[PP-F2] New Discoveries (Illiure & Mint)

[Mint 0]

The medieval architecture, the busy cobblestone roads and the mountainous environment, it was all rather new to the mace-wielding noob. Aris felt like a kid in a candy shop, eagerly looking around at all the possibilities, all the expensive items (at least to him). The young boy moved through the marketplace at a ridiculously slow pace, taking an extensive look at everything he could perhaps add to his inventory. Right now, he wasn't really looking for much, despite most definitely being in need of some better equipment. While other players were fighting bosses with the best equipment possibly accessible, he was still happily hopping around in his starter's kit, holding a mace that seemed like it couldn't even harm an opponent. The reason why he was on floor 2 was simple, to explore and look around to see if the floor was interesting enough to put a shop on. He wanted his little business to be in a place he could enjoy, while also actually getting some customers. Having a shop in a less populated place seemed like nothing but a bad idea to him, hence why he wanted to check as many floors as he could to find the most visited areas. Aris decided to start in Urbus, the main settlement of the second floor. So far, he really liked the area despite feeling a tad bit overwhelmed in terms of finding directions. He had no clue where to go, which became a moderate issue once he felt the need for the sensation of eating arise. knowing that the chance of getting lost would be large if he went out on his own, Aris made use of one of his unique talents. Asking for help.

Little hesitation surrounded Aris while he caught sight of a real player. He went to the first real person he spotted, his victim being a brown haired female of which he was too far away from to make assumptions about her age. Seeing as the individual was not facing his way, Aris carefully tapped her shoulder once getting in range of her, a smile on his face while he waited for her to turn around. If she would, Aris would speak up. "Excuse me, but would you perhaps know a good place to eat at?" he would say, his tone of voice being nothing but friendly and sincere. He was, luckily, in a good mood.

[Illiure 0]

Allure felt a light tap on her shoulder, who's it this time.. She spun around to meet the a wide smile and the round blue eyes of a blonde male player. Her blank expression shooting knives at him. "No, I haven't been around this area," she said, her voice like those of a clock, precise and almost dead sounding. Her only real reason to be here was to find better equipment and armor, or even possibly looking for new quests that she can complete. Finding nothing of use to her at the town, she was about to leave before she was interrupted by the player. Maybe I can get him off my tail if I just don't talk.. she thought bit her lip, attempting to rid herself of speaking to anyone. After a few seconds of awkwardness and silence she sighed and spoke. "But I've heard the shops around her sell surprisingly good food her, so if I were you, I would just go to any shop here," she replied shrugging her shoulders.

After a few more seconds of silence, she took this as her cue to leave. Surprisingly easier than most times I've been stopped and asked for directions. She sighed breathlessly, her boats treading on the stone paths of the town. A lot easier.. something else is going to happen.. she thought with a frown. I can feel it.

@Mint

Edited February 12, 2018 by Illiure

[Mint 0]

Having expected at least some sort of reaction caused the less expressive face of the newly met player to catch him by surprise. Aris couldn't really tell what was going through the girl's head right now, but he just hoped she wasn't annoyed. The younger boy would still stubbornly keep a smile on his face, not really responding to the lack of emotion that he could perceive. 

Her reaction was simple, quite clearly showing that she wasn't the one to ask for directions. At least, that's what he thought. Aris wasn't really sure what to think about the other blue-eyed individual, but this was most definitely the best first impression to ever exist. The brunette's tone of voice, which was lacking sentiment much like her body language, did cause for slight discomfort to arise due to him not really thinking she was all too happy with him reaching out to her. "Oh, sorry," he replied, a sheepish laugh being released as a response in combination with an awkward scratch aimed at the back of his head. His apology was not really fitting for the situation, but the other player mentioned to give off the idea that Aris wasn't really welcome. Perhaps it was all in his head, or maybe it wasn't. 

A few seconds passed without much of a reaction of either player. Aris just maintained a diffident laugh, not adding much else to the conversation (if one could even call it that). Eventually, though, a sigh and response shattered the silence, Aris carefully listening to the words that the robotic human being revealed. She was kind enough to share her knowledge about the shops around Urbus, which the blond haired boy appreciated. He still hadn't really gotten the exact directions he was hoping for, but at least he knew that, if he found a shop, he wouldn't have to worry about the quality.  As a response, Aris simply nodded and replied with a quick yet well-meant "Thank you," silence following afterwards once again. Valuing himself as a sociable individual, the younger boy pondered the reason why he wasn't exactly achieving the reactions he had expected. Due to the lack of activity in front of him, Aris's attention was temporarily shifted to the left, where a loud man behind a stand was quite clearly having a discussion with one of his customers. He didn't look away for long, but, when he looked back, Aris saw the girl leave. Considering he still had a couple questions in mind, the oblivious child decided it was perfectly fine for him to ask them despite the girl not seeming to be all that interested. In an attempt to stop her,  Aris swiftly took a couple steps forward, releasing a wobbly "Wait!" without paying much attention to the irregular path beneath him. Little did he know fate had a surprise for him.

