Nari-Lanreth

As they made their way back across the snowscape that was the fourth floor, Nari opened her menu – realizing that her original estimation had been a bit off. Glancing at Onóra, she gave the woman a half-hearted smile. “Hey, uhm…I know we’re on our way back but do you mind if I…” She waved a hand towards the open areas around them. Onóra gave a soft sigh, as if in argument, before nodding. “Yeah, go ahead. I can wait…but not forever!” Nari gave the woman another slight smile before scrounging her way through the bushes along the side of the roadway. There was no way that she was leavi

Nari paused just before the teleporter, taking a single, final look over the garden. It was such a peaceful place, and Nari loved coming to it so much that she almost yearned to stay. Behind her, Onóra had already stepped up, pausing as she heard Nari stop. “We can come back, soon. If you want to, that is.” Nari wasn’t surprised that the other woman had been able to read her thoughts. She seemed to be constantly in her head, somehow. Nari still wasn’t sure how she did it. Stepping off to the side, she took one final look through the bushes, hoping for a single final prize, before he

The sun had long since begun its shift towards the evening position in the sky, and Nari realized that their time in the garden was slowly coming to an end. Drawing the dirt carefully, she spent a few more minutes digging for anything of interest, before pushing herself to her feet. Her legs protested, and she had to take a moment to steady herself before she began walking back along the path. Onóra slowly followed her, rising from her pretend slumber with an ease that spoke of the fact she had never truly been asleep. Nari slowed her steps for her, waiting for the other woman to catch u

Her search thus far had been going more than excellent. She glanced at her inventory, realizing the collection she’d acquired in just this short amount of time. Glancing upwards at the sun, she decided that she could spend another little while stockpiling, gathering as much as she possibly could. It was more than worth her time, seeing as she was here anyways. ‘Plus, it’s not like you have anything else to do today. Aside from dinner that is, and that’s in…a little while.’ She was feeling anxious about that, but there was little she could do other than…wait. And seeing as she didn’t want

“Perfect. I think I know what to get. You like fried foods, right?” Nari side-eyed the woman, pausing in her search momentarily. She wasn’t quite sure what Onóra had in mind, but Nari was suddenly apprehensive of the idea of letting her choose their food for the evening. “I’m…not opposed to it…in the right instance.” She chose her words carefully. She truly didn’t enjoy most Americanized fried foods, but she wasn’t sure exactly what Cardinal would have to offer. And she was willing to try what the other woman had in mind – hoping at the same time that it wasn’t something that would someho

“You know, you almost make it too easy, sometimes.” Nari stuck her tongue out at the other woman again, but the action was only in half effort. She knew the jesting this time was meant in a caring manner, and if she was being honest…she was touched by it. Continuing her work in silence for a while, Nari tried to shut off her mind. Onóra seemed content to leave her to her work, laying down and pretending to sleep in the grasses nearby. Nari kept an eye on the other woman, as well as the few beasts that roamed the area, making sure none came to close. “Hey.” The words startled Nari, w

Nari keyed the notification for party grouping as soon as it appeared, the second health bar appearing just below her own almost immediately. She watched as Cleo pulled up the map, seeming to glance between it and the surrounding area, before finally announcing that she had a destination. Nari nodded, beginning to walk in the direction that Cleo had pointed out, calmly responding over her shoulder. “I’m good, but thank you. Half an hour shouldn’t be too long, and if we do run into trouble I have a few teleportation crystals – speaking of…do you have any?” The thought hadn’t crossed Nari’s

Onóra’s laughter rang throughout the garden, and Nari felt that tingling again. Her ears flushed, but she managed to hide her face before it became noticeable – although she doubted she was hiding much from her companion. Pulling at the dirt, she waited until the redness had subsided, trying to compose herself and wondering exactly what was happening to her. Even with Evelyn, she’d never been like…this. “I do hope dinner isn’t on me.” The tone told Nari it was meant as a humourous bit, but the words themselves bounced around in her head, bringing up images she was hoping wouldn’t show on

