Honeyhome Village was as alien to the Faerin as the woodlands beyond it. Humble, warm and tight-knit - the community was a far cry from the vast sprawling metropolis that the mind behind the character had known growing up. When she had first been guided to the safe haven for new players, she had been skeptical as it seemed far too small to be a place of any significance. Perhaps her small stature made it easier to review those feelings, most of the buildings being designed for 'normal sized' people meant the whole hamlet felt larger once she was standing in front of the village temple, the quiet buzz of villager life going on behind along with the far louder buzz of new player life. Being the first civil hub of this world for most newcomers, it felt quite overcrowded as a variety of individuals scoured the streets for trades, quests or social opportunities with others. Small and oddly reserved, Theoni sat on a low stone wall off to the side with a glum expression. With her elbows planted on her knees, and face resting in the palms of her hands, the narrowed brown eyes of the Faerin glared out on the peaceful scene before her. As warm and welcoming as this place was, she could not shake the oppressive scene of boredom that hang in the pollen infested air. Honeyhome was just too happy. The biggest fantasy of this place was the unmitigated barriers of safety it possessed which kept out all the wild beasts in the region surrounding it. Theoni imaged that she could stay here forever and survive in relative peace and comfort. It explained the mindset of the mutt she had met in the forest, the dullard Zori probably felt right at home sitting around in comfort whilst achieving nothing. Not her. She wanted to be important and progress, Honeyhome was simply a stepping stone on her path to conquest and glory! Which made being in the village for longer than a day all the more frustrating for her. She muttered a curse about the resting system. Theoni was all about maximizing her gains here to speed up her departure from the baby crib of Terrasphere but her over-eagerness had caused her to come into quick conflict with the limitations of her character currently. Much like her real body, it seemed this Faerin form had its limits too, she had fallen unconscious in town the day before and lost some coin involuntarily when coming to at the small inn. That was a further dent in her aspirations, equipping herself with the correct gear before going adventuring apparently quite expensive at her level. She needed to get rich quick but every quest on offer in this hamlet sounded so dull that the Faerin could not even contemplate gritting her teeth and enduring it for the sake of a quick pay off. Speaking of which... Theoni glanced to her side as she noticed a shadow hovering over her, no doubt some other village npc coded to petition her for aid by taking on a quest. She had heard no end of these simple, dull tasks. She dearly hoped the quests offered at the next hub would be a little more entertaining! However, the person approaching her lacked that warm villager vibe. Not just in appearance but also a certain.... menace to their aura. This stranger was tall. Not just relative to the diminutive Theoni but even for other player races she had seen walking around. She had to be breaking some sort of limit to be bordering seven foot, finely chiseled with an unbelievable amount of muscle and all on show as she wore little more than a chain-mail bikini. It was a jarring combination which made Theoni's ears twitch as she hesitated at where to look, settling on the huge war axe the female rested on one shoulder. To wield a huge weapon like that with one hand suggested this person was frighteningly strong. What the heck did they want with her? "Aw, aren't you a little cutie?" The buff warrior cooed as she bent over to talk to the seated Faerin. There was something wrong with the tall brunette's purple eyes, a sparkle in them that made Theoni's skin crawl. "Such an adorable new player... how strange that you're all alone. What's your name?" "Uh..." She had noticed the dried blood on the blade of the war axe, a strange sweat that appeared to glisten on the muscular body of the female warrior speaking to her. All of it, along with the strange look she was being given, left Theoni short of words. The Faerin simply gulped, to which the towering lady reacted by pressing her middle and index fingers to her own temple. "Theoni? What a sweet little name. I'm Petunia." stated the lady as introduction before stretching her powerful limbs and sighing. "I just got done slaughtering a whole pack of dire beasts so I'm looking to relax. How about you keep me company my little fairy cake? I can teach a newbie like you a whole bunch of things~" "H-hey Zori!" Theoni finally squeaked as the warrior gave her another odd look, pretending to wave at someone behind the powerful amazoness. There was no one there, she had yet to cross paths with the dullard today. He was a perfect distraction though, the lady talking to her standing up tall before turning to see the newcomer. When she spotted no one, Petunia turned back to Theoni quizzically but by then the Faerin had already made a dash for it, dropping on the other side of the wall she sat on and running as fast as she could. Having already been outpaced by many people so far on her journey due to her short stature, Theoni knew trying to run alone would get her nowhere. Fortunately there was a second part to her place, step 1 was run and step 2 was hide. She also knew a spot to the edge of town between two trees where there was a small bush, a perfect hiding spot for anyone hoping to escape notice. She made quick progress to the spot, diving into the bush as soon as she reached it. Strangely she almost bumped into someone as she crouched beneath the veil of the bush leaves. Blinking a few times, it took a second for her to identify the blond Yladian also occupying the hiding spot. "You?!" gasped the Faerin, recognizing Adelaide from the day before. They had crossed paths outside the general store in the village, Theoni had spent a good hour trying to convince the woman to give her some gold after she had spotted that the Yladian had already got herself equipped with a weapon and some armour. The help out a fellow new player angle had not worked in the slightest. "Fairy cake? Where did you go~?" The pointed ears of the Faerin shivered as she heard the distant call. The walking fortress had not taken a hint as she feared. "Oh crap, be quiet." Theoni urged Adelaide in a hushed tone.
