[PP-F2]<<Long Live the Queen>> Snow in the Wind.

[Snow 0]

Snow, freshly warped into the second floor, stood idly by the warp gate as a fresh forest breeze danced around her and through her blonde locks. She lifted a hand to tame whatever strays the wind managed to loose. With a deep breath of the clean air, a smile found its way on her features. The young phalanx nodded her head in a determined manner.

"Floor two, Daire," Snow internally spoke to her dearly departed. "You would be proud of how far I've come."

Snow began her first steps in the City of Urbus. Unlike the Town of Beginnings, which was massive, Urbus was significantly smaller. It was nestled in crater of unknown origin at the base of a large mountain. The warp gate remained nestled at the rear of the city, backed against the mountain cliff side. Compared to the First Floor's Romanesque architecture, buildings in Urbus reminded snow of the old English buildings commonly depicted in movies with knights or castles. Walls were made of masoned stones and thatched roofs. The more luxurious buildings afforded clay roofing with far less mason between each stone. The only similarity between the two floors were the comforting cobblestone streets.

"Miss! Miss!" Snow heard someone call. The blonde quickly turned toward the urgent request for her attention. A boy, slightly older than herself, approached her in a huff.

"Hello?" Snow greeted with reserve.

"Miss," the stranger managed between heavy breaths. "Please, you have to help me."

Immediately, Snow's features softened and she placed a hand on the red head's shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked, with a touch of concern. "What's wrong?"

When her gathered his breath, he stood and looked to Snow with desperation in his eyes.

"Please, my mother's farm... Bees. Horrible, terrible, bees," he rambled.

"It's okay," Snow comforted. "Slow down and tell me what the problem is."

"I live in a farm just outside the city near the forest. We've been under attack from Wind Wasps non-stop for the past few weeks! Please, you have to help!"

Then, much to her surprise, a prompt appeared to Snow. The details indicated a quest where she needed to find the source of the attacks and put it to an end. A small sub window highlighted a general area deep in the forest where the objective could be found. Snow, uncomfortable to try her chances at a floor two excursion, hovered her finger over the red dismiss icon. Then, like someone looking into the eyes of an injured puppy, her heart felt a pang of sympathy and she hit accept.

"I will, I promise," Snow spoke, then gave the man a hug. As she pulled away, she continued. "I'll bring you good news, I promise."

Her promise may have well been a lie. In her current state, Snow's anxiety screamed about the prospect of a solo venture into the woods. However, the red head smiled at her and with a thank you, he made a sprint toward one of the town exits likely to deliver the news. Snow exhaled a deep sigh.

"How am I going to keep that promise now...?" she muttered in defeat.

(([TL:DR] She spoke to the NPC to pick up the quest. Your post doesn't have to be so long! I just wanted to give some background to what we're doing. X_x))
 

[Jomei 0]

Closing the door to the thin building that was a music hall behind him, the Irishman stretched his arms into the air. He brought down one of his arms so it fell to his side, using the other one to rub at the nape of his neck, looking up at the sky above him. The sun shone, though there were many large, white clouds that soared across the blue skyline. The usual weather of this floor, which did not change very often. His olive green eyes returned back to the earth, and he stepped down off of the small stoop in front of his shop. 

His plan for the day was to go and explore the newly opened 14th Floor, since he had yet to do so since the Floor Boss fights were so close together. He had heard of just how dangerous the floor was, the barren, hell-like wastelands. He was curious to see just what it was all about. Jomei walked into the walls of Urbus, his hands in the pockets of his pants. With the warp gate in site, Jomei's eyes focused instead on a red haired man running in his direction after speaking to a young, blonde haired girl. With the trajectory at which he was running, he would have ran directly into Jomei. with a curious look on his face, the player stepped to the side to let the man run past him. Figured he must have been an NPC, just following a set path without any concern for things in their way. 

His eyes went back to the blonde girl, for now he wondered just what the NPC had spoken to her about. Though, he also felt it might be strange to the girl when a stranger just walks up to her to ask what she talked to someone about. Though... the look on her face looked distressed, almost in defeat. Hell, he figured he might as well make sure she was alright. He walked up to the girl, "S-Sorry If I'm being nosy lass.. but I just saw you talking to that man. Everything alright?" the green clad man spoke in his typical, subtle Irish accent. 

[Snow 0]

Snow startled slightly at the newcomer's approach.

"Oh, hello!" she responded, still processing his words. Then, she took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah, I'm okay... It was just a quest, and even if they're NPCs I feel bad making promises I can't keep."

She shook her head.

"I mean, the quest will wait, but the NPCs here are almost like people. I must sound silly saying that."

The young blonde took a moment to look over the stranger. The green chevron above his head indicated he was in fact a player and not another NPC. Judging by the look in his eyes and comfortable posture, he wasn't your run of the mill player. In comparison to herself, Snow could feel that he was leagues away from her in terms of experience. It wasn't much to say, considering most of the other players she met were several years ahead of her in terms of battles seen.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners?" she suddenly stammered in her soft Czech accent. "My name's Snow. Pleasure to meet you, sir."

