[PP-F1] Runnin' Low on Smokes

[Ronin 0]

The swordsman, blacksmith, chain smoker dude known as Ronin sighed, releasing a giant breath of toxic smoke into the air.  "Whadda day, whadda day..." he said, his shoulders slouching substantially.  He had spent a good while at his little [censored] hole of a shop and was exhausted with the constant hammering of his mallet against his anvil in an attempt to make something that didn't suck.  His blacksmith skill was really low right now, so it was slow going.  

He was doing his best to try and keep patient and work his way up in experience, but up until now, it was proving to be tedious.  He had stepped out for a smoke and was enjoying the poisonous air when he took inventory of his pack of smokes and realized he was running dangerously low.  He would have to go and acquire some more at once...

(OOC: @Magda jump on in!)

Edited March 30, 2016 by Ronin

[Magda 0]

The Town of Beginnings wasn't quite as stifling as she'd remembered it. The streets seemed to be wider and the crowds less dense. She could only hope that was more due to the fact that more and more players traveled up to higher floors rather than the grim alternative. Today she didn't have her armor on and had planned to mostly browse the local shops to see just what the town had to offer. She wore a teal tunic that did a decent job in not showing off too much skin. Its V-shaped neck was laced up and its sleeves ended just beneath her elbows. Her black skirt flowed down her legs and stopped a few inches above her ankles which concealed most of the black leather boots she wore underneath. Her hands were folded behind her back as she strolled down the street with a leisurely gait. At first she'd be confined to this town until her brother Mack had finished all of her armor to ensure she would be safe against most of the threats she'd run across on this floor and the few above it. She'd come to absolutely adore the armor she'd been given but she wasn't always in favor of wearing it when she wasn't about to go into battle though.

[Ronin 0]

Itching his ass and looking down the street, Ronin wondered where the hell he might be able to snag a fresh pack of smokes.  He couldn't even remember where he had gotten this last pack from?  He sighed and shook his head, lifting a gloved hand to the bridge of his nose and rubbing at it.  His head felt heavy and he realized he hadn't eaten anything in god knows how long...  It was time to eat, the smokes could wait til later.  Besides, he still had a few left and though he was something of a damn chain smoker, he could probably make them last at least another hour or so.   As long as he had one post meal, he would be all set.

"Now then... where can I get some good grub around here?" he wondered aloud, his eyes narrowing as he examined his immediate surroundings.  It was then that he spotted another player strolling along in some kinda oceanic-hued tunic and an ebony colored skirt.  Or was it a dress?  Ronin didn't care to know the difference and his stomach growled, reminding him of what mattered.  "Eyo!"  he called out, lifting a hand and giving a slight wave to try and gain her attention.  "...Know anywhere I can grab a bite 'round here?"

[Magda 0]

Magda came to a sudden stop when she heard someone call out. Her gaze shifted along the street and it wasn't until he'd asked about a place to eat that Magda's gaze fell on him. She regarded him for a few moments before she returned his wave with no small degree of uncertainty. Magda looked around to make sure he hadn't waved at someone else and when she realized that he had spoken to her she smiled a bit. "Hello," she waved for a few moments before she lowered her arm and started to walk his way. "I know of a few places. The Starlight Cafe is what I'd recommend. It's not too far off actually." When she came closer she had to look down due to the fact she was nearly a foot taller than the man. "If you don't know the way I could show you." Her hands were folded at the small of her back again but she had to reach up and brush some of her crimson hair back behind her ear before her hand vanished behind her back once more. The look in her dark eyes was friendly enough and there was a soft smile on her face but anyone who knew her would know she was almost always smiling.

[Ronin 0]

"The Starlight Cafe..." mouthed the swordsman when he heard the name.  He pursed his lips in thought, tilting his chin slightly upward and considering the idea.  Once he had decided, his chin dropped and he gave a definite nod of acceptance.  "Sounds great!  Lead the way..."  He lifted his still lit cigarette to his lips, taking a drag and making sure to turn his head before he blew the stream of smoke back out into the open air.  He had enough experience smoking to know how not to be rude when in the company of others.  Sure the breeze might change directions once in a while and blow his poisonous exhalations into the faces of others, but hell... a little virtual second hand couldn't be too bad, right?

