[F1-PP] The Old and New

[Eruda 0]

Walk through the streets of the beginning town, it had been a long while since she been down this far. Raidou was hand delivering invites to the wedding and there was only one person that Eruda really wanted to come. A friend of the family's, hope that he wasn't mad for not being there in a while. Crossing the ally way where there was a rusted pole, through another that had an old broken-down building. It would seem that the perfectly build system wasn't so perfect, unless it was intended but that was highly unlikely. Even though this was just a game, Eruda saw it in a whole new light thanks to almost husband. 

Walking down the longer pathway, Eruda hits the building that reads Cal's Burger's. With a twist of her head, she could of swore that the sign was half off the hinges last time she was here. That and there was no Cal's at the beginning either. Walking through the old interior, "Calagin, what happened to your sign. It looks all weird and new now." The smell of grease and salt filled the building. The white tiles collected upon the floor looked like they were glossed over now, and the light purple walls were now a light blue color. "AAAHHHH Eruda, it's nice to see you again. What's wrong with my sign..." A burly looking man walks out from the kitchen area with a deep gruff voice, expression happy then instantly grump. Eruda was glancing around at the changes that had transpired, that is when she caught another woman sitting at one of the few tables. "Uhh nothing Cal, I just wish you kept it like it was," eyes move from the blond woman to the old grey haired, shoulder length, medium sized beard, man now standing where the main counter was. "Aahh come on, don't be mad. I made the changes to get more business. I think that's how she found my building; it didn't look so rigid like the other building around these parts. How's that boy doing, eh. Is he treating you well, I could kick him to tim buck two and back if you need me to." Chuckling, Eruda sits at 1 of the 4 tables. "We are doing more than fine, and I doubt that. He'd be on the top floor before you even knew where he was. Plus, your too old..." Smirking, waiting... "Rude," bursting into a hardy laughter. "I will fix you up something, regular, on the house," saying as he walks back toward the steaming hot room. 

Turning her chair to see the blond at a better angle, "You were in the front lines, right? I fought in the raid a few floors back," twisting her head slightly with a smile. "If I recall correctly, you were a sword and shield tank..." saying that like a question, making sure she was remembering it right. It was a little while back and a lot has happened since then.

Eruda | HP: 940/940 | EN: 106/106 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 179 | BH: 51 | LD: 4 | BRN: 56 | BRN IMMUNE | FL. AURA: 16 | FL. THRN: 8 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72

Spoiler

Eruda, Unbridalled Fury
Level: 33
Paragon Level: 56
HP: 940/940
EN: 106/106

Stats:
Damage: 8
Mitigation: 179
Battle Healing: 51
Loot Dice: 4
BRN: 56
BRN IMMUNE
FL. AURA: 16
FL. THRN: 8
REC: 8
TAUNT
THRNS: 72

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Consuming Pyre - Surt T4: (Burn 2, Taunt)
Armor: Reinforced Plate - Lily T4 Demonic: Flame Aura 2, Flameproof, Recovery 1
Misc: Stalwart Defender T4 Demonic: (Thorns 2, Recovery 1, Flame Thorns 1)

Custom Skill:

Skills:
Curved Sword R5
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Fighting Spirit
Howl
Searching R4

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Iron Skin
Focus
Rampart
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Block R5
Concentration
Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:
Deep Guilty Greasy Burger: Gungir's Shard [202715b] 3 Mitigation, T4 (Feast)  x

Housing Buffs:
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.

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:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Lessa 1]

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad Level: 31 Paragon Level: 54 HP: 820/820 EN: 120/120 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 45 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 LD: 3 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC) Skills: Straight Sword R5 Heavy Armor R5 Battle Healing R5 Energist Fighting Spirit Charge Active Mods: Impetus Emergency Recovery Justified Riposte Addons: Iron Skin Ferocity Stamina Active Extra Skills: Parry Survival Battle Ready Inventory: Teleportation Crystal x5 Mass HP Recovery Crystal x2 Sweet and Sour Licorice Bites | Tierless Perfect Snack | Loot Die 3 x 3 ([223577c] [223577d] [223577e]) Housing Buffs: Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three 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) Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1] Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Guild Hall Buffs: Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +10 bonus Exp at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]

Lessa didn't notice the door open, or the woman who let herself inside. She didn't notice the stench of grease that hung in the air thicker than Axe Phoenix in a middle school hallway. She didn't notice the way the lights reflected off the freshly painted baby-blue walls, or gleamed along the polished tiles, and how strange the concept of a "polished burger joint" was. Odds were likely that a nuclear bomb could have been dropped on the booth next to hers, and Lessa would not have noticed.

