[PP/22] Compassion for another <Feeding the enemy>

[Jinx 0]

Spoiler

• RP meeting the gypsy and obtaining the food from her
• Obtain a familiar
• At least 1 page (20 posts)

Summary:

An old gypsy NPC approaches you, telling tales of how she tamed monsters. Giving you some food, she tells you how to tame your own familiar.

Outline:

Once every 15 posts, the party leader may roll to search for a familiar. On a roll of 15+ LD (normal LD enhancements apply), you successfully find a potential familiar.

Once a potential familiar is found, that party leader has 4 attempts to tame it. Taming is a post action that is successful on a CD roll of 9+. If the party leader fails all 4 attempts, the potential familiar becomes untamable and a new one may be searched for in 15 posts. 

If the roll to tame is met, you have successfully attained a familiar. Return the <<Familiar Food>> to the Gypsy NPC to complete the quest. Only one familiar may be found per thread.

The 22nd floor has a reputation of being breathtakeingly stunning, and its main attraction was, in Jinx's opinion,  the best thing in Sword Art Online. A stunning lake, a calming walk in nature...There was only one slight worry. It was on the 22nd floor, and the chance of running into monster, or even players, was a lot higher than she'd of liked. It had taken the girl many, soo many moments, to choose who to ask to come with her. AT first she looked through her guild, but...Stryder was busy preparing for the floor boss, and Dustin and her had JUST gotten attacked by a player-killer he seemed to know, and he had enough to worry about. 

However, that's when she spotted Mishiro and Arabelle's name. She was ever-so-tempted to ask the purple-haired girl, Jinx looked up to her in so many ways when it came to just how confident she was..how cool she looked with her scythe in battle. Ultimately however, she went with Mishiro purely becuase, well..she hadn't seen the other girl since the christmas event ages ago. Besides, she had plenty of other things, more related to the guild, she could ask Arabelle's help for if she wanted to learn more from her. 

Spoiler

To: Mishiro

Heya. I'm sorry to be annoying but, there is this amazing place on the 22nd floor i'd love to go exploring, and i would like to share it with you. It's called the Sapphire Falls. Would you be free to join me? -Jinx. 

 

[Mishiro 0]

The sign on Cafe Myosotis's door was flipped to 'Closed.'

Standing behind the only occupied chair, Mishiro threaded her fingers through soft rose-colored locks. "And it turns out that someone was there in the same place with me when it happened. I thought he would leave me alone, but he stayed and talked to me instead." It was 10 in the morning, and he was still here. He often left much earlier, but it seemed that he was taking a rare, much-deserved break from the constant grind. With her other hand, she stretched open a green scrunchie. She idly noted it was the exact same color as the accents on Arabelle's armor. "I think it helped a lot."

"That's nice of him. Did you get his name?"

"No." She gently pulled his hair back and fixed it into a loose ponytail. Leaning forward, Mishiro lowered her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. She had a closer view of the notebooks and the dungeon maps spread out on the table, the latter scrawled over with somewhat legible handwriting. He was working on it, at least. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "It doesn't really matter."

He stayed still. Then he leaned back and placed a hand on her arm.

"If you say so. I'm just glad you're okay now."

It was a rare, quiet moment.

Mishiro eventually pulled away and opened her menu. She pressed an alert and found an invitation from Jinx. She wasn't being annoying. Rather, this was something Mishiro had wanted to do, but never really got the chance. She hadn't seen nor spoken to the timid shielder since the Christmas event, so she would take any opportunity to spend more time with her. There was just one problem with the timing. "Aniki," She looked up and hesitated. They hadn't stopped with their regular Sunday routine, but other than that, Roman's off-days were rare. The times they spend together on weekdays were often very short. "A friend of mine messaged me..."

"It's fine~. We see each other every day, don't we? It's more than enough. Besides... be honest, do you really want to sit around and listen to me talk about strategy?" He didn't notice the way she smiled at what he said. "Who is it, by the way?"

"It's Jinx."

