Nari-Lanreth

Iris quickly dealt with one of the remaining hounds, leaving them to outnumbered the sole survivor. Nari took the respite to change her stance, and shift herself around behind the creature – which was focused on Iris more so than Nari. She paused at her companion’s counter arguments, taking time to consider the facts. It was true, that the NPCs were programmed, and likely had limited actual emotional substance – if any. Yet, Nari had come across so many in her time here that acted irrationally, even oddly, for coded and designed features. “Yes…they are definitely just coded beings. But…we

“Well, yeah…Koga. Bismuth. I’m sure there’s some others. The frontliners as well. I don’t care what they think, but well…” She left the question itself unspoken, hoping that her companion would pick up on it. She wasn’t sure if there would be a problem, but it was far better to bring it up before it became one. She felt herself yawn – realising just how much of the day had already passed. Their food hadn’t arrived yet, but in the embrace, Nari felt like she was ready to fall asleep. That same euphoric feeling still rushing through her, she fought the urge – not yet ready to be done with t

“That’s been a question on a lot of people’s minds…” Nari spoke the words as she slid to her left, bringing her shield up and eyeing up one of the wolves that appeared most injured. Astreya was definitely dealing more of the damage here than Nari herself was, but it was still good practice simply to be able to get her muscles moving again. “Do the NPCs get lonely? Hungry?...Angry?” A quick shift to avoid a failed leap, and she was back in place, focusing on the single target, watching for the opening she knew would eventually present itself. It seemed like Astreya had drawn most of their

“I…” There was a few seconds where Nari went silent, the feel of the lips still upon her forehead, a warmth that seemed to linger. Almost blissfully, her eyes had closed halfway, a euphoric look upon her face as she seemed to bask in the attention. The sound of clattering dishes pulled her back to reality, making her aware that she hadn’t answered the question – instead sitting and humming like a purring feline. “…guess. Yes. Yes you’d need my help. Definitely.” A single breath, and then she followed up her concrete answer with the unsure question. “Remind me what I’m helping with again…?

Nari listened as the other explained their troubles. She could see the eyes of the creature – first laying upon Yuki, likely mistaking her for a play mate, before moving to the coffee cup on the table – looking for something to do. Nari recognised the look, a look that a dog she had once had would often carry. She wasn’t sure that the behaviours should carry over to this game, but…well, weirder things had occurred hadn’t they? “I’m guessing you haven’t completed the quest to train them yet, have you?” She turned her attention towards the small cat, smiling. She could almost see the look i

She stepped back as Iris ran past, swinging her large sword in an arc that caught one of the stunned creatures, causing its health to dip slightly. Iris’ question made Nari glance over towards Nemo, seeing the man standing off by himself, smiling as they tore into his pets. She wondered if the NPC even noticed what was going on, or if there was no registration to the situation at all. “I…I’m not sure. It seems like he’s more interested in having friends over, compared to being concerned for his pets, at least for the time being.” She turned her gaze back to the wolves, which had begun to

Nari shook her head in response. Not that she didn’t want to believe Iris. She just knew better. With a scandal like this, it was unlikely that the servers that hosted the game would be left up and running once they had all escaped – if. She also doubted that she’d – or anyone else, for that matter – see a single penny after they escaped. Even were the company themselves still alive, Nari doubted they’d have the finances left to scrounge anything to pay off any lawsuits. “Maybe not everyone…but anyways, we’re here for some fun, right? What do you say we try our hand at taking out some of

She nodded at Iris’s final comment. Sometimes she found herself forgetting it was just a game. It seemed, with every passing day, that the game was becoming more of their reality. The real world a glimmer of a dream, left behind – replaced by their newfound homes. “Yeah…I know what you mean…sometimes I forget that we’re fighting to get out. Well, I don’t really forget, so much as…the world just seems to be this place. It’s like…I know that we’re in a game, but you forget that it is a game. You wake up, and this is life. Everything beyond it is…just not. At least, for now.” She contin

She crossed the bridge with a carefree attitude, spinning halfway across to look back at the other two in the group. Her eyes aimed mostly at Jomei, with a glance at Koga once in a while to try and read his expression. The man had immediately become engrained with his messaging, as if he were trying to… She shook her head mentally at the thought, figuring her couldn’t possibly be doing that. “Hey, Jomei. I uh…mentioned that I had some questions. And I know it’s not really your forte, so to speak…but uhm…well, in boss battles – what’s your general view of the tanks that are there? Do you f

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