[F01 - PP] <<The First Few Lessons>>(Open to all 4/4)

[NIGHT 0]

Tight-lipped. Upset. Lost.

She kept staring at her friends list from a distance away, pacing around the trees, an obligation pounding at her throat. The woman's entry was new, fresh; when NIGHT considered the offer earlier, she had many reasons not to say no.

(Neither, she did realize, there was a reason to say yes, either.)

It must've been the difference in levels, surely. Must've been the shock of meeting someone else that was similar enough to her. Must've been the trauma of Aincrad, collapsing all at once upon themselves. Cardinal could make a fool out of anyone, of course, and the biggest pranks were made on the ones who stepped out of the Town of Beginnings in earnest.

Must've been something else. Some other external factor, perhaps, though the woman barely knew Nari enough to place on what. And she walked, continued her saunter, still staring at her name on the list.

The beginner's quest wasn't that difficult to complete, was it?

ID203484 | LD13 + 5 = 18 | searching for materials. (not affected by quest)

[Koga 0]

At this point, Koga was paying the absolute minimum amount of attention required to ensure no one got gored by one of the cute little guys he was holding before himself. The little pig kicked his feet in the air uselessly, attempting to find some stable earth to gain traction and continue his relentless assault on Koga's ankles. Adorable.

NIGHT passed him by at some point, looking about ten times more flustered than one would expect from what should have just been a normal interaction, and made a quiet request to look out for the others. Great more babysitting. "Mm," Koga hummed back with a small nod. Wasn't like he was very far from them anyways. He could be at their side, sword in hand before the mobs even initiated combat. Nothing to worry about.

The man then knelt down to the ground, and carefully placing his new friend on the ground. Let's play a game.

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth didn't know where either Koga or NIGHT were at this point, but he didn't mind, the quest was simple enough, and he didn't really need protection all that bad. Now he was just looking for a distraction from everything that just happened. Which for him was a lot, Koga, he hadn't seen that coming even slightly, with the man's aversion to all of his flirting, but now? He didn't even know what to think, honestly glad that Koga wasn't around right now. 

Keeping himself focused on the quest Bismuth ventured closer to where Nari stood, crouching down in order to pull a third root out of the ground. That was all of the material he needed, and without knowing where his escorts were there wasn't a lot he could do. Laying down on the ground to stare at the sky Bismuth turned his head to Nari "Are you gonna be alright there?" Bismuth asked a more serious and caring tone in his voice than the woman had ever seen before.

Spoiler

Gathering:

LD: 20 + 3 = 23 = success

+1 Material

5/5

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by Bismuth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari jumped at the sudden sound of Bismuth’s voice – she had been lost in her thoughts, trying to arrange and determine not only what had just occurred, but how it affected everything going forwards. She wasn’t sure what to make of NIGHT’s reaction – whether Nari had somehow overstepped some boundaries that she wasn’t aware of, or if everything truly was going to be okay between them.

Realising she was getting lost in thought again, she gave a weak reply to Bismuth, her words showing that she wasn’t entirely in the conversation at hand. “I…yeah, I think – I mean, yeah…I’ll be fine. Eventually. It’s…it’s nothing, right?”

Even to her own ears, the words sounded desperate and pleading. She could only imagine how it must’ve sounded to the man laying on the ground. Her eyes suddenly went wide, and she paused in her searching to look over at him.

“Wait – did…did something happen to you?”

ID230525 | LD: 18 | Material Search | Success (4/5)

Spoiler

Word Count: 153

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[NIGHT 0]

Running away didn't seem like such a nice idea, after a while. It helped get the adrenaline out of her system, yes, but the more she considered the other party, the better option, she concluded, was to stay and at least have explained her thought processes rather than take off in a hurry.

So the walk back was in hesitance, in apologetic regret, the woman rehearsing in her head what to say. Rehearsing her footwork more than the thoughts she'd wanted to retell, thinking twice about her actions before overriding them with a sense of guilt.

NIGHT took a longer route on the way back to the newbies.

Other entrances of the city were open for access, and bounding on the borders of the field, she went through the woods only to come out on one of those dirt paths. Not that she could remember which exit this was, but she knew what was waiting just around its vicinity, and came to a stop once she'd found what she was looking for.

