Carmine

She grinned lopsidedly, raising both brows. "Eating a song? Now only in a game would that be taken seriously." Carmine shook her head, finding it silly that performers made songs to eat rather than enjoy... but then again her assumptions could very well be wrong so it wasn't in her rights to judge the profession just yet. "Mmm, yeah I can understand the food usage being limited to before you do something that requires beating a monster up and stuff like that. So I guess you just open your inventory and take the crystal to like... bring up HP? Could crystals give the same enhancements as food items or are each limited to their own?" Carmine had a mind full of questions swimming around just waiting to be answered though she refrained from attempting to overwhelm Calrex who had slight pressure on him at the moment. "I would think crystals only last for a battle, or maybe even only for a few attacks; things would be too easy if crystals gave permanent boosts anyways."

"Great!" Carmine clapped, perking up giddily from her otherwise lazy, slumping posture. She was broke and need lots of COL, but also wanted to profession that wouldn't become like a job she'd regret later on. "You can always close shops right...? Just for a short period of time." She asked worriedly, chewing on her bottom lip. Now seemed like the appropriate time to ask such a thing, and Carmine definitely needed to know this one because if the answer was a "no" than there was no way she'd take up a profession anytime soon. Though becoming bored with Aicraid overall and wanting to help out players, both urges weren't strong enough to take her freedom away. "I'll def update you if I open a shop."

With all of this talk of professions, Carmine was thrown off as Calrex asked her a question about a monument. Strange, and out of context but interesting sounding enough for Carmine to take interest as said monument was mentioned. "No I haven't, we should go. But solemn? Sad or serious kinda situation? I should be prepared." Having thought about skipping on their way to the next destination, Carmine knew that if they were headed somewhere serious that she should temporarily play the part. Being mature sometimes was her specialty.

"Oh." Carmine replied, a light-bulb flickering on in her head as Calrex mentioned the purpose of joining a profession solely to create your own statistic boosting gear or weapons, even foods and the like. She wondered if becoming a tailor would be any fun, just by the sounds of sewing clothing, but soon realized that if she were to open a shop that others would come and ask for their own equipment; which meant not everything could be for her, but then again Carmine wasn't the type to be selfish so she wouldn't mind. To help other players would actually be an ideal thing to do in her mind, feeling bad for players that needed help and couldn't get it, had suffered, or already died. So what did Carmine want a profession for? To help of course, that would ease her emotional, soft heart.

Her green orbs shifted from building to building as Calrex pointed the structures out each indicating a different profession available in the game, face glowing in awe with a child-like aura. "That sounds fair." She commented, not wanting to interrupt her friend but noticing that the game had equalized tailoring and blacksmithery to benefit both professions in different ways, ensuring that neither would be over-powered or more visited than the other. 

A quiet chuckle escaped Carmine whom had been smiling this whole time, not flashing teeth but obviously elated with this small, instructional journey. "Unrealistic, yeah. But at least the charms get the job done. Wish they could do that in real life." Though more than plenty to take in, what Calrex was teaching Carmine about the game proved to be rather interesting along with extremely helpful. She wouldn't have known any of this had it not been for him, though she probably would have asked someone else in the future it was always better to know things sooner than later. This proved that theory to be true. "Consumables?" Carmine tilted her head curiously. "As in you take them while in battle or before? Could you give me some examples? Sorry, but just wondering." She quickly apologized, always forgetting that she could seem pushy at times recklessly speaking or mentioning whatever was floating around in her mind. 

It'd been hard to keep up with Calrex in such a large crowed of numerous players all seemingly busy rushing to a shop or coming out of one excited that they'd place an order or just picked one up. Luckily he'd most likely noticed and shifted their direction somewhere more comfortable and less crowded where talking would be easier to perform. Though her mind was very curious about performers, Calrex didn't know thus she'd have to find out elsewhere or on her own soon enough. "Merchant sounds best to me." The simplicity of general goods was something Carmine would probably enjoy most, not limited and a little complicated to make the profession enjoyable. "Are there lots of those in Aincrad so far?"

Carmine shrugged, not really understanding the "not being a people person" concept but wanting to make Thorrissia feel comfortable around her. Not being used to anything other than being overly-friendly, the behavior was a bit strange for Carmine though she accepted it nonetheless, being an understanding person. After all she was trying to make a new friend, no need to do things that they didn't like. "Sure." Making their way down bump, uneven grounds proved to be a little difficult for a tall Carmine who felt quite unbalanced and feared falling over though made herelf appear as if she were having the time of her life. Sticking her tongue out in concentration as she stared at the ground in front of her to ensure her safety with each step, Carmine began to chew on her bottom lip as she thought about how to answer the female's question.

