Vandrin

The threat had passed, and all of the other players seemed uninjured. "Good" Vandrin said with a nod as he swept his spear behind him to let it rest of his back. The brunette who answered his question looked familiar, though he could not place where he had seen her form before. "I'm Vandrin. I was originally out here to meet a friend, but she never showed. Then I heard one of you scream, so I ran out to make sure everything was alright." As Kimi's familiar Noodle wandered up to Vandrin, the man looked down at it, "Sorry I almost attacked you." He looked back up to Kimi, shrugging his shoulders, "I've never actually met another player with a familiar before.. so I didn't realize he was yours." 

Well, the group had introduced themselves and, at the moment, it seemed as though there were no other wandering monsters to attack them. As the awkward silence grew thicker and thicker, Vandrin shifted his weight, "It's getting dark.. Probably should get back to the town before long."  As he turned and took a few steps in the opposite direction, he realized that the path he was familiar with was long behind him. Shit, he had followed the other group for this far, he had gotten thrown off track. He stood, pondering for a moment before turning around, "Actually.. I think I'll stick with you guys for a bit, if thats alright." 

Another rustle of the bushes and Vandrin shifted his spear upwards, above the strange shark-god's head. A quick cross step backwards, the man created a little bit more distance between himself and whatever was going to emerge from the shrubbery. A shorter creature, a reddish bob.. and glasses. This wasn't a monster at all, this was another player. She looked young, younger than Vandrin at least, and she seemed not the slightest bit worried about his spear pointed in their direction. Oh.. this must be her familiar, he finally came to realize. 

As he began to lower his spear, a commotion behind him brought him to turn about. Three players had gone rushing by, a large boar somehow in the mix. Honestly, they had gone by too quickly for him to figure out who was chasing who. That didn't stop the redhead behind him from joining in on the fun, however, as she immediately rushed past him. Vandrin stood there alone for a moment, trying to process what the hell just happened. Then with a heavy sigh, and a light jog, he pushed through the foliage after them. 

By the time he had gotten to the group, the boar was nothing but fragments of data falling to the ground like a gently snowfall. The readhead rose to a standing position, leaving a small patch of upturned earth beneath her where, he presumed, the boar once stood. She's strong, no wonder she didn't seem to care that I had my weapon drawn on her.. he thought to himself. "I take it everyone's alright?" he questioned, feeling a bit out of place standing off from them. 

"Dammit Vi.." he cursed to himself as he stood alone in the clearing where they had met on the first floor. After their run in together, she had promised to help Vandrin get off of his feet and get him some better armor to help defend himself. He sucked his teeth, he knew it was too good to be true.. she did come at him as if she was going to kill him after all. The scowl he wore on his face remained as he let out a huff of air through his nostrils, deciding he had waited long enough for her, "Who needs her, I'll get my own damn shit." 

Grabbing the rear end of his spear, Vandrin would pluck the sharp edge from the ground and rest it over his shoulders. Following the path he had taken to get to this point, he began to long trek back to the Town of Beginnings. It was starting to get late anyway, and the last thing he wanted was to get caught out in the open at night. 

The distant shouts of, what he could assume were, two other players could be heard not too far off in the distance. The sudden noise caused Vandrin to swing his spear to the front of him in a ready stance. It didn't seem as though they were nearby..so whatever posed a threat to them did not know of Vandrin's existence. He growled to himself, but what if they were really in danger? Maybe a third hand could get them out of whatever mess they were in. The choice was quick, and with his spear at the ready, the large man began to rush through the bushes and foliage in the direction he heard the others. 

After a moment of running, "Dammit.. where are they?" he had lost track of their location. A shuffle in the bushes behind him shocked him, and he spun with the tip of his spear pointing forward, "Guess I'm in for a fight on my own after all..." He expected a boar, or a wolf.. or even a bear like last time. What he was definitely not expecting.. was a small, shark-like creature with legs to emerge. "...What the?" 

Vandrin was once again reminded that he did not have it as bad as some others. His past was bad, but Violet's seemed to make his seem petty in comparison. However, this wasn't a contest in who's life was more tragic, because, despite that it seemed it was Violet's, both of them would still feel just as miserable about their owns pasts. With arms crossed about his chest and shoulder blades pressing into the cushioned seat back with a slightly slouch, he listened.. or half listened, at least. He listened to her stories about her time as an organized killer,  but didn't take her advice to heart. The stories also served as a constant reminder of who Violet really was, and reminded him that murdering Vandrin in cold blood was a thought that had originally crossed her mind. Now he was sitting across from her on a date. But like he continued to tell himself, there was a part of her that he liked, and if telling these stories was a way for her to reminisce and vent when need be, then who was he to stop her. 

