Cordelia

"It's been good seeing you, Zackiriah. Keep up the good work with the newer players!" Cordelia exclaimed, drumming her slender fingers against the wooden frame of the old NPC's desk a few times before giving him a pleasant wave goodbye. She never thought in a million years she would get so chummy with the NPCs here, but she's grown a bit fond of them over the past few months. It was hard to keep believing that they were just ones and zeroes, especially if they were programmed with such compelling lore and personalities. Zackiriah was a jolly old man she'd like to visit from time to time if she was on town though, especially after how much he helped her when she first started out. 

"Oh, sorry-" 

The girl took a quick step back, nearly bumping into a stranger who just so happened to be in the store as well. While that in it of itself wasn't such a huge surprise, it was the skull-like mask and sharp teeth that caught her attention. Usually a mask isn't very peculiar but this one gave her some... vibes. Edgy vibes. 'I'm secretly plotting your death in my head' vibes. This certainly wasn't her first rodeo but she really wondered, how many of these are there out there? It was kind of crazy how many people just kind of... walked around like they just came out of some kind of horror movie. 

"It's not problem, really, but uh..." she trailed off, her gaze shifting over to the small window where a small trickle of sunlight shone through. It was still pretty early, so time shouldn't really be much of an issue. Cordelia turned back to the guy, not sure if she was making eye contact with the guy or not because two giant black holes had replaced the spot where his eyes should be. 

"Of course, I'd be happy to help."

Cordelia gave Mari a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, I get it. Don't worry, but least I didn't get skewered like Baldur did back during Forgotten Time King though, right?" she chuckled, heaving a deep sigh as she remembered how unnerving it was to watch her teacher get treated like meat to a stick. Yeah... that wasn't really pretty watch. 

"Mmm... it's a pretty small and tight-knit guild. Mostly just made up of friends and stuff," she added, giving Mari a nod before she turned to Freyd. "Ah, right. That whole dream thing. I'm not really sure what to say about that," she mumbled, chuckling wrly as she rubbed her arm up and down. She never knew dreams could... do that? It seemed almost unreal, really. It felt more like something else was at play than an actual dream, but she'll leave it at that.

The girl's brows scrunched up, even more confused than before. "Ah... right," she muttered, averting her gaze to the ground. None of that really made sense to her (and a lot of things don't, to be honest). She was sure the closest people to Oscar were within The Tarot, so why would he go ahead and tell other players first, especially when they had capable players like NIGHT and Bahr amongst their ranks? Cordelia sighed. Some things were just beyond her understanding, apparently, but she couldn't bring herself to dwell on it any more.

"Oh, you're associated with Raidou?" she asked, her face going blank for a second before she shrugged. "He's quite the guild leader now from what I've heard. Our personalities didn't really... click when we first met each other though," she whispered hotly, her had dragging down her face in almost an exhaustive manner.

Cordelia's eyes narrowed at the Sundered Vanguards' sudden shift of motion, quickly bracing herself for impact, but that never seem to came. She looked to her sides and sighed, two tiny craters planted right beside her. Cordelia lowered her weapon and gave Mari a crooked smile. "I'm fine. You shouldn't worry so much, Mari. Even if I'm just a DPS, I can take a few hits," she chuckled, sheathing her katana before placing a hand on the girl's shoulder reassuringly. 

She gave Freyd a thumbs-up after he had dispatched the rest of the behemoths. "Yeah, that's fine. Don't push yourself," she replied back, stretching her back in the process. "The last thing we want is to run out of energy mid-battle. So take all the time you need," she yawned.

"Ah, right. I suppose we never really did proper introductions, did we?" she murmured, tapping her chin before nodding her head. "Alright. I'm Cordelia, The Wheel of Fortune in a leveling guild called The Tarot. Pleasure to meet you... and as for who we should tell this to..." she trailed off, her head tilting as she thought for a few seconds. "I'm sure the rest of Tarot would want information like this..." she looked over to Mari, "and I'm not sure how things are going in Jacob's Ladder, but people like Baldur and Shield would probably want to know if something like this was going on too, yeah?" she asked. She wasn't too sure how Shield would feel about something like this but a kind-hearted man like Baldur would drop even the Tanabata festival if it meant the safety of innocent players. 

"I'm sure there's a few other frontliners that we could inform that aren't in our guilds too. Macradon would most likely want to be involved and maybe even Yuki?" Cordelia shrugged her shoulders. "There's really too many people to list."

Cordelia nearly choked on her spit at the title Mari had so delicately bestowed upon Oscar. "R-right, the... m-muppet," she wheezed, slapping a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. "I-I remember you talking about that in my ramen shop not too long ago," she giggled, wiping a stray tear away from her eyes before giving Mari a warm smile. 

"Mmm, I understand your sentiment. You're probably right," she said, letting out a silent sigh before nodding her head. "I suppose he would be the type of person to do that, huh?"