Ronin was glad the woman had stopped and extremely glad that she was... well, as big as she was.  If they got jumped or something, he felt confident that she'd be able to protect him while he finished his cigarette and equipped his gear.  Sometimes his priorities were a little screwed up, but at least he was thinking ahead.  "I appreciate yer help, I can't remember the last time I ate anything..." he spoke, his voice rather raspy from all the smoking.  Hopefully this place wasn't too far away.

[Magda 0]

Magda nodded in confirmation when the man echoed the cafe's name. He seemed to consider it for a few moments before he said he liked the idea and that she should lead the way. "Alright, then follow me," she said with a grin. With no further ado she turned and started walking in the same direction she was headed originally. Her hands remained folded at the small of her back while she walked. While Ronin smoked she took a moment to look his way and actually felt grateful when he exhaled the smoke away from her. There was a gentle breeze but it currently flowed against them as it traveled down the street in a type of wind tunnel effect. Her crimson hair flowed in the breeze so she didn't have to bother with brushing it out of her face too often. "Oh don't mention it. I was just thinking about grabbing a bite to eat myself." Her shoulders rose in a subtle shrug and she kept leading the way. From the sound of his voice though she guessed he'd need something to drink first. She took a right at a small intersection and passed under a sprawling archway that stretched over the street. With her index finger she pointed to a building ahead of them and on the left. "That's it," she declared as she continued to walk that way. The building itself was small when compared to the larger buildings that surrounded it.

It consisted of only one floor that was roughly crescent shape with a small courtyard that stretched along the inside of the building's curved wall. Tables were spread throughout the courtyard and was sectioned off by a low fence from the rest of the city that spread out all around it. A few of the tables were already occupied and as Magda stepped through the open gateway a young NPC male with short brown hair and dressed in the standard black uniform of this establishment walked up. "Greetings, can I get you two a table? How large is your party? Just the two of you?" Magda blinked and was about to say no but she hesitated and just let out a low laugh.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Magda

[Ronin 0]

"[censored]' so this is it huh?" he wondered aloud as they arrived and he took it all in.  His mouth fell slightly agape, his chapped lips parting just a little as he studied his surroundings.  He thought back, trying to remember how the hell they had gotten here.  If the food was good, he wanted to be able to find this place again in the future.  Hell, he might even bring his ole pal Caspar here if the guy would shell out some Col for their meals.  Speaking of which, Ronin wondered just how loaded this chick might be.  Judging from her attire, it was hard to say, but he was curious. 

"Oh yeah, we'll take this one, and bring us some water, on the double!" responded the parched smoker at last, realizing the waiter dude was still waiting for a reply and deciding it might be fun to [censored] with him and test the limits of his programming.  He then turned briefly, taking a final drag of his cigarette before flicking the remnant butt to the breeze and strolling over to an unoccupied table to take his seat.

Perhaps it was just his greedy nature to wonder how much Col other people had on them, or his history of being something of a kleptomaniac?  He didn't know, but he shrugged it off all the same, deciding as long as this woman had enough on her to pay her own way, they'd get along just fine.  The swordsman was all about going dutch and if that didn't work, he was all about making a run for it.  This little generic NPC dude in the black uniform didn't look all that fast, did he?  "So uhh... what's good here?" he inquired, turning his attention back to the female who had lead him here and wondering where the hell a menu was. 

"And whaddaya' think about these damn NPCs anyway?  Pretty good aye?  They seem so... real..." Ronin tilted his head slightly, resembling a dog who was being tempted into going for a ride.  His focus had shifted back to their waiter of sorts and he examined him like some kind of artist critiquing a painting he had just slaved over for the last month. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by Ronin

[Magda 0]

Magda quirked an eyebrow when the man asked if this was the place. It wasn’t really the question that drew her attention but his choice of language. She just shrugged it off though and walked over to sit at the table the guy had chosen to sit at. When he asked what was good here she turned to look at him and placed a finger against her chin and her expression scrunched up as she thought about. “I usually get the biggest hamburger they have with everything on it,” she said with a grin. “What’s your favorite dish? I’m sure they’ll have it.” After they sat down a small grey window popped up in front of both of them. In intricate letters Starlight Cafe was sprawled out across the top of the menu. Below that was a list of the various dishes along with their prices. The establishment wasn't overly expensive of course but it definitely wasn't free. Magda pressed the option for the Hamburger she usually got and it deducted eighty Col from her total. When he inquired about her thoughts on the NPCs she looked around at the Café’s staff as they moved about the place seeing to their customer’s needs. What did she think about them? That was a rather interesting question. She’d never really stopped to think much of them to begin with. Once she discovered that they weren’t players she didn’t really pay them much mind at all.

