Private - Two Arrows in a Quiver

Having seen Lycia change one of her masteries had kept Milah thinking for a while after their cave crawl with the TS mascot, Trinity. Even the brunette had to admit her twin’s new skill was neat, not even sure what Lycia had before making the change, but it had reminded the brunette that their masteries played a bigger part than what she originally considered at the start. Still, after careful consideration, Milah had decided she was pleased and happy with her own current masteries… though now she was in doubt as to which two other masteries to pick in the future.

And sure, there might be some time still until she caught up enough in game to unlock those slots, but it seemed more prudent to think upon that matter now instead of later. From what Lycia had told her switching masteries was fine if no MP had been invested on them, but if you had… well, it was still doable to change but expensive too.

Good thing I still like the first ones I picked… spending gold to change one would’ve been such a waste.

Of course, that still meant she had to improve her current masteries and skills—especially if she planned to awaken her Range mastery as Milah intended. That meant more practice time with her new bow in the woods near Brisshal; the Felis hoping to eventually make some skills of her own once she became more comfortable with the weapon and her aim. The same tree was her target as usual, the bark already marked by multiple scratches from previous practices and today’s shots, as Milah tried different distances and angles while trying to stay as close as possible to the crude bullseye carved into the surface.

 

Brisshal wasn't Comet's usual place to stop for target practice. In fact, the further away from civilization the more interesting the targets became available. Yet she always did come back to the newbie-friendly lands to have her character rest when she couldn't play the game. Some comfort came with not being forced to spawn in-game randomly. Instead waking up to the familiarity of a nice, simple inn before facing the chaotic world of Terrasphere was more up her alley. Plus doing so gave the game a touch of magic she could never achieve in the real world. A room not secluded from the rest of the players out there, one she could leave behind and not worry, that was her own if she chose or someone else's.

As Violet Palfrey the same old bedroom would always be owned. As if she were an trespasser in her own home that hardly felt like a real home. The same routine before crawling into the most uncomfortable, unsettling, far less than uncomfortable place while dealing with a husband who certainly brought nothing to the plate that could create a pleasant sort of feeling there. She'd always be a stranger to her own fake life, and anyone in it.

The inns and the players and the world itself carried that sense of loneliness away, fortunately, or else she'd have suffocated by now. Comet found herself traveling by foot to pursue a bump in the expertise of her chosen masteries when emerald eyes found themselves locked on a Felis who seemed to have a similar idea concerning how to spend the day. With a small grin the pink-haired woman turned and watched. Watched for a short while before deciding to help the other out. They clearly were a beginner, but Comet felt a twinge of obligation to support rather than kick back and spectate. For she had been there once without anyone around. Without that random someone to stand by her side, to motivate. Perhaps she could be a form of opportunity at the very least.

Hoping the Felis wouldn't mind company she silently made way to the stranger's side. "You're doing well," the Archer would pull her own bow - accompanied by an arrow - out to take a shot of her own. A quick, effortless shot that marked the bullseye of where her new companion had been working with. "I'm sure it won't be long until you're splitting arrows. Mind if I join? I have a few pointers, but I'm not here to bother you. Just looking for some fun. Maybe even a friend?" thin eyebrows quirked in regards to the last statement made. A lopsided grin settled on her pale face. "Every Felis I've met so far has been cute or friendly... so I'm hoping that you're friendly, too."

@Milah

 

Some days it seemed to come with more ease, the arrows just seemed to fly straighter or her fingertips were just a tiny bit more in tune with the weapon and her senses in here surroundings… and then there were other days. Today seemed to be one of those days. Milah was already quite a bit into her practice, and yet the Felis still hadn’t managed to strike the crude bullseye carved into the tree--though not of her own creation, for it had been here long before Amelia had set her first foot into TerraSphere.

Tch!

An exasperated hiss escaped Milah’s lips as the last arrow entirely missed the tree trunk altogether, her tail swishing back and forth behind the teen in quick and irritated sweeps even as amber eyes seemed to glare daggers at the immobile target.

”You’re doing well.”