Before he knew it, Aris was caught in an involuntary swan-dive right down against the cobblestone. The collision with the hard ground didn't cause pain at all, but instead leaving the boy slightly in shock and releasing a muffled "Oww" as a natural reaction. Once again, he had messed up. 

Edited February 14, 2018 by Mint

[Illiure 0]

Confused by the sudden yell and the groan of pain, Illiure turned around to see Mint on the floor. She raised an eyebrow as he muttered an 'ow', must be an instinct.. she thought narrowing her eyes in a different directions. Her figure then having a puff of air and strides back to him, crouching down next to him and spoke with a stony expression, "Watch where you're going," her light chestnut hair draping over her left shoulder. Clumsy.. she thought while she looked at him. Her head cocking to the side as she muttered.  "Don't be clumsy," her voice filled with the lack of interest. 

She rolled her eyes at the sigh and rose up. "Look, I barely know about this gate to hell game so I'm not the person to be asking for directions or tips," she clicked her tongue at him below her, slightly sad for the player but she hid it away, deep in her mind. He's probably just as lost as you are.. a side of her echoed. But another voice seemed to replace it. You don't want other players to worry about do you? the other's voice fading. Illiure shook her head, no, no I don't.. she sighed enthusiastically and spoke up. "Now what do you want?" her voice seemed to be shooting daggers at the innocent player.

@Mint

[Mint 0]

The cobblestone paths had something special to them when looked at from afar, but when only a few centimetres away from them, they didn't. Still slightly disoriented and surprised by the sudden fall, Aris slowly tried to push himself up utilizing both of his hands that were now stained with dirt, little stones sticking to them. Besides having a good visual perception of stones at the moment, he also was blessed with an auditorial one in the shape of the woman's voice. Stone cold as it had formerly been, the player's voice managed to make Aris feel pretty bad about himself. Before he managed to think of a proper reaction, another set of words was handed to him. Aris wasn't completely certain how telling someone to stop being clumsy was purposeful, but perhaps the new acquaintance had some sort of magical ability to take away all his clumsiness by mentioning it. A sheepish smile remained awkwardly on his face as he spoke up, also pushing himself up slightly to get into a position with his knees on the ground instead of his entire body. "That's easier said than done." He replied, looking at the odd individual as he revealed his thoughts. 

Slowly but surely Aris made his way back up again, putting a bit of time in brushing off the dirt on his trousers and hands. Hearing the female speak up again, Aris aimed his eyes back at her to show he was listening. Her reaction resembled her former ones, cold, direct and not all too positive. She did make it pretty clear that she wasn't familiar with the floor, once again making sure that Aris understood he had probably asked the wrong person for help. Still, he wouldn't admit defeat by trying again with another person, stubbornly deciding to keep going. Upon being asked what he wanted, Aris's mind quickly searched for a good answer. He wanted several things, specifically answers to questions regarding other floors and possible nice locations. Besides that, Aris was also searching for friends or just people that could aid him on his trip through Aincrad. Being alone wasn't exactly his talent, so he needed to make as many positive relationships as he could. To possibly achieve both, Aris's minor intelligence managed to bring up a good reply. "Well I'm pretty lonely, so I was wondering if you'd like to get something to eat together?" He once again spoke in a friendly manner, hoping that the girl would fall right into his not-so-evil masterplan.

 

Edited February 14, 2018 by Mint

[Illiure 0]

The female players eyes went wide, but soon calmed down to their normal state again. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, I am hungry.. she pouted at herself, but gave a slight shrug that signaled 'why the heck not?'. "... Sure," she mumbled and looked into a different direction. Her eyes were clouded with a tang of confusion and wonder. Whats exactly his plan.. she blinked, scanning the boy up and down, he looks too innocent to have any plan up his sleeves.. 

