May Warm Sands Greet You

Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    The sun was rising over the ocean waters and across the beach sands. The pale sand pushed in and washed away by the rolling waves. Only a few clouds rolled across the morning sky and the ocean breeze made it comfortably cool.

Seashells of all kinds lined the sand, even a few crabs could be seen getting up and scampering across, before either digging back down or getting carried back into the ocean. It was peaceful here.

A bit mid way up on the beach, a makeshift campfire sits with only a light smoke rising from the once burning wood. A sack used perhaps for a pillow sits nearby, with an indent in the sand where someone has slept.

    Not far from this little camp, was a dark scaled Salamander going through a few sword play techniques, along with his shield. Each swing carried with precision, each step with care, but there was times he tail nearly got in way. When this happened, the Salamander would tsk, then reset and try the steps once more.
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     Since the Apocalypse happened, Tadaya's had some time to get used to the idea that people may or may not be watching her at all times. What had initially been a source of anxiety for her in terms of never being able to 'disconnect' mentally from the possibility of having an audience at all times has since become a coping method and to justify talking to herself!

    Naturally, when she sees the campfire and the Salamander nearby, the lady with the deer antler helmet has to observe. She's not very subtle about watching him, either, between the helmet, staring right at him, and murmuring to herself as though she was whispering to someone nearby. "Good form, although that tail is certainly not going to make it any easier... What do you think, chat? The mods can setup a poll, and I'll suggest the winner in twenty seconds."

    There's no text she can even see. Or menus to show that she's streaming anything.
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

With the increases of monster spawns at night, it isn't uncommon for Adventurers to hunker down in camps or towns as soon as night falls. Though, there will always be those who brave the night. As the sun rises, there is another Adventurer making their way down towards the water.

The woman has the attire of a druid, the leather and furs making her class stand out compared to the robes of a mage or armor of other Adventurers. Mikage stretches, her arms above her head, walking the short distance to the edge of the water. There, she removes a blade from her back, shoves it into the water, and then channels energy into it. A moment later, low spout of water comes up, which she ducks her head into, cleaning off sweat and grime.

Only after this morning ritual does she look up, running a hand through damp, white hair. Tugging the sword out of the surf, she slides it back into the scabbard, then approaches, her movements quiet.
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    Xander does a quick jab, then a swing, followed by a foot a upper swing of the blade, to move his shield in the way for a block, before he let out a slight exhale of a sigh.

He then turns his head gently and looks over to Tadaya, unaware of Mikage for the moment thanks to her quiet steps. Xander does a quick inspect check on Tadaya and hms softly, before he grins. "Talking to yourself is a sign of sanity." He then goes to rest the flat of the blade on his shoulder. "I should know! I do it far too much." A friendly smile aimed in her direction.

"If I see your name right... Tadaya, right? The Game Streamer?" He shifts his stance slightly as he asks.
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     Tadaya doesn't look particularly surprised when Xander addresses her, and she even chuckles lightly in return. "All the brightest minds talk to themselves. It keeps the brain from aging too fast." She replies with a firm nod that doesn't quite match her quiet and mellow tone. Aside from her helmet, though, most of her gear is fairly nondescript, possibly only barely better than the starter gear.

    She probably hasn't played long.

    The recognition, though, does actually catch her off guard. "Eh? You've seen my stuff?" To be fair, she hasn't exactly been subtle about her identity what with the antler helmet and all. It's the complete opposite of Mikage's approach, and she's a bit too preoccupied with actually being recognized to notice Mikage's approach just yet.

     "But... Ah! Right. If you're worried about your tail getting in the way, then..." She pauses, rapping a knuckle against her forehead a few times as if she was thinking or performing some kind of ritual or something. "... Why not use the tail for fighting? You know, like an extra shield or to throw stuff?"
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

The lack of NPCs out in this early morning hour seems to be a comfort for Mikage. The Landers tended to act a bit stand-offish around Were Fang players, which caused her to usually wear her hood up when in town. Here, though, she has no problem approaching as herself, the strange tattoo visibly on display.

"I think sanity is going to be at a premium in the long run." Mikage's voice is soft as she finally speaks up. "Are streams still actually connected?" She asks of Tadaya, her head tilted ever so slightly out of curiousity. "I've never tried streaming, myself. So I'm not sure if there's any sort of icon or something that shows it's running."

With the comments about fighting styles, she stps, shifting into a relaxed sort of stance, "Tails usually aren't as strong as normal limbs, at least in my experience. Though, that could be a result of lack of training more than anything else." Whigh suggests whatever sort of Were Fang she is, it happens to have a tail of some sort.
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    "Hm?" Xander blinks a few times. "Honestly, I'm still just trying to get use to it. Kind of regret my choices of designing my character the way I did way back when I started." Though he does give a nod, "But that is a good idea and something I might try to take into consideration."

