[F11 - OP] Christmas Chaos (aka Come Eat All Of Koga's Food)

[NIGHT 0]

"Don't go out much?"

NIGHT let herself lean against a nearby wall, plate still extended had the other wanted to share in it further. "I used to be like that myself, though I didn't think coming to parties would've done much for me. What do you do on your off-time? Does it usually keep you from others?"

Two fingers picked up a cookie from the platter, and the woman bit down on it, musing on Jevi's situation. The treat was crumbly, like shortbread; a few sugar pearls only gave the dessert a powerful crunch. "Good will and intent?" She joked, offering a smile. "Wish I could say I made this, but it was a stray serving on the main table. I'm sure... whoever made it won't mind it missing for a bit."

And she'd almost forgotten proper introductions herself. NIGHT knew she wasn't amazing at this socializing thing, but she chided herself internally for always letting formalities slip by. "NIGHT," she returned with a nod, then with a tilt of her head. "Frankly, I can't remember myself."

From a certain angle, Jevi did seem familiar. Somehow, the player felt as though she'd seen someone with a similar build in a dress before -- perhaps it had been this woman, at some gathering or another. Though, she could've sworn such a person was surrounded by friends, the last time she'd seen them. Did someone also get threatened there? After some humming, NIGHT in thought, she decided upon another single question. "Do you always attend parties alone?"

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Walking up to the front of the house, Nari felt a moment of hesitation. The request seemed to go out to everyone in Aincrad, which she knew meant there could be a collection of people here. But as she glanced up at the front of the building, she figured it couldn’t be that many people. 

Bracing herself, she walked up the steps to the front door, knocking softly before testing the door. The door itself popped open with a click, allowing the light to spill out from inside. 

‘Here goes nothing.’ Nari thought, pulling her shoulders up and back. The dress she had chosen to wear in lieu of her normal armour shimmered in the light – the combination of dark purple and a light violet glittering slightly. It left her shoulders bare – something she disliked – but fell down around her ankles, flowing smoothly as she walked. She had decided to keep her longsword clipped to her belt, the weight of it comforting to her.

“Uhm… hell-“ Nari came to a sudden stop as she started to enter the small area, noticing a collection of individuals. Most seemed locked in conversation, but a couple seemed to glance her way – including what appeared to be a man in a Santa suit.

Facing going bright red, Nari felt her eyes go wide, before she dropped her gaze to the ground, her hands flashing to clasp together in front of her. Frozen in place, she remained in the doorway, unable to move or speak as her heart raced.

Nari's Outfit (See notes above image) 

Spoiler

Note: Image reference is only for outfit. Hair, facial features and sword are not displayed because I apparently didn't plan this well. For reference: hair should be purple, and a longsword should be belted on her right hip. All ribbons and dress stay as is. 

Stats

Spoiler

Nari-Lanreth | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 14 | ACC 1

Level 3

Spoiler

Word Count: 254

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Stats / Imagery

[Astreya 0]

Astreya could tell that Koga had about reached his limit with the overly bubbly girl that she was, and she mentally chided herself for pushing him too far.  Surely the man wouldn't give her the time of day again, not after she'd basically verbally assaulted him with conversation at the party he was trying to run.  She put on a sunny smile then, forced and fake though it was as she gave him a small nod to him.  "I'll just like, let you get back to hosting your party and stop totally hogging all of your time," the girl spoke, giving him another nod.  "It was nice to meet you!" she called, waving a bit as she stepped back away from him, not wanting to keep pressuring him to conversate.

As she glanced around for someone else to talk to, to distract herself from the thoughts that were welling up inside of her, the door opened suddenly.  Astreya's gaze focused in on the new arrival who had come a bit later than the rest.  There were a number of potential reasons for it, but the outgoing girl didn't really take much time to ponder them, just wanting to have a reason to engage in conversation with someone.

