[OP-F24] Everyone needs a break in the summer! Open for everyone. (A strange whisper in the air)

[Acanthus 0]

Current quest objective: extricate from the crowd.

The group had grown from a few people to a dozen strangers in a very short time. The change overwhelmed her. Glancing at Morningstar and his date, she excused herself. “Pardon me, @Morningstar, but I… I have to go dig a hole.” She quickly stood up and fought through the crowd, putting on her best “I am moving with purpose” face, combined with her “please don’t notice me” walk. It was a killer combination that often stopped idle conversation at the office; hopefully it would be effective here. To anyone that stopped her with a hello, she would return a quick, polite greeting and introduction, making her way over to the refreshments.

@Zandra, standing by herself, appeared to be an approachable target of conversation. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier,” she began. “My name is Acanthus… I’m relatively new.” Copying the hostess, she poured herself a tall glass of the elderberry lemonade. She would wait to taste it until no one was looking, just to make sure it agreed with her palate. Regardless, it was probably best to have something in her hands to keep in line with social expectations.

Recognition sparked in Acanthus’ eyes. “Zandra… I don’t know if you remember me, but I actually bought one of your pheromone potions a month or so ago. At least, I think it was a month.” Time felt odd here. “Either way, I wanted to say thank you. It was actually quite a good potion, and it made a big difference in how quickly I found my familiar. That, and having someone along to help out.” As if on cue, she saw NIGHT walking hurriedly along the beach. She recognized the “please don’t notice me” walk anywhere; she was a master of it herself. Acanthus did her best to catch @NIGHT's eye for a quick wave of greeting, but nothing so overt as to draw more attention to her. If she wanted away from the crowds, Acanthus was the last person to judge her for that.

Acanthus looked back at the crowd forming around Morningstar and Willow. He really did have a magnetic personality, although the glimpses of his face suggested that he might be tiring of the company quickly. It made her wonder what he did in real life. Turning her attention back to Zandra, she finished her thoughts. “This beach celebration was a great idea. Thank you so much for putting it on. Despite all that I’ve been doing over the last few months, I haven’t branched out much. There’s so many new faces here.” Acanthus couldn’t help the anxious pang in her voice. She knew she needed to meet more people, but it was definitely not her strong suit. Look at Morningstar: why can't you be more like him? Continuing the conversation with Zandra, Acanthus did her best to channel his natural ease and charm around strangers.

Edited October 10 by Acanthus

[Morningstar 0]

"I feel like I've seen you before from somewhere..."

Star shook his head. He was pretty that besides Willow, nobody in the crowd knew who he was. Even the thought of answering questions was unbearably painful—it was best he didn't give himself away. "I don't think we've met."

The group was becoming comically large. He almost felt bad for Zandra; aside from the odd passerby, she had spent the start of the event alone. Almost was the keyword. He would have swapped places in a heartbeat.

Finally, a face he recognized. It had been a while—thankfully, he didn't need to try remembering her name. She reintroduced herself for his sake. "Pinball told you about me?" He raised a brow. What was there to tell? They had met a handful of times, with few words spoken between them on each encounter. Frankly, he was shocked that Aincrad's resident player killer told anyone about anything. "Only good things, I hope. Nice to see you again."

Acanthus moved abruptly. He thought she said she had to go dig a hole. "Oh, okay. Good luck?"

ID235301 | ld4 + 7 = 11 | -> NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Colette 0]

                      Looks like someone forgot to introduce himself. The conversation was getting a bit chaotic though, so there was no reason to blame the guy. Even Colette might have a bit of a hard time chatting with so many people at once! The blond noted how the two had never met. "Pssh, I mean, I know that." Colette remarked with a smile. "You just look a lot like...wait..." She trailed off, her expression changed, and her eyes widened. "No. Way." She thought aloud in near disbelief. Stephen Star himself. "Oh my gosh, I can hardly believe it." She began. "I just didn't think I'd actually meet you, um..." She had to refer to him by his username, it wasn't often right to speak of someone by their real name unless they preferred or consented to it. It was this moment when a girl who would introduce herself as Mishiro would address Stephen as Morningstar. "Morningstar, huh? Sounds pretty cool." Colette commented. "I really loved your work, I feel honored to actually meet you, to be honest..." 
                              She then turned to the girl that had just entered the conversation. "Mishiro, was it? I'm Colette, it's nice to meet you!" She greeted. She then looked to the woman near Morningstar(Willow). "And who might you be?"

                    Soon one of the players in the vicinity said she needed to go dig a hole, then ran off. Um, what? "Um...isn't it usually boys who go off digging holes at a beach?" Colette thought aloud. She then looked to Morningstar. "Is she alright? Should we do something?"

