The feel of water rolling past her fingers was Kaeliel Arellende's first sense. The sounds of waves and seagulls' cries reached her ears. With a deep breath, Kaeliel smelled the sea breeze. Opening her eyes, Kaeliel- and Ken, the player behind (or was it within?) her- could see a clear blue sky overhead. Before this, there had been the plain expanse of the character creation room, where Ken had worked for what seemed like hours fine-tuning Kaeliel's appearance as if he were sculpting her from clay. And before that, Ken was lying on a bed in an apartment in the middle of New York City. Now, there was no Ken to be seen. Only Kaeliel, the Yladian, lying on a beach with her arms spread. This was where her story would begin. Not yet standing, Kaeliel reached out to pull up her game menu, to see just what it was she'd started out with. Some basic clothes and a crude training bow and arrows were all she possessed; she could see the standard armor, riding and seafaring masteries with no training, along with the ranged, naturamancy, and music masteries Ken had chosen. She also knew two languages- the common tongue, and Elefyn, the elves' language, which would be worth trying out. Kaeliel then turned her head to examine her surroundings. There were a few other people around the beach, but none of them had noticed her appearance just yet. At last, she pushed herself up and stood for the first time. "Here I am," she said, her voice unfamiliar yet pleasing to its user. She did what she could to brush the sand from her clothes, finally getting a good look at herself from first-person. Ken had gotten everything immature out of the way during character creation. Kaeliel would be treating herself with respect, despite how easy it would be for a straight guy to take advantage of a female avatar. As she looked once more at the other people on the beach, Kaeliel wasn't sure what sort of first impression she'd make. She must have looked like she'd just washed up from a shipwreck. Was that her backstory, then? The game documentation hadn't gone into that much detail about who the player character might have been before they were played. It didn't matter too much, anyway. For Ken and Kaeliel alike, this would be a new life. Smiling, Kaeliel approached the nearest person on the beach. Were they a player or NPC? Either way, she hoped they could help her get started.
Having come to Brisshal to explore human lands before their territories grew too heavily patrolled against Yladian incursions. Dressed in her usual travel attire of a silver gambison cut at her waist, large black breeches with open leg cuffs with some pouches held on a cloth silver belt and her usual bow and quiver at her back. This bow had seen some work earlier, arrows shoved time and time again into wild animals that took the tall elf for dinner. The table had quite literally turned on them! With as much of the freshly butchered meat carried in specialized one-use cloth as she could lug, Luvi had come across one of the ocean coasts of the wilderness. Gathering the kindling, stones and some easy-to-reach logs with a small hand hatchet, Luvi created the most basic of campfires that a layman of the road could manage along the pristine sands. The woman was definitively not a chef, her shoddily crafted campfire requiring constant attention just to keep lit. However, with that care and attention kept constant, the elf was able to cook a few hunks of meat. With some rock salt rubbed into the meat beforehand, the wolf steaks that Luvi had cooked were edible enough to eat without a frown. That was about the best she could manage. Would that she had not been waylaid by starving wolves she would have never even bothered, but she wasn't about to completely waste some poor wolf's body. Burning the bloodied cloth on the fire once she was done cooking that no rot would catch the scent of any wondering animals, she laid out yet another cloth to keep the steaks on the beach. The ocean's horizon was a sight for sore eyes, so she wanted to stay and enjoy it for a time! Given enough time, the elf found herself lying on her stomach with her calves up in the air behind her, her eyes still looking over the ocean's horizon with one hunk of salted steak left by her side on a cloth. Ahead of her, on the sand, was a rough charcoal sketch of the scene she saw ahead of her, drawn on-and-off while she relaxed on the beach. Hearing someone to her left approach, Luvi was surprised when she saw who it was; a Yladian! Though Luvi herself could be on better terms with her own kin, she still had her connection to the Great Father Tree - she should've felt something from this darker skinned elf. However, Luvi did not... and it almost scared her. What was wrong with that woman that she felt just as distantly cold as any old human? Even so, the warm smile that Kaeliel had put Luvi at ease a smidgen, her mental voice of reason reminding the prone elf that she needed to give everyone a fair chance. Luvi smiled back and waved happily. Already full with the meat she had eaten thus far, the pink-eyed woman pointed to the meat by her side, then pointed to @Kaeliel Arellende and tilted her head to the side curiously, one of her long ears flexing just a little along with her curious expression. Currently, Luvi's bow and quiver was unequipped and lying by her side. Regardless of how Kaeliel interpreted Luvi's first response to the other elf's approach, Luvi reached towards her belt and pulled out a stack of cards, flipping through them for a moment to procure one particular card. It was a highly decorated one with vines and flowers inked in a variety of different colors, with an overly flowery name written along with some text below; "Hi! I'm Luvi Nhivasi. I cannot talk so I use these cards and fun pictures."
