[F01-PP] [Ryoubai & Akatsu] Finally Getting Somewhere <<The First Lesson>>

[Akatsu 0]

Kat’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat when she thought of going outside again. Not that she exactly felt safe in the city after being accosted by that terrible man, but she certainly felt safer than she would outside the city walls, without thousands of other players milling about. With a light sigh, she steeled herself and her thoughts, before putting on her customary smile for Ryou. “Okay! Let’s go pick some flowers or something then! If we’re lucky, there’s some stuff just outside the gate!”

Kat jumped to her feet and threw her arms up into the air, before dancing around. “It’s finally adventure time!” she said with a giggle and a twirl. She helped up Ryou if Ryou would let her and then began to skip off towards the nearest city exit. About two skips in and she thought about it, and stopped, remembering how that got her in trouble last time. She frowned a bit and stared walking normally, making sure Ryou was still with her.

[Ryoubai 0]

Ryou thought about leaving the city herself. She didn't even want to know what it was like out there given how much of a hard time they had while they were within the city's walls. She took a few deep breaths and then nodded and smiled lightly at Kat. "Yes, lets go. I'm sure there will be things growing right outside so we won't even have to travel far." The reasurrance was good for both Kat and Ryou, they needed it badly. Ryou hoped that they really wouldn't have to travel far at all. She watched Kat dance around with a chuckle, seeing her happy always did make her feel better. She got off the ground with Kat's help and followed along with her.

Her eyes widened as Kat suddenly stopped. She was confused but then saw her facial expression. Ryou frowned as well and grabbed her hand. She didn't deserve to feel scared or sad. "If people are smart, they'll move out of the way before they get hit by us." She smiled at her and began to skip with her. Blush lightly grew on her cheeks as she tried it. She wasn't sure if she had ever skipped, but it was a bit embarrassing. She wasn't one to do something so childish but if it was for Kat, it was worth it. She had already made up her mind. If those men ever saw them again, she'd make sure they'd regret ever hassling them again.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209643
LD: 18
Materials Found: 1/5 Kat 0/5 Ryou

Kat was more than a little surprised when Ryou grabbed her hand, and gave a slight yelp when Ryou jump started the skipping again by skipping herself. She looked at her friend in confusion, and while Ryou looked a little uncomfortable, she wasn’t upset. She actually looked happy, and was even blushing a little. This made Kat blush as well, as she skipped along with her friend, hand in hand, like they were both little girls. Before she knew it, Kat was giggling like usual and humming along as they skipped.

It didn’t take too long before they reached the city gates, and Kat gasped at the huge grassy plains that spread out before them. “It’s so pretty!” she shouted her eyes sparkling with joy, as she ran out into the field. The boars milling about squealed ran away from the girl charging into the plains, and Kat stopped, “Aw, I scared them. Poor piggies.” She sighed a little, before looking down in the grass where she had seen one boar snuffling about. There was a mushroom. A truffle maybe? Kat wasn’t sure, but she pulled it out of the ground and held it up to Ryou. “Look, I found a thing to give Zackariah!” she declared proudly.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209644
LD: 2
Materials Found: 1/5 Kat 0/5 Ryou

Ryou laughed along with her. She wondered if this is what her childhood was supposed to be like. She was having fun skipping with Kat. She felt the wind going through her hair. It was nice and it felt like she was finally letting loose. It was nice to feel this free. Her eyes glistened in the sunlight. She looked out at the street ahead of them. The weight seemed to be lifting off her shoulders. She hoped Kat was feeling happy too. She looked less uncomfortable as well. She felt calmer once Kat was being her usual self again.

She looked out at the wide plains and her eyes widened as she was dragged out. She scared, seeing at the boars. Boars were usually ornery if people weren't careful. The boars seemed more scared of them. Ryou yelped when they squealed and ran off. "I-It's alright, Kat. They'll come back once we're gone." She felt more relieved now that they were gone. She wasn't sure if the players would be much better. She spotted a mushroom and her eyes widened. She reached out but Kat had already reached down to grab it. She smiled. At least Kat got it. "Good! Just four more to go." 

