The open plains of Dunnstads shimmered as a gust of wind pressed the grass over to the side and billowed the tufts of green back and forth. It was a nice and windy day: one that was perfect for a bit of magic practice. Appropriate - then - that a certain dark-teal haired girl had been practicing her air magic on such a windy day. “Wind Leap!” Celestine shouted to the empty wind, as the spell channeled a gust of air beneath her leather boots. With a swift motion, the spell tossed her high into the air, and she landed with a little roll. A roll that continued around and around and around, finally smacking her face-down into the grassy hill. “Clearly I am needing to be doing more of the training of the acrobats,” she hummed to herself, leaping back up, unphased at the failure. She stole a glance at her energy meter. It was hovering around 50%, which was perfectly fine for the time being. Perhaps it was time to give the training a rest though. A true protagonist never truly exerts herself without any reason. After all, if she gave everything now attacking the air, she’d have no energy for when it really counted. That would be disastrous. Instead, Celestine took to traveling around the old-fashioned way: simple walking. A lot of walking. A lot of… very boring walking. She yawned. Brushing the two cat ears on top of her head, another strong gust of wind made itself plain to her, and from this, she had a great idea for how to make this long journey more tolerable. Tilting her head and ears back as far as they could go, Celly tried her hardest to straighten her tail upwards. The blue sky ahead looked vibrant as the tail slowly poked a higher and higher position on her back. It stretched further each time as she tried her hardest to complete her self-made challenge and poke the inside of her ears with her tail. She gave her tail one last stretch as hard as she could aaaaand…. “Waaaahhh!” She tripped over something on the ground in front of her. It was too squishy to be a rock but had a solid enough form to trip her, unlike mud. As she scrambled back to get a better look, she realized what it was. “Oh! I am of great sorries, I did not see that you were doing a nap in that spot,” she floundered, climbing off of the white-haired stranger she’d toppled over. It was the fact that she wasn’t answering immediately that hinted to Cel that something was off. “H-hey, are you of wellness? I did not do a hurting of you, did I?” She looked rather concerned. @Luna Avalbane
Luna could only groan as a foot collided with her, jolting her awake to the feeling of nothing but pain all over her body, her eyes clenched shut as she gasped heavily, holding back a sob. God, she hurt so badly that it was nigh unbearable to move or even breathe. What had happened? Had she been attacked? Was this what happened when you died in the game? Or maybe she'd been mugged or something in reality? What day even was it? Did she have school tomorrow? She groaned, trying to push herself to her feet with shaking arms, before crying out in pain and collapsing to the ground again. She whimpered, looking around and catching sight of a newcomer, some girl that she hadn't seen before. She also had...kitty ears and a tail? Was this girl somebody that had created a Felis character? That was something that she'd never seen before. She'd seen Faerin and Humans, but no Felis yet. She clenched her eyes shut, whimpering again. "A-a-a-ah, i-i-it h-hurts....all o-over. I-I...I t-t-think I m-m-m-might need h-help..." She croaked out through dry lips, her voice creaky and rusty from some strain that she couldn't remember. What had even happened to her? She didn't feel like she'd been attacked. And the ground looked like it'd been damaged by one of her spells. She must've been practicing a spell and fell unconscious, or failed! "A-a-ah....o-one of m-my spells f-f-failed when I r-r-ran out of energy. I-i-it blew me up..." She coughed, wincing with the cough. "C-c-c-could you p-p-please help me...?"
