Elora

"I'm not just gonna harpoon it!", she yelled as she scrambled to think of any other tactic that could work. Dragon...fire....water...WATER! Without hesitation, Elora dashed over to the river and wobbled as she hunched forward in a clumsily attempt to remove one of her boots. Yanking off the leather object, she immediately dunked it beneath the current until it flooded with water. It scraped the bottom of the riverbed, causing a handful of shells and pebbles to follow suit. With two hands cupping the sole of the shoe, she half ran half swam through the water until she was once again bolting across the beach. Stopping only a handful of feet away from the fleeing dragon, she heaved the containment of water underneath and into it.

The wyvern's scales seared and crackled loudly as clouds of steam billowed off from them. It coiled and opened its maw to unleash a screech; only a dull hacking sound was emitted. Frantically flapping its wings, the lizard dove toward the ground and landed rather roughly. "Oh no! Did I kill it?! I can't kill it!" After a few more convulsions traveled through its throat, it finally pried open its mouth, causing the rocks to come rolling out.

"Wait...does that mean the water didn't do anything...?" Elora must have looked ridiculous, standing there half-shoed with her clothing wet up to her chest. 

"U-uh, if you feel like it, that is", she added cautiously. The invitation had likely been too overbearing, and now, Elora was left to bask in its residual awkwardness. Maybe it would be best to preoccupy herself with some sort of distraction. After all, it's not like she could just get up and walk away after commanding the stranger's attention. I'm not gonna look like a p*ssy, she sternly decided. Whipping out her remaining pair of papers, she began to furiously write.

By the time she had stowed away her papers, Elora noticed that there had been a change in her posture. While she had previously hunched forward to evade scrutiny, she now appeared to hold herself with broad shoulders, almost like she felt prouder than she was before. The wooden bench grated against the stone beneath her as she stood to be on her way. She turned to address the white-haired man as if out of gratitude and respect for his presence had instilled in her. 

"My offer still stands if you want to take it. Otherwise, I'm not gonna wait all night to play some festival games" With a brief grin, she turned to search for an entertainment venue. 

@Kiluia Seiko

Elora pressed her tongue to the inside of her cheek in a failed attempt to stifle the smirk which followed his innuendo.  She didn't want to humor how effortless it was for him make the implication.

"The dragon's not stupid! He's done a really good job with finding rocks -- or doing whatever it is that he's trying to do!", she insisted upon feeling an instinct to defend its intelligence, "I mean, it might not look the brightest unless its on fire, but I'm sure that it has it's reasons for being a little...oblivious!" Maybe it wouldn't make the perfect familiar for her, but that was no reason for him to put it down. Elora was sure that the creature had many redeeming qualities that could be revealed, if only it gave her the chance to see them. After all, that was what Freyd had insisted about her, that she wasn't incapable, just inexperienced. A blush crept across her face as she realized the double entendre that had emerged in her own train of thinking. She face-palmed and wallowed in her disappointment for a moment before rising to her feet and fetching another handful of treats.

The nearby squabble broke out into an even louder commotion as the winged lizard screeched and skittered across the ground like it was about to take of with the pebbles in its mouth. "Nonono! Freyd -- stop it!", called out Elora as she rushed to hold down the beast. It was already too late. By the time she had even taken two steps forward, the monster had already lurched into the air, swerving sloppily in the winds as it tried to compensate for the extra resistance.

Katoka, huh?, thought Elora as she had regarded the invitation to accompany her fellow guild-member on a quest, Sounds like a toy company...wait...no, was that...Tonka? She squinted her eyes to investigate the name further, Or maybe it's pronounced Cat-uh-kah? You'd think that if this game ever wanted to launch internationally that they'd have some sort of translation or text-to-voice feature. Well, whatever, I'm sure he's a cool guy. She accepted and closed the menu, promptly setting off to slay dragons, or something.

