Jevi

"Hey, I get it. You're protective of your sister. Won't get any judgement from me." Jevi would shrug, swirling the glass with a flick of the wrist before raising it to her lips once more. "Eh, I was never blessed with a sibling. A one and done kid" A more accurate statement than she'd like to admit. "So never really had someone to form that bond with." A longing breath, carrying with it the burning scent of tequila, escaped into the air before her. "Would've been nice, if I'm being honest." 

Jevi watched as the sister in question, with man in tow, approached from behind Gale's shoulder. Must've been that twin sense, like she knew they were talking about her. It was like talking to Gale's alter ego, the sweet and bubbly Jekyll to the rough and tumble Hyde. She smiled at the kind words Knightmare had for her, and tittered softly at the ironic name 'Knightmare'. "How's it going?" she offered a small wave. Shortly after KnightinGale's slight embarrassment, she seemed to buckle down and size up her sister's date. Damn, she's really protective of her sister.. Jevi thought to herself as she slowly sipped her drink from the rim of the glass, forehead creasing from a raised brow. 

For a moment, she wondered if she should step in, try to take the edge off of Gale a bit. The guy seemed like no threat, though his build would say otherwise. However, she didn't exactly feel their friendship had budded yet - the seed was hardly even planted - so it wasn't exactly her place to step in between them. Instead, she would simply clear her throat awkwardly, before turning in her stool to face forward towards the bar. But eventually, Gale's message got through, and the two were off on their own again. "She's cute." Jevi would say with a small chuckle, "Can see why you want to keep an eye on her. That guy looks like he cares about her though, so that's gotta count for something. I would've worried more if she was still talking to the other guy."

"Just slap them on at the start of the day, mix and match when you feel like it." A slow nod of her head accompanied smirk. She admired the dedication to her real world skin art. "Neat. I will definitely be checking out that shop when I get the chance. Was considering one in the outside the game, before this shit hit the fan." The reminder that constantly slapped them in the face, she needed a drink just thinking about it. Which made it even worse when she was reminded the alcohol won't do anything. Definitely one of the worst parts about this place. "Dunno what I want yet, but if they look half as good as yours, I'd be happy." A golden gaze traveled up her arm before stopping and meeting hers. "Jevi, nice to meet ya. If you're still getting used to using your username, then you probably don't get out much."  The smile that accompanied a small chuckle peeked over the rim of her glass, before hiding it with another sip. "I wouldn't worry about that though. I was a late bloomer too, hell, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone here was." Shifting the weight on her chair, she placed herself with her back to the bar, elbows propped up. "Stories are always hyping up the frontliners as players who started grinding on day one to fight the boss. I call bullshit, they probably sat on their asses for a month, not sure what to do like the rest of us." 

That was a lot of words. A lot of words that usually don't come out of her mouth. Was she actually starting to get sociable? Was this drink actually working? Either way it felt new, fresh. It felt good.

"That one looks a big teddy bear of a man. Suits the vibe your sister gives off better." her head tilted to the side, gentle wrist motions swirled the she held by her fingertips. "Well, either she's super friendly to every guy she meets in a seedy bar, or she already knew him. No one's that friendly and bright eyed talking to a complete stranger." Jevi would lean forward to look down the other end of the bar, to where the original red-eyed man was sitting after being denied by both girls. "Honestly, was kind of expecting a bigger reaction from the hot-head over there. Maybe that's a good thing." she would let herself lean against the bar once more. Didn't want to get caught looking across at him. "Guess it's a good thing, having your sister here with you. Not many people are lucky to have family in game with them, let alone friends. Some days I'd kill to have that connection.."

Picking her chin up from her drink, she met the emerald gaze of one of the twins as they approached from the other side of the bar, a fading sense of disgust melting off of her face. Guess Mr.Blonde wasn't scoring twins after all. A soft exhale of a chuckle shot out her nostrils. Supposedly the platinum haired woman decided that Jevi was worthy enough to be her next drinking partner. Gesturing an open palm towards the patron-less stool beside her, she offered a crack of a smile up the newcomer "Sure, why not."  

Looking past the woman as she sat down beside her, she locked in on the progress that guy was making with the other of the twins - and she wasn't looking too happy either. Ouch, 0 for 2. And her attention on that affair was lost, and directed right back to her new friend. "Damn, don't think I've ever seen a guy get rejected by two girls in such a short time span" she sucked her teeth, "Guess blondie isn't all that, huh?"  Raising a glass to her lips, she took a sip of her tequila drink. 

Jevi took in the appearance of her drinking partner. She was taller than her by a few inches, a long silver ponytail cascading down her back. Smelled of whiskey and cigarettes, a classic combination - albeit not necessarily a pleasant one. Jevi would clear the tickle in her throat before it turned into a cough. The piece of art that adorned her fair arms is what caught her attention the most. It was not often that Jevi stumbled upon a player with a tattoo, but when she does it reminds her of how much she regretted that hesitation of getting one in the real world, before SAO. Always an excuse to not make the appointment, despite having the money saved, and all the free time to make the trip. "Your ink is amazing." she would say as she slowly leaned her torso to the side to get a better look. "Did the headset scan that in with your body, or did you find someone to do it here?"

