pt-pp-f26 Inconjunction

[Oscar 0]

His wallet continues bleeding.

A party. And now a new project since the dust has settled. Since his focus shifted from Raiding to making sure that the people trapped within the game were okay. It was only a brief hiatus. There were those who would take up his mantle no problem. But the professional within him realized that his singular focus did little good. At least, comparatively speaking. He could forge ahead and take on floor after floor after floor. But it did nothing for the people who could not or would not. Those too weak or too frightened. And he held none of it against them.

Quite the opposite. His projects now trended towards a more uplifting approach.

Fine dining on the main deck of an airship. Candlelit dinners under the stars. Tables and chairs placed just far enough away from one another that the patrons could enjoy their whispered conversations under the moonlight. All at cost. All simply for the experience of it all. But his problems were twofold.

He had no customers.

And he had no idea what to christen the vessel. The previous name was stricken. A new one was needed.

But before that, he needed to know whether any of this was a good idea. Whether the experience was worth the expense he poured into it. There were many people whose opinions he respected. He could pick any one of them at random. His first thought was of Jomei and Lessa. But given the circumstances, it might have felt a bit much. Being a wingman was an art form. And in that respect, Oscar was Da Vinci.

So his thoughts went into a different direction. He had no idea whether she had a partner, but he would soon find out.

Quote

To @NIGHT

Floor 26. Need your opinion on something. Bring a plus one. Dress nice.

 

Spoiler

"Name: Oscar
True Tier: 11
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 67
HP: 1000/1000
EN: 132/132

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 127
Accuracy: 3
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 55
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
AA 
PHASEVAMP-O: 165
REC: 4

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<DIVINE RANCOR>> T4 KATANA - HOLY/HOLY/PHASE/BLIGHT 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<TACTICAL UNDER ARMOR>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR//MIT/MIT/MIT/REC
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<IVORY GOLD LEAF RING>> T1 TRINKET//ACC/ACC/EVA/EVA

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - squabble up. 

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Energist
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R5

Extra Skills:
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Meditation
  - Parry
  - Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
  - Ferocity
  - Focused Howl
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Detect
  - Impetus
  - Night Vision
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - <<CRYSTAL OF DIVINE LIGHT>> ID: 236066 x1
  - <<DARK SERAPHIM>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR - VAMP.D2/HOLY BLESSING 2 x
  - <<GLOVES OF CAERUS>> T1 LIGHT ARMOR//3 LD x
  - <<IMUGI'S INSPIRATION>> MASS HEAL x
  - <<Kyūketsuki>> T4 KATANA//ABS.ACC/PHASE/VAMP2  x
  - <<RHINO'S HORN>> ID: 236068 x
  - <<SANCTITY'S RUIN>> T4 KATANA - FROSTBITE/BLEED/BLIGHT/BURN x
  - <<TELEPORTATION CRYSTAL>> x
  - <<TIGER'S BALM>> ANTIDOTE x

Housing Buffs:
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
  - Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Kumatetsu
Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:
"                                                                                                                            

 

Edited August 8 by Oscar

[NIGHT 0]

a message from oscar?

at this point, she was sure she was more used to hearing things that oscar did second-hand, like with bistro and the mention of the crab party, but the direct message was... telling. suspect. mostly because night had no idea what the man was up to next beyond food-related endeavors. and neither was she exactly out on a mission to be aincrad's most renown food critic or sous-chef either, so she had no clue what oscar had intended with the message she received that day.

still, she did her homework. floor 26 sounded nigh promising as a venue for a walk with someone else (a date? no, that can't be right), but the last time she ventured down there of her own accord, she walked away almost branded a criminal breaking and entering some noble's arboretum. tough luck for night. even though she hadn't walked away dressed down for the crime, the thought of something just as ominous lurked at the back of her mind.

'Bring a plus one. Dress nice.'

-- if only the thought that oscar had planned something different would leave her mind.

 

 

to: oscar

night: i'll b there
night: time & place?

 

 

there were three things floor 26 was known for: its politics, its municipality and its airships. she figured oscar wouldn't be the type to dwell on the first topic, but the second and third? incredibly likely. for if time spent in the game had built them up to where they were now, the castle was almost their playground, and just as similarly as firm anima was reported to build settlements in far corners of the different regions, so too could individual players had they put their heart to it.

on this evening, night walked amongst the common citizen, ladonians, bustling about the port, passing by the occasional galtean participating in maintaining operations. she made a show of it not to give away the fact that she was being shadowed, but on the sole premise that her stalker would blend into the crowd, that was a difficult conclusion to deduce from the get go. night still wondered if she was properly blending into the environment, however, given the choice of fashion. suits were what she felt comfortable with, additionally decorated with a corsage saved for special events, but standing against the other nobles passing her by, night couldn't help but feel under dressed in perspective. she thought nothing of it after some time, checking in with her friend on her messenger when she stopped at the right port number -- she'd hoped.

 

to: oscar

night: here
night: wbu?

 

[stats go here.]

[Oscar 0]

"Well don't you look dapper?"

