Elora

"Uhh...alright...", agreed Elora as she eyed the establishment's grandiose exterior. Geez, this looks pretty legit. She felt small in comparison to its stoney structure and stoic stature. By the time she had worked up the courage to turn around, Freyd was already on his way to, well, wherever he was headed next. 

"B-but...I'm a newbie...", she found herself pleading beneath her breath as he disappeared among the forest's vegetation. Elora groaned nervously as she encroached on the entrance of the Guild. She wasn't good at introductions, so her hope in Freyd being a reputable connection was all that she had to carry her onward. Slowly lifting a large circular knocker on the main gate, Elora waited a handful of seconds before attempting to pull on the door. Dammit, it must be locked, and no one is even coming to let me in!

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to leave for now and try again later. Her uneasy feet carried her off a ways before stopping, then once again bringing her back to confront the barrier. No, no, no -- I have to figure out some way to get in there! M-maybe this is some sort of test of aptitude? Yeah, actually, I bet it is! They're trying to find out whether or not I have the wits to figure out how to get in there. Man, I gotta think of something creative....I could climb the walls with some sort of rope? Or -- I know -- if there's a tall enough tree...then I could..."NNNGG!", she groaned loudly before frustratedly kicking in the door. It slowly creaked open, without offering any resistance.

"O-oh..."

She slid through the opening and prepared to announce herself, "HELLO, EVERYONE! I'M ELORA!" 

Elora continued to row further out into the lake. The scenery was so peaceful. She enjoyed moments of solitude like this, at least every once in awhile. Whenever she spent too much time alone, she would spiral into an existential crisis. Oftentimes, the depressive episodes would be self-perpetuated by her worries of not spending enough time making progress on reaching important objectives. Ironically, this sometimes discouraged her to a point where she was debilitated from undertaking quests, leaving her room, or even getting out of bed. 

Yes, moments like these occasionally assisted Elora from repeating this harmful behavior. When she felt that there were things in the outside world worth experiencing, it gave her a greater cause to ignore her internalized thoughts in an effort to focus on moving forward.

Streams of bubbles billowed from beneath the water's surface, carrying stars with them from the rocky depths below. Elora continued to gather them, now considering the observation that she had made, Could there be volcanic vents at the bottom of the lakebed? She noted that the body of water did hold a circular shape, at least in relation to the coniferous trees that encompassed it. Huh...I wonder if that means this lake was formed from a crater. That's a bit concerning that it doesn't seem to be dormant. Oh well, I can't imagine that the game would generate a volcanic eruption to kill any of its players. That would kind of break its mechanics. 

"Haha", chuckled Elora as she sniffed and wiped away her tears with the inside of her glove's cufflet. Her arms were cut up with a few, now smaller, serrations from the wolves' claws and teeth. Her bad arm, on the other hand, was blotched with bruises that were simulated to surround at least a dozen dime-sized puncture marks from the Venom Snapper's teeth. "You always somehow get covered in dirt or -- pfff -- molasses when you're fighting" She also fondly recalled how both of them had gotten completed soaked with water before they'd even begun to fight the large fish from the previous mission.

"I think it's starting to feel a bit better", she assured Freyd. As her larger injury began to heal, she fashioned her spear into a sort of crutch to help her off of the ground. After some residual unsteadiness, she managed to get on her own two feet again. "Is it always gonna hurt this bad?", she inquired naively, unaware of the much deadlier monsters that she would one day need to face, perhaps even alone. Considering how afraid she had looked during battle, she now wore a broad grin, one that was certainly in response to Freyd's affirmation of her success. 

"I've been on Floor 22 before, remember?" A slight blush crept across her face as she recalled how both of them had been dressed during their encounter there. "Actuallyyy, don't worry about that"

Elora turned to begin heading back in the direction that they had came. "The Cathedral of the Forgotten, huh? That's got a bit of a ring to it. That and Angel's Point are both...what would you call it...kind of dramatic names. It still sounds like a cult.

Elora looked up at Freyd with watery eyes and pale knuckles, which continued to clench the end of her spear. A handful of seconds passed after Freyd had killed the monsters before she finally realized the battle was over. With hands trembling, she released the weapon, causing it to clatter against her knees before rolling off a short ways. She wanted to bury her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment, just like before, but she knew that that wasn't what Freyd expected of her. "D-did I do o-okay?", she struggled to ask through rattling teeth. I probably look like such a coward, she couldn't help herself from thinking. No matter what she did, or how much she tried to convince herself, the reminders of her failures never went away. They resonated within her like a lesson she was force-fed for years, until one day, they finally became thoughts of her own.