Celly looked back down at the lady with an overwhelming sense of pity. She looked like she’d been through hell and back, and - more importantly - she sounded like it too. It was painful just to watch, honestly. Like those videos where someone faceplants into a hard object. Moreover, it never ceased to amaze her how people played this game with realistic pain. Maybe that was part of her problem? Celly shook her head to get back to reality. “Yes, yes, of course. I believe I can be of the helpings,” she nodded, smiling at the maiden collapsed on the ground. “I must do the checking of the list though.” With this, Celestine brought up the note menu and scrolled through an absolutely massive to-do list. “List of Villain Protagonist, list of Harem Protagonist... oh, here it is! List of Hero Protagonist. Okay...” she poured over it for another few seconds, finally catching sight of what she was looking for. “Number 57: Save a maiden of distress. It is not having a check, so you are of great luck,” she mentioned. A few other - very similar - goals on some of the other lists came to her mind, such as the polar opposite: ‘Distress a Maiden,’ for the villain one. Best not to bring that up right now. “Here,” she prompted, grabbing her own water skin and positioning the opening nearby the strange maiden’s mouth. “Water looks like it is of priority for you right now,” she explained, noticing the dryness in the lady’s throat and lips. It also made her sound a bit like a hag to Cel, which she thought was a shame since her voice would probably sound very sweet without the rasp of thirstiness. Quick enough to fix. “I am thinking you should be doing a rest,” she guessed, figuring the problem was Energy. “I do not have the magic of healing, but do not worry maiden of fairness, because I will be doing the carrying of you!” She proclaimed it proudly, one fist on her chest in a confident hero pose, but when it finally came down to lifting the lady up, she realized the issue there: Celestine was small. Celestine was probably at least half a foot shorter than the lady she wished to carry. “Uhm… uhh… err…” Celly tried grasping at one angle, then another, then holding her up on her shoulders, which completely failed to lift her off of the ground. Finally thinking of another, slightly more effective approach, Celestine slowly slid the white-haired lady over her one shoulder, letting her lean on it while she ever-so-slowly dragged her across the fields. ”So what was this spell that gave you your distress,” she asked in between her panting that came from the exhaustion of walking for two.
Was the girl going through a menu of some kind? Why? Maybe she had some healing spells or something like that? And what were these lists of protagonists or whatever? Villain? Harem!? Hero? Just what the heck was even going on anymore? Was the girl trying her best to do things that main characters did? Maybe she tried to classify people as a certain type of protagonist? It would be an interesting way to categorize people into certain groups in order to understand them a little better. "S-save...a-" She cut out, coughing and wincing as the strain of each cough felt like her ribs were breaking apart, gritting her teeth to try to cope with the pain just a little bit more. Gods, she'd never been in more pain and wasn't sure she could ever be in as much pain as this in reality. She blinked as the girl reached down and pressed a waterskin to her mouth, though she closed her eyes and took a large gulp of the water, feeling almost instant relief in her throat. It didn't feel like she was rubbing two pieces of sand paper together in her throat when she breathed now, which was a huge relief. "T-t-thank you..." She managed to get out, her voice sounding far better now that she wasn't feeling almost completely dehydrated. She'd noticed the funny way that the girl said things and structured her sentences, probably because she wasn't a native english speaker in reality. It was so cool and strange that she was having a face to face conversation with somebody potentially across the planet, whilst still being in her bedroom back in New York City at the same time, technically. She did her best when the girl tried to pick her up, attempting to help make things as easy for the girl as possible. It was slightly disheartening to hear that the girl couldn't heal her with magic, though with enough rest and help she'd probably recover on her own just fine. She was just glad that the spell hadn't caused damage to her clothes. That would have been extremely embarrassing. As for the spell that had caused it, she blushed, looking down as the girl continued to drag her across the fields. It was embarrassing to admit that she'd attempted a spell that she had absolutely no chance of casting at her current level of skill. "U-u-umm, t-t-t-the spell w-w-was an Arcanamancy spell...c-c-called magic h-highway..." She stuttered out, swallowing heavily. "I-i-it was s-s-s-supposed to c-c-create an e-e-explosion of p-power directly on t-top of a target b-but c-clearly I failed..."