Naturally, Elora took her time traveling to the meeting site, arriving there roughly ten minutes after she was expected to. She noticed Freyd sitting with another wo -- Wait. Is that Katoka? Elora had no idea that the other guild-mate she was going to meet was actually a female player. It was fine, it just took her out of her element. The truth was, she wasn't used to interacting with people of the same sex. High school had made it difficult for her to trust girls. They always seemed to care about maintaining appearances and impressing boys, and she could recall several times where she was harassed for looking slobby or trying too hard to get attention from male companions. 

Maybe this time it would be different. This time she had Freyd to advocate for her, and admittedly, a more attractive facade to hide behind. Yeah, it's best to act normal.

"Hi guys! Er -- guy AND girl!", she found herself chucking nervously at the messy impression she was making. "Thanks for inviting me to join you", she said looking toward, but not directly at Katoka, "And nice to see you again", she added with a nod to Freyd. 

Elora wasn't sure whether or not Freyd had said 'stream' guardian or 'steam' guardian, leaving her to guess which creature he was referring to. She sat up and planted her hands in the gap between her criss-crossed legs in an especially pouty posture. "I don't know, but I think I'm just going to watch them for a bit. Maybe I can come up with a solution to catch it in the time being" Her fervent gaze confirmed that she continued to hold interest in taming the beast. She wasn't ready to give up yet. 

As she watched the conglomerate of rocks advance toward its opponent, she noticed something peculiar. A nearby stone, possibly one that the creature had hurled toward the dragon, quickly swiveled and was sucked into the golem's trajectory. Wha -- Does it just control the earth or something? Elora hoped that Freyd had witnessed the anomaly so that she didn't sound crazy trying to explain it to him. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that he had been distracted with fishing in the stream. He's not going to catch anything doing it like that, she thought with furrowed brows. Just then, the player tossed a similar stone between the creatures. Is that supposed to be some sort of test?

The rock golem paused for a moment to regard the object, almost as if it was trying to sense some sort of connection between them. The wyvern, on the other hand, lunged toward the stone like it was ecstatic to collect it. In response, the golem undertook its previous standing-shape and scuttled over to defend the item. It swung furiously with its tiny pebblit arms, actually managing to land a couple of blows on the dragon's muzzle. 

"Seems like they don't like each other very much", commented Elora unhelpfully. 

A few moments later, the lizard bit down on one of the golem's implied 'joints'. It quickly rattled and fell apart, the scattering of its stones rendering it disoriented and unable to continue fighting. Elora felt her chest constrict at witnessing the brawl. It was almost like she felt sorry for the thing. It's just a rock. It's not like it can feel anything. Further processing this logic made it seem flawed to her. After all, nothing crafted by this reality could really think or feel, and if that was the case, was the golem really that much different from the dragon?

"Great idea!", praised Elora. It seemed that the advice met the expectation of what she wanted to hear. Catching the spear in the air, Elora quickly spun and rushed back toward the dragon, "Accept my generosity!!!", she shouted as if it was a battlecry. The dragon flicked its tongue and stretched out its wings as an intimidation tactic. It leaped into the air, forcing Elora to reassess her approach. As it unleashed a concentrated flamethrower, she let her feet give way beneath her, allowing her to pass beneath the pyre and emerge behind the beast. Frantically, she threw more food toward it, hoping that by some slime chance, a little would fall into its maws as it turned to face her. 

Suddenly, a gleam of sunlight caught a projectile soaring through the air beside them. Elora blinked and watched as the pellet struck directly between the eyes of the dragon. It wailed in pain and plummeted toward the ground. Now's my chance!, thought Elora before taking off in a sprint.

Accept -- where was her traction? The ground felt like it was made of...marbles...

This time her feet flew forward and out from under her. Elora slammed onto her back, the force of the impact knocking the wind out of her lungs. She laid there gasping in a daze until, blessedly, she was finally able to catch her breath and see what the hell had just happened. After groggily shifting onto her side and propping up her body with an elbow, Elora noticed a formation of rocks rolling toward her future familiar. No way --

The completely smooth stones looked like pool balls that had just been set up to be split with a weapon like her own. Even though it had reassembled into a new shape, the monster was undeniably the same one that she'd seen before That f*cking rock golem is back. 

