Fielding Some Downtime

Step step step. Shiruba tooks several strides out into the field... and then just flopped down on her back. Sprawled out and staring up at the sky above. "What's the point of this world being as real as it is if you don't take a moment and just experience it now and then?" Stop and smell the roses as they say... though there's likely not any roses to actually do so considering the time of year.

    Shiruba isn't the only one to find herself in this open field, actually Xander can be heard far before he is seen. As the Salamander adventurer is singing a song at the top of his lungs. Why? Because he can!

What is he singing?

"The hills are alive!!!! With the sound of music!!!!"

    ... he is perfectly /okay/. Really. Being trapped here is not starting to get to him at all.

Gwen says "Tell me about it there's a whole world of experience for real right?" The towering woman is still in plate armour and she mutters "Most of my glams are still level locked..." She looks at Xander for a moment.

"I prefer the Nero vid of the Hills are alive with the sounds of Kaiju."

    It is not the smell of roses. It is the biting scent of charcoal, the odor of burnt toast which announces the arrival of a certain spriggan girl, slightly shorter than average and DEFINITELY shorter than Gwen, on the scene.

    The olfactory sensations are explained once one sees her appearance: faces smeared in black, clothes, gloves and shoes likewise blackened all over her front, especially close to the face area, and hair stuck back, frozen in a backwards-swept position, her equally charred musical nurse's cap somehow hanging from the far end of it, instead of being perched atop her head as usual. She has a completely neutral poker face as she arrives, and when passing next to Xander, she just says, "Hi Xander." Yes, the two are on a deadpan-greeting-on-weird-circumstances basis.

"Hi, Shiruba," she says, and turning to Gwen, she cranes her head up, up, uuuuup, so much her cap falls off the precarious balancing point it was clinging to. "...hi person I've never met before.

"Wait, did they install showtunes in the music files... Oh, no, it's actual singing. Hello Xander." Shiruba lazily waves without getting up.

Though a moment later her relaxing is disturbed by something else that makes her nose scrunch up. Gah! Sometimes having stronger senses is a pain in the butt! She tilts her head to look towards the source of the olfactory offense. "... The hell happened to you, Uta?" She reachs over to grab the hat and toss it back to the Spriggan, then lays back down.

    Xander notices those gathered and does a little jazz hand wave, "Good day to all!" He then grins a little to Gwen, "Yeah, that wasn't to bad..."

The Salamander then sits down in the grass, with his hands back behind him. He looks-- exhausted, and if anyone dared to do a examine on him, they probably even see the debuff. Which he does run his normal inspects on everyone, as per habit of his.

"Gwen, yeah?" He looks up at the towering woman from where he sits. "You are--" Xander thinks of the right words to say with his tired mind. "-- a very tall woman. Probably a very strong woman..." He then hrms as he looks to the side. "... probably not someone to take on in an arm wrestling match."

    And yes, Shiruba it is just Xander doing 'I am slowly going crazy, save me' Xander things. Though before he says something to her, he nearly scoots back and leaps back up to his feet once the 'ghost' of Uta appears, "Ye gads! I knew one day...!" then he pauses, blinks a few times. "... what the /hell/ happened to you, Uta?!"

Gwen says "Hi I am person you have never met before.!" She smirks then adds "I'm Gwen Pendragon and you look like you just came from a raid wipe."

SHe notes before looking over at Xander nodding.

"Hey I randomized my Avatar, what can I say and yes I'm strong. I'm a Holy Knight!"

She grins even wider at this then looks back to Uta. "Seriously you look like someone who wiped on the bugged floor ten boss." She looks back to Xander and grins again.

"Then I guess you don't want to arm wrestle do you!"

    Uta clears her throat, without breaking her poker face. "I have four important announcements to make," she begins, either ignoring Shiruba's and Xander's questions, or perhaps using this as an opening to get there.