Elora nodded to the girl in affirmation of the introduction and in acknowledgement of her welcoming wave. She wasn't entirely sure how to make small talk with new people, especially ones that were so young. Should I talk about toys or something?, she thought, taking a moment to regard to player as she floundered around nervously. That might only make things more awkward for her. Maybe I should draw everyone's attention to the quest instead. "Ah-hem", Elora raised a gloved fist to her mouth as she cleared her throat and formally accepted the objective, "Looks like the four of us will need to go to..." She squinted her eyes to make out the details of the map that were surrounding a small blinking cursor, "Uh...somewhere nearby...in a chain of mountains, maybe?" 

Turning her head to regard a formation that encompassed the town, she sighed, "This is gonna be one hell of a hike"

@Vie

The Venom Snapper quickly retaliated, biting down on one of Elora's arms. A nauseating "CRUNCH" resounded in the air as the monster's jagged jaws dug into her skin, causing a thick ooze of poison to trickle down toward her wounds. Her face grew pale with shock while her muscles tensed from a sharp, stinging sensation that came in response to her first experience of great pain. With her mind racing and her focus scattered, she secured her grasp on the weapon in her opposite hand, then swung it violently into the head of the mutated hound. In a panicked frenzy, she bludgeoned it with the shaft of the spear over and over again, until it finally dropped her from its grip. Stumbling to the ground, Elora watched in horror as the wolves she'd damaged earlier lurched forward in an attempt to maul her. "AHHH!", she screamed, swinging her spear across her to bar them from biting her face. Miraculously, its point penetrated the throats of both dogs, practically shish-kebabing them as they descended from above. 

Meanwhile, the third wolf had set it's eyes on Freyd, prepared to obtain a meal of its very own from his body. It rushed towards him, snarling ferociously and barring it's teeth.

Elora readied herself for the battle by undertaking an unusually heroic stance. In contrast to her earlier positions, this one appeared to be more strategic rather than ambitiously reckless. With broad shoulders and a sturdy grip on her spear, she appeared ready to fearlessly attack every monster on the battlefield. The sight was a bit awkward looking when juxtaposed with her fitted corset and brown booty shorts. Regardless, she was excited to finally have the opportunity to battle alongside someone else, especially in a role of leadership. Part of her wanted to doubt whether or not she was qualified to in this instance while another remembered that this was supposed to be an exercise in boosting her self-confidence. 

With quick affirmation to herself, she lunged into the fray, carrying her spear like a partner that was ushering her forward in a graceful dance. Wolves sprang to their feet and charged at her as she approached them. Their claws swiped at the lower edges of her figure, peeling off sections of flesh along her legs in a bloody spray. Luckily, she was able to land a few slashes in return. Elora sliced into the legs of two of the dogs, who whimpered as they tumbled into the dirt. Before long, the pack leader had rushed to Elora's side and was preparing to paralyze her with its noxious maws. The third wolf had already completely circled around her. She spotted the creature and prepared to defend against it before tripping over the bodies of the others. Her spear somehow managed to impale the Venom Snapper instead of her own chest. A cloud of debris puffed into the air as the five of them struggled to regain their footing on the field. 

 ~ A Hopeful New Beginning ~ 

Elora wasn't entirely sure how to make sense of his reasoning. Wait, he's impressed by me...only trying to be good at something? Why would that matter? It should take him witnessing me accomplishing something to do that. She remained sitting for a time after he had walked away while her mind tried to deconstruct everything he had just told her. Unless...attempting to start something is actually an accomplishment in and of itself. That's just the easy part though, isn't it?

She looked after him as he exited the bar, That's right. It is. That's what he's been trying to warn me about. The more I try to get better at something, the riskier it'll become. Sh*t...I've never gotten this far before. Usually by now I've already moved onto figuring out the next thing. I think I'm running out of options to run away to...

Her knees quickly locked in place as she rose to accompany Freyd. I need to stop worrying, at least for now. He's with me for this quest, so I'll be fine for a little while longer. 

And if I join Firm Anima, it'll buy me even more time.