"They are certainly detailed and the way they interact with us is pretty impressive at times." She hesitated to really say anything else on the matter and that was when the waiter came back with a plate that held her food. The man set it in front of her and she requested a water to go along with it. "See anything you like?" The cafe offered a variety of sandwiches and steaks. They even offered a variety of salads to go along with it.

[Ronin 0]

"Damn, honestly I'm... well, I'm actually... how you say... vegan?"  He answered, rather hesitantly, though it finally came out in true audible fashion.  He was eyeballing the massive hamburger that she had ordered and which had arrived in seconds.  He was flabbergasted to say the least, but not just by the hamburger, nor the size of it, nor the fact that it contained meat which he definitely didn't eat and most likely cheese which he didn't usually eat if he could help it.  No, it was the price of the damn thing that had left Ronin a little flustered and shocked. 

He had taken a quick glance at his own menu when it popped up in front of him, sure.  But his eyes had admittedly wandered a smidgen and he had glanced over at the woman's pop up just in time to see her placing her order.  His eyes had lowered back to his own floating menu and as he located the hamburger, with everything on it, and the price which was displayed next to it, he couldn't believe his eyes.  EIGHTY FUCKIN' COL!!!?!??!?!??? he screamed inside his mind, though the kinda' twisted expression on his face might've been enough to show what he was thinking.

Quickly, he moved his finger to one of the buttons near the bottom of the menu, canceling out of the pop up and leaning back in his chair.  "Where's that damn waiter with the water already?" he grumbled to himself, though his voice would be loud enough for at least his acquaintance to hear.  He was beyond parched now and wondered what these NPCs were good for anyway.  Hadn't he told the waiter to bring them some water when they first arrived and hadn't he said on the double?!  So far, this place was turning out to be a real drag and Ronin just couldn't believe the prices.  Sure he was a newer player just starting out, but even if he did have a pile of Col in his inventory; he doubted very much that he'd go spending eighty of it on some burger.

"How's yer grub?" he asked finally, peeking across the table at the woman, his eyes roaming slightly over her crimson hued hair.  "...Say, haven't I seen you somewhere before?" he wondered suddenly, feeling as though this girl looked kinda' familiar.

(OOC: Ronin is thinking of Mack's Xmas thread when referencing Magda's familiarity, which I have pegged as taking place prior to this thread.)

[Magda 0]

She was just about to take a huge bite out of her burger when she heard him say that he was Vegan and she froze. Several moments passed and she held that pose until she turned to look at him wide-eyed. “Vegan?” She repeated the word as if it were some foreign concept to her. “They do have other meals that might fit your... diet,” she said as she motioned towards the menu. Was that the right meal? Bloody herbivores. “Meals that don’t include meat. That is if you even consider this meat since it’s really just a bunch of data.” Magda shrugged and took a bite out of her burger. Some of its juices ran down the corner of her mouth and the look on her face was nothing short of pure ecstasy. As he asked about the waiter Magda nodded towards his menu. “You’ll have to actually order it from there.” When she noticed that he hadn’t ordered anything yet her brow furrowed. “It’s delicious.” She answered his question before she asked one of her own. “You don’t want anything to eat?” She ordered a second water and soon the Waiter walked over and placed two glasses down. She picked hers up and downed half of it before she started working on her burger again.

His question about there being some familiarity she turned to regard him a bit more closely. Try as she might she just didn’t recognize the man so she shrugged. “Not that I know of, but you may have seen my brother. A little taller than me, same colored hair, and he’s a blacksmith.” Magda took another bite out of her food. "If you didn't know about this place or anywhere else to get fod then I assume you haven't gotten around much." She cast a curious glance his way.

