Calypso

Callie took on a satisfied smile when he seemed to recognize the item she described, going so far as to reveal its name and give her a comparison to a field boss she happened to be familiar with. She recalled the fight with Avalanche--with her frail defenses that still carried over to the present, she had requested Shield's assistance with taking the glacial beast down at the time. Without the threat of taking damage, though, she wouldn't have considered the monster difficult for her to take down. As the entirety of their outing came back to her, it was the events that followed the quest's completion that caused her smile to falter. Ever since she had made it back to the cities from that trap room, her bouts of exploration and adventure seemed to have tapered off.

With the distraction of Jomei readying himself to head out, Callie's brows knit while she moved herself closer to the door as well. She didn't offer a verbal response when he suggested warmer clothing and didn't bother to open her menus. She still hadn't taken the time to replish any of the vanity clothing that she used to have, whether the thought of the task had been too discouraging  It wasn't until the two players had stepped out into the streets of Taft that she finally voiced her discomfort. "I... Err, I was really only hoping for some information." She started with an awkward air. Golden eyes nervously traveled over the busy city in mid-afternoon. "You don't have to go out of your way to help me with it. I can't offer you much for your time." She said, as if trying to give Jomei reason to change what seemed like an already-made-up mind.

Despite her protests, the Irishman seemed intent on helping her complete the quest. Trying to keep her continued discomfort with the situation inward as their avatars appeared in Snowfrost, the cold air was quick to bite at the skin of her hands and cheeks. Danesh, though happier to be away from the more modern feel of the city, did not seem to care much more for the weather. The dragon hybrid remained perched on his player's shoulders, his long neck curling so he could press the top of his head flat against the side of Callie's neck.

"Hmmm~" Callie shifted her weight, bringing her hand up to her chin while giving his question some thought. She wracked her brain for several long moments until she finally perked to attention. "Ah, I know!" Her lips curled into a smile while she looked back to Jomei. "I've heard about an item drop that can be farmed on the fourth floor," She started, watching the Irishman intently as if expecting his reaction to confirm what few details she knew. "I don't know how to get it, but it's supposed to improve equipment. Something you've heard about?" She inquired.

Even if she got her hands on such an item, her plans of what to do with it were ever-changing. It had been a couple of months since the rumors first reached her ears, and at that time she would have sold it off in a heartbeat. But her priorities had shifted since then, and the low-quality equipment she sported left her tempted to enjoy such an item's effects herself. Regardless of what she might settle on, the first step was getting more details. She hoped that Jomei might at least have some information to share, and that would give her something to work with.

"Oh, that sounds nice. Do you know what kind of items your daddy makes?" Callie kept the idle chatter going with a soft smile. In the back of her head, she felt like she should leave. She didn't have a reason to hang around this little girl she didn't know, save for the apologies after bumping into her. Was it some sort of motherly instinct? Was her imagination too active and wild, leading her to think that something could happen to the girl if she was left alone?

Whatever the reason, Callie waited until Fae finished speaking again to give a half-turn in the direction the girl was facing. She gave a small tilt of her head, "Well Fae, if you were just taking a walk by yourself, do you mind if I join you? I was just exploring the city a bit myself." She asked, holding the same smile.

@Fae

"Tempting, but I still think I'll pass." She smiled after he brought up the allure of fishing up goodies like treasure chests. She did perk slightly in interest at the tail end of his comment, offering a follow-up. "You know, I don't think I've ever asked what that is." She prompted after he mentioned his profession.

She watched intently when he seemed to have caught hold of something again, not yet springing to her feet, but keeping herself ready if another monster were to emerge from the murky waters. Instead, she blinked in startled surprise at the grimy piece of footwear that was reeled in. Seeing the common trope to remind her that they were most definitely in a video game, Callie let out a laugh while a hand raised to cover her mouth from the outburst. "Okay, that's just mean."

