[PP-01] Who Knew? <<Earning a Living: Performer>>

[Solei 0]

Solei blinked as he was roughly shoved outside of that lady's shop, a quest window opening right in front of him just as he did so. "Can't be too hard," he mumbled to himself as he closed the window. Gathering just a few crystals shouldn't be too much of a challenge. He's had to deal with tiny toddlers for two years, so this was going to be a piece of cake for him! The bluenette blinked as he looked around the town confusingly. Where was the exit again? 

"C'mon, Danny," he face palmed himself as she laughed under his breath. "Two years of being cooped up in this town and you still don't know the exit?" He sighed under his breath and resorted to asking people nearby, or maybe he should just ask some of the kids back at the house. God, even those kids would probably know about the game than he did! 

He felt like some kind of sales merchant. Just going from one person to another, asking questions that make him look dumb. Well, he could always look dumber. He could've been signing these questions! For some reason, a familiar shade of white hair caught his eye. Oh, oh, oh! It was that guy who owned that shop he was just at not too long ago! He should be experienced, right? 

Marching right over to the man, he poked his shoulder and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry for interrupting, but do you know how to get out of this town? I think I'm kind of lost."

@Bahr

Edited August 4, 2019 by Solei

[Bahr 0]

Spoiler

• LEVEL: 29
• HP: 580 / ENERGY: 58
• EVA: 3 / MIT: 44 / ACC: 3 / DMG: 14
  
  HOME BUFFS
  » RESTED
       ➥ -1 EN FOR THE FIRST TWO TURNS OF COMBAT
  » RELAXED
       ➥ +10 TO OUT OF COMBAT HP REGENERATION
       ➥ FULL ENERGY REGENERATION AFTER TWO POSTS OUT OF COMBAT
•  
• SKILLS
• EXTRA SKILLS
  » DISGUISE
       ➥ FREE ACTION
       ➥ +1 EVA UNTIL START OF YOUR NEXT TURN
            ➥ COOLDOWN: 3 TURNS
  » MEDITATION
       ➥ POST ACTION
       ➥ RECOVER AN ADDITION 10 ENERGY - GETTING HIT BY AN ATTACK BEFORE YOUR NEXT TURN REDUCES ADDITIONAL ENERGY RECOVERY TO 6
            ➥ COOLDOWN: 3 TURNS
  
  WEAPON SKILLS
  » TWO-HANDED STRAIGHT SWORD R5
       ➥ +7 DMG WHEN TWO-HANDED WEAPON IS EQUIPPED
  
  ARMOR SKILLS
  » LIGHT ARMOR R2
       ➥ +8 MIT 
  
  SWORD ARTS
  » [X2 AOE] BLAST
       ➥ 2 ENERGY +2 PER TARGET HIT CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X2] STRAIGHT
       ➥ 2 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X3] SCOOPED
       ➥ 3 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X4 STUN] LIGHTNING
       ➥ 7 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X4] CYCLONE
       ➥ 4 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X5] BACK RUSH
       ➥ 5 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X6 STUN] FIGHT BLADE
       ➥ 9 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X7] ASTRAL HELL
       ➥ 7 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X8 AOE STUN] TEMPEST
       ➥ 8 ENERGY +2 PER TARGET HIT CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X12] CALAMITOUS TRAGEDY
       ➥ 12 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X13] GALAXY DESTROYER
       ➥ 13 ENERGY CONSUMED ON USE
  » [X12 AOE] CALAMITY DISASTER
       ➥ 13 ENERGY +2 PER TARGET HIT CONSUMED ON USE

INVENTORY
ARMOR
» [EQUIPPED] COAT OF THE BLOODEDGE (T1 - PERFECT)
     ➥ +3 EVA
» [EQUIPPED] HERO'S HAKAMA (T2 - PERFECT)
     ➥ +36 MIT
     ➥ RECOVERY 1

WEAPONS
» [EQUIPPED] SCARECROW'S SICKLE - TWO-HANDED STRAIGHT SWORD (T2 - DEMONIC)
     ➥ +6 DMG
     ➥ BLEED

FAMILIAR
» [EQUIPPED] SWINE BAJESUS R3
     ➥ +3 ACC

BATTLE READY ITEMS
» T1 POTION OF UNCOMMON QUALITY (3)
     ➥ HEALS 40 HP

"Sorry for interrupting, but do you know how to get out of this town? I think I'm kind of lost," a vaguely familiar voice rang, pulling Bahr out of the braindead, shambling stupor he had been stuck in. He had been wandering around for so long that he didn't even recognize where he was. He looked at the man with puzzled indifference before finally processing the words that had come out of his mouth. 