Then gives her a thumbs up with his arm that holds the shield, "Thank you!" Though his arm does lower by his side. "But yes, I have. Watch a time or three, while I was eating dinner or having a break from a raid. I always enjoyed how engaging you were."

Though when Mikage speaks up, it causes Xander to look over to her and huh softly. "... I really need to work back up my listening skills." He murmurs to himself.

    He steps back slightly, so he can get both women in view easily. "Also good to know," As Mikage brings up that tails are not as strong. "... But it is a bit of lack of training yeah. Before the expansion, it never was a problem, since the system handled it. Now I get to learn to just deal with it." Xander shrugs softly.

He does a quick inspect on Mikage, mostly to get her name and what little info he can get on her. "I admit," He looks between the two. "Not use to seeing players come down this far on the beach, though I guess with folks knowing they will respawn after death, shouldn't be surprised." Though the question about the streaming clicks in his head and he looks over to Tadaya, "That is actually a good question! Is any signal even getting out?"
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     Tadaya tilts her head slightly when Mikage makes her presence known, turning to give her a light shrug in response. "Great question. Ehm... No idea. There's usually a menu option for that, but like the logout button, iiiit's gone." She even goes through her own menu to try and see if anything's changed, sighing once she confirms that those options are still missing.

     "It would definitely be nice knowing for sure. I wouldn't have to take so many extra steps for other stuff if it was off, and I'd know for sure that I'm not wasting time if it's on. But all we have now..." She gestures vaguely around herself. "Is time."

     She even twirls once for emphasis, and then she turns to face both of them in that facing-between-them sort of way. "I guess I just lucked out with mine. Or lucked... In? I can't see this being useful for much." To demonstrate, she lets her tail stick up and out behind her. It's definitely too short to be useful for anything, but it's not clear at a glance what type of tail it even is.

    The helmet also makes it kind of hard to tell. "But I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner or later. Practice, maybe find some accessories.. I wonder if these can be used for more accessory slots."
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

"It's okay. I have profession ranks in Thief. It makes me move quieter even if I don't really intend to." Mikage explains, shrugging her shoulders slightly. At least on the surface, her avatar doesn't look like the typical characters who dip into that profession, but perhaps it works for someone who is playing a more nature-based druid. "I should wear a bell." She jokes, lip quirking.

She turns briefly towards Tadaya, then gives a little wave as if she were motioning to the camera. "Well, if it is broadcasting, I imagine the world is watching." Then, she rocks back on her heels. "I can imagine it would be a bit intimidating. Not knowing if people around the world were watching your every move. Then again, I suppose that's how every day is for a streamer."

"I mostly use my tail for balance when I shift, though it probably would be good to get in some more practice with it." She chuckles softly, "I've heard people complaining that they are having trouble sleeping because they don't know where to put their tails."
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    Xander glances off to the side. "Probably not, besides I am pretty sure I am falling behind my guild as is." He shifts his weight as he dismisses his weapons. "I've tried to investigate what I can. What works. What doesn't work. .. Including wondering if time is slower in the game compared to the real world."

His brows furrow, "Given it has been four, maybe even five days since we been stuck here..." he doesn't finish that thought. "Just be nice to know what is actually happening already. Makes it hard to focus on progression when there is so many unknowns."

    The Salamander looks back to Mikage, "Yeah, that part I do agree with. It helps with balance for sure, as for the sitting part." He gives a nervous smile, "Yeah. I-- can relate with that. Though I've managed to solve that riddle fairly quickly, along with keeping it from being pinched by a door."

Xander gets a dead-pan look on his face. "Never let your tail get trapped by a door." Then inhales deeply, before smiling a bit, before he walks over to Mikage, "Mikage, right?" Then gives her a quick walk around, before he taps his chin.

"Maybe a collar, but I think a bell would be too much." He says with a joking tone. "It probably just drive your crazy after a while and cause monsters to come find you first!" Though he crosses his arms over his chest, before looking at them both, "Say, either of you interested in some healing packs? I normally save them for the inexperienced players, but I got a larger surplus than normal, thanks to a fellow giving me a massive pack of herbs."
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     "Right? I don't know how many would be watching this stream compared to the bigger ones, but if anyone is, I appreciate it." Tadaya shifts briefly into talking to nobody rather than the present pair, but soon turns her attention back to Mikage and Xander soon after. "Balance is important, yeah. If you do a big swing, having the tail could help with trying not to fall over... Maybe even let you return to neutral sooner from a big swing than without a tail."

    She furrows her brow, Mikage's observation actually getting her thinking. "... assuming it works that way, anyway. I still haven't had much time with the combat myself." She chuckles after that, eventually nodding towards Xander. "I can only imagine the door thing being awful. I just keep it under a belt or something most of the time. Even when I'm trying to sleep, it stays put.