With a tap on the bar behind her shoulder, Jevi turned to see the bartender had placed her drink down. Their eyes focused on the far end of the bar for a moment, brows lowering as the corners of their lips pulled into a frown. Some other patron must have gotten on their bad side. Not her business. Shifting her seat around once more, her elbows would come to rest on the slick counter top, facing away from some of the rowdy clientele, and towards the wall lined with dull-colored liquor bottles. The brown lager that floated atop her drink slowly sank down into the clear tequila. Giving the glass a gentle swirl to mix the contents a bit better, she rose the rim to her lips to take a sip. Her nose scrunched and throat burned as the first sip went down. The Mexican lager on its own might have been bearable, but she could tell it was cheap tequila. Judging by the grime that coated some of the display bottles, they probably didn't have much better. Oh well, it would have to do, so she took another sip. At least now she knew what she was getting into.

The bartender walked by moments later, popping the top off of another bottle of clear liquid. Even from a distance, the aroma was enough to make her eye twitch. Probably the closest thing to pure, medical-grade rubbing alcohol that you could get. Who in their right mind would drink that stuff for fun, without being able to get drunk? "Eugh" she groaned under her breath, now curious to make it her business. Leaning forward, over the bar, she shot a glance down towards the opposite end to see who the recipient of the drink was. Two women, undeniably twins given their matching silver locks and bright eyes, stood beside a set of crimson eyes set in a permanent glare, peering out through a curtain of blonde locks. It took a moment of recalling, but she vividly remembered him and a large axe splintering the deck of a ship they were trying to save. 

Golden eyes rolled in their sockets as she plopped back down atop of her stool, and took another, bigger, swig of her drink. 

The interior of the bar reeked of strong alcohol, incense from outside, and burned medicinal herbs inside.  The aromatic cacophony forced her nose to twinge unconsciously, though it only took a few moments for her to drown it out and become accustomed to it. She could feel various eyes from about the bar looking in her direction, for what reasons she could use her imagination to figure it out. Paying them absolutely no mind, she hardened her expression and allowed the muscles around her lips to relax. Social interaction was probably inevitable coming to a place like this, she just hoped she could keep away the creeps. 

"Excuse me.." she spoke to the side of a man, a couple of inches taller than her, and definitely wider. They spoke to another individual who also seemed to have not heard Jevi's request. 

"Excuse. Me." her voice a bit louder this time. Even though it was crowded, it wasn't loud in here. Not like they had blasting stereos like they did in the real world, so it was just voices overlapping and drinks hitting wooden table tops that made up most of the noise. So they definitely heard her, they were just ignoring her.  

Finally, she let herself snap. Grabbing the front of the larger man's shirt, she shoved him back. Not enough to knock them on their ass, just to get them to step back and create a space between their belly that protruded out from their jacket and the bar. "Move!" 

"The hell is your problem?!" 

"You're in the fucking way and I want to get a drink." Jevi would let a bit of her old self come out as she stared the man down for a couple of seconds. Completely expecting to be grabbed from behind, or shoved to the ground by the oversized man... but he caved. Breaking eye contact from her, he would gesture his head to his friend to go find somewhere else to sit. Jevi didn't bother to watch them storm off and instead walked right up to the bar. 

"Tequila old fashioned, splash of cerveza if you will." As the barback nodded and walked off, she would take a sit in the stool and turn around. Time to return those looks she got as she walked in. Slowly, her golden gaze scanned the patrons of the bar. Part of her was looking for a reason to enjoy her drink and high tail out of there. Another sliver of her wanted to see how interesting this day could get. 

Thump, thump

The bite of the cold air creeped in through the tall, paneless windows of the old mountainside temple. Normally kept warm by the heat of the forge, the coals had gone cold from lack of use. Its smithy focused on other things.

Thump, thu-Thump

Wooden doors that led out to a path up the side of the cliff were shut, a small plank with the word CLOSED hung just under the establishment's sign, Amorous Armors and Armaments. 

Thump - THWACK

The brunette's shin crashed into the large, burlap sack that suspended from the ceiling via a strong chain with a resounding boom that echoed throughout the old worship hall. She returned her foot to the cold ground, before pivoting a delivering a straight, right jab into the center of the punching bag. Her arm remained extended, though her hand-wrapped fist softened. Shoulders rose and fell as she huffed, sweat making her brown skin glisten. "Huh...huh.. That's enough for today.." she would say to herself, before releasing the chain and letting the makeshift punching bag fall to the floor. 

She took her time washing up, with no where in particular to be. The natural spring water that trickled down into her 'wash room' was perfect rinsing off, whether after working out or a long day at the forge. There was really no need to clean herself up in this world, the Cardinal system pretty much making everything instant and automatic. But it just felt, better? She didn't have to explain herself to anyone.

Stepping back out into the main space, wearing a charcoal, sleeveless top, black joggers, and an open, blue kimono top, she rose a ceramic cup filled with cold water to her lips. It quenched her thirst, surely, but not entirely. For once, she wanted to taste something stronger. "Don't think I've ever checked the bar scene out on this floor.. Guess today's the day." Closing up her home behind her, she would head up into Lharsi proper to find whatever bar suiter her fancy. 