Those long ears were unmistakable- Kaeliel had found another Yladian. The woman had a bow, just as Kaeliel did; even her hair was similar in color. If it was a coincidence, it was a remarkable one. Before she could ponder this very much, the other elf seemed to invite her to share the meat she'd cooked on the campfire. "Thank you," she said in Elefyn as she seated herself by the fire. Speaking a different language was an interesting sensation- it was as if the words were being translated on the way from Ken's mind to Kaeliel's mouth, but somehow it didn't get in the way. Taking a chunk of meat, Kaeliel looked more closely at the space the other elf had set out for herself. She knew how to make a campfire and hunt for food- not skills Kaeliel possessed, and certainly not her player. In front of her were some black marks, which it took some inspecting to realize were charcoal drawings. So they had something else in common! Kaeliel bit into the meat. Not great, but surprisingly not terrible. She'd rather not ask where it came from, though. Looking back toward the other elf, she saw that the woman was holding up a decorated card, with words written in Common. So, she couldn't talk? Was that just an interesting roleplay quirk, or was it for real? Well, even if it wasn't for real, she wasn't going to second-guess it. "It's nice to meet you, Luvi. My name is Kaeliel Arellende," she answered, again speaking in Elefyn. "You're talented with drawing, I see. So am I!" Art wasn't a mastery, so presumably Kaeliel would have exactly the same amount of talent as her player did. Looking back out to the sea, Kaeliel idly flicked through her menus again, sending an introductory message to other players. "Actually, I'm new around here," she said to Luvi, which would actually be redundant if the other elf were a player who was paying attention to the world channel. "I haven't a thing with me but my clothes and... what I hesitate to call a bow," she explained. Elves usually had the best bows out there, didn't they? "Where do you think I should go?" @Luvi Nhivasi
Luvi was happy to see the other Yladian understand her offer of food, let alone that she actually took the food. She didn't exactly want to try packing that up to save, so having it off her hands was something of a convenience. So far, so good - usually, when Luvi met other of her kin, they... did not react very well. They'd usually treat her better than most humans for sure, but they never treated her the way Luvi wanted. Either they were suspicious of the magical addiction they felt through her or sometimes they even felt the need to coddle or 'fix' her. It wasn't like she couldn't be with her kin, but those who knew her were cautious, especially with how badly she fared in rehabilitation. Luvi frowned as she idly thought of her kin - perhaps it was for the best that the two of them lacked the Great Tree's connection? It was a sad realization to make, something which she revered so much inadvertently helping ostracize her, but she tried to count her blessings in the here and now. Luvi sighed. She didn't count her blessings - she instead moped to herself for a few seconds, staring out at the sea. However, Luvi's mood brightened up with the mention of art. The freshly excited Yladian flipped through her cards, pulling out a card with a white bunny on a black background, The bunny was happily holding up a carrot in the air, blue ink on the tip. In that same blue color was a message, "I love drawing!", mirrored by a beaming expression from Luvi. Typically, Luvi had an easy time communicating her emotion with other Yladians thanks to the Great Father Tree, but this Yladian was different. Very different. She was even waving her hands strangely in the air while she spoke, as if casting a spell... yet without any accompanying mana seen in the air. It piqued her curiosity, for sure! This curiosity grew only stronger as the Yladian spoke about being 'new around here,' turning to Luvi for help. Did the other Yladians outcast @Kaeliel Arellende for her distance from the Great Father Tree? If that were true, Luvi was immediately stricken with grief - how could they do that to someone?! With some urgency, Luvi took her bit of charcoal that she had been drawing with, somewhat ruining the sketch she had been working on by drawing on the back of that paper. She was writing in a very skilled hand of Elefyn and her text went as such, "Were you exiled by the elders? I am so sorry! I have never heard of such a thing. I do not suggest you go directly to the nearest human city though. The humans must be on edge after the northern Yladian invasion. Human towns can be accommodating, though. You can find good work there." Luvi smiled warmly up to the other elf, trying to show her support.
