Lost in the Crowd [P]

"I thought this was supposed to help me escape from the world...Not remind me of how scary it is..." The purple haired girl mumbled, the crowd around her making it hard to keep her balance. Being as small as she was, along with her real life trauma of crowds, the wave of people disorienting her and making her forget where she was headed.

In a flurry of fear and a need for space, the faerin used her lithe stature to sneak through some gaps in the larger groups to find a slightly less stuffed part of the city. She was almost home free- and by free, she was almost out of the giant crowd that was suffocating her, into a nice big open space. But, at the last moment, she tripped on a person's foot and was sent flying rather dramatically into a face plant.

The road hurt her face, her body already limp just from the panic of being nearly drowned in people moments before. "I-I'm...free..." She gasped for air, struggling to stand. She could see a stranger's feet from just a bit afar as she tried to lift her head, pointed in her direction. "Er..." Her face reddened. Was she really free from the crowd- and from her anxious embarrassment? It didn't seem like that freedom was coming anytime soon.

(@Noah Krane )

 

Noah walked through the crowded streets of Stokbon with his hands in his pockets. While the streets were particularly busy, he was able to gracefully weave in and around the crowd with relative ease. He had utilized his rogue’s ability of not only nimble movement but allowed him to blend into the crowd to the point that soldiers that had been looking for members of Yulan Dragons would not spot him. He still had things to trade and quests to turn into after all.

The crowds seemed to be even more jammed packed today than any other ones, which was odd since many of the main players of the game had started to slowly make their ways to the new regions of the game. Noah was considered a veteran player in some regards but a noob in others. He had stuck around this region to finish up some loose ends, as well as getting his masteries up a bit more before moving on. So far his only main combat mastery was still one handed slash. He was doing a bit of research on the different magics that the game utilized and had settled on trying to learn either pyromancy or aeromancy. Trouble was, it was hard to find a tutor seeing how any player with an affiliation to Yulan Dragons was immediately dismissed or attacked on site, so Noah would have to get his other skills up and find a master out in the new wilds of the world.

With a quick spin around a rather large man, Noah continued on his journey. He was headed to a small merchant street that he could sell some of his leather wares on, it was one of the few locations in the city that would still talk to him and take his merchandise. Right as he was progressing along his path a sudden collision with a young child sent him off balance, stumbling slightly a bit before recomposing himself. He saw a small child with purple hair laying facedown on the ground. The crowd kept walking along with no care in the world, Noah though being the cause of the trip squatted down to see if she was alright. “Um.. you okay there?” Her face was red as she looked up, was it from the fall or just the embarrassment from falling in public?

@Harveste

 

Looking up at the man, whom she'd already decided was a giant from her very low perspective, Harveste could only give an idle stare for a few moments before her mind's scattered cells returned to the mold, away from her embarrassment. "Ah, um, I'm okay! I-It hurts a little, but what would you expect with pain simulation? At least I don't leave it high." Her words were laced with a timid laughter, her body trembling lightly as she stood up. "I'm clumsy, so it's kind of normal."

Now at her full height of just inches over four feet, the young fae dusted off her dress and took a peek at the scratches that had managed their ways into the skin of the character, all minor but varying in length and destination of appearance. "Jeez, I thought at least in a game I'd be a little more graceful. I even took on the rogue mastery for that reason. I guess I have a long way to go..." She then remembered her company and jolted her face up to look at the man who'd come to check on her.

"A-Actually, wait! I bumped into you, right? Rather than me, shouldn't we make sure that you're alright too?" Her simple minded worry led to her heart racing. Yep, she couldn't escape herself even in a game. In fact, she was starting to think she was even worse in game than outside- had the world always been this embarrassingly awkward to deal with?

"Um, I don't have any real skills to heal you with, but I can probably pay for your medicine. It can't be that expensive, right...?"

 

Noah stretched out his hand for her to grab and use to help stabilize her standing up, she was a petite thing, judging her odd color hair and comment about the pain simulator, she was a player and not just some NPC child running through the streets. There was also the possibility that she was a member of the Fae race, one that was looked down upon by most the humans in Stokbon and the rest of this region, perhaps that is why none of the NPCs had stopped to help her up or anything when she had fallen. To them she was a second class citizen, which was wrong in Noah’s personal opinion. Noah’s ears perked up when she mentioned the rogue mastery, just like him she was trying to master that art? Perhaps she was brand new player and had yet to level up the mastery much, just like he was when Dempsey found him stumbling through the forest.