 @Morningstar @Mishiro 

[Andromeda 0]

"Just your name, for the most part." An envied how Mishiro could slip into the circle and take a slice of its focal point's attention without sparing a thought. An was just tailing her silently. She was trying her best not to hunch her shoulders inwards because she wasn't here to look awkward and out-of-place but to hopefully be included herself. She eyed the gap between the bubbly pink-haired woman and her friend with the intensity of a guard dog and her head spun as she tried to assemble the scattered pieces of context. Mishiro? On a quest? She was sorely out of the loop. "Likewise. The weather is perfect out here. Are you planning to swim?"

"Who's Pinball?" An said, clueless.

Mishiro's hand loosely took hold of An's elbow, urging her closer. "By the way, this is--"

"Ah! Mister Not-A-Rock!"

And if An had sat down to wonder -- why she had taken so long to recognize someone so memorable, she would have said it was the plain clothes. Or that Morningstar hadn't gone a week without a shower this time. Or that she thought the entire maze had been a weird fever dream despite the record on her transaction log. She slapped her hands over her mouth when the volume of her outburst caught up to her, embarrassed. "Uh. H-hi. Mishiro -- we've met." For a moment, An couldn't seem to decide who to look at: her friend or the random guy who knew more of her friend's recent history than her? but she eventually settled on Morningstar. "How have you been? I didn't know you and Mishiro, um, knew each other."

(Away from An's jealous eye, Colette, oblivious and looking for someone to talk to, greeted Mishiro. Mishiro politely returned Colette's greeting. They both didn't think much of it. An would have, but currently she was blind.)

"I like digging holes, too," An said when the topic changed. She was utterly serious. "It's therapeutic."

Edited October 11 by Andromeda

[Zandra 0]

Zandra glanced over at the group where the guests had gathered. Thoughts went thru her mind when and how she would start the first game. It did look like they still had a good time so she decided to wait until there was a calmer feel. Her goal was to gather players together without having to care about anything at all.

Thou after a bit she did see someone leaving the group and heading over towards where she stood. “Hi @Acanthus. I'm Zandra.” she replied with a smile when the woman introduced herself. She introduced herself back as well and too late she realised the woman probably already knew who she was since after all, it was Zandra that have organised all this. “Dont worry about it, easy to skip introduction when something getting ones focus" she said trying to cover it up and gave a nod towards the big group.

She scratched her chin as she tried to remember when Acanthus had come to her lab. “Hmm, I'm really sorry, not sure if I remember it.” she says with a apologizing look that then turns back into a friendly smile. “But it makes me glad it turned out to be useful. If it is okay for me to ask, what kind of familiar did you got? Gotten a good relationship yet?” she asked with interesting as she also pointed at a kingseagle circling over the area. “That is Zita, have been with me on more adventures then I can count. Really understand what you mean with having someone helping you out.” she said and took a sip of the lemonade.

Acanthus also thanked Zandra for putting together the event. “Well thank you for coming and joining along here. I do hope it wont be a disappointment for you.” she continued with a friendly smile. “Also kind of same here. I have been away and spent time all on my own for a long time. But now I feel I wanna come back. I would probably call myself a veteran back then and I guess it is kind of my responsibility to keep helping so we one day can escape from this deathgame. But for that, it would be good to know the ones one is adventuring with.” she hoped she havent acted to weird towards the woman. Back in the real world she had been terrible with interacting with people face to face. She have gotten alot of training when adventuring and hanging out with people in here, but still didnt felt perfectly relaxed when doing it. “Yeah, still remember when I was relatively new, it was quite diff…” suddenly stopped herself. “Oh, I hope I am not boring you?”

[Adelyte 0]

Crimson eyes stared at flat, stone platform in the center of the circular plaza. Every couple of moments, a blue ball of energy would appear, and with it players traveling to and from the Town of Beginnings. Adelyte herself had never used the warp pad before, fear of the dangers much stronger than her lurking on each higher floor. It was not often she let that frightened emotion show, and she mustered all of her strength to put on a brave face. But as she stood 10 feet away, white knuckling the handle of her shiny, never-used, hammer.. she stuck out like a sore thumb.

"You know, when you teleport, it drops you in a safe zone.." a random player, sitting on the edge of the raised stone called out to her.

"..What?" Adelyte responded with a small shake of her head as she came to. "What?!" 

"Yeah, I mean.. good luck traveling outside the city's walls. I can take you, you know, for a pr-"
"Warp Floor Twenty Four!" That was all Adelyte needed to hear to shed that fear and push on to a land she had never explored before. 