"I wanted to see if anyone else came on this floor. Plus, being stuck on Floor 1 def gets boring really quickly, I'm having second thoughts about this game honestly. Everything's so... old now. What do you think about Aincrad?" Carmine had made a game out of her odd style of walking on such a rocky path, and fell behind only a few seconds behind Thorrissia as she childishly skipped along rather than walk like a normal person. "Oh! I also really love Urbus so far, its style is gorgeous, and pretty awesome too. Makes me feel like I traveled back in time or something."

"Tall freak?" Carmine repeated, scowling as she heard such a repulsive comment spat from the woman before her. Hurt obviously trailed with her every word, now that Carmine ceased to hide her feelings behind a painted smile and happy-go-lucky attitude. Those days were over. "I'm the height models are. You know, those girls you see on television? I'd say I look pretty good~" Carmine flipped her long, crimson hair, admiring her own beauty before beginning to speak again. She wanted desperately to insult the other, to call her a freakishly short woman who appeared to be-enough of those thoughts. Carmine still wished for everyone to be her friend, not to mention she'd embraced a mature lifestyle not too long ago; thus, she'd go through any pain much like she did when with Kiru. Though this situation proved to be different, Kiru could very well compare to this stranger if need be. 'Darn. I really want to be her friend...'

Thunder clashing with her eardrums caused the twenty-six year old to jump out of surprise. Even at her age, loud noises were a tad scary especially when unexpected. "S-Something will happen?" Carmine asked, stuttering due to wonder as to why the female would say this, moreso not wanting to be alone in the dark cave any longer. "That's an awful excuse to leave. Am I that bad?" Carmine joked, curling her lips up only a small bit, eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Er.." Green orbs glanced elsewhere before returning to stare at the figure before her. "Yeah, actually. In the Starting City, I know a place. Your hair is gorgeous, but I can see wanting to get a haircut. Must be a pain at times. Want me to take you?"

Jogging to catch up with the female's quick pace, Carmine had to back up a few paces as she turned in order not to bump into the other female. Pursing her lips, delighted to see the outside and light but disappointed the grass was so muddy, rain seeming to fall even more than before. "Disgusting weather." Carmine sighed. "Did you say something?" She wondered aloud, thinking that she'd heard something from the woman beside her. Her eyes shifted to her shoes, which could hardly suffice as shoes in the first place, and light dress. "...I could carry you." Carmine suggested, shrugging her shoulders, a pain tugging at her heart for the other player who would ruin her starter clothes. "My boots are better for the weather and I'm fine with the idea if you are."

*it's fine, i understand the feeling. and your posts never fail, i love them all >3>

Carmine nodded, liking the female's answer though wondered exactly why she'd been crying. Questions would definitely be asked later on. For now though, Carmine had to know what this mysterious man was going on about. "Alright." He finally answered, taking the last sip of his drink, setting the empty glass cup gently onto the counter top. "Far away in the fields, a group of low levels were slaying a few wasps. Just for fun, you know? Rumor has it that spawned a queen wasp, most likely a mini-field boss by the sounds of it. Lots of players have reported encountering the queen but haven't been able to learn enough about it." The stranger paused, standing up straight from his leaning position, as if he hadn't any more time for the two females before him. "Money, materials, and a very powerful alchemical potion are in your grasp... That is, if you aren't pansies."

As the mysterious player finished speaking, a smirk flashing pearly whites could be made out under the shadow his hood created; it seemed he was curious as to see what the two would choose. Before any questions could be asked, a screen projected in front of Carmine and she swiveled her chair around so she could face the quest-giver. "A quest?" Carmine should've known, and curled her lips up a tad at how oblivious she'd been. "Long Live The Queen; heh, not like she'll be alive for much longer, right?" Carmine nudged the shoulder of the female next to her, and leaned over to allow the player to read the contents of her screen message. "What'ya say? Me and you against the queen?" The twenty-six year old offered a genuine, warm smile and kind eyes to whomever this female was, and hopefully the other would agree. Being oh-so reckless, Carmine would most likely rush head first into this quest if the younger player wouldn't come with her. And if she did come, Carmine would protect her with her life. "I won't let anything happen to you..." She pursed her lips after lowly spurting these words, sounding very serious from her usual voice. There was no telling how old the female was, but she was a child from the looks of it, and going through something obviously rough so nothing drastic would dare happen to her on Carmine's watch.

