GetComfy

5/30/20

Well. It's certainly not the worst work day he had, but he certainly had better. Nonetheless, he's glad to finally break the streak of getting nothing for the past few days, even if it's not the best item he could've made. Mason gently picks up the dessert and places it to his side - then he picks up the salvaged ingredients he got and puts it with the rest after thorough cleaning.

Now he has to clean his workplace. Again. Oh dear...

He really should stop being so messy about making things, it would make life so much easier... Oh well.

5/29/20

Hm. Nothing today as well. At least he managed to salvage most of his materials today. Perhaps he should finish the sushi bar? He really liked the samples he got as a gift, so maybe that might be a good idea?

He should really get started on the next quest though... He already has all the gear he needed, and the next quest will get him some levels AND col the next time he visits a shop... Hm... Perhaps he should ask someone out? On a quest of course. But who? Hmm...

Nonetheless, he starts cleaning up the kitchen again. After all, today is already done.

5/28/20

Today was a bad day.

No successful creations, and he didn't even manage to salvage any of it. All those materials, gone to waste- honestly it doesn't matter because he can just get it all back later with a big 'ol grind. It's just the time wasted that hurts. Whatever. At least he can just go nap instead of, well, actually doing anything.

Would it look bad if someone walked in on him just napping at the counter? Who would be so cruel to judge him because of that? Hm... I'll be fiiiine.

Mason plants his head on a pillow and just begins to nap the day away.

5/27/20

Hm. How is today going to go?

Honestly... Better than expected! Made something, and managed to salvage one of the disasters!

However, the quality could definitely be better... Eh. He'll put it on the full menu. Maybe someone will pick it up. That, or he can use it for himself. Either way is quite appealing! Alright, time to clean up for the day... He stares at the mess he had made in the kitchen while making everything. Oh... This is going to take a while... Why did I do this to myself? Whatever. He'll just go with it, it's not like he DOESN'T have time, so why not?

Mason just softly hums along with the piano in the background. Though, it's obvious he has no sense of music whatsoever, so it doesn't sound quite right. Nonetheless, he does so anyways because it's a nice way to pass the time while he gets things done. Occasionally, he'd pause to listen to the conversation occurring at the counter top right outside the kitchen window, but his focus is always on what he's making. Now, how do I want to this...? 

He eases up on whisking the mixture, but sort of taps his chin in thought... After a few seconds, he prepares the dough and gets ready to put it into the oven. In a few minutes... Then let's go to the tea. Hm... Jasmine... How about green tea for the other? Yeah. That sounds fine. Keep it simple and all. Alright, get the leaves, bring out the serving bowl... He peeks through a few of the cupboards - it's still rather messy considering the fact that the initial condition of the store wasn't great - and pulls out cylindrical ceramic teacups. Putting them to the side for now, he just waits for everything to come together-

Ah. Right. Need to prepare for this Dalgona thing. Done it a few times, but not much...

Back to peeking through the cupboards for additional ingredients!

5/26/20

Alright! Let's see what we can do today!

Bah. Nothing. At least I managed to get something back...

Nonetheless, Mason will clean up for the day. The utensils, the messes left behind by people - the nerve of them! - and preparing everything for the next day! Man, the sushi is really good! I should put up a sign, that'd be sufficient pay back right? He should also look into crafting buffs as well. He's not very sure he can handle more of this vanilla and clean without anything. Perhaps one of the shops on the higher floors? They probably have something...

A casual whistle... Wow, being at this floor is kinda weird. Nonetheless, it is relatively easy to just teleport up then teleport back down, so might as well look around for some good shops, right? He heard some things about this place after all...

Immolation pots, immolation pots, immolation pots! Ah, there it is! Time to make things unfun for a few people... Hehehe...

Honestly, one would be concerned by the homeless looking person doing an evil chuckle, but I suppose money is money. Now... He has to trade some money and just pick up a copy of the pot, easy enough!

...

Now to get back down.. God, this is a lot of effort.

