Complete Private ✪ Finweald It's Dangerous To Go Alone! Take This.

[Yua]

Yua smiled to herself when Luthien said she was interested in going adventuring with all of them. A powerful trio! Exploring undiscovered ruins, or fighting against the fiends of darkness! The girl was lost in thought for a moment as she whimsically thought about all the stories they might live out and one day tell. Even if it was just in a game, it sounded like so much fun.

"Oh, that sounds pretty interesting. It's no wonder that you've been to so many cool places!" Yua exclaimed with a smile. She could imagine herself and K̷̡̮͍̱̠̏͑u̴̡͕͍̳͚̱̩̎͂s̴̨̘͉̹͍̈́o̶̢̗̻̮̗̓̃̾͆̈́̚ delving into deep into uncharted territories, seeing things for the first time, before anyone else. But even still, the girl wondered what the other three factions that Luthien had mentioned were. And so, she asked. "What about the other factions?" she asked with a curious look on her face. "What are they?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Mmm... I guess they'd be like Guilds in other MMOs, but they're more integrated with the NPCs of this world than your normal guild in other games."

That had been interesting to witness, Lúthien had been quite surprised to see Landers not only being involved in daily faction activities—but if what she'd heard was right many were even in charge or in high positions within some of them. There was no denying the NPCs in TerraSphere, People of the Land or Landers as they were known, felt as real as any other player walking around the game.

"There's the Magical Institute of Theory, also known as the MIT, who focus on studying the magic and other stuff of this world as they hope to find answers to the DA afflictions," Right, that kind of sounded about right... hopefully. Lúthien had read up about them, but the blonde hadn't really focused too much in the factions aside from the surface specifics. "There's also the Adventurers Guild, which I think is the closest representation to guilds you'd find in other games. Basically grab whatever quest is around and complete it for money, but probably really cool if you like getting into anything and everything really."

The elf herself had strongly considered the Guild as a choice when thinking about joining a faction... that is until someone from the League had all but dragged Lúthien over to their headquarters instead. At the end of it she decided on the League simply because of her desire to discover more unseen sights in this new world, travel in TerraSphere being a more affordable endeavor than on the real world.

"Lastly we have the Lion Arms—or is it Lions Pride? I can't remember, and it seems both names get thrown around a lot. Anyways, the Lions are basically like knights looking to keep the peace and order around the place—kinda like the po-po in the states... though I think they do an alright job, at least so far from what I've seen."

Finally she spotted the familiar three story building, a cute little boutique shop that was owned by an UI locked Yladian Traveler. "See that building, Yua? That's the shop I was talking about~" She pointed at the simple but neat sign, the words Madam Myriil's Silver Threads engraved onto it large enough to be readable from a distance.

"Come on, you're gonna love their craftsmanship, it's absolutely stunning~!"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

Yua hadn't given it much thought till now, but as Luthien began to talk about the NPCs in the game, the girl realized that they were far more impressive and involved than the NPCs of other games. "Oh yeah, now that you mention it, the NPCs in this game are like actual people," the girl said thoughtfully as her eyes pensively shifted to the sky for a moment. "Imagine how much cooler other games would be if their NPCs were as good as this games!" Sci-fis, simulators, everything could be improved by Terrasphere's technological advancements. It was kind of sad now that the game was illegal, so most of their advancements would never see the light of day.

Listening carefully as the elf explained the rest of guilds, the little samurai wondered what would be the best fit for her. Obviously, the best would be whereever K̴̡͇͓͎͇̈u̵̙͖͙̗̻̼͗̄̈́̍s̸̨̨̫̑͂͠o̷̧͍̔̉͜͝ was. So maybe the Adventurer's Guild? He always liked to go on quests that involved fighting things, but he didn't really care for playing on the side of 'good' which the Lion's Arm/Pride seemed to be. He always did whatever he wanted. Plus, there was always the lure of making money. Having grown up without, that part admittedly called to Yua. "Wow, it sounds like there are a lot of good options then," the girl commented, before her eyes fell on the shop that Luthien had pointed out.

"Let's go!" she said cheerily, almost skipping over to the door and pulling it open for the elf to enter first.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Yeah, the NPCs in this game are really something else entirely... really makes you forget this is a game sometimes."