[Ronin 0]

It was so much to take in, but Ronin tried anyway.  This woman had been nice enough to bring him here in the hopes of getting them both something to eat, so he decided to give the menu another look.  Despite his veganism, he was more concerned with the prices on the menu above all else.   Surely though, there must be something a little... cheaper.  He waved his hand in front of himself, not entirely sure how to even bring up the pop up menu again.  To his surprise, it appeared and he scrolled through it once more, his eyes narrowing as he occasionally spotted an item that sounded decent, but then checked its associated cost.  "Mmm, yeah I guess I'll just try one of the salads or something..." he said at last, making his selection.

His eyes fell upon the two glasses of water as they arrived on the table.  He watched carefully as the girl picked up one of them and began to drink.  His tongue and throat felt like a goddamn desert set ablaze and then put out with sandpaper and hot sauce.  He sighed sharply and for a half second, could've sworn he saw dust come out of his mouth.  He was damn thirsty and just watching her down that clear liquid made him squirm in his chair.  "You mind if I..." he began, moving his gloved hand to the untouched glass of water and sliding it closer toward his side of the table.  Once it reached the edge, he picked it up rather carefully and licked his chapped lips in preparation for the magic to come.

He looked like some little kid getting ready to take a big ole bite of ice cream.  His eyes widened, his lips parted in an anticipating sort of O shape and his tongue lapped delicately at the air, emerging ever so slightly from the mouth cave in hopes that hydration was inbound.  As the brim of the glass finally met his lips and he tilted the bottom upward, the flow of water began and it nearly killed him.  At first, it was nirvana, that cool liquid cascading all over his senses and waterfalling down his throat.  However, he had been so excited over the prospect of finally quenching his terrible thirst, that he took a breath right before the water descended down into his belly.  The result was the opening of his airway and the flooding of the cool liquid, straight into it.

"ACK! URGH! GLLLLAAAH!" His choking noises were like something out of a monster movie, where a young man was suddenly exposed to the full moon and began to undergo a horrid and grotesque transformation into a bloodthirsty werewolf on Halloween night!  His body convulsed and he immediately strained to set the water glass back onto the table, knowing he was doomed to cough and choke for the next few minutes, at least.  His eyeballed nearly strained out of their sockets as he looked desperately for the edge of the table and finally set the glass down on it.  Once his hands were free, they shot to his throat and he jolted backward into his chair.  Whether it shotty craftsmanship or just his own misfortune, Ronin soon found the floor as the chair tipped straight back and sent him spilling head over heels onto the ground.

Wheezing and gasping, he sounded like he was drowning.  It was then that the NPC waiter arrived again and dropped Ronin's salad off on the table, before promptly turning around and disappearing back into the kitchen.  The choking swordsman growled amid his hacking, unable to believe that the waiter didn't even care to try and come help him.  This world truly was a death game, after all.  And Ronin just might be its next victim.

[Magda 0]

When Ronin inquired about the warer she simply gestured at him with her hand. “Of course not, go right ahead. I ordered that one for you after all.” Her lips slowly formed a smile before she went back to devouring her food in a manner that was less than lady-like. The redhead seemed to be really engrossed in her food until she heard the man beside her start coughing and choking so she turned to look at him. The burger was still held only a couple inches from her mouth while she was still busily chewing away at the last bite she’d taken. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly as he started to lean back in his chair. The redhead simply took another bite and chewed on it slowly. Her gaze followed him as his chair tipped back and deposited him onto the ground. What was her first instinct at seeing all of this? It certainly wasn't an urge to help the man. She quickly turned away and placed her food back on the plate that sat in front of her on the table. She picked up a napkin and dotted it along her lips to hide her smile and quickly stifled a laugh. While she was amused she didn't want to hurt the man's pride. Once she was composed she turned just in time to see the waiter drop off the salad. Without standing up Magda reached down and held her hand out for Ronin to take. "Here let me help you up, your salad is here but do try to eat it slowly." She idly pondered if he was just so thirsty that he tried to inhale the water. Her brow furrowed again as she considered the man. "Did you already drink all of the water in your inventory?" When she first jumped into this world she didn't even know she had an inventory and it wasn't until her brother told her about it that she took note of the bread and water it contained.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Magda

[Ronin 0]

After a few moments, Ronin's choking fit began to subside and slowly but surely he was able to draw air into his lungs again and catch his breath.  "Man... that was a close one," he admitted to himself, though his voice was loud enough for anyone in the immediate area to hear.  He shook his head, taking another moment to collect himself, before he finally spotted the outstretched hand.  His eyes followed the wrist, forearm and bicep upward, until he eventually found the girl's face and eyes, looking back at him.  He inhaled sharply, planting his gloved hand into her awaiting clutches and gripped just hard enough to pull himself up off the ground. 

