[PP-F01] Happy Reunion and Questing <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>>

[Winik 0]

Winik doubled over in laughter, clutching his gut tightly as tears grew heavy in his eyes. "Might want to watch your step over there, flower petal. Mobs won't be the only thing that'll take you out at this rate." Winik drug a gauntleted finger under his eye, wiping away a tear.  "It's good to see that the system can't take away your little quirk.  I've needed a good laugh since we got here."  Winik strode over to her, still grinning from ear to ear.  He leaned in close to her ear, mirth apparent in his voice. "Just you watch, I'll get all my mats before you. Oh, you have dirt on your nose by the way." He drew himself up to full height walking over to where she was and dug around in the roots momentarily.  He stood up, clutching a mushroom in his hands that quickly stored itself in his inventory.

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 86723

LD: 19

 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

Her deep blue eyes narrowed at his tall frame, then she turned to scrub the dirt from her small nose. When she turned back toward her childhood friend, she hoped the redness in her face had subsided. With a huff she growled at him, "Glad I could offer some amusement."  She stalked off in search of her second item, the first one having went straight to her inventory. She forgot how infuriating he was, but she missed it. More than she realized to be totally honest. She was extremely glad to have some sense of normalcy brought back to her daily life.

She sighed and groaned as her new searching spot didn't produce anything worthwhile. She found a small rusted bent piece of metal. Which she threw behind her, not paying attention to the direction it flew.  She flopped onto her back with another heavy sigh. She was beginning to hate looking for materials because the RNG gods hated her most of the time. However, this helped her in mapping out ideas for later in the game.

[ID:86729 LD: 2 (+0MATS) Total: 1] @Winik

Edited July 16, 2017 by Raeze

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 86730

LD: 12

Winik's head dipped forward, the rusted piece of metal pelting him in the back of the head.  He spun around, clutching the back of his head with a scowl affixed firmly to his face.  "Watch what you're doing!  You could get somebody hurt. Don't worry though, I'll get you back." he promised her with a menacing smile. He turned back to the copse of trees, something telling him there was more to be found.  This time, however, he decided to look up in the branches.  He was not disappointed, as apples were catching the light filtering through the trees.  He jumped as high as he could, planting one foot firmly against the tree in attempt to get more height.  His fingers curled around one of the apple, picking it from the tree as he came back down.  "2-1, in my favor, princess."

Edited July 16, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

Raeze balked, "Winik! I didn't think about it might hit you! I'm so sorry!" She had turned around, beginning to panic her eyes wide. When he teased her, she nervously smiled, "I really am sorry!"

He teased her more when he had one more than her. She didn't care that he might get them faster than her. She was mainly just happy to have him back in her life. She missed his playful banter and teasing. 

She moved to another tree in search of more items. Her gloved hands moved around for a few seconds then pulled out a small bundle of dirt. As she brushed the item free of the dirt, it revealed to be a petite white mushroom. With a squeal, she hopped up, allowing the item to go into storage.

"Two/two, I think we're even." With a wink and a hair flick, she moved to another spot to search, leaving her back toward him.

[ID: 86931 LD: 16 (+1MAT) Total: 2MATs] @Winik

Edited July 19, 2017 by Raeze

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 86932

LD: 11

Winik looked over his shoulder, a mischievous grin overcoming his features.  He brushed his hands off, clapping them against each other as quietly as he could.  He tiptoed through the field, doing his best to not rustle the long grass around them as he made his way over to her.  With a quick grab and twist, he had her back over his shoulder again as he turned and raced deeper across the fields.  The duo made their way past mob after mob before breaking into the cover of the forest a small ways away from the Town of Beginnings.  He kept going until he found a stream that looked deep enough.  With a loud yell of enthusiasm, he leapt off the bank to fall into the water before.  Water geysered into the air, followed by Winik as he rubbed a hand over his face.  The other held small wriggling fish that burst into pixels and disappeared into his inventory. "Thought we could use a refresher, yeah?"

Edited July 19, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

Winik had picked her up and ran so quickly, she barely had time to even yelp. She did have time to punch his back as he raced past multiple mods, which scared her. She never knew if they would catch the attention of any of them.

Next thing she knew, she was submerged momentarily in a small stream. The pair broke the surface, Raeze sputtering and Winik grinning from ear to ear. A breeze blew through the trees, causing Raeze to shudder. But she beat on Winik's back until he put her down. "Why would you do that!" She yelled. He was being so infuriating, which he was most of the time, but it seemed as though maybe he was pushing her away slightly. Or the game had changed him, then again, she knew it had changed her so it wouldn't be that surprising.

