[F11-NYL-PP] Warm Spirits

[NIGHT 0]

During an evening alone, NIGHT had been investigating more of the event site, out of a morbid curiosity for all the festivities she wasn't sure she'd want to participate in. Burying her face in her scarf and hands stuffed in her pockets, she went from stall to stall, examining their activities over. But there was something else on her mind the whole time, as the lights and people blended together past her in a blur.

There were only six days between the two's birthdays. Her friend had said it didn't bother her, whether they'd celebrate it or not. But NIGHT was a sentimental woman.

There was no way NIGHT wasn't going to enjoy her birthday. And there was no reason why Ceres shouldn't either.

It was on one of those six days mentioned earlier, that NIGHT had pulled out her menu, leaning against side of a lamp post, and drafted a message to her friend.

Quote

To: Ceres

hey
u busy?
if not, im on f11
meet me

A squint and a sigh. It felt strange to try and initiate a meeting with her that wasn't focused on combat. She continued to lean back against the post, watching the people flood by her in waves.

@Ceres

Spoiler

NIGHT 
Lv: 29 | HP: 580 | EN: 58 | SP: 90
ACC: 3 | DMG: 14 | EVA: 3 | MIT: 0 | PARALYZE: 2 | BLEED: 1

[Skills]

1. Two-Handed Straight Sword | Passive | RANK 5/5
2. Heavy Armor | Passive | RANK 1/5
3. - - -
4. - - - 
    

• Survival | Passive 
• Concentration | Active -- CD: 3

[Examine]

• [T2E3] Tiger-fanged Faussar
  -- [ Paralyze II | Natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Paralyzed opponents lose any evasion properties. ]
  -- [ Bleed | Natural critical attack rolls of 9-10 deal 24 unmitigated bleed damage each enemy turn for 2 turns. Bleed damage does not stack, but can be refreshed. ]
• [T1E3] Threads of Dexterity
  -- [ Evasion III | +3 EVA ]
• [T1E3] Liquid Luck Pendant
  -- [ Accuracy III | +3 LD ]

- - - - - -

• Starter Healing Potions (3) --- Heals 50 HP.
• [T1] Uncommon Health Potions (3) --- Heals 40 HP.
• [T1] Over-health Potion (1) --- Provides 50 temporary HP.
• [T1E3] Eye of Horus Enamel Pin
  -- [ Accuracy III | +3 ACC ]
• [T2E3] Tobi-Kadachi
  -- [ Paralyze II | Natural successful attack rolls of 8-10 remove the enemy’s action on their next turn. Paralyzed opponents lose any evasion properties. ]
  -- [ Keen | After a successful attack, gain +1 BD until your next successful attack, at which point this bonus is removed. Another successful attack will reactivate this enhancement. ]

[Misc]

• -- [ Aincrad Trading Post Guild Bonus: Col Deposit | +5% more col from killed mobs, +10% col from treasure chests. ]
  -- [ Familiar Mastery: Fighter | +6 DMG ]

Edited December 24, 2019 by NIGHT

[Ceres 0]

Ceres had gotten the message and was already on her way toward her friend.

It was good, because Ceres actually wanted to see NIGHT -after searching around she manged to procure a cake. It was small. Very much so - but it was enough. Ceres had no idea what the other girl would have liked so ended up going with a black forest cake that had a beatiful galaxy glaze on top of it. The entire cake looked like well...the night sky - Ceres thought it was very fitting. Besides. Who didn't like cherries?

No one should have their birthday ignored  Ceres thought to herself.

Walking the serene festive area - it wasn't long till Ceres came upon NIGHT. "Ah! Hello~" She said with a cheerful tone. Ceres was wearing her usual flowing attire - this time however - there was a very striking difference. She wore a thick red coat lined with fur -a Christmas themed item to help ward away the cold from the snow.

"I'm happy to see you here!" Ceres said. "I don't mind hanging out, but -was there a reason? Did you want to do something?" Ceres wanted to whip out the present straight away shove it in NIGHTs hands and yell out 'surprise' but that wouldn't do. First, formalities.

Then the cake.

[NIGHT 0]

She'd expected a reply in a message -- not the sudden ambush that ended up happening. With wide eyes she examined Ceres' dress, wondering for a moment where she might've gotten it from, before setting the thought aside. "I didn't think you'd get here so quickly," NIGHT breathed, leaning into her scarf. "I'm... happy to see you too! Uh..."

A scratch on the cheek. NIGHT hadn't thought this far into the meeting yet. There was a moment of time when she'd planned on spending their time together and having a nice snack, something festive and celebratory to suit the day. It fell through. With the shock, her mind was left empty, but she did her best to look Ceres in the eye, faking a solid reply.

"Ce-celebration."

... That's it?

"--Birthday. Celebration."

--This wasn't going to work.

