[OP-F24] Valentines Tournament Arc Round 1 - Opening Ceremonies and Observer Thread

[Jomei 0]

Lips parted into a slight grimace at Astrya's response, "Sorry. Bad joke on my part." He nodded in agreement with her, "No, you're right.. Being able to be at the front helping everyone is really what its all about. That's the whole reason I had joined the raid party as well. That, and to fight along side my friends. Couldn't be getting left behind by them." He said with a chuckle. Though, he refused to add that most of those same friends who fought with were now gone. He could tell Astrya was determined to make it to the frontlines, and honestly, who was he to try and sway her decision. A smile stretched from ear to ear, "I'm sure you'll make an excellent addition to the team." 

A laugh bubbled up from Jomei's belly when Astrya called Freyd a weird guy. It wasn't wrong, the few times he had quested with him Freyd had come off as strange, but not in a bad way. He was a good guy, a reliable comrade. He would most definitely give Astreya a run for her money. "I've quested with Freyd a few times. You'll be in for a tough fight, but I'm sure that determination of yours will throw it right back at him." 

He should have known from seeing the girl do her work at Koga's party, Astreya was a social butterfly. It was not surprise to him when she mentioned that she was also familiar with his dueling partner, Nari. Turned out she was a lower leveled player, which would make sense as to why he did not recognize her. "Hm.. I guess I never crossed paths with her before." Smirking at her request to take it easier on her, he continued, "Well, since these weapons don't do any damage, and we aren't using sword arts, I don't think you'll have to worry about the level difference." 

Another friend of Astreya's approached, a brunette man with a tuft of hair on his chin and a pony tail running down his back. Astrya was quick to take care of introductions, but Jomei was still sure to reach out a hand to greet the man Bismuth. "Pleasure to meet you. Seems like Astreya knows everyone around here." He teased with a smile. 

@Astreya @Bismuth

[Griswold 0]

A twist of his noggin as he eyeballs a strange looking bowl of worms. It was food? He takes a bite with a bit of reluctance, thinking he was about to regret it. Nope, it was food and it was good. A couple more bites as he struggled hard using chopsticks in fat sausage like fingers. Overhearing the mention. "@Freyd!?" The guy glances up from the bowl. Raising from his goofy little butt pillow and dusting off a string. The guy had been eyeing the fights while eating. "Good fight out there, but that stick didn't do you any good, yeah?" Eying @Jomei up and down, his words get ahead of him before he backpedals. "Oh uh, I'm Griswold." It was about as smooth as sandpaper on glass, but the guy was anything but subtle. 

Some fights were still underway, and Griswold notices Freyd getting prepped to start fighting some tiny blue haired girl. How was this fair? The smith had forged his...stick? That makes a lot more sense. Wait, is that Eruda? Nope, but it was easy to make the confusion. The woman could easily be her mother. There were so many colorful characters, dude felt plain. Not like the noodles.

*slurp*

[Snow 0]

Of all the places on Aincrad, Baldur's abode and the home of Jacob's Ladder always filled Snow with nostalgia. Her own house on the third floor resembled a mixture of her home and what she assumed the homes in the west looked like. While her actual abode became home to her, The Baldur Estate struck a familiar cord she didn't want to shake and welcomed with open arms. After serving the owner of the estate his tea, Snow took the hot kettle back to the lavish kitchen where she spent many nights preparing meals for the guild. In its dimmed light, the blonde poured her own cup of tea with fresh leaves. The dried tea unfurled as clear water tinted to a lovely shade of green.

"Ocha," Snow softly muttered to herself with a smile crested at her lip's corner.

Green tea, such an important part of Japanese culture and so revered it is given an honorific prefix in its normal pronunciation. Homesick, but surrounded by its digital clone, Snow understood why the tea received such honor. Subtle aromas, the warmth, the fragrant taste and comfort all combined into a fine piece of humanity. Snow held her tea in both hands, the heat warming her through and through. With a deep breath, she left the sanctity of the kitchen and returned to @Baldur's side where she moved her lovely blue kimono aside to kneel on the tatami beside him.

