Telrenya

Telrenya's troubled thoughts continued, unable to think of a way to get around this whole mess of a disguise in order to help Morgen find that real world connection he was searching for. She inwardly sighed, 'Maybe if I'm really careful I can try and figure out a way to point him towards Nick's shop... I hope he wouldn't mind, and it might work out. Augh, another time.' She was just about to dismiss her thoughts when she gave a tiny start. She watched with surprise as Morgen practically jumped to his feet and carried himself to the window at the front of the parlor.

Telrenya shook her head lightly when Morgen returned, giving her a look that made her realize how she must have been staring at him. "O-oh, no worries... That was just a little surprising." She forced a small chuckle, wondering if that person he thought he saw was someone important to him. It had to have been, for him to react like that.

Having finished her own dessert, Telrenya brought a gloved hand to the back of her neck. She wasn't sure where to move the conversation, or the rest of the evening, for that matter. "Well... I suppose if you're the type to help others with quests, I'm sure there are still some on these lower floors I haven't gotten to yet. Maybe we could take one of those on sometime?" She suggested. Again, her head was drifting back to levels, numbers, and increasing her virtual strength.

(ooc: throwing in some rp combat because I need some spice in here. no rolls pls, just fluff, have fun with it)

Telrenya let out a small chuckle at the pink-haired girl's enthusiasm, giving a small shake of her head. "No trouble at all." She assured, the hint of a hidden smile carrying through her words. The girl slipped her thumb through a loose leather strap at her belt as the group made way for the forest where the furry creature had dashed off to.

With the trees overhead providing only a bit of respite from the heavy snowfall of the open plains, Telrenya kept her jade eyes open and busy, scanning for anything of interest. Whether that be monsters or materials, none made themselves known to her.

Walking to the back-right of the group, the toe of her boot suddenly caught on an upturned root, causing the masked woman to trip directly into the snow-covered forest floor. Swearing that the gnarled wood wasn't there a second ago, Telrenya hadn't the time to push herself up with a small groan before the very same root wrapped itself tightly around her nearest ankle. In one swift motion, the living forest pulled the girl into the air, eliciting a short scream at the sudden motion.

On the other side of the group, a set of nearly-identical roots snaked their way through the soft powder on the ground, making their way towards the bespectacled girl with a bright red fringe.

ID#: 95226 | LD: 3 - nothing

Telrenya stopped aside Jomei when the bass of the Dwarf's voice reached their ears. The masked woman turned her attention on the NPC, the accessory over her face hiding away her confused expression as she struggled to understand a few of his most heavily accented words. Jomei took the lead of the conversation, which was kept brief while Telrenya caught some kind of warning about rock slides. She grimaced behind her mask, only hoping that their task on this floor wouldn't turn out to be as treacherous as the fourth.

As they made their way past the village and drew closer to the base of the mountains that housed the highest peak, they began to pass by the rocky formations that sloped upwards to form the shortest edges of the impressive range. Telrenya's neck craned after her eyes trailed upwards, trying to catch a glimpse of the tallest points before she was forced to turn her attention back forward.

After passing through a small valley that lay tucked away between two shorter structures, the duo had began their trek up the side of the tallest mountain. At least at its base, the terrain wasn't difficult to traverse, with several stable paths that had likely been used by many players before them. Even so, Telrenya wasn't excited by the undeterminable amount of time they'd have to spend hiking over mountains before they'd find their target. Lucky for her, Draigoch seemed to have other plans in mind.

Several minutes passed before Telrenya caught sight of a blurred motion in the corner of her eye. They looked carefully to the open air around the side of the rock formations, just about to brush it off as a bird or some other harmless creature, when the jasper hatchling made another appearance. Green webbed wings carried Draigoch through the air as it circled around the mountain's edge, banking the corner while its bright blue eyes fixated on the players. "Jomei! To the left!" She called, reaching for the hilt of her rapier as the dragonling sped towards the Irishman.

ID#: 95208 | MD: 6(+2)(-4)=4 - Miss!

[H:0] Telrenya: 660/660 HP | 66/66 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT
[H:0] Jomei: hm

Draigoch: 400/400 HP | 115 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 65 MIT | 9-10 MD deal 60 unmitigatble DMG

"Hm?" Telrenya hummed after a small giggle had escaped her. The urgency in Jomei's voice had her hurrying to follow the direction of his extended finger to the edge of the massive ravine. Her chocolate eyes dropped to what the Irishman explained was the floor below them in the scheme of the floating castle, and they widened as they took in the sight of the marsh so far below. The sheer height had her grip on Jomei's hand instinctively grow a big tighter, but she was still left stunned by the rarity. "That's...seriously amazing." She breathed out.

