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

[Yua]

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They'd managed to make it all the way from Eastern Brisshal through Falderan, into Astorea and finally to Finweald. Of course, her love had done most of the hardwork, making sure they made it. Sure, she'd helped him fight too, but they'd been amazing. Aiko hadn't enjoyed herself this much in such a long time. It was just them, after all. Against what felt like the entire world. Just like it used to be.

Of course, the had only lasted so long. It wasn't long after they'd arrived in Finweald that K̵̳͉̈̉͘u̷̜͕̗̥̙͆ş̷̗͈̹̰̐͊ö̵͇̮̱̎ decided he wanted to complete a quest with another friend of his and left her on her own. Of course, Yua had told him to go on without her with a smile on her face. Who was she to stop him?

But that she was alone in this massive city, a slight frown sat on Aiko's face. She'd hoped that this game would be their time. Their way of keeping in touch across the kilometers that kept them apart. But it seemed, K̶̫̫̲̩̈͋̾̒̊u̷̢̼̒ͅs̴̠͑̈o̴̡̩͚̘̲͊ didn't feel the same. Still, she shouldn't stop him from hanging out with his other friends either. They must not get a lot of time with him either, with how often he worked, and it wasn't fair of Aiko to be selfish and keep him all to herself.

Well, in the meantime, what was a girl to do while waiting for her love to return from battle? Yua paused on a street corner, looking up and down it. Maybe there was a restaurant she could wait at and have a little snack? Instead of spotting restaurants however, Yua saw market stalls. An endless row of market stalls, all with brightly colored canopies and loud vendors selling all sorts of things. Trinkets, potions, armor, weapons, food. Everything. Well...Yua did have a bit of gold from their journey over from Eastern Brisshal...maybe she should get some armor and weapons for herself and K̶̹̬̀̎̑̚ȗ̴̞̑͛͝ș̸͛͂o̵͍͉̖̲̝̔. Oh, she might even find some dango here!

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Mmmmm, It's so good to be back...!"

Finally she had arrived back into Finweald after a particular parcel delivery, the elf stretching her arms in the air as she casually walked down a cobblestone of the city. It had been interesting to see the far out areas of Providence, but truth be told Lúthien certainly preferred Astorea... especially the more populated and advanced areas in it.

"I should probably go shopping for better equipment," The elf mused her thoughts out loud as she walked, a particular scuff on her boots having sparked the thought. She'd been wearing these threads ever since she had first spawned on the world, and the free bow she'd received from that kind Lander in Honeyhome was reaching the end of it's ropes. "... maybe I can afford some cooler arrows too."

It was then a soft grumbled escaped her stomach, causing the blonde's cheeks to color in response as her hands reached for her abdomen instinctually. Ah, right... the hunger meter. One would think that, by now, the elf would be used to it... but having to actually eat in a game was still such a weird concept for Lúthien.

"I wonder what shops are nearby for some grub..."

At least the food was usually delicious.

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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It had only taken a few moments of walking up and down the street for Yua to realize that she wouldn't be finding any dango here. In fact, she wasn't even certain she would find any eastern weapons or garbs. The city itself seemed to be modeled on old western towns and strongholds. Perhaps French, and so the NPC stalls all seemed to mirror this style. Longswords, plate armor and kite shields. If there were player stalls, Yua hadn't seen them.

With a quiet sigh, Yua got into a line to buy some strawberry gelato. It wasn't a terribly long line, as it wasn't terribly hot today. But the thought of some sweet, cool gelato eased Yua's mind. K̵̦̭̲͈̠̔ủ̴̬̦͎̳ş̸̱̜̓̈́͜o̴̦̪͍̜͙͗͆̒͆'̷̬͈̦̟̰̄̀ș̶͖͚̬́̂ departure had left Yua feeling a little...empty. Maybe that wasn't quite the right word, but she certainly missed him. When she got up to the front, she ordered a scoop of strawberry gelato, and once she had paid, she turned around, humming happily to herself as she stood on the side of the street. "Oishii!"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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There were a few options present, though most seemed to lean towards the sweeter side of things. The Marrons Glacé had been tempting, and so had been the Crêpes stall, but in the end a clear winner had rose above the others as Lúthien spotted the corner of the Gelato cart at the end of the street she currently walked on.

"Yes, they're here already~!"

Her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, her steps quickening in response as her mind was already dreaming of the cold treat that awaited her, before the blonde felt herself collide against something just as she rounded the corner in full.

Splat...!

"Uuufff!!!" It took a moment before Lúthien realized she had bumped into someone instead, an embarrassed blush coloring her cheeks as an apology quickly tumbled out. "P-Perdón!"

There was a particular sound that her elven ears barely managed to catch mere seconds before, causing a shiver to run up her spine as a sense of déjà vu washed over the elf.