Elora was starting to grow impatient at the dragon paying no mind to her. She thought for certain that discovering the creature and chasing it down would be more difficult than simply taming it. Don't be ridiculous, everyone around my level has a familiar already, so it can't be that hard to befriend one. Although, if the treats she was carrying weren't convincing to the wyvern, then she didn't know what else would be. I guess it's worth a shot to be more assertive. 

"Here, eat this!", she offered a little too enthusiastically. With a flick of her wrist, the delectable morsel hurled toward the beast, colliding with its snout. 

It immediately screeched at Elora and spat fireballs in her direction. "EEEK!", she shrieked in alarm and retreated back to the base of the banks. "This isn't working! What am I doing wrong?", she called up to Freyd with a frustrated voice. Surely he would be able to give her some advice. That, or he would resort to his tactic of encouraging her to figure out the answer herself. She hoped that this time it wouldn't be the latter. 

After a great deal of searching Elora FINALLY relocated the dragon. This time it was digging holes beside a river, almost like it was searching for crayfish to eat or more rocks to swallow, thought Elora wearily. As she was about to descend the banks, Elora decided that it might be best to leave her spear behind. There was a fair chance that holding a weapon could scare off the monster, and she didn't want to risk having to sprint after it again. After a premliminary tap against the ground to test its softness, she planted her spear into the soil and rotated it until it was deep enough not to fall over. 

Alright, here goes nothing. She slid down the rather steep gravel slope and started to cautiously approach the dragon. "Hey there...buddy? Wanna be my pet?" Trying to coerce something non-sentient felt nothing short of ridiculous to her. Still, she figured it was worth a try. "I think I've got some snacks in my bag to feed you and you seem like you're pretty hungry." 

The lizard did nothing but ignore her.

Just as Elora stepped toward the beast, her focus was broken by a discordant series of sounds that resembled marbles clattering against one another. She scanned the horizon before her eyes wandered down the trail and caught sight of something strange. It looked like some sort of tiny rock golem was hastily hobbling toward them. "Uh...", was all that Elora could say as the creature encroached on her. It came to an abrupt halt at her feet before seemingly directing its attention up to her. "Freyd, what is this thing?", asked Elora curiously as she crouched down to study it. As she moved her hand toward its body, the monster suddenly broke off into a pile of individual stones.

"ting...tung...TUNGTUNGTUNGTUNG", they rang out as each one flew toward and adheared to the metal gauntlet covering her right forearm. 

"AHHH!", she stood up and yelled, "GET OFF! GET OFF!" Elora slid her hand down the plate, successfully scraping the stones off of its surface. They fell heavy to the ground before rolling back to reconnect with one another and reform the shape of the golem. It flexed menacingly and shuffled toward her, now determined to start a fight. "Nonono! -- Leave me alone!" She warned as she back-peddled away from it. "Shit, the dragon--!" In a panic, Elora had remembered that she was supposed to be dealing with capturing a familiar.

It had already taken off in response to Elora's outcry. 

"Dammit! We've gotta go find it!" With that, the female player ran off into the forest and disappeared among its trees. 

Scaling the plateaus of Floor 7 proved to be difficult work, and once they had reached a certain elevation, Elora decided it would best for her and Freyd to walk the length of a steppe rather than continuing their climb upwards. The mountainous region contained a large variety of unique geological formations, including cascading slopes that were occasionally disrupted a cold stream or a coniferous forest. From her perspective, the landscape looked like a sea rippling with waves, seemingly stretching into an infinite horizon. 

The duo's discussions had grown quiet as they now meandered down a well-worn path which wound its way through the woodlands. As a defensive measure, Elora had taken to carrying her spear as she left safe-zones, ensuring that its sharp end pointed downward as an added safety precaution. After all, Freyd had warned her that it was important to be prepared for fighting anything that she could encounter in the wilds. Searching for a familiar was likely no exception.