“It is none of the problems,” Celesting responded to the maiden’s thanks. After all, if she was playing the hero for this particular scenario, she needed no thanks to perform a good deed. Some of the other lists on the other hand, might have required a little more in the ways of cash or… ‘other things.’ Celly felt a little wave of admiration for the lady wash over her as the stranger actually shuffled around a bit to try and help her lift. Considering the pain she was already in, that was pretty phenomenal unless she was actually using simulated pain and just pretending. Really though, she needed to stop assuming everything in the game world was fake: it was admirable and she’d remain impressed, she decided. “Arcanamancy,” Celly repeated in confirmation, “I do not have the magic of arcana, so I do not know of that spell.” Nor would she be anywhere near that level of magic, even if she did have it, she thought. She chuckled as the lady explained the effects of the spell. “That is now what I was thinking the spell of the name ‘Magic Highway’ would be doing,” she explained, turning course slightly to avoid a large rock in the way. Tilting her head back, she stole a glance at the spot this lady had been before. It was still pretty obvious where they had come from as there was still a black ring of charred grass. “But it is looking like you did a partial success,” she complimented, returning to dragging her along. As they reached the top of the small hill, a few simple rooftops were slowly replaced by the sights of the full buildings. It was a quaint little fishing village at the side of a lake that looked to be a very nice rest stop. Celestine sighed in relief, heading straight for it. By the time she’d actually made it, her own energy meter was looking a little low as well, if not critically so. Asking the nearest fisherman for directions, she easily made her way to the local inn and threw a few gold coins on the counter. “We are needing the room of rest,” she explained, causing the man to scoop up the cash and toss her a room key. Down the hallway, she stuck the iron key into the keyhole and turned, unlocking the room. It still kinda smelled of fish - just like the rest of the village - but it was a nice enough place to rest and regain some energy. With one final pull, Celly dragged the lady to the bed and helped her climb up into it. Celestine then collapsed on the ground herself, laying there in exhaustion. “Are you of needing the foods,” she asked, calling up from the floor? “I can do the buying of a meal if you are of hunger.”
Well, whatever may come, Luna was glad that somebody nice had come across her whilst she was down and out, especially since it could have been some bandits or a pack of hungry wolves instead of a nice girl. And the cat ears and tail just made everything that little bit cuter that she couldn't help but be tempted to lift a hand to scratch the ears. Unfortunately, she hurt too much and didn't have the energy to really do something like that, but she'd probably get to it later if she could muster up the courage to ask about it. She smiled as the girl asked her about the spell and made note that the name of the spell was rather misleading, nodding her head. "A-a-a-ah....I-I um, I t-think that's the p-point of it. P-people don't e-e-expect to d-detonate when s-somebody shouts 'Magic Highway' a-at them..." It was certainly a good diversionary tactic beyond anything else. A spell that did something unexpected was probably a useful tool to have under any new adventurer's belt. She was really glad that she'd taken some time to actually practice and learn some of the spells that came with Arcanamancy. There was a massive rush that came with the act of actually calling forth that power, though pushing it too hard often left her with a sting in her arms. She was very glad when they finally reached a town however, though she definitely allowed Celestine to do all of the talking when they got there, letting the girl book them a room. She did her best to make walking as easy for the girl as possible, since she could see just how tired that the Felis was getting, carrying her to the town and into the room at the inn itself. She had to at least do something to help out, even if all she could do was push herself to take more of her own weight to make things easier. Finally, she collapsed onto the bed in the room, panting herself. Her HP wasn't looking all that great and her hunger bar was definitely getting low, so a meal actually sounded good right about now. "Y-y-yes please. O-o-one s-second..." She opened her menu, flipping through it for a moment, before summoning a dozen silver coins, which she handed down to Celestine. "T-that should cover food for both of us, plus a l-little extra for y-y-your help. I-if I can do a-a-anything t-t-to pay you back, l-let me know..."