The invitation came in from a stranger - definitely not sketchy in the slightest - but what could go wrong? It was totally a completely, legitimate, beach party, and not some scam to lure in low level players. That would be so crazy. Of course, she was right! Everyone looked like they were having a great time as the virtual sun's rays warmed their skin and reflected off of the gentle ocean blue. With her blue bathing suit already equipped, rather than the layers of yukata and robes she normally sported, she splashed her way along the shore towards the gathering. 

She didn't bother to scan the crowd for any familiar faces, or stop by the tables for any refreshments. The sun was hot, and the water was cold - and she was loving it. In the real world, she had never been to the beach. A swimming pool every once in a blue moon, but the smell of the salty ocean water and sand underneath her feet was an entirely new experience. A quick dive under the surface left her feeling cool and refreshed, and even though droplets of water ran down body and appendages, her hair was still perfectly dry. Thank you video game logic. Leaving wet foot prints in her wake, she approached the party proper - probably a good idea to show face.

 

   ♦Lv1 Adelyte
Adelyte | HP 20/20 | EN 20/20 | DMG 6

 

[Wulfrin 0]

"Pleasure to meet you!" Wulfrin nodded to Morningstar's plus one. "We can catch up later when you aren't swarmed. I owe you an apology anyway."

The crowd was even starting to make Wulfrin uncomfortable. Instead Wulfrin made his way to the refreshments table and added the finely crafted cake from Fondante's Inferno. HIs wife, Ciela, had slaved over it the day prior and he didn't want her hard work just going to waste while he waited for a chance to catch up with his friend. Wulfrin moved a bit further down the beach to one of the open docs. He remained in ear shot, but figured he could kick back a bit by handling some fishing. Whether or not he would catch anything remained to be seen, but with this much activity it was unlikely. He materialized a small chair and cooler along with his fishing rod and cast the line out into the bay before leaning back to enjoy the gentle sea breeze.

* * *

Spoiler

Fishing Attempt | Rank 3
Success CD 6+ | Chest LD 10+ | +2 LD When Opening Chest | +2 EXP per attempt

ID: 235302 | CD: 2 | LD: 15

Results:

+5 Fishing Exp

Total Materials This Thread: 0
Total Fishing Exp This Thread: 5 exp
Items Collected This Thread:

 

Edited October 11 by Wulfrin

[KnightinGale 0]

"Neat little party you've got going here," Eve said as she approached the hostess near the refreshments. "Haven't been to a beach one before, so this is definitely a win for me."

Eve was no strangers to parties, after all the crowd she ran with in the real world was always bar hopping. She scanned the refreshments table, slightly saddened to not find any alcohol, not that it mattered though. She had come to the realization that taste was the only thing those drinks carried over from their real world counterparts was the taste. You couldn't get inebriated in Aincrad. She settled for the lemonade. It was cool and refreshing. She could tell one of the players gathered around the table was a little uneasy. She felt a little sympathy for them, as they were acting the same way she did when she was forced to attend galas as a kid.

"Not a fan of crowds huh?" Eve asked the more nervous of the two. "I may not look like it, but believe me when I say I've been in your shoes before."

Eve would point towards the man and what she assumed was his darling companion. She recognized him as a celebrity of sorts, if only by how he handled the crowd. While she couldn't exactly place his face, she knew for a fact she had seen them act in something before.

"Take the blonde one on the towel," Eve said after taking a sip of her lemonade. "He has experience with crowds. It's a learned art managing that much attention. Better to start small."

"Oh and thanks for putting all this together," Eve turned to Zandra. "I'd 'ave brought some alcohol, but I one: didn't know what the turn out would be and two: have no way of hauling that much drink." The second point made was an odd one considering the situation they were in. Inventories were near limitless voids of storage that even maintained the temperature of the items placed inside. Either she was completely oblivious to that fact or she was extremely new to video games in general.

"If you want to chat," Eve said as she pointed to her little set up near water. "I'll be over there trying not to get splashed by the blue haired one."

[Gambit 0]

"Oh, man!" Why were there so many people at the beach? 

Not that he cared too much. The more the merrier! 

Gambit shouldered his shovel and picked up his bucket. He just hoped that he could find a spot to dig. Gambit came to the beach pretty often; it was one of the few things that he did for fun. It was pretty dangerous coming up to such a high floor, but the beach never seemed to have too many mobs on it, and it was usually completely devoid of other players. He wasn't sure what was happening today. He must have missed the memo! 

Humming a little tune to himself, Gambit marched his way over to the shoreline. He liked to build castles and bury himself in the sand, right by the waves. Sometimes he dug too deep and couldn't get out. Then high tide came. He suppressed a shudder and came to a stop at a nice little spot a decent distance away from the crowd. After all, he hadn't been invited. It'd probably be rude of him to go ahead and try to include himself! 