Why?

Because she was eating a motherfucking olive burger.

Over a borderline orgasmic groan, Lessa finally registered the appearance of another Player. Caught up in a mayonnaise-flavored haze, the young woman struggled to focus on the fellow blonde who had engaged the jolly restaurant owner in conversation. Or, at least, he'd been jolly a few moments earlier. He'd lit up when she'd requested the particular burger, rather than laughing her out of the shop the way every other cook had. The challenge had invigorated the man, and boy, had he delivered. He'd presented the Michigan girl with her Michigan burger, something she had only dreamed of for going on a decade. It wasn't quite clearing the 100th floor and escaping Aincrad, but it came damn close. And she had Cal, of Cal's Burgers, to thank. She would never be able to make it up to him. She would cherish it, and him, forever. She would sing his praises. Maybe she'd start a cult in his honor. Or a religion. 

And this other Player was making Olive Burger Jesus upset.

Unacceptable.

Lessa swallowed her mouthful of beef and green olive, straightened in her chair, and finally gave the newcomer her full attention. Eavesdropping was rude, but so was upsetting Cal, her lord and savior. Necessary evils, and all that. But only a moment after Lessa tuned in, Cal gave a sharp bark of laughter, and the tension flowed from Lessa's body. There, a small voice in the back of her mind reassured her. Nothing to worry about. Everything is-

OLIVE BURGER, the rest of her brain said, and she obliged. Dragging the plate closer (possibly so she could simply shovel the burger into her mouth), she was startled when the Player actually spoke to her.

"Oh, hey, yeah," Lessa stammered brilliantly. Without a thought, she lifted her hand to her mouth, and dragged the back of it across her mayo-stained lips. "I was there, but I think you may have me mixed up with someone else. I'm just a DPSer. No tank, and no shield, though I think that's an awesome look." Lessa considered extending her hand for a shake, then remembered, and thought better of it. "My name is Lessa."

 

 

[Eruda 0]

You could hear in the back Cal sing a few words and then start humming to seeming no music. "Oh..." raising her head in a tilt trying to think of the other person she might have seen. Shaking the thought off glancing back at the woman, "Well I am glad I got the first part right. I'm Eruda, the weirdest part is I am a sword and shield tank..." Eyes veering down in a weird confusion for a moment before saying, "Off tank..." Coming round the corner, "And here is your special delivery, my girl," grabbing a teacup and pouring some hot green tea. "Oh, you remembered," eyes lighting up as she takes a sip. "I may be old," euphuizing the word old, "But my mind is still right as rain," tapping his noggin with an index finger. A chuckle, glancing down at the burger. Two layers of hamburger with a whole slew of different veggies on it. Setting down the cup and giving a huge old grin, "Thank you Cal, you're the best," taking a huge bite with a slight hum beneath her breathe. 

After a moment of silence while the girls stuff their face, Eruda would pull a small cloth from her pocket and wipe her face before eyes peering back to the woman. "How long have you been coming here? I was for sure that no one else knew about this place. It's always so empty when I come in." It was weird... Eruda didn't feel nervous at all. Usually, she would just crawl to the corner or walk out. Maybe it was because she was in a place that felt like another home to her. Maybe it was Cal, whatever the case it felt nice not to be afraid to confront someone new. Giving a smile, "Calagin is a very very old friend of my family's. Back in the real world I would come here with my dad and my sister when we were younger." Glancing around the new designed shop, "I really wish he kept the old model though," glaring as her eyes moving around the room slowly. 

[Lessa 1]

Lessa grinned back at the girl. "Well then," she began, "I guess you've got an awesome look. Nice to meet you, Eruda." She took another bite of her burger, studying the other blonde as she chewed thoughtfully. Then her expression grew shadowed. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you," she confessed. "I'm really horrible with people though, and honestly, I could barely pay attention to my own party during that floor boss fight." She tilted her head slightly, then added, "But your name does sound kind of familiar. Maybe I've heard people talking about you? Do you spend much time on the Information Broker's board? I'm always reading the rumors, so maybe I saw your name there. Or maybe we have friends in common?"

