Private - Not An Enemy Anymore

Since the great Yladian Exodus, Solaria had been spending a good amount of time in bigger cities, hoping to learn more about what lead to that in the first place. While Solaria was a curious mind and loved to learn, she also was impatient- so she hadn't bothered to read any of the details, outside the fact that Yladians were at odds with Humans a time ago. However, did that go for players, too? She'd met one or two that didn't seem to like her because she'd opted to be an elf, even if she'd chosen it mostly for the sake of being different from her real life.

Still, there were plenty of nice players too- humans, elves and even faeries. Heck, she met a human NPC or two that treated her nicely right here in Stokbon! They were rare, but they existed. Surely, that was a good sign- both for the world, and for her ability to get along with it.

Slowly wandering the streets, she found a tantalizing smell call her attention- someone had sweets outside, likely a vendor. As she was on her way to the food stall, she found herself bumping shoulders with a stranger, whom she was quick to apologize to, naturally unaware if they were player or AI. "Um, sorry for that. I smelled something tasty and stopped looking where I was going for a sec."

@Ashiore Evretto

 

Every new venture into some part of Stokbon was easily as much an adventure as going out into the wilds to recover lost treasures or fighting through hordes of monsters. Not that, you know, Ash had ever done any of that. But still, she imagined that this is what it would be like: stumbling into some unknown place, a rush of activity all around, things going on that she can't understand... Yep, sounded just like an adventure.

And with adventure usually comes a reward! There wasn't any particular reason that Ash had chosen to wander down this street in Stokbon as opposed to one of the other ones, but it looked like her exploration was paying off. A sweet and heavy scent caught her attention, and Ash looked up to see a three-wheeled cart parked near the side of the street, nearly completely full of stacks of pastries and sweets.

Ooh. Well, it was getting close to early afternoon and she didn't have time to grab lunch yet. And okay, sweets weren't exactly proper meals, but... Sweets.

Willpower waning, Ash started heading for the cart, only to run into someone else. Startled, she took a quick step back only to bump into someone else. Apologies began pouring from her mouth, but she stopped in mild surprise to see an elven woman looking down at her. Well, that had to be another player; she highly doubted that any Yladian NPCs would be lurking anywhere near Stokbon.

"Oh, no! That was my fault too, I wasn't paying attention." She smiled sheepishly and looked towards the cart. "I thought I smelled something good too, so I guess we're both headed the same way?"

But suddenly aware that she hadn't introduced herself, she extended her hand. "Ah, and my name's Ashiore, but you can call me Ash. Nice to meet you, and um, sorry for bumping into you."

@Solaria

 

Solaria was just as surprised in general as Ashiore- but not because they were different species. No, her reason was rather simple: this girl was apologizing right back to her. It'd been a while since she could recall equal blame being taken by both sides. "It's really fine. I'm thankful that you'd respond that way, though. It's rare to meet someone so nice so quickly!"

As the woman explained that it had been a dual-fault and that they'd even been distracted by the same thing, Solaria could only laugh- not too loud, but clearly entertained at minimum. "That's really something! To think the smell of sweets can bring two people together. Isn't it something?" Then again, food was a common gathering point.

"Ah, I'm Solaria. It's nice to meet you, Ash. Though, I guess if we're already going with nicknames, you can call me Sola if you like. I don't mind either way, really!" Her childish grin made it hard to giggle, but she just couldn't help herself. This woman was sweet as the smell that guided them. "Since we're headed the same way, wanna have our sweets together? They taste even better when eaten with friends, new or old."

 

Luckily it appeared that no lasting harm was done to either of the two of them, and at least her embarrassing lack of attention did result in a new friend! This wasn't the worst start to a game session she's had.

She did frown a bit at Solaria's note that she didn't find most people to be very welcoming. Ash could see why NPCs would have that attitude, but that didn't make that sort of treatment fair. Though at the moment, things would likely be a lot worse than usual, given what had happened at Castle Dormont... Perhaps it would be best to stay away from the center of the city.

Ash pulled herself away from those thoughts at Solaria's suggestion to eat together. She put on a bright smile and nodded. "Sure! Sounds like fun. We could walk around a bit and explore Stokbon as we eat, if you like. Or I know a park somewhere nearby, we could probably find a bench to sit and chat. Whichever one you want. Or if you want to do something else, that's fine too?"

 

Solaria remained blissfully ignorant to the Castle incident- she'd read what she could find, but she didn't want it to bias her in any way, hoping that feigning not knowing a single word of what happened would help bring her closer to those of all races. Despite her stubborn and impulsive nature, she did have a tendency to be strategic, even if only the tiniest bit- she was learning from her past mistakes, after all, at least somewhat.