A few minutes and an apprehensive bridge-crossing later, the couple approached a small village and grew even closer to their destination. "Of course! I'll bet the view is incredible." Telrenya's smile stretched with the ginger's prompting, and it was her turn to pull Jomei along as she quickened her pace.

The climb up the old watchtower was as long as they could expect given its impressive height. While the winding staircase was old and worn, it wasn't nearly as ruined as the the outside of the structure and they were able to traverse it with relative ease. Two two reached the top--or at least, what served as the new top of the watchtower with its original peak decaying beside its base. As their avatars met the open air, one of Telrenya's hands found the stone of the wall-turned-ledge that stood beside the last intact section of curved steps while the other held onto Jomei's hand just as tightly as when they had crossed the bridge. Despite the lingering apprehension, Telrenya's breath was quick to leave her as she looked out over the impressive view of the floor. "Oh my-... Just imagine what it might have looked like if this tower was in one piece." She tried to recover from the breathtaking sight in order to chuckle lightly at the thought.

Another floor, another change in climate. Out of all of the different environments they'd found themselves in lately, Telrenya decided she much preferred Nimbus to the snow, sands, and rainforest they'd been trudging through. In just the past two days, they were now on their way to take down a fifth dragon. The sense of progress and accomplishment was incredible, but all the activity was sure to take its toll on the girl. And she could only imagine the strain it was putting on Jomei. Whether or not the man was a veteran or frontliner, there was only so much their digital bodies could take.

After jotting down a mental note for a stop on her way home today, Telrenya focused her attention back to the task at hand. She followed Jomei's gesture to the most impressive of the mountains they were surrounded by, letting out a breathy "Whoa..." when she set her gaze on the structure. She had to urge herself to tear her eyes away from the peak in the distance to turn her head towards Jomei. She let out a small chuckle, a bit intimidated after all of her thoughts of how exhausting the combination of quests had been. Steeling herself for the journey to the seventh dragon, she gave a nod. "Got it, sounds good to me."

Telrenya watched as Embers' axe came down on the boar pup with enough force to drain the last of its hit points. The blonde perked to attention at the kill, giving a small clap of her hands in celebration. A short, nervous laugh escaped her when the redhead voiced her curiosity, and she pulled a hand up to the nape of her neck. "Yeah, I suppose that was a terrible way to explain it." She admitted.

The duo made their way back to the Town of Beginnings in order to turn in the quest and claim their rewards. Along the way, Telrenya laced her fingers in front of her, keeping her eyes on the path in front of her feet as she walked. "Not really something...but someone." She specified. "There's someone I know from the real world who should be stuck in here, too. I just... Well, we don't know what username the other person picked." She admitted with a faint pink tint on her cheeks, thoroughly embarrassed as she explained. "A-anyway, it's not a brave or noble reason for me wanting to be up there. I just think that's the best place for me to start with trying to find this person." She finished her story with a small smile.

Thread Complete!

• Telrenya: +4 SP, +400 col, +Basic Rapier (+1 DMG)
• @Embers: +4 SP, +400 col, choice of +1 DMG weapon or +1 MIT armor

With her hands now free, Telrenya brought one up to press against the bright red area displayed on her avatar. Her thumb rubbed against the cloth that covered the joint, as if trying to massage away the faint tingling sensation. It wouldn't speed up the process of her health regenerating, and so she gave up after a few seconds, simply letting her hand fall back to her side. Despite their momentary participation in the battle, Telreyna was both surprised and relieved to see--if only for a moment--the familiar hue of Willow's natural glow protecting her. She had been starting to think the creature had vanished permanently, although regardless of whether or not she'd had the chance to introduce her new friend to the Irishman, she was also glad that the wisp hadn't decided to make an appearance. All the better if it stayed that way.

When Jomei addressed her, Telrenya simply nodded. "Yeah... I'm just glad we were able to help before anything drastic happened." She admitted in a small voice. Along their journey to Krycim, he brought up a topic that she recalled Jomei touching on once before. She bit down on her bottom lip, staring quietly at the forest floor in front of her feet as she walked. She took in a deep breath, feeling her heart beating faster in her chest while the words she wanted to speak came forward. "I... Of course I don't know what your old guild was like exactly, but... Well, I think you make a great leader. The people in it... We stand by you because of your ideals and your bravery, not because of power, or fear, or terrible things like that." A heat burned on her cheeks behind the thin metal that covered them. "Your selflessness, and kindess... I think it's something that all of us really admire."