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209649
LD: 9
Materials Found: 1/5 Kat 0/5 Ryou

Kat smiled brightly at Ryou and was so excited that they were finally on the adventure she wanted, even if it was a simple fetch quest. But after finding the mushroom, Kat wondered what else there was to find. She didn’t want to disturb the boars too much, but she wondered if maybe following them would yield more mushrooms. She had read in a book somewhere, probably grade school, that pigs were experts at finding food, and food meant things to give to Zackariah!

So she walked up to some boars, and as she walked waited to see if they got spooked. They didn’t this time. They just grazed and snuffled and paid her no mind. This boar seemed a bit bigger than the ones that Kat had accidentally chased off a moment ago. She paused, watched them a little longer, before finally running forward with a quick, “Ahhhhhhhhh!” The boars looked up at her, one of them squealed back, and then went back to grazing. It was clear these boars didn’t seem as frightened. Kat pouted and went back to Ryou. “Well that didn’t work,” she admitted with a frown.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209650
LD: 20
Materials Found: 1/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

Ryou gasped and covered her mouth. That boar was definitely bigger than the others that were scared off before. She was scared that the boars might become angry and charge her but they seemed more stubborn than anything else. Ryou remembered her father chasing away a boar that had gotten too close to her when she was small. She remembered crying because the boar was being very forceful about taking the snack from her hands. The memory sent a pang of sadness from her. Kat acted like such a little kid sometimes. She gently flicked Kat's forehead. "I saw that it didn't. The boars didn't care this time." She smirked and chuckled, teasing her lightly.

Ryou did some searching herself. She spotted a patch of bright yellow flowers and decided to pick one. The rest looked like they were just starting to grow. She didn't want to pluck them all. It was odd to feel the fibrous stem between her fingers. She shook off the thought, thinking too much about the existentialism of the game was sure to send her into another spiral. Instead she would take it one step at a time. She took a deep breath and looked at the flower, then back up at Kat. She smiled. "This looks like you." She said, holding it up for her to see. She was still a bit monotone, but she was being more expressive without the alcohol. She got up and dusted herself off with one hand. She hoped she could find other interesting plants, she wanted to find a variety. Not for Zackariah but for herself, to see what other kinds of plants there were in this world.

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209664
LD: 4
Materials Found: 1/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

Kat was surprised when she was “punished” by Ryou with a flick on the forehead. Gentle as it was, and despite the fact that it wouldn’t have hurt anyway due to the game’s systems, Kat reacted like she had just been shot in the head. She groaned and wobbled and spun around dramatically, before leaning backwards and plopping into the grass. She stared up at the sky, hoping her drama wasn’t taken too seriously. She was very much enjoying this different side of Ryou. 

Kat sat up from the grass, some of it falling away from her kimono after she had shaken it loose from the ground with her fall. Ryou was looking through a field of flowers, and then pulled one out of the ground, saying it looked like Kat. “Pretty! Just like me!” she agreed, before giggling and rolling around in the grass. Kat was having so much fun that she forgot to look for her own flowers for Zackariah. The quest seemed so far away from her mind now.

Edited June 21, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209670
LD: 3
Materials Found: 1/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

Ryou's eyes widened as she watched Kat dramatically fall to the ground. She walked over to her and loomed over her, staring down at her. She chuckled and sat down in the grass with her. She looked up at the clear blue sky and took a deep breath. She was never able to see clearly without her glasses but she could see everything around her quite clearly. She looked at Kat and smiled. She hoped she was having a good time with her. She oddly enough hadn't felt this relaxed before. She didn't think she had ever felt like this in her life. There was always some level of stress and urgency in her life.

She looked at Kat, raising an eyebrow. She didn't think she had ever rolled around in the grass either. She did the same thing, following Kat's lead. It felt odd to have the grass brush up against her skin. She giggled with her. This was definitely something a little kid would do. Ryou had forgotten about the main objective of the quest and was more focused on having fun. While not a bad thing, she would have to get back to work sometime. For now, she would do what her heart desired.