Elora made her way to the boathouse and began to converse with the NPC who was stationed there. Luckily, it was free to rent a canoe tonight due to the event taking place in town. "Anything to be able to help out those kids", said the bearded man before gesturing to a series of boats that were tied to a dock, "Just be sure to bring em' back when you're done so that other people have the chance to take them out" 

She nodded appreciatively before doubling back in the direction she had walked from, closer to where the wooden vessels were stationed. "He said that we can take these free of charge!", called out Elora to Dazia and Vigilon who was trailing further behind her, "Since there are so many of them, we can probably all have our own" As they were working on catching up, she untied one of the knots and stepped into the middle of the boat. It would probably be a bit difficult to steer without herself and another person stationed at either end, but maybe this situation would make rowing a bit more exciting. As she slowly drifted out into the lake, she started to collect the stars that were bobbing up and down in response to the waves created by her strokes. 

"No! I just...", she leaned forward more until she was sitting with her head rested against the table and her arms folded like a shield around her, "I want to be good enough for them to accept me so that they don't have a reason to abandon me when they realize that I'm useless..." Elora had adopted a frustrated, and somewhat whiney tone to her words, as if she was trying to stress why they should make sense to Freyd. In response to his next series of questions she added, "I thought you were just helping me because you felt bad for me..." The admission was fairly muffled by the soundproofing of all the materials blocking her mouth. "But then I started to get stronger and I thought maybe I was able to impress you by learning so quickly" She lifted her head out to rest atop one of the metal gauntlets that he had given her. "You're the only person who's complimented me on accomplishing something since...well, in a long time, I guess."

Slowly sitting up in her seat, she began to take small sips of her remaining drink. How long had they even been here, talking about all of this? She remained silent as he mentioned that she seemed to be stopping herself from taking the opportunity. She wished she knew what the issue was, why she acted this way, and the reason she was so afraid of failing. Joining the guild isn't going to solve this for me..., but he's right in suggesting it as a possible first step. Maybe finding some security among other players will help me feel more confident with moving on. Or at least, with feeling like I belong somewhere, if only temporarily. 

"Will you take me there?", she asked coyly before adding, "I mean, when we're done with this quest of course..." Elora only asked the question because she was sure that he'd agree to help her with introductions. Without someone familiar to guide her along, she would feel too worried to see what she was getting herself into, let alone, meet the other members.

The words seemed to break through her calm facade like rocks being thrown through a window. She suddenly stood up and pushed her hands into the table that separated them, nearly toppling over her stool in the process. "I'm acting like a child?! I've bin holdin' mie tongue up til' this point becouse I've learnt' how to hieve some restraint!" Her face was growing more red by the second. "Do yew know why I was on the 1st Floor for soo long?", she yelled as her voice began to crack, "It was because I was sciered, just like everybody else! But every tiem that I tried to mieke friends or to join groups te help me fight, no won would stay behiend to help me!" Elora's eyes were beginning to tear up and her voice grew even shakier as an emotional unraveling of her deeply held insecurities seemed to be boiling over during the explosive scene. By this point, patrons of the bar, which were mostly NPCS, had begun to stare at her and whisper among themselves. "Everywon has already made their own decisions and their own cliques...", she looked down, causing a few tears to fall and disintegrate before hitting the table, "I wasn't good enough to keep anyone around, and now it's too late..." A great weight appeared to descend upon her as she slumped forward and buried her face into her hands. What have I just done..?

"At least if I die out there alone, then no one will be able to mock me for screwing up"

By now, the establishment had already returned to its usually hum of conversations and camaraderie. The sound of a stool scraping against the floorboards could be heard beside them as Gastly, the NPC from the quest, made an effort to excuse himself from the situation. It was clear to the calculations of his preprogrammed mind that he had probably overstayed his welcome. "I think, I uh...better go...and get another drink, or maybe three. Just, uh, let me know when you kill those monsters" He grabbed Freyd's shoulder briefly as if to say 'good luck' before departing.

The Liminal Blind, hopefully I can remember that. It's gonna be a long time before I can get there...

Elora's posture and expression grew more stiff as he continued to mentor her. The remark about her crawling back to where she started seemed to trigger a flash of hurt behind her fixed eyes. Her intense complexion, however, remained unwavering, like a suit of armor that she wore to protect herself from showing vulnerability in battles of this nature. I'm not your pet project, Freyd. You may have helped me work up some courage , but you don't get to dictate what I do from here like I'm sort of experiment of your's, is what she wanted to yell in retaliation. 