Still humming along, Gambit began to dig. 

[Bliss 0]

Bliss could feel her nerves fraying at the edges, the ocean breeze doing little to calm her racing thoughts. It had been years since she'd set foot on a beach, not since that disastrous day as a teenager when she was ridiculed by her "friends". The memory resurfaced sharply, the sting of humiliation still fresh as if it had happened yesterday. She could almost hear their mocking voices, see their cruel smirks, and feel her legs trembling as she fled from the scene back then.

Now, sitting on the large blanket she'd carefully spread out for others to join, her anxiety grew as she waited for Kiluia. He'll show up. He always does. He was her anchor when things felt overwhelming. Closing her eyes, she tried to center herself, but her body tensed when she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Her breath quickened, the past and present colliding in a whirlwind of anxiety.

When she opened her eyes, though, there was Kiluia, her only best friend, offering her a flute of champagne with a reassuring grin. His presence immediately made her feel a little safer, but the champagne? Seriously? Why in the fuck knuckles was he offering champagne to me? Are we celebrating something? Though she questioned it, Bliss kept it to herself. Instead, she accepted the drink, hoping it would help steady her nerves.

As more people began arriving, her anxiety surged again. She took another sip of champagne, knowing the system took away her "liquid courage." Still, it provided a temporary distraction. She noticed a few players showing up, one of them was a ginger-haired, a ridiculously muscular guy, and the other, a blue-haired guy who had the cutest smile on his face. She waved at them and tried to smile as they approached the group but could feel her words stumbling before they even left her mouth.

"He-Hey!" Bliss stammered, wincing internally at her own awkwardness. "If you two... or, uh, anyone really, wants to join us, feel free..." Her face heated with embarrassment. Why can’t I talk to people like a normal person? She mentally facepalmed, cursing her inability to string together a simple sentence without stumbling.

She glanced around again, waving at others who had started to gather near the beach setup. Her eyes landed on a silver-haired girl sitting off by herself, and though Bliss wanted to invite her over, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything more.

* * *

Tags: @Kiluia Seiko @Cobean @Jomei @Adelyte@KnightinGale

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

People from all sorts of the way came to. Some from the front lines and some new faces that he hadn’t recognized before. He knew of Zandra from the frontlines or in passing. Others he knew from quests like Wulfrin. Many others were just simply newer people he hadn’t crossed paths yet. It was a nice occasion to do so. He looked over at Bliss who took the champagne from him since it was just the first thing he had grabbed. Her nervous behavior could be seen like a shaking leaf.

Hand rested upon the slender shoulder of the woman. He wanted to calm her soul down so she just needed to take a breath before speaking. Eyes would look at Jomei and Cobean as the invitation was extended to them. Anyone really could have joined them. He was happy to join them and meet them all. Perhaps they would have a lot in common. “It’s okay. You are doing your best.” He flashed a smile to her as the duo were on the blanket.

Kil began to undress into his beachwear. White shirt that adorned his shoulders was taken away and soon his muscular form was exposed as soon as the muscle shirt was taken off and placed into his inventory. Long beach shorts stayed on still exposing just his calves. The man was pale and muscular. This is what he looked like in reality when Kaiba had exposed their entirety to the world of VR. He wanted to design himself as unsuspecting, but that was no longer the case.

Red hues looked over at Bliss and tilted his head a bit. He smiled at her and tried to reassure her again. “All you have to do is be yourself and everyone here will enjoy your presence. I bet you anything they’ll love you and if they have an issue... They can absolutely fuck off” He would grin slightly. Those words were foreign coming out of the young man’s mouth, but it was delightful for those who knew him. 

When he finished speaking, he would hope Night would be among the guest as a fabled warrior as the two had participated in some quests together and festivals, but she was indeed always stronger than he. He wanted to be on equal grounds with her one day but perhaps this would be a great time to ask her to do a quest with him once more. If she was on the quest with him, it would be simply easy. Reality swept back to him as a little sand brushed his nose causing it an itch. He looked up at the blonde and simply looked up at her waiting for a response.

Tags: @NIGHT@Zandra @Cobean @Jomei @Bliss @Wulfrin

Edited October 23 by Kiluia Seiko

[Adelyte 0]

At least there was one face that she recognized after all. One of the only people she actually had a chance to go on a quest with; Wulfrin!

