[Floor 6/PP] Greetings. Are you here to hurt me?

[Embers 0]

For a bunch of damn sheep, even Embers had to admit, they had some bite back in them. It was a scapy fight, and yet, that’s what favoured the resistance group. A lack of co-ordination from the assassins meant they didn’t kill the easy targets, and allowed the battle to drag on so much longer than it honestly needed to.

“You know, if the lead assassin had a brain, they’d of won this easy. You kill that one first” Embers said to her familiar, pointing at Mishiro “You take the damage out of the group, and you’re left with a tank who looks like she can barely fight, and a support…God why are these Coffin wanna-be’s so useless at the one thing they claim to be any good at?” Embers had to admit, this was just a disappointment. She had expected the lead she had been biting at to be useful, or at the very least, interesting…But there was nothing. Still, leaning against the tree, she watched, waiting for something…anything!

[Mishiro 0]

"You are defeated. Please surrender." Mishiro gently lowered the stunned assassin's arm to the ground and paused to catch her breath. Her gaze once again moved to the upper-left corner of her vision. HP in the green, EN at 15%. Roman and Jinx both in the yellow. The former's HP ticking down slowly the two continued to trade blows behind her, and the latter staying still and slowly recovering. She tossed her hair over her shoulder - why hadn't she braided it earlier? - and took a deep breath. When she exhaled, someone landed on the grass beside her with a loud thump. Jinx! She whipped around and spotted the shielder's other opponent. Their gazes met and they seemed to come to a silent agreement that they were now each other's target.

 

Her non-dominant arm snapped to block the opponent's swing and she twisted, her next punch aimed directly for their attacking arm. Seconds later, they were on the ground beside their teammate. Two down. She ran over to help Jinx up. Behind her, the clashing of metal abruptly stopped. “...the time of birth has come, He is the one who masters all.” Everyone's HP values rose back up to the green, at the expense of a large portion of their support's energy. "Then, leave. We'll allow it."

 

Mishiro patted the tank's shoulder in silent reassurance and looked for Roman. They were standing still, quite a distance from each other. Was it over?

 

[ooc disclaimer: Roman's field medic chant is not mine]

Edited December 15, 2018 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx looked up fro mthe ground where she was paralyzed as fear ran through her life a tidal wave! She couldn't move, do anything! It was terrifying how powerless she honestly felt, watching the other girl...Mishiro? Disable the last assassin without killing them. Slowly, the girl was able to move and picked herself up off the ground, using the other girls arm to lift herself up and look around with her single eye. She couldn't believe it, somehow, they'd won...and no one had died? 

"I-is it over?" She asks hesitantly "Mish...y-you saved me...I, owe you my life..." The girl wasn't sure how else to word it. While the other girl had been in more danger during the fight, had it not been for her...Alisea was certain the assassins would have managed to kill her before she was aware what was occurring. She did the only thing that came to mind and wrapped her arms around the other girl, hugging her tightly as she dropped the Rapier and shield onto the ground. 

 

The lead assassin watched as everything seemed to be just going well hell in a hand-basket, and yet, the boy who she had been kicking down with her 'Glory' Claymore agreed to let this be the end. She did wonder if that was a front, and she did feel confident she could kill all 3 of them. But there was no need to. Placing the weapon on her back, the cloaked girl gave a short bow "Pleasure. Although, if i find your name on a bounty, i won't hesitate like i did today" With that, she walked into the forest and vanished. 

[Mishiro 0]

It was over. The leader of the group was gone. She'd disappeared into the forest along with the two players Mishiro had subdued earlier, leaving the three players standing in the clearing. For a moment, there was no sound other than the water rushing down the Waterfall of the Sage. Then Roman lifted his head and Mishiro just barely picked up what he said. "Same goes to you, swordswoman." He turned to the two of them and reached for his hood. His eyes glowed a brighter color of green. "Shiro, Jinx. Stay here. I'll look around for a bit, just to check if they're really gone."

 

"But, Aniki--" Stay. The white-haired girl dropped her rapier and shield and hugged her, stammering through her words of gratitude.  Right... Mishiro dully recalled. This all happened because she protected Jinx. "Yes, it's over. " She didn't know what else to say, so she loosely wrapped her arms around the girl's small, armored frame with a smile tugging at her lips.

 

"Shiro. I won't go too far if that helps." Roman's tone softened and so did the bright glow in his eyes. "I'll be back. Stay safe."

