says, removing his shirt and breaking off into a sprint. "I have no earthly idea where this waterfall is, but I'll be darned if I lose a race to shorty and lucky."

@Asakku @Pick

[Pick 0]

"Hey, watch it," Pick exclaimed in indignity. Sometimes, it's being a flirt that makes collections with people, which someone like Pick needed as part of his grand plan to become super wealthy, and then invest that wealth to a purpose. "You think this game has germs? I doubt it, how would it affect us in anyway, even if there is?" Pick asked, shrugging. There's no pain in this game, so even if there were actually germs, it's not like there's actually sicknesses. Pick had walked back from paying the apple seller at this point, and he was now ready to head out and stop with the conversation.

"Scared of water? What can water do to you? Come on, you guys wanna stop on the way and get some cool swimsuits or something? I'm not trying to jump into water with my suit on." Pick said, smirking when he heard about Asakku's fear of water. This was a perfect opportunity to see this girl in weakness, maybe get a true face or a side of her that's different when she's frozen in fear.

Pick watched as Dustin walked into the shop and seemed to exit as soon as he did so. He could see through the window that he was talking to a girl - decent looking, neatly dressed, obviously a player with that weapon by his side. Originally, Pick was impressed that Dustin had mustered up bravery to talk to her. However, he soon came rushing out, and Pick was less impressed by that. "Huh, I'll be right back. We can race there when I come back," Pick said, smiling as he entered the shop. Within a few minutes, he came back. "Ok, let's go then." He finished, closing his friend's list.

@Asakku

[Asakku 0]

She sputtered, her eyes wide, “afraid of water? M-me? SureLy you jest,” she chuckled nervously, looking in another direction. The player gulped and sighed in relief as the conversation didn’t go any farther. You’d be surprised on how much water can do to you.. she shook her head, ridding her thoughts. “I’m not swimming though. Thanks, but no thanks.”

The ebony haired female raked a hand through her hair in annoyance. “Can you all stop flirting with women? It is an unfortunate sight to see... and very uncomfortable.” Why did I agree to come..? This is a sin. She gave a quick breath and fidgeted with her scarf, twisting the gems around her fingers.

“I don’t.. race or whatever, thanks,” She muttered bitterly, opening up her inventory. Changing into casual clothing, she gave them a look. “Well, or you statues just gonna stand here or are we going or not?”

@Pick @Dustin

[Dustin 0]

"Oh heck nah." Dustin turns around, equipping his armor and turning to run back. "Hey Asakku, nice scarf." He says, turning into the store and walking out a few minutes later closing his friends list. "Got my first friend." Dustin turns to Pick. "There is no way you're gonna out-game me." He looks back, and smiles. She was pretty nice though. And I'd hate to ruin that dress. Dustin turns back and smiles at Asakku. "I'm ready if y'all are ready." Dustin removes his armor, equipping a more casual blue baggie hoodie and jeans. He looks at Pick and grins, "Yeah, let's get swimsuits. I need shades." He leans in and whispers, "Dibs." He says to Pick, looking at Asakku. He chuckles and walks away with a smirk. I probably shouldn't ruin the chances of her and I becoming friends, but Pick definitely doesn't deserve her. Pick has a touch of sociopathic tendencies. He looks at the two of them and shakes his head in obvious disgust. Nope, won't happen, Pick is a player, and Asakku hates... people. He slows down, walking behind the other two players. "Tailor shop, 1 o'clock."

@Pick 

[Pick 0]

Pick chuckled in surprise as he watched Dustin walk back into the shop. He had suspected Dustin of not being able to talk to girls from how he handles himself around Asakku and how he went into the shop only to come out a second later just a few minutes ago. Now, he seemed to have mustered the courage to talk to the girl again and get her on his friend's list. "I'm afraid that it's simply inevitable for me to out game you. My charisma is not something that everyone can have." Pick chuckled, smiling as he began to walk away. "Alright then. Since we've all agreed. 1:00 isn't that far from now, so I'm going to be making my way there. There's a really nice one just by the entrance to this town, so I'll be there waiting. Just get there as soon as you can." Pick exclaimed.