Once she had gotten her fill of gawking at the change in scenery, Elora turned her attention to the ground to begin her favorite absent-minded activity. She spotted an especially kickable rock up ahead, one which tempted her with it's onyx-colored and perfectly-rounded surface. Upon arriving at the stone, she delivered a swift kick that caused it to clatter across the trail. Surprisingly, it rolled only about a foot ahead before stopping abruptly, almost like it weighed a lot heavier than it looked. 

"CREEE", a high-pitched, but not terribly threatening screech rang out nearby.

Elora spun in place, causing her spear to drag across the ground. She quickly raised the weapon before spotting the source of the sound. Not far from them, a small red dragon skittered across a formation of boulders like it was searching for something among them.

"Freyd, look!", Elora nudged him and announced with a hushed tone, "That could become my familiar, right?" The lizard didn't seem to mind their presence, and instead, had started to scoop up a series of small stones in its jaws. "Oh my god, if I had a dragon that would be so cool! That's like the best fantasy creature you can find, and I bet it's really powerful!" 

"I actually haven't really settled on anything yet", she admitted with an awkward chuckle, "I don't feel like I've been to enough places at this point to know about even half of the creatures that exist here." Taking a moment to probe her memories, she was able to recall at least a few of them, "I've seen boars, a wolf, a penguin, maybe a bird or two, and obviously, Persi. Actually, maybe I could capture something like her. She wasn't too difficult to tame, was she?"

Realizing how noncommittal her proposal had been, she decided to open an info menu and offer up some ideas. "I was thinking that maybe we could go to Floor 7 or Floor 8. Floor 7 is mainly rocks and mountains", she said as she gestured to pictures of the habitat, "But since there aren't many settlements there, I think that we might come across more creatures in the wild. Floor 8 seems like its full of diverse forests, so we'd probably also find lots of different things living there" 

"Hmmm...", was all she could contribute as he theorized about the mechanics of it all unfolding. After he had made a significant pause, she added, "It's a bit ironic...."

"I mean -- if lifeless things are somehow born and reborn and get to create and relive their experiences and learn more from them. And the living people here --", she smirked, "We just get to die in a new way, I guess." By this point she had lowered her head and was beginning to fiddle with the spyglass still held in her hands. "Anyways..."

She carefully held up the object to him, cradling it in curled fingers like it was an important possession that needed to be protected. "I was wondering if you could help me with finding one of those creatures to tame, you know, like...like Persi! The closest thing I've ever had to an animal growing up was a pet rock and I think that I can handle taking care of something alive-- I mean, something that acts like it's alive, at this point."

"Something tells me that you need this place as much as I do, sometimes."  She couldn't help but smile at his astute observation. Freyd struck her as someone who was incredibly talented at undertaking analytical approaches to better his understanding of a problem before he attempted to shed light on its solution. The ability to mull over details to such an extent was probably an enviable trait to other people. "These..."

Elora leaned forward to regard the coins as Freyd called them out, all the while maintaining the criss-crossed posture of her pretzeled legs. "Wait...so the Sundered Spire is the collection of mobs? Or is that something else?" She wasn't sure that she was following his explanation. Hopefully he doesn't get frustrated by me asking questions... "Also, what do you mean by self aware? Like, that their artificial intelligence is evolving?" It seemed that she had a tendency to be redundant in her phrasing, almost as if describing the same subject in a variety of ways put it into practice, allowing her to morph and refine her understanding of it.

"There is...?", trailed off Elora as she struggled to remember whatever it was that Vigilon was referencing, "I don't remember". The pointy-eared player made her way over the fire pit and began to search through her inventory for a set of clothes to change into. After all, she wasn't going to wait all night for the fire to dry them for her. Swapping out of her current attire and into her usual outfit, Elora's face adopted a look of comfort and satisfaction. She tucked her knees up to her chest and --

"A BODY!", she suddenly yelled out as her encounter with Shoji returned to her memory, "Wait, no no -- not a body -- clothes from a body! There were clothes we had to find!" She shot up from her seat and jogged over to the banks to scan its sandy surface for shirts, socks, or shoes. 

