Private Eastern Brisshal What Are The Chances?

[MayoYume]

140 / 140

Astramancy

Oh Raven​

Honeyhome. She'd passed through the small village once, when she'd first entered the game. It was quaint, and welcoming in many ways. There had been nothing that Yume had truly disliked about the village in all earnest. If she were being entirely truthful with herself, it was actually quite peaceful and relaxing compared to some of the areas she'd spent time in since those first days.

Utsukushī. In its own little way.

She spoke to herself - she'd been doing that lately, when travelling through different areas without company. Magnolia had been recalled to Trevor's side, and Zera had been busy doing his own things. Not to mention, the Lion's had given her the request almost last minute, deciding that she would be more useful here, than anywhere else. Not that she was entirely sure why they had figured that.

From everything Yume had heard, the village was peaceful. There was a small influx in its population due to the consist moving of local folk out of the borders of Astorea, and into Falderen. Yume had only heard pieces of it, but the one thing she had heard was that there was a division between those of the world, and those from beyond the game. The Lion's had told her not to disclose her true nature, if she could help it.

Mattaku shinpai suru hitsuyō wa arimasen. She was here for only a single purpose, to try and help people. Which meant making sure that no one had any reason to dislike her, or to be upset by her presence - and if that meant making them think she was one of them, well...she wouldn't outright lie, but if they never asked...

Yoshi, iku jikanda...I still need to find a place to stay, while I'm here.

Excited to begin, she took her first steps back into the small village, a small smile on her face as she realised she was returning to a place that had once welcomed her wholly.

@Toko​

 

[Toko]

Her home away from home…

The lepus had been nervous about returning to Honeyhome shortly after Szofrit’s capture, their decision to spare the Mother of Machines not winning the players any favors with a large portion of the people of the land. It had been easy to delay her return given the immeasurable amount of tasks that continued to pile up on everyone’s plates; from taking down any rogue machines in Vintergard and making the area secure enough for researching, to helping with the rebuilding efforts back in Finweald and the many buildings and structures that had certainly seen better days.

Little by little her steps had taken her closer and closer to her roots, and once the excuses had run out the lepus was forced to face the truth of it all. She considered the village her home, and many of its inhabitants were like family to the fighter, but would they still see her in the same light…?

​

"Ohayooh~" Her voice called out as the hare bounded down the stairs of the cozy little inn, greeted by a warm smile from Mabelle and the scent of freshly baked breads in a basket at the front desk. "Morning dearie, be careful out there today."

Toko had been surprised to see not much had changed within the small village after returning, the majority of its inhabitants seemingly keeping a neutral stand when it came to the current matters of the world. Perhaps it should’ve come as no surprise given how often the landers here interacted with Starcalled, and in many if not all cases it was usually the first civilization new players were introduced to before heading out to make their own way into the world.

After exchanging a few words with the innkeeper, happily munching away on some of the freshly baked rolls, before waving goodbye as Toko exited the inn. She walked through the streets of Honeyhome without hurry, always keeping an eye out for tasks that might require an extra hand or two...

@MayoYume

 

[MayoYume]

140 / 140

Astramancy

The village truly was magnificent in it's own way, and as Yume wondered further through it she found herself noticing little prospects and areas that she knew she'd want to revisit, given the chance. She had just passed another corner, when she spotted a rabbit-eared individual who walked with a gait that bespoke someone at home in the small villa.

Something about the woman stood out to Yume, a feeling of difference compared to the other members of the village. There was a mixture of danger...and something else, that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Anata wa ima, raiondesu. Sonoyōni kōdō shite kudasai. Straightening her shoulders and her back, Yume crossed the distance between herself and the rabbit.

Yā! I'm sorry to bother you, but would this happen to be a place of temporary residence? An Yado?

She smiled politely as she waited for a response, her eyes looking at the other's shoulder, an old habit that she had developed and never truly broken. Somehow, the direct contact felt odd to her, especially upon an initial meeting.

She'd clasped her hands in front of her, the two bracelets on her forearms standing out black against the white of her dress, the stars reflecting the sunlight ever so slightly. She'd chosen the outfit for it's more formal appearance, and the ease with which she could still move - not to mention the knee-high boots that kept mud and dirt away from her skin. Katana de kireru kanōsei mo hikui.

I'm new in town...and am looking for somewhere to stay while I'm...visiting.

---

@Toko​

 

[Toko]

"Mooh, chotto matte kure!" The hare frowned as she finished climbing to the highest parts of an apple tree, a hand reaching out for the black feline that held to the branch as if his life depended on it while hissing in Toko’s direction. "Mattaku... stop climbing up here if you can’t get down later."

She finally managed a firm grasp was on the feline’s scruff, pulling him closer to her chest as she allowed the cat to sink his claws into ehr leather vest. The descent from the tree was quite easy in comparison, and before long the black tom had finally been reunited with Old Lady Inghild. "Mata ne!"

A quick wave was given as the hare exited the old woman’s front yard, resuming her walk on the dirt road before a new voice called out in her direction. "Eh?" She caught sight of a human as the blonde crossed the remaining distance between them, a new face around these parts that Toko hadn’t seen before.