Instead, she began to breath more heavily but remained silent. Doing so had always been the best method for enduring ridicule, lest the person dealing with her transitioned from being angry to furious. 

"Firm Anima?", she cracked with a snide tone, "Is that some sort of cult?" She was interested in confirming her suspicion that he was a part of one and that it was the reason he formerly wore the priest's cassock. It was odd that he had mentioned an organization, as if he thought that she wanted to conform to fit in with the culture of an arbitrary group. 

She exhaled, causing her shoulders to visibly release most of the tension that they had been holding. Looking down at her beverage that she hadn't consumed for a few minutes, she absently began to swirl the glass, utilizing it like a tool to process what she wanted to say next. 

"I don't have anything to prove to you, but if you want to see what I'm made of, then you're going to have to trust me."

Elora distractedly trailed behind Kill as she turned her head in every direction, admiring the architectural design of the village. Marome's cobblestone streets resounded with the clattering of creaky wooden carriages and the feet of running children. They chased each other around the marketplace, weaving between clusters of adults that nearly tripled them in height. One girl in particular appeared to be making haste through the bodies like they were an obstacle course that prevented her from reaching a reward on the other side. It didn't occur to Elora that a lone child could be a cause for concern, that is, until passerbys began to murmur about the fact of the oddity. Suddenly, an unhinged woman appeared from the crowd and began to harrass the child about -- Wait, isn't that the NPC that Kiluia and I need to talk to? Speaking of which, where is..., She surveyed the pedestrians in search of his signature white hair, Did I really get that far behind him? Shaking herself from the distraction, she shoved her way toward the confrontation in order to intervene. Before she made it close enough to communicate with the player, Kill had somehow materialized from the crowd and was already beginning to greet her. Good. Maybe he'll be able to handle this, she thought as she broke out into the patch of unoccupied space beside them. 

Elora hadn't managed to pick up on the implication, so Freyd's careful response and additional warning only felt unwarranted to her. She carefully touched beneath her nose and winced a little. There was still blood dripping from it. Sh*t. Lifting her forearm, she wiped some of it off against the back of her hand. No wonder he doesn't take me seriously. If I can get one-shot by a door, then it probably doesn't seem like I could handle fighting anything else. A waitress came to where they were sitting and handed Elora a beverage along with a handful of napkins. "Thanks...", she sighed, still embarrassed by her entrance.

Shifting her sights to lock with his in return, her complexion appeared to harden. With a trace of contention in her eyes and a similar, but more arrogant smirk across her face, she insisted, "I'll be fiiine. You saw how well I was able to fight out there. You don't need to worry about my survival" She took a deep swing of the stout before leaning back in her seat "Besides, you're not gonna be around for all of the things I'll be doing" I wouldn't be surprised if this was the last time I saw him, came a fleeting jab from her subconscious. "If I'm on my own, then it's unrealistic for you to burden yourself with concern" Geez, he's acting like my mom. At least Dad knew that if he didn't intervene I would be able figure things out.

Well, she probably owed him a response on the last question he asked, even if she felt inclined to say more on the piece. "I haven't really put any thought into that. I mean, I doubt I'll make it past Floor 5 before we get out of the game, so why should I even bother fantasizing about what I might be able to see? Elora had learned early on that 'setting goals' was only a waste of time and a guarantee that your expectations wouldn't be met. She took another sip of her beer before one location came to mind. "I did want to go see your shop when I had the chance. Wasn't it at...?", Elora seemed to struggle to remember the name, "Uh...it started with a...the letter 'A'? I know it was on Floor 13..."

Elora listened as the two of them rattled on about their extensive lineages. It felt like she was reading the Bible. She kept herself busy in search of the items as they spoke. It was annoying that they talked about her while she was standing beside them, as if acknowledging or directly engaging with her would be an inconvenience to them. I don't know that there's much of a point to staying with them, aside from the additional safety it might provide. They don't even seem like they should be working together with the vendetta they have against one another, or at least, with the other person they both seem to know. 

"I think I'm gonna go borrow a boat so that I can pick up some stars from the lake", she said, heading toward a beach house in the distance. Staying close to the waterside allowed her to continue gathering them on her way there.

"Oh, hey Freyd!", she greeted him casually, "You're drinking coffee at a bar? That seems a bit...well, I guess it's fitting for you" She took up a seat next to him and the old man, taking advantage of the position to inspect whether or not he'd added creamer to the hot bean drink. He seemed like someone who would probably drink it black, when it was bitter and tasted like tar. 

