Calypso

With the shift in his stance, Callie could more properly address him, and with her chin tilted slightly upwards she had the chance to better observe his features as he spoke. A stern, or at least stoic, expression that lingered as he suggested finding a place where they could sit and talk. Dark brown eyes that seemed to hold a well of experience that she couldn't begin to imagine the extent of. And the faint scar that stretched across the length of his rugged features, of which she could only wonder what kind of story might lie beneath it. Shield certainly wasn't one of those starry-eyed teenagers she saw far too many of running around Aincrad. She removed the gaze that had fixated on the man, easily shifting her attention as she turned her head towards the inn he had pointed out. Watching, observing, and wondering were things she found herself doing a lot of. Everyone had a story, and often times there was amusement to be found in making guesses as to what those stories might have been like, or what they would become. Very rarely would Callie ever open her mouth to try to compare her notes to the source material, however.

Having given a small nod in agreement before they headed for the moderately-sized building, she made no comment on his offer to cover a drink for her. The simple, though unintentional, reminder of her newfound poverty caused the sting of the reopened wound to keep her silent, though she made no fuss as they entered the sparsely-populated bar and found a pair of seats at the counter that stretched across the room. Again, he offered for her to order something after requesting a drink of his own. Callie simply put on another polite smile while a hand waved lightly in front of her chest. "I'm alright, thank you for the offer, though." Her stubbornness wasn't going to let up that easily. Even though she had tried to think of her request as an exchange and she planned to repay the man for the time that he was willing to give her, she knew she was still going to feel some lingering sense of debt for her reliance. And she wasn't eager for that feeling to start building up just yet.

She shifted focus to his following question, having taken a seat and crossed her ankles beneath her. Now came the important part. Her fingers laced to the first knuckles and her hands rested in her lap as she spoke up. "I've done a bit of research in the cities of the first few floors. It's true there are some I could likely handle on my own, and normally that's what I would prefer, but," She gently bit at the inside of her cheek for half a second, "sometimes quest monsters are the least of your worries out there. And without impressive equipment or a party, that could be a disaster waiting to happen." She shifted her sight from the empty countertop in front of her, turning her head towards Shield with another light smile. "So, I'm not picky, as long as the rewards are worth the time spent. I'm sure there are even one or two on this floor that would be suitable."

Another ringing in her ears. The volume wasn't terribly alarming, and the chiming sound wasn't far off from the other regular menu sounds, but there was something just a bit off-putting about registering a sound as if it came from directly inside of one's eardrums. Mentally reminding herself not to go off getting too popular to be receiving so many messages, Callie pulled up what she had anticipated to be another response from the man named Shield. She had thought about typing up another reply of her own for a moment, perhaps describing her own appearance or something of the sort before deciding it probably wouldn't be necessary. Dragging her hand through the air, the message slid along a few inches in front of her before vanishing.

She occupied her time alone in simple ways: gazing up at the gently-drifting clouds that hung above the village settlement among blue skies, combing through and lightly twirling her fingers around the locks of cerulean hair that fell well past her shoulders, and mainly observing other players that passed by from a distance, averting her curious gaze before it would become unwelcome to those whose unfamiliar lives she pondered over.

Eventually, the golden eyes that continued to travel shifted onto a man dressed in uninteresting clothes and standard-looking light armor, not too far-off in design from her own basic equipment. Just as she was deciding between moving her gaze to the next player she would spot or continue to follow his rather slow movements, something about his appearance finally caught her attention. A sturdy-looking shield covered a generous area of his forearm, and as her eyes lingered on the piece of equipment they were drawn to the sculpted face that rested in its center. With a sudden sense of recognition, Callie's attention darted up to what she could see of the man's face, and after registering the match of 'dark hair' that was given to her, she quickly rose to her feet. 'Alright, business discussion.' She tried to remind herself, as if that kind of mindset would allow her to more easily address the stranger.

"Excuse me," She filled the air between the two players when she was a few short paces away, continuing to close the distance as she approached from the man's side. "Shield, is it? I'm Calypso. Thank you for coming all this way." She wore a smile in polite greeting.

