Elora

Current Level: 34
Current SP: 114
Link to SP Tracking: [See Spoiler Below]
 

Item Upgrades: N/A

Notes:
No items are being upgraded.

"How is Alchemy? I like dealing with plants and things so I thought I'd give it a go myself."

"It's not all that great, really --", insisted Elora as a flurry of insecurity rushed through her chest, "It's just about finding random shit in the wild and smashing it together until it turns into something consumable. There's not any skill to it at all, so I'd suggest looking for something different if you're expecting a challenge--!" The green-haired woman took a sharp inhale of air, then paused as she seemed to reflect on her reactive advice. With a hesitant sigh, she relinquished, "Well...I guess that's not necessarily true...it can be pretty difficult to master the technique of crafting the potions....It's just --", she spared a fleeting glance at Katoka, "Don't get your hopes up if you decide to do it and it doesn't work out."

'I often wonder whether or not perusing Alchemy was actually the right decision for me.', she stopped herself from adding as her friend began to instruct Hanami. It's not about what you want right now. This is Katoka's choice to make. Support that.

"Don't worry about it. I know that you'd make a great Alchemist.", offered Elora as she spectated the discordant pair with crossed arms and the hint of a smirk.

"Steer clear? Are you kidding? I had no idea that Raidou had such a stockpile of these things -- I could totally use them for making potions!", piped up Elora as she reopened the crate, "I think I'll just take a few for good measure, in case he'd be upset if he noticed. I don't know how particular that guy is about his inventory. It'd just be good to have some on hand for when I get around to practicing...Alchemy" Elora's speech drifted off as she began to recall her first attempt, well, failure at creating a potion. Had that been when she was still at level one? Her mission with Jackpot felt like ages ago, so why...why hadn't she tried to pursue her profession any further, since that day? Because I know that I'll mess it up again...

Elora shook her head and closed the container, "Probably be best to ask permission first...", she decided before hastily following Katoka to the back of the room. I should focus on helping Kat see this through.

Vanity tag: @Jackpot

"Now only if he would get some sun, he'd look less like the ghost of a workout junkie."

"That's no problem...I'm sure that I could, like, ask him to take me on some sort of swimming quest, or something. -- They have those, right?", Elora found herself rambling, her blush painted on her cheeks like a violent sun burn as she recalled their time frolicking with fisherman Pete. And no, not like that. She found herself nodding at Katoka's suggestion to relocated, since it proved a suitable distraction from her wandering thoughts. "Yeah, somewhere more private might not be a bad idea"

"Maybe we can hang out in here?", her friend offered as they happened upon a vacant room.

"In a storage closet?", Elora scoffed at the idea until she realized that Kat was actually seriously considering it. She cleared her throat before correcting, "Uhh -- yeah! That's not a bad idea! I mean -- people train in places like these all the time in shows, don't they? Like the weird janitor characters that are actually martial artists!" Her glowing enthusiasm was stifled as realization that she was going on a tangent dawned upon her. "Eh -- nevermind! What do you think is even in all of these boxes anyway? Were they programmed to be here or are they actually full of stuff for the guild?"

"Calm down, Jack. I'm not gonna threaten you with it or anything! I just wanted to show you how pretty of a color it came out to be!", huffed Elora as she quickly sealed the potion bottle with a triangular cork to prevent any foul fumes from further lingering in the room. After all, Jackpot had gone out of his way and sacrificed an entire day to help her reach this moment. It would be kind of her to spare him from the aftermath of learning alchemy, especially since she couldn't currently offer him any other form of repayment. 

With feigned appreciation for Evangeline's assistance, the two of them exited the shop and returned to the streets of a city asleep. Finally finding the opportunity to pause their frantic foraging, Elora began to feel her body buckle with weariness. How long had they really been out? A few hours? An entire day? Who knew at this point. Either way, the events had proven to be far more challenging than she had hoped. Yet...she couldn't shake the sensation that she'd derived some sort of...sick satisfaction from them? 

What the f*ck am I thinking? I'm not a masochist! She shook her head before turning to regard her acquaintance with exhaustion in her eyes. "I...I think I'm gonna head back to my place. Today really left me beat." Shuffling away marked the start of her departure until her pace was suddenly halted by an urge to express some sort of...

