[PP-F5] Dead in the Water, Kinda <<Blood in the Sand>>

[Birdie 0]

"Sand-wha?" Adjusting her arms to get a better view of the horizon, she gazed upon the nasty wall of sand approaching them in the distance. She threw her arms to her sides and stared wide-eyed. "That's.. not good." Just then, @Lowenthal got to work on something in his inventory, and in no time revealed a makeshift shelter from which they could wait out the storm. Folding her arms in a conscious effort to preserve space, she smiled and climbed inside the tent, appreciating the shade now that they were out of direct sunlight.

With little room to manoeuvre, Birdie settled down in one corner of the tent and faced the entrance, raising her eyes to Lowenthal after he stepped inside. "I never knew that you could make tents in SAO." Of course, being a settlement dweller, she'd never been faced with a situation where a temporary shelter was necessary. "Are you sure this thing will hold up?"

Edited October 17, 2016 by Birdie

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal entered the tent shortly after @Birdie. "A little smaller than anticipated, but it'll do." He said, closing the tent flap behind him. "To be honest, didn't know I could either. Just had that idea spring up, and I acted." Lowenthal admitted, rubbing the back of his head as he sat down in the opposite corner of the tent. Lowenthal patted the fabric wall. "This should stop most of the sand from coming in, and it should allow some wind to come through. My only concern is with how deserts work. If the sun was setting when we got in, and the sandstorm persists through the night, then we may be in a bit of a pinch." Lowenthal said, trying to explain. "Deserts are hot, because the sun's rays heat the ground which in turn heats the air around it. At night, no sun heats the ground, and the heat escapes into the sky, making it cold. Kinda like a stovetop, in a sense of the terms." Lowenthal said, his understanding of basic middle school knowledge shining yet again. 'Oh yeah, talk science to her. That'll impress.' He thought, rubbing his eyes. "Either way, you're with me. So, you couldn't be in a safer place." Lowenthal said, beaming Bridie a confident smile.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie blinked, "Oh- wow, that's um.. interesting!" She feigned intrigue so that he wouldn't feel bad, she didn't have the heart to tell him those concepts weren't new to her. The tent's material began to rustle as the wind picked up, she figured the storm would be fast approaching. "I feel safer already," she said with a smile, though something still trouble her deeper down. She pulled her knees into her arms with a sigh. "That puts one half of my concerns to rest. I'm still a little worried about the sand shark though.. I mean, wouldn't the sand shark love sandstorms?" The thought messed with her mind; would the boss surface during a sand storm? Does a water shark swim near ocean level when it's raining? Both questions she didn't have answers to.

Suddenly, a cringe-inducing ruckus caused the girl to flinch - sand brushed against the tent's exterior, sounding like a million tiny claws scraping away at the fabric. Wide-eyed like a cat on alert, she frowned a little. "Yeah, sure- why wouldn't it make the creepiest noise ever?" Huff. "How likely is it the storm persists through the night?"

[Lowenthal 0]

"Actually, sharks tend to avoid storms. At least, the water ones do anyways." Lowenthal said, trying to relax @Birdie. As for her later question, Lowe did't have an answer. "No idea." He shrugged. "I've never been caught in one before. So I can't say how long it'll last." He tried to explain to the best of his ability. The wind blew hard against tent's walls causing it to buckling in slightly with the wind pressure. If Lowe had angeled the tent differently, the wind would've just picked up the tent. Blind luck had it so that the tent didn't budge. Lowenthal let out a sigh of relief. "So Birdie, personal question." Lowenthal started. "Say that, you love someone. And they say that, they love you. But as days go on, they seem to not love as much as they say they did. What should you do about it?" The sandy haired man asked across the way.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie shifted uncomfortably, and sympathetic eyes fell @Lowenthal as she spoke. "W-well, um.. d-doesn't it depend on what the root of the problem is?" She began. "Something might be happening in their life that's distracting them or hurting them, and they're trying to hide it so that it doesn't affect you too. I guess.. don't make assumptions, not until you've talked with them as a couple- or at least, as mature adults." She didn't want to plant false notions in his mind- cheating, boredom, or even resentment were common issues in relationships, so keeping the issue broad would let him focus on the resolution."

"At the very least, you need to let them know how you feel.. it's a puzzle that you need to solve together. Problems wont fix themselves."

