[PP-F1] New Talent...cont. (Adhaerere, Verus, Itzal, Kooh) COMPLETE

[Adhaerere 0]

 Adhae listened to the byplay of the others in the party, deciding to stay out of the conversation until she was needed or had something useful to say. She simply nodded in response to the new girl's name. She doubted it was anyting but her username, unless she came from somewhere that Adhae had never heard of. A possibility, but unlikely. She'd need to quiz the girl later on more personal information. She listened to the rest of her talk, and snorted. This girl was definitely an interesting one; Adhae might use the word "haughty" to describe her. Though she wasn't a person to dislike bluntness, a quality the girl showed she had when she asked.. Well, not really asked to join their group. More demanded. This was softened by her previous joking comment that lightened the mood a little.

 Adhae did a little fake cough thing, turning the attention to herself. She stepped up close to Kooh, looking down at her ioth that judging teacher stare she had perfected during her time teaching at her school. She circled around Kooh like a hawk, scanning every inch of her.

 "You may join our party, but on a few conditions." She spoke from behind Kooh at this point. "First, you'll need to fix that attitude of yours," she said, a gentle amused tone infiltrating her voice. "Secondly..." She hopped around in front of her and bent at the waist so their eyes were level, planting her hands on her own hips. "You'll need to act as part of the team and actually cover our backs. We'll return the favour if you do this, but don't expect any kindness if you leave one of us exposed, or if you decide to do some other juvinile act of defiance." She straightened, and smiled. "Sound good?" She looked at the other two boys in her party, seeking confirmation. "Anything you two wanna add?" 

Edited July 3, 2016 by Adhaerere

[Kooh 0]

Kooh's head cocked to the side at the mixed reactions between the two males. The unfamiliar seriousness in Verus' tone was odd, but at least let her know that he wasn't an airhead at all times of the day. She smirked a bit at his curiosity and continued prodding. "Well no, I don't keep my weapons equipped for my naps." She answered in a still light-hearted tone. She gave a small sigh at the scrutiny, but figured she was better off complying to his request. She pulled a hand from her pocket to swipe the air and call her menus in front of her. Somewhat familiar with the system, having summoned her weapons once before, the blonde girl tapped a couple of times to navigate to her inventory. She pulled out her other hand as well before tapping one last time. In reaction, a pair of claw weapon materialized over her hands. They appeared to be fixed her hands and wrists with a couple of basic leather straps and buckles, with four long metal blades extending from her knuckles well past her fingertips. One hand rested at her side while the one she had just used to equip her weapons turned in front of her. She held up the back of her hand to give the group a clear look at the item.

The tall woman approached Kooh, inspecting her more thoroughly than either of the other players by far. The girl simply shifted her weight as she was circled like prey, waiting patiently for the examination to be over. She couldn't help a reactive frown from pulling at her lips at the word 'attitude', but her eyes quickly sparkled at her simple conditions. She still wore a smirk that soon broke out into a grin at her approval. Figuring her inspection was complete once Adhae backed off a bit, Kooh unequipped the claws so she could place her hands comfortably back in her pockets.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal's eyes focused on not just the weapon, but the way she showed it off.  Did she only have one?  Was it heavy?  And the question that ate away at him, HOW did she fight with it?  It intrigued him.  He always had a weak spot for tactics and strategies.  He was about to ask when Adhae circled and spoke to Kooh.  Itzal knew she was tough, but this movement shocked him.  It seemed a bit harsh to say the least.  She had a joking attitude, for starters and he was fine with that.  So long as she didn't take the opportunity to embarrass him again.  As for covering their backs, it was already a perfect system.  What would work better he thought, was if they had someone to evaluate the battlefield and give tactical support.

