The more mysterious atmosphere of Astorea brought Comet to the region for a little exploration that she desperately needed to feel accomplished with herself. Being so underdeveloped - a newbie - easily ignited the flame of envy (for those who were better) that burned inside. The pink-haired woman wouldn't let a lack of experience chase away her bravery. Hard work meets in the middle with successful results and as someone who gets whatever she wants one way or another, Comet didn't let any self-doubt stop her. Dull eyes scanned the area around for predators or scattered villages to avoid. Interaction with any living being happened to be the last thing on her mind. Lonely adventures beat being distracted. She'd rather leave idle conversation for town though not many people had spoken to her quite yet. Soon enough the solo-phase would die out, an inevitable occurrence for such a normally sociable person.

A small opening caught her eye whereas most would've passed it. Behind the space lay darkness but Comet felt herself squeezing between two large rocks without a thought in mind as to where it could lead or if she could be hurt. Exploration meant taking risks, after all. Her thin body slipped through with ease though being so tall led to an awkward, scrunched-up position during the process. Catching herself from skidding forward after yanking the rest of her limbs from the more tight areas of the opening, Comet patted down her clothing before nodding and heading forward into the abyss of a cave. The inside was dark at first but a hand on the smooth surface of inner-cave wall lead Comet deeper inside.

A gasp emitted from a surprised Comet who had certainly bumped into someone - or something - after only a few minutes of traversing the cave. A dim light provided well enough view of nearby surroundings that Comet slightly lowered her weapon, though her figure remained stiff and aware. The figure distinctly made out a smaller female character with cat ears.

"Just here for the scenery," Comet commented, skeptical and remaining alert. "You?"

@Aria

 

The Forest of Astorea was one of the most popular spots for adventurers, players and NPC alike, particularly the former since it was located in the newly-formed 'Player Kingdom'. It being a former territory of an ancient civilization made the region rife with ruins, caves, and lost treasure just waiting to be explored. At the moment, the Forest Felis Ranger was in one of such caves, her green eyes lighting up in Investigation Mode as she scoured the dark corridor for anything peculiar. She was in her element here, being a Felis alone granted her keener senses and night vision compared to a human and possessing the Hunting mastery enhanced the talent even further.

So it begged a question on why she didn't notice the pink-haired human female approaching behind her, "Wha-?!" up until the taller woman accidentally bumped into her back. She abruptly turned around and instinctively drew her bow, feline ears swishing here and there to zero in on the unknown presence. "Who-... oh..." Upon realizing it was a fellow explorer and not a Giant Spider aiming to devour her, the green-haired girl relaxed. Her gut didn't tell her this woman had any malicious intentions but still, she wouldn't completely let her guard down, player killers did exist in the game after all.

"Uh... what do you think?" Aria chuckled, gesturing to her surroundings, "Scenery huh? Interesting, I'd assume there's no other reason for someone to come here aside from treasure hunting." Maybe the tall woman was a spelunker? "Well... since you are here, I can use a help, want to look for that treasure together?" Aria wasn't that sort of greedy miser who'd recoil at the notion of splitting a loot, in fact, the more the merrier, "I'm Aria by the way, just Aria, and you are?"

Wow... she really was tall huh, standing a good six inches or so taller than the Felis and combined with her... well-endowed figure. That made the Fashion Design student and part-time Model (in real life) rather... envious to say the least.

@Comet

 

She hadn't lied, Comet was wondering the cave for exploration-based purposes. Treasure hunting hadn't crossed her mind at all and for that she mentally face-palmed. Comet licked her lips while hesitating to answer the question. Working with someone? For treasure? That seems foolish: the greediness inside of her tried to claw its way out. The stranger could be useful: the rational thought managed to overcome the disgust of sharing loot. For now. Pulling loose strands of behind her ear, Comet tasted the stranger's name on her tongue. "Aria," her lips curled up in a display of friendliness. More trained than genuine but a smile nonetheless. She wasn't a killer, yet, and felt the superior of the two with her staggering height. "I'm Comet. Honestly, I'm not familiar with hunting treasure let alone searching dark caves for some but I believe working with you will give me better chances," she nodded and then remembered to add, "I mean us." to ensure she had good intentions.

Having such thoughts led to being skeptical that a stranger would be so friendly as to offer help. Comet couldn't help but remain wary though her demeanor remained that of a completely confident, welcoming individual simply searching for valuable loot. With arms crossed over her chest Comet began to lead the way she'd been previously heading. Hopefully the distraction of socialization would mean being able to flee from any negative thoughts. At least until she was alone and would ridicule herself to the ends of the Earth despite the current day largely made up of successes on her part. There's always something wrong, she reminded herself with a shake of the head. "You're a Felis, right? If someone had told me sooner that cat girls were so cute up close I'd make friends with one sooner," Comet chuckled and decided it was well overdue to sling her bow back over her chest. Aria wasn't any danger but the pink-haired woman wouldn't take an eye off of her, that's for sure. "You must be well-off with how dark it is in here. My eyes are adjusted by now but cats have better eyesight overall , I'm assuming?"