Black, knee-high boot heels clicking with every step against the stone ground beneath her feet, Carmine now toyed with a thick strand of hair, twirling the piece in between fingers as she continued forward as if doing so would help her find a way out. Carmine chewed her bottom lip idly, an obvious habit of her's, though once pearly, white teeth made contact with sensitive skin she heard the voice of someone-or something-call out in the distance. Whether the voice was calling out to her, or to another, Carmine still headed towards it without a thought since she was just thrilled to know at least someone else was in this endless cavern.

The sound matched that of a female's pitch, or so Carmine thought, and soon enough she'd find out her assumptions were correct. Though a tad harsh and intimidating, the voice of this woman ceased to concern Carmine who trusted anyone she came across. Even the cold aura this stranger seemed to emit was something Carmine didn't mind. Green orbs scanned the silhouette before her, now only a couple of feet away, though in the darkness all she could see was the outline of long hair and a slightly curvaceous figure, which led her to believe this was indeed a woman much like before. Whoever this was, Carmine had to glance down upon them in order to even take a look at the person much like she had to do with everyone she encountered. Though, that might have been because this woman was in a crouching position; thus it took Carmine a good while to even find who had beckoned out to her. Even while squinting, things were quite difficult to make out so whatever Carmine had perceived, well she knew that her eyes could just be playing tricks.

"I wasn't going to wait, I didn't even notice someone else was in here but me. I'm kinda glad, thought I was stuck in this damned cave all alone." After huffing loudly, obviously annoyed, she stopped squinting feeling far more at ease than before, and frowned upon remembering she was stuck. "Er... Why are you on the ground like that? Or are you just really short?" The last sentence was simply a joke, and a lighthearted tone stuck to Carmine's voice, though confusion also stuck to her words as she ended said sentences as if they were all questions. Due to being so soft-hearted and immense recklessness, Carmine found nobody an immediate threat so the stranger's actions were fairly odd.

*Not long enough? No way. Your post amused me~

Darkness took over every one of Carmine's senses and engulfed her entire being. Every uneasy, slow step emitted a echo that bounced off of rock solid walls surrounding the woman's figure. Hands out in front of her, green orbs attempting to adjust to the pitch black location, Carmine moved about like a lost puppy in hopes of finding light that would lead her out of the mess she'd gotten herself into.

Not too long ago, Carmine had been traveling from the Starting City to Horunka Village wanting to see what else Floor 1 had in store being pretty bored with nothing else to do. She set out on foot, silver Pugio dagger in hand if something were to go wrong and danger rose. Luckily, most boars and other strange creatures that inhabited the fields of Floor 1 kept to themselves unless pestered; thus, Carmine was free to roam and make the journey to Horunka Village. 

Except, not everything had gone right. Where she assumed to be halfway to the designated location, soft pellets began hitting her peach skin, also causing small spots of her black and gray beginner's clothing to become soaked to the point where water touched even the parts of her body that weren't protected by some sort of covering. Not in the mood to become drenched in the rain, or cold for that matter, while walking muddy trails in order to reach a place she didn't even know, Carmine rushed to the first sign of protection from the atmosphere she could find. Said sign happened to be a dark, intimidating cave, though reckless Carmine could care less of the scary factor intent on avoiding harsh conditions that wait for her outside.

Now she roam the dark cave, lost deep in its seemingly endless tunnels, in search of light that would indicate she was close to reaching the outside world once more, or for someone to help her out. The pitter-patter of rain against the cave's surface still let out a soft, continuous beat, but being in such weather would favor being lost in a darkened place like this. 

"This is not my day..." Carmine muttered loudly enough for echoes of her own voice to travel among the depths of the cave, running a hand through long, crimson locks.

"Hmm?" Carmine raised a brow, still a little dazed from the slight mishap though her thoughts quickly caught up with what was happening. "Oh. OH." The woman lifted herself from the ground with the help of Lowenthal, brushing leftover snow off her body after letting go of his hand in attempt to find warmth and make sure that cold snow wouldn't touch her anywhere from the knee up after what'd happen. "Ew. Snowman guts. Sorry about that." Carmine lifted a long leg, making a huge sidestep in order to escape the mound of snow she stood in, and after succeeding turned to meet the eyes of the male player.

"I didn't know this snowman, but I will be grieving over your loss and my first homicide for a long time." She joked, pretending to be sad before curling the corner of her lips up. "I'm Carmine oh great Master of Shadows. So, where'd you get the bada*s title? I need one too." The twenty-six year old inspected Lowenthal, finding nothing wrong with him. He'd already proven to be nice anyways. And an expert snowman builder, which was like a plus one for him.

