Floofy

Sakoda blushed and growled in anger. Keres totally made a fool of her!! She pulled and struggled against the hold, trying to get free, but all that happened was she got more frustrated. "let...me... GO!!!" She barked at Keres, her rage building the more she tried to get free. She knew she was looking more and more foolish as she tried to get free, and this only more frustrated. She was starting to lose it, and she had already lost her concentration. after about a minute of struggling, she grew still, her head drooping in seeming submission. Then she spun around so she was facing Keres, catching her in mid-punch with her free hand. "enough of your games.." Her voice had become darker and more serious, as if Keres were now fighting a completely different girl. growling in fury, she drove her knee into Keres' stomach before slamming her to the ground. Something clearly happened to Sakoda. She wasn't the perky and goofy girl that she started out as. It's as if Keres had broke something in her, and now she wanted revenge.

Sakoda kept her focus on Keres. It was time for her to take the fight into her hands. GIven Keres' sudden rush towards her, it would appear to be that she planned to strike at her. However, given the most recent actions Sakoda could determine that Keres wouldn't shift to an all-out attack just yet. No, there was some underhanded move that she would make, and as such she loosened her stance. She would be able to dodge faster than she would be able to block, should Keres decide to attack after all, but the true intention of her relaxation was to allow Keres to get in close. It was a very risky move, as she would practically be restricting herself, but if everything work as she envisioned it would, she would land a hit against her opponent. FIrst, Keres would get close. If she attacked, she would take control of the exchange, using her hand-to-hand knowledge from the real world to catch Keres off-guard and retaliate, depending on how Keres chose to attack her. That scenario would require more instinctual reactions over quick thinking. Should Keres side slash, she would need to block with her spear before grabbing her wrist and making her attack. An upper-handed attack would mean she could catch her wrist with one hand and attack with the spear in the other.

@Keres

She spun around in time to see a pebble hurling at her. She reacted by flicking it with her spear, shooting it back to Keres, who had started to make her move to slide underneath her. Sakoda realized that her opponent would be using tricking, back-stab tactics to attack her. "I've figured out your strategy, Keres!" She smirked, feeling confident. If she could keep tabs on Keres and what she was doing, she could predict her action and outplay her. That way, she wouldn't have to keep worrying on the distance between them, just predicting where Keres would move next and move accordingly.. It sounded more complicated, sure. But it would help her keep the upper hand in the duel. All she needed to do was watch how Keres moved, right? Spinning her spear so it was pointed to the ground, she lifted her free hand and beckoned to Keres tauntingly. 

Sakoda had expected Keres to make the first move. What she didn't expect was what came after. Instead of trying to land a blow on her, Keres had landed on her spear and booped her nose, causing her to blink in surprise. This moment of confusion caught her off guard, allowing her emotions to flare up again, turning her face bright red with blush. "H-Hey! This is a duel, not some goofy d-dance!!" Sakoda spat out, trying to quickly retort to Keres' comments so it didn't appear to affect her. Of course, this backfired with how she responded, as her voice cracked and she was pretty sure she had squeaked halfway through her sentence, as well as the poor comeback that she delivered. She knew that many people saw fighting as an estranged way to dance, even calling it 'the dance of swords' or something to those lines. But she needed to focus again, Keres had too easily broken her barriers, and she couldn't allow that to happen again. No, this time she would be prepared for anything Keres did!!

Sakoda looked to Keres and blushed, but not near as much as when her emotions first rose. She's trying to toy with you.. she told herself, determined to keep from falling prey to Keres and her tactics. If she did, she could see herself laying across Keres' lap as she had her hair stroked, completely unable to keep control of herself. No, she wouldn't let Keres have her way! Spinning her spear around so it was pointed to Keres, she examined her opponent, taking note of the dagger that she held. That told her Keres would be focusing on getting close and staying agile. To get the upper hand, she would need to keep her distance and use her spears extended range to strike, keeping fluid motions as they battled. A misstep could give Keres an opening to get close where her spear use would be restricted. She took up her battle position, and realized that as she pondered her strategy, it kept her from thinking about Keres. She wasn't thinking about fighting the girl she liked, she was thinking about how to combat an opponent and their fighting style. Of course, in the midst of combat she wouldn't be able to think of long, drawn out plans to keep her mind occupied. She would need to figure something else out in order to stay focused. "I think the question, Keres, is are YOU ready?" She smirked in reply to her duel partner.

