[F01|PP] Grief is a dish best served with whipped cream | <2 Years Prior>

[Astreya 0]

The world around her seemed to move at a breakneck pace, while the young woman merely sat, unable to really...appreciate anything happening.  Her sapphire gaze stared out into the distance, not paying much attention to those around her, although admittedly she understood the fear and apprehension that surrounded the Town of Beginnings like a fog.  A mist that choked out the joy of life, leaving fear and anger in its wake.

They were all here to die, it seemed.  That was what the guy up in the air above them all had said.  None of them could log out.  The Monument continued to have more names on it each day, and she just didn't think that she could process it all.  Not right now... not ever.

There were those who were meeting together, banding into groups to go back out to the first floor and eradicate monsters, to get levels, and to push on to the exit.  Astreya felt like she wanted to join them but she was...admittedly terrified.  She'd already gotten her first taste of combat and that had left yet another name on the Monument when her boyfriend had tried to protect her.  He was the one that had gotten her into this, and she'd been too much of a coward to help him.  He'd died trying to save her.

Her eyes closed, but there weren't tears.  The game didn't simulate them.  This was all just a simulation- this world wasn't real.  None of it was, except for the fact that they were trapped here for eternity.

She wasn't quite sure what made her stand up, and she wasn't even aware of her feet taking her somewhere until she saw where she was headed.  A sweets shop, NPC run, where she and Zack had tasted some things, just to see how it 'worked' in this world.  She still had a fair amount of col, and so she simply just...got a large pie.  She wasn't even sure which flavor it was.  

She didn't know how to put it into her inventory, just carrying it with her as she moved to the eatery area.  Most of the tables were full of people talking in low tones with one another, but one of them had a single individual.  Astreya didn't really take much notice of her beyond that, merely coming to sit at an open spot, the pie (which she now realized was chocolate under that mountain of whipped cream) set on the table.

She reached forth to take some, and a perfect slice came up in her hand.  The convenience sickened her a little.  "Feel free to have some if you want, since I invaded your privacy," she offered.  She could've ignored the green-haired woman but figured it'd be best to at least offer.  "One benefit of this being a game is there's no calories, I guess," she spoke, mostly to fill the silence before taking a bite.  Whether the other individual partook or not was up to them...but Astreya had no problem eating the entire pie.

@Avoryn

Statblock (inconsequential since social thread)-
 

Spoiler

Level 32 / 23 | HP 780/780 | EN 110/110 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 122 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 0 | LD: 1 | BH: 39 | Taunt: 1 | Prosperity: 1

Equipment:
Glacial Blade - T4 | [ACC][DMG][DMG]
Battle Dress MK III - T4 | [MIT][MIT][MIT]
Glacial Mantle - T4 | [HeavyMomentum][HeavyMomentum][Recovery]

Skills:
Weapon Skill (R5) | 7 Damage
Battle Healing (R5) | 5% (39 HP)
Heavy Armor (R5) | 35 Mitigation

Mods:
Impetus | +1 Damage

Combat Masteries:
Accuracy (R3) | [ACC][ACC][ACC]

Add-ons:
Ferocity | +2 Damage
Precision | +1 Accuracy
Stamina | -2 Energy Consumption
Iron Skin | +15 Mitigation | +60 HP

Extra:
Concentration | Gain AA for 1 Attack | CD: 5

Familiar:
Hunting Familiar | Roll LD/CD without bonuses as if looting a loot-min Mob | CD: 5

Profession:
Forager (R3)  - 193/299 EXP

Items:
Frosted Mantle | T4 Armor | [Thorns][Thorns][Taunt]

 

[Avoryn 0]

I was sat at a table, my head resting on my knees as I was watching passerby go to and fro, a half-eaten pastry was laid on the bench at my feet and my hand clutching my pendant. Players, NPCs, everybody. Anybody, with or without purpose. Well, watching was not the right word. I was lethargically letting my emerald eyes wander from anything that caught their interests to the next stop, while my mind was reliving unpleasantries.
I was not in the mood to eat, really.

At some point, a young woman approached me, a full pie in her hands. I took a look at her, from her deep blue eyes and long hair to her equipment. That taught me how little she had partaken in the game as of now. Although she was adorning armour, it was pristine, no hint of any weaponry and her stance was shallow, not one that a conqueror nor a fighter would sport. 
She joined without a word, sat there and reached for a slice, stuffing herself full.

I shifted my head, so that my cheek was resting on my knee, and faced her. At least someone is hungry. I couldn't help but smile a little, seeing that someone was eager to have something.