"Don't bother", a player beside the bonfire began, "We've been searching all night for something and nothing has turned up. If there was anything to collect, it's probably already been found."

@Dazia @Vigilon

"Yeah, us bottom-dwellers aren't afforded many luxuries, and that's just the way it is", she shrugged playfully while stating the rule of the jungle, her reaction emphasizing a disconnect which only added to the unsettling nature of the subject.

Elora started setting out for what she had come here to do, which was to probe the habitat for resources. She humored the NPC by continuing the conversation, "So, you're just gonna except the sh*tty situation that's been handed to you? Why not relocate to a higher elevation or retaliate for not being treated fairly by the other Amazonians?"

Cecil seemed perturbed by Elora even suggesting such solutions, "Because we've never done either of those things before. It's better to be content with what we're given when it also means we have security"

"You've never waged wars before? I thought that Amazonians were supposed to be hot muscular women that could kill anything they set their minds to hunting", retorted Elora with a chuckle. She regarded Cecil for a moment to take note of her slender frame and pailed complexion. It seemed that whatever folktales she'd been told didn't hold up in the universe of this game. That, or the circumstances of the character's environment somehow influenced her design to represent that she was consuming less food and basking in shadows more than sunlight.

"Hi", greeted Elora succinctly as she inspected the piece with a curious expression, "Are you working on an insignia for your armor or something?" The symbols of the sword and the tower were commonly used in emblems for armories, guilds, and especially for embellishments on the architecture around them. The crystalline figure, on the other hand, was a design unfamiliar to her. Maybe it's a powerful boss he defeated, and wearing it on his gear is like hanging the head of a buck on your mantle. 

"Sorry, I come here to focus, and guess I got lost in my thoughts."

"I can see why" She didn't really know how to elaborate on why the ambiance instilled such a sense of solitude. The place simply felt calm to her, and that helped ease her concern to a certain degree. Freyd's countenance conveyed to he was likely utilizing the space for a similar purpose, an observation that intrigued Elora. "I've never really thought about going somewhere to feel better, just about avoiding the places that make me feel worse", she remarked with a half-hearted smirk. 

Elora did her best to swim towards the shore, albiet somewhat sloppily. She wasn't exactly skilled in carrying out proper strokes since swimming wasn't very frequent during her formative years. Thankfully, her haphazard paddling had generated enough of a disturbance to prompt golden stars to float up to the surface of the lake. The system was kind enough to add the items to her inventory as she collided with them, preventing her from having to tow them onto the beach. 

Once she waded onto the sand, she began the ritual of rigging out her hair and every article of her clothing. So much for keeping my festival dress looking nice, she thought as she expressed an exasperated sigh. "I'm heading to the fire to warm up for a bit, then I should be on my way", she told Vigilon and Dazia, unsure what their next course of action would be. 

@Dazia @Vigilon

Her curled lips gradually flattened and creased into a thin line. Something about the scenery of this place resonated deeply with her, evoking an unexpected sense of nostalgia for the land where she grew up. Although the climate was fairly warm, droplets of water contacting her skin caused goosebumps to coat her arms and a chill to run down her spine. It was a telling sign that she had successfully distanced herself from the world she'd known outside of the game. Encountering things that reminded her of home brought their current situation to the forefront of her mind, making it all the more difficult to stomach. After all, Aincrad had made it easy to run from her past and to find solace in whimsical environments that rarely reminded her of reality. She tried to shake the feelings of guilt that ensued, but the weight of it all made her heart feel as if it was sinking inside of her chest.