Urbus was one of the best cities to go in Carmine's eyes, having some of the best structure styles and great scenery beyond the safe-zone. Resembling something she'd only seen in history books, visiting Urbus on Floor 2 was almost like going back in time and visiting the Medieval times; though Carmine knew this was only a petty death game with no true purpose besides defeating the Floor 100 boss and well, saving whomever remained. It seemed day to day that people were disappearing, obviously dead for reasons known or sometimes even unknown. Still, the woman didn't believe your real life body failed and was presumed deceased, only that you lost your avatar in-game and fell into a coma until the game is completed.

So Carmine wouldn't mind dying, she only felt a pain in her heart for those that have and she'd honestly be pretty disappointed if the day ever arose when her HP emptied out. Did that matter, though? She'd wake up in a hospital bed much like every other victim of SAO, and would miss her new friends but that was all. Why death in-game was such a big deal, she had no idea. 

As these thoughts traveled through her head, Carmine sitting in a cafe at the front counter with her head propped up, leaning against a fist, she noticed two people each on either one of her sides. The twenty-six year old shifted her green orbs from left to right. On the left, a younger, much shorter female player had taken the spot. While on the right a shady looking man dressed in a black cloak leaned against the counter, ordered a drink, but hadn't sat down. 

"Hey. You two got a minute?" The strange male asked, smirking at both females as if they were together. "I've got something you might want." 

She turned to meet the dark eyes of the other female, raising a brow indicating she'd like an answer from her instead of giving one herself. "I'm curious. What about you?"

Piera gave Carmine the feeling her siblings did, and for that she was grateful to have met such a character. Her comment about fans made Carmine laugh which didn't seem unusual, especially around someone so humorous even if not trying at the moment. "I'll be quiet." She whispered, shifting her emerald eyes back and forth suspiciously, as if afraid someone was following her. "They're always around." Though she didn't show it, Piera's comment flattered Carmine greatly. To think one person thought all these great things about her and so nothing wrong with how she acted, just imagine how many more people were the same. Still, Carmine felt a little off and as if she still had things to change about herself, but for now those thoughts vanished temporarily.

Nodding, Carmine agreed with Piera. "It's for low levels, so I expected it to be an in and out kinda thing." She explained, digging into her memory in order to remember what exactly the quest information stated. As she thought about that, Piera had denied her quest and offered an honest answer as to why. Simply shrugging, Carmine cancelled her party and instead joined in Piera's. "Cute~ I like that idea." The thought of two people caring for each other so much as to worry what was happening was alright in Carmine's mind, and not the least bit of odd. "Really? I've battled like... once or twice maybe. I've been pretty laid back, but I feel like if I want to actually be able to protect myself and my friends that I should do at least a little bit of work. Ya know?"

After dumping a short rant on Piera, the two now officially out of the safe-zone of Floor 1, Carmine couldn't help but speak again. "So are you and Lee married?" There was plenty going on inside of her head, but that was the question really on her mind at the moment.

"Thought so." Carmine relaxed, facial expression very lazy as she lowered her eyelids and grinned lopsidedly. "The Traveler, huh? Make that The Travelers, and we both sound bada*s." She joked, quite excited to perform a quest with a friend, liking the name of the mission the two were taking. Despite heated temperatures, there really wasn't much else to complain about in terms of the adventure about to happen; thus, Carmine had no problem with what Jomei had in store for the day. "I was never fond of warm weather. Cold is much better. You can't take off your skin, but it's super easy to pull more layers of clothing on or wrap yourself up in a blanket."

Far from hesitant to accept his request, Carmine returned the arm she moved, to tap the symbol indicating her joining Jomei's party, back in place behind her head. Turning her body in order to take a look at what Jomei had pointed out, Carmine's eyes widened and an involuntary huff escaped from her lungs. "Woah." Heart beat quickening, she practically jumped out of her shoes with pure excitement. "This is gonna be fun~!" The woman clapped, now flashing an all-tooth smile, green orbs still on the dust cloud off in the distance that seemed to be growing with every second that passed. It took more than that to intimidate Carmine. In fact, the danger that seemed endless in the eyes of players on Floor 5 was something she wanted to rush head into, something she would never view as scary.