Mason just smiles at the bulky package that he had just picked up from everyone! Ohoho! Look at all these items! So useful! So majestic! Yeaaaah... He's definitely gonna hurt some things real good. Nonetheless, he thanks everyone for their time, and swiftly returns to his shop to get ready.

Looooooooud~

He doesn't mind though. Just have the piano be a little louder... and... There we go! Alright. Time to get to work- Cookies? Dal-Dalgona? Cookie crumbs on the drink? Isn't that unhealthy? Is-is that all he heard? Hmm... Whatever! It's not something he was prepared for, but certainly something he can do - after all, it's just a hurdle to jump over!. Nonetheless, Mason swiftly pulls his hair back, reaching for a hairtie out of sight. Wrapwrapwrap~. And now he's left with a bun. Pull up the sleeves, slap an apron on, washing of the hands... He's all ready to work~!

Alright, set the tea out first... Fill the kettle, over the fire... Now for the cookies- Ah. Right. Mason pokes his head out to look out the kitchen window to look at the blonde offering sushi. "Any preference on the tea?" With that, he immediately goes straight to the dough. After all, the window is there so he can easily hear things.

Butter first, then the sugar... Then he starts to hand whisk the mixture - he wishes he had an electric mixer, but whatever can you do - and gradually adding the rest of the ingredients necessary to making the cookie dough. He occasionally glances over at the three new customers that are currently residing in his shop, somewhat interested. They seem... strange enough, but hey, he doesn't mind!

...

His stomach growls at a bit at the thought of eating some of sushi offered. Yeah. I'm gonna get some tea for myself too... Surely I have some wasabi around here right? And now his thoughts are occupied by food, while making food. Fun.

5/25/20

Alright alright! Let's get something on the menu today!

Hm. That's unfortunate. Once again, no net gain. One successful creation, the other one a failure. At least it's not an utter failure though! There was some redeemable qualities... Kind of. Reusable? ... Eeeeeeh... Nonetheless, Mason is glad to have gotten some work done today and prepares to clean up. It feels like he's getting better already! Though... Maybe he should look into getting some neat decorations for the shop - he heard rumors that some things can help you improve your crafts and what not. Something like that? Well, that'd be a good idea.

Mason swiftly raises his head as things started to happen in a matter of seconds. Immediately, bombarded with three different questions, his eyes begin to swirl as his tired hamster brain tries to process it all. Uh. Uhhh. Uhhhh... "Yes, yes, and yes." Pushing himself up and briefly stumbles into the kitchen. Yet again, his peanut brain still has not fully processed everything that transpired. Something about gifts? Being okay? Coffee? Loud? Maybe that tiny nap wasn't a good ideaaaa~ Whatever.

He starts setting things out... then pauses as he realizes that he had finally caught up to the most recent event. He pokes his head out of the window to look at the blonde bearing gifts. "Gifts? Just set them on the counter, I'll sort them out later. Probably." Then he turns to the hypebeast. Honestly, this was a trend he DID not get. Nonetheless, he still gets to be served. "Uh... Coffee, right? Any preference?" Another swift turn to the other blonde kneeling at the counter, only giving her a questioning glance because she had only asked if he was okay.

...

Does that mean he has to clean up the menu again? Oh why... How can this happen to him..... Mason just slams his head back down onto the counter, a bit upset but not really because helping someone out is always great... Guess he'll have to bite the bullet and cross out the menu again. Or erase it-

Have I ever put that drink I made onto the menu in here? No I haven't- Wait, that was my first customer!

A cause for celebration! Except, well, he still has work to do! But he can't do the actually productive kind of work! He now has mixed feelings about this and it's only been about... Two minutes?

On a certain warm day on the first floor Aincrad, there is a nondescript building. This building is known as Slow Days Cafe, and inside would be the owner who is usually hard at work. Usually. Let's see how he's doing?

...

Upon entering the building, anyone can notice that Mason is just kneeling behind the counter with his head resting on it. Praise the pillow that is making sure his knees won't kill him later. He had finished working a bit for today, so he's feeling pretty good about just resting...