The devs had certainly taken quite an interesting approach towards the natives of their game, and the blonde had yet to even see a formal quest pop on her HUD in a fashion akin to other VRMMORPGs game Lúthien had dabbled in the past. Everything here was so organic and fluid, it almost felt like an alternate reality instead of just another game used to kill time and have a bit of fun.

"Gosh I know, there's a ton of games out there that would be drastically improved if their NPCs lines weren't so boring and predictive."

It was a pity that this game was illegal, Lúthien was sure her Twitch base would've loved seeing the girl play through it.

A nod was given in response to Yua's comment regarding the various factions. "Yeah, there's certainly something out there for everyone. Don't feel rushed to make a decision though, and I've also heard you can always switch factions too." Too bad any ranks on your current faction didn't carry over, but overall the elf supposed that wasn't too bad of a thing.

She watched Yua almost skip towards the door of the establishment, a soft chuckle escaping the elf before she followed. As the human held the door open for her Lúthien did a little curtsy for her newfound friend before stepping into the well kept boutique. Fabrics of all colors and decorations could be seen on different clothing accessories, not to mention a vast array of accessories and other options.

"Whatcha think, pretty impressive right?"

Myriil always liked to have a wide enough selection available on hand, after all, so Lúthien felt comfortable enough to think something would catch Yua's attention while they were browsing.

@Yua

 

[Yua]

Yua nodded along with Luthien's advisements. The girl herself didn't usually join guilds if she was playing on her own. It was only ever if K̸͓͑̋͌ṷ̴̺̿͂s̶̝̀ò̵̩ invited her to one that she joined, and even then, she hardly ever participated in guild activities unless she was specifically requested. Maybe she'd only join the Adventurer's Guild to be given some quest guidance. She had time to decide.

Yua had let out a quiet giggle of amusement as Luthien had curtsied to her before entering the shop. Following closely behind the elf, the girl let out a soft "Sugoi..." of amazement as her eyes swept of the mosaic of colors and shapes in the shop. "This place is amazing, Luthien-san. How did you find it?" the girl asked curiously, looking up at Luthien with wide eyes. There were so many different options, from styles of dress, to color. It was almost overwhelming.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Her eyes remained ont he girl as she finally stepped into the three-story store, a wide grin pulling at her lips when she heard the soft gasp of amazement as the human's eyes moved through all the varying options available on the ground floor. "Right? It really is something else entirely~" Lúthien had to admit that Madam Myriil was quite the talented elven woman, and whatever wasn't designed directly by the Yladian was usually outsourced from very selective craftsmen she worked with.

"Got lucky one day while looking to upgrade my beginner clothes, asked around and someone decided to point me in her direction. She also works with other stuff too since that woman has some insane connections, I have an order that's still in process for a new bow~"

The elven girl was still working on paying it off too, though she was quite thankful that Myriil had been kind enough to send her request ahead to the craftsmen even though it was still not paid in full. Granted, Lúthien wouldn't be getting it until the final payment was made—but that at least meant that she wouldn't have to wait long, if anything at all, once the last gold coin was delivered.

"First floor is clothing and special requests, those are done over at the counter, while the second floor is accessories and other stuff. Third is her office, so that's a no-no unless Madam specifically requests you from what I've heard."

@Yua

 

[Yua]

The elf explained a bit more about the store and it's proprietor as Yua began to examine all the different clothes that were on display. Elegant dresswear of all kinds, more rugged travelwear that still somehow carried the same air as the finery. "I'd love to see your bow when it's ready," Yua said to Luthien, turning towards her with a smile. If the craftsmanship was good, and the weapon was fine and sturdy, Yua would one day purchase a weapon from here as well one day.

Turning back to the clothing, Yua started to walk towards the more 'adventurer' friendly clothing options with a purpose, intent on getting something that would be functional, however she paused as a particular set of garment's caught her eye. A light blue haori, it's sleeves adorned with white mountain stripes. It only took a moment to identify the inspiration for the clothing. The Shinsengumi. Beneath the haori, there was also a white kimono, trimmed in black cotton, accompanied by a black obi. The girl couldn't help but stare. She'd heard stories about the Shinsengumi in her youth, and their incredible swordsmanship and sense of duty. Feeling drawn to it, the girl gently brushed her fingers over the soft silk fabric of the haori.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Hell yeah, I’d love to show it to you once it’s done!" She quipped back excitedly before a thought popped into her mind. The elf paused for a moment, her hands flickering through the air as she clicked a few prompts on her HUD, before an alert would flash before Yua moments later. "This way I’ll be able to contact you no matter where we’re both at~"

Notice

< Lúthien > has sent you a friend request!

