Complete Western Brisshal Ambush

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Cyan explosions erupted in the woods, sending birds flying startled and causing shockwaves to brush the treetops.

As the leaves fell, a Magia girl blasted off with her jet boots, being chased by three goblins. Her forehead had sweats rolling down, with the Magia not saving any glimpse of energy to fight off the green creatures.

Listening to their grunt, she side glanced, shifting to turn around while she was flying backward. On her hand, a rather fancy slingshot was the only thing she currently had to defend herself, but it came with lovely surprises. Sliding her hand into her pouch, she pulled out a bead, attaching it to the sling and stretching it while focusing a considerable amount of arcane energy into it before sending it flying at all speed toward the creatures.

Upon impact, another huge cyan explosion sent the three of them in all directions, with shrieks and scraps of weapons scattering around.

Ronja breathed in relief, slowing down her flight-

But it was a mistake, with a Champion goblin appearing out of the bushes, enraged and throwing itself in berserk toward Ronja.

The Magia barely had time to react, being struck with all strength and being sent rolling on the ground.

@Harper

 

[Harper]

Another day, another amount of free time from studies and judo practice that Harper dedicated to Terrasphere. While the time she could spend on it was limited outside of the weekends, she still made sure to get at least some practice every day. In her brief time here, she had already seen things and people that were far, far above her current level, and that excited her! It was a completely different dimension than that of martial arts in the real world, but one truth remained constant: She wanted to win and she wanted to be the best.

Of course, there was more to it than just going and fighting enemies to pump up those levels. There was also the matter of getting better gear, and the fact that she just plain lacked the knowledge on how to fight against stuff like swords and spears. It was a long road ahead of the tigress, but one she confidently saw herself taking to success.

But right now, all she was looking for in Western Brisshal was the source of some particularly funny-colored explosions she saw in the distance. Maybe it was some rare spawn? She had heard something about those, and curiosity was getting the better of her. Even if she eventually decided to just flee to not risk dying, it wouldn't hurt to take a peek or a bite.

When she arrived, however, all she would be met with was a particularly tough-looking goblin and a blue-haired girl laying on the ground. A quick use of Investigation Mode determined that Ronja was a player, and as such Harper felt compelled to help her out even if she didn't quite know how strong the goblin champion was. The first course of action was to get its attention away from the fallen Magia, and Harper threw a nearby pebble at the back of its head to do so.

"Oi! You green-skinned bastard!" The beastkin would exclaim, as the goblin turned to face her. Once it did, she would turn sideways and slightly lift her front leg, before giving her thigh two smacks with a taunting grin. "Why don't you try getting a piece of this, huh? See how well that ends for you." She would taunt, trying her best to give Ronja time to get her bearings back. "And I hope you back there can still throw a punch!"

She would rather not fight the beast alone, but if she had to, she figured getting it to the ground ASAP was the best course of action. If she could take away its footing, there would be fewer things to worry about defending against. Settling her leg down, she would bend her knees lightly and put her two open palms in front of her, entering a fighting stance as she waited for the goblin's retaliation.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja had to recover quickly, but just as Ronja was still vaguely bad at walking and running, she was quite bad at standing back. She hurried, but soon a voice caught her attention and she shifted an eye toward its source, being a beastfolk girl that Ronja didn't know, but appreciated the help regardless.

"R-Ronja can still try!" She said, erupting a jet boost to get her back to her feet, shaking her head and looking at the goblin champion that roared something in a foreign language, charging and trampling its way toward the newcomer savior.

"GRAHUUUUR!"

It both of its fists together, trying to power slam the day with a downward strike, taking all the advantage of its enormous size.

Regardless of what happened next, dust would be risen along with fallen leaves due to the trembling impact, and Ronja would widen her eyes open, hurrying to aid the other who had saved her. "Incoming!" She yelled while blasting off with her jet boots, grabbing a bead and attaching it to her slingshot, energizing it with arcane magic before sending it to disrupt with a clash on the monster's back.

@Harper (I don't mind it, but just for curiosity, nothing reveals someone is a player or a NPC aside from confession, behavior, or guessing!)

 

[Harper]

Great news! Her taunt worked, and the girl that was on the ground was seemingly fine and ready to help her. However, Harper might've underestimated just how big that goblin was. It was especially apparent now that it was charging at her, deadset on making tiger pancakes today. Fortunately, it wasn't the most tactical creature, and its attack was very telegraphed. Of course, this didn't mean the beastkin had any plans of tanking it head-on.

