Discontinued Western Brisshal Falling from skies

[Hanno Futaba]

"Oh yeah? Then I wonder what the hell ya are plottin', buddy." Hanno chuckled, letting the hand go off her shoulder and giving her back a vigorous pat before turning to face a few clothes. "If that's the case, then leave it to me. I may not be good at wearing dresses, but hell how I know how cute they look on girls, and to be honest..." He grinned at her. "It isn't a hard thing for you, right?" Hanno said, turning to move closer to a handful of dresses and pondering.

"Hmm, let's see... Maybe we should go for something that doesn't go too far from something more 'boyish'. So how about... This one!" Hanno said, picking up a soft brown dress, that came along with a black cloak with wine details and a hat, with some formal shirt coming right under it, having a bowtie as the cherry on the cake.

"Not too girly, right? It is a bit more neutral, should be good enough to practice wearing those without feeling too uncomfortable." Hanno suggested.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

She let out a usual Verya chuckle, though it didn't help her understand what was with this guy and interpersonal contact, not that she was going to complain. "All right, but you better be the most honest damn judge I've ever seen!" She grinned and returned his thumbs up, and as Hanno turned to look at dresses, his words began to slowly set in as she realized what he was actually saying.

She scratched just below her ear and walked further down to look at clothes where he couldn't see the red color of her cheeks. Sometimes she forgot that there was some actual weight to the fact she was a girl in this world. Was this really something she wanted to do? For her friend, yeah, but she couldn't help but have her own awkward feelings to sort out, and this whole situation, it was just a mess wasn't it?

Verya had no choice but to look over and see that Hanno had actually been looking while she was being a dummy in the corner, and with a scrutinizing set of avian eyes, she looked the assembly up and down. "... Huuuhhh. Yeah, actually. This might work!" She grinned and took the offered attire. "And I think I might even know how to get it all on~!" With one last little chuckle, she took Hanno's pick and strolled off to the changing rooms...

...and emerged only some seven minutes or so later. It may have taken a while to get on, but the part that followed in which she took the time to straighten out and adjust the outfit until it looked stylish on her was Verya's 'IRL specialty'. That is to say, the only part of it she left the changing rooms having any confidence in herself about. Was she actually cute-looking? She thought so when she first made the character, but hardly even a week or two later that had no longer been the case. She just kind of... looked like a person to her.

Thankfully, Hann-bro was around to give an honest pitch! She put her right wrist to her hip with her hand closed into a fist, while her left hand came up and gave her hat a minor adjustment. "Sooo~? Not bad for a first time, eh?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"I promise to be as honest as I can manage." Hanno chuckled with raising hands, to emphasize he meant to be innocent.

There was a grin on his lips as Verya mentioned to may be able to wear the whole dress. "Just waiting for you." He said, pausing and waiting patiently as he watched the birdfolk walking toward the changing room.

Tapping his foot on the ground, Hanno whistled as he waited, gazing to the window outside, with the day would fade away as time passed.

His ponders regarding the time soon were interrupted, with the sounds of approaching footsteps catching his attention. He hummed, crossing his arms as he looked at the girl up and down. "Hella, it sure looks good on you, buddy. Surely an eye candy." Hanno nodded sagely at the nice sight.

"But it can sure get even better. This dress is more of a safe choice. Something riskier would have a greater reward." Hanno muttered, trying to picture Verya wearing something more impactful. "Also, I think you forgot to adjust your dress a bit. It is a little wonky, unless it was on purpose." Some people did like that after all.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

Her grinning and taking in the moment had been interrupted momentarily as her outfit received criticism, and she began to look down over herself and figure out what Hanno was even talking about. "Eh? Damn, guess seeing in color doesn't help seeing everything else, huh?" Verya chuckled, surprising no one. "And yeah, I could go with something riskier, but I don't really know if the intended recipient of this eye candy is into stuff like that or not. Now me, that's a different story, ehehe~!" She unfurled her wings. "Although, I'm starting to love the inventory equip assistance. Really helps for pretty winged ladies like me, eh?"

"I wonder if there's any like, non-human-specific fashion trends in this world. That'd be pretty insane, right?" She looked around at a few racks of clothes really quick, then back down at herself, just kind of feeling out the dress and examining how it fit and felt on her. It was still strange. Would time really change that for her?

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Well, you said that you aren't used to wear dresses, so I guess it is expected." Hanno smirked a bit, crossing his arms and pondering for a moment before deciding to reveal something to make the other feel better about it- "There was a few times where I wore maid dresses for a job in here. It took a long ass while for me to get used to that." He shrugged.

It was a bit embarrassing to admit that? Yeah. But it wasn't like anything changed to Hanno by going through that. Now it was just funny, fond memories of his time working on the Curry House.

"It sure does, if only you could hide your wings in these occasions." Hanno said, crossing his arms and pondering.