It was then that she realized just how far-off this person's goals and motivations rested from her own. Hestia sought to help and protect, grow more powerful and spread the same kindness she was currently displaying to all who she found that needed it, whereas Callie was only interested in contributing so as not to be seen as an enemy of the 'greater good', or scorned like she'd seen of other players who were too cowardly or apathetic to leave the pubs or crowded squares of the Town of Beginnings. A twinge of guilt ran through her, but she didn't have long to dwell on the feeling before she was given the opportunity to focus back on the topic of familiars and the out-of-place creature she called Kuro.

"Oh, wow." She whispered after Hestia listed off all the types of animals she knew as familiars. She had never expected such a side of the game. She knew the basics about consumables and even recognized the names of the more rare--and therefore more pricey--enhancements that could be found on items and equipment, but when it came to the actual combat system and such similar branches she was practically a stranger.

A finger raised to gently tap at her chin. She would be lying if she said she hadn't been entertaining the thought of exploring past the safe zone's borders to satisfy the curiosity that the pending quest had sparked in her. And here stood a girl twenty-four levels her senior offering to help her complete it and find an interesting creature of her own. "That sounds...pretty fun, actually." The concept was almost unfamiliar, as it felt like she hadn't seen this place as the literal game it was in some time. Despite Hestia's apparent eagerness to offer her aid, the thought of receiving help from a near-stranger still left a bad taste in her mouth. The woman gently bit down on the inside of her cheek, still mulling the thought over before speaking up again. "I don't want you to go out of your way, but..." How incredibly stubborn she was.

@Hestia

Callie had resigned herself to parking at one of the many benches littered throughout the third floor settlement. Leaning back until her shoulderblades pressed against the wooden planks, she lifted one leg to cross over the other knee while yet another short sigh left her lungs. "All that work, gone." She mumbled with a frown, this one more simply disheartened than the nervous or frustrated expressions she held minutes before. She was back to square one, but if she even felt motivated enough to get back into the collection and trade she had occupied her free time with, she was no longer as safe as she had thought she was. She only hoped she would never see those players for the rest of her time in Aincrad, but a part of her wondered just how small of a world it really was in here.

Several minutes passed, and a sound rang out in Callie's ears that she hadn't been expecting to hear, practically jolting the woman from her wandering thoughts and half-baked plans as to where she would go from here. "Hm?" She gave a small, inquisitive hum as her eyes traveled the short distance to spot the alert of a new message on her user interface. She lifted a hand to curiously tap the icon and the contents of the message sprang to life in front of her person. Golden eyes scanned the length of the text that had been sent to her, and her brows hovered a slight distance higher than they would normally rest. She was surprised to have received a response at all, let alone in the same day or even the same hour. "Shield, huh?" She repeated aloud the username that was signed below the message in a small voice. The interest he seemed to take in knowing what it was she meant to accomplish was something she hadn't expected, but the message itself was more than she could have asked for.

Quote

'Thank you, I appreciate the message. I'm happy to chat, especially if you're so kind as to offer your help. I'm currently in the southernmost square in Delilah, but I can find my way around if you'd like to meet elsewhere.
-Calypso'

She had even tried to write a bit more casually, and yet reading back over the message she had composed caused her lips to purse at how scripted it sounded, like an e-mail she would write at work. Repeating the cycle of not quite disliking it enough to scrap, Callie sent off the reply and dismissed her menus before going back to pondering over this meeting she would be attending.

Very polite, indeed. It wasn't exactly a rarity to see a kind player here or there, but this girl named Hestia just about blew every other acquaintance she'd shared friendly conversation with out the window. 'Still, brave? I'm not sure about that.' She held her tongue from putting those thoughts out into the air before listening to the rest of her explanations. "Level 25?" She echoed, unable to keep the number or the impressed tone suppressed this time. Sure, the claymore resting sheathed at Callie's hip had a couple of extra points of damage on it, but it wasn't anything special that a new player couldn't get their hands on. And since she hadn't bothered spending any of the col she'd gotten her hands on for clothing or other equipment, her appearance practically screamed that she was a mere level one player.