"Hm!" Sidestepping to the left, the tiger would watch as the goblin cracked the land around the area his attack landed. She couldn't help but widen her eyes at the damage she just avoided. That might've straight up cracked her skull open! Blinking once to get her mind back into the action, she would make use of the time that the goblin was recovering from the attack to launch her offensive.

Drawing her claws out, she would step toward the enemy. In Judo, most of the attacks started by establishing grips on the gi for leverage. However, Harper would not have this luxury in Terrasphere, given that most enemies didn't even wear clothes in the first place. As she found out in her first battles in Terrasphere though, flesh made for a quite good replacement when you have claws to dig into it.

Reaching for one of the goblin's arms with her same-side arm, she would grab the under-side of it, her dark claws firmly digging into it as blood started to drip out. She would then step close to the inside of the goblin's base, turning both her feet towards the feet of the side of the arm she was gripping and wrapping around the goblin's waist with her other arm. In this position, her hips would be positioned on her enemy's thigh. As such, she would then bend forwards as she straightened her legs, taking the goblin's weight off the ground and on top of herself, before turning both her head and shoulders as she attempted to drive the goblin champion over her hips and into the ground in front of her.

While a technique with some steps, Harper's years of practice made it so she could throw the O Goshi out very quickly, and the extra strength that she had in Terrasphere certainly helped. That isn't to say it was easy, as the goblin's weight made it difficult to get him off the ground in the first place. Thankfully, Ronja's energized attack destabilized the goblin enough for Harper to achieve the throw.

"HRAAAAH!" The tigress roared as she slammed the huge goblin to the ground in front of her. Not wanting to let up from her attack, she would hop back slightly as the goblin tried to catch the breath that was forcefully expelled from his lungs upon impact. She would then charge towards the downed opponent and soccer kick it in the side of the head as it was attempting to get up, the impact of hard bone hitting soft flesh creating a quite loud and nauseating noise.

Harper would then retreat to Ronja's side, as she didn't want to get in the way of the Magia's attacks. Panting slightly, she'd turn towards her with a smirk.

"Ronja, right? Name's Harper, and thanks for just now. What are you doing out here fighting things this big?"


@Ronja Bubblyfoot (Thanks! Will keep that in mind for the future!)

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja couldn't believe what she was seeing when the girl seemed to be going for some kind of wrestling move on the goblin? She wasn't really well knowledged at martial arts, so any kind of Nage Waza was something that would seem like straight out of some WWE.

Except that what was happening in front of her was very real (save for the fact it was a virtual world).

Still, the fact that the girl simply lifted a giant goblin and threw it to the ground with mighty strength and technique nearly made Ronja lose her focus.

Blinking twice, Ronja shook her head and clenched her fists around the slingshot and making its ammo blow into full speed at the downed champion. If that creature wasn't already out of combat, for now it certainly was, with a shock wave brushing the two girls when another cyan explosion erupted from the impact. With a small wince, Ronja covered her eyes from the brightness of the spell, clicking her eyes that retracted and then turning to the stranger.

After releasing another one or two flames, Ronja landed and looked up at her.

"Harper! Ronja is Ronja Bubblyfoot. It is nice to meet you!" She introduced herself, trying to keep her balance despite struggling at first.

"Thanks for now? Ronja should be thanking, you saved her from getting caught." Ronja smiled, with her eyes clicking again just like a camera. "Ronja wasn't fighting anything, Ronja was caught in an ambush, these goblins are too sneaky." A frown crossed her face.

@Harper

 

[Harper]

"Huh. So that's where those pretty explosions were coming from." She'd note to herself, watching as the blue-haired Magia quite literally blasted the goblin to kingdom come. Harper joined Ronja in protecting her sight from the explosion, squinting her feline eyes as she covered them with her forearm. After the dust settled, the beastkin decided to take a better look at her partner-in-crime.

She was truly unlike anything she had seen in the game thus far. Not only was she hovering above the ground with some sort of propulsion from her feet, but her eyes also made a weird sound when she blinked and she talked funny. Harper was certain that she wasn't a regular, run-of-the-mill human. But then, what was she?

Her mind then gravitated to back when she was making her character, and the Magia race she spotted when choosing her own. Maybe Ronja was one of them? It seemed like the most likely conclusion, but Harper still had quite a few questions about the nature of Magia in general. She'd leave those questions for later, as she figured there were more pressing matters at the moment.