She turned to Freyd and tilted her head. "Really? I kind of thought everyone knew him since he's one of the most notable chefs in Aincrad at the moment. He owns a little hotdog shop down on Floor One, so I just assumed everyone stopped by once or twice at least." She shrugged her shoulders. Maybe Freyd had a different supplier when it came to those types of buffs.

"Perhaps I can discuss this alongside my guild with Oscar later. I'm sure The Tarot can be of help-" 

The sound of roots snapping caught her off guard, and before long, a huge log of wood came tumbling down right in front of the group. Cordelia held her arms out in front of her to block out the debris before cursing under her breath. "Damn, I should've seen that coming," she exclaimed almost inaudibly, her eyes refocusing on another group of Sundered Vanguards. "These guys don't know when to give up, huh?" Cordelia muttered hotly, drawing Onimaru from its sheath as she weaved her way towards their feet. 

At blurring speeds, she bolted from behemoth to behemoth, delivering slash after slash, all while evading their massive steps and footfalls. By the time she had finished with her attack, red cuts had been littered across the group's limbs, effectively getting all of their HP bars into the red. 

She craned her neck over to Mari and grinned victoriously. "Alright Mari. A single AoE from you should be able to finish all of them off!"

ID: 165761 (meant #5 instead of #1)
BD: 1+5=6, Hit | 25x8=200 344-200=144

ID: 165762
BD: 5+5=10, Hit | 25x8=200 344-200=144

ID: 165763
BD: 2+5=7, Hit | 25x8=200 344-200=144

ID: 165764
BD: 2+5=7, Hit | 25x8=200 294-=94

Freyd | HP:820/820 | EN:36/80 | DMG:20 | MIT:43 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | KEEN:1 | HLY:2 | BLD:12
Cordelia | HP: 1200/1200 | EN: 84/118 | 25 DMG | 25 MIT | 5 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | PHSE | 12 HLY | ABS. ACC -13
Mari |  HP 1312/ 1490  | EN: 119/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15

(1,1,0) Sundered Vanguard #5 | HP:144/584 | DMG:219 -200
(1,1,0) Sundered Vanguard #6 | HP:144/584 | DMG:219 -200
(1,1,0) Sundered Vanguard #7 | HP:144/584 | DMG:219 -200
(2,1,0) Sundered Vanguard #8 | HP:94/584 | DMG:219  (12 Bleed, 1/2) -200

Cordelia heaved Mari up, sighing as she made another quip about... heads. "You never cease to amaze me with those puns of yours, Mari. It's like you have a whole library of them in your head," she mused, shaking her head jokingly. 

She looked over to Freyd and deadpanned. "Great, now I have to add recurring mobs that hate me under my list of worries," she mumbled in slight irritation, walking over to pick up her katana before sheathing it in its scabbard. "So it seems like these creatures can traverse through any floor," she duly noted, crossing her arms over each other. "That's no doubt concerning. I hope that the ones we just fought were limited to higher floors. Less experienced players have no chance against what we just went up with."

Her ears perked at the name of her fiance. "Oscar?" She ran a hand through her hair and giggled. "He refuses to wear anything else but that suit sometimes," she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck as she remembered how he refused to wear a kimono during the boss meeting and at the festival. He was a picky one that's for sure. Or did he just have a thing against kimonos? "... but he's never mentioned anything about this to me before," she murmured, her voice trailing off. Shouldn't this be sometime he should've told her? Or at least, with The Tarot? Bahr, Lessa and NIGHT surely would've helped with this whole situation if they knew what was going on, surely?

"A copy of their battle plans?" she echoed, part of it sounding a little too far fetched for her. Her eyebrows shot up at his statement before scrunching up in confusion. "Hundreds? You should've handed these plans to the frontliners the moment you knew an attack this big was coming up," she scolded. It made no sense for him not to hand these plans over to higher, more experienced players. Even if it was a holiday, she was sure they would've dropped everything to help with this. 

"Ah... yes, Shoji and Masaki," she whispered quietly, intertwining her hands in front of her with a solemn look. "I wasn't apart of last year's Tanabata event... but what I've collected is that there was a huge invasion involving... fish people or something like that. It was a huge fight apparently," she sighed, stretching her hands out in front of her. 

She glanced at Freyd from the corners of her eye before nodding. "Count me in."

"Good God, Mari!" she exclaimed, watching as the massive creature threw a punch right to Mari's head. She skidded to a halt beside her orange-haired friend and sighed in relief at the minimal damage done. Barely a chunk was spliced off of her health but the way that Vanguard punched her made it seem like her head should've been blown right off her body. "Are you okay?" she asked, offering a hand to help her up. "That punch looked nasty. I hope your head is feeling alright after that... aside from the wibbly wobbly part," she fretted, though offering her an amused smile shortly after.

"It's no problem- wait, there's more?" she asked, flabbergasted. Her eyes trailed over to the split trees and large footprints left behind of the group.

"... well shit."

Cordelia grunted as she caught the token. Her fingers rolled it around a few times before she sighed. "This seems like a big deal. Why haven't I heard of this before today?" she muttered in confusion, looking up at Freyd for an answer. Certainly this should be something that the frontlines should be concerned with, right? 