The woman shoved her own face into a gloved hand, grimacing with a breath in about her own mess up. "S-sorry. I was wondering if you'd wanted to hang out in celebration of our birthdays together-- ugh, forget what I said earlier..."

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

Ceres' smile fell as her lips pursed into a small frown. NIGHT seemed a little more...withdrawn? Than when Ceres last recalled. NIGHT always seemed to struggle with talking, but Ceres didn't mind - right now it looked like that rang twice as true. The redhead decided that this would be the perfect time to bring out her palm sized present for Ceres. 

Whilst NIGHT continued to mumble with her face in her hand Ceres hummed a happy tune to herself as she opened up her menu, pulling out the small cake. "Remember. Deep breaths." Ceres gently said.

Then, she lightly grabbed NIGHT's gloved hand and lowered it before letting it go - right in the other womans line of vision was a small cake - small enough to practically sit in the palm of Ceres' hand atop a small square plate. The cake was rounded with a mirror glaze that was decorated to look like a galaxy. "See - Birthday Celebration. It's good you messaged me - I had planned to message you a little later today for well." Ceres paused and gave NIGHT a grin. "For the same thing. I hope you like cherries! It's a black forest cake. If you don't like it that's ok. It didn't cost much since it doesn't really give you any buffs."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT hadn't prepared for the physical contact, in fact it came as a shock to her since it came out of nowhere. But she was starting to get used to it, especially around Ceres. Something shifted onto her hands, and when she was able to see it...

A cake.

No, scratch that. A cake about one of the things she loved the most. "How did you...?"

The dessert must've stolen her words away, because NIGHT found herself still breathing in the cold, gazing upon the beautiful gift. It was small, but still, she knew from past memories that a glazed cake like this took a lot of effort and confidence to make. Especially with that coating pour.

It was the third gift she'd received so far. Not like anyone else was keeping count, but it mattered to her; mattered far more than anyone else might've realized. "Thank you," she replied, a breathy response when she finally found the nerve to say something once again. She really shouldn't have... Ceres really was too sweet a person for NIGHT.

A black forest cake, huh? "I'll eat it."

"If we manage to find a place to sit, that is." A smirk, her grin wider than ever. "Are you sure you don't want a bite of this too? I'd expected us to enjoy the night together; did you not get yourself anything?"

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

Ceres blinked. "How did I what?" She glanced down at the cake. "The flavour?" She asked- misinterpreting the words. "Oh! Black forest cake tends to be a fairly popular flavour, and cherries are really common at Christmas right? I mean... I didn't want to take impact away from your birthday but I wanted to have something that also might be familiar? ERrr...." Ceres glanced away. She was rambling.  "Anyway once again - Happy Birthday NIGHT!" Ceres said with a wider grin. "I did tell you I'd get you something, right?" She laughed as she let the other woman take the cake.

"I keep my promises."

NIGHT mentioned something about a place to sit. Ceres shifted her lilac eyes around. "Hmmm..hmm...."  That was a very good proposition. "Why not find a nice cafe somewhere? I would love the idea of having a hot drink as we watch the snow. You've done much exploring around here?" Ceres stepped away from NIGHT so she could get a better view of things - people coming to and from the festivities. Luckily... No PKers....

"I haven't really looked around all too much. So I'm kinda clueless here."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT chuckled at Ceres' reasoning behind her cut-off words. She beamed back, a rosy colour giving life to her cheeks, this time in pure joy. "No, not that. The flavour's always alright by me. I've just always wanted to have a glazed cake like this." She looked down, back at the dessert in her hands. "Doubly so, with the night sky painted on it like this."

A soft, muted grin in return for hers. "Happy birthday to you too, Ceres. And I'd thought I already got a present from you, the other time." Another laughter, NIGHT taking advantage of her already smiles in her gleeful approach. She was careful to balance the treat in her hand, desperate to not let it go. "In all honesty though, I really do appreciate the gift... Thank you so much."

"We could always just take a look around." The woman wasn't too familiar with Floor 11 just yet, having only been up here loitering around the cathedral for the event. "But I'd be happy to just walk with you." Stuffing her empty hand in her pocket, she gestured over in a direction down one of the town's streets, taking a step forward. The rocky, dark tiles underneath their feet were illuminated and glistening from the warm yellow golden glows of the streets' lights. NIGHT kept an eye out for any signs of a bistrot nearby, humming a tender tune to herself, examining the cake over once again. She couldn't stop looking at it, captivated by its majesty.

"You'll have share this cake with me, though, if you hadn't brought anything for yourself," NIGHT added, glancing over to Ceres, gaze tender. "And that dinner's on me, if you'll allow it. Just point out a cafe that catches your eye, and we'll be there in a jiffy."