"Oh...erm... you've come for the bill I posted? I don't have much, but if you could slay the beast, I would pay you."

"Sure have. Freyd mentioned something about this quest, so now I'm obliged to accompany him" She lifted a gloved hand to select the "Accept" button for the objective. It made a satisfying chime in response to the action. Elora took notice of his change in attire, but didn't read into it beyond that. Players changed their looks all of the time here, especially as they acquired stronger and flashier gear that they could flaunt to everyone else. At least this one is holy in a different way. It looks much better than the gown he was waring before, and makes him seem less like a cult leader. 

"I guess this is exam day.  When you finish this quest, all of Aincrad is at your disposal."

"I'll take a Guinness please!", she interjected to the woman standing behind the counter. It wasn't in her interest to wait passively until the bartender served her what Freyd was having. She wouldn't force herself to down that burnt-tasting acid. 

Gatsly proceeded to explain the details surrounding the quest, more specifically, what kind of monsters they would be fighting. "Any questions, while I finish off my drink?", asked Freyd once the exposition had ended. "Don't think so. I guess just if completing this quests means it'll be easier for me to see the other floors. You made it sound like it would."

The door to the saloon swung open and crashed against the wall beside it. "HELL--" It immediately ricocheted back, slamming into Elora's face.

She fell back and hit the wooden planks of the establishment's deck with a loud thud. "Ugggh...", she groaned, rubbing her nose to regain sensation in it as blood trickled out onto her hand. F*ck, this is embarrassing, she thought as dozens of eyes suddenly shifted to regard her. Just gotta play it off like I meant for it to happen. "Guess I just did a round on myself when I was supposed to be doing a round of shots! Am'I right, ladies?" Elora could only hope she would get a few sympathetic chuckles before the patrons turned their attention back to whatever it was they were doing. Still feigning confidence, she sauntered over to the countertop and began to swindle the bartender. "It wouldn't happen to be happy hour right now, would it?" If there was any way she could get a discount, she would take it. After all, it probably wasn't wise to spend so much of her money on drinking when she should be saving up to move out of the inn, or when it hardly served as a means to inebriate herself.

"Does anyone ever actually met the father's side of their family?", Elora said with a somewhat concerning level of seriousness. As the other two players continued bickering, Elora noticed a piece of driftwood coasting over waves in the water. It's smooth surface was gnarled with knots and shallow indentations that carried a few adorable golden stars on their maiden voyage to the sandy shoreline. Upon their arrival to the bank, Elora scooped them up and tuned back into the ongoing conversation after her name had been mentioned. "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they literally just started raining down like hell fire. I guess that would be fitting with all of the paper lanterns floating around. Would probably fit the ambiance" The reflective nature of the lake made it appear as if there were twice as many lights surrounding them. It made it so that wandering away from the town didn't feel as dangerous since everything was practically as visible as it would have been in the daytime. 

Elora stood there as the two rambled on about whatever beef it was that they had with each other. "Sooo, are you guys just going to talk about your personal drama all night, or do you want some help with finding the stars? There wasn't much that she felt she could contribute to their conversation, so maybe it was best to try and shift the focus to something else. Dazia seemed motivated to collect the items and the other player, Vigilant, was it...? He appeared to be searching for the materials in passing. Maybe as an excuse to avoid interacting more with the girl. It didn't much matter to her whether or not the two of them accompanied her around the lake, so long as they didn't duke out their differences with her caught in the crossfire. Elora looked down as a wave of shimmering water lapped over her boots, leaving behind a handful of gold stars. "Man, these things sure aren't hard to find. We'll probably have hundreds of them by the time the night is over"

Elora continued to write the wishes, her mind set on completing them before the end of the night. It was probably good that the prompts made her consider how best to respond to them. Maybe the time it took her to think of an appropriate answer meant that they involved topics she hadn't put much thought into. Still, it felt like she was taking a difficult test, and the pressure associated with that made her feel increasingly anxious, bordering on frustration. She tried to press herself to complete the activity faster. Maybe then the ideas would come more easily to her. 