The blonde gave him a slight bow of her body in formal custom she had adapted to in Kyoto, then offered a warm smile.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei smiled warmly in response to the girl's shocked greeting. She most likely did not expect a random player to walk up to her like this. The man listened to her speak about how the NPC she was speaking to had given her a quest, which he had expected. It was the girl's actions towards the NPC that caught Jomei's attention. She was kind and friendly, where some people treat them as just a bunch of ones and zeros, finding the fastest way to skip through their dialogue. The man chuckled when the blonde admitted she sounded silly, saying that she say these computer controlled people as living things. "Nothing wrong with that, this is a role playing game after all." His chuckle had turned into a small laugh. "I must admit, from what I saw, you really did seem to treat that NPC like a human being.. especially hugging them. I'm sure you really confused the system with that." he laughed again, "But it just shows you that we are still human, despite being stuck in this virtual world.. It's a really admirable trait."

It was after speaking about NPCs and all that when the girl had realized she had not introduced herself. Jomei had not either at this point. He had picked up, however, her accent.. Sounded European, but he could not pinpoint the exact one. She told him her name was Snow, "Snow. A simple, but beautiful name" he said with a bright smile, gently placing out his hand to the girl, his palm slightly facing upwards rather than to the side with a regular handshake. "I am Jomei, and the pleasure is all mine." 

Whether or not the girl accepted his greeting, he took his arm back afterwards and crossed them at his chest, "So.. what was it that you were asked to help with?" he made sure to refrain from using words like 'quest' or 'NPC' , to continue on with how the girl treats NPCs like real people.

[Snow 0]

The first thing Snow could manage was a smile. She felt a sense of acceptance and happiness when the stranger told her she was human. In a game where everything is artificial and the only thing preventing life and death was a few numbers, human was one element they all had to cling to. NPCs may not be actual humans, but to draw the line at what is and what is not important in regards to another person was admitting the game had won. No better than a dreaded PKer or thief.

"I never thought of it that way," she remarked in regards to his comment about confusing the system. "I think the system, and all that it makes here, is far more adaptive than we give it credit for. One hundred floors, all running at the same time with countless people both player and not... It's amazing."

He made a comment about her name to which he extended his hand. Snow, had not seen such chivalry in a very long time. This game catered to those who shed formality in favor of speedy progress. The gesture and comment coupled together brought a rosy hue to her cheeks. She shook his hand with her slender grip. He was gentle and his hands, though larger than her own, were surprisingly soft. The young blonde noticed the rapier at his hip, and is elegance and form began to take shape in her mind.

"Thank you Jomei. Your kindness is appreciated," Snow began. "The boy was asking for help protecting his farm. He said there were large Wasps attacking frequently. I'd hate to see them suffer, but I don't know if I've earned enough levels to be able to help."

[Jomei 0]

The man nodded in understanding when Snow began to explain just what the man had asked of her. The simple nod turned into a sly smirk once she had told him that it was apparently large wasps that were the culprits of the terrorizing. He crossed his arms and let the girl finish her talking before adding in. "Sounds like you could use a hand then." He uncrossed his arms and placed a hand on his chest, "I happen to know just what he is asking, and I have dealt with these giant wasps before. So I'd be more than happy to accompany you." he smiled at her. "If you'll have me of course. I'd hate to impose." he said with a chuckle, rubbing the nape of his neck. The man shifted his weight, still looking in the girl's direction, "The wasps are simple enough to fend off.. though its their Queen that usually proved to be a problem." He smiled again, "Nothing to worry about though, I promise to keep you safe."

[Snow 0]

"Really?!" Snow chirped, her eyes a glimmer from excitement. "I would love that. I'm sure they would too!"

The young blonde smiled at her new friend, but the gesture slowly faded into a rosy hue on her cheeks and a receding posture. Her low level crawled from the back of her mind to the forefront. Unlike reality, Snow knew she couldn't take on a new task with determination and optimism. Raw numbers and data were needed here. The real question she asked herself, "was it enough?"

"I-I don't want to impose, but could you take the lead?" she sheepishly requested. "I'll try to be of as much use as I can."

"That's not enough... Not here..." she thought, with her deceased friend in mind.

"I'll find a way to pay you for your time. I don't have much, but I did recently open a shop. I can give you a free meal?" she said with a faint smile, hands locked behind her back and anxiety tight in her chest.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei blinked in slight shock at the girl's excited response before letting out a light, friendly laugh. "Of course. Why I offered." he replied with a confident smirk.

Jomei crossed his arms as his head tilted ever so slightly to the side, looking at the girl with a raised brow when she asked if he could be the one to take the lead. "You want me to take the lead?" The position of his head returned to normal and a hum of a laugh resonated from his throat. "Sure. I think I've headed in that direction enough times to where I should remember where.." He took a step forward before stopping, placing his index finger to his temple and scratching it for a moment.  "I-I mean, its been awhile.. but I'm sure it'll come back to me." he said, looking over his shoulder with a sheepish look, cheeks a faint rosy hue. 

He turned back to the girl and put his hand up to her, his palm facing outwards. "Please, Snow. You don't have to pay me anything. I'm more than glad to help out. Although... a meal does sound nice." he finished, placing a hand on his chin before grinning. "Alright, lass. You've got yourself a deal. Now, lets go find that Queen Bee." Lifting up his hand with a swish, Jomei opened his menu. With a couple of taps and scrolls, Jomei sent the blonde a request to form a party, which would make it possible for the two to take the quest together. Second, he moved into his inventory, where he replaced his casual green attire with leather black plates and his rapier, Saint Andrew's Bane, on his waist. Looking back up to the girl, he smiled before turning towards the path leading to the gates of Urbus and out into the wild.