"Oh right, uh..." Bahr looked the man up and down, trying to figure out where he recognized him from. Oh, right, this was the noob who had just been in his shop, scooping up his favorite gloves and taking off before Bahr had so much as a moment to respond. He looked around, not really recognizing anything that was around them. "It's uhh, you're gonnuhh, um, here, just follow me."

Bahr wasn't about to admit to some newcomer that he was lost in the city he was based in, so he figured he would just lead the lad around until he saw something that he recognized and then go from there. After awhile, they stumbled onto one of the main avenues, and were able to follow that to the gate at the edge of the city. "Here you go, this should be the way out. Out of curiosity, which quest are you taking on?"

Edited August 5, 2019 by Bahr

[Solei 0]

"Thank God," he muttered under his breath as he scurried after Bahr. He was afraid he was going to be stuck in that town, forever. Shudders went down his spine. As much as he loved the kids back at the church, he knew he had to do something other than just monitoring them. That wasn't the life he wanted to live.

He gave a slight bow and chuckled, scratching his head sheepishly. "Thanks a lot. It really means a lot to a low leveled player like me," he beamed, shooting Bahr a thankful smile. "The quest?" He mumbled out loud, opening up his menu quickly. He had forgotten what the quest itself was called, damn his forgetful memory! 

Solei opened up his quest menu and scanned it. "Earning a Living?" He said out loud, before nodding his head. "Yeah, the Earning a Living quest. I've going to be a performer!" He piped, grinning. He was a God awful singer, though. So thank God he knew how to play the guitar and piano. He would be broke as hell if he had to resort to singing for a career.

[Bahr 0]

Bahr blinked as the man opened his menu to double check the quest he was taking, then nodded thoughtfully as he explained himself. He couldn't help but squint a little - not only because the thought of this man as a performer seemed borderline laughable given his forgetful nature, but because he looked strangely familiar. "Sorry to go off subject, but do I know you? I swear I've seen you around before, and not just at my shop." 

His heterochromatic eyes peered directly into the eyes of the man in front of him, realizing it was probably rude to start practically interrogating the guy before they had even been properly introduced. "The name is Bahr, by the way. Though, you may have gotten that from the shop name." He grinned a bit and rubbed the back of his head, a littletoo proud of the pun. "Whatever the case, I can help you out. Believe it or not, this was actually the first quest I ever did."

[Solei 0]

Solei blinked at Bahr and tapped his chin confusingly. "You're asking the worst person," he chuckled, lowering his hands with a sheepish smile. "I have horrible memory, but uh-" He paused, putting his hands on his hips. Well, maybe he saw Solei at the church with the kids? Though, he really never left the church but to do some errands and stuff. "Perhaps you saw me at a church around here? I took care of the kids around floor one," he beamed, quite proud of the fact. Yep, those kids now have two years of sign language under their belt. He felt quite proud of that!

"Solei," he nodded, chuckling. "Only the smart people have a play on words," he mused, his eyes trailing over to the exit. Oh wow, it certainly looked vast out there. It was quite beautiful, actually! He turned his attention back to Bahr and he gave the biggest smile he could muster. "Really? That'd be really appreciated, thank you!"

[Bahr 0]

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was at the church, now that you mention it," he mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I used to help out there a lot with the kids before I started setting off out of town to help clear the floors. Nothing major, just played with the kids occasionally and delivered food from the militia. I'm sure I saw you there more than once. Small world." Literally and figuratively. The more Bahr explored Aincrad and met with its residents, the more it seemed that everybody knew each other.