     The offer of healing packs has Tadaya clasping her hands together. "Well, I won't say no to free stuff~ But I'm afraid I don't have anything to trade back. At least, not yet." She emphasizes that latter part. "I've mostly just been exploring and running from everything. It's... Surprisingly easier to run for ages than it would be in real life."
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

"I'm probably dropping my guild." Mikage answers, sighing to herself. "It was just five of us and none of them could make the New Years patch drop. So I've been pretty much stuck on my own." Thoughtfully, the girl chews on her lower lip, then releases it. "I'll probably have to join one of the big name guilds sooner rather than later. That kind of play just never really fit my style."

As the Salamander starts to circle around her, she watches him with her eyes briefly, blinking in confusion. "Mikage." She confirms. "And I was joking about the bell. Though I'm sure there has to be some glamour wear that's cat-themed somewhere. Can you imagine a Cait Sith cat with a cute little bell? It would be adorable." At the very least, she seems to be taking the whole thing of being trapped here a bit ligher than most, at least it appears that way.

"I don't know if Dive gear has the ability to alter sensory perception of time or not, though. Then again, everything we're experiencing here is already edging past what we had thought would only be theoretical if the software could support it." Her tone of voice shifts, as if talking from experience.

Then, as if returning to the moment at hand, she shakes her head. "Better to save the healing packs for the newbies. What I can't handle, I can at least hide from, so I'm usually okay."
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    "You really should try to get some combat experience under your belt," Xander says to Tadaya as he looks over to her. "We don't know how long we might be stuck here and eventually people might go back to old ways. Like player killing." His brows narrow slightly. "If you can't even defend yourself... They will take advantage of that."

He then opens up his menu and materializes the healing pack before tossing it over to her. "And don't worry about compensation. I don't do it to make money or get items really."

    As for the cait sith with a bell, he laughs gently, "Yeah. I can see that getting really popular quickly with some online folks." Though he doesn't get into his own thoughts on what the Dive gear could do.

Though as Mikage declines the pack, he turns to face her in full and then just hands her one as well. "Oh hush and take it. Maybe you'll run into a player who needs it more than you." He holds it toward her, till she does take it from him. His tail flicks a little as he just stares at her.

    At this point, they might notice that his voice has a slight hitch, where he tends to lisp on a few words. Though it only seems to be noticable after he laughs or shows a slight emotional response.
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     "Joining with one of the big ones isn't a bad idea. More potential friends, more contacts, more people to share discoveries with..." Tadaya nods slowly as she strokes her chin, pacing around after a few moments. "It's a shame about being separated from your friends, though. Or... Does that just mean they're safe?"

     The talk of bells has Tadaya tapping her forehead again. "Maybe.... A bell could be useful, actually. You don't have to worry about accidentally aggroing the entire map at once if you just grab one or two groups at a time instead." Her hand goes up to one of the antlers on her helmet. "... And maybe it'll give this a splash of color, too."

     She might actually be considering this now.

    Catching the healing pack, she giggles softly and sighs moments later. "Yeah... I almost had a few run-ins with some nasty looking folk, but I didn't have a bell at the time." A beat, and then she laughs. "You know what? Maybe I don't need a bell after all."

    The hitch in Xander's voice does't draw any visual reactions from Tadaya. She's good at hiding her expressions sometimes!
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

There is only a split second of reluctance from Mikage before she accepts the healing pack. She takes it in one hand, then starts using the menu options to stow it with the other. "Thank you." Soon enough, the item vanishes into her inventory. In a world like this, with precious resources, one doesn't turn down a gift-Salamander.

Once her menu is dismissed, Miki looks over at Tadaya, "I'm hoping it means they're safe. They were in-game friends, so I don't know much about them in real life." She explains, moving to rest one hand on the strap which holds her sword across her back. The Were Fang opens her mouth as if to say something else, but then doesn't. Perhaps thinking better of it.

"So far, the players haven't been as much of a problem, at least from what I've encountered. It's mostly that some of the enemies seem to have shifted, or gotten AI upgrades." She slips a hand across her stomach as if remembering something, "Nearly got sliced in half by Haggar when I tagged along with a group that went into the forest the other night."
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    Xander raises a brow as he looks over to Tadaya, his voice more serious. "... I was afraid that would start happening." He then throws her a friend invite, "The name is Xander, by the way." He says this to both of them. "If anyone gives you trouble, feel free to contact me. I'll see what I can do to help in the situation."

"I am not sure how long Aincrad Libration Front will let me keep running around without a leash, since it seems the focus is shifting to pushing the tower, but I will do what I can. For as long as I can." He then sends a friend invite to Mikage as well.

Though when Mikage explains what nearly happened to her, he frowns a little. "Yeah, I've noticed some enemies seem a little smarter than they use to be." He sighs, "... And I use to think facing players and dealing with raids was the real enjoyment before the expansion."

