Diabolicalrhapsody said
@Takaru: Would you mind if I fast forward the late lunch? I can get another post in.
Sure, no objections from me.
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Sure, no objections from me.
Thessalia's attention was briefly drawn from the stagnating 'discussion' in front of her and toward a subdued outburst not far from here - not that it was rare for rival guilds to get into each other's hairs or even just personal grudges to spill over in such high-tension situations. What caught her attention, however, was whom it involved - one of them was a barely even familiar face whilst the other was the de-facto leader of Spero, one of the top five frontline guilds and by far the smallest yet one of the most efficient. It came as a small surprise to see one of their members, who usually were quite level-headed in the face of Boss Fights, to get into into someone else's face like they were now. Though Thessalia highly doubted anything would happen in such a large crowd, her hand still rested upon the grip of her curved sword - only for the situation to clear itself after just another few moments.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, she brought her focus back to the two guild leaders - who, in the mean time, had somehow managed to reach an epiphany in the form of the exact same tactic that they used every time; go in defensively until the attack patterns were known and then go for the weaknesses thereof. However, who would go on to take over the tanking and who'd be the main attack group always seemed to draw the same bickering between them; even with everyone's lives on the line. Seeing as it was the standard plan, Thessalia already knew her own place - taking care of adds and, if there were none or they were all killed, support the attack on the boss.
With the strategy now clear, Thessalia stepped back from the table and into the masses that were gathered until she reached the wall of the room that the meeting was being held in; opening her inventory as she did so. Going through a mental checklist, she made sure that everything was ready for the upcoming fight - gear in top condition with a backup weapon, plenty of healing potions and crystals, a teleport crystal or three just to be safe and enough food and drink for three days; her usual assortment of fighting utensils and one that she maintained meticulously, seeing as it was her life-line in this world - and thus leaving her to always make sure she was always more than prepared at any time.
Satisfied with the result of her quick checkup, Thessalia looked up again - and saw that the usual group-making had begun. Naturally, those of the same guilds stuck together, forming either focused attack, defense or support squads or mixed groups that could be used flexibly according to how the fight developed; the larger guilds usually also providing most of the fighting force. Of course, there was safety in such numbers - yet Thessalia still remained a solo player and, as such, was usually forcibly stuck together with whoever got left over in the group-making process; usually leading to a group of individuals that all had a different role in the battle and thus was in name only and to make up the numbers of the raid group.
Suppressing yet another sigh at those thoughts, Thessalia simply raised her hand as one of the Guild Leaders spoke up, asking anyone who remained without a group to step forth so they could fill up the remaining squads. Stepping forth to the table, the leader was adding the members of the guilds that were participating to the large Boss Fight Raid Group as well as the few solo players as they made themselves known, too. "Oh, you're still alive?" the Leader asked, his tone making his distaste for solo players noticeable. Rather than even answer, Thessalia simply remained silent as she accepted the party invite before stepping back.
It was to be expected, really - these days, frontline solo players really were a minority; the opinion on them being rather divided. A large portion - mostly those from large guilds - saw them as a nuisance; indecisive and selfish players that were hoarding resources that should be put toward furthering guilds', and therefore the players as a whole's, advancement. Others, meanwhile, simply saw them as fellow players; neither better or worse than any other, just making their way through Aincrad to the best of their abilities. Some even considered them to be heroes to stand alone on the harsh frontlines - the latter being restricted mostly to the lower floors or those with personal grudges against larger guilds. To Thessalia meanwhile, being a solo players was simply what she was - nothing more, nothing less.
Breathing a small sigh of relief, she brought her focus back to the two guild leaders - who, in the mean time, had somehow managed to reach an epiphany in the form of the exact same tactic that they used every time; go in defensively until the attack patterns were known and then go for the weaknesses thereof. However, who would go on to take over the tanking and who'd be the main attack group always seemed to draw the same bickering between them; even with everyone's lives on the line. Seeing as it was the standard plan, Thessalia already knew her own place - taking care of adds and, if there were none or they were all killed, support the attack on the boss.
With the strategy now clear, Thessalia stepped back from the table and into the masses that were gathered until she reached the wall of the room that the meeting was being held in; opening her inventory as she did so. Going through a mental checklist, she made sure that everything was ready for the upcoming fight - gear in top condition with a backup weapon, plenty of healing potions and crystals, a teleport crystal or three just to be safe and enough food and drink for three days; her usual assortment of fighting utensils and one that she maintained meticulously, seeing as it was her life-line in this world - and thus leaving her to always make sure she was always more than prepared at any time.