Once she had finished, Vandrin simply sighed heavily, sinking deeper into the seat. He stared at the table between them in silence, not sure how to respond to all of this. He knew he would find a way to forget what happened to him in the past, to leave Shoji Tetsuya behind and to live this new life as Vandrin, but he knew he could not let Violet know that was how he truly felt. Lucky for both of them, they were saved by the bell; the ringing of a small desk bell placed outside of the kitchen to signal that an order was completed and ready to be delivered to its table. The same waitress who had greeted the players before made her way to their table, a tray carrying two, juicy steak dinners. Vandrin looked up to the waitress and nodded, "Thank you." Once she had finished her job and left the two to their meals, Vandrin cut a sliver of the meat and popped it into his mouth. "Good choice." Vandrin said with a smirk, pointing his fork to the steak before him.

Vandrin was a bit torn by Violet's story, trying to see both sides of the situation. Who was he to tell her that she should start a new life, and walk away from a group that she had come to see as a family. At the same time, however, he knew how 'families' like this worked. They would stick together through thick and thin.. but the moment things went awry, they would throw you under the bus to save their own skins. Vandrin's upper lip twitched at the thought, not able to prevent the small scowl that formed as the thought crossed him, staring at the empty table space between the two of them. It was what happened to him, and he had to pay for it. He didn't know if this group Violet was a part of would do the same thing or not.. He sure hoped that she was right and that they really were a family. His eyes finally rose to meet hers again as she continued to speak, but he broke eye contact again when she turned his comment about repressed memories back on him. He took in a heavy breath through his nostrils before dark eyes looked into crimson. "Still doesn't hurt to try." he finally said, a bit coldly. He knew Violet cared about his well being, and he appreciated that. However, her words fell on deaf ears. Vandrin did not want that part of him to be in his life anymore. After a moment of keeping it to himself, he finally spoke again, leaning forward in his seat and interlacing the fingers of each hand. "You know, when this game first launched.. and everyone was running around, screaming their heads off that they were stuck here in this world.. not able to return to their families or friends." he spoke in a low tone, as so only Violet could hear him, "To be honest, I felt relieved. This is a new life for me, a fresh start. I was able to literally leave the man I was behind, laying mindlessly in a coma in some bed that I no longer see as mine. Call me crazy... but I'm happy to be here." he finally sat back in his seat, closing his eyes for a moment and taking another deep breath. 

Vandrin's eyes trailed down to the table as Violet placed her hand on top of his. The sympathy in her eyes and voice made the touch of her skin feel so much softer. He exhaled slowly as the gentle caressing of her thumb against the side of his hand soothed him, and kept his mind a bit more at ease. Finally, he looked back up to her and smiled politely, "I know. Things are already looking a lot better." After sharing a smile with her for a bit longer, and realizing he had allowed his still hand to linger under hers for just as long, the man gently pulled away, bringing a fist to his mouth to clear his throat. "What happened to me, the person I used to be is gone. It was maybe a year or two ago. So I've recovered since then. Honestly, I'm just trying to start a new life, bury those memories so I can just be this new me." He looked across to her again, biting his tongue at first, but then deciding to speak up. "Maybe, if you wanted to choose a different path in life, maybe you could even do the same." 

Once the conversation had passed, and they resumed speaking about actual game mechanics, rather than bad memories and their real lives, Violet had asked what quests he was considering going out on. "Oh man.." Vandrin said with an exhale, letting his back melt a bit more into the cushioned seat. "There's so many, probably anything that can be taken care of on one of the first few floors. I think there's some mini boss that was discovered on maybe the second floor? I think I've also heard of a few simpler ones that just require hunting some mobs. I really looked at the list quickly and didn't put too much thought into it. Are there any that you would suggest?" 