Her gaze returned to Ash, who had willingly- even happily- agreed to eat together. The options given to her were all nice, but one in particular had easily won her heart, leading to a sunny smile that made it hard to keep her eyes open, her lips curled up so high. "I vote for the park idea. Eating with friends is one method of making food taste better, but it's even better when you have somewhere nice to eat. We can think it like a picnic that way."

Taking only a couple steps ahead, she twirled herself to face Ash from her leading position. "I can't wait! A new friend and a new sight to see- it's a really great way to start a day." Well, a game day, she reminded herself- but did it really matter? It felt that way, so it must have been an essentially new day for her. "Actually, it's something I do in the real world a lot, kind of. Picnicking in the courtyard after morning classes are over. So it feels nice, being able to do that here too."

 

"Absolutely! It's no fun eating alone." Ash smiled and thought back to all those lunch periods with her friends, gossiping and moaning about classes and gushing about the newest TV shows and bands. Company always made meals better. She hadn't been on a picnic before, at least not the way you usually saw it in movies. But that sounded like fun.

Her curiosity was raised by Solaria mentioning morning classes, though. Did that mean she was a college student? Thoughts briefly wandering to her own upcoming semester, Ash wondered if it was appropriate to ask about someone's real life identity in-game. Maybe she could ask when they actually reached their destination. Just, you know, a quick question. No need to make a big deal out of things. Yeah, that's what she would do.

The park wasn't that far away, and it was soon enough that they reached it. Luckily the park wasn't that crowded, and it wouldn't be any trouble finding an open bench to sit at. Actually, she noted that a few people were actually sitting on the grass as well.

"So, picnic?" she asked Solaria, gesturing to the grass and their still-warm food.

 

Quickly noticing where the girl pointed, Solaria let out a soft giggle and plopped herself right on the grass, pulling hair out from under her as it had managed to get pulled by her own weight. "Like this, it's hard to tell where my hair ends and the grass begins. I wonder if it was wise to choose green hair during character creation?"

Laughter settling, she waited for Ash to sit as well, wanting to wait to enjoy the food together. "I don't like doing a lot of things alone, to be honest. I was basically raised with my best friend like sisters, and even now I still rely on her constantly. But that makes life more fun! Besides, people are what makes a house a home. I think that goes for the world itself. It's home because we're all here!"

 

"The green looks nice," Ash said, dropping herself to the ground next to Solaria. "It's unique." She fiddled with a lock of her own hair. "I kind of wanted to go with something different than my usual. But that that point I had dyed my actual hair a bit, so I guess brown was technically different."

And this was definitely a nice day to enjoy a picnic. She nibbled at her cherry something-fancy-french-name-she-can't-pronounce and listened to Solaria talk about her friend. She nodded. "That sounds like a lot of fun. I have a couple of friends and it was always fun when I could spend weekends at their places. It made up for not having siblings at home."

Remembering her earlier curiosity, she asked, "So, are you in college? You mentioned morning classes so I was curious."

 

"Yeah, I went for different too. I'm brown-haired myself, but...It's boring to play yourself in a game, right? Well, physically anyway." She giggled, very well aware that she never acted much different in the real world. It'd been a long time since she tried to be stoic in a game- and it just didn't feel right, in the end.

In fact, the thought of acting differently just made her think of her friend more. "Yeah, friends are the best! I was an only child for most of my life- but now I have a cute little brother. I don't get to see him much thanks to school, but I really adore him! Still, it's not the same as someone my age, either, y'know?" She'd spoken a bit much for one breath, and had to inhale deeply while she started to eat. Taking a bite of whatever she'd gotten- she hadn't really bothered to think it through- she felt the warm pastry fill her watering mouth, her grin widening. It didn't matter what this was, it was really good!

"Ah, yeah. I'm in nursing school right now. I kind of opted to take too many classes at once this semester, but I've started to get used to the work load. At least that's all I have to worry about, right?" Giggling, she added her own curiosity. "What about you? What do you do during the day?"

 

She nodded along to Solaria's words. Having a brother seemed nice, but she doubted her parents would agree. Apparently one troublesome child was enough. Or at least, that's what they were saying after she came back that one day with all her hair chopped short. And red. Fine, reddish brown, but still kind of red.

"Wow, nursing school? Yeah, that does sound like a lot of work. Is it your first year or are you almost graduating?"

When Solaria asked her about her own life, Ash shrugged. "I just graduated from high school, so this is going to be my first semester in a week or so. It's not really too bad from what I've seen of the schedule, but you know. Core curriculum stuff, introductory courses. I'm still kind of getting used to the idea of not being in high school."