Stepping his way across the beach, after a quick pit stop to drop off what looked like a cake, he would set up his rod at the end of the dock. Crimson orbs rolled in their sockets, of course he was fishing. With a curling smirk, she would cup her hands around the sides of her mouth before shouting, "Of course you would be fishing during a party!!" Once she had his attention - if he even cared to turn in her direction to address her - she would offer a small, but excited, greeting with a waving hand over head. "You do you, boo. I'll come bother you later!" Taking a peek at the snack table may not be a bad idea, actually. The heat had her throat parched. 

@Wulfrin

The sandy beach would eventually give way to soil and blades of green grass that bristled against her heels and ankles. A couple of wooden picnic tables pushed into close proximity sat in the sun, with a medley of different snack foods and drinks. "Hmmm~" she would hum to herself as she looked everything over. Everything looked so tasty, even the simple bowls of chips. And the wafting aroma of various meats over a flame made her mouth water. Later, later.. she thought to herself as she snagged a single cookie from the stacked assortment plated so nicely. Holding it between her lips, a hand would reach into an open cooler filled with bottled beverages and ice to keep them cool. Now to find a place to set down. 

Most people seemed to be off doing their own thing, though there was a larger number of people gathered on the other end of the beach. Mostly women, from what she could tell, and they all seemed interested in the one guy in the middle. Facial features scrunched slightly as she squinted, trying to gauge if it was worth it to try and snake her way in. Either they all knew each other already, or they were looking elsewhere to quench their thirst. He was cute, couldn't blame them. Oh, there was another boy as well. Another bluenette like herself. Was he friends with them? Was he also interested in the blonde boy? Gasp was this the beginning of some boylove romance? Was she already writing fanfiction in her head? Maybe..  Snagging her attention away, a nearby girl called out and invited anyone to join them on their blanket. It was a pretty nice looking blanket, big, with plenty of room for others to join. Well, if she insisted. 

"Don't mind if I do" Adelyte would chime in as she walked over to the two sitting on the blanket. The one who called out, the girl, had curly blonde hair and soft blue eyes. The other was a man who looked like he worked out in the dark and never set foot outside his home. She almost could not see where his forehead ended and his hair began, they were both so white and pale. But those muscles though.. A very interesting duo. Dropping to her knees, she would lay her stomach down onto the blanket, a waterfall of hair over her right shoulder. "Nice to meet you both, I'm Adelyte." A warm greeting with a bright smile, her feet kicked up behind her as her red eyes looked between the two. "I don't really know anyone else here, so now you have the pleasure of me being your blanket mate."

@Bliss @Kiluia Seiko

[Jomei 0]

With a soft smile plastered on his face, the ginger stepped from the grass to the sand. A nearby voice caught his attention, one all too familiar to him that easily caused him to stop in his step and turn in their direction. Hair black as night with a skirt to match and piercing, yet kind, eyes of red. "Ah, hey Z." the ginger greeted her as he raised a free hand to wave in her direction. "I think I feel a bit underdressed now," he would add with a chuckle and rub of the back of his neck, regarding her choice of dressy attire versus his own floral swim trunks and hooded sweater. "Either way, looks like a great turnout so far. Thanks for hosting." Catching a glimpse at the others in attendance, he saw multiple moving in Zandra's direction to pass off their own greetings. "I'll let you get back to playing host, make sure to enjoy yourself too. We'll catch up later." With another small wave over his shoulder, Jomei would make his way off towards the rolling waves of blue. 
@Zandra

A small, red-lipped smile and a shy wave from a cascade of golden curls sparked a kind grin in return from Jomei. The pretty face was joined by a man with snow white hair, the two sharing flutes champagne. A time that looked like it would make a wonderful date. She extended the invitation to sit and chat with him, and others. With a small, two fingered wave, the Irishman greeted her and responded. "Perhaps I'll take you up on that, lass" A small turn from her, and Jomei would toss the lime green swim tube onto the sand, along with his sweater top. "But later, I've got to make my rounds first, say hello to a friend." And with a friendly wink and smirk combo, he turned heel towards the other end of the beach, where a larger group had gathered. 
@Bliss@Kiluia Seiko

"Wulfrin, good to see you agian." Jomei would address the fellow frontliner with a pat on the shoulder as their paths crossed. "I wish you a good haul." he added, as his eyes shifted to his fishing pole. Keeping the interaction short and sweet as to not disrupt the man's gathering plans, he continued across the way to the larger menagerie of players. Mostly unfamiliar to him, at a glance, but he recognized his friend Morningstar. "Star, hey!" he would call out as he approached with a small wave. "Good to see you again. Quite a posse you've got with you here."  he referred to the others sporadically set up around the man.
@Morningstar@Wulfrin

[Cobean 0]

                                   The air seemed different here. Mingled with the usual salty scent of the sea was the fragrance of lavender. It only took a few seconds for Cobean to realize the pink haired girl was the source of the scent...but why would she need it here? How did she have it, even, where'd she apply it? Cobean's best theory was to chalk it up to game logic for the time being, and put his focus back on the conversation and the people around. The pink haired girl seemed to have a sudden recognition of the oddly familiar blond. It wasn't explicitly stated, so Cobean had to piece together any clues he could find in her words and expressions.