A shadow soon quickly casted over them. "Oh, yeesh. That's creepy," she said, her nose slightly wrinkling at the sight of the headless Sundered Vanguard. Yeah, it wasn't pretty at all.

"Well-" she piped up, raising her katana once more before yeeting it at the mob's leg. "It shouldn't have much health left!" Much to her surprise, the sword landed, imbedding itself in the giant's leg before the creature bursts into dozens and dozens of polygons, leaving her katana falling to the ground with a loud thud. 

"I didn't expect that to work."

ID: 165748
BD: 8. Hit

Freyd | HP:820/820 | EN:52/80 | DMG:20 | MIT:43 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | KEEN:1 | HLY:2 | BLD:12
Cordelia | HP: 1200/1200 | EN: 96/118 | 25 DMG | 25 MIT | 5 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | PHSE | 12 HLY | ABS. ACC 
Mari |  HP 1312/ 1490  | EN: 119/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15

(1,1,1) Sundered Vanguard #1 | HP:0/584 | DMG:219
(1,0,1) Sundered Vanguard #2 | HP:0/584 | DMG:219  
(3,0,2) Sundered Vanguard #3 | HP: 0/584 | DMG:219  
(1,0,2) Sundered Vanguard #4 | HP:0/584 | DMG:219  -25

ID: 165749
LD: 11
CD: 4

2,920 Col
2 T3 Materials
T3 Rare Trinket
11 Gold Stars

... wait a minute, a dream? I... should I even be surprised by that? What's there to even be surprised at in this world anymore? 

"I'll hold you to that!" she exclaimed back at Freyd, hopping backwards to avoid the massive foot. What even kind of creatures were these? She had certainly never came across one during her years here, that's for sure. 

"Alright, I'm going to try to knock out the second one in a single attack. If I don't, follow up with an AoE!" she called towards both Freyd and Mari before dashing towards a Sundered Vanguard. Like out of a movie scene, she scaled straight up its long legs, dragging her katana alongside her until she had reached its head. She sucked in a sharp breath, hopping a foot away from the being before slamming her katana down on its head, hard. While it may not have been as flashy as her last attack, it certainly chopped off a good amount of points on the thing, sadly not enough to kill it, but she respected that. 

ID: 164537
BD: 5+5=10, Hit | 15x15=375 413-275= 38

Freyd | HP:820/820 | EN:68/80 | DMG:20 | MIT:43 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | KEEN:1 | HLY:2 | BLD:12
Cordelia | HP: 1200/1200 | EN: 96/118 | 25 DMG | 25 MIT | 5 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | PHSE | 12 HLY | ABS. ACC -11
Mari |  HP 1490/1490  | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15 

(1,1,1) Sundered Vanguard #1 | HP:0/584 | DMG:219
(1,0,1) Sundered Vanguard #2 | HP:38/584 | DMG:219 -275
(1,0,1) Sundered Vanguard #3 | HP:253/584 | DMG:219
(0,0,1) Sundered Vanguard #4 | HP:413/584 | DMG:219 

Cordelia laughed softly, pressing a hand against her flushed cheeks as he hugged her close. A few seconds ticked by before they eventually parted, a little too short for her liking, but this was a quest after all, not a date. "I couldn't have said it better." she chuckled, trailing after him as the both of them edged closer and closer to the spawn point of the hatchling. 

As soon as they arrived, two tall figures adorned in a thick dark robe appeared before them. Of course, Oscar had no trouble cutting through the two with Tesseleth's Fury, and Cordelia was quick to follow with her own attack directed towards The Opal Hatchling. "I'm on it!" she replied back, quickly drawing out Onimaru from its sheath before delivering a spinning <<San Ge>> attack right at the baby dragon's face. It's health was quickly reduced to nothing, leaving its body lingering still for a fraction of a second before it eventually burst into dozens and dozens of colored polygons. 

"Well!" she pipped, withdrawing Onimaru before dusting her hands off. "That went pretty much as expected."

ID: 164054
BD: 7, Hit | 19x15=285=245 215-245=-30

Oscar HP: 1136/1550 | EN: 95/112 | 19 DMG | 1 ACC | 1 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN [BD8-10] | VAMP-DEF | 2 REC
Cordelia HP: 1096/1110 | EN: 97/108 | 19 DMG | 25 MIT | 4 ACC | 2 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF]| 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN -11 -14

Ghidorah - The Opal Hatchling HP: 0/215 | 70 DMG | 1 ACC | 1 EVA | 40 MIT | 14 THORNS -215
Elven Dragon Cultist 1 HP 0/50 | 35 DMG | 25 MIT | 14 THORNS 
Elven Dragon Cultist 2 HP 0/50 | 35 DMG | 25 MIT | 14 THORNS

"Just how much have you been hanging around Baldur, Mari?" Cordelia quipped back, flashing the familiar woman a goofy grin of her own. "I think he's really getting to you~" she sang, clasping her hands behind her back with a quiet laugh. "Psh... do I need such a reason to invite one of my beloved friends to a peaceful walk?" she asked dramatically, one hand over her heart while the other outstretched towards the moon. She cracked an amused grin before reverting back to her own self. "But really, I just wanted to see you again. Just getting into the spirit of Tanabata, y'know?"