They were not alone. @Calrex stood beside the lord of the manor in his half-naked attire. Snow grew used to the site of the bluenette in his sparring attire but each and every time she could feel the warmth of her cheeks raise and a rosy hue flush her pale features. Subtle memories of her sparring match with him came to mind and the embarrassment followed suit. Yet, every time Snow brought it up, Calrex always returned kindness and warmth. Were it not for his wife, Teayre, Snow would have liked to know him more personally. She chuckled at the notion.

"It's alright Calrex, everything is tended to and prepared. Just enjoy yourself. Let me know if you need anything," Snow returned before Baldur's reply in her soft Czech lilt. She smiled to Calrex before taking another soft sip of her tea and nestling the cup with her hands in her lap.

So many new faces showed up on the guild's stomping grounds. Some came to participate in the fighting, others to enjoy the affair. Snow, despite dreaming of one day fighting with the front lines, decided to leave the combat to the competitive and enjoy some serenity on the side lines. She loved helping others.

"Are you participating in the fights, Calrex?" Snow followed up.

Spoiler

 

[Freyd 0]

Tensions had been on the rise throughout the floating castle since just before the start of the last raid.  Precautions were necessary.  A random traveler emerged from the portal in the centre of Scalabis, nondescript and blending in seamlessly with the many others emerging at the same spot for any number of reasons.  Some came for the beaches, popular among players save during the spawning season of certain gargantuan crabs.  Others came for wilderness adventure and recreation.  Gladiatorial duels were a regular occurrence in the local arena.  This one wandered off the beaten path, slipping through back alleys to emerge from over the walls at a rarely used water taxi dock providing easy access to the outer islands.  Form and facade had been changed and any potential tails shaken by the time Freyd arrived, only to book travel back to another dock he had been to only once before.   

Cowl pulled low, Freyd stepped lightly into the boat, politely informing Takumi of his readiness to depart with a slight nod.  If Persi wanted an opportunity to cut loose, he wasn't about to deny her, and so they traveled lazily across the waters until the young man docked, indicating by the clearing of his throat that they had arrived.  Freyd's mind was elsewhere, thinking himself to be little more than an escort on this journey and preoccupied by other more sinister threats lurking beyond the edge of most peoples' awareness.  

"Oh, yes.  Thank you."  He politely waive off the proffered hand and stretched a lanky limb onto the dock.  Baldur had a nice place, to be sure.  Maybe he could ease his focus for just a while and let himself enjoy it, for a change.  A break was more than needed and overdue, if he was honest about it.  Hands stuffed into pockets, the Whisper wandered into the grounds, registering the precision and craftsmanship of the place.  His father would have approved, then gone on at length about the history of every architectural detail, its origin, right down to the traditional names given to the tools used for every part of their manufacture.  He nearly put himself to sleep just by imagining it, but was saved at the last moment by bumping into some form of registration desk.  Still distracted, he glanced at some form that was immaculately prepared and slid before him for confirmation.  Dead silence reigned supreme.

"What do you mean, familiars aren't eligible?!"  Though exceedingly polite, the poor attendant practically withered beneath his seething glower.  "Persi!  What have you gotten me into?!"  

A pair of azure eyes winked in and out of existence in the shadows beyond the entrance arch, gleaming with absolute, mischievous joy as they vanished into the estate grounds.  Freyd's mouth opened as if ready to roar, then promptly snapped shut.  She had done it on purpose.  He was absolutely sure of it, and probably also out of concern for his welfare.  It can be tough to hide your blood pressure from a semi-tangible thing that spent most of its days wrapped around your torso, beneath your clothed.  Instead, he just sighed and shook his head.  She was right.  He needed to wind down from the stress of the daily grind, even if only for a short while.  Shifting shadows blurred his default attire and replaced it with something more appropriate to whatever form of duel he'd just been entrapped to endure.  

"Might as well make the best of it, I suppose."