"Heyyyy!" the woman called to the new arrival, noting that she seemed frozen in either fear, confusion or some combination thereof.  She wasn't decked out in any sort of holiday attire, but Astreya didn't mind as she came forward to the new girl.  She reminded her of Melodie, who seemed just as nervous still where Streya had left her with Blueberry and Astralin.  "Come in, come in!" she spoke, not at all seeming to hesitate in taking over the role of hostess as she gently tried to guide the girl into the room with everyone else.  "Hey are you, like, okay?  You totally look spooked," she spoke, concern in her eyes as she flickered over the seemingly frozen girl.

@Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

"Hey are you, like, okay?  You totally look spooked," Nari heard the voice, and felt her gaze shift from the floor beneath her own feet, to the floor beneath the feet of this...girl?...who was leading her deeper into the filled room. Nari felt her body unwillingly follow - unable to stop herself from being pulled in, yet still rigid. 'Are you okay?'

The thought bounced through her head. She didn't feel okay. Her heart raced, her eyes were wide, her muscles tense. She could feel the world spinning as the girl dragged her further into the room. She tried to resist - if only for the briefest moment - but her body wouldn't respond. As she felt the tears welling up in the corner of her eyes, she knew that she needed to do something, anything. She could feel the gaze of the other girl upon her, likely wondering what was wrong with this fear-frozen oddity.

"I...I'm fine. I think - this may be the wrong house. I don't think -" Nari's voice cut off as she tried to come up with an excuse, any excuse to excuse her from this nightmare. She hadn't expected so many people. 'At a Christmas party. Did I truly think this through before coming here?"

"I think I forgot my oven. I mean my house. I mean. I forgot my house in the oven." Face going redder, Nari began trying to tug her arm away, desperately trying to direct herself back to the door and out into the open air. "I'm stifled. It's stifling. We should all go outside. Do you feel stifled?!"

Bowing her head, she shot a glance upwards at the woman who held a hand on her, trying to lead her inwards. Nari had to admit, she was not the most unattractive individual - even with the Christmas outfit she was wearing. The red seemed to fit her appearance perfectly, and Nari felt a pang of jealousy, before realising that most of the people in here were similarly dressed. Looking down at her own outfit, she wondered again if she had truly thought this through.

@Astreya

Spoiler

Word Count: 354

 

[Jevi 0]

With pursed lips and a bit of hesitation, the brunette shook her head. It was pretty embarrassing to admit what little she did in her off time, if she could call it that. Her eyes broke eye contact from the shorter woman, trailing off to an opposite corner of the room. "Er.. Most of the times I just.. stay in my shop. I don't have really many people to turn to so.. I just kinda stay there." 

"Well, normally no." she said as she took another bite of the cookie, "The past few times I attended a party it was with a friend, or partner. Even the last party I went to I ended up just going to meet a friend there. This is really one of the first ones I've just wandered into on my own." Jevi found herself matching Night's stature, leaning up against the wall behind her with her chin turned in her direction. ".. If you don't mind me asking.. you said you used to be like me." sheepishly, she looks away again before looking back, speaking a bit more softly, "How did you break out of it?"

[Lessa 1]

"Oh no, it would have been fine," she assured him, shaking her head. "Seriously. I'm always up to hang out with you. And yeah." She shrugged one shoulder. "The alternative was spending the holiday at home alone. Like you said, all of this was definitely the better choice. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm definitely not a party animal, though my brothers used to throw them all the time, and I'd normally sneak in for the wine coolers." She grinned mischievously. "I'm not sure anyone with three older brothers could be expected to avoid the temptation. But even in college, I didn't really go out much. I was way more likely to stay at home playing Call of Duty or something."

Pausing to look around, Lessa nearly missed Jomei's offered drink. She accepted it with a nod of thanks, took a sip, and grimaced. "A little holiday spirit?" she repeated, her skepticism clear. But she took another sip anyway. "Yeah, definitely not my scene," Lessa concluded, "but I'm glad I decided to come. It's been nice catching up with you again lately."