By the time Elora had finished half of the wishes, she felt like she was on the brink of an emotional breakdown. This was a horrible idea. What was she doing here, trying to blend in with everyone else? She wasn't ready to be on this floor, or to go to events like these. There was much more work to be done on herself if she was going to make friends here. She suddenly grabbed the papers beside her and stood up before making eye contact with someone in a group of people approaching her. Was that...Freyd? He was barely recognizable in such formal attire. Before she could absorb his change in appearance, her eyes darted between the two female players walking beside him. They looked beautiful in their red kimonos. Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t!, she began to panic and pivot in her position in search of an escape. There were too many people congregating in every avenue of the square. She took notice of one white-haired player wearing a mask. He was practically sprinting through the crowd, swinging his bent arms as he charged forward in an attempt to gain additional momentum. He looks like he knows what he doing! Before she could follow after him, the vacant trail he had left in the crowd was immediately reoccupied with a swarm new pedestrians. As the trio continued toward her, she could feel what could only be explained as her insides stinging with an overwhelming anxiety. I didn't know Freyd had so many friends! What if he introduces me to them? Does he even consider ME a friend?! They're going to think I look so dumb with what I'm wearing!

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows @Haine @Vie

"Yes, I'm aware", she turned around to face the feminine voice that was addressing her. She then paused for a moment before realizing she had to look down to meet the eyes of the other player, she's rather small to be making threats, thought Elora.

Just then, she noticed a faint light begin to emanate from a depression in the sand. I wonder if that's... she approached the spot before crouching down and collecting a few of the so called "Golden Stars". They were quite cute.

Soon after the encounter had began, another player rushed over to them and was beginning to scold the small woman. "Sorry about that... She's my cousin...apparently. Anyway, I'm Vigilon."

"Cousin, huh?", she shifted her gaze between the two players in search of any resemblance. It didn't seem likely they were related. She didn't really care, so long as this cousin gave her a better impression than the first one. "I'm Elora", she said, introducing herself out of curtesy. She didn't envision this particular interaction lasting for very long. They'll likely pair up and be on their way.

@Dazia @Vigilon

Carefully zig-zagging through the sea of people, Elora found herself at what appeared to be the center of the festival. Lanterns hung and flickered all around her, bathing the scenery in vibrant wash of orange light. She couldn't help but feel energized by the tone it set, especially when paired with the commotion of commerce, competitions, and conversations. I'm gonna try as many things I can while I'm here! There's no reason to be afraid in doing it alone! She nodded to herself in reassurance that that was all the convincing she needed, at least for now. 

Up ahead, she noticed large groups of people had encircled some sort of workshop. Is that a craft area or something? Curious, Elora maneuvered her way through the audience to have a closer look. A small group of young boys were hard at work making calculations and trying to piece together bits and bobs of whatever they needed to build something. 

“Hey! Excuse me! Do you have some time?”, a high-pitched voice hollered over to her. "Depends on what you're going to try and talk me into buying or doing", she cautiously replied. It wasn't uncommon for people asking that sort of thing to make lengthy sales pitches or sermons in order to hold your attention hostage. She preferred to escape an awkward confrontation before it spiraled into just that. “My friends and I are trying to complete a project. It'd be really helpful if you could make or look for some items we need. We're not asking for money or anything, just that you try and search for these things while you're wandering around the festival" He gestured forward with a pamphlet, indicating that it would contain more information on what they were looking for. "Sure, I'll see what I can --"

"Thanks!", he yelled before sprinting toward a couple that had just entered within a certain proximity to the booth. Guess they're next. She chuckled to herself before navigating to an unoccupied bench nearby. Opening the brochure, she began to absorb everything that it detailed. Gravity Dust? I've never attempted to craft anything like that before? Well, there are probably a lot of other Alchemists here that could make something like that. Maybe I could stick to gathering the Gold Stars. That seems easy and pleasantly noncommittal. If I can't find any, then there's nothing to feel bad about.

She remembered that she had picked up those papers that she was supposed to write her wishes on. Maybe sitting down for a moment would give her a good opportunity to think of some responses before she committed all of her interest to participating in the fun games. 

~ Introductory Music ~

[Elora Receives Tanzaku Papers]

Already having been drawn to a secluded stand where a woman handed her some papers to write on, Elora now felt more urgency to interact with other vendors and participate in more exciting festivities. Roaming the narrow, bustling alleyways, she began to search for, well, anything that looked welcoming enough for her to approach. She was never one to be fond of large crowds, especially when she felt so out of place. All the other players around her seemed to be wearing celebratory garb in contrast to her loose-fitted and clattering armor. This is so uncomfortable. I mean, the scenery is really beautiful with all the lights and lanterns strung about, but I feel like this floor's got a much different atmosphere than the first one. Everyone will be able to tell I don't belong here. 