 

He pulled his hood up and disappeared.

 

Mishiro gently pulled away from Jinx's embrace and looked at her seriously. Now it was time to address some of the more pressing issues at hand. "Sorry to ask you so soon after but, are you sure you didn't know any of them?"

[Jinx 0]

The girl brushed her single eye, looking at Mishiro and taking a deep breath to attempt to calm herself down. The hug was nice, even if she was clad in armour. It was, oddly calming, and Jinx felt her nerves start to relax piece by piece. She turned around to try and spot the boy that had arrived, but in those moments, he vanished from sight. Had he...even existed? She frowned, was she that...crazy?

Feeling the other girl pull away, Jinx unequipped her armour, now wearing her regular clothes like she had before the battle had started. She looked up at the other girl for her question, and frowned a little. There was something...something.

"I do. Reaver, Spect and Mano, those were the three boys that started the fight...We did the tutorial quests, they approached me and were...really nice. They didn't seem to care that i was different, so i spent some time with them. B-but, i don't know why they'd want to kill me, i...i didn't think i was that rude to them..."

A pained look appeared on the girls face as she started to blame herself for being the target, that she was attacked for something she'd done to offend them. The idea they had been scouting her didn't even occur to her.  

[Mishiro 0]

Reaver, Spect, and Mano. The three Laughing Coffin recruits whom they'd first encountered. Jinx told her earlier that she didn't know any of them, but Mishiro supposed it was a mistake made purely out of the shock from the situation. She had just woken up and learned that there were players who wanted to kill her, after all. She would carefully file away those three names in her mind for later. Perhaps Roman or Arabelle would know something about the three of them. Or the nature of the Laughing Coffin guild, and their brutal recruitment process. Why they would want to kill Jinx, whether they were being sincere with her the first time Jinx met them or already possessed ulterior motives by then, and why they wanted to join something like the Laughing Coffin in the first place was a mystery she couldn't solve with the information she had now.

Was this her problem to solve? Not really. It was Jinx's problem. But there was no denying that Mishiro was involved now. She couldn't simply ignore something like this, moreso that it had just happened right in front of her.

"No," Mishiro said softly. "I don't think it's your fault. When they chose to attack you, it was a decision they made on their own. And normally, people wouldn't try to kill someone just because they were rude to them." She briefly looked around the clearing and, seeing no signs of movement, turned back to Jinx. "We're still waiting for Claude, so let's talk about something else." And she had to wipe that pained look from that girl's face. She seemed to be blaming herself for everything and that wasn't good. As far as Mishiro knew, the shielder had no fault in this. "Jinx, right? Why did you name yourself Jinx?"

[Jinx 0]

It wasn't...her fault? Was that really the case, those three attacked her, not because she'd offended them but for another reason? Alisea honestly was doubtful in that, but then...people never did make that much sense to her to begin with so...why would it make any sense now? Too many emotions, motives...There was too much to understand about other people so, what was the point? Fidgetting with her long hair, the girl listened to Mishiro speak and ask her...about her name? 

The girl laughed softly "Traditionally, if something is Jinxed, it is considered cursed. As to why, w-well...It's what my parents said from time-to-time when they didn't realise i could hear them speaking. At the time i didn't understand, i thought...it was a good thing. So i learnt the word, in my languages..." The girl let out a deep breath. Was she...no, this girl had enough on her plate nearly dying for her, but maybe...that's reason enough to trust her? "That's when i know, truly, i was a burden on my family. And when i entered this game, i was...overwhelmed by the log-in place...I was panicking and picked the first word that came to mind...I was a Burden, a mistake...I jinxed their lives so..."

[Mishiro 0]

Mishiro was well aware of the meaning of the word 'jinx,' but she didn't find the girl's player name questionable because she'd simply assumed Jinx gave herself that name for a lighter reason. Before the servers locked them in, SAO was nothing but a game people came to have a good time in. So... she didn't know what to say. She couldn't simply say Jinx wasn't a burden... she didn't know the girl's family situation before she came here. Or much of anything else for the matter. If she spoke words of comfort, they would be empty and meaningless - words she had spoken just because that was what she thought the girl wanted to hear, but at the same time devoid of understanding - and the timid shielder would know that too. 

"I see..." she stalled, letting her grey gaze sweep through the clearing for any signs of Roman. None. He must really be making sure. "Well. Perhaps you could... try fixing that here. It's easier to be a strong person in this game than in real life. That is, if you work hard enough. Well, it's easy to tell the origin of my name. Mishiro, written in the Japanese kanji for 'depth' and 'white.' I don't really have any reason other than that I liked the way it was written." 