"...That snuck up on you?" The tigress would lean towards the fallen goblin champion, one hand on her hip as her eyes tracked back towards Ronja, disbelief crystal clear in her face. "You sure some goblin didn't knock off some circuitry inside of you beforehand? In any case... What do you want to do with the big guy?" She'd motion towards their fallen enemy with her shoulders.

"We could just leave it here, or kill it so it can't attack others in the future. There's also the option of bringing him to the town nearby and see if anyone put a bounty on it, given that it must be quite the notable goblin. What do you think, Ronja?" She'd ask, her smile slightly revealing her canines as Harper patted off some of the dust from the last explosion from both her armor and twintails.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja perked up at the mention of 'pretty explosions', making her rub her neck sheepishly as she averted her face with a giggle. "Pretty? Yeah, Ronja's explosions are the best ones!" Ronja said, clasping her hands and then blinking embarrassedly when Harper seemed to misunderstand just how clumsy Ronja could be.

After all, she would probably be easily ambushed by goblins. But by a goblin champion, it would be a bit too much.

"Nooo no. This big goblin only appeared when Ronja was already being ambushed" Ronja quickly tried to correct the misunderstanding, looking at Harper and pursing her lips. "Ronja was just gathering a few materials when Ronja was surprised by a goblin ambush. Small goblins that outnumbered Ronja quickly!" She defended herself, resting a hand on her chest.

"This big goblin only added to the problem when it tried to surround Ronja. But at that point, Ronja was being chased, so she couldn't pay enough attention." A sigh escaped from her lips, then she glanced up at the woman and pondered. "Well... Ronja likes the idea of trying to check out a bounty. But carrying it all the way back to a tall would be tough, no?" She wondered.

@Harper

 

[Harper]

"I see. Still, you do need to be careful when gathering if things that big can be lurking nearby, even if you do see it coming. Ever thought about doing these gatherings with a friend?"

She'd note, but couldn't help but be still divided on whether Ronja actually needed the help. Yes, she seemed to be quite oblivious to her surroundings at times, much to her peril. If Harper hadn't arrived when she had, the Magia might've not come out of the situation as unscathed as she had.

On the other hand, Ronja had demonstrated that she packed the firepower of a small squad inside that seemingly innocent guise of hers. Upon reaching this impasse in her head, Harper would just shrug her shoulders at nothing, in particular, walking towards the fallen goblin champion as she listened to Ronja's inquiry about how they are getting it back to a town.

"Yeah, it sounds like a tough job, doesn't it? Just makes me more willing to prove that I can do it, hah!" She would shout out, grabbing the goblin's massive hand as she started to pull it up from the ground by the arm. "Besides, I can trust you to watch my six on the way there, can't I?"

Reaching under the goblin's waist with her other arm into one of his legs, she would struggle for a bit before eventually getting the hefty creature into a fireman's carry. The tigress was struggling under the weight, but after a series of deep breaths, she at least stopped shaking as much. May it be due to pride or trying to impress Ronja, she was doing her best to hide how difficult this was. With a strained smile, she'd quickly try to start the journey back to the town to not let Ronja convince her otherwise.

"S-See... Easy as pie!" With labored, steady steps, the beastkin would turn away and start walking with the goblin on her shoulders, the sheer size of it making so a good part of Harper's upper torso was obstructed from being viewed from behind. The town wasn't much more than half an hour of walking away from where they are, but it would certainly feel a lot longer than that for the tigress.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja looked at the beastfolk girl with a sheepish smile. "Are you inviting yourself to be with Ronja when she is gathering things?" Ronja asked a bit playfully, leaning close and nudging Harper. Her eyes then clicked, and she tilted her head before sighing. "You are right though. Ronja should have been more cautious. this almost costed her one life."

She then watched the second show of extreme strength, making Ronja jumpy. The Magia clapped cheerfully, impressed when witness the incredible feat. "You will really carry it all the way back to town?! You must be so strong, Harper!" Ronja chirped, clasping her hands together while looking at the struggling beastfolk as if she was a super hero lifting a boulder.

"Not even Ronja with her enhanced strength would do it, her energy would drop to zero too quickly." Maybe someday when she could summon heavy carrying magitech constructs it would be useful.

"Let's go then? Let Ronja knows if you need help to carry it though." Two muscles were better than one after all.

