[OP-F11] Manic Monday Madness at the Carefree Magpie

[Astralin 0]

 

 

                    The Carefree Magpie. Located in the settlement of Taft, this is a Tavern ran by a Player with the Username Shulko. It is a roomy establishment, with plenty of bar seating and a spacious dining area. Shulko once worked The Carefree Magpie on his own, but he has managed to hire two NPCs to assist him with running the Tavern, or cover for him whenever he's out and adventuring. With an extensive menu featuring numerous cuisines, European, Japanese, a bit of American, and much more, it's nearly guaranteed a player may find something to their taste, and the menu is even still, slowly expanding further. With the amount of baked goods produced in this Tavern, it ended up having a separate bakery menu consisting mostly of the many available desserts, though there is yet another menu for all the available Drinks, both Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic alike. 

 

                          One Monday morning, Shulko put up a sign attachment displaying his latest ongoing deal. 

        "35% off all Drinks from now to the Sixteenth, and 50% off all Drinks on the Seventeenth"

                                 The player to witness him doing this would be his best friend, Vigilon. "So, making a St. Patrick's Day deal or something?" He asked.
       Shulko shrugged. "Kinda." He began. "Just thought I'd word it in a way even NPCs could understand. Players aren't my only patrons, after all." Vigilon nodded his head understandingly. "I see... Well, I'd love to stay longer and chat about more, but I've got plans with Krysta. She's heard about some rumor involving some kind of seal, so I volunteered to help her investigate." He noted. Shulko waved goodbye as his best friend left. "Have a good one, Red Eyes, and come back alive, alright?" He said. Vigilon raised his hand with a reply of "Thanks, I'll try."

               It was only five minutes before someone else showed up to the scene. Astralin came by, wondering if there would be anyone new coming here. "Oh! Hey Shulko! I'm not too early, am I?" She asked. Shulko smiled at the blonde. "Not at all, Starshine, I just forgot to do this first thing after waking up. I mean, it's only Eleven-Fifteen though, what's the worst that could happen?" He replied. The two players would chuckle at the remark. "I'm open right now, so come on in, I'm sure things will get busier soon." Shulko offered as he did what he could to reassure Astralin with his words. Astralin didn't normally come here in the mornings, but she didn't exactly have much to do today, so she figured she might as well show up earlier and hope she gets a chance to meet someone new.

 

                        So far, there were only the last of the morning regulars, any players among them must have already gone to start their days outside, leaving only a few NPCs. Slow morning, maybe? Well, Shulko seemed confident that things would pick up soon, so Astralin saw no reason to not stick around. She noticed that the two hired NPCs, Angela and Avani, were already stationed within. Was this simply their programming as NPCs, or did they actually have such hours for whatever reason? She recalled one time she'd come here and they were here late into the night, so in the end Astralin was left a bit confused...but she decided not to ask about it. For now, she would simply find herself a seat and get settled.

 

 

 

NPC/NPC-Player Data:

Spoiler

Shulko:

Shulko is the Player who owns The Carefree Magpie tavern. While he's gone on numerous travels and escapades, he's done his best to make it work with his Cook Profession and the place he was able to establish with it. He comes across as a bit odd to some people, but otherwise he's the usual geek with a side of weeb. He has a tendency to nickname people he knows well enough, but he's also had several cases of nicknaming people the moment he had an excuse to.

 

 

 

                                      <Angela>

Angela is an NPC hired by Shulko. She is a kind, sweet woman in her lower twenties with a bit of a shy streak, getting flustered from time to time depending on peoples' interactions with her. Working with Shulko and his encouragements to her has caused her confidence to grow, and she's proven herself to do her tasks well, even assisting Shulko with orders from time to time. Despite this, however, she's still a bit shy and still gets flustered or nervous at times, and never goes beyond the bar, leaving Avani to interact with any patrons at the tables. There have been numerous occurrences in which some patrons, NPC and Player alike, have tried to hit on her.