"Honestly, I've been wondering if-"

Cordelia's words paused right out of her mouth as an unfamiliar figured burst into the clearing from the trees. 

"Right. Of course it would be you,"

"Well, that was a bit rude. Do you know this guy, Mari-"

She deadpanned when he continued to talk. Why can't I just finish my sentences in peace? However, that was the least of her worries when chaotic noise filled the air. Cordelia looked over to the forest, and then to the swaying canopy. Her breath hitched in her throat as a sudden thought made its way to her head. Another event fight? Was it going to be like last year's Tanabata? Her thoughts went back to Shoji and Masaki absentmindedly. No, she couldn't let something happen to those two again...

"... Help, huh," she murmured softly, watching as the boy dashed off back into the trees without another word. She turned to Mari and gave her a sheepish smile. "Well, we aren't usually people to just stand around and do nothing about something like that, huh?" she asked, running a hand through her hair before letting out an exhausted sigh. "Being a good person is so tiring sometimes..." she trailed off, looking up at the night sky before opening her HUD. 

"I'll see you there!" she exclaimed, her kimono dematerializing in a flash of white before being replaced by her usual armor, along with Onimaru and it's sheath hooked around her waist. She gave Mari a crooked smile before rushing off after the unnamed boy. 

▶ ───●─── 

"Oi, watch out from above!" she called, pushing herself off of a tall tree branch, her katana outstretched above her as she got ready to down thrust her katana on top of the goliath creatures. 

Her blade sliced down the creature, leaving a bright red vertical gash down its tall body, but as much damage as she did, it wasn't enough to one-shot the thing, unfortunately. She grunted in disappointment, hopping a good distance away from the mobs so she couldn't get squished by them.

"Jesus Christ. I've never seen anything like these things," she muttered, her neck craning up to try to take in their full size. "How do these guys even classify as normal looting mobs?"

ID: 163837
BD: 1+5=6, Hit | 25+2(Charge)=27x15=405 424-405=19

Freyd | HP:820/820 | EN:68/80 | DMG:20 | MIT:43 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | KEEN:1 | HLY:2 | BLD:12
Cordelia | HP: 1200/1200 | EN: 107/118 | 25 DMG | 25 MIT | 5 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | PHSE | 12 HLY | ABS. ACC -11
Mari |  HP 1490/1490  | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15 

(1,1,0) Sundered Vanguard #1 | HP:19/584 | DMG:219 -405
(0,0,0) Sundered Vanguard #1 | HP:584/584 | DMG:219
(1,0,0) Sundered Vanguard #1 | HP:424/584 | DMG:219
(0,0,0) Sundered Vanguard #1 | HP:584/584 | DMG:219

Cordelia angrily munched on her takoyaki as she went off to explore the rest of the festival. "No, just to the people who drool in front of my product..!" she echoed mockingly, her voice raising a good octave before she sighed in exasperation. Why did they have to make such a mean NPC? She just wanted food, not an excuse to throw her fist at someone's face. 

"Gah, he's so lucky..!" she exclaimed in frustration, one hand tangling itself in her hair while the other crumpled up the now empty paper tray. "- lucky that I didn't throw this at his stupid little face."

Cordelia sighed in defeat, her hands loosening before the crumpled paper dissipated into flecks of blue. "Whatever," she mumbled, her hands dropping back to her side, "he's just some stupid NPC," she told herself slapping her cheeks lightly before she huffed in determination. "I'm not going to let a bunch of numbers and zeroes stop me from enjoying my night!"

By the time she had gotten herself back together, she had realized that she good bit away from the festival, at least, from the center of it. "Oh gosh, where did I wander off too," she whispered, scratching herself as she looked around, finding herself in an unfamiliar forest filled with tall stalks of bamboo. 

“Wanna give it a shot?

Cordelia's head whipped around in surprise, only to be face to face with a girl with bright orange hair, seated behind a small table topped with dozens and dozens of small pieces of paper and art supplies. "Uhm... sure?" she uttered confusingly, taking a step closer to the stall before looking down at the girl with a questioning expression.

Just write down your wishes here on these papers, and then hang them up on one of the stalks over yonder. Maybe it’ll help you clear your mind!”

Cordelia deadpanned. Did she witness her mini-breakdown a minute ago, or was her frustration just that obvious? "... Uh, thanks, I guess," she mumbled, taking the sheets of paper and prompts from the girl before offering her a small smile.

“If you need any pencils or crayons, we’ve got those here too! I’m only asking that you return them to me after you’re done,” she said, shooting Cordelia a smile of her own.

"Alrighty, will do. See you later, I guess," Cordelia remarked, giving the girl a small wave before she began to walk deeper into the forest.

“Thank you! Hope you enjoy the rest of the festival!”