When Jomei withdrew the gift, she nearly bobbled the cup. "Oh!" she exclaimed, face immediately plunging into a shade of deep crimson. "I didn't bring you anything. I'm so sorry. I wasn't really expecting to do presents, so I-" Her voice trailed as she set his drink on the nearest ledge, then accepted the package with a sort of reverence. With the careful caution of a woman raised to save her wrapping paper, Lessa peeled the green cover back. It drifted to the floor, forgotten, as Lessa lifted the shadow box to eye level. Slowly, she turned it around, marveling in craftsmanship, and the simple beauty of it all. She couldn't read the sheet music, but her blue eyes danced along each hand-written note. When they moved back to his, they were filled with wonder. Her voice held it, too, as she whispered, "Can I?"

At his go-ahead, Lessa slowly slipped her hand inside and activated the recording crystal. She lifted the box to her ear, leaning in so that Jomei could listen, too. The music struggled to rise above the cheerful holiday jingles, but as long as they could hear it, nothing else mattered. Lessa just closed her eyes, and for two minutes, simply let the music wash over her. When it finally ended, and the moment passed, the chaos of the party crashed into her once more. But Lessa merely set the box beside Jomei's drink on the counter, stepped toward him, stepped into him. Her arms snaked around his torso, and with perhaps too much force, she hugged him fiercely. 

[Hirru 0]

It wasn't very often that he got these invitations, in fact, he never really got any that didn't pertain to the front lines.  At least, not since Mack's disappearance.  He never really participated in any of Mack's functions, but he heard that they were all very fun.  Though, in the end, he wish he had joined in on the festivities.  He probably would have gotten to know more people.  He sighed while looking at the message.  There had to be a point to go, and one not to go.  Hirru had neither.

--------

As he rounded the next street towards the destination, he started to notice that the place was bustling.  He didn't know how many people had entered the house, but one of the most recent ones made Hirru wonder if he had seen them before.  They were familiar, but it felt like a fleeting memory.  Not like the ones that screw with his head, but one that was so long ago, that it was common to misinterpret it.  Where did he see her?  Definitely not the front, but.. so long ago?  A merchant maybe?  No, Hirru would recognize any of his business partners.

Without waiting for another moment, the hunter walked over to the door, and knocked.  He had watched another person enter casually.  Rather odd to do with the home of someone else.  Though, by the sounds and conversations coming from the other side, Hirru could swear that he could hear well enough without any skills to amplify anything.  Opening the door, the green hair of the Jade Hunter would pop out from behind the door as it opened to look inside.  The rest of his attire was his normal black sleeveless turtleneck, grey trousers, and the old KoB cloak that he wore for the festive colors, more than the colors of his old guild.  He just hoped Macradon wasn't there to see it.

"I hope I'm not too late!"

Hirru stats

Spoiler

Hirru | HP: 900/900 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 122 | BH: 46 | HLY BLS: 36 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36

Hirru Lvl 32 (PL 51)

900 HP (+200 PL)
102 Energy (+20 PL)
1 Base Damage
5% Battle Healing
8 Recovery
122 Mitigation
32 Thorns
4% Holy Blessing
20% Life Mend

Equipment

Paladin's Oath ..................... // +4% Holy Blessing / +20% Life Mending
Light's Embrace .................... // +8 Recovery / 32 Thorns
Bulwark ............................ // +72 Mitigation
Blades Cloak ....................... // Vanity
Lun'Rael's Insignia ................ // Unique Vanity |
Dimensional Backpack ............... // +1 B.R.I Slot

Battle Ready Inventory

<Teleportation Crystal> x5 ......... // Teleport to a town / out of a dungeon [Uses 2 posts: 1 for use, next to teleport]
<Favor of the Golden Dragon> ....... // +3 Loot Die
<Betrayal of the Fallen Knight> .... // +12 Damage
<Mass HP Recovery Crystal> x5 ...... // +10% AOE Heal
<Empty>
<Empty>

Skills

Heavy Armor ........................ // Rank 5: +35 MIT
Battle Healing ..................... // Rank 5: +5% HP each turn
Search ............................. // Rank 5: +5 Loot Die / +5 Stealth Detection

Extra Skills (Max 4)

First Aid .......................... // Rank 5: +20% ST-H / -15 EN
Leadership ......................... // Rank 5: Command the Front w/ Buffs

Skill Mods / Addons (Max 5 Mods)