      Cue the seconds of excessive thought. Give it time.
  Tick...tick...tick...tick...ding!
              At last, it clicked as the answer settled within Cobean's mind.
                    "Stephen Star??"

               Oh Cobean, you poor boy, you shouldn't have done that...
      Regardless, he drew closer to the scene. The pink haired girl would note how she enjoyed Stephen's work. "Same here!" Cobean chimed in. "Your musical acts were among my favorites. And when you stepped up to sing, the sheer amount of heart put into it...the way each lyric was was spoken, and the feeling within...Chef's kiss." He said, with that gesture he mentioned at the end. Of course, there was also a few other films that he happened to be partial to, but for now, better not over obsess in this moment. Cobean then noticed how many people were interacting with Stephen, and realized that he might unintentionally overwhelm the guy if he kept talking. "I'd love to keep talking, but I don't want to overwhelm you. I'll just find someone else to talk to for now. Maybe we can hunt monsters or something someday!" He said with a cheerful smile, and he stepped away from the conversation. 

@Morningstar @Colette

 

      Cobean then heard the sound of a woman calling out to him and one other, stumbling over her words as she did so. The stammering left little effect on Cobean, but he understood what she said. What was flabbergasting the boy was the sight that entered his vision. He'd hardly caught a glimpse of this woman in his peripheral vision when he was trying to be a part of the other conversation, but now he was seeing enough of her to notice some subtle, nearly instinctual effects within himself. Cobean's face reddened as he caught his breath in his throat. He didn't know how to respond in this moment, even though he normally would. Out of all the things he'd dealt with, and all the more social scenarios he'd learned of, this just so happened to be a new situation for him. At first, all he could utter out was "Um- Uh- Gahh...." as his brain nearly blanked completely. He had to get himself back into focus though, rather than let himself remain stunned by the sight of this lovely woman. He closed his still open jaw, and tapped at the sides of his head with the full spans of his hands, knocking some sense into himself before he proceeded to walk over to the now forming group, as now two others had entered the conversation. Never mind, it was just one, for the ginger was only passing by.
                                  Cobean approached the three players. There was, of course, the beautiful blonde, there was also the other blue haired person, a woman who was now laying down on a beach blanket, and finally there was a pale, white haired man muscular enough to intimidate people(at least, Cobean thought of it that way). "H-hello, I'm, I'm...agh, it's, it's nice to meet you all." He began a bit sheepishly, with a nervous chuckle, despite his otherwise upbeat posture.

          It was now that he realized that while he had been in events similar to this, this was both his third time to a beach in his life, and the first time he'd been to a social gathering on his own. He hoped his brain wouldn't keep short circuiting throughout the rest of the event.

@Bliss @Kiluia Seiko @Adelyte

[NIGHT 0]

in the heart of the activity, she could finally discern what was going on. and, lucky for her, they'd split off after a while. but the core of the crowd had still remained, even if the participants had shifted away a slight bit.

if anything, the group that had caught her attention -- and, likely everyone else's? was the one with star in it. an was there too, with someone she looked close with, but night couldn't place a name to that face. (? whoever it was, she was very pretty, though.) and there was another familiar face, whom night was certain was the groom of that one wedding they attended.

but right next to star, there was a different woman, who might've been looking extremely out of place.

the reason for their gathering, perhaps? maybe someone famous?

her gaze had fell on acanthus before it bounced away. something about digging holes? she wasn't sure how she'd feel about talking up people of the frontlines, right now, especially after she swore she spotted one woman dive into the group talking a big game about getting to know people to win the game.

because it looked like everyone was having a day off.

she made a mental note that day had gone off, so that other too-good-to-be-true blonde down by the waves wasn't her missing other. made another one to ask acanthus what the appeal of the beach was for her. for now, instead, night slipped out of hiding, hoping she wouldn't be noticed by literally everybody else. by proximity alone, night was trying her best not to cut into their personal space --- mystery woman was standing as close to star, in a similar to how an had been with her friend(?). so it was a good guess that they were present together, right?

well, star seemed busy. night just hoped she wasn't going to seem rude.

"excuse me," she started, with a tap on star's-friend-maybe's shoulder. "dare i ask if i should know you? with the crowd gathered around, it looked like one of those meet-a-celebrity events. they're not bothering you now, are they?"

