Ariel - The Crowned Lion

The blonde silently assisted to the interaction between the player and the NPC. While a little different from the one she had when she first did her profession quest with the master tailor, the gimmicks were the same. The differences she noted we're mostly in regards to their personality which the blonde liked as it gave the NPCs an air of individuality. She mentally noted that so far, she hit the jackpot regarding the master crafter's friendliness as, even if it is a distant memory, she could recall lady Diana being very supporting with her and guiding the blonde through each step of the seaming process. Maybe the tailoring needle required a gentler touch than the artisan's chisel and hammer.

She shrugged the thoughts away getting closer to the counter and peaking over it at the bluenette to check his progress. It seemed pretty straightforward: follow the instructions on the paper to replicate the item in the blueprint. She had prompted an raised eyebrow from the npc crafter but nothing more as it continued his work. She turned towards Chase when he prompted a question, surprised that he wasn't getting an answer from his master. Waiting a few more moments, the silence seemed umberable so she decided to reply to him instead: "Yeah, practice makes perfect!" she chimed with a smile.

"mooouuu" she sighted "This is starting to feel repetitive doesn't it?" she asked as she struck down the last of the mobs. As much as she liked to see the col, materials and items stack up it would still not be enough for her plans. "Looks like we're going to be here for a while longer too." she added with half a smile as she turned around towards Raidou before starting to gather the remaining loot. "Another Dungeon map!" she chimed as she picked up the paper with a grin and added it to the ever increasing stack. The new tally confirmed her earlier prediction regarding the Col amount. With another sigh she watched their energy levels, looks like it was another time for a break. She sent her weapon back into her inventory, her shoulders slightly slumping as her figure relaxed. "This is a real workout. I can't remember the last time I had to grind like this." she added, seeing that they had a small window of time to casual chat.

• [2, 2, 3, 3] Ariel | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 69/146 (-13) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 59 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 1 | AA | FLN: 4 | BH: 75 | LD: +11 | +6*HP Col
• [6/7/4/6] Raidou | HP:951/1000 | EN: 30/100 | DMG:20 | MIT:126 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | TAUNT | BH:50
• Spider 1 | HP: 82/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 2 | HP: 57/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 3 | HP: 130/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 4 | HP: 100/950 | DMG: 222

Ariel would let go of Raidou's coat, which she instinctively clinged on, nodding to him. This wasn't one of her best moments but felt lucky that the alchemist's usual self worked in her favor this time. She took initiative and started walking a few steps forward, keeping Raidou as a shield between her and the spotted familiar, feeling chills on her back each time she glanced behind. "Raidou is right Sin-chan, I'm not doing this because I want to... my body just.. reacts I can control it. It was the same with Kimba when I first meet her. It took a lot of time and skinship to reach the level of closeness that we're now. It's not about the growling or anything... I react just by being near one." she admitted a little disheartened, trying to make Assassin see that she wasn't doing it to upset her. They could start seeing mountain base in the distance, they'll have to enter the forest it seems; to start looking for the lizard. "But a lizard... would a fish even eat something like that? Wouldn't worms be a better bait?" she asked Raidou, trying to calm herself by diverting the topic, sneaking glances behind at the familiar once in a while to make sure it didn't get too close.

"Osu! Rinly-ojisan!" chimed the blonde as they entered the shop, greeting the NPC out of habit. She then turned ChaseR and lightly shrugged. "No idea kid, I'm a tailor remember? Give those materials to this guys, he'll be your teacher!" she adde while pointing at the busy NPC that spared them nothing more than a glance. Such was the coding of his character, a busy crafter that poured everything he had into his work with little time for mundane attics. So until they would engage in conversation with him about the profession quest or making a purchase, he would continue working, sparing them a glance once in a while in order to not completely ignore them.

She mused over it and decided to show him her profession, after some quick taps on her menu she materialized a blue piece of cotton fabric in one hand and her golden sewing needle in the other. "For me it work something like this." She then started making the mechanical motion of manually sewing the fabric, after her needle made several loops the fabric turned into a vanity type blue hachimaki (stylized headband) with the kanji 動機 (motivation) written between a crowned lion head. "Granted you need to be more careful for items of higher tier and made from materials of higher quality. But that's the gist for it, should be something similar for artisans." She then threw the headband in his direction to have it. It caught the eye of the master artisan which after glancing at it, nodded and softly muttered while still working: "As expected from lady Diana's student, you work fast and deliver quality." "Aww thanks gramps..." replied Ariel with a smile and a faint blush.