@Harper

 

[Harper]

Harper would shake her head at Ronja's suggestion to help her out with the weight, though she appreciated the gesture. While the weight on top of her made her feel like she was playing the part of Atlas himself, she couldn't bring herself to ask for help when she had just talked all that stuff proving she could do it.

Talk the talk, walk the walk. If she was willing to speak like she was the best, she also must be willing to risk crumbling under the pressure of her own words and promises and always rise to meet them or be buried dead trying, quite literally in her current conundrum. The tiger would return to Ronja with a smile, better hiding the strain now that she had gotten somewhat used to the weight.

"Nah, if we both focus on carrying it, other monsters or bandits might get the jump on us. I'd feel much safer if you were watching over me full time. I can trust you to do that, can't I?" She would walk towards Ronja, giving the Magia a playful punch in the arm before turning back and continuing on her merry way.

---

"...F-Finally..." After the longest half-hour of Harper's life, on which the only source of entertainment was talking to Ronja and figuring out whether she hated uphills or downslopes more, they had finally arrived at the town. Bending forwards, she'd let the goblin champion fall on the ground for a moment, the beastkin panting heavily as she used its midsection as a seat for a quick rest. Motioning with her hand to bring up her UI, she'd confirm her suspicions. She was quite hungry and thirsty, the respective need bars being below half.


"Yeesh... Say Ronja, would you mind spending a bit of the bounty on the tavern nearby? Assuming you can eat and drink things, being a robot and all... Or are you more like a cyborg? Afraid I don't know much about Magias in general." She'd admit, resting her chin on one of her hands. "Never was too versed in tech in general either... After all, it didn't help me get back at throwing people around. Speaking of... What were you actually looking for in that forest, if you don't mind me asking?"

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja watched the girl reinforcing the idea of carrying the champion all by herself, but with a light shrug, she accepted it. "Ronja certainly can watch your back!" She said, hitting her chest confidently while embracing the task of keeping the other girl safe as they would go back to the town.

---

When they had finally reached the town, Ronja approached the girl with a small smile, hopping a little to take a seat right next to her. "You really did it, Ronja couldn't have been more impressed!" She giggled, rather amused by the show of strength, and only wondering just how much energy the other girl had just tossed deep down to waste.

The invitation made Ronja perk up even more, and she nodded eagerly. "Ronja would love to spend some time in a tavern. She does need to eat and drink, at a less degree than you, but she needs to. She can't really feel taste though, she would need to acquire a special biocomponent she is still trying to get." She explained, looking at the girl and crossing her arms, frowning.

"Magias are... Androids, Ronja would guess. Biomagitechnological androids, nearly perfect organic creatures, albeit still being artificial." She said, then looking at Harper.

"Ronja was just trying to find more Power Stones. There are a lot of them in Eastern Brisshal, but it seems like it is different in here." Ronja sighed.

@Harper

 

[Harper]

Harper silently basked in Ronja's praise as she caught her breath, listening to the Magia's answers to the questions she proposed. "I see. Well, at least it'll help you recharge some of your needs. God knows I need some of that after today. So..." With one last deep breath to get herself ready for the final stretch, she would bring the goblin upon her shoulders once more. "Let's get this over with, then." With that said, she'd start to make her way to the nearby adventurer's guild.

---

"Phew... All things considered, that was a nice haul." The tiger beastkin would boast, shaking her hips playfully to make the coins in her now heavier purse cling together, clearly pleased with her efforts having been dutifully rewarded. "Hmm Hmm~ You know, I wonder... Can Magias get drunk? If you are nearly perfectly organic, surely there's a liver in there to bully, haha!" She'd play around, poking Ronja's side. While the consideration of whether she was of age or not did come to her mind, especially given her smaller stature, she knew that this was a fantasy world, with races that had a physiology that didn't quite follow a human's. So Ronja could be much older than her body implied. Besides, it wasn't like most taverns cared that much if you didn't speak about it or gave them enough coin.

"Ah, right! I never quite gave you an answer, did I?" She'd note, putting a hand on her waist as she smiled at Ronja. "As you said, you can be quite vulnerable when collecting those power stones, and two eyes search better than one! What I'm saying is..." She'd extend her hand towards Ronja, offering a handshake.

"...Is that I'd be more than willing to help you out next time, even if just for convenience to find things to beat up and train with. Guess that would make us friends in my own words, right? But that's for another day. Today, we drink and rest!" She'd proclaim, not caring much for onlookers as she would start to make her way towards the nearby tavern.