At the question regarding fashion, Hanno grinned. "Actually yeah! There are elven earrings for pointy ears, horn accessories for specific beastfolks, and I've saw some wings adornments too... like birdfolk focused clothes. But those generally need to be ordered." Hanno explained, gesturing to the tailor that was by the workshop area, working on a particularly large outfit.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"You mean like, things you wear on your wings?" She gasped a bit then grinned. "Yooo, you mean like wing armor and stuff? That sounds so cool, actually! This game doesn't have like, an out of game store, does it?" The falconess gave a sheepish chuckle as she pretty much assumed the answer was no based on her own research. "Well anyway, don't think you're going to get to see me in a maid outfit just because you wore one!" She couldn't really say something as profound as 'crossdressing's not my thing' when she was literally buying suits to wear.

"But, you think this one works? I think it looks good, but what do I know? Ehehe~!" She reached up to scratch her head but ended up readjusting her hat instead, glancing up at it. "Though I think you might be onto something. Sure, I look good, but it's not very... I dunno, pretty, I guess? Like it is, but... y'know?" She grinned still, but looked away nervously, eyes grazing the clothing selection.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Yeah, just like that! And other pretty cosmetic stuff too." Hanno said with an eager nod, happy to see the girl had understand him, though the mention of an out of game store made him laugh. "I mean... maybe in a Deep Web forum where people sell in game stuff for real money. Every Online game has this stuff, and Terrasphere is no different."

Especially being as realistic as it was, and lacking all the restrictions and rules one would usually expect. "It is sorta of a no man's land, I mean." He said. "But the Lions Pride may get your ass if you abuse it. And well, I am part of Lions Pride, so you better behave." He squinted in a jest.

He then crossed his arms looking at Verya's concern, shrugging slightly as he approached and adjusted the wonky parts of her dress, if she allowed.

"Buddy, you are pretty. We are just trying to find a dress that can highlight it better. And this one just happens to be a bit more reserved." His gaze then followed hers to the dresses, and he looked at her with a reassuring smile.

"Besides, it isn't the budget that doesn't have limit. We can take all our day here if you need."

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Ho~oh, so you're part of the cyber police, huh?" Verya smirked as she flipped through outfits based solely on the vibrant colors she could finally see painting them up and down. If not for Hanno's upbeat company, she might have began to get sentimental over it. "Then I guess I shouldn't tell you about the copious amounts of drugs in my inventory~!" She teased with a laugh.

Then she looked over at Hanno and returned his smile with a cheery grin of her own. "Hey, hey, you can't just call somebody pretty like that, ahahaha!" Was she blushing? Her face felt so warm all of a sudden. She didn't wait around to let Hanno see though, as she rushed off to try on another top.

-- A couple hours of shopping and altering outfits later --

As they began, they left, except the duo faced the world with some snazzy suits under their belt, and over it in a literal sense. Verya for her part decided to wear slacks after all, wanting to give flying another go with them on at some point.

"I've never met a guy so willing to spend all day shopping for clothes. How many sisters do you have, you poor thing? Ehehe~!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno simply smirked and chuckled along with Verya during their conversation, following with the cloth shopping time they were having and honestly enjoying every second of it. Verya was a nice girl, and as eccentric as she could be sometimes, it was actually part of her charm to be like that.

After so many selections, even Hanno made a handful of choices, coming out wearing a simple outfit he had chosen from the pile he liked. Of course, it wasn't anything super special, but it was rather something that would match well with the usual setting of Terrasphere, but still have great cloth quality.

With hours passing, Hanno looked at Verya, letting out a quiet chuckle.

"Me? I have two. Two sisters and two brothers." Hanno explained, but couldn't help but smirk at the idea that it was the reason he managed to spend so much time shopping.

"Well, it isn't really that. I just like to keep the company of people. Besides, spending all this time with you was pretty good." He admitted, still a bit unsure of what would be their next step.

"How about you, though? Have any siblings?"

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Hehe, nah, I lived close to my cousins, though, and they were all girls!" Verya's eyes couldn't help but to dart around more and more as the two walked as the world of vibrant colors enticed her more and more, like scratching an itch or drinking a really good milkshake. She just couldn't stop! "But that wasn't really a problem for me. We went to the mall together once a year and instead of shopping for Christmas presents I'd just hide out at the arcade! Ehehe~!" She was obviously proud of her deviation from the group, for one reason or another.

"I mean, I usually already had their presents by then, so it became less 'hiding out' and more an expected thing. I did my shopping early, so I got to goof around while they stood in line for several hours. Pretty obvious who the smart one was, huh? Not that I was any good at picking out gifts!" She crossed her fingers as she put her hands behind her head, walking with such a casual gait for someone in such a nice outfit.

"I wonder, is there like, Christmas or anything in this game? I know there's like, fall festivals and stuff, but like, other than that? It'd be nice to know when I can expect to get my hands on some more honey wine, hehe~."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Sure a smart bird, huh?" Hanno teased with a chuckle, going along the path and pondering about what they should go next, as their conversation went through.