Vandrin's eyebrows rose in a bit of surprise, "A leopard?" he said with a chuckle. Though, he was more surprised that you could claim an animal like that, of that size, as a familiar. It didn't shock him that she would chose such a vicious predator. However, if it was tamed, he was definitely interested in meeting this Dahlia. He smirked after thinking the name again to himself and making the connection. "Midnight black.. Dahlia." he let out a small laugh, nodding his head at the woman across from him, "Fitting name. Clever." Continuing her spark notes retelling of her encounter with this leopard, she told of a gypsy who claimed it was her destiny to be paired with such a beast. Destiny.. he thought for a moment on the word, and whether or not he believed in it. Vandrin wrapped his fingers around the glass of water before him, the condensation that had formed on the outside of the glass dampening his fingers. He took a sip before placing it back on the table where it once sat. thinking on what to respond with. "I'm.. not really sure." His eyes did not rise to meet hers, remaining fixated on the glass he loosely held in his hand. "My life was going a certain way for so long.. with no sense of direction, only acting on impulse and desire. But after that, everything changed.. Was it my destiny to make that change and life my life as I am now? Or am I just one of the lucky ones." he let out a small sigh, wishing not to speak more on the topic of his past.. but with Violet it seemed to pop up more and more.

After relating their first encounter fighting boars together with the possibility of a future hunt, Violet did bring up the point that she did more damage than he did, "I suppose you have a point." he said smirking over the rim of his drink as he raised it to his lips yet again. He appreciated her willingness to help him out on any quests he wanted her to tag along with, though it seemed she had another small motive of her own; his companionship. As she closed the distance a bit between the two, offering a wink and hinting at her want to spend more time with him, a single, dark eyebrow rose over Vandrin's eye. Finally setting down the glass of water, after a slightly longer drink, he smirked, "I guess you have a point there. In that case.. who am I to refuse a lady what she wants." 

Vandrin did not need to think long on Violet's offering to help him out on quests that, on his own, may prove to be perilous. It was obvious that Violet had a little bit more battle experience than he did, so having her there with him would definitely help. The man smiled, "Sure, I would like that." She went on to mention her new familiar, to which Vandrin nodded his head, "I've heard about those.. familiars that players can get to help them out. Even seen a few around here and there. Maybe I should look into finding one too." His eyes rose to meet hers, "What type of familiar did you tame?" he was curious what type of animal, or creature, Violet would choose as her companion. Was it something that fit her outside, rough personality? Or possibly something that mirrored the Violet Vandrin was getting to know. 

When it came to floor exploration, Vandrin had really only been to the first and second floors, mostly within the safe zones at that. He had been curious about the fourth floor, with varied from the others in the fact that it was almost always covered in show. It definitely was on his list of places to check out soon, and now, with Violet's invitation to hunt some mobs with her on that floor, it went to the top of his list. "Yeah, that sounds great." he said with a small chuckle, before smirking, "And if I recall our meeting in the forest, it was I who handled most of those boars." he poked a bit of fun at the girl, claiming he needed to 'get stronger' first. Though, he did know this was true.. with raising floor numbers, the difficulty levels of the monsters who made their homes their surely must go up as well. Despite, that wouldn't stop him from teasing her back. "But I'm sure we would have plenty of fun." 

"Uhm.." Vandrin thought for a moment, not thinking that they would have been met with a server so soon. His mind was so racked with what to talk about with Violet, that he had nearly forgotten to figure out what he wanted to order. His eyes trailed down to the menu that sat on the table before him, quickly scanning through some of the items offered on the first page. He chuckled, before looking up at Violet for a second, and then to the waitress. "Actually, I'll have the same thing. A steak sounds pretty great right now." With a nod, and a small interaction with Violet, the waitress was off for the kitchen to put in their order. 

It turned out that Violet had chosen this location for their date for reasons other than their good food. She went into little details about it, but explained that she actually knew the owner, who turned out to be a player she knew in the real world from jobs overseas. Vandrin tried to keep the thought of asking 'what kind of jobs?' out of his head so they could try to avoid talk of assassin work, but the probability of that being the case already sat in his mind. However, looking back up into Violet's eyes, seeing her smile, laugh, and even blush painted an innocent personality for the girl. Vandrin had gotten a taste of this side of her from their last meeting, and he liked it. "Its good to have a familiar face here. I personally don't have anyone I know here. Possibly someone from school at some point.. but I never kept in touch with anyone from early schooling." he shrugged, it didn't bother him that he had no one he knew here. He wanted to start over, start a new life. "But that's alright, I don't mind making all new friends." 