 

 

<Avani>                                             

Avani is an NPC hired by Shulko. She is a woman in her mid twenties and is fairly serious. Although she has a no-nonsense attitude to an extent, she's been known to make witty remarks very often, with some occasional sarcasm sprinkled about here and there. Working with Shulko hasn't caused much change in her, but she definitely seems comfortable working with him and seems to be on very good terms with Angela. A rumor currently exists among a select few of the Player Regulars, that she might be a romanceable NPC...but it seems that no one has quite figured out her type yet if that's the case.

 

 

 

 

Stats and Equipment:

Spoiler

Level: 33

Paragon Level: 8

Paragon Rewards:

Lv. 5 - Laurel Wreath (Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread)

 

Battle Stats:

HP: 680

Energy: 86

Base Damage: 23(MA Rank 5[7], CM: DMG[12], MA Ferocity[2], Athletics[1])

Mitigation: 20(Cloth Armor Rank 5)

Accuracy: 3(Amulet of Aknossoth, Zero Degree Chill)

Evasion: 2(Nebula Librae)

Loot Die: 0

 

Additional conditions:

[None Yet]

 

Equipment:

[T3] Zero Degree Chill(Freeze, Accuracy)

[T4]Nebula Librae(2 EVA, 1 REC)

[T3]Amulet of Aknossoth(2 ACC, 1 REC)

 

Consumables:

Teleport Crystal x1

 

 

Skills:

Martial Arts Rank 5(30 SP)

Combat Mastery: Damage(13 SP)

Cloth Armor Rank 5(30 SP)

Quick Change(8 SP)

 

Extra Skills:

First Aid Rank 5(30 SP)

 

 

Mods:

Athletics(4 SP)

Energize(5 SP)

Barrier(6 SP)

 

Addons:

Martial Arts Ferocity(6 SP)

Martial Arts Stamina(4 SP)

Nimble(6 SP)

Field Medic(6 SP)

 

Edited March 15 by Astralin

[Kingsley 0]

"35% off all Drinks from now to the Sixteenth, and 50% off all Drinks on the Seventeenth," read the sign. Discounted drinks were all Kingsley needed to hear; he would go wherever he was asked. He had philosophized that the only thing better than a good drink was a cheap one.

"I wonder if they have brandy..." he muttered to himself, prepared to drink the business dry.

He wandered into The Carefree Magpie, his 4'11 frame disappearing and reappearing behind furniture. His outfit was the definition of unfashionable. A hat with long, floppy ears and stripes of orange and blue, as well as a jacket to match. His shoes were far pointier than functional and came in a nice maroon. They reminded him of an elf's boots. Not the Lord of the Rings kind, but the Santa's Helper kind. The most normal thing on his body was the plain white t-shirt. He trotted through the room, happy as could be. The bar was his first stop. With great effort, he climbed up onto a stool and took a seat at the counter. His eyes roamed the immediate vicinity. The place was packed lightly and had few staff members. He cleared his throat, making eye contact with the dark-haired fellow manning the bar.  "You're finest and/or most heavily discounted brandy, please and thank you."

It occurred to Kingsley that the barkeeper was a player. He scowled curiously, turning his attention to the NPCs working in the background. He had never seen players and NPCs work so closely before. If he refrained from looking too closely, they almost seemed one and the same. 

***

Spoiler

Kingsley
Level: 1
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 20/20
EN: 20/20

Stats:
Damage: 2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: N/A
Armor: N/A
Misc: N/A

Skills:
Polearm R1

 

Edited March 14 by Kingsley

[Monarch 0]

Yasuhiro’s eyes opened from his little makeshift bed of a bench. The air around him was thick, and the ground beneath him wet. A rare sight for the boy, but as far as anyone else was concerned it was simple. Morning dew. Hiro would stand up, grabbing his journal he had used as a makeshift pillow and placing it in a holster he kept on his side.

The usually unmotivated kid had finally made a goal for himself, and now he was back to his old ways. Months had gone by and all he had to show for it was a packed sleep schedule and a huge pile of filled out journals for people watching sitting in his house. I can’t keep putting this off. The kid would pat his legs as if to knock off the dirt, before taking a few steps. Wait a minute… where am I? Trying to gather his bearings, his eyes would settle on a sign in front of a tavern mentioning a discount on beverages. A deal the lazy kid couldn’t pass up.