She looked over her shoulder only to see that the kid still was moping around while dragging himself, literally. She let out a long sigh, hoping he'd make his mind fast: get disheartened and remain in this town for god knows how much time and use this opportunity to motivate himself, to press on with the same determination he showed earlier. She heard a loud thud and some groaning and turned around completely, her eyes squinting at the sight; second questioning herself over the worth of staying around here anymore.

As she heard him speak, the blonde raised her eyebrows in surprise. Seems like he might be some kind of a masochist as he started feeling better after having a intimate face to face encounter with the paved ground. Either way, be it from his clumsiness or the disappearance of his frown, her own smile gradually returned as she nodded and replied: "We're almost back to the shop." Maybe he hit his head or something... she didn't know where his sudden mood swing came from but she was content that it was a positive one.

"Nobody should." she squeezed in as she watched him once more skillfully dodge all the attack coming his way. After their little chat, she could see now how his style focused more on close combat.. potentially hand to hand combat. Despite the multitude of legs coming his way with murderous intention he would easily tiptoe away from harm. If she wore to be honest she could only appreciate it by eye and little more, her family's style focusing more on armed combat. Realizing her own hypocrisy, she let out a small snort before launching herself once more against the group. She could count at least three times where she took more risks than needed, and that was only in the time she had since she rejoined the frontlines. Right now she liked to think that she less reckless than in the past. Spinning alongside her weapon in a perfect 360º circle, she was glad the sword art didn't induce motion sickness. If she were to repeat this action back in the real world as many times as she did today until now, she wouldn't guarantee her lunch's residence in her stomach.

• [2, 2, 3, 3] Ariel | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 82/146 (-13) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 59 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 1 | AA | FLN: 4 | BH: 75 | LD: +11 | +6*HP Col
• [3/3/3/3] Raidou | HP:1000/1000 | EN:45/100 | DMG:20 | MIT:126 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | TAUNT | BH:50 | Parry [VR] Active
• Spider 1 | HP: 242/950 (-252) | DMG: 222
• Spider 2 | HP: 233/950 (-216) | DMG: 222
• Spider 3 | HP: 242/950 (-234) | DMG: 222
• Spider 4 | HP: 260/950 (-225) | DMG: 222

'Was that so hard to do?' was what the blonde thought as she watched him finally pick up the items she'd spotted. To his last last statement she simply nodded, her serious expression somehow softened but not enough to appear that she was enjoying the victory. Her words connected and she was content with having him realize the error of his way, she wasn't about to twist the knife or pour salt over the wood. She straightened up, leaving him a moment without saying anything while she brushed her cloak and straightened some minor wrinkles on her skirt. Then she started walking towards him and gave him a slap on the back, prompting him to start moving: "Now that we got that out of the way, let's get back to the master artisan's shop and have you learn how to make trinkets!" she said with a small encouraging smile, trying to rely the message that staying here moping around would further delay him from the reaching the frontlines.

She double checked to see if the cooldown on a specific skill has ended, she was pleased to see that was the case. She was still adjusting to the change of weapon, having to slightly alter her impulsive habits. To maximize her potential she would need to use more than two skills simultaneously and focus on the correct execution of the sword art; be it a area attack or a single target one. One wrong move on one of those three and she would significantly decrease her efficiency and almost waste them all. "You mean if  'we' need to identify them. We're going to share the spoils after all, as we previously agreed." she replied with a sheepish eye. "You really surprised me there! I really didn't expect to see you there, even less to hear that you intended to participate." She materialized her weapon and drew her gaze away from him as she continued: "Same with the tank, Yuki-chan! I meet her on a quest and she told me that she didn't feel prepared enough to participate on this floor. You saw my reaction to her contradictory words at the meeting. Really, you guys improved so much in such a small span of time. I don't know how you did it!" she admitted, maybe a tinge of jealousy in her tone. She eyes the net group and nodes towards them, signaling the tank their next targets. She charges in repeating her deadly dance once more.

