[F01-PP] <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>> Trying this Again

[Joanne 0]

Joanne stood in front of the NPC alchemist's shop. Before she stepped into the shop, she sent a message to her friend Dederick: 

Quote

Hello Dederick,

Would you care to meet me in front of Zachariah's shop? It would be greatly welcomed if you could join me for the first lessons quest.

Sincerely,
Joanne Hawke

She waited for a few minutes outside of the shop, hoping that Dederick was free and able to join her. She smiled. He may not be able to recognize her with all her new armor and items. She was wearing a new heavy armor that had silver and gold trimming around the breastplate. She had traded out her long sword for a Spanish-style one, and at her side rested a shield with the emblem of a hawk on the front. It was the emblem of her family, and it reminded her of home. She adjusted her clothing and hair, making sure as to look proper and presentable. 

@Dederick

[Dederick 0]

A message notification. Strange.

Dederick would be too ashamed to admit it to anyone, but this was actually the first time he had received a message in Aincrad. The idea of sending messages digitally and having them delivered in the blink of an eye was such a foreign concept to him that he had never actually felt compelled to do so. That, and the fact that his introverted nature had prevented him from making any friends in Aincrad thus far. Actually, that wasn't exactly true. What was Joanne, if not a friend? There was only one question...

How the hell did messaging even work in this world?

After fiddling with his menus for a moment, becoming ever more flustered as he did so, he finally surrendered and dismissed the windows. Hopefully, if he was quick, he could reach Zachariah's shop before Joanne departed. If anything, he could ask her to show him how the messaging apparatus functioned after they had carried out the day's events. Problem was, he actually had managed to navigate to the messaging window right before closing everything down, accidentally pushing the voice-to-text function.
 

Quote

To: @Joanne

Blue marmalade. With your flush eat, down icy. Your mother god damn ice tea. Should be able Hoopopu prints pop poop poop poop be do ostrich feathers in my butt to getting Odinga being a boo. Want your. It cubes our right. Congress.

Waka Flocka rooster booster Karumba do mosquito locker choc Buca.

- Dederick

When he finally reached Zachariah's shop, he nearly overlooked the woman in her new armor. Had it not been for her tall stature, he surely would have. But one could only run into a fully armored knight that tall every once in a blue moon. "Good afternoon, Joanne," he chirped as he grew near, eyes scanning her body and admiring the getup. "That's exquisite craftsmanship. Wherever did you get it?"

Edited November 8, 2019 by Dederick

[Joanne 0]

Joanne couldn't hold in her laughs as Dederick approached her. She really did try her best, but all she could do was hide her face and turn away. After she had caught her breath, she gaspingly said, "I-i'm sorry, Dederick, but it's just-". Her speech was interrupted by a snort-laugh. She was bent over now. "I'm so sorry *gasp* but this is too good." Her eyes were tearing up with laughter as she brought up her display and showed him what he had sent. She wiped the happy tears from her eyes as she looked down and asked, "Did you accidentally use text to speech, hun?" She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm also sorry for laughing," she said, smiling. "But that is probably the funniest mishap to happen since me accidentally butt-dialing my mum while trying to get two horses in heat to m-" She stopped herself just in time and blushed. "U-uh, I'm gonna drop that thought right there." 

"Oh, and yes the armor! I got it from Macradon's shop! Apparently he's a big hit around here," she said while displaying the armor. For once, she was wearing something that showed off her figure at least a little bit. 

@Dederick

[Dederick 0]

Dederick didn't say a single word. He simply stood there, mouth open, staring intently at the panel Joanne had produced. Scarlet hues flushed into his cheeks as his eyes traced every letter of the message over and over again. He couldn't comprehend how something like this could have happened. What had she called it? Speech-to-text? What did that even mean?

"I... I..."

He had made an absolute mockery of himself. He couldn't even bring himself to articulate a full sentence. He felt frozen, but knew that the longer he stood still, the worse it looked. So why couldn't he move?

"But that is probably the funniest mishap to happen since me accidentally butt-dialing my mum while trying to get two horses in heat to m- U-uh, I'm gonna drop that thought right there."

He heard the words, but they hardly registered. He couldn't concentrate on them.

"Oh, and yes the armor! I got it from Macradon's shop! Apparently he's a big hit around here."