She gave an award cough and spoke up again, deadpanning. "So, where to?" she put her hands on her hips and scoffed. She was absolutely confused on why he would ask her to eat but then sighed, seeing that it was useless, for she was not a good personality reader. She glanced around the area, maybe hoping to find a place to eat, or at least a tavern. Finding nothing she sighed and went back to looking at the grinning boy. 

@Mint

[Mint 0]

For the first time in this conversation, Aris had somehow managed to make some sort of reaction appear on the seemingly frozen face of the other player.  It wasn't much of a drastic change, only the mere shift of an eye that, if Aris hadn't paid close attention, probably wasn't even that noticeable. Still, it was a start! "Great! Thank you for accompanying me," he replied, his expression not showing much other than happiness. 

Upon having been asked where to go, Aris quickly looked around, letting out a short "Uhmmm," which would quite clearly show that he wasn't entirely sure. The blond haired boy had been the one to ask for the directions after all, so Aris wasn't sure if she was actually expecting a good answer. Not wanting to just stand in the middle of a road for the rest of the day, Aris just randomly chose a direction that seemed busy enough for a little cafe to be hidden in. "This way!" he called out energetically, pointing his left hand to the right. The younger individual spent no time on hesitating, immediately starting to walk into the direction he had just quite clearly pointed in. 

Edited February 14, 2018 by Mint

[Illiure 0]

The brunette gave a sigh and followed after him, knowing clearly that he just pointed in a random direction. "I'm not dumb.." she muttered to herself coldly. "No problem though.. " she huffed as she skittered to his side, not wanting to seem that he was leading her. She glanced in random directions to keep her mind busy, mainly just looking at several small NPC shops that were located in the area. Maybe I should go buy some equipment soon.. she thought, giving a huff.

Please just let this day be over.. her light hair dropping from her head. Maybe it'll go really fast.. she added to her thoughts.I just wanted sore lax time and this is what I get. Another section in her mind added. 

Her eyes flickered to the blonde boy next to her, he wasn't tall and he wasn't short, probably the same height as her. But he had that certain glow you would see in over optimistic people. That's probably what he is anyways.. she thought, averting her eyes to look at the stony path.

@Mint

[Mint 0]

Aris, who was currently very busy trying to not come off as lost, didn't hear the other player's messages to herself, though quite clearly noticing the girl's appearance beside him as he walked forth. The young boy tried to look over the crowded area, trying to spot any buildings that might contain what he was searching for. Not much was going through his head while his sapphire eyes scanned the area, eventually catching a glimpse of what seemed to be a small, NPC run cafe. "There's one right there," he said, pointing diagonally to the right while simultaneously looking at the girl to spot any possible reaction. Aris didn't spend much time waiting though, as he would instantly move forward to the little shop unless he was somehow stopped. The noob carefully manoeuvred himself through the area, trying not to bother any of the other people on the streets.

Quickly making his way up the two steps before the open wooden door, Aris would glance back to see if the girl was still behind him, waiting for her if she somehow had trouble following him through the busy streets of Urbus. He would then eagerly step into the humble yet welcoming little place, his eyes falling down onto a small wooden table almost halfway into the shop. The place wasn't very busy, not at all actually to the boy's surprise. By quickly glancing around, Aris admired the old-school interior as well as taking a liking of the many flowers scattered around the area. This would most definitely be kept in mind when decorating his own shop.

"Where would you like to sit?" He would ask his new acquaintance, once again offering the same friendly expression as before. Aris didn't really care much for a particular location, but it just felt polite to ask her before making any drastic decisions.

 

[Illiure 0]

She shrugged, triggering a small yip from under her cloak. Oh crap, w-wait.. Hold on! she nervously fumbled with her cloak but right after she started to panic, a small figure flew out from her cloak and landed square on her shoulder. Why now.. she face palmed herself, You didn't want to come out and here you are! she glanced nervously to Mint and then back to Kueto. A curse word strung from her mouth as she leaned in to talk to Kueto. "You said you didn't want to come out," she whispered, trying her best not to grit her teeth. Kueto only replied with a shrilly squeak and pawed at Illiure's cheek.

She glared at Mint. "Not. A. Word," she said with a grim voice, her eyes dead and blank. She crossed her arms, finding a random chair in the shop and taking a seat with a sigh. Why now.. the brunette thought regretfully. Kueto took this as a cue to only annoy her companion more by jumping off her shoulder and onto the table, letting small yips and high pitched chirps. "Kuet- what are yo- shhhhh.." Illiure scrambled out of her seat and attempted to shush the creature.