As the kid walked into the tavern, taking note of the older gentleman and the glaring lack of other patrons, Hiro would slink his way to the first table he could find before plopping down in the chair and placing his leather-bound booklet of sketches on the table, opening to a new page and starting to rough out the people in the room. His drawing would take shape, not only displaying a great deal of accuracy in the physical realm, but even with just a pencil and paper, Monarch had managed to capture the warmth of a tavern happy to serve its patrons. 

A place usually so full of life, its emptiness an echo chamber for its warmth.

[Astralin 0]

             It wasn't long before Astralin was approached by Avani, one of the two NPCs whom Shulko had hired. "Welcome to the Carefree Magpie." The NPC began, but things happened differently next. "...Astralin, correct? I've noticed you coming here more often." She remarked. Astralin nodded her head with a smile. "Yep! It's a nice place, never hurts to come here at least every once in a while." She commented. The NPC's expression showed little change, but Astralin figured she'd look prettier with a smile. Did something happen that caused Avani to be this way, or was it just her programming as an NPC? They may have been made by the Cardinal, but in a way, Astralin viewed them as people, seeing that this world was the only reality they'd ever get to have. "Right...So, is there anything I can get you started with?" Avani asked. Astralin took a few seconds to think before responding. It was still the morning, and while spring was around the corner, it technically hadn't even arrived yet...so... "How about a nice Hot Cocoa, with whipped cream and cinnamon?" Astralin asked. Avani's eyes closed for two seconds, as if pondering something. She then nodded. "Of course, why did I expect anything else..." She remarked. Astralin blinked, then remembered that she'd ordered the same thing an embarrassing amount of times throughout her visits. No matter what else she got, she often got hot cocoa somewhere along the line...but that wouldn't change her stance here, the order would not change. Avani then moved on to a table where an NPC regular had just sat down. Astralin wondered what would be coming next...

 

                 Shulko noticed the elderly man enter the Tavern. How couldn't he notice? The man was comically short and wearing some tacky odd apparel, it's like he'd come straight out of a kids anime. A man couldn't change his height though, and perhaps he was wise enough to know that sometimes Meta is better than looks, in ways that could even save your life...not like it could earn him any friends, though. The old man climbed up to the stool at the bar and made his order of Brandy. "Coming right up." Shulko acknowledged. Due to his habit of checking the beverage stock every night before he slept, he knew exactly what he was looking for and where it was. Within ten seconds, he'd retrieved the bottle and began to pour into the glass he'd also picked up. Avani would arrive in this moment to hand him two slips of paper containing orders the moment he'd finished handing the filled glass to the elderly patron. "Ah, thanks, Avi, I'll get to these quickly." A quick glance to the two orders, he'd look over to the NPC near him. "Hey, Angie, I've gotta get two orders taken care of and make sure the stock is ready for the coming Lunch Hours, would you mind holding the bar for me real quick?" He asked. The Pink haired NPC's response was delayed for three seconds, but her expression, showing a slight nervousness, explained the pause. "Sure! I-I don't mind at all! Ehe..." She said. Shulko smiled at her. "I'll be back soon. Don't worry, Angie, you've got this." He encouraged, before disappearing into the kitchen.

 

                       Avani checked the surrounding area for any tables that have had a change in activity, and spotted a boy sketching on a book. She would then make her way over to him. "Welcome to the Carefree Magpie." She greeted. "Is there anything I can get you started with?"

[Jomei 0]

  

Jomei the emerald duelist

Spoiler notes Level: 33 | Paragon: 73| Tier: 4(11)  Jomei: 940/940 HP | 132/132 EN | DMG 23 | MIT 44 | EVA 3 | ACC 5 (AA) | BH 51 | HLY BLS 20 | FLN 16 | HLY 8 | LD 1 | Hiding 5 equipped Fragarach  Vestige of St. Patrick Alatreon's Will battle-ready inventory Antidote (3/3)  skills Spoiler Skills Saber R5 | TECH Spec. Combat Mastery DMG R3 Cloth Armor R5 Charge B Healing R5 Energist MA R2 Extra: Concentration Survival (x) Meditation (x) Parry (x) Forgotten King's Authority Hiding R.5 (x) Assault Mode Mods Athletics (x) Vanish (x) Emergency Recovery (x) Surprise Attack: Assassin (x) Addons Stamina (x) Ferocity (x) Precision (x) Nimble (x) data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== buffs Spoiler Housing Buffs:  Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat     Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)     Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Living Room: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==

 

A flash of white and blue energy engulfed the square foot of the stone platform and the air above it. Not a moment later, the swirling field vanished, a tired looking, ginger haired warrior stepping from the flickering pieces of data. The long cape of green dragging behind him above the ground, swaying back and forth with each hobbled step he would take.

