[PP-F1] Mondays. (Itzal & Esper) {COMPLETE}

[Esper 0]

Not long after the public upset that took place just prior to now, Esper had decided to begin a walk, alone, outside of the massive capital. Her shoes met the cobblestone underneath with a gritty crunch, her pace balance with the seconds, like an analog clock's tick. Left foot, right foot, left foot... The darker skinned girl focused on the motion of her feet, a dismal expression cast upon her face. She was still trying to process her thoughts, which would prove difficult to piece back together. Why did this happen to us? He already explained why. The reason seemed invalid to her, as it did to possibly everyone else. But she was forced to accept it, right? That's what her life up to now had been, anyway. 

The girl's trek continued for a bit, only until she had met a field, grazed over with the lushest of green. To her, it was pretty, and untouched. Nature seemed to be bountiful, only, that was expected from a game. Everything was perfect, and built to its master's whim. "He got exactly what he wanted. Huh."

Edited August 20, 2016 by Esper

[Itzal 0]

Itzal sighed As he stalked the edge of the huge wall that stood beside him.  Alisa, his apprentice, was still on a trip with his friend Jonathan doing a quest.  He trusted fully that Jonathan would protect her as he was a tank and a faithful friend.  She didn't have anything but basic equipment and a dps wasn't going to be able to solo for long without better gear.  Still she was learning fast and would do sell with him.  Still he had to waste the time away somehow, so he decided to practice his stealth and scouting skills here.  Despite the fact that npcs couldn't think on their own they were programmed with thousands if not millions of different responses to situations and conversations.  And he heard that there were some troublemakers planning on sneaking out of town.

So here he stopped and waited for the Sun to set.  Hidden in the middle of crates, his sharp eyes scanning the road laid out for him.  Hundreds of people came and to, but with Niger Natio, his black armor with it's hood and mouthpiece on, he was invisible to them...  So long as he stay hidden and unmoving here that is.  Retributor, his black sword that bung on his back, was ever ready to be drawn at a moments notice.  Ulises was a bit anxious but Itzal forced him to remain calm.

Stealth:  13 (10+ 3 skill and objects- must roll higher on LD to find him.  Lets see how sharp her eyes are ;)  )

[Esper 0]

 ID# 66047 results: LD: 14

Reluctantly, Esper tore her eyes from the landscape just past the road, and turned around, tracing her path back over in the direction of the capital. Countless people were using the same, wide path, yet the clamoring and yelling that existed hours ago had died out, and only crickets were left to suffice for the absence of noise. She kept walking until the walls were a mere few yards away. Then, she let out an exasperated huff, and swiped at the air with two fingers. "............" She stared blanky, absentmindely, at her interface, particularly in the area that the logout function left blank. Of all the times of misfortune in her life, could she really look at this and be upset? Maybe this was a clean slate. Maybe this was a chance to be something better, and forget the harsh times from before. Only, she knew that her physical body would be that of a vegetable, essentially, which disturbed her. And she had a father, too. "........I'll get out of here, Dad." She whispered, and this time, she heard herself. 

But just as she closed up her menu, she got a chilled feeling, and a small sense of something unusual. Something wasn't right, she convinced herself. And with the thought in mind, she began to search about with her eyes, only to find what had been hidden. A man, it seemed. "He's kinda creepy, sitting back there." She murmured, a small frown on her face. 

 

(Luck of the draw ;; )

Edited August 15, 2016 by Esper

[Itzal 0]

OOC- good roll O_O

Itzal sat in silence as he waited for the Sun to set.  As it did he saw no sign of these dark npc figures.  Itzal mentally shrugged.  It was just a rumor he told Ulises.  Ulises growled in return.  So we wasted all this time for-  he stopped as they both noticed a player emerging from the town gates.  Only his eyes moved but she seemed to have sensed something wrong.  Itzal knew that feeling.  Almost every natural scout had it.  Especially when you had enemies growing up like Itzal did.  Whoever this person was had a good sense of awareness.  Would have the potential to become another scout if they chose to.  His suspicion was confirmed when the player looked his way and clearly spotted him.