Moments later, a solid tug at her own line pulled the hand that was left on the rod's handle forward a couple of inches before she reacted to the movement. "Hopefully this one isn't a stick or an empty can." She jested, pulling up to her feet and pulling the line in just the same. She half-expected to also pull up a piece of junk, but what broke the lake's rippling surface was a monster labeled as another Fossil Fish. Callie took a couple of hesitant steps backward on the pier, and surely enough as soon as the creature made contact with the wodden planks it shot back up into the air and swiped at the woman with its spined fins.

ID#: 92605 | CD: 5+1=6 - Fossil Fish!

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 124/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:0] Calypso - HP: 200/200 | EP: 20/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 250/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 [MD 9:+25, MD 10: +50] - ID# 92786 results: MOB: 4 [+1=5 - Miss!]

She hadn't thought about that. Callie nearly felt an uncomfortable chill run up her spine at the thought of having to hand off whatever 'big fish' the crazed old fisherman was after. She leaned forward, once again planting her elbows above her knees and she picked her chin up a moment when Shield commented on the weather. "Hmm~" She let out a light hum, a satisfied smile on her lips. Though the skies and lake both were not necessarily clear, the floor at least held a nice temperature and showed no signs of foul weather to disrupt their outing. Yes, Callie decided, she would much rather spend an afternoon out here than going on some kind of ice fishing quest on the fourth floor.

"Yeah. Fishing, crafting, I never get into it in games. It starts to feel too much like a job. I don't think I'll make a habit of it here, either. Especially if it's mainly just used to fish up monsters." She commented with a slightly sour tone, recalling how her only other fishing experience featured a nearly identical objective. She soon shrugged it off, giving a couple light kicks of her feet underneath the edge of the pier. "But you're right, at least they gave us a nice enough location. I don't mind spending a while here if it's just going to be the once."

ID#: 92600 | CD: 2+1=3 - nothing

A yawn worked its way up through her chest, escaping from her lungs while she looked up to the pale blue sky. A few loose clouds littered the space above, pushed along by the light breezes that rolled through the valley between the mountains. Creeping into the silence, a faint squeaking steadily grew louder as it reached Callie's ears, paired with the flapping of wings and the pounding of footsteps. The woman let out a short hum while she propped herself up on her elbows, turning her head back in the direction where she had spotted another player earlier. Quickly catching her attention was the sight of a monster drawing near and what she thought she recognized as the same man from the mouth of the cave chasing after it.

Callie pushed herself into a sitting position, drawing back a few inches before she got to her feet, keeping her eyes on the large bat all the while. Her footsteps fell back, bringing her closer to the base of the tree that Danesh still lay upon, unfazed by the oncoming threat. Her hand reached for the hilt of the claymore sheathed over her right shoulder, but before she had drawn the weapon the stranger that was giving chase had grabbed hold of one of the bat's wings to throw the creature off balance. The whole scene played out quickly before her, and the dark-haired player was left laying on the grassy hill a moderate distance in front of her looking exhausted and irate while the giant bat flitted off into the distance. "Uhh... Are you alright?" She called hesitantly, one palm pressed against the bark of the leafless tree while the other abandoned its grip on the hilt of her weapon.

'Daddy?' Fae seemed to surprise Callie with every small piece of information she provided about herself. The woman still wasn't sure whether she should feel relieved that the girl had some kind of family to rely on, or concerned at who exactly that 'family' was. Perhaps it wasn't such a strange concept that a father and daughter would enter Sword Art Online together, and perhaps it was even nice in a way that they were able to live in the same space rather than separated while just one of them was trapped in the death game. The feeling of guilt eased up on her a bit, though it was still unclear what exactly she felt bad for.

Callie didn't have time to stop and wonder why her mind was so insufferably hyperactive since bumping into the girl, and it was Fae who then led the conversation, reminding her that she hadn't provided her name. "Oh! Right," She paused a moment before she would say her avatar's name, giving it half a second of thought before opting for something a little friendlier. "My username is Calypso, but you can call me Callie." She offered with a small smile, finally pushing herself up to her feet as well. Her familiar, Danesh, still rested across her shoulders, seemingly uninterested in the whole ordeal. Either that, or the air was too cold for the small dragon-hybrid's tastes. Callie was normally led by her curiosity, but it was the mixture of slight concern that had her continue to lightly prod at the conversation. "Do you mind if I ask what your daddy is busy with? Do you know when he'll be back?"

