Complete Private Eastern Brisshal How many times does this make...?

[Chako]

Chako twitched a bit as Rhela spoke, but she couldn't quite make out the words properly. The ringing in her ears made it hard to understand anything.

Until she started feeling the hand on her head... It made her trembling slow down, as she remembered that comforting sensation that always washed over her when her mom calmed her down.

... teach... fish... want?

Chako's ears were able to catch a handful of words as the ringing slowed down. She looked up at Rhela, with eyes still tearful and still struggling from the pain... She tried getting up, but she slipped and fell on her butt instead.

"I would like... To learn fishing..." Chako muttered, then she rose her arms up, "Can you help me get up?" She just didn't feel confident in her legs working properly right now. Too hard to focus on legs when her ears were in as much pain as they were now.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

Rhela nods and lightly grabs Chako's arm. "Let's get you up. Ans... sorry, again. I know where to find a river. But do you have a weapon in case of wolves and stuff?" She asks. She was quiet, gently pulling Chako to her feet and trying to comfort the cat girl with some gentle ear scratches. Make ears feel good, get rid of pain? Something like that should work! Maybe. Hopefully.

"But ah, yea, I can teach. Shouldn't be too difficult if you have something to stab with. I mean- you just stab the water where a fish is and there you go, spear fishing." Rhela seems a bit proud of it but she doesn't know how much Chako actually heard with the ringing ears. She felt so bad about that, she'll never mentally live it down, how could she, its clearly someone young. With probable ADHD, much like herself. Was she like this when she was younger? Best to shove that in thr back of the brain for now.

@Chako

 

[Chako]

"Thank you..." Chako muttered as she relied on Rhela to get up, then slowly stabilized herself on her own two feet.

It was still a bit hard to hear, but while the pain was still there, the ringing in her ears was quickly fading, so she could understand the gist of what Rhela said... Which made Chako fidget, "I don't have a weapon, nor do I know how to use one, but... Well, I do know how to use some magic... Though I'm not very good at it..." Chako figured she'd just be honest about it. Last thing she needed was to kicked out of yet another party because she failed at her spellcasting dance.

And then... Chako started purring. She started feeling very comfortable and safe as Rhela scratched her ears... It took her a few seconds to realize what had just happened... Or rather, to realize something really strange just happened, "W-w-w-what did I just do!?" H-how can Terrasphere's racial traits do something like this!? Chako thought.

"Oh, stabbing...?" Chako heard what Rhela said next... That was going to be a problem... Unless... "I can't quite stab, but..."

Chako took a deep breath. This really wasn't how she wanted to play, but it was an alternative to not mess up with someone that was nice enough to try teaching her how to fish after she got this person angry enough to shout at her.

So, Chako hummed a small lullaby. No words coming out. Just a simple calming rhythm being hummed as a small ball of water materialized next to her, floating up in the air a bit, until Chako stopped humming and the water ball disappeared in the same way that it was first summoned, "I can do this. You think that would work?"

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

Rhela... stopped scratching as she realized that the girl just started purring. What? Does she do that too? She doesn't want to find out... Best not to find out! She doesn't want to be called cute or anything by random people hearing her purr like a damn cat! She just stares at Chako for a moment, dumbfounded until Chako reacted to the noise too.

"Okay. Well, magick can work, I think? I still haven't chosen a magick vocation..."

"Let's find out when we get to the river." She smiles. Rhela couldn't help but think that this girl needed some sort of help to survive in games like this. Honestly a game this complex shouldn't have been the first attempt at VR but that's not her decision, the one to make the decision for themselves.

"We can figure out everything as we go, alright, @Chako ?" Rhela took a breath, leaning back, and got her back into a nice stretch. "Mnnnya... mn..." She let's out a sigh.

"And we can test out your magic on like... some random tree on the way there."

 

[Chako]

Chako was relieved when Rhela decided to not comment on the purrs. Because... Yeah, that was weird! Chako was not okay with that one!

"Sure, let's go!" Chako smiled, happy that Rhela was fine with the idea of trying to fish together with her while she used magic.

... She really wanted to dance instead of sing though... She's not even particularly good at singing anyways. Chako was usually quiet when she played her harp.

... Not like she was any good at dancing to begin with, but she actually wanted to learn how to dance, differently from singing, which she didn't care that much about in the first place.

Though the test on the tree idea worried Chako a bit, "Uhn... I'm not sure how useful a tree would be for that... I only know how to use defensive and supportive magic.