A hand reached up to rub against the nape of her neck before sliding back down. At just the same time, Hestia spoke up about the creature now laying beside her, obviously catching the blue-haired woman staring moments ago. Suddenly the gears began to click into place and the invisible dots in Callie's mind began to connect. "Oh, that's--he's--" Her hands made slight movements in front of her torso, as if her mind were trying to catch up with both her limbs and her words wanting to react at the same time. After a half-second to compose herself, she started over. "Is that a familiar? I just spoke to an NPC not long ago about that quest." She gave a short glance over her shoulder, but since the gypsy woman was no longer in clear view she soon turned her attention back to Hestia. "I must say, I didn't understand a lot of what she was talking about." Callie's head cocked slightly to the side as she looked back down to the winged lion. "Does every familiar look like him?" She asked, curiosity taking over.

@Hestia

"Mmm..." A low grumble escaped Callie's throat as she stood alone in a sizeable square nestled in the homely village of Delilah. With nothing more than the untradable starting equipment left on her, sky-blue brows were furrowed as she stared back at the floating interface for a bulletin board, various notices, advertisements, and requests lined neatly in a row. It had been a long couple of days since she was robbed of all of the materials, potions, and other trading fodder she had accumulated over the past months. The fresh memory still stung, and her bottom lip stiffened into a small scowl behind the fingers that curled around her mouth and chin.

"So many are impossible alone..." She muttered under her breath, half reflecting on the information she had scrounged up about the various lower-leveled quests available to her, and half trying to convince herself that even though her pride was already wounded she wasn't going to get anywhere with what she had left on her own. Drawing in a breath that promptly left her in defeat, Callie pulled the hand away from her face with a still sour expression and reached out to interact with the semi-transparent window. "Just think of it like a business offer."

Quote

'Requesting assistance from a player of at least moderate level for completing quests and other objectives that yield high experience rates. Offering either 50% of objective rewards upon completion, or 150% no later than 3 days afterwards. Contact: Calypso.'

"...A really crappy business offer." She groaned after reading over the message she had written out. Her hand hovered over the option to publish the note for a few long seconds of debate and self-doubt. "Ugh, it sounds stuck-up, has my writing always been that rough?" After wrestling with the lack of desire to delete the text and start over, Callie's index finger moved forward to submit the message, still holding on to a pessimistic expression. After dismissing the menus with another small huff of breath, she mumbled lightly. "Assuming anyone actually reads any of these..."

@Shield

"Hmm, maybe I shouldn't bother. On a lower floor it might not be a bad idea..." Just as she was beginning to lose herself to her thoughts while making her way through the foreign settlement, yet another voice called out. This one was more polite, though she could also call it the slightest bit timid, or perhaps hesitant was a better word. Concerned, even?

Callie's soft, golden eyes drifted to find the source, her hand once again hovering in front of her chest as if to confirm she was the exact blue-haired girl that the stranger was calling out to. Despite the redundancy, Callie recognized the green cursor hovering over the dark-haired girl's head to indicate her as a fellow player, and so she straightened her spine and met Hestia's kind smile with one of her own. Yes, polite was definitely the right word to describe this person. Callie blinked in slight surprise at the questions she was presented with, before realizing the situation she had placed herself in. Even she was nervous about being so far from the Town of Beginnings without a single gained level under her belt, but it was new to see a stranger take interest in her as such.

"Oh, my name is Calypso." She would probably never get used to introducing herself by the username she had chosen when she created her avatar. Both of her hands hovered in front of her torso as she continued to speak. "I'm just looking for the shops in this settlement. I do a lot of trading on the first couple of floors and was hoping to snag something more rare on this floor." She explained, keeping her tone kind but her choice of words a bit more casual. It was then that her gaze dropped to the creature that stood beside Hestia, and Callie's eyes went wide in surprise. She had seen the typical creatures lurking about outside of the safety of the first floor or two. Standard creatures--boars, wolves, she even saw a group of wild rams outside of Urbus once. But the familiar standing obediently at the girl's side caused the inexperienced player to simply stare back at it in slight astonishment.