"We aren't here to play around, Winik!" She crossed her arms under the water, now noticing how deep it was, the water reaching her shoulders. This only soured her mood, she couldn't play safely in the water because she was so short and any stronger current might just take her away. She struggled her way to the bank of the river.

She hoisted her small frame out of the water, then turned to sit on the bank with her legs hanging in. She felt something in the mud beside her, so she searched around with her waterlogged leather gloves and pulled out a hardened clump of dirt, which crumbled with some pressure.

[ID: 87084 LD: 2 (+0Mats) Total: 2Mats]

Edited July 23, 2017 by Raeze

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 87280

LD: 12

4 Mats Found

Winik waded his way out of the water, pulling himself on the bank to sit alongside Raeze. "You know I was just trying to have fun with you, right?  I've missed you princess. I was going out of my mind with worry, it made me sick." Winik spoke softly, digging through the mud absentmindedly next to his thigh.  He pulled free a root, letting it disappear in a flurry of pixels before taking a deep breath. "I don't want you to get mad at me, I don't know what I would do. I just found you again, after all."  He groaned to himself, knotting his hands in his hair and falling heavily backward.  He laid there, his arms outstretched as he stared at the sky through the trees. "I'm not good at words, you know this.  So I'll put it simply, I'm sorry. We've been through so much since we got here and I just wanted to get back what we had irl." He rolled his head to the side, staring at her and taking in the view.  He wasn't the most perceptive, but he always remembered her wearing her gloves.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

She sighed, allowing her shoulders to droop. She had missed him to, but things were so different now. They were trying to stay alive in a game where nothing was safe. That scared her terribly.  "I know Tama..." She stopped herself short. "I'm sorry, Winik." She enunciated his player name. It was still rather weird to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get mad."

It was funny, him getting frustrated and knotting his hands in his hair. She remembered him doing it IRL, but now he had such long blue hair. It seemed so comical. But she could see the boy she remembered.

'Such a lifetime ago, it seems.' Her heart ached a little.

A giggle passed her lips. "Is it weird now that you have such long hair?" She gestured at his blue ponytail that snaked through the wet grass. 'Even though he looks so different, he is still exactly the same.' She smiled down at him.

While swishing her legs through the shallow slow moving water at the edge of the stream, she felt something come up from the sand.

She reached into the water, upon pulling her hand back out she had a small item covered in sand. She quickly adjusted where she was on her knees and shins. She leaned into the water to brush the sand away. This revealed a small shell, which shined with an opalescent quality. Smiling she allowed the beautiful shell to pixelate into her inventory.

[ID: 87282 LD: 20 (+1MAT) Total: 3 MATS] @Winik

Edited July 27, 2017 by Raeze

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 87283

LD: 2

4 Mats found

Winik stared at her, the wind winding its way through the grass around him and his hair.  He lifted his hand, taking the ponytail in question into his grasp.  "It's not as weird as you think, you really do get used to the changes in game after awhile.  I wanted something different, as you did too obviously," gesturing to her purple hair. "We're in a fantasy game, I wanted to live the life here.  The battles, the quests, the loot, all of it.  I wanted to get the most out of it while I'm here. Once I get back, I don't think mom will let me out of her site ever again.  Plus, there's me taking over the store.  This whole situation has probably weakened mom's poor heart.  Who knows how much work I'm going to have to pick up now." He turned his head to stare at the shifting leaves, winding his arms behind his head and entwining them. "Promise me you'll come visit me at the store sometimes, okay?  I'll miss your smile if you don't, princess."

@Raeze

Edited July 27, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

She looked over at him. She remembered how sickly his mom was getting when her mom worked at the store. "You're taking over the store? I thought you wanted to be a chef." She furrowed her brow in concern. But she knew what he meant. Her dad never would have allowed her to change her hair color like this, one of the reasons she had done it. "Ill make the store the only one I shop at if I have to." She smiled at the idea, "Cant have you going out of business on me. Though mom and dad probably wont allow me out of their sight either." She didn't have the heart to add the last thing she thought. 'That is, IF I ever make it home.'

"Maybe I can ask your mom to allow me to work part time. Just to help out so you guys aren't so swamped." Her smile quickly returned and she continued digging her toes through the soft sand in the shallow of the stream.

A bright smile emerged  as she brought another shell from the stream. She proceeded to clean the sand from it and allowed it to pixelate into her inventory.

