[PP-F5] Desert Cuisine ~ Teion ~ Complete!

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana had been making a bit of Col lately, and she had been told by Flints that she needed to get out and see different parts of the world. As such, she had made her way to the fifth floor, and was working on doing just that by sampling all the different inns and food that Aincrad had to offer! She found that there were so many different types of cuisines in Aincrad, and while the NPC food wasn't as good as player made food it was certainly still quite tasty!

The inn Eliziana had found was quite busy, and while that put her a bit on edge, she knew she had to break out of her shell at some point. She had ordered a nice stew from the innkeep and paid him his Col for the food and the night's stay. She looked around as she waited for the food to arrive, realizing that her table was the only one that was actually fairly unoccupied. I really hope some stranger doesn't decide to join me... that might be really awkward...

Edited December 3, 2015 by Eliziana

[Teion 0]

Teion dragged her feet across the hard sandstone ground of the fifth floor's main city. She'd just finished the trek back from Fortaleza after closing up shop for the day, and she felt exhausted. When she didn't feel like visiting the Endilix brothers at the end of the day, she normally hung out in the inn for a while, sometimes even spending the night there. Letting out a light sigh, the girl opened the door to the familiar inn and found the place was quite busy. Her shoulders fell a little as she searched for an unoccupied seat. Her eyes fell on a red-haired woman sitting at a table by herself, and Teion shifted uncomfortably at the thought of approaching her.

Pushing herself to get out of the entranceway, Teion walked up to the woman's table hesitantly. "Uh... Excuse me..." She tried to speak loudly enough to be heard over the general noise of the other players and NPCs. "Would you mind if I took a seat here? Err--are you with anyone?" She wasn't sure of the right way to ask if the few other seats were unoccupied.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana had watched the girl approach with a bit of dread, knowing exactly that what she was hoping wouldn't happen, was about to. She sighed inwardly, hoping not to make it seem too obvious that she really wasn't all that interested in company, because she still wanted to be polite. As the girl asked Eliziana if she was with anyone, she simply shook her head and said, "No, I'm alone. I d-don't mind if you sit..." A bit of a nervous stutter escaped as she tried to make it seem like she was okay with the idea, but the fact still remained that this violet haired girl was still a stranger, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to eat in the company of a stranger. She cursed how busy this inn was, and considered leaving and having the innkeep just deliver her food as room service, but it was a bit too late for that now. She simply tried her best to smile for the girl as she said, "I'm Eliziana, b-by the way."

[Teion 0]

Teion pulled out a chair and sat down, picking up the other girl's nervousness at her intrusion. She tensed a little, regretting her forwardness for a moment before speaking up, "Ahh, I'm sorry. I'll just be grabbing something..." She felt a tinge of embarrassment before the girl introduced herself as Eliziana. "Oh, I'm Teion." She gave a polite nod as she spoke her name. Teion thought she seemed nice, albeit shy, and for a moment was curious to know her a little better. She caught herself before letting her curiosity voice itself, instead shifting her weight in her chair as she tried to focus on thinking about which food item she wanted to get.

Edited November 12, 2015 by Teion

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana watched as Teion sat down and gave a bit of a sigh. There was no stopping it now. Social interaction was going to happen, regardless of what she did at this point. She shook her head and tried not to think of how awkward she was acting in the company of this new person. She frowned and stared at the table, tracing the lines in the wood, for a moment allowing herself to focus on the sheer amount of detail that was placed in this game. But she was snapped away from these thoughts as the innkeep stood next to their table and cleared his throat, before placing a bowl of stew in front of Eliziana. Eliziana managed a smile up at him and said, "T-thank you sir!" Despite that he was just an NPC, it felt wrong to treat them any less than people, in her mind at least. As Eliziana looked at the stew and stirred it idly, she said, "Have you ordered anything? The stew looks really good... smells good too." Eliziana hoped that maybe discussion about the food might ease her mind a bit.

[Teion 0]

Teion tapped her fingers lightly against her thighs underneath the table, staring at a list of generic food items that the inn offered players. She watched silently as an NPC came to set Eliziana's food in front of her. She eyed it curiously before the girl spoke up. "Oh, no I haven't." She frowned slightly, suddenly drawing a blank as to what she wanted to get. After a moment of thought, she spoke up again. "...I'll have that." She decided, looking at the bowl of stew in front of Eliziana. She relayed her order to a nearby NPC who went off to fetch the item for her. The balls of her feet bounced lightly underneath the table as she waited. "So um... What brings you to the fifth floor?" She asked curiously. She knew a lot of people were put off by the harsh weather.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana spooned up a bit of her stew, and looked at it for a moment before deciding that it would be horribly impolite to eat in front of company who was waiting for their food. She put the spoon back into the bowl and watched as it sunk back down into the food and gave a bit of a sigh at her unnecessary politeness. She looked up at Teion's response and question, a but surprised at the actual conversation forming between the two, most of the surprise being at herself. She gave a smile to the girl across the table and said, "A-actually, I'm on a bit of a... personal quest!" She had to consider that last bit for a moment, before realizing how that might've sounded in the game and quickly continued with, "N-not one given by an NPC though! I made this one up myself!" Eliziana smiled, and looked around the crowded inn. She was still horribly put off by the social atmosphere, but thinking of her own little adventure gave her a bit of peace. "I've decided. I'm gonna stay in every inn in Aincrad! My current stop is the fifth floor!"