Edited December 25, 2018 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Wave after wave of self-loathing ran over the girl after the confession. She honestly hadn't put too much thought into the name, it was just a word she'd panicked picked when logging in. However, the more she thought about it, the more the word suited her far too well. A mistake, a curse, a burden. The perfect description for her in so many ways. She looked up at Mishiro, and even in a mostly dull state, started to predict what the girl was going to say. She'd heard it too many times. People who didn't understand, saying she was wrong. 

How wasn't she a burden? She couldn't be left alone in the real world. She got lost, she'd nearly burnt her house down on several occasions and she once cut herself and hadn't realized until she'd gotten extremely sick due to the an infection that destroyed her body when she had been 13. 

But what the girl said...caught her by surprise. Instead of say she wasn't what she was, she said she could become...stronger? How was that even possible? She mulled on it, but hearing Mishiro's name, the girl let out a sad laugh.

"It's...hard when you're so, unfocused..." The girl let out a defeated sigh before trying to move on. She knew the worst thing she could do was fixate on what was making her feel, like this "Mishiro...Depth, White...I can see that, it's clean..." The girl could see the word written in her mind, in at least 5 languages. She had to admit, in some it wasn't as pretty, but then again, no german word 'looked pretty'. "W-wait...where is the...other one?" She glanced around, the boy had...vanished?

@Mishiro

[Mishiro 0]

When she mentioned becoming stronger, something seemed to light up in the girl's visible eye but at the same time, she still looked confused. "This is just my opinion, but let me explain," Mishiro began patiently. She recalled a conversation she had six months into the game, between her and a certain cowardly healer. "Someone said this to me once. It's easier to become stronger here because everything's determined by numbers. We saw that in action a while ago. To be honest, the assassins would have overpowered us in terms of willpower. That murderous intent, I... felt it earlier and I could hardly think. I let my instincts take control for the most part, but the other part of me was hesitant. If this took place in real life, I have no doubt we would have been overwhelmed. But since it took place here in the game and it happened that our stats were better than theirs, we managed to drive them away." 

 

That was a fact. Had Mishiro's DMG stat and HP value been two levels lower, she doubted she would have survived that close brush with death. She could still clearly recall how time seemed to slow as she watched her HP drop into the red zone, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Twenty-three percent... Numbers were also a disadvantage, in some way. "You've already got the physical strength down, for the most part, otherwise you wouldn't have held your own against those two earlier. Maybe with your tank build, you can even solo most of the quests in the first three floors. I say you should keep it up, and also work on your mental strength along the way. Then once you're strong, you can help others and feel like less of a burden."

 

Upon hearing Jinx's question, she quickly scanned the clearing once again. There were no movements other than the branches of the nearby trees swaying in the soft breeze and the water rushing down the falls behind them. "He's supposed to be checking if we're in the clear," Mishiro reminded. "But that's strange..." Four full minutes had already passed with no sign of him. Her gaze flicked over to her party member's HP bars and she quickly understood why. Eighty-five percent with a <<Paralyze>> debuff. Laughing Coffin. Three trained assassins. One support player. Sure, he was a high-leveled player, but-- Mishiro whirled around, distress and fear breaking through the cracks of her calm facade. When she spoke, her voice was a pitch higher than usual. "Jinx, stick with me. We're going to look for him."

[Jinx 0]

Jinx listened to the girl speak, and although she sounded almost dead inside, there was a layer of truth to what she was saying. Numbers were...what was important here. Their assassins had failed, because they were higher levels. She couldn't help but think this girl was, well, right in some way. Maybe, in this world, she could get stronger. Be strong enough to no longer be a burden on her family, was that even possible? If they managed to escape this game, would her strength in this game even matter? She frowned when the other girl mentioned, mental strength? She couldn't not know that was true, but it still hurt to a degree. Was that even possible, could she no longer become a burden when she escaped this world? 

She was left uncertain how to answer, after all, how would she even do that? But before she could ask how, the girl looked...scared? During the fight, the girl seemed to be blessed with overwhelming levels of calmness, yet why was there a fear now? "W-who...? T--the boy, what is his name...?" The girl, despite her confusion, stood up to follow Mishiro without any objection. This girl had done so much for her, so it was only fair she return the favour without hesitation. That's...what friends do right?