As if he stepped straight from the aether, Oscar appeared at Night's side. He looked her up and down, a small grin of satisfaction in his face. Truth be told, he could barely contain his excitement. His experiments with what Cardinal did or didn't allow had borne much fruit. The man loomed over her, trying his best not to sway to and fro as they waited at the dock. His pet project had not yet arrived. Final tests and all that. The sun was setting on the horizon, shadows lengthened as the skyport was awash in the deepest orange. He looked around, scanning the crowd for anyone that might fit the description of the plus on he specifically asked his friend to bring.

"So where's your date?"

Straight to business, as per usual. Truth be told, he wanted to see who Night spent her free time with. Friend of a friend, and all that. Or more intrigued by the insight and drama of it all. There was no small part of him that was happy to bear witness to his friends' joy. In the simple times and on the romantic occasions. The latter was, of course, the entire reason for his summons.

"I'm opening a restaurant," he said suddenly. Another one, he didn't say at all. His greasy spoon of a shop was something that had become synonymous with him. But that didn't mean that he couldn't branch out. Give people a proper dining experience. "It's gonna show up any minute. Thought you might enjoy getting a special invite before it opens to the public."

Edited August 26 by Oscar

[NIGHT 0]

oscar's presence had slipped past her. seeing him slide into view from the corner of her periphery almost made her jump, but night played her stagger off as a minor bout of elegant pacing. she nodded as oscar examined her suit, noting her attire in comparison to her friend's.

"as you'd requested."

"so where's your date?" he'd asked.

relief rolled off night's shoulders as they drooped ever so slightly. so she hadn't misinterpreted his message, after all. there was a twinkle in her eyes, the reflection of the sun setting in the distance an implication of mischief, chicanery, the glint existing if only for a brief moment as night turned her head to the side, shadowing a smile. and, with oscar’s true intentions revealed, there was just one more condition that needed to be met for this to be perfect, so she believed.

she glanced behind her shoulder, the absence of a special someone noted between them.

“i did bring a plus one, mind you,” night commented, looking to their host as she reeled in her hopes. her mouth agape as she searched for the words, she stepped closer to him, leaning in, eyes set to the ground. “but i’d like it to be kept a secret, if you would. it would mean a lot to me… and her.” 

in her withdrawal thereafter, a subconscious wink slipped past her presentation. her shift towards facing the passersby behind them was to wave a bid of safety, assurance, as though it had been their decided signal prior to this meeting. it had not. but it might’ve been less discrete, she figured, than pulling up her interface to text her counterpart instead.

-- not that it mattered in a couple of beats. the notification came through to her messages, and she pulled the small window open to scan it as the clicking of heels away from her gaze sounded their approach. to the observant audience, it was as though one of the ladonians wandering about their provincial business had broken away from their route to consort with them. specifically because the players carried green cursors, and they didn’t? a close guess. but night had read better.

day: i’m right behind you.
day: are you sure it’s okay?

night hadn’t replied directly upon her eyes settling upon their visage. masked with the pretense of attending a masquerade ball, the woman, an apparent brunette donned mostly in bronze silk, offered an arm to night silent. she took it with an exchange of nods, then looked to oscar — as smoothly as possible without breaking character.

“she’s with me,” night spoke under her breath, then drew her attention towards the airship arriving in the distance. “so what inspired you on the idea of a flying restaurant? … i presume the idea is to deliver an experience similar to a short cruise, unless there was a way of transporting customers to and fro while it’s not docked at the port.”

[Oscar 0]

“but i’d like it to be kept a secret, if you would. it would mean a lot to me… and her.” 

Well that certainly sounded ominous.

At first glance, Oscar thought that - perhaps - an NPC’s wander distance had brought one close to them. Only at the first glance, though. The way she sidled up to NIGHT and looked at the two of them with intent was strange. Was this her plus one? NIGHT confirmed it in short order, in word and in action. Oscar tilted his head to the side, watching as his friend stood arm-in-arm with an NPC. Body language invoked comfort with one another. There was a nervous charge in the air.

There was a point in time when Oscar would have found it all offensive. Railed about how NPCs weren’t real, how NIGHT was wasting her time and giving no thought to the future. When they made it out, she wouldn’t be able to take her lover with her, after all. But now, all he could think about was how long they had been a thing. Had their relationship existed even as far back as Gabrandr? Gabrandr and Oscar’s enraged speech, to be more precise.

But what did it matter?

Who would it help if Oscar pointed out the obvious?

Much as he didn’t want to see this thing end in tears for his friend, what mattered most were her feelings in the moment. He would not cast a pall of doom over a relationship that seemed to content her. In fact, he wouldn’t remark on it at all. Oscar latched onto her follow-up question.

“The Ladonian night sky is absolutely to die for,” Oscar said. “I like to play on the airships here. Fun to pretend to be a sky pirate and all that. And one day, I ran late and I got to see just how clear everything is. My first thought was how much I wanted Cordelia to see it.” He offered NIGHT’s companion a soft smile. “It’s incredibly romantic. So one thing led to another and I decided to open a fancy flying restaurant.”