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

"Thanks for the wishes." Ceres said. NIGHT asked about the present from the other time. Other time? Present? Ceres blinked. Then. Slowly. Ever so painstakingly slowly. Realization dawned on her and she had to look away. "Oh...haha...." Ceres laughed awkwardly. "Yeh but I wanted to get you something proper, and I'm glad I Guessed right. Glazed cakes just look so amazing to me. I used to love watching silly videos like that....you know watching them pour it over the cakes?" Ceres sighed. "It's...small things like that I miss, we're barely a quarter of the way through the floors. It's scary. But I also don't think I could ever go to the frontlines either....that terrifies me."

Ceres was enjoying her time with NIGHT - it was relaxing, and despite the mild chill in the air it felt like the weather was perfect.

"Oh err..." Ceres kicked her foot at the snow covered pavement. "I guess I didnt get anything for myself. Usually I'd go and treat myself to a nice dinner or dedicate my birthday as a 'no work' day - but I didn't really think of getting anything for myself. But dinner?" Ceres turned to Night. "That sounds pretty good to me. You know what I haven't had since we've been here? Ramen - I'd love to go to this local place and grab a bowl of Shoyu - do you think they'd have that here?"

Ceres glanced around. "Mmm I guess not - this floor isn't really themed for that. Let's see... Maybe since they're pushing the whole Christmas scthtick we could get some creamy mashed potatoes? Oh - and Turkey? Does that sound nice?" Ceres asked as they continued to walk down the street.

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT nodded in understanding. "Watching those kinds of videos had always made me feel relaxed, so I just let them play and indulge myself with them." Then her friend had sighed, and started reminiscing on the past. She... could relate. "I... guess that's why we're making most of our time down here... Though, I bet someone of your calibre won't need to meet the frontlines if you don't want to." A glance over to Ceres. "I mean, if you're still sticking with support duty. Frontlines should be optional, right? It's mostly investigative work around the middle to lower floors..."

Ramen? She hadn't expected that to be the most popular option thus far for the festivities. The woman grinned, stifling a laugh. "You'd actually be surprised! A group of friends and I came by the other day -- there's a ramen stall where we met up." NIGHT stepped on ahead, lowering the cake in her hands to her side. She wouldn't want to ruin it before they got there. With herself in the lead, it also allowed Ceres to follow without having to brave the crowd as she paved the way ahead for them.

The pop-up stand was on the borders of the festivities, with a white cloth awning indicating several kanji in dark blue. Several players had gathered nearby, taking up a handful of stools by the counter. NIGHT slid herself into a seat, making sure there was another empty beside hers for her friend, setting the cake down by the side. "They've got Shoyu, definitely. It's what I had the last time I was here-- and I'd get the same today too."

The woman placed her order -- Niku Shoyu -- before turning to Ceres. "I'd actually rather prefer this to Christmas food... Sorry. I guess my contempt... runs pretty deep." She closed her eyes, propping her face up with a hand, an elbow on the counter. "So how were your Christmases like? I bet they were hectic, what with visiting family and the like."

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

Ceres grinned when NIGHT spoke about how calming the videos were. "Right? I kinda liked having them on in the background when I was writing too...although I have to admit sometimes I found them distracting, what do they say? Down the dark Youtube hole?" Ceres asked. Her lilac gaze shifted to the sky above as NIGHT talked about how frontlining should be optional. The woman recalled all the times she tried battling alone. The swordfish... that golem...it was all so frustrating, but back then she had no skills. No real idea on how battling worked.

"I don't...think I like fighting." Ceres said. "And I think it's really impacting my ability to be of much use to people, but then others like you remind me that's okay. Fighting isn't everything. I could very easily go scouting now - collecting maps and the like - oh and I really should set up shop soon. I promised Oscar I'd place it on the first floor near his."

The conversation shifted to that of food, and the redheaded woman was delightfully surprised to hear that the floor did have a Ramen place. "Well, who'da thunk..." Ceres mused to herself as she followed NIGHT to a small pop up stand - the two found some empty seats near the counter and as NIGHT ordered Niku Shoyu, Ceres ordered Chasu - with extra chashu. "It's the holida season after all." Ceres said with a laugh as she ordered the extra serving of meat. "And our birthday celebration - so treat yourself, right?"

NIGHT mentioned that she wanted to avoid Christmas food, then apologized for it. Ceres waved off her concerns. "Nah, don't worry about it. Ramen was my first choice anyway. As for what my Christmases were like? Well..." Ceres turned her eyes forward, watching the NPC behind the counter chop up spring onion. "When we were younger it was really nice, but when I went to University I more or less stopped celebrating it - I'd call my mum and sisters and we'd usually send each other some small gifts like she'd send me these really nice shortbread cookies - and I'd usually send her some taffy." Ceres gave a sheepish laugh. "I'm sorry. That doesn't really sound that exciting, does it?"

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"Is that what it's called?" A pause, as NIGHT pondered on the past. "I'd called it being whisked away by autoplay, but I guess we found them under similar conditions; I used to code with the noise in the background..."

