[PP - F2] Time to Clear My Mind (Symphony)

[Jomei 0]

Players and NPCs alike wandered the cobblestone streets this afternoon in Urbus. Cardinal had begun adjusting the climate throughout Aincrad, which meant warmer weather and more bodies enjoying that warmer weather outdoors. The citizens of this Medieval-like town were no different. The streets were lined with buildings made of wattle, daub, and stone, their wooden paneled windows opened wide to allow the Spring air to fill their homes. The occasional horse drawn wagon, packed with food stuffs and other rations, would make its way through the wider, main streets on its predetermined, programmed course for the day. The town was definitely not as elaborate and elegant as some of the other settlements that could be found on floors above this one, but it was one that Jomei once called home.

With just days before the frontliners would raid the boss room in hopes to unlock the Twenty Fifth Floor of Aincrad, Jomei found his mind racking with worry and stress. Some of the frontliners had appointed him to head the last meeting, which meant that all eyes were on him for the grouping of parties and final plan of attack. Together, of course, they came out with a pretty sound plan, but what if it were to all fall apart? Who else would be to blame than himself? Worse yet, what if someone under his leadership died? Those were all risks that they took on the frontlines, but could Jomei truly avoid taking the blame if one of his comrades were to perish during this fight? These were all questions that bothered him within the past week, questions that he could not let bother him if he wanted to survive, let alone remain sane. 

The Irishman decided a small trip down memory lane to relax and clear his mind may be just what he needed, so after equipping his simple, sleeveless town clothes and green cloak that served as the man's identifying accessory, Jomei made the trip down to the Second Floor. After taking in the sights, sound, and culture that the settlement of Urbus offered, the ginger set his eyes on a small patch of land just on the outskirts of the city; where his first shop and old home used to sit. The old Bardic Inspiration had long since closed down since Jomei's kidnapping a year or two back, and since then moved it to his current abode in Taft on Floor Eleven. Now all that remained was the memory of the two story, musical hall that once stood here. Taking a seat in the cool grass. Jomei stretched out his arm to allow his owl familiar, Adere, to spread her wings and take flight above. "Go ahead and get yourself something to snack on." the man said with a smile before the owl took off towards the nearby tree line. Jomei, on the other hand, laid back so his eyes were on the sky above him, white clouds scattered among the vast blue canvas with peaks of nearby mountains just poking past his peripherals. Swiping a hand up to open his inventory, Jomei retrieved his instrument of choice, his lute, which fell into place within his arms. Exploring the neck of the instrument with the tips of his fingers, Jomei pressed down gently and began to pluck at the thin strings with his other hand, creating a gentle melody of music within his personal space. 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony was busy walking through town, just back from an early morning hunt. "Catch!" she yelled to Cloak, her raven familiar, as she threw a chunk of fresh meat up to him in the air. He caught and gobbled it all in one motion. Symphony laughed and looked around her at the bustling street. My, things are getting quite busy, she thought to herself. And rightly so. Spring had come, and it was time for the farmers to gather their fruits and for the young to go out and explore. The world was alive and noisy. Just how she liked it. 

Though, through the noise of the bustling streets, she heard something that caught her ear. Music. But not music from a regular old performer, this was live, fresh music. A lute! That was what it was! Quickly, Symphony raced down alleys and around buildings, using her fine-tuned ears to race towards the sound. Could it be? Another musician trapped in the game like I am? She raced through town until she approached a clearing. She spotted a man on some grass with a lute in his hand. That's where the sound is coming from! 

Slowly and quietly, she snug up behind the man and perched in a low tree, listening to him play. She held out her arm, where Cloak landed, so that they could listen together. Symphony closed her eyes. She imagined herself back in a concert hall, with music playing. All eyes on her on stage. She sighed and leaned back. But suddenly she was falling. Oh right, I was in a tree, she thought right before she hit the ground. "Oof!" she cried as she struck the ground straight on her back. She lay there for a moment, winded a good bit. Cloak hopped around by her side, pecking her cheek to see if she was alright. "I-i'm alright, Cloak," she managed to gasp out while trying to regain the ability to breathe. 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Lids slowly closed over olive orbs as his fingers continued to gently dance about the neck of the lute, forming different notes and chords with each pluck of the strings. The man exhaled as a gentle breeze passed over him, helping to bring both his body and mind at ease. Everything had gone silent, save for the music he was creating. Suddenly, that peace and tranquility was interrupted by the sound of something crashing into the grass just behind him -- something that resembled a body, given by the slight cry that was let out as they plopped onto the grass.