Once he had returned to a stand, he wobbled a bit, to and fro, before finally regaining his balance.  His head swam for a few moments longer, but he was able to find his chair and return it to its upright position, before reclaiming his seat.  "Ah [censored]... my salad!" he suddenly realized, spotting the greens and connecting the dots with what the redhead across the table had said a moment earlier.  His expression shifted and his lips turned upward at the corners.  "It looks pretty damn good!" he mused, before digging in. 

"Ow's yer 'urger?!" he asked while chewing his food, his words coming out a little hard to understand.  He peeked across the table at her for a moment, wondering about the water in his inventory.  "Hmm..." he hummed, thinking it over and deciding.  He gave a single shake of his head, as though to say no, he hadn't yet consumed all of it.  His focus returned to his food for another moment while he devoured vegetables and green leafs like there was no tomorrow.  Finally, he came back up for air and leaned back in his chair to stretch out his belly, this time, only leaning back a little bit.  "...So..." he started, still chewing at his most recent mouthful. "...Didja' say you had a brother up there on the fourth floor?" 

[Magda 0]

Magda smiled when he accepted her help in getting back on his feet. That meant he wasn’t hindered by any strong sense of pride at least. When he returned to his chair she did the same and proceeded to take another bite of her hamburger to finish it off. It was all washed down as she gulped down the glass of water. The glass was firmly placed back on the table and the redhead sighed contently. Upon hearing his question about how her burger was she turned and grinned. Her initial reaction was to just point at the empty wrapper but she quickly followed it up by saying, “Completely satisfying of course.” His words were muffled due to the food still in his mouth but she understood enough of what he’d said to know he’d asked about her food.

Suddenly she stretched her arms out and stretched before she had to stifle a yawn. “Hmm?” She turned and looked at him with a curious look on her face when he reacted to her statement about having a brother on the fourth floor. “Sure do. Mack owns a forge up there.”

[Ronin 0]

"Mack's yer brother?!!?" he blurted, spitting chewed bits of salad remnants all over the table.  His eyes shot open wide and his posture was rigid.  He had both gloved palms flattened on the surface of the tale and sat up straight, looking across at the woman in disbelief.  Holy [censored]!  No wonder she's so damn tall... and that hair color... of course... it makes sense now... he thought, eyeing her carefully and pursing his lips in consideration.  "Wow... I uh... I hadn't realized..." he explained, before slowly relaxing.

As his straightened posture returned to one of moderate slouching and his hands slowly left the surface of the table, Ronin inhaled long and deep, doing his best to chill out.  His salad was all but finished now and he decided it had hit the spot... or at least, come close enough.  He burped and immediately fired up a fresh cigarette, peering down and counting how many he had left inside his pack and preparing to return it to the confines of his clothing.  Before he did, he paused, wondering where his manners had run off to.  "Cigarette?"  He offered, pointing the opened pack toward the woman at the other side of the table.

"[censored], thanks for showing me how to get here... that salad wasn't half bad.  I dunno' if I'll ever go outta' my way to return to this place in the future, but... It's nice to know it's here, in case I'm in the area or somethin' ...and if someone else is buyin'..." he finished, his voice kinda' trailing off at the end.  "So then, sister of Mack, what is your name anyhow?  And pardon me if you've already given it... my... memory, ain't the best these days..."

[Ronin 0]

After an incredibly long lull in the conversation, Ronin blinked his eyes, rubbing at his chin and wondering if the woman sitting across from him was still... there?  He pursed his lips in thought and dragged at his cigarette, itching the side of his head and trying to decide if perhaps she was experiencing some lag or something of that nature?  He sighed finally, waving his hands in front of her face and seeing that she didn't seem to be responding at all.  Perhaps she had gotten logged out somehow and was finally... dead?  He shook his head, hoping this wasn't the case.  "Welp... guess I'll just hafta' head off now n' do mah own thang..."

(OOC: Ronin will continue on since Magda is MIA)