Complete ✪ Finweald After Training Bonding

[Hanasakura Okami]

Okami wanted to hone her skills. While she worked at a cafe in the real world, she was the equivalent of military personnel in the game. The magia did not want to hold her companions in arms back and disappointed her seniors. Was it a cultural influence or her own personal desire, Okami was not exactly clear if it was either. Regardless, after beating up training dummy after training dummy, going through drills and exercises that would break her in real life, a day's rest would come.

And usually, she would be alone. Often times the barracks were simply filled with NPCs. While extremely convincing as people, they were in the end stuck to a programmed routine which meant she would not exactly get anything meaningful out of a couple Johns and Janes. However, she had managed to spot a player amidst the training.

So she asked @Cleo Looker out for a nice meal, a companion on a lonely evening after a hard day's work would ease the aches and burdens of their body. In a spiritual sense. There's no denying that they'll still be feeling it till next week. Okami however was not exactly sure of a meal destination, so she would aimlessly wander, hoping perhaps a cafe would be along that path. If there was one thing she knew best, cafes were a great place to unwind.

 

[Cleo Looker]

Being around the regiment and strict training of the Lion Arms was pretty familiar for Cleo. After all, the police were in and of themselves something of an army, so it made sense that a lot of the training would feel similar, even if she hadn't quite been absolutely demolishing training dummies with a lance when she'd been attending the police academy in the real world. That would have at least made her academy days more interesting, to say the least. The best times had always been when they were practicing physical takedowns or something as equally combative, even if she hadn't quite excelled at that kind of thing.

She certainly hadn't expected to be approached in the barracks after training by a fellow player, though it was nice to spot an actual person amongst the sea of robots that she'd been drowning in. The offer for a meal felt weirdly like being asked out on a date by a coworker, but she really had no reason to refuse that kind of thing. A little cameraderie building between people that would be allied for some time was never going to be a bad thing.

Though, they had been walking for a while now and they'd still not actually stopped anywhere. They'd passed by a couple of restaurants, but the stranger seemed to have something particular in mind, whatever it was. It definitely had Cleo lost in thought, looking around, before she turned back around to look at Okami.

So um, not to be impatient or anything, but where exactly are we going for dinner? You seem to have something in mind, we've passed a vendor or two selling food. Are you looking for a specific kind of restaurant or a cafe or something like that? Because there's a cafe five minutes to the east by foot.

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

A cafe five minutes east? Perfect. Okami reaches the junction on the path and takes a right. She then spots the familiar cafe troupes. Hanging sign outside, a chalkboard menu out front and most of all the smell of fragrant coffee. However, one thing in particular stood out. The cat motif.

Once they made their way and stopped before it, Okami looks at Cleo, then back at the sign. The Purring Serve. Admittedly, she did not expect such a suggestion from someone who looks a bit serious. Even though she had a deadpan expression, there was a hint of awkwardness.

"It's cute, isn't it?" Okami smiled, trying to hide any chance for Cleo to detect any chance of awkwardness. Good friends need good first impression. "Let's go."

Okami pushed the door open and walks inside, the tingling of a bell as they are greeted with a cute sight of a chill rustic bar adorned with sleeping felines.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Welp, it seemed that her suggestion had been taken, as Cleo immediately swerved right to keep up with the strange woman she was going for dinner with, blinking as they came across a cafe with some kind of cat motif. She blinked again and the cats remained, the agent rubbing at her eyes, before shaking her head. Was this place supposed to be modelled after Japanese culture or something? It definitely stood out as unique amongst everything else here. She wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or not.

Well uh, it's certainly unique. I hadn't expected to run into something like this here, of all places. I could've sworn that it was just a regular cafe, as far as I was told anyway.

Maybe a UI-locked player had influenced this, or it was owned by a lander that had been influenced by a player, maybe somebody that wouldn't shut up about what their own homeland was like or something like that.

Walking inside they were instantly surrounded by cute decor and cats. So many cats. Cats everywhere. There was no way that this place was sanitary enough to serve food. That just wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Cats were pretty mucky and could get basically anywhere, after all.

