(PP-F1) Crimson As Blood, White as Snow (Tristan)

[Amira 0]

Manta followed Tristan to a place called the Runcible Spoon. Shed never been there before, and it looked to be a bit more than just a run of the mill cafe. Tristan ordered a 'standard tea', and she piped up. "Id like plain black coffee please." The drinks appeared to be a rather large amount of col, so in her opinion, the simpler the better. And she also happened to really like black coffee. Manta accepted the coffee from Tristan and made her way over to a table, sitting down. She briefly wondered who the clearing party consisted of. Obviously Tristan, but the only name she could remember from earlier was Zelrius. "So who makes up the clearing party at the moment, and what sort of builds are you guys in need of?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan waited for his tea to cool down, as currently it was searing hot like a demon trying to drink holy water. In other words, a bad idea. He considered his answer for a while, then spoke up an answer, his demeanour relaxed as per usual: "Honestly? Anyone high level. Azure Brigade are typically regulars on floor clearing, but anyone who wants in on a run will be in it. Rebekah, I and Zelrius have been in a fair few. Mari too, though she has been busy lately. I'm not sure who else though I must admit. People come and go, either from death or wanting to settle down. See, many don't have the endurance to go for every floor clearing and need time to relax, spend time alone or with others. I did this myself when I skipped out on the Floor 10 floor clearing, since I wanted to get my head straight after witnessing several deaths of low levels from careless frontliners pulling too much aggro. As for builds, well right now I'd say damage dealers will be great actually. Potentially though when the fights get longer, we will need more tanks, though that can be hard to juggle aggro with, or more support player to help the tanks out with First Aid. Being honest though, any good player is appreciated, so don't feel like you'll be left out for being a certain build.". He smiled at the end reassuringly, his hands cupping his tea mug and keeping warm.

[Amira 0]

Manta took a tentative sip of her coffee. It was extremely hot, so she set it back down on the table to let it cool off. She listened Tristan spoke. "Ive heard of Azure Brigade. Some guy named Ssendom  showed up in my shop a little while ago." Manta wrinkled her nose at the mention of Mari, her old guild leader. She hadnt spent much time around Mari, even though she was the leader of her old guild. Manta didnt think they got along well at all. She didnt mention any of this out loud though.

When Tristan was finished she spoke up again. "I was just asking because im close to maxing out my rapier skills. Once I finish that ill need other skills to focus on, and I was thinking about getting some first aid, or athletics. Your more experienced than me, what do you think?" She asked.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan laughed out loud at the mention of Dom, thinking how having that built man of a giant walk in would probably scare most people senseless, especially as he walks around with a ginormous sword too as part of his image. "Yes, Dom be what we call loot jesus because of a unique shoulder pad he got from the last floor boss which gives him high amounts of Col from enemies. He may look intimidating with his size and appearance, but he's a nice bloke. And if you didn't of it already, Azure Brigade is a guild which takes only the strongest players to have them as a unified force. So people don't apply to us, rather we pick people out we think is good or shows potential and send them invite. Who knows, become strong enough and you may get an invite yourself." he smiled as he lightly blew on his tea, then sipped on it. "But yes, I'd say Azure Brigade aims to be the charging force with its small but powerful team. Shamelessly elitist though too mind you, but all the Commandants of Azure can trust one another since they know they are all some of the strongest in Aincrad.".

[Amira 0]

Manta nodded as he described Azure brigade. She hadnt heard of them before shed met Ssendom, and she also hadnt bothered to do any research afterwards. Still, shed thought that they might be like that. They were still probably better than her guild though, as they actually did things. She hadnt heard from her guild since shed signed up. "Sounds like fun." He hadnt answered her question yet, but maybe that sort of thing just wasnt his forte. Maybe she should quit her guild, it wasnt like she was doing anything for them or vice versa. She took a sip of her coffee which was now at a tolerable temperature.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan nodded, then began speaking again. He realised he spoke a bit much on Azure, but didn't dwell on that thought and moved on to the skill inquiry as to choice of skill. "Well it honestly depends. Athletics is great fot anyone dealing any sort of damage. So if you want to do more damage, that's the skill for you. First Aid on the other hand is a rather dedicated healing skill. If you use that then you'll be pretty much sitting out of fights since you'll be too busy healing someone. In itself, First Aid isn't necessary for the best tanks unless they fight a hard enemy, though can be very useful if more squishy players take damage. It honestly depends if you want to go pure damage, or do support. And I don't tell you which of those to do as it's your choice." Tristan was a big proponent of giving people the freedom of choice over forcing things on others.