Nods were freely distributed to the faces he recognized, which were far more numerous than at previous public gatherings he'd attended.  The social scene was not for him, in the slightest, and but he looked forward to a bit of recreational sparring.  What harm could there be?  The closer he got to the dojo, the more the faces meeting his seemed surprised at his presence.  Surely he'd proven his combat process by now.  He hadn't fallen on his face in his opening moves in ages.  Part of him really wished he'd taken a closer look at that pamphlet.  A handwave towards Baldur was all he cared to intrude with, as their host was already surrounded by guests and attendants.  Disturbing would be rude, and require performance of dreaded small talk.  He could manage, of course, but the point here was to relax.  For Freyd, that didn't mean social banter.  Part of him almost wished this was a fishing contest, but those hopes were quickly dashed.

The dojo and preparatory areas were perfect, of course.  Nothing less would be acceptable to the Gaijin Samurai in his own home.  Approaching the nearest rack, Freyd paused to look down at the pitch black voids of his hands, looking like silhouettes of an endless sky in the shape of appendages.  They had seen much change and become so much a part of him that he actually hesitated to remove the void-like wraps.  Wincing for a moment, it was troubling to realize that it was an active struggle of will to do so.  Eventually, if grudgingly, his fingers complied and is gloves receded like melting, pitch-black molasses, dribbling back up beneath his sleeves.  Flexing his hands, he sought to restore a sense that they actually belong as part of him.

One weapon on the wall immediately garnered his attention and he snatched it effortlessly from its perch: a Kashima Shinto Ryu Bokken, or at least its Aincrad equivalent, darkly stained to near-black. 

"Baldur really knows his stuff," Freyd chuckled softly, grasping the would-be sword like a staff, then stepping out to the dojo proper.  The chuckle led to a smirk that slowly grew into an ear-splitting grin.  "Time to turn everything on its head."

***

Freyd's outfit:

Spoiler

Full Stats:

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 104
HP: 1080/1080
EN: 142/142

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 5
Battle Healing: 59
Loot Dice: 5
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
PARA IMMUNE
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T4 MA | HLY 2 | FLN 2)
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb (T4 LA | Mit 2 | Rec 2)
Misc: The Shadowed Rose (T3 Trinket - ACC 3 | Para.Imm)

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Hiding R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
Meditation
Brawler
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic WH, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
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.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
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 [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: 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.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring:

 

[Calrex 0]

"Hm? Are you sure? I could at least help with handing out the refreshments or something."

As @Snow told him there was no need to help, the bluenette gave a resigned nod. It was true, the guild did have more than enough people to assist with moving things around. If there was anything specific they needed his help with, they would have likely come to him in the first place. Adjusting the protective sleeve on his arm, he gave a few more stretches to his shoulders, pulling his arms across his chest to loose the muscles on the back, "Oh nice kimono by the way. Dressed up for the occasion, heh."

He gave a cheerful smile before looking at the various people starting to move to the practicing area of the dojo, "As a matter of fact, I am participating. It's for the entertainment and practice for the most part. Gotta give the lovebirds that are partaking some kind of a challenge...oh...speaking of which I think my match might be starting soon. I should probably go get ready. I'll catch you guys after it's done!"

With that he gave a wave to Baldur, Snow, and Hirru as he made his way over towards the weapons rack, "Already know what I'm gonna use, but might as well take the due diligence and select the one that feels right in the sword arm."

[Morgenstern 1]

Arriving on @Baldur premise, his eyes would survey the area. It seemed that many people had already gathered here. Excellent, looked like they would be in for quite a spectacle. Walking behind @tricolor_mina, a hand would brush her shoulder. Instantly, he would tease the girl. "Coulda waited just a little longer for me, just had to actually find this clothing. It's not normally what I wear but it makes Baldur happy. I don't remember if I ever told him I was American." A chuckle would be audible between the two before he continued on. 

Greeting Baldur, he would begin to explain his presence. "Figured I would swing by and watch the festivities. Its nice to just be able to sit back and relax a bit." The man would chuckle, inform him of Jon's plight, and then continue tending to his events. This would leave Jonathan in a state of shock.

"WAIT, what do you mean I am competing! I didn't sign up!" 