"Uhh...", she spoke up as she lifted a sluggish shoulder to scratch the back of her head with a gloved hand, "I'm glad that you were able to help me out with -- well, you know, -- everything..." Elora shifted her weight between legs as she struggled to express the foreign feelings that were cycling through her conscious. "It was cool -- to get to meet you and hang out with you. We should do it again -- sometime...", she nodded to herself as if to deem that invitation an adequate response. Afraid of second-guessing her phrasing, she wasted no time in stalking off and returning to her place of residence.

Thread Summary:

Elora receives:

4 SP (2 page, +1 event, +1 quest)
400 col
<<Alchemist>> Profession
"Crab Shake" (Uncommon T1 Salve) "A very viscus and pink-colored concoction with the odor of blood and brine. Hard pieces of shell gradually separate and sink to the bottom of the mixture."
Standard <<Alchemist>> Shop (Able to have an Alchemist thread in the Merchants & Shops section)
(8) 5 Tier 1 crafting materials + 3 leftover materials

Jackpot receives:

3 SP (2 page, +1 event)
400 col

  ♪  Lost Souls  ♪  

"ELORA WHERE ARE YOU?!", she heard Katoka cry out as her body plunged into wintry darkness.

"I'm here!", she tried to scream without respite. "Katoka - please - PLEASE HELP ME!", her mind raced as her lungs began to sting from the impending asphyxiation. Waves of panic rushed through every fiber of her being, sending clear visions through the static of her blurring sight. They were of...they were of her future -- a life that she would never experience, and a potential she would never be able to fulfill.

She imagined it all: finally having the courage to become an alchemist, to be supportive and to be proud of her best friend's successes, to become vulnerable, and to accept the unconditional love of her...

Elora closed her eyes as she thought of him. Of whatever they were. Of whatever they could have become.

A sharp and violent intake of the wicked liquid caused her throat to constrict in pain.

Her concentration wavered. 

With hands outstretched, she clawed at the void around her, struggling desperately to tread its vastness and resurface to some sense of normalcy. 

What was normal anymore?

She slowly felt herself begin to slip away as her mind ached to return to something familiar -- something that she would know to be true. Memories of her past flooded her mind in the wake of her mistakes, of the actions that lead to such a pathetic departure.

�̬̠̫ͬͫ͟�̖͕̞̬̣͓̙̝̽͡�̼̪̟̘͈ͨ͡�̜̖͇͔̼̣͂̒͞�̫̯͈̦̍ͪ̎̒͟�̛̟̼̝̐͆ͫ remembered her life of failure and her inability to live up to anyone's expectations. She remembered how she could never be better than him, how she'd forced her to abandon all hope in that ever changing, and how he'd never even wanted her to exist in the first place. Oh, how he would relish to see her in this moment, suffering at the hand of her own shortcomings. No matter how hard she'd tried, how much she'd yearned to change, she could never escape the kind of person that she really was: lazy, useless, undeserving of limitless chances...undeserving of love...

Finally, she could no longer outrun the thing she feared the most ---

Vanity tags: @Katoka @Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

 "Now", the woman commanded,  "Show me the strength that you possess today, Elora --" With a swift pirouette, Elora pivoted her stance and struck in an downward-diagonal, mimicking the action previously taken by the Gemini. A sharp thud followed by the dull clattering of a object falling to the floorboards marked that she had successfully disarmed her opponent. It was time to finish her off. Twirling her spear, Elora slid her right hand up it's shaft, propelling it downward to strike with even greater momentum than before.

"Gladly", she concluded with a smirk, "I'd been waiting to finish this charade from the moment it started. Don't worry though - I'll let you walk away from this. Just don't ever cross me again"

The Gemini flashed a fleeting grimace, half proud of her muse's accomplishment, half disappointed in itself at being bested by its own abilities, which had already begun to manifest in Elora.

Thread Summary (2.6 thread closure):
2300 EXP (1 page [800] + quest [1500])
400 col (1 page)
Unlock <<Concentration>> extra skill (spared Gemini)

"Hold onto me! I don't want you falling off!"

Elora had the best of intentions to follow her comrade's commands. Her legs, however, found it difficult to find traction against the slippery surface of the stallion's rear, which was saturated with the liquid that resembled the appearance of sullied oil.

