[PP - F5] Heart of the Desert «The Traveler» (Shirosu)

[Takao 0]

«The Traveler»

The desert was loathsome. Arid, dry heat, and whatever coveted semblance of relief that players hoped would come with a nice gust of wind were quickly stomped out like a dying flame. The winds were just as hot, and hit the face like a ten tonne wall of bricks. Bricks that were on fire. Perhaps he was being a bit over-dramatic. He was prone to being such, especially when he found himself on the fifth floor of Aincrad. Climates were one of the few extremes that Takao simply couldn't handle well. He preferred something in the middle, such as the first three floors, the third of which being where he had settled into. But every once in a while, something or another would bring him to the fifth floor. Despite his insistent protests, the Information Broker that he oft met with favoured the fifth floor as her meeting place. She was one of the best sources for sub-Dungeon locations, and so he endured. But now that their meeting was over and the transaction of col for information had been made, Takao stood alone at the western gates of Armadillo, looking out into the seemingly endless sea of dunes.

Green eyes shifted from the sands to the red-scaled, draconic familiar standing on his shoulders, excitedly looking out into the desert that had once been its home. "You're enjoyin' this, aren't you?" Takao grumbled out, earning an amused huff of breath from his familiar. The brunet sighed and turned, glancing back into the settlement. "Well, the Dungeon's set to be in the same direction as that Survival skill quest... 'spose I could see if anybody's headed that way before I go out." He muttered to himself. True to his word, Takao proceeded back into the settlement in search of a conveniently like-minded player.

[Shirosu 0]

Regret, that was her first thought about ever thinking it was a good idea to take a quest in the dusty, unforgiving, unbearably hot place. As Shirosu talked with the NPC that was giving her the details of the quest, she felt a pit forming in her stomach over the thought about going out into the shifting sands. She knew  the rewards were one hundred percent worth the effort, but that didn't make the task anymore welcoming. Silently she cursed that more quests couldn't just have stupid easy tasks like, kill thirty boars in blank amount of time, that would be mindless fun, totally up her alley.

 Gently billowing around her ankles were the edges of the dull rust coloured cloak she had quickly created with her tailoring skill, it wasn't pretty,  and she wasn't even sure it would help protect her from the hot winds that gusted hotly in the surrounding area, but it made her feel better to wear it. On the other hand tangled up in her silver tuff of hair, resting on her shoulders like a cashmere scarf was Gin, basking in all of the glory that was the desert heat, Shirosu sometimes thought that the little three tailed fox was part cat because of his love of the sun.  While she absentmindedly patted the warm furry familiar on the head Shirosu studied the route and sighed, this was going to be a lonely trip, she was so absorbed in her plans that she didn't even notice the somewhat familiar face of Takao as he entered the settlement. 

[Takao 0]

"Hmh, tall order..." Takao idly muttered to himself, thinking out loud as he glanced through the various players that he passed. None seemed to be geared up for the two-day long venture into the desert, which was described to take one day and one night's time just to reach the objective. A player prepared for such an excursion was typically rather easy to spot, but nobody that he'd seen fit such an expected description. His familiar's nostrils were flared and wide as it sniffed the air, seeming ready to leap from his shoulders and go in search for food in a moment's notice. He knew the wingless dragon-monster a little too well though, who would be much too lazy to bother walking on his lonesome. "Guess we can always just head out on our own too, we don't lose out on too much doing it by our... selves..." He had begun saying to his familiar, although his words began trailing off at the sight of a girl with white hair.

She seemed faintly familiar, but not quite in the way that a face he passed in a crowd would. Had they quested before?.. That explanation of familiarity seemed likely, most of his interactions with other players started and ended with partying up for quests and dungeons. Some became reoccurring faces, and most simply went on their way. But she didn't quite seem to be that familiar either, and was somewhere between a face he passed and somebody he had interacted with at some point. Odd and curious, which spurred his approach.

"Hey-, uh..." Takao began, his head tilted to one side. His left hand was raised in greeting while the other remained in his pants pocket. "Sorry t'bother you, but you look kinda familiar 'n I just couldn't figure out where I recognized you from."

[Shirosu 0]

Deciding she was as ready as she was ever going to be, Shirosu double checked all of her supplies, and with a huge sigh turned to head out on the quest. Not expecting to see anyone she let a startled squeak just about jumping out of her skin when she saw the guy standing behind her with a raised hand. Temporarily she was confused, did she know him? He seemed familiar, it took her a few minutes of staring blankly when it hit her, it was Takao! Shirosu had personally never talked to him, but he had done her a great favour way back when Mack thought it would be funny do carry her around like she was a trophy or something. With a giant grin she said,"No, you're not bothering me at all, quite the shame you can't recognize me , you helped me out quite a while back" her golden eyes gleamed in amusement" If I recall correctly you challenged Mack to a duel because you saw me being lugged around like a sack of potatoes by that giant" Ahh memories, she thought fondly, with a quizzical tilt of her head she asked "so what's brings you here to this smouldering wasteland?" she herself was questioning why SHE was here

On her shoulder Gin had stood up to inspect the other shoulder jockeying familiar, his three tails twitched curiously, he found the draconic creature fascinating, the only other familiars he had ever play with had been furry, nothing like the scales. The little fox chirped out in hello before settling back onto its partners shoulders. 