Thready Summary!

• Telrenya: +3 SP, +600 col
• Jomei: +3 SP, +600 col

If her right hand hadn't been occupied with the handle of her rapier, she'd have used it to clutch her opposite shoulder. A light tingling feeling spread throughout the top of her arm, and Telrenya was thankful for a moment, not wanting to consider how much her health might have dropped if she didn't have her new familiar's protection to guard her.

The woman was allowed a second to recover when Jomei hurried forward with his own attack, dealing a considerable amount of damage to drop Enywas' health bar far into the red. Her stance lowered again, blade held at an angle out to her side. "Right!" She called back, pushing against the foliage of the forest floor to approach the baby dragon once again. She shot forward with the same motions as her initial attack, the tip of her blade running through the dragon's hardened scales. No matter its improved defenses, the little health Enywas was left with disappeared and the hatchling shrieked before it burst into shards of light around her sword.

Telrenya let out a sigh of relief. Even with the occasional surprise, none of the dragons themselves seemed to have posed a significant threat to the duo as of yet, and they were already over halfway done with the chain of ten objectives. After retrieving the jade gemstone from the rainforest floor, Telrenya straightened her spine, bringing St. Andrew's Bane to its scabbard. She let out a steady breath in a sigh, just glad to be finished with the task. "Six down." She said in a small voice, turning the polished gem over in her fingers.

ID#: 95178 | BD: 6(+4)(-2)=9 - Hit! Over Radiation (x14) Active | MD: Dead
(12 base) x (14 Sword Art) = (168 DMG) - (60 MIT) - (30) = 78 DMG

[H: 2] Telrenya: 624/660 HP | 41/66 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT
[H:1] Jomei: 1210/1210 HP | 122/132 EN | 17 DMG | 4 ACC | 4 EVA | 2 SAVVY

Enywas: 0/350 HP | 95 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 60 MIT | Reduces DMG taken by 30

Stopping when he turned to face her, Telrenya felt a twinge of uncertainty. She dropped her gaze a bit. What if they really were getting in over their heads? As if to counter the thought, a rush of confidence filled her and her shoulders picked up along with her chin. "But what you said was true! That's the whole point of the guild, right? We have to stand up to people like him, or nobody else will!" She retracted only slightly after the bold words left her, as if she might have overstepped some sort of invisible boundaries. Her hand moved up to run her gloved fingertips over the pin affixed to the cloth beside the thin metal pauldron on her left side. "Either way, I'm with you. And I'm sure everyone else is willing to do whatever they can to help. You're... You make a really good leader, better than I could ever be." She admitted.

When the pair of players had moved on, Jomei seemed to have found their first solid clue. Sections of the egg's shell were scattered slightly at the thick base of the tree, and Telrenya ran her sights along the forest floor in search of any kind of trail that might lead them to their target.

Eventually Telrenya's eyes caught movement and she reached for the rapier at her side. "Found you." Drawing the weapon forward, she locked eyes with the dragonling scampering across the forest floor. Enywas was hardly any larger than the last dragon they'd face, but its more rounded body made it look even more innocent. If she wasn't so keen on taking the dragon down and getting back home, she'd stop to think it was rather cute.

This time she made the first move. Telrenya lowered her stance, taking only a second before pushing herself forward. She charged at the monster with her blade held close to her side, the steel beginning to radiant with energy. Fourteen thrusts were delivered, but not all pierced the creature's flesh. Its scales were thick like the bark of the trees that surrounded them, practically deflecting several jabs of her thin blade. Enywas beared its teeth, letting out a high-pitched, rolling growl at the woman before it shot forward in kind. The baby dragon launched from the ground, silvered wings unfurling behind it to carry it high into the air. Telrenya stumbled backward slightly at its unanticipated approach, her eyes watching as it flew several feet into the air above her. Quickly reaching a peak, Enywas' wings folded flat and its chin curled inward. The jade hatchling fell back to the earth at a surprising rate, and Telrenya didn't manage to sidestep in time. The dragonling's hardened skull collided with her left shoulder with enough force to send her reeling. At the moment of impact, a soft blue glow signaled the woman's familiar--the wisp's aura serving to protect her from some of the damage. 'Thanks Willow...' She thought with teeth clenched as she worked to recover from the blow.