Finally, he managed to peel his eyes away from the screen. They traced Joanne's new armor, this set hugging her slim frame much tighter than the last had. Inexplicably, this flushed Dederick's cheeks even more than they had been before. That being said, now that he wasn't looking at the words any longer, the trance had been broken.

"Ahem, I- uh, well- what is speech-to-text?" A pause and a blink. "Wait a second, what was that about the horses?"

[Joanne 0]

Joanne's blush matched the deep hue that Dederick's had just had. "U-um nothing. Nothing about the horses at all." She cleared her throat. "Ah, yes. Speech-to-text. It's where you speak and the electronic system that you are using tries to type out what you're saying. As seen from your message, uh... let's just say it still needs some work." 

She shook her head. "Oh, right! We should go pick up that quest now!" She gently grabbed his wrist and pulled him along as she made her way up to Zachariah's shop. 

"Hello, Zachariah, sir!" she called as she entered the shop.

"Ah, hello, new player! I have a favor to ask of you. Would you be able to go out and collect some materials for me? In return, you'll be well rewarded," he said cheerfully. 

"Of course, sir," she replied, taking note of the materials that he wanted. Then she turned back to Dederick. "Ready to go?" she asked happily. 

@Dederick

[Dederick 0]

Before he knew it, Dederick was being grabbed and dragged along behind this surprisingly strong woman into Zachariah's shop. He prattled off the usual spiel, and after a moment a quest notification populated in front of them. With a sigh, he tapped to accept. Things were feeling a bit rushed, but anything that got him away from the embarrassment of his previous blunder was welcome.

"Yeah, let's get a move on."

It wasn't long before they had made their way out to the fields. Dederick stood tall and inhaled deeply, a content sigh escaping his lips as he navigated to his inventory panel and equipped his armor and other equipment. He wasn't anticipating any combat, based on the quest parameters, but it didn't hurt to be prepared in case something happened. "Guess we should start looking around, then. I don't usually put a lot of time into things like this... do you have any idea where we should start?"

Spoiler

ID: 128464
LD: 10
Material search failed.

 

[Joanne 0]

"...do you have any idea where we should start?"

Joanne smiled and nodded her head when he asked this. "There is a quiet flower field in the middle of a rose garden about a ten minute walk from the North Gate of town." She motioned for him to follow her as she took the lead, excited to get started with this quest. The garden also was someplace she went to relax, and it was something she had shared with few people. She turned back, glancing at Dederick and shooting him another smile. She trusted him enough to share with him this secret place. 

As they approached the garden, she could see that it was comprised of hedges bordering paths lined by rose bushes. The paths led to a middle grassy field where tulips, daisies, and other small flowers grew in abundance. She approached a red rose bush and attempted to pluck one of the blossoms, but it disintegrated in her hand as soon as she touched it. 

Then she turned towards Dederick and explained the significance of this place, gesturing around at it as she did so. "This is a garden I found while trying to find a place to rest one day. It's always been a place where I can relax and spend some needed time meditating and training my mind." 

@Dederick

Spoiler

searching for T1 materials
Roll ID#: 128583
LD: 9 (fail)

0/5 materials found

Edited November 10, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

"I see," Dederick mused as he followed her into the garden. The aroma the gentle breeze carried through the areaput Dederick at ease as it filled his nostrils. He could see exactly what she was talking about.

After a moment, he followed suit and plucked a flower of his own. Only, it didn't work out quite as easily as that. With the flower came its roots. And more roots. And... more roots. It felt like he was a clown tugging on an impossibly long succession of multicolored handkerchiefs tied together. Eventually, he met with the end of the root, and the entire bundle disintegrated within his hands.

Pretending that none of that had even happened, Dederick turned toward Joanne and offered a smile. "I can see why you like this place," he started, "It's beautiful. You fit right in."

A blush settled into his cheeks. Perhaps he was being a bit too forward. And cheesy. Definitely cheesy.
 

Spoiler

ID: 128624
LD: 1
Critical failure!

 

Edited November 10, 2019 by Dederick

[Joanne 0]

Joanne couldn't help but giggle, hiding her smile behind her hand, as she saw Dederick pull the impossibly long root out of the ground. 