Iron Skin (Add on) ................. // +15 Mit / +60 HP
Field Medic (Add on) ............... // +25% AOE-H / -15 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Hyperactive (Add on) ............... // +3 EN Regen for 3 turns / -5 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Reveal (Add on)..................... // +2 to Dungeon, Labyrinth searches / Post 10 searches / 3 turn Labyrinth Cooldown

Barrier ............................ // -15% Dmg shield AOE / -15 EN / 2 turn Cooldown
Energize ........................... // +8 EN ST / -10 EN
Steadfast .......................... // +1 ACC AOE, -1 ACC self / -6 EN / 3 turn Cooldown
Press The Attack ................... // +(Target Tier) Dmg, -(Cumulative)Dmg / -10 En / 5 turn Cooldown
Detect ............................. // +1 to Labyrinth searches | +2 Stealth Detect

Housing Buffs

Rested ............................. // -1 EN for 2 uses
Relaxed ............................ // OOC HP regen 5*tier Rec EN after 2 turns
Filling ............................ // Increase food by +1 T1 slot
Multipurpose ....................... // +1 LD, Stealth, Dection, or Prosperity to 1 post
Practiced Angler ................... // +2 EXP & +1 LD & CD to attempts

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by Hirru

[Jomei 0]

"Three brothers? I had no idea you had siblings." he said with a cocked brow. It was always nice hearing tidbits of his friends lives outside of Aincrad, though noted as taboo to give away too many details. Honestly though, it wasn't like they were going anywhere anytime soon, so revealing things about themselves was harmless. "I wasn't blessed with any siblings.. or cursed, depending on how you see it." 

Lessa had given into the offer to share Jomei's drink with him, though her thoughts on what rested within the fruit punch was definitely different than Jomei's opinion. A small laugh bubbled up from his belly as she grimaced, pointing with a thumb over his shoulder at Oji in the corner, "Alright alright, I suppose Oji's a bit of a heavy pour.. and I'm probably getting a bit used to the strong taste." 

"Yeah, it's been really nice getting to see you more often than I used to. We always connected well, but only hung out once in a blue moon. Well-" he held out an open fist, as if he were holding his cup that Lessa currently held in her own hand, "Here's to that." he finished the cheers by tapping his pretend cup against Lessa's. Afterwards, the idea struck him to pass off his gift to her. "No no please, I wasn't expecting anything in return. It's just - ah just open it." 

The reaction she had when opening it was a gift enough in itself. The shadowbox he had purchased off of some local artisan, but the real heart went into the parchment and crystal. Jomei simply nodded when asked if she could play the smaller crystal, its volume a bit softer than the one he had set up to play the ambient holiday music, but more suited for its intention. The two leaned in closer, listening to the recording as it played out, the fingers of his left hand gently tapping against his thigh in succession with the chords he had played. Once the song ended, he stood back up to his full height, "So what did you-" The sudden embrace from Lessa caught him off guard, his cheeks flushing pink as he froze for a slight moment, before bringing his own arms up to her back and returning the hug. "I take it you like it." his voice a bit sheepish. Once they separated, his hand snaked up to rub the nape of his neck. "I wrote it after we went on that quest.. I mentioned that I couldn't bring myself to write any new pieces.. but after spending the day with you I-" the pink still remained on his cheeks, if not deepened as he babbled on in explanation, "I found the inspiration to create that."

[Oji 0]

Oji watched quietly as he watched Jomei go and talk to Lessa, and a small smile formed on his face. They both seemed very sweet in the time he had spent with them separately. He didn't know their history but he knew that there were some small embers there, and whether that would burn hotter or quieter was on them. There were parts of him that wanted to intervene, and try to fan the flames. But, at the end of the day he knew that he would probably do more harm than good. He sipped his drink quietly, and made his way through the crowd towards the snack table, grabbing a few sweets on his plate and grabbing a few slices of cheese. Very small pickings but he wasn't all that hungry.