Jomei's eyes opened before sitting up and placing his lute in the grass to the side of him. Placing a palm on the ground, the ginger twisted his body to find the source of the noise -- a brunette player who, he assumed, fell out of the tree closest to her. Raising a curious brow over his one visible eye, the man pushed up to his feet and closed the distance between himself and the woman. "I wouldn't exactly give that landing a ten out of ten" Jomei said with a friendly smirk and chuckle, lowering himself to a crouch when he noticed by her breathing that she seemed to have knocked the wind out of her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the man helped her up to a sitting position. "Are you alright?" 

[Symphony 0]

As the man approached, Cloak cawed at him, protective of his master. "It's alright, Cloak," Symphony said, still flat on her back. She nudged the bird back behind her and took hold of the stranger's hand. "Gah!" she winced as she stood up and straightened out. She smiled at the stranger. "Thank you for that, though give me one second," she said to him. Then she stretched backwards until her hands could touch the ground. When she came back up, she sighed with relief and popped her back. "Much better~" Then she remembered what had happened and why this strange man was standing in front of her. 

"Oh, right! Sorry about interrupting and all. I was listening but well... uh..." she stopped and rubbed the back of her head. She gave an embarrassed smile. "I haven't heard proper, live music since I joined this death game. I just wanted to know if there was another musician that joined me in here." Cloak fluttered onto her shoulder and cawed, motioning from her to the man with his beak. "Wha... oh! Right!" He was trying to remind her to introduce herself. "The name's Symphony. I was a violist in the real world." She held out her hand to the stranger. 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

The stranger accepted Jomei's assistance in standing upright, and as her hand took hold of Jomei's he gently pulled her to her feet. Once at full height however, she winced and let out another small yelp, causing Jomei to take a step back, his face contorting into a small grimace. "Sorry," he said apologetically, feeling as though he may have pulled her up a bit faster than he should have. The man then watched as the woman before him bent backwards, stretching her back enough to allow her hands to touch the ground behind her. Well, that was unexpected.. Jomei thought to himself as his brows raised, impressed by the flexible display. After that was finally over, she returned to her full height, at which she stood just a little taller than his shoulder. 

Jomei smiled politely at the girl's embarrassed confession of why she was sitting in the tree in the first place. Apparently she had heard Jomei playing and wanted to get a better listen. "Fair enough, no need to apologize." His eyes went to the jet black raven on her shoulder, which he assumed was her familiar. It seemed to be gesturing back and forth between the man and its companion, and the girl finally caught on that she had forgotten to introduce herself. "Symphony," he repeated the name with a smirk, realizing the irony of this coincidence. "My name is Jomei, it's a pleasure to meet you." He returned the gesture by reaching out with a hand and taking the girl's in his own. Symphony's mentioning of playing the violin (or at least he thought she said played violin) before getting trapped in this game reminded him of Telrenya, who played the violin. "I played guitar and a wee bit of piano before all of this. But luckily, because of my profession here, I've been able to try out a few more instruments. Have you tried picking up a violin here yet?" 

 

@Symphony

Edited May 2, 2019 by Jomei

[Symphony 0]

Symphony's eyes grew wide and she smiled. "Wow! I'm surprised and glad that there are others like me!" Then she noticed his mention of a violin and laughed. She assumed that he thought she played violin. It was a common misconception when she said that she was a "violist". The viola was not a common enough instrument for people outside of professional symphonies and the music profession in general to know about. "No, no. Not a violin, silly," she said still giggling to herself. "A viola. It's like... hm." She took a moment to think of how to describe the odd instrument. "Imagine if a cello and a violin had a love-child. That would be the viola. Bigger than a violin and a whole octave higher than the cello." She smiled, hoping her explanation was understandable to the man in front of her. It was the simplest way that she knew how to describe it. 