Satisfied with the result of her quick checkup, Thessalia looked up again - and saw that the usual group-making had begun. Naturally, those of the same guilds stuck together, forming either focused attack, defense or support squads or mixed groups that could be used flexibly according to how the fight developed; the larger guilds usually also providing most of the fighting force. Of course, there was safety in such numbers - yet Thessalia still remained a solo player and, as such, was usually forcibly stuck together with whoever got left over in the group-making process; usually leading to a group of individuals that all had a different role in the battle and thus was in name only and to make up the numbers of the raid group.
Suppressing yet another sigh at those thoughts, Thessalia simply raised her hand as one of the Guild Leaders spoke up, asking anyone who remained without a group to step forth so they could fill up the remaining squads. Stepping forth to the table, the leader was adding the members of the guilds that were participating to the large Boss Fight Raid Group as well as the few solo players as they made themselves known, too. "Oh, you're still alive?" the Leader asked, his tone making his distaste for solo players noticeable. Rather than even answer, Thessalia simply remained silent as she accepted the party invite before stepping back.
It was to be expected, really - these days, frontline solo players really were a minority; the opinion on them being rather divided. A large portion - mostly those from large guilds - saw them as a nuisance; indecisive and selfish players that were hoarding resources that should be put toward furthering guilds', and therefore the players as a whole's, advancement. Others, meanwhile, simply saw them as fellow players; neither better or worse than any other, just making their way through Aincrad to the best of their abilities. Some even considered them to be heroes to stand alone on the harsh frontlines - the latter being restricted mostly to the lower floors or those with personal grudges against larger guilds. To Thessalia meanwhile, being a solo players was simply what she was - nothing more, nothing less.
Sen said
[...] Can you check again? Just to be sure.
Yeah, definitely still he- aw, crap, there I am, running off after having kidnapped myself. Guess I'm not here anymore.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School Grounds
Kotori nearly jumped - not for the first time that day - when Alexei and Inoue exclaimed in near-perfect synchronicity at her answer. Looking a little confused between the two, Inoue went first - causing Kotori to avoid looking them in the eyes out of embarassement as she said that it both fit her well and was most likely helping the sales; even if Kotori couldn't help but feel that someone more forward such as Inoue herself would be a lot better in the task. Sagat then spoke up - causing Inoue in turn to apologise with a bow. "Ah, no, it's no bother," Kotori quickly said, shaking her head to emphasise that it was of no matter - only for Alexei to speak up thereafter.
His question was rather unexpected to Kotori - he certainly wasn't the first person who would come to mind when she thought of a usual customer, after all. He then went on to explain the reason for his asking - causing a small smile to form on Kotori's lips when he said that he was asking on behalf of being able to give the girls of his family - his sisters, she guessed - a bouquet each day. Alexei seemed almost embarrassed at the question - probably due to it being a little at odds with the gruff appearance he gave off - and quickly mentioned that they should get going; seeing as they had already been lingering on school ground for a while now.
Letting the three MMA Club members who knew exactly where the restaurat in question was take the lead, Kotori thought on Alexei's request for a moment - before coming to the conclusion that there probably was some way to help out with his situation. "I think it should be possible, Dragunov-senpai," Kotori said tentatively, putting a finger to her lips thoughtfully before nodding to herself - seeing as her mother had always been asking for her to bring some friends by, this was as good an opportunity as any; even if they had only just met - and she had a feeling that her mother wouldn't mind at all after hearing the same story.
"Yes, definitely. Just come by the Shirohane Flowerstore in the Shopping District when you have time," she said after a brief pause - before remembering that both Sagat and Alexei only recently had come to Warakuma, prompting her next question. "Have you been there before?" Kotori asked, seeing as there was little sense in telling someone to come by a place they didn't even know how to find - much less if they hadn't even been to the Shopping District, if that was the case.
"Yes, Infact my employer Mitshuro Constructions has a dealership office there. I have been around there a few times. Always eyed the shop from the outside, it had some beautiful peonies that caught my eye." Alexei said to answer Kotori. He had a mildly embarrased look on his face as he reflected back on his initial words regarding this flower business.
"I dont wanna impose on you, I mean you hardly know me for me to be asking such a favor. My apologies." he said clearing up. Sagat meanwhile was fairly bemused seeing this side of Alexei. From the amount of time they had spent with each other, he looked like a man of strangely artistic tastes whose body language conveyed the exact opposite. Inoue held a surprised expression too, she hadnt fancied him to know anything about flowers and yet he was there, talking like he knew what was what.