    "One!" She even raises one gloved hand (charred glove, of course) to emphasize the point. "I have found instructions on how to prepare healing potions. Two!" She raises a second finger. "...As a result of this, I have embarked on the learning process, which, it turns out, does lead to the occasional botched result. Three! As a result of this, I can confirm without a shade of doubt that this game has no profanity filter. Four!" She breaks into a huge grin, and whips out a couple of bottles from her gi/uniform, bottles which are charred on one side, and contain some sort of liquid. "I have completed my first antidotes and potions of minor healing! Anyone up for a drink?" She looks down at Xander. "You look like you could use some, man. What's wrong with you?"

    She finally seems to realize something, as if Gwen's word caught up with her brain only now, and she turns to the massive woman. "...a fellow avatar randomizer, eh? Well, you need a lot of congratulations or condolences, depending on your take on the whole story. Not sure which. But definitely a lot of them!"

As soon as Uta is done with her little presentation Shiruba askes without missing a beat "But how do they -taste-?"

She's still on the ground but she does roll onto her side to be able to see the small gathering of friends more easily. ".. Actually, nevermind." She props herself up on a elbow so she can cup that hand to her chin thoughtfully. "If they're medicine they're probably suppose to taste bad regardless. To make you not want to be in a situation to need to take said medicine again."

    "Its called inspect," Xander says slowly creeping away from Uta. "Old habit, but yeah. The name is Xander and-- if having to much on the mind to sleep is a raid wipe.." He chuckles. "... I'll take it."

The murmurs softly, "... and worried some idiots my try something stupid so was stalking them most of the night..."

For now, he lets the ladies talk as he tries to wake himself up before he acts like a bigger fool than he already is.

Gwen says "I am perfectly fine with this outcome."

She grins widely she looks Uta over for a moment

"Hey I get to try out all sorts of outfits I never could back on Earth. Sides I guess I am the giant foreign Amazonian now and I'm fine with that."

Her grin gets wider

"So sounds like you have been hard at work. If you are producing those? I'll be happy to buy a stack of each when you have the stock."

"You were the giant foreign Amazon in the first place!", Shiruba quips and winks at Gwen. No one but the two of them is going to get that.

Uta sighs at Shiruba. "Soggy crackers," is the simple answer, as she places one bottle next to Xander. Nothing more needs be said. A smile goes to Gwen. "Oh, well, if you like it, good for you!" She squints between the two women at their exchange; a glance is thrown Xander's way, then back to the duo. "Seems like no one but the two of you is going to get that. It's fine, I respect that. I mean- wait, wait, /buying/?" She blinks. "...Uh. I could sell those. Didn't think of it. Hmm. That could help with the current financial shortcomings."

Gwen says "Yes buy, my guil's grinding people up and having pots on hands would be wonderful, we cna work something out I think later right. Also do you need your clothing fixed? I am a Maid!" She grins even wider, at this somehow.

"That's why its an inside joke," Shiruba replies. "And yeah. People probably would. Healing isn't readily available outside a few classes, especially at low levels like this. It's a little awkward to pop a potion mid-fight, but when you need to patch up quickly afterwards they're a godsend."

Uta blinks at Gwen, absent-mindedly. "...uh..." She actually looks down and checks her outfit, and what is worse, without a hint of sarcasm. "Oh. Uh. Seems like I could use your help, yes," she says, as if noticing the damage for the first time. She tugs at the hems of her gi/uniform. "...I think it might have been gotten a little frayed..." She trails off. Man, is /someone/ absent-minded!

    "...Shiruba, that is great news. My current economic hardship might be closer to being over thanks to this momentous piece of news!" She scratches her chin. "...now, I just need to figure out where to gather the ingredients, though. Mizuki gave me the herbs for these..."

Gwen will move to sit down and pull out a sewing kit.

"If you could be so kind to give mr the clothing in quetion? I'll get you fixed up this shouldn't be too hard, right?" She looks a Uta as she spaces out a bit. "You coudl say that and you know Mizuki? I still need to test catnip on her."

Gwen idly notes and will wait to see if Uta hands the clothing over so she can get to work.