'Maybe I should've gone with a different symbol of love for his ring. If he's talking about that girl.. love hearts might be too pushy.' It wasn't for her to comment, so she kept it locked in thought instead.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Birdie

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal sighed. "Yeah, that could be it." He said looking up at the ceiling of his makeshift tent. He couldn't help but think that Shizuka was intentionally avoiding him. Ignoring his messages, never at home when he is,. He let out another sigh before looking back at @Birdie. "Why is it impossible to starve in the desert?" He asked, a sly smile appearing on his face. He answered his own question befroe Birdie could have a chance to answer logically. "Because of the sand, which is there." Lowenthal said, stifling a giggle..  He wanted the shift the mood to a more, pleasant one. At least it worked for him, his dumb joke made him happy, but he wondered how Birdie would understand the joke. "Do you get it?" Lowenthal asked eagerly, unable to contain his excitement. "Cause, sand which is." He said, now giggling unable to contain himself from laughter.

[Birdie 0]

She blinked at the joke, her brain a few moments to process both the question and the answer. After spelling it out for her, she put two and two together and formed an 'oh' with her mouth which quickly turned into a half-scowl half-smile. "Are you even trying?" Expelling a huff, her smile soon took precedence over all other motions and looked straight towards him. "10 points for the joke's theme, -5 for originality." Her mood enlightened- even if just a little- and she fell back onto her arms, glancing to the roof of the tent momentarily.

'We actually might be stuck in here all night..' Her thoughts lied on Lowenthal for a moment, 'At least his humour will keep the atmosphere alive.. is that a good or a bad thing?' One internal monologue later and Birdie's focus shifted elsewhere. Patting the floor of the tent a few times, her face showed concern. "Are we gonna have to sleep on the tent floor?" At the same time, her stomach gave an out-of-character growl. Her eyes widened in surprise, and the girl loosed a sigh seconds after. "And what about food.. I've only got this crumby doughnut that's been sitting in my inventory for months."

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal let out another quick laugh. "Five points total then? I guess that's something." Lowenthalsaid, taking the half compliment. He could see that Birdie fouind the joke, at least a tad bit humourous to saqy the least. "At least I tried." Lowenthal sat there grinning, trying to think os another desert related joke, when @Birdie chirped in with another question. Lowenthal scratched his head. "Y'know, I think I can come up with something for you. I forget sometimes that you're not used to this sort of terrain, and enviroment." He said pulling out his menu and looking at his inventory. He pulled out a thick sheet of blue material. It was a mat, soft and spongy resembling foam more than any fabric. He offered it to Birdie. "This is about all I can do about eh ground siutation." He paused, as he heard Birdie's stomach grumble."Worry not fir maidian, for I, the might Lowenthal, have everything." Lowenthal said, making is voice deeper and more heroic. He set the blue mat down, and opened his inventory again, producing a candy bar, and sandwhich. The last two items given to him by Ssendom before he passed. "Here, eat these and get some sleep." Lowenthal said. "I'll stay up, and keep watch. In case the sand storm subsides." He said again, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie's eyes widened with a mix of surprise and gratefulness as Lowenthal presented a solution to the rough ground, and even more so when he offered her some snacks to subside her hunger. "A-are you sure?" She wasn't one to turn down free food- Birdie grasped the items and put the candy bar onto the mat for now, holding the sandwich in a somewhat conservative manner. "T-thank you- now I feel like I've burdened you even more.. you've given us shelter, food, a comfortable seat- do you have any more tricks up your sleeve?" Her question was somewhat genuine, though a smile quickly broke out onto her face, signalling the humour in her words. "Do I even need to ask?"

She had at the sandwich, taking a few bites to get a taste for the meal. It tasted far better than she imagined it would, and after what felt like seconds, the first half of the sandwich passed into her stomach. "So, um.. I'd feel bad if you stayed up all the way through the storm. Would you like to take turns keeping an eye on the storm?" Birdie cast a look over her own shoulder before carefully lying her back on the mat. "You'll need to catch some sleep eventually, and one of us should be awake in case the Shark pays a visit."

Edited October 29, 2016 by Birdie

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal nodded his head. "Please, as an experienced gamer with an extensive past of playing other MMO's, and holding a daytime job inside of a mall, I've learned the secret techniques of surviving on at the least four hours of sleep." Lowenthal said, jamming a thumb into his chest. "And you're not a burden at all. I do this sort of thing all the time, at least for friends." He said. "Treat others how you would want to be treated. And eventually, it'll come around for you. That's something my dad used to say all the time. Hell, I'm sure he still does." Lowenthal said, letting out a laugh. "Anyways, you get sleep. I'll keep watch. I'll wake you should I see a finned sandy looking shark thing." Lowenthal jested again.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie looked to Lowenthal, unsure of his offer at first,though eventually giving up with a sigh. Her eyes fell to the mat, a faint smile pushing the girl's cheeks upwards. "You know how much this puts me in your debt?" Rolling her eyes, she glanced to the man one last time. "Alright, if you insist. If you're feeling sleepy though, don't be afraid to wake me up. We're as good as gone if we're both snoozing." She looked over her shoulder and leant back, making sure there was enough room to lie down. As much as she tried to shake the feeling, it felt strange to know Lowenthal would be hanging around while she slept. Until recently overcoming it, she had a fear of even speaking with other people, let alone resting easy around them. Her sleep would be light, and even though she trusted the sandy haired player, something the girl irked in the back of her mind; a feeling she wouldn't be able to shake off.