"Wait--!", she had just barely managed to call out to Katoka before a blue bolt of lighting crashed beside them, sending the horse rearing in fright. Elora flew from the steed's back, one of it's back hooves planting itself firmly into her torso as it brayed and sprinted up the mountain with her friend still on its back. She buckled forward, clutching her abdomen as her body splashed into the dark mire below. Paralyzed by shock, she laid helplessly on her side, struggling to stand as her mouth gaped and pleaded for air to circulate through her winded lungs. Any opportunity for Elora's silent pleas to manifest into screams of terror were quickly stifled by the sinister clutches of the substance as it flooded into her throat and slowly began to suffocate her. 

Elora shook her head, brushing off the suggestion of mounting one of the horses. "Horses are stubborn as all hell, and I'm not about to ride one after what it saw me do to the others. But someone else can...", her voice trailed off, Is there even anyone else left to save? Just then, a plea for help rang through the frigid air, practically responding to her realization the second that it crossed her mind. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me", she sighed as she teetered onto her feet, then broke into a half-hearted sprint, it was more like a sloppy jog, really, toward what was left of the player. An outstretched arm provided enough opportunity for her to seize their sinking frame and yank them free from the clutches of a pool of obsidian ooze, which seemed to be acting like some sort of sinister quicksand. 

"GET ON A HORSE!", she demanded, sparing no hesitation to shove their body forward and insist it wise to keep moving along the incline. At second glance, she could have sworn she recognized him, A member of Firm Anima? It didn't matter. She didn't have the time to spare mulling over the details. Bodies were disappearing left and right and her stamina was nearing complete depletion. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to stop and save every struggling stranger that threatened to meet a tragic demise, or she would have nothing left to spare if --

"KATOKA!", Elora cried out, having finally caught sight of her samurai companion once again. 

Elora wasn't sure how to process, well, whatever THIS was. It seemed to her like the doppleganger was going through some sort of existential tailspin. "Look, lady. I don't know what it is that you're going on about, but it seems like you've got some pretty deep-seeded emotional issues. Maybe you should try actually dealing with them instead of going on these philosophical tirades with strangers that you meet in swamps.", she shrugged nonchalantly, "Something about this whole facade seems pretty back-handed to me, like you don't really know how to deal with your issues head-on. You can't just go off on someone and insult them, then afterwards try to amend it by saying that it wasn't your intention to hurt their feelings" Elora looked away briefly before adding, "If there's anything that you'd have 'lost' from me, it would be your ability to be real about how you feel. It's not worth pretending to be nice to someone just to get them to like you. Otherwise all you're gonna be left with for friends are empty shells."

The duplicate responded by erupting into a fit of laughter, causing Elora to question whether or not she'd just made a fool of herself by wasting her time with motivational speeches. After a few moments of wheezing, the winded clone began, "I...really wasn't expecting to learn so much from our encounter today"

"Yeah, that much was obvious.", retorted Elora.

The Gemini chuckled again as it stepped forward and started to approach her, this time without hostility "You're going to grow so much here, �̬̠̫ͬͫ͟�̖͕̞̬̣͓̙̝̽͡�̼̪̟̘͈ͨ͡�̜̖͇͔̼̣͂̒͞�̫̯͈̦̍ͪ̎̒͟�̛̟̼̝̐͆ͫ. Your going to leave your comfort zone, meet new people, and become an even stronger and more beautiful person." It began to reach out. "But please", it placed a hand on the end of her staff to gently direct it away, leaving her motionless and exposed to an attack. "Do not abandon all that you used to be" With a gentle tap across her shoulder from the tip of her Gemini's spear, Elora finally felt as though she understood who this woman was and why she'd been destined to meet her.

"I'm not saying any of this to put you down, but to make you aware of how much potential you have", it practically answered.

"God, just shut up already. You sound like my mother", huffed Elora.

The figure seemed to freeze in response to that. Had her accusation somehow disarmed it?

"Are you...worried that you will become like her?"

"What? No! I'm -- ", she hesitated, "I'm just -- tired of hearing that -- that I have 'potential'. That's all she'd ever tell me. I was never good enough for her, or for my father, just as I was. I always had to live up to the greatness of some sort of", she gestured with a hand, "Aspirational mirage" Elora caught herself in her monologue and refrained from commenting further. "Aren't you supposed to know all of this?", she finally blurted, against her better judgement.