Fortunately, it appeared that Freyd was preoccupied with practicing portraitures, or at least, with creating some sort of artistic piece. His unwavering concentration allowed Elora the advantage to circle around the pond before taking a seat beside him, just far enough away to indicate that she wasn't interested in spying on his work if he wasn't inclined to share it. She withheld a greeting so as not to startle him. Hopefully their little entourage would be enough of a disturbance to command his attention.

"Whatcha want with one of those blasted things?  Mischievous menaces, that's all they are!"

Elora chuckled lightly at the woman's eccentric opposition to owning such creatures. "My parents never allowed me to have a pet growing up. They said that I wouldn't be able to handle the responsibility of taking care of something" She glanced downwards at the spyglass she now held in her hands. "I guess I just think that it'd be nice to have someone to keep me company when no one else can", she added while her eyes adopted a distant expression, as if she was recounting instances from her past where she could have benefited from having the emotional support. 

By now, the trio, or what was left of it, was already well on its way to the so-called 'Slime Farm' The term sounded gross to Elora, and she wasn't entirely sure what to anticipate, Is it a gigantic farm, or are the slimes themselves huge? I wonder if they look like the chuchus from Zelda. Hopefully they're not way uglier. Maybe you can see their intestines through their clear bodies. No, that'd probably only happen if it was a mature game. What was SAO even rated anyway?

"What made you want to come all the way down here, anyway?", asked the girl as she walked circles around Elora, inspecting her for wounds.

"Well, I was hoping to gather some materials for making potions. I haven't really tried to create any yet, but I figured it'd be good to stock up on ingredients for when I do." In case I mess up. "This Floor seemed like a good place to find a wide variety of plants for me to experiment with"

"Yeah, yeah, that part was obvious. Most players don't leave the safe zones unless they're foraging or fighting. I meant down HERE" Cecil gestured to the swamp surrounding them. 

"Oh, that was kind of an accident. I got lost following a river that started at the top of the canopy. It eventually led me here" Elora observed that there were actually several sickly-looking waterfalls plummeting into different sides of the valley.  "Although, they looked a lot cleaner up there."

Elora was starting to hate swimming in this game, as the weight of her armor and equipment always weighed her down more than she was comfortable with. Then again, maybe she was just an inexperienced swimmer. She hadn't had many opportunities to learn how to tread water growing up in a brisk climate. "Yeah, that would be--", It occurred to her that the boatman was probably waiting at the docks, anticipating the return of his treasured canoe. "Actuallyyy, the shore isn't too far from here, and I don't think it'd be much easier for me to try and climb up like this. I think I'll swim over to that bridge", she nodded in the direction of one nearby. Some players stood on it to release their lanterns into the sky while others used it to cast off fishing lines into the lake. On the shore next to it was a sizable bonfire surrounded by passerbys who were chatting and snacking while they rested between searches. That looks like it could be a good place to wind down before heading back home. 

It was difficult for Elora to observe or understand any of the expressions Freyd was conveying as he spoke reassurances to her. Dizzying sequences of verbal and pictorial details distracted her from what little glimpses she had caught of him before he moved -- Wait...where did he go...? The whirlwind seemed to reside momentarily as her mind shifted focus to relocate the familiar face that gave her comfort in a sea of strangers. "S-sorry, I've gotta go do something", Elora barely managed to fumble from her lips. She bowed, moreso with an isolated nod of her head, before escaping to whatever vacancy she could find. She found sanctuary at a nearby table that was only occupied by one other player, a white-haired one in a kitsune mask. It would have to do for now. Seating herself across from him, she began to methodically trace the grains of the wood in hopes that the mindless task would begin to command her attention. 

By this point, her heart had begun to steady its beat. She gradually subsided in performing the exercise only to sigh in a sign of a relief that the wave of panic had passed. It seemed that the man accompanying her had done the same. He rose steadily and started to head toward what she assumed to be a booth for a bird-related game. "Would you like to compete in a game with me?", she found herself blurting out. It seemed that since she had lost her bearings, Elora was now making a desperate attempt to seize some sense of accomplishment for why she had chosen to come here tonight. 