[Takao 0]

A good look at her face had only proven to perplex him further. Familiar yes, but from where? The part that bothered him the most wasn't so much that he didn't remember in general, but that the sensation of familiarity was so strong he almost felt bad that he couldn't figure it out. She spoke up in response and reassured him that his intrusion wasn't a bother, then went on to express a bit of disappointment in his inability to identify her at first glance. Understandable, nobody liked to be forgotten, unintentionally or otherwise.

"Challenged Mack to a..? Oh. Oh! I remember!" Takao said, resisting the urge to slap himself on the forehead for his stupidity. Mack had been one of the few people he had ever dueled, and despite the terms being rather lackluster, the subject certainly should've rung a bell. The hand that had been raised for a wave instead shifted to rub the back of his neck while he exhaled a slight laugh to diffuse some of the awkward nervousness that stemmed from his forgetfulness.

"Sorry. I don't think my head's all there, 'n I'm not sure if we ever got a proper introduction. I'm Takao." He said, offering up a faint smile alongside his words. Another chuckle followed, this time softer and directed at her comments about the blistering hellhole of a floor. "Glad somebody else shares that sentiment with me. I was headed out in the desert t'look for a Dungeon, 'innit happens to be near the spot that the uh... "Traveler" quest, I think it's called..? It happens to be right next to it. Figured I'd see if anybody wanted to tag along." Takao explained, briefly glancing skyward toward his familiar as Otoko crossed its arms and rested them atop Takao's head. The dragon made a noise reminiscent of seal's barking in greeting to the other shoulder-mounted familiar, although the throaty noise wasn't very powerful. A bit of dark smoke bellowed from its flared nostrils as well, accentuating the wingless reptile's draconic heritage.

[Shirosu 0]

She wasn't offended when he didn't remember her and smiled good naturedly, she wasn't a very memorable person anyways. She saw how he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and was quick to say, "Its not problem really, i'm not to easy to offend " she hated feeling like she was making someone feel awkward, the reason being the mirrored emotion in herself. She accepted Takao's introduction with a nod and said with an outstretched hand, as was common of her greetings,"I'm not even sure you ever got my name! I'm Shirosu" Gin pip on her shoulder loudly as if offended she had forgotten him "ok, ok, and this little hitchhiker is Gin"

Untangling her snow colored hair she pulled it over her pale blue scarf and tried in vain to smooth the knots that had formed it it while listening to Takao talk about a dungeon broker, that piqued her interest, "Dungeons you say?" she sat back on her heels, "I'm gonna be honest with you, never been in one, it sounds fascinating" also dangerous, but she got a thrill out of that, call it a flaw, but tricky situations were a favourite of hers. She grinned widely when he mention "The Traveler" quest "We'll it just so happens to be i just accept that quest, i'm still questioning my sanity over the decision, but hey, if i could tag along with you, at least I wouldn't be lonely" She hoped he would let her tag along, it would be fun to have someone walk through the sandy pits of hell out there. Shirosu looked at Takao's little red familiar and smiled at it, what a cute lizard, she thought familiars were the ultimate relief from loneliness in this world, and everyone was special.  

[Takao 0]

Shirosu expressed that his forgetfulness hadn't bothered or offended her, and had even gone as far as to say that she wasn't easily offended. The sentiment brought a sigh of relief through Takao's lungs and he smiled, dipping his head down to her in a gesture reminiscent of a bow. "That's a relief, but I am still sorry. Nobody likes bein' forgotten, y'know?" He said, head lifted and green eyes looking back into her's. His glove-clad hand was extended to meet hers with a shake, which was firm yet not overwhelming. After he felt was an adequate period of time to shake a hand, he retracted his own, and it found its way back into rest inside his pocket. "It's nice t'meet you, Shirosu. I'll remember y'this time, promise. Oh, 'n this guy up here is Otoko, I call 'em Oto' for short." Takao said, smiling again as he lifted his free hand and scratched the scale-clad reptile on his head, earning a happy throaty-bark and a small plume of dark smoke to be exhaled from its nostrils.