[ID: 87300 LD: 17 (+1Mat) Total: 4 Mats] @Winik

Edited July 28, 2017 by Raeze

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 87301

LD: 18

5 Mats Found

Winik swung his arms, gaining momentum to sit up and braced his elbows against his knees.  He saw a glimmer in the water and his hand flashed through the air.  Water splashed into the air, catching the light in a mesmerizing display of colors.  He brought his hand up to his eyes, examining what he had found.  A wide grin spread across his face as he held it towards Raeze."That makes five for me," he bragged jovially, letting the flower, for that was what it was, disappear into his inventory. "Hopefully you'll find your last one and we can get back to the old man and finish this quest out, princess.  Wouldn't want you to fall behind the pack." He dusted his hands off, pushing himself to his feet where he fiddled with his menu.  He unequipped his armor and stretched his arms over his head.  Arching his back, he tried his best to alleviate the little discomfort that was there before he dropped his arms.  He held out a hand, offering to help up his long time friend.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

She nodded her head at him, accepting that he had in fact 'beat her'. She didn't mind the 'competition', she like that it seemed to make him happy. She reached her hand out and grabbed his. "Thank you." She smiled. Once they released each others hands, she brushed any dirt and sand off her butt and moved forward. She swiped her hand down, bringing up her menu. She brought up her mini map to see how to get back to town. She mentally plotted her way and then closed out.

"I should be able to find my last item on the way back. If we follow out this trail here," She pointed at a trampled and worn foot path to their left. "It should meet up with a bigger trail a little ways out." She smiled toward her friend. 

She went first down the foot path, seeing as it really was only big enough to walk one in front of the other. The trees and overgrowth seemed eager to overtake it. But didn't, and left just barely enough room. As she walked, she kept her gaze downward most of the time to ensure tripping stayed to a minimum.

However, she decided the trail was even enough to walk safely, she decided to bring her gaze up. Upon doing so, she was met with a very ripe, juicy raspberry. She happily picked it, resisting the urge to pop it in her mouth. She turned and grinned triumphantly at Winik, then allowed the item to go into storage. Moments later, her foot caught a large root resulting in her finding herself on her butt.

[ID: 87302 LD: 19 (+1Mat) Total: 5Mats] @Winik

Edited July 28, 2017 by Raeze

[Winik 0]

Winik picked Raeze off the ground, doing his best at holding back the laughter bubbling in his chest.  He wasn't doing a very good job to say the least.  As he wiped the mirth from his eyes with an index finger, he made his way in front of her and used a sword from his inventory to hack through the undergrowth.  "Maybe this way you won't trip on some harmless foliage, princess," he called back over his shoulder, a smile plastered across his face.  His words never came out the way they were meant to, it seems.  He was a genuine person, but his airheaded personality made it hard for him to get his words out in a fashion that was considered proper.  His smile faded as he contemplated his words and actions today, what he's been saying and doing to Raeze.  His mood seemed to dim as he realized that what he was doing could be considered mean spirited and vowed to change his ways.  He couldn't afford to lose her again, could he?  His heart twinged at the thought and he steeled his gaze as he blazed a safe path for her to walk.

@Raeze

[Raeze 0]

Raeze allowed him to help her up once more. Reminding her of their childhood, something he had to do almost constantly. She smiled as she was flooded with memories, always ending with him laughing at her and picking her off the ground. She then shook her head as he proceeded to show his mightiness, by hacking at anything that might be in her way.

The pair continued this way until they were out of the forest. Where she joined by his side, the pair entered the town and made their way back to the old man.

Raeze initiated conversation with the old man upon entering his shop. "Hello Zakariah! We have returned with the 5 materials that you asked us to get!" Raeze smiled at the older man.

"That is wonderful, my dear. I do hope you fared well and didn't find too much trouble." The white, haired man smiled kindly. "I was wondering if you might help me further. I could teach you how to work some crafting, and you would help me stock my shop some?" He explained the next step in the quest.

Raeze smiled a little nervously. "We would be delighted to help you, wouldn't we Winik?" She turned to the former blonde, catching him poking at a jar of pickled boar eyes.

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 87303

CD: 3

Epic Failure

Winik started, moving his finger away from the rattling jar slowly.  "Yeah, whatever helps us move along on this quest.  I just have to put things in this bowl thing and smash it, right?"

Winik dropped some leaves that the mats in his inventory took shape of, and began hammering at it with the white flat thing next to it.  He kept grinding the pestle, different from what he had in his kitchen, against the bowl, his tongue held firmly between his teeth as he worked.  The sound of grinding was replaced with sudden flare and boom, smoke flying into Winik's face.  He stood there, dumbfounded, his face covered in ash. "Did I do it?"

"No, lad.  You didn't, but you do look rather fit to be an apprentice of an Alchemist now," Zakariah chuckled, his programming causing him to poke fun at Winik.