She continued on, still curious about him mentioning violins and other instruments. "Though, I was trained on violin and piano, so I would like to find and play those two as well." Now her interest was peaked. Just where did one find such things in this place? She hadn't seen anyone else playing them on the streets. Though, in all fairness, she had just recently started venturing to other floors besides the first, where actual players hung out. "Hm. Would you be able to show me where I could find such instruments? I haven't discovered any shops that sell these types of things in my short time on other floors. And if they sell violins... maybe they can make a custom viola!" She looked over to Cloak, who cawed in shared excitement between the two. 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

When the ginger realized he had misheard Symphony and thought that she played the violin, his cheeks turned a rosy pink. "I-I'm sorry. I thought you said a violinist."  the man replied in a sheepish voice, his accent poking through a little more than normal with his embarrassment. Running the palms of his hands down his warmed cheeks, he joined in on the laughter at this own mistake. "I know they are two different things, though to be honest, I've never actually played the viola, so I was not sure of the difference. So I appreciate that." The man tried to imagine a viola compared to a violin, remembering seeing violas on display in the music shop and just believing them to be larger violins. The ginger chuckled again at his own misunderstanding before returning his full attention to Symphony. 

"They do actually have specialty shops where they sell instruments, and where you can also get custom ones made. You just need to know where to look." The man took a few steps back to where he had set his lute down on the grass and picked it up to bring back over to the other player. "There is an instrument shop on the first floor where you would go for the Earning a Living quest for Performers. When you take the profession, you get your own instrument, but turns out you can also buy instruments there as well. They don't have those shops on every floor, but I've definitely seen a few of them on some of the upper floors as well." 

Noticing the dynamic once again between the player and her raven companion, Jomei smiled a bit before raising his fingers to his lips and letting out a sharp whistle. Moments later, a light brown owl, with a green scarf wrapped about its neck shot out from the nearby trees and fluttered above the ginger, landing on his shoulder. "I can show you to the shop if you wanted to take a look." 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony gasped when she realized that she had missed the instrument shop on her own floor. Wow, I really am an oblivious idiot, she thought to herself. Then the man whistled and she turned to see an owl fly out of the trees and onto his shoulder. "Woah! So cool," she said, looking at the beautiful creature. Cloak also tried to get a closer look, but Symphony held him back with her hand. "No, Cloak. The owl might not want to say hi right now." She looked back over to Jomei. "Sorry about that, he's just excited to see another bird familiar. But I know from training birds in the real world that your owl could do a lot of damage if she was in a bad mood." She pet Cloak to try and calm him down, bringing out a met treat to try and get his attention away from the other bird as well. 

Then she turned her attention back to the musical instrument topic. "Oh, right! We were talking about instruments." She laughed. "Of course! I would love to go and see what they have in stock." Her eyes brightened as she grew more excited. Maybe I'll be able to perform for people once more. She had missed playing ever since she became trapped in this game. 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

At the mention of Adere 'being able to do a lot of damage' the man's lips contorted a bit as he tried not to smirk, slowly turning to look at Adere who glared back at him. "Adere is just a big softy, she isn't meant for damage. She's actually my eyes in the sky, and helps me pick out monster's weak points." He took a small step closer to Symphony, lowering himself so his owl could get a closer look at the raven, "She is also very friendly, and loves to meet new friends." The owl's large, onyx eyes looked at the raven, cocking her head back and forth a few times in curiosity. "Adere used to have a bit of a wild side when I first met her, making a break for it the moment she smelled food. But over the years, and a bit of training, she's calmed down a lot." Lowering her own head to get on the same level as the raven, Adere let out a small coo before shifting back to full height and playfully extending her wings. Jomei smiled and took a step back again. 

"Well, lets get going then." Jomei said, gesturing with a thumb over his shoulder. "I'll show you the way, we just have to go down the the First Floor." The man turned and began to walk, leading Symphony back into Urbus and towns the town's square where they would warp down to the Town of Beginnings. "So, I take it if you haven't seen the music shop that you took a different profession." he chuckled "Smart move, Performers don't get much business, so I mainly took it for fun." 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony looked over at the cute, fluffy owl and smiled. When Jomei brought his familiar closer, she looked over at Cloak and nodded her head, giving him permission to be friendly with the other bird. Cloak floofed happily and cawed at the other bird, hopping once in excitement. While the two birds grew friendlier with each other, Symphony took the chance to tell Jomei about her encounter with Cloak. "Well, Cloak and I met when he just pecked me awake, trying to get the treats in my bag." She laughed. "Turns out we both share a love of food and connected over that," she said while petting Cloak. Cloak then happily cawed in agreement. 