Oh no, please no...!

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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As Yua spooned a second scoop of gelato into her mouth, she practically squealed in delight, the cool sweetness flooding her mouth, sending that near-freezing sensation shooting up through the roof of her mouth, straight up to the top of her head. Delicious! But just as Yua was about scoop a third bite of gelato, the unthinkable happened.

A body slammed into her side, startling the small girl. The cup of gelato fell from her hand, and splattered across the cobblestone with a 'splat'.

"P-Perdón!"

Yua's eyes looked down at the her fallen treat. A slight, sad frown fell on her lips, lip quivering just for a moment before she reminded herself that she wasn't a little girl who'd cry at the drop of a hat. "I-it's okay..." the girl replied, still clearly quite crestfallen.

This day had not gone to plan. Not in the slightest. No K̵͈̗̘̱͇͚͍̓͆͒̓́̓͘u̷̫͕͚̳̭̬̎̅́s̶̬̦̻̼͗ö̵͎̘̩̑͐ͅͅ. No weapons. No armor. No gelato. Sad, disappointed, maybe the slightest bit frustrated at how this day had gone so far, Yua started to walk aimlessly down the street.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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Maldita sea...!

Yup, she'd managed to do the very same thing that Ari dude had accomplished when Valeria had been at the Mega Summerfest 2032... she could only be thankful the man wasn't around to actually witness it. "I'll make it up to you—w-wait, where are you going...?" The crestfallen look on the smaller woman's face was impossible to miss, but what honestly left Lúthien baffled was the lack of a reaction from her.

"The gelato stand is over this way, c'mon I'll get you a new strawberry cup~"

After all the pink shade of the substance now splattered all over the cobblestone was unmistakable, the blonde's hand reaching for one of Yua's before Lúthien began dragging the girl over to the stand in question. "Excuse uuus...! Could a get a large strawberry cup? Oh, and a dark chocolate one too, pleeease~" There was no hesitation from the elf as she dragged the woman along with her, glad that there wasn't any current line on the stall... unlike in a certain summer afternoon back in New York.

Gold coins were handed over before Lúthien received two large cups of gelate, the strawberry one offered to the girl as the blonde grinned widely back at her.

"Here you go~"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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Yua hardly heard the girl behind her, calling after her as she trudged away, head hanging low as she dragged her feet.

"The gelato stand is over this way, c'mon I'll get you a new strawberry cup~"

Those words, however, made Yua pause and look over her shoulder at the other woman. "R-really?" Was this a joke? Most people just shoved their way past each other. Rudely bumping into each other, silence at worse, a hasty, half-hearted apology at best. But she wanted to-

The blonde haired elf began to pull Yua along behind her, back towards the gelato stand, cheerily ordering them both a scoop of gelato. As the elf handed Yua a fresh new scoop of strawberry gelato, the girl took it with wide eyes. "A-arigato gozaimasu..." she murmured before glancing up at the elf, then back at the gelato.

Scooping a spoonful into her mouth, Yua softly smiled. "Thank you," she repeated, this time in English.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Don't worry about it, after all it was my fault you lost the first cup..."

At least Lúthien had been able to remediate the situation, and fairly quickly too—one of the many gods in TerraSphere's pantheon must've been looking down kindly on the ranger. Besides as far as the elf was concerned a smile looked way better on the girl instead of her previous frown.

"Isn't it mind blowing how realistic everything in this game is? Even the gelato is just perfect—the right flavor, the right consistency, and even the right amount of coolness to it~"

Honestly Lúthien couldn't understand how a game could achieve this level of detail, but it certainly made anything the blonde had played before pale greatly in comparison. Recently Valeria found herself wanting to get through her live stream sessions as quickly as possible, for the first time in a while it was beginning to actually feel like work... all she wanted was to deep dive as often as possible into the wonderful continent of Arcia.

"So, what brings you to Finweald today?"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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"Mhmm!" Yua agreed with the elf, nodding her head vigorously as she spooned some more gelato into her mouth. "So tasty!" In truth Yua had never had gelato that tasted this good before. Actually, she had never gelato at all. The girl wondered if it was really this tasty in real life too.

"Hm? Oh, my boyfriend and I just started the game a little while ago. We were gonna go shopping for some new gear but he...he went on a quest with another friend..." Yua's eyes fell back to the pink icy treat in her hands. Did he not want to spend time with her or... "I'm sure he'll come find me though once he's done!" the girl suddenly said, putting on her best smile as she realized she was probably coming off the wrong way to the girl. "Uhm...do you know if they have any Far East inspired weapons or armor in this city?" Yua asked the girl. She had been nice to Yua so far, maybe she wouldn't mind pointing her in the right direction?