"I'll protect you." The twenty-six year old reassured Jomei, feeling as if he needed to hear those words in case any worries crossed his mind. With a gentle squeeze of her companion's shoulder, Carmine began walking ahead backwards, still facing Jomei. "Don't let my low level fool you, I can wreck anybody... or anything in my way." Turning around, now facing forwards, she took a look over her shoulder and motioned for Jomei to catch up. "C'mon. We'll have a great time together. Promise." Really, Carmine wasn't as interested in receiving a skill as she was in spending what you could call quality time, only in Sword Art Online, with someone she could already call a good friend. It seemed being lonely wasn't a problem anymore, and that relaxing wasn't really a good choice on her side. Or more importantly, the side of her friends.

Almost instantly Carmine noticed the discomfort on Thorrissia's side, though the woman could care less and continued to invade the other's physical space. Those kind of things didn't bother her, so she didn't expect the actions to effect others or even be deemed as odd. Though Carmine couldn't take a hint, she did have a motherly six sense; thus, the twenty-six year old backed up a few spaces and let the female player speak. "Oh, really?" Carmine squinted, taking an observant look at the marking Thorrissia had decided to show, one that she hadn't noticed until now. As if approving the scar, Carmine nodded slowly and returned her eyes to normal with a few blinks. "Cute~ I like it. Sounds like a real battle went on." Without a hint of sarcasm, moreso tinted with amusement, Carmine spoke lightheartedly.

Thorrissia's reactions once she'd come closer to the girl again, only to touch her hair, caused Carmine to chuckle. She simply skipped behind a nervous Thorrissia, nothing that they were now actually hatching out their plans to go beat up monsters. "Was I too friendly?" Carmine wondered aloud, hoping she wasn't and that if she was she'd have to change her approach towards people in the near future. If something was wrong, if there was a flaw of her's, Carmine wanted to know of it.

Carmine nodded, understanding that the other female player could care less about what happened now, far more interested in hunting as she was a few moments ago. Eager to get into the fields, Carmine shifted her weight to and fro from foot to foot not really sure how much longer she could remain standing still. "Enough small talk." The twenty-six year old blurted, nudging Thorrissia playfully. "We should def look for some treasure, I've got a scar that could qualify me as a pirate anyways." She lifted a finger, tapping twice at the part of her pale skin that'd become tainted due to a personal accident she had no interest in explaining. One, straight, almost perfectly shaped, light pink cut ran down her eye and grooved itself into her skin; which on Carmine's behalf was her fault for picking at the cut whenever the flesh attempted to heal with a brown, crusty scab.

"As for places..." Carmine began, sticking her tongue out in concentration. "anywhere will suffice. The outcome depends on our luck, after all~" Twrirling in place, quite satisfied and what was along with what was going to take place, Carmine moved closer to her new friend. With the pat of the other's head, Carmine glanced down at the other female once in front of her and smiled wickedly. "What shall I call my fellow partner? Hmm?" The twenty-six year old moved the hand she'd used to pat Thorrissia, gently stroking a strand of soft, brown hair before letting go upon reaching the tip. Green orbs settled on her own movement, Carmine ceased to lay eyes on those before her until the overly-friendly gesture of her's had been completed.

Of course, Carmine knew the Starting City like the back of her hand and could even scout out buildings for other if need be, but she'd never payed attention to what Calrex planned to show her; things like businesses and helpful places for beginners like her. She'd probably only been focusing on entertainment rather than improving her level and such in the game which kind of was a mistake on her side. Luckily now a friend was offering to show her around, and hopefully that'd be enough to get Carmine involved enough in the game to begin taking it more seriously, or at least settled just in case the time came when she needed gear or objects like so.

"A job?" Carmine huffed, scrunching her nose up at the thought of having to do work on her so-called vacation in paradise. "Maybe... If anything I want something fun~ What's available?" She glanced over at Calrex after complaining, curiosity taking over as she felt the need to ask just in case the feeling of needing to work arose, though just the thought of that could make Carmine giggle. Seriously, who likes to work?

Green orbs moving from the male beside her to the surroundings, Carmine was surprised at just how many people differed from her. Some NPCs, most of them players trapped in the game that had taken it upon themselves to begin a job. Whether for entertainment, or just to help people out overall, she had no idea but still couldn't believe how many shops were open. "Dang." Carmine whispered, finding it hard to read the names of all the buildings they passed in such short time.

