Shay

Shay was quiet while he spoke, not only soaking in the heat of the springs, but also the the words that he spoke. Her head laid against the stone behind her head and stared far into the sky. With a sigh, she shrugged and shifted a little in her position to get more comfortable. "I don't know the first thing about being in a relationship to be honest." The girl admitted as openly as she could. "I didn't think I could ever like someone like that, but I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to be feeling about it. I'm not mad, nor do I really want to deny it, but I can't say that I don't enjoy being around you. The game is definitely more pleasant when I'm hanging out with you."

Shay had yet to see or hear the difference that was taking place on Chase, still staring up into the sky. 

The rogue stepped carefully into the water just near the porch of her home. Once she had gotten used to the heat, she allowed the feeling of the hot springs to let her slip into the water. Her back rested against the stone at the edge of the water. She let out a soothing groan as the muscles tensed in her form seemed to release.

"Man, this is the first time I've used the water here in awhile." She admits, resting her head back against the ground and closing her eyes, waiting for Chase to come out as well. It was about now that she remembered the conversation that they had just before beginning the fight with the Byakko. There was a quiet silence between the two of them for a few minutes. She wondered if he would start the conversation, but after some time, she decided to say something. "So... Boyfriend and girlfriend, hunh?" Smooth.

After dealing with the burning forest left in the wake of the White Tiger, Chase and Shay made their way back to her shop. She was glad that all of that shit was over and decided that maybe they weren't ready to jump back into the fray just yet. Maybe another day or two of relaxation, and then they could get back into it. She would need to get ahold of more accuracy buffs if she wanted to succeed in Aincrad. Missing her attacks as many times as she did was unacceptable as a damage player.

"I'm going to relax in the hot springs. If you wanna join me, feel free. There are towels in the closet there." She says walking over to the closet and taking towel for herself. She would take a moment in another room and wrap a towel around her body, then make her way into the hot springs just outside her house.

Name: Esoteric
Your Profession: Performer
Your Rank: 3
ID: 163791
Roll: 12 LD: 16
Item Type: Debuff Song | Materpiece!
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Familiar Song
Description: A short piano song played by Shay herself. When played, the triumphant tune lures potential allies.
Post Link: [Here]

Walking into the shop, she was tired of having to go to so many other stores just to get her work done. In any case, she would be needing special items for finding a familiar. One of such things was a spyglass. It was supposed to make the chances of finding such familiars increase by using it or something. She didn't know the whole nitty gritty, but whatever.

Walking up to the counter, she threw down the col in the exact amount and looked to the shop keep quietly. "I need a spy glass please." She said, folding her arms across her chest.

Shay walked into the shop and pinched her nose instinctively. She hadn't expected the smell to be so strong, but the alchemist apparently sold mainly perfumes. She walked in and took a look around, seeing if she had what she was looking for, but ultimately the shop seemed rather new. There wasn't much to really browse just yet. Thankfully, there was one of what she was looking for. A perfume that could attract a familiar. Taking up the item, she walks over to the counter and places the col amount there for the shop keep. "That's all I need, thanks."

Day 16

EXP Total: 294+37=331
Result: +37XP (19, +6+12), -5 Tier 1 Materials, Rare Support Song (1), Perfect Support Song (1)

Shay followed up behind her claymore wielding ally, trying to make a a rebuking strike, but the Byakko was way too fast. It was actually surprising in all honesty that a mob this big could out pace her, but she needed to get a little more accurate with her fighting style. She was still practicing using the stronger sword arts. Using San Ge was hardly comparable to other sword arts offered by Katana. It took precious skill to perform it flawlessly.

As she missed, another flaming branch exploded fire right in her face as it connected with the ground. Shay covered her face from the ashes and waved it off, backing away from the heat. A quiet curse in her native language was enough to tell anyone that she was starting to get a little bit annoyed with the current situation. "Sorry, I'm doing bad here. Finish it off! You've got this!"

Shay | HP: 440/440 | EN: 42/44 | DMG: 9 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 1 | BLD: 12 | REC: 2
ChaseR | HP: 470/520 | EN: 44/52 | DMG: 12 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 5 | PAR: 1 (9-10) | BH: 5

Byakko | 36/150 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 40 | Full Phase: 9-10

Shay was continuing to have problems with this battle. The fire around them was only getting worse as they continued. The heat coming from the giant flaming tiger was too much for the gentle forest to bear. Fiery branches crashed around her, and while she felt somewhat worried about the situation, she calmed her breathing and weaved through the fire. She met back up with Chase to make sure he didn't start freaking out.