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209688
LD: 16
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

Kat stared up at the sky, and smiled. She was seeing Ryou, her Ryou again, and it was wonderful. She wasn't sure that she ever would see that side of her again. Her mind flashed back to the festival that she had gotten a begrudging Ryou to go to on a weekend night. Ryou had even worn a kimono for Kat, and she looked absolutely beautiful to Kat. Kat looked over at Ryou, in her armor and sighed, wondering what it would take to get her back in that kimono again. The blush ran across her cheeks, and she tried her best to get the thoughts from her mind as she rolled back over in the grass and pretended to search for the materials they were supposed to find for the quest.

She frantically dug through the grass, trying her best to clear her head, before she finally found a dandelion, fully intact. She wondered if Zackariah would accept one? Perhaps, there was really only one way to find out, and so she picked it and stored it away in her inventory. It actually took all of her willpower not to blow all the seeds away, but she wasn't sure if that would damage the flower too much and make it unusable. Still, her mind lingered on Ryou, trying her best to have fun. Kat sat on her knees in the grass, her back to Ryou, and a smile plastered across her face like she was just a little kid again. The danger she had felt seemed so far away now.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209689
LD: 9
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

Ryou watched Kat for a moment. She looked a bit confused as blush grew on Kat's face. She wondered what was wrong as Kat rolled away. She was doing her best not to blow it out of proportion. It wasn't that serious, she hoped. She didn't seem hurt or sick. Ryou looked back up at the sky. She wondered why she had never done this back home. She supposed it was because she was always too busy. She was sick of being too busy for anything. She worked so hard all the time and had practically nothing to show for it. The relationship with her family was close only in the regard that Ryou was the one sending them money. She had only made one friend in Tokyo and that was Kat, and even her relationship with Kat was distant and strained. Kat felt like she had to force Ryou to do anything fun.

With an increasingly worried expression she gasped as if she was going to speak then nervously smiled as Kat looked back at her. "Oh, what did you pick?" She asked, trying to get her mind off of the serious topic. Her face flushed with embarrassment. She hoped Kat didn't hear her gasp. She didn't want to explain what she was thinking. She kept a nervous smile. She was more focused on dodging Kat's questions if she needed to, again forgetting about the quest they were on.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209696
LD: 2
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

Kat turned back around to Ryou, trying to use the hair that normally covered her face to hide the blush that still lightly traced across it. She smiled and pulled out the dandelion, careful not to lose any of the little wispy seeds that barely clung to the flower's center. "A dandelion!" she told Ryou, before putting it back in her inventory so she didn't mess up the flower. A breeze blew through the plains surrounding them, and that was also another worry, as she saw a couple of other dandelions lose their seeds nearby. "I know it's simple," she admitted, "but they're cute flowers. Dunno if they're any good for potions, but Zackariah did say we could bring him whatever."

Kat watched a boar lazily snuffle by, paying neither girl any mind. Ryou looked like she was starting to stress about things again, and Kat started to get a bit worried that her friend was overthinking things as she tended to do. "What's wrong?" Kat asked simply, before scooting a bit closer in the grass and reaching a hand out to her friend. "Please tell me you're still having fun!" Kat said, a worried frown starting to draw across her lips.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209697
LD: 4
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

A smile grew across Ryou's face as she looked at how careful Kat was being with the dandelion puff. The wind gently blew past them. She reached out to her and brushed some of the long blonde hair from being in Kat's face. "He never specified what he needed, only that it needed to be out here so he's getting what we manage to grab." She said, almost offended that Zackariah would be upset at them for following instructions. "He'll probably tell us what it does. That or we can ask people like him, can't we?" She didn't know if they would have the option to, but given that alchemy was his specialty, he would be the one to know.