"Oh yeah, I know of a great one actually~" Her assumption as quickly confirmed as the smaller girl asked about the inns around the village, a wide grin stretching on Toko’s face as she pointed to a road a little bit further down the road. "The Cozy Nook is just up that road, probably a… hmm, ten minute walk or so from here?"

One quick look was afforded to the woman’s clothes as Toko took in her appearance, seeing no discernible badge, tags, or whistle upon the girl—the thought of looking for an MIT armband never crossed the hare’s mind. "Eetoh... are you a new player by any chance?" It was quite hard to tell at a simple glance if one was a Lander or a person from the real world, and while the blonde in front of her didn’t exactly scream ‘newly dropped from the sky’ her polite manners were certainly different from the way Landers acted within the game.

"I can lead the way if you want, though I promised Mabelle I’d pick something up for her along the way."

@MayoYume

 

[MayoYume]

140 / 140

Astramancy

Harmonics

There was a single word that seemed to stand out to Yume, but her mind passed it off slowly as just similar sounding. Instead, she found herself shocked at being asked outright whether or not she was a player - something that had never happened previously in the game. Her answer came delayed, as her mind raced to catch up with what was going on - and the words struggling out almost instinctively.

Oh...uhm, hai! I'm actually, well, I wouldn't say brand new...I'm certainly newer. Keiken ga sukunai to iemasu, I guess...

She didn't expect to be offered a guide through the small village, but Yume was never one to turn away a helping hand - especially when it came in the form of a rather large rabbit woman whom likely could tear her apart with a hug, should she choose to do so.

I would love a lead...I find this place is still more confusing than it should be, and I often get turned around. Teikyō shite itadaki arigatōgozaimasu.

She bowed slightly with her words, before straightening with a smile. She figured her concern was unwarranted, at least for the moment - there were far more concerning things in the world than a single woman offering to lead her towards hospitality. Kanojo ga anata o gōtō shi tari koroshi tari suru tsumori wanai. Watashi ga omouni...

Either way, Yume was in the care of the rabbit woman now, and there was nothing more to do, than follower her. She figured that with the other knowing she was a player - either the hare was a player as well, or Yume had just stepped into some trouble. Either way, she was going to see it through.

---

@Toko​

 

[Toko]

There was something off about her speech, though when the hare couldn’t quite pinpoint what that was exactly she instead chose to shrug it off entirely. "Aa, sookah!" Looking over the blonde it was easy to see she wasn’t sporting the starting clothes of newbie players, though the fighter knew better than to judge another player simply by the garments they wore.

"Well you’ve certainly arrived at a, uun, interesting time I guess?" There was a pause as the lepus took a better look, a light frown appearing as her face scrunched up in thought. "... you’re not a magia, ne?"

She didn’t look like one, but it never paid to be cautious… the last thing Toko wanted was for the girl to get wrapped in something she was wholly unaware of solely due to the race she’d chosen upon creating her in-game avatar. The small bow from the woman caught her by surprise, before a wide grin crossed the lepus’ face as she delivered a couple of soft pats onto the blonde’s shoulder.

"Shinpai shinaide, the streets can be confusing at first, but you’ll find your way around with little issue in no time… and the Landers here are quite welcoming, they’ll point you in the right way if you ask ‘em."

Their steps continued to carry them through the village at a leisurely pace, and if Yume had been paying attention she would’ve realized the hare had entirely skipped the initial road that had been pointed out in favor for a different path… perhaps a shorter route towards whatever place the fighter had mentioned she had to stop by first?

"Ah, gomen, how rude of me!" It was then that the fact she’d forgotten to introduce herself dawned on the lepus, an apologetic smile given to her unexpected companion before it was followed by a short bow. "Hajimemashte, I’m Toko."

@MayoYume

 

[MayoYume]

140 / 140

Astramancy

Harmonics

Sono akusento, nihongodesu. It clued into Yume as the girl had introduced herself, the words sounding both foreign and familiar all at the same time. Her eyes had narrowed in response as she stared at the hair, before deciding to test her guess.

Maemuki sugite sumimasen ga, anata wa nihonjindesu ka?

She was careful to pick her words, using the most formal verbiage she could muster at the time - a feeling that was both odd, and somehow normal to her. Her father had instilled upon her the formality of his culture, and Yume wasn't about to let that go to waste. She waited, quietly, to see how the hare-woman would react.

Coming to a stop, Yume smiled following her words, not taking her eyes off the other woman's face while she tried to figure out what was going on. Almost immediately, she followed up with a quick apology, maintaining the formality that she had begun with.

Mōshiwakearimasenga, anata ga doko ka shitashimi o kanjite iru dakedesu.

She wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. Although she knew that the system would translate the local dialect into her own linguistics, for easier understanding, she had also noticed that the translations would be less fluent than if she was speaking to someone from her own culture. The hare-woman, however, had spoken with a tone that bespoke a native speaker - someone who was used to the language, and who wasn't operating within a translation software.

Onajimi to najimi no nai. It was a weird combination for Yume, and she wasn't entirely sure how to process it quite yet.

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@Toko​