She nodded, listening to Ceres' concerns. It caught her attention when she'd mentioned Oscar by name. "Oh -- I guess we're going to be neighbours then?" A pleasant surprise; NIGHT smiled at the idea. It was lovely to think that she'd be surrounded by good company in that alleyway. "I have a shop right by his; The Evening Star. A-although I don't mean to plug my store..." A scratch of her cheek as she looked away. "It's just convenient. I'm basically living there until I can get an apartment... or something like that."

She'd smirked and nodded at Ceres' craving for extra pork, after the two had placed their orders. "Treat yourself," NIGHT repeated. "Although -- back to our conversation, I didn't know you'd met Oscar before. How'd meeting him go? Aside from being my neighbour, he's pretty cool in general, I think." The woman chuckled. "One time I'd asked him what a warg was, thinking it was some kind of pig, but I guess I was wrong. He came rushing over and tried to help, to my surprise."

As Ceres' gaze turned towards the chopping of food, NIGHT looked in kind, trying to imagine a Christmas with some social contact. "Actually," she said, a torn smile on her face. "I think that's really sweet -- er, pun not intended. At least your family stayed in good contact with each other, y'know?" She closed her eyes, calm and solemn. "It'd be nice to have a home life like that."

The woman sat up, trying not to look too down. "Anyway, you mentioned going to university, right? What's your major, media and communications?" A shrug. "I'd figure it'd have to be something related to your journalism work. Oh, mine was just plain old IT, if you were wondering. We were taught pretty basic stuff, and I was planning on specializing in Systems and Networks after that..."

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

"Neighbours?" Ceres asked - but NIGHT continued, answering the query. So she had a nice store there too? "Oh that's great!" Ceres said with an enthusiastic smile, "That means when I'm bored I can visit you, then we can go to Oscars and get food together!" Ceres tapped her lip. "Mmm...although I really am not a fan of hotdogs - maybe they're better here, but I never really liked them in the real world. As for how we met... I was talking to myself in front of the quest board and he approached me and offered his help."

Ceres picked up two pairs of wooden, single use chopsticks. She gave one to NIGHT and kept one to herself. "We talked about what profession I should have, I couldn't decide between Merchant and Cook - but he told me to go merchant since there aren't many active ones around. He helped me with my quest then took me back to his house. He's very loud - and has an interesting accent - I think I was a little too forward with him at one point...he got super awkward but I didn't mean anything by it."

'Snap'

"Aww dang." Ceres said as she stared at the wooden sticks in her hand, an uneven break. "So...Evening Star- that sounds good. I have no clue what to name my store. I can't really call it General Store can I?" Ceres said with a sigh. "Ugh...you think I'd be better at naming things, but I'm a Journalist, not a creative writer."

NIGHT told Ceres that she envied the way Ceres kept in contact with her family. did NIGHT not do the same with hers? "That's a little sad..." Ceres mumbled. "We may not be super close - but I can't imagine how lonely it'd be to not have anyone like that."

The conversation shifted to her studies, and Ceres oblidged, she didn't want NIGHT to dwell on anything that may make her sad tonight. "Oh yeh- I studied Journalism and Creative writing - I also did a short course on Media and communications, you're right...but that was like an extended thing. Not actually at University - there It was Journalism and Creative writing - oh and Classical Mythology."

Ceres absently tapped her chopsticks against the counter as they waited for their food. "Hey - IT is important, Its literally ingrained in our future. It's always growing and expanding. Don't sell yourself short."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT nodded in return. It'd be a good reason to get out the house more often with her friends right next door. As she took the chopsticks from Ceres' hands, she added, "I actually asked him once, if all he had to serve were hotdogs. Turns out he can actually make a lot of different things, so I bet it'd be fine if we asked him to make just about anything." A clean split of her chopsticks. She held the pair out to her friend. "Here, you can take mine if you want."

She made it back to his house? Hells, NIGHT didn't even know he had a house. She wondered for a moment what it looked like, listening intently to her friend's experience. The woman tried to hold back a laugh when Ceres revealed the complication with her directness. "I'd still tell you not to change, even with that mess up. Being forward's kinda like your trademark by now. It's just what makes you, you."

A pause, as NIGHT wondered about what Ceres' store might look like. She twirled a lock of hair in her hands, pressing her lips together. "I ended up naming mine the way I did thinking about recreating beauty." It felt strange to say it aloud; the player never imagined she'd ever get the chance to. "It lead me to the planets, but I didn't want to be too straight forward... Ah, I also wanted it to be a homely environment, and Venus rules Taurus..." Her voice trailed, and NIGHT decided to shut her mouth when she found herself speaking about astrology. A nervous laughter. "Sorry-- I'm rambling. I guess what I meant to say was, if you know what kind of store you might want to set up, you might get a better shot at naming it."