They both knew the girl well from that encounter with the Laughing Coffin.

"Oh." He chuckled, like that name brought something pleasant to his mind. "You should bring Bandit along, then. I'll be staying here, so I don't need him for today."

Mishiro looked back at him in confusion. Then she remembered the way the shielder's only visible eye lit up when the little brown ferret went to nap on her shoulder. She went and retrieved the familiar who had been playing with a little red ball at the corner of the cafe. 

Roman really was a nice person.

Quote

To: Jinx

I'll join you. Where are you right now?

---

Mishiro stepped out of Floor 22's teleport pad and looked around.

Edited April 17, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

The girl heard the 'ping' of an incoming message, frowning as she checked it. Mishiro...wanted to come with her?! She felt a wave of happiness run through her, the fact the other girl wanted to spend time with her...It was heartwarming if she was honest with herself, given the first time she'd met this girl, she'd nearly gotten her and her friend,  killed. None of them died, but the thought lingered around inside the girl before she let out a sigh. She was always told not to stress, not to overthinking those sorta things...

Smiling at the message, the girl oped not to reply. Not out of rudeness, but rather, she was already standing next to the teleporter. She had a feeling Mishiro wouldn't be on the floor so...It made sense to her. She let out a sigh, Mishiro was kind...nice. She'd want to help her explore this world...r-right?

"Mishiro! It's nice to see you" The girl smiled brightly, and her hair flapped around as a gust of air blew, her earmuffs being exposed from under her hair, but also, Mishiro might notice her eyepatch the girl had been wearing is gone, replaced by a pair of glasses that seemed a little tinted, but other than that, they seemed normal. "W-wait...Where is Roman-Kun, i've never...seen you guys seperated?" The girls' inability to stick to a single language, it seemed, had started to slip into her translated speech finally as she frowned, clearly not having seen Bandit just yet. 

[Mishiro 0]

Perhaps it was the sun shining brightly in the virtual sky, the small fishing village of Coral whose rustic style of its buildings and small population suggested that it was, in part, a small pocket isolated from the rest of civilization, or the light reflecting off the lake that was immediately visible from the teleport pad. Though it was never mentioned in the guides written by the higher-leveled players or Roman's descriptions, Floor 22 looked and felt like a place where fairies used to live. They had since departed, though left the floor, not in destruction like the floor above, but rather chose to leave it in peace to preserve its original beauty.

"...Jinx, it's nice to see you too." There was a slight pause before Mishiro responded with a greeting of her own. The girl's voice was familiar, though her physical appearance was... not, and she briefly had to piece together the disconnects. For whatever reason, Jinx's hair was cropped shorter and dyed a pale violet. She wore glasses and replacing her signature eyepatch was her fringe, cut so that it hung longer at one side and covered her right eye. It was quite a sudden change. She returned the shielder's smile. "How have you been?"

Mishiro stepped off the teleport pad's raised platform and her iron-plated boots sunk into the soft grass. Since the Sapphire Falls area was located outside the safe zone, she had opted to wear her black armor set and gauntlets today. Worn over it was a pastel blue wool coat that ended slightly past her knees. It was hers, this time, and appeared more stylish than her other outerwear, so she could come off as more casual. 

"Roman-kun...?" She gave a small, amused smile at that honorific. Mishiro herself addressed him without any honorifics, mostly using the fonder title of 'Aniki,' so it had been a fairly long time since she heard his name being spoken that way. It was odd and unfamiliar but, at the same time, brought back memories. Though as nice as it sounded, Roman didn't exactly go around introducing himself with that name anymore, same as how she called herself 'Mishiro' instead of ''Maria.' It seemed to be some form of unwritten in-game etiquette, and she only followed. "Oh. You can call him that if it's just the three of us. Otherwise, it's Claude. I dropped his real name by accident last time, but his player name's Claude. I want you to remember that."