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal nodded to @Birdie's reluctant response. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to wake you up before I decide to snooze." Lowenthal said, giving the woman plenty of room to stretch. Hours passed. and Lowenthal wasn't feeling a bit tired. He held the tiny ring in his hand, playing with it betwixt his fingers. Thoughts plagued his mind. Did she really love him? If so, why did se avoid him? Was she avoiding him, or was it all accidental? He placed the ring back into his inventory, and rubbed his forehead. The wind had died down considerably, it had a while ago. Lowenthal opened the tent, and stepped outside. The desert looked almost new, the footprints of travelers and tracks of animals had all disappeared completely. Hills and dunes had changed shape completely and the temperature had dropped considerably.

Lowenthal rubbed his arms, and crouched down opening his inventory. Grabbing a few things, he tried to make a fire. A few minutes of fumbling around like an idiot, a fire was started, and generating heat. "There we go, that should do it." He said aloud, talking to himself and dusting off his hands free of sand. Lowenthal poked his head into the tent. "Hey, wake up. It's my turn." Lowenthal said, with an attempt to wake the sleeping Birdie.

[Birdie 0]

".. hm?" Grumbling from the blue mat she rested upon, Birdie groggily came to and lifted her back from the floor, pressing one arm against the floor of the tent. She wiped the gunk from her eyes that had accumulated during her sleep, enough so that she could open her eyes and see light trickling through the tent door flap. The woman let loose a prolonged yawn, her arms stretching either way before she mustered a lazy smile. "S-sure, sorry, thanks for looking out. Hey uh.. what time is it?" Her vision still wasn't clear enough to properly see the display in the corner of her HUD, though the blurry number didn't seem too alarming.

Raising a hand to block the fire's light, she looked past Lowenthal to the great desert. The damage had been done, nearby sand formations nearly unrecognisable from how they were hours ago. Her gaze returned to Lowenthal. "So I guess the shark hasn't shown up yet... we're definitely in the right area, aren't we?" The bluenette shifted from her seated position, stretching once more before she passed through the door.

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal spoke softly. "Nope, no shark just yet. Though I do have a feeling he'll show up today." He said. "This your first time fighting a field boss?" He asked. He had remembered her mentioning that this was the first time that she was out, as he would call it 'adventuring'. And the Sand Shark was something that he didn't see low leveled players going for as their first. His first was the Wasp Queen, and god only know how many tries that took to complete. "Just make sure you're ready to protect yourself, in case I pass out before it arrives." Lowenthal said, sure that @Birdie would be fine by herself. At least, for the brief moment that Lowe would be out of the picture. Lowenthal sat down by the fire gazing into it. His mind wandered again, but he wore a soft smile. He stretched his arms outward and flopped backwards, lying down on the cool sand. "Wake me if you see a woman in pink hair, or a shark made of sand." Lowenthal said, closing his eyes.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie shook her head from side to side. "I've killed one or two before, nothing that ever required this much... preparation, I guess." Recalling both times she'd been at the mercy of a field boss, Zandra had only acted as moral support due to a complete overestimation of the Wasp Queen's strength and Avalanche was an easy fight, the memory somewhat dampened by the events that transpired moments after.

As @Lowenthal went to lay down, she couldn't help but raise a concerned eyebrow towards his mention of a pink-haired woman. "I'll keep an eye out.. if you don't mind me asking, is that woman you just mentioned the same you bought the ring for?" She mentally browsed through the library of players that fit the description- other than Esther, who she sincerely doubted, her mind drew blanks.

The open flame flickered and breathed a puff of ash. No sight of the creature, though that didn't mean it wasn't lurking nearby; she kept her eyes peeled for any movement in the distance.