[Amira 0]

Manta thought about what Tristan had said about skills. She was definately not the support type, so that crossed first aid out. She was pretty sure of what she wanted to do next. It wasnt that medics werent needed, she just wasnt that type of player. She needed to be closer to the action. "All right. That advice is really helpful." She said seriously. Now that they had pretty much finished talking about skills, it seemed as though the conversation was running dry again. She felt obligated to at least try to keep the conversation going, so she came up with another question to ask. "What floor is the best for hunting mats do you think?" She asked, hoping that the constant questioning wasnt annoying him.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

The questions didn't irritate him at all, as he was always here to support players with their issues or questions. After all, knowledge was power and to withhold it from players for some sort of advantage was mere folly in his eyes. He thought about what she asked and said "Any really. However by nature your choice of weapon is not as suited for material gathering as a weapon suited in area of attack capability, being more focused on damaging a single target. So if you are in need of materials, I would actually suggest you inquire someone more capable in gathering with a weapon powerful in AOE sword arts, so anyone with a curved sword or two handed straight sword. There is however a sword art available with Rank 2 in martial arts for rapier you can get, but that would require skill points invested in Martial arts to obtain. So I'd say for materials you talk to someone more capable on that front. Sadly I would have to rule myself out, as my damage capabilities are rather abysmal at current, and will stay so until I can max out Block most likely.".

[Amira 0]

"So your suggesting that I partner up with someone who uses those weapons, or find someone to buy them from?" It wasnt sounding good for her. She needed materials for her shop, and a lot of them. It would explain why she had so much trouble getting the materials she needed though. She had gotten a bunch from Ssendom and had almost gone through them all already. "I just go through mats like their going out of style." She said jokingly. "What about you? Do you have a shop proffession?"

[Tristan Delaney 0]

He nodded and said "Something to that extent. You can do it yourself too, it would just be very inefficient.". Tristan noted he had a few spare so maybe later he could donate them to her, since he had an awful case of neglecting his shop since last year. He listened to her question then said "I'm a Performer myself. I rarely craft though as I'm usually focusing on making myself stronger on the field or helping others. I should probably get back into it, but for now I do what I can to help those fighting out there with my spear and shield in hand. If you ever want me to play some music though, just say the word.".

[Amira 0]

Manta nodded her head.  It appeared that she would need to find some material suppliers soon. She understood the need for materials, but that didnt mean she had to enjoy finding them. "I actually didnt expect you to have a proffession at all. You seem like the type of guy that is always fighting and wouldnt have time to craft. I played piano in real life. I didnt really want to, but I still got relatively good. Guitar is what id like to learn most though. What type of music do you make?" She asked, leaning forward in her seat. She was genuinely interested. She was a pretty straight forward woman, so she wouldnt ask if she wasnt interested after all.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan laughed as he sipped some more of his tea, then said "Well that it is what it feels like half the time to be fair. I haven't recorded music to sell for a very long time. Though I do make sure I keep my shop tidy and all.". He lately didn't feel really in the mood to record for the purpose of selling lately, plus he had been a busy man of late going out and about to do any sort of recording. He chuckled when she asked about instrument "Well I played some guitar in the real world, but Performers kind of cheat by having a special item called the Sphere of Symphony.". He pulled out of his items a small sphere that fit his one hand easily when taken. "It can turn into any instrument that fits the SAO theme, including a guitar. And while you can end up sounding not too great, its impossible to screw up playing on it unless you were intentionally doing so.".

[Amira 0]

She looked at the sphere he held in his hand. There was so much that she didnt know about the game. She wanted to learn more about the game, while at the same time she didnt want to learn anymore than she had to. She had started the game happy and excited to be stuck in a world like this, away from uncaring parents and the empty halls of the house she had been imprisoned in. Now she wanted nothing more than to escape, and get as many out alive as she could. She would make her parents notice her when she got back, instead of sitting around and hoping it would happen.

As she thought through this, she sat silently, her face falling, and changing into a determined line. She looked up and remembered that she wasnt alone, the fake smile of a few months earlier gracing her lips for a moment before she banished it. She was done hiding what she was feeling behind a smile. "Sorry. I was just thinking." Worried that she had darkened the mood with nothing other than her thoughts and facial expressions, she spoke up again in an attempt to lighten the mood. "When we get out of here we should form a band or something." She suggested. Even though it was an attempt to lighten the mood, she was still serious.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristans goals he had made clear to her before, that they had always been to help everyone through this mess and the only things that had changed were his motivations on that same goal. It was all stuff he had already thought on in the past and had no real need to dwell over again. He noticed a mixture of darker expressions on their face, but didn't make much of it and accepted her explanation that she was just in thought. He chuckled and said "As in out of Sword Art Online or when we live this place specifically? Since if you mean out of this death game, that would mean you moving to the United Kingdom or me moving elsewhere. We can do it within the game too, though I'm not sure how much time we would have to play considering how focused everyone is on completing this game.".