ID#: 95176 | BD: 7(+4)(-2)=9 - Hit! Over Radiation (x14) +Charge Active | MD: 7(+2)(-3)=6 - Hit!
(12 base) + (3 Charge) = (15 DMG) x (14 Sword Art) = (210 DMG) - (60 MIT) - (30) = 120 DMG

[H:1] Telrenya: 624/660 HP | 53/66 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT
[H:0] Jomei: :stuck_out_tongue:

Enywas: 230/350 HP | 95 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 60 MIT | Reduces DMG taken by 30

Kaminari's expression grew sour with Jomei's scolding, but the short-tempered man worked not to press his luck any further. With a swipe of his hand, he opened his menus and seconds later a friend request would find its way in front of the ginger. He turned, walking over to the noirette who seemed to have calm down enough to properly function. "C'mon," He gave her an impatient glance before Kirana seemed to realize what he was after. She used her free hand to repeat the same motions, and the ginger would be left with a request from each of them. The blonde then reached out to take the girl's hand, pulling her along as they moved to head back the way Jomei and Telrenya came. "Thanks." He offered in as sincere a tone as he could manage as they passed the duo.

Telrenya tensed up as Jomei urged them along with their original objective. Things seemed to be almost as out of hand as when they arrived on the scene, just now their entire guild was going to be involved. A long silence stretched, which wasn't out of the ordinary for the two while they worked to track down some trace of the next hatchling. But words were burning in the back of Telrenya's mind. "Uhm," She finally spoke up, the nonsense word serving as a commitment for her to continue after a second's hesitation. "I, I just wanted to say, what you did back there..." She could feel a heat burning on her cheeks behind the veil of her mask. For a moment it was as if she were back to her old shyness, and she did her best to swallow it down. "it was, well, amazing."

With the conversation playing out in front of her, Kirana's mania seemed to gradually subside. The girl pulled a shaky hand away from the hilt of her dagger to hurriedly rub at the corners of her eyes, wiping away the onset of tears that had formed. Each of the players seemed to take on a similar expression--Kaminari one of skepticism and Kirana of disbelief--as they listened to Jomei think aloud, going over possible angles and options that might be used to solve this impossible problem.

When Jomei went on to present his offer to them, the duo exchanged a look as if they each had the same thought enter their mind. The blonde was the one to voice them, "Are you crazy? If you and your friend," His eyes darted to the woman standing beside him before turning back to meet his olive gaze, "don't want a whole world of trouble, you're better off forgetting this ever happened." His voice dropped to a dissatisfied mumble as he tore his gaze away. "And it'll be my head if anyone finds out about all this." Garnet eyes trailed over Kirana, weapon now held loosely at her side and an orange cursor still rotating steadily over her head. He held a hard stare at the girl, fighting an internal battle of sorts for several long moments before his jaw clenched again. The blonde man brought the side of his fist to the bark of the tree behind him in a quick motion, letting out a huff of air a second later.

Kaminari shoved his hands into his pockets and turned his shoulders towards Jomei. With a few short strides he moved himself to stand in front of the Irishman, eyes lifted a couple of inches to meet his. He seemed to study the man a second, still hesitating before speaking up with a distasteful frown. "Fine. If you think whatever Alliance you have is good enough to take him down without getting us all killed..." The man ripped a hand from his pocket, holding it between Jomei and himself.

Kaminari seemed to have recovered a bit from snapping at the girl, returning back to his general frustration as Jomei continued to involve himself. Still, if it meant getting his 'partner' to come to her senses, he held his tongue for a while longer. When the ginger had turned his attention on the man, Kaminari's gaze seemed to shift to another glare almost on instinct. He paused as the question was presented to him, garnet eyes slowly drifting from the Irishman, to Kirana, and back. He grit his teeth. He could feel the weight of his own life at stake if he loosened his tongue, but then again, how much worse could things get?

"Tch." He scoffed with defeat, taking a step and a half in reverse until his back hit the bark of the tree he had earlier leaned against with an expulsion of air. "Caesura. He's our 'leader', or the one who pulls all the strings." He picked up a hand to rake his fingers through short, wild blonde hair. "We're basically his closest lackeys, but he has connections all over the place. And the last person who tried to leave..." His volume dropped, casting a nervous glance at the still-shaken Kirana before shifting back to Jomei in hopes that he got the picture.

Telrenya's gloved fingers fidgeted in front of her torso. The whole situation had spiraled out of control, but she could feel the slightest ripple of relief when they seemed to grow at least a bit cooperative. The masked woman took a couple of small steps forward so that her presence was more clear, but found herself gnawing gently at her bottom lip as she couldn't think of the right words to offer.