Still, it didn't stop them from being seated, Cleo awkwardly wringing her hands in her lap, before she decided she'd try to start up a conversation.

So, do you ask all of the new squires out on a date straight away, or am I the lucky one?

She chuckled. It was kind of like a date, wasn't it? The other woman probably wasn't into women, or even thinking of it as a date, though.

I don't think I even caught your name or introduced myself. My name is Cleo Looker, I'm a new squire. Really new, at that.

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

Okami had her curiosity held onto like a leash. It was just like back in Japan where animal cafes were really popular. Usually, animals are well kept and permed in order to maintain strict hygiene standards. Food prepared would always be in a separate area and delivered by hand to prevent contamination. Keep the food and drinks away from the cats and the food and drinks will remain safe to eat.

As they were seated, a black cat climbed onto Okami's lap, its blue eyes peered up at her as it made itself comfortable. A bit of idle stroking later, and even though Okami wore no facial expression beyond standstill, somehow the emotion of elation would be delivered. If it did not, it would be a comical sight seeing Okami's hands pamper the kitty while having dead fish eyes.

"Date? No. But you are lucky. You happen to be the only player I have seen in the training grouds," If this was real life, Okami would have a bit more going on. A brief stutter or change in tone. But Form over Function gave her an odd speech quirk, which fixed the stutter but cuts tone from the way she speaks, sometimes. Okami however, was into women. The mention of a date, especially with someone who looked that pretty, elevated her a bit more than petting cute animals. Though it was a virtual avatar, so she had to remind herself that. It was just an invitation to hang out.

"Hanasakura Okami, my first name would be Okami," Okami made clear, just in case @Cleo Looker might end up calling her Hanasakura by accident. Calling her by surname, though fake, was a bit too formal for what she hope is a budding friendship.

"I'm also a Squire, so in a way we are both newbies huh,"

 

[Cleo Looker]

Seeing a cat leap into the woman's lap was something of an odd sight. Definitely domesticated, then. Cats normally weren't quite so eager to greet a total stranger, unless they'd been specifically raised that way. It definitely hammered home how much time and preparation went into a business like this, one that was far more common in the real world. The woman seemed happy about the fact that a friendly cat had rushed up to greet her, though, so that was nice. It was slightly unsettling how unamused or unanimated the woman seemed to be, though. Her analytic mind raced through possibilities. Hopefully not depression.

The only player? I didn't think that there was such a lack of Travelers joining the Lion Arms now? I honestly hadn't really noticed all that much.

Even the woman's voice sounded dead, though. Well, not so much dead, but toneless. Like there wasn't much driving force behind any of the words she was speaking. It wasn't much of a dealbreaker, though. It was honestly easier than dealing with somebody who sprinted everywhere and screamed basically every word that came out of their mouth.

She did not have the energy for that type of person.

Ah, Okami, then. Is it alright if I use your first name? I understand that, if you're Japanese in reality, that the usage of the first name is something of a big deal in that culture. I can accomodate easily enough.

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

Okami watched as another cat, ginger with stripes, stroll up to Cleo, meowing and making itself known to Cleo. Then another cat, a calico, decided to make its claim up against her fellow Squire's leg. While Okami did not exactly laugh, she found the moment rather comedic, in her head giggling to herself. As she lets the cat on her lap relax and make itself at home, Okami would nod.

"Mm, it's okay if you do, calling me by my last name would be too formal, when in Rome do as Romans do, and here they call people by first name anyway," Okami doesn't break a smile, but there was some tone in her voice to suggest that she was friendly about the idea at least. A waitress, dressed professionally, with a large cat paw print on her apron, would hand the two menus for the place.

"So how did you end up joining?" Okami asked, looking at the menu's available items. Coffee, full meals, fruit juices, ice cream... Okami wondered if the store was influenced by a real player, since all the items could be found in a regular cat cafe. Even the cat puns were the same. Like Tirapurrsu or Orange Meowce. Granted the puns were in English, but the structure feels very local to her.

"I don't have any elaborate tale really, there was a sign up posting and I thought I would meld with the Lions better."