Once the birds had finished greeting each other, Symphony pet Cloak and then followed Jomei. "No, I decided to become a tailor," Symphony said happily to the man. "It's kind of funny. My whole life was based around being a performer in the real world, but I chose a different profession in this one." She laughed and smiled up at the man. "I just didn't see a lot of tailors in the world, and I needed armor, so I decided to become a tailor out of convenience. And you're right. It does make more money." Sure, Symphony hadn't made a lot of money so far, but she was getting more customers as time went on and making more col each day. She was content with her career in this world. 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Jomei smiled, "Well then I guess that's meant to be then." The man reached up to his own shoulder and gently scratched and the fluffed out feathers covering Adere's chest. "I found Adere after a long... long night of trying to tame a familiar. I was still at a pretty low level back then, so being out of a safe zone on my own was pretty scary. We've been through thick and thin ever since. Even saved my life a few times." Adere coo'ed confidently, puffing out the feathers on her wings and chest to make her look a bigger. 

As the two began their walk back through Urbus, Symphony revealed that she actually took on the role of a Tailor, to which Jomei nodded in appreciation. "Tailors are a dime a dozen nowadays. Only other one I really know of is Ariel. Performers, we used recording crystals to create debuffs for monsters mostly. Definitely helpful in boss fights, but aside from that they aren't really used much. So I decided to just compose music for fun, and sell crystals that have no benefits except for just music to listen to." After a short walk through the cobblestone streets of the Second Floor settlement, the duo finally arrived at the small platform, flanked by four stone obelisks. Stepping up into the center, Jomei awaited Symphony and spoke his destination. "Town of Beginnings"  , in a flash of light, the man vanished from the second floor and found himself standing within the more vibrant and congested First Floor town. 

Placing his hands in his pockets, the green clad man turned to his traveling companion, "The shops are just down the street from the plaza. I'll show you where the performer's shop is." Turning on his heels, the man continued down the street.

 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony smiled at Jomei's story. "That's really sweet," she said while Cloak nuzzled her cheek. "Haha, I think Cloak finds it nice, too." She smiled and kissed her familiar's feathered head sweetly. When Symphony found out that Jomei composed music, she grew even more excited. "Do you think you could compose something for me to perform when I get an instrument? I'll happily pay you for the work." She smiled happily up at the man. "That is if you have time and want to, of course. It's just been so long since I even looked at a sheet of music." She sighed and tried to remember what notes even looked like. She could see a faint picture of a line of music that quickly faded away from her mind. 

When they approached the teleporter, Symphony took a deep breath. "Fair warning: these things make me sick," she said. Please don't throw up this time, she silently prayed. It was strange, but the teleportation always made her motion sick. When they both appeared on the first floor, Symphony listened to what Jomei said but then suddenly started to feel nauseous. "U-um, excuse me for a second," she said before raising over behind a tree and some bushes. She bent over and hurled once or twice, then straightened back up and leaned against the tree for some support. After a few deep breaths, she was all good to go and came walking back over to Jomei. "My apolgies," she said while blushing from embarrassment. "These things sometimes do that to me." She popped a piece of mint gum into her mouth to ease her stomach pains. "But, please, lead the way. I'm all good now." She smiled and gave the man a thumbs up. Meanwhile, Cloak nuzzled and cooed to his companion, making sure she was okay. She pet his head reassuringly. 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Jomei noticed that, after stepping from the teleporter, Symphony lagged behind a little bit. He looked to the girl with a bit of concern as she quickly darted off behind a tree. He took a few steps towards where she ran off to to see if she was okay, but then heard the sound of her heaving, and puking up whatever was in her stomach. The ginger grimaced as a hand slowly reached out behind his head to rub the nape of his neck."That's.. definitely the first time I've ever seen someone get sick after warping between floors." he said as she reappeared from behind the tree, seeming a bit in better spirits. "Maybe after we check out the shop, we can get you some food to refill your stomach." the man suggested as he allowed her to catch up to him before turning and continuing down the road. 

The man lead Symphony to a main, north eastern road that split from the circular plaza. These main roads were wide, and filled with players and NPCs alike. Most of the buildings here were occupied by NPCs with the occasional shop. It was not far down the road until the two stumbled upon a thin building, sandwiched between two taller structures. A wooden plaque was nailed beside an open door with a simple title carved into it, "Performer's Shop". The ginger let out a happy sigh as he looked up at the building, which was quite easy to miss unless you knew where to look, "This is the place." Taking a step to the side, Jomei looked to Symphony and gestured with his arm to the doorway, "After you." 