(ooc: no worries!)

The girl with magenta hair, referring to herself as Fae, stood up on her own. Even going so far as to apologize for the collision, Callie's expression turned a bit sour in reaction. She remained kneeling, though her hands fell and placed themselves on top of her raised leg as she quickly put on a warmer smile. "That's quite alright Fae, I wasn't watching where I was going."

Callie would have preferred not to check the color of the cursor floating above the girl's head, but once she had done so she felt a tightness in her chest. She had hoped the child was an NPC, but the green marker was an unmistakable indicator that the young girl named Fae was a player just the same as she was--a little girl who was now stuck here like everyone else. A pang of guilt hit her like a brick that had been thrown at her chest, but she did her best to keep her expression even in front of the girl. "Your name is Fae? That's cute." She asked to confirm, grasping at something to say. She never really knew how to function around children. If Fae was in the safe zone, then everything should be fine, but Callie couldn't bring herself to simply dust herself off and be on her way. "Are you...here by yourself?"

The puff of air that left Callie's lungs was directed upwards, ruffling her bangs for half a second before they fell back into place over her forehead. From what she was gathering, the quest seemed pretty straight-forward: fish until you get the monster that counts for the objective. Kill it, and everything else that you happen to fish up in the meantime.

Her eyes flickered to the display in the bottom-right of her vision, where Aincrad's local time stared back at her. Without being able to recall when she'd arrived, she wondered once again how long it would take to get this quest done. "I see what you meant by it being a grind." She hefted her blade and placed it back in its scabbard over her shoulder, turning towards the base of the pier after doing so. She eyed the shack that she had passed by on her arrival and then called over her shoulder. "I'm going to see if I can pick one of those up to help out." Referring to the rod Shield had acquired from the fidgety fisherman, Callie made her way over.

She gave a quick knock on the door, the wooden planks letting out a short squeak when they rocked lightly from the pressure. Seconds later, it flew open. The same old man in the same yellow raincoat stood on the other side of the doorway, looking her up and down with the same wild eyes before declining his head and leaning in closer to her.

"Lis'n," He started, stretching his neck further past the frame and giving a long glance in either direction. "You been catchin' the little fishes?" His attention snapped back to Callie, darting eyes running up and down her once more.

"Err, yes--" The old fisherman took a single, wide step to close the gap between them, bringing his face much too close to Callie's. One eye squeezed shut while the other widened, practically bugging out from the man's head.

He spoke in a breathy whisper that carried the scent of rotting fish and dirty salt water, causing Callie's nose to wrinkle. "Y'ain't gonna catch the biiig fiiish without muh special pole." Suddenly Callie felt something thrust into her hands. Or rather, something was pushed into her torso and her hands naturally moved up to catch the object.

With that, the crazy old man pulled away, retreating back into his shack and slamming the door between them. Callie was still recovering from the exchange when she rejoined Shield at the edge of the pier. She sat herself down, letting her legs hang over the edge just as she had when she first arrived, and took the rod in both hands, casting out into the murky lake as well. She was silent for a moment, and then finally spoke up with a persistent frown. "It was really unnecessary for them to get that detailed."

ID#: 92562 | CD: 2+1=3 - nothing

Though she probably didn't need to, Callie pulled a hand from her weapon and held it in front of her chest to intercept the swirling sphere, allowing it to land and dissipate in her palm. The ability had surprised her a bit at first, but she was growing accustomed to the game of catch she would play with Shield's energy-imbuing skill. If only she used a one-handed weapon, it might be a bit easier to participate. "Guess I better step up my game." She shrugged the broad blade from her shoulder and steadied it in front of her before stepping up to make another strike against the monster.

She hadn't expected to deal a lot of damage, but she at least expected to hit it this time. Just before the edge of her blade came down on the prone creature, it kicked up again and flipped itself out of the way. Instead of slicing through the fish, Callie's sword dug into a wooden plank of the pier. She let out a tiny huff while she pulled the blade free again, watching as the fish went back to persistently tossing its spiny body at the tank.