• [1, 1, 1, 1] Ariel | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 95/146 (-13) | DMG: 29 | MIT: 59 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 1 | AA | FLN: 4 | BH: 75 | LD: +11 | +6*HP Col
• [0/0/0/0] Raidou | HP:1000/1000 | EN:64/100 | DMG:20 | MIT:126 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | TAUNT | BH:50 | Parry [VR] Active
• Spider 1 | HP: 734/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 2 | HP: 689/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 3 | HP: 716/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 4 | HP: 725/950 | DMG: 222

"I think we're almost done!" she replied with a smile. The blonde continued to loot at the impressive amount of unidentified items. Some merchant is going to have a field day with identifying all of them. Whatever or not the had some special enhancements among them came as a afterthought for the blonde. She was pretty content with her equipment. It was one of the advantages of being on the front lines for as long as she's been, throughout the years she had earned herself a few demonic items that normal players didn't have access to expect during a floor boss raid. However, after her return to the front lines she saw that people were making due with what they were given. She felt a little outclassed by some, her days of being the one of the strongest damage dealers numbered if not gone. She had expected this and wanted to tinker with her build for a while, the boss meeting spurring her even more.

[0/0/0/0] Ariel | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 108/146 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 59 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 1 | AA | FLN: 4 | BH: 75 | LD: +11 | +6*HP Col

"I know, I'm surprised we managed to keep up our heath topped until now... kind of hoped we would still go like this too-" she added after finishing off the group. Slowly, they were starting to reach the mental quota that the blonde set for this little col farming treek that they were in. Though, thanks to the effective energy and hate management that they had she felt like she could go on for a while. She started checking the loot they have received once more after dismissing her long weapon: unconsciously flicking it to the side as if to clean it from blood. It was a weird action considering the absence of the red liquid in SAO but she still did it as muscle memory. Seeing too many martial arts movies, she emulated the overly dramatic moves more than often hearing from her teachers about how impractical and wasteful they were. "My inventory looks like a freaking weaponsmith's!" said the blonde delighted after stacking up the loot items on top of what they gained until now. She turned towards Raidou and showed him her HUD, excited.

• [3, 4, 4, 5] Ariel | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 107/146 (-13) | DMG: 29 | MIT: 59 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 1 | AA | FLN: 4 | BH: 75 | LD: +11 | +6*HP Col
• [6/6/6/7] Raidou | HP:953/1000 | EN:82/100 | DMG:20 | MIT:126 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | TAUNT | BH:50
• Spider 1 | HP: 73/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 2 | HP: 232/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 3 | HP: 19/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 4 | HP: 40/950 | DMG: 222

She eyed her tank counterpart as she noticed that she hasn't elicited any response from him. A tough cookie to crack... she was starting to understand him even if just little by little. Seems it was worth the while to try and befriend him during those dragon hunts. He kept improving at such a high rate that made her think of Shield, even if the similarity between them stopped at little more than both of them being tanks. The sage in her 'predicted' that he will be a prominent figure for the frontlines in the future and she was excited to be there to witness his ascent. Of course this was all in her head and she wouldn't reveal those though that easily. This was just the way her mind wandered as she found herself, by this point, acting more instinctively than putting some thought behind her hits. 

She watched as he got his shoulder nabbed. "There goes your perfect evasion streak!" she chimed like a kid after checking his health bar for confirmation.

• [2, 2, 3, 4] Ariel | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 118/146 (-14) | DMG: 29 | MIT: 59 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 1 | AA | FLN: 4 | BH: 75 | LD: +11 | +6*HP Col
• [3/3/3/4] Raidou | HP:903/1000 | EN:82/100 | DMG:20 | MIT:126 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | TAUNT | BH:50
• Spider 1 | HP: 233/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 2 | HP: 392/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 3 | HP: 179/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 4 | HP: 200/950 | DMG: 222

This was already a better 'homecoming' than the time she first set foot on the floor, or left it not too long ago. She looked at both of them and nodded to herself, this was not the time to let the pass bog her down. The knowledge of these two being more alike than they thought, visibly rising her spirits alongside assassin's unconscious attempt to console her. "Of course you can!" she replied, before turning towards Raidou who added a small tidbit of information she wasn't aware of. "We're gonna make some fine sushi out of it before it even gets a chance to do anything. The tricky park is gonna be luring it out!... proper bait?" she asks, slightly tilting her head. The blonde herself wasn't familiar with the finer details, that's why were walking towards the fisherman that handled the quest. Seems like Raidou did some digging beforehand.