"I dunno if you've ever tried getting away from a guy who knows everything about you, with plenty of resources and way too much time on his hands. Cae doesn't slack off. He hasn't gotten by all this time 'cause he lets everyone that double-crosses him live." Kaminari finished his explanation with a persistent scowl.

Kirana flinched at the first part of her username. It was often what she heard called out, most usually at a time shortly after her betrayal. After she had gained the trust of another player, painting herself as weak, friendly, peaceful--whatever was needed to grow close to another person in the shortest amount of time. The raven-haired girl's attention darted back to Jomei, along with the direction of her dagger when she registered him taking slow movements to close the large gap between them.

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards while a broken chuckle escaped her lips, quickly evolving into a short, dry laugh. "Nobody's done with Cae." She said matter-of-factly, as if the Irishman would know exactly what she was talking about. As if he knew that the scene in the backstreets of Taft was all just an act. Her brows narrowed slightly, bitter defeat present in her violet eyes while her arms lowered a few inches. "I don't care if I get tossed anymore. At--at least I can go on my own terms. It'll be, because I chose for this to happen. H-he can't control everything..." The already-broken girl felt a hot moisture pooling at the corners of her eyes, struggling to fight back the tears as a wave of despair washed over her.

The longer Kirana's hostility persisted, the more nervous Kaminari became. "Look, c'mon, we gotta wait out that cursor or something, just--" As he reached a hand into the air, the noirette's glinting dagger caused his words to fall short, and his jaw clenched. Just then, both of their attention snapped to the side at the sound of rustling foliage. The players' eyes went wide, but when they landed on Jomei and the masked woman aside him Kaminari seemed to recover from the near-heart attack, as if he had feared that he would be meeting a face different from the ginger's. Still, his scowl was quick to return, and Kirana had swiveled slightly to hold her weapon towards the new arrivals. The direction of her grip darted back to the blonde, then settled somewhere in between as she wasn't able to make up her mind as to which was a greater threat.

"None of your business." Kaminari snapped, his reaction unclear as to whether or not he recognized the Irishman from the small grove tucked away in the streets of Taft. He glared at Jomei before turning his attention back to the girl several feet across from him, trying in vain to urge her away. "Ran, come on." He hissed, "Get your sh*t together before this mess gets any--"

"Is this--still, a game to you?!" Kirana shouted, her words broken apart by shaky breaths. Her body was still stiff, panic mixed into her manic expression. "I can't do this anymore!" She exclaimed, the point of her knife drifting back towards the blonde as she put her focus on him, all but ignoring Jomei and Telrenya. Kaminari looked as though he was about to protest some part of her outburst, but she spoke up again to cut him off. "Let him kill me! I deserve it! And--and then you two can find someone else to, push around--to do, your dirty work, s-someone who can live with the guilt--"

"You think I enjoy this?!" It was the man's turn to interrupt Kirana's flood of thoughts. His garnet eyes shot back at her with their own venom. "You think I wanna see you thrown over the edge? Come off it!" His hands balled into tight fists at his sides.

"Sh*t! Yo, Ran, what the hell!?" Kaminari stood with his back to the thick bark of a tree, one hand covering a gash as it pressed against his abdomen. Across from him, the noirette stood with a wide stance, her hands clutching at the hilt of a dagger that she held in front of her with arms rigid. Her breathing was heavier than normal, and her expression wild while the spinning cursor over her head flickered to an orange color. Kaminari glanced to his health  bar in the corner of his vision before he pushed off the strudy trunk behind him. In reaction, the girl tensed up further, raising her dagger a few inches higher.

"No, stay the hell away from me!" She shouted back, her right foot taking an unsteady step backwards. The blonde man's brows knit with frustration, and he scowled back at her. "Have you lost it? Cae's gonna scrap you for going orange!" His voice was sharp, but there was a mixture of concern in his outraged tone. He took another step and a half towards Kirana, but she only took clumsy steps back just the same.