For instance he thought, if they were attacking a group and a mob suddenly changed targets, she could give an advanced warning.  Or when traveling in the open or in a dungeon, she could walk only slightly back so if anything pulled a surprise attack, she'd be able to estimate how many, what strength, and whether or not to fight or flee.  There were many positives with a supporter rather than someone to cover their back.  In fact, in the long run, it would be better to have a tactician in the group than another fighter.  When Adhae asked her question, Itzal made a fake cough to gather their attention and voiced his point of how valuable a tactician would be.

"At some point we'll need one, especially for ambushes or boss fights," he finished.  He turned to Kooh and grinned.  "On another tone, would you mind me asking you something?"

[trenttrent20 0]

Verus's eyes were transfixed on the weapon she brought out. It was completely foreign to him, and would probably remain that way even after he got to see how she used them. They brought thoughts of cat claws into his head, and how they would paw at whatever was in front of them. To use them in the midst of a battle was another thing however. They seemed more like a novelty item than an actual reliable weapon, but he didn't have any idea how they really could be used other than a swiping and punching motion. The cat claws did seem rather well put together though, which brought a wave of relief. 

He shrugged his shoulders, after hearing the other two members input. They were quick to accept a stranger. It wasn't a bad thing but they had just found her sleeping in a tree. For all he knew she could just be a lazy bum hoping to ride on the achievements of others. His thought bubble kept deepening before he stopped himself, recalling how he had met the other two. Those times were little different than this situation, and he cursed himself for being so hypocritical. He had teamed up right away with others, hoping to get stronger in a group. He had no reason to be questioning as much as he was. His realization could be seen on his face as he went from more critical and analytical expressions back to his normal calm and relaxed self. His eyes relaxed and softened slightly, letting a small close-mouthed smile appear. He would remain quiet for a little while and listen to the others, having gotten answers to his question. 

[Adhaerere 0]

 Adhae, sensing some of the reason behind Itzal's comment, nodded in her consent. "That sounds alright to me. Are there items in this game that augment movement speed? She could be our cat-scout. Jumping into trees and junk." She giggled, enjoying the idea of this lanky girl climbing around. Then she looked up at the other two of their original party, and set her shoulders. "Then we're agreed! Welcome to the Dream Team." She patted the new girl on the back, none too gently. "Verus, don't take your time adding her," she warned with a raised eyebrow. As she was looking in that direction, she noticed that Verus' face was changing rapidly into different emotions. She watched, confused, until his face settled on a smile. She smiled herself. "You got one of his rare smiles. You're part of the group already." 

[Kooh 0]

Kooh let out a small, involuntary 'oof' as the woman's hand came down on the middle of her back, jostling her slightly. The grin on her face lessened, but she still kept a smirk on her features as she glanced over to Verus who seemed to be expressing his acceptance as well. Kooh seemed to have been given somewhat of a 'role' already as well, and she mentally shrugged at the idea. If they were so willing to let her join them, they could stick her wherever they wanted, as long as she wouldn't get hit.

Ruby eyes flickered to the dark-haired man as he addressed her. Straightening back up, the girl tilted her head to the side in interest. "Hmm? What is it?" She asked with a coy smile. 

Edited July 1, 2016 by Kooh

[Itzal 0]

Itzal gestured to Kooh's claw, still very interested in this newfound weapon he'd never encountered before.

"Well, three questions really.  Do you have only one claw or two?  Is the weight easy enough to handle?  And how do you fight with it?"  He had taken a second or two in between questions so it didn't seem like he was throwing all this onto her at once.  "It's a weapon I've never encountered in any game before and I'm quite curious, and a bit anxious as well, to see it's functionality."  Itzal looked between the claw and Kooh's posture.  If the claw was heavy, she was a strong woman like Adhae.  If it was lightweight she was probably like Verus in the sense that her body is built for speed rather than brute strength.  If she was somewhat balanced, than she'd be like Itzal, capable of speed, but at the same time able to wield a somewhat heavy weapon.  Each possibility led to multiple possible strategies each.  He hesitated before asking,  "May see it up close for a moment?"