Oscar had another reason for calling NIGHT out here, but they’d talk shop after their meal. Right on cue, as the sun began to sink lower under the horizon, Oscar’s ship sailed into port. It stopped right at the dock, hovering as it waited on its future passengers. Upon the main deck were several small, circular tables. Each only had two chairs. Each was the perfect distance away from the others for hushed conversations not to carry. White table cloths, golden candelabras, and even a string quartet off in the corner.

Outside of the musicians, there was no one else on deck. No sommelier, no maître d'. It was clearly still waiting for something important. A maiden voyage, to start. “I’ll be your server for the evening,” Oscar said with a grin. “And your cook. And the wine guy. I haven’t hired any staff yet.” He gestured toward the table in the center. “Shall we?”

 

Edited September 12 by Oscar

[NIGHT 0]

she near scoffed at his answer, grin tugging at the corner of her lips. 

“you? playing sky pirate? i can hardly imagine.” night, bemused, considered this for a moment. “but that does generally explain your recent indulgence in airships.”

the woman herself was never found of the skies; one might imagine a fear of heights. night would deny it. however, the look oscar gave her companion was not at all uncaught, sentiments exchanged. 

“i… haven’t seen her in a while either,” was all night could find herself adding, hesitant to elaborate. players went missing often most of the time in aincrad, so she wasn’t surprised, but instead basked in a forlorn aching she imagined her friend must’ve carried, staring wistfully off, alone, towards the sunset vista.

day leaned in after returning him a measured smile, whispering softly into her night’s. when she pulled away, night was the one to nod at oscar, shoulders relaxing. “she’ll appreciate the view on cordelia’s behalf,” said night, turning slightly to her plus one, shifting from the other in posture. “but hopefully, i won’t need to speak for her the entire night.”

on cue, the airship slid into view from the horizon, gliding slow into the dock. day completed her parting, stepping away from night with a gestured hand for her to move. the player did so, hand on the metal rail as she stepped onto the deck of the airship once it came to a halt. a cursory scan of the restaurant revealed how luxuriant oscar had intended to place to be — with some missing exceptions in the decor. potted plants, a sculpture somewhere as a conversation piece, and if they could manufacture a candelabra that wouldn’t go out once the winds struck it, they could conjure up a transparent umbrella should it have rained, night was certain. 

but she had to admit: oscar had an eye for class, and it showed.

the concept of a date luxuriant in the clouds but beckoned forth a surge in night’s chest. was it bravery?  she would only be familiar with identifying it as comfort once day started to move behind her, the player fighting not to look over her shoulder just yet. at the very least, she was thankful for not second guessing herself on the presented opportunity this once.

it was only upon stepping on board the ship did day’s appearance shift behind oscar’s trailing silhouette. it was a hazy image that wavered against the backdrop. often, as a reflex, a player’s blink would’ve fixed their vision, but while one moment night’s date had a visage of discreet upper nobility, the next, she was someone completely different. blonde locks fell from a high ponytail where an upper brunette do had been tied in a complex bun, and the mask of a sharp-laced, discerning woman gave way to rounder cheeks and glistening blue eyes. the stiff puff and frills of a scarlet ball gown eroded in a blur, leaving behind only a large white cloak that draped across her shoulders, obscuring all of her form save telling curves. what grace and elegance of a noble had been erased down to the woman’s gait, but in its place, still, was an excitement refined and tempered.

day twirled amongst the tables, and the floor spun before her in a dizzying array of lights and glamour. she couldn’t help a gasp of amazement, but she waited until oscar explained how dinner would go, beaming all the while, awe captured in her gaze as she looked upon their host.

“and this is what you do for fun on your off time?”

night, having leaned over the frame of a chair, watched her quiet for a beat, knowing failure in resisting a flush.

“on his privilege,” she said, “and… mine.”

the player pulled out the seat at her front, her expression softened for the world. 

“now, shall we?”

she wondered if oscar had the patience of a saint thereafter, as she had been busy gawking, imprudent, over the way day had shuffled up to her giving the musicians on strings a wave (she must’ve known they couldn’t have afforded a reaction to her in lieu of their performance, night swooned, but day had shown them cordiality all the same). when night rounded the table to her own seat, eyes downwards as she hid a shy smile, day was the one who had the back of her hand upon her cheek, turning to their host with mustered politeness. 

“day,” she introduced herself. “i hope we won’t be keeping you too busy on this trial run, oscar. is there anything specific on the menu tonight? or will we be served a full-course instead?”

“with his qualities of being a renown chef, you could expect anything out of him,” night returned, seated, chin rested on the base of her palm. she turned to oscar for confirmation, but raised two fingers for clarity. “could you start us off with something sweet? i’m thinking two flutes; red wine.”

“oh! —non-sparkling,” day chipped in towards the end of night’s sentence, rushed — the look of wariness she shot the player but weaned past a nod. with a grin, day leaned forward. 

“i never took you as someone who drank.”

“i don’t,” night replied, her head unturned from their waiter just in case he had further questions. “but i’m sure i can make some exceptions tonight.”