Jon's attire:

Spoiler

 

[Arabelle 0]

鏡

Spoiler notes no kimono pics. i am not part of the cool kids club this time. Arabelle | HP: 640/640 | EN: 102/102 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 20 | ACC 1 | EVA 1 | LD 1 equipped #1 #2 #3 battle-ready inventory #1 skills Spoiler ● War Axe V      -> Stamina      -> Precision ● Cloth Armor V      -> Athletics          ... Nimble ● Battle Healing V     -> Emergency Recovery ● Energist EXTRA 01. Parry       -> Vengeful Riposte MASTERY Damage III buffs Spoiler -- Relaxed  Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 out of combat posts. Filling Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.

arabelle had been here before, at the periphery of a floor boss meeting some couple of months ago. she had left educated on the goings-on within the frontlines, the landmark battles, and not much else. with a frontline-tied trading guild in attendance, anything an independent crafter had to offer was plain redundant, so she had taken the courtesy of making herself scarce right after, leaving quickly after she gave her regards to the few people she had greeted. she had to tamp down her natural embarrassment upon her recognition of the venue before she sent an eagerly-worded application to the host.

regular people would not remember inane details, like the fact that a person had not spoken at all weighed against the arguments that flew across the room that day, like the order in which arabelle had watched the rest after her arrived in, like the precise minutes and seconds before the meeting when she had secured a boat ride and noticed the guests were coming in at a slow trickle.

 

twenty-two minutes. forty-six seconds.

 

(she... was throwing her lot in with prior experience. and fate, if she were to suspend her disbelief over it, had served her that role and its fruits on a silver platter. before the woman ever sought, there was groundwork. the full suite bergamasque on moon-drenched keys. replicating it by her lonesome would be difficult, even in partiality. "arabelle" was a lovely person, but loveliness only carried one as far as the surface, but "arabelle"–

but "arabelle" wasn't raised to give away to reason.)

 

"morning..." she greeted the boy at the docks, her smile sleep-soft at the edges. to his question, she paused, searching for something to match within her mind. the event was informal. tacky name, even. ""arabelle" should be in the bracket, if you have one on you."

the chokkibune rocked beneath her feet as she boarded. she folded her skirt beneath her, fixing her hair, retying a red rope bracelet on her wrist that had come loose during the walk prior. still at the dock, the boy retrieved his oars and was moving to hop in after her when arabelle's hand dropped to her lap, the bracelet still unsecured. "ah, hold on."

the boy stopped, followed her gaze to some indeterminate point over his shoulder, then straightened his back at the approach of another player. "sorry, miss, are the two of you together?"

funny wording for a staffer of a valentine's event. she appeared to study newcomer for a moment, fingers carelessly splayed over the space where her kimono's skirt ended and her tights began. "no, no," and directed vaguely to both, "but there's more than enough for two. let's save you a trip, shall we?"

Edited February 5, 2022 by Arabelle

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

After their fight had completed, Nari spent a few moments divulging into some of the refreshments - down some water, as well as the smallest amount of ramen she could find. Quickly, but carefully, she devoured the ramen noodles and water. Content, she glanced around, seeing her opponent standing off to the side with what Nari assumed was a sour look. 

Collecting two cups of tea, Nari made her way across to him, feeling her heart beat faster as she did. Focusing on her breathing control, it took her a moment to realise she was standing in front of the man with her two cups of tea - wide eyed and breathing in a rhythm.

"Hello!... Uhm, I'm... I'm Nari. We just fought. I mean, you know that, but. I beat you. Uhm..." She felt her face redden at her jumble of words, and she bowed her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment behind her purple hair. Taking another deep breath, she continued, "My Sempai once told me, that after a fight you should present your opponent a gift - as a... Well, a gift. For thanks. That no matter the outcome, you should not leave them unhappy. I mean - you shouldn't leave anger. So uhm... I don't have much, but I brought you this cup of tea. As a thank you."

Awkwardly Nari will thrust her right hand forward, shoving the cup of tea at the man with her head still bowed, holding the position and waiting for his reaction. 