Lessa blinked down at Eruda's drink choice, then shook her head. "I'd love to tease you for drinking tea with your burger, but I'm the last person who can give anyone grief over weird flavor combinations."

The pair fell into companionable silence while they ate, and when Eruda finally posed her question, Lessa took a second to swallow her bite. "This is actually my first time. I've been hitting up burger joints all over Aincrad for years, hoping I could convince one to make me an olive burger. Cal's was just the next on my long list. Not only was he open to the idea, he made a damn good one." Adoration warmed Lessa's every word, and her eyes danced with love as she watched the man scrape the grill. "I'd die for him."

Her gaze shifted back to Eruda. "It's so neat that you know people from the real world, and that this place holds such special memories for you." Though Lessa's smile never wavered, it no longer reached her eyes. "I don't know anyone from the outside. It's just me and the people I've met since we got trapped here now."

[Eruda 0]

"Thank you," being complemented felt good. The woman didn't see her at the raid, it was fine though. "To be fair there are a lot of people still standing in Aincrad. I have never dealt much with the broker system, just know people that have..." Taking another small bite of the delicious meal in front of her, trying to think of where Lessa would have heard her name. Maybe it was more cut and dry than that. "Have you ever heard of the Firm Anima Guild; we are a well-known crafters guild. Even helped the front liners get the gear and consumables needed to win. We also help out the new players that decide that they want to get off their butts and start doing something instead of laying low." Maybe that is where her name was mentioned. Even though being a tailor, there are still equipment that others may need that fit their ideal playing style. 

Seeing the blonde glance down at her drink, Eruda would giggle a bit. "I know it's weird but it's an ideal drink of someone special to me. I am trying to get used to the taste of it..." the straight hot tea was very bland to her, but she wanted to see if she could get her taste buds to think of it as a new normal. Lessa was right though, it really didn't taste any better with the burger...

Hearing her speak about Cal like he could be a true love, Eruda could help but smile. "Cal, he wants what's best for his customers. People in the real world loved the place given that he would make their ideal burger. If he didn't have the ingredients that they wanted, he would go to the store down the road and get it with his own blood sweat and tears. I think the weirdest order I have heard was beef, cheese, pickles and bananas. Sorta think that woman was with child," small laughter as she thinks about Cal's reaction when it was ordered.

Sometimes that is how it was. Knowing a lot of people that came here to escape their crappy lives, just to find themself in a death game. "Yea I know people here; I even found my father after not seeing him for years here. To be honest though, I think it's the people that you meet her that allow us to survive. I mean as of late I started getting to know the NPCs in different towns, other floors." Thinking of just how scared the Elves were of her still made her sad, but she was working on that. "A special person showed me that even the people and some creatures that were created are just like you and me. Terrified, happy, work for money. They do everything that we do, so why should they be treated any different than us." This was something that Eruda thought about more often than not these days. Never really saw it until it was pointed out but now, she got it. They were trapped here too, programed but it was like they were changing in from of her very eyes. Showing emotion that shouldn't be there or talking out of there scrip from normal. Still not knowing exactly what they could mean, but she was ready to take that step in helping them too. Eruda knew that it might sound a bit weird, but it was what she thought, felt.

[Lessa 1]

At the mention of the Firm Anima Guild, Lessa lifted a finger in the air and pointed it at Eruda. It had mayonnaise on it, and she nearly brought it to her mouth to lick it off. Then she remembered where she was, and opted for a napkin instead. "Actually, yeah," she confirmed as she cleaned the olive-burger-goodness from her hand. "I've heard of Firm Anima. A guy I've hung out with a couple of times is a member, if I remember correctly. His name is Raidou. I'm not sure if you know him, or how active he actually is in the guild, since he only mentioned it in passing. But he's a good guy. You should talk to him, if you haven't yet. Tell him Lessa sent you. You'll probably find him on the fourth floor, at the White Rabbit."