After his plate was filled and the crowd of the party fluxuated, he decided to go and take a seat. He found one of the more comfortable chairs closer to the back of the house where it seemed to be warmer. He might have been closer to a fireplace somewhere in the house towards the back, or maybe it was a forge of some kind. Either way, the heat felt great on a cold winters night. He sipped his drink and ate quietly finally finding his comfort spot in the house. Now all he needed was a cat on his lap and he would be living the high life.

[NIGHT 0]

It was with another bite that she stewed over the question. To 'break out of it'? Upon honest reflection, NIGHT didn't know. From making friends to losing them, time and time again, people always came and went. No doubt it was the same for Jevi. But some remained, at least, where others vanished.

"Never hurts to head out and get things done." The player's eyes were watching the newcomer announce his presence, though most of the party participants were likely held up with one conversation or another. "When I was in your position, I was stuck in a dingy inn room on the first. I could still point it out to you if I'd ever passed it by. --And when I say dingy, I meant dingy." A shiver went down her spine just as the thought of black mold crawling up the walls crossed her mind.

"I didn't want to stay put anymore, one day. So I just got up and left. Scrounged for some equipment before heading out the Town of Beginnings."

NIGHT's scalp rolled along the plaster of the wall behind her, focus hazy, lost in thought. "I figured... anything, even camping out in the dangerous woods at Level 1 was better than the hole I'd locked myself away in, y'know? ... I ended up finding shelter in a workshop on the first, after getting one from the professions quest afterwards, so it wasn't too bad for me in terms of living conditions, I suppose."

"I took a chance, and it turned out better than I'd expected."

Fingers fumbled with the last chunk of cookie, icing sticky, crumbs holding fast to her skin. "The better question," she continued, turning to Jevi with a curious tone, "might be 'what do you think is holding you back'? That's a question only you can form an answer to, but even if its your current lack of company, something like that can be easily addressed."

[Astreya 0]

As Astreya approached the violet-haired girl, the muttering that she was doing made the other give a small, hesitant laugh, no longer quite sure...exactly if this girl was fit to enter this sort of place.  Maybe she had expected only a handful of people or something?  But there were a lot of people here, and that made things a little more difficult for someone who wasn't used to that.  She gave the girl a small, almost concerned smile at the woman's words about her... oven?  Or her house?  Astreya couldn't be quite sure what it was as she tried to bring the poor woman inside, before maybe realizing it would be better to take her back outside a bit?  Just to let her breathe when it was just her?

"Uh, stifled?  Like, not really...c'mon, let's get you totally back out into the fresh air, kay?" Astreya asked, even as she began to guide the girl up toward the door that none other than the speaker herself had pulled the poor young woman away from.  She felt a little bad- she had assumed that with some stage fright then it would wear off a little once she got inside, but if anything it seemed to rocket even higher upward.  

But as she led the girl toward the door, a green-haired individual popped in, and Astreya blinked at his sudden appearance, before a grin slid across her features as she saw the man.  "Hirru!  Like, totally nice to see you again!" she called, not really forgetting that she was still trying to take Nari outside, but the social butterfly had found someone she recognized and so due to that, she at least had to say hello to him.  "That thing with the fae- wild, right?" she asked, giving a small grin back to him, before remembering that she still had Nari.

"Trying to get this girl outside for a minute- we'll, like, totally catch up though, right?" she asked, beaming a smile at him.

@Nari-Lanreth @Hirru

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Even with her head bowed and her focus on the floor, she could still see the smile of the girl – who upon a slightly closer inspection was clearly Nari’s junior – at her fumbling words. Closing her eyes for the briefest of moments, Nari heard the door crack open behind her, and her eyes snapped open again as the girl began speaking.

"Hirru!  Like, totally nice to see you again!"

Nari turned her head slightly, seeing the body of the newcomer blocking her escape. Heart thudding in her chest she shot a gaze between the girl who had just been leading her back outside, and this newcomer. She barely registered his appearance, so focused on escape.

“Uhm… I’m sorry! Excuse me! Air! Outside!” Nari managed to keep her voice somewhat level, but failed to keep the minor hysteria out of it as she pushed her way past the newcomer, sighing heavily as the cold air outside hit her face.