 ▶ Cordelia Receives Tanzaku

To whoever reads this I guess,

I'm looking for an <<Essence of Steel>> quest item from the <<Essence of Steel>> quest. What's in exchange can be worked out but I'm willing to offer Col, materials, certain quest items and my own service! (I'm a DPS if you're wondering about that)

Please reply if you're interested, 

- Cordelia

"Ah... it's really no problem, Lessa. I haven't really ever gotten a chance to spend time with you one on one, so I figured that I should take the opportunity while I still have it," she exclaimed, her lip slightly curling as she stepped further into the murky mud-like waters. Lord, who even came up with this floor? At least floors like five and nine are fun to look at. This is worse than staring at drying paint!

Cordelia looked around. Just tall trees - tall dead looking trees, a light layer of mist, and... whatever was beneath her was. Mud? Water? Perhaps the bodily remains of some kind of creature? Perhaps all of those combined? At this point, she wouldn't even doubt it. Kayaba was a wildcard of a man. For all she knew, this... water, could be filled with health-depleting leeches! 

"Awe, that's considerate of you," she chuckled, hoping that the conversation would direct her attention to anything else but... whatever the hell this is. "I can't really say the same thing for Pacco though. I'm basically his free ride everywhere," she sighed, giving her two blackbird familiar a pointed look before turning back to Lessa. 

"No, no. Don't worry about it. I'm always one down for adventure... even if the adventure is like this," Cordelia added, giving the girl a small, hopeful smile. "I'm sure if it caught your attention, it'll be awesome."

Cordelia's eye twitched at the stupid pet name she was all too familiar with. "Whatever you say," she muttered. agitation lacing her tone before she took a step in the rowboat, the wooden vessel creaking just slightly as she pushed all of her weight on to it. 

"If I recall correctly, there are a couple ways to gather gold stars. You're free to do whatever you please but I'm going to settle on just killing a bunch of mobs for them," she sighed, her hand swiping down as she opened her HUD menu. "I haven't invested anything in the «Fishing» skill or «Gathering» skill so that's out of the question, so combat is pretty much all that's left," Cordelia said flatly, her fingers dancing around on the keys for a few seconds before her kimono dematerialized in a brilliant flash of white, only to be replaced with her usual armor and Onimaru around her hip. 

"You can do whatever the heck you want, but just stay out of my way," she would say, her voice bland and lacking before she turned her attention back to the wide and expansive lake. "And don't think for a second that I'll row you back alone like last time," she bit out harshly, looking over her shoulder to give Mars a glare full of malice. 

"Now! Let's start heading out!" she exclaimed, glancing at Mars' familiar before grabbing an oar. 

Though it wasn't very exciting, it was moments like this she cherished the most. Moments of pure peace like this. The specs of sunlight that made it past the canopy, the cool but soft wind, the smell of the forest, and not to mention the most special person in her life beside her... the feeling felt almost addictive. 

Cordelia hummed in agreement, nodding her head along with his words. "Agreed," she murmured, giving his hand a small squeeze as she smiled happily at him. "I never thought I would find something as special as this in all honesty." Cordelia looked down at their entwined hands and laughed softly. "A surprise indeed," she uttered quietly, taking note of how her hand fit in his own before averting her eyes.

She looked up at him, as if taking a picture of him before she laughed again. "You certainly are a special man, Oscar Lugos," she exclaimed in amusement, a wide, exuberant grin on her face. 

What Cordelia is currently wearing

Cordelia sighed as she squeezed the water out of her hair, just coming back from her adventure with Mars only minutes prior. She never figured that she would spend a good part of her night... diving for golden stars to give to children, but she did suppose it was worth it. They looked so happy after all. She just hoped that that boy, Shoji, could find some comfort in Yori's death...

"Gah, they're only NPCs, Cordelia," she muttered hastily, slapping her slightly damp cheeks in exasperation. "It's not like they can feel shit," she mumbled, shaking her head as she shrugged her kimono back on, somewhat thankful that she wasn't an idiot and decided to undress before she dove into the water. 

"What about you, Pacco? You must've enjoyed watching make an utter fool of myself?" she asked, turning her head towards the two large crows perched atop her shoulders. No reaction, as always, but she knew he was laughing his socks off... his bird socks or whatever. She looked between both of them again before pursing her lips. "Maybe I should've given you two separate names... it's getting confusing talking to two of you even if you're one sentient being," she sighed, stretching her hands behind her back again before tilting her chin towards the night sky.

Pac... Co? Pac and Co? Co and Pac? 

"Good Lord, I'm losing more and more brain cells by the second," she deadpanned, shaking her head harshly. 

Fearing that it was only going to get worse if she were to return to the festival, she decided to take a walk around the floor. It was always nice to explore a new floor, though she was more familiar with twenty-two than most of the other intermediate floors... probably because it was one of the only nice floors around here? No desert. No lava. No swamp. No. It's... just a very nice little lake floor.

She hummed, scratching her chin. Maybe she should invite someone..? That would certainly make the journey a lot less boring.