She tucked her napkin between her thighs, then propped her elbow on the table, and her chin on her fist. "I think it's great what your guild does, by the way. I used to run a guild with similar goals." At the memory of the Guardians, some of the light left her expression. She still smiled, but it no longer reached her eyes. The guild had been a dream of hers, once upon a time, but member dynamics had thrown a wrench in all of her plans. Having a founding member kill another Player hadn't exactly helped matters, either. 

Lessa scooped up her glass of pop and took a long swig, as if the cold sweetness might wash the memory away. It didn't, but another bite of olive burger certainly helped.

"I understand wanting to do something for the people you love," Lessa replied, grateful for the change of topic. "In high school, I remember listening to a bunch of different artists, just because my best friend liked them. My sister used to give me crap for it, because she thought I was just trying to make him like me more or something. It was less about fitting in with him, though, and more that I wanted to experience something that brought him joy. I wanted to share something with him, and honor something he liked, you know?" She flicked her gaze toward the tea, then laughed softly. "I mean, yeah, you get it."

"Cal sounds like he was just as amazing in the real world," she continued, shifting to watch the man who hovered over the steaming grill. "Not sure if I could handle banana on a burger, but as someone who eats applesauce on my mac and cheese, I'm not sure I'm in any position to criticize." 

When Eruda spoke of her father, Lessa's attention snapped back to her. "Your dad's in the game?" she demanded, with a bit more force than necessary. Wincing inwardly, she corrected, "Sorry, I just... I haven't talked with anyone who had family in the game. It must be nice, having that support network? And that familiar face? Aside from Cal's, of course."

[Eruda 0]

Eruda's tea cup stops half way between tilted and not against her lips at the mention of Raidou's name. Somehow she wasn't surprised, the man had been to every floor and knows a bunch of people. Why would Lessa not be one of those many players. Finally taking that sip that was cut short, lightly setting the cup onto the table, eyes find themselves on the banner on her left hand. "That man was actually the reason I joined Firm Anima in the first place. Starting out, I almost got trampled by a boar, but he..." Thinking about the day they met, the day that her life finally began, taking a short inhale before, "He came in like a bat out of hell. Saved my life..." nose squints up, "That obnoxious, stubborn, strong, furious, intelligent, brave, kind hearted man..." another exhale before eyes finally lifting her eyes from that banner to meet Lessa's eyes. Face turns a bit flustered... "I think it is safe to say that I know him..." a small chuckle before clearing her throat. On that note, "Cal, my tea has met it's demise," raising her cup up toward the man at the grill. "Be right there," calling out from the back.

Hearing the woman speak of her guild... used to... Seeing that happy expression sour ever so slightly. "It's most definitely something, seeing all those people that we helped running around, just knowing that we are helping keep them alive with the gear provided... It is something," A soft smile toward the woman as Eruda wonders if she should even ask the question... "Another beverage for my friend here too please..." Moments later, "Coming right up... son of a..." Never taking her eyes from Lessa, "I think that the worst part of this game is that you can only change the outcome so much before it bites you right where it hurts..." Eruda decides not to ask the question, instead makes it know that Eruda knows that shit happens...

Hearing Lessa speak of high school, Eruda's expression shifts a bit this time... "I was the kid in the back of the class, spoke to no one... My twin even went a different direction, left me in the dust. Was bullied for having no voice..." brows narrow to the empty cup before Cal comes with the drinks, switching them out. "Thank you," taking a sip of the refreshed steamed tea. "It wasn't later till I found out that the bullies stopped harassing me because of her." Taking a deep breath, smile peers across her lips again thinking about this.

Couldn't help but chuckle at the banana statement but hearing the excitement in Lessa's voice about her father being here. "Oh, uh yea my father and my twin sister is here. I do got to say it is a bit weird. If I am being honest though, not sure I would ever know my dad like I do now if this game didn't exist. Reconnecting with my twin Freya was sorta nice too. The three years that we barely spoke was probably the worst part of my life." Things were much different now. The woman was right about one thing though, it is a great support system. "I sorta lost contact with Cal when my selfish mother moved me and Freya away in the night, leaving my father and younger sister to an empty house," it was weird... Eruda still didn't speak to a lot of people, new people were still a new thing, but for some reason Lessa was easy to speak to. Eruda felt comfortable around her, similar to how she spoke with Haine, it was sorta nice.