It shook its head somewhat solemnly, "Yes...but also, no...I thought that I understood you more than this...It seems that in changing, I have become some of the things that I once despised. I wonder if -- I wonder how much I have lost in my pursuit to become someone better..."

"You haven't --!", it interjected sternly, "Clearly the ghosts of your troubled past still haunt you." Her duplicate charged, intending to deal her more than just phycological damage. "You're callous, selfish, and reckless in your approaches -- ", its claims were curtailed by a dull thud as Elora lifted her staff to defend herself from the attack. "But -- that makes you fast on your feet --!"

Elora shoved the creature backwards, causing it to stumble and stagger over a section of scattered crates. "Couldn't have said it better myself", scoffed Elora before she quickly found her own center of gravity thrown off balance by a low swipe of her equal's staff.

"I was going to add 'creative and observational', but I think you have some room for improvement in regards to those"

Elora swiftly rose to her feet, dusting herself off from the attack. For how much its managed to hit me, it really isn't all that strong..., she noted as both of them began to circle the room and stare each other down, It seems like its only purpose is to taunt me...but why...?

"I'll show you a gentle approach!", barked Elora as she sprang up to attack the other woman. In a clumsy attempt to reclaim her spear, Elora stepped onto a loosened floorboard, sending the opposite end of the plank soaring into the air. The act held comedically perfect timing, as her counterpart's spear suddenly found itself lodged into the wood rather than its intended target. 

Swiftly scooping her weapon off of the ground, Elora pivoted around the obstruction and plunged its pristine point into the enemy's side. "I don't care who you are -- DON'T FUCK WITH ME!", she hissed in warning before the sound of snapping splinters sent her staggering backwards in search of safety. 

"Calm down, �̬̠̫ͬͫ͟�̖͕̞̬̣͓̙̝̽͡�̼̪̟̘͈ͨ͡�̜̖͇͔̼̣͂̒͞�̫̯͈̦̍ͪ̎̒͟�̛̟̼̝̐͆ͫ, I only want to test you -- " 

"AND DON'T FUCKING CALL ME THAT!", she added as she readied herself for another altercation, "That's not who I am! I left that life behind!"

Elora felt her muscles tense upon hearing her real name. It was the first time that anyone or anything had spoken it since she'd entered the game. How does it -- ?, before she had the chance to consider, her clone rushed forward, summoning a spear from beneath her charcoal-colored cloak to swipe at Elora. The weapon tore through the front of her corset, gashing Elora across her bodice with its sharpened tip. 

"Engh!", winced Elora as she reflexively released her staff to apply pressure to the wound. Where she'd expected to find blood, she instead found only a small stream of pixels. The pain that she had felt only moments ago had vanished along with her window of opportunity to conduct any sort of counterattack. 

"This must be your first time experiencing pain in this world...I should have been more gentle in my approach...", sighed her duplicate as she reassessed her opponent's vulnerabilities. 

"Is this some sort of joke?", Elora huffed as her staff briefly loosened in her grip. "Why -- How do you know what I -- What are you -- ?" Each question curtailed as Elora's thoughts struggled to keep pace with her speech, "I don't understand"

"I know that it's hard for you to translate all of your ideas into words", her counterpart chuckled comfortingly as her features began to morph to match Elora's current appearance. The figure's hair seemed to bleach as she sauntered into sunlight, inky shadows trickling away to reveal hidden light green hair and a set of long and slender elf-like ears that peaked out from behind them. "Does this make things a little easier for you?"

The gesture felt more like a snide commentary of Elora's stupidity than a curtesy offered to help negate her emotional whiplash. "What the f*ck are you talking about? No, it doesn't make it EASIER!", Elora readied her spear and pointed it threateningly toward her digital doppelgänger, "And you didn't even answer any of my questions! Do you take me for an idiot or something?"

"No, �̬̠̫ͬͫ͟�̖͕̞̬̣͓̙̝̽͡�̼̪̟̘͈ͨ͡�̜̖͇͔̼̣͂̒͞�̫̯͈̦̍ͪ̎̒͟�̛̟̼̝̐͆ͫ, but I know that you hold yourself at far too low a standard..."

