Nari-Lanreth

She listened as Morningstar gave his information, assuring them both that it would be relatively safe. Nari knew she would have to take his word on it – she’d never been to this area before, and she knew nothing about it. It caused her to be at a slight disadvantage, only in the sense that she was walking into something she didn’t fully understand. ‘Which seems to be the case in much of Aincrad…’ “Can’t say I’ve had the joy of fighting lizardmen, is there anything specific I should know about them? Any immunities? Special strikes? Things to watch out for?” Her questions were half-hearted,

Nari smiled at the girl’s quick rebuttal. She had been intending to fix the whole bathroom situation, it just…hadn’t been a high priority quite yet. Still, it was on the list, and likely something that she should consider actually getting around to – she had the col, she was just…reluctant. “I’ve never actually had the…pleasure…of being in a sorority. They’re not big where I’m from, especially seeing as most people tend to live at home and commute to school. Or, at least, the people I knew did. Some people stayed on campus – but that wasn’t the majority by any means.” Thinking about

The group effort had been far more effective than Nari could’ve imagined – the creature’s health had depleted extensively with the continuous attacks they had poured into it. She had watched Jomei’s leap, and the follow up strike of the familiar after her own assault had landed. Astreya quickly striding in and slamming her blade into the creature, the health bar quickly depleting as the weapons laid into the larger creature’s sides. Another quick dip as the after affects of the assaults took hold, leaving the creature stumbling backwards, nearly three quarters of its health torn away as t

She huffed at the commentary, her face shifting to what she hoped looked like she was pouting at the suggestion. She knew that NIGHT had meant it in jest, that it was nothing more than a joke. And yet, a small part of her was upset by the idea. When she spoke, her words came out with a tone that suggested hurt pride, as if she had taken the commentary to heart. “Considering you’re the first…there really wouldn’t be much to tell. And it’s not like I…do this a lot. Or, well…ever. You are the…well, the first. And…well…I mean it’s not…” Her words fell to silence as she seemed to draw inwards,

Nari blinked once. Then twice. Then a large smile. “Actually, I hadn’t. But now that you bring it up…are you coming back tonight?” Suddenly remembering why they had come to the restaurant in the first place, she pulled up the ordering forms, frantically searching before she found what she was looking for. Swinging the menu over so that NIGHT could view it as well, she’ll glance towards the girl. “Lamb, right? Does this one sound appealing? It’s the only one I could find that mentioned it…” Her left hand had shifted into her hair, twirling it as she waited for a response, hoping she h

“I'm not fawning…am I?” Her confidence wavered only slightly as she considered the possibility. “It’s just…really good. And I haven’t had one in a long time and it came to mind…and you’re totally making fun of me right now.” She was about to stick her tongue out in retaliation, when her eyes caught sight of the interior of the restaurant. Built similar to a cabin style, Nari was enraptured momentarily by the coziness that came with the atmosphere. A fire place – located on each wall – provided warmth to the nearby tables and patrons – the latter of which there were few of. Following

“Well, in the real world I would cook by feel. Here it’s so…precise. There’s no originality to it, you just follow the steps and you get what you get.” She remembered her attempt at making steaks, not so long ago. It had gone, well, to the trash. Even Yuki had refused to touch the abomination that had once been a meat, but was now most likely some charred remains of dignity. She was suspicious when NIGHT found the dish, having to check the menu herself. Her eyes narrowed as she read the board, and although she immediately wanted to voice her distrust, she was also aware of the effort NIGH

She had just packed away the last of the materials when the ding of a message came in. Her eyes roamed over it once, then again as she felt herself beginning to giggle. From across the shop, a soft yawn echoed in the air, drawing Nari’s eyes away from the request for help, and to her own familiar. “What do you say, Yuki? Should we go help someone round up a misbehaving cat? Could be fun, if nothing else?” The little fox responded only with a blink of its eyes, something that Nari assumed was an agreement – of sorts. Or about as close as she was likely to get from her companion. Either way

