It has already been a year since a group of adventurers vanquished the massive beast that plagued the residents of Del Mer, a predator that resembled a ship drifting around the straits of Druuk Island. Prior to that, the beast had been rumored to be a ghostly ship, spiriting away sailors that approached it. To be fair, spiriting away was just another term for luring people in. What happened after these people, these sailors, were spirited away wasn't specified, though Iván assumed everyone did have an inkling regarding their deaths. Of course, most of them probably thought the deaths were by drowning, which wasn't technically far off, if you considering the idea of them drowning inside the belly of the beast. It was a gruesome thought, a horrifying imagery, but Iván was used to such things, using them as nightmare fuel to his own set of special magic. The illusionist had arrived a day ago at the behest of The Questmaster who thought he'd be interested in the recent developments in the area. That beast, those adventurers, were long gone, but lately, a few other ships had been sighted, seemingly in the same vein as the previous ghost ship. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist to guess that these ships might actually be the same beasts that had roamed this area before. At least smaller, according to witnesses, describing them as merely about the size of large canoes. The original beast's offsprings perhaps? Even the local fishermen were wary. That could be their gut telling them the same thing Iván was thinking. If only their fear wasn't strangling their brains. This place... This place was also home to the Hangmen, The Questmaster had mentioned that to Iván. Undead wanderers, formerly sea men, perhaps even pirates, searching for the people that abandoned them... It was the perfect setting for a Caribbean ghost pirate movie starring some wacky British actor and a model leading lady. Or something. Iván wasn't big on Hollywood blockbuster movies. He was big on anything horror, though, which was probably why he ended up meeting that otherworldly being from down in the Spire. He might be connected to all this... That was the same thought The Questmaster had. Iván had asked him to inform the masked illusionist should anything spooky or scary get on his radar. He was operating on the idea that things like this, strange massive beasts and death creeping up on people, would be connected to that otherworldly being. Despite the setbacks he'd suffered through, Iván was still plagued by the strange obsession of finding out more about that being, his savior, the masked purple god-machine-thing. "I must know more," he muttered to himself as he looked out into the sea. I must, I must, I must.
Druuk Island no longer brought unease to the young woman who'd taken up a simple quest in the area without so much as a second thought. At first, the idea of criminals running the shady location had her worried whenever stepping foot there. The encounter with Zelrius - and pirates who most likely served as kidnappers - truly exposed the mentality of those roaming around such an area. Though anxiety would always plague her heart and soul and mind, Comet stood tall. She was truly brave. Not the fake, practiced type of confident created in order to deceive others. In fact, every fiber of her being felt drawn to the salty, blue sea. Both fear and greed were unable to consume her in that very moment. She never felt scared of typical things that people held phobias for, but could easily be controlled by the flaws that tainted her personality from time to time. Tainted actions as well for bad things could happen at Comet's hands led by either sin or self-doubt or strong desire. Long pink locks danced in the ocean's breeze. Though fog and death would fill the atmosphere soon enough the young woman decided to enjoy traveling near open waters while she could. Until combat occurred. Until her worries returned to deliver a daily dose of negativity. The quest offered temporary escape from herself, and also the possibility of gaining a new friend or two. She certainly could perform alone yet wasn't the type to do so in-game without specific reasoning. Comet realized that friends akin to playing with plastic barbie dolls existed only when she stepped out of Terrasphere and became Violet. As a freely roaming Archer, however, opportunities to meet genuine players of friendliness or arrogance or courageousness were always presented. Faces weren't put on. Acts weren't in control of a majority of those who surrounded her. Companionship came so easy, and spontaneously; but these experience happened to be what hope for her future was derived from. Hope for change. Thick, leather boots crunched sand beneath Comet's feet. The pink-haired woman arrived on Druuk Island completely prepared to face what may come out on challenging, rough, unforgiving waters that were also able to maintain a layer of beauty among intimidation. Emerald eyes scanned the area but attentive ears were first to catch someone nearby. A stranger speaking to himself, it seemed. She trekked lightly - the satisfying sound of sand beneath feet turning silent - with ease. Caution remained, but on the outside would never be revealed since Comet's soft expression on a pretty face and lithe body hardly ever displayed what she didn't want others to be able to see. "You must know what?" she inquired. Assuming the other also meant to partake on the simple quest the pink-haired woman continued with, "If we're meaning to discover whether or not the boats out there are monsters we should get going soon. Before the sun sets at least. It'd be easier to work together, I think, plus the sun's light will help us track them down," after a pause Comet would curl plump, pick lips up into a warming smile. "I hope you'll come with me, or at least know what I'm talking about. I'm Comet. Just so you know." she moved closer, turned towards the male, wondering what his answers would be all the while. @Iván Carl
Even before the pink-haired woman spoke, Iván had felt her presence. Well, not specifically her presence, but he did feel some sort of intrusive presence even before he heard her voice. Spending a lot of time alone can do that to a person, especially if that time included being forced to squeeze down into a hole, a claustrophobic nightmare. He was also trying his best to feel things around him, considering the rumors he’s heard about this place and the kind of creatures that called it home. Spirits weren’t his specialty, nor pirates, and this would be his first time encountering either, but he did survive the hellish creatures from down in that Spire and had even worked with bandits during his first mission for the Aristocracy, so his belief that he could take on whatever plagued this place was not overconfidence. It was simply faith. “@Comet?” Iván turned to the woman with the pretty face and lithe body, textbook attractive to most men. She seemed kind, pleasant, soft. Not the least bit intimidating, someone or something he should be wary of, and yet, one of the greatest lessons his mentor had taught him was that things aren’t always what they appear to be. That mentor was Alphabet Chocolate, a tiny, annoying girl with rainbows and butterflies for a brain, one of the most powerful illusionists, even magic-users, he has ever met. “Like the heavenly body?” As his eyes wandered all over her body, his mind played a memory of an encounter with another heavenly body. It was a shooting star, a meteorite, that crashed somewhere around the border of Astorea and the land of the mushroom, Esuilus. An Yladian astrologer named Monasilva sought out companions for her investigation of that crash, and Iván found himself at the right place at the right time. This woman… Comet? She seems useful. There was something about this girl that made Iván narrow his eyes. Outside of her looks, she had something strange about her, some sort of mystery to him. Could it be some sort of power, strength, she kept hidden for everyone including him? Could it be a flaw, an ailment, that could sabotage their victory should they team up? Or could it be too some sort of seasickness he had been cursed with? Iván subtly shook his head, sighing. He never did get too many opportunities to cross seas. The last time he was near a body of water in this world, someone’s ear got cut off. “...know more about this place, the thing that threatens it,” he deadpanned, smiling at her before realizing he wouldn’t have seen it because of his mask. Shame. He has been practicing. Iván nodded his head and bowed slightly, “I am Iván Carl. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” “I think we’re sharing the same...boat, so to speak.” The masked illusionist appreciated that smile, taking a mental note to practice again and again to perfect his own. This one had a great smile. Maybe he could try replicating it for himself? “Do you already have a plan in mind, my heavenly star?”