"I'm alright! Don't worry! We'll be okay, just keep breathing and focus on the fight and we'll make it out of here. I'm sorry that this was a lot worse than I expected!" She told him as the Byakko charged in after them. It swiped at the both of them, Shay able to move out of the way before getting hit. Chase would likely be able to parry or move out of the way. Gripping her katana in her main hand she readies another sword art, but yet still misses. She would really need to invest in buying some Accuracy foods.

Shay | HP: 440/440 | EN: 44/44 | DMG: 9 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 1 | BLD: 12 | REC: 2
ChaseR | HP: 465/520 | EN: 52/52 (-2, +2) | DMG: 12 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 5 | PAR: 1 (9-10) | BH: 5

Byakko | 150/150 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 40 | Full Phase: 9-10

Shay sped through the battlefield, staying on the move just in case the tiger got the idea to focus her. Luckily it didn't, but she was never one to be caught off guard.  Katana in hand, the girl circled the battlefield, trying to find the perfect moment to strike. The heat of the fire that the Byakko was letting off burned the forest alive just by standing near the trees. Once it landed after attacking Chase, she jumped in to take advantage of it's weakness. Just as she did, a flaming branch landed in front of her. She skid to a halt, trying not to get caught in the flames.

"Holy shit!" She screamed, as it nearly fell on her. She backed up a few feet from the impact and focused back on the battle at hand. She hadn't expected them to miss this many times. It was supposed to be a non-stressful quest that would be done in seconds.

Shay | HP: 440/440 | EN: 44/44 | DMG: 9 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 1 | BLD: 12 | REC: 2
ChaseR | HP: 460/520 | EN: 52/52 (-2, +2) | DMG: 12 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 5 | PAR: 1 (9-10) | BH: 5

Byakko | 150/150 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 40 | Full Phase: 9-10

Shay followed the bluehead to the same floor, taking note of the quest details one more time before they continued through the forest. Her mind was still fixated on the idea of actually having a boyfriend. It was honestly something that she never fathomed before now. But when he asked about it, everything seemed right to say yes. She couldn’t really bring herself to tell him no.

“The quest we’re doing is really easy. I didn’t want to throw you into anything difficult after a break. Both of use could probably one shot this boss if we tried. Though it won’t last against both of us. Ill start us off then you can follow up and finish it off if it doesn’t die. Then we can go back to my place and talk more about this... situation.” The burning forest started to come into view, along with the reveal of their mark. Shay removed her blade from its saya and smirked at Chase. "I'm going in, cover me."

Charging into the fight, she wasn't expecting the Byakko to be as fast as it was. Her blade came just short of connecting with the beast. "Shit.."

Shay | HP: 440/440 | EN: 44/44 -(2)+2 | DMG: 9 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 1 | BLD: 12 | REC: 2
ChaseR |

Byakko | 150/150 | DMG: 60 | MIT: 40 | Full Phase: 9-10

The girl was quiet as the boy stammered over his own words. It was clear that reaction she had given to him wasn't the expected one. Maybe he had expected her to punch him again. Nah, she was past all that annoyed shit. She had terrorized him enough with her attitude. He continued to just fall over everything he was saying, clear that he was embarrassed and down right confused. How was she supposed to react to this? He was the one that had kind of confessed to her. If anything, she was the one who should be feeling completely awkward here.

After a moment of pondering, the girl slowly walked up him and gave him a short embrace. She wasn't sure why that had come to mind, but her arms seemed to move on their own. "Don't worry about it. Let's get this quest done and we can talk about it at my place. Maybe relax in the hot springs." She says, letting go of the man and stepping up to the teleportation plaza. She beckoned him along.

Shay stopped in her tracks. She was about to answer his question on the whole quest subject before he went and blurted out something like that. Did he read her mind or something, what the fuck. She stood there silently looking at the ground contemplating on just how she should answer that question. It was honestly something that she couldn't even fathom, and she was too afraid to say anything to him in the fear that she might hurt his feelings way too much. Not necessarily because she was going to say no, which she wasn't, but because she just didn't know how to say things without sounding like a total asshole.