[Amira 0]

Manta smiled. "I mean out of the game of course. Im definately moving when we win, why not move to the UK? It sounds like a nice enough place." She took a long drink of her coffee. "And we can do some music together here if youd like, every once in a while. I dont know how that would work though, as im not a performer. How would I get a piano?" She asked. She considered the fact that he might not know, but was almost certain that he would. The conversation they were having was very informative, and she couldnt help but feel like she owed Tristan for all of the information she had gained. If she mentioned it he would probably say not to worry about it, so she would keep itbto herself and pay him back for his help later somehow.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan chuckled and raised his eyebrow as he finished the rest of his tea, looking at her with a curious expression. "Keep saying things like that and I may get the wrong idea unless clarified, regardless of that ring on your finger." he spoke with a jesting tone. He had noticed the engagement ring on her finger as he could see it while she drank her coffee, though there was also the large factor of the realities if you met someone in SAO, if you would stay with them outside the game. This was one of the big concerns for him, would the bonds he made in SAO be kept in the real world or would they disappear as pixels and data is erased from a finished game?
"As for buying a piano, you can buy instruments at my store for pretty cheap, though slightly more expensive for a well decorative one. Feel free to come and see any I have on offer to buy. They store as vanity items in your inventory, so don't worry about how you bring it around".

[Amira 0]

Manta had no plans to desert or cheat on Sousuke. Still, a lot can happen in a few years. She couldnt see them breaking up, but then again you never do until it actually happens. "I suppose id better clarify then." She smiled. "I have a boyfriend, and our relationship will transfer to the real world. That doesnt mean I cant live near friends though. I never had friends in the real world, so that will be a weird experience." She mentioned the last part as a sidenote, having just realized it herself. She raised her eyebrows as he mentioned the instruments being vanity items. That would definately make carrying them around easier.

"Ill definitely be stopping by sometime then. And if im going to be getting a piano its going to look awesome. I can afford it." Probably. Tristan was a high level player, so maybe his definition of 'pretty cheap' was a bit skewed. She decided to work under that assumption. "Are they less than three thousand col?"

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan chuckled and grinned, saying "Don't worry, I was being facetious. I'm not one to chase someone clearly with another, then again I'm not really the chasing sort in the first place. I just...let it happen naturally I suppose.". He had his fair mixture of romance both inside and outside of SAO, though at current was single. The past person he was with, Tryst, mysteriously vanished from SAO with no words, which left him with plenty confusion on that front. Moving on to the matter of instruments, he nearly spit out the tea he had earlier in his mouth and laughed, saying "Way below that, I'm not a con artist. 500 for a standard instrument and 1000 for a well decorated one. The shop is called Magic of Music if you feel like popping down to get one. Or just coming over for a visit when I have nothing to do or want to play together.". He chuckled and relaxed back on his chair, taking consideration of the time. "Wow, we've been here for a while, you heading off soon?".

[Amira 0]

She was certain that he had no shortage of woman with his hair color and easy nature. She was glad to hear that the instruments weren't overly expensive, and looked forward to buying a piano from him. The only thing her parents had ever taken a stand on with her was the fact that she had to play piano, and classical music at that. Still, as they weren't there to listen to her she had devoted her time to learning pop and rock styles on the piano. Classical music was nice to listen to, but she found it boring to play. As he mentioned the time she realized that they had been there for a while already. "I don't have anywhere to be, but my shop can always do with some cleaning, and there's no telling when a customer might walk in." She finished up her coffee and stood up, reaching a hand out for a handshake. "It was nice to meet you, and thank you for the coffee. Ill definitely stop by your shop sometime." She stated.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan smiled and thought about he himself went for just for whatever the mood suited him, from violin to guitar to more bizarre choices such as the hang drum. Maybe he should show her a hang drum, as they were fascinating instrument. He personally played genres he also felt his mood was in, as he liked the upbeat tempo of modern music, but also the multi-layered composition and 'stories' that classical music typically had with it, such as the dramatic moments that the Toccata and Fugue in D minor so famously had. He stood up alongside Manta and shook her hand, saying "It was a pleasure to meet you too. I hope we meet again soon, be it in meeting field, or even the shop.". With that, he went on his way for other tasks at hand.

RP Closed.

1 SP and 400 Col to Manta & Tristan