"Did it really look like that? I wish that was exactly the case. He's actually a busy person and I only spend most of my time with him on weekends and holidays. Well, right now, he's gotten some time off and is supposed to be resting at my cafe but..." And here, her voice took on a more concerned, unsure tone. "I saw him looking through strategy proposals before I left." Mishiro shook her head with a fond smile, then reached behind her. "He asked me to bring someone along though..."

She nudged the small, brown ferret that had been curled up around the back of her neck, hidden by her long, black hair. Bandit scuttled up to her shoulder and his little pink nose twitched slightly as he stared at the shielder. He chittered at Mishiro's ear. Then gave a delighted squeak of recognition.

It must have been the snacks Jinx fed him all those months ago.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx smiled at the other girl, as she was able to work it out. Her appearance had changed since they last time they met, but..after a recent event, she'd found out you could purchase a cosmetics kit that let you change aspects of your appearance, and this 'form' felt more right...Still, it seemed Mishiro was kind enough not to say anything, simply introducing herself. The girl smiled brightly at Mishiro "You too Mishiro...i'm just happy i have someone to join me for this rip...making it alone wouldn't be as fun, p-plus...i owe you still"

Mishiro then wen onto explain about Roman-Kun, or...wait, claude? He'd prefer to be called Claude? The girl took many moments to remember the rule of 'not calling someone by their real name in a video game', before nodding her head. It made sense, maybe she'd applogise to Rom...Claude-Kun when they next say each other? It would only be the polite thing to do...right? "Ah..i didn't, i just heard that name and assumed..R-roman it a little, well, it seems like an odd name to me. A-and well..i-i've only met you twice Mishiro, but each time i...You've had him by your side"

She would admit, she didn't understand what Claude was looking through, strategy stuff? Was he, part of the front lines or something? It seemed to be where the most strategy takes place, but she hadn't heard of him being up on the front lines...who knows. And all of that escaped her mind as she spotted him, bandit! The girl clapped her hands once in excitement, before taking a few quick steps and holding out her open palm for the familiar, softing trying to coo him over to her "Bandittt -come here beautiful" She cooed to the familiar, hoping it would leap onto her hand to play with her! 

[Mishiro 0]

"Please don't concern yourself over it. I was only doing what anyone else would have done." Before Mishiro realized it, she had defaulted to her usual response when the other girl hinted at the circumstances of their first meeting. She paused, and consciously hid her hands in her coat pockets. Her gray eyes flicked to observe a pair of players strolling to the settlement's "main road" arm in arm, breaking eye contact. That didn't feel right. She knew the feeling of being indebted to someone for all the help they had given her. She felt it every day with Roman. With Arabelle, who was always there to offer her a bright smile and make her laugh with her antics and dreadfully misleading advice. With that person who reached out to her when she met him. "You're a tank, and I'm planning to be a DPS. However much you think you owe me, I think you'll help me a lot in the future. But for now, I think this meeting was a nice change of pace."

It brought to her mind the thought of teaming up with the shielder in the near future. It was a nice idea. The girl stepped farther away from the teleport gate as another player arrived. She took her gauntleted hands out of her coat pockets and commented absent-mindedly, "In some countries, it is a common name." 

She found it cute, how the timid shielder's purplish eyes lit up when she spotted the brown ferret. Roman's playful familiar tended to elicit that reaction, and it had been her own the first time he introduced Bandit as his familiar. "Here, you can hold him. Don't feed him anything though, we just gave him his breakfast an hour ago." Mishiro extended her arm and laid her iron-covered hand atop the back of Jinx's extended hand where it acted as a bridge for the ferret to scuttle over. Bandit puffed up his tail, looking up at the shielder expectantly.

She dropped her arm and was content with watching her friend play with the familiar for a few moments before she reminded them what they were here for today. The Sapphire Falls was a pretty place in Floor 22 that she had been wanting to visit, and she had her sketchpad and pencils readied in her inventory for when she caught a quiet moment to draw.

"So, where is this Sapphire Falls you mentioned?"