[trenttrent20 0]

His arms crossed and his fingers began to twiddle with the arm of his shirt. The apparel of the party besides the new girl and Adhae was all very basic and plain. Verus didn't take a liking to his current clothes but knew he was forced to wear them just because he had nothing else. He had envisioned some minimalist leather armor, allowing him to show off his chest and shoulders. However he knew that that would come at a later date and he would just have to accept what he was wearing, no matter how awful it looked. 

He tried to keep himself busy while the others spoke. It was a fun hobby of his to dwell in deep though, but had gone blank. The dabbling in front of him had stopped being intriguing to him, and he'd need something new to do. Verus repositioned his arms, letting his left hand grip around the pommel of his rapier. It's nice cold touch welcomed him, but he was unsatisfied still. The thought of a new sword loomed in his head and would remain there until he  had upped his weaponry. His damage output was too low for his level. However, as long as he was still taking in new players, it didn't quite matter.

[Adhaerere 0]

 Adhae didn't have anything particular to add to the conversation between Kooh and Itzal. She had grinned a little bit when she realized she'd hit the girl harder than she'd intended, but guessed her part in the conversation was mostly over. She stepped away from her, and noticed that Verus hadn't said anything for a while. She walked over to him and set her arm on his shoulder, using him as an armrest. She leaned her head on it, as well as the rest of her weight leaning into Verus. She glanced sidelong at him, trying to gauge what he was thinking. Verus being her closest companion in the game so far, she wanted to know if the rest of the party's choice to let the new girl in was acceptable for him. He hadn't responded when she asked if there was anything else to require of the girl, and in fact hadn't spoken since then. She was a little concerned for him, the gut feeling telling her that all wasn't quite right. She usually had correct gut feelings, so she made up her mind to ask him about it once they could be separated from the other two.

 She watched closely as Itzal asked more about her weapon. Adhae had also never seen something of the kind, in any game she had played. The wolverine-style claws were certainly a unique way to beat creatures in this game. She pondered what the girl's other stat might be; what was her armour like? Did she need to be able to block attacks to get close with those claws? Adhae couldn't help but picture a pair of cat ears on top of the girl's head as she imagined tricks she would do. 

Edited July 1, 2016 by Adhaerere

[Kooh 0]

Kooh's eyes glinted as Itzal adressed her with his curiosity. Her smirk widened as she pulled her hands from her pockets again. The girl pulled up her inventory with the same motions as before, quickly equipped the claws again. She held both hands up in front her to answer his first question, the matching pair of weapons on display. "They're not too bulky, so you can move around with them pretty easily." With the same impish smirk, Kooh walked up to Itzal, stopping in front of the man and holding out her hand palm upwards. "See for yourself." The girl suggested, waiting for him to hold out his hand in return. She would rest her hand in his, letting him feel the weight of the item and allowing him to inspect it as he pleased.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal held his hand out, completely focused on the weapons currently.  When she placed her hands on his he felt a slight addition of weight but nothing more.  He took his right hand and traced the blades with his fingers.  Three he thought.  Three straight blades from the claw.  Long enough to strike enemies a tiny distance away but short enough to force up front combat.  If they were indeed light she could go about combat through different means.  She could use her claws to simply strike and move in a dance-like way to evade any attacks.  An alternative way would be to catch opponent blades in between the claws with one hand, then strike with the other, jump back, and repeat the process.  Either that or deflect the blades.  Once his thoughts had run their course he looked up at Kooh to tell her how impressive they were and share is strategies when he saw her grinning.  He realized that she'd set him up for this and blushed ever so slightly, letting go of her hands.

"Th-that's a very impressive weapon you have Kooh,"  he said.  Geez he thought.  Even her name is becoming hard for me to say.  He straightened himself out quickly, determined not to let her get him this easily.  He shared his ideas with her quickly before silencing himself.  He turned to Adhae.

"Hey Adhae, I'm planning on ordering a custom sword but I'm short one MAT.  Could I perhaps borrow one?"