"... Unless I could try enveloping a tree with a shield of water? Not quite the same as aiming at a fish, but I guess it can work...?" Chako also felt it would be a bit wrong to try using water magic to take fishes out of water, but... She was seriously tired of eating only fruits while she was playing, and she really wanted to expand her diet, and since she had no money, fishing would have to do.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

"You... don't have any sort of attacking magick?" Rhela asks, tilting her head to the side in confusion. The game allowed for that? She glances at her skills in the menu. "Hmm... Well, you can target me with a shield if you want? But we should also see if it's possible to mix your magick types to create some sort of attack so that you can hold your own in a fight without needing to rely on others."

A slight smile as she looks to @Chako her tail in a soft wag. "Granted I haven't selected my vocations yet so I don't have any sort of way to attack aside from my weapon. You could create a thin shield around a fish, and suffocate it by getting the water out of the shield and then it means it prevents movement and you can just pick it up and toss it on land~"

 

[Chako]

"Ah, I don't... I don't like hurting stuff." Chako explained plainly. It's not like support duty wouldn't lead to her getting involved in fights though. She'd still end up seeing monsters and the like getting hurt regardless as she supported other people... She just didn't want to do it herself.

Chako blinked a few times as Rhela suggested targeting her with a shield, "Uhn... You sure you're okay with that? I mean... You're probably gonna get wet." Which was definitely not something Chako was comfortable with at all. She had never been fond of the rain. Cold water hitting her while she just wanted to get home already. Her wheelchair slipping on puddles... She shivered just from thinking about it.

"And... If I'm on my own. I'd rather flee than fight in all honesty." Nobody to protect, so no reason to fight. It's not like Chako could seriously think of any reason why she'd need to stand her ground for anything. She just wanted to go around, explore, and see some pretty sights, after all.

Chako then flinched a bit as she heard Rhela's explanation of what to do to catch a fish... Like, yeah, they would obviously suffocate to death, but it was still hard to handle it being explained so openly and thoroughly, "I-I was thinking of maybe like... Just making a water shield around the fish, and then using the shield to throw the fish out of water..." It was still the same thing in practice, but it was a bit easier on Chako if she didn't think of the intricacies of what it meant to throw a fish out of water.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

"You should probably have some way to defend yourself. Even if you don't plan to fight in this game, there's a high possibility of getting into a situation where it's impossible to flee. Or the people you're protecting can't defend themselves." Rhela explains this carefully.

"I don't like hurting people or things either, but we have to survive somehow. Even in games." She smiles at Chako. "Right now I won't force you to do any of the killing or attacking. But it's something to think about. After all... If getting hurt hurts as much as it does, then dying will hurt a whole lot more."

Rhela turns her head toward the sky as she began walking out of the town. A soft wag of her tail. "Wolves can attack and surround you. Bandits will know magick to counter you. Trap you as you run. At some point, we all have to hurt something or someone to survive. Even if it's against our morals and way of life. A pacifist can only be a pacifist if they're alive, @Chako ."

 

[Chako]

Chako actually paid attention this time as Rhela went on. Silently walking right next to her until she was done.

It was a good thing Rhela's legs weren't particularly big, as it wasn't hard for Chako to keep up with her pace, so she managed to walk without tripping while paying attention to what she said.

"Even if you say all that... I guess I just don't mind the pain?

"Sure, I don't like being in pain. Nobody does. Still... If it means handling the pain of dying, then I will do just that... I just..." Chako clenched her fists, "I just don't want to do what I don't want to do. I started playing this game, regardless of it being illegal, because it allowed me to do everything I always dreamed of and was never capable of doing in any shape or form.

"I'm here to have fun. To be the me I always wanted to be... I just don't want to go against that. I'll just deal with whatever consequences come my way by being myself.

"So..." Chako took a deep breath, it was a bit scary to say it, but Chako was going to do what she wanted to do. Consequences be damned, "So I'm not gonna fish with singing. I'm gonna do it while dancing, regardless of how many times I trip, fall on my face and get up. Even if you sick of it and just leave me hanging and go away, that's just how I'm gonna do it." Chako honestly couldn't remember the last time she simply stood her ground like that. It was so much easier to smile and nod. To give up on whatever she wanted and go along with what everybody else wished.