Ryou watched the boar lazily trudge by them, less scared now. She heard the worry in Kat's voice as she spoke and looked at her, brows furrowed with worry as well. She gingerly grabbed her hand and nodded. She smiled to try and reassure her. She must have noticed that Ryou was worried. "I... I am! I just..." She let out a sigh. "I'm just overthinking things again. I'm really doing my best to have fun. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

Edited June 26, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209698
LD: 3
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 1/5 Ryou

When Ryou brushed the hair from her face Kat naturally tilted her head causing the hair to fall back into her face. She liked her hair covering her face, even if it seemed to annoy Ryou sometimes. She giggled at the gesture. It wasn’t the first time they had it he little back and forth. A lot of men told Kat she had the prettiest blue eyes and that it was a shame she always hid one or the other. But Kat always thought it made her look cuter.

When Ryou took her hand her heart skipped a beat, but then Ryou admitted that she had been overthinking again and Kat’s frown deepened. She squeezed Ryou’s hand and said, “You have to let go!” She shook her head, and tried her best not to be upset, but it was hard. Here they were, picking flowers. Like two little girls. And even then Ryou still wanted to think about home. A part of Kat understood. But given that home was so far away right now, she just hoped that would unlock something in Ryou.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209723
LD: 19
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 2/5 Ryou

"I'm trying, I really am, Kat. I promise you." Ryou sighed once again and rubbed her face with the other hand. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time besides that festival you brought me to. Can you believe I've never been in a field like this? Or that... I've never picked flowers like this? It's so nice to be able to do this, and with someone who actually cares about me." She let a gentle smile grow on her face. "Thank you for at least being here for me for this. I'm going to keep trying my best to have fun. Oh, let's see... Maybe I can find a flower that matches you again! Maybe blue like your eyes? Or the sky?" She chuckled and looked around. Her eyes widened as she saw another patch of flowers.

She stood, gently leading Kat to them. The leaves and stem were a paler green. There was fuzz all over them and at the top were several smaller pale blue flowers that were about to bloom. She took one that looked like it was fully opened, not wanting to take the others too early. "These sort of fit. They look a bit more purple though... what do you think?" She said, holding the flower out to Kat.

Edited June 27, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209725
LD: 8
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 2/5 Ryou

Kat was trying her best to believe that Ryou was having a good time. This certainly wasn’t as fun as the festival they went to, but Kat was still having a good time. Ryou wanted Kat to trust her, but after years of watching Ryou be so high strung, it was difficult for her to be so sure.

Ryou led her away to another field of flowers, and Kat’s eyes basically lit up as she watched Ryou find a flower from the field. Kat was being extremely careful to not crush any of the flowers underfoot. In fact, she wanted to be extra careful. She opened her menu and her equipment and removed her booties. She was absolutely amazed at how real the grass felt on her feet as she walked through the field. The technical marvel of this game was far past anything she could have imagined possible.

She looked at the flower Ryou picked and her eyes lit up. “It’s so pretty! I hate that we have to give all these flowers to Zackariah! I want to make them into a bouquet!”

Edited June 27, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209727
LD: 3
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 2/5 Ryou

Ryou kept repeating in her head that she had to focus on gathering. She could already feel herself starting to slip back into a cycle of doubt and panic. She held the flower close and backed up before sitting in the grass. She looked at the wind blowing through the grass. She sighed as she looked up at the sky then back at the meadows. "I'm really happy that you're here, you know that? It's keeping me together. I'm sorry I'm having a hard time. Picking flowers with you is making me feel a lot calmer." She smiled weakly. "I thought I should tell you. I don't really... want to bottle things up anymore. I hope you understand." She nodded to herself as if to agree with what she had told Kat. Ryou desperately hoped that Kat wasn't going to be mad at her.

She ran her hands through the grass and felt each blade run against her hands and fingers. "It feels so real, doesn't it? It's so odd to me. Maybe we can stay here a bit longer? So we can pick a bouquet and we can keep it? That way we'd have extra flowers to keep."

Edited July 1, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209728
LD: 7
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 2/5 Ryou

Kat's eyes watered a bit, but she blinked away the tears. She had never really felt that much gratitude from Ryou before. Ryou was always protecting her and waving off her help like she was trying to be strong and independent. Which she was, and Kat respected that about her. But at the end of the day, she wanted her friend to be her friend. Kat was always so selfish, and that probably wouldn't change anytime soon. But she wanted Ryou to be more than a bodyguard, if nobody else in Kat's life was ever going to get close to her. She felt like nobody else could ever really stand her, except the men who wanted her for a quick one night stand and that definitely didn't count.