[Mishiro 0]

She didn't respond to Jinx's question. No, it almost seemed as if she disregarded it. At the moment, her mind was locked onto one thing, and that was Roman's steadily dropping HP bar. Mishiro turned them around and walked briskly towards the edge of the clearing. She didn't understand. The two parties had already agreed to a ceasefire. It was unlikely he was fighting a mob. He would have dropped into stealth and moved away. Furthermore, mobs in the first ten floors rarely had traits that allowed them to inflict <<Paralyze>>. Mishiro paused at the spot where the clearing ended and the forest began. This was where he'd passed. He went into Stealth before she could clearly see where he went but she thought she'd seen the bushes in this direction rustle when he left. She looked over her shoulder and motioned for Jinx to follow.

 

"Search." A bright, electric blue color flooded into her irises, replacing its dull grey color. She glanced back at the clearing, at Jinx, then turned around and ventured into the forest. Her vision was inferior to Roman's. She'd swapped her LD item for an ACC item before she'd entered the clearing awhile ago so currently, Mishiro didn't have any bonuses. But if she got close enough, she should be able to detect a party member's location. 300 meters. He was only checking if they were in the clear. He couldn't have gone any further than 300 meters. She stopped, around two hundred meters away from the clearing they'd left, and turned to the left. They walked, keeping to a path adjacent to the clearing's edge, with Mishiro periodically stopping both of them to scan her surroundings. 

 

Then she saw it. A faint, blue glow. An ally. Before she could think about it, she was leaving Jinx behind and running up to the ally she'd detected. Mishiro stopped in front of a tree. Perched on one of its low-hanging branches... "Bandit!" ...Was a small, brown ferret with a bad habit of stealing sweets. Roman's LD familiar. It chattered back at her but didn't move. She reached up and gently lifted it from its perch, holding it eye-level to her with both hands. "Where's your master? Bandit, lead me to him." She gently set the familiar down on the ground, but it looked up at her and chittered. She didn't understand what it was saying. "I'll give you treats when we reach him. Now, find him."

 

Still, it refused to move.

 

"What command am I supposed to use?!" Mishiro snapped. It blinked up at her curiously, oblivious to her predicament. She glanced at the upper-left field of her vision. His health had gone up - a potion or a crystal, how many had he used to heal them earlier? - but it suddenly dropped again. She was only growing more anxious by the minute, but... She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. No. Panicking wasn't going to help here. It may be that he doesn't need their help at all and everything would be resolved by the time they got there. "Bandit. Find Claude. Find Roman. Find Roman."

 

The little ferret circled around her feet and sat down.

 

"Fine, then. I'll do it without you." She scooped up the useless familiar and placed it on her shoulder. She turned them around and they continued along the path.

[Jinx 0]

Jinx felt a wave of worry pass through her that Mishiro seemed to..well, forget she existed almost. Was the boy in that much danger? She wasn't sure, but the way this girl was acting started to scare Alisea a lot. Something was wrong, and if that boy died because he came to save her...she'd never forgive herself for being so stupid...The other girl signalled her to follow, and without a word, she did. Mishiro had saved her life, it was only fair she...try and do the same back.

Alisea blinked, and after what felt like only a few seconds, Mishiro was...running ahead of her?! The girl felt a panic wash over her as she ran forwards, attempting to keep up with Mishiro, however the girl fell behind too much and even tripped over a slight bump in the ground, leaving her a little lost. "D-damn..i need to help...her" She reminded herself, before eventually catching up with the other girl only to see, only the most adorable ferret! Jinx stared at it with a single eye, and when Mishiro placed the creature on her shoulder, Jinx couldn't not reach to try and pet the creature, and in those moments, completely forgot the purpose of their rushing, to save the boy, whose name was Roman.

"This ferret is..adorable, Bandit..." The girl muttered, holding out her hand to see if the creature would hop onto it. That's when she frowned, and heard a noise. It sounded like yelling, it was some distance away, but her ears had always been too good for their own benefit, hence the earmuffs. The girl pointed off to their right "I hear...yelling, over there Mish...maybe it's Roman...?"

@Mishiro

[Mishiro 0]

"I'm sorry," I say, even as he doesn't hear. I really am. But this is how the world works. He heard their names. He concealed himself for the prime purpose of gathering information, and once he reports back, their names would be added to the list. I can't let it happen. Not again. Not to her. I stand still, undetected. He looks around, searching, and reaches behind him: the small pouch strapped to his belt. One more round should do it. I pull my hood off and slash his throat. He turns and I catch a glimpse of his face. The status effects deal their final round of damage. And just like that, he's gone.