Edited May 13, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

Jinx acted quickly, extending her arm to build a bridge for the ferrit to join her, and smiling brightly as the familiar used her like a jungle gym. While some people might be annoyed, Jinx was in love with life, any kind of it, and this little Ferrit was a hugely alive form of it. Familiars were amazing, if only she...had one herself. She petted the familiar a little, and smiled at the other girl.

"It's a bit of a walk, but the route should be free from all the monsters that spawn on the floor Mishiro. We should be ok.."

Jinx frowned, and turned around. There was an...NPC approving her? The NPC looke like a women, and simply extended her hand to Jinx. Without even thinking, Jinx extended her own hand, and took the item being offered...food?

"You'll need this, young adventurer. For the little one on your shoulder is not your own...but take this, find yourself a familiar...find yourself a friend". The NPC turned and left, leaving the shields a little confused, and yet, smiling brightly. Slowly, she turned to Mishiro, the bright smile burning on the girls face. 

"Mishiro...d-does..does this mean i could, get my own familiar today? I could get a familiar like Claude-Kun has...Oh i'd love to have a friend to cook with..." Smiling brightly at Mishiro, the girl pointed out past the town and started walking "It might be a little bit of a walk...so, if i can ask...how did you meet Claude-Kun, the way you talk about him...sounds like you've known him for years"

[Mishiro 0]

Quest triggers were - at some times - the strangest occurrences. When an NPC woman dressed in the traditional apparel of a Romanian gypsy approached her friend, introducing itself and offering a small pouch of feed, Mishiro recognized it instantly. She had never personally encountered it, but she knew how it was generally described: an NPC who appeared on different floors and seemed to approach people at random, and at its own volition, to initiate the familiar quest. She theorized it was simply a randomly-generated event as Jinx hadn't been doing anything outside of the usual, but she didn't have any evidence to back up that claim.

 

And as quickly as it came, the NPC left. Jinx stumbled over her words in slight confusion over the unexpected event, but the timid girl's excitement at finding her own familiar was contagious, and Mishiro couldn't resist a smile. "There should be a few friendly creatures here, if we look hard enough. What do you have in mind?" Whatever it was, she thought it would be something just as playful but less ordinary than Roman's ferret. The part of her that still dreamed of fantasy worlds held the vague picture of a colorful little creature that could be found amongst fairies, as the bright and magical nature of the floor suggested. 

 

She recalled a friendly blue wisp with a penchant for colorful little dances and the boy who was its master. 

 

Mishiro found herself lingering on that thought a moment too long as she fell into step with Jinx. Atop the girl's shoulder, Bandit opened its mouth in a silent yawn before snuggling in. It wasn't as good as its master's hood, but long and slow walks often rocked the energetic familiar into a sound sleep. 

 

"You're right with that assumption." She had a reminiscent smile as she looked far into the distance - past the occasional log cabin and the friendly NPC who would wave at them as they passed, like the people in her small hometown used to - her gray eyes fixed on nowhere in particular. Mishiro had previously strove to refrain from speaking of her life before SAO, for the simple reason of wanting to avoid the feeling of homesickness that came with every remembrance of the real world, and the more complex reason of keeping 'real life' and 'game' as two separate existences. But as three years passed, it became increasingly difficult to draw the line with every emotion, every bond she formed, and every memory she made having the same value as they would in the real world.

 

Perhaps that line never even existed in the first place, and it had simply been a construct of her mind. 

 

"He's a distant relative from my mother's side. I met him when I moved to Japan," she began. Though she knew it would never happen, speaking of something often made one less prone to forgetting. "I was ten, and it was just me and my mother. It was a completely different place from where we came from and she wanted both of us to be close to something familiar, so she rented a room in the same apartment complex Aniki lived in. I was the first to greet him when we arrived, and he helped us settle in." Their walk eventually led them outside the settlement and down a forest trail that led to the falls. When Mishiro spoke again, she felt her heart warm at her own gentle confession. "He's been part of my family for years."