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja was giddy with the amount of gold acquired, it was the first time she had got so much gold at once, hobgoblin champions sure sounded like a perfect way to get her purse filled!

"And it only came at the cost of nearly dying!" She said, clasping her hands and with a tone that it was hard to discern if she was being sarcastic or legitimate in her words. The question that followed the statement made Ronja pause though, with a frown crossing her face as she tilted her head. "Ronja... Never really thought about it. Ronja never really had enough money to get drunk in this game either-" Her lips pursed, shifting to glance at Harper.

The offer of the tiger girl was heartwarming in a sense, even if there were other motives for the other girl to follow along, Ronja couldn't help but feel joyful.

"Ronja would love to have you helping her out. She will make sure to help you out too! She plans to become a great artificer after all, so she will craft you the strongest gears!" She said, holding Harper's hands and shaking them eagerly, but not letting it go just yet, tugging her softly to urge her to follow. "Yes, and Ronja knows a great tavern. She never really went to since it is the fanciest tavern around, she thinks, but now that we have so much gold, it doesn't hurt to go there, right?" Ronja beamed, guiding Harper to the mentioned tavern...

The Sweet Deer.

Spoiler: Tavern Music

What was usually expected from a tavern was a crowded place with people talking loudly and being rowdy, with the strong smell of ale burning nostrils. Yet, that wasn't the case in this particular tavern, that felt warm with the fireplace bathing the place with its light, along with some candles that kept the whole tavern dim lighted, rather than completely bright, even though the sun was still up in the sky.

The first smell one could feel was the typical honey smell Honeyhome exhaled, except a bit more intense thanks to the alcohol, but still sweet, something that certainly reminded fine mead. The smell of food was also very welcoming, warming and dry, enough for it to get some watery mouth.

Soft music was played by a singular bard, one that seemed hired by the tavern itself, rather than someone that happened to be trying to snatch some gold coins from drunk fellows.

By the counter, a deer beastfolk carefully wiped a mug, averting her eyes from her task to briefly look up to the girls, nodding in a greeting before returning her attention to it, waiting for the two to take a seat somewhere.

With a whistle, Ronja turned to look at Harper, finally letting her hand go. "Any seat, in particular, you'd like to take?" She asked.

@Harper

 

[Harper]

"Yeah, sure! It doesn't hurt to go fancy once in a while." Harper would say that, but the truth was that she was really a fish out of water when it came to most things related to etiquette and elegance. In the real world, Nicole wasn't even of drinking age yet, and when she did go out to eat it was usually with her family or friends to some hearty, casual place. Fancy dining just wasn't something she was used to.

But since Ronja seemed to want to try it out, Harper figured it was at least worth a try. Though the fact that they were going together did worry the beastkin a bit, given that if it was just her going and she had a bad experience, she could just never go there again and that would be that. But now that she had the magia by her side, she worried somewhat that a slip-up could ruin the experience for her.

As they got closer to the Sweet Dear, the tigress mentally slapped her face to get her mind back in place. If it did go wrong, her being all tensed up in worry would certainly play a big part in it. So, might as well relax and go into it with a light heart. Whatever happens, happens. And if it doesn't work out, maybe it just wasn't meant to be...

Wait, No! That's loser talk! And Harper was anything but a loser! If she was going to do this, she was going to goddamn nail it! Both for her sake and Ronja's. But mostly for her own pride. Putting on her best confident smile targetted at nothing, in particular, she'd enter the tavern... And all of her thoughts from before entering were washed away by the sweet smell and calmness of the place. While most taverns were filled with people enjoying life loudly and filled with joy, this one had a pleasant calmness to it. One especially welcome after what she had gone through today.

Harper's tail would wag softly from side to side, the beastkin visibly sniffing the air as she lost herself in the pleasant feelings permeated by the establishment, listening to the soft music from the sole bard...

"A-Ah!" She'd let a cute squeal of surprise at being brought back to the real world by Ronja's question, though she'd quickly answer to try and hide it. "Well, it wouldn't do any good to cause people to have to walk up to us for no reason, so let's just stay by the counter." She'd say, taking a seat close to the deer beastkin behind the counter. Once Ronja had done the same, she'd turn towards the bartender.