She felt happy... Like she was a bit closer to being her own ideal self. Even if it was just a tiny little bit.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

Rhela's tail curls into a question mark. Her head turns back to look at Chako. "... I can only hope you don't regret your decision, when it comes to pain." A sad look on her face. As though she had been through a large amount of pain in her life. Perhaps she has. But hearing the rest, she began to smile as she listens. To cast magick with a dance, now that is something she will have to see. And she won't regret that.

"Dance to your heart's content, if you fall, I'll be right here to help you out. Fall as many times as you need to so that you may learn to dance without falling. Or even incorporate the fall into your dance in some way." A wide grin as she turns around, walking backwards now. A slight hop to her step while she watches @Chako . "We share a world, a life, live it to your fullest extent, and don't let anyone snuff your dreams before they are realized, Chako. It's the only way to keep going and keep learning and keep living."

Chako could likely hear the sound of running water getting louder by now. "If you wanna dance, then dance to the song of the river we fish in. And don't stop till you want to stop."

 

[Chako]

Chako felt it was a bit funny to see Rhela's tail go into a question mark... She wondered if she would be able to do this same kind of thing with her tails eventually.

She didn't laugh though. They were in the middle of a serious discussion, after all.

... Well, she was not planning on laughing at least, but she couldn't help it when Rhela brought up incorporating the fall into the dance, "I don't think that would work out very well!" Like, wow! Imagine a priestess falling face-first on the ground in the middle of a ritual as if that was nothing!? Chako laughed more just as she thought of it.

Chako gave Rhela a peaceful smile as the other girl walked backwards and kept on talking. Then, she nodded, "Alright, I won't hold back then... You better not regret your words though. I'll have you know I was kicked from three parties in my very first day due to how often I tripped in my dances!" Chako grinned as she said it. It was absolutely nothing to brag about, but she was actually looking back at that as more of a funny memory than a sad memory... Even if that was like, less than a week ago.

It was just nice. To see someone being patient with her and not minding it. That's the kind of people she was hoping to meet in Terrasphere. Not people who want to kill monsters efficiently, who don't want to be held back by someone that messes up a lot... But people who want to talk. People who want to play. People who want to have fun, and care far more about the journey than about the money split from selling a wolf pelt.

"I'll definitely be making my dreams come true here... Come on, we're getting close!" Chako started running in the direction of the river she had been hearing for a while now... And she tripped again and fell face-first on the ground... Still, she just sat up and laughed at it, "This really will happen a lot, yanno!?" Then, she focused on her legs and actually managed to get up on her own this time, even if she stuttered a bit and almost fell again.

She then turned towards Rhela, with a smile on her face, "Well, shall we?"

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

There's a short pause as she watched @Chako trip again. A slight wince. "Of course. Just be careful... Maybe stay on shore away from the river so you don't end up being washed away by it. Rivers can be very very dangerous. Especially if one is clumsy on their feet."

She smiles as Chako got up, she gave a small thumbs up before looking towards the water... A soft twitch of her tail as she began to get closer to it now... Before slowly stepping into the river's more shallow portion- wait- her skirt is too long for this. She stepped back from the edge of the water and began removing the extra more additive portions of her skirt before stepping back into the river and leaving the remnants of part of her clothing behind on the shoreline. The water was COLD, causing a short shiver up her spine and along her tail. She stood up a bit more straight with her hands held up to about chest height as she shivered. "By the Kami this water's cold!"

She looks back to Chako for a second, before looking down at the river's water... Watching the fish swim about...

 

[Chako]

"Sure, sure! Wouldn't want to be a wet cat struggling against the water current!" Chako replied with a smile.

Then Rhela decided to enter the water and... "Well, maybe don't enter the water if you don't like cold water!" Chako laughed for a bit.

Then she took a deep breath... Alright, let's get started!

Staying a bit far from the actual water, but close enough to feel it, Chako started taking her first steps. Slowly but surely. A ceremonial dance she had watched Ruby do on metube.

Slow, careful, planned steps. As she twirled around, a faint blue light emanated from her and went to the water. Chako started feeling the water as if it was a part of herself, as if it was something she could move at her will. Together with Rhela and the fishes inside it.

She carefully continued her steps, focusing. Paying attention to the movement of a fish, feeling it like it was herself... Feeling the water around it like it was herself.

It was there. It was hers... "I got ya-!"

... She tripped. She fell face-first on the ground again.

There was a small splash of water near a fish. Might have been bigger if the spell was completed.