It did not take long to find what she was looking for. Nothing too flashy, but not a complete dive.. a bit more crowded for her taste, but she felt if she left now, she would just give up the search. "Hell with it." she'd say to herself before striding inside. 

Jevi | HP: 680/680 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 2 | BH: 30 | KEEN: 2 | PARA | REC: 4

Name: Silence
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank:  6
Roll ID:  222866     
Roll Result: 11(+1)
Item Type: Sabre
Tier: 3
Quality: Perfect     
Enhancements: Bleed I | Keen II
Post Link:
Description: A basic amateur's sabre, similar in design to a thin hand and a half sword. Contains a pink wrap along the handle.

Name: Suppression
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 6
Roll ID: 222868    
Roll Result: 12(+1)
Item Type: Light Armour
Tier: 3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Mitigation I | Recovery II
Post Link:
Description: A basic amateur's chestplate. The metal of this particular piece contains a soft pink hue along the steel's edges.

Maybe a good night's rest was all she needed. She carried herself from her bedroom that overlooked the mountainside from a large window carved out of the stone surface. Crossing the distance to her workshop on the bottom most part of her home, she would remove the black, longsleeved sweater she had slept in, leaving her in her baggy, gray pants and a wrap around her chest. 

It took awhile.. most of her crafting attempts for the day. Still pumping out creations, just not of the quality she needed. Why did they even have Rare and Uncommon items anyway? There was nothing stopping players from jumping right to a Perfect weapon.. many veterans were practically giving them out for free. Either way, Nymoria's weapon and armor were complete. She composed a simple message to the girl, letting her know she could pick them up soon.
@Nymoria

T3 Weapon Attempt: 

ID 222862 | CD 7 (+1) 8 Uncommon
ID 222863 | CD 8 (+1) 9 Uncommon
ID 222864 | CD 9 (+1)  10 Rare
ID 222865 | CD 8 (+1) 9 Uncommon
ID 222866 | CD 12 (+1)  12 Perfect 

Name: Silence
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank:  6
Roll ID:  222866     
Roll Result: 11(+1)
Item Type: Sabre
Tier: 3
Quality: Perfect     
Enhancements: Bleed I | Keen II
Post Link:
Description: A basic amateur's sabre, similar in design to a thin hand and a half sword. Contains a pink wrap along the handle.

T3 Armor Attempt: 

ID 222867 | CD 1 (+1) 2 Fail
ID 222868 | CD 11 (+1) 12 Perfect

Name: Suppression
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 6
Roll ID: 222868    
Roll Result: 12(+1)
Item Type: Light Armour
Tier: 3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Mitigation I | Recovery II
Post Link:
Description: A basic amateur's chestplate. The metal of this particular piece contains a soft pink hue along the steel's edges.
__________
+ 45 Exp
-7 Materials

Jevi would let out a long sigh as she let her head drop. Of course nothing she had crafted had met the requirements of Nymoria's equipment. "Why does this always happen.." she groaned, before tossing the crafted items into her reject box and summoning another handful of materials. "Maybe if I just focus on either the armor or the weapon, then maybe.. just maybe." 

Well, that didn't really work either. If only she was actually responsible about her crafts. "Maybe I should go get some potions and shit to help me out with this.. since I'm going to have to get out and get more materials at this rate." 

T3 Weapon Attempt: 

ID 222803 | CD 9 (+1) 10 Rare
ID 222804 | CD 2 (+1) 3 Salvage LD 16 Keep Materials
ID 222805 | CD 3 (+1)  4 Salvage LD 14 Keep Materials
ID 222806 | CD 3 (+1) 4 Salvage LD 1
ID 222807 | CD 6 (+1)  7 Uncommon
ID 222808 | CD 8 (+1) 8 Uncommon
ID 222809 | CD 6 (+1) 7 Uncommon
___________
-5 Mats
+ 34 EXP

Jevi sat atop her workbench, legs dangling with small, alternating kicks. Her focus on the semi opaque menu in front of her. She was in the process of transferring any materials she had in her own inventory a storage crate beside her work station. She could only imagine how tiring it would be to have to physically carry and transfer all of these pieces of ore and metals. 

It was not until she had finished her sorting that she finally looked up, spotting the timid looking girl standing there ever so patiently. "Oh, my bad, didn't see you. You were so quiet." 

In almost an instant, the girl -without words- began to create letters and symbols with her hands that she could only assume was sign language. Jevi placed her palms up in front of her, almost apologetically. "I-I'm sorry I don't understand -" Before she could finish that thought, she heard the voice in her head clear as day, as if she had just spoken them. "..The hell?.. Never mind, I guess I can understand you. Neat trick."  Sliding herself off of the table, she would approach Nymoria to take her order. 

"Alright, I think I can do that.. I'm not too confident in how timely I can get it out, but I'll get to working on them right away." 