"Hello" Her thoughts were halted by the greeting of a tall and handsome white haired man. 

"Uh, hi", she nodded to acknowledge him before preparing to move on. The man chuckled and stood up to walk alongside her from within his storefront.

"Don't you want to see what I'm selling?" 

"I would if there was anything I thought I could afford"

"You're worried about the price? Well, if that's the case, you'll be happy to know that I'm actually offering an amazing deal today. I can make you a kimono to wear to the festival, free of charge." Elora stopped in her tracks, proving that the promotion had piqued her interest. "If I'm being forward, you look like you could use one too"

The back-handed comment made Elora want to tell him off, but the fact that her insecurity was obvious to him, made her all the more worried that it would be to anyone else. She agreed to have him design something for her to wear. 

"Alright, I think something like this will suit you well. Maybe we can replace those gloves and shoes with something that doesn't...clash so much" 

"No, I'm keeping those", she refuted without providing an explanation. Elora especially wanted to continue wearing her knee-high boots for security's sake. She wouldn't be caught dead in something that would let her be caught and killed by an assailant.  "Suit yourself", he sighed before lifting up a section of her hair, "Let's just do something about this rat's nest. It doesn't look like you've combed it for days!" 

After Rigel took a moment to style her hair, the outfit was complete. "I made you something a little less traditional. What do you think?" He flashed a mirror in front of her so she could see the finished design herself. I look like a different person, she thought twirling slowly to admire her reflection. A large stripped kimono top tucked beneath an obi with a bow that cinched just below her bust caused what looked to be the circle skirt of a modern dress to flair out at her thighs. She appreciated the practical length. The two sections of hair that were normally tied up were let down while a single braid swept across her forehead and was secured by an ornamental red rose on the other side. Wow, who knew something that simple could look so gorgeous. I wish I knew how to braid so I could put it up like this again. Elora, having not spoken for awhile, prompted Rigel to add, "I went with a green fabric to match your hair along with some complimentary rose-colored accessories and makeup to help you look more...feminine" 

"I love it so much! Thank you!", she finally exclaimed before making a motion to hug the tailor. "Ah-ah!", he said holding up his hand and waving it dismissively, "Don't worry about it. It's all in a day's work. Go have fun, and introduce me to your partner when you find them"

 ~ Introductory Music ~ 

Elora had begun to traverse around the lake in search of Gold Stars and possible possessions of Yori, the boy she suspected had drowned. The 22nd Floor was truly breathtaking. She had never seen a place that was blanketed with lights that illuminated every edge of the landscape. It filled her with a wistful sense of wonder, the kind she hadn't experienced since childhood. I'm glad I left the First Floor behind to come here. It was worth the discomfort and the uncertainty, she reassured herself.

Now that she was outside of Coral's bustling alleyways, she thought it wise to reequip some armor, just in case there were any creatures lurking in the night. Temporarily removing her oversized Kimono, she secured a set of metal cuff lets to her arms along with a light sleeveless garment. Admittedly, the armor looked pretty silly over her already mismatched outfit. Thankfully most of it was concealed upon returning her arms to the sleeves of the billowing jacket. She had put so much time and effort into selecting something more celebratory to wear tonight and dammit, she wouldn't let that effort go to waste. Come to think of it, why did she feel the need to dress up anyway? To make herself feel happy? To impress someone else? Whatever. I'm sure it's nothing.

"What's in it?", she asked as Freyd rummaged through the chest. She must have kicked the thing pretty hard based on how much her toes hurt. Great. This will make the walking easier, she sighed as she began to rub them through her boot to ease the pain. "That's fine with me...Quip and...who? Do you have servants or something?" Elora accepted the remaining materials and slowly stood up, causing a series of bones in her back to audibly pop before it settled back into a slump. "Nah, let's let the old man sleep. Besides, I'm just as tired as he probably is, and I don't know that I want him to see that. He'd give me a hard time about it." At this point she didn't feel capable of cracking any jokes, so she decided not to attempt it. She located the path that they had taken, which was all the way up the hill. Her first of the final challenges would need to be getting over the bank and walking at an incline. So, she began trudging forward, not bothering to coax Freyd into following her. He'd understand where she was headed and that she was looking forward to collapsing on her bed, wherever it was that she slept.