"Yeah, don't sweat it. Remind me, though, what are the requirements for the quest? It's been awhile since I did this one." It seemed odd to Bahr that he couldn't remember how he had even gotten his shop. Had it really been that long ago? Probably. It was, after all, the first quest he completed in Aincrad. Never too early to start a business, but Solei already knew that. "Alright, Solei. I'm gonna take a back seat and let you lead the way for now. If I see a way I can help, I will. But I'm not gonna hold your hand too much."

[Solei 0]

Solei nodded enthusastically and grinned. "Really? Now that you mention it, you do look a bit familiar," he laughed and slapped the side of his head. "I'm sorry, I have horrible memory. Maybe you've met the other caretaker? She's kind of above average height. Blonde. Hydravion is her name. Yeah, great with kids. We've been working together to help out the church ever since the game really started." How come none of the children never talked about Bahr before? Surely one of theme would've mentioned a white-haired guy, right? He was going to have to ask them later. 

The bluenette shrugged lamely but kept his signature smile on. "Just gather a few crystals. That's really it." 

Oh God, where was he going to get a guitar? That was like, the only instrument he could play! How do you find a damn guitar in Aincrad?! 

"U-uh. Well. Let's get going. I don't want to keep the kids waiting for too long. They can be a huge handful when they have questions," he chuckled to himself before walking out of the safe zone.

[Bahr 0]

"Hah, don't I know it. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten questions about my hair. They seem to think I'm in my fifties..." he said as he rubbed the back of his head, nodding as Solei mentioned he just needed to gather crystals. "I've actually got a great trick for that - follow me."

As they made their way out to the field, Bahr actually had to try to remember where it had been. It had been so long since he spent any sort of time on the first floor, and already the once familiar rolling hills of the area seemed alien to him. But, just like riding a bike, it all came back to him after a few minutes, and he was able to navigate the small party to the area he had planned.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

It was just a field of rabbit holes. To most, a completely dismissible detail that the programmers probably shoved into the game last minute. For Bahr, a potential treasure trove. "Check it out," he said as he lowered himself to the ground and shoved one of his hands into a rabbit hole all the way up to his shoulder. He felt around for a moment and, with a puzzled expression, retracted it arm from the hole, coming up empty handed. "Huh... That's unusual..."
 

Spoiler

ID: 120957
LD: 5
Material gathering failed

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Bahr

[Solei 0]

Solei quirked a brow as he watch Bahr plunge his hand into a rabbit hole. "Interesting," he chuckled as Bahr came up empty-handed. "Let me give a go," he said, getting down on his knees. To say that he was a little freaked out was a bit of an understatement. Who knew what was down that dark abyss! Maybe some kind of eff'ed up thing like some kind of land moray eel or something?! Who knows what Kayaba put in there! 

"Well, you only live once," he sighed, tilting his body to reach into the rabbit hole. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he was pretty sure he felt something move down there but it felt too late to back out now. He freaked out even more when he felt something cold and smooth touch his fingers. Solei almost screeched as he pulled out a bright purple crystal from the ground. "That... wasn't too bad, I guess," he mumbled, feeling a little jittery.

ID: 121040

LD: 15+3=18, Success

Total Materials: 1/5

[Bahr 0]

"Alright, man! Good find!" Bahr exclaimed as he clapped his hand against Sol's back, a cheesy grin spread wide across his face. "Let's see if we can find another one."

He shifted to another hole in the ground, squatting in front of it and slowly lowering his torso so he could really dig around in there. Whilst attempting the awkward maneuver, he lost his footing and fell forward, arm plummeting even further into the hole as his cheek smooshed forcefully against the grassy earth. Another failure, he retrieved his hand and pouted a bit at the outcome.

"Usually, this works out better for me, but I guess not this time around. Maybe it's a beginner's luck sort of thing. You seem to be finding some success with it, at least," he remarked, gesturing toward the crystal the young man was still holding in his hand. "Wanna give it another go?"
 

Spoiler

ID: 121065
LD: 9
Material gathering failed

 

Edited August 7, 2019 by Bahr

[Solei 0]

Solei had another shiver send up his spine as he nodded. "Sure, it can't be too hard," he chuckled.

He dipped his hand into another dark hole and gulped. Luckily, there wasn't anything moving down there-- thank God. His hands found something smooth and cold once again and he broke into a triumphic grin. After tugging on it a few times, he brought it back up to the surface. "Alright! That's two down and three to go!"