 

"It's my second year. I started the moment I was able to, even though my dad really pushed me to think it over." Solaria mused, laughing a bit at the memory of her overly energized father trying to stop his daughter from going to school. "To be fair, it might be because the nursing school I chose was a big one, and it's kind of further away then the folks would like. But I mean, it's the internet age. Even my brother can use a computer already, y'know?"

Quieting her laughter so she wouldn't choke, she listened carefully to Ash about her own starting school. She'd almost forgotten that it was almost forgotten that some schools started at different times, and this was the start of the year after all. "I see, so you're fresh on your way, huh? Any idea what you might want to major in? Not everyone chooses as early as I did."

 

"Yeah, that is true. It seems exciting, going a bit far from home. A lot of my classmates are going abroad, like to Europe or Japan. And I definitely know what you mean with worrying parents. I'm just sticking close by, but it's a good school so I don't mind."

She laughed along with Solaria at the mention of her brother. Aww, the mental image of a little kid on the computer was pretty adorable.

At the question of major, Ash smiled again. "Yeah, I think I've decided to study Physics. It was really the only thing that called to me in school. My mom wanted me to be a doctor but I don't think anything medical-related is for me. Biology wasn't, uh, my favorite subject. You know, after all the dissections and stuff."

And oh, wasn't that first class with the frog exciting. And by exciting, Ash meant nauseating. Thank goodness that subsequent biology teachers were less gung-ho about the dissection thing.

 

"I didn't even leave my state for school and dad goes nuts. But he's a little bit easier on me since my friend came with me. And by that, I mean my friend since grade school and I are living together to save money and have an easier time at school."

Laughing at how hard it was to get her father to actually accept it, she remembered the way her friend rushed into the conversation to help. They hadn't actually talked about the idea of going as a pair, at least not living together- but it already felt like the most normal thing in the world. "Now that I think of it, I basically lived at her house half the time.."

"Ah, yeah. Dissections were far from fun, I agree. To be honest, it almost made me give up on nursing, but...I still want to be a nurse, even if I can't handle blood well. It's been my dream since I was a kid, so it's not like I can just give up after so long, right?"

"Physics though, huh? Anything in particular you want to do with it?" She couldn't help but wonder what a physics degree would lead Ashiore to- after all, it was a major science in and of itself, wasn't it? There was surely a lot that could be done with it. "Physics is one of the sciences I'm not so good at. Maybe I should ask you to tutor me sometime. It has two nice parts, that plan- I get a plan to see you again really quickly, and I get to see what you're like when you're working with what you enjoy a lot."

 

"Living with your friend sounds like so much fun! Glad it worked out for you. If I could find a good enough place to rent with my friends, I would, but everything's so expensive." She sighed.

"I think that's awesome! It's great that you can fulfill your dreams of becoming a nurse. I'll be cheering you on!" She gave Solaria a grin. "All that I really know about my own degree is that I want to do something about space. Astrophysics is just so cool. I'd like to work at NASA someday. Or maybe even become an astronaut."

She laughs as she repeats the joke that some of her friends made when they found out that she wanted to study space. She doesn't really dream of becoming an astronaut, but going into space would be awesome. Maybe someday, when space travel became more common.

At Solaria's suggestion of tutoring, Ash gave a small chuckle. "Sure, if you want? And there's a lot of biological stuff about going to space, like the effects on people's bodies and things like that. Maybe you can help me out with that. And I'm always up for an excuse to meet up with people again!"

Finished with her pastry, she tapped a few things on her game menu and quickly sent a friend request Solaria's way. "So I think I might have to go soon, but let's make sure to keep in touch! I really liked talking with you. And we should try that mutual tutoring session sometime, or we could just meet up for quests."

 

"If you go for on campus or near campus housing, it can be a little easier to afford. At least, that's what we did- but we also had familial help. College all it's own is a pretty pricey, especially if you don't get a loan or scholarship or some other form of financial aid. Though, it might be because I went to one of the big ones in my area."

It actually didn't phase Solaria that the astronaut mention could be a joke. To her, that sounded like a fine goal- though, she did know it took a lot of training. "An astronaut, huh? I've never thought of going to space, really...What made you interested in that?"

Then again, everyone had reasons for their dreams, and not always ones they wanted to share. Just because Solaria was a blabbermouth didn't mean everyone else was going to do the same. Heck, surely there were people who had no real aspirations their age- she could name one. But still, with such an otherworldly dream altogether, wasn't it a pretty interesting thing to hear about?

"We can meet up for any reason at all, can't we? Tutoring, quests, because we happen to be on at the same time...Being able to meet is part of the wonders of friendship!" Giggling as she spoke, she took a moment to answer the pop-up she'd received, the friend request getting accepted with a flick of her hand. "I bet the biological parts of space study are super interesting too, but I don't know if I could handle going to space to take care of the health needs there...Even if that would probably a pretty amazing career all its own."