"I will drop by if you dont mind. What time does the shop open? Do you guys deliver on request?" he asked curious about the flowerstore that the junior ran.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets
Kotori nodded with a quiet "Ah" in understanding as Alexei mentioned the name of the company he worked part-time for; walking past it regularly on her way to the mall whenever she headed out from home for errands. Another small smile followed when he then mentioned having seen the store from the outside - "Ah, yes, those are coming into season right now," she confirmed - not even picking up on the discrepancy between Alexei's appearance and his knowledge of the flower's name. As he then went on to apologise for the suddenness of his question, Kotori shook her head to show that it was no bother. "It's fine, really. It must be hard looking out for your family," she said, her honest tone making clear that she really was speaking what was on her mind.
When Alexei continued, Kotori nodded at his mention of dropping by before answering his questions. "We're open from half past seven until half past six, Monday through Saturday. And yes, we do morning and evening deliveries. Both on Sundays, too," she said, realising that her mother always said these lines with such enthusiasm and a great big smile whenever she talked with a new customer compared to her quiet, matter-of-factly way of stating things - Kotori really wasn't much of a salesperson, after all.
As the junior replied in an earnest voice about the schedule ofthe shop run by her family, a small smile crept on Alexeis face, now he wont have to go to that shop out of town to get the flowers and that the timins were particularly conveinient for him.
"I will certainly drop by with my request soon. This is a lot of help, thank you. As for looking after my family, well I am the only one who can, so I stopped fussing about it and accepted it." Alexei told with a matter of factly tone.
"We all do our little bits to help our family, what I do is nothing special like you. The responsibility of running a family business is tough job. I know because I see how hard Sagat works." he said, drifitng a bit in his own thoughts.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets
At Alexei's words, Kotori gave a simple nod before he thanked her, prompting her to shake her head in turn. "It's no big matter, really," she said before he went on to talk about how he supported his family - because he could and because he had to. It seemed that, compared to her, who helped out because she could, wanted to and even liked to, even if it wasn't strictly necessary, he had it a lot rougher - yet he assumed that it was less of a task than her own. Quickly bringing a hand up to wave it off, together with a shake of her head, Kotori said "Ah, I just help out. It's not really that much." Which, indeed, was true - she really did only help out, and even that only when she wasn't at school, meaning that it was still her mother who kept the shop running; something she had been doing for the last three years. For a brief moment, Kotori's expression dimmed - before shaking her head; instead looking back up at her surroundings to make sure she'd remember where exactly they were going.
Noboru
Noboru looked on as the three conversed between each other. He didn't want to interrupt, they seemed as if they were having a fun time. His mind couldn't focus as he looked off, not watching where he was going. His shirt felt a little tight, stretching across his bosy. It wasn't meant for him, but it was given to him to wear, so he wore it. Deciding that he wasn't hungry anymore, Noboru slipped away, without anyone noticing, deciding to pay a small visit to someone.
"We're here." Sagat announced in a monotone. Their walk had been pretty uneventful barring the conversation between Alexei and Kotori. Inoue had been looking at the road blankly all this while, still recovering from her gaffe. She snapped back in reality from the announcement.
"I'll have Pork Ramen" Alexei declared before Inoue announced having the urge to eat riceballs and soup. Sagat was hungry but decided that taking bites off tye two orders was what he'll do. With this Alexei asked Kotori politely "what is it you would like to have, Shirohane-san."
He just noticed that Noboru had suddenly gone missing. No one catching his absence till they made to the restaurant. They wondered when he slipped by.
Kotori Shirohane - Thai Restaurant
Following the short conversation, Kotori excused herself from it for a moment, citing having to phone home as a reason - as she had yet to let her mother know that she would be back a little later than usual and wouldn't be needing dinner. Little did she notice, in the meantime, that Noboru silently snuck off - the fact that he had only coming to light when she apologised for having to make a call in the presence of others. Looking about, she couldn't see the fellow Second Year anywhere - did he perhaps have some urgent business to attend to? Seeing as she didn't know much about him, there was little point in trying to guess his reasons. Deciding to put off doing so, she instead followed the Third Years as they drew near their destination.
Entering the restaurant, it turned out to be a comfortably-sized one; a number of guests already inside ranging from a fellow student or two to other residents of Warakuma. The three MMA Club members seemed rather at ease, most likely having come here fairly often - leaving only Kotori to sheepishly follow behind them, trying not to look too out of place or draw any attention. After deciding what they'd be getting for themselves, Alexei turned to her, asking her what she wanted. Thinking on the question for a moment, Kotori decided to go with something simple. "I'll have some curry," she said - before adding "but a small one" as she looked between the three MMA Club members and herself, considering the difference in their builds.