Sakoda nodded in understanding "Yessir, I understand. Er... speaking of Keres, where is she? I thought she would be here with you, but I haven't seen her around. Did you send her to gather more minerals while you waited or something? And what will she be fighting with... actually, never mind. I won't always know what weapon my opponent is using, so I should get used to being able to adapt." Sakoda smiled. It felt satisfying to be able to think strategically, even if it was just a tiny bit. "Anyways, I think I'm ready to face Keres." She told Domarus, pulling out her spear. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the duel to come. She couldn't let herself get distracted. She needed to maintain focus on the fight, although that will be harder done than said, given that she would be fighting Keres. Her nearly random infatuation with the masochistic servant would be a huge hurdle to get over if she were to prove anything to Domarus.

"OK, I'm ready."

Sakoda walked through the teleporter than took her to Floor 9. Looking around, she was amazed at the stark difference from the other floors she had been to. The volcanic landscape was barren and lifeless, a pretty good place for a sparring duel.  She continued to the meeting area, seeing Domarus waiting for her. Frowning in confusion, she thought the plan was for her to fight Keres. Maybe she hadn't shown up yet? An unlikely chance, considering the girl was always by Domarus' side. Perhaps she was nearby, looking for more materials. Whatever the circumstance was, Sakoda knew that the girl would show up eventually. Hopefully she had a little bit more control of her emotions now, though. She needed to show Domarus that she had control during combat. That she wouldn't let outside forces distract her from her target or objective. Yes, she had a lot to prove today, but she was determined to succeed in her demonstration!

Sakoda nodded and bowed to him, trusting that he knew what was best for her. She couldn't help but be curious though, as to how Keres would fight. Looking up at the sky, she noticed that the sun was setting. It wouldn't be long before they would have to call their gathering venture to an end. Looking at their current acquisitions, they didn't obtain very much. Hopefully what they did get would be enough to start their training. If not, they'd just have to keep an eye out for more materials as they traveled and quested. Taking one last look around for any more materials before the day was up, she failed to find anything that would suit her profession. Hoping to have ended this little experience on a high note, she sighed in disappointment and got ready to go back to town. At least she got to learn a little bit about Keres, and apparently learned some things about herself as well...

"Oh, right! I've grown to level 7 now. If you wish to wait until later to test my strength, that is acceptable sir. It was only a suggestion that came to me while my mind considered other things as well. Although, i am curious as to how Keres would fight. I don't think I've actually seen it." Heck, she didn't even know what weapon Keres used. Thinking about the idea, she decided that she would leave it up to Domarus to decide. "It's up to you, Domarus sir. Like I said, it was only a passing though that I had." She smiled and returned to searching for any usable materials. If Domarus wished her to duel, then she would put a temporary pause to her search in order to perform for him. If not, then she can spend more time getting annoyed at her lack of ability to find materials for her to use. How was anyone making potions with these conditions, anyways? On second thought though, they probably have gear to help them search.

As she continued to dig around, her thoughts began to wander. As they did, something occurred to her.. Outside of the boss battle that she flunked horribly at, Domarus and Keres had never seen her battle prowess. She may be new, but she did have some fighting experience. Domarus should know what shes capable of if he plans on training her. Looking up to him, She spoke up. "Domarus sir, I was thinking.. You haven't seen me fight. At least, not enough to see my experience in combat. Perhaps I could duel you, or Keres?" She hadn't looked at the dueling menus herself, but she figured that there would be adjusters in case a player wanted to fight someone lower or higher leveled than them, to make the duel balanced. Even if not, her opponent could go easy on her to lower themselves to her level. Either way would work to demonstrate how strong she may or may not be.