ID#: 92542 | BD: 6 (-1 ACC) = 5 - Miss!

[H:6] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 116/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:2] Calypso - HP: 200/200 | EP: 18/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 71/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 [MD 9:+25, MD 10: +50]

After another swing of her heavy blade went wide past the monster's flailing form, Callie centered her balance and let out a small sigh of annoyance. Not only was her damage output terribly low against the rotted fish, but it proved difficult to consistently hit as well. "You know," She spoke in a sigh, shifting her weight onto her back leg. She lifted the base of her sword, resting the flat of it against her shoulder. "It seems to be doing the work for us just throwing itself onto your armor." She displayed half a smirk, though the sentiment was not a proud one. It wasn't the first time Shield's defensive damage had outdone her own, and logic told her that would remain the norm so long as the level gap between them remained as sizable as it was, but that didn't do much to dispel the hint of inferiority that nagged at the back of her mind.

ID#: 92538 | BD: 5 (-1 ACC) = 4 - Miss!

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 123/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:2] Calypso - HP: 200/200 | EP: 14/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 71/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 [MD 9:+25, MD 10: +50]

Callie perked to attention when Shield's reply was interrupted. Something in the depths seemed to finally take an interest in his lure, and while he worked to pull the creature from the water she ushered the familiar duo out of her lap and up onto her shoulders. Standing herself up at the edge of the pier, she backed a few steps to give what she assumed would be some sort of monstrous fish akin to the one she recalled from the first floor enough room for an impromptu battleground.

The only thing that seemed to match up with the vision in Callie's head and the monster that Shield reeled in was that it looked to be a fish. If it wasn't for the fish's flailing and thrashing, she would practically think it dead and half-rotted. After grazing the man with a barbed fin, it crashed down into the pier with a thud. It's decaying tail slammed against the wooden planks, thin body writhing as it launched itself into the air to continue swiping at the player that had pulled it from its home.

"Gross." Callie muttered, reaching for the hilt of the sword at her back. "Now I really don't wanna go swimming here." Drawing her blade, she curled her wrist while the other crossed her body to hold the sword steady in both hands. Though the floundering fish was more difficult to target than an average mob, her claymore still hit its mark with an empowered slash. Callie only grimaced with dissatisfaction at the minuscule damage her attack had dealt.

ID# 92486 | BD: 10 - Critical Hit!
(9 base) + (2 critical) = (11 DMG) x (5 sword art) = (55 DMG) - (50 MIT) = 5 DMG

[H:0] Shield - HP: 1329/1330 | EP: 124/124 | Dmg: 2 | Acc: 0 | Eva: -1 | Mit: 169 | BH: 66 | THN: 87 | REC: 6 | LD: 7
[H:2] Calypso - HP: 200/200 | EP: 15/20 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 9 | ACC: 1

<Fossil Fish> HP: 158/250 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 1 | Eva: 2 | DMG: 100 [MD 9:+25, MD 10: +50]

Though the silence didn't necessarily bother her, she found it odd when the topic seemed to fall flat. Perhaps Shield wasn't much of a fan of beaches. Or perhaps there was simply nothing more to say.

Everyone seemed more or less content at the edge of the pier, though Callie was beginning to wonder just what it was that this quest called for Shield to fish up and how long it would take for whatever it was to start biting. Her hand retreated back to its previous position behind her shoulder, and her weight distributed more evenly again. She stared at the murky water for a little while longer, the attempt to see anything at all through the cloudy depths proving futile.

"There wouldn't happen to be a spare laying around, would there?" She asked to break the long span of silence, referring to the wooden rod in Shield's hands. "If it's anything based on luck, I don't mind trying to increase the odds a bit." She offered.