At the mention of Dungeons and them being fascinating, he chuckled lightly. "Most of them are, they're usually completely custom and follow the theme of the floor. The ones on this floor are kinda bland though... At least the few I've been through. They're all like... Egyptian ruins and stuff, like something you'd expect to see straight outta' the movies." He explained, fully understanding that the creativity of a dungeon was largely limited by what potential the theme of the floor had. An arid, empty desert that spanned on for what felt like miles... wasn't exactly something that sew the seeds of inspiration and creativity. "They're still interestin' to run through, assumin' we even find one. They're pretty popular and get cleared out fast." He continued, then turned to that one arm faced Shirosu and the other faced the gate he'd entered from moments before. His head tilted at the mention of her taking of the quest, and yet another smile appeared. "Heh, that's a lucky coincidence. In that case, how 'bout we get goin'? Not much of the day left 'n it's a pretty long walk. We can catch up 'long the way." His right hand raised and gestured for the gate in which they'd be leaving out of.

[Shirosu 0]

ID: 63172                                                                                                                                                                                                                             CD: 12

Shirosu loved the little draconic creatures name and gave the little animal another smile.  When Takao went on to explain more about dungeons and what they were about she almost let out an excited squeal, she LOVED things like that, "I'm fine with that! " she exclaimed excitedly her golden eyes shining, now she really, really hoped they found one. When Taoko pointed to the exit to town and the way they would travel on their quest she shouldered her cloak on to be a tad sturdier, tucked Gin into her scarf where he wouldn't get blasted by the sand and with a grim smile at the trough of having to trek through the desert set off. The first second her foot touched the shifting sands and started to sink she groaned, with her lack of grace, this was going to ankle twisting goodness. 

the winds and sand battered her soon upon exiting the town, but they weren't yet as bad as she had been expecting. As she walked she tried to make small chat, intrested about the ongoings of someone who had a huge level jump on her. "how... How are things going on the frontlines?" She was generally curious, she had been on something of a leave for a time and was out of the loop, and thus this quest was her getting her butt back into gear. In her scarf she could hear a little chirp from time to time as Gin expressed his feelings about being jostled around, as a compromise he stuck his head out of it, leaving his body hidden in the dusty clue folds.  After pausing for a moment she hesitated,"By the way if you don't feel like answering that, just let me know," SHe knew she could be a little too....curious at times, and she didn't always think before she blabed. 

Edited July 6, 2016 by Shirosu

[Takao 0]

OOC// Sorry for taking so long! Been getting a little busy in the RLs lately.

A smile pulled at Takao's cheeks at her excitement over the explanation of dungeons, reminding him of how things in the game used to have a similar effect on him. He had ruined the experience for himself, at least in some capacity. His blitz for progression had left little to be unexplored and discovered, which made their digital prison seem that much smaller to him. It was a shame too, really. Aincrad was amazing, and he no longer felt like it was an experience he could enjoy. That thought almost made him laugh, being brought down by the thought that he could no longer enjoy the death game he was trapped in. A deliberately slow inhale flooded his lungs and he glanced up at the rolls of dunes in front of him, slowly tugging the jacket off his shoulders and tying the sleeves around his waist. He wore a dark grey shirt with sleeves lazily pulled halfway up his forearms, and otherwise form-fitting.

He cast a sidelong glance at her when she inquired about the state of the front-lines, then put his gaze forward again. "I'm guessin' you probably haven't heard 'bout what happened... or maybe just heard rumours or somethin'." He said, hands pushing away the jacket around his waist and sinking down into his pockets. "It's been kinda crazy lately. We haven't lost anybody to bosses, but... There's been a lot of people taking advantage of the raids taking place outside of safe-zones, and how their evasion is low when they're buffed up." Takao continued, taking a moment to inhale sharply through his nose. "...Player killin', I mean. They're killing each other. Opal and Oikawa killed Ssendom and Zelrius, then Teayre killed Manta and Ebony in this latest raid. It's kinda crazy."

«Survival» activated.

[Shirosu 0]

(NP, i know how the RL gets, when you spend your summer as a life Guard/Swimming instructor it can be hard to find time <3)

• ID-63372
• CD- 7 (no DMG done)

she was still bouncy from the thought of getting into something cool until Takao told her about what had been happening on the front lines. With a faltered step she almost tripped but catching herself stared at Takao sadly, Opal had once been a friend of hers, to hear such a betrayal was saddening and hurtful. "A lot sure has gone on" She said quietly,"That's just incomprehensible" she was aware that a few of the names mentioned there had been some of their best fighters in the front lines, that must of been a blow. Shirosu thought that she had better become stronger quicker, they needed help, and she was still too weak to provided that help that was needed. She closed her eyes mournfully for a moment as she struggled against the sand that her boots sand into, then opening them again silently swore to herself that she would become stronger.

After walking in silence for a time and getting unpleasantly blasted by sand on occasion she decided to speak again. "Tell me about the first dungeon you fount, they seem interesting and i'm curious as to if their hard or not?" she wanted to take the conversation away from gloomier subjects and bring it back to something maybe a little more pleasant." and if you tell me about that, maybe i'll tell you about the time i almost succeeded in getting a crotch shot in on Mack, or a drinking contest at the Iron Blades bar....." she trailed off, remembering who was a major part of that story and fell into a sad, brooding thought.