Shiruba pushes herself to sit up and give Gwen room to get her tools out. "Then the first thing would be to ask Mizuki where she found them," she replies to Uta. You would think that would be an obvious choice, but Uta does seem to be a little out of it.

Uta blinks at Gwen. "I have to, like, take it off?", she asks, suddenly sounding all nervous. "Uh... er..." She swipes through her menu and taps at various options. "...seems like the whole outfit is taken as one in here. Uh. I... I can't remove it from the menu. I mean, I technically /can/, but... I don't have another outfit to change into." She closes her menu and looks down at herself. "...I guess the old-fashioned way it will have to be then...", she comments, and after not a little amount of fumbling, she manages to untie her belt and hand over at least her gloves, cap, and the outermost top layer of her clothing, leaving her wearing only the blue layer underneath. "Thanks, Gwen! Let me know what catnip does to Mizuki. We have met only once, actually, but still, I am interested in the outcome. And I will have to give her at least a couple of potions as a thank you gift for the ingredients..."

    To Shiruba, "...she said they're an uncommon drop from the beginner monsters just outside town. Does that mean I follow monsters at a distance, and wait until one of them loses some herbs it's carrying?"

    Somewhere in all the lady talk that exhaustion debuff at last catches up to Xander, and so the Salamander at some point fell over, into the flowers, and is just-- asleep.

He is just-- dead asleep. In the flowers. In the warm sun. This is good. Even his tail is kinda curled up.

"Don't say you don't have alternate clothes around Gwen," Shiruba deadpans, though it's very much too late and she's mostly being sarcastic.

And Xander is asleep. Probably needed it, if he's one of those kinds of Adventurers that just run themselves until they can't anymore.

Gwen takes the clothing from Uta and grins she'll sit down cross-legged getting to work whistling as she goes, she listens to Uta for a moment.

"No you hunt it down and kill it."

Gwen notes as she's working away and then there's a pause.

"You have no alternative clothing!? Well, we'll have to do something about that and I'll need your measurements." Okay, she doesn't with how the menu equips work but hey it's how she knows to do it. She works away making plans, its too late for Uta...

Uta looks at Shiruba. "...have I said something insensitive?" She turns to Gwen. "I am sorry I said that I have no alternate clothes, Gwen. I- Wait, wait, /kill it/? As in... you know, fight and combat? Uh... I'm under srict orders from my doctor not to get killed." Considering how she's been making healing potions, there's a strong probability that Uta's doctor is... Uta herself.

    "...how do we measure ourselves? I... I don't think I've ever seen a measuring instrument since joining this game?"

    She turns to Xander. "Xander! How do I take my meas- Oh, he's sleeping," she says, suddenly lowering her voice. "Xander also told me not to get killed," she adds to Gwen. "See, I even got a second opinion."

Xander continues to sleep soundly, even as a little butterfly lands on his nose. He does try to swat it away. "... just five more minutes sarg..." Then rolls over. "...stupid... drills.." Snore!

Shiruba .. actually starts laughing a bit. Not in a mean way mind you. "No, no! ... Gwen just takes her fashion game -very- seriously." Goodness, Uta is even more of a newbie than she thought. Which, in some ways, might actually be a good thing? No preconceptions on how things use to be.

Once she stops chortling she smiles at Uta, little fangs showing. "That's when you ask others to fight them for you. Maybe doctor them afterwards as thanks. It's called a 'fetch quest'."

After a moment she quickly adds, "And no I'm not just saying fetch because I'm part canine."

Gwen is working away for a moment she looks to Uta. "It's called you hold still and I use a tape measure to get them."

Gwen did clothing design in real life after all and this is showing though here right now. She looks to Shiruba for a moment.

"Darn right I do!"