Noah just chuckled at the girl’s frantic thought process. She had not even knocked off a single % of his health but probably took a few points of her’s down with that fall. “Never mind me, I did not take any damage. How’s your health? I’m sure that fall knocked a few points down. Grabbing a bite to eat and resting should patch something that trivial right up though.” The crowd continued to walk around the two, they were getting looks for just standing there. Noah was fearful that the looks were due to him being a member of a wanted guild and her being of a second class race. It would be wise for them to get out of the street, before the guards came over and harassed them . The street that he was headed to mainly hand some shops that would deal with him but there was also a tavern tucked in there if he remembered correctly.

“If you want we can go grab a bite to eat to help speed up that recovery. I know a place close by that will be way less crowded than these streets.” He nodded his head in the direction of the street and started walking. They really were not far from the alleyway that would lead to the “black market” of sorts kind of place. As the two wove in and out of the narrow alley Noah kept glancing back to make sure the girl was following him and no others were. “Might want to stick a bit close when we get up here, there are quite a few pickpockets and some other interesting people.” Another sharp turn and the two were met with a dead end, or so it would appear at first glance. Noah walked to the left side of the wall and started to walk towards the center, seeming to disappear right away. In reality the wall had been set up so that it only appeared as a dead end, but in actuality opened up to a long stretch of shops that served as one of the hidden markets of Stokbon.

Noah headed towards one of the first building that had a worn out wooden sign dangling from above the door that read “The Crooked Loaf”. Once inside the dim room, Noah headed towards a booth near one of the walls. There was a small number of individuals inside, mainly sitting in the corner of the room and at the bar. Three servers casually walked around the room with almost a lifeless look. This place was no five star restaurant but it had warm food and cool drinks, just what the little Fae needed after that fall.

@Harveste

 

Grasping the hand offered to her with a somewhat shaky, frail reaction, Harveste smiled gently with warmth shrouding her eyes. She murmured a thank you so soft it was nearly inaudible, too focused on readjusting herself back on her feet with the man's help. Somehow unaware of how she was seen, she wasn't even bothered by the stares- or at least, she tried to act it.

"It went down a bit, but I should be okay after some rest as you said." Looking around, she began to shiver slightly. Was it really that interesting to watch a girl standing up from being knocked down by her own clumsiness? For that matter, it was interesting to her now that no one else had thought to help. That thought mostly flew past her, though. The man before her was more important to focus on.

As he offered her a joint meal, her face returned to the slight red it'd been before. Her heart raced ever so slightly, unaccustomed to such social activities even in this world, or in her mind she was still unused to them. "I-I thank you for your offer. Leaving the crowd in particular is surely a good idea." Because she was told to keep close, she sped up awkwardly, unintentionally grasping at his shirt to make sure she wouldn't get lost in another crowd of tall giants. "S-Sorry, it's the best way for me not to get lost behind you..." With a timid laugh, she kept to his pace the best of her ability, happily entering the calm and quiet stop.

"I wonder what I should eat...What's best for this case...?" Glancing up from the small but notable menu, she took a peak at the man across from her at the booth. "I'm glad the prices are reasonable, but I'm uncertain what to eat. Do you have something you recommend? This seems like a place harder to find than others, so I can only guess you've been here before. I don't blame you for coming back, either. I already like the air in here."

 

The girl seemed a rather innocent, poor thing would get trampled in this city, Stokbon was losing its glamour for Noah and soon he would leave it behind for good. He had heard of newer cities popping up along the coast and deeper into the woods. There was rumor to even be one that was used by smugglers and other shady individuals, a perfect place for a thief or treasure hunter to make a quick bit of gold. Noah’s skills were not the best around but he was at least nimble with his fingers and light in his step. The past few days he had really been practicing his pickpocketing and pilfering skills. He had not stolen much or from NPCs that were hurting, he often went after the ones that held their heads too high to notice anybody besides themselves.