Elora could feel a blush return to her face as Freyd assured her that she had changed, and apparently for the better. This is all so different, she observed with mirrored weariness as faint wisps of steam curled up from the cups, caressing her countenance before they were warded off by the motion of her drinking hand. For once, I find it hard to doubt him. Hearing him change -- seeing him change, even, - in front of me like this, it has to mean that something good is happening. He has to be right. We've both been..blossoming...at least, in our own ways...

"I don't think I've let myself slow down in months.  So much has happened.  So much.. is still happening."

"Relax...", she broke off from her thoughts to offer him the very advice that he had given her so many times during their previous adventures. And, like before, it didn't go unaccompanied by the signature gesture, a comforting hand, which was placed affectionately on his shoulder to carefully guide him down until he was fully rested on the narrow mattress below. 

"So much... left.. to..."

Elora tilted her head to study Freyd as the man nearly-instantaneously departed into sleep. He looks so... She shook her head. There were things to do before she could follow him into slumber. Specifically, clearing off the drinkware, putting out the fire, and taking off her --

"SH*T!", she hissed beneath her breath, I don't have anything for that! Elora threw open her inventory as she rushed to complete the other tasks, her mind racing to conjure a viable solution. Do I seriously not have ANYTHING appropriate to wear to bed? What if I had someone over who DIDN'T want to hang out like that? What if KATOKA wanted to have a sleepover? I can't believe that this hasn't been a problem until now...F*cking typical! As she searched through spares of her regular attire, her Tanabata kimono, and the already-multipurpose gray cloak, Borris began to unravel himself from her wrists in hopes of retreating to a homely patch of soil that had accumulated in one corner of the room. "Sorry buddy, but I think I'm gonna need your help", she apologized as her hands began to separate the magnetic pieces of the protesting golem, "Oh come on, it's not like you actually need to sleep anyway. And besides, Freyd sleeps with his familiar. Don't you want to have a strong, trusting connection like that or something?"

In usual Borris fashion, the rattling rocks seemed to still in agreement, or at the very least, in a sign of tolerance for her request. "Thank you!", she admitted in hushed surprise to his uncharacteristic cooperation. Elora tightened Freyd's - her - cloak around her body, fastening shut its loose and otherwise revealing openings with sets of her familiar's stones. The resulting sleepwear wasn't all that flattering, but it got the job done. Well, it's definitely better than wearing the kimono or my dirty clothes to sleep..., decided Elora as she unequipped her clothing beneath it and crawled into the bed, Hopefully I'll be up before him so I can change back into my regular gear without him even noticing...

She soon found Freyd's form occupying the middle of the mattress to be an obstacle of its own. After a few unsuccessful attempts to heave his body over and onto one side, Elora begrudgingly tried to curl herself around him, leaving only the slightest gap between their bodies as a courtesy. Her only other option would send her tumbling to the ground, where she would be left to sleep with all of the vermins that scuttled across the drafty and decaying floorboards. A sigh of relief left Elora's lips as she pulled a portion of the quilt over herself, her body finally having done the gymnastics required to adjust itself into a comfortable position. 

Soft blue eyes timidly rose to glance at Freyd's sleeping features, the simple sight of him laying peacefully beside her all that was needed to paint a smile on her still-flushed face. Burying her giddiness behind the fabric of her cotton cocoon proved to be a useful way to stifle the reaction and prevent it from waking him.

"Goodnight...", she whispered from behind the mask of fabric, her warm hand giving a tender squeeze to his before heavy eyelids beckoned her to join him in sleep.

  ♪  Steeping, Sleeping  ♪  

"What were you worried I might think, Elora?"

"That you would find it weird, obsessive, worried to see how much I cherished it -- and how much I cared for you...", she admitted succinctly, her speech breaking for a moment as her mind seemed to snag upon mulling over that final detail. Her head turned ever so slightly away from him as her instinct to avoid expressing vulnerability compelled her to retreat from the conversation. Nevertheless, she fought to continue, "I don't know...I guess part of me also wondered what you would think of me -- after you remembered that day", she nodded toward the rose to offer brief clarification, "Maybe it would make you realize that I haven't really changed much as a person..." 