Edited July 1, 2016 by Itzal

[trenttrent20 0]

The weather had started to change slightly, the sky filling with more and more clouds. He enjoyed days like this almost as much as he enjoyed rainy days. He was always very prone to getting sunburnt when he was kid so he liked to either cover up in as many clothes as possible or hide inside. However when it rained or got super dark and cloudy he would stay outside for hours on end. It was a great feeling to have been brought back to those times, even if they didn't last for long. 

Verus elbowed Adhae's side, looking at her with a grin. He had nothing to really say, just sorta wanted to elbow his closest ally. 

[Adhaerere 0]

Adhae laughed a little as she saw Itzal's cheeks redden. It was funny to see the kids making each other uncomfortable, and Kooh seemed determined to make at least one of the boys very embarrassed. Adhae had a feeling she'd like the new girl once they got past her shell. At Verus' elbow, she didn't protest one bit. It was impossible to feel anything through the iron plates that surrounded her torso. She looked down at him and winked instead.

 "You're too quiet," she whispered to him, moving her arm away from him and walking towards the pair who were talking, making herself part of their conversation. "Sure, Itzal. Why don't you show us how those things work, Kooh?" she asked politely once there was a break in their talking. "I have to admit I'm interested. And Itzal here is even more interested." She grinned, and then glanced back at Verus. "Let's go find a boar or something. With so many people in the party it should be an easy kill." She looked at each of them, asking for confirmation with her eyes. 

-1 Material

Edited July 1, 2016 by Adhaerere

[Kooh 0]

The girl waited patiently while Itzal inspected the weapon attached to her. Once was finished and looked up to meet her gaze, Kooh caught the sight of his cheeks growing red again, making her smile wider in satisfaction. "Thanks!" She responded cheerfully, bringing her hand back to her. She took a few steps backward, giving a turn on her heel to spin herself around. She was about to remove the weapons again when Adhae spoke up.

'Dammit.'

She froze for only a fraction of a second, a sour look coating her face as her back was turned to the other players. Quickly collecting herself and spinning back to face the group, she wore a confident smirk. Kooh replied to the woman's proposal. "Hey sure, why not?" She answered casually.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal nodded at Adhae, eager to see Kooh's weapons in action, but hesitated when he saw her reaction.  Did he detect sarcasm in there?  He realized that he never actually asked her what she was interested in.  As they walked he watched her from behind carefully.  She carried herself high and always wore a smile.  Was that a mask she wore to hide something underneath?  He sped up a little and matched her speed.

"So Kooh," he began.  "What do you want to do?  You don't have to fight, but you can if you want."  He gestured to Adhae.  "I think she wants to be a cook," he whispered.  He chuckled.  "Don't tell them," he said in an almost inaudible voice, "but I was thinking of playing the lute."  He decided to share this secret with her for two reasons.  The first was that he wanted her to feel open to choose whatever she wanted and that nothing was closed on her.  The second was to force him to get used to talking to girls.  He had to face it one way or another.  Plus he was sure that she wouldn't think it was a dumb idea.  At least he hoped so.

[trenttrent20 0]

(Phone post sorry for shortness)

Verus nodded to Adhae's comment about his quietness, only adding to it more. He just had nothing to contribute to the conversation is all. Listening in on other peoples chit chat was always fun for him anyways. It let him know when to intervene into situations to add on to all the fun. 

May the mention of some grinding Verus put his hands behind his neck and turned his back to them, starting to walk towards the open plains. He held up a hand towards them and continue on, assuming they would follow behind. If they didn't oh well, he would definitely be able to take on a few low leave mobs on his own. 

[Adhaerere 0]

 Adhae's expression brightened as the girl agreed to her proposal. "Come on, let's go. We'll have a lota fun killing everything." She cackled maniacally and turned to follow Verus towards the plains again. Then, she stopped as Itzal spoke up, and turned back to the two. "Ohh, come on. Fight with us. Put those claws to use!" She grinned and gestured with her hand. "Don't be shy, Kooh." She winked conspiratorially at her and then turned to follow Verus once more.