Kat sat down next to Ryou, and started picking flowers for the bouquet she wanted to make. She wanted to make it for Ryou, but she wasn't sure if that was too obvious. She giggled, a light blush starting to creep across her face once again. She had never had Ryou alone for this long before. Never had Ryou be this attentive to Kat and what she said and asked for. "I'm glad I'm relaxing you. That's all I've ever really wanted, was for you to relax and be you," Kat admitted, as she bunched more flowers together for her really poor makeshift bouquet.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209729
LD: 15
Materials Found: 2/5 Kat 3/5 Ryou

Ryou looked down, brows furrowing. She felt a pang of guilt. No wonder Kat was trying so hard, she was just trying to help Ryou to be happy. She watched as Kat tried to meticulously pick small flowers from the patch they were by. She thought as she stared blankly at Kat. No one, not even her parents, tried as hard as Kat did to make Ryou happy. She stared for a few moments more, blush slightly growing on her face. She blinked a bit and looked away. "I'm sorry I haven't ever really known how I'm supposed to act. I've never really known who I'm supposed to be. I'm at least glad I get to discover who I am with you." She smiled at her, her own eyes watering. She liked Kat's tiny bouquet.

She looked around for another patch of big flowers for Kat. In the distance she saw a large bush of them. They were taller than the rest, having a mix of light pink and purple flowers at the stems. She stood up and went over, picking a few off of the bush and coming back over to Kat. She put one in her inventory and held the others out to Kat. "There. For your bouquet."

Edited July 1, 2022 by Ryoubai

[Akatsu 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209730
LD: 17
Materials Found: 3/5 Kat 3/5 Ryou

Kat heard Ryou say the words that she had wanted to hear for so long. That she was glad to be discovering who she was. Kat had seen this Ryou in glimpses, and once at that festival. It was overwhelmingly positive for the both of them for Ryou to be coming out of her shell like this, and Kat would drive that point home as much as she could. She had run out of flowers nearby where she was sitting, and would have normally needed to move to grab more, but then Ryou came over with more flowers. Ryou held them out to her, and Kat's smile grew wider as her eyes sparkled at her friend.

"They're so pretty!" she told Ryou, as she gladly took them from her. Kat put one in her inventory for the stupid quest that was going to steal all her nice things, because she supposed she had to care about that at some point. But with the flowers she had left, she laced them into the bouquet of smaller flowers, using them as dressing for the larger bouquet as a whole here and there. Accented by the flowers, the bouquet was now a beautiful rainbow of colors from all the flowers they had managed to grab so far. But Kat was coming around to a problem. She looked at Ryou with sad eyes, "How am I going to bundle them together? We don't have any ribbon or paper!"

Edited July 1, 2022 by Akatsu

[Ryoubai 0]

Spoiler

Searching for Quest Materials:
Roll ID: 209731
LD: 8
Materials Found: 3/5 Kat 3/5 Ryou

Ryou was starting to feel more content in this strange new world. She didn't want them to have to stop doing things like picking flowers in a meadow or doing whatever non-dangerous odd job would come their way. This was the nicest she had ever felt. She felt as excited as when she had won Kat a prize at the festival they went to. She remembered trying to aim true with the cork gun. The game was primarily meant for children and Ryou felt self conscious playing the game. Kat was whining about how she wasn't winning anything so she wanted to make her feel happy by winning her a prize. She tended to take better care of things when Ryou gave them to her. She won quite an impressive prize for what it was worth, something on one of the top shelves. It was a small cat figurine. The way Kat smiled reminded Ryou of that time.

Her eyes widened as she looked around. "Oh-- I'll get something." She had seen some long grass that looked flexible and strong. She went over to another bush and gently picked it before going back to her. She wrapped the grass around the bouquet and tied it up tightly. "I hope that holds."

Edited July 1, 2022 by Ryoubai