@Jomei

 

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by Nari-Lanreth

[Morningstar 0]

Morningstar had never been to the 24th floor; it was above his skill level. He'd heard stories of the sandy beaches and coral reefs, but his low stats and fear of sea serpents caused him to stay far away. What better chance to take a look, he thought, than a Valentines Day tournament. The sea breeze pushed back his hood, revealing dirty blonde hair and a pair of golden eyes.

"Will you be taking part in the tournament today?" A voice asked.

The boat rocked slowly. Star met the gaze of Takumi, the one paddling it.

"You know," Morningstar smiled, "I think I will be."

He was excited to meet the rest of the competitors. Most of Star's time that wasn't spent philosophizing with Elwood was spent alone. He hadn't found the opportunity to experience one-on-one combat with another player before. Boars were fun and all, but they didn't have brains. Small fish swam alongside the boat and Star caught a warm expression on Takumi's face. He, much like other NPCs, was lifelike.

"Baldur-shisho's island is just up ahead. We'll be arriving soon," Takumi dug his paddle into the water.

Star stared out into the horizon. "The other players—are they strong?"

"I'd say so. Having second thoughts?"

"Not at all," Star reached out, letting his hand glide across the water.

---------------

Baldur's island was welcoming. Morningstar crossed the bridge leading to the estate, admiring the architecture while he walked. It almost reminded him of home—or at least the temporary home he'd been staying in before entering the game. Eventually, he found himself outside of the dojo. Inside, unfamiliar faces chatted amongst themselves. They all seemed to know each other. Star, noticing the attires of other players, switched out his cloak for something more formal and then adjusted his hair before taking a step forward. Searching for the host, he focused more on the names above the heads of the players than their actual faces. Star had never met Baldur and had no idea what he looked like. He saw a variety of names he didn't recognize—Jomei, Calrex, Griswold, and more. In the midst of the crowd, he found Baldur crowded by players. Stephen felt uncomfortable interrupting, but did so anyways.

"Hi, I'm competing today. Takumi mentioned coming to you for my equipment."

 

Morningstar's Outfit

Spoiler

Morningstar's Stats

Spoiler

Morningstar | Lv. 6 | HP: 120/120 | EN: 30/30 | DMG: 3 | ACC: 3 | MIT: 9

Gear:

• Beginner's Straight Sword | Uncommon
  +1 DMG
• Beginner's Light Armor | Uncommon
  +9 MIT
• Lexa's Light | Perfect
  +3 ACC

Skills:

• Two-Handed Straight Sword | Rank 1
  +1 DMG

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Morningstar

[Snow 0]

“I’m sure,” Snow replied with a smile. “Some of us woke up early to prepare for the tournament.”

Snow sipped her tea coyly with a snicker on her lips. Her cheeks again flushed when @Calrex commented her on her kimono. The blue hues and subtle flower pattern matched the girl’s cerulean eyes and nodded to the lavishly floral nature of floor she chose for her home. Snow’s hand pulled to her chest and nervously checked to make sure the folds were neatly in place.

”Thank you,” she spoke after a moment’s hesitation.

Calrex shared he was in the tournament and Snow noted to keep an eye out for him in the competition which laid out before them. Some combatants already clashed weapons in displays of intense ferocity. Some seemed jovial, but the man she remembered from a quest long ago, @Alkor, moved across the floor with tenacity and bloodlust. Were this any other setting, Snow would worry for his opponent’s life. If only Snow knew how to harness that kind of mindset on the battlefield. Then again, the support tank role wouldn’t justify that kind of behavior in a group battle. So, she’d settle for keeping other’s safe instead and her enemies at spear’s length.

”Do you have any favorites?” Snow leaned toward @Baldur and asked before another sip of tea.

Edited February 5, 2022 by Snow

[Griswold 0]

A loud shout as he leans over the railing, getting slowly engrossed in the duels between players. "Gettum!" Griswold barks overlooking the fight between @Alkor & @Koga. Temperatures rose and the clacking of wood on wood as they locked given weapons together, and it seemed as though neither combatant was giving the other an inch. Koga almost looked like the underdog here, and Griswold was on the fence on who to support. An array of stacked bowls littered in a cascaded pile at his side, it would be clear he had a hearty appetite and despite prior reluctance had taken a liking to this 'Ramen'. Raising a fist in the air, and barking violently with gusto "You've got him on the ropes kid, give him hell!" aimed at Koga.