    Xander than looks up, "Thanks game." he places his hands together, "You have made me a new man." His voice was dripping with dry sarcasm, before he shakes his head. Though he does look over to Mikage once more. "You... have them friended right? They should be in your friend list after all. Shouldn't their be some details on them there?"
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     Following Mikage's lead, Tadaya soon stores the healing pack into her inventory as well. "They must be. I mean... They would have contacted you through the... The..." She snaps her fingers a few times, apparently trying to think up the words before giving up. "Guild talking thing, right? By now, anyway."

     When Mikage speaks of shifting and AI upgrades, her demeanor shifts a bit more. "So those rumors might be true, then... I only started during the New Year's event, so I don't know what they were like before. But... They did seem to act differently even from the little bit I've seen before that all happened."

    Rubbing her forehead after a moment, Tadaya takes a deep breath, then laughs it off before nodding towards the two. "But it'll be fine! As long as we're careful and find out if fall damage exists, we can't go wrong." She gives each of them a thumbs up, then turns to Xander once more. "Oh. Tadaya. Good meeting you both." She holds her arms out to her sides in a wide pose, then crosses her arms. "Isn't pushing the tower risky? I mean, if it's... Is it a high level area?"
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

The Druid bows her head slightly at the official introductions, then lifts it in time to see the friend request come across her HUD. Her finger quickly taps accept, getting the message box out of her line of sight. "I can see that they haven't logged in since the patch dropped. I don't think we've seen anyone log in." She confirms to Xander.

"The Aincrad guilds seem a little bit too enthusiastic about tossing their lives in against the tower. Sure, we do seem to respawn, but the player I talked to said it wasn't pleasant." She shakes her head, the wet strands of hair lightly falling across her forehead. "I'll probably hang back for a while, see what else this world has in store for us. The more information we have, the better."

Tadaya's comment leaves her chuckling softly, "I'll leave experimenting with fall-damage to someone a bit more adventurous. I have no interest in knowing what it feels like to splat face first into the ground." She nods to the streamer, "It is high risk content. No one ever got past the floor ten boss, previously."
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    Xander goes quiet, his brows knit a bit at Tadaya statement and question. Mostly at the fact that its been confirming that the game is changing and anything they known in the past about Elder Tale may no longer apply. This include even tactics.

A subtle 'Tsk' escapes his lips at his deeper thoughts, but Mikage confirms how dangerous it is and he can't disagree with the druid either on how foolish the guild is being.

So what he does say, is just that. "... They are being foolish." He looks at them both, his ton dead serious and composed. "The more days that pass by, the more we find out. If monster AI is changing, there is a chance that anything we would have known as top-tier raiders may no longer apply."

    Xander crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes. "To rush in with no true battle plan is dangerous and could create a ton of set backs, and yet," He sighs. "... No one is honestly thinking this through. They are..." he chuckles, "... They are gamers after all..." He says softly at that point. They are kids. Civilians. Normal day people, trying to deal with a massive world event. They are not /trained/ for this, then again, even with his military background... That only helps so far.

"S-sorry. I am probably being to hard on even my own guild. Truth is, I also understand why they are doing it. Even if I don't agree. Everyone wants to get home, just, I do wonder at what cost." His voice then saddens. "... and if they are really ready to pay that price."

The dark scaled Salamander then tries to cheer up, "But who knows, after all the Front does have some of the best top-tier Raiders, including myself. We have to stay hopeful, right? After all, no matter how dark the times may get, hope can be a light in any dark hour." He then inhales deeply, as his tail flicks, "... And that might be why Misa is pushing so hard. She wants to bring hope to everyone... and I can't fault her for that."
Uta
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    It comes from afar. At first, it is some vague, undecipherable high-pitched whistle, then it gets louder, and louder, becoming more defined: a shriek. The shriek of a girl, getting closer and closer, as the dot on the horizon becomes larger and larger, closer and closer, as it describes a parabola and progressively grows into view: a screaming black-haired Spriggan girl in an outfit which could be the fantasy rendition of either a nurse's uniform or a martial artist's gi (it's halfway between the two...), eyes bulging, hands extended forward, wings moving in a frantic, uncoordinated way. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL-"

    As she splats face-first into the beach, so hard her noggin gets completely buried, leaving the rest of the body sprawled outside, her HP bar shows a dramatic drop. "...Dang catapults." she mutters, the words muffled by what sounds like a mouthful of sand. "I should have made a battle plan before rushing into things. ...Also, why am I suddenly thinking about ostriches?"
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     "I can imagine. Getting injured still sucks even with the game dampening it, and dying... Well, let's hope we never have to know what that feels like, even in-game." As Tadaya says that, she looks around slowly, eventually settling on trees and mountains further in the distance. "I wonder if it's distance or speed based, though... Or if it scales at all. That could be a fun series of experiments..."