‘She seemed so nice… I hope… but she clearly knows him…’ Nari paused a few steps away from the entry to the house, looking back with a hopeful expression, her eyes lighting up with what likely appeared as a desperate, sad desire to see the girl follow her out.

‘Maybe she…’ Nari paused, not letting the thought grow to fruition. Her heart hurt, but not from the thudding that had begun to calm as she returned to the outdoors.

Spoiler

Word Count: 237

 

[Jevi 0]

The bubbly, carbonated beverage traveled down her throat as she took another sip of the soda bottle she held in her other hand. Her eyes were fixated on NiIGHT as she gave her own advice for Jevi from a personal standpoint. With just a few words, it helped put things into perspective, and helped Jevi realize that what she felt was nothing to pass off on, but that it wasn't uncommon. In fact, NIGHT's explanation of what she went through was all too familiar. 

"So it sounds like you and I aren't so different.. or the old you at least."  Whether a dingy room at an inn or the floor of her blacksmiths shop, the message was still the same. Staying put in that single place and allowing themselves to just shut out the world was unhealthy. Breaking out of that routine, changing their scenery, doing something different. Sounded like that was the first step she needed to take. 

"Well, when you put it that way.." she bit into the cookie again, tossing the last morsel into her mouth. "I suppose the only thing really stopping me, is myself. I lost friends, and I found new ones before. I would get out of my shop and see the world" With a soft thump, the back of her head hit the wall behind her as she turned her gaze towards the ceiling. "It just sounds like I won't get any better unless I let myself get there. This.. actually really helped. Thanks NIGHT" 

[Hirru 0]

As he opened the door, he was greeted by someone that he ventured with some time ago.  A rumor that people and NPCs were being taken from the nearby forest, on the third floor.  It got quite hairy near the end, but the party of three seemed to handle themselves quite well.  This girl was..

"Ah, Astreya.  Hell.."

Before he could continue, a purple haired individual whom was being dragged along by Astreya, had bumped past him to get outside. 

"..Oh?"

He didn't understand the reasoning, until Astreya explained that they needed some air.  Hirru understood that, as he needed that sometime too.  He stepped inside so Astreya could go outside with the girl.

"Yeah, talk to you later.  I think she needs you to take care of her."

He would nod out the door to where the girl had stopped and was looking back at them.  A poor sight, but sometimes these things happen.  Whatever was happening, as Hirru had no idea what the reasoning really was.

Looking around the room, there were some faces he didn't know, but quite a few that he did.  There were Jomei and Lessa talking with each other.  They seemed to be having their own moment, so the hunter decided to not get in the way.  Although, the odd old man that was watching them was rather odd.  Koga was talking to many other guests at the time.  He seemed like he had quite a bit on his plate, more so with all the women that were around him, but that was not for Hirru to comment on.  Hirru would simply give the host a wave to let him know he was there.  Looking over to another wall, he noticed that NIGHT was talking to that girl, the one that escaped his memory.  They seemed to be talking about something, so Hirru decided to look into that later.

With no one that he really connected with, the hunter just walked over to the food table.  It looked like there was quite a bit of a selection from dishes to desserts upon another table.  Did Koga make all of this?  He took a few things here and there, before he bumped into someone.

"Oh sorry.. huh?"

He had bumped into a familiar individual.

"Oh, hi @Yona.  Did Koga invite you too?"

[Astreya 0]

Astreya had given Hirru a wide smile, about to comment further when the violet-haired girl pushed past them both, heading for the outside.  She frowned slightly as she looked after the girl, unsure about the way she was acting.  If she was that upset, maybe she shouldn't be here in the first place?  She wasn't...entirely sure if the girl was okay to be here.  Maybe she'd just need some time to acclimate- kind of like getting to a pool?

All the same, as she moved past, Hirru gave her the out to go on after the other young woman.  "Yeah, totally!  If not here then later on maybe?  See ya!" she called, waving after him as he moved past, heading further into the party.  The door hadn't closed yet, and she saw the young woman looking back at her.  Astreya wasn't...sure if she wanted Astreya to stay where she was, or to come out as well.