Elora's fingers flexed beneath his as the nails of her unoccupied hand curled inward, digging into the folds of sheets haphazardly spread beneath them. Following the sound of a steep and stifled sigh, she explained, "I was afraid -- that I wouldn't live up to your expectations -- and all of the potential that you had seen in me then --"

"Eeeeeee"

A sharp screeching sound split through the studio's stuffy air as the little teapot cried for Elora to remove it from the fireplace. Thank god! The startling summon, ironically, instilled her with an unexpected feeling of relief; she was glad to know that something else had felt the same level of urgency to escape from the heat of the moment. Without hesitation, Elora rose to her feet and sprinted across the room to pour their drinks, spending more time than was necessary to transport their cups onto a wooden tray before returning to the bedside. It was then that she noticed the change in Freyd's eyes, which had likely reddened for a reason different than that of her own. 

"You look pretty tired", Elora identified as she sat down once again, this time placing the serving vessel to rest between the two of them. "Here", she offered as she lifted a ceramic cup to him, "I made it decaf. I hope you don't mind mint" Flashing him a weary smile, she swiftly raised, then slowly sipped from the glass of green tea that had originally been brewed for him. 

He needs this rest. 

Nearly dropping the container in a seizure of uncontrollable nervousness, Elora firmly clenched its wooden frame within her hands to stabilize it before guiding it down to rest it gingerly on the countertop. She found it difficult to admit to Freyd that his brisk assistance had caught her more than a little off-guard when she felt equally as appreciative for his extended reach and fleeting embrace. The moment has already passed. Just worry about putting together the drinks, she reminded herself as he retreated to rest on her bed. Well that was a close call..., she sighed in relief before lifting both of her hands to -- 

"Ican'tbelieveyoukeptit.", she heard him mumble something indistinguishable.

Wh -- WHERE IS THE -- ? Elora floundered to search for where she had misplaced the metal memento. She glimpsed briefly in the direction of Freyd, turning once again in complete startlement as she caught sight of him regarding the rose in his hands. "I --", opening her mouth to utter an unlikely explanation proved to be more difficult than she was prepared to improvise. So instead, she directed her attention back to preparing the tea. There was a chance that it could buy her some more time to come up with an excuse. 

I mean, is it really that big of a deal that he found out I kept it? It's normal for people to hold onto the things that other people give them..., she wondered as the small iron kettle began to spill over with water. Worried hands refrained from filling the vessel further as they lifted to carry it over to an auburn hearth nestled into the center of the room. I just hope he doesn't think it's because of anything else. That would be sure-proof way to scare him away from me. 

Elora drew dried twigs from a nearby wicker basket, kindling their embers until a tiny flame grew to flicker vibrantly within in the walls of the dusty fireplace. Hanging the kettle proceeded a series of cautious steps as she migrated to sit beside Freyd, whose mind still appeared fixated on the object before him, or at the very least, lost in some train of thought that escaped her level of intuition.

"Looks like you've found it", she chuckled softly as splayed fingers guided her to lean back and muse at the ceiling, "I didn't really mean for it to be kept a secret from you, I just worried what you might think if you realized that I kept it out on display..."

“I don’t know.  Do you really think I have the legs for it?”

Elora promptly glanced down to inspect the man's thighs, regarding the question with an unexpected amount of seriousness. "Hmm, well...", she lifted a finger and cocked her head to one side as she pondered, "It's hard to tell, but I'd venture to guess that you probably do. I mean, I have seen what secrets hide beneath your sh--" Elora suddenly paused as she watched a sly smile extend across Freyd's face, "O-oh, that was supposed to be a joke -- HA!" Unable to recover from that misunderstanding, she took to laughing nervously before spinning on one heal and shuffling over to her bed.

A gnarled heap of pillows and blankets laid strewn across it's mattress. It was fairly obvious that she hadn't been expecting to return with any guests. As she leaned forward to unfurl the sheets, her eye caught a glimpse of a familiar object glinting in the warm rays of the rising sun: it was the copper rose that Freyd had given her.  

Elora blushed and quickly swiped the gift from the bed, tucking its cool metal stem close to her chest as she considered how best to hide it from him. I can't just leave it in the bed or he would notice it! But, he'd be able to see if I opened my menu right now to return it to my inventory -- maybe I can sneak it into one of the drawers of my dresser? Yeah, that could work! I just need to find some way to distract him!