Uta continues rambling for a moment, "Do we even use the metric system in game? Is it too modern for the setting? Do we have our own fantasy equivalent? Do we get to make up our own system of measurement? If that is the case, it's very easy. My size is exactly one Uta. There, that was-" She goes completely silent when Shiruba mentions that Gwen takes her fashion game very seriously, as if something had just occurred to her. She was about to say something, but Gwen's "Darn right I do!" pretty much silences her. "Yes Ma'm!", she exclaims, and assumes the "T" pose, standing up, extending arms sideways. Determined to change the subject to avoid contradicting this woman much larger than her, she replies to Gwen, "...well, I mean, you /do/ make them fetch a bunch of sticks for you, and give them a treat afterwards..."

"... Uta. Don't overthink it. You'll just spiral down a hole you'll regret later." Shiruba glances over at Xander for a moment, and the odd mumblings, but no one wants to disturb him. ".. And you're better off just not resisting and letting her do her thing."

Shiruba knows, trust her. You don't stop that woman on a fashion quest.

Uta just stands still, arms spread (unless instructed otherwise by Gwen), and lets Gwen do her thing. "...If you say so, Shiruba..."

Shiruba snickers a bit, and lays back down, folding her hands behind her head. Not that she really needs the extra cushioning with all that hair. "Just think of this as part of getting familiar with being in that unfamiliar body." She's at least polite enough to not go into more specific implications than that. Though Uta hasn't really made a big secret of it, either.

Not at first, at least. Recently she tried to be responsible and more discreet, but, hey, enough word got out before that that learning it through hearsay is entierely possible. And we all know how distracted and absent-minded Uta can be.

    Unsure of what to reply at that, Uta attempts, "Are you saying 'familiar' because you're part- Wait, no, that's cats. Dang. I made a cat joke with a dog. Shame on me."

    "...speaking of unfamiliar bodies..." reprises Uta, "I've just realized, we've been trapped in this world for /weeks/ now. Shouldn't we... have starved by now? Heck, thirst should have gotten to us earlier than that! How are we still around and kicking?" She lowers her voice, "...isn't it about time that someone, somehow, has found a way to get us out?"

"Apparently, as bland as it tastes the food works. And it's hard to ruin water." Water is natural and unprepared, it probably tastes fine. Because it doesn't have a taste anyways.

Shiruba looks back up at the sky from her reclined position. "... Unless you mean..." A long pause follows. That's an awkwardly unpleasant thought to trail into.

"Well, if they're right and we're in comas, which the body wouldn't require as much to maintain..." We don't want to go farther down that road. She's trying to relax!

Uta shakes her head. "Sorry, just a thought." She resumes her relaxed smile. "Yeah, no need to worry. We are safe against all odds, and if we've made it so far, we're gonna make it until they get us out." Quick, time to change the subject! A happy place, a happy place! Something pleasant, soft, harmless. Something cuddly. You know the drill... Ducklings? Kittens? Bunnies?

    "...which reminds me, have you seen Jazz since last time we were together?"

    Xander at last wakes up and yawns. Thankfully, he had no dreams, which is better than dreaming at all. He has to raise up his hand to help filter out the sun. His draconic pupils narrowing to extremely tight slits, before he at last goes to sit up.

He flicks a flower out of his black hair, and then goes to stretch, before looking down at his boost. Then over at the ladies who have been doing-- who knows what.

"... Sorry about that." He yawns again, then goes to stand up at long last. "... Seems my all night patrol caught up with me." His head tilts, "... What did I miss?"

Shiruba props herself up on her elbows. "I saw her gushing over the homemade compass she came up with... but that was a few days ago." Shrugs a little. "I doubt she's gotten too far."

The looks over to the stirring Salamander. "HAving to actually sleep in-game is such a bother sometimes, I know."

Uta is currently standing in a "T" position, arms spread, so that Gwen can take her measurements for nefarious fashion-related purposes. "I have accidentally unleashed something upon the world," Uta explains to Xander. "Now I am bravely not resisting and letting her do her thing."

    She turns to Shiruba, "...hey! I like sleeping. It's my favourite part of the day! I don't like the part where there's no beds, or where you have to lie on your sides because wings and stuff, and the part where you can't sleep alone in a field because there might be monsters, or the part where- wait, am I actually bothered by the in-game sleeping?"