After all, he's waiting on gear! And, well, doing any quests that require tedious work is just a bad idea without good gear to make it easier. Nonetheless, he's still having a good time because that's just how he is! Hm. I need to redo the incense. The messy one gets up from his pillow and picks out an incense stick from behind the counter. Light it, then place it into the holder... The pleasant smell begins to fill the room once more. Mason just smiles even more now, going back to his pillow and placing his head back down.

The faint scent of tea from the work earlier begins to join the scent of incense. Ah. What a pleasant smell~!

5/24/20

Hm. Slow day. Fitting, considering you know, the name of the cafe. Nonetheless, that means there isn't profit being made... But that's fine. He just wants to offer assistance, that's all. Perhaps he should go out and offer something to the people? Hm...

Well.. His first attempt was terrible. Not the worst, but definitely not usable... The second one though? It was perfect for what he was trying to make! Now, to put it on display for now. Thankfully, the game world is so lenient with how food and drinks are handled. A bit more levels for the next rank, and he can start makin' more!

5/23/20

Ah...

This.. This is unfortunate.

He had not expected the initial shop to be so messy, and he had put in a lot of work just to make it seem the way it does now! 

But that means he could not put that much work in for today. Then again, he was already limited by his own lack of experience in the game. Hell, if this was real life, he'd be much better of... Whatever. Mason will make do. He has to.

So what's the plan today? Tea? Some form of snacks? Let's see where it ends up for today...

Yikes. Another time perhaps?

Quote

~~ ~~

"Sometimes, the world starts to change at speeds you can't keep up with... So why not pull up a seat and take a break? Everyone needs to rest at some point... Everyone needs a place to call home. So let this be your home away from the world."

It almost feels... Warm.

~~ ~~

- Slow Days Cafe -
Rank 4:  89/159 EXP | This Week's Menu: Snacks, Desserts, Meals, and Tea!

On the first floor of Aincrad, there resides a nondescript building, two stories high, on the outskirts of the town. Normally, one would pass by such a building - very few windows (the few that do exist are made of paper), bland tan exterior, and the shoji double door does little to sway most passerby's interest. In all honesty, this can fool people into thinking that this is a player residence except for the fact that there is an open / close sign and a chalkboard right next to the door.

~~

Entering the cafe, one would notice the low light environment that was created by filtering out most of the natural light of the outside world. Four wooden booths that is almost waist height is laid about, with each booth containing a singular table and an assortment of pillows for both laying down and sitting. A small bookshelf can also be found (right next to the entrance on the interior of each booth), should someone wish to come in to read alone instead of conversing with a companion. All of this is compacted into an average sized room, fitting about sixteen customers total. Of course, more could be squeezed in, but the owner would do well to remind them to control their volume.

Due to the nature of this room, a rich aroma of tea and incense is constantly present, especially with the open window kitchen behind the shop counter that is small in comparison to more grand places. In fact, one can easily sit in front of the small shop counter as they wait for man to serve them. However, this comes with a drawback - anyone's eyes can be easily drawn to the seedier back entrance to the side, which almost certainly leads to outside the walls, if not to seedy alleyways that allows orange cursor players to come in. Nonetheless, the man behind the counter does well to glare at anyone who dare causes issue in this haven - regardless of their cursor color.

Should one inquire about a more private setting - though in all honesty, the quiet atmosphere of the first floor is enough for a private conversation anyways - the owner offers the second floor as place to meet. Four rooms. And much like the booths on the first floor, there is a singular table, pillows, and bookshelves. Unlike the first floor, there is sheets and even futons should you end up resting in the room. If it was any other place, perhaps they would've been kicked out. But the owner understands. Sometimes, people need breaks. He'll just quietly lock the door for the night, often taking a room himself or use the convenient space behind the counter.

He had intended this to be a home, thus it shall be a home. Not a permanent one though, he's just nice enough to lend a hand when people need it.

~~

- FEATURED MENU -

- CUSTOM ORDER FORM -

- FULL MENU -

- KITCHEN -

~~

Quote

OOC Info

• If you wanna use this location for RP, go for it (Doesn't matter if it's here or in the beginner floors). If you need / want my presence, just tag me and I'll cameo for a bit.
• You can use vanity equivalents of things in the menu for RP purposes, I don't mind.