    With her next course of action decided, she turns her attention back to the topic of the tower. "I've thought about heading in there, too, but I'd rather not be that one person that just messes with scaling and doesn't contribute anything. I want to at least be better than the bottom forty percent. Until then, I'll stick to exploring, keeping spirits up around the towns, and... Maybe even learning the combat system for once."

     As if on cue, there's a loud sound from above, and that quickly turns into a loud sound from forward and below. "... Looks like it scales." She comments, noting the drop in Uta's HP and moving over to offer a hand. "An ostrich egg omelette does sound pretty good, but I don't think I've seen any eggs or ostriches in the game yet. You okay?"
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

"Maybe we should find out if any of the players have military tactics training from the real world?" Mikage suggests, but then seems to hesitate, "Then again, we have no way of knowing if they're telling the truth or not. For all we know, it could just be some thirteen year old pretending in order to seem more important than they are." Her eyes flick between Xander and Tadaya. "We really don't know anything about each other out of game."

She shrugs then, "I'm not a top tier raider. I usually stuck to exploring the dungeons and ruins rather than the tower. It just never seemed as interesting to me."

And then, Uta makes an appearance, and what an appearance it is. The Druid nearly jumps out of her skin at the sound coming towards them, looking around before making sure to be well out of the way of the falling Adventurer. "I guess that answers our question on falling damage. Still in one piece over there?" She asks.

"There's always Pecos. They have eggs, but I'll admit, I've never tried to cook one before." She approaches Uta slowly, "Just don't try to eat the ones that have legs sticking out. I imagine they'd be a bit crunchy."
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    The sound gets his attention, he looks up in the sky. It's a bird! It's a dragon! No wait, it's-- It's!!

            UTA!!

    Who goes face first into the sand. Xander just dead-pan stares at her and with no emotion in his voice he says. "... Hi Uta." before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sadly, even if we did cook up some eggs, they only taste like crackers. Like, really /bad/ crackers."

He then drops his hand by his side. "The only thing that doesn't taste like crackers is just eating fruit on the field, without touching it at all." He motions to the cooking system, before waving it away. "... stupid world. Can't even get a decent steak or coffee around here."

    Xander then looks over to Mikage, "And that is the biggest problem. We don't know anyone in real life, so even if I was to say that I was US Army vet who became paralyzed from the waist down..." He shrugs, "No one has any reason to believe me, because I could be fabricating the paralyzing thing to just make people feel bad for me." Then another dead-pan look. ".. Or telling the truth. Thus the curse of the internet. Where can people can be anything they want to be, tell lies, and no one knows the truth."

The Salamander looks over to Tadaya, "Well, if you like a sparring partner, let me know. I've been working with Uta here, to teach her a thing or two, cause she like some, joined right before expansion launch." He goes to rest his hand on his hips. "And after Misa tackles the Tower, I plan to run a few ops in there as well. Though no desire to push anyone toward the boss rooms. Mostly just to keep paths clear and some areas safe."
Uta
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

"Hi Xander," comes Uta's muffled voice from under the sand, then, hands pushing down on the ground, she jerks her head out and sputters out whatever sand was lodged into her mouth. "Ptoo. Ptoo. Bleh." Still lying down, her head barely raised, she wipes her lips, then her eyes. "Yeuck," is the sound that comes from her as she blinks them open, left and right in turn until both can be safely operated. The offered hand is the first thing she notices, and, even if it is still out of focus for her, she takes the offer, hoping to be lifted to her feet. "Thanks," she says. In case she is helped up, she will say once standing (or before then in case she isn't helped up,) "...I /think/ I am okay?", she replies to Tadaya. Her eyes dart to her HP bar, and her irises widen as her pupil shrinks. "Oh, no!" she exclaims. "My Haitch-Pee..." she draws those words longer than the rest, clearer, and casts a sideways 'am-I-doing-this-right' glance at Xander before looking back at her bar, "...has dropped by... much!", she states, a bit worried. "...It's okay, it's okay," She reassures herself, in the way great minds do when having a one-person-dialog (a monologue?), "I'll just have to stay out of trouble for a bit and I'll be fine." Turning to Mikage, she reprises, "As for being in one piece..." She looks down at her feet, pushing in any part of her garment that might get in the way. "...Feet still there..." She looks at the sand around her, and at the sea, hand on her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. "I don't see any wings in the vicinity..." She places her hands on the tip of her ears, and feels her lobes. "...ridiculous yoda sails still there. I think I am in one piece, yes. Thanks for asking... uh..." She operates her menu, calling up the Inspect function. "...Mikage."

