WQ - The Fade

Western Astorea's plight worried Comet. She'd fought to keep the lands stable and away from danger far too many times for a widespread sickness to take away all the blood and sweat and effort put into things such as war. There were few who focused on such an event that brought on anxiety. A fidgeting all over the body occurred consistently until Comet decided to figure out the problem. To put an end to her internal suffering. Though mentally she faced challenges ahead there wasn't a thing psychically to stop the pink-haired fool from heading straight into the fire. To her it'd be worth the time spent. And, perhaps, those who came along could form close bonds. Close enough to be considered allies, at least. Trying exploration or travel or mindless adventuring alone never proved to be a wise wove. Therefore, Comet decided that companions would be needed for her mission. Whether or not they'd be interested hardly concerned her. Whether or not they came wasn't important. All that mattered? Safety. And proving she wasn't compiled of envious emotion - a green eyed jealousy - and nothing more than it. Temperance. The name conjured hateful thoughts and sparked a grinding of the teeth. Pretty, in a dangerous way, she moved the young woman in ways her soul hadn't been ready for during the fortresses' reclamation. Smooth and fluidly Comet spoke with an eagerness then. Now, her tone turned deep and dark and all seriousness towards the subject at hand. Behind the shell, her gut churned and heart pumped boiling blood in reaction to innate displeasure towards insecurity.

Black bags in contrast to milky skin were the only sign of stress covering her lithe body as she strutted towards the certain location with a player sweet words managed to pick up. As if a helpless little girl she asked for assistance in return for the benefits. Nothing she'd provide, but the mission certainly would. Loyalty to Astorea burned brighter than the sun within her. Underneath, a desire to fix things and become a hero lurked to find a crack to slip through. With backup available her plan to aid Astorea would be less dangerous. If it'd be dangerous at all. Sickness had a chance of reaching them at any point in time as it had the animals, magic, and nature. Comet wouldn't let that happen to her nor did she truly wish it upon anyone else. "Hey there, uh..." she paused, trailing off, sheepish smile plastered onto her face. "Who are you again?" as her body turned towards the male her tone radiated politeness while personal, hidden self-annoyance ravaged sensitive insides. To be fair they'd only recently met due to similar interests, she reminded herself, and proper introductions were due anyhow.

 

Beautiful landscapes were something Yukisa had a deep-rooted appreciation for, especially when there was an uncanny symmetry to them, something that developed within him over time as a result of how little opportunities he had to go traveling. So seeing the barren, lifeless canyon before them left a sour taste in his mouth. He could not begin to imagine what had caused the Naryu Canyon to become so devoid of both life and hope.

And that was the reason he came here. Not just to discover what dwelled within this land that lead to its bleak state, but to bring hope for change, too. Perhaps that was a bit ambitious to think, considering he was no more than an average player (and sadly not the main character); however, that would not stop the young male who wanted no more than to believe he had the freedom to shape this world.

Unfortunately, this newbie was still… well, a newbie. It was likely he could barely hold his own against a boar if it tried hard enough to kill him, so against whatever sinister forces were at work here? Yeah, he’d need a divine favor if he hoped to do anything about that when only a few days ago he barely knew how to walk.

So for his own sake, he decided (or more accurately, had no choice but) to join with two others for this adventure. Not to mention, it would likely be a lot more fun if he had company.

Now, the reason he had joined this particular group was actually a series of coincidences. Since he had a grand total of one friend on his contacts list, there was a bit of difficulty forming an expedition group, so most of his attempts at doing so were hopelessly standing before the quest board, fidgeting as he prayed someone will be a person short and notice that he’s a group short. Luckily, he had been spotted by a pair of girls who he recognized from his past endeavours. Despite the awkward circumstances of their acquaintanceship, with him having waltzed into the female side of the hot springs, the shorter of the two beckoned to him and asked if he would like to join them. Though he didn’t know either of their names, he agreed without hesitation, certain that they had good intentions if they took part in the Lion’s Pride’s quest.