[Jinx 0]

What did she have in mind? Honestly, she had no idea what kind of familiar she wanted. While the idea had, of course, been active in her mind, she haven't thought towards the pet itself. Everyone talked about how the familiar's skills were the most important thing, and to ensure it synergised with your abilities. That's all people talked about, and yet...Alisea knew that wasn't why she had wanted a familiar. It was something, much closer to home...She started smiling softly, getting excited at the prospect of getting herself a familiar, a pet, a friend. 

"Honestly, i don't know Mishiro. All i know is that i've always wanted a pet, a friend to spend time with. I only had one back home, a-and i love her a lot. Even if we are trapped in a game, i...I would like them, even for the short time i'm around for" 

As they walked, the girls focus was split for a few moments. Mainly from the familiar falling asleep on her shoulder, and walking more carefully as to avoid waking Bandit up, and listening to Mishiro talk about Claude and how they were family. She was jealous, to have someone that close to you, to always look after you. To have family, who may not have been born it, but taken in. Jinx smiled brightly at Mishiro.

"Even if he wasn't directly related, he became family right? Honestly Mishiro, that's the most important family. The one you choose to love...They're the ones who'll always be there" What the girl had said was hitting close to home for Alisea too. Her biological family, she knew she was a burdern upon and perhaps, being trapped in here, was a relief for them.

But to her proper family, the one she choose. She could only imagine what they were doing, but hopefully, they were still alive. They were idiots sometimes, but Jinx wouldn't trade them for the world.

 

[Mishiro 0]

She smiled at her friend's words. Certainly, there was no contention. Roman was - and always will be - her closest family. "It took a while, and it was under some odd circumstances, but he did." She didn't elaborate, but under the context of their shared situation, one might guess that 'odd circumstances' referred to SAO in general. 

 

Mishiro continued to walk alongside her friend and tried to suppress the gnawing sensation of guilt that lingered in her heart. She had been largely ignoring it, but being reminded of - speaking of - their closeness only brought it back to focus. Her family; the person she loved the most. If the quiet moment they shared earlier had the brightness of a clear summer day, her lie was an encroaching raincloud in the distant horizon. She knew why she did it. She had gone through all the options and possible outcomes in her head. If she were going to involve herself, releasing information that could lead to Pinball's arrest was not the best action.

 

It had worked so well the first time.

 

But the sincere smile and the usual round of "take care"s Roman gave her as she left was like a knife to the gut.

 

This was a person who trusted her.

 

And beside her was the person she came to meet. Her expression remained unchanging as she drew a quiet breath in and counted to ten. Back to the present. Back to the right headspace. They were having a quiet walk on the 22nd floor, getting to know each other properly after the chaos that had been their first meeting.

 

"What about you?" Mishiro slowed them at the point where the forest trail curved into an upward slope. At the ascent's peak, the greenery parted to give them a view of Floor 22's lake. Sunlight reflected off of its calm blue waters and from her perspective - framed at the sides by the trees and the undergrowth - she quickly pulled up her menu and snapped a picture. It made sense that the trail would be following along the large lake; the waterfall they wanted to see was probably connected to it. She turned away from the view to look at Jinx. "I thought Arabelle was exaggerating when she said her guild was just like a large group of friends who come to hang out and level together. More like a family, if I should say. They seem like a nice group, so if it's alright to ask, how did you come to know them?"

[Jinx 0]

Jinx was very much caught off-guard by the question being put back to her. What about her? Jinx was a little worried Mishiro was asking her about her life before the real world, while she never had done a good job at hiding and denying it, she did have to admit there was plenty she wasn't proud off. How her family belittled her constantly, and the family she made for herself. She had been made aware her family, the one she choose, were former criminals. But they were good people and she started smiling warmly remembering the idea of the familiy she had chosen. However, it seemed her friend was asking about the guild in game instead.