Astreya, of all the things she was, wasn't willing to let something go untouched.  She needed to make sure that the girl was okay, if nothing else.  She shifted toward the door, holding it open for a second before stepping out after her, giving her a slightly gentle smile.  "Hey... you okay?  Seems like you had a little, like, meltdown there.  Everything good?" the valley girl asked, moving to clasp her hands behind her, the young woman leaning slightly to the side.  

Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulder as she examined the violet-haired woman, frowning as she hoped that things weren't about to fall apart here.

@Hirru @Nari-Lanreth

[Gaius 0]

*Wham*

 A loud bang as what slides in first is a bent over ass, wearing a cool gray pair of pants. Abruptly turning around as he tries to catch a plate that clatters to the floor. "Fuck." the dude drops nonchalantly. He shutters and bolts up as a bit of snow finds its way down the back of his shirt. Gaius wiggles and coughs. "What?" To any eyes that were locked to the sudden interruption.

Removing a few bottles of a deep purplish red, he begins to pile the wine next to the food before dropping the crate and sliding it under with his foot. Snagging a whole one for himself. "Sorry, I am late." As if anyone was expecting him in the first place. "Nice digs, came to get some spirits up. Merry Christmas." It couldn't be because he was left at home and his romantic partner was out smashing something's face in. A tiny bear rolls in, not larger than 6 inches tall and suction cups its face in a plate of deviled eggs, a fox shortly after. He was baby sitting and these were his children. "Free food, brought drinks. Let's all get f hammered and forget we are going to eat shit some day!"

*thunk*

Removing the cork, He takes a swig and slides in to the crowd, making himself quite comfortable. This was cool, right?

Spoiler

Gaius, Descending Gale
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 31
HP: 820/820
EN: 114/114

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 50
Battle Healing: 41
Loot Dice: 3
BLD: 48
FLN: 16
H.M.: 6

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Eye of the Gale - Brionac [T4/Demonic/2HAS] - Fallen 2, Bleed 2 (8-10)
Armor: Dragoon's Mantle - Fervor [Heavy] (T3/Perfect) 1 Recovery, 2 Heavy Momentum
Misc: Boar Hide Belt [Trinket] (T1/Perfect) [+3 Loot Dice]

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Polearm R5
Heavy Armor R5
Charge
Energist
Fighting Spirit
Battle Healing R5

Active Mods:
Impetus
Energize

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Stamina
Iron Skin
Hyperactive

Active Extra Skills:
First Aid R3

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal x1
Bird Seed (T2/Rare/Snack) Vitality 2 [166403a] [166403b] [166403c] [166403d] [166403e] [166651a] [166651b] [166651c] [166651d] [166651e] x1
Crystal of Divine Light [201986a] x1

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor []: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by Gaius

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

"Hey... you okay?  Seems like you had a little, like, meltdown there.  Everything good?" The voice sounded oddly calming to Nari’s ears, and she felt herself flush. Nari wasn’t sure if the low light would hide her features or not, but she glanced towards the ground, hoping it wasn’t obvious.

“Uhm…yeah…sorry about that. I uhm…well…I’ve always kind of had a problem with people. Well, not people. It’s not that I don’t like people it’s just – what I mean is that I, talking is hard.” Nari’s words came out haltingly as she tried to force her tongue to say what was on her mind. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the young girl before her – one who was clearly so comfortable with the social scene. ‘She’s so strong…’

“What I mean, is that when I’m on the field of battle, I can feel the control – the calmness. There’s no fear. But here…” She’ll wave a hand at the house behind the girl, trying hard not to look at it lest the memories of what just happen knock away the sudden courage she was feeling. “People make me freeze. The make my heart…thump. The fear becomes unbearable, and I just…”

She felt a single tear roll down the side of her face as she realised she was giving everything to this girl she had only just met – and who she didn’t even know the name of.

“I’m Nari-Lanreth by the way. But you can just call me Nari. I’m sorry for what happened in there…I thought maybe it would just be one or two people…”

 @Astreya

Spoiler

Word Count: 265

 

[Yona 0]

Yona looked around, hoping to find someone to talk to...someone to talk to, who hadn't seen the outburst towards the pink haired saboteur.