The woman stayed silent, hesitant to continue further out of embarrassment, but also due to the sombre change of subject. She closed her eyes, looking away for a moment while pulling her scarf closer to her. "It's fine," she replied after a break from speaking, returning her gaze to her friend with a smile. "It's nice to have a change of pace, though."

Journalism, Creative Writing and Classical Mythology. "Sounds like an English major, if you'd asked me. Was there a difference?" She covered her mouth with a hand -- the best she could do to think with her scarf wrapped tighter around her. "Maybe... more on the side of history? It sounds really cool, though. I would want to read what you've written when we get out of here some time."

"And I'm not, don't worry." A chuckle and a grin. "IT's been my whole life; though it's more on games than proper software or hardware."

A pause, as NIGHT searched her memories to find something that wasn't her in isolation playing video games and browsing the internet. "Uh... You know, I used to wonder how servers were set up. People've recreated and revitalized games that were shut down by their parent company long ago; make changes to them and improve on what mess they were left with. We called them private servers." She bit her bottom lip, a little anxious. "They're... technically illegal. B-but it was a pretty good lesson in tech, so... A-and networking and databases are pretty important there, so..."

...This... doesn't make me a criminal... does it?

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

Ceres shrugged off her thick red jacket, it was warm by the counter - and she was begining to feel the heat from the steam of all the food around and in front of her. "I think the way you named your store is very sweet - all I know is I want a fireplace...maybe a chair or two for people to sit. It's just the name...arghhh..." Ceres placed her elbows on the counter and put her head in her hands. "It's the only thing stopping me from creating a store! I just don't have a darn good name. Maybe I should base it off mythology, like my name."
 

NIGHT asked if there was a difference in the studies, Ceres shrugged her shoulders. "Not really, I guess it just depends on what you want to minor in - really I could have picked anyhting but I went with what I wanted to learn more about. As for my writing..." Ceres pulled her long hair back and placed it over her left shoulder. "It's not really anything - you know those silly game review articles or 'whats hot in media' stuff? Yeh. That's what I do - It's...great - because I get to travel, and I get exclusive review copies of games...but sometimes It can feel a little empty. I'm so sick of buzzwords."

"pffft." Ceres laughed as she pointed the chopsticks in NIGHT's direction. "Ohoho - that makes you a little bit of a criminal doesn't it?" She grinned. "Not a bad one, I mean - we've all done things typically against the law at some point. I mean - I smoked a little bit of stuff in my teen years, but was turned off it. I never really felt the high others got and I also just..." Ceres shrugged. "THen you got people who use oils from illegal plants to help them medically, life saving stuff - the people who sell them are criminals, even though they save lives." Ceres shrugged as she turned to the front of the counter. "You don't have malicious intent - is what I am saying." Ceres sighed. "It's a shame no one here is some expert programmer - I wonder if they'd have access to an admin panel or something, surely it'd be a matter of changing one thing from 'false' to 'true' so we can log out, right?" Ceres sighed again. One could dream. There is no way anyone could do that, not with something as complex as this.

Ceres became distracted when a large bowl was placed in front of each of the girls. She grinned as she stared down at her bowl,  a thin layer of the clear broth sat just above large pieces of sliced pork - "oh wow..." Ceres said as she tried to lift up a piece of it only to have it break off. "Look how tender this is, and how much - I cant even see the noodles or egg underneath all this."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

The way Ceres described her shop just sounded cozy; kind of Christmas-y, even. NIGHT wondered on with a smile. "It sounds like a lodge, or a cabin in the woods when you put it like that," she suggested, pressing her cheek against her hand again. "I wish I had the knowledge for mythos to suggest a good one to you." The woman looked up, clicking her chopsticks together in thought. "Hearth? Hearth and Home? Something like that... I guess."

Her eyes trailed back to her friend when she began talking about her studies, nodding at the differences between the two majors. "I'd still read them, actually," she offered about the articles. "I mean, some of them can be a little generic, I guess. And with the field still developing... Well, I still think it's totally possible to put your own writing spin on reviewing games or writing about them." NIGHT gave a glance over to her cake, careful not to forget it, before musing further on the subject. "Mmm... Y'know, it's a little morbid, but you technically have the advantage once you get out of here... Writing about a death game's adventures... might be a topic for a best seller."

The woman recoiled in shock when Ceres jutted her utensils in her direction, retrieving the thoughts from her mind. U-urk!

But it seemed as though she... was okay with it. Phew! NIGHT heaved a sigh of relief as her companion began to share her own experiences. She didn't know a lot about illegal substances, but she listened in anyway, trying to catch a few points of detail about the drug trade. "I think that's cool," she finally managed to say. "Where I'm from, it's treated as a serious crime. I-I think we still have the death penalty in play here..." NIGHT tried to recall, looking away for a quick beat. "--Yeah! We had this book for literature we had to read in class, about a distributer's last 13 moments or something. It... was kind of cool. Don't ask me to retell you the whole experience though." A wry smile. "I don't remember it too well."