While waiting for Mikage's reply, she starts scanning the others in the vicinity, commenting, "...it's true. Xander, here, is one of the greatest raiders, and has taken it onto himself to train me- Wait, wait, paralyzed? I... I'm sorry." That sounded sincere. Way to go for the whole speech about RL details not being trustworthy.
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     "Pecos...? Oh, those giant birds. I didn't think about that, actually." After making a mental note about that, Tadaya clasps her hands together once more. "Oh, balut? I've tried it once. It's..." She makes a face, and it's definitely not a pleasant one. "First and last time."

     From the looks of it, it's not a pleasant memory for the antler-helmed lady.

     "Ah, you know her, then?" She chuckles lightly at Xander while looking between him and Uta a few times. "But.. Yeah, I try not to let too much of real life slip in. It's easier on everyone that way." Another chuckle, and then she furrows her brow for a moment before nodding towards Xander. "Sure, I could use some pointers on how to not be a complete mess at the combat system. It's fun seeing new systems, at least, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

    It probably won't.

    After helping Uta up onto her feet, Tadaya gives her a gentle pat on the head and steps back. "As long as you don't charge into any fights for a while, you'll be fine without having to use anything until the real fights start." It's that last bit that catches her attention, though, as Tadaya turns back to Xander after a moment with a curious glint in her eye. "Is that so? I didn't know I was going to get lessons from someone so experienced~"
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

"I'm starting to get used to the stale cracker taste, but there are some textures it just doesn't go with." Sticking her tongue out, Mikage shows her distaste for such things. "I'm not sure if the yogurt or the beef stew was the weirdest thing I've tried."

When Xander starts to go into his explination about what he 'could' be in real life, she seems to give him her full attention. Even when he seems to make it seem like his words might be just a hypothetical rather than reality. "So, are you?" She asks, her voice seeming to shift into a more serious tone. There's no pity there, only curiousity.

It feels a little uncanny when people just know your name from running a command, but Mikage doesn't dwell on it for long other than momentarily giving a confused expression. She is clearly not used to people doing that, at least not yet. "Well, you don't seem to have hit hard enough to do any permanent damage. Though I'm not statted out for healing so I don't really know." She glances at Xander, since he seemed to have at least enough investment into that to have made healing kits.

"I'm probably not much help in learning the combat system. I mean, I'm passable, but the raiders are going to be way better, hands down." She glances towards the tower, the rising sun reflecting off of it. "I suppose we all could use some training, though."
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    The dark scaled Salamander doesn't really reply to Uta's apology, beyond a glance over to her, what he does correct her on is saying. "H.P." as he walks up to her and then makes a hand gesture as he casts a minor healing spell on her. "Should give you some health buffer so you are not to badly off." He hrms gently, "Your natural regen should take over either way."

Though at Tadaya's sudden prodding thanks to what Uta said, he actually stutters a bit, "I-I wouldn't call myself th-that experienced." he ahems in his hand, trying to recompose himself. "Just had way to much time on my hands, so I got to know the game fairly well, but there are those who perform way better than me." pause, "... In some areas. Yeah." He has to cough in his hands again, realizing just how awkward that all sounded.

    When Mikage asks him seriously, his eyes get distant, before he looks at her and calmly says in response, "Does it matter if I am?" he just stares at her long and hard. "We are all in this mess together, no matter who and what we were in real life."
Uta
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

Uta , having inspected the red-haired lady next, says, "...Thanks again. I like your hat, it's... like... a... hat-rack hat? A hat you could hang all sorts of hats on, thus making a... hat tree kind of thing?" she comments. "Oh goodness, what am I saying. This is an online multiplayer fantasy game. There's magic, and monsters, and adventure... if there is /one/ thing that probably nobody cares about in this kind of game, it's /hats/."

    She seems to miss half of the banter about food, and not to be enthusiastic about the half she does get, so she just shuts up and listens until the conversation moves to a different subject. "...I am not sure if I am statted for healing myself, Mikage, to be honest. Heck, I'm not even /sure/ of what I am, but... I think I look vaguely like a nurse?" She says, looking down at herself while Xander heals her (action which is rewarded with due thanks, of course). "Oh. OH! And I've got this."

    She swipes her hand and pulls up a menu. She navigates to her inventory, and when she selects a slot, the interface disappears, while a long bar of light shimmers in her hand. When it subsides, she's holding a staff shaped like a caduceus: a long pole, white and glossy, tapering down almost to a point, and surmounted by an egg-shaped globe at the top, from which two wings emerge, one at each side. Two snakes coil all around it, biting the oval at the top. "...do you think I could be statted for healing people?"
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     "Once you get used to it and experiment more, I'm sure you could get some interesting combinations that almost work." Tadaya offers Mikage at least a little bit of encouragement there. "I think I have a point or two in that, but... Crafting." She grimaces uncomfortably, making it even more evident she's not the type to grind or make stuff often.

    "Knowing how newbies and experienced players do things differently is still important, though. Some things work better for facerolling than others, and I'm..." She pauses, then shrugs lightly. "I picked my classes because they sounded cool. Although if I wanted to have an easier time, maybe I should have gone for more ranged stuff..."