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo almost flinched when a cat strolled up to her, meowing at her, some ginger thing with stripes, whilst a calico rubbed up against her leg. It had the agent blinking, looking down at the animals, chuckling slightly as she reached down to give them a brief petting. She'd never really been an animal person, though she'd never really been against animals. She'd just always been too busy to think of getting a pet. It was cruel to leave a dog alone for many hours of the day, whilst she wasn't sure she had time to look after something like a cat.

The pains of living alone and being a career driven person.

Sure thing. Okami it is then. It's nice to meet you, Okami.

She nodded her head in greeting, then turning to nod her head and give the waitress that delivered their menus her thanks, before she opened her own menu up to take a look at all of the different foods and drinks for sale. She did almost groan at all of the caytpuns that were contained within, though she managed to fight off the urge and simply turned her attention back to Okami at her question.

Well, the Lions were gathering a bunch of people I guess in a recruitment drive or something. They held some meeting, then the roof of a tavern collapsed, we all helped fix it and that was where I signed up with them. A little hesitantly, but I think they probably do the best work out of all the factions, so long as they remember that it isn't just the starting zones and the newest players that need to be protected or helped with things. There are plenty of experienced players who can let their own egos get the better of them.

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

Okami nods in agreement. In a similar vein to Cleo, she picked the Lions simply for their morals over their methods. If there was a faction catered towards saving everyone, both pro and noob, the Lion Arms seem to be the way to go for such a commitment.

Okami wondered as she played with the cat's ears. She did not want the conversation to become stale and awkward. What to ask she thought. She was a people person in real life, but the game lets her explore her more introverted and reserved emotions she tucked away.

Then a question comes to mind. Since they were in a cat cafe, why not be on such a topic?

"Cleo, which cat do you think resembles the higher ranks?" Okami asked, the poker face betraying the silly nature of the question. "Mm, like which cat resembles Levi best?"

Okami scans the room, hoping to perhaps find a cat that as the cool and serious aura of the flame maned Lion.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well at least they were in agreement there, though it made sense that they were, considering that they were both members of the Lion Arms. They wouldn't have joined up if they didn't think that the faction was the right one for them, or at least, Cleo liked to hope that she wasn't that impulsive and that Okami wasn't that impulsive either.

She reached down again to pet the cats that had come to greet her, though they seemed to lose interest and wander off, as cats tended to do. At least, she thought cats were like that. The internet had really given them a reputation for being solitary and introverted creatures, so she was basing all of her judgements off of that.

Though Okami's question came a bit out of left field. It wasn't the kind of question she'd expected with a serious face like the woman's being directed at her. Still, Cleo glanced around the room, looking for a cat that resembled Levi.

I don't really know Levi all that well, but I think maybe...that one.

She pointed to a ginger cat, a few shades deeper of an orange, just barely resembling red, sat staring out of a window.

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

Okami stares at the ginger. It did look like Levi. The way it stared out into the open like a collected man deep in thought. Perhaps the cat is contemplating the reason the sky is blue, or perhaps staring into the streets and asking itself what would life be on the other side. Regardless of reason, it did fit the Levi look.

Personally, she had never actually met him, so Okami would have to take Cleo's word for it. If the lady before her had personally met such a prestigious individual, clearly then perhaps the window ginger would be the perfect answer. Such profound thinking however can't be read on her face. All she did was nod in agreement and then pointed towards a wizened looking yellow tabby, seemingly being pestered by kittens, an awfully cute sight that Okami enjoyed greatly.

"I'm just gonna..." Okami pulls out her UI, flat screens only she could see, before making a screenshot of what she is seeing. "Mm... Done. I think that one reminds me of Chad the most." There was something about the way it handled the kittens that climbed its body and the lack of resistance towards such enthusiasm reminded her of the day she had the chance to rescue sheep alongside him.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Well, she couldn't see what Okami was doing, but Cleo recognized the motions as somebody flicking through their UI, as did one or two of the Landers that were here, the maid that had served them foremost amongst them. It also drew a few looks from the cats that were pretty much everywhere, watching them. She was confident in her answer though. Levi wasn't quite as quiet and antisocial as the cat that she'd pointed out, but it was the closest that she could find in the cafe.