@Hestia

"Alright, going a bit far now..." Callie muttered under her breath as she appeared beside Nimbus' teleport plaza. Talking to herself wasn't out of the ordinary for the woman with long, sky-blue hair, not in the slightest. Some time had passed since she had first found herself in Aincrad, and she soon took up the less daunting hobby of material gathering and trading on the lower floors to keep herself busy while giving herself some since of contribution to the small society she now lived among. Making a first visit to the seventh floor, however, Callie tried to quell her nerves as she reminded herself she was perfectly fine in the safe zone and just needed to check out the shops in the main settlement for anything she couldn't already procure in the busies lower floors.

"Say darling, people will think you're lonely mumbling to yourself over there." A voice called out just as Callie had crossed a square and was reminding herself of the names of a couple of potions she was after. Perking up to attention as the gravelly voice reached her ears, the player looked over with a curious expression to find an elderly NPC woman dressed in robes resembling that of a gypsy. Instinctively, the blue-haired woman raised a finger to point at the center of her own chest, as if asking if the stranger was talking to her.

One short exchange and an accepted quest later, Callie wore a slightly concerned expression as she put a bit of distance between herself and the oddly-dressed NPC. "Taming a monster? A familiar?" She asked herself in a low voice, pondering on whether or not she she give in to the curiosity and consider venturing out past the city walls.

@Hestia

Profile:
Username: Calypso
Real name: Caroline “Callie” Martel
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Height: 5’7”

History:
Caroline could hardly consider the first twenty-three years of her life “special” or “exciting”. Growing up with both parents and a younger brother of two years in a big city, life was usually busy and detached, and Callie had little choice but to adapt senses of both independence and reliability from a young age. She often times did her best just to get by and maintain the status quo, purposefully blending in throughout her school years. As a result, boredom grew to be a close friend to her and the lack of daring that she displayed over the years left her without direction or a clear passion when it came time to properly enter adulthood. Rather than continue struggling to settle on a college major, Callie stopped her schooling and focused her attention on finding work. With a pleasant personality and an attention to detail, it was rather easy for her to secure a secretarial position in a startup company. The small, friendly staff was enough to keep her satisfied despite the long hours and unfulfilling work, and the steady pay helped her to eventually manage getting a small place of her own.

Three years into her working career, Callie began to develop issues with her health. Minor enough at first for her to get away with ignoring them or simply “waiting for it to go away”, it wasn’t until she continued experiencing a difficulty breathing that she finally took the time to get herself examined. It was worrisome at first when she was told there was a high chance that she had a thyroid disorder, and even moreso when following doctor’s visits revealed that a benign nodule was responsible for her troubled breathing. Under the assumption that it would only fester and worsen with time, Callie was suggested to undergo surgery for a partial thyroidectomy, and after plenty of internal conflict she reluctantly agreed.

All surgical procedures have their risks. She had tried not to worry so much over all of the things that could go wrong. But when Callie had awoken and opened her mouth to speak only for no sound to leave her, her whole world came crashing down. She found out shortly afterwards that damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve during the surgery had resulted in something the nurse had called aphonia. In short, she was told that it was very likely her voice would never return to her. She wasn’t sure how long it took to pull her life back together after that time. Looking back, she was lucky enough not to lose her job completely, though the long absences and difficulty adjusting to her newfound disability just added to the strain.

Time continued to pass, and the world kept spinning regardless of Callie’s struggles. In between the checkups and spurts of depression, she had turned to video games as a means of escaping the real world. Typing on a keyboard allowed her to communicate with people in a way that didn’t remind her of the speech she was no longer capable of, and becoming a character in a game allowed her to forget about the responsibilities that had always weighed down on her shoulders. As gaming eventually turned into something she took solace in, the introduction of virtual reality technology naturally piqued her interest. Without much regard for the financial commitment, Callie grew eager to secure herself a copy of Sword Art Online after word of its development spread like wildfire.