Chako just sat up, shook her head, "And I was feeling so confident on that first attempt!" and complained out loud.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

"You did a pretty good job though for your first attempt, @Chako!" Rhela can't help but chuckle softly as she saw the whole ordeal. She focused down on the water... eyeing a fish, taking a slow... deep breath... And... Jabbed her hand into the water, quickly catching the fish and tossing it to the shore. Where it began to bounce around and flop. Her attention turns to look at Chako with a smile. "I believe you'll get it eventually, go on and try again!"

She began walking back to shore to make sure Chako wouldn't end up falling in, just in case. She had to be sure of this after all, it wouldn't do to have someone who can very likely tumble into the water on accident just being out here all alone and being impeded by water when that happens will be no good. Rhela sat down on the water's edge to watch.

 

[Chako]

Chako blinked a few times while looking at Rhela catch the fish... "Are you sure you're not a bear!? Because you look like a bear to me!"

Though more importantly... Wasn't that sad for the fish...? It was flopping around, and Chako could hear its attempts to breathe in vain... It must be painful.

No, no, don't think about it. That happens to every fish you eat back in Britain... Chako tried telling herself.

So, she tried focusing on herself instead... How was it that I moved my legs again...? It was like...

*flop flop flop*

I just needed to put some strength here... Chako put her hand on a nearby tree, then tried to use it to help herself get up.

*pant pant pant*

And then I- *flop pant flop pant flop pant* "Nya!?" Chako tripped.

... Chako was rolling down the shore. Quickly approaching the river.

Stupid fish! I can't get up with you taking my focus away like that!!!!!

... The fish was dying. It was not at fault.

... Not that Chako cared when she was about to roll right into the river.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

Rhela quickly ran to intercept the rolling cat girl! "I told you to be carefuuuuullll" Rhela shouts after @Chako, trying to catch up, sliding in front of her to catch her. Her arms open wide for the rolling girl- isn't that a song title- NOT THE TIME RHELA!

 

[Chako]

"I was careeeful!" Chako exclaimed as she rolled.

... At least I'm not falling on the water. Chako thought amidst the pain of rolling down the shore.

Except... There was a sudden change in the shore's inclination, and when Chako's body collided with it... She was thrown up.

Above Rhela.

... And onto the water she fell, "Nyaaa!?" She exclaimed as she fell on the cold water and started being dragged away by the current.

Lisa had never learned how to swim... So Chako naturally didn't know how to either. And any thought of how to move her legs had already left her head as she was being dragged away by the current while she tried to struggle to keep her head above water.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

"... How in the-" Rhela was quick to stand up... Deep breath to compose. She didn't like going in water that was above her head... At least she didn't anymore- Anyway! Save that cat!

Rhela ran down the slope of the river and dove in, actively swimming after @Chako. Of course, rivers are odd beasts. You could never tell how fast they are flowing sometimes when you're looking down from above. She was quick to grab onto the bigger cat girl and try- emphasis on TRY to hold her above the water line. She felt herself hit the edge of the river, grabbing onto a root... "Chako... I got ya.."

 

[Chako]

Even with the water current pulling her, Chako could still overhear what Rhela said and... She could only agree. How did that even happen!?

Either way, after gulping some water, hitting her back at least once against something... Chako finally felt herself caught.

And then she felt herself hit something again... And after some coughing and spitting out the water, Chako was finally able to look at what hit her, she saw that this time, at least, she was in the edge of the river..

"T-thanks..." She muttered, then tried holding onto the riverbank to not get herself dragged away... Which... Seemed to work. Rhela could probably let go of Chako without her being taken away by the current again.

But... "How do I get up!?" Chako asked... Her legs weren't answering her at all. And she didn't feel like she had enough arm strength to pull herself out.

@Rhela Elahka

 

[Rhela Elahka]

Rhela began to push @Chako up onto the shore without a second thought. Her eyes focused on the task at hand. "Doesn't help that clothing tends to get heavier when it's wet either..." Rhela mutters as she began to pull herself and Chako up by the root she had caught. She was sopping wet, she did not like this. She was still a scared cat when it came to water- not so much the discomfort, just.. memories beginning to surface as she pushed them aside and concentrated on getting both her and the taller cat onto the riverbank.

"We... We gotta get ya some leg training... ahahaha..." Rhela lays back on the shore line, panting hard... Trying to distract herself from the fear that pounded in her chest. The idea of someone dying to drowning did not sit well with her, even in a VR game. Especially with how realistic this place was....