[...]

I'm... sorry. Half of this is my fault. I should have warned them earlier. 

[...] [...] [...]

I look at my hands and all I can see is blood. It fills me with disgust.

 

...

 

They continued along the path. The small brown ferret on the girl's shoulder looked at the hand Jinx was holding out to him and decided a stranger who thought he was adorable was better than a familiar person who thought he was useless. Bandit hopped onto Jinx's hand. It chittered happily before running up her arm and curling up at her shoulder.

 

Mishiro paused from her scanning and glanced at the shielder, who was now holding onto Roman's familiar. Then she turned back and continued surveying her surroundings as they sped through the forest. Inconsequential. For whatever reason, Bandit was refusing to point out its owner's location. She heard Jinx speak and looked over at the direction the girl was pointing out to. Yelling...? She hadn't heard anything and she wasn't entirely sure if she should be listening to a girl who was wearing earmuffs. But, she'd already decided earlier that the eye-patched girl only had good intentions, so - "Let's check," she responded with a nod.

 

She turned in the direction Jinx indicated to her and pushed past a few low-hanging branches, occasionally holding one up for Jinx to pass underneath. "This is a bit far from the clearing," Mishiro commented as they pushed forward. Her searches still yielded no sign of a nearby ally. "Tell me if you hear something else. They must have chased each other here. Are you familiar with the strategy of fighting while retreating? I believe it's mostly used with ranged weapons, but there's a certain build here that makes that possible." 

 

Her next search revealed a stronger blue outline, slightly off to the left. "You heard right. Let's hurry, Jinx!" Her fast pace turned into a sprint, leaving the silver-haired girl and the ferret behind. She glanced at the upper left field. His health had stopped dropping. But, but still - She held her arms out in front of her, shielding herself from the sharp branches she ran through. And when she neared the area, she concealed herself. 

 

There was no need to. He was alone. Blue dust from a shattered crystal between his fingers fell softly to the ground. That overwhelming sense of foreboding was quickly replaced by relief, and she calmly stepped out from where she was hiding. "Are they gone now?"

 

The scout froze. He turned his head, green gaze connecting with hers - confirming that it was her - and his mouth dropped open slightly. "Sh- Shiro! I thought I told you to stay, so why are you - where's..." 

 

"Jinx is with me. I saw your health dropping so I thought we could come over to help." It was natural to be surprised, she reasoned out. She and Jinx were supposed to be staying in the clearing, after all. But, what was this feeling? She felt as if she was missing something important. Mishiro tucked her hands behind her back. Inconsequential. The danger had already passed. "You barely held out against that swordswoman from earlier, so what would have happened if you faced all three?"

 

"Hey, are you calling me weak?" Her feeling of uneasiness faded as his usual, slightly awkward smile returned. "Typical of you. But don't do it again next time. As a stealth player, I know how easy it is to ambush players in the woods. You were much safer in the clearing." He paused and quickly scanned their surroundings once again. "I only engaged with one, but... I can confirm that they're gone, so we can relax and head back to the safe zone now."

 

"Mm. Thank you." Mishiro looked over her shoulder. "Jinx? It's fine. He says they're all gone now, so let's go back. I'm sorry for causing you to worry earlier."

Edited December 28, 2018 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx had to admit, when the ferret decided to hop onto her and cuddled up to her shoulder, a wave of excitement washed through her, as well as sadness in that she hadn't brought any snacks for the familiar. While she didn't have a 'reason' to have snacks, it didn't stop her from feeling a little upset in that reality. So instead, she smiled at it and gently stoked Bandits head while they walked.  However, her attention split as Mishiro heard the yelling and ran off to find her friend, Roman. Following after her, she stepped into the area and, in those few moments, her mind sharpened.

'MURDER'

Alisea frowned, why had her mind screamed that right as it dulled out? She looked around, there was only Mishiro's friend Roman in the area, why would she think that? She let out a soft laugh, her mind must been playing up on her again, seeing and thinking the impossible. Jinx reached onto her shoulder, gently picking up the Ferret before walking up to Roman and offering it back to him "You should take care of your familiar, he seems really sweet. I....It would be a shame to lose him" She cut herself off from criticing the boy for losing his familiar, after all, he had come to her rescue and mother always told her to be polite to someone when they did something for you, even if you found a tendency of theirs annoying.