Vandrin scoffed when Violet apologized for talking about herself, I don't mind you talking about yourself, I want to get to know you, I like hearing about your day, he thought to himself. He wanted to say those things, but the words did not come to fruit. "My day was alright, can't say I did anything too productive. Been doing a lot of searching around town for other quests that I could handle at my level without putting myself in too much danger. And what about you?" 

Now sitting still, the air felt a bit colder than when he was walking. Placing his hands into his pockets , Vandrin let out a shaky exhale, a light fog expelling from his parted lips as he did so. He did not need to sit in the cold for long, however, as Violet stepped forward into his view. His dark eyes rose to meet hers, quickly taking in her choice of attire for the night as he did so. It was always nice to see players out of their armor and in a more casual setting, the same went for Violet in this moment. His lips curled into a smile as he rose from the wooden bench to meet her. "I'm not one to turn down an invitation for a night out."  As Violet gestured towards the door, Vandrin nodded and walked towards the closed entrance to the building. Taking the handle in his hand, he pulled it open towards him and stepped to the side, looking back at Violet. "After you" , he said, with his own hand gesture towards the door. 

Violet's choice of eatery, Loraine's Diner, was brightly lit, booths with tables lining one wall, and a counter that lined the entire wall, with a door that lead to the kitchen and shelves with various, unmarked bottles of liquor and other alcohols behind it. In the center of the restaurant, were various other round tables scattered about, many of them occupied by other players and NPCs enjoying their dinners or drinks. The aroma that wafted into the main room from the kitchen doors that constantly swung open had a familiar smell to them. Different, yet simple, foods from various cultures to suit the different players from around the world who would, hopefully, end up in their diner due to the diversity. Vandrin was a bit surprised he had not heard of this place before. 

Towards the opposite corner where they had entered, Vandrin lead the two of them to an unoccupied booth. As he sat and looked across the table at his date, small talk eluded him. He was not a shy man in the slightest, yet here he found himself not able to figure out what to talk about. Luckily for him, an NPC waitress approached their table and welcomed them, asking for their orders. 

"Tomorrow night, 7 PM, Loraine's Diner."

Vandrin didn't remember the last time he had gone out on a date with a girl. After everything that had happened with him, and he shifted his focus to work and school, Vandrin did not take out much time in his life to pursue relationships. Aside from that fact that he didn't expect many women to want to settle down with him if they knew anything about his past (or worse, found out at a later date), the man really had put all of his focus into bettering himself. Especially now, when finding a way to escape this game with his top priority, all while trying to avoid any potentially dangerous situations that could cause form him to lose his life, dating was the last thing on his mind. However, here he was, standing in front of a small vanity mirror within the room he rented atop the Northshire Inn, hoping he looked appropriate. Violet had mentioned to him that it was not a fancy place, and the name Loraine's Diner pretty much confirmed what she said. But that did not mean that he wanted to stroll in there wearing his default player armor, or just the tee shirt that he sometimes wore when within the city's walls. Instead, Vandrin decided to sport a long sleeved navy blue shirt with the sleeves pushed up just below the elbow and a pair of chocolate brown slacks. Satisfied with his look, the man took his leave from the quiet rented room and started off towards their meeting location.

The sun had set, the streets of the Town of Beginnings illuminated by lanterns atop tall poles, alternating every 20 or so feet on either street. The air was a bit brisk, Vandrin deciding to equip a black, waist length jacket atop his blue shirt to block out some of the cold as he walked to the other end of town. He continuously battled himself within his mind about this date that he was about to go on, with a woman who introduced herself with a knife to his throat and an intent to ending his life. Why was he risking his own life to meet with this woman? Aside from being quite physically attractive, he felt the two connected during their initial encounter; both having dealt with a checkered, pained past.  He knew that he would be safe around Violet if their friendship continued to blossom, that the bloodlust would, hopefully, subside.. at least for Vandrin. 

As he arrived at the restaurant, which had some elements of a diner, yet in a fantasy world, he swiped a hand upwards to check his menus. It was a couple minutes short of their decided time of meeting. Vandrin took a quick look up and down the street for the short bob of blonde hair, as well as a scan of Loraine's interior. When he saw that she had not arrived yet, the man found a bench just outside of the front door and sat, waiting for her to arrive. 