Name: Finder's Lens +2
Your Profession: Artisan
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 94885
Roll Result: 11
Item Type: Trinket
Tier: 1
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: +2 LD
Description: A magnifying glass. The lens is held in place by a bronze rim while the handle is a smooth teak wood with a slight curve.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15070-f3-artisan-r1-crystal-clear/?do=findComment&comment=533633

Using an Essence of Steel obtained from Ryo on the above craft to make it:

Name: Finder's Lens +2
Your Profession: Artisan
Your Rank: 2
Roll ID: 94885
Roll Result: 11
Item Type: Trinket
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: +3 LD
Description: A magnifying glass. The lens is held in place by a bronze rim while the handle is a smooth teak wood with a slight curve.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15070-f3-artisan-r1-crystal-clear/?do=findComment&comment=533633

After several attempts, most of which resulted in failure, Telreyna's expression turned sour. A hand rose to the back of her neck, and she rubbed gently at the skin as she turned to face the brunette boy who stood in her shop. "Err, sorry... All I've managed is a single slot item. I don't mind trying a bit more to get something better, but I don't want to keep you waiting. Just, let me know what you would like." She offered with more than a hint of embarrassment in her voice. 'At this rate I'll seriously have to go material hunting again soon. Ahh, at least I'm getting some honest experience into my profession lately...' Her thoughts began to wander.

ID#: 95141 | CD: 9 - Uncommon
ID#: 95142 | CD: 5 - Salvage
ID#: 95143 | CD: 2 - Fail
+6 EXP

A relieved breath of air spilled past Telrenya's lips as the storm died down, leaving a relatively calm, but still very oppressive heat looming over them. She held back a small groan, turning to Jomei when she was addressed. She nodded in kind, but hesitated again. For a moment, she considered again trying to call it off. Neither of them wanted to be doing this right now, and without speaking up she was practically letting Erin get away with his meddling. But before she could will herself to object, Telrenya was following Jomei back towards Fortaleza. She returned her rapier to its scabbard at her hip in defeat. The sooner these quests were done with, the sooner she could take a break from all this. Maybe she would put a hold on all this soloing stuff. Spencer was right a thousand times over, none of it was worth putting strain on the relationship she cherished.

The pair of players made their way to the main settlement, the heat only slightly more tolerable once they were within the city's walls, and headed for the teleport plaza. Speaking out the name of the sixth floor city, Amazon, each of their avatars would be carried off to the town in the middle of the rainforest.

Telrenya felt the forgiving shift in temperature, and was grateful for the small sense of relief. Taking a moment to catch her bearings, it was then that she realized the scenery was entirely new. Had she really not seen the sixth floor before? A new hint of unease worked its way into her stomach, hoping that her unfamiliarity wouldn't end up as a burden.

Telrenya winced behind her mask. Should she try calling it off? She stood still for a moment, stuck between decisions and responses until Jomei waved her along. She didn't know whether or not to be grateful for the mask that hid away all of her telling expressions as she frowned with a sense of guilt a regret nagging at her.

The journey to find the next dragon was even worse than the trip to Frostbite Lake. On the fourth floor, Telrenya had her cloth and leathers to keep her just the slightest bit warmer. Here, in the unforgiving heat of the desert sun blazing above them, the clothing was only serving to amplify her discomfort.

When the winds' speed reached their peak, Telrenya instinctively brought up an arm to shield herself from the storm. Her right hand reached for the hilt of St. Andrew's Bane at her hip, pulling the weapon free. She watched as carefully as her obscured vision would allow as Jomei shot forward to plunge his blade into the tiny scaled creature. For a moment, she thought it might shatter into pixels just as quickly as Icefyre. When Tabaluga shot to the Irishman's shoulder in retaliation, however, Telrenya lowered her stance to join the fray. Her feet crashed against the shifting sands just as the topaz hatchling hopped down from Jomei's shoulder. The dragonling turned, looking as though it was about to skitter off under the veil of the storm.

"No you don't!" She said in a low voice. Right arm pulled back, the steel of her blade glowed brightly with the activation of her empowered attack. Four straight thrusts sank into the dragon's flesh, draining just enough of its hit points to leave the bar that hovered beside it empty. Tabaluga let out another weak screech before bursting into a flurry of light.

ID#: 95097 | BD: 8 (+2) - Hit! Penetrator (x8) +Charge Active
(12 base) + (1 charge) = (13 DMG) x (8 Sword Art) = (104 DMG) - (55 MIT) = 49 DMG

Jomei: 1156/1190 HP | 122/132 EN | 17 DMG | 3 EVA | 3 ACC | 2 Savvy
Telrenya: 600/600 HP | 60/60 EN | 12 DMG | 3 ACC | 2 EVA | 41 MIT

Tabaluga: 0/300 | MIT: 55 | ACC: 2 |EVA: 1 | DMG: 85

Thread Complete!