The inside of the shop was nothing too spectacular, but to any musician or performer in training, it was wonderful. One wall housed different strung instruments made from wood; a guitar, a violin, a lute, and a few others of the string family. The opposite wall had shelves covered with different wind instruments, and small drums. In the corner, a few stools with music stands beside them where players could test out their new instruments. The side of the shop directly across from them had a counter top that stretched from one wall to the other, a man with salt and pepper curly hair and a goatee leaning on the counter, watching as the two players entered. Behind him, shelves stocked with recording crystals -- some blank, and some with a song already recorded -- as well as stacks of sheet music. 

 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony waved to the NPCs and shopkeepers along the way to wherever Jomei was taking her. She looked at Cloak and pet him, then whistled for him to go ahead and explore wherever he wanted in town. They both lived on this floor and were familiar with it, so she knew he would be safe in the city limits. As they walked, Symphony saw familiar shops and wondered where he was taking her. Is it possible that I could have missed a shop in plain view?, she thought to herself. It could be entirely possible as she was a bit oblivious sometimes, but she never thought she would be this much so. When they reached the shop, she realized that she had recognized it, but it had been so small and ordinary that she thought it had just been an NPC house. "Huh, well would you look at that," she said while pausing just in front of the shop. "I've walked by this everyday and not noticed it." She then stepped into the shop as Jomei held the door open for her and looked around. 

She was in awe with what she saw around her. Real instruments. It was like a kid in a candy shop. She immediately rushed over to a piano in the corner and drew her fingers gently across the tops of the strings, feeling the familiar touch of the keys. She sighed happily and then looked over at the string instruments. Violin, Cello, Bass, and....she kept searching. There it was! In the corner of the shop, hidden away behind the other instruments were two violas. "Hm, I wonder if they happen to have my size..." she thought aloud as she checked both instruments. They read 15 and 16. But she needed either a 16 1/2 or a 16 1/4. She frowned and brought the 16 sized one up to her shoulder and rested her chin on the chin rest. She didn't play it, just rested it there, seeing how it felt. Closing her eyes, she imagined she was on stage again and sighed happily. When she opened them again, she looked over at Jomei. "How much do you think it would cost for him to make a custom instrument?" she asked. "As well as for the piano."

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

The ginger stood to the side and watched Symphony explore the shop with eyes filled with wonder and excitement. He had been to this very place multiple times already, but this had been the very first time that he was able to bring another interested player here. Especially one, in Symphony's case, that did not even know a shop like this existed. Jomei turned to the string instruments on the wall beside him, gently running his index finger along the strings of a lute, one that looked slightly similar to his, but much newer and in better condition. He had been using the same instrument since the beginning, despite having multiple others in his music hall at home, was it time for an upgrade? His attention turned back to Symphony as he inquired how much it could possibly be for her to get a viola made for her, and even asked about the price of the piano that was on display. 

Before Jomei could answer, the shopkeep that was in earshot of the two spoke up. "To get an instrument made for your size would cost 250 col. 300 if you want it painted. The piano, on the other hand, costs 1000 col. And you'll need a house to store it in." Jomei turned to Symphony once more with a small chuckle, "You heard the lad. You really plan on buying both of them?" 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony frowned when the shopkeeper said that she needed a house. "Well," she said to Jomei. "Unfortunately, I'm living in an apartment above a tavern, so I can't get the piano." She turned to him and smiled. "But, I can buy a viola and a violin!" She had more than enough col for these items, so she walked over to the shopkeeper and began to discuss her specifications. 

"Hello, sir," she said to the shopkeeper. "I'd like a viola made -- no paint -- with a 16.25 inch body and a darker wood bow." She began to fill out an order form the item while speaking. "I'd also like a violin, full size, with a lighter wood and a bow made out of the same wood." She filled out another form for this one next. 

The shopkeeper nodded. "It should be ready in about a week," he said to her. Symphony smiled. "I'll go ahead and pay you right now then." She handed the kind shopkeeper 500 col and turned back to Jomei, walking over to him. 

"Is there anything you want to get in here?" she asked, curious if he would buy another lute or similar instrument. Her stomach then rumbled and she blushed. "Er... if you are finished though, do you think we could also get some food?" She laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "I guess all this shopping must have worked up my appetite." 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, there needs to be some sort of limitations to buying a giant instrument like that. We are in a video game after all." He was happy to see the woman had enough col to buy two of the smaller instruments that she wanted. Those Cardinal would allow her to keep in her inventory without any problems. Jomei simply stood to the side as the transaction played out, it made him happy to know that someone else in this world shared one of his passions. Once the order had been placed, and the col had been passed over to the shopkeep, Symphony turned back to Jomei to see if there was anything he wanted to buy while he was here. The ginger looked around the room with a hand on his chin, "Hmm... No actually, I think I'm alright. I have everything I need."