ID235903 | ld15 + 6 = 21 | -> breaking out of this at the end of this post.

[Eliseris 0]

                      More people began to arrive, including a blue haired passerby that looked oddly familiar. She'd only seen him like, once, if she remembered correctly, now that she'd thought of it. Dylan Caspian. ...Wasn't he adopted? Whatever the case, he spoke his piece and left to join another forming group. There was also the fact that Colette suddenly recognized Morningstar for some reason, and Dylan spilt the beans in full, even going as far as to reveal Morningstar's real name. Eliseris didn't pay too much attention to most celebrities, so Morningstar would be lucky enough to only get an organic interaction with Eliseris. For whatever reason, everyone else in the current conversation seemed to be wanting to talk just to Morningstar, it was like Willow wasn't even present in their minds or visible to their eyes. Colette, the two reserved girls(one of which was called Mishiro), one of the other girls in the conversation who had yet to introduce herself(she left to "dig a hole"), perhaps someone else that Eliseris wasn't noticing right now, all spoke to Morningstar and didn't even acknowledge Willow.

             "Are any of you going to acknowledge Willow?" Eliseris questioned. "Out of all of you so far, not one of you have even spoken to her once. Look to the green cursor above her head, she is one of us and she at least deserves a part in our conversation as well." She pointed out. Soon another woman showed up to the conversation, speaking to Willow specifically. "Thank you..." Eliseris thought aloud, sounding slightly exasperated as she did so. It was good to know Eliseris was not the only one who spoke to Willow in all this time.
                     Eliseris would approach. First, an introduction to the newcomer. "Greetings, I am Eliseris, Green in level, but not for long, hopefully." Then, a return to the conversation. Now, where was she, before that disruption smelling of lavender... "The flyer said there would be some activities for this event. Any idea what they'll be?" She asked Morningstar, Willow, and the newcomer to the conversation.

@Colette @Mishiro @Andromeda

@Morningstar @NIGHT

[Zandra 0]

Zandra sent a nod to the ginger. ‘’Enjoy yourself too, remember to try to relax and not think about work.’’ she said with a cheerful smile. As Jomei did mentioned she was the host, another thought struck. There was quite alot of people arriving, and it seemed they have started feeling chill. Walked up to friends from before or starting conversations with people not had previously hanged out with. That was what she had hoped to happen. It was now time for next step of her plans. ‘’Excuse me for a moment Acantus.’’ she threw her glass on the the ground where it shattered into pixels that slowly faded out.’’I just have a few words to say to everyone.’’ she took a deep breath to prepare herself. She have never been comfortable to talk infront of gatherings like this, but she knew herself that it is always good to work on your weaknesses.

Announcement to everyone!

Zandra cleared some place on the table she was leaning on before she climbed up on it and faced towards where the majority of the players was socialising. She cleared her thoat and did some loud claps to try to get as many as possibles attention. She did felt a bit nervous but threw on a happy and friendly smile to hide it. ‘’Hello hello everyone. Very fun to see so many have come here.’’ she said with a cheerful tone in her voice.’’Not sure how many are here from the poster and how many just passing by. To those that havent seen it I will just start with saying I have arranged a little, hmm, maybe party would be fitting? We all know why we are in this world’’ her face and voice tuned sad. ‘’and I dont think anyone think it is always fun and enjoyable. Can be dangerous, stressful or even depressing sometimes just as few examples.’’ she took a short pause and after she turned back to her happy feeling and contiused. ‘’Thou today, as long as you are here, leave all those feelings somewhere else. Just, take a break from all of that. Leave them and just relax. I have made sure there is no mobs in the area so your are totally safe from that, no need to have anything prepared for that. I guess the worst is if someone goes down and take some water at the beach and throws at you.’’ she took a look at the players that was listening. ‘’So I am hoping you will enjoy the relaxing time. But.’’ There was always a but.’’It is not all. Even when having a chill time, can be fun with some games. I have actually prepared some stuff. To start of.’’ a few quick swipes on her screen and then she held a red shining crystal in her hand.’’There will be a scavenger hunt. I have hidden several of these in the area, the player that get most points will win the hunt, quite simple. These red ones give one point, there is also blue ones that gives three points. Then there is also three transparent ones, that each one give twelve points.’’ she scratched her chin. ‘’Well, I think thats all. Go find some crystals!!!’’ she finished off and crashed the crystal in her hand, giving off a firework-like explosion to represent the ‘GO!’ announcement.