Ulises argued with him for a bit on what they should do next.  Ulises didn't want any more apprentices but Itzal convinced him otherwise.  It was going to be their job to find new players to train in their guild.  He emerged from the crates with no effort and strode over to the player.  Lets see how this goes he thought.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Itzal

[Esper 0]

Esper continued to glare in his direction, her mind slowing it's pace to properly analyze the situation. Maybe it was too obvious though. He was spying on her. That must be!- No, her mind insisted. Don't go jumping to conclusions! Analyze, not assume! A sharp, but short breath escaped the short girl's chest as she watched him, at first quite frightened when he began to move. "?!" She took a step back, only to be jolted in the arm by another player taking his leave. Ouch! It stung a little, but her mind only allowed a short window of time before it traced the man's movements again, which seemed strange. He just casually hopped out from behind crates like there wasn't a single thing amiss. "Huh?" She said aloud, but still he was unphased. Maybe it was normal for some people. Eheh. 

She stood her ground throughout his approach, but only because she couldn't back up without getting trampled. ".....Am I going to be the one to ask why you were hiding? Or was that what you came over here for?" Esper sported an inquisitive tone, laced with hostility as her hands met her hips, an attitude at such early acquaintance being displayed.

[Itzal 0]

As Itzal approached he saw her face clash with worry and noted that her first move was to escape, but the crowd prevented that.  With escape lost as an option she took on an agressive side.  It would have been a good tactic for others if she had started with aggression and didn't have starter armor, or at least had a dangerous weapon.  As it was all her gear was starter based and he was guessing that although she had a good eye she would be killed quickly on her own if she travelled at night.

"I heard a rumor of some npcs causing trouble and heard that they would be heading out tonight," he explained.  "Not only did they not come out, the fact that you spotted me was rather impressive."  he pulled down the mouthpiece but decided to leave the hood on this time.  He smiled and raised his hand for her to shake.  "My names Itzal."

Edited August 16, 2016 by Itzal

[Esper 0]

Enemies, huh? Why would enemies be so close to the capital though? Especially NPCs. "Is that so...." She said meekly, in reference to the compliment. She really didn't quite think she was anything special, she just got the notion that she was being watched. A sixth sense, perhaps. "Mm, Esper." She beckoned, taking his hand into her own, though a few seconds delayed her response to shake once or twice, and then rescind her hand. Truth be it, she was shaking, though just barely noticeable to the naked eye, or a less observant mind. She folded her arms along her chest, before averting her gaze to the left, her frown fading with ease. 

"Are you sure it's not a possibility that they're just not present yet? Or even more so, their stealth skill could exceed your own. Of course, depending on who you got the information from, it may have just been a hoax. It's not always smart to believe everything you hear, y'know." Her blunt way of speaking was only mild at this state, and her posture displayed unease even still, as bewildered just moments before his approach. But it seemed he wasn't ill minded, and had no ill intentions towards her. "That clothing, where'd you get it?" She began to inquire, her finger twirling in his direction to support the gesture.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal smiled as she shook his hand and told him her name.

"Nice to meet you Esper!"  he paused as she told him her thoughts on the npcs, giving out every possible scenario.  She would make an excellent tactition he thought.  Itzal himself preferred fighting techniques and styles but it was good to cover all grounds he knew.  He would need to implement that into his daily training.  Still, his love for learning new weapons and studying their every detail was unquenchable.  He desired to know every possible technique and style each weapon provided.  He already knew straight sword and rapier very well, but there were too many other weapons that needed to be analyzed and observed.  He had studied claws thanks to Kooh but hadn't really seen them in action.  Kooh did fight but she didn't seem good at it.

"True they could have a higher sneak but I highly doubt they do this low in the floors.  I haven't seen skills like that at all actually now that I think about it.  And although you shouldn't assume somethings right you should always be open to the possibility and check if you have the time."  then she mentioned the armor.  "What?  Niger Natio?  Ariel crafted this for me.  No other tailor as good as her, but that's why she's the most expensive one as well."