A lowered frame, and the woman's prayer was under her tongue. Once the item had been plucked from its stalk, she started the journey back, hoping no passerby would see her in the act.

ID203544 | ld20 + 5 = 25 | stealth

[Koga 0]

Just as Koga expected, the little boar charged at the man's ankles again. A tiny squeal as it kicked up the tiniest cloud of dirt to propel himself at the giants feet, a fearless blitz.

Koga watched the little thing move as fast as his little legs could carry him. Which wasn't all that fast, but the little dude was trying, okay. The Wolf stepped to the side, unnecessarily light on his feet and he danced around the smaller creature.

At first, the baby boar did not realize he had overshot his mark, so when he finally skidded to a stop, he looked around confused. Turning in a circle he squealed again, upon spotting Koga and charged again.

Once more the man danced around the tiny creature, and together the two repeated their little sequence again and again, making a rhythmless dance of it all.

One, two, three, one, two, three.

[Bismuth 0]

"Ah, I'm alright, nothing important probably." Bismuth sighed as he stared up at the clear blue sky, the clouds moving lackadaisically through the sky like they were on a slow mission to get somewhere. It was truly beautiful in this world, was it an issue that he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this comfortable. This game may have been a death sentence for hundreds of people, but Bismuth had never been this free before, he couldn't even tell if he wanted to go back to his life before, where he was and never would be anything.

Shaking his head Bismuth just stared at the sky peacefully, there was no point thinking about any of that, someday the frontliners would win, and people like him who did nothing to help would be able to leave this game. "What was life like before this for you, Nari?" Bismuth asked without much thinking, it wasn't a good topic for most people to think about, but he wasn't thinking about that, letting his mind wander as he felt the grass beneath him and watched the ever marching clouds above him. 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari paused in her searching as Bismuth’s question reached her ears. It was considered unkind to ask about the real world, but it hadn’t stopped him from blurting out the question. Nari’s hands returned to her task as she thought about her response, eventually responding in a quiet, careful voice.

“It was…nothing exciting. I went to work, came home…played some roleplaying games…just, typical stuff. I guess.” Nari heard the waver in her voice at the topic, and quickly looked to change the conversation. “So…uhm…what about you? Do you miss the real world?”
 

She bit her lip as soon as the words were out – knowing that they might bring up a sad reminder of the fact that they were currently stuck here with no means of escape. Yet…it was the best response she had, she wasn’t sure what else to ask someone she had just meant and knew nothing about – other than perhaps a similar interest in eventually escaping this death world.

ID203575 | LD: 5 | Material Search | Failure (4/5)

Spoiler

Word Count: 161

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[NIGHT 0]

(Maybe it was just random. Maybe it was pure, sheer luck.)

NIGHT's steps got quieter once she drew close. They were still where she'd left them, it seemed -- how long does it take one to complete a beginner quest, exactly? She couldn't remember, memory fading sense of time after all. And the woman stayed quiet, watched as Bismuth fell back onto grass and looked up at the vast, blue abyss.

An adequate distraction from the problem, and subsequent substitute for asking the questions. NIGHT positioned herself by the shade of the tree, leaning close to the trunk, the corner of her scalp supported by its build. She was inclined to credit the man with thanks, internally, because any harsh motion would give her away from her hiding status.

"What was life like before this for you, Nari?"

After all, if anything, she just wanted to get to know the novice better.

“It was…nothing exciting. I went to work, came home…played some roleplaying games…just, typical stuff. I guess.”

Generic. A deflection, even, the woman realized, catching the uncertainty in Nari's voice. Most players would hold the monotony of their day-to-day lives in high regard when it came to their lives outside of Aincrad. And though the question seemed invasive, for the most part, she did wonder if it was in Nari's attitude, or her own perception of the question.

“So…uhm…what about you? Do you miss the real world?”

A glance to their materials count. Did they get stored? If they were still out in the fields, surely, they must still be searching.