Celestine nodded her understanding as the stranger explained the diversion that came with the spell’s name. It was clever. Though it got her thinking about what an actual magical highway spell would look like. You’d float up into the air, as a shimmering, translucent road of rainbow colors appeared in front of you. Step forward, and you’d be shot across the road and through the air to your destination. It was astonishingly beautiful… in her head at least. Whether or not it was actually possible though… that was another thing entirely. Celestine took the silver coins in her hand, turning them around to hear that satisfying ‘chinking’ sound that coins always made. These were nice and heavy too, unlike the ‘watered down’ coins she was used to in real life. “Well, I mean… technically you did just do the paying back of me,” Celly answered, holding up a silver coin in the other hand. She smiled. It really wasn’t much, but it didn’t matter. In fact, in order for this to be a truly selfless deed of a hero protagonist, she needed to not accept a reward. Which gave her an idea… “I will be right back,” she called, darting out of the room. A minute passed, then five, then ten. When Celestine finally returned, it must’ve been at least twenty minutes later. To make up for it, as she entered the room, she brought along a couple massive trays heaped with freshly cooked food. Meats, bread, (some) fresh veggies, and more meat. She liked meat. From the sheer amount of it, it was obvious she’d spent every last coin on the food. With a few, unsure, wobbly moments, Celestine just barely managed to balance the trays all the way to the table in the room, laying out the spread where it wafted its tantalizing smells throughout the room. “I do not know of how much hungries you are, but I did a buying of many foods, so this should probably be okay, I think.” Taking a seat and inviting the lady to join her, Celestine shoved a buttery slice of bread in her mouth, swallowing before taking a moment to introduce herself. “I am Celestine, by the way. I do not think I did a mention of that before.”
Watching the girl shake the coins in her hand and look at them, Luna couldn't help but wonder what the green haired one was thinking. She was grateful that the girl had helped her and hadn't left her there, though still a curious mind always worked, even when she didn't even want it to. It didn't take long for her to start considering asking what the girl meant by having paid her back, after all, a few spare coins wouldn't exactly get her much in the long run and definitely wasn't worth all that much in terms of the future. She nodded when the girl made her way out of the room, reclining on the bed for a few minutes, before she finally felt rested and healthy enough to wander the room some and stretch her legs, which was how Celestine would find her when the girl returned, carrying an unwieldy amount of food. Had the girl gotten that much food whilst she was gone? Just for the two of them. "A-ah! A-a-a-all of that f-for us?" Maybe they could give any leftovers away so that nothing went to waste. That would be for the best. "A-ah, y-yes this is fine!" She didn't want to seem unhappy after all. A meal as full as this was actually fairly amazing. She made her way across the room, sitting next to the Felis girl with a soft smile, plucking a piece of bread from the spread. It looked good, better than most breads in reality. "M-My name is Luna. T-thank you again for saving m-me, C-Celestine..."
“Yep,” Celestine answered without hesitation, presenting the great spread of delicious edibles. “It is not like I would be doing an invite of the random strangers to be doing the eating of our foods. That would be of silliness.” Cel returned the lady’s smile as she took her seat next to her. “Luna,” she repeated. “Lunalunalunalunaluna,” She repeated it a lot. “I am liking it. It is the great name. If I was wanting to be a moon goddess or something of that sort, I would be doing a calling of myself Luna. It is the perfect name for that position, I am thinking. Too bad is not the option I can be taking right now.” Cel shrugged and turned to the food. Taking a piece of bread in her hand, she stood to reach up and place the slice of bread on Luna’s head, sitting back down just after. Without any sort of explanation, she proceeded to grab a chicken leg and start tearing into it. Mm, juicy meat. This was good stuff! Maybe not as good as food cooked with modern seasonings, but still decent. Especially since there was no risk of packing on pounds……. hopefully. Celestine turned to look at the… lady? Huh. Actually… “You are younger than I was doing the thinking that you were earlier,” she commented, tossing away the bone which had been emptied of its meat and replacing it. “What is the age of the Luna? Twenty-two?” Cel blurted out the question, but quickly realized she’d made herself a cliqued ‘bad move.’ Crap. She explained before the girl could answer, “M-my point is that you are doing the looks of more maturity. Or something.” Celestine’s color paled a bit and she fought back the awkward moment she’d just created by starting on a piece of bread to actually eat this time.