Her shoulders dropped slightly at Koga’s words, wondering why he was being so resistant. She had made things up with NIGHT so easily, and yet, here Koga stood shoving her further away. She felt a familiar fear growing in her as her eyes glanced over at Jomei, for a brief moment a look of pleading in them before they turned back to Koga. “I…Koga I’m serious. There’s something between us. When she spent the nigh-“ Her mouth snapped shut as she realised what she was about to say, turning bright red. “…when we spent the day together the other day, well, it just…things just happened. And…look,

Lamb sounded good, but as Nari considered her options, she realised what she truly wanted. Something she hadn’t had in quite some time, but she wasn’t even sure was available here in Aincrad. Her nose scrunched slightly at the commentary of home cooked meals, and she felt the tip of her tongue slide out between her teeth. “I can cook just fine in the real world, but here…I just don’t have the patience. That’s where Onóra comes in. She loves cooking. It’s her thing, not mine.” A moment of thought, and then she turned what she hoped was puppy eyes towards NIGHT. “Do you cook?” “More i

Nari nodded at the delayed answer to the question she had posed earlier, appreciative of the fact that the player had brought the subject up again just to provide an answer. She gave the regal looking woman another glance, taking into consideration the knightly appearance that they held, and wondering if their behaviour had any stock based upon how they held themselves. She knew she would likely never know, but it was fun to be curious, regardless. “I’d be more than happy to get this over as quickly as possible. As nice as it is to display strength…sometimes it’s nice to just be done with

“Well….we don’t get a lot of fish where I’m from. Fresh fish, that is. So…I went a bit crazy on it. But…I think that urge is gone now, at least for the time.” She felt embarrassed saying it aloud. Crazy was definitely an understatement. She had spent the last six months devouring any sort of fish and rice combination she could find, especially once she had broken free of the constraints of the first floor. “Lets just…find something salty. Maybe fries. Oh do they have poutine here???” Her enthusiasm was bustling again as she began to tug NIGHT forward. She had no idea where to go on this f

She was…definitely talkative. Not that Nari minded, it was a nice change of pace. She could see the nerves on the other woman though, and Nari felt her head cock in confusion. Glancing around she saw the forests around them, empty save for the wind blowing through the trees. Her own gait had continued in a relaxed approach, and she smiled at the other to attempt to calm their nerves a bit. “You shouldn’t worry too much about that, aside from trap rooms, and a few other minor exceptions, there really isn’t much to worry about. The path between Ellesmera and Florenthia is fairly safe.” She

“I…know. I…Koga there’s something you should-“ Her sentence started as the man made his way towards the teleporter pad, interjecting her softly spoken words with a reminder of their third party waiting for them. Stepping up onto the pad, she gave one glance at Koga, his withering glower enough to keep her from continuing the sentence for the moment. “Floor Twenty.” The shimmering effects of the teleporter finally came to an end in the center of her eyes, and as she opened them, she saw the expanse of Floor Twenty before them. A small distance away stood their third member, gazing out over

“The twenty sec…wa-“ NIGHT disappeared as the crystal shattered, thousands of shards on the air drifting, before leaving Nari alone. She glanced at the crystal left in her hand, unsure of what to do with it. She’d carried teleport crystals around for almost as long as she could remember, but she’d never had the experience of actually activating one. And now that it was required, she felt a slight tingle of panic rising. Unsure of any other alternative, she mimicked what she’d seen NIGHT do, gripping the crystal until it shattered and whispering into the air. “Floor twenty two.” Her eye

“Mmm…I could go for something unique…something different from the norm. Something without rice, for once.” She glanced about, considering their location it was likely to be something seafood related. A slight wince as she realised how often her diet had contained fish, or related water based meats. She hadn’t truly had much beyond that in quite some time. “Maybe something not from the water, as well…” Her head turned to a nearby restaurant, one with an outdoor patio that gave a relatively decent view over the coastline. Slipping from the wedge between NIGHT and the railing – much to her i

She could feel the shake in the other, and for the briefest of heartbeats, she wondered if she’d pushed her luck too far. If the other would retreat. Leave her alone, on the pier. Leave her alone, with her shame. But the heartbeat continued, and still, the touch was there. Their lips connected, the shaking continued. The hand, intertwined in her hair, slowly moved inwards. A touch upon her jawline, a connection that sent shivers down Nari’s spine, causing her to quiver vocally, ever so slightly. Just as quickly as it had began, it was over. NIGHT having pulled back, creating only the