"Y'know," NIGHT added, batting her chopsticks up and down towards her friend. "I actually mused on the idea for a bit, at the beginning of the game. It's... technically not possible. Not from a client." A sigh, as she debated explaining her thought process. "Uh... I mean, a-assuming one started from scratch, it would mean researching code and checking references; both of which aren't possible without the internet." Her sights were set on the bowl that was being prepared, as she continued. "It would take a lot of testing to even find one hint of a flaw in the system. Flaws that no doubt would've been fixed by the artificial intelligence by now. Then... input. You're right about us needing an admin panel; it's quite likely that the database counts us as a separate restricted entity altogether, but..."

"The physical level's the part I'm worried about. The game master said that if we were forcibly logged out, our headgears would fry our brains..." NIGHT frowned, examining the bowl set down for her carefully. "It's possible. And that's a software level option that either needs careful work in the game to rectify, or someone outside needs to work their way around it for us."

"...Sorry. It's... kinda hard to stay joyful around me, isn't it?" She adjusted her scarf again, feeling frustrated with herself. "I... I'm working on it. I'll just... eat away the pessimism for now." NIGHT watched Ceres tenderly break into a piece of cha shu, before looking at her own beef portions. She gingerly brushed aside the spring onions, picking up the portions with her chopsticks, and began to dig in, doing her best to enjoy her meal.

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

Write a book about the experiences within SAO...

"You think?" Ceres never thought that writing about the experiences of SAO would be useful. "Wow...NIGHT...you know that's actually a really good idea. I should start talking to others, frontliners, questers, maybe that Mari girl? You think she'd be able to give a perspective from someone with an orange gem? You said she was mostly safe right?"

The conversation continued as NIGHT talked about laws in her country.

"It's scary to think that you could be put to death  for something like that. I mean... I get its illegal - but some of this stuff saves lives. I'm not really one to do any sort of illegal stuff personally...it was a 'hey I might try it once - and I didn't it. But knowing I'd have the potential to be put to death?" Ceres shook her head. "Nasty..."

Thankfully the conversation shifted to something else, not quite less 'death-y' but still, something Ceres was more comfortable discussing. Technology. Ceres liked talking about this sort of stuff, even if she didn't understand much of it. "That's what I thought, something like cardinal would have a continually updating system. You'd essentially need to learn the code, and be able to learn the updated code in real time. THat's...nearly impossible isn't it?"

Ceres nodded, "You know... I never understood how that hole brain frying thing got passed any sort of testing. Things overheat all the time, sure - but it doesn't make sense to me. Still...I'd rather be safe than sorry." Ceres cut her egg in half, frowning at it. Overcooked. "Bleh." She pushed it to the side. Choosing not to eat it.

"You don't have to be joyful all the time though. That's just unhealthy. We all have our sad moments, we all get angry and frustrated. If we bottle it all up we'll all explode." Ceres paused to unceremoniously slurp a chunk of ramen noodles into her mouth. The woman enjoyed the flavour. And the pork literally melted in her mouth. Ceres swallowed and continued. "I'm not your friend because I expect you to be happy all the time, I'm your friend because I like who you are."

Ceres dipped her chopsticks in the ramen and twirled them around. "You know that Father Wuoton guy? He said he'd grant wishes - if you had a wish here, what do you think it'd be?" Ceres asked. "I try to think about what I would want...but can't really think of anything. A cute familiar maybe? To be stronger? I feel like I have most things I really want already."

@NIGHT

 

[NIGHT 0]

"I mean," NIGHT wondered, putting the ends of her chopsticks in her mouth. "I think she is. It's not like she's tried to kill me yet or anything. She's... actually more cordial than someone else I've met... Eurgh..." Her face scrunched up as she thought about Cordelia, wondering what was going through that zombie's head in her mind. "It's... rather surprising. You'd probably have a difficult time trying to talk to her in a safe zone, though. And there's no promises about any real answering there too."

She dipped her utensils into the broth again, swirling around the ramen. "The point is, I still don't trust her as much as I would for someone like you. And I guess I just want you to stay as safe as possible," the wooden sticks picked up a bamboo shoot, "that's all."

NIGHT continued her feast, chewing on the side elements of her dish before taking a bite of her noodles. "That's how it is here," she quipped, scooping up another bundle of ramen. "Did you know we also have chewing gum banned over here?" A small chuckle, before she ate, smirk on her face. "I wish I was kidding," NIGHT added as she dabbed at her cheeks with a napkin. "But I'm not."

She nodded at Ceres' understanding of the underlying systems behind Cardinal ("You got it.") and continued to wonder further about the physical systems that made up a Nerve Gear. "I don't get it either, actually." NIGHT hummed, looking upwards to the menu, spacing out for a bit. "Maybe we'll see more research and regulation go into that in the future. I mean, the battery should be powerful enough to run a small computer's worth of energy, right?"