• Telrenya: +3 SP, +575 col, +<Tabaluga’s Topaz>
• @Jomei: +3 SP, +575 col

"Huh?" Telrenya propped herself up slightly onto her elbow when Jomei explained that he had received a message from Erin. Her brain was trying to tell her that couldn't be the case, as she hadn't spoken to the redhead since his rude instruction of their meeting the day before. But then it clicked into place, and she suddenly realized that the man seemed to be taking far more liberties than Telrenya was comfortable with.

She had to stop herself from bristling with anger towards the player who really had the name Erin--both after her realization and after seeing the message that he had sent to Jomei. 'What in the world is he thinking?! I swear, he's really starting to cross the line...' She had to fight against her scrambled, annoyed thoughts showing through in her expression, and settled for her brows knitting together in concern. "O-oh... Hrmm..." She struggled with her response for more than one reason. "Maybe she's just trying too hard to be friendly?" Telreyna brought a hand up to the nape of her neck as she tried to offer some sort of excuse for the 'girl's behavior.

As Jomei's frame stopped halfway to hover over her, she stared up at the man before a loving smile took over her features. She returned his kiss with a gently fluttering heart, catching sight of the wink he shot at her shortly after with a faint pink hue on her cheeks. Telrenya sat herself up on the bed as Jomei get himself ready to head out. She smiled warmly at his promise, and they exchanged farewells after she was sure to let him know that she might take a trip out of the house herself today. Depending on how things went, she would rather avoid the pressure of having to pretend like she was home the whole time for a second time.

She only waited a few seconds after hearing the front door swing shut to pick herself up to her feet and angrily open her menus. While preparing and meeting up with Jomei was pressing, she had a more important task to complete first. The girl put together more than a few words for Erin, sternly instructing him not to send another message to anyone in their guild without contacting her first. After venting a bit of her anger towards the redhead, Telrenya hurried to swap out her pajamas for her leather combat attire. She selected a couple more items in her inventory, the hue of her hair shifting to a jet black while her eyes took on a dull jade color. "Just in case..." She muttered to herself while fixing her hair into a low ponytail and slipping the silver mask over her face.

"Oh gosh, why does it have to be the desert?" Telrenya was asking herself just moments after appearing at the teleport gate in Fortaleza. 'Now to try and fix things from his stupid stunts...' Quickly recognizing the ginger on the other side of the square, she hurried to approach Jomei. "Hey! I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking straight, I should have waited longer to message you." Despite the accessory covering her features, she avoided looking into the man's eyes and her hand stuck to the back of her neck. "S-sorry. I'll try not to do it again, but if I ever say something stupid just, uhh... Tell me, I guess." She hadn't planned out her words ahead of time, and had little to go off of when it came to the real Erin's direct interactions with Jomei, but she only hoped her words would suffice to smooth things over.

Telrenya first began to stir when she felt Jomei's arms wrapping around her. It was a pleasant feeling, being pulled in close to the man's chest while the thick cloud of sleep still clung tightly to her mind. Without her full instruction, the girl's arms slipped around him to return the embrace. "Nooo, jus' five more minutes..." She mumbled and buried her face against his chest, cuddling close to him while his words began to slowly register in her half-asleep mind. "Mm, no I didn--W-wait...what?" She was lucky that the fog in her mind had cleared just enough for her to catch herself before she said anything too damning. Even under the haze of lingering sleep, a straightforward response like that was hard not to seem suspicious.

Telrenya's brows furrowed before her eyes blinked open. Her hold on Jomei tightened just a bit before she pulled her face away enough to look at the man properly. "Mmm, what do you mean...? You got a message?" She asked, retracting a hand only to rub at the corner of her eye. Her brain still wasn't able to connect all the dots back to the redheaded troublemaker, and she was simply left tired and grumpy at the thought of having their morning interrupted.

The blonde resting beside Jomei slept just as soundly as he while the virtual sunshine poured in through the balcony window. As the previous day took a heavy toll on them both, the couple seemed to be in for a lazy day of sleeping in. That is, if it weren't for a certain redhead who happened to be incredibly bored while he strolled through the streets of Urbus.

Erin took on an impish grin as he panned through his menus, landing on his friends list. His hand hovered over Telrenya's name for a long second, but the man hesitated. He seemed to have a second thought, and instead of typing up a message to the blonde princess he scrolled over to his guild menus. He had a better idea in mind.

Quote

To: Jomei
Subject: Go Again?