 She jogged to catch up with him, chestplate clinking with each step, and fell into step beside him. She turned to look at him as they walked. "You're such a dork. What do you think of her?" Now it was her turn to elbow the guy in the side, but she tried to do it gently. "You can't have no opinions on her. She's a young girl who appeared out of a tree and has some fancy cat claws." She then walked faster to get up in front of him, and turned around to walk backwards. She liked looking at people as she talked to them; it let her read their expressions. Now, she was looking at his, trying to distinguish if he really was too dull to notice her flirting or if he was purposefully ignoring it. 

Edited July 2, 2016 by Adhaerere

[Kooh 0]

The girl was getting a feel for the group now. The man named Itzal was pretty straight-forward, which made him easy to tease. He felt somewhat like a strategist-type with his talk of scouting and planning, and how much detail he got into talking about her potential role in the party. Adhae was scary. She had a kind air about her, but with only their short interactions Kooh knew staying on her good side was most important. The blonde wasn't sure if it was her impressive height or the bulky plate mail she donned, but something about her reminded her of a mother bear.

'Lastly,' Kooh stared at the back of the blonde head that had turned to walk ahead of them. The other party members dismissed him as an airhead, and while he came off as aloof, she didn't believe that was all there was to him just yet. He may be oblivious, or just god-awful with social interaction, but his odd quietness halfway through the otherwise lively conversation made her a bit suspicious. Now she just had to figure out how to handle each person.

The sound of footsteps beside her drew Kooh's attention away from her thoughts, and the girl gave a sideways glance to see the aforementioned black-haired player walking beside her. With some back-and-forth between his comment about fighting and Adhae's quick, prodding response, the man's voice took on a hushed tone as if he were suddenly telling her an important secret. A thoughtful smile played on her lips as she mulled over his words. She gave a nod, still looking straight ahead as they walked, following the lead of the pair off in front of them. "I've got my eye on Performer." She answered him simply, but assuredly, as if her mind was made up. She had heard of the profession in town after getting some players to give her a run-down of the options for the sub-classes. Although she wouldn't admit she still didn't know what purpose it served, it sounded like something she'd fit perfectly with.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal couldn't help but grin to Kooh's words.  What were the odds that he wanted to learn how to play an instrument and Kooh wanted to preform?  He thought about it and had to fight the urge to laugh.  Adhae's cafe provided with music and dancing.  That could make it the most popular cafe there ever was.  He calmed himself down and looked at her.

"Sorry," he said said, still in a hushed voice, as she noticed his close to laughing state.  "I'm not laughing at your profession.  In fact I thought that it was a very interesting and pretty cool coincidence that I want to learn music and you want to learn dance.  I was kind of laughing at the thought of us preforming in Adhae's cafe with Verus sitting in the corner.  Her cafe would be the most popular one ever!"  He sighed as the humor calmed down.  "And although I don't mind you avoiding combat, I would like to see those gloves in action at least once.  If you don't mind at least."

[trenttrent20 0]

"We'll have to see as time goes on." Verus smiled lightly, watching as she repositioned herself to walk backwards. He remained pretty calm with few expressions being expressed by the expressor. Verus really just didn't have much on his mind.

 She was a few steps in front of him, seemingly unphased by the downwards slope they were walking on. Thoughts of trying to trip her up shot through his mind but he quickly dismissed them, realizing it would be rather rude to push his wall over. "Thoughts on the girl are few at the moment. All depends on what she can do." Anyone could climb and sit in a tree, which he himself probably couldn't do but still. Her weapons were sure strange, but not much about them struck him as really useful. They seemed to be for uber-up close combat; something that seemed rather risky to do. Verus let out a slight yawn and covered his mouth slightly before continuing on.