He placed it in his inventory and sighed. "So how are you doing in terms of leveling up, Bahr? You said that you stopped coming by to the nursery and started going places. How is that going for you?" He asked, genuinely curious. Somehow, the thought, that if he heard Bahr's experience, he would go out there himself. Explore the world, meet some new people! He really loved the kids, but he needed some spice in his life!

ID: 121072

LD: 15+3=18

Total Materials: 2/5

[Bahr 0]

"Well, it seems to be going well so far. But..." He scratched his chin for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It comes with a lot of obligation. Staying cooped up in the Town of Beginnings for two years comes with its own tasks, but when you're fighting alongside people, there's a lot more at stake."

"For instance, there are these two girls I usually party with. I've got a lot going on right now, but somehow I've ended up having to be a rock of sorts for them and haven't found the time to process what I'm going through. One rejects my help no matter how hard I try, and the other is sliding down a slippery slope and I'm not sure I'll be able to catch her in time. While our party is falling apart at the seams due to one mental issue or another, the mobs we're fighting are getting tougher and tougher. I feel like it's only a matter of time before one of us makes a mistake and someone ends up getting seriously hurt, or worse."

There was a moment of silence before he concluded.

"There are certainly ways that you can go nuts inside those walls," he said, gesturing toward the Town of Beginnings, "But out here, once you get to the higher floors, your mind can degrade quickly without you even realizing it's happening."

Edited August 7, 2019 by Bahr

[Solei 0]

"I see," he gulped nervously. He had seen a lot of people go crazy in the Town of Beginnings, and he couldn't possibly comprehend how tough it was to be fighting for everyone. "Well, there's always a silver lining. I'm sure that you and your two friends will make up at one point one day," he said reassuringly, slapping Bahr on the back with a grin. "And two girls?" He whistled amusingly. "Seems like you've got quite a bit on your plate, my man," Solei chuckled, spotting something shiny underneath his feet, which thankfully, was not in a hole. He bent over to pick it up and threw it into his inventory with a sly smirk. 

"Anyway," he continued, tilting his head to give the white-haired player an innocent smile. "What did you do before SAO? You seem like a decent dude who had a decent life-- so how did'ja end up here?"

ID: 121077

LD: 18

Total Materials: 3/5

[Bahr 0]

"Hah, you can say that again," Bahr chortled in response to Sol's comment about having his hands full. "It's been a colorful last few weeks, for sure."

He watched as Solei found yet another crystal, having lost the urge to search for any more materials himself. He doubted that, if he found any, they could contribute to the kid's quest anyways. "Oh, a little of this, a little of that. I don't really have a remarkable career, just a salesman. Got here because my friends and I wanted one last MMO experience together before we called it quits on gaming and get on with our adult lives. I guess you could say we got our money's worth."

"What about you? Are you even old enough to work?" It wasn't meant to be a backhanded question, though it probably seemed that way. "If you helped out at the church, you probabyl have an affinity with kids. Are you a teacher or something?"

[Solei 0]

Solei tapped his chin and grinned, "is it that obvious? Yeah, I was a teacher for a year or so before this. I was the oldest in a big family so I guess being around kids was just something I was a natural at," he said, smiling softly. God, he missed everyone back at home. Three years. It's been three years since he's seen them. The first year was hard enough to go through, but another two years? He sighed and pushed the hair on his forehead up. 

"I wish I had chosen a better subject to teach, 'cause I can't really teach sign language without them getting bored out of their minds," he sighed tiredly. "I mainly taught the subject as a high school class--- it was some kind of foreign language credit or something, but I had a class of a few kids for a few months. Some of them were deaf, and some of them were just speech impaired, but I liked being around them nonetheless," the bluenette said fondly, smiling to himself.

ID: 121085

LD: 8+3=11, Fail

Total Materials: 3/5

[Bahr 0]

"It's a good thing we had someone like you here for the kids once the announcement happened. I'm sure they were all traumatized. I didn't start helping with them until after a few months had passed," he admitted, his mind harkening back to the first months of the game. Everyone had been skulking around aimlessly, not really committing to much of anything while their minds continued to degrade. Countless beginner mistakes and lives lost due to cockiness, a desire to advance too quickly, or pure ineptitude. Many more lives were lost in the first week by suicide, totaling in the hundreds after only a few days.