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal chuckled. "Depends on which one comes our way." He said. "I know a few pinkettes. However, the one I care the most about it one named 'Shizuka'." He said, giving a name to the woman that @Birdie desired to know. Lowenthal sat up, unable to sleep. He shook his hair, removing the sand from it. He smiled, his thoughts trailing to the good times with Shizuka. His mind jumped to the upcoming fight, he was used to this feeling.. This feeling of restlessness that pitted in his stomach. "Being prepared is something that I need to work on. Hence why I haven't given Shizuka the ring just yet. I want to make sure." He said, trailing off. "And I suppose I could be better prepared for fights, otherwise I'm gonna get caught with my pants down someday." Lowenthal said laughing, just now realizing how his dumb luck managed to save him at times.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie nodded, her lips forming a lighthearted smile. Uncertainty surrounding a romantic gesture certain'y wasn't unheard of, though she could do little to sympathise with the situation @Lowenthal found himself in. "Hey, don't discredit yourself. You were ready for the storm that came out of nowhere right?" Birdie's gaze stretched out to the horizon, reminding herself that they were stuck waiting out in the middle of a desert for a boss to come hunt them down. 'Comforting..'

Then, a tremor. Light at first - the faintest shaking of the sands beneath the two, barely a flicker came from the open flame. Again a few seconds later, this time louder and more potent, the weakest sticks holding the fire together came tumbling over one another. Her eyes were snapped open, one hand shakily latching onto the hilt of her weapon. "L-lowenthal?" she called out, one hand blindly patting the ground nearby. "I-I think.. it's coming.."

She saw it. An ant in the distance, it weaved through the snow with an unprecedented speed, majestic in every right. Before soon the ant grew in size, and as she scrambled to her feet, the gravity of the situation started to weigh in on her. "Scratch that- it's here!"

Edited December 9, 2016 by Birdie

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal flipped to his feet, as the tremors began readying himself for combat. "Alright, about time it showed up!" Lowenthal basically cheered as he drew his dagger. The long awaited Sand Shark finally revealed it's ugly head. It moved quickly, from the sounds of it. By the time it was spotted, it was already upon them breaching from the sand, launching itself into the air above the two adventurers before landing back and disappearing into the sand. Lowenthal shielded his eyes from the flying sand, as he kept an eye on the beast. "Wow! It's quick!" He remarked as he removed his hand from his face. "How do you wanna do this?" He asked @Birdie. It was her quest after all, and he was merely helping her. Whether that meant by being moral support or by one shotting the monster, was up to her. Either way, he was sure that she could handle it. ( no idea what Birdie's stats are for this fight, didn't want to assume)

                                                                                                                                               

Lowenthal 640/640
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Birdie ???/???
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Sand Shark 125/125

• Attack: 50 on a successful hit

[Birdie 0]

(Um.. I think I was at 30-40 SP when the thread started. I should've kept track >_<)

She shielded her face and eyes with the Azure Shawl, allowing herself a moment to bask in the monster's twisted beauty through the translucent material. It moved with unprecedented and precision, emerging from the sands and delving back into them with tact and precision. The battle might be hard thought, had she not the help of a high-level player.

"I'd rather have this over sooner than later." She turned and looked up to @Lowenthal, the tiredness in her eyes showing clear as day. "We've spent hours out here, the last thing I want to do is waste more energy by flailing about with this thing." Birdie laid a hand on Retaliation's hilt, giving a short sigh. "Is that okay? I promise I'm not trying to use you or anything," she smiled lightheartedly.

Things quietened- the sands didn't shift nor shake, as if the Sand Shark had lost interest. Suddenly, the rumble intensified; their enemy was close.

Lowenthal 640/640
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Birdie 280/280
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Sand Shark 125/125

• Attack: 50 on a successful hit

Edited December 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Lowenthal 0]

Lowenthal nodded at @Birdie, "Consider it done then." He said, taking a casual step to the side as the sands shifted from beneath him. The shark broke the surface, spraying sand from every which direction from where Lowenthal had previously stood. It had made the mistake of trying to go after him first, and thus sealed it's fate. Through all of the sand, Lowenthal still had to activate his <Concentration> skill to see the beast among the spray of sand. Lowenthal wasted no time beginning his sword art technique. With one step, he entered a spin and the orange glow of his weapon began to spin around him and he spun. The mixture of orange and sand came to a close as Lowenthal was now five feet in a the opposite direction of the shark. The Shark hung in air, softly cascading downwards before turning into blue pixels, signaling it's defeat. "And that's that." Lowenthal said, placing his dagger into its proper place. "You alright?" He asked Birdie.

ID: 71931 BD: 7 [5 roll+1Acc+1Skill]

Lowenthal 640/640
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Birdie 280/280
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Sand Shark 0/125
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• Attack: 50 on a successful hit