"It's beautiful. You fit right in."

After hearing this, Joanne's eyes widened and she blushed. Not knowing how to react (as she had rarely if ever been in a situation like this), she gently said, "T-thank you," stumbling over the simple words. Then, realizing she had to give a compliment back, she returned, "You are quite handsome as well," smiling as she said it. Inside, she was screaming, not knowing if she had said the right thing or not. Meanwhile, her face was becoming even more flushed. 

Suddenly, something above Dederick's head caught her attention. "Oh, hold still," she said as she got closer to him, looking above him. On a tree branch above his head, there was a bright blue berry hanging down. She had to stand on her tip toes to reach the material, but she finally reached it and pulled it down. However, in the process of leaning up to grab up, she leaned a little too far and ended up falling up against Dederick, practically falling onto him. Her balance was thrown off, so she couldn't catch herself. It seemed like they may both fall together if he was not prepared to keep the both of them up. 

@Dederick

Spoiler

searching for T1 materials
Roll ID#: 128654
LD: 12 (found a material!)

1/5 materials found

Edited November 11, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

Never had Dederick blushed so many times and so intensely within a single day. She was close to him. Really close to him. So close, in fact, that her breastplate pressed into his reddened cheek and smooshed it inward. Had the plate of steel not been there, surely his face would be- Actually, she wasn't just pressing up against him anymore. They were falling.

After the loud metallic clang! of two sets of armor smashing against one another, Dederick shook his head and attempted to sit up - but he couldn't. Joanne had fallen on top of him in a less than graceful manner, though that was hardly what he was focused on.

Never in his entire life had he been in a situation like this.

His pulse quickened. Pupils dilated. Face the hue of a ripe tomato. She was right on top of him. Straddling him, in fact. Their faces inches apart. After a few moments had passed with them staring at one another, Dederick let loose an uneasy breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding back. 

"U-uhm... Hi..."

"Hi?" That's all he could manage to articulate? "Hi?" Now not only was he excited, embarrassed, nervous, and... another emotion that was difficult for him to put his finger on, he felt stupid on top of all of it.
 

Spoiler

ID: 128822
LD: 5
Material search failed.

 

[Joanne 0]

Joanne's face matched the hue of Dederick's perfectly. They were two blushing tomatoes in an awkward situation. When he said "hi", she laughed nervously and said, "Hi. Um..." Her mind was still fuzzy from embarrassment. She shook her head clear and suddenly it hit her that she was on top of him -- pretty much trapping him under her. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry!" she said, stumbling over her words. Due to the tightness of her armor and the fact that it restricted movement, when she tried to get off of him, she found that she couldn't bend upwards or bend far enough to pick herself up off of him. "U-um. I... I believe I am stuck," she said, her face somehow getting even redder. 

She thought quickly about what to do. It couldn't be helped. She would have to take off her armor. "Give me one second," she said as she unequipped the heavy suit of armor. Now, she was wearing a loose white t-shirt and blue jeans with cowboy style boots underneath them. Her chest was still pressed up against his chest plate. She managed to pick herself up and then extended her hand to Dederick, helping him up as well. Her face was still flushed, though slightly less so now. "I'm s-so so sorry about that, Dederick." The nervousness still hadn't quite settled. She had felt excitement and nervousness and something else... though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. 

@Dederick

[Dederick 0]

As soon as she removed the armor, Dederick could feel a weight lifted from him. He had thought that it was bizarre that such a slim woman - even one as tall as Joanne - could weigh so much. Turns out it had just been her armor. Heavier than Dederick's, from what he could tell. Or perhaps he was just accustomed to his own.

There was something about the view of her from underneath that stoked Dederick's fervor, causing his temperature to rise into a fever pitch and his breath to catch once again. But once she was finally on her feet, it was over as quickly as it had started. As he grabbed her hand, he realized that getting back up would be much easier for both of them without his armor on. So he opened his menu, navigated to the inventory panel, and removed them. Afterward, with a heave, he was up.

He wore a plain navy blue shirt and black pants beneath the armor, with ordinary dark brown boots - almost black - finishing off the inordinately plain outfit. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, his eyes occasionally drifting back to Joanne but then immediately averting. 