"Umm, do you want some tea? Wait, no, you're a coffee drinker -- I forgot! Well, I'll just make a pot for myself or something then. Don't mind meee~", she trailed off as her body side-stepped closer to the dresser in the corner, placed beside a cozy kitchenette. "Decaf...decaf...decaf...", she mumbled as she awkwardly tried to maneuver one hand to rummage through a small wooden chest. Her back remained turned to him as she seemed to be fumbling with getting the ingredients together to brew the beverage. 

Freyd's shadow rose to cast over a gawking Elora, whose form remained frozen in a crouched position as a saturated scarlet blush began to eclipse over her expressions. 

"H-hi -- o-oh, sorry again -- let me just --", she struggled to form sentences as her finger frantically searched for and seized discombobulated fragments of her familiar's body. Borris's rocks rolled around in her palms like a disobedient child riding the high of a sugar rush. One by one, each broke free of her grasp and scattered around the the base of the door, almost as if the creature was intent on preventing Freyd from returning to privacy. Clearly flustered by how out-of-hand the whole ordeal was becoming, Elora quickly turned to Kat with a desperate expression that seemed to scream: Come up with some sort of distraction for me -- PLEASE!

"Hey! We uh, were just stopping by because we were looking for a place to try and train our familiars."

THANK GOD!, praised Elora as she fashioned her hand into a shovel, then flung the straggling stones across the room and out of the way. After the series of consequent clunking sounds subsided, Elora sprang to her feet and tried to reintegrate herself into the conversation. 

"Haha, Yeah! That's a lot of -- um -- stuff!" 

Freyd cracked a confirmative smirk that seemed to sympathize with her awkward ordeal before bidding them farewell and returning to his exercises.

Stray strands of frazzled hair sprang from Elora's emerald head while others stuck fixed to her sweating face. "D-did you see that?", she whispered in disbelief to Katoka. It was unclear whether or not she was referring to the equipment they had both seen or the result of using it. Either way, Elora found herself wishing she could have Freyd instruct her through completing a similar kind workout routine. 

As Katoka did her best to make sense out of the chaotic scene and attempt to command the attention of others, Elora assessed their surroundings, surveying what little remained visible of the mountainside to she if there was any new information to be gained. The valley below them was submerged in darkness, flooded completely by the thick obsidian liquid that continued to pelt between powerful bursts of wind. The only way is up, she agreed conclusively. How many lives had already been lost? How many lives had yet to be lost? 

Elora's entertaining of the thought was curtailed by the discordant neighing of startled horses that broke through momentary silences in the rumbling thunder. Cerulean eyes flickered to catch the form of a figure seemingly struggling to scale the slippery slope. She had stumbled directly in front of the stallions' trajectory. "W-WATCH OUT!", cried Elora as she bolted over to help, "THE HORSES -- MOVE!!" Practically diving in front of the player, Elora slashed her spear into the legs of an oncoming pair of horses, causing both to buckle forward and over the huddled two. Screeches of anguish were suddenly snuffed out as the creatures tumbled from the side of a sheer ledge nearby, their corpses joining the others in the shadowy grave below.

Vanity tag: @Jevi

Elora couldn't help but fidget impatiently in her seat as everyone rambled through their reasonings, her mind set on speaking up until, 

"I would like to hear what ChaseR has to say, I would like to here Mari's side of things.", Raidou decided firmly. Although he reassured Katoka that her contributions were valued, Elora didn't feel prepared to dispute why the other two players should be invited to participate in the final hearing. Her only reasons were based in newly-formed personal grudges against their perceived intentions, not hard evidence against their behaviors.

 "Few know that a second front had approached Coral from floor 22 and was scattered by Mari, Cordelia and I shortly before the debacle at the lake.", mentioned Freyd in passing before he proceeded to offer other defenses.

So that's why he suddenly left me at the festival? He just wanted to celebrate Tanabata with Mari instead...? A dull and heavy pain began to settle in Elora's chest as she tried to reason with herself, I'm sure that he only just met her when he was off doing all of that other stuff.

"It took a heavy toll, but she did it without violence, which speaks mountains to her character."