@Haine @Vie @Kiluia Seiko @Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

"I'm sure it'll be fine", Elora reassured Vie without providing any evidence as to why this would be true. Just after she had stated this, Kiluia had already engaged in an exchange of fisti...ancklecuffs...? with the monsters. Sounds like he's beating the sh*t out of them. I guess I should probably offer some help. Just as she had begun to enter the fray, Asmura briefly bumped arms with her. It seemed like the young player had been knocked off balance in her attempt to damage one of the bats. Attempting to regain her focus, Elora firmly planted the soles of her boots into the sediment that coated the cave's floor. Then, she roundhouse kicked the air, encountering no resistance, to her surprise. These things are probably hovering higher than I can see. Elora attempted to strike the creatures once again by jabbing the point of her spear into the air. Still, nothing happened. Vie...might have been right..., she found her conscience admitting to itself.

Just then, one of the monsters dove between Asmura and Elora, scratching her arm superficially with one of its talons. "That was a close call", she stated to the younger player. Who knows what would have happened if it had hurt Asmura instead. Maybe it would have carried her off somewhere.

@Vie

"Oi!  No man-handling the goods, lady!"  a short, stocky-looking woman with thick, braided blond hair and bright green eyes wandered over, appearing from beneath one of the other tables.  "Ye wouldn't be Elworra, would ye?"  She pointed at her green hair and elfin ears.  "Freyd said ye might come around at some point, and that I wus to look after ya."  She grasped Elora's hand and shook it vigorously, nearly knocking the spyglass out of her other hand.  

"Ooo... careful, dearie.  Ye break it, ye bought it, eh?"  She winked at her, wiping her hand on her badly soiled apron notably after their handshake.  "I'm Quip.  This here's Dingo."  She grabbed a nearby broom, slamming it with surprising strength on the loft above them.  A startled yelp was heard above, just as a scrawny, brown-haired youth came crashing down into an adjacent hay bale.  

"Whatdya do that fer?"  He rubbed his eyes as if warding off sleep, or possibly urge it to return.  He had the same green eyes as Quip, suggesting that they might be kin. 

"Over here, lassie, and we'll get to business."  Quip's cheerful demeanor shone through, but Elora could see heavy careworn lines around her eyes.  Both of them notably had green icons over their heads, denoting their status as players.

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"Oh, he did, did he --?" Elora's quip was stifled as she was caught off-guard by the shopkeep's unusually intimate welcoming. Her first instinct was to recoil from her touch, but before she had the chance to do so, the player's handshake had already been retracted. 

"Quip and...Dingo...?", she repeated as if trying to make the names sound more convincing. Who the hell is named Quip or Dingo? That must just be their usernames, or, actually, they might just be Australians. "A-alright then" Elora made her way toward the counter and proceeded with making the transaction by clicking through a series of confirmation windows. As the payment was processing, she turned her attention back to the pair of unusual players. "Is, uh, Freyd around today? I was wondering if he'd be interested on taking me out -- on a quest I mean. I want to try and find a familiar, maybe like the one he has"

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Elora was unsure of what Vigilon would be able to offer to assist with relighting the lantern. Nevertheless, she nodded in agreement, "Sure, let's give it a shot" Not long after, he was able to ignite the end of a stick, which was whittled down to look more like a twig at this point. She accepted it and hastily began to transfer its flame to the wick of another candle. 

Just as she had begun to do so, several streaks of bright light caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She shifted her gaze briefly to see that a bunch of golden stars were falling out of the sky, and directly toward their boat!

"SH*T!", was all she could yell before they barraged the two of them. The force of one hitting her hand was enough to cause her to release the torch. It clattered as it fell through the seats' planks, then rolled across the haul. Elora frantically picked up her feet to avoid being caught on fire. It was already too late. The canoe erupted into flames in a matter of seconds. Damn, that wood must have been dry! 

The green haired player dove off of the pyre and into the water to douse the edges of her boots and cloak, which had already begun to burn.