The connection that Yladian NPCs had with their Great Father Tree- which Kaeliel and other PCs lacked- was something that Ken had noticed while reading up on things. It made some amount of sense, from a game balance viewpoint, that NPCs and PCs couldn't read each other's emotions. And if the player's emotions were different from those their character should have- as if, oh, let's say, a man was playing a woman- that would just muddle everything up. On the other hand, it was somewhat unfortunate that Kaeliel wouldn't be a part of something so important to her people. She'd have to get past that issue in some way to become the heroine she was meant to be. Kaeliel smiled back at the sight of Luvi's next card, not really having noticed her earlier thoughtful expression. All in all, Luvi seemed like someone with whom Kaeliel could easily get along well. They had much in common, but their skills complemented each other. She'd need allies like that to achieve her goals. For now, though, she had her own needs to meet. Luvi seemed to be upset by Kaeliel's situation, quickly writing out a reply. The game system gave a translation of the writing, the words hanging in the air beside the paper. At first, Ken wasn't sure how Kaeliel should respond. She might have just accepted Luvi's explanation as the correct one, but what if she met these elders in the future and they didn't recognize her, even as an exile? "I'd... rather not talk about my past," Kaeliel finally answered apologetically. "From now on, I'm a different person than I was." Hey, it was true! Luvi's advice on her first step, meanwhile, seemed sound. If the city had been invaded by Yladians, it'd hardly be smart for a vulnerable Yladian to hang around there. She took another bite of the meat- she didn't really feel totally hungry, but her hunger meter wasn't full yet! "How about you? Where do you live?" she asked, wanting to know more about Luvi. The way she spoke about the world made Ken wonder. Was she just a dedicated roleplayer, or...?
Rory panted as he walked down the beach, killing wolves all day was tough. Besides being tired, he got bit multiple times. So Rory was also a bloody mess and man! Did it hurt, normally realistic was what he enjoyed, but the pain? He still hated it, on the other hand if you didn't feel anything, you wouldn't feel alive. Rory was dragging himself along the beach as he dropped his broken barrel lid shield, far beyond repair from the amount of wolves that jumped him today. His sword was almost to that point, marks and cracks in the well worn rusted blade as it formed a line in the sand as he walked haggardly. Thats when he smelled the meat, and Rory was very hungry as he changed his direction and walked toward the smell of this perhaps wonderful delicacy. Rory eventually saw two figures through his one good eye, the other was sadly swollen from where he introduced his face into a tree. He couldn't make the figures, there was only food. He would stop behind one of the figures panting for a minute, spitting a glob of blood and saying "May I have some?" before collapsing near the fire. He would sit himself up, resting the sword at his waist. Besides for his swollen eye, there appeared to be a big bite mark on his shoulder and his leg, plus blood splattered all over him and his face were it dripped now and then. He was waiting for a response before you grabbed any of this succulent meat and looked at the two strangers as he waited. It seemed both were taller than him (He was used to being the tall one, but this was the optimal height and it was nice to being shorter for a change and not tripping over his feet) and had pointed ears, weird. One seemed awfully familiar, like he saw her before and the other was darker skinned and seems more refined. Either way, he hoped that he didn't appear as a threat, cause there was no way in hell he was running again or the fact he could take them on, if at all, in his current condition.
In comparison to the player acting as the role of @Kaeliel Arellende, Luvi did not have any notable 'goals' that one might consider worth mentioning. She didn't care much for being a great hero or villain, she didn't want to rise to the fame of a leader or the power of some shadowy puppeteer, she wasn't even necessarily thinking about something like a family. Continually improving her skill with the quill and brush was perhaps the most specific goal she had in mind. There was more, but thinking any deeper with company nearby would be rude! Though a conversation might be one-sided, the least Luvi could do was listen. So, listen the elf did, nodding her head politely as Kaeliel spoke of her wish to distance herself from the past. Of course, Luvi had absolutely no idea that Kaeliel was just using that as an excuse to explain away their lack of a past, but hey, details! Luvi was hardly going to try and question another elf who didn't want people judging her out of left field, Luvi wasn't that much of a hypocrite! So, instead, Luvi would have tried to reach over and place a supportive hand on Kaeliel's shoulder with a firm nod. The fair-skinned Yladian was just fine treating the other elf as things came along! Keeping the friendly gesture short, Luvi turned her attention back to the charcoal sketch she was drawing moments before. While her written questions and statements on the back of the paper had messed with her drawing on the other side just a bit, she tried to work around those marks to the best of her ability while Kaeliel sated what was left of her hunger. Luvi was quick to pause when the questions were turned back at her. Looking back to her acquaintance, she held up her left hand and her left index finger for two seconds before she then focused on shuffling about her deck of cards, looking for a specific series of premade conversation cards. Smiling once she had found the ones she wanted, Luvi held the stack of cards in both of her hands, the card of interest shown to Kaeliel at the top of said deck. What was shown was a white bunny holding a carrot like a club on a black background, readying a blow against a chibi-fied green orc. With a semi-shaded white cloud acting as the backdrop for some text; "I am a Traventurer. I travel a lot, and adventure a bit too." Luvi let Kaeliel read the card for a moment before moving the top card to the back of the deck, revealing the next relevant card. The picture had changed frames, with the carrot club now hitting the orc who had X's for eyes now with little gold coins 'exploding' out of the orc. The same cloud-text box gave the message; "It gets me gold to live and travel more." While Luvi held this card out, the elven woman's eyes were distracted by an approaching figure from behind Kaeliel. Considering the figure was dragging a sword behind them, she might've considered it a possible threat, if she hadn't recognized two things. The first was just how clearly exhausted the poor fellow looked, even from a distance! The second was possibly more important; Luvi recognized the man, at least a little. Luvi stared as he approached, unsure of how to react all the way up until he asked for food and gave them some blood in return. With a quiet yelp, Luvi dropped her cards and scattered them about when @Rory Ulric spat blood, shocking the woman when she realized just how injured he was. Hurriedly, she scampered through her cards as she tried to find a card to try to communicate to Rory with, but considering how panicked she was and how she just dropped them all in a mess, she'd be stuck looking for a bit of time!