The chattering of discussion causes him to pause, turning to look down at Astreya and Freyd's engagement. It was a battle of talking, which was a weird one. Was this still even a fair fight? Now that he thought about it, why have so many matches going at once? Doesn't that make it sort of difficult to pay attention as a ref? Asians were weird.

[Jomei 0]

Stepping off of the mat and out of the dojo, the ginger let out a heavy sigh once away from the other combatants. Confidence had emptied out of him faster than a bucket with a hole in it. It was a fair fight, and an exciting one at that.. but he hoped to at least make it to the second round. He turned a chin over his shoulder to look at the other combatants, some in particular, before making his way back towards where the spectators were gathered. 

A face unfamiliar to him, covered in thick facial hair greeted him with a mouth full of noodles. Despite the rough introduction, Jomei offered a kind bow of his head, "Jomei. And not really, I'm usually used to something with a little more finesse.. and, you know.. kind of relying on the system to help out with landing attacks." Olive eyes turned from him sheepishly as he scratched at his cheek with an index finger. 

His attention turned to the fighters that remained for a moment before feeling the presence of another beside him. A head of violet hair, about a foot shorter than him, stood before him, her face looking as though she had just seen someone in the nude. A curious brow rose as she started to babble, words stumbling over each other as --though speaking quickly-- slowly made her way to the point. Through the middle of it, Jomei was not able to hold back a smile. Finally, with a forceful, but gentle, hand, she thrust forth a cup of tea for the Irishman. "Well, well. You're like a completely different person when not focused on the battle." he teased with a chuckle taking the tea in the cup of his hand. "Thank you, I appreciate it. You are one hell of a fighter, I barely stood a chance out there." Bringing the cup to his lips, he took a sip. The hot, herbal tea refreshing him after their duel, "I guess now that we're not crossing swords, I'm Jomei."

@Griswold @Nari-Lanreth

[Astralin 0]

The two players continued walking towards the dojo, where they were to retrieve their gear and prepare for the competition. Astralin didn't know who was participating and who was fighting just yet, aside from herself and Yona.

Along the way, she passed by some familiar faces, such as @Koga and the Artisan who made her Amulet(@NIGHT). As she and Yona passed by, she waved to them while saying a soft "Hi!" to them with a smile.

She also noticed a new friend of hers(@Astreya) talking to a brown haired male(@Bismuth) She waved to them as well. Astralin might have been unnerved by Yona's words, especially if they held water, but that wouldn't stop Astralin from being nice.

Inside the dojo, it would seem that the time for the matches was arriving. Astralin turned to look at her current only theoretical ally. "Well, guess this is where we split for now. Good luck, I hope to face you in the finals!" She said to Yona, before running off to equip the tournament's required gear.

As long as Astralin kept her head in the game, she'd stand a decent chance, right?

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari will flush at the Jomei's words. Bowing her head to let her hair fall forward, she'll slyly smile. "You're not bad yourself, you know...I used to do Aikido in the real world, and well, we did some...not kendo, but you know - training blades and stuff - and well, only my Sempai could keep up with me. She said I was gifted. She..."

Nari's voice will drift off as a tear builds in the corner of her eye. The smile will disappear slowly, as her face and eyes seem to become distant, remembering the last time she had spoken with her Sempai. Remembering everything that this game had taken away from her. Shaking the feeling off, she'll glance back at Jomei's eyes.

"Do you fight on the frontlines?" A serious look upon her face, she'll stare at him, unblinking, waiting for an answer.

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

It would seem reminiscing a bit about her life outside of SAO was a bit tough for her, for whatever the reason may be. They all had family and friends on the outside that they missed and wish they could get home to. If this were simply a situation like that, then he knew what Nari was feeling all too well. If it was something more that troubled her as she spoke of her teacher, well, Jomei would not know for sure. 