As the two settled into their booth, Noah would glance over the menu as did the young child. He had been here a few times before but was still always interested in trying new menu items, just to see what he would like more than others. As his attention focused on the menu the child’s voice caught his ear, it seemed that she was looking for a recommendation. He was curious at this point, was this player really a small child or perhaps she was an adult in real life, that would greatly determine her taste for things. It would be the difference between suggesting a grilled cheese sandwich or roasted pheasant. Was it rude to ask such a personal question so early on in the meeting though?


“Hmm, the tomato soup and roasted chicken is a pretty solid choice. I think I will be ordering the baked spud and roast beef sandwich. A nice hearty meal, should keep my hunger stat filled for most of the day.” The waitress walked over the to table to get the two’s orders. Noah told her exactly want he wanted and waited to see what the young girl would choose to order. After she would place his he would try to open some dialogue between the two. “So are you a new player? No offense, just seem to have that air about you.”

@Harveste

 

His recommendation had been a good one, though she couldn't help peeking at some of the other options- mostly to switch out the main thing part of the recommendation she wasn't such a fan of. "Roasted chicken is nice and simple, and healthy too...And it's tasty." She pondered for herself softly, unintentionally speaking her attempts at a decision out loud.

Finally, the waitress came- and it was time to spurt out the best possible decision she came up with. "I'd like roasted chicken and minestrone, please." Smiling gently to the one taking the order, she watched the waitress leave. As she did, she heard the voice of the man who showed her the way there, and who had been helping her quite a bit.

"Sorry, spaced a bit. I am, but did you figure out? You say an air, but..." What kind of air was she giving without realizing it? Unless new players now had a special aura or mist, there was no way it was that obvious, was it? "I found out about the game only recently. I've been playing a couple days, but it takes a while to get used to things... What about you? Have you been playing long?"

 

Noah chuckled as he witnessed the young girl space out and snapback into the moment over his comment about her being a new player. “You just seemed still so engulfed in the world to be somebody that has been around the block a few times….Nothing wrong with that though.” He leaned back in his chair a bit and got comfy while the two would wait for their food. The small little bar really was rather rundown, but that was to be expected. This area of town was not too visited and those that came this way really were indifferent about the quality of the local. “I’ve been playing for a month or so. Really still trying to get the groove of things. Some of these players are using those risky deep dive things that are dangerous as all get out but it makes it where they can power play I guess. But what makes you any different from an NPC at that point? “

The waitress brought over a pitcher of water and two tarnished looking metallic goblets. Noah reached for his cup and took a large gulp the moment it was placed in front of him. “Though I’ve been here for a bit I’m still a newb in most regards. My highest mastery is just at adept level, nothing to brag about to be honest. Plus I really haven’t gotten a chance to do too much in the global events, it seems that certain players dominate that field. Have you gotten a chance to explore much of the world yet or have you mainly stuck to the Stokbon and forest area?”

 

"I don't really have much of a life in reality. This might be the closest to an adventure I've ever gotten." Harveste explained, opting to explain her reasoning for being as in tune with the world as she was. He'd said there was nothing bad about it, but still, being seen as absentminded as she was could get a bit embarrassing.

As he told her more about himself, her eyes stared straight at him- though never directly at his face. For her, it had nothing to do with being smaller, but rather a natural anxiety of looking at someone in the eye- while she was more actively friendly in this game, some things still carried over.

"By those deep dives, you mean the thing that was on the news recently? I was once curious about doing such a thing, but I was taught recently how scary it'd be. I'm not big on worrying about power playing anyway, but it seemed like something at one time that would be good to experience as a storyteller. Instead, it really does feel best just to enjoy it in small doses, I suppose."

The water placed before her was left untouched in the beginning. She was too busy listening and enjoying his story. He'd called himself new, but after a month, was one really new anymore? "I think with such a high level, compared to me, that's far from new at least. But it might be interesting to think of what really makes someone a newbie and what makes someone experienced, outside experience itself. I've always played games where I put my skill points, so to speak, in about even numbers for each skill. As such, my masteries will likely grow at similar rates. That means it'd take a lot more time, though, to get to an adept level, right?"

Resting her back further into the booth, she looked up at the ceiling as she thought over her own memories of the short time since she'd started playing. "I mostly play in the forest. I really like it there, so I haven't felt a need to leave the woods outside the fact I get attacked a lot. To be honest, I'm pretty sure I haven't been to Stokbon until now. After this, maybe I'll try broadening my horizons more. What places do you enjoy going? I might have to try them!"