She had stopped greet the familiar, for a second and extended her hand for it to smell. In the same time wondering where Kimba had disappeared to. Knowing how she took a liking to Assassin from the start, she would most likely adopt her new familiar into her pack too. "Nyoh(leopard) huh? That's a very Sin-chan-like name to give your familiar!" she chimed with a smile, petting the familiar if it allowed her to. As a feline owner herself, she knew how finichy and independent these familiar types could be. Starting of on a bad food may a lot of time to mend, as it did with Kimba. 

Then it hit her... at the worst timing possible...She forgot about it up until this moment when her body's instincts took over. "Eekkk!" The leopard could feel Ariel's hand slightly clench and the quickly retract as the blonde's entire body flinched and she jumped back a couple of steps. She took refuge behind Raidou, her voice a little shaken as she started apologizing. "I'm... I'm sorry Sin-chan... I... I... don't do well... with cats..." she eyes the familiar from behind the red clad's alchemist coat; using him as a shield. After taking a large breath she admitted disheartedly: "I.. I suffer from a condition called ailurophobia... in simple terms is a irrational fear of cats." Watching the innocent familiar her eyes shifted back to Assassin, she felt guilty but couldn't control herself.

Ariel activates Vengeful Riposte!

Ariel | HP:1570/1570 | EN:149/154 | DMG:19 (+4) | MIT:79 | EVA:1 | ACC:4 | TAUNT | HB: 48 | BH:78 | +5 LD | Vengeful Riposte (Active)

She noticed that he still stubbornly refused to pick the item she was using as a visual aid to focus her thoughts. Her eyes lit up and she let out a small giggle as he bluntly called her out. "Was I that obvious? Man I really suck at hiding things. You got me... " she admitted slightly amused. "What is there to learn?" she asked and pointed out three locations. "There, there and there. The materials you're missing are in plain sight. Want to learn how I know?" her eyebrow slightly raise, she didn't give him time to reply and continued. "I have leveled up and invested Skill Points in a Skill called Search." Once again her eyes flashed as she scanned the area around them. She was starting to get fed up with his obsession on learning things the traditional way. "It shows me the location of things like hidden people, quest objectives, mobs and materials. I just got it after investing some points in it. All it does is increase the chance to see something." she came out a little rougher than intended but pressed on.

"All the quests on these lower floors.. hell, all the tier one quest are like this game's tutorials, eazy enough for a player or ideally a small group to blaze through them and gain skill point to invest in themselves. You say you'll see me on the frontlines? by what I'm seeing so far I highly doubt it." her words bit hard but if he really meant what he said he needed a wake up call. "With each new flor that we unlock, there are new skills and quests that we can do to increase out level. You won't get any benefit from not picking up the mats I just pointed for you, just waste more time that you could put on doing another quest!" by the time she finished she found herself standing instead of leaning against the fence. "You better pick up the pace or be always 10 steps behind the ever advancing front lines." she let out a long sigh, she wasn't expecting to lecture a noobie today but did it for his own good.

If this is how he normally acted in real life around her, Ariel didn't knew if she had to pity the girl. She was certain that if she would join such a game for him like he said, most likely she wouldn't think of him of 'just a friend' as well. "yare yare..." she softly sighted while shaking her head, stopping that train of thoughts as it wasn't her place to comment on it. "I'll keep that in mind next time." she added with a wink, sticking the tip of her tongue out like a kid despite being the older of the two. If one were to listen to their conversation without seeing them, they would probably think it was the other way around. The blonde knew that somehow she would become less serious as the number of the floor decreased and would attribute that to the confidence that she didn't shy from showing.

"That's an upstanding way of thinking and acting." she replied trustfully, once again showing a glimpse of her more serious side. "I'm curious how long will you be able to keep that up on the long run." Somehow she felt a little relieved to see that his head was in the right place, many went outside the safe zones with the mentality that its a game they would become the main hero and save the rest like in every shonen manga/anime. Many would crack after being faced with the harsh reality, never to leave the safe heavens again. Chase however seemed to break that mold and be cautious from the beginning.. "Too cautious..." muttered the blonde, thinking she could do probably something about that. She spotted another material nearby, if he were to follow her gaze, he would probably notice it as well.