Thin eyebrows quirked curiously in response to the stranger's assumption. She wasn't sure what he meant, so she simply shrugged and replied with a quiet giggle in attempts to gain his favor albeit performing awkwardly. "I'm not sure that's what 'Comet' means even if that sounds really nice," with a shake of the head she shrugged off the comment and listened to her new companion. Though his small pause threatened a cold sweat or blush to rise, none ever did. She should be used to maintain such a posture, look, and focus by now. Yet performing had been difficult lately. A miserable challenge of keeping up an old act bound to slip at any moment. Rest would be nice... but there would be none in the real world, and not enough time for lazing around in-game. "Oh, the beasts? I'm sure they're the same type of spawns only smaller," the pink-haired woman suggested with an assuring tone to cover up what anxieties were held for their near future travels. Leaving the innocent to investigate and take care of things themselves wouldn't be fair, though. This train of thought kept her from succumbing to such permeating fears. "Likewise." she held back a hand from reaching out to shake seeing as Iván took another route. Unsure of herself the young woman nodded in his direction before turning her head towards the sea, in the case of rejection. It appeared her interests were piqued by gorgeous surroundings rather than a motion brought about by insecurity. "That's fine with me Iván," the name rolled off her tongue far more smoothly than she would've thought it to, and a pleased hum emitted from tightened lips afterwards. "I think sharing is a good thing... sometimes," she tacked on the last word as a subtle hint towards what annoyingly powerful sense of greed loomed over her heart. What constantly challenged all the other flaws that could control her motives and thoughts and feelings. Much to her dismay, naturally, but uncontrollable all the same. Fortunately for this mission she had no particular goals set. To conquer and defeat and make a new friend weren't particularly selfish reasonings in comparison to previous events. "for safety's sake mostly. Being separated could end up a bad idea at any time since we aren't really sure about what's out there. Hope you aren't the type to get sea sick? I'd rather swim in that case," Comet teased, brushing slightly disheveled locks into neatness over thin shoulders. "Well - as for plans - I usually jump into things and see what happens. It hasn't failed yet. The worst case we already know: they are monsters we have to punch and stab a little. The best would be that the fishermen are crazy, and we find some loot on abandoned ships to take. Seems like a win-win situation, right?" @Iván Carl
"Hmm," Iván considered @Comet's comment about seasickness. Has he ever been seasick before? Not that he could remember. He hasn't been on a boat in this world before, though, but he's had the opportunity to swim, though it was more like a necessity for survival. He didn't have that much trouble then, if he remembered correctly. The sea, the oceans, all bodies of water... They all heldd a special place in his heart for some reason. Whether he was diving in them, swimming, being a part of their vast magnificence, so to speak, or just staring out into the secrets they kept, wondering as only he could how many wonders they had that were left unexplored. "A boat ride might be a little...nicer." He smiled at her from behind his mask, forgetting he had it for a moment, before resorting to a nod instead. The girl had nice clothes on. He didn't want her to get it all wet. Besides, they could probably afford a boat ride together, right? It could be a better option than making themselves open, vulnerable, targets for whatever lurked beneath the waters. At the very least, they could defend themselves more on a boat. Iván for one had only experienced once what it was like to fight underwater. It wasn't that hard but he'd rather not lose an ear. They could also talk more on a boat, share intel, maybe even build trust and bond. That last part should be useful to them working together for the first time. What could go wrong? "I see," Iván looked the girl over, observing as much as he could about her, taking mental notes on even the tiniest of details. At first glance, he'd thought she'd be more of a planner, but that was, maybe, more of profiling than anything. She could've been hiding a powerful sword, hammer, a weapon that needed to be closer to her targets than far away. That could explain the whole jumping into things, the pantser mindset. Punch and stab? Maybe she was more of a monk, a pugilist, or a thief? Either way, if she was indeed a close-range fighter, she would complement his more magic-inclined set of skills. "It does. So I suppose we should get that boat then, miss Comet?"