"I'm also the type to finish my shopping early, but there is no need to rush unless I have something to do on the day. I mean, if you are going somewhere, may as well enjoy your time with them." Hanno said with a smile, then considered her question before nodding.

"Oh yeah, there are stuff like that. It is usually a deal that happens in Astorea. The Landers don't understand our festivities, granted they have their own things they do all the time, so... Yeah!" He explained, wondering why she had that curiosity. Did she already want to have some festival fun? Perhaps... But it would be tough to offer her something like that.

"Hmm-" Hanno pondered. "You have gone to inns already, right? There is a pretty nice one nearby, and I'm quite hungry by now."

@Verya

 

[Verya]

"Ehehe, you really gonna call me a bird, man?" Verya was even more a beam of personality and joy now than ever, or at least she felt like it with the kick in her step and the grin that just wouldn't go away. She felt giddy, just happy to be alive. The total opposite of how she felt offline... Was it really that big of a difference?

She had to zone back in before she actually missed anything Hanno said. "Huh. I think I've heard of that Astorea place. It's the 'player city', yeah? Christmas in an MMO... Hehe, I doubt my relatives would let me hear the end of it if I tried that!"

"But yeah, I've been to an inn or two. You're gonna take us to a good one, right?" The bird gave a playful grin Hanno's way, spreading her wings. "Can we fly there? I wanna see how much of your coaching stuck! Ehehe~!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno breathed a laugh at the protest, nudging the beastfolk with a smirk. "Come on, you know I don't mean any bad." He said, continuing his path and nodding along to Verya's questions, that proved to come with an accurate information.

"Exactly, it is the player kingdom actually. With a handful of player-driven towns. Honeyhome, as you know, is part of Falderen, and Falderen isn't player-driven, but lander-driven." That meant there were plently of cultural differences between each of them, but that was a conversation that could be elaborated later.

At the mention of flying, Hanno rose an eyebrow. "Really eager to give these wings a try, huh?" Hanno huffed a laugh. "If you feel like they are already recovered enough, sure... But let's go somewhere else before the inn then. There won't be any space to fly there, we need somewhere more open." He suggested, guiding Verya to a near park, one that would be open enough to have a good field and space to work on maneuvers, though Hanno would need to be attentive to any accident.

@Verya

 

[Verya]

It was a park, and more importantly it was large. Not as large as Central Park in New York or anything, but large nonetheless. Large enough for a bird to spread its wings and fly.

She mentioned it, didn't she? If not for that one other person, she could safely say that flying was the only reason she played this game... or, actually, was it?

Verya gave her surroundings a quick taking-in before giving Hanno a grin. "Well whaddaya know? This's a pretty good spot after all!" She did a couple of stretches as she went low to one side with the opposite leg extended, then stretched her wings a few times, finally giving them a small flap. "But don't feel like you have to worry about me the whole time!" She walked back from Hanno a few steps. "I won't say no to some help on the way back down though, ehehe~!"

A leap into the air and a few harsh flaps of her wings later, she began to ascend with the speed a falcon of her nature should. As the colorful ground below and all its tiny buildings became but colors below Verya rose higher and higher into the sky.

The g-force of her ascent trying to pull her body down towards the abyss. The sharp and vibrant colors rushing down into their miniscule forms sprawling out below across Astorea. The light-headedness coupled with trying to sustain herself off of the cold air of the ether. She still hadn't realized it before, but there was another reason she was playing Terrasphere, and all of a sudden, Terrasphere was beginning to feel just like it. The drugs that had unraveled her in the real world... The falconess hadn't found passion at the other side of logging in, but a totally different kind of drug to satisfy the same vague addiction.

This was why she began to plummet with her wings spread, and then pulled up to rise just off of the height of it. Because flying wasn't enough. The stunts she sought to perform as she got better and better were just chasing a rush, a thrill.

Outwardly, it didn't seem to affect her much as she eventually found her way over to Hanno to see how well she could hover nearby him. "Wonderful weather we're having!" She huffed for air. "Isn't it?!"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Hanno crossed his arms and rose his eyebrows at her words. "So you want me to become a pillow to cushion your fall, sure." He retorted with a grin, watching Verya getting herself ready before she blasted off in a flight, making Hanno watch her maneuvers and enjoy the sight for a moment.

He couldn't help but be slight mesmerized, the joy of the other was very clear, which meant flight was surely a big deal for her.

When she approached, he gave her question a moment of thought before he decided to go for a teasing. "It sure is. The sky is really pretty today." He winked with a chuckle, then rubbing his chin.

"You are getting used to it fairly quick as well. Probably you just needed to get the hang of it, and now you should be fine." Hanno said, but then rose a hand to apply an addendum:

"No jumping off cliffs to try to fly yet though."

@Verya