Winik scowled, scrubbing his arm against his face to take off the soot.  He leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest and pouting, unaware that the end of his ponytail was still smoldering.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

Raeze giggled at his soot covered face and smoldering blue ponytail. "Come on Winik! You can do it. It just takes practice is all." Her grin spread further.

She proceeded to pull some items toward her. She kept her small area very neat. She placed her empty bottle to her upper left, her ingredients on her right, with her mortar and pestle in front of her. She laid some dried thyme and rosemary into the small bowl and began grinding in a circular motion.

To her great surprise, the items powdered quickly and easily. A small smile spread across her face. Not to boast to Winik, she didn't even know if he was watching her, but simply because she was happy she didn't fail at this.

She followed onto the next step by adding the powdered items and a clear liquid into a small cauldron that hang over a very small flame. She gratefully accepted a small ladle that Zakariah held out for her and began to stir the ingredients together. As the mixture heated up, it began to turn red. Upon hitting boiling, she swiftly pulled it from the head and set the cauldron on a trivet to cool.

Once cooled, Raeze ladled the translucent red mixture into the square bottle she had chosen. She quickly stoppered it and placed it in front of the shop owner.

He bent down to inspect the item. A soft small smile grew, "The mixture is supposed to be thicker and not see through, however I would say this is a successful potion. Good job, my dear." The old man took the potion and set it up on his shelf.

[ID: 87304 CD: 4 (Success!)]

Edited July 28, 2017 by Raeze

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 87305

CD: 2

Failure

Winik stuck his tongue out at Raeze, turning back to his mortar and pestle.  "I'm a chef, princess. Not some old crone in the woods," he grumbled, scraping his pestle against the mortar.  He took a handful of berries off of the table and dropped them in, thinking that treating it like a desert would help him out.  Boy, he couldn't have been more wrong if he had decided to sing it a little song.  Flames erupted from the mortar, causing him to scream and grab his hair in frustration.  He picked up his mortar and chucked it out the open shop door, earning him a stern look from the Alchemist. Winik crossed his arms, grumbling about poison apples and stupid dwarves for some reason. He couldn't look Raeze in the eyes, he had been what he would have called impressive in the mat grinding but now he's having nothing but troubles.

@Raeze

Edited July 28, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

"I may be an old crone, but atleast I'm successful." She stuck her tongue out and pulled at one of her eyes. She hoped it hadn't really sounded mean, she meant to just be teasing. But she was worried so she softened her tone and stepped up beside her childhood friend.

"It's okay. You'll definitely get this. Its kind of like cooking. You gotta listen to it. Hear it speak to you." She pulled out another mat from a basket beside them and handed it to Winik.

She realized that she might have found her profession. She felt the connection in her soul. This was something she felt would help the entire world of SAO, also it would benefit her and him in their endeavors. She smiled at the thought. She could open up a cute little shop and sell lovingly crafted potions. She stepped away from him to give the space she felt he might need. Meanwhile, she continued to daydream about her growing life in this world.

'Why did I allow myself to take this long? I have missed so much.' She chastised herself.

 

[Winik 0]

Spoiler

Roll Results:

ID# 87306

CD: 1

Failure, like Winik D:

Winik took the mat from her gingerly, trying to calm his nerves.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and envisioning what he could do.  Mentally, he shrugged on his chef's coat and took up his knife. He lit the fires on the stove, stoked the oven and poured himself a drink.  Winik needed to succeed, he had to get stronger and the quest would further his goal.  He opened his eyes, taking a long look at the bundle of herbs grasped in his hand.  To his left, he noticed a tray of implements ready to be used.  A small knife glistened in the light, catching his attention.  With shaking hands, he took it up and held the herbs against the table, fingers held in the cook claw.  He tried to mince the herbs, but they just withered under the blade, earning one of Winik's famous culinary curses. "Should have gone for the chiffonade, not the mince.  What was I thinking?"

Edited July 29, 2017 by Winik

[Raeze 0]

Raeze listened to him mumble to himself. She didn't quite understand the terminology but she felt his frustration. She wished she could help him more, but this quest required that he do his alone. She remained not far from him however, trying to lend strong moral support while staying quiet.

She watched the old shop keep step up beside him and demonstrate a different techniques to use when breaking down items. He tempered with the flame on the mini cauldron he had set up beside Winik. She had full and complete faith in her companion.

She soon got distracted by some of the old man's wares and began to wander about his shop. She inspected his various jars and vials, most of them individually different. She poked at the jar from earlier that housed many boars eyeballs. A few moved with force, rolling around in the liquid. She scrunched up her nose and moved to his other various items.

She stopped once more, a large jar housing 3 bioluminescent mushrooms. In her awe, she began to plan things she might be able to make. Some fun ideas and others definitely more serious.