Scavenger hunt:

Spoiler

To find your crystals you need to make a roll in the dice roller. Then follow the chart below. You can make on try for each post. Completly up to you how and where you are finding the crystal. Is it under a plate on of the tables? Or maybe under a root at the forest-edge? Let your fantasy flow. To make it equally to everyone, no skills or equipment will effect the roll. Participating in this is not a must, you can keep socialising with your friends and ignore the scavenger hunt completly.

Step 1(BD):
-1-3: No crystal found
-4-9: Crystal found
-10: Crystal found and +1 on CD and LD

Step 2(CD):
-1-7: Red crystal
-8-12: Blue crystal
-13: Transparent crystal

Step 3(LD):
If finding Red crystal:
-1-10: Nothing extra
-11-18: +1 crystal (2 total)
-19-21: +2 crystals (3 total)

If finding Blue crystal:
-1-15: Nothing extra
-18-21: +1 crystal (2 total)

If finding Transparent crystal:
-1-21: Nothing extra

Points per crystal:
-Red: 1 point
-Blue: 3 points
-Transparent: 12 points

Crystals left in the area:
Red: 30/30
Blue: 15/15
Transparent: 3/3

Rules can also be found in first post of the thread.

 

Edited October 23 by Zandra

[Colette 0]

            The girl Colette was talking to politely returned her greeting. After Mishiro had made this introduction and that other girl ran off to dig a hole, the white haired girl would comment on Colette's question, how she actually enjoyed it and found it therapeutic. Well, you learn something new every day!

      Just as the blue haired boy was leaving, the purple haired woman had a bit of an outburst on how no one was paying any attention to Willow, the black haired woman next to Morningstar. Colette was gonna talk to Willow at some point, but the purple haired woman's outburst was kind of uncalled for. Colette turned her head away to distract herself with something else. She saw the blue haired boy interacting with some other players. He and a blonde seemed to be stumbling over their own words towards each other, both flustered and red in the face. Colette smirked. "And they were both bottoms..." She remarked. Wild guess or no, that's what it looked like to Colette.

       Then came the Hostess's announcement that the activities would now begin, starting with the Scavenger Hunt. Once the cue to start began, well, as much as she wanted to keep chatting, If she started now, it would be easier to rack up a higher score. The less effort she needed to put in, the better. Besides, she had no one to disappoint but herself, and how exactly could she disappoint herself? Bah, whatever, there were more important things to have on mind right now. Colette dashed off, and grabbed the first bunch of crystals she found. Well, that's three, only a bunch to go.

 

 

ID# 236304 BD: 8(Crystal found!), CD: 1(Red), LD: 20(3 Crystals found)

Current Score: 3

 

Crystals left in the area:
Red: 27/30
Blue: 15/15
Transparent: 3/3

Edited October 23 by Colette

[Wulfrin 0]

Wulfrin gave a silent nod to Jomei as he passed by and wished him a good haul. Even Adelyte had managed to point out his obvious deviation form the social aspect of the gathering. Truthfully he just didn't want to harsh any of the vibes that were starting to bloom amongst the attendees. Every now and then he would flash a glance towards Morningstar and the other player he was with. Willow, he thought he overheard their name, but he couldn't confirm it.

Zandra then made the announcement of a scavenger hunt. It was an interesting idea that Wulfrin was keen to join in on.  He dismissed his fishing set up with a swipe of his hands. Like a kid on Easter looking for the fabled candy eggs, Wulfrin began to scour the beach. His search brought him close to the refreshment table, where hidden within the lemonade like an ice cube was one of the fabled blue crystals.

"Hell yeah!" Wulfrin proclaimed his victory. "Found one!"

* * *
ID: 236309 | BD: 8 | CD: 9 | LD: 15

Wulfrin finds one Blue Crystal

Edited October 24 by Wulfrin

[KnightinGale 0]

Were those sockets? Eve thought to herself as she observed the bumbling blonde. Wonder how she got her hands on those.

Eve stood up from her beach towel and made her way over to the mysterious blonde. Fierce and rebellious eyes looked the gal over. She didn't look that bad either. She didn't have the vibe of a mechanic or handywoman, but then again since logging in to this virtual prison, neither did Eve.

"Hope you don't mind my asking," Eve said as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her left. "Were those all 10mm? If so I'm impressed you have so many. I always seem to lose mine in my garage."

Eve's eyes drifted to the sand at the blonde's feet. Something glittered under the countless grains. she stooped over and uncovered a blue crystal buried in the sand.

"See I can even find these damn crystals easier."

* * *

interaction tag: @Bliss

* * *
ID: 236310 | BD: 7 | CD: 10 | LD: 1

KnightinGale finds one Blue Crystal

Edited October 24 by Wulfrin