About two people, aside from the blonde from earlier, were potential choices. The blonde seemed to be catching up with others, especially a ginger, so she wasn't an option. Another woman who had seen the outburst was talking with the new arrival, so she wasn't an option either, as the other woman might be off-put by the outburst. Seriously, that pink haired player almost ruined everything. Yona just had to ease everyone else by talking to someone uninvolved, and things might start looking up again.

Then the opportunity bumped into her along the way to the dessert table. "Oh, Hirru, hey! Well, it was almost like he'd invited many people across Aincrad, so...why would I miss an opportunity like this?" She said to the familiar green haired player. She looked around her, seeing all these people just having a good time, nothing like what she was used to... "Everyone's just chill and casual around here...good people, fair atmosphere...and of course, all these sweets...I LOVE IT!" She said. "Nothing like how my party life used to be, it's really a great change of pace, and it's been years since I was at a party!" She added. "Sure, there may have been a pink haired saboteur messing with the sweets earlier, but that's fixed up so there's no problem now!"

Just after Yona said that, a seemingly drunken dumbass barged in, with a bear and a fox in tow. No. this was not happening. Yona groaned.

"...You have got to be KIDDING ME!!" She said as she was tempted to throw hands.

Yet another disaster had begun to befall the refreshments as the bear started on a platter of deviled eggs...and Yona was short on damage control options...or animal control options, for that matter.

Only one course of action left, take before what's to take gets taken.

Thus did Yona proceed to start stuffing her face with cookies. One hell of a way to stress eat, if you ask me.

@Hirru @Gaius

[Astreya 0]

The dark-haired woman blinked as the other woman began to... ramble a bit.  That was about the best way that Astreya could describe it.  Thankfully, as the woman began to give her rambling explanation so far as what had happened, she gave a very small, calming smile toward the other young woman.  She could tell that the girl was like a lot of the other people who played this game.  Not that Astreya had met a lot of people, of course, but all the same, of those that she had... it definitely felt like the majority of them had a lot of issues in the social aspect.

It made sense- it was an online game.  It was a game where you could be anyone you wanted to be, and because of that, it was easier to fake things in the game.  But after what had happened... they'd all been reformed back to their normal appearance.  And for some reason, that make a lot of people really uncomfortable with these social situations.

She waited for the girl to finish talking, not wanting to interrupt until she had finished, and gave her another gentle smile.  "Hey~ I'm Astreya, or Iris if you wanna, like, use real names," the girl responded, seemingly not at all hesitant to offer that to someone at all.  "But like, so far as social stuff... Well see, the cool thing about that is like, you can just kinda see it as a battle?" the girl spoke, clearly talking out of her ass, but trying to help make the other girl feel better about it.

"But it's not a problem, if you're a little, like, weird around people!  There's lots of, like, people with the same issue, y'know?  Lots of people are kinda weird about talking to other people, so, like, you're totally not alone!" she cheered, beaming a smile at the woman.

@Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

"But like, so far as social stuff... Well see, the cool thing about that is like, you can just kinda see it as a battle?" The words rung in Nari’s ears for a moment, seeming to echo. She almost missed the rest of what the younger girl said. Had she – her real name? That…was uncommon around here. Very few did that, and almost never when first meeting someone.

“You’re right…Iris. It is just like a battle…isn’t it?” Nari smiled shyly at Astreya – no, Iris. It was a wonder that she had met a girl like her, on a night like this. ‘Perhaps this was meant to be…’

“If…if you want to go back inside, I think I’m ready. It won’t be easy, but…I think you’ve helped me a lot, here. I think I can do this – but I may need your help, if you’d be willing to?”

Nari took a half-step towards the house, pausing just to see how Iris would react. A thought came to her suddenly, and she spoke the question before she had even realised the words had left her lips.

“Uhm…people don’t usually use their real names in these games…Do you want me to call you Iris, or Astreya around people? Oh, and…well, my real name is actually Nari…”

@Astreya

Spoiler

Word Count: 213