Private - White As Snow

The months went on, but this scene never changed.

Winter winds blew through the white capped canopies of the forests of Brisshal, as Cain swung his legs back and forth. It was months ago, a whole era ago, when he had first logged into the game. When he had met Eldhi and bore witness to the deadly beauty that he wanted to make his own. A true paladin, a true hero. Capable of slaughtering dire wolves with singular strokes while commanding a beautiful stallion as if it were her own.

White breath escaped his lips as he sighed, watching the snow drift down gently, burying everything that had once happened in this forest. The incident with the gold dust. The incident with the boar population. The incident with the inscribed bones. The incident with the Convicted Saviors. So many past events, now gone and forgotten like the wolf bones that had been buried beneath this bloody land. The midnight haired muse smiled to himself slightly. What, was he getting sentimental already? A finger brushed a stray tear from his eye.

A long way since Honeyhome. He had certainly stopped orating as intensely as he did when he first started, huh? Maybe now that he was living the veteran adventurer’s life, there was no real need for him to push hard and pretend something was special, because it actually was?

He closed his eyes. A lone wolf was howling in the distance.

A melody to return, hm? The Flagbearer of Miracles was no longer one that could grow stronger with the slaughter of mere beasts. Perhaps he’ll offer some kindness then, to that hungering beast, hunted on all sides by bipedal predators with steel and sorcery, all lusting for the price of a pelt, the taste of the flesh. Clearing his throat with a ‘harumph’, Cain breathed in the essence of the northern wind, and let out a howl of his own.

Haunting. Pained. But warm.

...

Gee, he sure hoped no one saw him and thought that he was a furry. That was one title Cain definitely didn't want.
@Puionne

 

Logging in seemed like it would be a lot more extravagant, I guess that what happens when you put your hopes in the possibilities of flashy lights and colors or even a little introductory music, with this being her first-time sign on. The first. From now on there would be a lot 'firsts' waiting to be experienced. The need to list them all was unbearable; the first quest, the first battle, the first friend, and so forth. Gratified with the mental checklist of what was sure to come, a sudden cold breeze brushed against this white-haired player's (pixelated?) skin cells, quickly catching a case of the shivers. Oh, how the Lady of Luck couldn't have granted her a more perfect time to join the game then during the most wicked and cruelest of seasons, Winter.

However, undergoing the brunt of the winter winds expelled any skeptic opinions regarding the in-game pain mechanics. She now understood that all of her senses would be fully functional even within the game, as it guaranteed. Although, this didn't change the fact her body was feeling icy as the cold seeped in past the thin barricades of clothing she had on, as stylish as the customization was it wasn't getting the job done in terms of warmth or protection. Knowing she couldn't have spawned too far from civilization, she used her UI, walking in the direction of the nearest town on the map, navigating her way through the Maithe Forest.

Upon trudging through clumps of snow, she came across what looked to be another player. Glance alone there was a clear and obvious gap in experience between her and them. Cursing Lady Luck, as usual, she wondered if this was one of those open world pvp MMO's if so, she hoped this was one of the more merciful players. Having no way to get around him stealthily, she would've needed to retreat and discover an alternative route. Even with the howling of wolves that were more so near where she had just come, she had a better chance with them than with another player.

Slowly... swiftly... Pui paced backward, trying to make her footsteps as silent as possible, thanking the snow for cushioning her steps, being the first and only time she would show it any gratitude. Nearly in the clear, it was to her surprise when the player howled after one of the wolves as if responding to its call. By god, this was already turning into an incredibly awkward 'first'. Pui knew she had heard something that was definitely not meant for her feline ear to pick up. She was in the wrong place and honestly didn't want to get into anything bad this soon into the game, but why the hell was it so funny?! With her cheek puffed out, she released a soft "Pfft!" before quickly clasping her hands over her mouth. He eyes bugged, hoping by some miracle that they didn't hear.

"Oh no, I'm in trouble... but it was kind of worth it..."
​

 

“Pfft!”

At the sound of that suppressed chuckle, magnified tenfold by the utter silence of the snowbound forest, Cain’s gaze turned. White hair and pale skin made for good camouflage, but the red shirt stood out like a bloodstain upon the snow. Or a rose, he supposed, considering how this was another improbably good looking player who was most likely piloted by some forty something basement dweller. Really, how did one manage to look cute even when her eyes were popping out of her skull and her expression looked like one belonging to a mentally traumatized horror movie protagonist? Geez, he didn’t look that scary, did he?