"Yeah, I kind of guessed you had some sort of real world training with those moves." he said with a small laugh, hoping it would help pull her out of her bad thoughts "I've never done any sort of martial arts training in the real world.. so all my experience came from within here." His left hand would come to rest on the hilt of the wooden blade that he still had shoved into the cloth belt. One at a time in rapid succession, his fingers tapped on the pommel. "I'm a rapier user, so fighting with a wooden katana also threw me off a bit.. But I shouldn't be making excuses, you beat me fair and square." 

Perhaps mentioning his previous experience in game spurred the question about his status on the frontlines. Suddenly, a girl who seemed to struggle with keeping eye contact with the ginger as she spoke, stared at him with wide eyes. "U-Uh.. yeah. Yeah I'm a frontliner. I... took a bit of a .. break from the last boss fight, but I'll be joining back up with the raid team once they've scouted out the boss on the Twenty Seventh Floor." 

@Nari-Lanreth

[Alkor 0]

He stepped out of the arena and summoned a towel from his inventory. With a ragged breath, he dabbed some of the perspiration from his face and neck before slinging the white fabric over one shoulder and hurrying away from the crowd that had gathered to watch. He wasn't the type to mingle or get heavily invested in social gatherings, and he didn't particularly like the idea of scouting the competition. He preferred to adapt and learn based on his own experience. He planned to continue on toward the beautiful lake view, but was stopped short when he noticed Baldur. He gave a stiff bow, careful not to make eye contact.

"Sorry about the training sword," he murmured dutifully. Since the man was already engaged in other conversation, he did not want to intrude. (It was also likely that Alkor just didn't want to become part of the conversation.)

He did not miss a step after the bow was complete, and turned to make a bee line toward one of the many bridges of the compound, where he would await the second round.

[Astreya 0]

Pre-Fight:

As Jomei started to backpedal a bit from what he'd said, and per his own admission, a poor attempt at a joke, some of the confusion (and concern) from Astreya started to evaporate a bit.  Not that she had pegged Jomei for being the kind of guy where that was his ambitions was to get fame and recognition for being on the front lines, but that was mostly where her confusion had stemmed from. She was usually (albeit not always) a good read of people, and she hadn't really gotten that sort of boastful arrogance from the irishman, so when he'd said that, it had caught her a little sideways.

Thankfully, after he explained himself, Astreya let out a small breath, nodding his way.  "Like, I'm hoping to!  I don't, like, know how many tanks you guys have on the front lines, but I'm totally going to do that.  Seems like they'd, like, get the worst of it, y'know?" she spoke.  "Just hope that, like, I can keep on it if it comes down to it!" she cheered, a little uncertain about what all would be coming down the pipe if she did sign up to be on the Front Lines.  It scared her a little, but there wasn't much other choice but to just go and do it.

"Yeah, Freyd's helped me out a few times.  He's like, totally really strong and I'll probably get my butt kicked, but that's okay.  It'll totally be a good measure of how much further I, like, have to go to be ready, y'know?" she spoke, before Bismuth had poked in, and the young woman grinned in response to Jomei's words.  "I like meeting new people!  No lie, that's also a reason I like, wanna get in on the front lines, to meet everyone," she spoke, giving a small grin before Jomei was called out to start the fight with Lari.

"Good luck!" she called, chatting a bit with Bismuth and waving toward Astralin as she caught the girl's eye, but it wasn't long before they were all called out as well.  "All right Freyd!  Let's go!" she hollered, regardless of whether or not he heard her.

----

After Fight:

Astreya ambled out afterward, frowning a little.  She was in a good mood, admittedly, but she was pretty sure that Freyd had taken it easy on her.  He had mostly been goofing off, which was fine- she had started to have some fun with it as well as the fight had gone on, but she was really looking forward to fighting someone on the Front Lines with everything.  Maybe she'd ask him for a friendly duel or something afterward?  Granted, maybe she should get to the level cap first before she tried something like that.