The man could not help but let out a small laugh after noticing Symphony's stomach rumble quite audibly, blaming the shopping on working up her appetite. "Or, you know, it could also be from puking everything out earlier." he added with a playful wink. "Come on, lets go get something to eat. You mentioned living above a tavern? Why don't we head there since you know where it is." 

 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony blush when Jomei brought up the puking incident. "Yeah, I suppose you're right about that," she agreed, her face growing red. She led the way to the tavern, hiding her face by being up front until her blushing cheeks had returned to normal. Then she dropped back into line with Jomei's pace. "So, why were you here on the lower levels? I had noticed that you're a much higher level than most of us on these floors. Looking to take a break or what?" she asked. It was not often that higher level players stayed on these lower floors for a long time. She knew they usually came here to take a break from the fighting and such. She wondered how long it would take her to reach this man's level. 

Before he had time to answer, they reached the tavern. The sign outside read, "Cozy Tavern", and the interior was very cozy and clean. She held the door open for Jomei to enter. "You can answer once we sit down," she said, smiling. 

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Jomei felt a bit bad about embarrassing her, maybe he had pushed the teasing a bit too far, he thought as they were walking through the streets of the Town of Beginnings towards the tavern where Symphony currently resided. He did not recognize the path they were taking, so he figured it was not the same tavern that he had once frequented when he had isolated himself on this floor when the gave had first started. During their trip, Symphony had asked about why Jomei was on the lower floors when he was a might higher level. "Hm, a keen eye." Jomei said with a smirk, "Even without my armor or weapon equipped, I guess I give off that vibe, eh." 

The two had finally arrived at "Cozy Tavern", definitely not one that Jomei was familiar with. Then again, The Town of Beginnings was the largest settlement in all of Aincrad, it did not surprise him that there were still locations that he had yet to discover. With a friendly nod in thanks towards the woman who held the door open for him, the man walked inside. The interior was, as the name suggested, cozy and quite clear. It did not take long for the ginger to find a table off to the side that was currently vacant. Sitting down across from Symphony, ordering himself a small plate of yakitori and an ale. 

"So you were asking why I was on the Second floor rather than up on one of the higher floors. Well, I used to live on the Second floor, just outside of Urbus where you found me earlier. Had my old music shop set up in that spot" The man looked down at the table for a moment, "After a... certain event I was uh.. gone for awhile, and being I had been out of my shop for so long, Cardinal had closed it up and freed up the space again."His olive eyes had returned back up to Symphony after passing the bit of a painful memory, "I thought about opening up again there for old times sake.. but then I ended up getting a house up on Floor Eleven, and I opened my shop on the first floor there... Not that I really use it much as a shop anyway." he ended with a small chuckle. "But I'm getting off track, I've just had a lot on my mind this past week, and I always felt visiting the First or Second floors were always ways that would help me relax. I don't have to worry about the mobs, and it just brings back old memories of the good times." Jomei smiled softly, "Us in the raid team may be the first ones on new floors once we clear the bosses, but that doesn't mean that lower leveled players cant go there and explore as well.. Just as higher leveled players can always return to where we came from down here." 

 

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony smiled and looked over at Jomei when he mentioned her having a keen eye. "It's not that you give off the vibe completely," she said. "You just said that your owl had saved you a few times. For that to happen, it usually means you've been through a lot, which means a higher level." She laughed. "I'm surprised you say that I'm keen though. Most of the time, I come as an airhead. But I'm usually just lazy when it comes to being alert and keen. Only when I'm in combat do I use my energy." Her eyes lit up for a second when she mentioned combat, and a small devilish grin crossed her lips for a split second. 

While Jomei spoke, she motioned to the barkeep to get her her favorite: medium steak with mash potatoes and gravy and a side of macaroni and cheese. She decided to have a light ale tonight as well. As the man spoke, Symphony could tell that something was bothering him. Her eyebrows furrowed and a concerned expression appeared on her face. Once he had finished speaking, she asked, "Are you alright and safe now?" She knew she couldn't do much to protect him, but she naturally wanted to help others in times of need. The least she could do was offer him a place of safety if need be. When he mentioned lower level players going up to the higher floors, she laughed. "I won't allow myself up to the higher floors past about floor 12 or else I'll try to fight everything and get myself killed." She laughed and smiled. "The hunt is just too tempting to pass up." 

@Jomei