Her gaze was pulled from the fading figure as Astreya began talking again, her expression taking on a troubled look. Putting her feelings aside for the moment, she turned back to the duo she had completed the quest with, before throwing on a large smile. “It’s…nothing. Just a little…communication thing.” Her eyes dart towards Koga as she speaks, before returning to lock onto Astreya. “The fight was great, wasn’t it? Really managed to pull ourselves together to bring it down quickly…” A few seconds of silence, and Nari felt her old awkwardness returning. A call from a time ago, and so

Nari exhaled softly as the touch of the lips on the back of her head caused a warmth to spread through her. She felt herself drawn into the embrace further, giving way to the words, barely registering anything beyond the voice and the arms that surrounded her. The breath on the back of her head drove her to an edge she didn’t even know she was close to reaching, and she felt her heart thumping quickly, her mind questioning if NIGHT could feel it through their embrace. ‘Nothing wrong in taking time off.’ She hadn’t, had she? Her focus had been on pushing. Pushing to become the best smith,

She shifted again on her seat, her discomfort at the entire situation becoming obvious through the tension in her body. Her arms had locked themselves in her lap, fingers clenched white against one another as she tried to calm herself. Her eyes had locked onto the visage of the woman guiding the boat, not breaking from her face in an attempt to block out the rocking of the vessel, and the obscuring clouds rolling in. “I do hope you’re not afraid of a little bit of cloudy weather.” The jest was not welcoming to Nari, and she felt her face scrunch slightly as she scowled at the woman. She b

Letting her hand fall, she’ll turn to look at the younger boy, eyeing him closely as he mumbled his final words. She remembered when she had muttered words so similar to those, a time when she would’ve chosen to give up her own life for another. She was also aware that nothing she said would change the fact, the attitude. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that, then. Because I can assure you, that choice is not nearly as simply as you may expect it to be.” She focused her gaze upon the younger boy for some time, just enough to make her point well known. As Morningstar moved through to the exit

The boat pushed off into the centre of the water, swaying slightly as the smaller waves rocked it. Nari kept herself to the centre of the seat, not entirely comfortable with her current position. Trying to distract herself, she glanced at the woman guiding the boat. The first time she had completed this quest, the guide had been a half man, half goat creature – full of sarcasm and enthusiasm towards acting coldly towards Nari. This woman seemed far more…regal in her stance, shoulders and head held high, as if she were trying to pronounce her status to the world. Nari’s gaze lingered for s

She turned to find a slightly tanned woman, dark hair complimenting a sky blue dress. The eyes, dark blue in colour, seemed to shimmer with an almost fluid like appearance. It reminded Nari of a pool of water, somehow seeming to wave like the surface of a pond. “I…believe so, yes. I received a message calling me to visit Olympus.” She wasn’t entirely sure who had requested her presence – the message itself had been sent from Poseidon, but that didn’t mean much when it came to NPC based messaging systems. The woman smiled at Nari, before turning and making her way towards what appeare

“The setting sun…? I think I saw it more in the real world, than I do here. Especially living on floor twenty-seven. But…” Her words halted as she considered the question in depth, wondering if she’d ever really taken the time here to do so. “I think here, in this game, I'm too focused on doing things. Either fighting, or grinding, or smithing…or whatever needs to be done to escape. In fact…” She stopped to consider her next words carefully, knowing that many people would find them counter to the general beliefs that most held. She didn’t want to start an argument, but she also knew that

“Beautiful…” Her words were soft, as if spoken from a distance. Her eyes glazed as she seemed to stare at the sun on the horizon beyond NIGHT’s frame. Slowly, as if rising with the sun, a smile creeped across Nari’s face. One of true happiness, no devilish intent, but rather the pure bliss of the moment. She pulled NIGHT along to the edge of the dock, pushing the girl up against a railing before snuggling in front of her, pushing herself between NIGHT and the railing, and pulling the girl’s arms around herself. Leaning her head back against the girl, she closed her eyes, feeling the warmt