Jinx turned to face Mishiro with a weak smile on the girls face "You saved my life Mishiro, a-and Roman too. Please don't worry about it, without you i'd of...died" The girl wiped her eye, now was not the time to get emotional! 

[Mishiro 0]

"Ah, were you taking care of him earlier? Thanks for that. It definitely saves us the trouble of having to lure him from his hiding spot!" Roman said cheerfully. At Jinx's prompting, Bandit hopped onto the scout's hand and sniffed curiously at his glove. "Yeah, I know," he responded with a chuckle. Was he seriously going to get lectured? Bandit was an LD-type familiar. It didn't do any damage and would probably die in a hit, so whenever he engaged in combat, he often left his familiar in a nearby hiding spot and came back to retrieve it later. His expression softened when the girl stammered and seemed to cut herself off, instead turning to Mishiro and thanking them both once again. He was not going to explain himself this time. "I'll be more careful."

 

Finding no scent of treats, the ferret scuttled halfway up the scout's arm and barked disapprovingly. Then it jumped off and scampered towards Mishiro, climbing up the girl's coat until it sat at her shoulder. "Shiro..." Roman started. She tapped an item in her inventory and a few treats dropped onto her hand. Then she held her hand close to the hungry familiar. "No wonder Bandit's been so demanding lately. I just fed him an hour ago. You spoil him too much!" 

 

Bandit triumphantly gobbled his treats up and stayed on her shoulder as they started making their way back to the safe zone. 

"But, it's cute..." Mishiro mumbled, a slight shade of red dusting her cheeks. She gently stroked its head with a finger and followed after Roman. She walked alongside Jinx. Sensing that the timid girl was still a bit dejected, she brought her inventory up once again and manifested some treats. "Jinx, your hand." When the girl had her hand held out, she placed the treats on her palms. "Aniki won't get mad. Go on, Bandit."

[Jinx 0]

Jinx watched the pair chat, and that's when it finally dawned on her. These two knew each other long before the game, they just seemed to natural together that it had to be the case. How else would they seem to get along just so well? A soft smile escaped onto her face watching them interact, they reminded her of her friends back home almost. They always had a go at one another, 'jabs' they called them. It seemed Bandit, the cute little ferret, was the focus of their jabs. 

"Mishiro does have a point, Bandit is very cute" Jinx couldn't side against it, after all, the small creature was very cute. Following the pair, the girl felt silent. What was she meant to say here that didn't involve 'Hey, thanks for not dying'. However, that's when Mishiro placed some treats in her hand and the girl frowned. Was she being...allowed to feed bandit? The joy that rushed over the girl was obvious as she walked up to the ferret smiling "B-banditt. Snack time" She called to the familiar warmly, excited at the idea of the creature eating from her hand. 

@Mishiro

[Mishiro 0]

The ferret gave a bark of excitement and hopped onto the girl's arm. It took one of the treats into its paws and started to munch on it slowly. "Oh, he's taking it slower. I think Bandit can sense this is the last time he'll be fed today!" Mishiro laughed. She could tell that he wasn't being serious, but Bandit seemed to think otherwise. The small familiar squealed in complaint then promptly gobbled up the rest of its treats. It spun around and raced up Jinx's arm to curl up at her shoulder. "I think he likes you. Do you want to hold onto him until we reach the safe zone?"

 

The rest of the walk was fairly uneventful. Roman was oddly silent. Bandit, satisfied with his afternoon snack, napped on the eyepatched girl's shoulder. Mishiro didn't have anything new to say and she could tell that the girl walking beside her had cheered up after feeding the cute familiar.

[Jinx 0]

Jinx loved the small little Ferret, watching the creature on her arm eat to its heart content. She found it impossible not to smile, after all, the creature was just so adorable. She made no comments about how it ate the food quickly, and then moved onto her shoulder to nap. Her walking was slowed down, mostly to ensure she didn't disrupt the familiars napping. She glanced at it and even gently stroked its head. It's fur was soft, warm even. It reminded her somewhat of her families old pet, a very small dog....although, she couldn't recall the breed of it...not for the life of her dulled mind.