Edited August 16, 2016 by Itzal

[Esper 0]

The more she thought about it, though only a few seconds made available between questions, the more she realized how right he was. He was stronger than her in some ways. Esper's doubt and distrust for strangers made taking their word for things harder, granted she was usually adamant on what she believed could be possible, and what was obviously too good to be true. Still so, a trusting mindset sometimes harvests good things. She had something to learn. "I never considered that. You're right. Guess I should be more lenient, eh? Also, you've got a valid point about the high stealth ratings being less likely to show here, so I would assume the hoax was used for someone's gain. Maybe they claimed this to be true so that they had mobs all to themselves. Maybe other things. It's too early to rule anything out though, so I'd suggest just keeping an eye out. And uh, maybe you could point me in the direction of this 'Ariel' when the time comes. I need to level up a good bit before I invest in anything worthwhile, not to mention that I have to gather col where I can. Don't think Ariel takes kindly to empty pockets, huh?"

Edited August 16, 2016 by Esper

[Itzal 0]

He listened as Ester agreed with him and added her own opinion.  He smiled.  "Lenient should always be there, but sometimes it's hard to trust someone, even if you've forgiven them.  As for whoever gave the rumor if it was a hoax it does no good for them.  There's no way to hog an area since monsters are all over the place and respawn frequently.  Not to mention there are too many players who would ignore such a rumor, here and on every other floor.  I had some spare time and needed to practice my sneak and detection anyways so I decided to look into it.  Most likely it was a couple of new players who assumed there were some bad npcs and made up this whole ridiculous idea."  He shrugged.  "It isn't that big of a deal but whatever."  He heard Ester wanted to visit Ariel's shop after she leveled up a bit and guessed correctly about the money issue.

"If you don't have money you can't by nothing.  Although once you get a hang of combat you can gather col fairly quickly.  Shopkeepers also buy materials too though, since they need them to make items in the first place so keep that in mind.  Honestly I find more materials than col but that's probably because I chose to be a scout than a head to head fighter.  I still want to fight in the front lines, but as a supporter, someone who jumps in when I see someone in trouble.  What about you Esper?  Is there anything you want to accomplish here, or are you still thinking about it?"  I'm thinking Esper would be an excellent apprentice.  We're not having another.  Shut up Ulises, we need people in the guild and what I'm doing here is precisely why we made the guild:  To help low level players.  Ulises grunted in response.

[Esper 0]

Esper took a moment to ponder on the question. What did she want to accomplish here? Of countless reasons, there had to be something worthwhile. It wasn't long ago that she was told about this bitter reality, and until now, she hadn't had any time to properly approach the question. But it held value that would set the purpose of her will, and thus it was a very important question indeed.

"I want to become the focus of the enemy during a battle. A tank, I suppose. I find from experience in other games that it's my favorite approach to a fight. It also draws fire away from my friends, which is a primary factor in which it interests. Ah, but that brings another question. Where could I get a shield at this such level? I've always fought as a Templar, sword and shield." Empathizing the absence of an off-hand, she would lift her left hand and squeeze it into a fist, then relax it again. "If it's not too much trouble, do you think it'd be alright if I followed along for a little while? I can be of assistance, and I promise not to get in the way."

[Itzal 0]

Itzal listened intently to Esper as she first took a moment to think, then shared her thoughts.  Good, he thought.  She knew which direction she wanted to go.  If she wants to be a tank, and if she agrees to join our guild, once it's formed of course, Jonathan would be the one to train her as he himself is a tank.  Still, while he said he wasn't a good teacher, Itzal thought that this would be good for him as he would have to at one point or another.  The easy part was figuring out what skills and equipment people needed or wanted.  The hard part was the actual learning process.  When she asked if she could tag along he grinned.

"I have no problem with you joining me on a little midnight training.  Actually it's becoming a regular thing for me to be honest.  If you want to be a tank I have a friend who could mentor you if your interested.  You don't have to decide yet of course.  What weapon do you use?"

Edited August 16, 2016 by Itzal

[Esper 0]

Upon hearing of the mentoring process he mentioned, Esper nodded, and crossed her arms again. "Midnight, huh? It's a deal, then. I use a one handed straight sword, currently a basic iron longsword." She paused for a moment, shooting an affirmative smirk before she pulled the weapon from its sheath, carefully holding it at both ends, as if to be presenting it to a deserving consumer. "See? It's nothing, of course, but I'll find a better one with time. And a worthy shield, too." A minute or two seemed reasonable, before she sheathed the blade again, and beckoned her own question, albeit the same subject. "What weapon do you use? And should I assume that you're a scout, with that creepy hiding-behind-the-crates thing and all? Or am I incorrect?" Her anticipation for his answer made her ruby tinted gaze seem intense, and her arms were at her sides, close-fisted and still.