Luvi's comforting touch came as a surprise. Something like that would have had a very different meaning to Ken if he'd been there as himself. It reminded him that being Kaeliel wasn't just changing his own perception, but how others saw him- that is, how they saw her. People were going to react differently to her than they would to a man, even a male Yladian. This really would be an entirely different life. Kaeliel smiled as Luvi showed a few new cards explaining her traveling lifestyle. Most likely, a lot of players lived in a similar fashion, if Ken's previous gaming experience was any indication. Since players were able to log out, they didn't strictly need a place to live. But it seemed like it'd be fun for Kaeliel to find a place she could call home. Sure, she'd have to explore the world to experience all it had to offer, but the best heroes out there had a place to protect. Following Luvi's gaze, Kaeliel saw the approaching man, gasping in surprise at the sight of his injuries. "You're in bad shape," she said, shifting over toward him. "Hold on, let me try something." Opening up her spells menu, she picked a basic naturamancy healing spell off the list, then held out a hand and, her voice moving on autopilot, chanted the incantation. A few tiny bursts of green light would pop out from Rory's wounds, healing him slightly. "...sorry if it wasn't much, I'm still new to all this. Luvi?" She turned back to the other woman. "You've been traveling, do you have anything like a healing potion? Something that'll help him." @Luvi Nhivasi @Rory Ulric
Rory closed his eyes as the magic washed over him, it was temporary relief, but at least it was relief. His eye de-swelled a little along with his other wounds, the blood stopped dripping as well. Rory mumbled a thank you before swaying left and right trying to stay awake. He then turned to Luvi saying "Don't panic, nod head for yes, shake head for no.". Rory then pointed at the meat and then looked at Luvi with a stare until she nodded or shook her head. Rory wasn't feeling good, getting bit by wolves sucked, and even worse. He was having to accept healing and beg for meat. Rory would turn towards Kaeliel after Luvi responded and said "Thank you and sorry to bother." and either grabbing the meat and eating, or just resting there, and nodding at Kaeliel with a smile to show he really met the thank you.
With both @Kaeliel Arellende and @Rory Ulric trying to get the woman to do something as opposed to the rather useless fumbling panic that she had over trying to get all of her cards picked up, Luvi looked up to the both of them. She felt rather helpless without having her little cards in order, the only real 'voice' she had to actually express herself without being hopelessly left out of anyone's life. They weren't exactly time-efficient to create, so losing them or having them ruined was a serious issue. However, they were on dry sand for the meantime... so her cards were safe. For now. Allowing her cards to stay messy for the moment, She had heard what they said and began by nodding to Rory just as he had suggested, blushing lightly. It was a simple enough statement, something she'd done thousands of times to communicate in lieu of speech. To have someone else explain to her how to communicate was almost shameful, though there was a more pressing matter at hand. Rory's condition was absolutely terrible! Luvi felt especially embarrassed making a fool of herself in front of a good looking Yladian like Kaeliel, though Luvi swallowed the shame and started procuring a vial filled with turquoise fluid from her pack. It was a regenerative medicine with no odor as she uncapped it. Moving closer to Rory, she would have tried to observe any open wounds on his skin so that she could pour and rub some of her magic potion onto the affected areas. It would've stung, though the pain in the wounded areas in general would numb up slightly, though it was clear the potion wasn't exactly the strongest. Naturally, Rory could refuse teh aid or try to take the bottle to do it himself if he disliked Luvi helping. Luvi nodded once that was done, pulling out one last potion. Keeping the cap on, she pretended to drink the vial's contents, then held it out to the young man with a smile, her cheeks still flushed a smidgen.