ID#: 92481 | LD: 6 - nothing

Callie's eyes were fixed on the same dual-colored bobber that sat atop the lake until the continued inactivity drove them elsewhere. Danesh had made himself comfortable with his paws tucked beneath the body he draped over her dark chestnut pants. With Lilith contentedly half-burrowed into his fur and Shield's forfeit attempt at pointing it out, Callie giggled. Shifting the weight of her upper body to her right arm, she pulled the other from behind her and lifted the hand towards Danesh's head. Her fingers stroked gently from his narrow snout to the back of his skull, sometimes taking detours around the base of his short ivory horns. She took care not to invade Lilith's hiding spot, and a smile lingered on her lips as she caught sight of the viper's forked tongue between long strands of fur.

"Oh, that's right!" She spoke up, recalling something of minor relevance to the previous conversation. "A girl told me about a beach she liked to go to on the weekends." She lifted her head from the pair of familiars in her lap and directed her attention back out over the lake. "I think she said that was floor sixteen? Or seventeen." She guessed, the detail hazy in her memory. "I haven't taken the time to check that out yet." She commented, as if it were something that had gotten lost on her to-do list.

ID#: 92464 | LD: 4 - nothing

She wasn't expecting the type of example Shield provided, and so his answer took her aback for a moment. "That...doesn't sound pleasant." Was her simple response. She hadn't so much thought of boss battles as non-threatening so much as she just hadn't thought much of them at all. Had there been a lot of frontline challenges that resulted in a retreat? She didn't want to ask. She could only imagine how sour things must have to go for an entire raid party to fall back.

While she frowned at the dangerous implications of such a boss fight, Danesh welcomed his new passenger. Lilith nestled into place on his back and he carried the viper towards Callie until she brought a hand up beside her to redirect his path. Being barred entry from his normal perch, he slid through the air to her lap, where she admitted defeat and picked her other elbow up from her knee. She leaned back while the pair of familiars settled, placing her palms flat on the pier behind her shoulders. "Me too." She agreed, glad to pull away from her imagination as she eyed the small creatures in front of her. "He didn't either, but I can't tell if he minded. He seems to enjoy her company though, so at least it's not one-sided."

ID#: 92371 | LD: 8 - nothing

"Of course." She replied to his thanks, still looking out over the massive stretch of water. Her feet kicked gently back and forth beneath her until a thought came to mind. "Stupid question," She started, brows narrowing slightly while she stared curiously into the unclear body. "Could we actually swim here? Not that I'd want to, if you're fishing for something scary over there. I just realized, I've seen ponds and a lake here or there, but I've never tried jumping in before." The corner of her mouth pulled into a smirk and she offered a final thought behind her question. "Made me wonder if they went the distance and gave us underwater ruins to explore, or something like that. Or maybe one of these days I'll run into an invisible wall."

Shortly after Callie had finished speaking, a small, familiar face peered out from Shield's sleeve to catch her attention. Danesh seemed to have spotted the serpent as well, his head lifting from her shoulder and looking back at Lilith with interest. She chuckled as the dragon's small paws pushed against her to help him stand, "Same here. Go on, I'm not carrying you this time." She turned her words to her familiar. His head swiveled to look back at her expectantly, but after a few short moments of Callie's stubbornness he gave up and hopped from his perch. The longer, dark grey strands of fur running along his spine swayed gently in the air while he snaked through the space between the two players.

ID#: 92363 | LD: 5 - nothing

Callie enjoyed the song for as long as it played, her own eyes closing for a portion of the crystal's soothing tune until it would eventually come to an end. The sound of footsteps brought her back to reality, and her head turned towards Jomei as he retrieved the item from the shelf. She listened to him with a curiosity, almost trying to inspect the emotion displayed on his face. She had never been much of an artist, but that wasn't to say she had never experienced the anxiety or embarrassment of putting one's work on display for all to see. And so, she gave a nod of at least partial understanding. She lacked the mechanical knowledge of his chosen profession, unaware of how much Cardinal meddled with or lessened the impact of his own natural talent, but it was clear that Jomei had some level of musical background aside from the label that displayed in his skill list.