"Oh, wait. If you want to out-game me. I suppose we can have a challenge. There's an old Shakespeare play that I have seen before called the Taming of the Shrew. If you've seen it, I'm only hoping that you can get my reference," Pick winked, turning around and walking back. He remembered the play only just a bit, because he had to pickpocket people in a play theater back in real life. That play was something special - arranged for one of the wealthiest family in Cordoba. After that thief incident however, caused by yours truly, the head of the family was just not as rich as he used to be. Pick chuckled just thinking about it, and how happy the kids in those corners were when he handed them a month's food. 

@Asakku

Edited August 1, 2018 by Pick

[Asakku 0]

She shrugged, “thanks I guess? I’ve had this for a while now.” She pull on her scarf before letting it back down. Whatever, I guess. “Now if you boys are ready to stop talking about your latest girl catch, I’d be happy to leave,” she paused, “leave you guys for dead that is.” Shaking her head, she tapped her heels impatiently. “I’m not going to swim, therefore, no need for swimwear,” she said crossly. “Aye, aye sir,” she faked salute and marched off to the entrance of the town.

Realzing that Orias went kissing again, she gave a gruff sigh. Stupid familair and his stupid tendencies.. the player gave a low growl before blinking away the emotion. He can find his own way back hen, I don’t care. 

Fiddling with her thumbs for a period of time, she became lost in thought. Will I regret this? Probably. Will I benefit from this? Probably not. Do I care at this point? Not really.

@Dustin @Pick

 

 

[Dustin 0]

Dustin watches her walk and slams his shoulder into a wall, having been distracted for completely legitimate reasons. "Ow, stupid wall." He says kicking it. Dropping back to walking next to Pick, Dustin says, "That stupid challenge of yours? You're on." He says, not knowing what he'd just agreed to. Whatever it is, I can't out-game Pick. He's a God with women. I'm just a guy. But, he can't know that. "So, who's our target?" Dustin inquires. He walks away and looks at swimsuits. Picking one up, he looks at it with disgust. "Pick. They have speedos in this game." He drops it back down and backs away. This blue pair is nice. I'll get those. He says, looking at the NPC running the shop. He winks, and smacks himself in the forehead. I've got the challenge idiot. He sets the trunks back down and walks out of the store. "Now, to find the wicked witch of the west." He chuckles, looking over and seeing Asakku. "Oh crap." He lets out a long sigh. I've lost. He walks, leaning his upper body back and sliding his hands down his face.

@Pick

[Pick 0]

"Who's our target? Who else would I refer to as a shrew?" Pick continued, carrying on the reference even as the two were walking into the tailor shop. With a smile he greeted the shop keeper with a bow, and pulled out a flower from his inventory before handing it to the NPC. It had been one of the materials that he has gathered in the past, and he kept note of it because it seemed like a decent flower to give to people. Of course, he had far better looking ones, even though that one in particular wasn't bad. Completely ignoring Dustin's wink at the NPC, Pick went ahead and browsed through the items on the shelves. There were not only swimsuits, but fur coats, armor, cloaks, t-shirts even, and all sorts of different clothing that he hadn't seen before. Pick hadn't worn a swimsuit before - all the swimming he had to do in the past was in his full suit while escaping from a heist. If Dustin thinks he can get a lady by winking at her, i'm afraid this challenge will be far too easy. He thought, chuckling to himself.

Pick picked out a red pair of shorts - the exact same color as the scarf that Asakku had. "Perfecto, so you're going with a blue one? That's quite the opposite of red, wouldn't you think?" Pick asked, shrugging as he too went to check out for the item. Exiting the shop, he heard Dustin make a reference only to see Asakku right there, "Speaking of the devil. We're ready to leave now, I suppose."

@Asakku

[Asakku 0]

“I’m not a witch, I don’t fly on a broomstick or melt... when I touch water,” she mumbled, suddenly remembering the times she’s watched the Wizard Of Oz. Aquaphobia.. you don’t melt when you have it I guess. “W-whatever! Let’s just go already, I don’t want to stand here all day with two idiots,” she said hotly, gnawing on the inside of her cheek.

Wiping her sweaty hands on her shirt, she gave a small sigh. How did my life end up like this? Going to a stupid waterfall with twin idiots. The spawn of Satan themselves. She groaned, rubbing her head with frustration. I can not keep this up, why can’t my conscious just let me leave them for dead? She rubbed her temples and drew a lacy breath of air. “How far away is this waterfall anyway? I’m not going to walk half way across the floor for a stupid landmark,” she huffed, crossing her arms.