Kotori nearly jumped - not for the first time that day - when Alexei and Inoue exclaimed in near-perfect synchronicity at her answer. Looking a little confused between the two, Inoue went first - causing Kotori to avoid looking them in the eyes out of embarassement as she said that it both fit her well and was most likely helping the sales; even if Kotori couldn't help but feel that someone more forward such as Inoue herself would be a lot better in the task. Sagat then spoke up - causing Inoue in turn to apologise with a bow. "Ah, no, it's no bother," Kotori quickly said, shaking her head to emphasise that it was of no matter - only for Alexei to speak up thereafter.
His question was rather unexpected to Kotori - he certainly wasn't the first person who would come to mind when she thought of a usual customer, after all. He then went on to explain the reason for his asking - causing a small smile to form on Kotori's lips when he said that he was asking on behalf of being able to give the girls of his family - his sisters, she guessed - a bouquet each day. Alexei seemed almost embarrassed at the question - probably due to it being a little at odds with the gruff appearance he gave off - and quickly mentioned that they should get going; seeing as they had already been lingering on school ground for a while now.
Letting the three MMA Club members who knew exactly where the restaurat in question was take the lead, Kotori thought on Alexei's request for a moment - before coming to the conclusion that there probably was some way to help out with his situation. "I think it should be possible, Dragunov-senpai," Kotori said tentatively, putting a finger to her lips thoughtfully before nodding to herself - seeing as her mother had always been asking for her to bring some friends by, this was as good an opportunity as any; even if they had only just met - and she had a feeling that her mother wouldn't mind at all after hearing the same story.
"Yes, definitely. Just come by the Shirohane Flowerstore in the Shopping District when you have time," she said after a brief pause - before remembering that both Sagat and Alexei only recently had come to Warakuma, prompting her next question. "Have you been there before?" Kotori asked, seeing as there was little sense in telling someone to come by a place they didn't even know how to find - much less if they hadn't even been to the Shopping District, if that was the case.
"Yes, Infact my employer Mitshuro Constructions has a dealership office there. I have been around there a few times. Always eyed the shop from the outside, it had some beautiful peonies that caught my eye." Alexei said to answer Kotori. He had a mildly embarrased look on his face as he reflected back on his initial words regarding this flower business.
"I dont wanna impose on you, I mean you hardly know me for me to be asking such a favor. My apologies." he said clearing up. Sagat meanwhile was fairly bemused seeing this side of Alexei. From the amount of time they had spent with each other, he looked like a man of strangely artistic tastes whose body language conveyed the exact opposite. Inoue held a surprised expression too, she hadnt fancied him to know anything about flowers and yet he was there, talking like he knew what was what.
"I will drop by if you dont mind. What time does the shop open? Do you guys deliver on request?" he asked curious about the flowerstore that the junior ran.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets
Kotori nodded with a quiet "Ah" in understanding as Alexei mentioned the name of the company he worked part-time for; walking past it regularly on her way to the mall whenever she headed out from home for errands. Another small smile followed when he then mentioned having seen the store from the outside - "Ah, yes, those are coming into season right now," she confirmed - not even picking up on the discrepancy between Alexei's appearance and his knowledge of the flower's name. As he then went on to apologise for the suddenness of his question, Kotori shook her head to show that it was no bother. "It's fine, really. It must be hard looking out for your family," she said, her honest tone making clear that she really was speaking what was on her mind.
When Alexei continued, Kotori nodded at his mention of dropping by before answering his questions. "We're open from half past seven until half past six, Monday through Saturday. And yes, we do morning and evening deliveries. Both on Sundays, too," she said, realising that her mother always said these lines with such enthusiasm and a great big smile whenever she talked with a new customer compared to her quiet, matter-of-factly way of stating things - Kotori really wasn't much of a salesperson, after all.
As the junior replied in an earnest voice about the schedule ofthe shop run by her family, a small smile crept on Alexeis face, now he wont have to go to that shop out of town to get the flowers and that the timins were particularly conveinient for him.
"I will certainly drop by with my request soon. This is a lot of help, thank you. As for looking after my family, well I am the only one who can, so I stopped fussing about it and accepted it." Alexei told with a matter of factly tone.