[Itzal 0]

Itzal looked at the longsword and nodded.  One handed longswords were usually heavy so the fact that she wielded one was impressive.  He himself used a rather heavy longsword himself but he was already strong due to necessity.  At the mention of a shield he nodded, recalling his friend's shield with thorns and recovery.  Shields were very important if you wanted to tank in this game.  When she asked what weapon he used he instinctively drew Retributor with lightning speed, exactly how he would draw in a fight, and showed the black one handed longsword to her.  (It's picture is in the journal, along with his armor)

"Retributor.  This one was made by Oikawa, a great blacksmith if I do say so myself.  Once I reach Tier 2 though I'll change it's enhancements up a bit, as well as it's appearance."  He held it out for her to handle for a moment then sheathed it after.  "And yes I do plan on becoming a scout.  So far I'm better at spotting things than sneaking, but that's fine as it's the path I want.  Once my sword skill reaches four I plan on ranking my search and detect to three so I can buy the mod for it.  Then I'll grandmaster my sword and work on stealth and battle healing next."  He looked off in the distance.  The wolves on this floor wouldn't bother him nor anyone near him anymore but the boar were always eager to fight him.  He could tank while she leveled up.  "Come on, I know a spot filled with boar." He said as he pulled up his mouthpiece.

[Esper 0]

Esper was dazzled as her eyes met his blade, and her excitement was amplified a little more when he placed it in her hands, though not for too long, as the weight difference between the two made her arms wobble. She hardly understood anything he was referring towards in terms of enhancements and mods, but she knew what they were, in general, thus she got the idea. After Itzal sheathed his blade and made his offer, Esper's expression brightened. "Yeah, that sounds fun, I need this anyway. Thanks for helping me, and maybe later, I can return the favor!" The dark skinned girl boasted a laugh, a rather fierce one that might be considered dark. For some reason, this was the only way she knew how to laugh. It always came off awkwardly. 

Now, Esper would silently tag along, her own sword resting on her shoulder as she paced herself to keep up, eyes forward and expecting. "So while we walk, maybe we should talk about ourselves, hm? Share a little information, right?"

[Itzal 0]

Itzal grinned when she mentioned returning the favor and lowered his hood now.  "Don't worry about it!  I love meeting new people, not to mention helping them."  When she suggested talk about themselves he nodded, completely agreeing.  He was about to reply when Ulises interrupted his thoughts.  Will you actually tell someone about me?  What?  Your kidding right?  I just met her, how would you react if someone said they had a split personality based on rage?  I wouldn't know.  That's one of the reasons I want you to do it.  And before you say it Jonathan was already friends with us and had already been through calming the soul like you did so that one doesn't count.  Itzal mentally grunted but did not reply to Ulises.  He wasn't going to bother with him this time.  Ulises tended to pick the worst timing and words when he spoke but he was important.  Not only was he a tactical ally, able to notice things when Itzal's focus was on others, but he was a good companion and they shared basic beliefs.  He thought about what to tell Esper.  It was his philosophy never to expose information from real life unless he either trusted them that deeply, or they had shared first.

"Alright.  I guess I'll start then.  When I started in SAO I had a chance encounter with another player named Verus.  He and his friend Adhae helped me get on my feet and together we found a girl named Kooh.  After that I found it easy to make friends.  I soloed for a while before running into another player named Jonathan.  He discovered a...  Problem I had and suggested a particular quest that would help.  Ever since I've trained in body and mind, eagerly working towards mastering my skills.  It's been interesting though.  There haven't been many players who see the world in a good sense.  They see it as dark, corrupted and such, without hope.  I try to see hope in everything."