Jomine O3O oh bby. Adorable. _{^{it will most definitely happen}}

Oooor: Carmine x Piera cause why not? ;3

Carmine was sort of tired, tired of the same old same old; that being sitting inside the game only occupied by activities available on the Floors she could venture to, as well as given the option to wander around outside safe-zones if she very well pleased. Why did she have to get stuck in this game? It was fun at first, give or take the few suicides and plenty of deaths, basically a paradise away from home. But now Carmine had begun thinking differently, her overall frame of mind beginning to turn from spunky and giddy to something less, well... childish. Perhaps Sword Art Online was changing Carmine's personality, one that hadn't been different since she'd become a teenager; thus, what was happening to her was completely foreign and something the twenty-six year old obviously didn't like.

Plucking a dandelion next to her, Carmine crushed the flower she'd just killed in one palm, sighing as she let her body go limp and sunk to the ground, sprawled out in a small section of the fields that surrounded Delilah Village. Today just wasn't her day, and Carmine didn't know when or if her mood would be picked up anytime soon. She threw the crushed flower in her hand forward, unknowingly hitting another player with the balled up weed.

To Carmine, the low temperatures of Floor 4 were perfect compared to what she'd experienced when on a quest in the desert with Jomei. That, and the fact that she had on the perfect attire, almost all the time, for colder weather, made for a good time. Feeling adventurous and all sorts of curious, Carmine skipped around the safe-zone to take in the new scenery and enjoy the surroundings. Different styled buildings, different locations, tons of shops, and different faces; Carmine was having the time of her life by simply walking around, talking to a few players now and then just to be social. Though, this act was far from new unlike the rest of the things she happened to be viewing. Carmine was always childish, always entertained, always so very immature unless the situation called for something a little less her style: maturity.

Tired of the group she'd join, Carmine left with a wave, beginning to head out of the safe-zone and into the snow-covered fields. The sun had sunk to mid-level in the sky, meaning the day was already coming to a close thus Carmine felt the need to hurry up and explore before having to retire due to darkness that made it hard to navigate in Aincrad. The twenty-six year old ventured out into the wilderness, without a care really, wanting to see if being outside the safe-zone of Floor 4 was anything like the other floors she'd been able to scope out in the past.

After a while of treading snow-barren land, Carmine huffed and planned to go back to Floor 1 once in the city again, but happened to spot an animal in the distance. Excited to possibly manage a kill before leaving, Carmine sprung forward on her feet planning to jump the poor thing, successfully clashing into whatever it was. Unfortunately, the "thing" wasn't even a MOB but instead a snowman built by previous players. Face-planted in a mound of snow, Carmine groaned and felt the cold finally felt her body temperature begin to drop as the snow touched parts of bare skin. Lifting her head to meet the eyes of another player, Carmine groaned internally before spitting out snow.

"I meant to do that."

Noticing the way Jomei looked at her drink, Carmine smirked and scooted it close to him, the straw pointed towards his body. "Take a drink if you want, I can share." She nodded towards the cup, dipping more chicken in sauce before shoving the piece in her mouth. Forgetting manners when it came to eating, Carmine was always a bit sloppy when it came to doing so even around others. Though, she believed unless he found it disgusting, Jomei wouldn't mind her messy habits. A frown painted her features when Jomei had expressed his feelings towards her comment, and she glanced down at the table. "Sorry. I didn't mean to ma-" Carmine's eyes averted from her chicken to Jomei's eyes as he began laughing. "Oh." The twenty-six year old raised a brow, a tad confused at his sudden mood change though soon realized he wasn't being as brutal as she'd thought. As soon as Jomei smiled, she did the same; his laughter and overall happiness was contagious, those smiles just as much.

"Hardly." She replied, finding it hard to think of the last time she blushed other than the short period of time she had in that darkened alley. Of course, Jomei didn't have to know about that incident. The way Jomei emoted next, though, that really got to Carmine. He was the equivalent of adorable, almost more than her friend Piera was. "No problem. You okay?" Carmine furrowed her eyebrows worriedly, wondering if Jomei was feeling alright after nearly choking on his drink not realizing she was the reason he'd done so in the first place. 

Taking a sip of her drink, keeping the cup in the middle table in case Jomei would accept her offer of sharing, Carmine almost choked herself due to giggles rising in her throat. After gulping down her drink, and wincing at the burning of her heart from drinking too quickly and too much at once, Carmine let out a gurgled, burst of laughter. Leaning her head back, Carmine chuckled loudly and plenty before inhaling and exhaling deeply in order to regain her breath. Pounding at her chest, coughing quietly, she shook her head in apology on Jomei's behalf for her outburst. "I-I didn't think I ever could imagine you flirting with me. That is really flattering coming from you, though, seriously." The twenty-six year old flipped her hair, face far from becoming flustered. "I try my best to look good, I'm glad you think I do."