@Mint

Edited February 15, 2018 by Illiure

[Mint 0]

Instead of an answer, Aris got something much, much better. After seeing the girl oddly mess around with her cloak, Aris was gifted of an immensely adorable and fascinating creature. A darn bunny with wings!

Aris blinked his eyes several times as confusion hit his face like a brick, eyeing the appearance of the creature with nothing but interest in wanting to know what it was and how on earth it was possible. He was well aware that he was in a virtual world, but, considering the weirdest thing he saw so far was a creepy-looking boar, the blond-haired player was most definitely deserving of such a reaction. Once his mind came at peace with the unnatural yet insanely adorable creature, Aris quickly shifted into a reaction that any sane individual would show.

A cuteness-overload.

His face lit up energetically, smiling widely while he attempted to speak up. "Soooooo Cu-" His words were cut off through a glare and Illiure (the name that was shown flying above her head) verbally showing that she wasn't very interested in his reaction. The message wasn't even needed, only adding up to the intimidating aura surrounding the female player. What was such a person doing with such an adorable little creature, Aris didn't know. He wasn't complaining at all though because this made the day so much more interesting.

Following the girl as if he was another pet of hers, Aris sat down at the same table as the girl, still in awe of the flying little creature. He silently watched as the player's companion had a little fun playing around on the table, wanting to do nothing else but to pet and hug it until he no longer could. Still, Aris managed to control himself since he knew he'd probably be scolded for showing such behaviour. "Where did you find him?" he carefully said, a small yet swift pause between his words before he added "-or her". His eyes were still aimed at the little bunny, following it wherever it went with a massive smile stuck to his face.

[Illiure 0]

Illiure clicked her tongue, hugely embarrassed as Kueto let out equals and chirps. “Floor Four,” she said, hoping to keep her sentences as short as possible. Now look what you’ve done Kueto, I have to make conversation now. She thought warily as she poked Kueto aggressively but gently. The familiar let out an adorable fake hiss, trying her best to seem as hostile as possible before turning to Mint and circling around his head. Now that  is just cold. Illiure’s face turned into deadpan.

She gave an aggravated sigh and rested her chin on her palm. “She seems to like you,” she said coldly as Kueto seemed to like Mint more than her at the moment. Kueto heard this comment and turned to face her. Final- Kueto interrupted her thoughts by blowing a raspberry and then continued to circle around Mint.

@Mint

Edited February 15, 2018 by Illiure

[Mint 0]

Happy to receive an answer, Aris was impressed to hear the creature came all the way from floor 4. "Oh wow, I've never been there before," he said, glancing over to his acquaintance before his eyes obviously made their way back to the adorable little bunny. The young player had only heard about the floor a couple times, being roughly aware that it was supposedly very cold. He would obviously eventually make his way up there, but he had already ruled it out as a potential floor for his shop because he didn't particularly fancy cold weather.

Finding himself being rapidly circled around by the pet caused for a chuckle and continuation of the happy expression. The creature went too fast for him to constantly look at it, instead deciding to look back at Illiure who still didn't seem all that happy with the pet revealing herself to the public. Hearing the pet owner mention that she seemed to like him made Aris incredibly happy, thoroughly enjoying the attention the pet was giving her. He watched in pure excitement as he saw the creature blow a raspberry, releasing a quick laugh to show his liking of the situation. "She's absolutely adorable," he said, still slightly wary of the female's reaction. "What's her name?" he would ask afterwards, having only heard the girl say part of the name (or so he thought).

[Illiure 0]

"Kueto," she sighed, still concentrated on her familiar. You're such an attention seeker Kueto. she thought, her cyan eyes gazing straight at Kueto.  Just then, a devilish glint appeared in her eyes. Oh ho, I'll get you back you darn bunny. She opened her menu and clicked lightly on the inventory button. At this point, Kueto was now hovering over Mint's head with a confused and wondering expression. Illiure's eyes now stuck on the menu pad, she scrolled down her items until successfully finding what she wanted. She gave a fake yawn and looked in the other direction."Hey Kueto, I have that thing you wanted~" She said in a sing songy voice. Kueto was now at the point where her full concentration was on Illiure.

Illiure gave a small satanic smirk and clicked on the item, a bag of carrots appeared in front of her. She grabbed the bag just as Kueto gave out a high pitched squeal and dove straight in front of Illiure. Oh now you come back.