[Teion 0]

Teion couldn't resist smiling when Eliziana explained her quest for traveling "Every inn...?" She echoed curiously. "I wonder how many there are." She thought aloud. She was curious how many places she'd already been to, being on the fifth floor. She grinned playfully, "Well then, you'll have to tell me about the best places to visit!" She joked, but thinking about it, she was comfortable talking to Eliziana, wondering for a moment if she didn't mind her company. After another minute the NPC returned and placed an identical bowl of stew in front of her. She gave an awkward nod of thanks to the lifelike figure before picking up her spoon and stirring it lightly.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana considered the idea that she had visited a lot of places, but oddly enough couldn't really point any out as being a whole lot better than others. She smiled a bit sheepishly at the thought and shook her head at Teion, "Honestly, I remember the floors more than the inns themselves..." She poked at her stew with her spoon, steam still rising from the untouched portion of food despite that it had been sitting for a time. "Most inns are the same, except between floors. So far floor five has been my favorite. There are a lot of performers here and I like to listen to the music. A jewel in the middle of the desert is what I think of this city..." As Teion received her food, Eliziana smiled and began to eat now that her company was no longer waiting. She had found that she was surprisingly hungry as she gulped down spoonfuls of the stew, pleasantly surprised at the quality despite it being NPC food. That was about when Eliziana realized that she hadn't been stuttering in conversation anymore. She ended up stopping mid scoop of another spoonful of stew, before giving a quick, confused glance to Teion, but then back down again and resuming her meal. Maybe it's because she isn't too nosy, loud, or pushy... There should be more friendly people like her, willing to just sit at dinner and have a nice chat.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Eliziana

[Teion 0]

Teion considered Eliziana's words before speaking again. "Mm, fair enough." She smiled when the red-headed girl said she liked the fifth floor the most. "That's a pleasant surprise. It seems a lot of people are bothered by the desert atmosphere." She understood their discomfort, of course, but for Teion, the idea of a blacksmith in the middle of a desert was just too silly to pass up. She dragged her spoon around in her stew for a while, nearly forgetting it was there before she picked up a spoonful and had a taste. She would have preferred the real thing, of course, but for a VR replication she had to admit it was pretty good. She started to grow curious about what player-made food could taste like.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana had ended up finishing her food, what seemed like, before Teion had even touched hers. She looked at the girl across the table with a bit of a pinkish blush, a bit embarrassed that she had eaten her meal so fast. She smiled at the conversation though, as she pushed her bowl aside, which was picked up rather quickly by a passing waiter. "I actually don't mind the heat as much. I-I mean, being hot sucks, but so does being cold. I guess I just don't get nearly as uncomfortable from that type of stuff. After a day out in the heat, you can always just go take a bath, right?" She chuckled a bit, as she thought of the floor below them and how it was a complete contrast to this floor. "Really though, I think the heat is better than the cold. Not that either is really good, but I tolerate the heat better!"

Edited November 22, 2015 by Eliziana

[Teion 0]

Teion continued eating and gave a nod as Eliziana continued speaking. "Yeah, I'm the same way. I think I'm more used to the heat in the real world. Snow is pretty, but the cold makes me feel miserable." She said with a glum tone. She let out a light sigh and took a few more bites before her curiosity got the better of her and she spoke again. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what type of weapon do you use?" It seemed to be a common question for her to ask her acquaintances. She liked to hear about different people's builds and how they chose their skills.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana smiled at Teion's question, and she couldn't help but wonder where the girl lived in real life based on what she had said. As she asked her about her weapon choice, Eliziana blushed a bit and then pulled her whip from the clasp on her belt and placed it on the table. It was a simple bull whip, common and not very special. A starter whip in every sense. She smiled at Teion, "I was originally going to be a dagger user. Even though I'm not big on combat in this game, I had figured that I would be more of the agile stabby type. But... then the system update introduced new weapons, and I couldn't help but want to use a whip." She chuckled, "I know, I know, I'm no better than all the other people who probably jumped on the bandwagon, but I really thought it fit me better than a little dagger."