"C-can i? I'd love to hold onto him...He's...adorable" Jinx had to admit, the mere idea that she was allowed to stay with the familiar left her with joy. The entire walk, Jinx reminded steadily focused the animal, rather than the people she was with. If she had, maybe she'd remember the thoughts that fear of Roman  and what he'd done...But the memories were missing, much like the focus within her mind. 

[Mishiro 0]

"Hey." 

With Jinx fixated on the sleepy little ferret, Mishiro took the opportunity to take her usual place beside the scout. The sudden informal way with which she greeted him, something that was rarely observed in her normal speech patterns even as she was conversing with her friends, and the fact that she was now gently tugging at the edge of his cloak prompted him to look at her. The shadow of the hood falling over his eyes made his neutral expression look more ominous than usual and earlier... earlier... She glanced back at their other companion: still gently stroking the familiar's head with a soft smile. Now that she had time to process. What was that odd, misplaced feeling from earlier? It unsettled her. 

And it had reappeared. Like there was something unfriendly present, though not necessarily the presence of another person. This was a comfortable silence... This was supposed to be comfortable silence, like many of the previous silences they had spent seated at their favorite table in her little shop. Though right now, a variable that didn't exist in the previous instances was present: the encounter from earlier. Perhaps even the first time they fought together in such a situation.

"What is it?"

The air was heavy, and it reeked of leftover tension.

Mishiro looked up at him, dead serious.

"That makes nine people who like Bandit more than you. How are you feeling, Aniki?"

He looked bewildered. Disbelieving. Then he turned his head away and tugged at the edge of his hood. "Snrk." One hand reached up to roughly rub the top of her head as he tried to restrain his laugh with the other. "Where did that come from? Shiro- and here I thought you were going to talk about something important--"

"Isn't that something only girls do?" She reached up and held his hand in place, briefly, then lowered it. Their pace unchanged, she took a moment to fix her ruffled hair and clasped her hands behind her back. "Has Aniki been hanging out with so many ladies lately that he's now started to act like them?"

"Whaaaa-- No!! I only talk to Leah because she's my..." Guild leader. That was what he was supposed to say. "Okay, okay! I'm listening," Roman laughed and nudged her as they walked. A bit unprepared, she stumbled to the side slightly and she thought she saw his shoulders stiffen. But when she recovered and playfully nudged him back with a faint smile, he relaxed. "Who the hell are you learning that from? When I'm spacing out, you don't have to get my attention through insults that cut straight to the heart, you know?!"

She never told him he was spacing out. But he may as well have picked up on why she was teasing him. They both knew that it wasn't a very Mishiro thing to do after all. 

"Mm? I'm learning it myself. Besides, you're the only person I can practice on."

"Heartless." Roman crossed his arms and shook his head in mock disapproval. The silence resumed as he turned them around and led them into the brush, making for a quick detour to avoid a mob that had spawned along the way. Yet in some ways, the air felt a bit lighter.

Someone once told her that if she wanted to cheer someone up, it was best to make them focus on the present moment.

"We can talk properly now, so do you want an explanation?" Mishiro dropped back slightly to check on their other companion and kept her voice low so as not to disturb the sleeping ferret which shifted slightly and curled up tighter. "Jinx, would it be alright with you if I told him what you said earlier? Personally, I don't know what to do about your situation. I'm very sorry about that. But Claude's more experienced, so maybe he can."

"I'll hear it. But I think I know what got you both into that mess already. Considering that I've never seen or heard of Jinx before, one of you tried to save the other, right?" Roman slowed so that now they were both walking closer to the shielder. "Seriously, did you guys know you were going 2v6? Shiro asked for backup but... well, anyways, if it's you, I think I can trust that you were careful enough... right?"

She called out for them to leave their hiding places and asked for them to state their intentions, fully hoping it was a matter that could be solved with words.

Mishiro shook her head.

"...not right. I'll talk to you later."

"Um, also." She reached out to gently take hold of his cloak and looked up, locking eyes with him once again. Her grey gaze appeared almost exceptionally sharp when she said, "You already told me before, so I know this isn't your first time fighting with other players. But, still. How are you feeling, Aniki?"

"Don't worry so much. I'm fine." He adjusted his hood and gestured for them to speed up the pace. She let go, watching with her expression unreadable. "Almost there. Let's hurry up. Oh, and Shiro, don't run! Leah said she'd set a few plates aside, so it's fine if we come home late for dinner."

There had been a hint of bitterness in what would have otherwise been his usual, reassuring smile.

She looked down at her cold, iron hand and followed.

Eventually, they reached the safe zone.