    "Honestly," Xander says softly to Shiruba, "... It is better than real life." He then looks off to the distance. His brows furrow gently, before he glances off to the trees.

Then his attention turns over to Uta and he chuckles softly. "Uh-huh. I see. Well, your monster to deal with." He says hand waving at her gently, as he yawns into his other arm.

"Well, technically... to sleep out in the open, even though its my favorite place to sleep, it /is/ dangerous." Xander says crossing his arms over his chest, looking to the side once more. "Just not from monsters... But players as well..."

Gwen finishes repairing the gear using the crafting menu and will hand the clothing back to Uta now with a grin.

"There we go this should do."

She handed the clothing to Uta with a grin on her face. She'll then put her stuff back into her inventory and flop on her back as she pulls up her wings as she does so.

    "... Oh... so was that the monster, Uta?" Xander asks pointing at Gewn and the clothing. "... The... Clothing monster?"

"Ayup." Shiruba scoots a bit closer to Xander, leans over, and lowers her voice to a mock conspiratorial whisper. "Don't mention you don't have any alternate clothing around her."

Gwen looks to Cander. "Clothing monster? Hey I'm not a monster! I help people look awesome!" She makes a very hurt and sad look on her face at this. "Hey you don't complain over what I gave you before the apoch or even my help out ofthe game1"

Shiruba holds up her hands. "Whoa, whoa, calm down Gwen! I'm just teasing!" And not the one that made the 'monster' jokes. Coughs softly. "Uh, maybe you should measure Uta before she falls over from standing there so long."

look on his face, with his eyes closed. Then says softly back. "... Noted."

Xander blinks at Gwen and then waves his hands quickly. Than nods to Shiruba, "What she said. Just a tease!" He then coughs in his hand.

Than he goes to stand up fully and stretches his back. "... Maybe you should look at opening a store, uh, Gwen right?" He says giving her a smile. "You seem to have a real passion for clothing."

Gwen gets up gets out a tape measure of some sort it's in metric? The American is using metric? Well, she's been in Japan long enough it seems ad she gets to work taking Uta's measurements, in a very professional manner. "So you said something about random earlier?"

Uta snaps out of her daze at Gwen's question, suddenly finding herself standing in the middle of the field, back in possession of her original outfit. "What? Oh. Oh, sorry, I was distracted. Yes, when I joined I knew nothing about the game, so I just let the random generator pick my character for me. Nice to find a like-minded individual in the game!"

"I only randomized the appearances," Shiruba replies. She gets onto her feet and stretchs a bit. "And for as much as I tease her, Gwen does go really good work. If you need stuff mended, she's the one to ask."

    Xander listens to Uta explain that 'she' picked the random generator and grins lightly. Though why he is grinning is hard to say.

As other talks about how they created their characters, Xander doesn't share his. Instead he just bites his thumb claw-nail looks off to the side. His tail flicks gently. Though he does look back at the three gently, yet he stays silent.

Gwen says "I admit I just randomized my apperance as well, I knew exactly what I wanted to do wtih build and crafting. Still things feel off even with my prototypes they feel a bit... scratchy I'm trying to work it out. AS how does silk end up scratchy?!"

Uta replies, "...Probably for the same reason why healing potions end up tasting like soggy crackers?"

    After that, she goes silent. And thinks. You know, steepled hands in front of lips thinking.

    "...Do you have to murder giant worms to get silks in this game?", she finally asks.

"Mysteries of the new word." Shiruba laid back again, refolding her hands under her head and the mess of hair it sports. "Nah... Giant spiders."

She's not dozing off like Xander did but she's definately quite for now, simply enjoying the peaceful time with a few friends around. And nothing has come along to ruin it yet.

    Xander looks down at Shiruba as she flops back, then over at the other two. "Well, seems you ladies have everything in fine order." He goes to place up his hand. "I think I'm going to go head down to some water and get a bath in."

The Salamander goes to turn away, unless someone stops him. "You madams have fun!"

Gwen says "No, I don't have to. Thank god!"