ID# 155547  LD: 15+5 Material Found!

A lot of memories were related to this floor since she had spent at least a couple of years here, mostly in solitude without having but the bare minimum contact with the rest of the world. She had been wondering throughout the floors for a few months after the 20th boss fight, her mind in dark place.. she couldn't trust herself to be near others. After the frontliners defeated, with no help from her, the floor 21 boss she had taken refuge here in a cave and shut herself in. It took a lot of time, mental 'pain' from deep inner reflections and some meditation but she managed to set her mind in the right place and make peace with herself: be it past or present, and set up a goal to keep her pushing through the game with a clear purpose.

She managed to pull through all that and now was slowly working towards achieving her goal. This floor held a deep meaning in her heart and she was happy to have returned to it, this time not alone but with a couple of players that she would like to think of them as friends. When she was here before she never thought about doing the local floor quests but today the trio would tackle one of the more popular ones that this place had to offer.

Making their way towards the Lake of Reflection where the <King of Lakes> quest objective was located, Ariel was uncharacteristically quiet, casting glances towards a small mountainous region in the Forest of Memories; trying to see if she could spot with the naked eye the location of the cave she took refuge in all that time in the past. She wouldn't be her usual cheery self that threw light verbal jabs at Raidou or keep constantly dotting on Assassin. She neither would seem sad, a peaceful/serene, almost nostalgic expression being present on her features: "Are we ready for some fishing?" she curtly asked the other two members of her party.

"Subarashii konjo!" muttered the blonde, the game's translation working its magic as to display a translation message that read "Excellent guts!" though the words were correct, it wouldn't have the same meaning in english as the expression would in the blonde's native tongue. She decided to overlook the real life aspect and explain that the authorities would most likely be aware of their condition and would not allow anyone else to use a nerve gear. There was always the chance she was wrong and she was in no position to talk about that topic.

She focused on things she had firsthand experience however with his later statements. "It's always a girl isn't it." she lightly chuckled, hoping he wouldn't think she was mocking him. "This right here is one of the first steps on the road to reunite you with your lily." she chimed with glee referring to her name as flower, lightly typing her foot on the ground below them. "But I'd suggest you become a little more flexible at least. I'll reiterate again that alone, you're gonna walk a long way to reach the top. Longer than necessary."

"The front lines eh?" she slowly muttered. So that is his intention... well she could guess, there aren't many reasons for one to get out of the safe zones. Fame, friends or loved ones, the desire to get stronger... sooner or later all of them aimed towards the latest unlocked floor. Not all of them could reach it, even less could remained there. It was a truth she was too well accustomed with. "Are you planning on becoming a paladin? because that's quite the noble goal you have set for yourself, to step forward and fight for the rest of us that won't take arms ourselves." she asked, adding a little bit of theatrics to the last part. 

"Don't worry about me honey, this girl can take care of herself.This is afterall just the 1st floor out of 100." a lopsided smile surfacing on her features. "But are you sure you really want that? I heard that there are a several orange players up there!" It was all dandy and fine to have high aspirations but the blonde judged that it was best if players would be made aware of the reality of things as soon as possible. She was curious on what his reaction would be: there were two scenarios in her head; which one will he choose.

ID# 155553  LD: 7+5 No Material!

She raised her eyebrows, slightly amused: "If that's how you compliment a lady, I would never want to upset you out of fear of what I might hear from you." She watched him deny the item she pointed at, then moments later look at it again and dismiss it once more. Making a few steps, she picked it up herself with a later though of handing it over after they got to know a little better. It's been too long and even if she started crafting again, tier 1 mats would not be what she needed except if she wore to make items for low levels.
"You don't need to be such a stick in the mud!" protested the blonde. "Almost all of the quests until now are designed to be taken with a group. There's a limit on how far one will get alone." She exhumed confidence, as if she had learned that lesson firsthand.

"Hey progress! The first step to correcting an issue is admitting you have a problem. Looks like you already crossed that bridge." she claimed after hearing him correct himself. The blonde wasn't actively searching like him, things just... came to her attention. One of the perks of having skills that enhanced your senses. She had spotted another item that could be used as a material not too far from him. "Are you having fun yet?" she asked with a sheepish smile, resting herself against a nearby fence as she continued to observe him.