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Right? Nothing beats gelato on a warm day~"

It was hard to believe that it was already August in the real world, and it seemed that this game kept their seasons in tune with America the same way it also used USA time for the world's clock.

"Oh? That's cool, games are a good way to bond with friends and loved ones after all."

She didn't miss the faint change in the girl's face and tone of voice, but given she knew next to nothing about the other player Lúthien figured she was better off not assuming things. "Maybe he was just concern over your well being?" She'd heard the rumors about the game, aware fo the apparent risk that playing it seemed to pose for her and every other player that decided to continue logging in through their VR headset after being warned.

"A Far East store huh... ah, I think I know a perfect one!"

It had been a while since Lúthien had visited the Traveler owned establishment—she assumed it was a UI Locked player, but sometimes not knowing was better—but given the woman's current aesthetics the elf felt confident they'd be able to find something there for the woman to appreciate.

"How about this? Since you have free time anyways I can just take you there~" A wink was given to the girl as the blonde spooned another bit of gelato to her mouth. "Besides, maybe you can find something there to impress your boyfriend when he comes back from that quest?"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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Concerned for her well-being? Aiko had heard rumors about the game before she had hopped in. Rumors that dying too many times would mean you were stuck in the game forever. Maybe K̵̢̢͚̗̽͌̈̍ũ̵͙͖̟͗s̵̫̊̈͠ọ̶̧͉͎̗̝̓̏ was just worried about her? Yeah, that had to be it!

Feeling a bit better, Yua looked up at the elf with excitement at the mention that she might know of a store she could go to. "Ah, y-you don't have to do that!" Yua replied to the offer for the girl to accompany her. "I don't wanna inconvenience any further." Yua reservations lasted only so long however, especially when the elf suggested they find something to impress Ḵ̴͍̙́͌͋͑̆͝ù̶̧̪͠s̸̛͈̭̺̲̤̓̓̆̅̊͝ơ̴͚͕̹̐̒͘ with. "Y-you think so?" she asked. Could she really impress him? Yua wasn't as pretty as the elf girl standing before her. But maybe with her help, she might just pull it off.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"No inconvenience at all, I promise~" She offered the woman a bright grin, hoping that would reassure the player. "Besides I was planning on visiting them anyways, I've been using my starter gear for too long—and my latest mission paid me well enough that I can afford a good upgrade now."

It was then that the human seemed to bite the earlier bait the elf had casted, Lúthien nodding in response to encourage the woman. Bin~go! After all what else was the girl going to do, just sit around waiting until her boyfriend returned?

It'd be a shame to waste such a perfectly good day like that.

"Totally~! That store has such a wide selection, and everything is well crafted too, that I'm sure you'll find something for sure. Oh, but before that," With the cup safely held in one hand Lúthien extended the other towards the girl, her palm open for a shake. "I'm Lúthien, it's nice to meet ya~"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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"Arigatou!" Yua said excitedly when the elf agreed to go shopping with Yua. The girl was excited. It had been too long since she had gone out with girlfriend.

Following alongside the taller woman, the human introduced herself. "My name is Yua-desu," the girl said, smiling up at Luthien. "It is very nice to meet you, Luthien," she said politely. "May I ask how long you've been playing Terrasphere?" the girl said. "You look like you're pretty experienced, and know your way around." Yua had only been playing for a few days, and that time had been consumed by traveling from Falderan to Astorea. The journey had provided her with a good deal of combat experience, but there was always more to learn! It was strange how natural combat felt, despite the girl having never picked up a sword before in her life. Still, wearing a katana at her side now, it felt right.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Oh, that's such a cute name—it really fits you perfectly~"

It had been a while since the blonde had enjoyed normal downtime in the game, her latest League missions having taken the ranger to some rather unpleasant places... though she supposed they hadn't been that bad, at least the players Lúthien had met through them had been fun to hang out with.

"Me? Oh, I started around the beginning of summer... so around two months now, give or take?" It was amazing how quickly time flew by when Lúthien was having fun... but also travel in this world to some of the places the elf had to visit had taken forever even with the uncomfortable wagon rides. "I wouldn't say I'm experienced... just been lucky enough to stumble my way into some pretty cool stuff and places, I guess?"

No wonder her starter bow was one wrong arrow pull away from becoming useless... better to switch it for a new one now before it broke on her during a real battle.

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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At the compliment, Yua became noticeably flustered, a touch of color flushing her cheeks as she stumbled over her words. "A-arigatou" she stuttered, suddenly finding the cobble at her feet to be incredibly intriguing.

"Oh, what kind of places?" Yua asked as she spooned the last of her gelato into her mouth. So good. It was almost a shame that it was all gone now.

Even though Yua had joined the game to spend more time with her boyfriend, she couldn't deny the allure of these fantastic lands. All the things she had yet to see. She wanted to see them all, experience everything this world had to offer. And at his side. It didn't mean anything if she couldn't see it with him.