ID 222785 | CD 9 (+1) 10 Rare T3 Weapon
ID 222786 | CD 8 (+1) 9 Uncommon T3 Weapon
ID 222787 | CD 8 (+1) 9 Uncommon T3 Weapon
ID 222788 | CD 10 (+1) 11 Rare T3 Weapon
ID 222789 | CD 10 (+1) 11 Rare T3 Light Armor
ID 222790 | CD 6 (+1) 7 Uncommon T3 Light Armor
ID 222791 | CD 9 (+1) 10 Rare T3 Weapon
____________________
+ 43 EXP
- 7 Mats

Nari had to step in to help her out, pointing out a hiding space that could suit her size and stature. She could not help but feel embarrassed, grumbling something to herself under her breath. A piece of the cavern floor that was upturned, creating somewhat of a shelf just off the side of the beaten path. Beside it, a stalagmite that assisted in providing even more cover. She could only hope that the Dragon Knights weren't carrying any torches, or at least didn't look too hard in her direction. It was a bit of a tight spot, definitely not going to be comfortable. But with the imposing sound of armored boots pounding against the ground with each step looming ever closer, desperate times called for desperate measures. 

One last look around, Jevi would grab onto the rock formation and use it to lower herself into position. Finding a handhold for her fingers to securely grip, she hopes that it was strong enough to hold her weight...

..She was sadly mistaken..

As the majority of her weight pulled on the rocks under her fingertips, she felt an all to sudden snap and crumple as the weak outer layer of the stalagmite cracked. Her shoulder hit the ground - hard - and the rocks she had pulled loose fell to the ground around her. Definitely not inconspicuous or quiet. Everything had gone silent in that moment that felt as thought it had lasted a lifetime, even the steps of the platoon of knights had slowed to a dead halt.. before picking up again at an even faster pace. 

Her golden eyes glanced in the direction she believed Nari was hiding, an expression that painted utter disappointment in herself. "I'm sorry." she mouthed.. though she probably couldn't see it. 

She had failed them, and Charko.

ID 22702  | LD 1 | Failed
Whiff out torches {4/4}
Topple Cairns {1/1}
Plant Rusted Equipment {1/1}
Plant Fool's Gold {1/1}
EXTRA Plant Mushrooms {3}
Dragon Knight Arrival: 5/5 turns

Nari was pretty quick to come back, and was obviously worlds more efficient with digging up the mushrooms and replanting them. Either way, the scene was set - or so they could hope, with what little they could see - and all that was left was to hide and make sure that the Dragon Knights took the bait. This was the first time Jevi had taken a quest like this.. where they weren't simply fighting monsters or fetching something to bring back to the quest giver. This took actual skill and cunning, and put the livelihood of Charko on the line. Feeling nervous was an understatement. She rubbed her palms together, wiping away the sweat that had begun to gather. With a breathy "Okay." ,she began to look around.

There were not many places to hide, at least so they could keep the Knights and the entrance to Charko in sight. They could simply retreat back to the settlement and just hope the patrol didn't see through their plan, but they needed to be sure it worked. And in the case it did not, they needed to be the first line of defense in case things got ugly. "Uh.. any ideas? I can't really find anywhere to hide." 

A few stalagmites jutted up from the ground, but not large enough for her to properly keep hidden behind. She tried to squeeze herself into a small alcove, but the fear of not being able to get herself back out stopped her from trying any farther. 

ID 222483  | LD 7  | Total 86 | Failed to go into hiding
Whiff out torches {4/4}
Topple Cairns {1/1}
Plant Rusted Equipment {1/1}
Plant Fool's Gold {1/1}
EXTRA Plant Mushrooms {3}
Dragon Knight Arrival: 4/5 turns

"Got it" Jevi responded with a confident nod. Carefully stepping over the fallen arms and equipment, and being careful not to slip on any of the fallen stones, she followed the path back towards the waterfall once again. The trip was much more difficult, given the lack of light from behind her. Luckily, there was a couple of torches set up at the upcoming fork - and even more close to the perimeter of the crystal pool. Despite the crashing of water masking each of her steps, she still took caution with moving, lowering her body to become a smaller, less easily seen target. For all she knew, the Dragon Knights could have already passed the falls.. and she would be walking right into them.

Lucky enough for her, that was not the case. However, she did not know how long she would have to work.. and a green thumb was a skill she did not have. A small cluster of the fungi clung to the cavern wall just off to the side of the waterfall. "How the hell do you pick mushrooms.. with the thought of replanting them?"  She thought to herself, stressing over the idea for a moment before reality hit her, and made her a fool in her own mind.

Gently tapping the head of the mushroom, she would place the item into her inventory. Of course, without the proper skills equipped, she was not able to claim all of the fungi, and only a small handful. "This should be enough", she said to herself. Heading back once more, she regrouped with Nari, and knelt down right at the tunnel entrance leading to Charko. "Alright, I've got a couple of mushrooms.. not sure this alone will sell it, but lets hope it does the trick." Back into her inventory, she would easily replace the mushrooms into the ground, trying to make it look as natural as she could. 

ID 222305 | LD 16  | Group Total 74
Whiff out torches {4/4}
Topple Cairns {1/1}
Plant Rusted Equipment {1/1}
Plant Fool's Gold {1/1}
EXTRA Plant Mushrooms {1}
Dragon Knight Arrival: 3/5 turns

A short jog back towards the waterfall, and just where the tunnel forked off into another direction, pointed, wooden slats of wood pointed in the direction of Charko and Tomoika. A couple of attempts to push and pull to dislodge the sign post, the marker eventually came undone. Discarding to post into a small, dark crevice in the tunnel wall, she hurridly made her way back to where Nari was hiding the trace of Charko. Suddenly, with the light of the last torch being snuffed out, almost complete darkness overtook them. 