"It...it really is like that. We're just, good friends. I joined them...b-by luck. The leader is Stryder, a-and during the first day we...we met and became friends. I found him a few months ago. I wasn't part of a group, i've never been that amazing at speaking with people so....He asked me if i wanted to join, a-and i said yes"

There was no need to tell the girl that she'd found her friend crying at the wall of the dead. There were some things that even she wouldn't tell others. Mishiro didn't need to know that about him. Instead, the girl glanced over the lake and smiled. She let out a slow breath and stopped walking entirely, taking in the scenery. It was so obvious this world was fake, yet...Jinx wanted it to be real.

@Mishiro  

[Mishiro 0]

"I've met him," the girl reminded with a small nod. The first, by a set of 'Wanted' posters and one of Aincrad's strongest warning the public of criminals. The second, at last year's Christmas fair with a smaller child riding happily on his shoulders. Both gave contrasting impressions, but more than anything, Mishiro wanted to believe - "He seems like a nice person." 

She stayed by Jinx's side as the other took in the scenery before her eyes with a quiet smile. Deciding to herself that she did not interrupt this moment, Mishiro looked back down and took the time to admire the view for a few more moments herself. There was nothing but the rustling of the trees above them at the occasional breeze, and the sound of bird calls. Restful. Tranquil. It reminded her of the forests of her hometown, and she always held those fond memories close to her.

Though it only did some to ease the heaviness in her heart, she was glad she had the chance to experience this moment with her friend.

"Let's keep going?" she asked softly when she felt her friend was done. Mishiro offered the shielder a sincere smile as she turned and started along the path, and would drop a few steps back to walk alongside Jinx once she started moving.

[Jinx 0]

It seemed Stryder was getting to know everyone, but that wasn't a bad thing per say. She smiled and nodded at Mishiro, Stryder was a good person. He was one of those who desired good so much, part of her wondered how he hadn't shattered with how the reality of the world was. But that was part of his charm as a person, he was idealistic. Something she enjoyed a bit. She stretched her arms out, and fidgeted with her glasses a little bit. They were a 'new' addition to her outfit, but so far, they hadn't given her too much to worry about. 

Jinx turned to Mishiro at her question, and nodded her head. She was ready. "Yeah. It feels odd to talk about them so, distantly..." The girl blinked, rapidly, as she felt a surge within her chest. She took a deep breath, and gently stroked the ferret that was napping on her shoulder, hoping not to wake it up as she did it. 

The girl began walking forwards again, her destination was pretty clear. The top of the falls themselves, that's where she wanted to visit. And if she was lucky, she'd meet her own friend. She didn't want to hope but...

"The family you choose is the most important...I miss, my formed family so much sometimes. I don't know if they can see me, but if they can. I'd want them to know that I miss them. They helped me so much i...." The girl cut herself off, and sucked down several deep breaths. She needed to calm down, and not dive too deep into her memories, a fit she knew she'd never climb out it. She gave Mishiro a smile, but it was a sad smile as she thought back about her family...and praying they were ok. 

[Mishiro 0]

"Your guild?" she inquired. 

 

Bandit shifted at the shielder's movements and almost seemed to lean into her touch. It lifted its head. Blearily opened its eyes. Its little mouth opened in a yawn before snuggling back down.  

 

"Oh..." It had only taken her friend's next words for Mishiro to realize the family Jinx spoke of was not her guild. A family in the real world, with bonds formed not of blood but of love. She smiled in understanding. "I have someone in the real world too." They never became close. She looked towards them, hiding a desire to be loved behind a veil of indifference, and she thought it was the same way for them too. "My mother. She wasn't really around for me a lot, but... the months before SAO, I thought things were starting to change."

 

It was only fair. Jinx told her, so she was telling her a little more about herself too. She thought she was speaking more to herself than to her friend, but such was the case with the other girl just a moment ago anyway. "Sorry. It's just nice to say it out loud around someone other than Roman." 

 

Because he already knew everything and telling him any more was just redundant and bothersome. 

 

Mishiro stopped near the top of the falls. 

 

"We'll just have to count on clearing this game, one step at a time."