The music continued its carefree melody as Nari fell into her thoughts, considering everything she had learnt in the last couple of minutes. It was a lot for her to take in, and she needed time to digest it all and figure out exactly where her path lay…and whether that path would include Onóra on it. She hoped it would, but… ‘The future is a fickle thing, and no one knows for sure where it leads. The best we can do is react, a step at a time.’ It wasn’t the kind of answer she was hoping to find, but as her hands pulled through the grasses and brush, it was the best she had. “So, what

Her eyes roamed the sands around them, taking in the gesture and everything else. There truly wasn’t much to be found out here, this far away from what passed for civilization. Nari nodded at the girl’s words, suddenly remembering her own trek to find the familiar curled around her shoulders. She reached up, giving Yuki a soft pat on the head, silently promising her that she would only have to bear the heat for a while longer. “I was supposed to meet a…friend...at the local bazaar, but I arrived a while early, and they’ve been delayed. I figured I’d chase down a rumour I had heard about t

Glancing down at the blue haired girl, it took Nari a moment to place the face. “Cleo… right? Sorry, my mind is… well, not necessarily here. It’s nice to see you alive and well. And hopefully staying that way. What’re you doing all the way out here, anyways?” Nari reached out with her right hand, helping the girl to her feet before stepping back to give her space. It had been a little while since she’d seen the girl enter her shop – and she had to admit she was surprised the girl remembered her. “Aside, of course, from making friends with the locals and attempting to sand-bathe.” She

The devilish grin appeared on Onóra’s face again, and without opening her eyes she tossed out a teasing sentence. “Oh? I’m the most important thing in your life right now?” “Yes.” The word came out as a whisper, and Nari didn’t break her concentration from her task, but she knew that Onóra had heard her. The two remained quiet again for a while, before Onóra broke the silence, whispering as well. “The feelings aren’t one way, you know…” Nari nodded, knowing that Onóra’s eyes were still closed and that she couldn’t see the action, but also knowing that no verbal response was requ

The silence fell again as Nari resumed her digging, while Onóra seemed content to just rest. Time slowly passed as the two remained quiet, the only sounds the music box and Nemo’s voice in the distance. Nari considered for a moment whether she should attempt conversing with the poor NPC before tossing the idea aside. She may have overcome her anger towards him, but she just couldn’t see herself being anything other than cordial with the NPC. ‘I wonder how Bismuth is doing lately.’ The thought popped into her head, taking her by surprise. She realised suddenly that she hadn’t spoken to her

“Fine. But I get to pick out yours. It’s only fair.” Her hands continued moving even as she beamed what she hoped was a winning smile at Onóra. “Hmm… nope.” The smile disappeared from Nari’s face, and she felt herself squint at the other woman. “What do you mean, nope?” Her words carried what some might misconstrue as a dangerous tone, but Onóra laughed in response. “I mean nope. Your choice of fashion is… well, it’s lacking. Plus. It’s going to be a surprise. And you can stop your sulking, you’ll still be winning, I think.” Nari huffed in response, but the reaction was mos

“You know what… you’re right. Today is just too good of a day not to sit back and relax a bit.” Onóra leaned back, letting her blonde hair fall over her back, bringing her face up towards the sun. Nari felt herself staring for a moment, before she tore her eyes away and returned to her search. “It’s nice, isn’t it? Just being able to sit back and relax for once. Not always rushing, fighting, or making things.” Nari asked after a few minutes of quiet. She heard a hum of agreement from Onóra, still face up enjoying the sunlight. “We should do this more often, you and I. Just escape it

Nari sighed, letting her head tilt back to feel the sun above them. Even with the slight snow covering around them, the garden still felt comfortably warm. She smiled, eyes closed, as she felt the sun on her face. It had been quite some time since she had simply… relaxed. While she knew it couldn’t last forever, she wanted to enjoy the moment – to soak it up. “Hey, don’t you go falling asleep on me here. I’m not sharing anything with you if all you do is nap while I do all the hard work!” Nari stuck her tongue out, not opening her eyes or shifting her position at all, simply letting