"Umm, well, before SAO I was thinking about attending school to figure out what kind of career I wanted. My parents... They've always been too busy paying more attention to my siblings to notice me. At least, until SAO." She quickly moved off that topic, still trying to find any materials that would be of use. "For entertainment, I didn't really do too much. Swimming, bowling, dancing. Whatever I felt like doing for that day. Even in the real world, I didn't have many friends. I guess that's one of the things that translated over, heh..." Growing silent, her hand came across something different from the surrounding dirt. Pulling it up, she smiled as she finally found a material and added it to her inventory. About time, too. I was starting to get tired of finding a lot of nothing. Looking between Keres and Domarus, she noticed the two were having poor luck finding anything on their end.

Taking a deep breath as to try an attempt to control herself, she smiled to Keres "Well, what do you wanna know?" It was her basic reply that she told anyone who asked about her. She was never one to talk about herself and by asking what someone wants to know about her, she can avoid other information being spilled out from her. It was the one thing she did that kept information about herself close. "My favorite color is green, I've been fascinated by familiars, and I've lead a normal life before all of this happened. Not sure what else there is to know about me." Small details to include, and vague as well. Maybe enough to quell anyone's interests in her, but chances are that Keres would pry more. She dug around for materials while she waited for a response, but continued to fail at finding anything. "Bugger.." She would tell herself, a slip of her British accent coming through, which didn't happen too often.

Sakoda nodded to Domarus' suggestion. "As you wish sir. That may be for the best, too." She didn't know what she would further do if left alone with Keres. Make a fool of herself, probably. More so than she already had, anyways. She couldn't stop thinking about why Keres though. How did she fall for her, and nobody else? What about this woman pulled her emotionally? Sakoda sighed to herself, resigning to the fact that it would take time for her to be able to answer these questions. Digging around for further materials, she sighed again as she failed to find anything. Maybe if I'm lucky, a Boar will ram into me and change this whole mess into something more manageable... .Although that was wishful thinking at this point, given Domarus' proven reaction speed. Frowning in frustration, she looked up to Keres with determination to figure out what about this...psychopathic woman... made her so appealing. It wasn't her looks, she had met lots of girls and guys that attracted her more in that department than Keres did now. Was it her eyes? Perhaps she gave off a certain aura that Sakoda subconsciously liked? Maybe Sakoda just enjoyed the girls manipulative behavior? The longer she thought about it, the more confused she got, making it increasingly obvious that she wouldn't figure anything out by herself.

Sighing deeply, she bowed to Domarus "Im sorry sir. I appear to have fallen for Keres. I dont know why, either., and I cant help myself," she explained, still in bow. "Please forgive me and my poor emotional control" She expected a scolding from her mentor, or some form of punishment. She should know to have better control than this, and yet here she was. Apologizing for being unable to have such control. "I promise I'll do better!!" Perhaps if she swore to perform as expected, he wouldn't punish her as severely as she expected. Maybe he would let her off with a warning. She was so focused on Domarus and his reaction, she didn't even think about Keres' supposedly sudden burst of laughter. She had simply passed it off as her finding it humorous for Sakoda to fall in love so soon after meeting her. After a moment's hesitation she looked up to face Domarus, expecting the worst and hoping for the best. 

"I-I uhh... Im honestly not sure.." Sakoda looked away, feeling really silly right now. "I.. For some reason, feel attached to you...' She wanted to start kicking herself, she sounded so stupid. She expected that Keres saying she wasn't as sane as she looked was supposed to scare her off or something, but it didn't. It didn't bother her at all, and she couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was the excitement that could come with it, or maybe she just liked the idea of insanity itself. Whatever it was, it kept pushing her to the other girl, telling her that she had an affection for her. Sakoda couldn't help herself, she had a crush on Keres and there was no explaining it. The two had just met and she had already grown attached. Groaning mentally, she dug around more for materials, hoping to find anything to distract her from Keres, but continued to find nothing. Hell, the game itself is trying to make me interact with her.. What is it about her that makes me feel this way?! Thinking frustrated her, but all she could conclude was that small hint of insanity that Keres seemed to have was what attracted her. 