Lúthien joined Yua as she also perused the available items, the elven girl heading over to the cloak section. She had forgotten to purchase one the last time she’d stopped by, and while many selections were quite artistically decorated, Lúthien decided to stick to more neutral and dark colors. Finally she found one, the dark earthy color of the fabric perfect for blending into her surroundings whenever the girl was out and about in her scouting missions, and the cloak soon found itself draped over her arm as Lúthien rejoined her newfound friend in a different section.

"Oh, that looks really nice!" The light blue haori that Yua had been touching soon caught the blonde’s eye, the girl giving a wide smile as she got closer. "You should try it out, I bet it'd look amazing on you."

@Yua

 

[Yua]

Luthien agreed quite happily with Yua's request to see her bow one day, earning herself a smile from the smaller girl. But when Luthien began to open her UI menu, the gestures in the air meaningless to Yua since she couldn't actually see what the elf was doing. "This way I'll be able to contact you no matter where we're both at~"

Notice

< Luthien > has sent you a friend request!

Yua stared at the little notification box with a look of surprise on her face for a moment, before the soft 'O' of her mouth slowly morphed into a beaming, toothy smile. The girl happily pressed the accept button, solidifying the first relationship she had made in-game, excluding Ķ̸̱̯̝̂̆͝ͅu̷̘̫͝s̷̢̊̈̚o̴̭̭̤͌̆͒͋̓̕.

The two had split up momentarily as they browsed for different things they needed. When Luthien had returned with her earthy colored cloak, Yua had been softly brushing her fingertips over the soft fabric of the haori.

The poor girl nearly jumped in surprise when she heard Luthien speak from behind her. "You should try it out," the elf suggested, "I bet it'd look amazing on you."

"Y-you think so?" Yua asked, looking back at Luthien, before turning to the garment again. It was different from what she usually wore. But then again, the girl doubted tee shirts and shorts were in abundance in the game. "O-okay. Is there a fitting room somewhere?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Sorry~" Upon seeing the surprised look on Yua’s face the elf couldn’t help but offer her new friend an apologetic smile. "Gotta love when something catches your attention enough to forget everything else though."

She’d seen the look on the human’s face as she carefully ran her fingers through the fabric of the haori, in fact Valeria herself was quite acquainted with said look. It was one she sported every time a piece of clothing or fabric absolutely called out for her, whether it was casual clothing for her every day or materials for whatever new cosplay the blonde was working on at the time.

"Absolutely, I’d say it almost looks like it was made just for you even."

A delighted smile crossed her lips quien Yua asked if the place had a fitting room, the elf nodding excitedly before pointing down one of the aisles. "Yeah, come on—I’ll show you where they are." She waited just long enough for Yua to grab and carry her chosen garment, leading her down a path with various racks at either side.

Once they’d passed a rack full of mismatched articles the blonde would turn to the right, coming face to face with two simple rooms that were afforded privacy from prying eyes by a thick curtain that hung from their awning.

"I’ll wait out here, let me know if you need help okay?"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

Yua quickly gathered the collection of clothing before following behind the elf towards the fitting rooms. Fitting stalls would have been a more appropriate term for them, simple crevices with a heavy curtain to provide some privacy for it's occupants. At least there was a mirror placed against the back wall of each of the stalls so the potential buyers could see themselves in their new clothing.

"I'll be just a moment," the girl said before entering one of the stalls and pulling the curtain closed. She was quick to strip out of her kimono, but before she grabbed the new set of clothing, the girl paused for a moment to marvel at how well the game had captured her likeness. More than that, improved it. As if it took the ideal way she wanted to look for Ḵ̵̭̘͓̫̙̋͜ū̵̻̀̾͝͝͝s̶͙̲͖̻͚̻̤̎̌̑̔͠ǫ̶̙̥̺̻̺̉̂̏͌̕ͅ and made it reality. Her facial features were finer, more delicate. There was a bit less baby fat on her cheeks too. She was fit in real life, but firm in an unfeminine way. But the game had softened her body ever so slightly so that she was the image of feminine grace. She was almost jealous of herself.