ID# 155547  LD: 13+5 Material Found!

She followed the younger boy to his chosen farming area. Once again she used her search skill to check their surroundings; handy skill this one, while looking for tier one materials wasn't her intention they still were highlighted as she looked around then. "Lucky you mine's green, eh?" The coast was clear, her search didn't ping any person that would be using stealth nearby. What did she expect.. there weren't many deranged individuals like her that liked to stalk others once in a while, either that or it was someone that managed to evade her scans. It's not like it didn't happen before and she learned to keep an eye out at all time.

"The plot is forever, you can even change locations as more floors get unlocked." She'd done this before a couple of time so she delivered the lines with confidence. "It's airtight secure! You're always in control of who enters your shop and your home. There is a pickpocket skill but it doesn't affect player owned structures. The worst someone can do is eavesdrop through walls or doors but that only apply through thin ones and it doesn't penetrate more than from one room to another." It seems that even after all this time, the kids was lacking in some of the basic knowledge and understanding about how this world know. reinforcing the blonde's desire to help him how she could. "You missed one!" she chimed, after seeing him walk away from the spot. She pointed at the 2nd one's location near the bluenette.

ID# 155543 LD: 16+5 Material Found!

"Yeah, that's what a profession is..." she added, looking at him with slight confusion. How would he not know that since it is a term used even outside the game... what kind of shelter life did this dude had. She shook her head a couple of times and decided to add on: "after you finish the quest he's given you: 'gather materials and make an item for him afterwards', You'll be awarded the Artisan title and be able to make sculptures, trinkets and what not item under the Artisan profession." she rubbed the back of her head: "The quest will also unlock for you a.. free standard place where you can set up a shop; to make items and sell them for profit." she hoped that she provided a coherent answer for him.

"This color crystal cursor shows a player's status according to the game's crime system." she let out a smile. "Players start out with green crystals, which means they are law abiding citizens more or less." Her expression changed for the first time in the short period that they meet, showing a more serious side of Ariel. "Orange cursor means that a player had done something the crime system deemed as wel... a crime. The color change could come from something like stealing... to something like using your weapons against another player or NPC with a green cursor. Depending on the gravity the cursor might return to green after a while when you steal or accidentally cut someone with your weapon." she hesitated for a moment, her gaze casting downwards as she continued. "It stays orange permanently when you kill someone." by now her tone was somber and she realized it. Hoping he didn't scare him she added with a forced smile." So if you see a orange player stay away from them understood? they're usually trouble!" 

The blonde let out a giggle, deciding to reply first to his final statement. "If I tried anything the NPC guards would have my hide!" she said jokingly while she was fidgeting with the HUD in front of her. She could notice through the semi transparent panel that his gaze was fixed on her, better said above her head and she'd new exactly one. "Yeah, when that thing goes anything but green they come to you like bees to a flower." she added, pretty content with the analogy she just made. Though these past days she had seen plenty of people with orange cursors... what was up with that? well, she knew how they came about but shook her head, not wanting to think about it; or why hers was still green.

With one final gesture the invite was sent and before he could fully read her in game nickname she started presenting herself. "The name's Kayla Ariel D'sole, happy to meet ya Chase!" she chimed with a beaming smile. She was thrilled at the thought of making him one of her first batch students, she already liked him so he'd passed the preliminary criteria; which was mostly her subjectively picking people."So judging by what you said, I'm guessing you're doing the profession quest?" despite asking for confirmation, she was sure that was the case. She put two and two together after seeing him walk out of that specific NPC's shop then immediately heading to gather materials.

She liked him... not in that way, though. It would be better said that she liked the way he thought and how cautious he was about the situation. You don't see that in someone often, she'd meet a lot of people that were brave and easily accepted help from anyone. The blonde can't recall meeting many of them a second time, she didn't know for sure but she always assumed the worst. Like this guy was doing right now- "Yeah.. town of beginnings... you're right.. hehe" she added, smiling awkwardly. "One at the time... I can't keep up with you." at this point her hands were waving in front of her, gently rocking up and down like you'd do to have someone slow down.