That was when Okami pointed to another cat, a tabby that was being pestered by kittens, making Cleo chuckle at the elder cat's plight. She wouldn't want to be left dealing with children either, especially ones that weren't even her own children.

I can see the resemblance, yeah. Awfully patient, that cat is. I know I wouldn't want to be pestered by kids all the time.

That was when the maid returned to take their orders, with Cleo ordering an Orange Meowse and a coffee, humming in thought. She wasn't all that good at keeping a conversation going without having a strict purpose, such as intelligence gathering.

So how long have you played this game, anyway? Are you a veteran?

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

"I'm no veteran," Okami answered before giving her order to the maid. Okami decided to go for a Taro Milk Purrtea and a slice of Cheesecake. Milk tea was indicated with a favorite item on the menu so perhaps it was worth its shot. Plus, she can take notes and perhaps bring it up to her cafe boss. An inspiration to help grow the place that pulled her up from her depression. "I joined the game recently, can't say I'm all too familiar with everything in Terrasphere."

Okami wonders to herself if perhaps she should expand her horizons a bit more. All the while she's largely stayed in the Astorea and Falderen region, not venturing beyond much. Could there be more people she could help?

"Say, you mentioned you joined to help people," Okami smiled as she tried to imagine Cleo helping a cat out of a tree. A brief display of emotion, but it goes away as quickly as her giggle. "Have you done any recent heroics? What were the troubles of it?" Okami asked as she gives a little pet to a cat on her lap. They are quite the cuddle greedys.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

No veteran. Another newbie like herself. Already Cleo was wondering who was stronger out of the two of them and whether or not Okami wanted to train together at some point, though she held off on asking. Building camraderie was also a key part of being part of a team and achieving team goals, which was something they'd be doing with the Lion Arms, regardless of any personal objectives either one of them had.

Fair enough, I'm about the same to be honest. I joined pretty recently and have basically been doing nothing but training and fighting things. I've been trying to grow as strong as possible as quickly as possible.

Without taking shortcuts, too. She wasn't about to just make a deal with a devil or allow a spirit to possess her in order to grow in strength. Those kinds of shortcuts would always backfire, because they always came with some sort of downside or risk involved.

I did say that, yes. I do try my best to help people.

The agent wondered where this line of questioning was going, but suddenly got her answer, humming in thought.

Well I helped repair an inn that was collapsing. And I've been training other newbies and...and helping a girl who unfortunately got UI-locked...

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

Okami's eyebrow raised. What was UI-lock? Okami did not exactly hear about some kind of bug that prevented a player from accessing their UI. The implications of being locked out of UI was pretty scary to think about. That meant being unable to log out of the game, being unable to check on the state of your vitals with the press of a button. So many problems because someone can't access their UI.

However, Okami refrained from asking. To her, Cleo seemed to have a rather grim expression about it. Perhaps too heavy a topic for a first time meeting. Perhaps after they have build enough trust and friendship will she then ask the question. Her solemn thinking at least was not betrayed by her expression, stone cold as always.

"Exhausting, I had to help the Knight Captain capture sheep in a storm. A shame that... I let one slip... Poor Baary..." Okami shaked her head as she thought of the fluffy white ball that was thrown into the mud and rain. Okami then gives the cat on her lap a little more hand pampering. "Sometimes I do wonder if I should have chased after it."

The maid would arrived with their food items. Okami's Taro Milk Purrtea was a lavender colored drink that had a milkshake look to it, the glass having a cat's paw and the straw was one of those funny bendy straws but bent to look like a cat, while her cheesecake had a cute cat face printed on the top of the slice.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

The woman's stone cold expression was a little unnerving, Cleo had to admit. She had quite the dead tone too, it was almost like she was talking to some kind of machine, without actually talking to one of whoever that robot race was? Magina or something? The agent didn't know much about them, considering that she'd never met one before, so she didn't even know if they had to look human or if they were so varied that it would be impossible to detect one with just a single glance.

Because she was beginning to suspect that Okami was a robot.

Catching sheep in a storm sounds like it must have been a pain. I'm glad I just had to deal with a collapsing roof. In comparison, it sounds like I had the far easier first meeting.

