[PP-F1] First steps...how long has it been <<The First Few Lessons are Free>>

[DraynaRue 0]

How many days have I repeated this cycle? This cycle of doing nothing but standing here...I lost track a long time ago.
Drayna thinks to herself as she stands in front of the gate leading out from the Town of Beginnings.
"A single step...why can't I at least manage that much?"
She whispers to herself, trembling slightly as she slowly takes a step forward.
"Just a step...just one..."
As her foot touches the ground her vision blurs slightly and she begins shaking as she remembers how she felt that fateful day 2 years ago.
"I just want to go home...I don't...I DON'T WANNA DIE!!"
She stands there frozen in place, one foot outside the safe zone, tears beginning to stream down her face. Yet, she doesn't move, she just stares. She stares at the world beyond the safe zone like she has done each and every day, for 2 years. Except this time, this day, she won't run away. Today is the day she leaves the Town of Beginnings, today is the day she plays the game she travelled all this way to play. Naturally, Drayna being Drayna, she forgot to even grab a quest.

[OOC] If anyone wants to join in on Drayna's first adventure outside the gate, that'd be great :) the next post will probably be either later tonight (06:04pm is my time as of this post) or some time tomorrow, as I'm posting this then going out. I'll see y'all on the field :)

[Alec 0]

Alec found himself wandering the streets of the Town of Beginnings again. Navigating the overcrowded streets thankful of the mold bubble that naturally formed around him thanks to his sheer size alone. As he walked he spotted something out if the ordinary in the courtyard just inside the main gate. A young woman seemed to be standing at the very edge of the gate. She tentatively placed one foot outside the line of the gate her touching the ground ever do gently before she quickly retracted it and what appeared to be a shiver ran through her body. Alec looked down at his friend and companion Humphrey and scratched the American black bear cub behind the ears and on the nap of his neck as he spoke. "Think we should go see what this is about?" Alec asked his familiar in his deep baritone rumble. The bear cub growled his assent and began to walk over the large man right behind. As Alec approached the young woman he spoke gently as he stepped up beside her while Humphrey stepped to get other side. "Quite a view, isn't it?" The large nearly six and a half foot tall man heavily muscled man asked gently in a deep baritone rumble. "How's your day going?"

[Kirbs 0]

Kirbs stiffened as she heard an ear piercing scream echo through the air. She’s been on floor one long enough to know what kind of screams can be heard there— and that my friend, was the scream of a mental breakdown. She whipped around and saw another girl not too far away— and it looked like she was the one in charge of the wailing.

As much as she wanted to comfort the unknown player... did she really want to make more friends? Her eyes averted to her feet as she let out an inaudible sigh. She liked hanging out with... people? But did she really want to meet more people? It’s just more people to mourn when the time comes again.

Her eyes perked when she saw a familiar player walk up to the girl.

Alec?

She smiles briefly as she remembered what the two had gone through. Ah, good times. Well, it won’t hurt to let out some stress. She couldn’t even the last time she actually relaxed— or even sleep. Too many thoughts were in her head at night.

The redhead shuddered as all of her flaws came rushing back to her. It seemed like social awkwardness never really went away, almost like some kind damn mental illness or something.

Swallowing her anxiety, she approached the two and gave a meek wave, trying her best not to let her complete change of personality through. “H-hey Alec. Been a while, right?” She then turned to the other girl and offered a brief smile before her expression turning blank again. “My name is Kirbs by the way.” 

@Alec @DraynaRue

[Athena 0]

Athena had been spending all of her time on floor one in the town of beginnings. She had perfected her cooking technique, along with taking care of the children that had lost their parents in the game. Athena was currently spending her time wiping the mouth of one of the youngest she had been watching over. She spent her days and nights at the church. Athena looked surprised as the kid spoke to her about fighting, "Miss Athena... I know you like taking care of us, but don't you want to go out and fight, get stronger and protect the people on higher floors?" Athena widened her eyes, "I mean, I want to protect everyone in this game, but I can't just leave you guys." She would then give the kid's head a patting, "But, we have the other Miss, I think if you went out, none of us would mind.. In fact, we all want you to work hard and save more people than just us!" Athena would ponder over it for a while. "I'll think about it, meanwhile you enjoy your bath!" Athena began tickling the kid, and laughter could be heard.

Fast forward about an hour and Athena would be walking down the street, near the edge of town. Near the exit, of the Town of Beginnings. She was out for a walk, looking around for people that needed her... But today it seemed rather empty. Much like it had been for the past year. Athena had really done up with this place... But she knew there were higher floors with people that needed her just as much. If Athena hadn't been so keen on going to that meeting spot every single day, she wouldn't have stayed on floor one for very long. Athena, the protector, she would have fought to get to the frontlines to provide her emotional support to everyone she could. She wanted people to have hope in this dull dark world. Shaking her head, Athena continued her walk. Hearing a few voices, she turned. 'I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!' Athena's eyes widened as she looked over at the source of the cry. A tanned girl with blonde hair, Athena couldn't get a good look of her face, because the girl's back was towards Athena, her face looking towards the plains. Athena was about to take a step forward when a tall, muscular, older man stepped forward, she couldn't quite hear what he said, but she ought to walk closer just in case. Athena took an actual step forward, moving her body in the direction of the duo when a girl appeared. She had the reddest of hair, and it looked like in the past there had been a spark in her eye, but it no longer lay there. 

Athena walked into the group of three now, "Is everything okay?" Her beady red brown eyes glancing between each player. She wanted to help, however she could.

[DraynaRue 0]

Drayna hears the sound of someone behind her. "Quite the view, isn't it? How's your day going?" says the man as he walks over and stands beside her.
"Huh?" she turns slightly to see a six and a half foot tall man. No sooner did she see him than she hears the sound of an animal on her other side, she turns her head quickly to see an American black bear cub standing right beside her. "KYYAAA!!" startled, Drayna jumps forwards and turns around, not even realising that she'd crossed the threshold of the safe zone.
"W-who're you? You made me jump fer a second there" she says to the man, seemingly snapped out of her previous state but still obvious to the fact that she was now outside the gate of the Town of Beginnings.

At some point between the man and his cub approaching Drayna and her turning around startled two girls had joined them, one with bright red hair and the other with beady brown eyes. The red-headed girl turned to Drayna introducing herself as Kirbs, the other, asking if everything was ok.

"E-erm...I'm Drayna...DraynaRue" as she introduces herself meekly to the three players a smile briefly forms across her face.

@Alec @Kirbs @Athena

[Alec 0]

As the young red head Kirbs steps up and says hello to Alec he glances down a smile quirking the edge of his mouth as he shoots a quick and friendly wink to the young lady. "Hello there Kirbs. How are you?" The large man asks in his deep baritone rumble before turning back to the young lady now standing outside of the Town of Beginning's wall. The large man looks down at the young woman as the corner of his mouth and face ease from his perpetual scowl to a softer expression with a faint smile. "Well my name is Alec." The large man offers in a deep baritone rumble as he extends a large thick hand out. "And this is my friend Humphrey. I'm very sorry if we started you young lady." He offers with a nod of his head toward the bear cub who plops down on the ground amidst everyone.

[Kirbs 0]

Kirbs eyes shifted to another unfamiliar player. Oh, God, she did not sign up for this doo doo. It was too late to go back on introductions so just silently wept inside as she continued to blink tiredly at the group of players. "Everything is fine... I hope," she mumbled. Everything was not fine. Not friggin' fine at all. Everything was bloody wrong.

It's not bloody fine when you're stuck in a damn video game with thousands of other damn teenagers.

Her thoughts snapped when the girl introduced herself. "Drayna," she murmured, testing the name out on her own tongue. She nodded to herself as she finally got that down in her mind. Just another name she might have to look for in the Monument of Life in another two months. That's bloody brilliant! 

She looked up at Alec and forced a small smile on her face, although her eyes didn't quite match it. "I'm doing... well," she bit out, looking down at her feet once more. He didn't seem to change, that's good. He was capable of defending himself. She trusted tanks with staying alive more than DPS players, just simply because they're... y'know, tanks. 

@Athena@Alec@DraynaRue

[Athena 0]

Athena smiled as she got everyone's names fresh in her mind, "I suppose I could introduce myself. My name is Athena, I've been taking care of the people here on floor one that are too scared to leave." Athena would have left sooner had she not been so caught up in her tasks. She had wanted to make sure everyone was emotionally stable before she went about and did something else. "Nice to meet you all." Her eyebrows raised as she watched the exchange that Kirbs gave Alec. It didn't take a genius to know that this girl was far from emotionally stable. 

Nevertheless, Athena was wondering what everyone was doing here in this particular spot, "What are you guys doing here?" Her eyes beating to where Drayna had left the safe zone, then they shifted to Alec and Kirbs, who obviously had stronger equipment than her and Drayna combined. Athena's eyes shifted to the black bear accompanying Alec. The bear was rather cute she had to admit.

[DraynaRue 0]

She looks at everyone one after the other, making note of their names in her mind, then she turns back to Alec "It's fine, it's my fault for spacin' out like that" she looks over at the bear cub and smiles, her true personality breaking through her fear and anxiety for just a brief while "I've never seen a bear up close before *laugh* it's real cute". It's at that moment that her eyes drift a little bit more to the side, not too much but just enough for her to finally notice the wall. The outside wall. Her eyes and head follow the frame of the gate from one side to the other before her eyes go wide and a look of mild panic comes across her face "Eh...EHHHH!!" she quickly darts back inside before letting out a sigh of relief.

Back inside the safe zone she turns to Athena and asks her a single question "How long has it been...since we got trapped 'ere?" she stands there looking up at Athena, her previous look of fear and anxiety returning.

[OOC] "Just another name she might have to look for in the Monument of Life in another two months", @Kirbs that made me laugh more than it should've done lol

@Alec @Athena

 

[Alec 0]

"Don't worry about it." Alec offers I'm his deep soothing baritone rumble. "We all do it sometimes and at least you were inside the safe zone when it happened." Alec glances down at Humphrey as the bear cub totters up and wanders over nuzzles the young woman with his large head before flopping to the ground on his side in front of her causing the large man to let out a deep rumble of a chuckle. "He's a real ham for attention and all the ladies love him." Alec offers remembering Kirbs's first encounter with the bear cub. "Isn't that right Kirbs?" The large man asks as he gently tousles the small red head and offers her a grin. "So what seems to be the trouble today?" The large man asks calmly as looks down to the troubled young lady. "Anything this fine cast of.....ahem.....characters can do to help?" Alec asks with a faint smile.

Edited July 21, 2019 by Alec

[Kirbs 0]

Another name to remember. Athena. Wasn't that the same name of the goddess she saw in her Olympus quest? 

Kirbs shrugged her shoulders at Athena's question, not too sure of the answer herself. "I needed air," she said plainly. God knows how long she's been in that dinky shop of hers. 

Kirbs blinked as she looked down at the little bear cub. It hasn't been long but she did miss the cute little face of Humphrey. She crouch down and patted his head with a small smile. "Hey, there, bud. Been a bit, huh?" She murmured lowly. Her own familiar let out a low hiss at the bear cub and she had to silence him with another glare. Scarfy just didn't know how to behave with other familiars, she guessed. She wasn't even sure if he would get along with his own damn species. "Stop it," she muttered lightly, shooting another glare at her familiar before standing back up again.

The redhead let out a small huff as she watched Drayna scurry back to the safe zone in a frenzy. If she acted like that all the time, how was she going to survive out there? 

The girl's mind went blank for a few seconds as she stared out the gate of the town. She remembered first leaving the Town of Beginnings... and let's just say her reaction was just a tad bit different from Drayna's. Her train of thought was lost when she heard her name. "Huh?" She asked, blinking at Alec-- who she assumed was talking to her. "Oh, yeah," she hummed, nodding her head. 

[Athena 0]

Athena watched as Drayna jumped back into the safe zone. Athena's eyebrows furrowed towards the center of her face. She was definitely concerned for the girl. Upon seeing the girl's expression rest on her, Athena thought for a moment. Almost every other player wouldn't know the exact count, but Athena knew. She knew because she counted each day. "It's been roughly two years..." Athena stopped talking to watch the exchange between Kirbs and Alec. Athena was pretty much in the same boat as Drayna, she had never left this town. But the two's major difference between each other was that Athena wasn't scared. Her mind bringing her back to the conversation she had with the kid. Maybe it was about time that she actually went out and did something. Maybe she could bring her support to the higher floors.

Blinking back into the present, Athena grinned, "It's a lovely day to go out. It seems that's what you wanted to do here, Drayna. Mind if I accompany you?" Athena could do with a change of pase and scenery. She honestly barely remembered what the outside world looked like. The only day she had left had been right before the ceremony.  

[DraynaRue 0]

Drayna crouches down near the Bear cub "I can see why he's popular" she says to Alec as she pets the Bear gently on the head. At the same time, she can't help but think about what Athena said Two years...I can't believe it's been that long Drayna sighs and mutters to herself "I've been standin' here, starin' out into the field every day..." as she gets up she hears Athena say something that makes Drayna's eyes light up. "Y-you'd come with me?!? I've been wantin' to go outside every day since I got here but...as everyone here saw, I never had the courage to do so" as she talks a bright smile forms across her face and tears well up in her eyes. She hasn't smiled like this in Aincrad before and for the first time, she feels like she might be able to go outside the gate without running away.

As she wipes her eyes with her hands, she turns to Alec and Kirbs "Would you guys be able to come with me too?" she asks meekly, as she's unsure how to ask other players to join her party. In the two years that she's spent stuck in the Town of Beginnings, the three players that she's with now are the first players she's ever spoken too.

[Alec 0]

Alec's normally stern features and perpetual scowl soften into a smile that plays at the corners of his mouth. "Seems to me you just stepped outside the main gate completely on your own." Alec offers with a softness not normally in his deep voice. "But if you're asking for someone to go out on a quest I'd love to." The large man says as his scowl finally melts into a full smile. "Lucky for you. You just found yourself a Tank the large man offers with a grin. Miss Kirbs here can attest to my skill and ability to take a hit and make sure you don't." Alec states as he again glances over to the small red head with a slight sadness touching his eyes as if for something lost as his smile twitches for a second before becoming firmly in place again. " Plus Humphrey will let you pet him for as long as you'd like." The large man states with a chuckle.

[Kirbs 0]

Two years?

Kirbs slowly blinked as she shifted her gaze over to her fidgeting hands. Two years without Bell. She had him for less than a week and then he's gone from her life... except this time, he isn't going to make a magical appearance again. He's gone. Forever.

Kirbs lifted her head to the question again. What is it with people and asking her some damn questions? "O-oh," she stuttered, looking back and forth between Drayna and Alec. Alec can protect them just fine... did she really need to come? "I- uhm," she sweat dropped and cleared her throat. "Alright, I can go... I suppose," she said in almost a defeated tone. Where else was she supposed to go? Scarfy let out another growl of protest-- because of course, such a familiar like him doesn't want to hang around on the first floor aiding some newbies who ever left the damn town. 

"I said stop it!" She snapped, glaring at her familiar again. Scarfy recoiled before letting out a low hiss of defeat and sinking down again. Hoo-wee, she's snapped at him before but never like that! It felt kind of good, she had to admit. It felt so weird having power to a literal creature that could strangle you in two seconds!

[Athena 0]

Athena grinned, "Of course i'd go out with ya!" Her gaze rested on Alec, agreeing with him that she had managed to leave town on her own, "Alec's right, you managed to leave on your own." Upon hearing that the man was in fact a tank, Athena's eyes widened. She did have a few questions to ask him, mainly about his own build. She wanted to be a tank as well, but baby steps... Athena first had to level up a bit more, if she wanted to save others at least...