"Woah. Alright, I'll be careful." Golden eyes blinked a couple of times to see if she could adjust to the crippling darkness. Eventually, she was able to focus enough to see shapes and outlines.. but no real details. Maybe they should have taken out the torches after doing everything that required beingabletosee. 

"Shit" she cursed under her breath, nearly stumbling as her toe caught onto an upturned piece of the cavern. "... Not my fault, I'm being careful... Trying"  Eventually, after dirtying her hands feeling for the pile of rusted shovels, dulled swords, and chipped pickaxes, she was able to get to work scattering them about. A pick or two by the "cave in" , maybe a shovel. Another pickaxed lodged into the cavern wall at the fork, and some well placed swords lining the path away from Charko. "They're knights.. maybe they'll ignore what they think is an old mining cave in and follow what looks like a warpath. Running towards danger-sorta vibe, y'know?" 

"That's a good idea, thought I saw some mushrooms around here.. some back towards the waterfall too. Think we can pull that off"

ID222060  | LD 8 | Individual Total 17 | Group Total 41
Whiff out torches {4/4}
Topple Cairns {1/1}
Plant Rusted Equipment {1/1}
Plant Fool's Gold {0/1}
Dragon Knight Arrival: 1/5 turns

"So the plan...essentially...is to redirect them?"

The woman looked ahead them, eyes tracing the path that would lead them to Charko. She then followed suit, turning a chin over her shoulder and looking back the way they had came. It was a narrow tunnel that they really would not have found, if not for torches and rock formations revealing the path to them. Ureka gave them a couple of suggestions to hide their path. "There's some old broken pickaxes that we can place near the entrance to the tunnel.. Add in some of the rocks from the cairn, and they might think its just an old mining tunnel that caved in. Pair that with some of the fake gold going the opposite way, and I think we could really pull this off." 

Nari went for the torches, extinguishing the engulfed wood and rags to not even a smoldering ember, and then removing the spoke from the rocky earth to hide its presence. Jevi, while they still had light to work, decided to start setting the scene. A well crafted tower make of perfectly balanced, smooth stones to some may not seem like much to some, but to those familiar with this land could possibly read the messages intended. Sad that she would be the one to destroy it. With a swift, precise kick to the bottom of the stack, the cairn came tumbling down and scattering like a bag of dropped marbles. 

"Oh, I forgot, there's a signpost back the way we came. I'll go see what I can do about that." 

ID221820  | LD: 9 | Total: 18
Result: Whiff out torches {2/4}
Topple Cairns {1/1}
Plant Rusted Equipment {0/1}
Plant Fool's Gold {0/1}
Dragon Knight Arrival: 0/5 turns

The brunette smiled in return to @Morningstar's warm greeting, "Maybe, I would like to hear that story. Mostly to find out where to sign up for those kind of contests. But yeah, maybe later."  Sensing the nonexistent line of players - save for one @Koga and his interesting choice in date - lining up to greet Morningstar, Jevi would step out of the way and walk towards the party proper. "If I knew we could bring a plus one, I would have found a date." the woman snarkily said to Koga as she passed, gesturing her head towards the squirming mass of wet tentacle with sand clinging to its body. 

She was much earlier to this party than she had anticipated. Not many people were here, and the women were definitely outnumbered. The only other girl at the party, whom she vaguely recognized, was a long-haired brunette who also seemed to have just arrived shortly before her. With a polite wave, Jevi stepped up to her as their paths crossed. "Hey, you were on that skyship party, weren't you?" she asked as she turned, talking a couple of backwards steps in the direction of her destination, "I'm Jevi, I'm going to grab a drink, but we can chat in a bit, yeah?"  @Yona

First on her agenda, a drink. Morningstar gave her choices, but decided against the walk out to the NPC manned bar. If she was trying get better at socializing with actual people, she figured it would be better to get a drink from an actual person. Making her way over to the 'guy in the red shirt', she would lazily point a finger towards the cooler at his feet. "I'm told you're the one to talk to for a drink." Leaning over, she would open the top to the cooler and pull a bottle out by the neck, small cubes of ice dripping back into the bath of water in the container. "Thanks."  Popping the seal off of the bottle, she would take a sip. Never realized how refreshing a cold drink on a hot, Christmas day would feel. "I probably should have brought something too.. but, I don't really know Morningstar.. and I really didn't think of it. I'm Jevi, by the way, I don't think we've met."  ( @Freyd )

---

A short while later, probably after another drink and some conversation, Jevi found laying on a reclined chair that faced out towards the water. It was amazing how, aside from the few islands in the distance that made up other areas of the floor, you really could not tell where the floor ended. It gave off the illusion of the vast, seemingly endless, ocean. It was.. peaceful, in the moment at least. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she adjusted her legs to sit upright, staring outwards. 

From behind her, she heard the general summons of their host, requesting an opponent for a tennis match. Jevi had never played tennis, never even had the thought of it. Was one of the sports she honestly forgot about at times. However, something in the moment.. maybe it was this elevated sense of peace and camaraderie she was feeling, or the drinks that only had an effect in her imagination, put her on her feet.

"Alright, I'm game!"