Stockpile

The pop up remains, still waiting for the supposed player to confirm that they wish to pick up the item. Unfortunately, that will not happen anytime soon as Mason is just laid back on the floor and staring into the sky defeated. All that time. All that learning. Wasted. All because the loot he was looking for wasn't even good. What will he do now? It's not like he's going to get anything out of this now. It's not like he can easily go back where he came from...

Bah! Fine! It doesn't matter!

Mason jams his finger into the confirm button as the katana quickly replaces the curved sword that he had in hand. At first, he held it up to get a feel for it. Even though it's rusted, he can tell that the weight was distributed in a way that would suit the way of combat he learned earlier... He stares back at the scroll. Then at the maintenance equipment...

Alright. I'll bite.

This will certainly take a while. Trying to bring this katana back into tip top condition despite how rusty and broken it is, then practicing with it? Well... It could be worse.

Quote

~~ ~~

Katana Skill Acquired!

"Perhaps the greatest reward is the ability to do more than you could've done before on your own... Not from a tool."

You can now use katanas!

~~ ~~

... Yeah. This definitely feels like a smug developer thing to do just to troll a random player because they thought it's funny... But... Yeah. At least he can use katanas now. Aren't those two handers? That'll be nice...

...

Wait, how will he get back down?

~~ Quest End, Collect Your... Rewards...? ~~

There was no breaks. There was no giving up.

Mason was determined to practically break his body into learning this way of combat. With each swing, he grew more precise. With each swing, he grew more accurate. With each swing, he was able to put his all into. Yet, with each swing, he grew more tired. And eventually, he will have to quit at some point because he would've reached his limit with what the scroll offered...

But he had to keep going. After all, this way of fighting was actually kind of fun - plus free loot was something that swayed him over. So he kept going and giving it his all with every swing until he mastered what he could...

Quote

~~ ~~

"Beyond the mind and the body, there is the spirit, for without spirit, one could not give it their all. Each swing. Each strike. All of it, must be beyond your best."

~~ ~~

... The altar began to move back as what seems like a weapon pedestal began to rise. It was all too clear now! This was all a test! A test to see if one can go beyond and be worthy of acquiring this chosen blade! Gimme gimme gimme gimme...

The blade that rested on the pedestal was a katana. But that was not what put that shocked expression on Mason's face. No. It was the fact that it was rusty. It was the fact that there was a cleaning rag perched in front of it. Polishing oil. Everything to properly maintain such a weapon... No, the final nail the coffin was the pop up in front of him.

Quote

~~ M--en-o M--i; De---o--r of W--lds ~~

A rusty blade. It seems that this blade has been worn down through the ages. After all, what made this blade special is the fact that it was not special at all. A simple weapon at its creation, and a simple weapon at its end. Though perhaps that is why it symbolized what it was - a reminder that no matter who you are or what you were, death will come.

Vanity Katana | Enchantments: N/A

... WHAAAAAAAAAAT?

Quote

~~ ~~

"... Sometimes, one's spirit might be tested when the end they desperately sought after is not what they were looking for after all."

The note placed onto the pedestal stands out, almost mocking the one that would be reading it.

"A lesson to be learned perhaps."

~~ ~~

The temple's land was barren, holding not many buildings or sites to rest and look at. The only thing that stood out was one large building itself, standing proudly in the center despite all the disrepair. Surely, this must be where Mason's goal is?

He walks through the massive entrance way, noting the dusty tatami mats and cobwebs that are constructed in many places. Tools of worship, as well as various pillows as to where the temple goers would sit at and pray. But more importantly... There was a gold altar where an old scroll lays.

Quote

~~ ~~

"Though you may have tested your body, now you must test your mind. Yet not of knowledge, but of instinct. What makes a mortal different from another is their natural right to change the world."

~~ ~~

... What? I don't- Oh. Ohhhh.... Oh no.

What was initially confusion was soon replaced with a horrified realization. For on the scroll was not words but images. Images of stances. Images of swings. Images of combat...