@Mint

OOC : I'm so evil. ;_;

[Mint 0]

Though not a name he'd think of when giving his pets something to respond to, Aris did find Kueto a very special and fun name. He had no clue if it had any particular meaning or from what language it was supposed to derive from, but that didn't really matter to him anyway. All he cared about right now was the adorable ball of fluff and feathers jumping and hovering around.

For once, the younger individual patiently waited as he observed the situation developing in front of him, his happiness still seemingly everlasting. He didn't mind the creature's sudden shift of interest, actually preferring it considering he could now admire it better. Seeing the girl conjure up a collection of carrots caused Aris to chuckle once again and releasing a quiet "Aww", his eyes eventually wandering off to the menu in front of him. They had gone there to eat after all, so it would've been polite to take a look. He wasn't looking for anything along the lines of dinner, just a tasty snack that he could enjoy for a bit. Seeing the availability of waffles made him immediately want to get it, looking at Illiure as he spoke up. "What would you like?" he would say, attempting to hand over the menu to her.

Edited February 16, 2018 by Mint

[Illiure 0]

Illiure set the bag aside and took the menu quetly, leaving Kueto whining more. She scanned the list of foods, a small section catching her eye, immediatly knowing what she wants, she placed the menu with a sigh. "The sundae," her sweet tooth kicking in. Kueto heard this and gave a small and shrill snicker. Illiure gave an irritated glare at her and placed the bag of carrots in her inventory, only adding to the list of whines immiting from her familiar. "Aren't familiars supposed to listen to their masters?" she muttered as Kueto continued to paw her. 

Her familiar only head this as an insult and started batting her harder. After a few seconds, Kueto had finally give up and lazily shrouded into the tables corner. That's just childish. Illiure thought, sighing at her embarrassing familiar. 

OOC: I ran out of ideas midway.

[Mint 0]

"Alright!" Aris energetically replied to the answer given to him, Illiure asking for a sundae which, in his opinion, was a great choice. They would both be eating something not all that healthy, but that didn't really matter in the virtual world anyway. One of the positive aspects of the prison was its lack of weight-gaining, making it the perfect place for people who enjoyed stuffing their mouths with countless of tasty foods. Due to having to be careful with col, Aris had yet to have really done this, but that didn't mean he wasn't planning to eventually. The young player's attention was once again taken by the other player and her familiar, slight jealousy creeping up within once he spoke up again. "Maybe you have to teach her or something" was his hesitant answer, thinking back to his two beloved dogs that his family kept under their roof. Aris absolutely adored the majority of animals, but he was never really good at disciplining his own pets. He was so easily influenced by their overwhelming adorableness that he would forget every bad thing they had done. Anyway, the low-levelled player would most definitely try to get a familiar of his own eventually, though he wasn't sure what kind of pet he wanted.

Lifting one hand into the air, Aris looked around the shop to see an NPC, of which he assumed to be a waiter, walk towards them as a reaction to the boy's gesture. Once coming closer, the rather tall waiter spoke up. "Greetings, how may I help you." The man's eyes jumped between the two players, eventually settling on Aris due to him almost instantly replying. "We'd like to order a waffle and sundae, please." vocalizing the orders made him feel somewhat childish, though that wouldn't matter when he would be enjoying his waffle. After his recent productivity, Aris just thought he deserved something nice. "Good choice, it'll be brought to you soon." Aris nodded, "Thank you!" he would say once he saw the man turn around and walk away. His eyes shifted back to his acquaintance and pet, quickly thinking up something to say.

"So, what brought you to floor 2?" his question was rather generic and was as exciting as small talk ever was, but it was at least a good conversation starter. Perhaps he could learn some more about the seemingly secretive individual in front of him, still having his eyes set on making as many friends as he could.

[Illiure 0]

She gave a half hearted nod of appreciation at the NPC waiter and went back to toying with her hair. "Just basic stuff, to buy armor and equipment," she sighed, knowing it will be a bit before she can get the chance to. Her gaze eyed her familiar in the corner, dejected. What a baby, c'mon man up. She thought angrily at her familiar and poked the bunnies back. Kueto let out a low grumble and resumed to whatever she was doing. This left Illiure sighing and leaning back into her chair. "So, what are you doing here then?" she asked Mint, hoping to get her mind off her pesky familiar.

Her arms crossed as she waited for an answer. Maybe for entertainment? Or for gear? He could come here for a certain quest too. Her thoughts swirled in her mind. She gave an empty sigh and crossed her legs. "Or perhaps you live here?" she said, her lips tugged down at her lack of concentration.