Although...seeing this city with Luthien definitely wasn't so bad. The elf girl was incredibly nice, and Yua found herself looking forward to their impromptu shopping spree.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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She watched as the smaller woman besides her became flustered, turning her sight towards the cobblestones as they walked. Cute~ Yua was absolutely adorable, and a part of the ranger was glad they had stumbled into one another after all.

"Hmmm let's see... the farthest I've gone in Falderen was Neridan over by the Providence region."

That mail delivery mission had taken Lúthien more than she would feel comfortably admitting. Two weeks of non-stop traveling and agony whenever the blonde would log into the game, a part of her was convinced her superior in the League just had it out for her or something. Had she known where her superior was throwing her into Lúthien would've fought against the assignment.

After all she had met Cometfall during that time, getting the chance to see the house the Magia was working on, so in the end the blonde supposed it hadn't been too bad of an adventure.

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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"What was it like over there?" Yua asked curiously. Providence. That sounded pretty. Maybe it was lush forests, roaring rivers and high mountains, all full of wildlife and cute animals. Or maybe it was an arid badland instead, nothing but flatlands, cracked dry earth as far as the eye could see.

What adventures had Luthien been on? What adventures were out there that they had yet to see? Would they ever go questing together, fight at each other's side, to live or die by the sword (or the bow, as would be the case with Luthien). The prospect of having a new friend in Luthien brought all sorts of wild imaginings to the girl's mind. Maybe she needed to get out more? Meet more people? Or maybe not...then she'd have to sacrifice her precious time with K̵̗̍͒̈́̆ų̵̭̦͆͐͂̓̀̽s̴̡̧̛̆͘o̵̡͚̺͍̱͒̾͊̽͝.

But still, maybe while he was away, maybe they'd go one a quest together one day.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"It can be very pretty... but it's also a very mountainous region, so it comes with its own set of dangers and risks I suppose?" As an overall thing Lúthien had actually enjoyed her time there. "The climate was very refreshing even for summer, probably due to the high elevation, and there was always a breeze or a gust of wind to be found."

If anything the elf felt she had gotten a better understanding of her own Aeromancy thanks to being in the region for so long while on her glorified letter delivery mission... and while a small part of her mind wondered if perhaps her superior had taken that into account when he'd sent her off to Neridan Lúthien quickly discarded that thought aside for the time being.

No way that man had been thinking so far ahead...

"If you ever have free time, or need to go there, hit me up!" Her hand reached for the now empty cup on the girl's grip before stacking her own empty cup on top of it, Lúthien angling her steps just enough to pass close to a nearby trash can available at the side of the road and dispose of them. She'd turn to look back at Yua then, a wide grin on her lips before the elf spoke. "I'm in the Explorer's League after all, so I can definitely serve as a guide~"

@Yua

 

[Yua]

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"Kirei~" Yua murmured, glad that her first assumption about the region had been correct. "The breeze must've been nice," the shorter girl said as she imagine the cool caress of the wind against her skin and the warmth of K̴̭̤̔̔̌̿u̷̧̓͐͝s̶̮͔̰͊͆̓̍͐o̵̬̫̜̮͌̀'̴̨̲͚̦̥̈́̀s̴̯͖͇̤̊̏̕ hand in her own, their fingers intertwined.

"Mhmm, I will!" Yua said happily at Luthien's offer to go to her with Providence some day. "Maybe K̷̛͖̜̱͍̚͠u̸̱͊͆͠͝s̸͕͍̓̿̈́̽͝o̷̤͌̅̌̿͛͘͝ could join us too. If you're okay with that?" Maybe they could all be friends and go on adventures together? That would be lots of fun!

"What's the Explorer's League?" the girl then asked, not familiar with the organization. "Is that like, a guild?" the name at least pointed to...well, a league of explorers, but how did that all work in this game? Was it player run? An NPC faction that fostered players?

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

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"Of course, the more the merrier after all~"

She wasn't surprised when the girl asked if her boyfriend could come along as well, if anything Lúthien had already assumed that would be a given... most couples would want to travel and see this world together after all, or at least that's what the blonde assumed.

"It's one of four factions that exist here in TerraSphere," As the woman asked if it was similar to a guild Lúthien took a moment to think it over, before shrugging her shoulders lightly. "Kind of, I guess? They focus a lot on exploring the world and discovering new places and whatnot—and also get saddled with a lot of small delivery requests for letters and the like as a result."

Honestly speaking the blonde hadn't really looked too much into it, having been mostly roped in by accident as she'd stumbled into the building one day while exploring Finweald. Still she'd always wanted to travel and see new places, so in the end it had seemed like a proper fit for the elf and her own personal goals... plus it helped pad her pockets.

@Yua