ID203576 | ld7 + 5 = 12 | stealth

[Bismuth 0]

Bismuth heard what Nari asked him not really giving it much thought before he felt his mouth open in response "No." Bismuth replied very simply staring at the sky he knew was just a creation of a sick man, usually when he was laying on the ground like this he was too beaten to see the sky, but here, it was all so clear, the sky was so blue, more blue than he had ever remembered it being. But maybe that was just the perception of his own reality. "There's nothing to miss." Bismuth didn't know why he was being so open, maybe it was just one of those days, but nothing mattered to him except the sky.

Had the grass always felt this good? Bismuth asked himself this all the time, he always loved nature and the world he saw around him, but he had never been able to see it for long, now he could be enamored with it. He could be one with the world around him. "I never knew the sky could be so. . ." Bismuth trailed away as he stared content with just shutting his mouth and waiting for his companion to find all of her materials. It must have been raining because Bismuth's face felt wet as he perpetually looked into the ever moving beyond.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari kept her gaze down as her hands continued to run paths through the grass and into the many crevasses along the outer wall. She wasn’t truly paying attention to anything at all – her mind having drifted back to the real world, while her hands continued to run through the motions of searching. She saw images in her mind pass by, some more lucid than others. A slight pull at her heart brought another tear to her eye as she remembered…

“I miss the open fields and lakes near my home…just going and…watching the waves, while the wind played through my hair. The feeling of the cool breeze running over from the water…the way that the animals strode through without any sort of hesitation or fear…I remember, one day I was-” She caught herself as she realised just how open she was being with this man that she had barely just met. Shaking her head slightly, she added, “It doesn’t matter. What matters now, is getting out of here…”

ID203577 | LD: 8 | Material Search | Failure (4/5)

Spoiler

Word Count: 169

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari felt her mind reeling as she realised just how close she’d been to sharing something intimate with this man whom she didn’t know beyond the last…how long had it been? She scorned herself for even considering sharing something so private with him – something that she wouldn’t have even shared with her own family members. Clearly this whole encounter had done something to her mentality.

‘Stupid! So stupid, you need to focus on finding this shit and getting out of here before you do something really stupid, like propose or offer yourself as tribute or something else insane.’ The voice in her mind carried a strong edge of sarcasm as it spoke to her, but Nari couldn’t help but agree with it – at least about the getting things done quickly bit. They had been out here for far too long as it was, and she was itching to get away from this place, and all the memories it now carried.

ID203578 | LD: 8 | Material Search | Failure (4/5)

Spoiler

Word Count: 160

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Smashing her hands into the ground Nari gave out a cry of frustration. It seemed as though Cardinal – the gods – whomever – were trying to keep her in this place of torment. Clearly, they didn’t want her breaking free of this place, wanting her to relive the events for the remainder of her life, however long that would be. She began furiously crawling through the grasses in search for the shiny metallic bars that would signify the end of this quest, and bring forth her freedom from…everything.

As she did so, an image appeared in the forefront of her mind’s eye – summoned forth by the crawling action she was going through. A girl’s face, hazel brown eyes and long brown hair, a smile on her face breaking the otherwise sombre look in her eyes – something about it off, yet drawing Nari in…

She smacked her cheeks, forcing herself to focus on the here and now, not the past. There was nothing she could do about that, but she could focus on finding what she needed to escape her present predicament.

ID203579 | LD: 14 | Material Search | Success (5/5)

Spoiler

Word Count: 179

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth
Dice Roll Results

[Koga 0]

The little dance between man and beast had become less a show of aggression from the creature, but more friendly. The harsh, angry squeals had given way to sputtering squeaks, what Koga supposed was what passed as a laugh for the tiny thing. Huh...could it be?

Deciding to experiment (besides, what did he have to fear from anything on this floor?), the man stopped moving, a perfectly still target. Unsurprisingly, the tiny board collided with the man's boot. What was surprising, however, was the fact that not a single hit point had been removed from his health bar. Nor had any been added as a result of his passive heal.

It was indeed.

Koga stared down at the fuzzy creature, who in turn, looked back up at him with watery eyes, perhaps from the pain of running head long into something, or that their little game had ended. The Wolf knelt down and picked up the tiny boar, giving it an appraising look. "Bacon. I think I'll call you Bacon." The tiny boar baby squealed happily before wriggling out of Koga's grasp, and madly clambering up his arm, onto his shoulder, and promptly into one of the breast pockets of his coat before poking his tiny head out like some kind of pocket square.