@Aria

 

"Nice to meetcha, Comet." What a stellar name, pun intended, Aria wondered if she was as eye-catching as a real comet. Well, considering her statuesque height and... generous curves, the answer was quite obvious really. "Oh?" Her cat ears perked up at the redhead's words, "So I assume you're new then?" The Felis inquired curiously before continuing, "Cause this region, Astorea, has tons of ruins and caves filled with nice loot. No one comes here for sightseeing, it's all about the treasure." Still, if the woman was the type to enjoy spelunking, by all means, do so. Aria had to wonder though, it must be a hassle to traverse narrow and low cavern corridors with such height. She should've thought better when creating her character if she was going to be exploring caves a lot.

"Yep, I am, well, my in-game character, of course. I made her a Felis." The green-haired chuckled, rubbing the back of her head, "Aww... you flatter me." She got that compliment often, being a part-time model, part of the job, but this one felt genuine instead of a cameraman's usual banter. Call her vain but it made her... happy, "Thank you tho, yeah, they are cute, aren't they? Well, let me the first on that list then!" Opening her palm menu, Aria sent a message to Comet's UI.

Invite

Aria has invited you to their party. Accept?

Once the taller female accepted and they were joined in a Party, Aria motioned for her to continue, using her Investigation Mode to continue onwards, "Well... you can say that. They are just like real cats, keen vision, hearing, and all that. These ears aren't just for show." She blinked once, "Oh hold up..." Stopping then bent down, examining the ground, boot-shaped prints were highlighted in her IM vision, "Damn..." The Felis cursed lowly, "Footprints, someone's been here before us." Awww man... what if they had gotten the treasure already?

"You bet someone had!" A gruff masculine voice echoed on the stone walls, prompting the Felis to quickly nock an arrow and pull the string of her bow.

"Who's there?!" She aimed at the general direction of the voice, quite accurate too due to her masteries.

---

"Oooh... feisty, why so mean, girl?" The figure revealed himself to be another adventurer, a male Human wearing heavy armor and wielding a sword and a shield, he was situated in the corridor up ahead, leaning his body against the wall, crossing her arms. "A green kitty, a cutie, but woah..." His rather lecherous eyes scanned the redhead bombshell, quite pleased, "You, girl, is every man's dream." He chuckled, "Name's Butch. What do you say you two just stay back and let me get the treasure, eh? Later on, maybe I can share some in exchange for... companionship, hmm?" He wiggled his eyebrows, not a trace of shame in his voice, none at all.

@Comet

 

With a generous nod of the head Comet immediately accepted the invite from Aria. The other spoke with as much ease as Comet who appreciated the continuous conversation and actual effort put into the responses. Not much people in her life were normal: they spoke like robots or passed her by without so much as a look. Desperate, Comet learned to value those who would give her a chance. Any chance. Remaining skeptical of a stranger in a cave? Reasonable. However, the situation wouldn't stop Comet from getting to know the lovely cat-girl who spoke with a sense of kindness in every word. The pink-haired woman jerked to a stop upon hearing the worrisome comment, slightly bending over to catch sight of the footsteps while in IM alongside Aria. Tingling fingers tapped again her knees with a want to run a finger over the Felis' ears; focus trumped the odd sensation. "We'll get our treasure, whether or not someone's been here," Comet stated before standing to her full height, a hand clasped to the front of her bow. Determination with a hint of greed laced her defensive tone. Her sight was set on gold thus it'd be gold she got at the end of the day by whatever means possible.

In sync with her partner, Comet had her bow out within seconds albeit a much sloppier action than the Felis'. Little time called for the pink-haired woman to feel disappointment in herself for she kept more than her lackluster eyes on the unknown man. Until he revealed himself Comet had been rendered unable to track the whereabouts of the voice. Aria seemed raw talent that she felt the need to train more for once the day's adventure passed. To rise to the levels of someone who proved to be better coated Comet's weary soul in dire need of rest. A rest that would never be granted. A compliment is supposed to be a compliment, and perhaps it lightened her insecurity up a bit, but receiving one from the putrid mouth of a cocky stranger is hardly pleasant if at all seen in a positive light. Chewing her bottom lip, throat dry from anticipation; confusion quickly subsided as a plan formed in the depths of the "bombshell's" mind. She pulled a long arm around Aria and pulled the shorter woman close, very close. Lips hovered over the outside of the Felis' ear and she hoped the two were on luck's side in the moment for she whispered, "We can play along, yeah?" before pulling away.

The bow hung over her torso once more. Dropping her only defense seemed dangerous, but it could easily be pulled back out if things went wrong. Though Comet had much, much more faith in Aria's marksmanship and short reaction time than her own. The plan ran through her mind a million times a second and Comet hoped that Aria had some practice with her acting skills. Not that Butch's brain seemed developed enough to notice their suspicious change in demeanor. A finger lightly skimmed along her bottom lip, a shy smile plastered onto her reddened face. Tilting her head in curiosity, a lock of pink hair tucked behind an ear, Comet spoke a soft, "I want to be your dream, Butch. No one's ever called me pretty before," a giggle is forcibly pushed from her throat. "If my friend agrees, you can take us to see the treasure and then show us what a real man you are... It's only fair to keep your promise, right?" a shy excitement took over Comet's voice and her blue eyes began to soften. Her cheeks, by now, were consumed by a crimson hue. Within, the pink-haired woman silently blessed the outside world's cruelty for providing lessons she otherwise would've skipped if not for intolerant parents.

@Aria