At any rate, she felt completely awkward just standing at the teleportation terminal, thinking while he was waiting on her answer. She sighed and turned to meet his eyes. "I don't deny that you are one of the few people I can tolerate, but it's come to a point that I can say that toleration is a bad word to describe my relation ship with you. As far as I had seen it up until now, we were just friends... however, I think I feel signs that it could go further at this point. To answer your question more concisely: I'm not sure, though, I'm leaning on yes."

"It was slightly stale bread. Just a welcoming gift." The girl said starting to lead the way to the teleporter of the floor. The two of them would be heading to the highest combat floor that she had been on since she had started grinding. They had gone up to floor 22 for the event, but they didn't see any combat up there. Based on the information that she obtained from the information broker that she normally went to, the quest was rather easy for two players of their level. Either of them could easily just one shot this boss by themselves. She figured that it would be the easiest way to nudge them back into the grinding ring.

Although she wanted to get her mind off it, the though of Chase trying to get closer to her was still on her mind. The idea seemed so foreign to her, as she had never felt feelings for anyone before, but was that just because she didn't have very many friends her age? That being said, she wasn't sure if she exactly felt that way about him, at least not yet.

Shay was ahead of the group while they discussed their own things. While they had probably wished that she was a talkative soul, she would only say something that offended someone by accident. These sort of social situations ruined first impressions for her. In fact, she wasn't really sure how she hadn't scared off Chase when they first met. He seemed like a fairly easily timid boy, like her callous words would be his kryptonite.

Either way, she was still here to collect some stars for the event. She figured that if she left here with at least a total of 100, or close to, then that would be enough to show for. There wasn't much in the sand around them, so she would have to get a little creative. Seeing one of the blonde get her hand nabbed by a fish was enough inspiration for her. She walked into the lake a few feet, folding her kimono into her obi to make sure the silk didn't get wet and reached into the lake pulling out a big clump of stars.

Stars: 41+14=55

"Don't worry about that." Shay stopped him there. They didn't need to dwell on that at all. She opened up her menu and offer the little creature some bread pieces that she had, It was just vanity food that she carried for rations, she could always get more later. She knelt down and gave it to the creature before standing back up and heading over to her front door.

She did gloss over the fact that he was offering to buy them a house to live together in. It really did make it sound like he was trying to get on her good side now. She hid her face a little embarrassed that he would think of her so deeply when he is trying to get stronger and collect nice things. Not that buying her things would really win her heart over. She was born into a wealthy family. It was hard to flatter someone with money when they were already rich to begin with.

"Shall we get this quest over with then? I'm sure we'll finish it off in seconds so we might as well just go and get it finished."

Shay started writing her own ahead of Chase. They were normally things that people wanted to accomplish, and it seemed that there was a prompt that guided the questions. She slid the paper over to him so he could see the questions as well. "Just write some short responses to these wishes. Usually they should be something that you can feasibly accomplish. You'll hang them up on one of the bamboo trees and when the wish comes true later down the line, you come back to the tree and take your wish down. I think it's one of my favorite things that I did as a kid for this holiday." Shay mentions whilst scribbling down her own wishes on the tanzaku. She wouldn't allow him to see the things that she wished for.

The questions themselves did require some time to think on. It wasn't something you would normally think about.

What would you wish for the rest of your stay in Aincrad?

What would you wish for the better of people around you?

What would you wish for someone you care about?

What would you wish for someone you would like to know better?

What would you wish for yourself?

The moment a creature walked into her home, she hit some off tone keys and jumped to her feet, getting ready to pull her sword on it before Chase explained that it was his familiar. A pangolin. She had never seen anything like this before. It looked a like an armadillo wearing armor. The tensity in her muscles loosened afterwards she calmed down. "Sorry, force of habit." She apologized, though this was a mental note that she needed to work on getting her own familiar.

After seeing all of his hard, Shay could see why he was so worn out now. He had been doing a lot without her, which was fine. She didn't mind him being a higher level than her, that being said, she would need to catch up with him a little before she fell behind. "That's great," She smiled. "Really does look like you've been working hard."

Shay was ready to head out on the quest, but Chase was already insisting on having her wait a little longer. Apparently he had something that he wanted to show her. She didn't want to be mean to him anymore, so she simply sighed and nodded. "Alright. Show me what it is. I'll be waiting right here." Then he expressed that he had even more surprises for her. What, did she become his girlfriend or something? Why was he so keen on giving her so many presents at once?