Super Buff and Sight Shoyu Ramen:

Super Buff and Speed Shoyu Ramen:

Super Buff Shoyu Ramen:

Super Shield Shoyu Ramen:

Day 31:

+83 EXP

Super Buff and Sight Shoyu Ramen:

Super Buff and Speed Shoyu Ramen:

Super Buff Shoyu Ramen:

Super Shield Shoyu Ramen:

Cordelia jumped, a familiar voice ringing through her ears. Her head whipped towards the familiar looking player before wrinkling her nose. "Nice to see you as well, Mars," she said sarcastically, her eyes rolling before she crossed her arms. 

She didn't have too much beef with the guy, but something about him infuriated her. Sure, he might be skilled with a katana, but his social skills could always be touched up on. The man acts like he owns the world or something..!

The girl sighed before shrugging her shoulders. "There's a lot of activities going on in this event, and apparently gathering these... Gold stars is one of them. They seemed to be used to help the kids back there build this model train or something. I'm not sure what the end result would be but I'm guessing it'd be a reward for the people who participate..." she trailed off, her thoughts going back to that Shoji boy again. "And I think I've found some kind of of event side quest. It branches off from the original gathering thing, but I think I have to help this boy find clarity or something," said murmured, her words softening. 

"You're helping me," she suddenly declared, her eyes looking over to Mars with a completely serious expression. "Consider this payback for that time I saved your life back during that fishing quest." Her gaze swept across the lake side, her gaze locking on to a man, eyes hooded by the straw hat on his head. 

She pointed over to him. "We can start by getting a rowboat from him." She looked over to Mars and smirked. "Hurry up, this event won't last very long."

Cordelia smiled softly as the group of NPC boys worked on their little model train. She had been watching them work for the past few minutes. The way they worked and assembled tracks were honestly a little cute and it reminded her of her younger years... but a little happier. 

Her brow quirked up as one of them started heading off towards the shoreline. She looked around, wondering if any other spectators were seeing this. It seemed not. She huffed, tugging on the sleeves of her kimono before she walked after the boy. Was this a flaw in the NPC's code or something... or was there more that what was being let on? 

The boy seemed to stop right where the water met the shore. It felt tranquil... yet strangely somber. Like something out of a K-Drama or something. “What’re you here for?” he would ask, swivelling his head towards her as she softly walked up next to him.

She shrugged her shoulders. "You look fishy so I decided to follow you," she said bluntly. He gave her a look before turning back to the dimly lit waters.

“I don’t suppose you would want to hear about my reason, would you?”

"Not really-"

“My name’s Shoji. My friends are building this train back in town. You’ve seen it, right?” His gaze would shift back towards the flickering lights, eyes distant with a sorrowful haze. Cordelia sighed. This really was a K-Drama. “It’s for Masaki. He’s our friend now. But he didn’t use to be, if I had to be honest. We’d always picked on him past the year before.”

“It’s that rainy crossing last year.” Shoji tilts his head, looking back at the player in vague interest. “Do you know the one? There was a horde of monsters that had attacked the town...” 

Cordelia scratched her chin, taking a second to think before her eyes widened. "Oh yeah. I wasn't in that but I know a couple of people who helped drive them off. I heard it was really... something," she murmured, her voice trailing off. She didn't know what exactly happened, but it was chaos all around from what she heard. Torrential rain, fish creatures, and a tsunami?! Lord, that sounded like a crazy event. 

He gave her a short nod, as if confirming her thoughts. He turned back to the water, his eyes glassing over once again. “When the attack began, we’d all started to retreat. But… I ended up slipping and falling in the water...” Cordelia winced, the image of a small little boy nearly drowning in the water filling her head like a rising tide. 

“Actually, I’m still afraid of swimming until now...”

Shoji shakes his head, balling his hands up into fists. “That was when Yori jumped in. Saved me. He pushed me out onto the shore-- I thought he was right behind me as I ran… But I couldn’t find him after things calmed down. The sheriff made it a whole case and everything. Looked out for any signs of him over two weeks. But-- well…” 

Cordelia sighed, her hand reaching out to pat the boy on the shoulders gently. The sound of soft crying and sniffles filled the air as the two stood together silently. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't prepared to comfort a crying child, on Tanabata of all days! He would wipe the tears away with the back of his hand, lips trembling as he pauses, hesitant. “Makes us wonder where he’d gone, but I think we all know the truth. It’s just… hard to believe -- that there was nothing of him left...”

Cordelia's hand slightly squeezed around his shoulder, just slightly, but still nonetheless. She hated that. Not being able to have a body to bury at a funeral must be devastating. For the parents, friends, family, it must've been heartbreaking. It didn't even allow them to have closure on the death, knowing that their son's body was still out there somewhere... rotting. 

“Um, Masaki was his best friend. I’d thought... Maybe it was one of Yori’s wishes that we look after him instead. He’s good; really. I guess we just never saw it in him before.” Shoji looks back to the water, the glow of the lanterns finally burning back into his vision. “He’s responsible, kind. He tells the best stories… Just doesn’t find time to play with us a lot, I guess.”