Taking one final deep breath, fully recovered from the painful, enjoyable laughing fit, Carmine stood and leaned forward, moving her face only inches away from Jomei's. "Though... to make me blush. That would take a lot of effort." She whispered, smirking as she sat back in her seat.

Carmine ate a piece of chicken dipped in sauce once more, nodding as he spoke again. She didn't truly believe his words, but accepted them nonetheless with no problem. "I guess so..." She shrugged, feeling as though there was still something wrong with her. "Thanks for the words of confidence, and compliments." The twenty-six year old referred to earlier and to just a few moments ago. "You're a good friend, I could see myself hanging out with you a lot in the future."

Startled by such a quick reply, thinking Piera would take a little longer than she had, Carmine jumped at the new message but was ever-so delighted upon reading the short, but pleasant sentences. Waiting took a while, though Floor 1 was extremely busy all times of the day and especially in this area; thus, Carmine had no reason to be upset with Piera. Not like she could be even if she tried, Carmine didn't have the heart and Piera was just too dang adorable to even begin to feel anything other than love towards her.

Humming to herself idly, shifting her weight from foot to foot, Carmine eventually heard the voice of Piera and turned to meet the other female only to meet a waving figure rushing towards her. A grin instantly painting Carmine's lips, the twenty-six year old waved back and even bent down a little to give her friend a gentle squeeze before returning to her full height. "No problem." Carmine waved the mishap off, motioning her hand in the air lazily. "Thanks for coming, I really appreciate it. Everything seems better when you're around, so anybody else wouldn't suffice as company." After speaking, Carmine winked just to add on to her compliment knowing Piera got easily flustered.

"Now in all seriousness," Carmine began, placing both hands on her hips. "the quest is called Secret Medicine of the Forest. We have to slay a plant mob found in the forest, this should be really simple since we're both pretty awesome. I'll add you to my party." While awaiting her friend, Carmine had accepted the quest and simply had to add users to the group in order for them to successfully join her journey.

After Piera would accept her group invite, Carmine would begin the walk to the fields that separated the safe-zone from the rest of Floor 1, unprotected and dangerous. Walking in sync with Piera, with the guidance of her quest tracker, Carmine would glance down at the female while doing so and ask, "Have you done a quest yet?"

Carmine was excited to have met someone new so soon, and on a Floor so foreign to her as well. Perhaps she'd make good company? Those thoughts floating through Carmine's mind proved to be somewhat true as Thorrissia had already made her chuckle, even if just slightly and most in guilt for trampling the poor girl. Furrowing her brows, frowning a bit, Carmine chewed on her bottom lip. "Sorry." The woman muttered, tilting her head at Thorrissia in order to inspect her, to see if any mud had been left after the girl's attempts to clear her clothing. 

"Ah~ Yeah, I was wondering if you wanna go beat up some animals with me or something like that." Carmine shrugged as well, flipping crimson locks over one of her shoulders idly. She hadn't thought she'd encounter someone so early in her travels, so Carmine really didn't have anything planned that involved a group of two. Though, MAT hunting or even just animal rekking didn't sound so bad. Especially with company that almost already proved to be a least a little humorous, possibly even moreso later on.

Laying in grass, completely content with eyes closed, Carmine let other players pass her by and even step over her body as she blocked the walkways of few due to her place in the fields. Close to the fields where the safe-zone ended, but not close enough to be in danger while so vulnerable, Carmine half-napped half-relaxed where she pleased and in this case it happened to be in a rather busy zone. Not caring much about what others thought or did, she was almost oblivious to the message received though once she'd decided to lazily open her eyes Carmine noticed a notification. With a huff and moving her body to sit up straight, the woman opened her unread messages and grinned to herself upon shifting her eyes to the sender's name. It hadn't been long since she'd spent time with Jomei, but she defiantly wanted to see him again. Kinda cute, and all sorts of entertaining, there really wasn't a reason to not go see him again.

Sending back a quick "OK", Carmine stood up and move herself from Floor 2 to Floor 5 in a matter of minutes using a teleportation pad instead venturing between Floors on foot. That was tiring, and would take too much time anyhow. Locating Jomei, well, that was simple since she could locate him through his profile with a tracker so long as he was on the same Floor. 