[Esper 0]

"I guess we aren't terribly different after all. I prefer to be optimistic too. It helps keep me going, y'know?....okay, my turn then. I got the NerveGear as a gift from my father, along with Sword Art Online, and naturally was eager to dive in. I did, and then things got, well, real. Quite literally, but you know that already. Anyways, I haven't gotten much accomplished yet, save for planning out a few methods of leveling. That along with a few other things. But since I don't have much to share about my time so far, and I'd rather not talk about my personal life, I'll share the basic details that are traded awkwardly among first impressions. Let's see, my favorite color is blue, some of my fondest hobbies are studying Egyptian culture, playing games, music, cooking, and maybe even singing, just a little. What else... Oh, I like flowers, lavender and nightshades especially. They smell nice....I haven't named a single interest about in-game things, have I? I'm not sure yet, though. I just want to level up, and I need things that'll keep me alive. Armor, shield, the shabby stuff on the outside. But the skills and knowledge on the inside most importantly. I trust that you know how to help me, yeah?"

Albeit a rhetorical question, Esper's eyes drifted upwards, as the view of the sky was in fact very realistic. She was sure not to take a faulty step though, and kept alert of Itzal's position just in case he were to veer another direction, or stop altogether. "It's funny how interesting the sky becomes when you know it's not yours. Not the real sun, I mean to say."

Edited August 16, 2016 by Esper

[Itzal 0]

Itzal held back a soft laugh as she streamed a series of info out in one go.  He had to be honest she sounded a lot like him when he talked strategies or about weapons.  He also loved how she was so open to talk with him about these things rather than being a closed shell, secretive and overcautious.  He had to admit that he could be overcautious sometimes but for the most part it didn't bother him.  He began making a list of responses to her statements.  He was going to answer when she talked about the sky.  He frowned for a moment and looked up, seeing the sun set.  He thought for a moment.  He had previously wondered something similar, yet at the same time totally different.  He believed there was a God out there and now being stuck in here had wondered if Kayaba wanted to be God for a bit.  He had created his very own world, it's own cultures and myths, monsters and heroes, and goals for the world.  The environment felt as real as it would in the real world, and even pain existed.  The only one thing this world couldn't duplicate was life.  Kayaba was a genius, but no man on earth could, or will ever, create life from nothing.  It's possible to build a body once the technology is reached, but the soul cannot be duplicated.  And despite AI, even they don't compare to a human soul.

"Well it might not be the sun from the real world," he answered, "but it's the sun we have.  I bet that the longer we're in this world the more real it will seem.  Unless we have a lifeline in the real world, someone to look forward to, we will lose ourselves in Kayaba's creation.  Now about myself, seeing as we've changed the topic.  My favorite color is silver, my favorite hobby is video games and researching weapons, techniques and strategies.  I love music too and I plan on opening a shop soon.  My favorite flower?  Hmm."  He reached into his pocket/inventory and pulled out the verbana flower dropped when his bracelet finally broke.  "It would probably be a Verbana flower."

[Esper 0]

Esper offered her full attention as he spoke, her eyes following their steps as they came and went, her gaze flicking in his direction occasionally, so to give a little more acknowledgment during their walk. "Silver is a good color, for sure. Shiny, too." He would explain some of his other interests, in which she only nodded to, each listed interest making her nods more and more vigorous. But when he summoned the flower from his inventory, Es cut ahead of him, forcing him to stop for a moment. She stood over his hands, her eyes widened and dilated, almost as round as a dinner plate. "...Wow." She murmured, living in the seconds of silence. Her arms were flat along her chest, her hands near her face, but intertwined in a closed manner. "It's beautiful." Backing up now, Esper began to emit a weak chuckle, one that might say, 'I took that too far, didn't I?' without saying it verbally. "My apologies, that was a bit unnecessary. But I wish good luck with your shop. What exactly is it that you're opening, anyway?"

[Itzal 0]

Itzal stopped abruptly when she cut him off but his confusion quickly became boy when he saw her expression and excitement.  He handed it to her.

"You can keep it if you want.  It has no durability and won't break.  I have two others and can always find more If I need to.  I know where they are after all.  As for my shop I'm planning on being a performer.  Essencially I'll be playing and singing songs into recording crystals which can be used for healing or used to debuff monsters.  Of course some won't have any buffs and will be there for simply pleasure.  You know, like how you would use an iPod?"  They began to continue walking as the Sun slowly passed the edge of the horizon, lighting the sky With a soft Orange glow.  Itzal normally hated Orange, particularly bright Orange, but the sunset was completely different.  "Beautiful isn't it?  Twilight is eaqually beautiful under a cloudless sky in my opinion."