He sighed, kicking a piece of loose gravel into the water, the rock sinking under the surface of the dark waters. “Um, hey,” he says, looking over to Cordelia and catching attention. She hummed in response. “If you don’t mind… When you’re heading out to water, do you think you could try to look out for any signs of Yori?” He shakes, as though the boy expects a refusal. The order was tall, the stranger unknown and his hope was in short supply. “I know everyone tells me it’s a lost cause,” Shoji continues, as though he is uncertain which one of the parties he’s trying to convince. “But if Tanabata is all about wishing… Just maybe...”

His voice trails off, the boy’s breath held in, before he quickly adds to fill the silence between him and his audience. “--I-if you find anything, come look for me, okay? I’ll...”

“I’ll be waiting…!”

@Mars

Cordelia scratched her chin in thought as the other conversed some more. This place didn't make sense at all. Was this something overlooked by Kayaba, or did he purposefully put this place here? If so, for what? There had to be a motive behind this. Kayaba didn't strike her as a man to just throw random buildings around in a world of his creation, especially one of this high detail. No, from what she had gathered about him, he wasn't that type of person.

She looked up. In the midst of her thoughts, she had failed to acknowledge another familiar face now stuck with the group. 

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Ah, hello Alkor. I see that you're stuck in the same situation as us, huh?" she mused bitterly, averting her eyes to the floor before she nodded to him. She didn't know the man as well as she would like, but Lessa seemed to be good friends with him, so she had no other choice but to trust him. 

"Alright, let's start heading out then, yeah?" she asked, a wide but slightly forced smile making its way onto her face. "No use moping around like this!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together happily.

@Lessa @Alkor @Calrex

Cordelia's hand rose and offered the pinkette a delicate wave. "Fine by me. I'm just here for the experience," she exclaimed, a wide smile on her face at the thought of gaining such. This quest was said to offer a butt ton, at least, that's what she inferred from the info that Hynes had given her. 

"Ah- thanks..!" Without reluctance, she accepted the party invitation, now even more eager to fight against the plated beast. It's been a while since she's been in battle alongside NIGHT, and she was excited to see how much she had improved! 

Cordelia looked over her shoulder, at the green-haired girl who somehow made her way into this part of the desert. Through a brief examination, she concluded that this girl wasn't an experienced player - no offense, but it was easy to judge someone on that based on what their gear was. "Please stay on the outskirts of the battle. From what I've gathered, this boss is more unpredictable than most," she said, outstretching her hand to the girl before smiling. "And it'd be very unfortunate to have a stranger's blood on my hands."

She looked over to Yuki and nodded. "Ready!" 

Without a second to spare, Cordelia dashed down the sandy dune, her two blackbirds flowing behind her like a feathery cape. With a hand placed on her hilt and the other on her sheath, Cordelia drew Onimaru, it's valiant black blade reflecting the sun's harsh rays before she activated a San Ge. Just as she swung her katana, ready to blow away this tough scaled reptile away, it swerved tightly to her right, narrowly missing her blade by a hair. 

"I... missed?"

Cordelia blinked in dismay. How long had it been since she had missed an attack? Even after buffing down on accuracy, Onimaru couldn't connect with it? She huffed, jumping back and away from the rolling mob. "Careful, it's fast!"

Cordelia: [0] HP: 1180/1180 | EN: 116/116 | 25 DMG | 25 MIT | 7 ACC | 4 EVA | 1 PARA VNM [DF] | PHSE | 12 HLY | ABS. ACC -1
NIGHT: [0] ???
Zajcica: [0] ???
Elora: [0] ???

ID: 162711
BD: 1+7=8-4=4, Miss

Land Shark the Terra Firma: HP: 650/650 | 250 DMG | 75 MIT | 0 ACC | 4 EVA

Cordelia tugged on the sleeve of her newly tailored kimono with an awkward laugh. "A-are you sure it's fine for me to take this for free..?" she asked, her gaze shifting over to the man who had offered it to her. She wasn't one shoo away something for free but something as beautiful and well made as this shouldn't be given away so carelessly without proper compensation. She got that it was in spirit of the holiday but this was really too much..!

"No, no. I said it was free of charge, did I not?" the man huffed in amusement, a warm smile playing on his lips. "Now go enjoy yourself on this beautiful night. This only comes once a year you know," he mused, waving her off in a joking way before he went to go tend to another player who had stumbled upon on his shop. 

The girl sighed, knowing that any attempts to change his mind would prove fruitless. "I should know better than to try to sway an NPC," she muttered, shaking her head. 

"... Really though, this thing looks far too expensive to be free," Cordelia whispered under her breath, her neck craning as she tried to look at the exquisite designs on the fabric. "He didn't have to give me a free hair ornament either..." she added, her fingers brushing against the flower-looking hair piece just lightly before her hands dropped to her side.

The her previous worries now behind her, she looked around. "Oh, where did Oscar go-?" she murmured confusingly. Oh, it didn't matter anymore. It was only inevitable before they were to get separated. In a bustling festival like this, she was surprised they hadn't sooner. 