"I'm sorry ok? All I can do is give you my word that the thought never cross my mind and I'm offering it right now." she stopped her hand movement and brought her index finger  to her cheek pointing at her right silver eye. "I'm a tailor you see? been one for a long while now and at some point I was one of the best" she added the last part with a smirk before going on:"And I helped many players gear up during that time. You can say I have a keen eye for it!" she decided to show him a little trick. Both her normally silver iris flashed green as she performed a stealth check on their surroundings using her Searching skill. The Night Vision changing her eyes' shape in the same time, she had green eyes for a moment aking to that of a feline in the dark. Despite his rough demeanour, the blonde replied with a casual air a tiny bit of playfulness in her actions.

As she adressed her, the blonde raised her hands at shoulder level, as if he had a gun pointed at her. "Easy there tiger, I mean you no harm!" she admitted with a serene smile on her face, noticing how he tensed up after discovering that he was followed. She initially questioned the subtlety of the Hiding skill but admitted that she had no idea what to use it, as in the few times she tried it resulted in her discovery almost immediate. 'I must be doing something wrong.' she though but decided to coin that train of thoughts for another time.

She had to deal with the current predicament now that she had been discovered. "I couldn't help but notice you when I was at the master artisan's shop." she let out a sigh and lowered her hand, placing them on her hips. "You looked lost so I thought I should keep an eye on ya." she took a break and eyed his attire once more from top to bottom. "I noticed the low level gear and got worried when i saw you heading towards the fields outside noob town." she lightly gasped, thinking that she let that last expression skip without thinking.

She took a couple of steps back and let him attempt to open the chest, Ariel having a couple of bad previous experiences with such items. She would either find a mimic or some pocket change. She wanted to see if the alchemist had some better luck, it seemed their similarities continued even in the luck department. She couldn't stifle a giggle as she saw him extract some junk from the beautifully ornated chest. "Nice treasure you got there." she teased, eyeing the monsters that once more spawned near them.

A quick check of their bars and she was ready to go. "You think the spiders here stole the good stuff?" she asked with a grin, before dashing into the group and cleaving all of them in one strike. "At the very best we can take it out on these convenient punching bags!" she added as they went and switched places.

• [1, 1, 2, 2] Ariel | HP: 1510/1510 | EN: 132/146 (-14) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 59 | ACC: 5 | EVA: 1 | AA | FLN: 4 | BH: 75 | LD: +11 | +6*HP Col
• [0/0/0/0] Raidou | HP:1000/1000 | EN:100/100 | DMG:20 | MIT:126 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | TAUNT | BH:50
• Spider 1 | HP: 734/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 2 | HP: 689/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 3 | HP: 716/950 | DMG: 222
• Spider 4 | HP: 725/950 | DMG: 222

Floor 1! been too long since she had set foot in 'noob town', a term she was proud of having baptized the starting city with. Usually she'd have no business here except for some shopping... and a certain NPC. The master tailor, seamstress Diana was one of the few NPCs that Ariel like to visit once in a while. She thought the blonde all that she knew and throughout the years, she was grateful to her as the craft she learned siverd her well throughout this time. Lately however, Ariel didn't get much chance to practice her art of making clothing. Her time being put to better use in acquiring fundings for her future estate.

So after meeting with lady Diana earlier, the blonde got an earful about how she should always practice and despite being one of the top frontliners; she found herself running an errand for her tailor NPC senpai. It didn't bother her that much though, as she was pretty well accustomed with doing something for her everytime she came to visit. Today it looks like it would be no different. She had reached her target location in relatively fast time, already aware with the general geography of the shopping district. She entered the master artisan's shop, taking note of a certain blue haired player that had just finished their business with the NPC. "Rinly oji-san!" she chimed in loudly, greeting the craftsman. "I have a package from lady Diana, she said you needed these delivered and also sends her regards!" 

She waited patiently as he verified the package and made a curt nod, the without a word began working "I see you're as busy as ever!" she added as she left shop, as fast as she entered it. She would notice that the blue clad player from before was in front of her, scratching their head while presumably reading some quest details before heading outside town. Ariel took the time to eye their gear from behind: "Will he be okay?" she asked herself and decided to trail behind the player as they made their way towards the fields, blending in with the crowd thank to her hiding skill.

ID# 155515 LD: 7+2 =9 Stealth Rating