Somehow managing to stifle the urge to roll her eyes at the compliment, she instead chose to sink back into her seat and further retreat from the continuing conversation.

"We saw eye to eye enough to go on and work together on other quests in the aftermath"

I guess that's it then. They must really be close to one another...I'm sure no matter what excuses she gives everyone, he'll just consider them well and justified. Sparing a despondent glance over to Katoka as she agreed for them to hear Mari's side, Elora couldn't help but wonder if, I shouldn't be here next time. I don't even want to see what kind of person she really is. If I can't control my emotions around her, then I'll only risk putting myself in the same sort of situation that Chase is dealing with right now. Freyd can handle this however he wants to. I don't really care anymore.

Elora crossed her arms in front of herself before reluctantly nodding in vague affirmation of the motion. 

Vanity tags: @Raidou @Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows @Katoka @Mari

"If something happens I want you to keep going ok? You can't give up."

"Why would it matter, Kat? Why would it make a difference if I joined you or if I survived to live for just a few more minutes? Do you really think that I would be able to save anyone else in that amount of time -- in something like THIS?" Elora didn't want to make Katoka cry anymore than she already had, but unlike her friend, she was not able to command her nerves or stop the panic from taking over. So what if she didn't see the point? Maybe her life wouldn't be worth living if she lost the people she cared about, or maybe, that was just her nihilism talking. Either way, she doubted that she would be capable of going on without having Katoka there to support her. She knew that death would find her eventually, she just hadn't expected that it would threaten to drag down someone else along with her.

Releasing a raspy and heavy sigh, Elora continued, "You're my best friend too, you know. That's why I'm not going to abandon you. It's probably selfish -- but I'd rather die with someone like you by my side than die a hero for someone else. You're worth so much more to me than any stranger" 

She squeezed her guildmate's hand gently, then released it so that they could prepare their weapons.

"Anyway..."

"Enough of that, let's get to this other group alright?"

Name: Crab Shake
Your Profession: Alchemist
Your Rank: 1
ID: 180242
Roll: CD10
Item Type: Salve
Tier: 1
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: N/A
Description: "A very viscus and pink-colored concoction with the odor of blood and brine. Hard pieces of shell gradually separate and sink to the bottom of the mixture."
Post Link: 

"Well, I already managed to pick one earlier, so finding another really isn't all that novel", she decided, then added with a shrug, "But I guess having a spare in case something goes wrong is never a bad thing" Elora stood up and stretched her arms high into the air before returning to her usual hunched position. With a lethargic yawn, she agreed, "Yeah, let's head back already and get this thing over with"

Although the two of them entered Evangeline's shop late into the night, the female NPC appeared to be just as enthused and preoccupied with crafting potions as she had that morning, when they had first encountered her. After a brief greeting, Elora presented her findings to the Alchemist. 

"Did you even find ANYTHING from the list of items that I gave you?", she snapped as she inspected severed segments of monster flesh alongside the occasional carrot and singular stock of mint. Evangeline sighed and lifted a hand to rub her temple, "I hope you understand that I won't be able to help you craft anything that can heal visual impairments with any of this..."

"That's fine, I don't need it anymore --", Elora nearly interjected as she picked up her things and shuffled her way over to a cauldron that sat in the corner of the room. "Is this what I use to make stuff?"

"Y-Yes. But you can't just --", the alchemist raised a cautious hand before rushing to the player's side, "Throw things into it..." Elora, in her eagerness, had already tossed a carrot into the pot, hoping that the action alone would cause something magical to happen. Instead, the ensuing chemical reaction caused a plume of noxious smoke to billow forth and flood the room in a sea of orange. "Here...", she offered reluctantly, "Take these monster parts and break them into smaller pieces. Gradually increase the heat as you stir, and pay attention to what color the solution turns." Elora followed the directions as Evangeline continued to instruct, "You should see some simmering cause the salve to become lighter. There! Now, you don't want it to turn much darker than that, or that means you've burnt it -- and it won't be as effective then. Ok...OK! Stop -- I said that was enough!" The woman quickly helped a nervous Elora transport the contents into a small vile before allowing her the honor of sealing it with a cork. 

"Whoaaa, it's soo...", the green-haired player marveled as she inspected her first creation, "Chunky..."