She was surprised to see the notification that appeared before her avatar, reading off the text that told her Jomei had sent her a friend request. She could hardly decline after what she had considered a pleasant exchange, and found no want to besides. A light smile returned to her, and she lifted a hand to tap on the option to accept. Her eyes were then drawn to the weapon that he motioned towards, a corner of her mouth turning up into a small smirk after he had done so. "Oh? In that case, I might have to take you up on that offer."

Callie let out a yawn, her arms lifting and stretching over her her head. "I'm jealous, Dani," She started in a childish pout, dropping her hands back down into her lap. "It's so nice out here, I wish I could nap all day, too." She chuckled softly, casting a glance over her shoulder towards the dragon perched in his tree. She was about to turn back forward when she found herself giving a double-take. Her gaze returned to linger on Danesh, whose head was lifted and pointed off in the distance. Callie turned her head slowly, trying to follow the familiar's onyx eyes. They quickly fell upon another player in the distance, the figure seeming to be picking himself up as if he had just recovered from something.

She scanned the area around him: the mouth of a dark cave, but otherwise no monsters or any threats that she could spot. If he was fighting anything, it was gone now. The woman gave a shrug of her shoulders, dismissing her attention from the player. Whatever he was doing out here, whether it was questing, farming, or just exploring, was none of her business. She turned her chin to look back out to the mountain ranges in the distance. Her hands pulled up to the sky again before she leaned back, her upper body falling against the grassy hill behind her with her arms spread out on either side.

(ooc: if Crozeph wouldn't approach her on his own, I'm fine with making something happen that forces them to interact, just let me know :3)

Yet another day of trying to stave off boredom. As her level steadily rose--though it was not yet anywhere near impressive--she found herself visiting the mountainous ranges of the seventh floor more often. Danesh was particularly fond of the environment, which only made sense as she regarded the area to be his original home. She had been roaming the uneven fields for a good portion of the morning until the chime of a new message had her promptly pulling up her menus.

"Fishing?" She echoed with raised brows. "And the eighteenth is new. Wha'do you say, Dani?" She called to her companion, catching the creature's attention while he met her question with a blank stare. She gave a tilt of her head to motion back towards Nimbus, urging him to change his direction to match hers. While she worked her way back to the main settlement and eventually the teleport gate, she wondered what kind of quest involved both fishing and combat. To answer her question, memories of the final quest in a chain she had taken on at least a month or so ago now came to mind, in which she recalled having to slay a monster fish that had been reeled in. Unfortunately, that quest in particular was far from the fondest of memories.

While her avatar warped to Eriwald, she took in the sight of the city standing over the marsh. With plenty of cloud cover hanging overhead, she didn't spend much time standing around the small teleport gate. The size of the town wasn't comparable to any main settlement she could recall visiting, but if nothing else it's unimpressive size made it easier for Callie to locate the man who had invited her out on a fishing trip.

She walked past the old fisherman's shack, lucky enough to be spared the interaction with the bumbling NPC, and made her way down to the edge of the pier. She stopped beside Shield, lowering herself to take a seat and letting her legs dangle over the edge several feet above the murky water. Leaning forward and planting her elbows against her knees, she gazed out over the landscape while addressing the brunette who was waiting for a fish to bite. "Not the most entertaining of quests, then? That's hard to believe." She joked with a soft smile.

ID#: 92332 | LD: 14 - nothing

All the while, Kirana stood beside the two, simply watching and waiting. Her eyes glanced curiously over Callie's shoulder when she opened her inventory, dancing over the small icons that were on display. Once the quest window had been dismissed and the item retrieved from Hannah's grasp, the NPC smiled brightly, tucking the remaining option of the pendant into the same pocket that supposedly housed the amethyst. "Well now, if I've still got your attenion, there's one more thing I might ask of you." Callie wasn't sure why she was surprised when Hannah returned to the bag still laying open on the ground. She dug around in it again for a few seconds before pulling out a large, thin pole that looked as if it had been folded over onto itself. She handed the item out for Callie to take and gave a brief explanation of the next quest objective that would be offered to her.