She would step onto the court, stepping out of the sandals that she wore as she picked up a racket. Turning the thing in her hands, she got a feel for the handle.. though by the angle she held it, one could tell she was clueless. But she couldn't let Morningstar know that, she needed to put on her poker face. 

"So, who serves first?" 

"People like me.. hm?"

Jevi questioned the vague statement - if she could even call Nari's stammering that - with a cautious glance and a sharp, cocked brow. Following a stranger into the dark on a quest that even they weren't entirely sure of the details on should have been enough to turn her away, let alone the awkward exchanges the two were having. The much shorter woman having a young, cute face was no excuse for that either. But this was a world of swords and skills she once only dreamed of having, so she knew she could defend herself - if the need arose. Not only that, but she knew if she took every awkward encounter as a bad sign, she would never make any new friends. 

And the prospect of even one friend, after all this time, outweighed the negative.

With eyes glancing down at the lightly armored bracers encompassing her forearms, she would pull at the straps to make sure they fit snugly. Finding that perfect balance between range of motion, and the ability to throw a good punch. Her head nodded along with Nari's voice as she went over additional details about what they should expect, who to meet with, and how Nari would protect Jevi if the need arose.. Though the additional reasoning caused her to slow in her step. "Is that what the awkwardness is abo-" 

Her addressing of Nari's slip-of-the-tongue compliment was cut short by a figure standing just off the side of the road. Another woman, dark hair, this one not a player however. In fact, they were, coincidentally, just who they needed to meet. Falling into the usual, quest-giver programming, Ureka went on about the village being threatened by dragon knights, and how they were a peaceful people and blah blah. 

Seemed straight forward enough.

Glancing over at her companion for the day, the two players exchanged a glance, the so-far awkwardness from Nari's blue eyes fading for the moment. "Of course." Jevi would respond with a nod of her head, before turning back to Ureka. "Just tell us exactly what you need from us."

This one was a strange one, no denying that. Nari seemed in utter shock that Jevi had agreed to tag along on this quest of hers.. Whether it was because of the quest's details or a possible reoccurring lack of companionship, she wasn't sure. 

"Y-Yeah I said so, didn't I?" she replied, a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst, "Unless you're trying to convince me to change my mind?" The smile she wore on her face faded for a moment, before closing her eyes and recomposing herself. "Anyway, so like I said, what do you know about what we are getting into?" 

Jevi couldn't exactly complain about Nari's botched understanding of the quest and the info she was given, since it was already more than she knew regarding it. Perhaps she just wasn't good at conveying information. But for someone trying to plead their case to get a fellow player - practically a stranger - to tag along with them into the unknown.. she wasn't doing the best job. Though despite it all, it gave Jevi a good chuckle.

"I'll greatly appreciate your support then." she would add with a slight nod, "I'm not exactly frontline fighter material.. probably wouldn't dare try to take this without any help. So I think we'll make a good team." 

As the two began their walk away from the pool beneath the waterfall, Nari suddenly spun on her heels to introduce herself.. as if she had not done so already. "I know... we've met before." she said with a scoff, though friendly in nature rather than condescending. "Not for long, but I still got your name.. And its Jevi, just in case you had forgotten that too. What's got you so nervous?"

A tiny smirk crept across the brunette's lips. Some flattering words spewed from the babbling Nari as she tried to defend her actions as if they had offended Jevi in some sort of way. It felt nice to be called beautiful, she had to admit, even if it was a slip of the tongue. She felt it better to not press the woman and embarrass her any further - her lack of direction had already done enough damage in that aspect. 

"No worries, really" she said with a dismissing hand. "Honestly, if it wasn't for you, I probably would have found some corner to sit quietly in until I died, or someone else tried talking to me."  Before any further conversation would be shared, Nari was double checking the directions Jevi had given her. "Oh, yeah that way." she confirmed. Pursing her lips, she turned her back to the road, summoning her menus without any real purpose. Perhaps she did it to just make herself seem busier than she really was. 

That was, until, Nari spoke up again. She invited Jevi along on whatever quest she was about to partake in, going off on a tangent about 'not being weird' and rightfully failing at that job. "Story of my life." the woman said through a sad scoff. Loneliness was probably one of the oldest acquaintances she could always count on, and she continuously kicked herself in the ass for giving the cold shoulder and not keeping up with any friends she had made. Swiping a clawed hand through the translucent menus before her would distort them for a brief moment before erasing them from her field of view. She would turn back once again to face the shorter girl, "Yeah sure, I'm just about done here anyway. It's been a minute since I've gone on a quest." 

Stepping away from the pool, cautious with each step on the slick, wet ground, she would join Nari on the road towards Charko. "So, any idea what we're in for? I'm not too quest savvy, so I don't have that insider info some others have."

Before her body could become whole again, while the pixels and data that made up her avatar were still transferring over from the mountainous fifteenth floor, she could smell the salt of the ocean. A warm, summers breeze greeted her the  tingling feeling starting at her feet and traveling up to her head, gently brushing her loosely tied up hair in the process. Her smile curled as the corners of her lips pulled into her cheeks. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon in December. The perfect way to celebrate the holiday season. 