     Another shrug, and then Tadaya starts giggling lightly at what appears to be Xander getting caught off guard. "Everyone has their niche. I doubt the developers would have made something that only the tryhards and top one percenters could even see or attempt to clear, anyway. At least, not for long."

    A beat, and then Tadaya strokes her chin. "Although this /is/ an expansion, so maybe... That could very well be the end-game. We'll see eventually." With another affirming nod, she turns to Uta with a pleasant smile. "Oh, thanks~ It's deer antlers. Just like Tadakatsu Honda, the man who never took a serious injury!"

    Tadaya stomps once in a vaguely martial artist-like pose that winds up being rather lame looking. She might think this actually looks cool, though. "Hats are the true end-game, of course. Well... In a regular game. This turning out how it did, though..." She trails off at first, then clasps her hands together and perks up once again. "... People'll still focus on fashion. We might be in danger, but that doesn't mean we have to look bad while we're doing it."

    The staff, meanwhile, gets a curious look. "Prrrrobably. All you need to do is take the skills for that, right? Or is it finding a trainer in this one...?" She sounds like she really doesn't know.
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

"It matters." Mikage replies, her voice gentle, but she inclines her head to him, "But I won't press. Our secrets are our own." Perhaps it is telling that she doesn't offer anything about her real world self, either. Then again, some might have caught a rumor that a white-haired Druid was speaking along side the octopus-styled Were Fang who offered some insights into Dive technology. It would go along with her earlier brief commentary on the matter.

As Uta asks about her class, Mikage gives her a once over, looking more specifically at her clothing. Usually, starting classes gave at least some hint about what they were, such as her own fur and leather attire. "If that's your starting gear... Huh. I'm guessing you have to have some kind of odd combination of profession and classes." She scratches lightly by one ear.

"Usually you pick your setup at the start, though there were a few ways of branching out. Finding relics, leveling to the point you can gain extra professions, that sort of thing." Mikage explains, "Though all of that could be different now. They leveled us all back down, so the progression experienced players had might not work the same."

Offering a soft smile to Tadaya, she nods. "I kind of avoided most of the crafting skills. Stuck with mostly solo and survival sort of things. Though right now, it feels like the social builds are going to have an easier time of it."
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    Xander keeps his eyes on Mikage for a bit. "... Maybe another time I'll give you the truth and you in turn can do the same." He then looks away from her, back over to the others.

"Uta is a Bard and Godhand combination." He explains to Mikage and nods to what she has to say, agreeing with her words. He looks back at Uta, still keeping an eye on the others. "To learn new skills requires training. Though I am not sure how much of the rules of training have changed." Xander admits.

"It's why I don't like handing out too much information, cause again as I said earlier and what we could find out as we all continue to progress." His tone is still very serious. "Nothing as we knew it could matter anymore. For all we know, the more players kill monsters, the more the system leans, evolves, and continues to escalate the problems."

The Salamander shifts he weight and tsks. "So many damn unknown factors. Going to drive me crazy at this rate if I keep thinking it over." He inhales deeply before glancing at the three women before him. "As for crafting... Yeah, back before the expansion I didn't care for it."

    "I got most of my gear from raiding or," He chuckles, "Taking it from another player over a duel. What can I say," He shrugs, "I enjoyed pvp." Xander then shakes his head. "Now it feels like you need to learn something or you'll get crushed by this new system. The only reason I was able to make those potion packs is cause my mom was a medic... and I used some real world knowledge mixed in with the game. Amazingly... It worked. Somehow."

Xander pulls up the menu as he looks at his stats, "Maybe helps my class gives me pharmacy skill as well." Then moves the menu to the side.
Uta
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

Uta, who was busy skimming her menus, nods at Xander. "Aerialist, right?" She continues selecting options and backtracking uncertainly, until she stops and points at a character info sheet on her interface "...oh. Uh. It says here I'm a... 'doctor'?" She looks down at herself, puzzled, then back up, and says nothing. She then around, looking at everyone in turn. "...sooo... my character build involves punching people, then fixing them, and sing little songs about the whole ordeal while I do so?" she says, addressing everyone but possibly Mikage above all. Her forehead creases as she says this. She finally turns to Tadaya, and after commenting, satisfied, "Duh, of course! The Warrior who Surpassed Death itself! How could I not get the reference?", she asks, slightly worried, "...that was sarcastic, right, not actual life advice? We don't /actually/ have to worry about fashion on top of... you know..." she gestures at everything.