She seems to like the idea of spiders over giant worms.

"Don't have thumpers to deal with sandworms."

Then it hits Gwen no one knows that reference here in all likelihood.

"Whatcha going to be doing now Xander? Just leaving us all alone huh?"

Uta turns, slowly, slooooooooooowly, to look at Xander. "Hey, are you h-" But she doesn't continue the sentence, seemingly making a mental note to resume the discussion at a later moment. "Xander sounds like he's having fun," she says, perhaps tinged with the slightest hint of annoyance, loudly enough for Xander to hear.

     She sighs at Shiruba's explanation. "Oh, of course. Giant spiders. It's /always/ giant something deadly. Why does everything in this game always have to be harvested by dead giant deadly somethings? Why can't we, like, get wool by /petting bunnies/?" She rolls her eyes and spreads her arms. "Because if we could, of course, they'd be GIANT MURDER BUNNIES." Finally turning to Gwen, she asks, "...thumpers?"

    Xander stops and turns around to look at them, "You know, if you don't take baths from time to time, you get a debuff. You have to have water for that." The Salamander explains. "I happen to like bathing in rivers-- and swimming. I like.. to swim...Cause I haven't swam in a river... in a while."

He says all this making slight hand gestures and then stares at them, "And, it be very..." He inhales gently, "Rude to have you three... follow me. To the river. Cause..." Xander places his hand out to the side slowly, hoping they get it.

"He's going to take a -bath-, girls. Don't make it awkward," Shiruba remarks without looking up from her spot. Too comfortable to move.

Gwen says "Oh really I see!" Gwen seems amused and she'll stop at that she laughs a bit. "Fine have a good one Xander."

Uta replies to Xander, loud enough to be heard in the distance, "Wait, you don't do it through the menu? You literally... go take baths?" She turns abruptly to Shiruba. "Too late, Shi! It already /is/ awkward! LET US CHANGE THE SUBJECT." Nothing to add to Gwen.

Not getting out of the topic that easily as Shiruba sits up to peer at the other two girls. Though mostly Uta. "What, you haven't gone out to use a waterfall to take a shower yet? It's much more relaxing than just popping clean from a menu. Water -feels like water- now."

Gwen says "Yes, I do the same when I can and have even gone swimming. We're basically living here for the moment." She shrugs a bit. "It feels more normal to do stuff like that honestly."

    Xander stands there, his tail twitches gently as he listens to the women. He closes his eyes, which his bangs just-- hide his brow twitch gently. "... and even if you use the menu, you still have to be standing in water." He says softly.

Xander then extends his hand up in the air. "NOW! Before this gets any more awkward, I am going to take that bath. Please do not follow me or I might," He peers back with a dark glint in his eyes from the shade of his hair. ".. have to drown you."

    "See you gals later!!" He says with a cheery voice.

Uta looks between Gwen and Shiruba. But mostly Shiruba. "...I am very confused at how to handle all this," she finally admits. And at Xander, "Shut up or I'm gonna sic JAZZ on you! Good luck drowning that one!"

Shiruba just chuckles a bit as she lays back down. She can guess a few reasons Uta isn't entirely sure about it, but she's caused enough teasing trouble so she's going to be polite now and not voice them. At least not out in public.

Gwen lets Xander go do his thing.

"See you later!" She waves to them for a moment she look sat Uta for a moment "Oh you are friends with Jazz?"

Shir would know the look Gwen has ideas rolling through her head andd then she gazes to Shir as well.

"There is no escape now. Xander was smart to run when he did," Shiruba states matter-of-factly. "But hey, you'll probably get a nice dancing bard outfit out of it."

Uta replies, "I've met her once. Speaking of friends..." She flicks her menu open, and sends Gwen a friend invite. "Sorry I haven't done this earlier. I was too busy changing subjects to stick to a specific one. She blinks at Shiruba. "...what does that one look like?"

Shiruba emits an "Ahdunno" grunt from where she's lying. "Presuming something light and easy to move in."