@Violet Smith

Violet was pretty quick to let Vandrin know where their meeting would take place, like she had already thought of it before hand. The man smirked, realizing now that her face was quite red, blushing with embarrassment. "Not like I have any fancy clothes yet anyway." he said with a small laugh. As Violet turned to look away, trying to hide her blush. Vandrin caught himself still looking down at her, a soft smile creeping onto his face. He was really starting to like this side of her, now that he was getting to know her a bit more. Once she turned back towards the man, they exchanged smiles. He scoffed at her thanks for him saying yes, "You say that like I'm just saying yes to make you happy." He took a step towards Violet and placed a hand on the top of her head, before letting it drop down to her shoulder, "Don't worry, you're doing a good job. Though putting a knife to my throat.. probably not the best way to start." he ended with a playful wink. "Come on, lets get back into town." Walking alongside Violet, the two continued through the Town of Beginnings gates, back into the safe zone. Vandrin let out a small sigh of relief through his nostrils, for today was a bit more hectic than he had hoped. However, in the end, it turned out much better than he had expected. "Where are you staying? I'll walk you there." 

Vandrin thought on Violet's words a bit as he continued to walk forward, hands shoved into his pockets. He smirked and looked back over his shoulder when Violet said she would get his past life out of him at some point. "Didn't the games instructions tell us not to talk about our real lives?" he said with a playful wink before continuing his walk towards the town's walls. After catching up with Vandrin, what she had said next caught him a bit off guard. His brows rose in shock as he slowed his walk, and turned to look towards Violet. The man smirked, "Did you just ask me out on a date?" he said with a chuckle, "Looks like you have a soft spot after all." He pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms about his chest, all while shifting his weight from one leg to another, without breaking his usual smirk. He looked at Violet for a moment, her surprised face visibly red from what he could only imagine was just an outburst that she did not think of admitting. "Ya' know, sure. I'd like that. Plenty of spots I haven't tried out in town yet. And it'd be nice to get to talk to you without worrying about fighting boars or bears." The smirk became a bit more sincere, "Just let me know the place and time." 

Vandrin let out a small chuckle, "You've been through a lot Violet.. You haven't even told me everything and I can tell. By your scars, by the way you hold yourself.. and the way you broke down. You've never had a chance to talk with someone and let it all out.. have you?" He released her from his arms for a moment, holding her shoulders at arms' length. He lowered his shoulders to look into her eyes, glistening with tears. "You are allowed to vent. To release that pent up frustration. To show emotion. It's human, let alone healthy. It'll mess up a person if you hold it all in. Trust me on that.." When she asked if they could stay in their embrace for a short while longer, Vandrin nodded before gently stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her again. "It's okay if you get soft." he said with a chuckle, "The life you live, its not worth it. It could get you in a lot of trouble.. or worse." 

After another moment, he finally let her go, and looked into her eyes again. " I know I can't tell you what to do. Not everyone is looking for redemption, or an escape, like I did. But.. just keep it in your mind that there's always a possibility for it." Feeling he had said enough, Vandrin turned from Violet and began to continue the walk towards the Town of Beginnings. 

Vandrin chose to ignore Violet's words, 'you'll never be able to forget the past.' His brow furrowed a bit, his face becoming a bit more stern than before, but he just continued to walk forward.. even trying to beat Violet's pace a bit so he could just walk in front of her. However, the woman had other plans. She stopped abruptly and turned right before the man, looking up into his eyes. She was pretty much telling Vandrin what he already knew, but the words still hurt to hear them out loud from somebody else. He found it hard to keep eye contact with Violet, and before he could say anything in response, the blonde had turned away and apologized. She soon continued, after a moment, explaining the reasoning behind her outburst before. He really wasn't alone in terms of living a life worth regretting... though, Violet definitely had one upped him, to say the least. The man let out a heavy sigh through his nostrils before looking up at Violet, who had turned to reveal the scar on her chest that Vandrin had noticed earlier. Her crimson eyes glossed over as tears began to pool at the corners. 

Vandrin stood there and listened to the, quite gruesome story of how she got that scar, and how she lost someone very close to her. Brown eyes shifted away from her.. he began to feel selfish and foolish. Here he thought he had lived a bad life, just because he got mixed up with the wrong people. At least his parents were still alive, and he had two sisters that loved and accepted him after redeeming himself. Violet had gone through hell and was still on that return trip back. He stood there, frozen, not sure what to say.. or how to react. Finally, taking in another deep breath to break his trance, the man walked forward and placed two hands on Violet's shoulders. He looked down into her tired, pained eyes with a look of concern, and care. Pulling her in towards his body, Vandrin wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment. "I'm sorry." he simply said, really not sure what else to say. 