Hearing someone speak to him caused Yuki to snap out of his thoughts, and he turned his head to look in the direction of the voice. Of the two other members of his newly found team, he knew the pink-haired woman the least. They had perhaps exchanged a few words throughout their entire journey into the Bandit King’s fortress, and each other’s names were not part of that, which justified her questioning. Though most would likely be offended by it, he gave her a warm smile.

“I’m Yukisa. I’m not sure if you remember, but we fought the Bandit King together!” he told her with his usual gentle tone. “What’s your name, if I may ask?”

 

"Of course!" she feigned a sincere tone of recognition before extending a hand for her newfound companion to shake. It wouldn't hurt to lie if it meant establishing a friendly relationship between the two. The Bandit King went by in a flash to the Archer who shivered upon remembering Seigi's fate, wondering what lay below the waters. With a shake of the head she returned to proper thoughts. Lord knows what they would soon encounter or be forced to face, and strength with trust never failed to serve as a backbone on any mission. Though he happened to be a stranger Comet shrugged this aside seeing as their motives were the same. Or at least, she hoped his were as pure-intentioned. Too many people, in her opinion, were cunning and manipulative and mischievous in Terrasphere. Every once in a while a truly good-hearted person wasn't too bad to encounter or group up with.

"Yukisa. I'm Comet. How could I forget? My bad," she chuckled while shifting from foot to foot anxiously. Currently they weren't very far from the western border where calamity had taken over. She wasn't sure of herself, or of what would happen, and placed this anxiety on her body rather than heart to retain bravery. On the outside this served as the only reminder to others that the pink-haired woman was normal, completely human, and hardly perfect. Milky skin and deep blue veins and a natural skinniness otherwise provided signs of in-humanness paired with such a confident and warm demeanor despite the possible odds against them. "We should get going soon. It'll be easier to investigate while the sun is in the sky. Don't worry about getting lost, I'm sort of a great cartographer." she shrugged humbly before beginning their personally planned-out trek to get closer to the edge of the border. Whatever the problem was, the source had to be found before things spread like wildfire.

@Yukisa

 

Not one to question kindness, the gullible Yukisa swallowed the girl’s feigned sincerity as though it were a piece of candy. Despite how seemingly cold her previous words were, which he had not quite noticed beforehand anyway, an opportunity to make a friend was something he would not pass on purely on the basis of presumptions; if she appeared to have good intentions on the surface, then there was no point in delving any further for now. So with glee, he reached a hand forth, and gave the pink-haired woman, who’s name he now knew as Comet, a handshake so weak that it reflected his gentle-mannered nature. “It’s nice to meet you,” he could say now that they were finally beginning to get to know one another, something they did not have the chance to do on their prior expedition.

With introductions behind them, the two would be able to get going. However, noticing Comet’s apprehension, the excessively caring male tilted his head with concern. Though he did not immediately mention it, he continued to observe her as she spoke, his eyes reflecting a surprising amount of insightfulness in contrast to his previously displayed denseness.

“Ah, yeah we should hurry before nightfall, but… are you nervous?” he asked when she finished speaking, his tone soft so as to not increase her anxiety. It certainly was important to push onwards, however he would not allow that to be at the price of their individual health, be it physical or mental. This needed to be resolved before they pressed forth, regardless of what response she gave to his question.

Throwing what little acknowledgement of personal space he gave, Yuki placed his hands on her shoulders, a determined look on his face. “Don’t worry!” he attempted to reassure her with confidence. “Everything will be alright, and we’ll definitely save this place. Alright?” It was an innocent thing to say, perhaps even childish, but to him it was nothing but positivity, something he could only bring himself to have within this virtual world. He hoped that would be enough to comfort her.

If she were to relax at that point, then he would release her with one more warm smile and turn towards the barren wasteland that was the grounds to their next adventure. “Yosh!” he’d then say, taking the lead as he forgets the fact his partner is a skilled cartographer, and likely a far better navigator than himself.

@Pandora