Her gaze went back to Ceres at the end of her sentence, and the player watched as the red-head broke open her egg, dissatisfied with what she'd found. Cheekily, NIGHT picked up the morsel between her sticks and put it into her mouth, shooting her a grin too smug as she chewed.

"You can have mine if you want. I don't know if it's the way you like it, though."

The woman picked up another bite of beef, biting eagerly at the portion as Ceres tried her best to comfort her. Her words were as sincere as always, and NIGHT found it hard to find fault in her reasonings behind having such ideas. It was true -- the ebbing and flowing of emotions was perfectly normal for people... But her downright dark commentary tonight had been difficult for her to bear in front of her friend. It was all the player could do to nod back at Ceres, finishing her mouthful of meat with a gulp.

 

"I'm not your friend because I expect you to be happy all the time, I'm your friend because I like who you are."

Gods, Ceres, you are such a lady killer.

NIGHT smiled, discreetly hiding it with her napkin once again. "--If you say so," she finally replied, re-aligning her chopsticks with the bottom of her bowl. "Because that's really sweet of you to say. Thank you."

The woman still had a little more of her meal to go, and NIGHT sat in contemplation as she continued tackling her meal, depleting its noodle supply.

"A wish, huh?"

It wasn't like she had anything to wish for, either. Perhaps she should've given the question a little more thought. What could Wuotan possible provide them, anyway? The possibilities could be limitless, but she was sure the system had its own restrictions. NIGHT hummed, looking up at the ceiling then back down to her soup.

"I'd wish I knew what to wish for," the woman jested with a grin, looking over to Ceres to see if her joke had landed. "I'm kidding! Though I genuinely have no clue what I'd be wishing for, in all honesty." NIGHT chuckled again, before returning to her meal, bringing the edge of her bowl to her face, starting to drink in the broth.

"Kinda wish I knew now."

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

"Any insight is better than no insight though...right?" Ceres asked when NIGHT told her she may not be able to get the truth from Mari. "Still...It's a little scary...I want to talk to her,  as a purely informational venture but I feel like that'd be dangerous. She could snap and...eheh..." Ceres trailed off. Not wanting to say that the strange Pker could easily kill her. "Well, I guess I should hire a bodyguard to stand by in waiting or something?"

Ceres choked on a mouthful of noodles when NIGHT mentioend that chewing gum was banned. Chewing gum "Of all the things..." Ceres said as she patted her chest and cleared her throat. "That's...insane - I mean - gum isn't really that great but - "She shook her head. It sounded crazy, but then again...there were some crazy laws where she was from. "Kinder Surprises are banned here." Ceres said in response. "I have a friend from the UK who I do candy exchanges from and..." Ceres paused. An idea formulating in her head. "hey.... HEY!" Perhaps a little exuberant in her exclaimation, Ceres leaned forward toward NIGHT. "Hey when we get out of this, we should keep in touch. Like pen-pals but with snacks!?"

Ceres grinned as she turned back to her own food. "Well computers power systems right...they have a fan and a bunch of cables and stuff- and if you took it apart you'd get a very nasty probably death-y shock. But that's the thing. You'd have to be silly enough to tear it apart which is pretty hard to do. I'd assume the Nerve  Gear is the same..." Ceres sighed as she shoved a bunch of pork into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. It really didn't make sense... She swallowed. "To have it fry anyone - it'd need to give off a large constant charge of radiation like a microwave - which wouldn't be instantaneous...or it'd need those componants to be literlal touching our heads. Which would have already killed us by now...Ahh...but mulling over this will just get us frustrated I guess..." Ceres turned to NIGHT. "It is nice to theorize sometimes... many would think the subject taboo."

Ceres went to grab another mouthful of noodles but was taken aback by NIGHT's brazen move - taking the discarded egg and shoving it into her mouth with a cheeky grin. Ceres stared at NIGHT wide-eyed. "Did you!?" Ceres grinned, laughing as he reached over and took one of her bamboo shoots, shoving it straight into her mouth with a very satisfying. "mmmmMMMmmmm."  Then, NIGHT reiterated that she just wantde Ceres to stay safe - A wild blush creeped up on Ceres' cheeks and she coughed as she swallowed the shoot.

"Ahh yes...Wishes...." Ceres added in a fake sagely tone. "How about we wish to grow stronger together? Or maybe I could get a cute familiar?" Ceres tapped her cheek with the tip of her chopsticks, ignoring the droplets of broth that were left behind.  "Maybe a pretty weapon? I'm not a big fighter though... a unique skill? The ability to log out?" Ceres trailed off trying to think of anything that would be possible.  "Special armour...mmmm a house? Interesting quests...."