"oh, more materials for sure. The larger storage I have, the more I can craft, you know? Which actually reminds me, what kind of potions are you wanting to make? Poisons? Enhancers? Love Potions?" The last suggestion just kind of slipped out without her even thinking about it, causing slight blush. She was amazed that Keres hadn't caught onto her crushing.. or maybe she had and was just ignoring it? Either way, it was becoming painfully obvious, and the embarrassment only built up inside of Sakoda. Maybe she would get lucky and Domarus would offer to train her to appear emotionless and cold. In honesty, she wouldn't mind losing her emotions. Before, when she was alone, she often had nightmares about the horrors she could see while in this world, causing her to wake up and live that day without any caring, feeling empty and cold. It would often pass by during that night, but sometimes she wished she would just stay heartless and not have to worry about other people. After all, with the stigma everyone seemed to hold against her, it would seem nobody cared for her. Well, nobody except Domarus and Keres. As she thought, she dug around for materials, but found none.

"Umm, really, Domarus has been the most impacting to me. Ever since he saved my life and started teaching me, I've felt like a whole new person.. Other than him though, nobody has really payed much attention to me. Especially since this game started, people go out of their way to ignore me now. But you and Domarus have been so accepting of me, I'm very grateful for it. For both of you!" She smiled and looked down at her feet, wondering what it would have been like to meet these two in the real world. She would have thought harder about it, but it didnt matter now. Looking back up to Keres, she realizing that she couldn't even look at the girl without blushing again. Making a mental note to work on keeping these new emotions under control, she offered a hand out to Keres. "So, I guess we're kind of partners now, aren't we?"

Sakoda only blushed deeper. She could tell that Keres was toying with her, but for some reason she seemed to be enjoying it. Like she WANTED Keres to exploit her?! Who IS this girl, anyways? Looking around for anything to get her attention, she once again failed to find anything and her attention was soon brought back to the girl that taunted her so easily. "High school huh? So you knew each other in the real world. How fascinating!" Growing silent, since she didn't want to get too personally yet, Sakoda found herself gazing into Keres' eyes. They were almost entrancing to look at and felt like they were digging into her soul, trying to find anything interesting to exploit. A terrifying thought occured to Sokoda as she continued to look at Keres. Am I getting a crush on her?! WE JUST MET!! What's going on with me... This certainly wasn't like her.. Well, other than getting distracted. But nothing to this level. She needed to get control of the situation and fast!

Sakoda blushed, noticing Keres' adorable maid uniform. Part of her even wanted to ask if she could try it on, but she put that bit of desire to the back of her mind. "C-Cute outfit, by the way!" She stuttered out, obviously loving the maid outfit. "Anyways, where do you want to start? I was thinking we could gather plants first off, and then move on to other things. While we do that, can I ask you about your relationship with Domarus? Like, how did you meet him?" She was rather curious about how Keres and Domarus met and became so close, but she also hoped that she could build up the relationship that she had with Keres. Even upon first meeting the girl, Sakoda kind of viewed her as a sister. She wondered how similar the two of them were to each other, and as such it made her want to know more and more. Her eyes wandered, partially because she knew that looking at Keres would make her obsess over the maid uniform even more. her eyes caught a plant, but it was nothing more than weeds. Certainly nothing that could be used in potion-making. Her attention was soon brought back to Keres as she ran out of stuff to distract her.