Though, as soon as Carmine set her tracker for him and stepped off the telepad, the sun's rays beat down on her relentlessly. "Damn." She muttered, taking a hair holder out of her inventory, pulling her long, crimson hair into a messy bun, bangs falling back down in place since Carmine wasn't able to hold them back. Removing her long-sleeved undershirt, so only the cloth chest piece that came with the starting clothing covered her, she decided to bare with the pants currently equipped and began following the arrow she set to help her in finding Jomei. Still, the heat was sweltering and Carmine found herself sweating from merely walking a few feet. Fanning herself as others around her were, she opened her mouth and breathed through the opening much like you would see a dog doing.

In no time she found the male, and snuck up from behind before popping out in hopes of surprishig him. "Hey! What's up Jomei? Did you miss me so much you had to PM me?" Carmine playfully punched one of his shoulder, sticking her tongue out before lifting both arms to hold them behind her head. "Just playing. Have any plans?"

Standing at the edge of town, the early afternoon sun rays burning Carmine's corneas, she made her way through thick crowds in search of something she'd heard of. This something had to do with quests, and since Carmine dubbed herself a high enough level to begin doing something more advanced than material and animal hunting, she desired to pick a low-leveled quest and kick-start for future quest right now. After speaking to a few people, she'd been given the correct location of said quest boards where it seemed more than plenty of members seek the same exact thing as the woman did. And though Carmine had no problem with people or numerous amounts of them, it did make getting to and finding quests a lot harder than it would be on a less busy day, which most likely never occurred.

After an hour of waiting, Carmine had finally been given the choice to search and she'd made sure to read over the details for each quest multiple times before finally deciding on one that seemed perfect: Secret Medicine of the Forest. Still, she felt lonely seeing many guilds and groups going out together to take on quests or just hanging around and talking about them, so Carmine decided to search through her friend list for someone who she enjoyed hanging around (which was everyone, really) and who was about the same level as her. Thus, Piera was chosen and Carmine sent a quick message her way.

 

Subject: Hey Cutie

Recipient(s): Â«Piera»

Message:

 

Piera! Long time, no see. Was just wondering if you'd like to take a quest with me? It's really simple, just locate me through your friends list I should be easy to find. Thanks dear~

Now standing next to a fountain, with both hands on her hips. Carmine awaited Piera's response and she hoped the other female would accept. She was just so adorable, and fun to talk to, it seemed that doing a quest without Piera wouldn't be interesting at all.

Glad to hear Jomei had remember her name, not that she'd expect him to forget her so easily, Carmine smiled and waved at the male in a friendly manner prepared to engage in conversation when she was rudely shushed. Rolling her green orbs, Carmine shrugged the comment off and patted Jomei's shoulder to let him know she could care less, and simply kept her eyes on what was happening before them. Raising a brow, Carmine watched with crossed arms and intense focus expecting a surprise or sudden jump scare, maybe even an event that'd give her a good laugh. Though, all she saw was an impolite courtesy call.

Nodding her head, she agreed with Jomei, completely oblivious to his blushing or the other male's comment. "You could've just went up to her and tapped her shoulder, honestly." Carmine directed her voice to the person who seemed familiar, but also who she couldn't pin a name on. But hadn't Jomei mentioned "Zelrius" a second ago. "Oh yeah, I've met you before Zelrius. You don't seem the type to do such a silly thing..." Carmine smirked, placing both hands on her hips, as faded memories of a few days back returned slowly. "She was trying to sleep, though. You okay?" She asked the girl, peering over in her direction with a slight frown not feeling all too well anymore.

Carmine noticed Jomei had ordered, and knowing what she wanted, had decided it was alright for her to pick out her own meal as well. Choosing a plate of Teriyaki chicken alongside soy sauce, and a mango margarita. Grinning lopsidedly, as soon as the order materialized in front of her, Carmine plopped a straw in her drink and glanced at Jomei. "Oh yeah, virtual food is amazing. Or at least it seems that way, it's not really food just our mind thinking we're tasting, eating." She took a stick of chicken, and ate a piece before dropping the stick onto its plate.

"You only get red when?" Carmine knew what he'd said, but aimed for causing Jomei to fluster even more. She winked at him, chewing on another piece of Teriyaki. "I think it's cute. More men should be like you, or as kind... or have an accent." Carmine joked, staring at Jomei. "You're comfortable around me, though, right? I'm not weird or intimidating? If that makes any sense." The twenty-six year old chewed on her bottom lip a little, twirling a piece of crimson hair worriedly. If she had any flaws, she needed to fix them. It was almost like a need, or extreme want of her's, to be perfect in the eyes of anyone and everyone.

Taking this quest with the lovely Piera~