Yua hurried to pull on the clothing, tying the obi around her waist and pulling the haori over her shoulders. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. The outfit, it seemed to fit her perfectly except...

Spoiler

Yua slid the curtain aside and presented herself to Luthien, nervously playing with the end of the kimono, an intense blush covering her whole face, bright red.

"I-it's a little shorter than I'm u-used to..." she stuttered quietly. "W-what do you think?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had patiently waited outside, allowing Yua all the time she needed to change into the new ensemble that the human girl had chosen. Just from the colors alone Lúthien had been pretty sure the clothes would look marvelous against Yua’s pale skin and light colored hair, but even the elf couldn’t have predicted how natural the look would be on the girl when the curtains were pushed aside.

"Oh-Emm-Gee!!! Yua, this looks absolutely stunning on you!"

She couldn’t help the delighted squeal that escaped her lips as her eyes settled on the nervous Yua, now sporting the haori and obi along with the black accents of the outfit. "Really, I mean it! You look sooo good in that, Yua!" The bright red flush on the younger girl’s cheeks was absolutely adorable too, though it was evident Yua didn’t felt confident in the chosen clothing… but maybe, just maybe, there was a way to fix that.

"I bet K̷̛͖̜̱͍̚͠u̸̱͊͆͠͝s̸͕͍̓̿̈́̽͝o̷̤͌̅̌̿͛͘͝ is going to love it~"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

Luthien literally practically squealed with delight as Yua had stepped out from behind the dividing curtain, the bright blush on her face only reddening further as the girl dipped her head slightly, too nervous to make proper eye contact with the elf.

Despite the elf's seemingly endless string of compliments, Yua still didn't feel like this was entirely right for her. She loved the way it looked on her, yes, but she'd never worn something as revealing as this before. But then, Luthien said those magical words. "I bet K̶̢̩̫̯͕̻̈́͌͜ư̴̛̦͙̼͙̮͖̑̈́̑s̴̗͑͒̀͘ŏ̷̺͓̜͖̱ is going to love it~" Yua's eyes flicked up to Luthien's, brows knitted together in faint curiousity. "Y-you think so?"
"Of course! He'd be a fool to not love it~" Luthien answered.

A sudden rush of pride and confidence washed over Yua as she puffed out her cheeks slightly, chest rising and hands on her hips. More like a superhero than the confident, elegant young lady Yua always imagined herself as. But nonetheless, Luthien's little push had succeeded in convincing Yua to purchase the clothing. "Ok then, let me change back!"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She was delighted to see Yua shift as a confidence filled the human regarding the looks of her chosen clothing. Lúthien’s hands clasped together, the extended fingers interlaced, before she rested her elven cheek on the side of them. "I bet you won’t regret it~" Sure it was a bit of a bummer that the elf had to name drop that boyfriend of the girl to help Yua make a choice, but the ranger wasn’t going to be nitpicking a new friend. The girl still had time to keep growing and realize her likes shouldn’t depend on what a man might or might not like.

"Mhmm, go ahead, Imma just look at the pee-jay collection they have right now."

Quietly she rummaged through the options, occasionally grabbing a set that would catch her attention. It wasn’t the first time Lúthien had bought there from Madam Myriil, and it sure wouldn’t be the last either, which helped the elf not need to measure them to know they’d fit her well.

First was a cookies set, quickly followed by a nature butterfly themed one. Then came the Dream set along with a moon themed one. Finally were a simpler pair, the black top-blue bottoms and warm creams & browns of each set catching Lúthien’s attention the most.

@Yua

 

[Yua]

"I bet you won't regret it~" Luthien said as Yua disappeared back behind the curtain again. She didn't take nearly as long this time around, quickly changing in and out of the clothing before stepping back out into the shop proper, a smile on her face. Luthien's words had encouraged her, made her feel more confident in herself. Glancing at the bundle of clothes in her arms, Yua couldn't help but feel a sensation of pride at her selection. Despite her reservations, Luthien was right. She looked good. K̶̳͙͓̮̾̔̑͑̓̓u̸̜̗̠̗͔͑͋̏s̷̗̘̓̿o̴̯̫̻̜͇̱̍͜ would think so too, she was sure of it.