"We all do our little bits to help our family, what I do is nothing special like you. The responsibility of running a family business is tough job. I know because I see how hard Sagat works." he said, drifitng a bit in his own thoughts.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Streets
At Alexei's words, Kotori gave a simple nod before he thanked her, prompting her to shake her head in turn. "It's no big matter, really," she said before he went on to talk about how he supported his family - because he could and because he had to. It seemed that, compared to her, who helped out because she could, wanted to and even liked to, even if it wasn't strictly necessary, he had it a lot rougher - yet he assumed that it was less of a task than her own. Quickly bringing a hand up to wave it off, together with a shake of her head, Kotori said "Ah, I just help out. It's not really that much." Which, indeed, was true - she really did only help out, and even that only when she wasn't at school, meaning that it was still her mother who kept the shop running; something she had been doing for the last three years. For a brief moment, Kotori's expression dimmed - before shaking her head; instead looking back up at her surroundings to make sure she'd remember where exactly they were going.
Noboru
Noboru looked on as the three conversed between each other. He didn't want to interrupt, they seemed as if they were having a fun time. His mind couldn't focus as he looked off, not watching where he was going. His shirt felt a little tight, stretching across his bosy. It wasn't meant for him, but it was given to him to wear, so he wore it. Deciding that he wasn't hungry anymore, Noboru slipped away, without anyone noticing, deciding to pay a small visit to someone.
"We're here." Sagat announced in a monotone. Their walk had been pretty uneventful barring the conversation between Alexei and Kotori. Inoue had been looking at the road blankly all this while, still recovering from her gaffe. She snapped back in reality from the announcement.
"I'll have Pork Ramen" Alexei declared before Inoue announced having the urge to eat riceballs and soup. Sagat was hungry but decided that taking bites off tye two orders was what he'll do. With this Alexei asked Kotori politely "what is it you would like to have, Shirohane-san."
He just noticed that Noboru had suddenly gone missing. No one catching his absence till they made to the restaurant. They wondered when he slipped by.
Kotori Shirohane - Thai Restaurant
Following the short conversation, Kotori excused herself from it for a moment, citing having to phone home as a reason - as she had yet to let her mother know that she would be back a little later than usual and wouldn't be needing dinner. Little did she notice, in the meantime, that Noboru silently snuck off - the fact that he had only coming to light when she apologised for having to make a call in the presence of others. Looking about, she couldn't see the fellow Second Year anywhere - did he perhaps have some urgent business to attend to? Seeing as she didn't know much about him, there was little point in trying to guess his reasons. Deciding to put off doing so, she instead followed the Third Years as they drew near their destination.
Entering the restaurant, it turned out to be a comfortably-sized one; a number of guests already inside ranging from a fellow student or two to other residents of Warakuma. The three MMA Club members seemed rather at ease, most likely having come here fairly often - leaving only Kotori to sheepishly follow behind them, trying not to look too out of place or draw any attention. After deciding what they'd be getting for themselves, Alexei turned to her, asking her what she wanted. Thinking on the question for a moment, Kotori decided to go with something simple. "I'll have some curry," she said - before adding "but a small one" as she looked between the three MMA Club members and herself, considering the difference in their builds.
SwordfishKnight said
So who all is still here? Can I get some sort of rolecall thing to see? That way I can collect up names, upddate lists, and send it over to good ole king Savo.
Last time I checked, I'm still here.
SwordfishKnight said
Guess we can't call him No Sho anymore. Sadface.
Perhaps you should have savoured it while it lasted.
Well, you could do the same as everyone else - describe any changes in equipment, mentality or position; the thoughts on the guild leaders or the current strategy meeting - or that pretty little butterfly that somehow managed to find its way in and is fluttering about. You know, whatever you feel like.
Well, we're on Floor 50 now, a whole year has passed since the start of the game and there's a strategy meeting about this floor's boss going on. The two leaders of the largest and foremost frontline guilds are bickering among themselves about how to go about the boss fight and everyone else is just waiting for them to get it over with so a plan can actually be formulated.
Feel free to add anything else to the mix.
Feel free to add anything else to the mix.
SwordfishKnight said
I'll hop onto the pad for a little bit then.
Indeed. Operation Alexei-Noboru-Kotori Collab is go!
SwordfishKnight said
I won't be able to post for about eleven to twelve hours. I will be able to hop onto the collab so that's an option. It's Takaru's call.
*ring*
Yes, this is Takaru. Oh, it's not that kind of call?
Anyway, I'd be open for both options - continuing, whether by collab or the regular way, or just skip-flashbackin'. Though seeing as the day is winding down, I'd say it would probably be better to get things done in a timely manner - so perhaps a collab would indeed be a good idea.
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