"Alright Bacon, I guess you're coming home with me."

[NIGHT 0]

Reminiscence. A startle. And then, nothing. Just fingers desperately grasping, grasping at what didn't seem to be there any more.

NIGHT let out an exhale, considering. Convenience of the question, she supposed, but wondered just as much about the woman's home life at the mention of a lake and animals. Someone rich? As if the player was capable of fathoming the thought. 

She paid careful attention to her steps, watching Nari search through the grass. Given any other day, perhaps this would've been a scenic adventure, though odd. Koga having the time of his life with a tiny pet; ambient enjoyment of what Cardinal had to offer in the backdrop. Two players, new, speaking back on what life was like before the incident occurred.

So... normal, for Aincrad. So laid back. So...

It was when she strode up to Nari's side, realizing her gathering frantic, that NIGHT also noticed Koga's decision to carry and bring home the pork. And did he just name it Bacon? Was it a miniature pig that resembled a bit of Bahr's? Hey, wait a moment--

"Koga," she spoke aloud, immediately dispelling the effects of stealth on her figure, "Don't tell me you're taking that swine home? Don't you already have Okami? How're you gonna support the two of them when you can barely afford for yourself?"

The alarm in NIGHT's voice could've acted like a wake up call to the nearby serenity -- the knight in dark a merciless disruption. And to the woman she'd accidentally snuck up upon in analysis, the player was towering, a hand on one hip, the other to her side--

--a small flower was held between her index and thumb.

ID203586 | ld3 + 5 = 8 | out of stealth. the outcome i actually wanted for this post lmaoooo yay

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari jumped at the sound of NIGHT’s voice behind her – she hadn’t even noticed the girl’s approach. Jumping to her feet, she glanced around – suddenly noticing Koga’s return with what appeared to be a tiny pig-like creature. Cocking her head to the left, she glanced at the man – whom seemed quite pleased with his newfound friend.

“Do…do you want us to kill it for you…?” Nari asked, trying hard to avoid looking at NIGHT as she spoke – but her eyes kept shifting to the side, trying to catch the girl in the corner of her sight. “Also-uhm, I’ve found everything we need. I think. Do we just…go back and…give it to the alchemist? Does he give us the money then?”

Nari’s eyes will shift towards NIGHT ever so slightly, before she adds, “Or…is this the end, and we just…part ways here…?” Her voice carries a tone of worry and sadness to it, as if she was reluctant for that to occur. Without realising it, Nari’s face will break into a soft, shy smile as she tries to make eye contact with NIGHT.

Spoiler

Word Count: 182

 

[Bismuth 0]

Nari was finally done getting all of the materials that she needed to finish their quest, and when Bismuth heard that it snapped him back to reality. "We need to go back to the alchemist, and then he is going to teach us how to craft a potion." Bismuth explained as he got off the ground dusting himself off for the second time that day. "Not much longer though, it shouldn't take too long to finish that." Not looking back at any of his companions Bismuth began walking towards the entrance to the beginner village that had brought them out here, he was walking slow enough to make sure that anyone that wanted to could catch up to him, but it was clear that he wouldn't be stopping.

Bismuth's mind was wondering to the past, and he currently had no distractions, so he was zoning himself out so he wouldn't have to deal with those feelings. There wasn't a lot he hated more than thinking about it, and yet he did all the time.

[Koga 0]

Well it seemed like things had mostly returned to normal. NIGHT seemed less distracted, Nari had calmed down a little, and Bismuth was no longer lying facedown in the ground like a corpse. Koga had begun to worry he would have to resuscitate him. That would have been a much less entertaining kiss.

Bacon seemed happy in his pocket, even as NIGHT questioned just what Koga was going to do with the little fellow. "I mean...he just kinda eats bread...right?" Koga had a lot of that. Plus it was cheap. The Wolf glanced down at his new companion, a trace of concern on his face. Maybe it was better that he go free? Live out in the wild as nature had always intended.

"Do…do you want us to kill it for you…?"

"What!?" Koga cried out in shock, recoiling from the bloodthirsty monster that was Nari, shielding his precious Bacon with his hands. "Why would you even suggest that!?"