After creating her avatar and loading her consciousness into the virtual space, something felt a bit...strange. Besides the general “off” feeling of everything she sensed being a mere simulation, it was more accurate to say that something was missing. The slight discomfort that often tickled at the back of her throat, the way that a breath of air sliding down her windpipe would sometimes catch or feel strained. After eight years of becoming her norm, those sensations were gone. She opened her mouth, and the shaky voice that left her in just the same tone that she knew from the better half of her memories brought her to tears. 

Virtues:

• Mature: Whether it was the atmosphere of her home growing up or perhaps brought about by her own volition, Callie practically rushed into adulthood. Despite the childlike wonder that Sword Art Online manages to elicit from her at times, she still has a good head on her shoulders. Without the same responsibilities from the real world weighing down on her, she has grown a bit more impulsive and carefree, but at her core Callie is still the same hard-working big sister she’s always been.

• Independent: In the same vein, Callie has very little experience relying on others. In some cases--dealing with the aftermath and recovery from her surgery, for instance--this kind of stubbornness might do her more harm than good, but most times her ability to work things out on her own has proven invaluable to her. Even in the world of MMOs, she was always more likely to be the ‘lone wolf’ type, looking for her own way to accomplish a task before referring to the methods of others.

• Fighter: The first few months--the first year, even--after the losing her voice was the darkest time in Callie’s life thus far. Although it took her plenty of time to accept that it simply wasn’t coming back, she fought to regain her senses of normalcy and independence. She would rather learn sign language or carry around a pen and small notepad everywhere she went than have her friends or family communicate with others on her behalf.

Flaws:

• Indecisive: Whether trying to choose her college major or simply pick what to have for lunch that day, Callie can’t be trusted to make decisions quickly. She hesitates easily, and has difficulty making up her mind when presented with multiple options. Perhaps in the most dire of circumstances, her basic fight or flight reflexes might kick in and allow her to react quickly, but in any situation where she would be allowed a moment’s consideration she would likely stop to overthink things.

• Wallflower: Having never been the type of person to stand out or draw attention to herself, Callie easily resigns herself to observing from the background if the situation allows. She finds more comfort in being a passerby than the center of attention, and so she’s hardly one to complain if she goes entirely unnoticed in a crowd. She doesn’t care for confrontation, and in fact shies away when it arises, as she doesn’t feel confident in her ability to intervene or defuse a situation--even one in which she’s directly involved.

• Conflicted: For many, if not most, of the players trapped in Sword Art Online, they feel exactly that: trapped. And yet, it’s in this digital prison that Callie has found her voice again. Since the Announcement, she has struggled to sort out her feelings, finding herself wondering if it would be so bad for her to continue living the rest of her days in Aincrad if it meant she would no longer have to feel so different and disabled. She still fights on, if only due to the sense of obligation and the stigma surrounding those players that are branded as “lazy”, “selfish”, or “cowardly” for their unwillingness to contribute to the otherwise shared goal of freedom.

Profession: N/A

Level: 17
Total SP: 44
Available SP: 9

Skills:

Weapon/Armor:
»2H Straight Sword [35/50] (Rank 4: Master)

Combat:
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Utility:
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Extra:
»Familiar Mastery: Fighter [0/18] (Novice)

Col Total: 12,958

Inventory:

Equipped:
»[Rare] Polished Claymore (+2 DMG)
»[Uncommon] T1 Light Armor (+9 MIT)
»[Uncommon] T1 Ring (+1 ACC)

Battle Ready:
»(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
»(5) Tier One Health Potions of Uncommon Quality  (+40 HP)
»Tier One Over-Health Potion (+50 Temp. HP)
»[Quest Item] Snowfrost (1/2 Burn DMG for 1 battle)
»[Quest Item] <<Gleaming Fish Scale>> [T2 Trinket] [+1 LD, +2 Prosperity]

Stored:
»(10) T1 Materials
»(1) T3 Material
»Tier One Damage Potion (+1 Damage)
»[Quest Item] <<Essence of Steel>> Single-Use Item Quality Increase
»[Event Item] <<Eggnog>> (+1 Safeguard, +9 MIT)

Roleplays:
In Progress:

Completed:

Incomplete:

Quest Log:

Relationships:
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Story Thus Far: