[PP - F4] Introductions [Guardians]

[Lessa 1]

 

The White Wolf Inn

The Guardians of Aincrad's Temporary Heaquarters

 

The room was arranged just as it had been for the Guardian's first meeting. The overstuffed burgundy and navy chairs had been dragged from all corners of the space, and laid out in a semi-circle facing the front of the room. There, a large fire crackled merrily in an impressive stone fireplace. The innkeeper, a good friend of hers, had allowed the guild to call the place home, and so a banner hung over the mantle, proudly displaying their guild's emblem. A small table with hot chocolate and empty mugs stood ready in one corner of the room. Everything was perfect.

 

But still, the guild leader was nervous. She stood at the hearth, her arms wrapped around herself, as if the flames before her and the wool sweater she wore were not enough to drive away the chills. Why am I doing this again? she found herself asking for the umpteenth time. Starting up another guild? The guild had failed once, and maybe she should have left it buried. What if it failed again?

 

Lessa shook her head sharply, as if to rid it of such thoughts. These new players deserved better from her. They deserved trust, enthusiasm, devotion, and guidance. Not doubt, frustration, sorrow, and regret. They did not deserve to be haunted by the same ghosts that visited her. Soon, they would begin arriving. It was a fresh start, and she needed to welcome it with open arms. Time to start over.

[Thorrissia 0]

The White Wolf Inn. That was the name that Lessa had mentioned in the message. Thorrissia pulled the thick fabric of her cloak further over her shoulders in an attempt to keep out the freezing cold of floor four. It was snowing, as usual up here, and she appeared to be ever so slightly lost. The brunette sighed as she wondered aimlessly through the chilly streets of Snowfrost Town, her breath steaming up into the atmosphere in a vapoury cloud. After pointlessly roaming through endless back ally ways, Thorry finally stumbled upon the inn at last. "Oh thank god!" She muttered thankfully, half stumbling, half walking through the door, a blast of chilly air announcing her arrival. 

 

The temperature change took the brunette by surprise and she let out an unintentional gasp of relief as the warm air currents rushed to ave her frozen skin. "Sorry if I'm late. I got lost.​ " Thorry apologised quickly to the blonde warrior standing proudly next to the fire place, and took a seat. The teen instantly made herself at home, relaxing happily into the comfy chair. 

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Forth floor, the place that had been called home for a while now by a certain blonde who'd open her Tailor shop there, near the forest just outside Snowfrost Village. Today she was closing shop early to attend to an important event. Just before leaving she looks at her sleepy white furred companion that was resting in front of the shop's fireplace. As if sensing her piercing gaze Kimba got up and with a yawn made her way towards the blonde that was eyeing her. After insuring that the shop was all in order, the blonde checked her gear and accidentally equipped another clock that she had. A snow white cloak with a cape that bore on the back the Absolute Pin shield. She let out sigh, reminiscing at her former guild that inevitably disbanded. 

"Guess this marks a new beginning huh?" she asked herself out loud while unequipped it and closing in on the fireplace. With a last look at the guild's checkered shield, her own design, she threw the cloak into the flames.... destroying it completely without any remorse.

 

"It's time to get back to the roots!" she said as she turned back and equipped a different cloak. This one was black by color while having her new guild banner mark on the back, the bluebird wings. On the right side, near the biceps area, the cloak had a small white crowned lion logo showing that this was a item she made for herself in her shop. Determined and without even a look back towards the fireplace, the blonde leaves her shop and heads towards the meeting point which was a Inn in Snowfrost.

 

The trip didn't take long, as she was already well accustomed with the town and as she reached the entrance of 'The White Wolf' Inn she stopped and drew her breath before letting out a sigh and closing her hands into fists before letting them go. Her lion companion was looking at her with her head tilting, probably wondering why she isn't opening for her. Catching a glimpse of her companion, the cloaked girl revealed a gentle smile and opened the door so that the lion cub could enter before her.