“It… wasn’t as much fun as you’d think. A lot of people would get mad because their dogs wouldn’t listen to them, especially when I made them do things without any problems…” Nari remained silent, content just to listen for the time being. “Plus it didn’t really pay well…” “Try Aikido. I was barely making rent payments.” Her words seemed to cause some surprise to Onóra, and she felt herself snicker. “What? You thought I was raking in money?” “Well, maybe not rich, but… well…” Onóra’s words stumbled, and Nari could see the growing embarrassment as she tried to back peddle. “I was

“So, what did you do in the real world? Aside from playing games, obviously.” Onóra’s eyes never left the ground she was working through, but Nari could see the tension in her body as she glanced over at the other woman’s form. The question was deeply personal, often considered taboo in the game. Many people avoided thinking about, let alone bringing up the real world. “I uhm… helped run an Aikido dojo. I’m hoping to one day open my own, maybe…” Her voice broke a little as she thought back to it. It had been a long time since she’d done anything, and she wondered it that goal was even re

The two carried on in silence for a while, Onóra clearly content with her teasing. Nari fumed internally, mostly at herself for the awkwardness she had brought. The soft music rippled on the air, bringing some noise to block out the incessant talking of Nemo – who seemed pleased at just having someone to speak to, even if they never responded to him. Nari thought back to her first few meetings with him, the anger and contempt she had held. She felt bad now, about it all. She had been so closed minded to it – never taking the time to consider the NPC’s situation. He was forced to drag unkn

Her words seemed to appease Onóra, if only for the moment. Both women knew that she would still push towards the front lines – it was inevitable, it was something Nari had to do. But, they also both knew that she would do so carefully, with caution. ‘I have promises to keep. People that I need to return to. Here…and in the real world. I can’t afford to be careless, or dangerous. Not anymore. Not now…’ She paused in her search as she let her eyes fall on Onóra, wondering… “See something you like?” Nari’s face flushed as Onóra laughed at her jest, either not knowing how accurate it w

She wondered at her sudden success today with everything. This was by far one of her best collections within Nemo’s garden that she’d ever had, and they had only just begun. ‘Maybe the mood has some sort of effect on it all?’ It was an interesting concept, but she had no way to confirm or deny it. It did seem a bit unlikely though, based on how it was entirely a digital world, a game. But it was still the best idea she had, and she wasn’t ready to toss it out yet – if only because it sounded like a good reason. “When do you plan on truly joining the front lines?” The question came o

Laughter filled the air, and it took Nari a moment to register it as her own. Smiling, both at the comment as well as the joy she was feeling, she remained quiet for a time. The presence of Onóra was peaceful, and Nari enjoyed that she respected the quiet when it was necessary, but also knew when to fill it. ‘She knows me, well. Understands me on a level in not even sure I understand.’ A slight flutter at the thought. ‘Do I understand her as much? Can I read her as well as she can read me?’ Her hands continued working even as her mind reeled, trying to piece everything together, try

‘Off to a good start!’ She collected the grouping of materials before glancing over at Onóra. There were questions she wanted to ask, answers she was hoping to get – and maybe provide herself, but she wasn’t even sure where to begin. ‘Don’t say anything until you’re sure of what you have to say.’ Nodding to herself inwardly, she returned her focus to the search at hand. The quiet – now only broken by the music on the air – seemed to hover over them comfortable. In the distance Nemo seemed to chatter, explaining bits and pieces about his garden to… well, mostly to the air, seeing as the tw

The shimmer in her eyes slowly faded away as she found herself standing on the teleporter pad in the garden. Unlike its usual appearance, this version had a slight dusting of snow on the surface of everything – likely the system representation that they were connected to floor four. Nari glanced about, making sure Onóra had arrived safely before heading off towards a collection of bushes. “So uhm… I’m not sure what you plan on doing here, but I’m going to avoid any major combat for today. A nice, relaxing time in the garden would be… nice.” She called out as she knelt down, beginning to

Her search seemed to be going far better than she could’ve expected, and as she slid off to the side to gather another small collection, she decided to poke back at Onóra with something she hadn’t dared ask before. “Well, it seems you know my preference, but I still haven’t figured out yours.” She eyed the woman for a moment, wondering what she would get in response. The sudden redeemed face and avoidance of eye contact was not what she expected, nor were the words that were returned. “Uhm… well, I’ll leave that to you to figure out…” Nari stared in puzzlement as she tried to