Seemed Violet was just as ready to get back to the Town of Beginnings as Vandrin was. With her taking the lead, the man followed closely behind. The tension between the two had drastically changed since their first encounter a short while ago, changed for the better. Before, he thought he would have to defend himself from the girl, and saw her more as a killer than a person. Now, he could even say they were at the beginning of a friendship. It’ll be good to have someone like Violet on my side, rather than on the other end of her dagger, he thought to himself.

Vandrin looked down at Violet, she was standing her ground and insisting she bought Vandrin's first set of armor for him. He looked into her eyes, hoping to try and break her cool before sighing. A small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth, "Alright fine. You win. Guess I shouldn't turn down a free set of armor so easily." It seemed Violet was in the market for some enhanced gear anyway, so maybe it would work out after all. The man let out a small chuckle when she mentioned needing something to help her accuracy in battle, "After seeing how many times you missed today? Yeah.. probably be for the best." he said with a playful smirk. 

The mocking smirk became a bit softer, and more sincere when she told Vandrin the plan. He would tell her what he wanted, then, once they went on the profession quest together, she would provide him with the armor he ordered. "Sounds like a plan. If that's the case, maybe lets start making our way back towards the town. I think I've had enough of this forest for the day, and I'd feel a lot safer in the city's walls." 

Vandrin watched as Violet ran forward, defensive rage seemingly filling her veins. Her dagger struck true, dealing massive damage as she pierced each side. The muscles of the beast seemed to lock up, letting out a pained growl as its appendages spread out to each side, laying flat on its stomach. Vandrin grinned down at the beast before looking up at Violet, "I knew you had it in you! Great hit!" Without caring to finish off the beast before them, Violet went to checking the damage done to Vandrin, mainly the scratches on his back. Of course, he still felt no pain, but from her reaction, it must have been a pretty gnarly wound. Most of his back felt a bit numb from the tingling he felt. 

As she circled back around to his front, she flicked him in the forehead and scolded him. "Like I said, I wasn't going to sit here and be useless. I was still at full health, so I knew I could take an attack from it. Plus, I knew you had my back. You don't have to buy me armor. I'm sure I can manage. I've saved up a bit of col from random findings.. and after today, I have a nice amount of materials to get a set made as well." Of course, the conversation went back to the elephant in the room.. or, in this case, the bear. "Right." Vandrin said with a nod, before charging up a sword art and finishing the stunned beast off with ease.  As fragments of data spread out from the bear's last location and fell to the floor, Vandrin turned to Violet, opening up his inventory. "We wouldn't have been able to finish that thing off as easily without your attack, so here. You take the rewards.. That, and I got them from the boar we took out. So now we are even." 

ID 129301 | BD 8 | Heft | MD |
2 x 6

[2]Violet: 80/80 HP | 7/8 EN | 2 DMG | 9 MIT | BLEED (1/2) | 1 EVA | 1 RECOVERY 

[1]Vandrin:  48/60 HP | 4/6 EN | 6 DMG 

vs. 

Brown Bear: 0/40 HP | 12 DMG 

+1 T1 Mat (Given to Violet)
+160 Col (Given to Violet)

Vandrin hit the dirt and tumbled catching himself with his elbow. He hadn't taken any damage from the toss, which was good.. but he no longer had his spear. After trying to attack on her own, Violet made her way to act as a shield in front of Vandrin yet again. The man looked at her back for a moment before standing up. He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze, "We're in this together. You may have a bit more experience than me.. but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit here and be dead weight." He looked at the bear for a moment, and then at his spear, which laid in the dirt at the bear's 7 o'clock. "I'm going to go in and get my weapon, then try to land an attack. It'll be focused on me, so do me a favor.." he took a step so he was next to Violet, "Actually land a hit and stick your knife in that thing, will you?" he added with a playful wink and smirk.