"A-ah, y-yeah..." She supposed that did make sense, why would Celestine invite some random strangers to join them for a meal? Still, that did leave one thing that Luna was kind of concerned about. "S-still, t-there's a lot here. A-a-a-aren't y-you w-worried about wasting s-some of it?" Maybe they could give the rest of the food away or something like that? Make some other people happy? That would be a nice thing to do, wouldn't it? Still, she couldn't help but giggle at the sound of Celestine repeating her name over and over again, blushing more than just a little at the praise and compliments. Was her name really that good? She wasn't trying to be some sort of moon goddess or anything along those lines! Trying to be a goddess would be really silly, especially if there were supposedly already deities in this world! At least, if Lucia was to be believed, there were real deities in TerraSphere. She tried to nod, only for a piece of bread to be placed on her head randomly, her eyes wide as she looked at the girl in what could only be described as a type of planetary confusion. It was as if somebody had randomly put a slice of bread on her head or something as equally ridiculous. Oh wait, they had. She blinked, taking a small bite out of her chicken wing and shaking the bread off of her head, listening to the girl ramble on again about....age? Something like that? It was honestly difficult to understand the broken english of the girl, though she did her best to mentally translate to herself. "H-how old am I?" She swallowed. Her in game age would count, right? "I-I'm um, nineteen. How o-old are you?"
“Haha, you are doing an underestimate of the powers of the Celestine stomach!” Celestine declared, waving a half-eaten chicken leg at Luna casually. Her eyes followed the bread as it was flung off of Luna’s head, bounced off of the table, and onto the floor. “Aww, but that is kind of doing the food a waste, no?” Without even thinking twice about it, Cel bent over and grabbed the bread, brushing off the ‘floor dust’ and taking a giant bite out of the fluffy goodness. “Whaaaaaaaaaat?! You are of nineteen years?!” Celestine glanced over Luna with a slightly invasive curiosity. Finally, she seemed to agree with a thought in her head, and she nodded. “Actually, now that I do you a look of closeness, I guess I can be seeing this. It is like a did a saying of before though, you are looking of a great maturity for that age. Adulty.” Cel stuffed some fried rice in her mouth. She considered speaking for a moment, but after failing from the sheer amount of food puffing out her cheeks, she relented to chew and swallow first. “Anyway, I am of sixteen of the years. Which is almost of the adultyness, but a few of the years short. Though if I am thinking about it, I am not wanting to do an adulting just yet. It is good here. The perfect of the cuddling ages for me, I am thinking.” She paused a moment. Playing that back in her head, it didn’t necessarily make sense to anyone who didn’t know that she was a bit of a cuddlebug. Oh well. No use suddenly explaining that out of nowhere. It was kinda creepy. Maybe if she was (extremely) lucky, Luna would be able to piece it together on her own. “Well,” Cel finally concluded, jumping up from the seat and clapping her hands together, “I am thinking that if you are of the wellness, then I will be doing you a leave.” Without even asking or warning her at all, Celestine suddenly fell forward and wrapped Luna up in a tight, snuggly hug. She held it there for a few seconds, before finally letting Luna breathe again. “You can be doing what it is you are wanting to do with the foods. Maybe we will do a seeing of each other again some of the time. Lucks with your Magical Highway!” With that said, Celestine grabbed a few last chunks of meat for the road, swiveled on the heels of her boots, and ran out the door, closing it behind her. [OOC: Think that's a good point to wrap this up. Sorry I didn't go more places with this. Anyway, you can give it one last reaction post if you want. Otherwise, thanks for threading with me!]