"It's alright," he finally blurted out. "I... don't mind, really. Being close to you."
 

Spoiler

ID: 128868
LD: 7
Material search failed.

 

[Joanne 0]

"I... don't mind, really. Being close to you."

Joanne's eyes opened wide and her face turned a red hue once more. "I-i-i..." she paused. She had never been in such a situation. She didn't know what to say. Think, Joanne, think! she chided herself. "I...don't mind being close to you either." She turned her head away quickly, trying to hide her face as her cheeks became even redder. She stayed quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what else to say. "I-I'm sorry if I don't say the right things or don't know what to say," she said, glancing at him and then looking away. "I... well.. I've never been in this type of situation before." She tried to hide her face behind her long hair. Here she was, age 25, and she had never had a boyfriend or romantic partner. What a hopeless thing she was. 

As she hid her face, she happened to glance to the side and saw a violet flower blooming out of the grass. She carefully picked it up and put it in her inventory. "Um, was there anything else you wanted to do? Er.. I mean, not in that way!" She covered her blushing cheeks with her hands. "My apologies, I believe I'm overthinking things right now." 

@Dederick

Spoiler

searching for T1 materials
Roll ID#: 128944
LD: 11 (+1 T1 materials)

2/5 T1 materials found

Edited November 13, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

"Er... What situation?" he inquired, cocking his head a bit. 

"Um, was there anything else you wanted to do? Er.. I mean, not in that way!" She brought her hands to her face and covered her cheeks. The perplexed expression on Dederick's face became even more contorted as he attempted to discern meaning from her words. "My apologies, I believe I'm overthinking things right now."

A soft breeze rolled through the meadow as Dederick tried to decide what to say next. For some reason, the very air felt tender, as though taking a breath too sharply may shatter it. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but the redness still hadn't left his cheeks.

"I, uhm. I'm not exactly sure what you're thinking. Would you care to enlighten me?" Though Dederick could sense some brewing chemistry between them, his ignorance wasn't a front. He couldn't afford to assume anything - not that he knew what he would assume, even if he did.

Spoiler

ID: 129041
LD: 7
Material search failed.

 

[Joanne 0]

"I, uhm. I'm not exactly sure what you're thinking. Would you care to enlighten me?"

Joanne looked back at Dederick, her eyes wide and eyebrows raised. Oh, he's more clueless than I am, she realized, letting out a sigh of relief. Good. Then this wasn't as awkward as she first thought it was. The usual smile and calm look returned to her face. "I see that we're both not experienced with this whole flirting and awkward situation thing." Even just saying those words made the blush return to her cheeks. She was trying to find a good way to explain things, but no proper words came to mind. She thought for a second longer. "I um... I thought you were flirting with me when you said um that you didn't mind being close to me..." Her voice trailed off as she looked off the side, her face once more a deep shade of pink. Oh dear, why am I trying to explain this?! she thought to herself, her mind panicking. She hoped she didn't sound too full or herself or too assuming. "S-so that was why I said I had never been in this type of situation because I really hadn't." Her nervousness made the words flow quicker out of her mouth. "I mean, I really hadn't either way. I've never fallen on a person, especially not in a full suit of armor." She laughed nervously and shut herself up. She knew she was saying way too much now. 

Spoiler

searching for T1 materials
Roll ID#: 129065
LD: 2 fail

@Dederick

Edited November 14, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

"F-f-f-flirting!?"

Was she flirting with him? Was he flirting with her? Emotions roiled about his skull with wild abandon as his redness reached a fever pitch. His mouth moved, but no words came out - only a squeaky utterance that was impossible to glean any meaning from other than the fact that he was completely flabbergasted. He couldn't bring himself to formulate any one sentence out of the myriad of words ping-ponging through his mind. 

He took a step backward, but a tree root that was jutting out of the ground caught his ankle and sent him tumbling onto his rear. He continued to sit there for a moment, in shock, mouth still agape, before taking a huge gulp to steel himself for what he would ask next.

"I- uhh... Did you... Want me? To be flirting?" he inquired timidly, his orbs nervously tracing up to hers as he slowly stood. As soon as their eyes met, he immediately averted his gaze once more, settling on the root that had tripped him before.
 

Spoiler

ID: 129067
LD: 3
Material search failed.