[Teion 0]

Teion's eyes gleaned with intrigue when Eliziana placed her weapon on the table. She set down her spoon into the nearly-empty bowl and examined it a moment. She'd already seen a couple of players with the new claw weapons, but she had only seen one whip user so far, and she hadn't gotten to see it in action. It wasn't anything fancy, but Teion shook her head lightly. "No, it's pretty cool. I haven't gotten to see a whip in combat yet." Teion thought for a few moments while she stared at the basic weapon. "Hey..." She started out again, "You should come to my shop in the next town sometime. I can make you a stronger whip if you'd like." She smiled with the offer.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Teion

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana's eyes lit up at the thought of her getting a new whip, as Teion looked the weapon over. "I would love to get a nice new weapon! So... does that mean you're a.... blacksmith?" Eliziana cocked her head in thought. The idea of a blacksmith making a whip was admittedly an odd one, but the more Eliziana thought about it, the less it would've made sense for it to be anything else. She gave a chuckle, and she said, "I would love to stop by, in any case. Here!" She quickly pulled up her menu and poked on Teion's name, sending off a friend request to the woman with a smile. "Now, all you need to do is send me a message to come visit you in your shop and I can use the location finder to lead me right to you!"

[Teion 0]

Teion chuckled lightly and nodded "Mmhm! I actually just came from there. The gears in her head started turning as she began to think of a design for the weapon. She brought her attention back to the conversation at hand when a window appeared in front of her. 'Eliziana sent you a friend request'. Teion smiled and pressed the circular button to accept, and the girl's name appeared on her friends list. She glanced over the few other names on the list, a small reminder that her friends were still alive, before closing the menu. Before it disappeared she glanced at the clock, seeing that it was starting to drift into evening. "Do you usually spend the night at each inn, too?" Teion had planned to spend the night here rather than traveling to another floor tonight.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana had come this far with Teion, she supposed that, as nervous as it made her to share so much knowledge with a stranger, she couldn't really turn back now. Slowly, after much consideration, Eliziana finally gave Teion a nod and said, "Yes, I stay in each inn. I... don't really have anywhere else. Certainly not a player home or anything. I don't even have a shop or anything! I know some players use their shops as homes..." Eliziana couldn't help but drift in thought to the idea of having her own shop, as scary as dealing with the general public often was. She liked the idea of making enough Col to continue her journey to stay at all the inns, especially considering the higher floors would probably be more expensive. Eliziana blinked herself back to reality though, and looked to Teion curiously, "How about you? Planning on staying the night? I suppose you're not one of those players I mentioned that lives in their shop!" She giggled at that last bit, curious if Teion had ever even considered it or just didn't like the idea, but left that question unasked.

[Teion 0]

A somber look crossed Teion's features, but she quickly reverted back to a neutral expression. She would be lying if she said she hadn't spent the night in her shop once in a while. Or almost every night since she'd opened for business. She tried a conversational laugh, but it just came out nervously. "Ahh, yeah I was going to stay here tonight." She glanced around at the thinning crowd. It seemed the busiest part of the evening had subsided, and other parties were finishing their meals and leaving. Teion flicked a stray section of bangs out of her eyes. "Oh, I know it's off-topic, but if there are any quests you want to do, I'll be happy to join you. I've been meaning to do some from the first floor."

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana's eyes grew a bit wide at the mention of quests, as she began to get nervous about the very idea. "A-aahh..." she managed to start, but simply leaned back in her chair and frowned, trying to calm herself rather than finishing that thought. She took a few deep breaths and then said, "N-no offense to y-you... but that really depends on the t-type of quest..." The very thought of having to leave the safe zones made Eliziana nervous, as she frowned and bit her lip. Finally, she ended up looking away, a pinkish hue creeping across her face. "N-no... I haven't really had any that interest me... I-I..." she paused again, trying to compose herself. She was beginning to see this girl as an actual friend, and she figured it wouldn't be fair if she didn't tell her her feelings. "I... really h-hate the idea of leaving the s-save zones..."

[Teion 0]

Teion was definitely surprised by the red-head's sudden withdrawal. She blinked, unsure of how to react to the stammering girl in front of her. Shaking her head, she quickly frowned with an apologetic look on her face. "Aaahhh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean..." She spoke before she could think of the words to say. Taking a moment to clear her throat, Teion tried again. "No no, it's fine. Think of it this way," A smile tugged at her lips as she tried to lift the girl's spirits. "If you ever HAVE to go outside of the safe zones, send me a message, and I'll come to help you."

Teion stretched her arms over her head, realizing the sun outside had already set. She couldn't help a yawn slipping out, but covered her mouth for a moment. "I didn't realize it was already so late! I think I'll go ahead and turn in for tonight." She gave a friendly smile to the girl.