She glanced up, noting someone seeming to get further away from the rest of everyone else... and she frowned slightly, curious what that was about.  Maybe they were like Nari and didn't particularly like getting into situations around a lot of people?  She noted on the bracket that Nari had won as well, and she wondered if this wasn't some big silly thing that let the newer players win.  That or maybe the older ones just were too reliant on the systems? It was hard to say.

"Well, let's go see who I'll be fighting next..." she murmured, but realized the fight was still going.  She looked out at the field, seeing Astralin up against a large individual.  "Dang!  He's a big dude!" the girl spoke as she looked out at Calrex.  "Go Astralin!  Kick his butt!" she called, not caring who heard her.

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

"U-Uh.. yeah. Yeah I'm a frontliner. I... took a bit of a .. break from the last boss fight, but I'll be joining back up with the raid team once they've scouted out the boss on the Twenty Seventh Floor." 

“Oh, yeah? I uh…have some questions for you. I want to know how to get…” Nari’s voice will drop off as she sees a familiar face moving through the crowd. Feeling herself flush slightly she’ll continue hurriedly to Jomei, “…how to get on the frontlines – I just saw someone I know. Uhm. I…I’ll be right back, okay?!”

Not waiting for a response, Nari will push through the crowd to Astreya, waving slightly as she gets close.

“Hey! Long time no see, I think. Are you here to fight too? I just finished my fight. Against…Jammies?...Oh no I forgot his name…” Nari will glance back towards Jomei with a look of shock on her face, suddenly realising how flustered she was. Her hands will begin fidgeting slightly in front of her, running her fingers over and around the fingers of her other hand.  

@Jomei and @Astreya

Spoiler

Word Count: 182

 

[Astreya 0]

Astreya had put her hands up to her mouth to give Astralin another whooping cheer, but before she had the chance to do so, she caught sight of someone waving at her from the side, and the brunette paused, turning to glance over before her eyes lit up.  "Nari!  I caught parts of your fight!  You did, like, so good!" the girl spoke, giving her a smile and a grin as she came closer.  

As the girl stumbled over Jomei's name, Astreya couldn't help a small giggle of laughter, moving her hand over her mouth, trying not to be impolite to the girl.  "Jomei, right?" she asked, mostly just wanting to make sure that she wasn't making the girl feeling inadequate with Astreya remembering the name of her opponent better than the fighter herself had.  "I, like, ran into him at Koga's party.  And we were talking before the fight, too!  I totally, like, told him to go easy on you.  Maybe I shouldn't have!" the girl responded with a small grin.

"But yeah, I totally beat Freyd out there.  Except that I'm pretty sure that he like, was taking it easy on me too," she spoke, gesturing toward the fellow she'd been fighting against.  "But I guess we're both going into the second round!  I get to fight one of those two, like, depending on who wins," she spoke, indicating the fight between the blonde-haired young woman, fighting hand-to-hand against the shirtless, blue-haired muscleman opposite her.  

"We'll see how that goes!" she spoke, giving a small grin as she looked back out toward the arena, watching the fight reach its zenith.  "Who're you, like, fighting next?" she asked, curious if she knew them.

@Nari-Lanreth

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Nari felt her glance shift towards Jomei’s form across the arena, the words that Astreya had stated ringing in her mind. ‘Was he…going easy on me? It certainly hadn’t felt like it, not towards the end, at least.’

Nari smiled as she returned her gaze to Astreya, something about the girl’s chipper behaviour bringing a wave of happiness over her. Glancing at the two fighters she was pointing out, Nari watched them trade blows for a second, before nodding her head.

“It would appear as though you’ll have quite the fight ahead of you, regardless of which comes out victorious. For myself, well…” Nari will glance towards where the brown-haired boy known as Koga, was fighting a blonde-haired individual whom Nari could only assume was Alkor. Koga appeared to have decided to forgo any weapon, instead engaging in the fight with only his fists…something that seemed to have backfired on him slightly, so far. Nari watched as Alkor’s training weapon scored the final hit, bringing the fight to a closure. “Well, it would seem I’m to face…Alkor? Do you know him?”

@Astreya

Spoiler

Word Count: 181