"Well, okay. I want to get this quest done today though. We can't just break forever, so we gotta finish a quest or two a week, alright?" She said, crossing her arms and trying to keep her tone less callous than usual. While she waited for him to return to the room, she took a seat at her piano and started to play a few notes freestyle.

Finally the two had time to relax on their break. The event on the twenty-second floor was just what the two of them needed, so she hoped that Chase was feeling better now that he wasn't so pressured. She would go much easier on him now.

"So, we're back to the grind then. I'm glad we got the time to take a break and calm down. I think we both needed the rest." She mentioned to the boy, getting her gear ready to leave her house. They had moved a mattress into her shop and placed it on the wooden floor. It wasn't the nicest place to sleep, but hopefully he enjoyed it more than a noisy inn. "How's sleeping here been for you, by the way? I'm sure it's a lot better than the inn. It's probably pretty warm thanks to the hot springs. Is the mattress good enough?"

Shay reached down and picked up another cluster of stars. The group was talking about real name stuff and she wanted nothing to do with it. With the weight that her name carried, anyone could know who she is. Well, they could know her if they were Japanese. The other three didn't seem like they were of Japanese ethnicity based on their names, but she didn't want to share it anyway.

She silently walked down the lake shore a little further ahead of the group and kept an eye out for any more of the stars they needed. She already had a decent amount of them and she was thankful that it wasn't as difficult to find them as it was to find materials regularly.

Her mind was off in another world right now. She didn't really know what she wanted out of this world, nor did she really care if she got nothing out of it. If she died right now. She would be content in life.

Stars: 31+10=41

Shay folded her arms. She had a hard time dealing with people that wanted to annoy her purposefully, so once she had realized that was all this woman was doing with her, she was not going to give her the satisfaction. Her initial reaction to the girl was natural of the anyone. You would want to protect yourself from what seemed like an attacker, though she seemed as though every reaction she had was outrageous.

"I just don't care. As long as I got the experience for the quest, that's all that matters. Why? Is this a normal Tuesday for you? I figured someone so high leveled would have a lot more to do than screw around with a level 14 player who was just trying to finish up the beginner quests." Shay said, taking a good look at the player. She had a pretty appealing style for her taste at least.

Shay kicked up the vial of poison that was rolled to her. She wouldn't need it once the quest was finished so she could take it back. In the small time that the player unstealthed, Shay got the chance to see that they were at least a green cursor. That made her less on edge.

The girl then disappeared back into the brush like some kind of edgy phantom. Real classy. "You can have it back when I'm done with it. I don't give a shit about these types of consumables. Follow me there and take it back for all I care." Shay said, returning her katana to its home in her inventory. Heading back to the town where she had accepted the quest, she talked with the quest giver and got credit for completing the quest. Assuming her assailant was still stealth around her, she would hold up the vial and let it be taken from her. "Here, it's yours, take it."

Seeing Chase finally relax was good on her. She hadn't realized just how traumatic it had been for him when started leveling up. She felt so bad for pushing him hard as she had to get stronger, hopefully he would be able to forgive her for that. 

They started to talk about the pressures of being trapped in the game. And yes, while they're situation was unfortunate, Shay couldn't help but speak up on this topic. It was something that needed to be said.

"I want to be a voice of sensibility. You only have one life in this game: That is true. You also only have one life in the real world: How you chose to use your life is entirely up to you people. This game is hard to compare to the real world, but they share common forms. Take that with a grain of salt." Shay said, scooping up a few more stars at her feet.

Stars: 29+2=31

The prompt showed up for a friend request. Shay mulled over it a moment before playing her hand on the blue button for 'Accept'. A ding and the two of them were now registered to their friends list. She wouldn't send one to to Haine, out of sheer unneed to do so. She was sure that if she wanted to get ahold of the girl, she could simply message Kiluia, or send her an invitation as well. If she did, she would accept the prompt as well.

Haine asked a question about her hair, but she wasn't really sure how to answer such a question. She did what any other girl would do to keep her hair as clean and soft as it is. "Uh, I shower and take care of it? Its just genetics I guess. Anyways, I have someone waiting on me, so you guys have a good day. If you need anything from me, don't be afraid to shoot me a message. I'll answer as soon as I can." And with that, Shay headed to the teleportation plaza and made her way back to the fourth floor.