    She looks down at herself once again, and frowns. "No, seriously. I don't think I look like a /doctor/. But maybe nurses are, like, the level one form... and... uh... we improve it over time?"
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     Tadaya doesn't comment further on secrets, instead just nodding in approval at Mikage. Instead, she focuses on the build discussion, crossing her arms over her chest and furrowing her brow thoughtfully. "I was thinking about doing more map-exploration, anyway, so I could probably make some decent money selling maps with info on them. Rare spawn points, gathering spots, that sort of thing... Hn. But that means I'd need to know what's rare to begin with."

    After a bit more mulling, she laughs lightly. "Ah, one step at a time. Good things and waiting and all that." She opens her menu to check her own list of inefficient skill picks, peering at a few in particular. "I do have Pharmacy... And Cooking. I've done some cooking at home, even, so..."

     She raises an eyebrow at Xander. "Remind me to see if I can leverage that into how it works here once I... Er. Try it here." ONE DAY. She turns to Uta afterwards raising an eyebrow at her. "Oh? I'm a Godhand subclass, too. I mean, I'm maining Summoner, but..."

     She starts laughing again when Uta gets the reference, then shrugs at the latter question. "I mean, I don't think people would be so crazy to prioritize looks over safety in real life, but... We /are/ in a game with respawning, so it could be a lot easier to do it without thinking."

    "Besides. Hats are easy accessories. Much easier to notice those than necklaces or chains."
Mikage
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

"You'll show me yours if I show you mine?" All of a sudden, the more serious attitude gives way to a wry bit of humor. She gives the Salamander a wink, but then seems to move on from that bit of conversation.

Watching Uta discover the little extras that come with her character also brings a level of amusement. "It's certainly an unusual combination, but I've seen wierder." She motions at the blade on her back, "I'm statted in as Guardian. Took training in Thief because I wanted to be able to slink around unseen." It likely explains the sword, since that must be from her sub-class somehow.

"I wouldn't say that looks are the most important thing, but it's certainly nicer to have an armor set that all fits together, rather than looking like a newbie with cobbled together peices in neon orange or something." Her nose scrunches at the idea. "I've mostly kept to my starting gear, but I need to do some more beast-hunts and find a tailor to help out. My class usually favors leather and fur armor."

After a thoughtful pause, she adds, "I think maps would be a good idea, especially once we start spreading out more across the map. Most folks are centralized here for now, but that won't last very long." There is a nod to Tadaya.
Xander
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

    Xander smiles at it seems Uta has made a new friend with Tadaya. Maybe the two can help one another out, he thinks to himself, as he goes over to the camp to pick up the bag on the ground, swinging it over his shoulder.

Though when Mikage gives Xander that wink, he can't help but smirk, "Sure thing." he says with a gentle laugh, keeping that smirk on his face.

Xander then nods to Mikage, before looking over to Tadaya, "I agree. Maps could be extremely useful right now. Hey! Here is a thought. Since you and Uta are getting along, why not travel together? It is safer right now traveling in a group of some kind, then alone. That way you have one another's backs."

    The Salamander then looks over to Mikage, before the others, "And as classes go. I am a Rune Knight. Crusader and Sorcerer." He looks up at the sky and his brows knit. "Anyways, I should get going. I need to distribute some of the healing packs I have, then gather more herbs to make more."

He gives a two finger mock-salute to the ladies. "You gals take care, alright?"
Uta
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

Uta says, "...Maps would be /really/ nice. Believe me, I've tried to get around town in the last days and... oh man. Do I miss my GPS." She ejects a short burst of laughter mixed with a raspberry. "Pffft. Cooking. Great way to dump resources, into a skill whose only possible result is getting stuff to tast like soggy crackers." But at the mention of being a Godhand, she suddenly develops more interest. "...maybe we could trade tricks then. I'd be interested." She replies to Mikage, "Unusual combination, huh? Ah, the wonder of random character generation..." Her distracted trailing off is cut short by a fit of self-consciousness when Mikage mentions ridiculous starting gear. "...I guess we could, Xander, I guess we could, as soon as time permits."
Tadaya
Overworld - 3 - -5 - 0

     Although Tadaya doesn't comment on the little exchange between Mikage and Xander, the glint in her eyes suggests that something is afoot beneath that giant helmet.

     "Clown suit armor has its own charm... Sometimes. Not something I like to use unless I absolutely need the bonuses, though. Or for running content. Definitely won't be using it when I need to look presentable with the map collection, though." She replies to Mikage with another laugh, then raises an eyebrow at Xander's proposal.

     "That's... Not a bad idea, actually. Maybe I'll figure out how this Summoner class actually works by then." There's an approving half-shrug and half-nod at that, and she smiles wider when Uta suggests sharing techniques. "Definitely! Although I'm still only running with starter stuff, so it'll take me a bit to learn any... Anything."

    Xander starts to make his leave, and Tadaya waves lightly in response to his salute. "Of course, of course. Hm.. No time like the present to learn more about combat things, I suppose. I'll be seeing all of you later as well, so.. Take care, alright?"