The cold bite of winter had been fading, leading to the warmer - yet usually rainy - spring months. Luckily, today the floor was not programmed with a morning rainstorm in mind. With a more restful sleep than usual under his wings, Jomei found it upon himself to wake up early, get his ass out of the house, and brush off some of the dust from his sword. There may not have been another floor boss fight on the horizon, but accepting that this would be his life - for now - he knew he needed to be prepared. And he knew he didn't need exercise, that his body and skills would remain the same, but even after all this time in Aincrad.. it just felt right. Reminded him of his life before, and hopefully after. Some would call him crazy, unnecessary. It just made him human.

The growl of a rumbling belly sent an uneasy feeling through Jomei's virtual body. With the thought of training on his mind all morning, he had forgotten to eat. Just as he would stop to turn, find a usual hang, he saw the open doors to a cozy looking pub. "Huh.. never seen this place before." he would mumble to himself, before turning his head to stare at his house just half of a trip down the road. "New, or.. maybe I just wasn't paying attention?" As his mind pondered, his legs moved forward towards the establishment with his hunger at the wheel. 

The tavern was mostly empty, save for three behind the bar, and a handful of players and NPCs scattered about the bar and dining areas. Hands nestled within his pockets, Jomei strode forth, his olive eyes scanning the area, taking in the ambiance. Finally taking a seat at the bar, Jomei would smile at the pink haired bartender, whom he now realized was an NPC. "Afternoon, lass, lovely weather." Summoning a menu in front of him, he would look through his choices before ordering. "An order of the takoyaki, and a tall glass of water. Please and thank you." He would say with another kind smile, before comfortable settling into his chair. 

[Kingsley 0]

"Much appreciated, young man," Kingsley smiled, wasting no time before sipping his drink. It was slightly above room temperature and had a bit of a bite to it. "Not bad," he muttered. Of all of the brandies he had tried, it was at least in the top sixties.

The room began to fill as passersby found themselves interested in food and drink; it was that time of the day, he supposed. "Might as well pass the whole bottle," he chuckled to the girl called Angie, who had taken over for her noirette workmate. "A real shame there's no sports broadcasting. I'd sit around watching the game all day if I could. Y'know, I was an athlete myself, back in the day," Kingsley ignored the fact that the NPC would have no idea what he was talking about. "That's right, cross-country skiing—fifteen kilometers. Competed in the 1972 Winter Olympics. I was the shortest athlete in Olympic history," he let out a hearty laugh.

"I almost get tempted, sometimes, to pick up the sticks and head on up to floor four," he shook his head, "but I hear there's bears up there and I know well enough not to mess around with them."

[Monarch 0]

Yasu hadn’t been sitting long before a player approached him, asking if he would like anything. He didn’t like the taste of alcohol, and from what he had heard, the taste was just an unfortunate part of getting the effects of it, which also were not in the game. If he had to guess, the only reason one would use alcohol in this game was to simply hold onto a world they can’t get back to on their own. A remnant of a past better off let go of.

”I’ll have a coffee, black please.” Despite not talking to many people, Yasu had a generally good demeanor, and his voice was gentle. Quiet, sure, but gentle nonetheless. The kid would continue to draw, hoping no one would approach him. There appeared to be a few more customers as is, but all in all it was still quiet enough for the boy to enjoy his time.

That thought crossing his mind would twist, if it’s this slow all of the time, perhaps the boy could try to get a job here, make some col on the side while he saves up to build his tavern. Hell if he could sell his house, he would. Slowly, the boy would raise his hand to attract the attention of one of the workers, in hopes they would approach him.