@Keres

Sakoda soon arrived, waving to Keres, cheerful as always. "Hey Keres, I'm here! Sorry I'm late!" She stopped a few feet in front of the other girl, bowing before her in greetings. "What's the plan for today, Miss Keres?" From her understanding, they would be beginning their work to start crafting potions. Just by looking at Keres, Sakoda could see her as a potion-maker. Something about her seemed to radiate such an aura, or perhaps Sakoda was just going insane. That was also a possibility, as always. "Hey, I was thinking we could talk a little while we worked, if thats ok with you?" To her, Keres seemed to be quite shy, but maybe that was just because she never had anything to say. Alone, they could discuss simple things and build up their relationship. If she was to be serving under Domarus for some time, she should also get to know the girl who was practically always at his side. "I'm curious to know what made you want to make potions, instead of any of the other available jobs." As she asked, she looked around nearby and spotted a material. Interesting how she never noticed anything before starting the profession.

@Keres

Sakoda stumbled into the shop and looked around. Domarus had told her this was the place, and the coordinates lined up perfectly, so logically she was in the right spot. At least, hopefully. Last time, she somehow ended up falling into a nearby well and having to climb her way back out. She was still pretty wet, too. Anyways, she approached the counter and placed the order for the trinket that she decided she wanted. Sakoda had spent almost the entire time since departing from Domarus' side, to falling in the well, thinking about what she wanted to have. In the end, she came to the conclusion that she wanted the appearance of a phoenix, burning like her determination ever since meeting Domarus. Once completed with the order, she submitted it and left the shop, knowing that she would know as soon as it was completed.

"Ah, ok! So even if I got a tier two item, I wouldn't be able to use it until level 25. Good to know!" Examining the coordinates to Domarus' shop, she nodded to herself before returning her attention back to her mentor. "I'll head down there now, if that's alright with you. Where shall I reconvene with you once I've finished my trip to the first floor?" Before even continuing with any thoughts, she quickly remembered the whole reason she was here to begin with. "OH! Did I ever actually accept the job that I wanted?!" She opened the menu and saw that she had indeed started her profession. "Heh, that would have been embarrassing!" Closing the menu, she waved off to Domarus and headed to the first floor to gather her items. It didn't take her long before she reached the portal to the other floors, and she made her way down to the first.

She blinked as she came back to reality, blushing deeply with embarrassment "Hehe, whoops..." Sakoda hadn't even realized she had lost focus until she snapped out of it. "So uhhh.. anyways.. Wheres your shop at?" She asked, trying to change the subject.  Normally she wouldn't daydream like that, but for some reason she drifted off. I wonder if I'm started to get immersed in this world.. "I didn't realize you weren't on the frontlines. I just assumed, with how amazing you are and everything, that you would be. You know?" She smiled cheerfully. If he wasn't frontline material, then how strong were the players who were? What kind of gear did they have? The thought reminded her of a small detail that might impact what items she could get, "Hey, do items have level requirements?" If they did, it could be problematic if she wanted a stronger item, but didn't have the level to use it.

@Domarus

"I see, I see... So what item would you lend to me? And how long can I use it?" A thought occurred to her that she was asking a lot of questions, causing her to blush "Sorry, I'm sure Im asking a ton of questions that you'd really rather not answer.. Heck, I'm sure you'd rather be on the frontlines instead of down here helping a new player get her footing." As she stated this, she looked up at the sky, as if seeing the floors above them. "What's it like up there, anyways? Does it get darker and more sinister? I want to see it all for myself, one day..." She got quiet as she got lost in thought, seeming to forget herself and her surroundings as she daydreamed. She wanted to get stronger quickly, so she could see it all. So she could be useful. It was her goal.

@Domarus

Sakoda nodded. "Do you have anything I could use in your shop?" If he did,  it would save her some time from having to look at other player stores and trying to figure out what would be good for her to use. "Oh, I just remembered! I have some skill points from leveling up. Should I put them into anything or should I hold onto them until I level up more? I also want to ask you about the kinds of weapons that would work best for me. Should I stick with spears or work into something else?" When she first started the game, she thought about using Curved Swords, but eventually settled on Spears. Now with Domarus teaching her, she wanted to know if there was a better option for her to use and if she had been handicapping herself this whole time. She truly would feel like an idiot if that were the case.