Without realizing someone had snuck closer, unnoticed by the Felis and her tunnel like vision and concentration with the tree. Her grip on the bow had tightened more than Milah had realized, the free hand balled into a tight first that was only loosened slightly when the stranger snapped the teen of her own thoughts. A childish part of Milah had wanted to retort, funnel her frustration into this new stranger that just decided to pop in uninvited and bullseye her target in one shot to boot.

Y-yeah, well, some days are better than others I guess...

The logical side won in the end, Milah’s gaze now focused on the arrow @Comet had shot while speaking. Ears remained pinned back to her skull, though the teen managed to keep some of here frustration out of her tone of voice… enough to sort of pass as somewhat amicable conversation, maybe?

Speaking to people wasn’t her forte after all, that was what her twin did best. Lycia could no doubt befriend even the grumpiest of person or animal with enough time and exposure, the Felis had no doubts about that, but in contrast Milah just wasn’t made for befriending people. After all that meant sharing and becoming vulnerable with another person, neither of which really appealed to the guarded and distrusting teen.

It just seemed wasteful to put in all that effort, all that risk, for people that would probably not be there any longer after a couple of years…

 

Following the Felis' gaze to her own arrow, Comet shyly rubbed the back of her neck upon figuring out how the other must be feeling after trying so hard. She hadn't thought of that when trying to prove her own skill. It was meant to assure her intentions weren't bad. Only that she had enough experience to train the newbie archer if needed. Deciding how her newfound companion felt wasn't difficult. Years of observant nature gave her the ability to judge with ease depending on what her eyes caught. The smallest of movements or slight shifting of expression gave huge clues as to how she should perceive someone at any given time. With context, figuring out the Felis had been as easy as breathing and such a thought occurred almost instantaneously. Pink lips curled to show friendliness. Provide warmth. A long arm extended to lightly pat the upper back of the smaller girl. Comforting in the form of simple gesture. They were still strangers, she couldn't do much else other than speak. So she did:

"Some days can turn into every day. Why don't you show me a few shots and I'll see what we can fix. Practice creates perfection, yknow, so becoming a dead-shot won't happen in a day. I had to learn how to work the bow by myself. Though I enjoy hunting a lot I'm never allowed to in the real world. So figuring out stance and everything else took time, and work. It was a struggle at first but not impossible considering we're just playing a game. Investing in masteries helps out a lot with improving. But I have faith in you to get better as fast as you want. If you'd like me to be there for you, that is. Not like I've got any better place to be." she shrugged, and chuckled light-heartedly. Comet took interest in others like herself. Took interest in defeating what she had to go through alone. Though envy thrived within her it could never take over when sympathy arrived. And if not that, then curiosity derived from a desire to get to know this particular players more easily beat any other vice or virtue she happened to have present.

@Milah

 

She hadn't expected the light pat atop her back, the foreign touch bringing Milah's attention back from the arrow and into this stranger's face. The pink haired player looked friendly enough, an thankfully the teen managed to refrain from side stepping away from the touch out of instinct. Milah wasn't realy used to physical contact fro others, much less people she didn't really knew, but here in TerraSphere this seemed to be somewhat common--both with NPCs and players alike. After a while the Felis had begrudgingly accepted it as just part of the norm in VR games or something... besides the teen could understand why the player was doing it, it was clear enough tht the other ranger was just trying to be encouraging.

You sure you wanna do that? Might be in for an awfully long and uneventful evening if you stick around.

Just because she could understand the reason the other player was using didn't meant Milah trusted it, after all why would a random stranger want to stick around doing something so dull and boring unless they expected something in return? At least that was the way it worked in the real world, and the brunette had little faith in believing it worked any different inside a virtual reality game. Still Milah found herself reaching into her quiver once more, an arrow pulled and nocked as the brunette went through the motions a little bit slower than normal--giving time for the older woman to study and correct anything she felt was off--before the shot was released.

I took a few lessons in archery when I was younger, but had to stop due to studies and whatnot... though I recently had the chance to resume them a couple of months ago.

Again the arrow was released, and while it found purchase within the carved out target in the tree it still wasn't the bull's eye mark that Milah kept hunting for.