Thread Summary:
Calypso: +3 SP, +400 col, 1 Tier one ring with +1 Accuracy

"Here we go, as promised," Hannah pocketed the stone before kneeling down in front of a small bag of supplies that rested against the base of the tree. She slipped her hands inside and rummaged around for a bit before pulling out two items with a satisfied, "Here we are!" Turning back around to the pair of players, Hannah held the band of a ring in between her thumb and index finger in one hand, while the other curled around the chain holding a small pendant. "Take your pick, they're nothing too spectacularly amazing, but they're good to get you started! Somethin' simple, but pretty, eh?" She grinned. In front of Callie, a notification appeared to inform her that the quest was complete, and she was prompted again to choose one of the items presented to her. She inspected each option before quickly favoring the ring, plucking it carefully from Hannah's grip.

Callie worked her way back towards the grove where Hannah resided. The girl with braided hair was in the same position as when Callie had left, dragging her pencil across her canvas to continue yet another sketch. Much like their first encounter, it wasn't until the cerulean-haired player scrolled through her inventory and pulled out the amethyst she had fetched from the caves, holding the hunk of gemstone in her hand. Once the glittering material was out in the open, Hannah perked up and turned her attention on the two players. "Oh, love! That is truly a fantastic piece of work!" She beamed, rising to her feet. She took the gemstone from Callie's hand and held it out before her, bringing the uncut amethyst close to her face for a moment before extending her arm to look at it from afar. "Right, perfect! This is just the wonderful piece that I needed!"

"Cool, cool." Kirana said in a low voice. The girl seemed to be a bit odd, to say the least. Blunt and impersonal, but not exactly rude. Callie wasn't out to make friends with the girl, either, but it was difficult not to feel a bit awkward in her presence. "You a solo player or something?" She presented another question to break the silence just as they crossed into the safe zone. Callie's brows narrowed and her mouth turned down into a thoughtful frown. "I suppose you could say that..." She agreed, though she seemed a bit hesitant to answer that way. "I don't mind working with others if need be," She tried to explain. "but I'm more used to taking care of myself and doing things my own way. I've heard the mid-range content is challenging without a party, though, so I haven't really planned on questing much outside of the basic ones on the lower floors."

Kirana only provided a small mumble and nod in acknowledgement. A few long seconds of silence stretched between them until the noirette spoke up again, this time offering a suggestion rather than another question. "Let's do the last one together." It took Callie a few moments to realize what the stranger meant, and still without a clear understanding she opened her mouth to inquire. "Are you talking about this quest chain?" She made only half of the motion required to look back to the cave over her shoulder. Going with that assumption as Kirana hadn't indicated to the contrary, her lightly-colored eyes turned to the side and she watched the scenery that passed them by as the pair drew closer to the city gates."Well, I wasn't sure how many quests this had in total, but if there's just one more left then I don't see why not. That last one didn't take much time at all." She reasoned with herself, still staring off into the distance.

She was both surprised and not to hear his sympathetic view. Callie found herself mulling over his words for much longer than she had expected, and a curled hand made its way to the space between her chin and her bottom lip as she did so. Her knuckle pressed against the skin, eyes dropping to the base of the windows and trailing over the brightly-lit wooden flooring.

"Hm, alright." She broke the uncomfortable silence with a quiet voice before lowering her hand again and turning her attention back on Jomei. "Thank you for the insight. It's a topic I've been struggling with lately, so it's nice to hear new thoughts." She offered a smile and turned back around to the recording crystals resting atop the shelves. She reached forward, pulling up a small screen that listed the item details for a single crystal. She had to read the description in full to understand the effects of the song, and once she had she dismissed the window and curiously moved to another. Where she felt as though she might have been wasting the potential of a consumable item with the last, her second inspection appeared to hold a song without any alteration of stats or abilities. She pressed down on the surface of the crystal, giving it a gentle tap to call it to life.

The soft sounds of a piano--most likely the same one that stood beside her--and a violin seeped into the air. The melodies complimented each other, almost like a graceful dance between the two instruments. "I really do have to visit again sometime," She thought aloud in a soft voice so as not to disrupt the soothing sounds. A smile more genuine than the standard, polite expression she normally wore appeared on her face. "I can't remember the last time I've listened to music like this."