 

She was greeted by a sudden gust of wind as the hot air made its way outside the front entrance. The air removed her cape and her blonde hair could be seen flowing down behind her back. Opening her eyes, the blonde could see with her unusual silver eye pupils a welcoming scenery. She was impressed by the way the room was set up and showed a smile at the banner that held the same mark that was designed on her back. Next her eyes shifted to the people inside the room where she spotted two figures, the closest one was that of a brunette wearing little clothing that rivaled with what Ariel wore under her cloak. 

 

'Must be a new one' thought Ariel as she internally passed judgement strictly over her attire.

 

Next she diverted all her attention towards the other blonde in the room, despite that she was not wearing her new crimson armor, it was a face that this clocked person would never forget. "Lessa-neesama" she softly whispered as she drew closer to the two, rudely ignoring the brunette and coming next to the blonde. 

"I'm so glad I have another chance to fight beside you!" she said while looking Lessa right in her blue eyes. "You don't know how much I hoped to get this to happen. I did my best to uphold the Guardians beliefs even after ...." her voice cut abruptly as she didn't wanted to continue.

 

Next she would summon her inventory and unequipped her cloak, reveling her usual gear. A navy camo patterned short skirt and revealing top, with a pair of steel-like shoulder pads and vambraces, her black weapon was serenely resting at her waist in its black leather scabbard. The blonde then unequipped the vambraces and shoulder pads as well, remaining only in her summer-like attire and her trusty weapon. She then turned towards the green eyed brunette she'd been ignoring 'till now and offered a slight bow.

"I'm sorry for earlier..its just.... My name is Kayla Ariel D'Sole and this is my companion, Kimba. I'm looking forward to working together." she said in a polite way, thinking that it was only natural to greet her fellow guild mates like this, just as long as they don't get it to their heads. Next she would go to the table an pour some hot cocoa for her and then some more on a random plate for her white furred companion, saying with a smile: "I guess we're either early or the rest are late" 

 

(uh it seems it got too into the zone....)

[Blacksweettart 0]

Sweets looked up from the message Lessa had sent her, to the front of the building that stood before her. 'The White Wolf Inn. Huh, I guess I'd imagined it to be bigger.' A strong wind whips at her jacket biting through the fabric and causing her to shiver. 'Better get in quick, before I freeze out here' Just before she reached the door's handle a last minute thought came to her. She opened the door as quick as she could in an attempt to slam it open. But the force of the wind picked up behind her and sent her flying inside with the door. Suddenly she was in the middle of the entry way with the door wide letting in bits of snow from outside. In an awkward movement she quickly closed it and sighed. 'So much for a strong introduction' Sweets stood up tall and in an attempt to keep her pride she turned around with the friendliest smile she could muster. 

 "Hello everyone!" 'Please just ignore my embarrassment of an entrance' When she notices that there are only a couple of people in the Inn Sweet's feelings perk up a bit and she didn't feel so bad. As she walked towards the gathering spot Sweet's eyes met with Lessa and she smiled to seeing a familiar face. 

 "Greetings, thank you for inviting me here." I bow to her then face the two I've yet to meet. 

 "This is my first time joining a guild so I'm excited to be here and to get to know everyone."

[Mayuri 0]

Mayuri ran through the snow happily bounding through it like a snowshoe hare on an adventure. “PRETTY!†She cheered as she spun along the path with tiny droplets of blooming ice falling all around her. The girl was on her way to the White Wolf Inn, but she was certainly taking her time about it. Today she was meeting the rest of her guild for the first time, and she felt a little nervous about the prospect to be honest. Mai had never been a part of an organization before, not one that was supposed to train warriors anyway. She’d been a Brownie once when she was very small, but she learned to do macramé and sell cookies, things that would not be very useful in a battle situation. Now, she was going to learn how to be a battle healer, and that prospect was rather exciting.

 

The girl finally reached the inn and she pulled the door open. Mai shook the snow off at the door and then skipped through the building looking for her group. She found them in the main room with a huge fireplace. She looked around the place and spotted mugs of hot chocolate set out for them. Shay grabbed one of them up and happily sipped the chocolate. Mai spotted her guild leader and smiled as she approached the woman. “ Hello again!†she said cheerfully, rather glad to see Lessa again. 

[Thorrissia 0]

Thorrissia tried very hard to contain the flicker of dislike that twanged in her gut when the blonde haired girl began to babble away to Lessa. Something felt a little off about the way she carried herself, and when she felt the need to give her full title... The brunette got the distinct impression that the woman felt that she was gracing the lowly level 12 player with her presence just by speaking to her. The aspiring warrior had no love for the arrogant or narcissistic, but no signs of dislike peeked upon her face. First impressions were often unreliable. Instead of saying anything unsavoury to the newcomer, Thorry put on a friendly smile and responded cordially, "And I you. It appears that way. I'm sure they'll turn up eventually."

 

And arrive they did. Not moments after she'd spoken, a dark haired girl was practically blown through the door by the howling wind, stumbling rather unceremoniously into their new headquarters. The newcomer introduced herself, looking rather embarrassed, before making her way in. The brunette resisted the urge to laugh as the poor thing looked rather bedraggled. Politness Thorry. Be nice. If you're going to be working with these people, don't piss them off. The newest entrant did not long warrant her attention however, as soon another raven haired girl arrived, looking rather cheery. Two blondes, two dark haired girls and one brunette. Looks like I'm the odd one out. The thought gave her some amusement. "Is that everyone now?" Thorrissia asked curiously, planting her feet up on a nearby table as she reclined backwards in the chair. 

[Takao 0]

Time was very rarely on Takao's side, and today was no exception. He had received a message in the middle of a fight with a very angry and very large lizard who seemed to be infuriated by his very existance, and upon reading the message post-combat, he'd hastily made his way from the monster infested mountain ranges of floor seven to the much more aethstetically pleasing, if not frigid floor four. The snowy roads of Snowfrost laid before him as he slowed his pace to a brisk walk, not keen on showing up to the meeting out of breath and flustered.

 

At some point during the transition between monster hunting and running for the meeting he'd thought he was late for, Takao had unequiped the armour and weapon he normally wore and opted to only wear the black sleeved shirt underneath his fur lined cloak. He wasn't sure what exactly the meeting was going to be like, but he wasn't expecting combat, and his gear had a habit of becoming cumbersome after a while. The cloak did its job well enough and kept him comfortable even in the cold.

 

Before long, he'd wandered to the location that the message had mentioned. "The White Wolf Inn." He ran the name through his thoughts as his breath escaped, a plume of white smoke exhaled with it. His only hesitation to open the door was done to give him the chance to stomp the snow off his boots before entering. The door was opened, allowing the cold air outside to seep in for only a hot minute before he entered and pushed the door closed behind him. Takao raised his hand to ruffle the snow out of his hair as he turned and faced the gathering, a habitual smile on his face. He removed the hand from his head and used it to wave to the group instead. He noticed a few familiar faces, and a few unfamiliar, though his greeting was unaffected regardless of his familiarity with them. "Hey everyone!" He greeted cheerfully.

[Kotori 0]

"Crunch. Crunch." These sounds that were produced by the slow footsteps of a girl were the only things that she was focusing on, her mind completely blank otherwise. "Crunch." It was odd how easily the simple noises drew the attention of her. The icy touch of the powder-like substance was no longer a feeling that distracted her brain and neither did the ever so slightly rise of her lungs as they sucked in the necessary gas for life, oxygen. Or they would be doing that if all of this hadn't been a virtual world and she wasn't so caught up with the sounds of her own steps as they created a print in the ground which inevitably would fade away along with her present state of mind. However, that moment hadn't been reached yet and she was still preoccupied with the "Crunch" sound that her foot made repeatedly in a never-ending cycle.