In an attempt to enjoy the rest of her night, Cordelia walked around the festival, admiring the bright lights, taking in the smell of absolutely delicious food, and even doing a bit of window shopping. In a span of half an hour, she already had a small paper bag in hand filled with tiny little trinkets and snacks that she would save for later. 

Her movements stalled as a certain stall grabbed her attention. It didn't really stand out from any of the other food stalls, but something about it just seemed to scream at her. Maybe it was the figure behind the stall? Yes, he certainly did look... interesting. If you could say that looking like you're about to bite someone's head off is interesting, at least. She rolled her eyes around with a small laugh before she approached the stall, paying no attention to the intimidating figure. The guy seemed to display a whole bunch of stuff. Yakisoba, yakitori, and... Cordelia's jaw nearly dropped. 

Takoyaki. 

Ah, the street food of the heavens..! But before she could express her absolute love for the classic festival food, a hand outstretched right in front of the doughy ball of goodness, right in her face. 

"What d'you want?"

Cordelia looked up at the red-haired chef, a deadpan expression blanketing her face. "Is that how you treat all of your customers?" she questioned, her brow quirking up. 

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "No, just to the people who drool right in front of my product," he retorted, giving her a once over before rolling his eyes again. 

Cordelia's eye twitched as she balled her hands into fists. "Why you..!" she exclaimed, already ready to punch the living daylights out of him... but, now wasn't the time for that. No, she was supposed to enjoy tonight, not get aggravated by some random bozo. She sighed, pressing her fingers against her temple in exasperation. "Fine, can I just get some takoyaki?" she asked, her shoulders drooping in frustration.

"Nah, I'm afraid we've run out."

"But there's some right there-!"

A loud sigh from the boy interrupted her. "Fine. Since you're so insistent, I guess I'll just have to make some more," he declared, giving her a smirk before her. "Watch and learn." He went on to show his brilliant skills - which, if it were any other food, probably would've been super cool to watch. Takoyaki wasn't really that exciting to make. He flipped a bottle around a few times and cut the octopus super quirk, but other than that, she wasn't really impressed. 

"Thanks," she said with a blank face, swiping away the food from his hand before dropping a small bag of Col in it. "Later, I guess," she sighed, ready to get the heck out of there.

Thread Summary:

> 80 Col @everyone 
> 2 SP for Cordelia, NIGHT, and Mari [Thread+Event Bonus]

Cordelia in slight disappointment as she looked at the empty chairs that used to be inhabited by Life and Akaiko. She was interested to talk to those two more. Life sounded like he had some exciting adventures to tell and who wouldn't want a bubbly young soul like Akiako around? She did suppose it was a little late but those two seemed to have passed by quickly. The girl blinked and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. Oh well. All she could do was hope that she would be able to meet them again. 

Her gaze shifted over to Mari, a warm and sweet blossoming on her face at the redhead's honest words. "You're always welcome to come here, you know that, Mari." She was aware that the girl was in exactly the bestest of situations at the moment when it came to having things like instant travel and being able to live normally, but she was going to do the best she can to help her with that. She chuckled and pressed her palms against the counter.

"As much as I love the company, you're right. I can only stay up and talk so much before I pass out standing."

She gave one last nod to Mari. "You too. Stay safe on your way back," she called, just as her bright shade of hair disappeared under the curtains. 

Her attentioned swiveled over to NIGHT before an expression of surprise broke out on her face. "Oh, you really didn't have to do that. You're a guest here after all," she exclaimed, looking at the neatly stacked bowls before laughing. "Thank you though."

Her delicate hand raised into a wave as NIGHT too disappeared into the snow coated night. "You too. Come back soon, and stay safe!"

And just like that, a heavy blanket of silence draped over the shop like a thick layer of snow. It felt familiar yet so foreign to her, especially when the place was just bustling with conversation only a few minutes ago. A silent but lively chuckle emitted from her before she heaved up the stack of bowls. The day wasn't over just yet!

Cordelia stifled a loud laugh at Oscar's remark about heat, instead giving him a goofy smile. 

"You and me both. Even with the «Survival» skill, I feel like I've being roasted alive in an oven," she exclaimed dramatically before blowing a sigh. The Japan she was used to typically wasn't a very... hot place, at least not as scorching as floors like five and nine. It was only natural she would have such an extreme reaction like this, right? Right? 

Right.

"Isn't it funny that we met on floor five then?" she asked out loud, the sudden thought suddenly appearing in her head and out her mouth. "Kind of ironic since we both hate the heat, huh?" As much as she'd like to say that she could remember the day clearly, she couldn't. It was somewhat of a blur, but there were definitely key aspects that she could name right away. Two of them huddled in some random cave in the dunes, coffee - thank God she got over that addiction -  and friendly chatter. Gosh, that felt like a lifetime ago. She was still blonde and using a rapier! Now she felt like a totally different person, both mentally and physically. She was just going to assume she was a better person as well, because damn, things were rough back then.