"Soo... Any recommendations for first-time-" She'd be stopped mid-speech by the sound of her stomach growling. With a nervous chuckle, she'd continue after the somewhat embarrassing display. "A-Ahem... Especially famished first-timers at that?

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

The squeal caught Ronja by surprise, who turned to look at Harper with a teasing and smug smile. "That was adorable." Ronja commented with a whisper, holding back a giggle and nodding.

"Ronja agrees, though in this kind of tavern, people are more subtle at this sort of thing. Ronja was very impressed when she found this place for the first time... Her wallet too, making her flee immediately." She admitted with a sheepish chuckle, thinking it was only fair for her to share a moment of embarrassment after the other one slipped the cute squeal.

As they went to take their seat, Harper actually took the initiative to ask, and Ronja was quick to add:

"For Ronja, preferably something without meat. Eggs are fine though!"

"First-timers..." The deer woman twitched her nose, bending on the counter and resting her arms on it, looking at the two girls with a serene expression. "Food... We have a lot of things... Hazelnut salad... Ribs... Meat stew... Mushroom soup..." She said, tilting her head.

"For drink... We have all... Ale... Wine... Our specialty is mead..." The deer said, looking especifically at Ronja, then tilting her head to set her eyes on Harper's. "For the one... Who smells like a cub..." Her nose twitched, showing a faint and warm smile. "Water... Honeyed milk... Grape juice... Unless... You think you can handle."

Ronja listened to everything attentively, blinking surprised at the mention of 'cub', looking at Harper and suddenly having her face growing red. Did she just bring a kid to a tavern?! That was beyond irresponsible!

@Harper

 

[Harper]

Harper's eyes widened slightly at the deer beastkin's mention of her smelling like a cub, the tigress sneakily sniffing herself on instinct. The beastkin could tell that easily? Did tiger cubs have a particular smell? Was it bad? These questions flooded her brain for a moment before Harper would notice Ronja's reddening expressions beside her. Reading her embarrassment at supposedly getting a minor into a tavern, she would smirk and shrug her shoulders

"Ah, don't fret over it that much. I'm more close than far away from being of age here. But if it does make you feel better about it... I'll have some ribs with the honeyed milk, then. Two cups." She'd say, but the truth of the matter of her choice didn't have to do with Ronja. For some reason, the mention of the honeyed milk just stole her interest from any other option, and she couldn't put her finger on why. Nicole liked milk, but it wasn't anything special or anything. She just enjoyed drinking it from time to time when having breakfast.

Still, she always liked to trust her gut instinct, and it wouldn't hurt that much if she didn't like it. After all, they were stacked! Turning towards Ronja, she'd comment on her comment about what she wanted to eat. "You said you can't really taste stuff, right? Am I correct in guessing that the reason you don't eat meat is that the extra hassle and chewing just isn't worth it when there isn't a difference between a cut of steak and a hearty salad?" She would guess, trying to put herself in Ronja's place. Not being able to taste a thing sounded like such a detriment, the beastkin not finding it in herself to go through that even if Magias were far and wide the best race around. No one is about to take her steaks away from her.

"In any case, you still have to pick something to drink. As for your food... Why not go with the soup and salad? Sounds filling enough to me, and nothing really hard to chew through."

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

When Harper reassured Ronja, the Magia's shoulder dropped in relief, with a sigh escaping from her lips. "Oh, thank God... Honeyed milk does sounds very nice though." She chuckled, with her eyes retracting and clicking when she turned to look at the deer. "Uhm... Ronja will have a mead and a hazelnut salad then. The softest mead though, she don't want to get drunk-" Did Magia even get drunk? Probably.

"Alright... Soon... It will be ready." The deer woman bowed her head, turning away to warn the kitchen with the calmest movement someone could probably pull off.

After the woman was gone, Ronja returned her attention to Harper.

"Ronja is vegetarian, so the habits just carry into the game. Hehe-" She giggled, smiling at Harper for a moment, with her expressions turning a bit more solemn. "Ronja does have... The habit of eating softer food though. They go down easier for her." She said. It was tough to eat anything that was hard to digest with her other body, one wrong food and a whole day could become a true nightmare. Though sometimes she tried to abuse it a bit, she needed to live a bit more after all.

Noticing her tone had become a bit more somber, her eyes clicked, and she quickly moved to another topic:

"Ronja learned from another Magia though, it seems like Magias can taste, but it needs a specific ability, which Ronja supposes that is acquired by a specific biomagitechnologocial component." She said her theory, tilting her head.