 

Kotori had started to revert to her former shell of a person, isolation being the main cause although others factors were at work also. She had decided to take the foreign color of jet black away from her previous hazel brown follicles, a shade that she hadn't seen for may have been months. Although she never was one to talk much, her silence became more and more prevalent as she embraced the concept of inner thought ruling over speaking outwards. Even her inability to prevent social awkwardness because of her presence although that too never fully developed. One trait however did not rear its disgusting and malevolent face again and that was her initial hostility towards others who dared to approached her. There was no reason for that and she preferred to be seen in a somewhat good way. This was part of the reasoning behind why she was walking towards a destination which she assumed she was getting closer to. It was her way of trying to contribute however she had little idea of what was in store for her. Still, it wasn't as if optimism couldn't just help a bit and that's why she decided to hope for the complete best.

 

The girl finally reached her destination after setting foot only minutes before. She knew that she was late to this place, but at least she was able to make it. Hopefully others wouldn't think too bad of her for her tardiness, she was usually one of the first persons to arrive  at meeting, although she could have been tried to be a bit more on time. Her pale right arm stretched outwards as her fingers uncurled to allow the dainty digits to grab the door's knob. Momentarily, she hesitated as she shivered slightly, her breath creating a ghost-like apparition that soon dissipated into nothingness. No, she was going to do and there would be no regrets. She gripped the knob tightly as she turned it clock-wise before stepping into the inn. A slight warmth blanketed the young female however it was still a bit chilly inside. Her pupils shrunk as accordingly to the sudden increase in light in the areas as her eyes darted back and forth to observe the surroundings. As the fire flickered silently, the player began to quickly digest what she was observing. Six players were situated either standing up near or sitting down on the seven, give or take, seats that were placed as to compliment the fire place. Hot chocolate or whatever the brown substance was place on a table with a few cups to the right. Kotori finally realized that they were most likely waiting on her to begin so she quickly scurried to the left without making eye contact with anything, save the floor. She found herself unable to sputter even a single word towards anyone. "Pathetic." She thought to herself.

[Thorrissia 0]

The final person that came in through the door was a familiar face. Thorrissia's eyes widened in recognition as the exceptionally shy dark haired girl scurried uncomfortably into the room. "Kotori!" The brunette exclaimed in surprise, enthusiastically rising from her seat to go and talk to the girl. They'd only met once, but Thorrissia was just so exceptionally glad to see a familiar person, even if they'd only spoken once, that she was quite willing to go over and chat. "Hey, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Thorrissia. You seriously kicked my boyfriend's ass remember?" She laughed with a very friendly tone, trying to make conversation. From what she could remember of Kotori, she had seemed a little uncomfortable with people, so the affable brunette did her very best to make the other girl feel as welcome as possible. 

Edited August 4, 2015 by Thorrissia

[Lessa 1]

The blonde watched her guild-mates file in, one by one. Her smile never wavered, and as each engaged her in short conversation, she replied. Though nerves still gripped her, and shreds of doubt still lingered in the back of her mind, she knew that she had to maintain a positive attitude if she hoped to please her guests. However, as she talked with the new players she had come to consider friends, she found it easier and easier to relax with them. For a while, Lessa was content to let the new generation of Guardians simply mingle, passing the time until other arrived. But after twenty minutes had passed, she figured that it would be safe to begin. Politely, she excused herself from the conversation she was in, and made her way to the front of the room.

"Hey everyone," she greeted simply, raising her hand to motion to the room's occupants. "Thank you all for meeting here today. I really appreciate it." Behind her, the fire crackled merrily; the heat the flames threw warmed her back through her sweater, and she briefly wondered if maybe she should relocate. She really was terrible when it came to heat. But it was too late for that now. "Some of you may know each other already, but just in case, I think it would be a good idea if we all introduced ourselves. After that, I'll give a bit more information on the guild, alright?"

Pressing her palm to her chest, the girl continued. "I'll start. My name is Lessa. I created Guardians about," she paused as she did some mental math, "seven or eight months ago? The guild was disbanded while I worked on myself for a while, but I'm so excited to be bringing it back. Anyway, I spent a bit of time on the front lines, but now I focus more on helping new players grow stronger. Making sure that everyone can handle themselves in a bad situation is really important to me..." her voice trailed, but she regained her cool quickly. "So who wants to go next?"