It was also at this moment that I took notice that she had also offered me to join in her eating.

— Thanks, but... I took a moment to lift my head, as to look and sound a bit more sociable, showing what I had left from my own pastries. I've got my own already, plus... I sighed, shifting my stance to sit properly. I'm not that hungry anyway. If we were in a bad film, it would be the moment rain would start pouring and violins would play. I moved once again, leaning on the table, planting my elbow into it and landing my face on my hand. I'm Avoryn, by the way. Sorry, I'm not in the brightest mood right now, tough times, see?

I finally took the time to look at her and study her features, emotions a bit more carefully, trying to read her mood. It was then that I finally noticed that she was down in her boots, holding up tears that wouldn't run and basically eating her worries away. I stood up and walked around the table before sitting on her end, an arm reaching for her shoulder and rubbing it if as to try and reassure her.

— You don't look so good either, want to talk about it?

Spoiler

Word count: 424

Spoiler

Current level: 1
Total Experience: 0
To next Level: 500

SP: 1/5

HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 12 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0

(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)

Sanngriðr: Perfect T1 Battleaxe | Paralyse x2 / Keen
Soothing Tabard: Perfect T1 Light Armour | Mitigation x2 / Regen

Current Col: 1300

 

[Astreya 0]

Well, if she wasn't hungry, she wasn't hungry.  Astreya was fine with that.  She was really only offering to be polite- right now there was an empty void in her soul and she was pretty sure that this chocolate pie wasn't going to fill, but she couldn't be really sure until she ate it all.  And if she had the chance to devour this entire thing, she would.  Like she'd already commented, it wasn't like there was any real ability to gain weight or calories in here- the game just took your self-image as it was when you started playing and that was who you were... didn't matter what you ingested in the meantime.

The woman introduced herself and Astreya glanced up, giving her a small smile.  "Iris.  Or, uh, Astreya, I guess," she backpedaled.  "I'm not...really someone who plays games so I don't know if I should give my real name or my character name or what.  Not like it matters here," she murmured, before taking another slice of the pie and stuffing it into her mouth, chewing aggressively as she sought to just...fill the strangeness inside of her.  "And...yeah, not really in a great mood either," she agreed, nodding toward Avoryn

It was then that Avoryn shifted, moving up and coming a little closer to her.  It was at that point she noticed that the woman was...built.  She normally was pretty good about picking up on details from other people.  Hell, it was something that her father had basically trained her on since she was young.  But she'd missed it initially- however Avoryn seemed comfortable in proximity to her, and between a few of those things, that told her a number of things between those two details that she'd noticed.  The touch to her shoulder was still unexpected, although she didn't shy away, simply remaining where she sat.

"Not really," Astreya admitted with a small, mirthless smile.  "But I probably should," she began, hesitating as the last word fell from her lips.  She was...unsure.  Not that it mattered- she likely wasn't alone in that.  Logically, the number of people who had lost a loved one or at least someone close to them was going to be high.  There were a number of people that wanted to 'test' things, she'd heard, and that had led to deaths.  Then there had been accidents, like with Zack.

"I..." she began after a few seconds, her lips quivering before she steeled herself.  "Like I said, I'm not really a gamer or...whatever.  My boyfriend wanted me to play with him, and so I logged into here with him.  I tried other games but playing with a controller or on a computer just felt... I don't know.  Boring?  I play sports, I play chess, I like to do things.  So this game, I guess...sounded fun.  And now...he's gone," she finished, a little anti-climactically.  She wasn't even really talking to Avoryn, so much as she was just letting it out in general.  "I'm terrified, I'm angry, I'm devastated...I don't know what to do and I just...I don't want to be here.  It's all so fake and empty," she spoke, her voice starting to crack finally.  

She knew that she should apologize for just dumping everything on this random person she'd sat near.  Or maybe offer to hear her out too.  It was selfish to think that her pain was greater than anyone else's, but it was just so...raw.  There were too many feelings and she felt like they were going to tear her apart- she just didn't have any way to get them out...

[Avoryn 0]

I listened to the girl's story in silence, holding her tightly against me as to make her feel welcomed. 
I didn't have any retort, except keeping my voice as sweet and wispy as I could, whispering softly above her head.