How is he supposed to learn this? Isn't this where you'd normally have a teacher, y'know, take your hand and guide you through it? This will be... This will be extremely difficult. How can he ever gain something as instinctual as this? Something that is ingrained into one's body!

...

He can't give up here. He'll do it. Mason raises his curved sword - not quite like the blade in the images, but similar enough - and began to swing.

Beyond the halfway point, there lies a cliffside that is partly covered as a cave. With in is clearly an abandoned temple with Shinto origins. How does one know that this temple is abandoned? Well, it' quite clear that the maintenance of it has gone away - the garden full of weeds, broken wooden pillars and gates that had collapsed in on itself as a result of the weather at that height, and the almost dusty appearance of everything. The paths itself is extremely cracked, which is not normal for a well kept shrine. Nonetheless, this temple has not seen anyone for the ages...

Until now.

A shivering hand comes up from the cliffside, pulling itself up to reveal one Not-A-Hobo, Mason! He's gritting his teeth to the point where it feels like they might shatter. However, his eyes widen with wonder has he gazes upon this broken down mess. Normally, one would be disappointed, but honestly, Mason is just happy that there was something at the end of all this. Plus, it's free shelter until he has to well, go back down. 

Alright! Time to explore!

...

Mason is staring up at the mountain as it breaks the heavens. Hell, he can even see clouds starting to pass through the mountain and it doesn't even look like it's at the three-quarters mark. How tall is this thing? Is he gonna have to climb the whole thing? ... I could look for a path, but knowing the developers... Alright, well. Guess it's time to show my moves. The messy one rolls up his sleeves as to not get caught by anything because of loose material. Swinging his arms and stretching them, he firmly takes the first step, or well, climb. Right, left, right, left, right, left...

...

He did not pack for cold weather! It's freezing and it's not a good time at all! This is definitely not comfy weather, who would even go up here for some tea? Nope, nope, nope! He's keeping his shop on first floor until further notice - there's no way first floor isn't the comfiest floor of them all, it's nonsense if it's not! He grits his teeth as he continue to climb despite the chill, and despite the chill, his grip is still going strong and his muscles hasn't frozen up yet. Thankfully the exercise he's done - and doing now - is warmed him up for this climb.

God. The mountains here are so pretty. I wonder if I can have something here that would be at the perfect height for maximum comfiness.. Nah, first floor is probably where it's at.

Mason just provides shade for his eyes with hand as he tries to look around him on the path he's on. Now that he spent some time just standing there looking around... He realizes something. With all these mountains, it's so hard to tell which mountain he's supposed to be climbing! What- Why? This is the most tedious, time-consuming, annoying thing that can possibly be done to anyone. This is not comfy at all! This is bad vibes! Bad! Despite being totally upset, Mason calms himself down. It'll be alright after all! Go with the flow... Be like a calming sea... Tranquil and untouched...

... This does not solve the issue he has about finding which mountain he's supposed to be climbing.

Quote

~~ ~~

"... and as mortals watch and fall as they tasted the steel of this blade, they must tearfully bow as they meet their harsh demise. For each swing, for each death, the world was granted a cruel reminder - All things must end eventually."

The writing is unreadable after this point, as if it had been smudged and dirtied by the passage of time for many ages. But, the last line is still visible, and it was the most important one.

"... They called it Memento Mori; Destroyer of Worlds."

~~ ~~

Honestly, with lore like that and practically the promise of free loot, Mason could not resist trying his hand at acquiring easy equipment like that. So! Where should he start? He has a map to the supposed abandoned temple that would house such a weapon, but he's never actually been on the second floor so this is all new territory for him... Yikes. Is he gonna be underleveled for this? ... Naaaaah. It'll be fine. It'll probably won't go that bad and plus, all he has to do is do a bit of sneaky sneaky and [censored] the weapon, simple enough no? 

...

After asking around for some directions, he finally manages to pick out the route - with some assistance - that would easily take him there. Welp! Time for a field trip that can potentially life threatening, nothing new right? This is pretty much how it is every day now in this stupid game of death with stupid developers that like making stupid jokes.