Before she could retaliate or respond, Vandrin took off into a sprint, attempting to run straight in front of the bear, hopefully dodge any attacks, and grab his spear. The growling beast's eyes quickly shifted to look at the player who closed the distance. Raising one of its large paws, the bear dragged its claws through Vandrin's back, leaving three, large wire frame gashes on the back of his armor. The brunette used the momentum of being thrown forward to hit the ground with a roll, grabbing his spear as he did so. Once in a kneeling position, he quickly pivoted and shoved the weapon forward, meeting the belly of the beast. Then, raising to a standing position, he dragged the weapon up its body towards the top of its neck. "Now!" he shouted back over to Violet. 

ID 129297 | BD 7 | Heft | MD 6 | 
2 x 6 = 12 DMG 

[0]Violet: 80/80 HP | 7/8 EN | 2 DMG | 9 MIT | BLEED | 1 EVA | 1 RECOVERY 

[1]Vandrin:  48/60 HP | 3/6 EN | 6 DMG 

vs. 

Brown Bear: 28/40 HP | 12 DMG 

Violet seemed to shine in that same light Vandrin had been previously standing in as she stepped from the stream, water dripping from her body as she did so. The slickness of the water, as well as the light from above, really accentuated her lithe body. Vandrin turned his head away after catching himself looking for a moment, bringing a hand up as he 'cleared his throat', when in reality, he was hiding a bit of a blush. It didn't help that, since all of her clothes were wet, she decided to simply equip her leather armor over her also soaked sports bra. Why does she have to be progressively losing clothes? Vandrin thought to himself, following shortly after Violet who trailed deeper into the forest.

It did not take long for the two to spot another monster lurking in the bushes. Was it another boar? or a wolf? No, this time it was a bear.. much larger than the previous monsters they had fought. Vandrin sucked his teeth, he nearly forgot about the bears that spawned here. Last time he was in the forest gathering materials, he had a near encounter with one of these beasts. Now that he was a little bit stronger, and had Violet with him, they should have no problem taking this hulking animal down.

Violet moved in first, deciding to use the moment to dodge out of the way, rather than try and take on the bear immediately. Vandrin's eyes watched Violet as she nimbly jumped onto the bears back and launched herself forward. It really didn't help that she was performing these gymnastic feats while in almost nothing but a leather breastplate and some shorts. The image was distracting enough for him, that he did not realize the bear charging right for him. His eyes finally snapped back into focus when the bear released a vicious roar. "Sh*t!" Vandrin cursed, grabbing his spear with both hands and shoving it forward, while dropping to a knee to break some of the impact of the bear's weight. The beast's teeth clamped down around the spear as it was shoved towards the back of its jaw, wrestling a bit with Vandrin before tossing him to the side... and his pole arm the other way.

ID 129293 | BD 1 | MD 5 | Heft vs. Brown Bear
2 x 6 

Violet: Violet: 80/80 HP | 8 - 2 +2 = 8/8 EN | 2 DMG | 9 MIT | BLEED | 1 EVA | 1 RECOVERY 

Vandrin:  60/60 HP | 4/6 EN | 6 DMG

vs. 

Brown Bear: 40/40 HP | 12 DMG 

"I haven't had a good afternoon sim like this in quite a while. Can we just wait and enjoy it for a little longer?" 

Vandrin looked at Violet, who let most of her body sink under the water, save for her head. The ends of her blonde hair just gently breaking the surface of the water. She really seemed at peace here, and who was he to deny her that. The features of his face softened, and the corner of his lips curled into a smile, before nodding at the girl, "Of course." he said softly, as if not to disturb the tranquility of the pond. Violet allowed her body to fall under the water's surface where she remained for a short while. Vandrin sat, looking at the deeply distorted figure of Violet for a moment, before laying down on the grass behind him. With hands placed behind his head, Vandrin looked up at the blue sky past the tops of the trees above them. 

After a short moment of silence, Vandrin lifted himself out of the water and took a few steps away from the pond. He stood in the sunlight for a moment, letting the artificial sun's rays dry off his toned, yet scarred, body. Once he heard Violet return to the surface, he turned to face her, offering yet another nod, "Alright." Bringing a hand upwards, Vandrin then set his armor and weapon back on his person. After stretching his arms to get used to the feeling of his armor on his body yet again, he looked over to Violet, "Ready when you are."