@NIGHT

[NIGHT 0]

"A bodyguard, huh?" NIGHT hummed, closing her eyes. "That might work. I wouldn't know if she'd see it as a threat though. Then again, probably not." She picked up more of her noodles, taking a bite out of them. "She at least seemed plenty reasonable from what I recall, so we at least have that going for us. I'd volunteer." A pause, as she swallowed her food, before turning to look at Ceres. "At least, I'd do it alongside someone else. I... think she's stronger than even I am right now. No doubt she could probably take us out in a heartbeat..." A sigh, and a frown.

Which was more of a concern -- the Kinder Surprise or the chewing gum? NIGHT didn't have an answer to that question at the time, having just heard the news. "It's a weird product to ban outright," the woman commented, dipping the end of her chopsticks into the broth again. "I like how it's branded? Ours just kinda applies to any generic gum brand." A shrug. "I wouldn't mind the candy trade though. Though I have to wonder what kinds of snacks I could even send over..."

She rested her chin on her hand, thinking as she stared at the ceiling again. After a long moment of silence, she finally added, "Japanese treats...? We... we get them in bulk here, I think..." Unable to further elaborate on her answer, she clicked her tongue and picked up her spirits with a huff. "Bah, I can figure it out later." Another grab at a set of noodles, NIGHT slurping out the fruits of her labour.

She nodded as Ceres continued talking about the Nerve Gear, trying to imagine its internal components off her memory. "I can very easily imagine that some people would want to take apart the machine, just to take a look at how it works." NIGHT waved her chopsticks around nonchalantly. "And to repair it, too. But that's all I really know about the market for disassembly." Another nod, returning a smile to her friend. "The subject's fine by me, as long as it's good for you, too, to think about it."

The woman leaned back in her seat, grin plastered on her face as Ceres leaned over to snag a piece from her bowl. "Seriously?" A chuckle. "You should've told me you liked the shoots! Here," NIGHT paused her words as she began to pile on the ingredient into her friend's bowl, giggles in between her well wishes. "Have some more!"

She watched the redhead continue musing on her potential for wishes, as NIGHT picked up her own bowl again, continuing to deplete the broth, as well as gather the rest of her meal in her mouth. The player found herself humming as she set down her now empty bowl, exhaling in contentment. "Wishes like that... I'm not too big a fan of them, to be honest." She sat up straight again, craning her neck to stretch it. "They just feel too materialistic, if you catch my drift. Although, out of all the options you'd provided... The house one sounds appealing. I'd been planning to get an apartment soon... if I could find the funds for it."

A sigh, and NIGHT pushed her bowl further towards the far end of the counter, pulling over her cake from the side. "I could lend you my wish, if you want. I'd much rather wish for someone else's happiness, or something like that. I-It's a little cheesy, I guess, but..."

"--T-that's what the season of giving's all about, right?"

Who the heck am I, the next Father Christmas?

She shot her friend a pleasant smile, trying to hide her distaste about her proclamation, while at the same time, doing her best to stifle a sharp laugh.

@Ceres

[Ceres 0]

The redhead smiled softly as NIGHT offered to be her bodyguard. "That's very sweet - but I'd hate to put you in the path of danger... hmmm....if its just two of us maybe she won't be threatened? Especially if you said she could take us both on in a heartbreat. And hey! Maybe if I traded her information in exchange this Mari girl would be more willing to share things!"

Ceres pushed the shoots down into her broth, letting them soak up the liquid before popping them in her mouth chewing with a sheepish grin on her face. This she really enjoyed, enjoying good food with a good friend, sharing their likes and dislikes. NIGHT got the egg and she got the shoots, that seemed like the perfect trade for Ceres. She swallowed and laughed as she picked up the bowl. "I mean, I'm not going to say no to little gifts like that from you! Especially since its food." Ceres added before slurping up the rest of her broth. She paused. "So that extends to the real world. I'm willing to give anything a go - I have no allergies so I'm all set!"

The conversation shifted to wishes, and what they could obtain. And houses...."Did you know Oscar has a MANSION!?" Ceres exclaimed in disbelief. "I couldn't believe my eyes. It looked extravagant, but if you ask me...it's way too much. I'd get so lonely in such a big place. Heck..." Ceres pushed her empty bowl away. "Even if I had all the money in the world, I'd only want to live within my means. I'd have a nice cosy 3 bedroom home, maybe an en suite with a nice big spa bath...but beyond that I don't need much else....oh except a nice heated toilet seat." Ceres leaned back in her chair. "He was very proud of it...but like, I dunno. I guess that sort of extravagance is not for me."

"And hey...this Father Wuo-woo..." Ceres frowned, what was his name again?  "This Father Woo-Woo guy may not even visit. But if he did. I think you should use the wish on yourself." Ceres reached out and gently wiped away some broth from the side of NIGHT's mouth with the pad of her thumb. "Because its your birthday, so you deserve it."

Ceres leaned back and grinned. "Speaking of - if we're both done....would you like to try your cake now?"
@NIGHT