Trip to the shore were a semi-normal thing for Jevi and her family when she was younger. As it was for everyone else who lived in her area. Cheap, day vacations spent swimming in the ocean and playing in the sand. Of course, those days vanished when she grew older. It wasn't the same traveling to the beach all alone. And while she may have spoken ill of soaking up the sun and feeling the hot sand underneath the soles of her feet, it was something she missed dearly. So when a server wide invitation to celebrate the Christmas season at Morningstar's beach house - whoever that was - she knew she could not pass up the opportunity. 

With a top that covered most of her torso - save for her midriff - a typical pair of bikini bottoms with a around her hips, and a loose fitting kimono-like robe that she wore off of the shoulders, Jevi walked along the shores of Raitoboru Bay until she arrived at her destination. A three story cottage, painted in coral and teal blue to give it a tropical aesthetic, sat nestled between the gentle blue wave s and tall palm trees decorated in a lively manner for the occasion. There weren't many in attendance, none that she was familiar with.. of course. Show up early, and you're stuck making small talk with strangers. She would sigh to herself, guess there's really no other way to make friends.

A younger man with long, blonde hair greeted others as they arrived.. must be the host of the party- Morningstar. Waiting for a free moment, she would introduce herself. "Hey, Happy Holidays. I'm Jevi. I don't think we've met before" she would politely extend a hand in greeting, a newly found calm smile on her face. "Beautiful place, prime real estate for sure." 

Jevi | HP: 680/680 | EN: 82/82 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 2 | BH: 30 | KEEN: 2 | PARA | REC: 4
 

Honestly, she knew it was too good to be true to have complete isolation. Golden eyes peeled from the warbled visage of herself in the pool of water at her feet to the source of the voice. A shorter figure, long purple hair, armored from head to toe. They both kind of stood there in silence for a moment, catching each other's gaze before Jevi slowly lifted a hand to offer a small wave-less gesture. "Hey."

The individual spoke up, mostly asking for directions to the nearest settlement. As she spoke, Jevi's head tilted slightly. The voice was familiar.. a recent meeting perhaps. As the woman took a few tires to get the right name of the city of Charko, Jevi took it upon herself to dress herself a bit more appropriately - rather than standing there in a pair of wet shorts and wraps for a bra. The stale air of the cave was getting a bit cold anyway. So with a few swipes of her hand, she summoned her menus, and instantly dressed herself in a gray, sleeveless martial arts top, some black pants, and a blue, yukata-like robe that hung off of her shoulders. 

"Oh yeah, you're pretty close." Jevi said with a few small steps, moving in the stranger's(?) direction. She pointed off to her right, a trail that moved around the shore of the waterfall and up the side of a cavern wall. "If you just follow that path, you should come to a fork. There's a sign post there that'll send you the right way."

Before they parted ways, Jevi lowered herself slightly to get a better look at the lavender haired woman. "We've met before, haven't we? That gala turned pirate rain on the airship? Nari right?" Jevi would let out a small chuckle as she righted herself, crossing her arms with a smirk. "If I remember correctly, you ambushed me as soon as I got there and pulled me into a group to socialize.. called me 'another victim.'

Against her better judgement, she went searching after him. That damned, white haired menace that had stolen her heart, vanished from her life, reappeared without a word, and disappeared again. She had half a mind to just wipe his name from her friends list, and from her life completely. Yet, she found herself climbing the hidden steps, carved into the mountainside outside of Floor Two's settlement, where she knew - or had strategically found out - he had spent some time training. 

Of course, he wasn't there. Which sent a menagerie of emotions running through her mind; disappointment, frustration, and fear for her friend. The only person she had managed to find was an NPC, a familiar one at that. The same old geezer who passed out the Martial Arts quest. Only this time, he wasn't hunting down Jevi to pass on this skill. No, instead, he simply meditated atop a just as familiar large boulder. The peace, the quiet. A perfect place to train and meditate. She could see why Grave chose this spot to hide away and better himself - center himself. Jevi had been doing the same, though physically for the most part. She hadn't given her mind or body the rest it needed in God knows how long.. she owed that to herself. 

---

After some asking around, she found one of the best places to try and mediate were on the Twenty-First floor, and following the usual cliché, it was under one of the waterfalls. She had visited a few, in search of the perfect one, though most of them had other players canoodling or just taking in the views. She didn't want any distractions.. so following a path close to the settlement of Charko, she found the perfect falls just off the beaten path of the city. She stared at the water for a moment, illuminated by a series of lavender crystals just behind the falls, and took a deep breath. Unequipping most of her equipment, she waded forth in the water wearing a pair of shorts and a top that looked more like bandages wrapping around her chest. There was no perfectly placed, flat rock, or anything for her to rest on, but she did manage to find a bit of shallow water that she could kneel under. That should do the trick. 

It took her awhile to get used to the pressure of the falls on her back and shoulders, but as she found her center of balance, it didn't phase her. She kneeled in the calf deep water for maybe ten, fifteen minutes before coming from her trance. "Hm..I can see why people do that now." she said to herself, her voice calm and quiet. Returning to the smooth path around the edge of the pool below the falls, she slowly walked the path, keeping her gaze on her silhouetted reflection in the water. 