@Dustin @Pick

[Dustin 0]

Dustin walks away from the group for a few minutes. No thats not it. That definitely isn't it either. No. Where is the ice cream? Dustin makes his way to the gate in town before the other two and waits. "There's never any ice cream, like, anywhere." He says as Pick walks by. Dropping back into formation, Dustin in the furthest back, was an unfair advantage for Pick, who already had the clear advantage. "I'm gonna lose the race." Dustin remarks, pulling his hood up and continuing on. "So where is this stupid waterfall anyways?" Dustin asks, having never spent too much time on this floor. He looks down at his sword and smiles. I can do this, I can woo the shrew. He shakes his head and follows the man in front of him.

"Hehe, we're walking from shortest to tallest." Dustin chuckles. I don't know what to do, this is the biggest party I've been in, and flirting with women is easiest for me when we're alone. Asakku's definitely gonna be more difficult to seduce. He kicks a rock and it flies over the entire field. "I'll be back in a few seconds." Dustin takes off running and climbs up a tree. Gotta get a good layout of the land.

@Pick

Edited August 1, 2018 by Dustin

[Pick 0]

"I know where the waterfall is. It's actually not that far from here. I'm talking about the tallest one, of course, since there are several in this floor." Pick exclaimed, chuckling as he put on his gloves from when he took it off in the shop that he and Dustin had gone to just moments before. Pick listened as Dustin mumbled something about there not being ice cream even though no one talked about ice cream. So, he likes talking about random things, huh? Pick thought, smiling as he continued to listen to his quiet words. There was something about not winning a race, and then something about a stupid waterfall. "Well, I didn't know we were having a race. Especially since none of us are running. Since I'm ahead of you, it's certain that I'll be winning this race. Also, since you both just called this waterfall stupid," Pick paused.

"I suppose we can just not go. I don't want to be the only person who's excited to climb to the top of a waterfall." Pick smiled, watching as Dustin put on his hood as if he was depressed or something. Pick shrugged, puberty hits hard, I guess he's still going through all that. He thought, watching as the man went ahead and climbed a tree. "Hey look, Asakku. Someone's trying to be a monkey. I suppose we can just allow him to enjoy his time in that tree while we walk. I know a shortcut that we can go." Pick whispered, pretending not to see Dustin climb the tree so he doesn't get suspicious. Perhaps he can even lose him... not that he'll know anyways.

@Asakku

Edited August 1, 2018 by Pick

[Asakku 0]

“Tallest waterfall..?” She questioned, sighing. Not hat I have a fear of heights.. I just, don’t wanna go to a big water.. fall. She raised her eyebrow at @Dustin‘s odd statement but shrugged it off, “no one was talking about ice cream you doofus,” player muttered, rolling her crimson eyes. Not even bothering to ask about what this ‘race’ was, she tugged on a strand of her hair awkwardly. “I’m definitely not racing any of you bozos,” she finally said, “probably is a stupid waterfall anyways.”

She laughed haughtily, “Yes, that’s fine with me! I’d be happy to go back and leave the devils spawns here!” She clapped her hands together with utmost joy. Watching a rain cloud hover over Dustin, she scoffed, whatever he’s thinking about, he needs to man up and stop being a stupid child. Watching him climb up a tree blankly, she turned her head to @Pick, “I never liked monkeys..” she mumbled, taking one last glance at the tree before shrugging. “I really don’t care, I just want to get this day over with. So lead he way.” Guess Dustin isn’t coming then.

[Dustin 0]

I should probably get down. Dustin drops down a little before looking up towards the waterfall. Or I could win the race. "I'll meet y'all there I guess!" Dustin jumps to the next tree over, barely catching a branch before dropping to the ground below him. Good thing this is how I learned to move through the woods. Dustin runs through the woods, jumping over logs and rocks. He arrives at the bottom of the waterfall and looks up. Guess I took a wrong turn. But whatever, I'll climb up. Dustin grabs a rock and starts the long climb to the top. He looks down, and laughs. "This is the best day of my life." He shouts, jumping to the next rock over, a few feet away. Dustin's fingers slip and he reaches out to grab another rock but the rain is getting stronger. His hand slips off and Dustin starts to fall, but manages to draw his sword and stab it into the wall catching himself a few feet below the rock he was going for. That was way too close, If I die, Pick will win. And I won't let Pick win. "I can't let Pi..." Dustin says, freezing up mid sentence.

@Pick