During his short moment of victory, Vandrin forgot who he was dealing with; a trained killer. The woman used a nearby rock as a springboard, quickly making her way up the somewhat slippery surface and launching herself towards the brunette. Even though he was twice the girl's size, the force of her entire weight against his caused him to stagger and fall backwards into the water with a splash. Once he felt the pressure of Violet was off of him, Vandrin found his footing and stood back up, his upper body and head dripping wet. Running his hands through his hair, he slicked his bangs back to keep them out of his eyes, forming somewhat of a pompadour of white and brown hairs. "Wasn't expecting that one." Vandrin said with a couple of chuckles. 

The man smiled at Violet for a moment before making his way back towards the grassy shore of the pond. He lifted himself up to sit on the side, letting his legs remain in the water. "So, whats the plan? Want to hang around here for a bit? Or are you feeling a need to go hunt down some more monsters?"

Violet's answer to his inquiry held much less weight to it than her response to her namesake, though he should have expected much that she stole the gear. Vandrin could have sworn that there was some rule he heard that barred criminals from entering SAO.. maybe Violet was just so good at her job that she avoided her name being on any lists. By her change in demeanor again, she seemed to feel just the same as everyone else about being stuck here. Vandrin, personally, was still not sure how he felt about being placed in this new world, he still had yet to make that decision on his own. "That's a fair point.." Vandrin said, in response to the danger they were experiencing here differing from the one she seemed to always experience back in the real world. Eyes drifting, he seemingly stared at nothing, just a fixated point in the water his mind decided to focus on. He nodded unconsciously along with Violet's rule of not trusting anyone, he supposed in a world like this, where monsters were plenty, and players could get more access to weapons and skills to be able to easily end someone's life, not passing out trust so easily was a good thing.

Brown eyes rose to look at Violet when she admitted she was starting to feel a bit of trust for Vandrin. That definitely was an unexpected turn of events. "Really now?" Vandrin said with a small smirk. He had to admit, despite their tense meeting a short while ago, Violet was starting to grow on him a bit as well. Take away the blood lust and the urge to kill, and Vandrin could really see a friendship forming out of this. Even though Vandrin once knew the life of crime a bit too well, he had put it all behind him. He hoped, one day, Violet would do the same. All while he thought, the man slowly waded in the water towards Violet's silent, floating body as she stared up at the sky, lowering himself into the water like an alligator stalking its prey. "You really shouldn't trust me, you know.." the man said, with a bit of a mischievous grin.

With hands hidden under the surface of the water, Vandrin placed a palm of his hand on Violet's upper back, and another just above the back of her knee. Then, standing up to almost full height, the man lifted Violet out of the water, small streams of water running off of each of their bodies as he did so. Then, without warning, he tossed the woman so she would fall back into the water, stomach first. As Violet splashed into the water, Vandrin stood there laughing, "Thats payback for earlier."

From what it seemed, Vandrin's question about Violet's middle name struck a sour chord with the woman. Her cheery expression grew a bit more serious as her body floated in the water. She went on to tell him of how she came about the name, which seemed to act more of a designation at the orphanage where she grew up, rather than one bestowed upon her at birth. Vandrin simply stood there in the water, allowing himself to sink up to just below his chest as he listened to her go on. Seemed she really was put through hell to get to where she was today, but for what cost, he wondered. She was still a young woman, with so much life ahead of her. Why did she want this life? or rather, who would force her to become this weapon bred in the art of killing. This Alpha Gang was definitely no 'gang'... it seemed like a much more intricate organization. 

Vandrin let out a heavy sigh, asking him if he wanted her to go on with her life story was a nice break in the heavy tension. "No.. It's fine." he responded, a bit speechless at the whole ordeal. He had so many other questions he wanted to ask her.. but decided to keep them to himself, for now. As hard as the woman seemed, he was sure having her go through all of the horrors and tortures she had been through would be pretty tough. Not to mention, the weight it placed on his own shoulders knowing more information than he should know. Instead, he decided to go with a bit more of a lighter question. "So, with all of that going on ... what made you get into Sword Art Online? Sounds like that line of work would not give you many opportunities to play around in video games.." 

As Vandrin reached down to scoop up another handful of water, he was met with a much larger splash. The man looked up to see Violet, now adorned in even less clothing than before, had jumped into the stream in front of him. He wasn’t sure how to react first, at the splash, the sudden decision to get half undressed, or the now very apparent healed over wounds scattered across her body. Vandrin avoided looking for too long, to avoid her calling him out for staring. Violet’s glistening body really told a story of the hell she had been through, yet it somehow complimented her lithe, yet athletic form.