Edited October 3, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

The girl smiled brightly at Mishiro. It felt nice to relax, and around this other girl..She couldnt' understand fully why, but there was something so disarming abotu her. It didn't matter she couldn't focus, that half the words the girl said passed her by and she scrambled to hear them properly. But still, Mishiro was the kind of friend she wanted...no, needed. 

Listening to Mishiro talk about her mother, naturally, Jinx's mind fell onto her own and all the memories that came with it. Her father had always been there for her, but her mother...a blizzard came to mind. A manipulator. The girl blinked. Her mind had sharpened without her even noticing, and it all became clear. Her happy smile vanished instantly, yet...

"I'm jealous, in a selfish way. You have Roman, you always have had him at your side. I wish i had someone like when i started this game. I was overwhelmed, alone even..." The girl wiped her eyes as she reached the top of the falls, and ran fowards the previous conversation vanished as she looked over the edge in wonder. The whole area seemed with beauty, but...no life. The wonder on the girls face vanished for a moment, before she laughed softly. She sat down at the edge of the falls, and smiled anyway. 

"I suppose...today was just not the day. I'm sorry Mishiro, i thought my familiar would...well, have to be up here..." The girl shook her head, fidgetting with the glasses she wore "Perhaps...i need to take it slow..."

 

Id: 124331

LD: 11 (Fail)

Edited September 19, 2019 by Jinx

[Mishiro 0]

For the past few minutes, they had been sharing increasingly personal information with each other. It wasn't something they agreed upon out loud and neither did they meet with that expectation already in mind: the topic seemed to have come by so naturally that Mishiro thought it was odd. They had only met a few months ago though... their meeting was surrounded by very unusual circumstances. She wouldn't say it was a bad thing. Perhaps they simply wanted someone to speak with - someone almost completely detached yet someone who could listen and understand. 

It made sense the conversation would reach this point.

Wistful musing. Mishiro had no words. She wasn't going to apologize for having a close friend where Jinx didn't. The most she could do was assure her. Jinx's envy was perfectly valid and she meant no harm by it. Mishiro would say entertaining such an emotion was unhealthy, but Jinx already knew that. And she felt guilty. But she shouldn't be.

Mishiro was enviable in the eyes of the lonely.

"It's alright," was all she offered in response.

Neither of them dwelled on that. She blinked in puzzlement when her friend suddenly took off in a run, then shaking her head with a small smile, she thought no further and followed closely after. The sound of rushing water greeted her ears. She reached the top of the waterfall and joined Jinx near its edge. To their side was the flowing river and beneath, the water pooled into the lake beside their cliff. 

The view was breathtaking. She could see half of the floor from where they stood, with the virtual sun's brilliant reflection on the lake, the ripples in the blue waters - caused by the breeze, and the falls and the sea creatures moving underneath - and the main settlement's outer houses in the distance. It didn't hold the same tranquility of Floor 6's Waterfall of the Sage, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Turning back to her friend, she found Jinx seated by the edge of the cliff with a soft smile. "There are items that provide LD bonuses for this quest," she began. "Stock up on them and we can come back better prepared."

Edited October 3, 2019 by Mishiro

[Jinx 0]

The girl was somewhat conflicted. In one degree, the walk had been nice and she'd learnt a lot about Mishiro, the girl who she honestly did owe her life to after saving her. But on the other, she'd failed to find a familiar. The bitter-sweet sensation within her chest made her uneasy, even as the sight before her looked amazing. She fidgetted in her 'seat' on the edge of the moutain, the edge of the waterfall. It was beautiful, breath-taking. Something like that, honestly, made her forget that she was trapped within a video game. This could very well be reality, and she'd happily accept it. She ran her hand through the water, and the soft smile on her face was undeniable. 

She turned to her friend, and smiled. LD items would, help? She hadn't thought about it much if she was being honest, then again, she hadn't been prepared for this quest today. Still, the advice... "That would give me the best chance of success huh? Well, i'd be a bit of a fool not to listen to you Mishiro" The girl brought out a book from her inventory, and began writing some notes. She needed to remember this, and how else than to write it down?  