It didn’t cross Cain’s mind at all, how weird it was for a white suited man to be howling like a wolf in the dead of winter, or for how scary it was for a newbie to come across a veteran lone wolf when they were isolated within a forest.

Yeah, he was a support! There was nothing at all to be afraid of! And the duty of a veteran adventurer was…

As the wind howled, Cain dramatically leapt off his perch, somersaulting once in a display of adept acrobatics, before landing onto the ground with a dramatic ‘thump’. This instantly proved to be a terrible idea, however, when he broke through the frozen crust of snow and sank up to his knees. A mere moment later, the snow laden branches, disturbed by his sudden flight, dumped their contents on his head, sending a mini avalanche down his spine.

…to give all newbies a fun and exciting time!

With the poise of a professional thespian, Cain ignored the freezing cold and gave her his best ‘refreshingly hot guy’ smile, complete with particles of ice turning into sparkles in his hair. “Greetings, young lady,” he began, master level Harmonics having turned his voice into an absolute luxury to listen to, “It’s quite a chilly day to be traipsing through the woods, no? Are you in need of some assistance? Or perhaps just friendly companionship to see you through your first trip to Honeyhome?”

Up above, the winter wind blew a little harder, sending another bucketful of snow onto the immobilized muse’s head.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

 

If only she was able to hold in her voice, her idea of a great adventure wasn't dying within 10 minutes of it; talk about a short-lived dream. His gaze fell on her, she froze, this time with no help from the cold but from sheer fear. Normally, Pui would accept her fate unfazed, however, this was none like any of the other games she had previously played. With flatted ears and an erect tail, she debated with herself whether or not it was too late to run away. For a while, he was just inspecting her, making her feel even more unsettled. Was something odd about her customization? She tried hard to make it as accurate to her real-life appearance as possible. If anything, his style was way too spontaneous for her taste, but the hat was pretty cool... although that was completely off topic.

Amidst her own thoughts, she was caught off-guard by the males sudden tricks, honestly, she could not help but admire the stunning display he had blessed her with. Awestruck, her eyes stayed glued to his grace, her pupils following along with the nimble flips. His landing was just as elegant-well, it was supposed to be, don't think he planned that one out too well. Within seconds upon landing, Puionne found herself looking down to meet the eyes of this mysterious man; a mysterious man knee-deep in snow, and even some down his back. She was taken aback by how tranquil his voice sounded, so much that Pui's distressed feeling escaped her body. Another small compile of snow landed on his head towards the end of his greeting, and Pui found herself laughing, it was all so comical that it couldn't have been real. Well, it wasn't real.. but you get the idea!

" Well Hello to you too. You sure know how to make an entrance. Did you choreograph that, Zura?"

A small smirk appeared on the female's face, she couldn't help but tease him about the event, the opportunity was being for her to seize it, and she did. She spoke with a sentence ender, it didn't mean anything at all, it was just something she enjoyed saying it in any kind of conversation, hopefully, that wouldn't be trouble for this guy. She tried explaining her predicament but couldn't get past the fact that he was barely at her eye level with his current state.

" Sorry if I disturbed you. I just logged on today, not too long ago in fact, and I'm not too familiar with anything and you sort of scared me. Uh... do you need some help there, Zura?"

 

Ah, she was smiling. That worked out well then. Definitely, totally, absolutely just as planned. He had totally choreographed the entire thing for maximum harmlessness. Damn was the Thespian good at his work. That was another title to grant unto himself, wasn’t it? Protector of Smiles? Bringer of Festivity? The Harmless Entrance Maker?

…it’ll be a work in progress.

Taking off his hat and dusting the snow off, the midnight haired muse noted the odd speech pattern of the adventurer before waving off her concern. “No worries, young lady,” Cain said, awkwardly waddling in the deep snow, “I was enjoying the silence, but one doesn’t play VRMMOs for isolation, after all. If my extensive, intentional, comedic choreography impressed you, it should no doubt be a signal of how willing I am to abandon my station as the lone wolf of winter in order to shoot the breeze with newbies.”

He continued waddling.

“I must confess though, that this fragile, melodic heart has been hurt somewhat by the insinuation that I look like anything but a wandering minstrel, but…I don’t pity myself enough yet, to force a maiden to come to my aid.”

Honeyed words, dripping with teasing sarcasm, continued to flow from the Muse’s mouth as he waddled awkwardly. A couple of times, he lost his shoes, and upon recovery, only sank deeper into the inordinately deep snowbanks. It sucked a bit, but he could work past it. He continued waddling.

“Yup, just give me a bit.”

Continuously.

In vain.

"By the way, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

The wind blew on.