Athena watched the interaction between Kirbs and her familiar, then between Alec and his. The two's reactions to their familiars were entirely different... Athena shrugged it off, not thinking much of it. If she didn't prove herself, she was in no position to give others emotional support. She had to be like a giant boulder, ahead of lots of people and able to take as many hits as needed before anything could get past her.

[DraynaRue 0]

Hearing that Alec has a tank build reassured Drayna, if she goes with these three there's no way she could possibly die here, is what she thinks to herself. As for her own build, Drayna wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to go with but one thing she was sure on is that she'd love to make weapons and armour for people. Being able to help people while still being inside a safe-zone was a very appealing idea to Drayna.

"T-thank you...everyone" still smiling, Drayna opens the menu and navigates to her empty friends-list "Finally, I'm not gonna be alone anymore" she says to herself as she adds the three to her friends-list. While she still has the menu open she glances down at the options section, without even thinking she opens it and pokes the blank space where the logout button used to be "Boop" naturally nothing happens and she closes the menu quickly, mildly embarrassed. For whatever reason, this was a ritual that Drayna developed in order to entertain herself. Since the logout button did nothing but bleep she'd try poking it every time she had the menu open, making a "boop" sound whenever she did.

Quickly brushing off her little ritual she turns to Alec "A quest...I think I remember an alchemist who was givin' 'em out when I first got here...I feel kinda bad that I turned him down back then, I was thinking we could do that one" she looks around at everyone and smiles. For once she's actually enjoying her time in SAO

[Alec 0]

The young woman seems to instantly brighten up and get smile is infectious taking the faint smile that played at the edges of his mouth and cracking his stern features and perpetual scowl and turning them into a wide grin that brightened and softened his hard features. "Sure." Alec replied in his deep baritone rumble. "Feel free to pick whatever quest you feel comfortable doing and I'll gladly Tank it for you." The large man offered with a broad smile across his face. "I've never you before. Miss Athena? Was it?" Alec offered as he stretched out his hand and offered a smile. "My name's Alec, and Miss Kirbs here is one heck of a damage dealer. She and I took on a pack of wild dogs along with a three head dog made of fire up on Floor Nine a little while ago. She's darn tough too." Alec offered with a smile. He had done a few pair team ups but this was going to be his first real group quest and it would be excellent training and experience for when he finally made it to the Front Lines.

[Kirbs 0]

Kirbs blinked.

She was doing the tutorial quest? She was helping people with the tutorial quest, again? She's helped so many people with this quest, that it actually made her upset that she had wasted so much time helping random people with such a boring quest. She wasn't even going to be helping with anything! She was practically being their damn bodyguard! Her eye twitched as she internally face-palmed herself. Did she really need to tag along for this? Alec can protect them just fine if they needed a bodyguard! She sighed, rolling her head around before mumbling in defeat. Well, it was too late to back out now. 

"It was just a couple of dogs," she mumbled, casting her eyes toward the ground. That memory was still sort of blurry, but she knew it was thrilling when she did it. That day felt so long ago. It was before everything happened. 

[Athena 0]

Athena smiled, shaking Alec's hand, "Yep, Athena at your service." Upon shaking his hand, she curtsied a bit, before glancing back up, "If you have time to sit down tomorrow or something, I do have a few questions to ask you, Alec..." Athena grinned, "A pack of wild dogs? Three-headed dog? That sounds very exhilarating." Athena got a lot of wild tales and stories from the kids she always took care of, but she knew that this one was the truth. It sounded much like a quest or a hunt that anyone could take on, given they had the levels. 

Athena nodded her head, "Whatever quest you want to do, you'll have us three to support you!" Athena grinned, "It's never too late to go back and grab the quest." Her gaze rested on Drayna's lips as they curled upwards into a smile. Smiles made Athena happy, she loved making sure everyone was okay... Now she just had to get Kirbs to smile. She barely knew the girl, but she wanted to support her in any way that she could.