Though that was when their drinks arrived, Cleo looking at her Orange Meowse, which had arrived in a small cup, with a cat face drawn in cream on top of it. Meanwhile, somehow they'd managed to shape the foam of her coffee into a heart with cat whiskers. Cleo took a sip of her coffee, sighing as she was filled with warmth and energy, enough to watch her energy bar filling up.

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

"Don't discredit your encounter, the grass is greener on the other side depending on where you stand, an act of a hero is great no matter how small," Okami hoped that sounded wise. Okami then took a sip of her Taro Milk Purrtea, tasting the rich filling flavor of milk mix with the sweet and tart taro flavor in a lukewarm beverage. Not too hot, yet not a distasteful cold. Well, that would be what she would be tasting anyway, the artificial bodies of the Magia did not allow her the leisure of taste. However, seeing her needs rise was good enough to know she was doing her body good.

"I work in a cafe," Okami brought up as she took a fork and shaved off a bit of her cheesecake. "It's a much different atmosphere however. Here, it's cutesy with a rather bar like feel, like a cozy hotel. The place I work at is more like a quiet house. It's a sort of personal interest to explore other FNB outlets around here to see what's being put out... Can't say I'm making Cat Cafe a suggestion to my boss however."

It was suppose to sound light hearted, and there was a degree of tone to it, but the dead fish expression likely did not convey the intention as well as Okami thought she did.

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

I suppose you're not wrong with that. I'm not really complaining about what I had to do, by any means. I'm quite glad that I was there to help out when I was.

The woman took a sop of her tea, whilst Cleo took a sip of her coffee, the both of them sat there in silence and enjoying their orders, though Cleo couldn't say for certain that Okami was enjoying hers, since, again, the woman barely emoted, no matter what was happening. The most she'd seen had been a slight quirk of the lips whenever something involving one of the cats happened.

Learning that the woman worked in a cafe in the real world was interesting enough, she'd have never expected somebody so...cold...to be a care worker. She was assuming that Okami was a waittress, or a waiter, in the real world. It did dawn on her that this person could be a guy in reality.

Don't think your boss would be a fan of the whole cat cafe thing?

@Hanasakura Okami

 

[Hanasakura Okami]

Okami takes a moment to think. Her boss was an... eccentric person. The "Two Spoons" name was never given a consistent answer. Some days it was a childhood story, other times it was a sheer coincidence. Sometimes she would get an literature essay. Art on the wall changes as many times as the item of the day. Okami wondered how in the world is her boss the same person who would be caring enough to let her have "depression" as a reason for leave.

"Um... Well," For once, maybe there was a bit more an emotion to this sentence. "I'll be honest, yes as in she might try to you know, go for an animal cafe... No as in... She might make it... A Woodpecker Cafe or Deer Cafe..." Okami sighs as she thinks about how her boss would have taken the cat cafe idea. Just the other day, she suggested apple pies and her boss comes up with apple cake. The worst part was it was delicious.

"And pull it off. However, there's always the flip end where she won't because she likes the current theme of the cafe," Okami takes a bite of her cheesecake before a thought crosses her mind.

"So, what about you? What do you do for a living outside the virtual space?"

@Cleo Looker

 

[Cleo Looker]

Cleo stopped what she was doing, about to have taken a taste of her Orange Meowse, pausing as she looked at Okami and tried to process the words that the woman had just spoken, but finding it incredibly hard to do so. There was no way that somebody would try to set up something like a woodpecker cafe or something, right? Surely not. Just thinking of the annoying noise that those birds made was causing Cleo to have a headache. Such a place, in actuality, would be a nightmare and would never be the kind of quiet place that people could enjoy.

So uh, your boss must be quite the uh, eccentric person, I take it? Because wanting to come up with a Deer Cafe, or a Woodpecker one, sounds like it could be a pretty terrible idea.

She could MAYBE have understood a puppy cafe or something, heck she was pretty sure one or two of those existed, but still.

Though when asked about what she did for a living, Cleo took a sip of her coffee. Which one of her usual cover stories did she go with today?

I work with the emergency services, like the people you speak to when you call 911.

@Hanasakura Okami