Heyo! I had a lot of fun yesterday. I hope I'm not being too forward, but... Do you want to meet up again today? I'm free like any time, so just let me know the when and where!

-Erin ♥

With a smirk and a chuckle, Erin would wait for a possible response from the guild leader before he would send blondie her half of the surprise.

She smiled in the midst of their more fleeting kiss. As they parted a second time, Telrenya shifted the hand beside his face to run the tips of her fingers along his fringe and carefully brush his long bang aside to reveal his elusive right eye. Though they would fall back into place when her hand slipped away, she let out a giggle at his sudden embrace. "Absolutely not. Never." She affirmed in between her laughter.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as well, pulling their bodies closer while she rested her chin on his shoulder. After the day's events, she was even more grateful to enjoy every peaceful moment they might be able to share. Just spending their night together at home, as if all the dangerous parts of Aincrad were just a far-off dream brought her a comfort and serenity that she wouldn't trade for the world.

The girl climbed into bed beside Jomei a minute later, and her body was immediately grateful. Though she had grown more comfortable with the physical aspects of their relationship over time, perhaps it was the days' extreme chain of events that left her a bit more affectionate than was typical of her. She was quick to gravitate back to the Irishman once she had slipped under the cover of the soft blue sheets, wrapping her arms around the man and once again bringing their bodies in close as exhaustion was quick to wrap its heavy arms around her just the same. Telrenya placed a soft kiss on his bare skin before burying her face into the crook of Jomei's neck, enjoying each second of their closeness. "I love you so much, Nick." She didn't last long before sleep would come to claim her, but she was sure to whisper a few words before she would drift off.

Telrenya turned her head just slightly to kiss his shoulder over the fabric of his long sleeves before straightening her spine and working to drain her cup of its contents. She felt Jomei's eyes on her after he agreed on the thought of an early night's sleep, and as she pulled the mug away from her lips she turned her chin to meet his playful gaze. An expression she wasn't expecting, his words were even less anticipated. Their meaning was clear though, and caused a heat to rise to her cheeks almost immediately. While the couple had taken their time to grow comfortable and more intimate with each other, she had to wonder for a fleeting moment how serious the man was by his suggestive taunt.

Regardless of her opinion on the matter, the wave of exhaustion that hit her when she rose to her feet after Jomei was very convincing to dismiss any such thoughts. The color was slow to drain from her face, but she finally let out a small puff of air through her nose. "One of these days I'll get used to your teasing." She gave a small pout in return before the couple would move back to the bedroom.

Telrenya was quick to slip away into the bathroom to change, taking only as much time as was needed to pull up her menus and swap out her dress and cardigan for a white camisole and a pair of light grey pajama pants. When she had crossed the room back to the bed, she was met with Jomei's smiling face gazing up at her. She returned with a warm smile of her own while her open hand found his nearest arm and her thumb gently ran over the curve of his shoulder. "Nick..." She repeated his name in kind, a faint pink hue dusting her cheeks while her smile stretched wider with his heartfelt words. She bent down over him, moving to tuck her blonde locks behind her ear. The motion did little to stop her hair from spilling over her shoulder as she hovered above the man. The same hand then reached forward to place her palm upon his cheek and she lowered herself the rest of the way to press her slightly-parted lips into his. She lingered, her fingers beginning to slide towards the back of his head and run through his ginger hair as a hint of greed got the better of her.

When she pulled away, she continued to hold her face close to Jomei's, a light blush still coating her cheeks as she spoke up again. "I can't explain how grateful I am to have met you that day." She chuckled lightly herself, the fond memory of their first few meetings coming to light. "And for every time since then that you've appeared at my side."

The girl let out a tiny, curious hum at the sound of Jomei's soft chuckling. If it weren't for her attention on the full cup of tea in her lap, she might have started to nod off. When he started to speak, Telrenya brought the warm liquid to her lips again and took another long drink. His words began to register in her mind, and she found herself swallowing a bit harder than she normally would have. "Oh, well that's good." She responded lamely at first before hurrying to find more enthusiastic words. "I'm glad she sounds like a good person after all." Though she wasn't directly facing the man, she forced another smile.

Through the living room windows, Telrenya could see the changing hues of the sky as the virtual sun was setting over Taft. She smiled softly as dusk approached, taking another drink before gently nuzzling the man's shoulder with the side of her head. "So, will it be an early night tonight, then?" She asked, half out of curiosity and half trying to change the subject. Although if she was being honest, she didn't at all mind the thought of crawling into their warm bed and just holding the man close until she fell asleep.