 

[Joanne 0]

She moved forward to pick up him up, but then moved back when she saw that he was picking himself up. She was now close to him, closer than she had expected. She gulped, nervous. "I- uhh... Did you... Want me? To be flirting?" he had asked. She looked back into his eyes, her own heart racing. How would she answer?! She had never been asked such a question before. She looked away, responding, "W-well, I thought you had flirted... I-I mean if you didn't mean to that's alright but..." she paused, her voice growing more gentle. "I wouldn't have minded if you had been flirting than me." Her blush deepened as she looked down at the ground, glancing ever so often up at the man in front of her. 

She was scared that he wouldn't want to talk to her again if she had said the wrong things. She said a silent prayer, hoping that she had said the right thing. 

@Dederick

Spoiler

searching for T1 materials
Roll ID#: 129367
LD: 3 fail

2/5 materials found

Edited November 16, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

She was so close. Again. Close enough that the sweet scent that wafted from her slim frame filled his nostrils and sent unfamiliar surges of euphoria through his body. But strangely, this time Dederick didn't feel resistant to it. In fact, he felt drawn to her. He felt his body slowly moving closer to hers, but at the last minute, he reeled himself in. To give into lust was the folly of the sinful.

But when it felt this natural, was it really a sin?

"I'm... glad to hear that," he managed, the response a bit more breathy than he had intended. Out of the corner of his eye, something vibrant and colorful stood out. A tangerine flower, sticking out from the collar of her blouse. She must have picked it up during their roll in the grass. He leaned in closer to her once again, not even bothering to keep a safe distance this time, and gingerly plucked the flower from her clothing. This wasn't an excuse to get close to her again. Oh no. He was simply helping out a friend, that's all.

"This looks exactly like the one I gave you last time," he remarked, lifting it above her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. "I liked the way you wore it before."
 

Spoiler

ID: 129368
LD: 19
1/5 Materials found

 

[Joanne 0]

Her breathing quickened ever so slightly as he drew closer. Then she saw him stop himself, and she took the moment to catch her breath. The intensity and fragility of the moment was making her light headed. "I'm... glad to hear that," he had said. The sound of his voice was... odd, but she didn't not like it. Then he leaned in closer once more. She held her breath as he gingerly took the flower from her clothing and placed it behind her ear. The side of his hand managed to brush against her cheek while he was doing so, and she caught her breath. 

Then he said, "I liked the way you wore it before." A large, warm smile spread across her lips. Even her eyes were smiling. So few words had made her heart skip a beat. It took her aback. What is this feeling in my chest? she asked herself. She had never felt such a sensation before. It was almost like a sense of longing... but a longing for what. Could it be for the man in front of her...? She stopped the wishful thinking. Of course not, she told herself. He deserves better than me. But she still couldn't let the feeling go. 

After a moment of silence, she responded to what he had said. "Then, I'll make sure to wear it like this when I'm with you." Her voice was soft and gentle like a young dove. As she spoke, she pressed her cheek against Dederick's hand lightly, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she looked back and forth between his eyes, hoping she hadn't been to forward or overstepped some boundary. 

As she looked down at him, she noticed a white flower had fallen atop his head. She giggled quietly and picked up the flower gently, putting it in her inventory. 

@Dederick

Spoiler

searching for T1 materials
Roll ID#: 129369
LD: 14 found material!

3/5 materials found

Edited November 16, 2019 by Joanne

[Dederick 0]

His hand simply mingled with her hair for a moment, enjoying the softness of her cheek as it played across his hand. He hardly even noticed the flower that she plucked from betwixt the strands of hair atop his head - his eyes were too focused on hers. The aspect about them that drew him nearer, closer and closer to the edge of sin and lust.

He had to look away.

A mushroom under the tree. It was the perfect distraction. Violet in coloration and standing at least four inches tall, with a two inch wide cap. It seemed like it would be the perfect sort of material for brewing a unique potion. It was a shame he would need to give it to Zachariah instead of using it for his own shop. He slowly left Joanne's side and retrieved the funny fungus, tenderly plucking it from the soil and stashing it away in his inventory.

"I don't know what it is about being around you. But you drive me crazy."

Spoiler

ID: 129409
LD: 20
2/5 Materials found