"Yeah you better run." Jevi called out after the two pirates she had knocked over, who decided saving their skin was a better option than trying to fight her. The corner of her lips turned upwards into a cocky smirk, no denying that NPCs deciding she was a threat was a huge confidence boost. That left a single pirate on the opposite room, Lessa, and Hirru defending the innocents. 

"You've got this, right?" Jevi said over her shoulder to the blonde, who was facing off with the scallywag trapped in the room with them, "I'm gonna go see what the hells going on up there?" she pointed with her chin upwards at the splintered mess of a crack in the ships deck. Taking to the stairs with a quick stride, she halted about half way up and looked over the railing at where Hirru stood, the lives of the NPC crew at his back. Her features softened a bit as she smiled with a nod, "Thank you." she simply said, before heading back to the upper deck.

All hell had broken loose. The others weren't standing around, trying to formulate plans. They had gone on the offensive, taking Loughran's crew head on. Unlike when they tried taking on the pirate captain directly, they were actually holding their ground. Maybe this was how they were supposed to go about saving the ship, definitely more exciting than talking it out.

Looking over to the side, she saw the source of the axe crashing through the ceiling - now the floor - a shaggy head of blonde hair wearing vibrant, ostentatious robes. "Really?" she said under her breath, "Hey, man, if you're done fighting the ship.. there's some pirates over there that could use your attention." 

@Lessa @Hirru @Corvo

So not just a chef, but a Grandmaster chef. His experience and the time he put into perfecting his craft was definitely reflected in the taste of this sandwich. Just knowing that made her want to savor every bite even more. "Spider council?" she would comment, her voice a bit muffled by the food still lingering in her mouth, which she would swallow down shortly after. "That definitely sounds more like a story to be told, than an experience to be had. I am curious, though, what a bunch of spiders have to do with you becoming a top tier cook."  she would say with a small laugh before placing the cheesesteak, within the wrapper, on her lap for a moment. Best not to rush through it, she was enjoying the taste too much.. and probably wasn't the most attractive thing to watch. "I can only imagine how much you had to go through to level up your profession like that. I've taken on being a blacksmith here almost since the beginning.. and I think I've barely made it past the second rank.. Even though I'd spend most of my time in my shop. Grinding levels is just a bit tough for me" Jevi would admit with a shrug of her shoulders. "Though, maybe I'll get back into it.. but there's a lot of competition, not like I'll make much Col off of it in the end." 

Locks of brown hair cascaded over her shoulder as she turned her head to look at Oscar suddenly, once he revealed that he was not only from the same country, but possibly within a reasonable distance. "Get out, for real?" she'd say with a shocked chuckle. "Both being from the states is one thing, but both East Coasters? Pretty big coincidence." she would sit back with her back against the rear of the bench, crossing one leg over the other. "Who knows, maybe they 'randomized' these matches based on location.. Would probably hold more merit if, you know, we were actually close to getting back to our real bodies." Running a finger through her hair to tuck it behind an ear, she would let out a slight sigh while sharing a gaze at the water before them. "But.. on the other hand.. its comforting knowing that, if - when, we make it out, I'll at least have someone close by who shared my experience."

Maybe this whole 'blind date' thing wasn't so bad after all.

The wooden planks of the stairs leading down to the lower decks creaked with each heavy footfall, as what sounded like another figure - or two - descended the stairs. Jevi felt her shoulders tense up as she hesitated to look over her shoulder, a foreboding feeling that it wasn't one of their comrades coming to help them secure the innocent crewmates. Finally, she found it in herself to peek behind her, making extra sure to not let her guard down at her front - though, she knew Lessa had her covered in case the first pirate decided to strike.

As she expected, it wasn't another player, it was two more of those dirty pirates. Though, from the looks on their faces, their wits didn't seem nearly as sharp as the weapons they wore on their hips.. and one of them had a blunt club. A real tweedle-dum and tweedle-dumber. Though, she was sure that the pirate captain didn't hire members of his crew based on looks or smarts.. just pure brawn. 

This time, thankfully, a familiar voice spoke up, calling for the two women to take care of the pirates while he made sure the hostages stayed safe. Turning most of her body to look in his direction, she was relieved to see Hirru had popped up from seemingly nowhere - very in character for the green haired gent. With a genuine smile, she nodded at him, "We've got this. You keep them safe." She knew that with Hirru's barrier protecting the crew, she and Lessa could let a bit loose and take down these three without needing to worry about the innocents being caught in the crossfire. 

Stepping forward and hopping into the air, Jevi pivoted her hips like a piston, delivering a superman punch straight into the chest of the first pirate, knocking them onto their ass. The one that stood at their side growled and drew their club, taking three strikes at Jevi. The first two, she was able to bob and weave out of the way. The third, she needed to block with her forearms brought up into an x formation in front of her face. Without her armor, though, she didn't have much in terms of defense, so it was now her that was knocked onto her back. 

She was stronger than she used to be, but still nothing compared to some of the other frontliners who were here at this party. Their presence made her feel a bit overconfident.. which was quickly fading as the two strode up to her. Suddenly, because the surprises just kept coming, the thick head of an axe crashed through the planks just above them, catching all of their attention. "What the fuck is going on up there.." Jevi said, before taking the opportunity kick out, sweeping the legs of both of the pirates and knocking them into each other as they crashed into the ground.

@Hirru @Lessa