When Yua stepped back out, she spotted Luthien examining a couple sets of pajamas, just as she'd said she would be. Yua couldn't help but giggle quietly as she watched Luthien lift a number of articles and examine them. "I think those space ones would look cute on you," the girl suggested with a small smile as she approached. "Are you gonna get a pair?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Right? I was thinking the same too," Both sets were placed to the side then, the elf deciding on purchasing them, before Lúthien turned to look at the four remaining. "Alright, now which ones between these…"

Eventually the blacktop-blue bottoms made it to the purchase pile, soon accompanied by the natural butterfly design. "Yeah getting a few, they’re super comfy and you never know when you might get the chance to kick back and relax in an inn while traveling." It was certainly preferable to lounging around in her armor all the time, and in the few cases Lúthien did decide to sleep in game she preferred having something she was more accustomed to using when sleeping IRL too.

"What about you, Yua? See any you like?" Her gaze passed over the various designs available once more, before picking a particular one that caught her attention. "How about this one?"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

Yua watched as Luthien browsed the pajamas, her eyes trailing after the elf's hands as they traveled from one article of clothing to the other. A faint smile sat on the girl's face, content as she was with just spending time with her new friend.

"Do you spend a lot of time in inns?" Yua asked. She had always just logged out when it was time for her and Ķ̸̱̤͍̫̩̑̆̈̏͑u̷͍̚s̶͈̲̱̘̔͌̉̕͠ọ̵̤̭͓͋̍͂ to bed down for the evening. The TS servers tended to sync with US timezones, so it was usually in the middle of the day in Japan, which meant Yua still had things she needed to go out and do. Pajamas hadn't ever become a necessity for her.

"Mm, no, I don't think so," the girl admitted as her eyes began to flit across the selection of their own volition this time. Nothing in particular stuck out to the girl, at least, not until Luthien held up a cute little tee shirt with the image of a giraffe emblazoned on the front. "Woaaaaa!" the girl gasped as her eyes went wide and lit up with stars. "Kawaii~!" She had to have it. "Oh, and the shorts match too!" the girl squealed excitedly, a wide smile plastered across her face.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Mmm sometimes," The elf answered after a few moments of thought, still rifling through the various options available to see if anything else caught her eye. "When I have missions that take me really far out there I try to stop in little towns and inns along the way."

A wide grin crossed her lips upon seeing Yua’s reaction to the little giraffe set that the elf had managed to find among the various options available. The shirt was considerably longer than the usual picks Lúthien went for, but considering Yua’s shyness that was probably for the best.

"Since you can sleep dive sometimes I use that time to mingle in and see how life is in those little places. Some Landers have quite the stories to share, not to mention some interesting foods and drinks that you wouldn’t normally find in the real world."

@Yua

 

[Yua]

Yua nodded at Luthien's explanations. It made sense, if she was an explorer, that her missions would take her far and wide, and that inns would be as much a necessity as camps. "I hope the League reimburses you when you stay at an inn," Yua absently said, her thoughts on what those distant lands might look like.

Yua gathered up the two articles of clothing in her hands, treating them with a reverence similar to what she showed the haori and kimono. Almost ginger, she bundled them up and held them tightly to her chest as Luthien explained why she had so many sets of pajamas. "Food? How is it different?" the girl asked curiously, not really understanding how different it could be. Sure, she understood that between cultures, food tended to vary greatly, but the girl wasn't sure how Terrasphere would differ from food anywhere else in the real world. Had they not simply taken the food and imported it to the game?

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Oh, they get reimbursed alright… if Beleg knows what’s good for him."

The older elf had quickly learned that his junior was not exactly a pushover, Lúthien might agree to go into whatever remote ass village the man could pull out of his ass to deliver those weird packages of his… but she expected to be compensated accordingly. It had taken a few tries to iron out, but now the elf could say with confidence that their system worked.

"Well, for starters there are some ingredients here in TerraSphere that don’t have a real world equivalent."She winked in Yua’s direction, before nodding with her head towards the counter. "Of course that means they’ll have their own flavors. For the most part they do resemble flavors we already know… but once in a while you get something really good but also really indescribable."

Her steps began to take her in that direction, only stopping once to make sure Yua was following, as the elf continued. "Remote villages mean less luxuries, which in turn leads to inhabitants getting crafty and resourceful if the want to survive." She allowed a moment for the words to sink in before continuing.

"That often means exotic mash ups that we’re not used to seeing IRL… and if you’re lucky, or brave enough, you get to try them at times"

@Yua