— You know, we both are in the same situation... The only difference is that I know my way around video games, thanks to my... I shuddered to the thought of the death that happened right before my eyes. My now late fiancé. We were also interested in discovering this world, seeing it and interacting with it in person. It was a chance for him to introduce me to a foreign world and for me to renew with old habits that had died. I shimmied closer, lifting her head so as it'd stay on my shoulder and could look into her eyes. I smiled as much as I could despite the sadness hiding behind my eyes, reflecting the searing pain from the past few days. But now, he's also gone, and hasn't returned to save me as promised. I break eye contact and look at the town, having increasingly more trouble to keep my own emotions bottled as a facade. I know how hard it is. Trust me. But you can't let yourself wither away. You've got to find strength within, somehow, somewhere. I wave my hand at the scenery, showing what's around us. This is our reality now. You've got to live to see tomorrow, and the day after. Yes, we're inside a virtual space right now, and we can't do everything we'd be doing at home. But you're still you, you're still living. I hear you crying, I feel you sobbing against me. I tighten my grip around her. You are living. You're still you, a human being, with a will to live and see things through, right? I cleared my throat, chasing away the quivering words that were forming. You said you liked to do things. Sports, games and such. Keep on doing exactly that. Live, exercise, eat, sleep. Everything here is comparable to your real self. Just imagine that you're also trying out fancy new technology that lets you dress, stock stuff and simplify a lot of everyday tasks. 

I knew that during this speech, my hand would've been shaking hard if it was not gripped to the woman's arm. She also was an anchor that helped me not fall into despair. Who am I kidding. I'm mortified too. I don't even know who I'm trying to convince, her or me? I finally let her loose, sliding on the bench.

— Right, I'm going to get us a drink, I'll be right back... And I'll take care of you. As I was entering the shop, I flipped around, checking her reaction. If you want to, of course. Don't want to impose myself at all.

 

Spoiler

Word count: 478

 

[Astreya 0]

Normally, Iris wasn't even sure if she'd be willing to be this close to someone else that she'd just met.  Not because there was anything wrong with Avoryn, but she was simply...not really the sort of person to get close to people that quickly.  She didn't mind, over time, cementing a friendship, becoming closer and just allowing herself to open up to someone fully.  But that took time for her to forge that trust with another individual and to allow her to...let go some of the apprehensions she had about doing that kind of thing.  

But right now, she was just so raw with emotion and shock that the shell that normally covered her, keeping her inner thoughts and feelings tucked away was just...gone.  She was at her absolute, lowest level of grief right now.  She was trapped in a world she hated, and the one person she'd known at the time was...gone.  Dead, because she'd been too much of a coward to help fight back.  She'd let him die and there was no one that she could blame but herself.  

All the same, she felt herself pulled a little more against Avoryn, not fighting the woman and shaking slightly.  She had already cried out nearly everything she had, and it wasn't like the game would let her cry, not for real, but she could still feel her body's pull on her to shake and shudder as she felt her breaths coming in weakened, pained gasps.  It felt...comforting to be held like this.  It was weird, and there wasn't anything romantic about it, at least not to her, but it was still nice to have that feeling of someone else caring.  Beyond that, Avoryn was giving her own story, and it was, for good or ill, eerily close to her own.

The words were too unpracticed, stumbling over themselves, repeating parts...to be a fabricated story.  Even now, her father's lessons were keeping her going.  Listen to their words, their choice of phrase.  Their actions, body language.  Everything someone did told a story about themselves and she got the same feeling from Avoryn that she'd been feeling about herself, just now.  The woman was trying to help her through this...but it wasn't as if the emerald-haired lady next to her wasn't going through her own pain.  That was likely just as much for herself as it was for Iris.

"Yeah...thanks," she agreed, once Avoryn had gotten up to see about getting them drinks.  "I think that'd be nice," she responded, before picking again at her food, her gaze unfocused as she looked at it.  Her appetite was gone, but she still didn't really know how to access her inventory, and she didn't really want to leave it sitting on the table.  As she picked up the piece, she noted that the whipped cream atop it somewhat...hid all of the chocolate.  The bright, inviting topping hid all of the darker chocolate beneath.  

Her gaze lifted back to Avoryn, even as she took a bite of the damnably good pie.  Despite all that she'd endured, she was still trying her best to stay upbeat.  Positive.  Her head turned, looking at the other people around.  The dour atmosphere was broken up here and there by pockets of conversation- people trying to get groups together to level up or even talk about guilds and scaling floors.  The positivity was...infectious might be a strong word, but she at least felt moved by that optimism.  She couldn't just...stay dour.  Iris was a social person and she couldn't...just have people pass her by because of a dark cloud hanging over her.  She...had to be like this pie.  Maybe just as tasty, too.

"So what's your plan now?" she asked as the woman had come back toward her, with drinks in hand.  "Going to join up with other people to...I don't know.  Do quests or whatever?"