"I wish I had had more to offer back then. Sure, your skill set is geared toward a subject that isn't ideal for rowdy children, but at least you had the knowhow and experience to make a difference. I wasn't even that great as a salesman, so I didn't really have any talents to bring to the table." He paused for a moment, as though pondering. "I'd like to say that my calling in the game is as a swordsman. It's about the only thing I'm good at. Well, that and tailoring, I guess. At least one will be useful once I make it back to the real world, but who knows if I'll actually be able to make it profitable."

[Solei 0]

"Yeah," he fumbled with his fingers as he trailed off. He was glad that people like him, Hydravion and Athena took the lead when it came to taking care of the kids. He wouldn't know what would happen if they weren't there during the launch. 

"Oh, stop. You're making me blush," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I disagree with your statement, though. I may have experience with kids and a job that let's me handle them on a day to day basis but you don't need a career in education to be good with kids. From what I'm hearing from my very reliable sources, you're pretty good when it comes to kids. For some people, my friend, it's natural. You must be one of those people," Solei said positively, grinning. 

"Oh, hush. I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm pretty sure you'll be some kind of next level fashion designer if you put your mind to it!"

ID: 121149

LD: 16+3= 19, Success

Total Materials: 4/5

[Bahr 0]

Bahr squinted as he tried to process Sol's words. Fashion designer? The idea made his skin crawl. Fashion designer. Could someone so masculine as Bahr actually fill a role like that? 

If anything, maybe he could get involved in masculine fashion. Yes, that could work. But there was no way he could tolerate those stereotypical fashionistas, much less be one. "Yeah... We'll see about that... Maybe I could design suits or something like that." He wasn't really sure what else he could really add to that, without seeming ignorant, but he couldn't help how he felt.

"What about you? Once you get into the performance business here on Aincrad, do you think you'll try to translate your newfound skills into anything in the real world?" He placed his hands on his hips as he waited for the young man to search around for more materials. On the horizon, a bright glint caught his eye. "Wait, I think I see something over the-" His dialogue was cut short as he took one step forward, simultaneously extending his hand to point whilst twisting one of his ankles against a rabbit hole and falling face first into the grass. He rolled over with a low grumble, slapping one of his palms against his face. 

Just... ignore that," he sputtered, pointing over his head in the direction of the glint while still on his back. "Saw something over there."

 

[Solei 0]

Solei blinked as he smiled dumbfoundly.

"Uh, well," he scratched his chin, "I'm not really sure what I could do in the real world... I haven't really learned much since I've come here. I'm in no shape or form to fight anything, really, but, uh-- I think I'll just go back to being a teacher! I might try to spend a year or two back in America with my family and see if I can land a job there instead of working and living in Japan," he said, giving a sad smile. "Being here really taught me how much I should treasure my family, and I really want to see them again," he paused, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "All nine of them."

He blinked and tilted his head as he watched Bahr point to something in the distance. "I don't see anything-" The sound of someone being a clumsy doo doo caught his attention as he turned his eyes back to Bahr-- who was now laying on his face, fun. 

"Is this something I should get used to?"

ID: 121161

LD: 5

Total Materials: 4/5

[Bahr 0]

Bahr's crimson and verdant orbs flickered in the direction of Sol's pupils. "No," he said flatly, scrambling to his feet and casting an embarrassed gaze toward the young man. "I'm not clumsy. That was a fluke!" he declared as he dusted off his coat. "I don't think I've fallen like that since I was just a young boy." it was a lie, of course. Little did Bahr know he was objectively one of the clumsiest people in Aincrad. Everyone else took themselves too seriously to fall. Hell, even Bahr took himself too seriously to fall. Not like it stopped him, though.

"Anyways, maybe you should be more careful. You look like the clumsy sort. These rabbit holes are like a minefield," he huffed, placing his hands on his hips and averting his eyes. Not really knowing what else to say without seeming like even more of an idiot, he started walking down the hill toward the rest of the field, stealing glances at Sol out of the corner of his eye. "So what inspired you to leave the Town of Beginnings, now of all times?"