No, Bacon could not live freely out here. He would quickly be murdered by some uncultured warmonger.

Another glance down at the creature, now staring back up at Koga with curiosity, surely wondering what all the commotion was about. What to do with him?...Hmm, maybe...maybe Kasumi would appreciate a little friend like him? A field full of flowers would surely be a pleasant home for the little guy, right?

Koga's eyes slowly shifted to Nari, narrowing suspiciously at her until he was certain she wouldn't try to turn Bacon into a pork kebab. "I...think he'd make a good gift for...someone." The less she knew the better. The utmost secrecy was required to protect the precious boy.

Bismuth then suggested that, since they were now prepared, it would be a good idea to go back to Zachariah's. "Lead the way," Koga said with a nod, more than a little relieved that this godforsaken quest was nearing it's end.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

“A…gift?” Nari wasn’t sure what sort of person would enjoy a swine as a present – unless maybe he was planning on turning it into bacon or something first, but she knew that her question had somehow upset the man – and she wasn’t willing to push further on the topic. Deciding to put it to the side for the moment, she collected herself and turned away from the fields they had spent the last little while exploring.

Nari skipped after Bismuth, trying to catch the man as he wandered back towards the Town. She had some questions she wanted to ask him, but as she came up beside him, she noticed the distant look on his face. Uncertainty made her pause for a time, walking wordlessly beside him as they made their way back.

Eventually – unable to hold it back any longer, Nari drifted closer to Bismuth, speaking lowly so that the others hopefully wouldn’t hear. The words came out somewhat hesitantly as she tried to form them into the question she truly wanted answered, but wasn’t entirely sure how to ask.

“Uhm…you-you’re good with people…right? I…I need your opinion…” She bit her lip for a second before continuing, the words coming more quickly as she forced herself to get the question spoken – before she could regret doing so or stop herself. “D-do you think that – does NIGHT hate me? Or…does she just…do I need to be afraid?”

It wasn’t quite the way she wanted to word it, but she hoped the man would understand what she was trying to figure out – and maybe have an answer for her fears. She didn’t want this to be like…

She shook her head as the face appeared once more in her mind. It had been long ago, and although the smell of violets brought back the memories, she knew that she couldn’t let herself dwell on that which was long gone, lost to the world forever. At least here, she could forget about it for a time – if only for a time.

As her words came to an end, she stared hard at Bismuth – waiting for the man to respond to her, even if the words were something she didn’t want to hear. She didn’t care, she just needed an answer – to know where she stood, or an idea of where she maybe stood. Anything beyond what she had to go on right now.

Spoiler

Word Count: 401

 

[NIGHT 0]

A query that made her hair stand on end. NIGHT's head immediately whipped towards Nari's the moment she'd heard about death, and there was something akin to fear in her eyes. The flower in her hand vanished in a flash, for better or worse, and the player shook her head, wordless as to the question posed.

“Or…is this the end, and we just…part ways here…?”

Any player taking the quest would've long forgotten about the money, the woman mused, though why was not the newbies' concern. Tunnel visioning on material collection had that effect on people, after all. But as Bismuth lead the charge on strolling back to town, so too did NIGHT bob her head that way, figure maintaining an unrelaxed tension.

Would Nari feel better if the player had left?

Though she tried to soften at the woman's smile, NIGHT's gaze was turned towards the walls of the Town of Beginnings, as Bismuth strode right on through its entrance. "I can at least walk you back," she stated, quietly, hands shoved into her pockets. "There're more parts to this quest line, so... And it's going to be a little more challenging from there onwards."

Even if she wanted to...

"I can't just abandon you like that."

Her hurried steps took her to dog Bismuth's trail, falling into step with Koga's pace once the path beneath their feet transitioned from dirt to cobblestone pavement. And though NIGHT had spoken ill of the boar from earlier, she did look upon it with a small sense of envy.

The player's expression was sour, but she wanted a little bit of that unbeknownst comfort, now.

She sighed as a hand was raised to stroke the head of the tiny piglet. Her thumb ran up its forehead, almost as though brushing the fur of a soft toy. "Don't just feed it bread, you ijit. Boars are omnivores, aren't they? Make sure it gets a balanced diet. You and your familiars both."