@Harper

 

[Harper]

"I see... Well, it does sound like salads would be a good fit then." She'd comment, noting the shift in tone from Ronja upon talking about her eating habit. There was definitely something there, but Harper didn't really have much to talk about it without more context so she just mentally noted it for now. She'd take a look around, noting the overall lack of people compared to most taverns. It was true that the higher price kept a lot of the most unsavory customers out, but it also made the pair stand out quite a bit from the rest of the clientele.

"Well, I myself don't really have much of a preferred diet or anything. Vegetables, meat, I pretty much can eat anything. I guess I do try to not over-indulge, but that's about it. Helps me in maintaining my body top-notch and makes it so I don't have to cut weight for competitions. Though..." She'd take a glance at the kitchen, another rumble from her stomach making itself known. "If there is one thing that tempts me, is pastries. Especially those of the sweet kind. The few bakeries I've found that had them sell them at a pretty penny, so it's not something I've had much of, unfortunately..." She'd say in a defeated tone. Safe to say, once she got a lot of spare money, there was nothing able to stand between her sweet tooth and sugary glory.

She'd listen to Ronja's explanations about how Magias could taste things, and while she couldn't say she understood all of it, one thing stood out to her. Deciding to try and sate her curiosity, she asked. "So... About this biomagitechsomething you mentioned. Since it's going to let you taste things, I'm assuming it's going to become part of you. Do you just need to have it with you or do you like, need to install it? 'Cause the image in my head at the moment is very much akin to self-surgery. Are you going to do it by yourself or have someone help you with the process?" The beastkin would ask, wondering just how a single component could give someone something so complex as taste.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot

 

[Ronja Bubblyfoot]

Ronja nodded at Harper's explanation, with her mouth forming a small 'o', rather impressed and curious about everything she was being told, especially at- "Competition?" Ronja perked up, surprised. "Competition of what? You are a pro athlete?!" She beamed, with her metal boots doing an excited 'clank clank' when fidgeting together as she couldn't hold it back.

At the mention of pastries, Ronja's eyes clicked, and she tilted her head.

"Ronja can bake pastries for you, if you want. It is probably cheaper to buy ingredients than buying it ready." She suggested, reminding herself of the kitchen at her home back in Germany. Even if her family had a lot of money to spend, they only ever dined outside in special occasions. In US, dining outside became even rarer since she lived by herself and some caretakers.

Being questioned by the installation of the component, Ronja half opened her mouth and closed.

"Ronja needs to install it." Her cheeks grew rosy. "I-It honestly feel a bit weird. But it isn't that bad."

@Harper

 

[Harper]

Harper couldn't help but be a bit surprised at Ronja's reaction. The topic of her going to judo competitions was something commonplace in conversations with her family and peers, so much that Nicole had forgotten that it was something quite out of the ordinary. Still, Ronja was overestimating her status a bit, and Harper felt the need to correct her.

"Well, I wouldn't say "pro", given that I still have to work somewhere and go to university. But I do compete, yes. Mostly locally or at a car's drive away at the moment, but I do plan on flying both inter-state and internationally more when I finish university and get a good job. Sometimes we get people to chip in and a few of us manage to go to one of the big ones, but that doesn't happen as often as I'd like..." She'd comment with a defeated tone, one of her fingers casually tapping the counter as she continued. "Being the best Judoka in my city or state in my class is a nice goal and all, but why should I settle for that, right?" She'd say with a confident smile, her pride at the topic being noticeable.

"But, well, everything at its time. I just need to do my best at the present, and things will develop as they should." She'd finish with a relaxed sigh. The atmosphere was very much helping the tigress unwind from all the effort from earlier. Stretching her arms, Harper would answer Ronja's suggestion to bake her pastries with a gleeful smile.

"Really? Then just give me a date already! I'll even help you o- Ahem." Catching her excitement, she'd calm herself. "Y-Yeah, I'd be down for it. But let's not put our stomaches ahead of the clock here, since we still have today's feast." She'd say, the beastkin almost salivating at the thought of the ribs, and especially the honeyed milk.

Did she really like milk that much?

"Oh, and what about after that? Any particular upgrades you are looking forward to after getting cyber tastebuds?" The girl would inquire. Ronja already seemed packed to the teeth, so the beastkin found herself curious at what Ronja's own goals were.

@Ronja Bubblyfoot