"I just wanted to say...thank you, for everything Mishiro..." The girl said suddenly, her eyes not looking at the other girl as she stared out at the scenery. 

[Mishiro 0]

She drew near to the edge of the cliff. From there it was a sudden drop down - down along the waterfall to the relatively calm blue lake beneath. Carefully, Mishiro lowered herself to sit beside Jinx. She withdrew a record crystal from her inventory, shut one eye, and peered at the landscape through the semitransparent rock. A small menu hovered by her free hand and the curious object captured the scenery with a soft click. 

"I don't know exactly what they are," she told Jinx as she expanded the menu to check on the crystal's remaining memory. The rest of the pictures she had taken scrolled past, minimized and formatted very much like a film reel. Landscapes, architecture, flower arrangements, and the occasional craft she was pleased with. "But I have a few guide books back at my place. I'll browse through them later and send you a message."

Her crystal dissipated in a cloud of translucent blue shards.

Thank you... for what?

"You're welcome...?" she responded automatically. Mishiro watched her out of the corner of her eye, trying to detect a hint from Jinx's expression. "Um, I want to offer my thanks for this too. I haven't been spending time with others like this lately. It's a welcome change."

[Jinx 0]

Jinx jotted down the information Mishiro was giving he. The crystal that seemed to show, images, would help getting a familiar? Jinx watched with curiousity at the crystal images, and they were...calming. Jinx felt a warmness in her chest, almost like looking through the treasured thoughts and memories of another. The girl frowned in that moment, she didn't have any memories like that, saved up. Perhaps, she could, save the memories? Then she would remember more...r-right? The idea lingered in her mind for a while, and the girl wrote it down too. This was a good idea, and advice she could use for the future. To save the memories around her, forever. Crystalise them forever. It actually, sounded like a good idea.

"There is no need to thank me Mishiro. I look back at, our memories. You saved my life, and the more i think about the experiences i've had in my life...I always remember that i'm allowed to experience it...I'm allowed to live my life, because you saw a complete stranger in danger and risked everything for her. Someone who, well...i could have been part of the ambush, but you didn't seem to care. You've given me thousands of wonderful memories to cherish for what you did that day" The girls eyes teared up, but Jinx managed to hold them back as she cleaned up her eyes. There were times, far too many, that she honestly forgot Mishiro saved her that day. So many memories that she realized she'd never have if not for the act of bravery from what was at the time, a complete and utter stranger. 

[Mishiro 0]

There was no mistaking the heartfelt gratitude in her lavender eyes. "I was just doing what anyone else would have done." Somehow, Mishiro couldn't bring herself to say that out loud. Somehow, defaulting to her usual response suddenly felt... wrong. Perhaps it was the way Jinx worded it. But when she looked at the girl seated beside her, she remembered how the timid shielder had smiled so brightly upon seeing her earlier. She remembered their small conversations and the wonder in those same lavender eyes as she beheld the view from the top of the waterfall.

All because she did what she thought was right.

It was a lot to process. 

But she came a step closer to understanding that she should accept this gratitude without her usual protest. Mishiro hadn't known Jinx for a long while, but she was personally glad she had been given the chance to live on. 

Wordlessly, she dematerialized her right gauntlet and briefly rested her hand atop Jinx's as the other girl wiped at her eyes.

I appreciate the gratitude.

She couldn't say it out loud, but she hoped her quiet gesture was enough.

They spent the rest of their time in quiet conversation before they had to return to the village.

"Thank you for today. Bandit, say thank you to the girl you used as your pillow." With the sleepy ferret now in her arms, Mishiro playfully waggled its little paws at Jinx as if to make a waving gesture. A hint of mirth nestled itself in her pale gray eyes when the familiar gave a yawn of protest and snuggled into her. "As I said earlier, send me a message when you have the items. I'll see you soon."

With a tender smile, she departed.

Edited November 16, 2019 by Mishiro